Athletics Archive
-
03/27/2024
The University of Scranton will host a Graduate Open House the evening of Apr. 10 to provide information about its more than 30 advanced degree programs. Those attending the event will hear from and meet Scranton alumni, faculty, admissions representatives and current students.
A nationally recognized Jesuit university, Scranton seeks to provide the highest-quality graduate education, with programs meeting the most rigorous state or national accreditations available within their professional fields. Graduate programs include physical therapy, occupational therapy, nurse anesthesia, health care management, clinical rehabilitation counseling, business analytics and MBAs in several concentrations and other business disciplines. Scranton also offers a Ph.D. program in accounting. While most programs are offered on campus, some also offer online options.
In recent years, Scranton has added new graduate programs, such as an online master’s degree program in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity, and a synchronous remote master ’s degree in speech-language pathology.
The Graduate Open House begins on Apr. 10 with registration at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of the DeNaples Center, followed by an alumni panel presentation at 6 p.m. Program specific information sessions will run from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. Optional campus tours are available from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The event is offered free of charge.
For more information or to make reservations, visit the Graduate Open House webpage or email gradadmissions@scranton.edu.
$content.getChild('content').textValueGraduate Open House Set for April 10 at Scranton
-
03/26/2024
An accounting professor at The University of Scranton won his second national award that annually recognizes one article “that focuses on the importance of ethics in business as a whole and finance and accounting in particular.”
Selected by the Institute of Management Accountants’ Committee on Ethics and Strategic Finance for the 2024 Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year Award, the article “The Fraud Prevention Pyramid” was written by Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, chair of The University of Scranton Accounting Department and director of the University’s Ph.D. in Accounting program, and Dana Hermanson, Ph.D., professor of accounting at Kennesaw State University and the Dinos Eminent Scholar of Private Enterprise. The article was published in Strategic Finance in March of 2024.
Accounting professors at Scranton have won this prestigious, national ethics award more than faculty at any other university in the nation. Dr. Boyle won the inaugural Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year Award in 2020 for an article written by him and Scranton accounting professors Amanda S. Marcy, Ph.D., James F. Boyle, DBA, and Daniel P. Mahoney, Ph.D. Dr. Marcy won the 2023 Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year Award for an article written with class of 2021 Scranton business doctoral student Ronald Douglas Parker, DBA, now an assistant professor of accounting at Western Carolina University.
In the article that won the 2024 Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year Award, Drs. Boyle and Hermanson introduce a five-stage Fraud Prevention Pyramid, which they write is “designed to assist financial professionals and others in building a career-long ability to shield themselves from fraud. It contains five increasingly advanced stages of anti-fraud preparation: developing fraud awareness and acumen; understanding fraud ingredients; avoiding common fraud pitfalls; mitigating dark triad traits and pressure; and mastering emotional intelligence.”
The article concludes with ways in which the Fraud Prevention Pyramid can be used to encourage ethical behavior by boards and executives and by organizations through continuing education programs, as well as by individuals for personal development.
Articles written by Dr. Boyle and doctoral students at Scranton and fellow professors have received numerous awards, including most recently a 2023 Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA) Lybrand Silver Medal and Certificate of Merit.
With respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty in the area of accounting education, Dr. Boyle, was ranked No. 5 in the world for research publishing success by most-recent 2023 Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings, a listing considered to be the gold standard in accounting disciplines.
Dr. Boyle is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant with more than 30 years of industry executive experience. He has served in executive roles in startup, middle market, and Fortune 500 companies, where he has held the positions of board chair, chief executive officer, president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer. An award-winning researcher and teacher, Dr. Boyle was selected as the IMA Research Foundation Distinguished Scholar in 2022, awarded the Outstanding Accounting Educator of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 2015, and an Outstanding Lecturer Award from the Cultural Mission of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in 2012. At Scranton, Dr. Boyle earned Provost Excellence Awards for University Service and Leadership in 2021, the Scholarship of Teaching in 2014 and Scholarly Publication in 2012, and the Faculty Senate’s Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award in 2019. He was named the Kania School of Management’s (KSOM) Alperin Teaching Fellow for 2015 to 2018 and received the KSOM Advisory Board’s Award for Curriculum Innovation for 2017-2018. He received the KSOM Faculty Research Award for 2019 – 2020 and was twice recognized as the KSOM Teacher of the Year. He is the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
Dr. Boyle earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Professor Wins Second National Accounting Ethics Award
-
03/26/2024
Scranton native John Cawley, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Economics and the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University, will present “The Economics of Obesity” at The University of Scranton’s 29th Henry George Seminar on Monday, April 8, at 4 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. His research interests include the economics of risky health behaviors; in particular, those that relate to obesity. Examples of research projects include: the effects of food advertising on diet and of income on weight; the impact of obesity on labor market outcomes such as wages; the effect of physical education on youths; and the effectiveness of financial rewards for weight loss.
Dr. Cawley’s research has been published in the American Economic Review, Review of Economics and Statistics, Journal of Economic Perspectives, as well as journals in health economics (e.g. Journal of Health Economics, Health Economics and the American Journal of Health Economics), public policy (Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and Health Affairs) and medicine and public health (e.g. The Journal of the American Medical Association, Lancet and the American Journal of Public Health).
His research has also been widely covered in the media, including stories in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, The New York Times, The Economist, Business Week, Forbes, Scientific American and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Dr. Cawley is co-director of Cornell’s Institute on Health Economics, Health Behaviors and Disparities. He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a research fellow at the Tinbergen Institute in the Netherlands, and a research fellow of the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Germany.
In addition to his affiliation with Cornell, Dr. Cawley is the Erasmus Initiative Visiting Professor of Health Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands and an Honorary Professor of Economics at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is also a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a research fellow at the Tinbergen Institute in the Netherlands, and a research fellow of the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Germany. He was a member of the Institute of Medicine Committee “Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth” and has served on advisory boards and expert panels for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government agencies. Dr. Cawley is as an editor of the Journal of Health Economics.
Dr. Cawley has received numerous awards during his career, including the Investigator Award in Health Policy Research from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the State University of New York (SUNY) Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship, the John D. Thompson Prize for Young Investigators from the Association of University Programs in Health Administration and the Charles C. Shepard Science Award in Prevention and Control from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. During 2016 he served as a Fulbright specialist in economics to Ireland.
Prior to arriving at Cornell, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Scholar in Health Policy Research at the University of Michigan from 1999-2001. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Harvard University and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Chicago.
For more information about the Henry George Seminar, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu. The seminar is free of charge and open to the public.
Economic Impact of Risky Health Behaviors Analyzed
-
03/26/2024
The University of Scranton’s Jesuit Center hosted a luncheon discussion with Joe DeFeo, Ph.D., executive director of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and University’s (AJCU) Ignatian Colleagues Program on campus in March. Dr. DeFoe presented “In This Together: How Everyone Contributes to Our Jesuit and Catholic Mission” at the event attended by nearly 70 members of the University’s faculty and staff.
While on campus, Dr. DeFoe also met with members of the University community who participated in the Ignatian Colleagues Program. He also met with University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., and University administrators.
The Ignatian Colleagues Program is an 18-month, in-depth program that engages faculty and staff from across Jesuit colleges and universities in learning about the Jesuit and Catholic mission, charism, history, pedagogy and spirituality of their institutions.
$content.getChild('content').textValueIgnatian Colleagues Program Executive Director Visits Scranton
-
03/25/2024
Whether you are actively seeking a job, internship or a graduate program, it’s never too early to attend The University of Scranton’s Career Expo to talk to employers, get information about careers, meet a recruiter, and start networking.
With more than 100 organizations registered to participate, the University’s Spring 2024 Career Expo has opportunities for students and alumni from all majors. The event will be held, free of charge, from noon to 3 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex, Friday, April 5.
Participants, many of whom are Scranton alumni, who were in your shoes just a few years ago, represent more than dozens of different industries from several states, as well as businesses from the Scranton area.
No Excuses Not to Attend
Still not sure about attending? Not sure what to expect – or even what to wear? We have you covered!
The Center for Career Development has compiled a list of resources to help, including, what to expect, what to wear, resume writing tips and “elevator pitch” tips to get a conversation started. All candidates attending the event should dress to impress and bring plenty of resumes to distribute to employer or graduate schools.
The Royal Threads program is a professional clothing closet providing students with professional clothing items. Once a student borrows an item it is theirs to keep for life. More information on other helpful resources like this can be found at www.scranton.edu/studentlife/studentaffairs/careers/career-expo.
The Spring 2024 Career Expo is sponsored by the University’s Roche Family Center for Career Development. Contact Rosie Jacklinski for additional information at 570-941-7640 or rose.jacklinski@scranton.edu.
Opportunities for All Majors at Career Expo
-
03/25/2024
The University of Scranton will host an art exhibit Friday, April 5 for “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection.”
The exhibit is inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home.” In answer to the call by Pope Francis to “Care for Our Common Home,” The University of Scranton has begun an intensive seven-year journey to become designated as a Laudato Si’ University by the Vatican. The collection features 20th and 21st century representations of landscape and nature connected to eastern Pennsylvania. Artists represented include Jon Carsman, Nina Davidowitz, Berenice D’Vorzon, Earl Lehman, Walter Elmer Schofield and Melville Stark, among others.
The gallery lecture, presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the Hope Horn Gallery, will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. in Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. A public reception will follow from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall, and is part of downtown Scranton’s First Fridays. The lecture and reception are free of charge and open to the public.
The exhibit will run from April 5 through May 3, and can be seen, free of charge, during gallery hours.
For more information on the event call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Landscapes from the University Art Collection Displayed
-
03/19/2024
Fifteen University of Scranton students participated spring break service trips offered by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. Along with six chaperones, the students helped to build and renovate homes, and assist women and children experiencing homelessness at service projects in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, and Phoenix, Arizona.
The following students went to Phoenix, Arizona, to work with Maggie’s Place:
Abigail Casal, South Abington Township, an early and primary teacher education major;
Bridgid Guarnuccio, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, an early and primary teacher education major;
Erin Holler, Nesconset, New York, a 2023 graduate of Scranton and current graduate student;
Jenna Kotlar, Branchburg, New Jersey, a kinesiology major;
Claire Loder, Westfield, New Jersey, an advertising/public relations major;
Kelly McGovern, Manalapan, New Jersey, an occupational therapy major;
Susan Wohlmuth, Cromwell, Connecticut, a biochemistry major.
Kayla Betacchini, assistant director for student engagement; Melissa Przewlocki, assistant director of career development; and Sophia McMullan, a 2023 graduate of Scranton and current graduate student from Cranford, New Jersey, served as chaperones.
The following students went to the Appalachian Region of Kentucky to work with the Christian Appalachian Project:
Jack Burke, Scranton, a psychology major;
Stephen Butler, Telford, a neuroscience major;
Andrew Gordos, Leesport, a biomathematics major;
Isabelle Jalandoni, Somerville, New Jersey, a nursing major;
Meghan Martin, Glenside, an occupational therapy major;
Sarika Mongar, Scranton, an undeclared major;
Samuel Peters, West Hartford, Connecticut, an environmental science major;
Isabelle Wohlleber, Hazleton, a mathematical sciences major.
Chaperones were: Andrea Malia, administrative assistant of Mission and Ministry; Sean Brennan, Ph.D., professor of history; and Eric Panicco, East USA Jesuit novice serving with the University's Center for Service and Social Justice.
Isabelle Wohlleber discusses the spring break service trip in this week's Royal News Student Spotlight.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Volunteer To Serve During Spring Break
-
03/19/2024
The University of Scranton has updated its Campus Health and Safety guidance for exposure and isolation protocols related to COVID-19 to reflect the most recent recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC now recommends approaching COVID-19 infections in a manner similar to other respiratory viruses. The current guidance is to stay home and isolate from others until fever free for at least 24 hours without using fever-reducing medications and with symptoms improving overall.
Additional information for members of the campus community is available on the University’s Campus Health and Safety webpage, as well as the Student Health Services webpage.
Health and Safety Respiratory Virus Update
-
03/19/2024
Area middle and high school students can participate in soccer tournament run by University of Scranton students as part of a sports event management course. Proceeds from the second annual Scranton Soccer Fest, set for Saturday, May 4, at The University of Scranton’s Fitzpatrick Field, will benefit the American Breast Cancer Foundation.
Groups of six to 10 can register to compete in the 6-on-6 tournament in the following age divisions: U12 male; U12 female; U14 coed; high school male; and high school female. Each team is guaranteed to play at least four games. Those at all levels of soccer skills are welcome to participate. Games will begin at 9 a.m. on May 4.
The registration fee of $150 per team prior to April 15 includes a t-shirt for participants. Registration between April 16 through April 28 is $165 per team and does not include a t-shirt.
The event is being organized by members of the University’s sports event management course taught by Ovidiu Cocieru, Ph.D., assistant professor of management. The project is designed to provide students with hands-on opportunities to put together a community-based sports event. The project encompasses all aspects of the managing the event, from registration to marketing, to the organization of the play itself.
For more information or to register, visit Scranton Soccer Fest webpage. For additional questions, contact Dr. Cocieru at 570-941-4728.
Playing Soccer to Teach Sports Management
-
03/19/2024
The University of Scranton Singers will present a concert in collaboration with Scranton Brass Orchestra on Sunday, March 24. Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert will begin at 7:30 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, the concert will feature a short program by each group, followed by the performance of two pieces by the combined groups.
Founded by Boga and Hal Baillie, Ph.D., professor emeritus of the Philosophy Department at the University, and now in its 12th season, Scranton Brass Orchestra is a fully professional 28-member ensemble comprised of brass and percussion players/teachers from across the region. Since its founding in June 2011, the group’s performances have been free and open to the public, and have featured nationally and internationally acclaimed guests, among them some of the most acclaimed brass players of our time. Some of the goals of the group include: to provide high level large brass ensemble performance and listening opportunities; to serve as an aural and visual model to aid in the tonal and technical development of student brass players and as a professional development resource for brass performers and teachers in the region; and to give participating regional brass musicians and teachers opportunities to work with and observe masters of the art of brass playing.
The University of Scranton Singers, founded in the early 1960s by the late Norbert Betti, is an SATB ensemble made up of students from majors spanning the University’s curriculum, brought together by their love of music. They are known for their eclectic and diverse styles of programming.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year. Programs within the Performance Music Department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection, and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
For further information about the performance, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website.
University Singers and Scranton Brass Orchestra Concert Set
-
03/18/2024
The University of Scranton will host a free, public reception Meet and Greet with the organizers of “Scranton Stories” and local residents who shared their oral history through the project, which was supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant.
The Meet and Greet reception, which takes place Thursday, April 4, at 6:30 p.m., features portrait photographs with a citation about the chosen location and personal statements and quotes from each oral history interview participant. The reception will take place in the fifth floor Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Light refreshments will be served.
The oral history project is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a multifaceted two-year initiative that seeks to illustrate and preserve the unique story of Scranton and relate it to the history of the United States. The project, which involved multiple community partners, responds to the NEH special initiative “A More Perfect Union” which will commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States.
Premiered in the fall 2023, the exhibition showcases portraits taken by photographer Byron Maldonado and links to the 25 oral histories featuring 33 community members, giving voice to a broad array of Scranton experiences and connecting them to our national story.
“The Scranton Stories oral history collection provides a mosaic, bringing forward rich and authentic narratives that honor the longstanding histories of this region and expand how we understand the Scranton area and who belongs in it today. The stories include local Black heritage, migration stories from the industrial era to more recent journeys from Latin America as well as Africa, Asia and the Middle East. There are experiences of reentry and recovery, economic struggle and small business creation; interviewees include educators and artists, faith leaders and civic advocates, and more,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, Scranton Stories project director and assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at the University.
To RSVP, visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/ScrantonStoriesReception. To view all 25 Scranton Stories, visit www.scranton.edu/stories and via YouTube here: www.youtube.com.
The exhibit can also be seen in the Heritage Room, free of charge, during library hours now through to April 21. For more information contact Michael Knies at 570-941-6341 or Michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Meet Scranton Stories Participants and Project Organizers
-
03/15/2024
Through April 21 Art Exhibit: “Scranton Stories” Oral History Interviews and Photographs. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@Scranton.edu.
April 4 5 p.m. The 27th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “Driving Change in Healthcare.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4527 or email abigail.lynott@scranton.edu.
April 4 6:30 p.m. Reception for “Scranton Stories Oral History and Photographs.” Meet and greet with the project team and interviewees. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
April 5 through May 3 Art Exhibit: “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
April 5 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The World in Disarray” presented by Jill Dougherty, adjunct professor, Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute Advisory Council. McDonnell Room, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
April 5 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery as part of Scranton’s First Fridays events. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
April 8 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “The Economics of Obesity” presented by John Cawley, Ph.D., professor, Department of Economics and the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email john.ruddy@scranton.edu.
April 10 5:30 p.m. Graduate Open House. DeNaples Center, 4th floor. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email gradadmissions@scranton.edu.
April 10 5:30 p.m. Slattery Center Lecture: “REARRANGED: An Opera Singer's Facial Cancer and Life Transposed” presented by Kathleen Watt. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
April 14 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2027. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
April 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mark Kosower and Mingyao Zhao, cello. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
April 15 5 p.m. Environmental Art Show Opening Event: An Artist Talk with Theresa O’Connor. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.
April 15-24 Environmental Art Show: “Creating Connections.” Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.
April 16 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentation and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
April 18 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email salisa.brown@scranton.edu.
April 18 5:30 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” and Essay Award Presentation. University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Essay contest awards will be announced at the event. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
April 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with special guest cello soloists Mark Kosower and Mingyao Zhao. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu
April 18-20 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Performance: “Children of Eden” presented by The University of Scranton Liva Arts Company. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com for tickets or email livartscompany@gmail.com.
April 23 4:15 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus-based high school math competition. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. See https://www.scranton.edu/academics/cas/math/bee.shtml for more details or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
April 24 noon. Celebration of Student Scholars. Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7653 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
April 25 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email brandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu.
April 25 6 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “The Mind and Music of Scott Joplin” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Reception to follow. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, 525 Pine Street, Scranton. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
April 27-28 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-6195 or email melisa.gallo@scranton.edu.
April Events Planned at University
-
03/08/2024
Opening with a brief saxophone solo, acclaimed musician Loren Schoenberg, a senior scholar of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, faculty member at Julliard, and former instructor at the Manhattan School of Music and the New School, presented “The Lincoln/Armstrong Connection: From Gettysburg to New Orleans” at the Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar on campus. The March 1 luncheon was sponsored by Munley Law.
At the seminar, Schoenberg projected images of Abraham Lincoln and Louis Armstrong, identifying each as a genius who reinvented their respective worlds.
Schoenberg argued that Lincoln reinterpreted the constitution in delivering the Gettysburg Address. Not only was the speech far shorter than a typical speech at that time, but its contents also charted a new path for democracy in addressing what the Civil War was about and how to fix the conflict.
Similarly, Armstrong brought new meaning to the arts as the first musician to truly integrate the Black spiritual music tradition of Black American churches into the pre-existing tradition of jazz. However, as Schoenberg described, many doubted – and perhaps continue to doubt – the genius of each man: “Like those who thought of Lincoln as a country boy with feet too small to fill the shoes of the presidency, there are still those who define Armstrong as no more than a ‘noble savage.’”
To prove Armstrong’s musical genius, Schoenberg began by briefly chronicling Armstrong’s early life. At age nine, Armstrong was arrested for being a supposed suspicious and dangerous character. He was sent to the “Colored Waif’s Home” as a result. While there, Armstrong discovered the trumpet, his mentor, and his natural talent for jazz. As he grew up, he played with a series of bands, including some on riverboats traveling up and back the Mississippi, before recording records of his own, which are considered groundbreaking in nature.
Schoenberg explained that the root of Armstrong’s genius emerged in his understanding of rhythm and his willingness to experiment with changes to a standard rhythm. Although the value of jazz was always downplayed due to its deviance from European composition, Armstrong decided to deviate further, playing the trumpet as if it were a different instrument like a guitar or a drum. In this way, Armstrong strayed from the more rag-time jazz of his time, and committed to a form of jazz that lurches back and forward on the tempo while the tempo remains steady.
In addition to the doubts of the larger community, Armstrong also faced criticism from the Black community. Schoenberg explained that many Black Americans believed Armstrong was pandering to white Americans and that his performances were perceived by many to be ‘minstrelesque’ in nature. Despite these criticisms, Armstrong persisted in his musical pursuits and frequently spoke out against the racial injustices of his day. Schoenberg even noted that when Armstrong was asked to comment on the Little Rock 9, he boldly claimed that the president should go to hell, a comment he refused to retract in a later conference. Schoenberg concluded with a clip of one of Armstrong’s most captivating performances in which Armstrong exemplifies the genius he relentlessly fought to display and that continues to earn his title as one of the greats.
Genius of Abraham Lincoln and Louis Armstrong Discussed
-
03/08/2024
A 2023 University of Scranton graduate and current graduate student and a chemistry professor received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) grant to develop an analytical method to detect the authenticity of egg whites quickly and accurately.
Adam Mehall ’23, a chemistry graduate student from Scranton, will work to develop the application for the “Eggdicator,” an invention of Gerard Dumancas, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at The University of Scranton. Dr. Dumancas will serve as Mehall’s faculty mentor and principal investigator for the project.
Mehall will use combination of near infrared spectroscopy and chemometrics to detect the authenticity of egg whites to develop a reliable process that can be completed within two minutes for the Eggdicator device. The project received a $5,000 grant from NSF I-Corps Interior Northeast Region at Cornell University, which is aimed primarily towards customer discovery for projects recommended to move forward to the national I-Corps program.
The NSF I-Corps program is an immersive, entrepreneurial national training program that facilitates the process of taking innovations to the marketplace. Scranton falls in the NSF I-Corps Interior Northeast Region, which is hosted by Cornell University and spans the northern and eastern parts of Pennsylvania, as well as Vermont, New Hampshire, West Virginia and the northern region of New York.
The Interior Northeast I-Corps Hub “aims to expand the nation’s geography of innovation by developing a regional I-Corps innovation network that can become a repeatable, inclusive model of education and workforce training designed for and by innovators based in rural regions and small cities,” as stated on its webpage.
Mehall and Dr. Dumancas presented their Eggdicator technology at a recent NSF I-Corp Program “Innovation Challenge” event in Salt Lake City, Utah, in January 2024 at the American Farm Bureau Convention. The project is an inception of Dr. Dumancas’ 2023 University of Scranton faculty development intersession grant to research “A facile, convenient, and affordable method to determine the authenticity of liquid chicken egg whites”
A prolific research chemist, Dr. Dumancas was awarded more than $2.1 million in external research grants, including a five-year, $1.158 million National Science Foundation funded Noyce Scholars grant to support future STEM high school teachers in high-need school districts. In 2023, he received University’s Excellence in Integrating Diversity in Learning Award.
Dr. Dumancas has published nearly 100 research products in the form of journal articles, book chapters, books and intellectual property disclosures. His research focuses on the development of novel, faster and inexpensive analytical methods to detect adulteration of a wide array of food commodities including honey, turmeric oil, turmeric powder, coffee and egg whites. In doing so, his research group, which includes undergraduate and graduate students at Scranton, utilizes a wide array of machine learning and spectroscopic tools to develop robust multivariate calibration models for predicting adulteration in food products and other types of biological systems.
Just last year, Dr. Dumancas worked with The University of Scranton graduate students and published two original research articles in American Chemical Society (ACS) journals. He also published a digital primer titled “Spectroscopic and Chemometric Techniques for Pharmaceutical Applications” through ACS, and is the principal investigator for NSF funded project to develop a smartphone and spectrometry purity test for honey.
Dr. Dumancas joined the faculty at Scranton in the spring of 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oklahoma State University.
Grant Supports Student/Faculty Product Innovation Research
-
03/06/2024
Ethics Across the Curriculum, a new initiative that began at The University of Scranton this academic year, hosted a lecture on “The Role of Ethics and Ethics Committees in Healthcare,” presented by Karen Smith, Ph.D., director of clinical ethics at Banner Desert Medical Center.
Dr. Smith, the former chief ethicist for the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan, also facilitated a workshop for Scranton’s pre-health students on advanced directives. Dr. Smith has published numerous articles related to clinical ethics in the hospital setting, with a specialization in death and dying issues.
The University’s Ethic Across the Curriculum Initiative is inspired by the call for the formation of students’ moral characters as a key component of the 500-year-old Jesuit educational mission. Scranton’s initiative includes faculty development components and experiential learning and open dialog discussion opportunities for students, as well as lectures and workshops, such as those offered by Dr. Smith.
$content.getChild('content').textValueRole of Ethics in Healthcare Discussed at University
-
03/05/2024
The research of 15 University of Scranton undergraduate students, six recent graduates and nearly a dozen professors was presented at the 2024 annual Eastern Psychological Association conference, which took place Feb. 29 to Mar. 2 in Philadelphia. In total, a dozen research posters and papers were presented at the conference.
The Eastern Psychological Association, founded in 1896, is the oldest of the regional Psychological Associations in the United States.
A list of the students whose research was presented at the conference, their project and the faculty members they worked with on their projects follows.
Madeline R. Bull, a psychology major from Mendham, New Jersey, presented research titled “Who said what to who? Understanding microaggressions using the peer authority microaggression scale” with faculty member Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and Claire Carrera, University of Oregon.
Jack Burke, a psychology major from Dublin, Ireland, presented research titled “Belonging, self-efficacy, and retention in stem in economically marginalized students” with faculty members Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology, Janice Votlzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering, and Stacey Muir, Ph.D., professor of mathematics.
Abigail Charneski, a neuroscience major from Kingston, presented research titled “Personal statements: what apa accredited programs request” with faculty member John Norcross, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology.
Erica C. Czerwinski, a psychology major from Burlington, Massachusetts, presented research titled “Getting the punch line: effects of verbal working memory on joke comprehension” with faculty member Jill Warker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology.
Kim Thia M. Dang, a psychology and counseling and human services double major from Scranton, presented research titled “Getting the punch line: effects of verbal working memory on joke comprehension” with faculty member Jill Warker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology. Dang also presented research titled “Personal statements: what apa accredited programs request” with faculty member John Norcross, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology.
Emily E. Fick, a neuroscience major from Archbald, presented research titled “Getting the punch line: effects of verbal working memory on joke comprehension” with faculty member Jill Warker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology.
Gabrielle J. Jamieson, a psychology major from Bradley Beach, New Jersey, presented research titled “Observer perceptions of microaggressions: a comparison of two qualitative approaches” with Claire Carrera, University of Oregon, and Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology. Jamieson also presented research titled “Validation of the short environmental action scale (seas)” with faculty member Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology, and the study “Personal statements: what apa accredited programs request” with faculty member John Norcross, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology.
Morgan E. Jones, a psychology and philosophy double major from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, presented research titled “Getting the punch line: effects of verbal working memory on joke comprehension” with faculty member Jill Warker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology.
Elise S. Koegler, a psychology major from Scranton, presented research titled “Does the familiarity of religious events affect possibility judgments?”
Erin T. Lona, a psychology major from Scranton, presented research titled “Family environment adjective list: factor analysis of a new 6-item scale” with faculty members Elizabeth Vento, visiting assistant professor of psychology, Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and Wilson McDermut, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at St. John’s University.
Camryn Nagle, a psychology major from Hillsdale, New Jersey, presented research titled “Observer perceptions of microaggressions: a comparison of two qualitative approaches” with Claire Carrera, University of Oregon, and Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology.
Owen J. Stanczak, a psychology and philosophy double major from Bloomingdale, New Jersey, presented research titled “Predicting perceptions of the justification of officer-involved shootings using decision trees” with faculty member Joshua Reynolds, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology. Stanczak also presented research titled “Validation of the short environmental action scale (seas)” with faculty member Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology, and the study “Does being guilty cause police avoidance?” with faculty members Joshua Reynolds, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and Victoria Estrada-Reynolds, Ph.D., professor of psychology at King’s College.
Emma C. Stauffer, a psychology major from Leesport, presented research titled “Family environment adjective list: factor analysis of a new 6-item scale” with faculty members Elizabeth Vento, Ph.D., visiting assistant professor of psychology, and Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and Wilson McDermut, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at St. John’s University.
Emma Trautfetter, a psychology major from Cedar Grove, New Jersey, presented research titled “The effect of event type on false memory in a misinformation task” with faculty member Jill Warker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology. Trautfetter also presented research titled “Validation of the short environmental action scale (seas)” with faculty member Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology, and the study “Does being guilty cause police avoidance?” with faculty members Joshua Reynolds, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and Victoria Estrada-Reynolds, Ph.D., professor of psychology at King’s College.
Madeline S. Williams, a psychology and philosophy double major from Wall Township, New Jersey, presented research titled “Predicting perceptions of the justification of officer-involved shootings using decision trees” with faculty member Joshua Reynolds, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAlso presenting at the conference were recent graduates of Scranton.
Olivia Basalyga, a 2021 graduate of the University from Clarks Summit, Alexa Bobko, a 2022 graduate of the University from Cranford, New Jersey, Carly Bock, a 2021 graduate of the University from Cedar Grove, New Jersey, and Charlotte Hacker, a 2021 graduate of the University from Greenwich, Connecticut, presented research titled “Validation of the short environmental action scale (seas)” with faculty member Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology. Maria Rocha, a 2023 graduate of the University from Bound Brook, New Jersey, presented research titled “Does being guilty cause police avoidance?” with faculty members Joshua Reynolds, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and Victoria Estrada-Reynolds, Ph.D., professor of psychology at King’s College, and several Scranton undergraduate students. Claire Carrera, a 2023 graduate of the University from North Bergen, New Jersey, now at the University of Oregon, presented research titled “Observer perceptions of microaggressions: a comparison of two qualitative approaches” with Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology, and several Scranton undergraduate students; and “Who said what to who? understanding microaggressions using the peer authority microaggression scale” with faculty member Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and University undergraduate students.
In addition, Emily J. Hopkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, presented research titled “Does the familiarity of religious events affect possibility judgments?”
Additional information about many undergraduate research opportunities offered by the Psychology Department at The University of Scranton can be found on the department’s webpage.
Research Presented at Eastern Psychological Association Conference
-
03/01/2024
The University of Scranton will host several academic competitions for area middle school and high school students during the spring semester. Competitions to be held on campus include a history competition; an Earth Day essay contest; the Hayes Competition for physics and engineering; and the Integration Bee for mathematics, as well as the Brain Bee for neuroscience, which took place on campus earlier this month.
Area students in grades five to 12 can participate in the University’s Earth Day Essay Contest. Submissions are due electronically by Friday, April 5.
Earth Day Essay Contest winners will be announced at an Evening of Environmental Science, which will take place on Thursday, April 18, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center. The event, which is open to contest participants and their families as well as the general public, will include University student-run interactive science experiments and displays, as well as the exhibit of essay contest submissions.
For additional information about the Earth Day Essay Contest, call 570-941-6267.
On Saturday, March 2, The University will host Region 2 of the National History Day competition for Pennsylvania. The competition allows students from northeastern Pennsylvania to compete in the categories of historical essays, performances, documentaries, websites and exhibits on a historical theme. Contest winners will move on to the Pennsylvania state competition, which will be hosted on Scranton’s campus April 20-21. Winners in the state contest have the potential to compete in the national championship in Maryland, in the summer.
For additional information about the Region 2 of the National History Day competition, contact Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history, at sean.brennan@scranton.edu.
On Thursday, April 18, the University will host its annual Hayes Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. The daylong contest tests high school students’ knowledge of physics through a series of hands-on games and challenges. Students compete individually and as part of a team. The competition can help participants prepare for Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Pre-registration is required.
For additional information, contact the competition administrator Rachel Frissell, faculty specialist for physics and electrical engineering, at rachel.frissell@scranton.edu or 570-941-7007.
On Tuesday, April 23, the annual Math Integration Bee for high school students will take place at 4:30 p.m. in the DeNaples Center Ballroom. The competition, which is hosted by the Mathematics Department, can help high school students improve their skills for AP mathematics tests. The Bee is offered free of charge, registration is required.
For more information, contact Stacey Muir, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics, at 570-941-6580 or stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
Earlier this semester, the University’s Neuroscience Program hosted the 22nd annual Northeast PA Bran Bee Competition for high school students in grades nine through 12 on Feb. 10. The competition encouraged the study of the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, movements, aging and other factors. The winner of the 2024 Northeast PA Brain Bee was Rachel Thomas from Central Bucks South High School. Jordan Levin from Council Rock South High School came in second place and Bernadetta Paolucci from Seton Catholic Central High School came in third place.
For more information about the Brain Bee, contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., program director and associate professor of biology, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Let the Academic Games for Area Students Begin at Scranton
-
03/01/2024
Through March 22 Art Exhibit: “The Fables of Ora Lerman: Creativity + Critical Thinking.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through April 21 Art Exhibit: “Scranton Stories” Oral History Interviews and Photographs. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@Scranton.edu.
March 1 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Lincoln/Armstrong Connection: From Gettysburg to New Orleans” presented by Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, faculty at Juilliard and has also taught at the Manhattan School of Music and the New School. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
March 2 9 a.m. Regional National History Day Competition for junior and senior high school students. The DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
March 2 3:30 p.m. Performance Music: Jazzfilm/Musictalk screening of “Wham-Re-Bop-Boom-Bam: The Swing Jazz of Eddie Durham” hosted by the film’s creators Loren Schoenberg, producer and musical director and award-winning filmmaker Kris Hendrickson (’88). Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
March 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Loren Schoenberg, piano and tenor sax. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
March 6 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Political Reforms to Combat Extremism” presented by Richard Pildes, Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law, one of the nation’s leading scholars of constitutional law and a specialist in legal issues concerning democracy, former law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall, and an appointee on President Biden’s Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
March 21 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities Collaborative Program: “Christian Nationalism” presented by Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., associate professor of history, Boston College, and former visiting fellow at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, College of the Holy Cross. Reception to follow. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
March 23 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s Class of 2027. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
March 24 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and The Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
March 25 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “All the Beauty in the World: A Portrait of the MET Museum” presented by Patrick Bringley, author and former New Yorker staffer, spent a decade as a museum guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before writing his memoir. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses Beginning in March
Mondays: March 25, April 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 6 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “The Sitcoms of Norman Lear” presented by Charlie Cino, M.A., instructor, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
March Events Planned at University
-
02/29/2024
The University of Scranton was among just 13 colleges in the nation recognized by The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for their efforts to increase interest in pursuing careers in accounting and to support students who have chosen that path. Several of the University’s initiatives were praised in AIPCA’s publication “Strategies for Boosting Accounting Enrollment An AICPA Pipeline Acceleration Report.”
According to AICPA, the national “Pipeline Acceleration Plan seeks to increase students' interest in accounting and encourage more accounting graduates to become licensed professionals.” The report encourages “implementing strategic measures to attract, develop, and retain a diverse and skilled talent pool in the accounting profession” and cites examples of innovative successful strategies for expanding access to accounting programs, enhancing student engagement and empowering student success.
The University’s Accounting Program was recognized for its outreach efforts to parents through the Business High School Scholars Program, which allows qualified high school students to take college courses at a reduced rate, in addition to other support. The report noted:
“Recognizing the significance of parental influence in students’ career choices, The University of Scranton conducts on-campus and virtual sessions for parents. These sessions address parents’ concerns regarding job stability and earning potential in the accounting field. Additionally, they dispel misconceptions about accounting careers, such as the notion that analytics will replace accountants.”
The report also recognized the foundational support offered to accounting students, stating the University “entrusts introductory accounting courses to instructors who have an established track record of engaging students and are also actively involved in advising various student clubs and organizations. The University of Scranton succeeds both at making a good first impression and at creating a symbiosis between academic instruction and extracurricular engagement.”
The report also recognized the “active culture of collaborative learning” environment created in the accounting program at the undergraduate and graduate level, noting that “encouraging students to study together is designed to cultivate mentorship and peer support that can increase students’ likelihood of passing the CPA Exam.”
AIPCA’s “Strategies for Boosting Accounting Enrollment An AICPA Pipeline Acceleration Report” was published Feb. 24, 2024.
Scranton’s Accounting Department, its professors and students have received national recognition for research. Scranton’s Accounting Department ranked No. 5 (tied) in the world for accounting education research published in the most recent six-years in the 2022 Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings, which is considered to be the gold standard in accounting disciplines. The listing also recognized several accounting faculty members individually for their research publication success. Scranton faculty and students have won multiple national Institute of Management Accountants’ awards as well, including prestigious student leadership awards and research and ethics awards.
Efforts To Develop Future Accountants Nationally Noted
-
02/27/2024
More than 40 University of Scranton Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students were selected to present their group research projects at the American Physical Therapy Association national meeting, which took place in February in Boston. Thirty-eight of the DPT students presenting research are graduates of the University.
The American Physical Therapy Association is a professional organization with more than 100,000 members that include physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and students of physical therapy. The meeting is the premier physical therapy conference in the U.S.
A list of the DPT students who presented research at the meeting, their research project and the faulty members they worked with on their projects follows.
John-Paolo Barcinas, Acton, Massachusetts, presented research titled "Creative Movement Therapy Impact on Mental and Physical Health Outcomes for Refugees Living with Trauma: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Lori Maria Walton, Ph.D., professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Barcinas earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Alexander Bracken, Oakhurst, New Jersey, presented research titled "The Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Patients Who Are Status-Post Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Anthony Carusotto, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Bracken earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Lauren Colella, Goshen, New York, presented research titled "Mental Health Factors and Exercise Adherence in Women with Breast Cancer Interventions: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Anthony Carusotto, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department, and Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. .
Sarah Coulson, Branchburg, New Jersey, presented research titled "Impact of Core Stabilization on Balance and Mobility in Persons with MS: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, faculty specialist in the Physical Therapy Department. Coulson earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Conor Coyle, Garden City, New York, presented research titled "Clinical Applications of Wearable Technology for Monitoring Sleep in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. Coyle earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Nicholas Daly, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, presented research titled "Creative Movement Therapy Impact on Mental and Physical Health Outcomes for Refugees Living with Trauma: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Lori Maria Walton, Ph.D., professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Daly earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Ben DeTrempe, Scranton, presented research titled "Clinical Applications of Wearable Technology for Monitoring Sleep in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair in the Physical Therapy Department. .
Haley Donoghue, Old Bridge, New Jersey, presented research titled "The Impact of POD0 Mobility on Function for Patients Following Joint Replacement: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Dana Maida, DPT, faculty specialist and assistant director of clinical education in the Physical Therapy Department, and Janette Scardillo, DPT, faculty specialist and director of clinical education in the Physical Therapy Department. Donoghue earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Adrianna Duranti, West Chester, presented research titled "Clinical Applications of Wearable Technology for Monitoring Sleep in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. Duranti earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Colleen Gaffney, Highland Mills, New York, presented research titled "The Impact of POD0 Mobility on Function for Patients Following Joint Replacement: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Dana Maida, DPT, faculty specialist and assistant director of clinical education in the Physical Therapy Department, and Janette Scardillo, DPT, faculty specialist and director of clinical education in the Physical Therapy Department. Gaffney earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Gina Garatino, Byram Township, New Jersey, presented research titled "Sociodemographic Factors and Hospital Readmission Rates for Home Health Care Medicare Beneficiaries: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Tracey L. Collins, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Garatino earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Shannon Gill, Cape May Court House, New Jersey, presented research titled "Sociodemographic Factors and Hospital Readmission Rates for Home Health Care Medicare Beneficiaries: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Tracey L. Collins, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Gill earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Brian Harrison, Jericho, New York, presented research titled "The Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Patients Who Are Status-Post Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Anthony Carusotto, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Harrison earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Jack Iannucci, Orangeburg, New York, presented research titled "The Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Patients Who Are Status-Post Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Anthony Carusotto, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Iannucci earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Matthew Kinback, Factoryville, presented research titled "Impact of Core Stabilization on Balance and Mobility in Persons with MS: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, faculty specialist in the Physical Therapy Department. Kinback earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
William Laughlin, Lansdale, presented research titled "Effect of Functional Electrical Stimulation on Gait in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, faculty specialist in the Physical Therapy Department, and Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. Laughlin earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Veronica Lenox, Bridgewater, New Jersey, presented research titled "Home-Based Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Capacity in Children with Congenital Heart Defects: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Nicholas Rodio, DPT, instructor in the Physical Therapy Department. Lenox earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Dylan LeVan, Bethlehem, presented research titled "The Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Patients Who Are Status-Post Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Anthony Carusotto, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. LeVan earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Alexis Long, Wayne, New Jersey, presented research titled "Forced Migration Trauma (FMT) Impact on Health Outcomes for Refugee Women: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Lori Walton, Ph.D., professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Long earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Claudia Mattes, Closter, New Jersey, presented research titled "The Impact of POD0 Mobility on Function for Patients Following Joint Replacement: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Dana Maida, DPT, faculty specialist and assistant director of clinical education in the Physical Therapy Department, and Janette Scardillo, DPT, faculty specialist and director of clinical education in the Physical Therapy Department. Mattes earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Megan McDermott, Brick, New Jersey, presented research titled "Forced Migration Trauma (FMT) Impact on Health Outcomes for Refugee Women: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Lori Walton, Ph.D., professor in the Physical Therapy Department. McDermott earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Nicholas Mohr, Milltown, New Jersey, presented research titled "Effect of Functional Electrical Stimulation on Gait in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, faculty specialist in the Physical Therapy Department, and Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. Mohr earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Matthew Moran, Moosic, presented research titled "Impact of Core Stabilization on Balance and Mobility in Persons with MS: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, faculty specialist in the Physical Therapy Department.
John Mulligan, Melville, presented research titled "Effect of Functional Electrical Stimulation on Gait in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, faculty specialist in the Physical Therapy Department, and Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. Mulligan earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Andrew Murray, Warners, New York, presented research titled "The Effect of Aromatherapy on Anxiety in Patients Who Are Status-Post Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Anthony Carusotto, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Murray earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Bridget Neal, Massapequa, New York, presented research titled "Home-Based Physical Activity & Cardiorespiratory Capacity in Children with Congenital Heart Defects: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Nicholas Rodio, DPT, instructor in the Physical Therapy Department. Neal earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Erin O’Shaughnessy, Jamison, presented research titled "Mental Health Factors and Exercise Adherence in Women with Breast Cancer Interventions: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Anthony Carusotto, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department, and Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. O’Shaughnessy earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Kyra O'Toole, Chalfont, presented research titled "Sociodemographic Factors and Hospital Readmission Rates for Home Health Care Medicare Beneficiaries: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Tracey L. Collins, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. O'Toole earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Valeria Oshepkova, Maywood, New Jersey, presented research titled "Forced Migration Trauma (FMT) Impact on Health Outcomes for Refugee Women: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Lori Walton, Ph.D., professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Oshepkova earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Alexis Pagonis, Garden City, New York, presented research titled "The Impact of POD0 Mobility on Function for Patients Following Joint Replacement: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Dana Maida, DPT, faculty specialist and assistant director of clinical education in the Physical Therapy Department, and Janette Scardillo, DPT faculty specialist and director of clinical education in the Physical Therapy Department. Pagonis earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Nicole Parello, Staten Island, New York, presented research titled "Impact of Core Stabilization on Balance and Mobility in Persons with MS: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, faculty specialist in the Physical Therapy Department. Parello earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Ashna Patel, Monroe, New York, presented research titled "Sociodemographic Factors and Hospital Readmission Rates for Home Health Care Medicare Beneficiaries: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Tracey L. Collins, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Patel earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Stefan Pinkston, Archbald, presented research titled "Clinical Applications of Wearable Technology for Monitoring Sleep in Patients with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. Pinkston earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Collin Purdy, Hillsborough, New Jersey, presented research titled "Effect of Functional Electrical Stimulation on Gait in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, faculty specialist in the Physical Therapy Department, and Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. Purdy earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Pamela Sbarra, New Fairfield , Connecticut, presented research titled "Home-Based Physical Activity & Cardiorespiratory Capacity in Children with Congenital Heart Defects: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Nicholas Rodio, DPT, instructor in the Physical Therapy Department. Sbarra earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Brooke Thomson, Byram Township, New Jersey, presented research titled "Creative Movement Therapy Impact on Mental and Physical Health Outcomes for Refugees Living with Trauma: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Lori Maria Walton, Ph.D., professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Thomson earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Samiel Torres, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, presented research titled "Creative Movement Therapy Impact on Mental and Physical Health Outcomes for Refugees Living with Trauma: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Lori Maria Walton, Ph.D., professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Torres earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Baylee Turetzky, Lewes, Delaware, presented research titled "Forced Migration Trauma (FMT) Impact on Health Outcomes for Refugee Women: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Lori Walton, Ph.D., professor in the Physical Therapy Department. Turetzky earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Sydney Walters, Mehoopany, presented research titled "Mental Health Factors and Exercise Adherence in Women with Breast Cancer Interventions: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Anthony Carusotto, Ed.D., assistant professor in the Physical Therapy Department, and Renée M. Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department. Walters earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
Carley Wiseman, Hillsdale, New Jersey, presented research titled "Home-Based Physical Activity & Cardiorespiratory Capacity in Children with Congenital Heart Defects: A Systematic Review." For this project, the DPT students worked with faculty mentor Nicholas Rodio, DPT, instructor in the Physical Therapy Department. Wiseman earned a bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 2021.
The Doctor of Physical Therapy was the first doctoral degree program offered at The University of Scranton. The program is accredited by the rigorous standards of the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE),
Guaranteed seats to the DPT program are offered to exceptional high school students entering the University as undergraduates. Those wishing more information on guaranteed seats, should contact the University’s Undergraduate Admissions Office.
DPT Students Present Research at National Conference
-
02/27/2024
The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a four-year pre-college mentorship program, is now accepting applications for the upcoming 2024 academic year that begins this summer. Students who are currently in the eighth grade are eligible to apply.
The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program funded entirely by corporate and foundations grants, so there is no charge to students and their families. The program's goal is to assist first generation college-bound students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university.
Accepted students will begin the program with a two-week residential summer academy which will be held on the campus of The University of Scranton from July 7 to July 19. Upon completion of the summer program, the students will continue to meet for enrichment sessions during their high school career.
The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, April 1, 2024.
Applications may be obtained by emailing Margaret Loughney, University of Success program director, at margaret.loughney@scranton.edu. Applications may also be obtained online the University of Success web site.
University of Success Now Accepting Applications
-
02/23/2024
Rachel Thomas, Jamison, a sophomore from Central Bucks South High School, came in first place in The University of Scranton’s 22nd annual Northeast PA Brain Bee competition, held on campus in February. Jordan Levin, Holland, junior from Council Rock South High School, came in second place, and Bernadetta Paolucci, Montrose, senior from Seton Catholic Central High School in Binghamton, New York, came in third place.
The competition for high school students in grades nine through 12 was sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at the University and the Scranton Neuroscience Society.
For more information about next year’s Northeast PA Brain Bee competition, contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., neuroscience program director and associate professor of biology, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Winners of 2024 Brain Bee Competition Announced
-
02/22/2024
Renowned jazz musician and noted historian Loren Schoenberg, a pianist and tenor saxophone player, will conclude a busy weekend visit to Scranton with a performance with The University of Scranton Jazz Band on Saturday, March 2.
The concert, presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Earlier on Saturday, at 3:30 p.m. in the Atrium of the Houlihan McLean Center, Schoenberg and award-winning filmmaker Kris Hendrickson, a 1988 graduate of the University, will host a free screening of their new WVIA documentary, “Wham Re-Bop-Boom-Bam: The Swing Jazz of Eddie Durham,” which chronicles the life of the jazz guitar pioneer.
Durham’s works, along with those of a variety of other jazz greats, such as Benny Carter and Louis Armstrong, will be performed and their musical lives and legacies celebrated at the Saturday evening concert according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
The day prior, Friday, March 1, Schoenberg will present the lecture “The Lincoln/Armstrong Connection: From Gettysburg to New Orleans” as part of the Spring 2024 Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminars series. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on campus. Reservations are required to attend the luncheon. For more information, visit the Schemel Forum webpage.
A nationally respected jazz musician, historian, educator, author, archivist, arranger, commentator, bandleader and teacher, Schoenberg was the founding executive director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, where he now serves as its senior scholar. He has received two Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes, and oversaw the Benny Goodman Archives at Yale University.
Through the years, Schoenberg has played and recorded with such jazz luminaries as Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Heath, Eddie Durham, Marian McPartland, Clark Terry, John Lewis, Christian McBride and Buck Clayton, and served as Bobby Short’s musical director from 1997 to 2005. He has also conducted the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, American Jazz Orchestra and WDR Jazz Orchestra in Koln, Germany.
Schoenberg has taught for several Jazz at Lincoln Center education programs and served as a screening judge for its Essentially Ellington program for 20 years. In addition, he is the author of the book, “The NPR Guide to Jazz,” and his writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times. He is a member of the faculty of The Juilliard School.
The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 23-member big band-style ensemble made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. The band performs four or more times each year, with the majority of their concerts open to the public, free of admission charge, and often featuring a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.
For further information about the performance or the documentary screening, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website. For more on Schoenberg, visit juilliard.edu/music/faculty/schoenberg-loren.
Jazz Musician Loren Schoenberg to Perform March 2
-
02/22/2024
Area high school students can register to compete in a fun, hands-on physics and engineering competition on April 18 at The University of Scranton.
Hundreds of students from area schools compete individually and in teams annually at Scranton’s Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. The day-long academic competition emphasizes applied demonstrations through a series of quizzes and challenges that test the high school students’ knowledge of physics and engineering concepts.
The theme for this year’s competition is “energy and motion” and will include a “hot wheels” challenge, in addition to light, conductivity and other experiments.
The competition, organized by the University’s Department of Physics and Engineering, is intended to encourage more students to pursue careers in physics and engineering.
The registration deadline is March 22.
High school teams interested in registering or in learning more about this year’s competition can contact Rachel Frissell, faculty specialist for the University’s Physics and Engineering Department, at rachel.frissell@scranton.edu or by calling 570-941-7007.
$content.getChild('content').textValueThe competition, organized by the University’s Department of Physics and Engineering, is intended to encourage more students to pursue careers in physics and engineering.
The registration deadline is Mar. 22.
High school teams interested in registering or in learning more about this year’s competition can contact Rachel Frissell, faculty specialist for the University’s Physics and Engineering Department, at rachel.frissell@scranton.edu or by calling 570-941-7007.
$content.getChild('content').textValueHigh School Physics Competition Registration Open
-
02/20/2024
Sursum Corda Awards were presented to four staff members by University of Scranton President Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., who also delivered his State of the University address at the Spring Convocation. The event took place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center in February and also recognized new staff members who joined the University in between Jan 3, 2023, and Jan. 31, 2024.
Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technical staff and maintenance/public safety staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University. This year’s recipients were: Peggy Doolittle, advancement coordinator, Office of Annual Giving; Lisa LoBasso, Ed.D., director of graduate programs and graduate assistantships; Hollie Roscioli, zone supervisor for physical plant; and Mary Beth Watson, administrative assistant, Panuska College of Professional Studies Advising Center.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAlso speaking at the convocation were Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., senior provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Mary Ann Maslar, administrative assistant to the dean and office manager for the College of Arts and Sciences.
$content.getChild('content').textValueFour Receive Sursum Corda Awards at Scranton
-
02/20/2024
The University of Scranton and Xavier School of Management, a Jesuit business school in Jamshedpur, India, have signed an agreement of cooperation that will allow for the future development of exchange programs for faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as possible joint research projects and joint curricular and education programs.
“Xavier School of Management is the oldest and one of the most respected business schools in India,” said Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The University of Scranton. “We already share a Catholic and Jesuit mission with our sister school and hold the same gold-standard business accreditation, and now look forward to developing cooperative programming that will benefit students and further faculty research at both universities.”
Jesuits in the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus played a pivotal role in the founding of the Xavier School of Management. Included among the school’s presidents were several who had connections to The University of Scranton and the Scranton Jesuit Community, including Rev. Thomas Quinn Enright, S.J., Xavier School’s founding president, Rev. William N. Tome, S.J., and Rev. Richard W. Norman, S.J.
The agreement between Scranton and Xavier School of Management, commonly referred to in the United States as a memorandum of understanding, sets into motion the future development of exchange programs for faculty and administrative staff for training or for conducting jointly-organized courses or scholarly research. The agreement also allows for future undergraduate and graduate students exchange programs for education or internships, with the possibility of developing joint educational programs and curriculum, including programs that would award double-diplomas from both schools.
In addition, future academic symposiums or summer educational programs can be developed to address special areas of expertise.
Both Xavier and The University of Scranton hold accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
Founded in 1949, Xavier School of Management has been ranked among the top business schools by various agencies and publications in India. The University of Scranton has been consistently ranked among the top colleges in the U.S., including being ranked by U.S. News in the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 30 consecutive years.
The agreement was signed by Sanjay Patro, Ph.D., dean of Xavier School of Management, and Dr. Maldonado.
Agreement with Xavier School of Management in India Signed
-
02/20/2024
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum has two engaging Collaborative Programs planned for the spring semester.
On Thursday, March 21, the Schemel Forum will partner with the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities for a presentation on “Contemporary Christian Nationalism and Its Historical Antecedents: Beyond the Nazis of Copley Square” by Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., professor of history at Boston College. He was the William J. Lowenberg Memorial Fellow on America, the Holocaust, and the Jews, at the Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C. The event, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Weinberg Memorial Library’s Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, will include a reception and is free and open to the public.
Father Gallagher is the author of the acclaimed book, “Nazis of Copley Square: The Forgotten History of the Christian Front,” which tells the story of the Christian Front, a group of American terrorists who, in the name of God, conspired to overthrow the U.S. government and form an alliance with Hitler. Members of the self-proclaimed anti-Semitic and anti-Communist group were arrested for seditious conspiracy, the same charge leveled against the leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers for their alleged roles on Jan. 6, 2021. In his presentation, Father Gallagher will explore the historical precursors of Christian Nationalism and introduce new concepts, actors and impulses that seem to be circulating again today.
Then, on Thursday, April 25, the Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) will present the concert lecture “Ragtime: The Mind and Music of Scott Joplin.” Presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director of Weill Cornell Music and Medicine, the event will begin at 6 p.m. at GCSOM, 525 Pine St., Scranton. Admission to the event, which includes a reception, is $40 for the general public and free for Schemel Forum members and University of Scranton and GCSOM employees and students.
Dr. Kogan will provide an insightful look into the life and music of Scott Joplin, the son of a slave who grew up playing the piano in minstrel shows, saloons and houses of prostitution, eventually becoming the preeminent practitioner of the ragtime genre. He makes the case that the Joplin rag is a uniquely American innovation – an original dance form clothed in sophisticated syncopated rhythms and bright harmonic colors that render it the New World's equivalent to a Mozart Minuet or a Chopin Mazurka. Dr. Kogan will intersperse his engaging narrative with performances of “Maple Leaf Rag,” “The Entertainer,” and other ragtime classics.
To register for the programs, or for more information on the Schemel Forum, call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
The Dean of The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library, George Aulisio, spoke about the spring Schemel Forum schedule of events with WVIA’s Erika Funke on ArtScene.
Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.
Schemel Forum Collaborative Programs Slated for March and April
-
02/20/2024
Area residents joined University of Scranton students, faculty and staff to learn about the ways China, Japan and Taiwan celebrate the New Year at an interactive Asian New Year Festival and Workshop held on campus Feb. 15. The program included hands-on lessons on Chinese calligraphy and Japanese origami related to the Year of the Dragon in addition to a chopstick competition and a sampling of Asian foods.
Naoko Omori, World Languages and Cultures guest instructor of Japanese from Japan and the ALLEX Foundation, and Yun (Lily) Chiang, visiting World Languages and Cultures instructor from Taiwan, led the presentations, assisted by students from Chinese and Japanese classes and members of the Asia Club on campus. Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., director of Asian Studies and professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, also spoke at the event.
The workshop was co-sponsored by the University’s Asia Club, the Asian Studies Program and the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAsian New Year Traditions Taught at Interactive Workshop
-
02/16/2024
Jeff Jarvis, Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation, director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York, and creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly discussed “Rethinking Local Journalism in Scranton” at The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum on Feb. 9. The luncheon seminar was sponsored by Munley Law.
Jarvis centered his discussion on the Scranton Times-Tribune, which was locally owned for nearly 130 years until its sale in August of 2023 to MediaNews Group, a subsidiary of hedge fund Alden Global Capital.
Confronted with the possible loss of a valuable source of local information, Jarvis explained how Scranton, like many other communities facing similar situations, has fallen victim to a form of journalism that sees itself as a producer with content as its commodity. Instead, Jarvis argued that the true purpose of journalism should be to act as a service to the people, providing information that makes the lives of citizens and communities better.
To cope with the sale of the Times-Tribune, Jarvis encouraged the reinvention of news coverage in Scranton. First, Jarvis suggested the construction of an independent news ecosystem in the community. Especially after speaking with event attendees who previously composed letters to the editor, Jarvis coaxed those same individuals to start blogs to ensure that the local news interests of Scranton citizens continue to find representation.
Jarvis also explained that the changing journalism in Scranton, and across the nation, must pursue a similar goal of citizen representation. Not only does this require reporters to enter communities with an open mind rather than a preconceived narrative, but it also requires news companies to listen to citizens and report on news that the community needs or wants to see. With these improved practices, Jarvis highlighted that news could repair trust with communities, as around one-third of people worldwide reported that they actively avoid news due to a lack of trust in media.
Jarvis also noted that focusing on journalism as a service rather than the producer of a commodity would allow for the amplification of diverse voices that may have previously lacked representation.
Jarvis continued, highlighting the many ways for journalism to remain financially capable, discussing options of memberships, patronage, philanthropy, commerce and government funding. Yet, he recognized that, for many, spending money on subscriptions is not possible, which leaves individuals with access only to propaganda-riddled content that lacks both quality and artistry. Jarvis also warned against mixing government with news media as news should likely remain independent of the politicians on which it reports. However, for communities like Scranton, now without a locally-owned news outlet, Jarvis did acknowledge that local government would be tasked with the responsibility of “picking up the slack.”
Ultimately, Jarvis seemed to summarize his most critical point in a single statement: “the storyteller is a position of power.” Even as journalism begins to change as time progresses and the industry evolves, the power of the position remains the same.
Jarvis ended his presentation by challenging the journalists and community members in attendance to break the norms of traditional journalism and reinvent journalism in a way that best serves the public.
Jarvis met with University students in the Media Writing course taught by Kim Pavlick, Ph.D., professor of media and communication, prior to his luncheon presentation.
The Future of Journalism in Scranton Discussed
-
02/13/2024
The exhibit “The Fables of Ora Lerman: Creativity and Critical Thinking,” on display at The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery through March 22, examines the thought and creative development of a vibrant series of pieces based on Aesop’s Fables.
The collection was organized by Josephine Dunn, Ph.D., professor emerita in the University’s art and music program and board member and curator of the Ora Lerman Charitable Trust. The exhibit lecture was presented by assistant curator, Jordan Oakey, a 2020 graduate of the University.
The purpose of the exhibition was to provide the audience with an inside view of Lerman’s mind as she developed her art, showing not only the finished products of her art pieces, but the stages leading up to their finalization.
Lerman, an accomplished artist, professor and creator, took an academic approach to her art.
“She grounded her own pigments and made her own paints. With that she could get such a range of color, range of hue and contrast. She also worked from life, meaning she created basically still life paintings,” Oakey said.
Oakey carefully discussed each individual piece of art in the exhibit, to highlight her style and artistic touch. She displayed all available stages of every piece, giving the audience a closer look into the artist’s sketch-to-mold process.
Lerman used Aesop’s Fables as inspiration for her collection but added her own twist by tweaking some of the plot details and creating a visualization of each story. Oakey explained that she did this not only through physical representation, but by applying a feministic realm to the fables as well.
“She would flip the gender roles to kind of put the woman and the artist forward,” Oakey said.
After discussing each piece, and explaining her process, along with the history of the fable, Oakey invited the audience to visit the University’s Hope Horn Gallery for the exhibit opening that was held on Feb. 2.
Exhibit Shows Development and Final Pieces of Artist's Work
-
02/13/2024
Twenty University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the spring semester at 12 local schools in the following nine school districts: Dunmore, Carbondale Area, Mid Valley, North Pocono, Riverside, Scranton, NEIU, Valley View and Wayne Highlands.
The following is a list of undergraduate and graduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the spring semester.
Gabriel Abood of Plainfield, New Jersey, will teach at Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
Makenzie Bell of Nicholson, Pennsylvania, will teach at Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
Nina Bowen of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Matthew Byrnes of Milford, Pennsylvania, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Natalie Edwards of Prompton, Pennsylvania, will teach at Honesdale High School;
Andrea Filachek of Lagrangeville, New York, will teach at Mid Valley Elementary School;
Daniel Finning of Rockville Centre, New York, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Isabella Gorzkowski of Pittston, Pennsylvania, will teach at Sumner Elementary School;
Lainey Kamora of Peckville, Pennsylvania, will teach at Carbondale Elementary School;
Jessica Notari of Thompson, Pennsylvania, will teach at Dunmore Learning Center;
Marina Nunziato of Cranford, New Jersey, will teach at Kennedy Elementary School;
Kathryn Olafson of Malvern, Pennsylvania, will teach at North Pocono High School;
Danielle Raffa of East Northport, New York, will teach at Dunmore Elementary School;
Laura Scanlon of Limerick, Ireland, will teach at Kennedy Elementary School.
Gracie Silva of Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Haralampos Varonides of Scranton, Pennsylvania, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Jacob Vituszynski of Dickson City, Pennsylvania, will teach at Valley View High School;
Sarah Walsh of Scranton, Pennsylvania, will teach at Armstrong Elementary School;
Bridget Warren of Westfield, New Jersey, will teach at Dunmore Elementary School;
Daniel Zych of Waverly, Pennsylvania, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
02/08/2024
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome acclaimed musician Dennis Lichtman and Mona’s Hot Five for a night of traditional jazz Friday, Feb. 16. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
“I am very excited to bring jazz legend Dennis Lichtman and Mona’s Hot Five to the University and to share what will certainly be an exhilarating and exciting performance with the wider community,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
A multi-instrumentalist known primarily for his work on clarinet, fiddle and mandolin, the New York City-based Lichtman is deeply immersed in early- to mid-1900’s American music, from traditional jazz and swing to bluegrass and western swing. Over the years, he’s performed at Carnegie Hall, numerous major music festivals throughout the United States, and in Europe, Brazil and China.
In August 2018, Lichtman released the album “Just Cross the River,” which he promoted with two sold-out shows at Dizzy’s Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center hosted by the New York Hot Jazz Festival. The album includes nine original compositions inspired by the migration of jazz legends into Queens, New York, starting in the 1920s.
Since 2007, Lichtman has served as the clarinetist and bandleader of Mona’s Hot Five, the famed Tuesday night trad-jazz sessions at the iconic New York bar Mona’s. The shows have been covered by The New York Times and were described by the Wall Street Journal as “ground zero for an emerging late-night scene of young swing and traditional jazz players.” In 2012, Hi-Tide Films produced “Tuesdays at Mona’s,” a 19-minute documentary about the sessions that was accompanied by a live CD of Mona’s Hot Four with 19 guest musicians.
Lichtman also leads the western swing sextet the Brain Cloud, which specializes in a wide array of American music, including original compositions and new arrangements of old songs. The band, which also features vocalist Tamar Korn, has held a Monday night residency at Brooklyn’s Barbés since 2011. Their third album, “Live At Barbés,” was released in April 2017.
In addition, Lichtman has performed and recorded as a regular member of Ghost Train Orchestra, Pokey LaFarge Band, Nation Beat and Jim Kweskin Band. He also serves on the faculty of the Welbourne Traditional Jazz Camp in Middleburg, Virginia, and has led college master classes and inner-city school workshops through the Midori Foundation, Lincoln Center’s Meet the Artist Series, and Beijing’s Ping-Pong Productions.
For further information about the January performance, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website. For more info on Lichtman, visit dennislichtman.com.
Dennis Lichtman and Mona’s Hot Five to Perform Feb. 16
-
02/07/2024
U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 52 and its online MBA program at No. 120 in the nation.
This is the 13th consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years.
For the 2024 Best Online Programs ranking, which published Feb. 7, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category. The criteria used by U.S. News to rank online business and MBA programs included student engagement (30 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, among other factors. The ranking criteria also included peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (15 percent); student excellence (15 percent); and student services and technology (15 percent).
Scranton offers online MBA degrees in accounting, business analytics, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources management, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, applied behavior analysis, business analytics, cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity, finance, health administration, health informatics, human resources management, dual MBA/MHA degree and speech-language pathology, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for some of the online programs.
In other U.S. News publications, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 30 consecutive years. U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 5 among regional universities in the north in its 2024 guidebook and No. 8 for “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” a selection of the top colleges in the nation that express a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
Online Programs Ranked Among Best by U.S. News
-
02/06/2024
Twenty area professionals, already serving at local charitable organizations, completed The University of Scranton’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program. The program seeks to train and develop future executives to serve area nonprofit institutions. The program’s graduates were recognized at a ceremony on campus in January 2024.
The certificate program combines a rigorous academic component taught by Kania School of Management faculty with expertise in nonprofit organizations, a mentorship and experiential learning. Each participant also tackles both a capstone organizational project and a personal leadership goal during the program year.
Not including the 2024 cohort, 47 participants, representing 40 separate regional nonprofit organizations, have graduated from the program since its beginning in 2017.
The 2024 students who completed Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and the organizations they represent are:
Kathleen Barry, deputy COO, The Wright Center;
Tiffany Benedict, Susquehanna County program manager, Women's Resource Center;
Amy Benjamin, finance director, Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission;
Laura Boyle, founder/board president, Scranton Youth Arts Coalition;
Avianna Carilli, coordinator of domestic and international service programs, The University of Scranton;
Matthew Ceruti, vice president, resource development, United Way of Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties;
Lori Chaffers, executive director, Outreach;
Andrew Chew, director of research, The Institute;
Lauryn Cleveland, executive director of administration, Friendship House;
Arrah Fisher, executive director, The Cooperage;
Susan Jeffery, administrator, Hawk Family Foundation;
Glynis Johns, founder and CEO, Black Scranton Project;
Art Levandoski, coordinator of marketing and development, Jewish Family Services;
Amy Luyster, vice president, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce;
Josh Nespoli, deputy director, Community Strategies Group;
Jennifer Passaniti, executive director, Center for Health and Human Services Research and Action;
Joan Peterson, director, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Lackawanna County;
Shane Powers, COO, NeighborWorks;
Erica Rogler, executive director, Wyoming County Cultural Center/Dietrich Theater;
John Santa Barbara, director of development, West Chester University Foundation.
Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, chair of the Accounting Department and director of the Ph.D. in Accounting Program at The University of Scranton serves as director of Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program. Kurt R. Bauman, executive director of Northeast Pennsylvania Nonprofit and Community Assistance Center, and Jesse Ergott, president and CEO of NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, serve as co-coordinators of the program. Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program Advisory Board members Maria Montoro Edwards, Ph.D., president and CEO of Maternal and Family Health Services, and Barbara Norton, director of corporate and foundation relations for Allied Services, served as peer group coaches along with Linda Ciampi, retired executive director of the Employment Opportunity and Training Center, and Cindy Yevich, retired executive director of the Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
For additional information visit the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program webpage or call 570-941-4047.
$content.getChild('content').textValueArea Residents Complete Nonprofit Leadership Program
-
02/05/2024
The University of Scranton’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities hosted a talk by immigration attorney Luis Canales, J.D., who shared his immigration story with students and faculty.
Members of the audience were moved to tears as Atty. Canales told of his personal journey in his presentation titled “From Asylum Seeker to Immigration Attorney: How I Turned My Struggle into My Strength” at a Jan. 30 presentation in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center. He shared his experience of trying to leave his birthplace, Honduras, to get to the United States, which he successfully did after many years of struggle.
By sharing his story, Atty. Canales welcomed the audience to immerse themselves in a discussion about the criminalization and degradation of immigrants, primarily during election cycles.
After facing countless instances of life-threatening gang violence in Honduras, Atty. Canales left for the United States, where he managed to make it all the way to the border only to be sent back time and time again.
“When your life is at risk, there is no limit to how many times you will try to reach a safer place. I left Honduras for the fourth and final attempt to make it to the United States. This time I had the phone number of a family member who lived here in Scranton,” Atty. Canales said.
After sharing his own story, Atty. Canales noted that most who embark on the journey to the U.S. are not so lucky.
As founder of Canales Law Offices, located in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Atty. Canales has made it his life mission to help other immigrants earn asylum after successfully completing their journeys across the border. He urged audience members to think about the United States and what the future holds if immigration laws continue to falter. He shared his own beliefs and dreams for a brighter immigration system with the audience and used his own experience to reflect on the topic through a personal lens.
“We must not continue the path of criminalization or degradation of our people, the immigrants, because they are unique. They are gifted by God, just like we all are. They make the United States of America what it is: a great country,” Atty. Canales said.
Luis Canales Brings Personal Immigration Story to Scranton
-
02/05/2024
Area students in grades five to 12 can participate in The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest 2024. The contest is offered free of charge. This year’s essay theme is “Sustainable Living, Caring for Creation,” which explores topics related to caring for our common home and making changes to have a more sustainable lifestyle.
Topics students can write about include conservation, recycling, access to healthy eating, factory farming, renewable energy, single use containers, gardening, public transportation, vertical planting, plant-based meals, composting, LEDs, biking and walking, among many other subjects.
The essay theme is inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home” and The University of Scranton’s commitment to join a coalition of colleges from around the world to develop, implement and evaluate initiatives around seven ecological goals over a seven-year period to meet the Pope’s call for integral ecology and to gain designation by the Vatican as a Laudato Si’ University.
Essays for students in grades five and six must be between 200 to 400 words. Essays for students in grades seven, eight and nine must be between 300 to 500 words. Essays for students in grades 10 to 12 must be between 500 to 700 words. Electronic submissions must be sent to susan.falbo@scranton.edu on or before Friday, April 5. Mail-in entries must be postmarked on or by April 3 to be considered and can be sent to: The University of Scranton, Office of Sustainability, Smurfit Arts Center, 445 Madison Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510, Attn: Earth Day Essay Contest.
Visit the Sustainability & Energy Management Department section of the University’s facilities management page, then scroll down to locate the 2024 Earth Day Essay Contest Guidelines.
Winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced by the University’s Sustainability Office and student Sustainability and Conservation Society at an Evening of Environmental Science event for participants and their families and teachers on Thursday, April 18, 2024, beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center on campus.
See photo gallery below for photos from last year's Evening of Environmental Science.
$content.getChild('content').textValueEarth Day Essay Contest Explores Sustainable Living
-
02/01/2024
The University of Scranton’s Multicultural Center, the Office of Community Engagement and Government Relations, the Weinberg Memorial Library, the Black Scranton Project, the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union and other organizations have planned a number of events for Black History Month.
University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., noted “the events and activities for Black History Month that call for celebration, reflection, learning and action” in his Black History Month message sent to the University community.
Events and activities planned begin Thursday, Feb. 1, with a table sit titled “MC Awareness Month Table Sit: Black Resistance” with information for University students, faculty and staff. The event begins at 11 a.m. on the second floor of the DeNaples Center. Also on Feb.1, the University will light its Class of 2020 Gateway sign in red, yellow and green for Black History Month. The sign will be lit in these colors on Saturday evenings in February.
On Feb. 7, the University’s will begin its Black History Month Film Series with the screening of “Judas and the Black Messiah,” with an introductory talk by Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Scranton. Presented by the Weinberg Memorial Library, the films will be shown at 7:30 p.m. free of charge and open to the public on Wednesdays in February in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. Other films planned for the Black History Month Film Series are: “The Hate You Give,” with introductory talk by Dr. Betancourt on Wednesday, Feb. 14; and “Cooley High,” with an introductory talk by Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Scranton, on Feb. 28.
On Saturday, Feb. 17, the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union will host a Freedom Fest for members of the University community, beginning at 8 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom DeNaples Center. Also, on Tuesday, Feb. 20, the Cultural Centers will host Black Women in Music at 7 p.m. in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
On Wednesday, Feb. 21, Black Scranton Project Center for Arts and Culture will host a Screening and Talk Back: “Black Voices: Scranton Stories.” at 6:30 p.m. in Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. The event is open to the public, however, registration is required to attend and can be made by visiting http://www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory.
On Tuesday, Feb. 27, the Cultural Centers will host a Dialogue Series on Race, Racism, Identity and Privilege: “Black Arts Movements: Afrofuturism” for members of the University community. The talk will be at 8 p.m. in the Multicultural Center of the DeNaples Center. Also, the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union will host a Black History Month Trivia Night on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
For additional information about the University’s Black History Month events and learning opportunities, contact the Multicultural Center at 570-941-5904 or multicultural@scranton.edu.
Black History Month Marked at University
-
01/30/2024
Three of The University of Scranton’s online graduate programs were ranked among the top six programs in the nation in separate listings published by Forbes.com and Intelligent.com.
Scranton’s online M.B.A. specialization in international business topped Forbes.com’s list of the “Best International Business M.B.A. Online Programs of 2024.” Forbes.com also ranked Scranton’s online master’s degree program in health informatics No. 6 among the nation’s “Best Online Health Informatics Master’s Programs Of 2024.”
Intelligent.com ranked The University of Scranton’s Master of Accountancy Degree No. 4 in the nation for “Best Online Master’s in Accounting” and its online MBA specialization in healthcare management at No. 13 in the country for “Best MBA in Healthcare Management.”
The ranking of online programs published by Forbes Advisor on Forbes.com analyzed colleges’ overall graduation rate; median earnings of alumni 10 years after graduation; in-state graduate student tuition; median federal student loan debt; the percentage of students in federal student loan deferment; student-to-faculty ratio; socioeconomic diversity; online coursework offered; total number of graduate assistants; and college and program accreditations; among other factors.
Intelligent.com, an online education source, ranked accredited, nonprofit schools based on their assessment of student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third-party evaluations of the programs, including an assessment of consistent performance in other national rankings such as U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News has ranked Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 30 consecutive years.
Online Graduate Programs Ranked Among Best in Nation
-
01/30/2024
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will welcome another prominent group of thinkers for its spring semester World Affairs Luncheon Seminars.
The series will feature six seminars in total. All take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and most are in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room, except for the Feb. 9 and April 5 events, which will take place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. In addition, a Zoom link will be provided for those who wish to attend remotely.
“As always, our luncheon lecture series, proudly sponsored by Munley Law, will feature a diverse range of world-class scholars and experts,” said George J. Aulisio, dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library and director of the Schemel Forum.
The series begins Friday, Feb. 2, with “Religion, Democracy, and Election Cycles,” presented by Anthea Butler, Ph.D., Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought and chair of Religious Studies at the University of Pennsylvania. A sought-after commentator and op-ed contributor for MSNBC, Dr. Butler will discuss how religious beliefs have polarized and destabilized elections around the world, and how it could impact democratic elections in 2024.
Next, on Friday, Feb. 9, Jeff Jarvis, Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York, will present “Rethinking Local Journalism in Scranton,” in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Jarvis, the creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly magazine, will use the lecture to explore the current newspaper crisis in the United States and the Scranton area, with insights on how to increase local news consumption and civic engagement. His talk will include discussion of new models of journalism, as well as examples of what other cities are doing to address the issue.
On Friday, March 1, Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem and faculty member at The Juilliard School, will present “The Lincoln/Armstrong Connection: From Gettysburg to New Orleans.” He’ll discuss the parallels between President Abraham Lincoln and jazz icon Louis Armstrong, arguing both made “profound statements while at the same time subtly redefining the basic principles of their mediums.”
Schoenberg will also perform with The University of Scranton Jazz Band on Saturday, March 2, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit scranton.edu/music.
Then, on Wednesday, March 6, Richard Pildes, Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law at New York University School of Law, will present “Political Reforms to Combat Extremism.” Pildes, one of the nation's leading scholars of constitutional law and a specialist in legal issues concerning democracy, will discuss institutional and policy reforms that could improve the polarization and extremism now infecting American politics. He’ll also address threats to the integrity of the 2024 presidential election and steps being undertaken to address the issue.
Pildes will present the seminar on Zoom, but only in-person attendees will be able to participate in the question-and-answer portion of the seminar.
On Monday, March 25, Patrick Bringley, author and former New Yorker magazine staffer, will present “All the Beauty in the World: A Portrait of the Met Museum.” Bringley will discuss his decade working as a guard at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, which became the inspiration for his critically acclaimed memoir, “All the Beauty in the World.” A collection of fascinating stories set against the backdrop of one of the world's most iconic museums, the book delves into the transformative power of art and its profound impact on both observers and caretakers alike.
“I’ll be talking about the relationship between a great museum and any solitary individual, be it you, me, or the guard who stands in a gallery’s corner,” Bringley said. “I’ll be covering my time as a guard at the Met; the museum’s extraordinary collections, diverse visitors and talented corps of guards; and various ways we might derive meaning from art spanning continents and millennia. I hope attendees will walk away inspired and emboldened, and race straight for the nearest museum.”
Finally, on Friday, April 5, the series concludes with area native, former CNN correspondent and Russia expert Jill Dougherty returning to the University to present “The World in Disarray,” in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Dougherty, now an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute Advisory Council, will discuss the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and its global ramifications.
“Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine is transforming his own nation, as well as bringing death and destruction to Ukraine,” Dougherty said. “Russia now is a nation at war, its economy focused on building its war machine; mobilizing hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight in the military; weaponizing the media, as well as history and the educational system to propagandize citizens; destroying any opposition; and strengthening its ties with rogue regimes in North Korea and Iran. Putin faces re-election in March, but the Kremlin is closely watching the U.S. election too, intent on doing what it can to influence the outcome.”
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 $10 for remote access.
To register for the seminars, call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Dean Aulisio spoke about the spring Schemel Forum schedule of events with WVIA’s Erika Funke on ArtScene.
Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.
Luncheon Seminars Feature Prominent Speakers
-
01/26/2024
Lackawanna and Wayne County residents whose households earned $60,000 or less in 2023 can receive free assistance in completing and filing their federal, state and local tax returns from University of Scranton accounting students through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
University students have assisted residents with low and moderate incomes who need help with their basic tax returns for more than 30 years.
Walk-in service in Brennan Hall on the University’s campus begins on Monday, Feb. 5. The VITA service is offered on a first-come, first served basis during scheduled hours. Appointments are not available at the University.
Residents can schedule appointments at other locations by contacting the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties by visiting www.uwlc.net or calling 570-602-3133, or 1-866-662-8887, 211.
Residents who qualify for the free VITA service are asked to bring the following items: a valid photo ID; Social Security cards for all taxpayers and dependents; all W2 forms; last year’s tax returns; all 1099 forms (interest, dividends, pensions); unemployment paperwork; Form 8332 for non-custodial parents; information related to income and expenses (business, rental properties, sale of stocks); a personal banking account check if direct deposit is desired; documentation related to health insurance for themselves and anyone on the tax return, such as Form 1095-A, -B or –C; and real estate tax receipts if you qualify for the rent/tax rebate.
Walk-in VITA service without an appointment is available in room 111 of Brennan Hall, Madison Avenue, on the University’s campus on Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesdays, from noon to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Service begins on Monday, Feb. 5, and continues to Friday, April 5, except for the week of March 11 to 15, when the University is closed for Spring Break, and during Easter Break, March 29 and April 1.
The VITA office may also close due to inclement weather.
The University reserves the right to cap the number of walk-in residents they can serve within a single day.
Residents with questions may call the University at 570-941-4045.
Scranton Students Offer Free Income Tax Assistance
-
01/24/2024
Jan. 28 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring ELEW! Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Jan. 30 5 p.m. Slattery Center Lecture: “From Asylum Seeker to Immigration Attorney: How I Turned My Struggle into My Strength” presented by Luis Canales, JD. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Feb. 2 through March 22 Art Exhibit: “The Fables of Ora Lerman: Creativity + Critical Thinking.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 2 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Religion, Democracy, and Election Cycles” presented by Anthea Butler, Ph.D., Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought, and chair of religious studies, the University of Pennsylvania. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
Feb. 2 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “The Fables of Ora Lerman: Creativity + Critical Thinking” presented by Josephine Dunn, Ph.D., guest curator. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery as part of Scranton’s First Fridays events. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 5 through April 21 Art Exhibit: “Scranton Stories” Oral History Interviews and Photographs. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@Scranton.edu.
Feb. 7 6 p.m. Humanities Forum Lecture: “Ecotheological Longing and Its Double Effect” presented by Martha Serpas, Ph.D. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu
Feb. 7 7:30 p.m. Black History Month Film: “Judas and the Black Messiah” with introductory talk by Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.
Feb. 9 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Rethinking Local Journalism in Scranton” presented by Jeff Jarvis, Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York, and creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly. McIlhenny Ballroom, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
Feb. 10 1 p.m. 22nd Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 24. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Feb. 14 7:30 p.m. Black History Month Film: “The Hate U Give” with introductory talk by Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.
Feb. 15 6:30 p.m. Asian New Year Celebration and Workshop. Brennan Hall, Rose Room. Free. Registration required at https://tinyurl.com/AsianNewYearUofS or email asianstudies@scranton.edu.
Feb. 16 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Dennis Lichtman, clarinet and Mona’s Hot Five. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 19 5 p.m. Slattery Center Lecture: “Technology’s Student: Thinking and Writing in the Age of AI” presented by Fr. Kevin Spinale, S.J. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Feb. 20 5 p.m. Ethics Across the Curriculum Lecture: “Got Ethics? The Role of Ethics in Healthcare” presented by Karen Smith, Ph.D., director of clinical ethics, Banner Desert Medical Center. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Feb. 21 6:30 p.m. Screening and Talk Back: “Black Voices: Scranton Stories.” Black Scranton Project Center for Arts and Culture. Free. Light refreshments provided. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Call 570-941-5529 or email daysi.carreto@scranton.edu.
Feb. 23-25 and March 1-3 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “Disaster!” by Seth Rudetsky and Joe Plotnick (musical) presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu
Feb. 28 7:30 p.m. Black History Month Film: “Cooley High” with introductory talk by Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.D. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.
March 1 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Lincoln/Armstrong Connection: From Gettysburg to New Orleans” presented by Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, faculty at Juilliard and has also taught at the Manhattan School of Music and the New School. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
March 2 9 a.m. Regional National History Day Competition for junior and senior high school students. The DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
March 2 3:30 p.m. Performance Music: Jazzfilm/Musictalk screening of “Wham-Re-Bop-Boom-Bam: The Swing Jazz of Eddie Durham” hosted by the film’s creators Loren Schoenberg, producer and musical director and award-winning filmmaker Kris Hendrickson (’88). Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
March 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Loren Schoenberg, piano and tenor sax. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
March 6 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Political Reforms to Combat Extremism” presented by Richard Pildes, Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law, one of the nation’s leading scholars of constitutional law and a specialist in legal issues concerning democracy, former law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall, and an appointee on President Biden’s Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
March 21 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities Collaborative Program: “Christian Nationalism” presented by Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., associate professor of history, Boston College, and former visiting fellow at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, College of the Holy Cross. Reception to follow. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
March 23 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2027. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
March . 24 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and The Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
March 25 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “All the Beauty in the World: A Portrait of the MET Museum” presented by Patrick Bringley, author and former New Yorker staffer, spent a decade as a museum guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before writing his memoir. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
April 4 5 p.m. 27th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “Driving Change in Healthcare.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4527 or email abigail.lynott@scranton.edu.
April 5 through May 3 Art Exhibit: “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
April 5 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The World in Disarray” presented by Jill Dougherty, adjunct professor, Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute Advisory Council. McDonnell Room, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
April 5 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery as part of Scranton’s First Fridays events. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
April 8 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “The Economics of Obesity” presented by John Cawley, Ph.D., professor, Department of Economics and the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email john.ruddy@scranton.edu.
April 10 5:30 p.m. Slattery Center Lecture: “REARRANGED: An Opera Singer's Facial Cancer and Life Transposed” presented by Kathleen Watt. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
April 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mark Kosower and Mingyao Zhao, cello. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
April 15 5 p.m. Environmental Art Show Opening Event: An Artist Talk with Theresa O’Connor. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.
April 15-24 Environmental Art Show: “Creating Connections.” Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.
April 16 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentation and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
April 18 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email salisa.brown@scranton.edu.
April 18 5:30 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” and Essay Award Presentation. University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Essay contest awards will be announced at the event. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
April 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with special guest cello soloists Mark Kosower and Mingyao Zhao. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
April 18-20 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Performance: “Children of Eden” presented by The University of Scranton Liva Arts Company. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com for tickets or email livartscompany@gmail.com.
April 23 4:15 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus-based high school math competition. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. See https://www.scranton.edu/academics/cas/math/bee.shtml for more details or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
April 24 noon. Celebration of Student Scholars. Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7653 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
April 25 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email bbrandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu.
April 25 6 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “The Mind and Music of Scott Joplin” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Reception to follow. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, 525 Pine Street, Scranton. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
April 27-28 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-6195 or email melisa.gallo@scranton.edu.
May 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “41st Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir premiering two new works by composer-conductor Nate Sparks. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 8 5 p.m. Feminism Expo. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or asianstudies@scranton.edu.
May 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Janet Sora Chung, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 18 4 p.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 19 11 a.m. Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 19 4:30 p.m. Graduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Mondays: Jan. 29, Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 and March 4 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Hidden Figures of Black History” presented by Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of History, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
Wednesdays: Jan. 31, Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28 and March 6 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Identity Politics” presented by Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., professor, Department of Philosophy, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
Mondays: March 25, April 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 6 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “The Sitcoms of Norman Lear” presented by Charlie Cino, M.A., instructor, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.
Spring Events Planned at University Announced
-
01/23/2024
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced plans for a nearly 80,000 square-foot center for workforce development, applied research and outreach, to be built on University-owned property on the 300 block of Madison Avenue. Pending approvals by the city, construction will begin this spring and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025.
“This new facility is designed to engage the community in ways not currently possible, including the potential for collaboration with manufacturing, health care, government, K-12, higher education, and various other economic sectors,” said Father Marina at the building announcement that took place on the University’s campus on Jan. 23. “It will be another further testament to the University’s pivotal role in workforce development as a Catholic and Jesuit institution that is steadfastly committed to serving our community and our region.”
The open design of the four-story building and its central location on campus near Mulberry Street is intended to facilitate and encourage interdisciplinary opportunities between departments from across the University’s three colleges, and to foster interaction and programs with and for members of the greater Scranton community. The facility will house the University of Success, which is a four-year college preparation initiative for area high school students, and The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center, which was established at the University in 1980 and serves an eight-county area that spans northern tier and northeastern Pennsylvania.
A key feature of the building will be a 10,000-square-foot maker/innovation space on first floor.
“Based on what we have seen at other colleges, we expect it to be a centerpiece for collaborations with faculty and students. We are also anticipating partnership with regional business, manufacturing and healthcare. We envision the maker/innovation space will be a dynamic resource for the campus and greater Scranton community,” said Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Scranton, who noted that University is “still building on the considerable consultation we have already done to determine how best to design, equip and structure this space.”
Thanks to the support of Congressman Matt Cartwright, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, the University received $16.62 million for this building project as part of Cartwright’s FY2023 Community Project Funding requests.
“Bringing our fair share of federal tax dollars back to our region is the main reason I ran for Congress,” Rep. Cartwright said. “With this successful Community Project Funding request, I am encouraged that the University of Scranton will have the resources to ensure that our local workforce is properly trained and ready to lead the way in American innovation. The University will play an instrumental role in educating the next generation that will help our community meet the ever-growing demands in STEM related fields.”
The facility will also house laboratories, classrooms, offices and meeting spaces for the University’s Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology and the Psychology Department. The building will provide space for the University’s Student Health Services and The Center for Health Education and Wellness, as well as allow room for growth to support academic programs that will emerge in the future.
In addition to Father Marina, Rep. Cartwright and Dr. Maldonado, also speaking at the announcement were Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center, and Edward J. Steinmetz Jr., senior vice president for finance and administration at the University. Hemmler and Camayd (HC Architects) are the architects of the building, which incorporates glass walls, steel and stone into a modern design intended to meet silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification requirements. Quandel Construction will serve as the construction manager.
The University plans to begin use of the building for the fall 2025 semester.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity of Scranton Announces Plans for New Building
-
01/22/2024
More than 1,600 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2023 fall semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
University Announces Fall 2023 Dean’s List
-
01/22/2024
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum returns this spring with three nighttime courses focused on everything from prominent African American entertainers to contemporary culture war issues to one of the great comedic minds of the 20th century.
Taught by three University faculty members, the courses begin Monday, Jan. 29, and will be presented in six weekly sessions in the Weinberg Memorial Library.
“These three topics are all very timely, and I expect rich discussions to accompany each session,” said George J. Aulisio, dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library and director of the Schemel Forum.
Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.D., associate professor in the University’s Department of History, will present “Hidden Figures of Black History” Mondays Jan. 29 and Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 and March 4 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.
During the course, Dr. Anyiwo will discuss the contributions of some of the most noteworthy Black entertainers in American history, with an emphasis on those who used their artistry to “shine a light that inspired change.” The list will include such luminaries as Sammy Davis Jr., Nina Simone, Beyonce and Lisa Bonet.
“My background is in American studies and visual media, so I have always wanted to teach a narrowly focused course on inspiring Black lives to celebrate rather than mourn the Black experience,” Dr. Anyiwo said. “I already teach a class called ‘Black Success on Screen’ that does a similar thing. So that’s what I want to get out of it – that and teaching to an older, more willing and hopefully engaged audience.”
Dr. Anyiwo also wants those taking the course to appreciate that social activism is “as much about everyday acts of bravery and simply acting as if you are free and equal.”
“The people who effect the greatest change are not necessarily politicians but Black citizens with the same dreams as white Americans and the strength to refuse to give up in the face of seemingly insurmountable prejudice and racial violence,” she said.
Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Philosophy, will present “Identity Politics” Wednesdays Jan. 31 and Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28 and March 6 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.
Dr. Meyer will use the seminar to examine contemporary identity politics, which have become an increasingly corrosive aspect of American political discourse and have even driven recent policies like Florida Governor – and Republican presidential candidate – Ron DeSantis’ controversial “Stop WOKE Act.”
Through looking closely at topics like critical race theory, wokeism, intersectionality, structural discrimination, systemic injustice and privilege, Dr. Meyer hopes students get a better sense of the ideas driving these debates.
“Questions about race, gender, sexual orientation and identity have taken center stage in our contemporary political landscape, even rivaling the importance of economic issues,” Dr. Meyer said. “Attacks on critical race theory, ‘wokeism’ and identity politics are frequent, but few understand what they are or what they mean. I felt that such a course would serve an important civic function with the hope that it will make a small contribution to having better informed and more engaged citizenry."
Charlie Cino, instructor in the Department of English and Theatre, will present “The Sitcoms of Norman Lear” Mondays March 25 and April 8, 15, 22, 29 and May 6 from 6 to 8 p.m.
Cino will use the course to take an in-depth look at the career of the highly influential TV writer and producer, who recently passed away at age 101. Lear did nothing less but redefine American television during the 1970s with his hit sitcoms “All in the Family,” “Sanford and Son,” “The Jeffersons” and “Maude,” all of which challenged societal norms with their groundbreaking portrayal of contemporary issues.
In addition to Lear’s biggest hits, the class will delve into and review some of his lesser-known works via screenings and discussions. Meanwhile, actors and producers who worked with Lear will join the class via Zoom, providing a unique glimpse into the world of a man who continued to make an impact in television well into his final years.
To register for the 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 $150 per couple for non-members. To pay for courses online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Dean Aulisio spoke about the spring Schemel Forum schedule of events with WVIA’s Erika Funke on ArtScene.
Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.Schemel Forum Courses Offer Nourishment for the Mind
-
01/12/2024
University of Scranton President Joseph G. Marina, S.J., sent “A Message for Martin Luther King Jr. Day” to the University community.
Dear Friends,
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. frequently credited Jesus Christ for his inspiration and Mohandas Gandhi for his approach to initiating change. As The University of Scranton community celebrates Martin Luther King Day, we join with others across the nation in turning to Dr. King and the example he set to find inspiration and effect change where needed.
In Dr. King’s first book, Stride Toward Freedom, he described six fundamental principles of his philosophy of nonviolence.
Principle One: Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people;
Principle Two: Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding;
Principle Three Nonviolence works to defeat injustice, not people;
Principle Four: Nonviolence holds that suffering for a cause can educate and transform people and societies;
Principle Five: Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate;
Principle Six: Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
Of course, Dr. King did not merely speak of these principles. He practiced them and made great sacrifices to advance them. When the news of his assassination reached Thomas Merton, the great Trappist monk and author and a devoted friend of King’s, Merton sent a note of condolence to Coretta Scott King saying, “[Dr. King] has done the greatest thing anyone can do. In imitation of his master, he has laid down his life for friends and enemies…He will go down in history as one of our greatest citizens.”
As we witness violence and war continuing in the world, and see injustice, hate and divisiveness in our own country, let us keep in mind the fundamental principles above and seek to live them out as active participants in the ongoing work of democracy and social justice.
Although we have much more to do as we strive to build the Kingdom of God for all at Scranton and beyond, let us be guided by Dr. King’s inspiration. May we always choose love over hate and truly believe and trust that justice will prevail.
Yours faithfully,
Joseph G. Marina, S.J.
President
Scranton President's Message for MLK Day
-
01/11/2024
University of Scranton President Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., announced the appointment of Carolyn McNamara Barry, Ph.D., as dean of its College of Arts and Sciences, effective July 15, 2024.
Since 2019, Dr. Barry has served as associate dean for Social Sciences and Graduate Programs at Loyola College of Arts and Sciences, Loyola University Maryland, where she also served as a professor, program director and chair of Loyola’s Department of Psychology. She joined the faculty at Loyola in 2001.
“Dr. Barry’s faculty and administrative leadership experience at a sister Jesuit university, in addition to her extensive academic research related to the psychosocial adjustment of emerging adults, and her work and training in DEI make her exceptionally qualified to work with our students and faculty,” said Father Marina in an announcement sent to the University community. “Dr. Barry embodies a deep understanding and appreciation of Catholic and Jesuit higher education.”
At Scranton, Dr. Barry will oversee the University’s 16 academic departments in the sciences and mathematics, engineering and computing sciences, humanities, theology and social sciences that make up its oldest and largest college. She will also oversee the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, the Magis Honors Program in STEM and the Undergraduate Honors Program, as well as its pre-med and pre-law programs, in addition to other programs, centers and initiatives of the College of Arts and Sciences.
As associate dean for Social Sciences and Graduate Programs at Loyola University Maryland, Dr. Barry assisted with the visioning and strategic planning development for their division, departments and programs. She was responsible for supporting new initiatives and curricular management, which include faculty and staff hiring, development and evaluation, as well as program reviews and student learning program assessment, among other duties.
During her tenure as associate dean, Dr. Barry oversaw curricular revisions in Loyola’s undergraduate programs in sociology and psychology and in graduate programs in theological studies, emerging media, clinical professional counseling and clinical psychology. She also oversaw graduate enrollment as the master’s programs in forensic pattern analysis and biological forensics recently launched. In addition, she led ongoing efforts to strengthen internship experiences and research opportunities for undergraduate students. Among her efforts to grow the Pre-Law Program was the creation of an ongoing partnership with Maryland Legal Aid, for which Loyola received the Community Partner for Justice Award from Maryland Legal Aid’s Equal Justice Council.
In her role as chair of Loyola’s Department of Psychology, Dr. Barry led the Teaching Evaluation Task Force through an equity and inclusion lens that resulted in the creation of supplementary items for course evaluation to assess diversity content and support for inclusive classrooms, among other enhancements. She also created and launched a Diversity and Inclusion Committee to ensure ongoing improvement of departmental climate. In 2022, she earned a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.
During her tenure at Loyola, she has served on numerous committees, including the Strategic Planning Committee, the Council of Academic Directors, the Graduate Enrollment Committee, the Graduate Curriculum Committee, and as chair, the Ignatian Senior Seminar Subcommittee and Diversity Subcommittee for the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, among many others. She also served on the Executive Committee of Governance and as chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee and chair of the Academic Senate.
A prolific academic researcher, Dr. Barry has published more than 50 articles in academic journals, in addition to making more than 80 professional presentations regarding her research related to the social and self-development of emerging adults. In 2016, in an article published in Emerging Adulthood, she was noted as the “fifth most-published scholar in emerging adulthood” in a review of empirical studies on this age group. In addition, she has contributed to chapters and books on “religiousness in adolescence and emerging adulthood” in multiple editions of the Encyclopedia on Adolescence and “the role of religiousness and spirituality in emerging adults’ lives” in The Oxford Handbook on Emerging Adulthood.
Dr. Barry is an editorial board member for Adolescent Research Review, Emerging Adulthood and the Journal of Youth and Adolescence and has served as an invited reviewer for more than a dozen academic journals. She is a member and president-elect for Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood and is a member of the Society for Research on Adolescence and the Council for Undergraduate Research.
During her career, Dr. Barry has received the Ursinus College Alumni Professional Achievement Award in 2023, the Strong Truths Well Lived Award Recipient from Loyola University Maryland in 2017 (in recognition for living out the Jesuit mission) and The Faculty Award for Excellence in Service-Learning and Engaged Scholarship from Loyola University Maryland in 2011, among other awards.
Dr. Barry earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ursinus College and her Ph.D. in human development with a specialization in educational psychology from The University of Maryland, College Park.
Dean of Scranton’s College of Arts and Sciences Named
-
01/09/2024
On Sunday, Jan. 28, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will kick off their spring concert season with a performance by ELEW, master of the piano and creator of “Rockjazz” and “Counterbop.” The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
“I am very much looking forward to offering our students and audiences the opportunity to hear this creative genius in a live concert setting – few artists spin my head with their virtuosity and creativity as consistently as ELEW,” said Cheryl Y. Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music.
A native of Camden, New Jersey, Eric Lewis began his musical studies at 2 years old and received the Rodgers and Hammerstein full merit scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. Upon graduation, he toured the world, recorded, and performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Elvin Jones, Cassandra Wilson, Roy Hargrove and John Hendricks, among others. In 1999, he won the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, at the time the most coveted prize in jazz.
A decade into his career, Lewis reemerged as ELEW and began fusing his piano techniques with rock guitar-based ideas and experimental prepared piano methods, generating a powerful crossover brand he coined “Rockjazz.” Over the course of multiple award-winning, critically-acclaimed albums, ELEW has re-imagined songs by The Killers, Nirvana, Coldplay and Michael Jackson to name a few. Throughout his career he has built an elite fanbase of distinguished leaders and celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Gerard Butler, Barack and Michele Obama, Prince Albert II, Will Smith, Eli Roth, Al Pacino and many others.
Inspired by the European masters of Baroque counterpoint, ELEW has innovated the technique of simultaneously executing two independent melodies which precisely detail harmonic forms bursting with idiomatic verisimilitude and wide-ranging historical references, all while flawlessly maintaining the idiosyncratic Afrocentric timing at the core of jazz improvisation. He has named this technique “Counterbop.” His album Cubism - ELEW plays Rosenwinkel, a solo piano exploration of contemporary jazz legend Kurt Rosenwinkel, provides perspective an insight into the nature of what Counterbop is and how it may be implemented.
In addition to performing on piano and appearing in and scoring for films, ELEW is a prominent international DJ. He has created disco infernos for multiple events such as The World Economic Forum, TED, Art Basel, A-list Oscar parties, the Monte-Carlo Gala, the Cannes Film Festival and multiple celebrity birthdays and weddings. This has led to him creating yet another innovation he calls “Piano Turntablism,” literally playing two different yet recognizable songs simultaneously as a DJ would, but on the piano.
For further information about the January performance, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website. For more info on ELEW, visit elewrockjazz.com.
Artistic Genius ELEW Live Performance Set for Jan 28
-
01/08/2024
The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission will hold its annual Community Celebration and Awards Dinner Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024, at 2 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at The University of Scranton. The event celebrates the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. This year’s theme, “Still I Rise,” is inspired by Dr. King’s quote, “we must walk on in the day ahead with an audacious faith in the future.”
The keynote speaker at the award dinner will be Sara Sofanelli, J.D., who serves at special counsel for Pro Bono Initiatives at the law firm Schulte, Roth and Zabel. In overseeing the pro bono program, Atty. Sofanelli leverages the firm’s resources to represent indigent individuals seeking justice, bring impact litigation for a more just and fair society, and develop strategic partnerships with international, national and local nonprofit organizations to enable them to better achieve their missions. Under her leadership, 70 percent of Schulte, Roth and Zabel’s lawyers, along with dozens of business staff, participated in pro bono service in 2022.
Atty. Sofanelli earned her bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, and her J.D. degree, with honors, from the George Washington University Law School.
A ‘Q and A’ will immediately follow Atty. Sofanelli’s presentation titled “Where do we go from here?”
Also at the event, The Greater Scranton MLK Commission will honor three members of the greater Scranton community. Melanie-Rose “Torshie” Wentum will receive the Youth Leader of the Year Award. A junior at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, Wentum serves as president of the school’s Christian Community Club, participates in Black Student Union, Speech and Debate, Chorale, Chamber Singers, Coda Red (an acapella group) and the varsity Lacrosse Team. Wentum is also a content creator for WoolStitch, a Christian clothing brand she co-founded with her father.
Rashida Lovely, Dunmore, will receive the Business Leader of the Year Award. She is the owner of Newave Studios, Northeast Pennsylvania's first black-owned multi-arts and science studio. She is also one of five co-founding members of the Northeast Pennsylvania Black Chamber of Commerce and a co-founding member of the Northeast Pennsylvania Pan African Coalition.
Norma Jeffries will receive the Community Leader of the Year Award. Jeffries grew-up in Scranton, then returned to the area after residing in New Jersey and retiring from Verizon Communications. She currently serves as board secretary for the Scranton Municipal Recreational Authority and is a member of the Scranton Shade Tree Commission and the Electric City Foundation. She volunteers with the Electric City Flower Show, the Lackawanna County Prison and the after-school program at Grace Bible Church in Dunmore. She is among the participants who shared their stories as part of The University of Scranton’s two-year “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” Project that was supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.
Tickets for the Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission Community Celebration and Awards Dinner are $25 and can be ordered on the event webpage.
On Monday, Jan. 15, the Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission, in partnership with The Scranton Area Ministerium, will host an Interfaith Prayer Service at 7 p.m. the Shiloh Baptist Church on William St. in Scranton.
The University will light a tribute for MLK Day on its Class of 2020 Gateway sign from Friday evening, Jan. 12, through Monday evening, Jan. 15.
MLK Celebration and Award Dinner Set for Jan. 14
-
01/02/2024
The University of Scranton awarded 2024 faculty development intersession grants to six faculty members.
Shuhua Fan, Ph.D., professor of history, received a grant to research “Confucius Institutes in the Xi Jinping Era: From Peak to Demise in the United States.” Dr. Fan received the University’s 2015 Excellence in Advancing Global Learning Award, presented to faculty members who integrate international issues and perspectives into the curriculum. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Sichuan Normal University, her master’s degree from Jilin University, and her master’s and doctorate degrees from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She joined the faculty at the University in 2009.
Ozgur Isil, Ph.D., associate professor of operations and analytics, received a grant to research “Infusing ‘Ecological Education’ (Laudato Si’ Goal) into the Curriculum.” Dr. Isil received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin, and his MBA and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. He joined the faculty at the University in 2009.
Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, received a grant to research “Neitzshe’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra.” He serves as the director of the University’s Pre-Law Advisory Program and Legal Studies Concentration and as faculty director for the Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas, his master’s degree from Harvard University and his doctorate from Boston University. He joined the faculty at the University in 2010.
Brian Snee, Ph.D., associate professor of communications and media, received a grant to research “Unfettered: The Rhetoric of John Fetterman’s 2022 U.S. Senate Campaign Chapter 4: ‘That’s what she said:’ Humor as Inoculative Incongruity in Gisele Fetterman’s Primary Acceptance Speech.” Dr. Snee earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton. He earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in communication arts and science from Penn State University. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020.
Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, received a grant to research “Functional Characteristics of Oxygen in the Developing Dopaminergic Neurons of the Vertebrate Brain.” Dr. Son received his bachelor’s degree from Dankook University, his master’s degree from Western Illinois University, and his doctorate from Texas A and M University of the Health Sciences. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017.
Ziqian Song, Ph.D., assistant professor of operations and analytics, received a grant to research “Words That Move Markets: Investigating Predictive Textual Features during Corporate Events for Stock Analysis.” She earned her bachelor’s degree from Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China, her master’s degree in media economics from Renmin University of China in Beijing, and her master’s degree and doctorate a in computer science and applications from Virginia Tech. She joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020.
Intersession Grants Awarded for January 2024
-
12/19/2023
The University of Scranton recognized students and their elementary or high school teachers, who they credit for contributing to their success, with Rose Kelly Awards at a recent ceremony held on campus.
The Rose Kelly Award was established by University of Scranton alumnus Joseph Wineburgh, Ph.D., to link the efforts of educators to the achievements of college students. The award is presented jointly to a student in each of the University’s colleges who has completed two years at Scranton and to the teacher whom he or she recognizes as having a great impact in his or her life. Students are selected based on exemplary achievement in both academics and general campus involvement.
Kania School of Management
Sarah Boyle, Peckville, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Kania School of Management. She honored Norine Legg, her eight grade civics teacher at Valley View Middle School. Boyle is a senior accounting major and a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society. She is the president of the student chapter for the Institute of Management Accountants and the fundraising chair for the CURA consulting club.
From left: Rose Kelly Award recipients Norine Legg, Valley View Middle School, and Sarah Boyle.
Panuska College of Professional Studies
Amanda Campbell, Farmingville, New York, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Panuska College of Professional Studies. She honored Katrina Wrigley, her art teacher throughout middle and high school at Sachem High School East. Campbell, a recipient of the University of Scranton’s four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, is a junior nursing major. She serves on the Cabinet of the University of Scranton Student Government as the Chief of Staff and the student representative for the Library Advisory Committee and the Board of Trustees Student Life Committee.
From left: Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, and Rose Kelly Award recipient Amanda Campbell. The teacher she honored, Katrina Wrigley from Sachem High School East, was absent from the photo.
College of Arts and Sciences
Tabitha Berger, Cresco, received the Rose Kelly Award for the College of Arts and Sciences. She honored Kyleen Newlander-Jones, her anatomy and biology teacher at Pocono Mountain East High School. Berger, a recipient of the University of Scranton’s four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, is a biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology major with a health humanities concentration. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is a member of the Magis Honors Program in STEM. She is a member of Beta Beta Beta, a National Biological Honor Society and Phi Lambda Upsilon, the National Honorary Chemical Society.
From left: David Dzurec, Ph.D., interim dean for The University of Scranton’s College of Arts and Science; and Rose Kelly Award recipients Tabitha Berger and the teacher she honored, Kyleen Newlander-Jones, Pocono Mountain East High School.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Presented Rose Kelly Awards
-
12/19/2023
Frank O’Hara medals were given to University of Scranton students with the highest grade-point averages in their first-, second- and third-year in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies for the 2022-23 academic year. The awards, named in honor of the late Frank O’Hara who served the University for 53 years in various administrative positions, were presented at a ceremony held in December on campus.
College of Arts and Sciences
Emily Carey, Monroe Township, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Undergrauate Honors Program, she is currently a sophomore majoring in public policy and service and philosophy with a minor in English and a concentration in environmental and sustainability studies. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is involved in the faculty/student research program and has participated in service trips with the Center for Service and Social Justice.
Jordan Badman, Sunbury, received a medal of academic achievement for her sophomore year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is currently a junior biology major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM. She has performed research with faculty mentors at Scranton. She is also a member of the University’s track and field team, competing in javelin and multiple sprint races, including the 60, 100, 200 and 400.
Charles Sylvester, Newtown, received a medal for academic achievement for his junior year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, he is currently a senior majoring in environmental science with a minor in Latin. He has served as a sacristan with the University’s Campus Ministries throughout his years at Scranton. Before entering his junior year, he received a grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct a visual ecology research project at the University of Delaware’s School of Marine Science and Policy. He served as an engineering, scientific and technical intern at Delaware Canal State Park in Pennsylvania. He also studied abroad for a semester in Rome, Italy.
Kania School of Management
From left: Mark Higgins, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management, and O’Hara Award recipients Madalyne Buhler, Rachel Tuman and Grace Boyle.
Rachel Tuman, Lake Ariel, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a sophomore majoring in accounting with minors in political science and philosophy and a concentration in legal studies. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is a member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. She is a member of the Omega Beta Sigma, the women’s business honor society; the Society of Accounting Students; the Kania Women in Business Club; and the Pre-Law Society. She is also a liturgical minister with the University’s Campus Ministries.
Grace Boyle, Clarks Summit, received a medal of academic achievement for her sophomore year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition presidential Scholarship, she is currently a junior majoring in finance with a concentration in corporate finance. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is a member of the PRISM Investment Club and the Omega Beta Sigma, the women’s business honor society. She volunteers with the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. She also served as a consulting intern at the University of Scranton’s Small Business Development Center.
Madalyne Buhler, Stony Point, New York, received a medal of academic achievement for her junior year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is currently a senior majoring in finance with a business leadership minor. She was also a recipient of the O’Hara Award in 2022. She participates in the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program and the Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program. She is captain of the women’s golf team and was awarded the 2023 Landmark Conference Player of the Year. She is co-president of the PRISM Investment Club and the executive chair of the KSOM Student Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society; Omega Beta Sigma, the women’s business honor society; and Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society in economics. Buhler interned for MetLife Investment Management and, most recently, for RBC Capital Markets, where she will be returning full-time after graduation as an analyst in the commodities and quantitative investment strategies group in New York City.
Panuska College of Professional Studies
From left: Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, and O’Hara Award recipients Kaitlyn Romito, Hadley Michaels and Samantha Hoffmann.
Hadley Michaels, Baldwinsville, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is currently a sophomore nursing major with a minor in psychology. She is a member of the University’s Student Nursing Association and the Society for Sustainability and Conservation Club. A participant of University’s First-years Involved in Reflective Service Together (FIRST) Program, she has volunteered at elementary schools, retirement homes and with community clean-up efforts in the greater Scranton area, in addition to mentoring children for the LatinX Program at the Elm Park Methodist Church.
Kaitlyn Romito, Hauppauge, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is currently a junior nursing major. She is a member of the University’s Student Nursing Association. On campus, she has served as an anatomy and physiology laboratory teaching assistant and as a tutor for the Office of Student Support and Success. Off-campus, she worked for Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology in New York.
Samantha Hoffmann, Millington, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a senior nursing major with a minor in Spanish and a concentration in nutrition studies. She serves as a note taker for the University’s Office of Student Support and Success. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is also on the women’s cross country and track and field teams. She has been named to the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll, in addition to her selection as a U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honoree and USTFCCCA All-Academic Athlete. Off-campus, she volunteers as an EMT and is a crew chief in the Long Hill First Aid Squad.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Recognized for Academic Achievement
-
12/18/2023
Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company contributed $5,000 through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program to support The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a four-year, pre-college mentoring program.
An academic and enrichment program, the ultimate goal of the University of Success is to assist participating students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university. Students enter the program at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. Enrichment courses offered through the University of Success include study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company has provided continuous support of this program since 2013.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Peoples Security Bank and Trust Company Supports University of Success
-
12/13/2023
University of Scranton students, faculty and staff participated in annual Christmas gift giving programs organized by the Center for Service and Social Justice. Toys donated through the Giving Tree from students, staff and faculty, as well as Scranton Baseball, the Psychology Club and Performance Music’s Empty Stocking Concert, were collected and sorted by the Center for Service and Social Justice. The toys will be donated to the Gifts for Kids giveaway, a program with the Catherine McAuley Center, Friends of the Poor, the Salvation Army and Catholic Social Services. The event will be hosted at the University’s Byron Recreation Complex on Thursday, Dec. 21.
Christmas Gift Drives Held at Scranton
-
12/07/2023
Six University of Scranton Master of Health Administration graduate students presented research at the 10th Annual International Conference of Hospice and Palliative Care in Slovakia in the fall semester.
The graduate students who traveled to Slovakia were: Brandon DaGrosa ’23, Hazle Township; Rutu Gandhi, Scranton; Abigail Lynott ’23, Dalton; Prutha Patel, Tunkhannock; Rebecca Reynolds ’23, Bradley Beach, New Jersey; and Christopher Talocka, White House Station, New Jersey.
At the conference, DaGrosa and Gandhi presented research on “cervical cancer screening and addressing nursing shortage in end of life care;” Patel and Reynolds presented research on “COPD and cardio vascular diseases in acute and palliative care differences;” Talocka presented research on “medical applications of artificial intelligence within Slovakia;” and Lynott presented research on “mental health services in hospice care,” which she conducted with Scranton Master of Health Administration graduate student Liam Mead ’23, Montrose, who did not attend the conference.
Traveling abroad allowed the students the chance to learn firsthand about new cultures and hospital settings, and also exposed them to different perspectives around important relevant healthcare issues, according to Dr. Steven J. Szydlowski, MBA, MHA. ’98, G’00, G’01, professor and chair for the Department of Health Administration and Human Resources.
Dr. Szydlowski, Michael M. Costello, J.D., faculty specialist and assistant program director for Online Graduate Health Administration, and Daniel J. West Jr., Ph.D., professor, Department of Health Administration and Human Resources, accompanied the students on the trip.
While abroad, the students also had the opportunity to visit other countries, including the Netherlands, Czech Republic and Austria.
The University of Scranton offers a bachelor’s and master’s degree in health administration, as well as an accelerated BS/MHA program. The program holds full undergraduate membership in the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), and the graduate program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).
MHA Graduate Students Present Research in Slovakia
-
12/05/2023
A University of Scranton delegation led by President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., explored collaboration possibilities with presidents and senior officials at a dozen universities in Taiwan during his visit there in November. The trip was sponsored by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education in cooperation with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York.
Together with Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and director of Asian Studies at the University, and Gerry Zaboski, senior vice president for the Office of the President, Father Marina discussed options for mutually beneficial partnerships, including degree collaborations, or collaborations to advance the respective missions of the schools.
“We are deeply grateful to the Ministry of Education of Taiwan for their outstanding support throughout the week,” said Father Marina. “With their help, we had excellent and productive discussions with every school we visited. We also gained a deeper appreciation for the people of Taiwan and their rich history and culture.”
The itinerary included a meeting with Nicole Yen-Yi Lee, director-general, Department of International and Cross-strait Education, at the Ministry of Education, Taipei, Taiwan.
The first university on the itinerary was Fu Jen Catholic University, a Jesuit university in Taiwan. that signed an articulation agreement for a 4+1 MBA degree partnership with The University of Scranton last year. Father Mariana met with Han-Sun Chiang, M.D., Ph.D., president, other Fu Jen administrators and the first students enrolled in the 4+1 partnership.
Throughout the remainder of the trip, Father Marina met with Ming-Je Tang, Ph.D., president, Chang Gung University; John S. Kuo, M.D., Ph.D., vice president, senior consultant neurosurgeon, China Medical University; Tsai-Yen Li, Ph.D., president and professor of computer science, National Chengchi University; Yuan-Chen Liu, Ph.D., vice president, dean for academic affairs and distinguished professor of Computer Science, National Taipei University of Education; Shu-Fang (Vivienne) Wu, Ph.D., president, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences; Sea-fue Wang, Ph.D., president and chair professor, Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology (Taipei Tech); Stone Shih-Torng Ding, Ph.D., executive vice president and director of the Center for Bilingual Education and distinguished professor of Animal Science and Technology, National Taiwan University; Chao-Hsun Yang, Ph.D., executive vice president and distinguished professor of Cosmetic Science, Providence University; Mai-Szu Wu, M.D., president and professor of nephrology, internal medicine, Taipei Medical University; and Kuo-En Chang, Ph.D., president, Tunghai University.
During the visit, Dr. Pang-White and Gerry Zaboski met with Nai-Wei Lo, Ph.D., dean of the School of Management at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (Taiwan Tech).
The University’s long-established partnership with Taiwan began in 2010 with several divisions in the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York, including the Foreign Affairs Division, the Education Division (Ministry of Education), the Government Information Office and the Council for Cultural Affairs (now combined to form the new Ministry of Culture).
Programming established through the University’s international partnership with the Education Division of TECO-New York and Taiwan Ministry of Education includes university-level faculty- and student-exchange programs. Through the partnership with the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, the University has hosted numerous programs in Scranton, including performances by the Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company, the Chai Found Music Workshop and the Taiyuan Puppet Theater, in addition to hosting several lectures and film festivals with meet the author and director discussions.
In 2014, the University became the only higher education institution in the world to receive a replica of the Kinmen Peace Bell. The gift, on display in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center, was given as a gesture from Taiwan in honor of the University’s charter membership in the Taiwan Academy and its success with its Taiwanese cultural programming and Asian Studies program.
Taiwanese Ceremonial Ritual of the Gift Exchange
$content.getChild('content').textValueThe Taiwanese tradition of honoring guests with a formal exchange of gifts dates back thousands of years. Meeting agendas at each school visited included a “gift exchange.”
“Taiwanese culture regards gift-giving as an art that contributes to social harmony and friendly human relations, a symbolic gesture that honors both the guests and the host,” explained Dr. Pang-White of the tradition that dates back thousands of years. “When visiting relatives or friends that you have not seen for a while or visiting someone significant or more senior than you, presenting a gift is quite usual. In meeting someone in business for the first time especially, a gift presentation is expected, and, very often, a gift exchange is included on meeting agendas.”
$content.getChild('content').textValueAt the gift exchanges, Father Marina presented gifts from the University that included a framed campus photo, a hard-cover book of the history of The University of Scranton and a sampling of Gertrude Hawk chocolates. Gifts presented to Father Marina included ceremonial plaques and plates and commemorative banners.
“Presenting a gift and a gift exchange is considered a ceremonial ritual. This custom was passed down for thousands of years dated back to the Book of Rituals/Rites, composed around the first century, regarding how to honor a guest and visiting a host – but the practice began several hundred years earlier than the first century,” said Dr. Pang-White. “Gift-giving is considered a gesture of respect and hospitality and a symbol of gratitude. It is the spiritual significance of gift-giving that matters, not how expensive the gift is.”
A photo gallery of the gift exchanges with universities in Taiwan can be seen below.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton President Visits Universities in Taiwan
-
12/05/2023
More than 60 University of Scranton students participated in the PwC’s Case Competition, which models real-world business scenarios focusing on the strategic issues currently being faced by companies all over the world. PwC professionals judged the competition and provided input to the students about their business presentations and case solutions.
Scranton alumna Ihysisha Simms ’08, tax director at PwC, was among the judges for the completion that was open to all freshmen and sophomores.
University of Scranton accounting professors Jeh-Hyun Cho, Ph.D., and Ashley Stampone, Ph.D., helped organize the competition.
Members of two student teams were designated as co-winners of the competition. Members of the teams that won the competition were: Team Royals members Luke Roberto (captain), Matthew Capretto, Patrick Connors, Brendan Donohue and Katelyn Flanagan; and Pink Ladies members Rebecca Boyle (captain), Alyssa Campbell, Camia Capalongo, Deanna Holbert and Olivia Ulrich.
Boyle, Sugarloaf, is an undeclared major and member of Scranton's class of 2027. Campbell, Farmingville, New York, is a marketing major and member of Scranton's class of 2027. Capalongo, Scranton, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027. Capretto, Hockessin, Delaware, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2027. Connors, Smithtown, New York, is a business analytics major and member of Scranton's class of 2027. Donohue, Pearl River, New York, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027. Flanagan, Morris Plains, New Jersey, is a management major and member of Scranton's class of 2027. Holbert, Simpson, is an engineering management major and member of Scranton's class of 2026. Roberto, Howell, New Jersey, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.Ulrich, Aberdeen, New Jersey, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Students who participated in PwC’s Case Competition were:
Jessieca Moira C. Aguasin, Honesdale, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Harry R. Allison, New Fairfield, Connecticut, is an undeclared major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Matthew J. Almonte, East Stroudsburg, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Victoria E. Aslin, Cranford, New Jersey, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
John Paul Baran, Norristown, is a marketing major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
John F. Biondi, Lynbrook, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Anthony J. Blake, Endwell, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Owen L. Boison, Rockville Centre, New York, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Andrew H. Carotenuto, Floral Park, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Robert A. Casey, Rockville Centre, New York, is a management major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Matthew D. Clark, Phoenixville, is a management major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Nathan F. Clarke, Malvern, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Connor J. Farrington, Washington, New Jersey, is a business analytics major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Caden N. Faulk, Corning, New York, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Mason Z. Fischer, Hoboken, New Jersey, is an undeclared major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Julian M. Francis, Knoxville, is a business administration major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Phoebe A. Glidewell, Clarks Summit, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Robert A. Hoffelder, East Rockaway, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Benjamin R. Holicky, Kirkwood, New York, is a business administration major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Charles N. Howley, Putnam Valley, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Joseph A. Kilpatrick, Philadelphia, is a business analytics major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Joseph M. Kulikowski, Moosic, is a business analytics major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Daniel M. Leighton, Binghamton, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Jackson E. Lunati, Oakdale, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Faith A. McKeon, Lake Ronkonkoma, New York, is a business administration major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Gianna M. Natale, Scranton, is an economics major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Megan N. Neary, East Stroudsburg, is an economics major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Margaret I. Noonan, Morristown, New Jersey, is a business administration major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Sophia M. Norum, Washingtonville, New York, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Ryan M. Pardo, Rochelle Park, New Jersey, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Rebecca Paterson, Havertown, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Yeraiza N. Pena Alicea, Scranton, is an international business major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Dylan J. Port Vliet, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Brian Readie, Cranford, New Jersey, is an information technology major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Michael L. Redmond, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, is a mathematical sciences major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Timothy R. Rogel, East Stroudsburg, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Matthew J. Ruffler, New Milford, Connecticut, is an undeclared major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Morgan D. Ryan, Fords, New Jersey, is a marketing major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Alexandra M. Salina, Scranton, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Brandon M. Sanchez, Staten Island, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Zachary A. Sanchez, Floral Park, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Matthew F. Schade, Haddon Heights, New Jersey, is a mathematical sciences major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Alexandra B. Schaul, Holmdel, New Jersey, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
William R. Shallow, Havertown, is a management major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Daniel P. Sheahan, Yonkers, New York, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Chanyoung So, Seoul, Korea, is an undeclared major.
Nicholas S. Tollefsen, Rockville Centre, New York, is an undeclared major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Lucas J. Tomko, Dallas, is a finance major and member of Scranton's class of 2026.
Davalyn J. Ursich, Honesdale, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Avianna M. Voglino, Carbondale, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
Alayna M. Wocniski, Camp Hill, is an accounting major and member of Scranton's class of 2027.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Participate in PwC Case Competition at Scranton
-
12/05/2023
A week after its beloved Noel Night, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will keep the holiday cheer going at its annual Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert on Sunday, Dec. 10. The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The event is open to the public, with attendees asked to bring either a new unwrapped toy, new piece of child’s clothing, new toiletry items (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, comb/brush, etc.), or a cash donation. All donated items will directly benefit local families in need this holiday season.
At the concert, Performance Music student musicians will perform solo, duet, trio and small group renditions of a variety of Christmas favorites. The smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and include Steel Drum Band, Tuba Quartet, Flute Trio, Saxophone Ensemble, Ladies Choir, Men’s Choir, a vocal quartet and solo vocalists, according to Assistant Director of Performance Music Janelle Decker.
The Empty Stocking Fund concert traces its origins back to 1999, when Director of Performance Music Cheryl Boga’s friend, Alan Drake, the former chairman of the music department at Georgia’s Augusta State University, told her about a benefit Christmas concert held there. Boga was intrigued, and Drake gave his blessing for her to bring the concept back to Scranton.
For the inaugural year, she and Drake waged a friendly competition to see which concert could raise the most money. Scranton won, and an annual tradition was born.
The concert’s charitable mission makes it particularly special, and Decker and Boga and their students are always moved when they see the donated items out on display the night of the show. Meanwhile, the performance itself never fails to produce an abundance of yuletide cheer – by the end of it, “you can really see people starting to feel the Christmas spirit,” Decker said. Audience members are encouraged to wear their Santa hats, reindeer antlers and other accessories of the season.
For those who are unable to attend the concert but would still like to drop off a toy or other donation, they will be accepted at Houlihan McLean Center on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 6 and 7 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Jefferson Ave. entrance.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. Because there is no music major at the University, all enrolled Scranton students – undergraduate and graduate – are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
For more information on the Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website.
Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert Set for Dec. 10
-
11/30/2023
The University of Scranton, Lackawanna Bar Association and additional community partners hosted a keynote lecture, “Who are We as a Nation? Educating for Democracy,” featuring Danielle Allen, Ph.D., James Bryant Conant University Professor and director of the Allen Lab for Renovating Democracy at Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Ash Center. The talk, which took place in November on campus, served as the 2023 T. Linus Hoban Forum Lecture and humanities lecture, formally concluding the Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional information and ongoing resources are available at www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory.
$content.getChild('content').textValueLecture by Acclaimed Author Concludes Scranton Story Project
-
11/30/2023
By, Lydia Grossman ’24, student correspondent
Author and culture editor of Image Journal, Nick Ripatrazone, discussed the relationship between nuns and poetry at The University of Scranton’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities Lecture. Ripatrazone presented “The Habit of Poetry: The Literary Lives of Nuns in Mid-century America,” which is also the title of his most recent book, at the Nov. 10 lecture on campus.
Ripatrazone, who analyzed the lives and literature of various nuns, specifically from the twentieth century, began his talk with the poem “Nuns in the Quarterlies,” by Sister Mary Gilbert. Ripatrazone explained the poem and its themes of womanhood, unattainability and Catholicism. His favorite line, “Nuns are the fictions by whom we verify the usual contradictions,” he said has stuck with him.
Ripatrazone attributed his interest in the lives of nuns to archived sources from literary magazines. He explained that he continuously came across poems by Catholic nuns and sisters, like Sister Mary Gilbert.
“The poems that they wrote were devotional and traditional, but they were also stylistic, satirical and subversive. They wrote with a measured skill, and they wrote for public and often secular audiences,” Ripatrazone said.
He shared his analysis of the Catholic tradition and the hidden work of nuns, with a particular focus on the stereotyping and marginalization placed upon them.
Ripatrazone explained how poetry provided nuns with the ability to express themselves and experience freedom from the confinements of the nunnery.
“For a group of nuns and sisters, poetry was where they sought to reconcile order and the absurd, perhaps it is their greatest accomplishment that they discovered that they need not choose one and reject the other,” Ripatrazone said.
The Literary Lives of Nuns Discussed
-
11/28/2023
Robert Feenstra, Ph.D., the C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics at University of California (UC), Davis, presented The University of Scranton’s 37th Henry George Lecture in November on campus. Dr. Feenstra presented “The ‘China Shock’ After 22 Years,” detailing his assessment of the economic impact trade with China over the past few decades.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Department of Economics, Finance and International Business and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are eleven winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: David Card (2021) Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Hosts 37th Henry George Lecture
-
11/27/2023
Continuing a beloved holiday season tradition, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 56th annual Noel Night concert on Saturday, Dec. 2. The concert, which is open to the public, will begin at 8 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and prelude beginning at 7:05 p.m. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Considered the University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night has been a must-attend event for many Scranton-area residents since its founding more than a half-century ago by the Rev. Edward Gannon, S.J.
This year’s Noel Night will feature performances by The University of Scranton Singers, String Orchestra and Flute Ensemble. Outdoor instrumental caroling by members of the University Bands will greet audience members as they arrive.
According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, the program will include a variety of sacred selections - including music by Ivo Antognini, Randol Alan Bass, Franz Biebl, Robert Ray, Igor Stravinsky, John Rutter and others - interspersed with readings of Nativity texts. Included in the program are works sung in English, Chinese, Latin, Russian and Zulu. Pianist for the evening is Ron Stabinsky, and Christopher Johnson is organist.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled University of Scranton students are eligible for membership in the bands, choirs, and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
For more information on Noel Night, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website.
Noel Night Concert Set for Dec. 2
-
11/21/2023
University of Scranton students volunteered to pack and deliver 150 food baskets to area families in need as part of its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive organized by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. The food baskets included turkeys as well as other food items needed to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
The students gathered at the Friends of the Poor warehouse in South Scranton on Nov. 19 to prepare the food baskets, which they later delivered to families at Bangor Heights, Hilltop Manor and Valley View Terrace in Scranton.
WNEP-16 covered this year’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive in a news story.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Holds Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive
-
11/21/2023
Six University of Scranton students, all majoring in cybercrime and homeland security, competed against students from Boston University, Endicott College, Bridgewater State University and Endicott College in a cyber security simulation competition. Teams of three students each tested their cyber hacking skills to use vulnerabilities is a cyber environment in the competition hosted by Endicott College in October.
Members of the Scranton team placing second in the competition were Frank Magistro, a member of the class of 2025 from Hawley; John McMonagle, Philadelphia, a member of the class of 2025 who is also majoring in philosophy; and Buse Onat, South Abington Township, a member of the class of 2026 who is also majoring in philosophy and is a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Members of the Scranton team placing third were Brian Callery, a member of the class of 2025 from Huntington, New York; Jessica Sommo, a member of the class of 2026 from Commack, New York; and Colin Straub, a member of the class of 2025 from Royersford.
The six students are in the Cyber Intelligence (CYBR 250) course taught by Sinchul Back, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of cybercrime and cybersecurity at the University.
The University began offering a bachelor’s degree in cybercrime and homeland security in the fall of 2020 and master’s degree in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity in a fully online format in the fall of 2022.
Students Place Second and Third in Cyber Security Competition
-
11/21/2023
The book, “Nurses making policy from bedside to boardroom (3rd ed.),” co-edited by Margarete L. Zalon, Ph.D., professor emerita in the Department of Nursing at The University of Scranton, received the Sigma Theta Tau 2023 Capstone International Nursing Book Award for Nursing Excellence.
Sigma Theta Tau (Sigma) is the International Honor Society of Nursing. Their International Awards for Nursing Excellence reflect the organization’s dedication to fostering high professional nursing standards, recognizing superior achievement, developing leadership and encouraging creative work. The awards were announced at Sigma’s 47th Biennial Convention, which was held November 11-15 in San Antonio, Texas.
In addition, Dr. Zalon received a 2022 American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Award for the book, which placed 2nd in the program’s Nursing Management and Leadership category. Dr. Zalon also received a 2019 AJN Book of the Year Award for the second edition of this book in 2019.
Earlier this year, Dr. Zalon was appointed as a consumer representative to the Pennsylvania e-Health Partnership Advisory Board.
Dr. Zalon, who retired in 2022, has been a member of Scranton’s faculty since 1988. She was inducted as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow in 2010 in part for her positive influence on health care policy and delivery. Her leadership legacy includes grassroots advocacy, progressive program design, execution and outcomes in state and national nursing organizations focused on establishing practice and education policy and building research funding capacity.
During her more than three decades of service at the University, Dr. Zalon has served on numerous committees, including in leadership roles on the Faculty Senate. When she served as director of the University’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics Program, she has played a pivotal role in the program’s success. In 2021, the graduate program received accreditation from the prestigious Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
Dr. Zalon is a previous chair of the American Nurses Foundation, a former board member of the American Nurses Association and a past president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association. She currently serves as the president of the Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania, the charitable arm of PSNA which focuses on providing scholarships to students enrolled in nursing programs.
Her research focuses on vulnerable elders. She has authored book chapters, as well as articles published in numerous scholarly journals and other professional publications. She has also made research and health policy presentations at the local, state, national and international levels.
In 2022, Dr. Zalon received the John L. Earl III Award for service to the University, the faculty and the wider community. She was also a recipient of the Duke University School of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award, the PSNA Distinguished Nurse Award and a Leahy Fellowship at Scranton. She also received the University’s Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award in 2020.
Dr. Zalon earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from New York University.
Professor Emerita Receives Excellence Award for Book
-
11/16/2023
Portraits of the Martyrs of El Salvador grace a wall on a busy staircase leading to the third-floor dining area for University of Scranton students. On more secluded part of campus, the University dedicated Martyrs Grove as a place for quiet prayer and reflection. Both serve as reminders throughout the year of the six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter who were brutally murdered Nov. 16, 1989.
“As you walk up the staircase in the DeNaples Center, either to eat with your friends on the third floor, or on your way to a special event in the Ballroom or auditorium, you are encountered on the wall by a monument to some saintly figures in our Church: nine portraits of people who were killed because of their heroic witness to the cause of justice in El Salvador,” wrote Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry, in a message to the University community on the 24th anniversary of the murders in El Salvador. “Prominent among them is Saint Óscar Romero, who was gunned down while celebrating the Eucharist on March 24, 1980. The other eight portraits depict holy women and men who were massacred on this day, November 16, 1989, on the campus of the Universidad Centroamericano José Simeon Cañas (UCA). Those murdered were six Jesuit priests, Ignacio Ellacuría, Ignacio Martín Baró, Segundo Montes, Amando López, Joaquín López y López, and Juan Ramón Moreno, along with their longtime colleague Julia Elba Ramos, and her fifteen-year-old daughter, Celina Ramos.”
Pictured below is Martyrs Grove, located in front of Campion Hall near the Scranton Estate, commemorates the lives of six Jesuits, their housekeeper, and their housekeeper's daughter, who were murdered in 1989 on the campus of Central American University in San Salvador, El Salvador.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Remembers Martyrs of El Salvador
-
11/14/2023
The Princeton Review recognized The University of Scranton among just 522 colleges in the world included in the 2024 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.
“Schools that were selected for the Guide all have exceptional programs, policies and practices related to sustainability and the environment,” according to the Princeton Review. This is the fifth 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 to assess the school’s sustainability practices and commitment.
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. Further inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical titled “On Care for Our Common Home,” the University has begun a seven-year initiative to be recognized by the Vatican as a Laudato Si’ University.
To be designated as a Laudato Si University, colleges must evaluate comprehensively current environmental and sustainability programs, then improve and develop further initiatives to address seven goals outlined by the Pope. The goals to be addressed are: to respond to the cries of the Earth; to respond to the call of the poor; to apply ecological economics; to adopt sustainable lifestyles; to implement ecological education programs; to develop ecological spirituality efforts; and to develop of programs to address community resilience and empowerment.
In addition to its “Guide to Green Colleges,” The Princeton Review has listed Scranton in its “Best Colleges” guidebooks for 22 consecutive years, also ranking Scranton in its 2024 edition among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 18) for the seventh year.
Scranton Makes Princeton Review Green College List
-
11/14/2023
Aileen Grasso, Clarks Summit; Colleen Kozubal, Factoryville; Amanda Matute, Scranton; Sophia Outar, Swiftwater; Regina Petrunich, Scranton; Sara Wild, Clarks Summit and seven others completed The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center StartUP Fall Program.
Facilitated by experienced business consultants from The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC), this six-week certificate series is designed to provide women with the skills and knowledge needed to start their own businesses, with a focus on serving women in a life transition or those trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. This program offers participants education, support and guidance in determining if entrepreneurship is an option for them while 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.
Housed in the Kania School of Management, The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center (WEC) is a program of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). WEC student interns and SBDC staff offer business start-up information, guidance and encouragement. For more information, visit www.scrantonsbdc.com.
Scranton’s SBDC serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
Area Women Complete Business Startup Program
-
11/13/2023
Acclaimed violinist Kako Miura Boga will return to the area the weekend of Saturday, Nov. 18, to perform in concert with The University of Scranton String Orchestra.
Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, Saturday’s concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
There will also be a masterclass for violinists ages 16 and older offered on Saturday afternoon. Contact music@scranton.edu for more information.
Miura Boga, a regular visitor to the University in recent years, will perform as soloist with the University’s String Orchestra. The concert will include works by a variety of composers, including Balmages, Ewazen, Gackstatter, Morricone, Newbold, Piazzola and Senaillé, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
Originally from Tokyo, Japan, and now based in New York, Kako is a violinist who performs on both historical and modern instruments. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including first prize in the Nagano International Music Festival Violin Competition, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Artists Competition, and Sound Symphony Orchestra’s Solo Competition, as well as a National Young Arts Foundation Award. In 2021, Kako was named a Fellow of The English Concert in America, and in 2022, a Mercury-Juilliard Fellow. She is co-founder and co-leader of the period chamber orchestra Relic.
Miura Boga has appeared internationally as a soloist, performing alongside orchestras in Asia, Australia and the United States, and her solo and chamber music performances have taken her to such distinguished venues as Alice Tully Hall of Lincoln Center, Weill and Zankel Halls at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. As an ensemblist, she is highly sought after in New York and beyond, appearing with many established ensembles including Handel and Haydn Society, New York Baroque Incorporated, Trinity Baroque Orchestra and New York Classical Players.
Deeply committed to community engagement and music education, Miura Boga has worked extensively with the Music Advancement Program, a department of The Juilliard School’s Preparatory Division, offering instruction on violin and chamber music as well as courses on historical performance and curricular studies.
Miura Boga is a recent graduate of the Historical Performance program at The Juilliard School and led its orchestra as concertmaster on a tour of Germany with the Yale Schola Cantorum in the summer of 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, where she also attended the Pre-College program, as well as a Master of Music from The Colburn School. Her principal teachers have included Cynthia Roberts, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Robert Lipsett and Masao Kawasaki.
Miura Boga plays a J. N. Lambert Baroque violin and several period bows, as well as a St. Cécile de Thernes violin and Sartory bow, generously on loan from the Nippon Violin Company.
The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-plus-member ensemble made up of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum, most of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students, alumni and members of the faculty. With no music major at the University, the performers are brought together entirely by their mutual love of making music.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website. For more information on Miura Boga, visit relicensemble.org/about/musicians.
Violinist Kako Miura Boga To Perform Nov. 18
-
11/10/2023
State-of-the-art ham radio equipment and antennas are being installed on the fifth floor and roof of the Loyola Science Center for a new student amateur ham radio station funded by a nearly $200,000 Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) grant awarded to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and engineering at The University of Scranton, in addition to more than $20,000 received in private donations from Dr. Mary Lou West, Ed Hayes and Jeff DePolo. The new capabilities for W3USR: The University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club will also allow for ongoing and future Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) research projects to be undertaken by Dr. Frissell and University students.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAntenna systems installed on the roof of the Loyola Science Center (LSC) include a 40-foot tower with a Skyhawk High Frequency antenna for 14, 21, and 28 MHz, as well as VHF/UHF satellite and microwave antennas, some with rotating mounts. New equipment includes heavy-duty controllers, all-mode transceivers, speakers, desktop microphones and other components that allow for students to operate ham radio units.
“The main amateur radio station will be located in a room on the fifth floor with floor to ceiling windows that have panoramic views of the city and will feature state-of-the-art operating positions, so it will be a very attractive place for students to learn about amateur radio, radio science and radio engineering,” said Dr. Frissell. An additional room on the same floor with equipment and antenna connections will be used as a lab for controlled HamSCI space research projects.
The new station capabilities will also allow additional student learning and community service opportunities.
“The system is tied into the LSC emergency power system, so that the system could be part of the local emergency communications network,” said Dr. Frissell, who has already involved student members of the University’s Amateur Radio Club with emergency response training with the Luzerne County Emergency Communication Agency.
In addition, during the installation, students helped assemble antennas under the tutelage of Jeff DePolo of Broadcast Sciences, L.L.C., who is leading the installation. DePalo has worked on similar projects at numerous colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University and Drexel University.
“The installation has given us great hands-on experience of what it will be like when we enter the workforce,” said Tom Pisano, an electrical engineering major from Staten Island, New York, as he and fellow students helped assemble antennas.
$content.getChild('content').textValueHe and his fellow students had never heard of Ham radio prior to coming on campus, but they now are licensed ham radio operators and amateur radio enthusiasts.
GPI engineering assisted with the review of the plans for the installation and Mulrooney Spoorter, Inc., assisted with the electrical installation.
Dr. Frissell, who serves as moderator for W3USR: The University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club, is looking forward to planning an Open House for the new station when the installation is complete.
$content.getChild('content').textValueMembers of W3USR: The University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club help with installation of equipment and antennas for a new, state-of-the-art amateur ham radio station in the Loyola Science Center that is supported through a $196,241 Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) grant awarded to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor physics and engineering, and private donations. On the site of the new radio station are, front row, from left: David Karr of Broadcast Sciences, L.L.C.; Gerard Piccini, an electrical engineering major from Monroe Township, New Jersey; Nicholas Guerra, a computer science major from Scranton; James P. (JP) Fox, a computer science major from Hillsborough, New Jersey; and Zainab Shah, a computer engineering major from Hellertown. Standing, Jeff Depolo of Broadcast Sciences, L.L.C.; Dr. Frissell; Alexandros Papadopoulos, a computer science major from Scotrun; Tom Pisano, an electrical engineering major from Staten Island, New York; and Michael McBride, a physics major from Glenmoore.
University Ham Radio Station Equipment Installed
-
11/07/2023
Five University of Scranton students were selected as 2023 Sanofi Excellence in STEM Scholars, which provided support for the students’ summer independent research projects.
The University students named 2023 Sanofi Excellence in STEM Scholars are: Tabitha R. Berger, Cresco; Arissa J. Chambers, Henryville; Fione Evans, Scranton; Madelyne M. Gasper, Stroudsburg; and Brian L. White, Brooklyn, New York.
The grant received from Sanofi, which totaled $20,000, supported research and professional development of the five undergraduate students involved in STEM programs. In addition, the support provided stipends to help the students purchase laboratory supplies needed to carry out their summer research.
The Excellence in STEM program is designed to attract and retain students in STEM fields. By strengthening their skills and supporting their STEM research projects, this program helps to strengthen the STEM workforce. Studies have shown that students who engage in an independent research project are more likely to complete their STEM majors, graduate and develop a path to achieve their academic and career goals.
Berger is a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. She is working her with faculty mentor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on her research project “Synthesis of 2-Thiocyano- and 2-Selenocyano-Tryptophan as spectroscopic reporters.” She is also the recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Chambers is a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. She is working her with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology, on her research project “Effects of group and individual size on bumble bee (Bombus terrestris L.) thermoregulation.” She is also the recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Evans is a biology major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. She is working her with faculty mentor Vincent Farallo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on her research project “The effects of soil pH on the metabolic rate of Plethodon cinereus.”
Gasper is a neuroscience major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. She is working her with faculty mentor Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on her research project “Effect of lateral telencephalic lesion on dopamine levels in Carassius auratus.”
White is a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. He is working his with faculty mentor Spencer Galen, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on his research project “An investigation into Wolbachia diversity in mosquitoes and other biting insects in North-Eastern Pennsylvania.”
Faculty members at Scranton often include undergraduate students in their academic projects. The University’s Faculty Student Research Program also supports undergraduate student participation in research. In addition, students participating in the University’s Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM work with faculty mentors on research projects.
Sanofi is a global pharmaceutical company that is involved in the research, development, marketing and manufacturing of various medicines and vaccines. Every year, Sanofi offers multiple grants to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions that are working to advance participation in STEM fields.
Students Named Sanofi Excellence in STEM Scholars
-
11/07/2023
By, Bethany Belkowski ’24, student correspondent
The University’s Schemel Forum welcomed Sara Manning Peskin, M.D., assistant professor of clinical neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, as guest speaker for the Nov. 2 World Affairs Luncheon Seminar. Dr. Manning presented excerpts from her book, “A Molecule Away From Madness: Tales of a Hijacked Brain,” outlining the ways in which the molecules necessary for human survival can sometimes also sabotage human brains/bodies.
Dr. Manning began by defining molecules as groups of fundamental building blocks bound together into units that can then play integral roles in the functioning of one’s body. She continued, explaining that researchers have noticed that single molecules can cause ailments like cancer. In turn, cancer can be treated or even eliminated with targeted solutions that specifically attack the molecular causes. With this knowledge, Dr. Manning argues in her new book that “a similar molecular approach will likewise yield solutions to cognitive aliments that plague our brains.”
To begin her exploration of cognitive diseases that could be tackled with targeted solutions, Dr. Manning divided cognitive diseases caused by molecules into four categories: “Mutants” (typos in DNA), “Rebels” (proteins that begin targeting the brain), “Invaders” (small molecules that cause problems by being present when they should not be), and “Evaders” (small molecules that cause problems by not being present when they are needed).
Dr. Manning continued, outlining several anecdotes regarding Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. She explained that single molecular mutations of DNA can be responsible for extreme cases of Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease or can predispose individuals to the development of dementia. Similarly, with Pick’s disease (another disease of cognitive degeneration), 20 percent of cases have been found to be caused by a single genetic mutation. Proteins (often rebellious kind of molecule) can also overproduce in areas of the brain or within the communication network of the nervous system, causing autoimmune diseases and other forms of dementia. However, as Dr. Manning stressed, with the right targeted treatment, these ailments can potentially be entirely eliminated.
In another anecdote from her book, Dr. Manning gave an example of a molecular invader. She explained that, in its earlier forms, general anesthetic would sedate patients to the point that they would stop breathing. In turn, doctors would have to manually help a patient breathe while they operated. In an effort to find a better anesthetic, researchers discovered a compound that worked well in animals, so it was rapidly approved for human use by the FDA. However, when patients were administered this general anesthetic, its dissociative effects would sometimes last for two days and sparked violent tendencies in individuals. The anesthetic was recalled and researchers learned that the molecule, when present in the brain when it should not be, cut humans off from reality, leaving only their thoughts to create what an individual would then perceive as reality. Today, this compound is better known as PCP.
In a final anecdote, Dr. Manning described a molecular evader that the human brain suffers without. Pellagra, a disease that causes dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia and eventually death, appeared in the Southeast United States in the early 1900s. It mostly arose in prisons, orphanages and rural farm areas, but began spreading rapidly. The government dismissed it as an infection contracted by society’s unclean. However, Dr. Joseph Goldberger, a researcher convinced that the disease was connected to diet, went to great lengths (including ingesting a pill composed of an infected patient’s excrement and dermatitis scales) to demonstrate that the disease could not simply be caught. In proving this, Dr. Goldberger allowed for the later discovery of the body’s need for Nicotinic Acid (B3 vitamin), which impoverished people often lacked in their grain and corn-heavy diets. Now, there is a simple drugstore solution to supply the molecule the body so desperately needs.
Author Discusses Book ‘A Molecule Away From Madness’
-
11/06/2023
Students can learn what it is like to work at the FBI during a Q and A with University of Scranton alumna Danielle Smallcomb on Thursday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall.
A 1993 graduate of the University, Smallcomb has worked for the FBI for more than 20 years. She currently serves as an intelligence analyst.
The talk is sponsored by the University’s Department of History and the Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology Department
Q and A with FBI Intelligence Analyst Nov. 9
-
11/03/2023
Four University of Scranton students participated in an emergency management drill in Luzerne County for the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station. The students are all members of W3USR: The University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club, pursuing majors offered through the Department of Physics and Engineering and the Computing Sciences Department.
“The students were participating in the drill as members Luzerne County Amateur Radio Emergency Services at the City of Nanticoke Emergency Operations Center (EOC). … An important part of the EOC is communications between the Municipal and County EOC,” said Dave Skoniecki, an emergency preparedness coordinator for Susquehanna Steam Electric Station, explaining that each municipal EOC provides a back-up means of communication in case the primary communication channel becomes unavailable. “The Luzerne County Amateur Radio Emergency Services plays an important role in these drills and exercises and we greatly appreciate the participation of The University of Scranton students in the community.”
The Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) consists of trained radio amateurs who provide public service communications support. Trained amateur radio operators serve communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers, and wired and wireless networks. Amateur radio can function completely independently of the internet and phone systems. An amateur radio station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes.
University students who participated were: James P. (JP) Fox, Hillsborough, New Jersey, a computer science major in his senior year at Scranton; Gerard N. Piccini, Monroe Township, New Jersey, an electrical engineering major in his junior year; Thomas J. Pisano, Staten Island, New York, an electrical engineering major in his junior year; and Stephen Salamon, Wayne, New Jersey, a mechanical engineering major in his freshman year at Scranton.
Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor physics and electrical engineering, serves as moderator for W3USR: The University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club.
Undergraduate programs offered through the University’s Physics and Engineering Department are biophysics, computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, mechanical engineering, physics and pre-engineering.
The Department of Computing Sciences provides undergraduate and graduate programs in the computing sciences, including bachelor’s degrees in computer science, applied computing and information technology, and a master’s degree in software engineering.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Learn Firsthand About Emergency Preparedness
-
11/02/2023
An art exhibit of Scranton’s Story: Our Nation’s Story oral histories and portraits of 25 Scranton residents will be on display at The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery as part of First Fridays in downtown Scranton Nov. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. The reception is free of charge and open to the public.
The exhibit includes videos of their personal narratives of their Scranton experience, along with their portraits taken by photographer Byron Maldonado.
$content.getChild('content').textValueThe exhibit is the culmination of a multifaceted two-year project that seeks to illustrate and preserve the unique story of Scranton and relate it to the history of the United States. The project, Scranton’s Story: Our Nation’s Story, which involved multiple community partners and received National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant support, responds to the NEH special initiative “A More Perfect Union” which will commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States.
The exhibit will be on display in the Hope Horn Gallery during gallery hours through to Nov. 17.
The exhibit premiere on Oct. 27 included a panel discussion followed by a reception.
$content.getChild('content').textValueFor more information, visit Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story website, or email community@scranton.edu or call 570-941-4419 or visit www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory.
Julie Schumacher Cohen, Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story project director and assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at The University of Scranton, discusses the exhibit and oral histories collected with Erika Funke on WVIA’s Art Scene.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Stories Displayed at Hope Horn Gallery Through Nov. 17
-
11/02/2023
Ambassador Stig P. Piras, the deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Denmark in the United States, was the distinguished speaker at the annual Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series at The University of Scranton. The program, titled “Denmark: History. Culture. Economy,” was hosted by the Weinberg Memorial Library in October on campus. Ambassador Piras was joined by Dr. Nathan and Frederikke M. Kristiansen, cultural diplomacy advisor, for a panel discussion, which was followed by a musical performance by jazz guitarist Jacob Artved and Felix Moseholm, bass.
The Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series invites international scholars from emerging democracies and countries in political and economic transition to visit the University to address issues that will enlighten and benefit students, faculty and the community at large. While visiting the campus, scholars deliver presentations on topics of interest to the academic community and meet informally with attendees, students and faculty.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Hosts Nathan Lecture Oct. 26
-
10/31/2023
On Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring the University’s Symphonic Band. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The program will include works by Julie Giroux, Charles Ives, Philip Sparke, Frank Ticheli and more.
The University of Scranton Symphonic Band is a 65-plus member ensemble comprised of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty, staff, and alumni/SBO – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no major in music at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University Bands, University Performance Choirs, University String Orchestra and Ensembles and Steel Drum Ensemble. A few members of the faculty and staff and alumni from the region also perform with the groups. Each year, hundreds of students participate in the ensembles.
For additional information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website.
Symphonic Band Concert Set for Nov. 4
-
10/30/2023
Thirteen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2027 entered its Magis Honors Program in STEM. One of Scranton’s five programs of excellence, the Magis Honors Program combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society.
The Magis Honors Program in STEM offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Courses taken over four years at Scranton combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students in the program develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2027 began the Magis Honors Program in STEM:
Michael C. Allardyce, Moosic, is majoring in mechanical engineering;
Jillian DelBalso, Plains, is majoring in biochemistry. She is the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Maxwell J. Dombrowski, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is majoring in biology;
Callie A. Gorman, Malvern, is majoring in biology;
Eileen C. Hewitt, Downingtown, is majoring in mechanical engineering;
Taryn L. Hummer, Elizabethtown, is majoring in biochemistry, cell, molecular biology;
Jillian R. Lopez, Sayville, New York, is majoring in mechanical engineering;
Andrew M. Mauriello, Duryea, is majoring in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. He is the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Kathleen M. McKillop, Blue Point, New York, is majoring in biology;
Daniel J. Olson, Springfield, is majoring in computer science;
Melania Peña, Milford, is majoring in computer science;
Daurys Ramírez De Jesus, Hazleton, is majoring in computer science;
Caitlin E. Wilson, Harrisburg, is majoring in biology. She is the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Biology Department, serves as the director of the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Class of 2027 Students Begin Magis Honors Program
-
10/30/2023
Thirty-two elite members of The University of Scranton’s incoming class of 2027 enrolled in its Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this program undergo four years of honors studies in the areas of economics, entrepreneurship, operations management, accounting, finance, international business, marketing and management, as well as a series of personal development extracurricular activities in the areas of service and career building.
The following is a list of the class of 2027 Corcione Business Honors Program participants and their majors:
Jessieca Moira C. Aguasin, Honesdale, is majoring in accounting. She is also the recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship;
John Paul Baran, Norristown, is majoring in marketing;
Owen L. Boison, Rockville Centre, New York, is majoring in accounting;
Rebecca L. Boyle, Sugarloaf, has not yet declared a major;
Alyssa J. Campbell, Farmingville, New York, is majoring in marketing;
Camia R. Capalongo, Scranton, is majoring in accounting;
Matthew D. Capretto, Hockessin, Delaware, is majoring in finance;
Matthew D. Clark, Phoenixville, is majoring in management;
Nathan F. Clarke, Malvern, is majoring in accounting;
Patrick D. Connors, Smithtown, New York, is majoring in business analytics;
Brendan M. Donohue, Pearl River, New York, is majoring in accounting;
Connor J. Farrington, Washington, New Jersey, is majoring in business analytics;
Caden N. Faulk, Corning, New York, is majoring in accounting;
Mason Z. Fischer, Hoboken, New Jersey, has not yet declared a major;
Katelyn B. Flanagan, Morris Plains, New Jersey, is majoring in management;
Julian M. Francis, Knoxville, is majoring in business administration;
Charles N. Howley, Putnam Valley, New York, is majoring in finance;
Joseph A. Kilpatrick, Philadelphia, is majoring in business analytics;
Joseph M. Kulikowski, Moosic, is majoring in business analytics;
Faith A. McKeon, Lake Ronkonkoma, New York, is majoring in business administration;
Gary C. Mrozinski, Taylor, is majoring in finance;
Gianna M. Natale, Scranton, is majoring in economics;
Margaret I. Noonan, Morristown, New Jersey, is majoring in business administration;
Ryan M. Pardo, Rochelle Park, New Jersey, is majoring in accounting;
Rebecca Paterson, Havertown, is majoring in accounting;
Dylan J. Port Vliet, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, is majoring in accounting;
Luke Roberto, Howell, New Jersey, is majoring in finance;
Matthew J. Ruffler, New Milford, Connecticut, has not yet declared a major;
Morgan D. Ryan, Fords, New Jersey, is majoring in marketing;
Alexandra B. Schaul, Holmdel, New Jersey, is majoring in accounting;
Olivia L. Ulrich, Aberdeen, New Jersey, is majoring in finance. She is also the recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Davalyn J. Ursich, Honesdale, is majoring in accounting.
Aram R. Balagyozyan, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, finance and international business, serves as director of the University’s Corcione Business Honors Program.
Incoming Students Join Business Honors Program
-
10/30/2023
By Bethany Belkowski ’24, student correspondent
On October 17, the Schemel Forum collaborated with the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities to present the Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Humanities and Civic Engagement Lecture by Dale Jamieson, Ph.D., director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection at New York University. Dr. Jamieson, a scholar of environmental ethics and animal rights, and an expert on contemporary climate change discourse, presented a program titled “How to Live in the Anthropocene.”
Dr. Jamieson defines the Anthropocene as the unit of time in which human activity has dominated and subsequently impacted earth’s fundamental systems, including its climate and ecosystems. Of humanity’s impacts on the earth, Dr. Jamieson illustrated that most have been negative, specifically pointing to the human-precipitated problems of rising temperatures, damaging alterations to the hydrological cycle, and massive decreases in biodiversity. Dr. Jamieson argued from the perspective of a realist, recognizing that humanity will face catastrophe as a result of centuries of environmental degradation, but with a collective effort, humanity can hope to bring about a less severe catastrophe.
In order to mitigate the environmental catastrophe humanity will inevitably endure, Dr. Jamieson first explained that people must accept the damage already done to the world. He pointed to Hurricane Katrina, the Australian Bush fires, and flooding in Scranton this past summer as examples of climate change-related occurrences that cannot be undone. Dr. Jamieson emphasized this point saying, “we have to accept that the world has changed…. Our inaction in the past has already committed us to centuries of environmental change.” In fact, he noted that each irreversible environmental event serves as a warning for what is more to come.
After acknowledging the damage done, Dr. Jamieson urged listeners to understand the “drivers” of climate change. He specifically drew attention to factors like affluence and the growing use of raw materials as two drivers of CO2 consumption. To combat additional damage to the environment, he encouraged listeners to do their part by attending environmental demonstrations, voting for officials who promote environmentally beneficial policies, opting for vegan meals when possible, and finding greener ways to move from place to place. He also highlighted the importance of learning from nature, especially its ability to be resilient, a quality Dr. Jamieson assured humanity would need in the wake of climate catastrophe.
Lastly, Dr. Jamieson expressed that all people must live with dignity, grace, and love, as love removes people from our narcissism and allows them to seek community in troubling times. He urged listeners to understand that people affect all other forms of life and that humanity needs to work with the environment rather than seek domination over it.
“We’re now going to have to fall back, I think, on these more general purpose resources of love, collaboration, [and] simple justice to try to survive this period,” said Dr. Jamieson, closing his discussion on how to best reduce the severity of inevitable environmental catastrophe.
In a somber conclusion, Dr. Jamieson explained to the crowd that not every message about the environment can or should be about hope. It is important to see reality. He continued, stressing the importance of recognizing and accepting tragedy and loss in order to act. Before taking questions, he identified the key to actively opposing further damage to the environment: not adaptation, but resilience.
Named for Schemel Forum founding director Sondra Myers and her husband, the Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement advances 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.
Living in the Anthropocene Discussed at Scranton
-
10/30/2023
Harvard University professor and acclaimed author Danielle Allen, Ph.D., will present the highly-anticipated Humanities and Hoban Lecture, “Who are We as a Nation? Educating for Democracy” at The University of Scranton on Thursday, Nov. 16 and also available via live stream.
Dr. Allen is a political theorist whose most recent book, “Justice by Means of Democracy,” examines the importance of political equality and democracy in building a just society. She will speak at the DeNaples Center Ballroom at 7 p.m. with a question and answer session and book signing immediately following the talk. The event is free of charge and open to the public.
The book has received national recognition with New York Times columnist Peter Coy calling is an “important” work. Dr. Allen is also the author of several other books, including “Our Declaration: a reading of the Declaration of Independence in defense of equality” and writes a column on constitutional democracy for The Washington Post.
“Dr. Allen brings a wealth of civic experience and scholarly expertise in considering questions of civic engagement and democratic participation that are so relevant to the work we have been doing locally, as we conclude the Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story project and to continue the longstanding Hoban lecture series,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story project and the assistant vice president of community engagement and government affairs.
The event caps off the community-wide two-year Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story project that has explored the aspirational journey to fulfill our national ideals through the lens of Scranton, including many of the key elements of our nation’s experience: industrial era growth and economic decline, waves of immigration past and present, and Black and Indigenous experiences. Supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant, Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story has engaged community members in conversation about local and national identity, historical narratives and belonging, and our role as community members and as citizens.
“How do we educate for a just and pluralistic democracy in light of the 250th U.S. anniversary? Given the role of narrative and political identity in democratic citizenship, who are ‘we’ as Americans, and a nation, today and how can we work toward that more perfect union? These are some of the questions we are considering locally and which Dr. Allen’s work and writings bring relevant and timely attention to,” said Cohen.
The Hoban Lecture series is presented in collaboration with the Lackawanna Bar Association.
“The Honorable T. Linus Hoban Memorial Lecture was established in 1978 in Judge Hoban’s memory with a mission to bring to the community speakers who have achieved distinction the fields of Law, government and public affairs,” said John C. Mascelli, Esq., president of the Lackawanna Bar Association. “Dr. Danielle Allen joins a highly-distinguished list of past speakers and the Lackawanna Bar Association is proud to partner once again with The University of Scranton and to celebrate the conclusion of the Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story project.”
Dr. Allen is the James Bryant Conant University Professor and director of the Allen Lab for Renovating Democracy at Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Ash Center. She also co-chaired the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship and was the 2020 winner of the Library of Congress’ Kluge Prize, which recognizes scholarly achievement. The awards committee lauded her for “internationally recognized scholarship in political theory and her commitment to improving democratic practice and civics education."
She is also the founder and president of Partners in Democracy, an organization that advocates for democracy reform and political equality.
Additional University partners include the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities and Weinberg Memorial Library and community partners as part of the Scranton Story, Our Nation’s Story project include: Black Scranton Project, Lackawanna County Department of Arts and Culture, Lackawanna County Immigrant Inclusion Committee, Lackawanna Historical Society, Neighborworks Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Scranton Public Library.
Registration for attendance for the Nov. 16 talk can be done online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Allen-lecture with an option to receive a link to a live stream. Questions, call 570-941-4419.
Acclaimed Author to Discuss Who We Are as a Nation
-
10/27/2023
The Catholic Choral Society of Scranton kicks off its 75th anniversary season on Sunday, Nov. 12, with “Generations Sing!”, an annual concert presented by the ensemble and its friends, hosted this year by Performance Music at The University of Scranton.
The performance begins at 4 p.m. in the university’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. The concert is free of charge and open to the public. Seating is on a come, first-seated basis. Parking is available in University lots on Madison and Jefferson avenues, and also in the University’s parking pavilion on Mulberry Street.
Along with Catholic Choral Society (Ann Manganiello, director), this year’s event will feature The Armstrong Singers from Neil Armstrong Elementary School in Scranton (Kim Gnall, director), Wyoming Valley West Middle School Spartan Singers (Scott Coates, director), Valley View High School Choir (Gina Pascolini, director), and The University of Scranton Concert Choir (Cheryl Y. Boga, director.)
According to Director Ann Manganiello, “The Catholic Choral Society is very excited to begin its 75th Anniversary Season with its Generations Sing Concert. We are delighted that high school, middle school and elementary choirs, along with the University of Scranton Concert Choir, will all be featured at our opening concert.”
At the concert, each individual ensemble will present a program of 12-15 minutes in length, followed by members of all groups, ages 8 to 80, joining together to perform the concert finale.
Composed of members from Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wayne, Susquehanna, and Wyoming counties, The Catholic Choral Society was re-organized in 1949. Its first conductor and musical director, the late Norbert K. Betti, was also the founding choral director of The University of Scranton Singers, and the University is proud to host this concert celebrating the CCS’s 75th anniversary season.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit the Performance Music website. For more on the Catholic Choral Society, visit catholicchoralsociety.org.
Catholic Choral and University Concert Choir to Perform
-
10/26/2023
The University of Scranton’s 22nd Annual U.S. Conference on Disability, titled “Ability Focused Advocacy: Breaking Barriers to Achieving Careers and Independence,” featured speakers covering the topics of disability rights and accessibility. Employment and inclusion advocate Mason Ameri, Ph.D., gave the opening keynote address and James LeBrecht, award winning director, closed out the day-long conference with a viewing and discussion of his documentary “Crip Camp.” University President Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., was among the speakers at the day-long event. The conference, established more than 20 years ago by University benefactors Edward R. and Patricia Leahy, aims to foster advances in the quality of life of individuals with disabilities.
Annual Conference on Disability Held at University
-
10/25/2023
Since 2005, Washington Monthly analyzed numerous data sets in order to rank colleges across the nation in categories for “community and national service,” “research” and “social mobility” in order to assess the contribution graduates make to “the public good.” In the 2023 listing, published in the September/October issue of the magazine and online, Washington Monthly ranked The University of Scranton No. 10 among the 604 master’s universities in the nation in the “community and national service” category.
According to the publication, they rank “four-year schools (national universities, liberal arts colleges, baccalaureate colleges, and master’s universities) based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and providing opportunities for public service.” Scranton was No. 30 in the overall ranking that combines equally-weighted scores for “community and national service,” “research” and “social mobility.”
Scranton ranked No. 37, and No. 183, respectively, in the “research” and “social mobility” categories among master’s universities in the country.
For “community and national service” score, Washington Monthly looked at the percentage of all degrees awarded in health, education and social work “to reward colleges that produce leaders in socially valuable fields that are not always highly paid.” They also reviewed the size of the ROTC program and the number of alumni serving in AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, adjusted for the size of the school, as well as the percentage of federal work study grant money spent on community service projects, among other factors such as voter engagement. Washington Monthly determined the “research” score is based on each school’s research expenditure and the number of alumni earning Ph.D.s, relative to the size of the college. The “social mobility” score is based on actual and predicted graduation rates; student loan repayment rates; the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants; and the school’s average net price for full-time, in-state students with family incomes below $75,000 per year over the past three years, among other factors.
This is the 14th consecutive year Washington Monthly has included Scranton in its college rankings.
In other national rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among regional universities in the north in its 2024 guidebook, marking the 30th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list of “Best Colleges” for 22 consecutive years, and ranked the University No. 18 in the nation for “Best Science Lab Facilities” in its latest edition of the guidebook.
Scranton Ranked No. 10 for Community and National Service
-
10/24/2023
University of Scranton students earned first- and second-place finishes in all three competitions that took place at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Student Activities Conference for a 14-state region and Washington D.C. Hosted by Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, on the weekend of Oct. 20-22, the three competitions were the Sumo Bot event, the Hack-5K event and the Micro Mouse event.
$content.getChild('content').textValueIn the Sumo Bot event, students are given a prebuilt bot and tasked with coding it to strategically push the other team’s bot out of the ring. The University of Scranton team won first place. Team members were (pictured from left): Matthew J. Felicia (captain), a computer engineering major from Medford, New Jersey; and Joseph J. Martini, an electrical engineering major from Freeport, New York; Robert D. Troy, an electrical engineering major from Dunmore; and Matthew K. Dittmar, an electrical engineering major from Easton.
$content.getChild('content').textValueIn the Hack-5k event, students were given a handful of electronic components, and were asked to create an idea and demo for a product that would “push humanity forward.” University of Scranton graduate student Cuong Nguyen, Ashley, won first-place for his idea and demo. Nguyen, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from the University in 2023, developed what he called “ColorVista,” which was an accessory for a device like an apple watch that could accurately determine the color of an object and display that color’s name. Nguyen is pursuing a master’s degree in software engineering at Scranton.
$content.getChild('content').textValueIn the Micro Mouse event, teams were tasked with fully creating and coding small robots from scratch to be able to successfully complete a maze challenge. Scranton’s team won second place. Members were (pictured from left): Deanna Holbert, an engineering management major from Simpson; Gerard Piccini (captain), an electrical engineering major from Monroe Township, New Jersey; Carlton J. Hackett, a computer engineering major from Lansdale; and Eldridge G. Charway, a computer engineering major from Piscataway, New Jersey.
Other students participating in the competition were:
Robert C. Brudnicki, a computer engineering major from Archbald;
Christian D. Chakiris, a computer engineering major from Dickson City;
Ana M. Duque, a computer engineering major from Jamaica, New York;
Gabrina P. Garangmau, a mechanical engineering major from Scranton;
James R. Hankee, an electrical engineering major from Clarks Summit;
John A. Nelson, a computer engineering and philosophy double major from Jefferson, Maryland;
James W. O’Malley, a computer engineering major from Ambler;
Alexandros S. Papadopoulos, a computer engineering major from Scotrun;
Thomas J. Pisano, an electrical engineering major from Staten Island, New York;
Gabriel C. Pyra, an undeclared major from Bridgewater, New Jersey.
Faculty members W. Andrew Berger, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Physics and Engineering; Robert A. Spalletta, Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering; and Majid Mokhtari, senior lab engineer for physics and engineering; served as chaperones for the conference.
The Physics and Engineering Department’s IEEE Club is a student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the world's largest technical professional organization. Undergraduate programs offered through the University’s Physics and Engineering Department are biophysics, computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, mechanical engineering, physics and pre-engineering.
$content.getChild('content').textValueEngineering Students Take First- and Second-Place Medals
-
10/24/2023
More than 80 University of Scranton students competed to achieve the title of “Centurion” at the University’s third annual Centurion Challenge, which took place in October at Fitzpatrick Field. Approximately three out of four participants successfully completed the hardcore challenge within the two-hour window.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAmong the “Centurions” were Scranton ROTC students, Tactical Fitness Club members and student athletes.
$content.getChild('content').textValueHosted by the Tactical Fitness Club and Army ROTC, the physical challenge consisted of 10 different physical exercises, each requiring 100 repetitions. The strenuous exercises included deadlifts, sled drags, weighted jug carrying and more.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Rise to Centurion Fitness Challenge
-
10/20/2023
The term “China shock” commonly refers to the number of U.S. manufacturing jobs lost to import competition from China. However, research by economist Robert C. Feenstra, Ph.D., that takes a broader assessment of the economic impact trade with China over the past few decades tells a different story.
Dr. Feenstra, the C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics at University of California (UC), Davis, will present “The ‘China Shock’ After 22 Years,” at The University of Scranton’s 37th Henry George Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 9. The lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
In his research, Dr. Feenstra’s examined broad data that reflected growth in U.S. exports that has led to increased demand for manufacturing jobs, as well as jobs in services, including service sector jobs that are due to the export of services. His research indicates that the “China shock” has had a net positive impact for the U.S. economy.
Dr. Feenstra’s research focuses on international economics and applied microeconomics. He has published 15 books, including “Offshoring in the Global Economy, and Product Variety and the Gains from Trade” (MIT Press, 2010), the graduate textbook “Advanced International Trade: Theory and Evidence” (Princeton University Press, 2nd ed., 2015), and an undergraduate textbook jointly with Alan M. Taylor, “International Economics” (Worth Publishers, 4th ed., 2017). In addition, he has published more than 100 articles that have appeared in leading economics journals, including the Quarterly Journal of Economics, Economic Journal, the Review of Economics and Statistics, the Journal of Political Economy, and the American Economic Review.
Dr. Feenstra is director of the Center for International Data, an organization within the Department of Economics at UC Davis that collects, enhances, creates and disseminates international economic data. From 1992 to 2016 he directed the International Trade and Investment program at the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Feenstra has won numerous awards, including the Bernhard Harms Prize from the Kiel Institute for World Economics at the University of Kiel (2006) and the Herbert A. Young Society Dean’s Fellowship at UC Davis (2010 to 2013).
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Department of Economics, Finance and International Business and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are eleven winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: David Card (2021) Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information about the Henry George Lecture, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
China Shock Impact To Be Discussed at Henry George Lecture
-
10/19/2023
Representatives from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate toured the state-of-the-art nursing simulation labs at The University of Scranton and met with students and professors of the Jesuit school’s graduate nurse anesthetist program. The September visit was part of the Pennsylvania Association of Nurse Anesthetists (PANA) Lobby Day.
“It was a journey that truly showcased the exceptional education happening right here in NEPA,” wrote state Senator Marty Flynn of the visit in his Instagram account. “Our tour was made even more special as CRNAs (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) walked us through the cutting-edge spaces and shared their expertise. It’s moments like these that remind us of the incredible impact education can have on our community and beyond.”
Joining state Senator Flynn for the tour were state Reps. Eddie Day Pashinski, Jim Haddock and Kyle J. Mullins. Staff members from the offices of state Reps. Bridget M. Kosierowski and Kyle Donahue and state Sen. Lisa Baker also attended.
Nurse anesthetist graduate students leading the tour were Aaron J Crowell, Plains; Brandon Perrotte, Allison Park; Nelson Ramos, New York, New York; and Meghan Visalli, Scranton.
$content.getChild('content').textValueThe representatives also met with Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, which houses the University’s nurse anesthetist program; Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president of community engagement and government affairs; and nursing faculty members Ann Culp, D.N.P.; Teresa Conte Ph.D.; Mary Jane DiMattio, Ph.D.; Susan Elczyna, Ph.D.; and Tracy Murray.
Scranton’s Nurse Anesthesia Program is a full-time, rigorous and comprehensive 36-month program, which prepares registered nurses to become Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Lead Nursing Facility Tour for PA Legislators
-
10/19/2023
A leading global figure in the field of comparative theology, Francis X. Clooney, S.J., the Parkman Professor of Divinity at Harvard University, presented The University of Scranton Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities Lecture on comparative theology in September on campus. At the talk, he was awarded an honorary degree from Scranton.
Father Clooney has written numerous books on comparative theology and is also scholar in the teachings of Hinduism. He is currently at work on his memoir, set to be titled “Priest and Scholar, Catholic and Hindu: A Love Story.” He is a fellow of the British Academy and the Australian Catholic University. In the last year, he has served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.
At the lecture, University Trustee John P. “JP” Sweeney, first vice-president - investment officer of Wells Fargo Advisors in Scranton, bestowed the honorary degree upon Father Clooney with Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry, and Sarah Kenehan, Ph.D., executive director of the University’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities.
$content.getChild('content').textValueFrancis X. Clooney, S.J., Awarded Honorary Degree
-
10/18/2023
Vincent Farallo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, was awarded a $488,947 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research the physiology and chemical ecology of poison frogs. The funding for the three-year project will allow for the participation of 30 or more undergraduate students, who will learn cutting-edge respirometry techniques as they work with faculty members. The study will also allow for the development of a frog breeding colony, which can be used for this – as well as future – research projects.
“Amphibians are especially susceptible to climate change as their physiologies, specifically respiration and other aspects of metabolism, are dependent on specific temperature and moisture conditions,” said Dr. Farallo, explaining that Neotropical poison frogs in the family Dendrobatidae, which will be used for the study, “also have specialized physiologies that allow them to sequester dietary alkaloids to be used as chemical defenses.”
$content.getChild('content').textValue“Poison frogs, many of which are lethal in the wild, are no longer toxic in captivity,” said Dr. Farallo, explaining that their diet in the wild of ants and mites, enables their toxicity through a process called alkaloid sequestration. The frogs’ diet in captivity of fruit flies does not allow for them to maintain poisonous toxicity. The frogs do, however, retain their unique, bright coloring.
The study will allow for controlled levels of alkaloids to be reintroduced to the dendrobatid frogs and then measure how alkaloid sequestration by the frogs impacts ecologically relevant physiological processes, such as metabolism.
Dr. Farallo will train undergraduate students at Scranton to use sophisticated equipment to measure the frogs’ metabolism. They will collaborate with co-investigator Ralph Saporito, Ph.D., a chemical ecologist and professor of biology at John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, and undergraduate students at John Carroll for chemical analysis.
Both Scranton and its sister Jesuit university partners will share data gathered throughout this project and collaborate on research results.
Scranton students will also work to develop 10 breeding colonies of frogs.
“The breeding of colonies of frogs will provide long-term capacity and flexibility to enable future University students and faculty to conduct multiple research projects for years to come, long after this project has concluded,” said Dr. Farallo, who noted that the colonies will also allow for future community outreach programming with area schools and community groups.
“The charismatic nature of the frogs will also allow for outreach events, engaging the community to learn about ecophysiology and conservation,” said Dr. Farallo.
Dr. Farallo joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020. He has received several research grants, presented at numerous conferences and has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles. He held postdoctoral research positions at Yale University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He earned his bachelor’s degree from John Carroll University, his master’s degree from Texas State University-San Marco and his doctorate from Ohio University.
Professor Awarded Nearly Half-Million Dollar Grant
-
10/17/2023
The University of Scranton offered an interfaith Prayer Service for Peace in the Holy Land in the G. Donald Pantle, S.J., Rose Garden on campus Oct. 17.
The University joined with others across the world who answered the call to pray for peace issued by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, a call endorsed by The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Offering prayers and Scripture readings from the Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions at the University’s service were Rabbi Daniel Swartz of Temple Hesed; and from The University of Scranton, Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry; Michael G. Azar, Ph.D., associate professor of theology/religious studies; Ahmed Gomaa, Ph.D., associate professor of operations and analytics; and Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president of community engagement and government affairs. Michael O’Malley, director of liturgy and music, provided a closing hymn.
Last week, University of Scranton President Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., sent “A Statement on the Violence in Israel and Gaza” to the University community in which he quoted this Prayer for Peace from Pope Francis:
“Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be ‘brother’ [and ‘sister’], and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen.”
$content.getChild('content').textValueInterfaith Prayer Service for Peace Offered Oct. 17
-
10/17/2023
“Prospective students should come to Open House because it is a really great way to get to know the campus a little bit more and just talk to a bunch of people about concerns you might have about coming to college,” said Madison Borys, a senior occupational therapy major from Caldwell, New Jersey, in a video produced by Scranton student Robert Correas-Rivera, a senior journalism and electronic media major from Reading, shown at left.
“I really liked seeing inside of the first-year resident hall so I knew what it would be like to live at Scranton,” said Thomas Elias, a senior philosophy and theology and religious studies double major from Tunkhannock. “My parents felt much more comfortable and excited to send me to college and to Scranton specifically after we attended Open House.”
The University of Scranton will host two Open House events for prospective students and their families on Sunday, Oct. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 5.
Thomas Elias, a senior philosophy and theology and religious studies double major from Tunkhannock, shown, says that at The University of Scranton Open House he liked seeing inside of the first-year resident hall so he knew what it would be like to live at Scranton.
What should you do at Open House at Scranton?
“Definitely go to the meet and greet with professors,” advises Elias, while Borys recommends “trying out some of our food. We are ranked in the top 25 in the nation for best food on college campuses.”At the Open House, participants can learn about Scranton’s 70 undergraduate majors, meet with faculty, students, admissions counselors and financial aid representatives. In addition, representatives of student organizations, athletic teams and Scranton’s Honors Programs, will be available. Student-led tours of the campus will be conducted throughout the day and will include residence halls, dining halls, computer labs, science labs and academic facilities.
See what students Alexandra Shomali, a junior mathematical sciences and philosophy double major from Ellicott City, Maryland and Gillian Marsicano, a senior occupational therapy major from East Brunswick, New Jersey advise about Open House in the full video. Also, see what students have to say about Scranton’s residence halls.
For additional information, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit Scranton’s Open House webpage.
Students Offer Advice on Attending Open House
-
10/16/2023
The University of Scranton will host its annual Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 5 p.m. in the PNC auditorium of the Loyola Science Center.
Ambassador Stig P. Piras, the deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Denmark in the United States, will serve as the Weinberg Memorial Library’s distinguished guest speaker and Visiting Nathan Scholar. He will join Dr. Nathan and Frederikke M. Kristiansen, Cultural Diplomacy Advisor, for the panel discussion titled “Denmark: History. Culture. Economy.” The talk will be followed by a cultural performance and reception.
The event is free of charge and open to the public, and made possible through the generosity of Dr. Nathan, benefactor and former professor in Scranton’s Kania School of Management.
Ambassador Piras, before his current position as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Denmark in the United States, worked at the Embassy of Denmark in Washington, D.C. as First Secretary from 2005-2008. He was also Deputy Director for Asia and Latin America, Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and Deputy Head of Mission, Counselor, at the Embassy of Denmark in Ankara, Republic of Turkey. Ambassador Piras was the Danish ambassador to the Republic of Iraq from 2020-2022. He earned a master's degree in political science from the University of Copenhagen and a bachelor’s degree from Aarhus University.
As cultural diplomacy advisor, Kristiansen advises both U.S. and Danish artists and cultural organizations. She supports the cultural exchange between The United States and Denmark through various art forms, such as visual and performing arts, music, literature and film.
A recipient of the Fulbright Travel Scholar Grant to Romania, and the Fulbright Senior Scholar Awards to Thailand, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, Dr. Nathan is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fulbright Association and a lifetime member of the Fulbright Alumni Association. He was past president of the Global Awareness Society International and is the author of recently published books on Kazakhstan and India. Dr. Nathan received a grant from the United Nations Development Program to teach graduate courses in management theory and logistics for the International Business School at Vilnius University in Lithuania.
A cultural music performance by Jacob Artved and Felix Moseholm will immediately follow the panel discussion. Artved and Moseholm share a special connection as a duo, as they began playing music together in Copenhagen and have closely followed each other’s musical journeys since they were 14.
A talented jazz guitarist, Artved was born into a musical family and began working as a professional musician as a teen. He has worked and recorded with internationally acclaimed jazz artists and has received numerous awards for his recordings and performances. He currently lives in New York City and is an active composer and arranger. He has made four recordings as a band leader.
Moseholm grew up playing the cello before his granduncle introduced him to the bass, for which his skillful playing has earned him numerous awards and acknowledgements. He earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Julliard. He resides in New York city and has worked as a sideman, bandleader, composer, arranger and teacher of music.
The Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series invites international scholars from emerging democracies and countries in political and economic transition to visit the University to address issues that will enlighten and benefit students, faculty and the community at large. While visiting the campus, scholars deliver presentations on topics of interest to the academic community and meet informally with attendees, students and faculty.
Reservations are suggested for the lecture, and can be made at scranton.edu/JayNathanLecture, or by calling 570-941-7816.
Denmark Discussed at Nathan Lecture Oct. 26
-
10/12/2023
The University of Scranton Jazz Band will take the stage Saturday, Oct. 28, with acclaimed tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis joining them as the evening’s guest soloist.
Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.
At the concert the University’s student jazz ensemble will perform a variety of works that prominently feature Lewis on tenor saxophone, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
“I met Chris more than a decade ago while guest conducting a PMEA band festival, at which time he was already displaying a prodigious talent that made him very memorable. Then two or three years ago my son was performing at the Sitka Jazz Festival and I got a text from Chris with a photo of him and Joseph grinning like clowns that made me laugh out loud. Turns out they were both playing at the festival, and met each other for the first time in – of all places – Alaska!”
Lewis grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania. The Grammy Award-winning artist has quickly established himself as an in-demand saxophonist and educator. Lewis has played with numerous jazz luminaries, including Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Michael Bublé, Eric Reed, Terell Stafford, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, John Beasley’s MONK’estra, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, Count Basie Orchestra and The Gil Evans Project. He can be seen playing saxophone in season five of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and the most recent season of “The Godfather of Harlem.” He was also featured in Levi’s Vintage fall 2022 ad campaign.
Lewis has taught clinics on small and large ensemble playing, as well as saxophone, harmony and improvisation at a number of camps, festivals and universities, and has served as a guest clinician for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Regional Essentially Ellington Festival. He currently resides in New York City, where he maintains a busy playing and teaching schedule.
The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 28-member ensemble of big band-style instrumentation, made up of University student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform five or more times per year, with the majority of their performances open to the public, free of charge, and often featuring a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Lewis, visit chrislewismusic.com.
Saxophonist Chris Lewis to Perform Oct. 28
-
10/12/2023
Through Nov. 17 Art Exhibit: “Scranton’s Story: Oral History Portrait Photographs.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through Dec. 15 Library Exhibit: “Learning to Write-American Penmanship Manuals from the David Kaminski and Zaner-Bloser Collections 1791-1980.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Nov. 2 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain” presented by Sara Manning Peskin, M.D., assistant professor of clinical neurology, University of Pennsylvania. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov 2 4 p.m. Humanities Forum Lecture: “Explaining the Cosmos: Can the Philosopher Help?” presented by Dean Zimmerman, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University, author and lecturer. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Nov. 3 6 p.m. Art Exhibit First Fridays reception: “Scranton’s Story: Oral History Portrait Photographs.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Nov. 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 5 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9 7:30 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “The ‘China Shock’ After 22 Years” presented by Robert C. Feenstra, Ph.D., C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics, University of California, Davis. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Nov 10 Noon. Humanities Forum Lecture: “The Habit of Poetry: The Literary Lives of Nuns in Mid-century America” presented by Nick Ripatrazone, author and culture editor of Image Journal. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Nov. 12 4 p.m. Performance Music: “The Generation Sing!” The Catholic Choral Society opens their 75th anniversary season jointed by The University of Scranton concert Choir and Valley View High School Choir with middle school and elementary choirs. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 16 7 p.m. Keynote Lecture and Book Signing: “Who are We as a Nation? Education for Democracy” presented by Danielle Allen, Harvard University political theorist and author of Justice by Means of Democracy. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Nov. 16-18 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Footloose” presented by Liva Arts Company. The Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email livaartscompany@gmail.com.
Nov. 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest violinist Kako Miura Boga. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
November Events Planned at University
-
10/11/2023
University of Scranton President Joseph G. Marina, S.J., sent “A Statement on the Violence in Israel and Gaza” to the University community.
Dear Friends,
Words often fail when faced with the inhumane violence of terrorism and the destruction of war. Nevertheless, as a university community, we must voice our solidarity with the people of Israel as they grapple with the aftermath of unprecedented brutal attacks by Hamas this past weekend amidst Jewish holidays. We must likewise recognize and remember innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza killed, injured or displaced by the war that has ensued.
Many within our University community have family and friends who may be directly affected by these tragic events. Please remember campus resources are available to offer support, including, but not limited to the Dean of Students Office (201 DeNaples Center; 570-941-7680), Counseling Center (6th Floor O’Hara Hall; 570-941-7620) and Campus Ministry (200 DeNaples Center; 570-941-7419) for students and the Employee Assistance Program for staff and faculty.
On Tuesday, Oct. 17, we will conduct a vigil at noon in the G. Donald Pantle, S.J., Rose Garden to pray for peace and for all victims of violence in the Middle East.
Until then, I ask that you join me in praying for peace in Israel and Gaza and for a just and secure future for the peoples of the Holy Land. Let us also pray for all victims of violence, for those held captive, for their families and loved ones, and for those who care for them. As Pope Francis said in his “Prayer for Peace”:
Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Renew our hearts and minds, so that the word which always brings us together will be "brother" [and “sister”], and our way of life will always be that of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen.
Yours faithfully,
Joseph G. Marina, S.J.
President
A Statement on the Violence in Israel and Gaza
-
10/11/2023
The University of Scranton has awarded nine students from its class of 2027 four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarships.
Presidential Scholarships are awarded to incoming first-year students with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. The scholarship covers four years of full tuition provided that the student maintains at least a 3.25 grade point average.
Jessieca Moira C. Aguasin, Honesdale, graduated as valedictorian of Honesdale High School. A National Merit Commended Scholar and an AP Scholar with distinction, she was also a member of the National Honor Society. She received NEIU Scholar of the Year, the PHEAA Certificate of Merit, and the President’s Award for Educational Excellence. She medaled in invitation, regional, and state events for the Science Olympiad and medaled in regional events as the treasurer of her school’s Future Business Leaders of America Club. She managed her high school’s Dress for Success Closet and hosted food drives for her local church. A member of the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program, Aguasin will major in accounting. Her parents are John and Jacquelyn Sasso.
Jillian DelBalso, Plains, graduated as salutatorian of Holy Redeemer High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society, received the Spiritus Christi Award, the Bishop’s Youth Award, and was named a Citizens’ Voice Scholastic Superstar. In addition to being a two-year varsity basketball captain, she received a varsity letter for four consecutive years in both basketball and track and field. She was a Piano Guild 5-year National winner and played piano at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She was a member of the Saint Michael’s Society, class treasurer and school treasurer, a member of the pro-life club, and a Eucharistic minister. Along with organizing a 5k to benefit vulnerable and underserved children, she volunteered with St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton Parish, was an altar server, a Sleep in Heavenly Peace volunteer, and a Plains Little League concession stand volunteer. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Program in STEM, she will major in biochemistry. She is the daughter of Pat and Leane DelBalso, who is a 1994 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Tiffany He, Honesdale, graduated as salutatorian of Scranton Preparatory School. A member of National Honor Society, she received the President’s Award for Educational Excellence, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEA) Certificate of Merit, and National Latin Exam Certificates of Honorable Merit for Maxima Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude. She was part of the Science Olympiad Club, the Interactive Media Club, and the Society of Influential Women. She plays the piano, violin and guitar. She volunteered at the Wayne County Historical Society, the Wayne County Public Library, The Wayne County Creative Arts Council, Woodloch Resort’s Breast Cancer Awareness event, the Church of the Good Shepherd, and the Bethany Village Senior Living Community. She has not yet declared a major. She is the daughter of Pin Hui He and Xiu Ping Jiang.
Andrew M. Mauriello, Duryea, graduated from Wyoming Seminary College Preparatory School. A National Merit Scholar Finalist, he received the Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award and Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science (PJAS) First- and Second-Place Awards. In high school, he played varsity lacrosse for four years, was a student government class representative, a head delegate for Model UN, a student leader for the mental-health advocacy group Valeo Verde, a Science Department representative, and a peer tutor for math, science, Spanish, and history. Mauriello was a member of the Science Research Group, and the STEM Academic Concentration. He volunteered with the American Red Cross, the Al Beech Food Pantry, and the Wyoming Seminary Lower School summer lacrosse clinic. A member of the Magis Honors Program in STEM, Mauriello will major in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology with a minor in Spanish. He is the son of Mark and Kim Mauriello.
Matthew W. Rakauskas, Factoryville, graduated as valedictorian of Lackawanna Trail High School. A National Merit Commended Scholar, he participated in the AP Capstone Diploma program and is a member of the National Honor Society and the Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica. Rakauskas received the NEIU 19 2023 Scholar of the Year award, the College Board National Rural and Small-Town Award and was named Scranton Times-Tribune 2023 Scholastic Superstar. In high school, he held the position of class treasurer, assisted in founding the Computer Club and the Chess Club. He was president of the Inclusion Club, and was a Unified Track and Field scorekeeper. He was also a Geeks Guild member, student council member, and peer tutor. He volunteered at the Children’s Produce Market. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Rakauskas will major in computer science. He is the son of Matt Rakauskas, a 1990 graduate of The University of Scranton; and Marisa Rinaldi Rakauskas, J.D, a 1993 graduate of The University of Scranton. He is the grandson of William Rakauskas, a 1961 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Brian M. Repsher Jr., Carbondale, graduated as valedictorian of Carbondale Area High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society and was a part of the Career Technology Center’s Scholar of the Year program. He participated in his high school’s Math Club, Physics Club, and Science and Technology Club. He was also a member of the bowling team and Scholastic Bowl team. He volunteered with the National Junior Honor Society through St. Rose Church, the YMCA, and the Peckville Assembly of God. Repsher will major in mathematics and computer science. He is the son of Brian Repsher, Sr., and Megan Dalrymple.
Olivia L. Ulrich, Aberdeen, New Jersey, graduated in the top ten percent of her class at Saint John Vianney High School. She is a member of the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society. She was treasurer of the Key Club, and participated in cheerleading, the Light the Candle Club and Congressman Frank Pallone’s Youth Advisory Council. She was presented with a proclamation from the Township of Aberdeen for the work accomplished in the implementation of a sensory playground. She served as a RAINE Foundation Christmas lead volunteer. A member of the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program, Ulrich will major in finance. Her parents are Lori and John Ulrich.
Maria K. Vyzaniaris, Furlong, graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy. A National Merit Commended Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction, she was a member of the National Honor Society, and president of the National Latin Honor Society. She also received the Saint Michael’s College Book Award. She was a UNITAS retreat leader, an Athletic Association representative, FC Delco club soccer captain, and was a member of varsity soccer, varsity mathletes, and the Gold Key Club. She volunteered with Operation Smile, the Community Service Corps, Just Between Friends, and her hometown parish. Vyzaniaris will major in biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology. Her parents are Pete and Kelly Vyzaniaris.
Caitlin E. Wilson, Harrisburg, graduated as salutatorian of Central Dauphin High School. A National Merit Finalist, she was also an AP Scholar with distinction and member of the National Honor Society. She was a member of the Science Olympiad Club and participated in the PULSE program at Penn State College of Medicine. She played the French horn in the PMEA Region Orchestra, the District Orchestra, and District Band. She was 1st chair in her county band and school band. In high school, she also participated in the Quiz Bowl, Brain Busters, mock trial, and the University of Pittsburgh Data Jam. Wilson volunteered with the UPMC Community Osteopathic Hospital, the Central Dauphin High School PTSO, and at her town election polls. She earned a third-degree black-belt in Tae Kwon Do, and a Six Sigma green-belt. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Program in STEM, Wilson will major in biology. She is the daughter of Christopher and Christine Wilson.
Scranton Names Class of 2027 Presidential Scholars
-
10/10/2023
After two years in the making, Scranton’s Story: Our Nation’s Story will premiere the finale of the project’s Oral Histories collection initiative, “Scranton Stories,” with a portrait exhibit of the local residents featured in 25 oral history interviews. Videos of their personal narratives, along with their portraits taken by photographer Byron Maldonado, celebrate individual Scranton experiences while demonstrating the many threads that connect each story - a deep care for the city and its people, an awareness of our challenges, and heartfelt hopes for the future of Scranton and our nation.
The “Scranton Stories” premiere will take place Friday, Oct. 27 - starting with a panel discussion at 5 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, followed by a portrait exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall, at The University of Scranton. The premiere is free of charge and open to the public.
$content.getChild('content').textValue“These 25 stories are one small piece of the larger mosaic of Scranton’s many stories, both past and present. Scranton has always been a microcosm of what was happening across our nation, and these 25 stories show the strength, grace, and character that exist in the face of our local and national challenges. They represent a small cross-section of the way people from many different cultures and backgrounds live, work, worship and play together in one city, in one nation,” said Kimberly Crafton, oral histories project coordinator and consultant. Crafton, together with Julie Schumacher Cohen, project director and assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at The University of Scranton, organized this part of the initiative in collaboration with a committee comprised of University and community partners and photographer Byron Maldonado.
The 25 “Scranton Stories” include a total of 33 individuals who have either lived or worked in Scranton or otherwise have strong ties to the city related to their childhood, racial or ethnic community, civic involvement, vocation or faith group. It includes individuals who have long standing family ties as descendants of industrial era European immigrants as well as African Americans with local roots that date as far back as the Civil War. Also highlighted are the journeys of more recent immigrants and refugees coming to the area from Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia - some who have been here for generations now, and some who are more recent arrivals. There are teachers, artists, small business owners, younger and older adults, multi-generational families and more.
Interviewees shared their personal experiences in Scranton - their “Scranton Story,” as well as their aspirations around a number of timely topics.
“I am immensely grateful to the 33 individuals who shared their stories through this project. They voice a wide array of experiences that help us honor and expand the narrative of Scranton and the nation. Democracy only works when everyone is involved. Participation locally and nationally requires that sense of belonging,” Cohen.
“Those interviewed expressed concern or anxiety about the divisiveness that exists in the nation today, as well as hope for the future, if we can listen and learn from each other. We can’t gloss over hard histories or experiences. We can’t skip to unity. We have to work for it. This collection makes space for those nuanced conversation. The stories remind us of the humanity of our Scranton neighbors, our fellow Americans – our commonalities and our differences – and they challenge us to forge a better way forward,” said Cohen.
The premiere is the culmination of a multifaceted two-year project that seeks to illustrate and preserve the unique story of Scranton and relate it to the history of the United States. The project, Scranton’s Story: Our Nation’s Story, which involved multiple community partners and received National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant support, responds to the NEH special initiative “A More Perfect Union” which will commemorate the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States.
Scranton’s Story: Our Nation’s Story incorporates eight themes, ranging from how Scranton has been portrayed in the popular imagination, to its industrial era growth, Indigenous history, religious tapestry, diverse immigrant populations – past and present – and the role it played in the Underground Railroad and Black history. The project also seeks to share underrepresented Scranton stories in order to stitch together a full local and national narrative.
“I am very grateful to be a part of a project that educates and features prior generations’ stories, and is making it a point to highlight contemporary stories, cultures, heritages and experiences that have not been told in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Jenny Gonzalez Monge, who with her mother Ana Monge, are among the 25 Scranton Stories that will be premiered Oct. 27. In their interview, they share the challenges they faced as immigrants and as one of few students of color in Scranton schools when they arrived about 30 years ago.
“Being able to share my mother's experience of how Scranton went from being an unknown, lonely and scary place for her to a place where she established long-term roots, raised her children, and ultimately became her home, was very rewarding. My hope is that through this project, future generations understand, appreciate and celebrate Scranton’s diverse cultural assets and community members, to continue the transformational work of creating a welcoming, empathetic and just community,” said Gonzalez Monge, who is a steering committee member for Scranton Stories and Marywood University STARS program director.
Panelists on Oct. 27 will include: Crafton, oral histories coordinator; Cohen, project director; and Glynis Johns, Black Scranton; Alejandra Marroquin, Lackawanna County Immigrant Inclusion Committee; Mary Ann Savakinus, Lackawanna Historical Society; and photographer Byron Maldonado.
The remaining individuals whose “Scranton Stories” will be premiered will be named at the event. Portraits of the participants displayed in the exhibit were created by Maldonado. The individuals each chose a location in Scranton for their photograph that had a special meaning to them. These images are another documentation of the city through their eyes.
The panel discussion and exhibit are free of charge and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display in the Hope Horn Gallery during gallery hours through to Nov. 17. The interviews will be available as of Oct. 27 via the University’s YouTube channel and the project website (www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory) and the full interviews will be archived by the Weinberg Memorial Library.
For more information, visit Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story website, or email community@scranton.edu or call 570-941-4419 or visit www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory.
Stories of Scranton to Premiere Oct. 27
-
10/06/2023
For The University of Scranton’s Department of Physics and Engineering, the summer is an opportune time for their students to gain research and internship experience in their field of study.
This year, students from across the majors offered through the department participated in elite summer internships, as well as with advanced space weather research projects on campus with Scranton professors, as well as through research programs offered with the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) Laboratory at Virginia Tech and through NASA. Students also presented research with professors at national conferences, including the National Science Foundation (NSF) Coupling, Energetics, and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) Workshop in San Diego, California.
Scranton student Gerard N. Piccini attended EISCAT Summer School at the Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory in Finland. EISCAT is a scientific organization that conducts research on the lower, middle and upper atmosphere and ionosphere using the incoherent scatter radar technique. Piccini, Monroe Township, New Jersey, also participated in the SuperDARN Summer School at Virginia Tech. He presented his research on low-cost ionosonde development at the NSF CEDAR Workshop in San Diego, California.
University students Thomas J. Pisano, Michael Molzen and Nicholas Guerra conducted research funded by the NASA Living With a Star program, which is a space weather-focused and applications driven research program. These students participated at a NASA LWS team meeting at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in Boulder, Colorado.
Pisano and Molzen also attended the SuperDARN Summer School at Virginia Tech and participated in NASA’s RockOn program held at the NASA Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia. In the RockOn program, students build and test atmospheric sensing devices called payloads, which were later launched on a sounding rocket from Wallops Island. They also presented their research on SuperDARN MSTIDs at the NSF CEDAR Workshop in San Diego, California.
Pisano, Staten Island, New York, is a junior electrical engineering major. Molzen, Bloomsbury, New Jersey, is a physics major in his junior year at Scranton. Guerra, Scranton, is a senior computer science major at Scranton, who is also pursuing a master’s degree in software engineering.
Cuong Nguyen attended SuperDARN Summer School at Virginia Tech. He presented research on personal space weather station - grape receiver at the NSF CEDAR Workshop in San Diego, California, and the Dayton Hamvention in Xania, Ohio, which is the world’s largest ham radio gathering. Nguyen, Ashley, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering and computer science from Scranton in 2023, and is now pursuing a master’s degree in software engineering.
Devin Diehl presented research on PyLap/SAMI3 HF radio wave modeling at the NSF CEDAR Workshop in San Diego, California. Diehi, Mayfield, is a graduate student at Scranton, pursing a master’s degree in software engineering.
Simal Sami presented research on observations made with a GNU Chirpsounder 2 installation near Scranton at the NSF CEDAR Workshop in San Diego, California. GNU Chirpsounder 2 is a system for making ionospheric measurements using signals of opportunity produced by distant ionosonde. Sami, Jessup, is a senior information technology major.
Robert Troy, Dunmore, also conducted personal space weather station - ClementineSDR research on campus. He is a senior electrical engineering major.
Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor physics and engineering at The University of Scranton, worked with all the students. He also played an instrumental role in developing the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) workshop at Virginia Tech and taught at the workshop this summer.
Physics and engineering professors Rachel Frissell; Juan Serna, Ph.D.; Majid Mokhtari; and Robert Spalletta, Ph.D., and mathematics professor Joseph Klobusicky, Ph.D., also worked with several of the students on their research projects and accompanied the students at the various conferences and workshops. Recent Scranton graduates Jonathan Rizzo ’21, Pittston Township; Nisha Yadav G’23, Muradnagar; and Veronica Romanek ’23, Hampton, New Jersey, also worked with students this summer. Romanek, who is now pursuing her Ph.D. at Virginia Tech, will continue the research she began at Scranton as part of her doctoral studies and will serve as the research liaison between the Virginia Tech group and students at Scranton.
In addition to research projects, several physics and engineering students gained experience through internships during the summer.
Robert C. Brudnicki, Archbald, participated in a summer internship with Schott Glass in Duryea. He also conducted personal space weather station - ClementineSDR research on campus. Brudnicki is a senior computer engineering major.
Evan M. Hromisin, Dallas, participated in a summer internship with GE Aerospace in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hromisin is a junior electrical engineering major.
John A. Nelson, Jefferson, Maryland, participated in a summer internship with Lumen Technologies in Monroe, Louisiana. Nelson is a senior computer engineering and philosophy double major.
Zainab H. Shah, Hellertown, participated in a summer research-based internship at Florida International University, Energy Power and Sustainability in Miami, Florida. Shah is a junior computer engineering major.
Mitchell W. Sporing, Mount Ephraim, New Jersey, participated in a summer internship with Miller Industrial Manufacturing in Glens Falls, New York. Sporing is a senior mechanical engineering major.
Seven University of Scranton students discussed their experiences at the Physics and Engineering Department’s Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Club meeting in September. The IEEE Club is a student branch of the world's largest technical professional organization. Students presenting at the IEEE club meeting were Brudnicki, Hromisin, Nelson, Piccini, Pisano, Shah and Sporing.
Undergraduate programs offered through the University’s Physics and Engineering Department are biophysics, computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, mechanical engineering, physics and pre-engineering.
$content.getChild('content').textValueEngineering Students Gain Valuable Experience This Summer
-
10/06/2023
The University of Scranton held a capping ceremony for members of its 2025 graduate nurse anesthetist program. The students completed the rigorous first-year academic course requirements of the three-year program and now will begin the clinical rotation portion of the master’s degree program.
Nurse anesthetist students capped at the ceremony were:
Sarafina Alexandre, Monroe, New York;
Andriy Androshchuk, Homer, New York;
Dan Bigatel, Allentown;
Emily Blunnie, Rocky Point, New York;
Kylee Bushta, Archbald;
Peter David Descallar, Scranton;
Bilikisu Hassan, Garfield, New Jersey;
Paulina Luong, Dumont, New Jersey;
Thomas Magdelinskas, Houston, Texas;
Paighton Martin, Wyalusing;
Tommy Nguyen, Eynon;
Juliana Okafor, Big Flats, New York;
Nicole Perlik, Windsor, New York;
Brandon Perrotte, Allison Park;
Michael Puello, Roselle, New Jersey;
Cheryl Rice, Bloomsburg;
Dean Richards, Wlkes-Barre;
Michael Rocco, Throop;
Stephanie Russick, Avoca;
Rachel Sainte, Halethorpe, Maryland;
Peter Sidari, West Pittston;
Katherine Somefun, Spring Valley, New York;
Ridge Spackman, Dickson City;
Kara Stage, Ulster.
Future Nurse Anesthetists to Begin Clinical Rotations
-
10/05/2023
Zev Eleff, Ph.D., president of Gratz College and ordained Rabbi, will present “Dyed in Crimson – Football, Faith, Antisemitism, and the American Dream” at The University of Scranton’s Judaic Studies Institute Lecture on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at 7:30 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Eleff was named the twelfth president of Gratz College in 2021, after his position as chief academic officer of Hebrew Theological College and vice provost of Touro College Illinois. A highly respected and distinguished academic scholar, Dr. Eleff has vast experience teaching, researching and authoring books on Jewish Studies and American Religion.
With nine books and more than 50 scholarly articles published, Dr. Eleff has earned various notable awards, such as the American Jewish Historical Society’s Wasserman Prize, and is a two-time finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. As one of the youngest presidents in higher education and one of the youngest professors in Touro College’s history, Dr. Eleff was a recipient of the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago’s “36 Under 36” award.
Dr. Eleff graduated from Yeshiva College at Yeshiva University and received his ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He then completed a prestigious program for Jewish professionals and became a Wexner Graduate Fellow/Davidson Scholar. He earned a Master of Arts in History and Education from the Teachers College at Columbia University, and his Ph.D. in American Jewish History at Brandeis University.
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.
Football, Faith, Antisemitism and the American Dream
-
10/05/2023
Timothy Muldoon, Ph.D., award-winning author and Boston College professor of philosophy and theology, discussed his book “Living Against the Grain: How to Make Decisions that Lead to an Authentic Life” at The University of Scranton’s 2023 Ignatian Values in Action Lecture on Sept. 21 on campus. The lecture and book, in conjunction with additional courses and extra-curricular activities, helps to introduce first-year students to the core Ignatian values of the University and was part of its summer “Royal Reads” program for incoming students.
Dr. Muldoon’s book explores the complex challenges young people face in light of popular culture and social media, and the constant messaging they are confronted with about how they should be living their lives. The book earned a second-place selection for the 2018 Catholic Press Association Book Awards for Children’s Books and Books for Teens.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAward-winning Author Discusses Book
-
10/04/2023
By Grace Whittam ’24
Martina Martin ’80 found a vocation and a lifetime of meaningful work in the global and local United Way system. She largely credits this vocation to the teachings and lessons she learned through The University of Scranton’s Socratic approach to education.
“If you can come out of the University and appreciate that Socratic approach early on, you’re much better off,” she said. “It’s so much better to use that ‘inquiry over advocacy’ approach.”
Martin, a Scranton native, began her education at the University in the fall of 1976, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1980. This was during Scranton’s initial years of coeducation, and Martin was a part of the University’s fourth graduating class of women.
Martin’s time at the University was marked by many noteworthy achievements and activities, including membership in the Jesuit Honors Program and the University Singers and being elected vice president of the Business Club. She commuted to campus and was the first member of her family to graduate college. Originally in pre-med, Martin found a better fit in business administration and marketing through a unique set of circumstances some might call “cura personalis.”
Through the Jesuit Honors Program, Martin was empowered to create a course that catered to what she wanted to learn, as long as she could find someone to teach it. When she expressed her desire to take an advertising course, she was directed to reach out to a local top advertising professional, Bill Donovan. Donovan agreed to teach and mentor Martin in a one-on-one advertising course if she agreed to help him start up his own public relations and advertising firm in Northeast Pennsylvania – and they did just that. Martin’s professional life started at Bill Donovan Communications during her third year at the University, and she continued on at that company for almost three years following graduation. Working for Donovan gave Martin a crash course in many different aspects of the communication, PR, advertising, and marketing fields, and it paved the way to her future success.
“It was a wonderful way to be exposed to so many pieces of nonprofit, professional, and for-profit professions that I was positioned well for my next job,” she said.
Seeking to help others with her newfound skills, Martin began volunteering on the communications committee of United Way of Lackawanna County, which is the local member of United Way Worldwide, a global nonprofit organization serving 37 countries and territories.
A few years later, Martin became the director of communications and marketing at United Way of Wyoming Valley. She then committed 11 years as a senior manager at United Way Worldwide in Alexandra, Virginia, where she aided the efforts of United Way organizations and Fortune 500 companies across the country and beyond who were engaged in community philanthropy. Today, Martin is the senior vice president and COO of United Way of Central Maryland in Baltimore.
A central part of Martin’s work was to help visiting delegations from all corners of the world who were trying to export American concepts of philanthropy in ways that fit their governments and cultures. In that capacity, she has worked with people from the United Kingdom, Japan, China and many other nations. Martin believes these cultural exchanges result in beneficial outcomes for everyone involved.
“It’s makes for such a rich life to be with all different types of people,” she said.
A personal favorite part of her work is seeing the way people who would otherwise not interact with one another come together for the betterment of their community.
“Whether it be by race, gender, age, political orientation (or) sexual orientation, people who are otherwise sometimes fierce competitors come together because they care about their community,” Martin said. “That’s what United Way is all about.”
The United Way in Baltimore shifted its fundamental strategy in 2012 when it began focusing on directly incubating solutions to complex issues of poverty faced by low-wage earners known as ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) who work hard but struggle to make ends meet. For example, the organization created family centers for teenage parents to help them complete high school while simultaneously providing care for their children. This became one of the most rewarding part of Martin’s work as the family center program, staffed by United Way employees, has bested the national average graduation rate for parenting teens by almost 30% .
“When I think about what’s most rewarding, we are always, as an organization, moving to the next intersection of where’s the need, and what can we bring to bear on it,” Martin said. “It allows you to stay with an organization for a very long time, because it’s never the same organization.”Martin has been recognized for her work on numerous occasions. An O’Hara Award recipient, she was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women three times and received a Maryland Icon Award. Although she said she didn’t fully appreciate the University’s Socratic approach to education until the middle of her career, it’s clear that it aided her as she sought to produce better ideas and encourage inclusive thought. She emphasized the importance of seeking advice and inspiration from the people you look up to, and she encouraged all Scranton students to utilize Scranton’s alumni network to do just that.
“There are people at all stages of their career ready to hire Scranton grads,” she said. “Do not hesitate to use the wonderful network of Scranton alumni all over the world.”
In a world where change is seemingly the only constant, Martin’s life at United Way continues to grow and develop to meet the needs of the people she serves.
“It is not just a job,” she said. “It’s my vocation and avocation. That mission is so important, and that’s the thing that gets all of us through the days that are more heavy-duty.”
Scranton Alumna Dedicates Life to Optimistic Occupation
-
10/04/2023
Ninety-nine percent of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 graduates at the undergraduate level, and 100 percent of class of 2022 members at the graduate level, reported being successful in their choice of career path within 12 months of graduation. The “First Destination Survey” report by Scranton’s Roche Family Center for Career Development is based on career success data obtained for 88 percent of the undergraduate class. This “knowledge rate,” or percentage of graduates for whom their career outcome is known, exceeds the National Association of College Employers recommended rate of 65 percent.
$content.getChild('content').textValueFor members of University’s class of 2022 earning a bachelor’s degree, 50 percent of graduates had the goal of obtaining full-time employment and 98 percent of graduates succeed with that goal. Forty-seven percent of graduates had the goal of attending graduate or professional school and 99 percent of graduates successfully achieved that goal.
The average (mean) salary is $59,025, based on the bachelor’s degree graduates that provided salary information. The average salary varied by major. The highest average salaries reported are in computer science ($84,000), nursing ($79,668) and engineering management ($73,500).
Geographically, of those employed, 86 percent reported working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
Eighty-six percent of the undergraduate class of 2022 reported completing at least one experiential learning opportunity during their education at the University, which includes internships, research, student teaching, observations, clinicals, externships and residencies. In addition, 95 percent reported using the Center for Career Development’s services during their time at Scranton.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton's class of 2022 master’s degree graduates had a 100 percent overall success rate. The knowledge rate for class of 2022 master’s degree graduates was 76 percent. The report shows 94 percent being employed full-time; 1 percent being employed part-time; 2 percent pursuing additional education; and 3 percent seeking another goal, such as travel or taking a gap year. The average (mean) salary for 2022 master’s degree graduates is $81,046, based on the graduates that provided salary information. Salaries reported vary by degree programs. The highest average salaries reported are for graduates with master’s degrees in nurse anesthesia ($194,302), general business administration MBA ($101,250) and occupational therapy ($96,027). Of those employed, 69 percent are working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
$content.getChild('content').textValueThis semester, the Roche Family Center for Career Development relocated on campus to a newly renovated location on the second floor of the Loyola Science Center. University President Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., blessed the center at an open house event in September.
$content.getChild('content').textValueSurvey Shows Career Goals Success of Class of 2022
-
10/03/2023
The University of Scranton has appointed 22 new full-time faculty members for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Holly Avella, Ph.D. cand., was appointed as a visiting assistant professor in the Communication and Media Department. She most recently worked in the Department of Communication and Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Rutgers University and has worked at Manhattanville College, Marist College and Dutchess Community College. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at State University of New York at New Paltz and her Master of Science in education/mental health counseling psychology at Long Island University. She is a Ph.D. candidate in communication, information and media studies at Rutgers University. She has published and presented extensively, most recently in the realms of mental health and social media.
Patrick Beldio, Ph.D., was appointed as a visiting lecturer in the Theology/Religious Studies Department. He most recently was a professional lecturer in the Religion Department at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and an adjunct professor in the Theology and Religious Studies Department at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in studio art and philosophy and Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture at the University of Notre Dame, his Master of Arts in systematic theology at The Washington Theological Union, his Master of Fine Arts in sculpture at The George Washington University, and his Ph.D. in religion and culture at The Catholic University of America. His first book on a contemporary Indian tradition called the “Integral Yoga of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo” is due out in 2024 with Lexington Press. He has operated personal businesses as a sacred visual artist and has a wide-ranging list of solo art projects, performances, exhibitions, peer-reviewed publications and academic presentations. He has been commissioned to create several artistic pieces for private collections and educational institutions.
Michele Boland was appointed as a faculty specialist in the Nursing Department. She most recently worked as nursing faculty for the Practical Nursing Program at the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County and has been an adjunct faculty member and clinical instructor at The University of Scranton. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing at the University of Delaware and a Master of Science in nursing education at the University of Phoenix. In addition, she has a long history of direct patient care provision in diverse settings, as well as various roles within health care administration.
Melanie Caughey, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Education Department. She most recently taught at Cleveland State University as a visiting assistant professor and coordinator of the Gifted and Talented Learners program and previously taught at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She has also worked with Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth and the Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development at the University of Connecticut. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and education at Bucknell University, a Master of Science in education at Duquesne University, and a Ph.D. in gifted education at the University of Virginia. She has published and presented numerous times on specialized topics involving gifted education.
Laura Chapman, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Health and Human Performance Department. She was most recently an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Appalachian State University. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in music and her Bachelor of Arts in communicative sciences and disorders at Michigan State University and her Master of Arts in speech-language pathology and Ph.D. in speech-language science at Ohio University. She has a lengthy publishing history and has presented both nationally and internationally. She resides in Clarks Summit.
Michael Crowell, PT, D.Sc., was appointed as an associate professor in the Physical Therapy Department. He was most recently the program director for the Baylor University - Keller Amy Community Hospital Division 1 Sports Physical Therapy Fellowship at the United States Military Academy at West Point and an associate professor at Baylor University. He earned his Bachelor of Science in chemistry and life sciences at the United States Military Academy and his Doctor of Physical Therapy and Doctor of Science in orthopaedic physical therapy at Baylor University. He is a board-certified clinical specialist in orthopaedic physical therapy and sports physical therapy and a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists.
Kristeen Elrod, Ph.D., was appointed as a lecturer in the Counseling and Human Services Department. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and registered play therapy supervisor. She was most recently a term faculty member at Oregon State University and worked in private telehealth practice for Ginger & Pixie LLC in California. She earned her Master of Arts in professional counseling at Texas State University and her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision at Oregon State University. She is pursuing a medical trauma counseling certificate.
Mark Fenner, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Computing Sciences Department. A data and research scientist, developer and educator, Dr. Fenner, who operates Fenner Training and Consulting LLC in Forty Fort, earned his Bachelor of Science in computer science and psychology at Allegheny College. He earned his Master of Arts in mathematics and Master of Science and Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Pittsburgh. He has taught at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Norwich University in Vermont and the University of Pittsburgh.
Kelly Filchner, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Nursing Department. She was most recently director of clinical operations at Fox Chase Cancer Center Partners in Rockledge. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing at East Stroudsburg University, her Master of Science in nursing at DeSales University and her Ph.D. in nursing at Duquesne University. Dr. Filchner is a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Honor Society, and has researched and published on several cancer-related topics.
Carrie Griffiths, OTD, was appointed as a faculty specialist in the Occupational Therapy Department. She was most recently the Program Director for the Occupational Therapy Assistant program at Lackawanna College. She earned her Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy at Mount Aloysius College, a Master of Science in occupational therapy at The University of Scranton and a doctorate in occupational therapy at Gannon University. Dr. Griffiths has clinical experience in a variety of practice areas, including acute care, in-patient rehabilitation, outpatient, behavioral health, hospice, skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities. In addition, she is employed by Jukebox Health where she conducts home safety assessments.
Anna Grippi was named a lecturer in the Nursing Department. She was previously a part-time faculty member in The University of Scranton Nursing Department, and prior to that appointment she worked as health coordinator for the Scranton Lackawanna Human Development Agency. She has been a clinical navigator, nurse reviewer for Federal Hearings and Appeals, a team nurse in mental health for the Scranton Counseling Center and a registered nurse on the neurological/trauma floor for Geisinger Community Medical Center. She earned her Bachelor of Science in nursing at Marywood University and her Master of Science in nursing at Aspen University with a specialization in nursing education. She resides in Dunmore.
Michael Hague, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Biology Department. He was most recently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Montana. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in biology and environmental studies at Whitman College, his Master of Science in ecology, evolution and conservation biology at San Francisco State University and his Ph.D. in biology at the University of Virginia. He has been a distinguished teaching fellow at the University of Virginia and an adjunct instructor at Everest College in Utah.
Matthew Hale, Ph.D., was appointed as a visiting assistant professor in the Theology/Religious Studies Department. He was most recently an adjunct professor at Abilene Christian University’s Graduate School of Theology. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in biblical text at Lubbock Christian University, his Master of Arts in history and theology at Abilene Christian University and his master of philosophy and Ph.D. in historical and systematic theology at The Catholic University of America. He has been a teaching fellow at The Catholic University of America’s School of Theology and Religious Studies and has been a preacher in Texas.
Samantha Herrick, Ph.D., was appointed as an associate professor in the Counseling & Human Services Department. She was most recently an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers University, where she received an Excellence in Teaching Award. She is also a mental health counselor with a private practice in Mahwah, New Jersey. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in communications at the University of Rhode Island, her Master of Science in rehabilitation counseling and disability studies at Springfield College and her Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision at the Pennsylvania State University. Her research, publication and presentation history on disability and specifically Autism is extensive. She is also a 2015 inductee into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
Geng Liu, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Physics/Engineering Department. He was most recently an assistant professor at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre. He earned his Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering at the University of Science and Technology of China and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing. He has been a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maine at Orono and the University of Virginia, where he also was a teaching fellow and guest lecturer. He resides in Clarks Summit.
Christiane McDonald was appointed as a faculty specialist in the Health and Human Performance Department. She most recently worked as a speech-language pathologist with Presence/Ocean Springs School District, Mississippi. She was selected for specialized training in stuttering through the Palin PCI Eastern Workshop. She earned her Bachelor of Science in speech pathology and audiology at East Stroudsburg University and her Master of Science in speech-language pathology at Misericordia University.
Farshad Merrikh-Bayat, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Physics/Engineering Department. He most recently worked as a senior mechatronics engineer at ASML/Cymer in San Diego, California. He earned his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering at K.N. Toosi University of Technology in Tehran, Iran, and his Master of Science and Ph.D. in electrical engineering-controls at Sharif University of Technology, also in Tehran. He has been an assistant and associate professor at the University of Zanjan in Zanjan, Iran, where he was a technical consultant and was chief of the electrical engineering department.
Katherine Stefanelli, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Counseling and Human Services Department. She most recently was coordinator of counseling and psychological services and a health and wellness educator at Penn State University Scranton Campus in Dunmore. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and her Master of Arts in clinical psychology, post-master’s certification in school counseling and Ph.D. in human development at Marywood University. She has been a licensed professional counselor in private practice in South Abington Township and has been an adjunct faculty member at Penn State Scranton and The University of Scranton.
Amy Szydlowski was appointed as a faculty specialist in the Health Administration and Human Resources Department. She was district executive director of the Pennsylvania Department of Health for the Northeast Region for more than a decade. She earned her Bachelor of Science in communication disorders at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and her Master of Public Administration with certification in gerontology and Master of Social Work at Marywood University. She has been an adjunct faculty member at The University of Scranton and has worked in pharmaceutical sales for Pfizer and Janssen. She resides in Moosic.
Megan Whitbeck, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Counseling and Human Services Department. She served as a psychosocial rehabilitation counselor at a community mental health outpatient program in Central Florida for clients with severe and persistent mental illness, and has expertise in counseling individuals, families, couples, and college student populations. She earned her Bachelor of Science in psychology at the State University of New York at Cortland, her Master of Arts in clinical mental health counseling at the University of Central Florida and her Ph.D. in counseling and counselor education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Katorah Williams, Ph.D., was appointed as an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology Department. She earned her Bachelor of Science in neuroscience and psychology at Temple University, Philadelphia, her Master of Science in criminal justice at West Chester University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. in criminal justice at Temple University. As a research assistant at Temple University, she worked on projects related to adversarial decision-making, and social engineering education and experiential learning. Her current research explores conceptualizations of privacy and engagement in lateral surveillance. She has taught online courses in white collar crime and psychology and crime, and has been a teaching assistant for courses in criminal law, criminal courts and justice, criminal behavior and ethics, crime and justice.
Elin Woods was appointed as an assistant professor in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library. She was most recently a reference and interlibrary loan/adult programming librarian at Indiana Free Library in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and before that was a student success librarian at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in history at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her Master of Science in library science at Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She is a co-author and co-editor of the book “Once Upon a Time in the Academic Library: Storytelling Skills for Librarians.”
University Appoints 22 New Faculty Members
-
10/02/2023
The University of Scranton will host two Open House events for prospective students and their families on Sunday, Oct. 22 and Sunday, Nov. 5.
Inspired by its Catholic and Jesuit mission, Scranton provides a rigorous, in-depth education designed for personal and professional success. For 30 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Scranton among the 10 top Master’s Universities in the North. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list “Best Colleges” for 22 consecutive years and in its ranking of the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 18) for seven years, among other rankings.
At the Open House, participants can learn about Scranton’s 70 undergraduate majors, meet with faculty, students, admissions counselors and financial aid representatives. Participants can also learn about Scranton’s five honors programs, pre-law, pre-medial and pre-health professions programs. Student-led tours of the campus, located in Northeast Pennsylvania, 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 Honors Programs, will be available.
For additional information, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit Scranton’s Open House webpage.
$content.getChild('content').textValueOpen House Dates Set for Oct. 22 and Nov. 5
-
09/28/2023
The University of Scranton Community English as a Second Language (ESL) Program received a $2,000 critical needs grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation. The grant will be used to purchase textbooks and workbooks to serve the growing number of community members who seek to improve their English. Through this program, which is free to participants, University of Scranton students tutor local refugees and immigrants in English as a second language at the Language Learning Center, located in O’Hara Hall on the University’s campus.
The textbooks will expand the capacity and improve the quality of the Community ESL Program through audio and video content, reading and writing exercises, workbooks and more.
The University’s World Languages and Cultures Department oversees the University’s Scranton Community ESL Program. Yamile Silva, Ph.D., professor of Spanish, serves as the department’s chair.
Grant Supports University Community ESL Program
-
09/28/2023
On Saturday, Oct. 14, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by critically and popularly acclaimed award-winning pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Conductor and Director of Performance Music Cheryl Y. Boga says, “I first became of aware of Llewellyn and his incredible talent when my son would text me from his classes at Juilliard to tell me about this amazing 13-year-old who was already enrolled in pursuit of his undergraduate degree and – according to Joseph – ‘played piano like craaaazy!’ Now, at age 26, he is already one of the most virtuosic, vibrant, and socially committed musicians of his generation.”
Described as “a gifted virtuoso” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Sanchez-Werner has been performing with orchestras since the age of 6. The California native has played internationally with the Royal Concertgebouw in the Netherlands, CultureSummit Abu Dhabi, the Louvre and Grenoble Museums in France, Smetana Hall in the Czech Republic, State Philharmonic Hall in Slovakia, Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Ashford Castle in Ireland and Gijon International Piano Festival in Spain. In the United States, he has performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center and National Sawdust in New York City, Mary B. Galvin Hall in Chicago, Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University, Paramount Theater in Oakland, and the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Art Museum, and Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.
In addition, Sanchez-Werner has performed at the Kennedy Center and the White House for former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden, for President Peña Nieto of Mexico, Prime Minister Peres of Israel, and President Kagame of Rwanda. Committed to public service, he received the Atlantic Council Young Global Citizen Award recognizing his dedication to social action through music in such countries as Iraq, Rwanda, France, Canada and the U.S.
An active chamber musician, Sanchez-Werner has collaborated with Renée Fleming, Eric Owens, Marina Poplavskaya, Richard O’Neill and Cynthia Phelps. He partnered with the Gershwin family on a concert and biographical tribute to the Gershwin brothers, and performed “Hallelujah Junction” for John Adams at his 70th birthday celebration in New York.
Sanchez-Werner earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the Kovner Fellowship, won the concerto competition and was the youngest admittee to each program at ages 14 and 18, respectively. Juilliard was Sanchez-Werner’s second college experience - he became a full-time student at Ventura College at age five, where he completed 170 college credits toward degrees in music and international relations. Sanchez-Werner also earned an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded the Charles S. Miller Prize.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Sanchez-Werner, visit llewellynsanchezwerner.com.
Acclaimed Pianist to Perform Oct. 14
-
09/28/2023
Two unique Collaborative Programs are scheduled as part of The University of Scranton Schemel Forum’s fall programming.
On Tuesday, Oct. 17, the Schemel Forum will partner with the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities to present the Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Humanities and Civic Engagement Lecture featuring Dale Jamieson, Ph.D., professor emeritus of environmental studies and director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection at New York University.
Named for Schemel Forum founding director Sondra Myers and her husband, the Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement advances 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. Dr. Jamieson is a renowned scholar of environmental ethics and animal rights, and an expert on contemporary climate change discourse.
The lecture will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Brennan Hall, Rose Room, 509, and includes a reception. Admission is free and open to the community, courtesy of the Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellow Endowment.
Then, on Monday, Oct. 30, Tracie D. Hall, executive director of the American Library Association, will present the lecture, “Book Bans and Censorship.” Sponsored by the Schemel Forum and the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the event will take place at 6 p.m. in the Loyola Science Center’s PNC Auditorium.
Hall will give an insightful talk on the history, implications and current state of book censorship in the United States, spotlighting the essential role libraries play in safeguarding democratic values and free speech. An author, curator and advocate for the arts, Hall is one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2023.
Following the lecture, attendees can engage in further discussions over refreshments and hors d’oeuvres at a reception. Admission is $40, and $10 for those who wish to attend remotely.
For more information on the programs, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu. Or, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Listen to Dean Aulisio talk about the fall Schemel Forum schedule of events with WVIA’s Erika Funke on ArtScene.
Compelling Talks Slated for Oct. 17 and 30
-
09/26/2023
The co-director of the Academy Award-nominated film “Crip Camp” will appear at the 22nd annual U.S. Conference on Disability at The University of Scranton on Thursday, Oct. 5, to discuss his film and advocacy for disability rights.
The event, which seeks to educate and enhance the lives of individuals with disabilities and their families, will return to an in-person format this year for the first time since 2019.
For the last three years, the conference was held virtually.
The conference will focus on this year’s theme, “Ability Focused Advocacy: Breaking Barriers to Achieving Careers and Independence.”
It is free and open to the general public, but registration is required.
Co-director Jim LeBrecht will attend the conference and host an interactive viewing of his renowned documentary that will begin at 2:30 p.m. to close-out the daylong conference. He will stop the film at various points to discuss aspects of the movie and its subjects. He will also answer audience questions.
“Crip Camp,” which was co-directed with Nicole Newnham, won the 2020 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for feature length documentary, the 2021 Independent Spirit award for Best Feature Documentary and a 2021 Peabody Award. It tells the story of Camp Jened, a rustic summer camp opened in the Catskills in New York in the early 1970s for disabled teenagers. The idea was to break down the barriers disabled youth faced in participating in the kind activates their able-bodied peers did.
“Jened was their freewheeling Utopia, a place with summertime sports, smoking and make-out sessions awaiting everyone, and campers experienced liberation and full inclusion as human beings,” the film’s website explains. “Their bonds endured.”
LeBrecht has worked as an activist for disability rights for more than 40 years. He is a former board member at the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund and he co-founded FWD-Doc, an organization that supports documentary filmmakers with disabilities.
The “Crip Camp” viewing will take place from 2:30 to 5 p.m.
The Conference on Disability will open at 8:30 a.m. with remarks from University President Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J.; Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., Dean of The Panuska College of Professional Studies; and Edward R. and Patricia Leahy, honorary conference co-chairs. Employment and inclusion advocate and scholar Mason Ameri, Ph.D., will then give an opening keynote address.
Dr. Ameri is an associate professor of professional practice at Rutgers University who has been published nationally, including by the New York Times. He has also given TEDx talks and addressed the World Bank Group on promoting accessibility.
Later, Kathy West Evans, the director of business relations for the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, and John Evans, retired State of Washington, Vocational Rehabilitation Program Administrator for Employer Relations, will present VR-Building Careers through Business Relations from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The session will include personal journeys, lived experience, and the impact it has made on the advancement in the careers and independence of VR customers.
Before lunch, Michelle Bornman, who is currently working on special projects with the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, will give a talk called “Nothing Changes Unless Something Moves.”
Dr. Castellanos will speak again at the start of the lunch break at noon and Dan Cosacchi, vice president of mission and Ministry at the University, will give the blessing.
After lunch, attendees will see a recorded presentation from Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy Taryn Williams and a virtual presentation on “The Greatest Challenge,” from Theo W. Buddy, the executive director of the National Council on Independent Living.
Time will also be carved out for breaks and networking during the day-long conference.
Edward R. and Patricia Leahy helped to establish the Conference on disAbility more than 20 years ago in honor of their son. Over the past two decades, numerous nationally-recognized speakers have appeared at the event to foster advances in the quality of life of individuals with disabilities.
This year’s session will be held in in the McIlhenny Ballroom at the DeNaples Center on campus. It is free and open to the general public, however, registration is required. More detailed information and registration can be found on the Disability Conference website.
Annual U.S. Conference on Disability Set for Oct. 5
-
09/20/2023
“O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes. Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.”
With a few brief remarks, the saying of a prayer, and a sprinkling of Holy Water, The University of Scranton began its journey to become designated as a Laudato Si’ University by the Vatican.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” the University joined a coalition of colleges from around the world who have committed to a seven-year initiative to develop, implement and evaluate initiatives around seven goals to meet the Pope’s call for integral ecology.
Leading the University’s Laudato Si’ effort are Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry. Over the past year, they met with representatives from across campus, including students, staff, administrators and faculty, to develop a comprehensive plan for ways the University can address the seven goals put forth by Pope Francis.
“Our action plan harnesses our common energy in defense of our common home. Our goals align with those of Laudato Si’, focusing our attention on the Earth, the poor, economics, lifestyles, education, spirituality, and, finally, community resilience and empowerment,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president, at the University’s Laudato Si’ Plan Kick-off Event on Sept. 19. “The encyclical and its goals brilliantly bridge science and faith, calling all of us to act by shining a bright light on issues that face the entire world and our future. Drawing on Catholic social teaching, Pope Francis ensures that humanity, especially a concern for the poor, marginalized and displaced, is central to the message.”
To be designated as a Laudato Si University, colleges must evaluate comprehensively current environmental and sustainability programs, then improve and develop further initiatives to address the seven goals outlined by the Pope during a seven-year period.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity professor and chair of the Biology Department, Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., who spoke at the event on behalf the faculty commitment to Laudato Si’ in teaching and research, said the world has “moved from the goal of sustainability to an urgent need for remediation.” She noted that students will be dealing with the consequences of our actions, saying universities need to provide students with the “intellectual tools that will protect our home for future generations.”
$content.getChild('content').textValueKarla Shaffer, president of Student Government at Scranton, said in her remarks that her generation, GenZ, faces a lot of pressure, including “stopping the world from burning.” Shaffer, a political science major with an environmental and sustainability studies concentration from New Hope, said that “power comes in numbers and there is no lack of powerful student voices at the University.”
$content.getChild('content').textValueThe University’s Laudato Si’ banner was unveiled and blessed at a ceremony held in the Rev. Donald Pantle, S.J., Rose Garden on campus.
Visit The University of Scranton’s Laudato Si’ webpage for more information.
The full prayer said by Father Marina at the Laudato Si’ plan announcement follows.
All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universeand in the smallest of your creatures.You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.Pour out upon us the power of your love,that we may protect life and beauty.Fill us with peace, that we may liveas brothers and sisters, harming no one.O God of the poor,help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth,so precious in your eyes.Bring healing to our lives,that we may protect the world and not prey on it,that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.Touch the heartsof those who look only for gainat the expense of the poor and the earth.Teach us to discover the worth of each thing,to be filled with awe and contemplation,to recognize that we are profoundly unitedwith every creatureas we journey towards your infinite light.We thank you for being with us each day.Encourage us, we pray, in our strugglefor justice, love and peace.$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Answers Pope’s Call to Care for Our Common Home
-
09/20/2023
Francis X. Clooney, S.J., the Parkman Professor of Divinity at Harvard University, will present The University of Scranton Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities Lecture on comparative theology. The talk, “Hinduism, the Jesuit Tradition, and Comparative Theology,” will be held Thursday, Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. at the Moskovitz Theater in the DeNaples Center on campus. It is free and open to the public.
In his talk, Father Clooney will address: “What is Comparative Theology? How is it humanities? How is it Jesuit? How is it Catholic? Why do you do it, and how have you found that God meets you in this work?”
Father Clooney is a Jesuit priest and scholar in the teachings of Hinduism, and is also a comparative theology professor at Harvard. He previously taught at Boston College.
A leading global figure in the field of comparative theology – a discipline distinguished by attentiveness to the dynamics of theological learning deepened through the study of traditions other than one’s own – Father Clooney has written numerous books on the subject. His works include the 2010 book “Comparative Theology: Deep Learning Across Religious Borders,” which covers the history of comparative theology and distinctive features of its current practice. The book also delves into the ways comparative theology can be initiated within any religious tradition, even a personally defined faith-perspective.
Father Clooney has also authored explorations of the Jesuit missionary tradition in India, early Jesuit pan-Asian discussions of reincarnation and on interreligious learning in the modern world. His most recent books are “St. Joseph in South India: Poetry, Mission and Theology in Costanzo Gioseffo Beschi's Tempavani,” published in 2022, “Western Jesuit Scholars in India: Tracing Their Paths, Reassessing Their Goals,” in 2020 and “Reading the Hindu and Christian Classics: Why and How It Matters,” in 2019. He is currently at work on his memoir, set to be titled “Priest and Scholar, Catholic and Hindu: A Love Story.”
Father Clooney is a fellow of the British Academy and the Australian Catholic University. In the last year he served as president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.
A Roman Catholic priest who has been a member of the Society of Jesus for 55 years, Clooney regularly serves in a local Catholic parish on weekends, according to Harvard’s School of Divinity website. He also writes a blog, “The Inner Edge,” which includes 62 online homilies written during the Covid pandemic, when churches were forced to close.
Father Clooney will receive an honorary degree from the University at the event.
Leading Expert to Discuss Comparative Theology
-
09/19/2023
The University of Scranton presented Edward ’68, H’01 and Patricia Leahy with the President’s Medal at the “A Fire That Kindles Other Fires Campaign” black-tie gala on Sept. 16.
The President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others, representing lifetime achievements that reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service.
“When you think about a fire that kindles other fires, you cannot help but think about Ed and Pat Leahy and the extraordinary way that they have contributed continuously to benefit the University and the greater community beyond campus,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “Their contributions have supported more than 30 faculty research grants, student scholarships, the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Clinic for the Uninsured and the annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY, now in its 23rd year. Through their decades of support, they have touched so many lives for the better, and, I am certain, have sparked flames of excellence in a countless number of individuals. I am grateful to count them among the University’s closest friends and most-generous benefactors.”
$content.getChild('content').textValueAt the gala, Father Marina announced that the University has received the largest single-donation in its history, a $10 million gift from the Leahys.
In his remarks after receiving the medal, Mr. Leahy reminisced about his life – from growing up in a “coal patch” in Mahanoy City, to attending The University of Scranton, to law school at Boston College and completing successful business dealings with international clients.
“Everyday was a day of wonderment,” said Mr. Leahy about his experience as a student at Scranton. “This place opened the world to me.”
In 2008, Mr. Leahy spoke about his son at the dedication ceremony of the clinic named in his son’s honor.
“Edward, who was a wonderful, happy child, with multiple disabilities, passed away in 1993, just before his ninth birthday. Throughout his short life, Edward was helped enormously by doctors, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and many other health professionals. In their honor, and in Edward’s memory, we wanted, in some small way, to bring that same quality healthcare to the people of Lackawanna County, through the efforts of the multitalented faculty and staff at The University of Scranton,” said Mr. Leahy at the 2008 ceremony.
$content.getChild('content').textValueIn 2015, the University dedicated Edward R. Leahy Jr. Hall in honor of their late son.
In 1988, in memory of Mr. Leahy’s uncle, the Leahys created the Edward P. Leahy Scholarship, which awards scholarships to University students annually. In 1994, in memory of their son, Edward, they created the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment at the University, which is the largest single endowment at Scranton. That endowment has supported the Clinic for the Uninsured, which includes physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling and low vision clinics that help individuals who are most in need in Lackawanna County. An agreement between the University and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine will further expand the reach and services offered by the Leahy Medical Clinic.
A University of Scranton alumnus and native of Mahanoy City, Mr. Leahy served as past chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and was honored by the University with the Alumni Achievement Award for Distinguished and Exceptional Attainment, given in 1993, and with an Honorary Degree, bestowed in 2001.
Mr. Leahy participated in the ROTC program as a student at Scranton and was commissioned into the U.S. Army upon graduation. He served as a captain in military intelligence. He earned his law degree from Boston College as a Presidential Scholar, and was elected editor-in-chief of the Law Review. Early in his career, he served as a law clerk to Justice William J. Brennan of the U.S. Supreme Court. Later in his distinguished career, he was a partner in two prestigious law firms. In 2003, he was named the first Sir Maurice Shock Visiting Fellow at University College, Oxford, U.K., where he was also a member of the faculty of law from 1998 to 2016.
Patricia Leahy, who was unable to attend the gala, worked for 19 years on Capitol Hill and spent six years as a special assistant for legislative affairs in the U.S. Department of Education during the Clinton Administration. She also served for nearly two decades with public policy and legislative affairs to assist individuals with disabilities for the National Rehabilitation Association in Washington, D.C. A native of Boston, she majored in English at Boston College.
$content.getChild('content').textValueEdward and Patricia Leahy Honored by University
-
09/18/2023
For three decades U.S. News & World Report has ranked The University of Scranton among the top 10 regional universities in the north, placing Scranton No. 5 in its 2024 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook, which became available online today.
“From the beginning of its Best College rankings, U.S. News has advised colleges not to cheer – or jeer – about year-to-year position changes in the rankings, but rather to look for consistency of trends in the ranking achieved over the years,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “Well, I am pleased to say, through the talent and dedication of our faculty and staff, and the outstanding success of our students and graduates, we have achieved exceptional consistency in our status as a top 10 university.”
U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 8 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” a selection of the top colleges in the nation that express a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
Several of Scranton’s programs were also included in national rankings, as opposed to listings by category. U.S. News ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Programs in Accounting” at No. 38 in the U.S.; among the “Best Undergraduate Programs in Finance” at No. 40; among the “Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs” at No. 112; and among “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” at No. 222 (where a doctorate is not offered). Scranton’s was also listed among the 554 “Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs” in the nation. Scranton also ranked No. 211 among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” which just listed schools that hold accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
For these program listings, U.S. News only ranked schools holding the highest recognized national accreditations in their fields. The rankings were based solely on dean and senior faculty recommendations from peer institutions.
In addition, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 54 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” which compares academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the tenth consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was ranked No. 115 in its category in “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” which looks at the success of schools that enroll and graduate students who were awarded with Pell Grants.
U.S. News uses data on up to 19 measures of academic quality to rank bachelor’s degree colleges in America. For its rankings, U.S. News considers a range of quality indicators that include a peer assessment of academic excellence; faculty resources; financial resources; graduate indebtedness; freshman retention; graduation rates; Pell graduation rates, and graduation performance rates, which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class. U.S. News ranking analysis also includes student selectivity, as measured by SAT or ACT scores and high school ranking of students in the top 25 percent of their class.
U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.
The 2024 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 18.
Take a look at how the campus has changed over the past three decades (notice - spring finally arrived in 2013)
$content.getChild('content').textValueAnd how the campus looks now.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Ranked in U.S. News Top 10 for 30 Years
-
09/18/2023
The University of Scranton announced the start of the public phase of the largest capital campaign in its 135-year history, the $135 million “A Fire That Kindles Other Fires Campaign to Advance Mission, Access and Excellence.” The announcement was made at a black-tie gala attended by more than 350 guests in the Byron Recreation Complex on campus Sept. 16. The historic campaign will advance Scranton’s mission, accessibility and excellence.
“A Fire that Kindles Other Fires is an expression borrowed from the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. It is a reference to moving into the future with all of the history and tradition of the past; with the same identity but with a new energy in pursuit of new possibilities,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “It is also a reference to people – the people who have been touched by the power of a Catholic and Jesuit education and now move through the world as agents of change and messengers of the gospel, kindling other fires.”
$content.getChild('content').textValueMission-related goals of the campaign include continued investment in state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories, learning spaces, such as the renovations made in Hyland Hall to support the mechanical engineering program, and initiatives that support core aspects of a Scranton Jesuit education, such as the programming and scholarships offered through the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities.
“The wonderful truth remains that anything and everything we do at Scranton should be and will be done for our students first,” said Father Marina. “Our shared focus is precisely where it belongs: on our students and their success.”
The campaign will grow the University’s endowment to help break the cost barrier and allow access to a Scranton education regardless of financial means. First-year students received more than $40 million in financial aid scholarships, $37 million of which was provided by the University.
Cayla Kumar, a first-generation student majoring in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology with a minor in philosophy from Queens Village, New York, now in her senior year at Scranton said in her remarks at the gala: “One key pillar of this campaign is scholarship, and I can personally attest to its transformative power. The scholarships provided by this University have not only eased the financial burden on my mother, but have also opened the doors to countless opportunities for me. Scholarships are not just funding education; they are investments in the future leaders and change-makers who will carry our mission forward. They bridge the gap between potential and realization, between dreams and achievements.”
The campaign will also support efforts to overcome other barriers to a Scranton education, such as the University’s campus-wide plan for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. It will support programming to help enroll, retain and graduate first-generation college students, such as Scranton’s THR1VE program, which provides peer mentors, faculty and staff mentors, advocates and leadership and other resources to first-generation college students.
The campaign will also support Scranton’s goals of excellence in academic and professional outcomes of its graduates, as well as Scranton’s commitment to provide a transformational education to students who graduate as “men and women for and with others.” Each year, more than 2,850 students perform more than 170,000 hours of service. Students also participate in Campus Ministries’ International Service Program, which provides immersion experiences in developing countries across Central and South America.
$content.getChild('content').textValueTwo of Scranton’s most generous longtime benefactors, John D. Dionne ’86, H’10, former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, and Jacquelyn Dionne ’89, co-vice chair of University’s Board of Trustees, will serve as co-chairs of A Fire That Kindles Other Fires.
“The University of Scranton has been stoking the fires of knowledge within its students for 135 years, and we hope that it will continue to kindle those fires for 135 more,” said Jacquelyn Dionne. “Each and every day, Scranton is lighting the way to a better tomorrow.”
In addition to the Dionnes, members of the campaign executive committee include Tracy Bannon ’84, former trustee; John Boken, managing director of AlixPartners and current trustee; Mary Haveron ’85, finance and accounting director of Tire Alliance Groupe, L.L.C., and former trustee; John R. Mariotti, D.M.D. ’75, QMA Orthodontics member and current trustee; Vincent Reilly ’80, managing partner of Reilly, McDevitt and Henrich, P.C., and chair of the University’s Board of Trustees; James Slattery ’86, COO of North America MELROSE P.L.C. and former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees; Joseph Sorbera Jr., JLS Cost Management Systems, Inc., and current trustee; Davida Sweeney, former co-chair of the University’s Parents Executive Council; John “JP” Sweeney, financial advisor/vice president investments Wells Fargo advisors member and current trustee; and Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University, and, ex-officio, Father Marina and Robert Davis Jr., Ed.D., ’03, G’10,’13, vice president for University advancement.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAlso at the gala, University benefactors Patricia and Edward Leahy ’68, H’01, were presented with The University of Scranton’s President’s Medal.
To date, the campaign has raised more than $112 million from 17,800 donors in its non-public phase, which began in May of 2018. The campaign received more than 13 gifts of $1 million or more and the largest single-donation in the University’s history, a $10 million gift from the Leahys, which Father Marina announced at the gala.
To make a donation to the University’s A Fire That Kindles Other Fires Campaign, visit scranton.edu/campaign.
$content.getChild('content').textValueA Fire That Kindles Other Fires Campaign Announced
-
09/15/2023
The University of Scranton has named four new members to its Board of Trustees: Brian Archer ’90; Rev. Dennis M. Baker, S.J.; Rev. James F. Duffy, S.J., M.D.’88; and Theresa Pattara ’95.
Brian Archer ’90
Brian Archer, a 1990 graduate of The University of Scranton, is currently an adjunct professor in accounting at Seton Hall University in New Jersey.
Prior to getting his start in teaching, Archer worked for more than 25 years in the financial services industry. Most recently, he served for 10 years as the head of global credit trading for Citigroup. Before that, Archer held various management and trading positions at Citigroup and JP Morgan in their New York and London offices. He dealt with numerous fixed income and equity products, including derivative instruments.
Earlier in his career, Archer worked as a certified public accountant in the audit department of KPMG, one of the largest accounting firms in the U.S.
Archer was recently elected chair of the St. Peter’s Prep Board of Trustees in Jersey City, New Jersey, a board on which he previously served as a member for two terms. He graduated from St. Peter’s Prep in 1986. Archer also serves on the finance and audit committees of KIPP – NJ, a charter school organization in New Jersey, has been actively involved with the Cristo Rey School in Harlem, New York and previously served on the board of St. Aloysius School in Harlem, New York.
Archer is a currently member of the investment committee of Astoria Advisors. He has served as a board member of the International Swap Dealers Association and was an inaugural member of the Securities and Exchange Commission Fixed Income Market Structure Advisory Committee. He also served as a member of Scranton’s investment committee.
Archer earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University, an MBA with a concentration in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and a Master of Education degree from Drew University in New Jersey.
Archer and his wife, Gina (Scranton ’90), reside in Chatham, New Jersey, with their three daughters, Emily, Cate and Elizabeth.
Rev. Dennis M. Baker, S.J.
Rev. Dennis M. Baker, S.J., recently completed tertianship, the final stage of his Jesuit formation. He has been praying, reading and writing with seven other Jesuits from around the world in Zinkwazi Beach, on the northeast coast of South Africa.
A 1998 graduate of Canisius (Jesuit) High School in Buffalo, New York, Father Baker earned a bachelor’s degree in history with minors in English and religious studies from Fordham University in New York City in 2002. He went on to earn a master’s degree in criminal justice administration from Niagara University, a Vincentian school in New York, in 2004. After joining the Jesuits, he later returned to Fordham where he earned a master’s degree in philosophy in 2009. Father Baker also earned a Master of Divinity degree in 2015 from Boston College and a Master of Education degree in 2016 from Columbia University.
Father Baker taught at Xavier High School in New York City before moving to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. He also served as president of Xavier High School in Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia until 2021. After returning to the United States, he then worked as director of engagement and planned giving at Xavier High School in New York City.
He was ordained in 2015.
Rev. James F. Duffy, S.J., M.D. ’88
Rev. James F. Duffy, S.J., M.D.,’88, who is currently serving as superior for the Scranton Jesuit Community, returns to the University’s board after a seven-year hiatus. He previously served on the Board of Trustees from 2007 to 2013.
A 1988 graduate of The University of Scranton, Father Duffy earned his medical degree from Georgetown University in 1992. He then served as an undersea medical officer for the U.S. Navy in Sardegna, Italy, on the USS Simon Lake (AS-33) from 1993-1996.
Upon returning to the U.S., Father Duffy entered the Society of Jesus in 1996. His first mission was to complete his residency training in internal medicine at Georgetown University Hospital, which he did from 1998 to 2000. Father Duffy also earned a master’s degree in health care ethics from Loyola University of Chicago and a master’s in divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley in California. He was ordained in 2006.
During his distinguished career, he served as associate dean of clinical education at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington D.C. from 2006 to 2016 and was later named dean of clinical education at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in Missouri.
In 2013, Father Duffy received the University of Scranton’s Frank J. O'Hara Distinguished Alumni award, the highest award bestowed jointly by the university and its Alumni Society.
In keeping with the Universal Apostolic Preferences, Father Duffy, a board-certified internist, has continued to practice in Spanish-speaking, underserved medical clinics throughout his Jesuit formation and medical career.
Theresa Pattara ’95
Theresa Pattara is a public policy executive with extensive experience in the federal government and private industry, most recently serving as vice president in federal relations for Aflac, one of the nation’s top supplemental insurance companies. Prior to that, she held the same position at the data and records management company Iron Mountain. She is a former senior director for public policy at H&R Block.
In those roles, Pattara was responsible for leading teams in navigating laws and regulations to achieve business objectives by identifying innovative solutions for unique public policy challenges through public-private partnerships.
Before moving into corporate work, Pattara served as tax counsel to the chairman and ranking member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. In that capacity, she helped draft numerous pieces of legislation including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Affordable Care Act. She joined the Senate staff from the Internal Revenue Service and specialized in non-profit tax law and governance. She began her career as a certified public accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Pattara currently serves on the board of directors for Court Appointed Special Advocates in Prince George’s County – a nonprofit organization advocating for permanent placements for foster children. She is also active in Many Hands, a women’s collective giving organization, and the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department, as an administrative volunteer.
Pattara graduated from The University of Scranton in 1995 with a bachelor of science degree in accounting and earned her juris doctorate degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
A Scranton native whose parents emigrated to the U.S. from Kerala, India, Pattara currently resides near Annandale, Virginia.
University of Scranton Names Four New Trustees
-
09/15/2023
The University of Scranton will welcome award-winning author and Boston College professor Timothy Muldoon, Ph.D., to speak on his book, “Living Against the Grain: How to Make Decisions that Lead to an Authentic Life” at the 2023 Ignatian Values in Action Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 21. The event, which is offered free of charge and open to the public, will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex on campus.
Dr. Muldoon’s book explores the complex challenges young people face in light of popular culture and social media, and the constant messaging they are confronted with about how they should be living their lives. While influencers attempt to drive decision making on everything from what clothes to wear to what kind of relationships to have, from which jobs to pursue and how to spend their leisure time, Dr. Muldoon suggests that what is trending is often unfulfilling.
“By discerning our deepest desires, we discover our truest selves,” Dr. Muldoon writes.
“Living Against the Grain: How to Make Decisions that Lead to an Authentic Life” was a finalist for the 2019 Best Book Award Religion: Christianity, and was a second place selection for the 2018 Catholic Press Association Book Awards for Children’s Books and Books for Teens.
Dr. Muldoon is a professor of philosophy and theology at Boston College and the author of more than 10 books and publications. His focus is largely on “reversing cultural decline; and the history and practice of Christian spirituality, particularly in the Ignatian tradition,” according to his biography on the college’s website.
The Ignatian Values in Action Lecture series is meant to introduce students, and the larger community, to the mission and core values of the University. Since 2012, the annual event has invited individuals to speak on topics related to the tradition of meaningful service inspired by Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits.
This year’s lecture is paired with the University’s “Royal Reads” program, which encourages all incoming students to read a designated book – in this case, “Living Against the Grain” – before arriving on campus and attending the corresponding talk. The program creates a shared experience among the students and exposes them to the Ignatian values the University was founded on. Throughout their first-year students will encounter themes of the “Royals Read” selection repeated in classes, extracurricular opportunities and other special events.
First Year Seminar students are required to attend the Ignatian Values in Action lecture. Students will swipe their ID cards at entrance stations to be counted in attendance.
For information about the event, call 570-941-7520.Living Against the Grain Author Talk Set for Sept. 21
-
09/14/2023
University of Scranton students studied Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan this summer though support from 2023 Huayu Enrichment Chinese Language Immersion Scholarships from the Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York or through participation in the U.S. Department of Defense’s Project Global Officer (Project GO) Program.
University of Scranton students Valerie Gibau, Central Falls, Rhode Island, and Joshua Roark, Landenberg, were awarded 2023 Huayu Enrichment Chinese Language Immersion Scholarships. They studied at Fu Jen Catholic University, a Jesuit university in Taipei, Taiwan. The scholarship was established in 2005 by Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to encourage international students and individuals to study the Mandarin Chinese language in Taiwan.
Gibau is an international language and business major with a concentration in Asian Studies in her junior year at Scranton. Roark is a political science major with a concentration in Asian Studies in his sophomore year at Scranton.
Conan O’Donnell, an ROTC cadet, participated in the highly-selective Project Global Officer (Project GO) program to study Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan. He is a junior history major with a concentration in Asian Studies at Scranton. He is from Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
Rosalyn Page, a Marywood University student who is member of the Army ROTC Royal Warrior Battalion at Scranton and is taking Mandarin Chinese classes at Scranton, was also selected to participate in the Project Global Officer (Project GO) program this summer. Page, Coudersport, is an aviation management major in her junior year at Marywood.
With support from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, The University of Scranton has strengthened its Chinese language program and hosted numerous events that showcase and educate members of the University and greater Scranton community about Taiwanese culture. During the past decade, the University has hosted a Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company performance of an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice;” the Taiwanese Film and Cultural Festival; and performances by the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company and the Chai Found Music Workshop, among other enrichment and educational events.
In 2012, the University was formally presented with the Kinmen Peace Bell Replica by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York in recognition of the cordial relationship and collaboration between the University and the various government agencies and universities of Taiwan. The Peace Bell, engraved with the word “peace” in more than 100 languages, can be seen in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center on campus.
Students Study Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan
-
09/13/2023
St. Joseph’s Center, St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen, Greater Carbondale YMCA, Friends of the Poor, NativityMiguel School of Scranton and NeighborWorks NEPA were among the nearly 60 non-profit organizations whose representatives met with students at The University of Scranton’s annual Volunteer Fair held on campus Sept. 12.
The fair allows 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.
Hospice of the Sacred Heart, Children’s Advocacy Center, Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science and Art, Keystone Mission, Steamtown National Historic Site, Scranton Tomorrow and the Gino Merli Veterans Center were also among the participating organizations.
The annual fair is organized by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Find Area Volunteer Opportunities at Fair
-
09/13/2023
On Saturday, Sept. 23, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present the concert “WE!” featuring trombonist and vocalist Dr. Wycliffe Gordon, H’06, and pianist Eric Reed, as part of the University’s annual Family Weekend festivities.
The concert, which will also include an appearance by The University of Scranton Concert Choir, begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The concert will be a unique experience for the student performers and their audience, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. “Our student choir will perform Robert Ray’s Gospel Magnificat with Wycliffe and Eric,” said Boga. “It’s a rare opportunity for student musicians to perform this music alongside living legends.”
The recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University and the 2006 commencement speaker, Gordon has developed a long, close relationship with Performance Music through his friendship with the Boga family. He’s performed at the University numerous times since 1996, and has composed new works for its World Premiere Composition Series and the inaugurations of two University of Scranton presidents.
A true virtuoso, Gordon has been named “Trombonist of the Year” 14 times by the Jazz Journalists Association, while the Downbeat Critics Poll has named him “Best Trombone” on six occasions.
A former member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Gordon has received numerous other accolades, including the Louie Award for his dedication and commitment to the music of Louis Armstrong; the International Trombone Association Award; the Satchmo Award from the Sarasota Jazz Club; the Louis Armstrong Memorial Prize from the Swing Jazz Culture Foundation; Artist of the Year from the Augusta Arts Council; and the ASCAP Foundation’s Vanguard Award.
Gordon’s compositions have been performed throughout the world, and his arrangement of the theme for NPR’s “All Things Considered” can be heard daily. He’s been a featured guest artist on Billy Taylor's "Jazz at the Kennedy Center" series, is one of the country’s most in-demand music educators, and has taught at most of the most prestigious conservatories in the nation.
A Philadelphia native, Reed has been a standout on the jazz scene for more than a quarter century as a leader of numerous ensembles, solo performer, composer, producer, educator and sideman with numerous artists, including extended stints with Buster Williams, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard and Wynton Marsalis. A graduate of California State University, Reed officially assumed the piano chair with Marsalis in June 1990, which is when he and Gordon became bandmates.
Reed has released a number of critically acclaimed solo albums, among them 1993’s “It’s All Right to Swing,” 1998’s “Pure Imagination,” and 2009’s “Stand!,” which have explored his love of jazz, swing and gospel music. With Marsalis, he performed on the landmark albums “Citi Movement” and the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Blood on the Fields.”
Through the years, Reed has collaborated with numerous other jazz luminaries, including Robert Stewart, Irvin Mayfield, Cassandra Wilson, Mary Stallings, Clark Terry, Dianne Reeves, Elvin Jones, Ron Carter, Paula West and Benny Carter. He has also worked as a composer, scoring music for films including the 1999 comedy “Life,” starring Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence.
The University of Scranton Concert Choir is a soprano, alto, tenor, base (SATB) mixed choir comprised of 40-plus members from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – none of whom are music majors – brought together by their mutual love for making music.
For additional information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Gordon, visit wycliffegordon.com.
Concert to Feature 'Living Legends' Wycliffe Gordon and Eric Reed
-
09/12/2023
The University of Scranton will test its emergency notification system on Thursday, Sept. 14.
The University uses Everbridge to send notices of emergencies, school closing and delays to members of the campus community via employee office phones, Scranton email addresses and numbers registered by employees and students to receive these notices on cell phones by voice or text.
Members of the University community are reminded to register, verify or update contact information for emergency notices, which can be done through the My.Scranton portal on the “Emergency Notifications” middle panel under “Manage Your Personal Info.”
The University’s emergency text alerts originate from 893-61 or 878-44. The email address for alerts is alerts@scranton.edu and Phone alerts will also display 570-941-5427. Students, faculty and staff are asked to save these to their contacts in order to identify future emergency notification alerts.
Emergency Notification System Test on Sept. 14
-
09/12/2023
Twenty-one University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the fall semester at 10 local schools in the following seven school districts: Dunmore, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, North Pocono, Riverside, Scranton and Western Wayne.
The following is a list of undergraduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the fall semester.
Madeleine E. Abood of Plainfield, New Jersey, will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Mia E. Barahona of Clarks Summit, will teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Emma B. Blennau of East Williston, New York, will teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Meghan L. Callahan of Cranbury, New Jersey, will teach at Isaac Tripp Elementary School;
Amy E. Cotton of Farmingdale, New York, will teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Grace E. Dabulas of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, will teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Grace P. DiGiacomo of Staten Island, New York, will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Kaylee L. Evans of South Gibson, will teach at Isaac Tripp Elementary School;
Narissa O. Hill of Nashua, New Hampshire, will teach at Jefferson Elementary Center;
Brandon J. Judge of Eynon, will teach at West Scranton High School;
Samantha B. Kramer of Stony Brook, New York, will teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Madelyn E. Ligos of Long Valley, New Jersey, will teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Clare V. McGrade of Brookfield, Connecticut, will teach at Moscow Elementary Center;
Mollie A. Murphy of Scranton, will teach at Riverside Junior-Senior High School;
Mary O'Sullivan of Rockville Centre, New York, will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Jessica R. Paldino of Plymouth Meeting, will teach at EverGreen Elementary School;
Jordan N. Pedagna of Media, will teach at Moscow Elementary Center;
Sabina M. Staab of Glendale, New York, will teach at Lakeland Elementary School;
Jessica B. Stadler of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, will teach at Moscow Elementary Center;
Annaise N. Vazquez of Piscataway, New Jersey, will teach at Lakeland Elementary School;
Carah R. Vitkus of Mahopac, New York, will teach at Neil Armstrong Elementary School.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
09/11/2023
The Wall Street Journal ranked The University of Scranton No. 148 among its elite list of just 400 “Best Colleges in the U.S.” The 2024 ranking, which The Wall Street Journal developed and executed in collaboration with our research partners College Pulse and Statista, was published Sept. 6 online.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the final ranking of the top 400 colleges in the nation was based the colleges’ performance on an analysis of several student outcomes metrics; and the results of a student and alumni survey.
Student outcomes included an analysis of salary impact versus similar colleges, which used statistical modeling to estimate the extent to which each particular college boosts its graduates’ salaries beyond what they would be expected to earn regardless of which college they attended. The outcomes analysis also looked at a school’s graduation rates versus similar colleges; the level of diversity on campus; and an estimate the number of years to pay off the net price of attendance based on the value added to graduates’ median salary attributable to attending their particular college.
In addition, College Pulse surveyed more than 60,000 undergraduates and recent undergraduate alumni for feedback on colleges regarding tuition, learning environment, degree completion and the likelihood of a higher salary after graduation.
In addition to an overall ranking, The Wall Street Journal ranked schools in three categories. Scranton also ranked at No. 170 for salary impact; No. 306 for student experience; and No. 217 for social mobility.
In other recent national rankings, Money gave The University of Scranton its second-highest rating of four and one-half stars in its “Best Colleges in America” based on value. This is the eighth consecutive year that Money included Scranton in its published list of America’s best values in college education. In addition, The Princeton Review selected Scranton among “The Best 389 Colleges” in the nation and ranked Scranton No.18 in the country for “Best Science Lab Facilities.” This is the 22nd year The Princeton Review included Scranton among the best colleges list, and the seventh year Scranton’s science labs ranked among the top 25 in the U.S.
$content.getChild('content').textValueWall Street Journal Lists Scranton in Best U.S. Colleges
-
09/08/2023
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum returns this fall with its usual assortment of enriching educational programming, including its evening courses.
Taught by University faculty members, the courses will be presented in six weekly sessions from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. in the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Weinberg Memorial Library Dean George Aulisio is the Schemel Forum’s new director, taking over for Sondra Myers, who stepped down in the spring after leading the program since its inception.
“The foundation she laid remains strong, and opportunities abound to ‘bring the world to Scranton,’” Dean Aulisio said. “I will be filling Sondra’s large shoes and will try my best to keep the program exciting and insightful.”
The three University faculty members teaching the courses will offer content “that ranges from timely to timeless,” Dean Aulisio said.
'Indiana Jones and the Twentieth Century'
Sean Brennan, Ph.D., professor in the Department of History, will present “Indiana Jones and the Twentieth Century” on Tuesday evenings Sept. 12, 19 and 26 and Oct. 3, 10 and 24.
One of cinema’s most iconic characters and the creation of legendary filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr., as portrayed by actor Harrison Ford, is a globe-trotting archaeologist and university professor who throughout the 20th century searched for valuable artifacts with mystical powers and battled, among others, the Thuggee Cult in India, Soviet special forces and, most memorably, Nazis, in comic books, video games, television shows and five films from 1981 to the present.
During the course, Dr. Brennan will examine how the character was created and his cultural impact, before moving on to examine not just the historical environments depicted in the films (the years 1935, 1936, 1938, 1957, and 1969), but also the historical origins of the famous relics featured in them, from the Ark of the Covenant to the Antikythera.
Dr. Brennan has taught several Schemel Forum courses, with his most recent one on the influence of James Bond and the Cold War’s depiction in the Bond books and films.
“Indiana Jones appeared to be a logical progression, as Indy is Bond’s son, in many respects,” Dr. Brennan said. “‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ is my favorite film ever since I saw it living on Fort Stewart Air Base in Newburgh, New York, when I was seven years old back in 1986. My love of history, particularly of the 20th century, and my desire to become a historian, was at least partially inspired by my love of the Indiana Jones films I loved as a kid. I hope course participants gain a clear insight on how people have learned about ancient and modern history, for good and bad, through pop culture icons.”
'The Crisis of the Sciences: Positivism, Essentialism, and the Need for Critical Theory?'
Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Philosophy, will present “The Crisis of the Sciences: Positivism, Essentialism, and the Need for Critical Theory?” Wednesday evenings Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25 and Nov. 1 and 8.
LaZella will use the course to investigate western science’s alliance with the twin pillars of positivism and essentialism, an alliance that renders both natural and social science structurally incapable of responding to real social and ecological problems like starvation, structural racism and global warming. With the advent of new forms of artificial intelligence (especially machine learning), this incapacity will only make matters worse, forcing science to dissociate itself from positivism and essentialism through a critical turn to critical theory.
'Writing in Place'
Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of English and Theatre, will present “Writing in Place” Monday evenings Oct. 23 and 30 and Nov. 6, 13, 20 and 27.
In the creative writing course, Dr. Willenbrink will explore how location has been a font of inspiration and investigation for countless writers, from Illiers-Combray for Proust’s “Remembrance of Things Past” to Tinker Creek for Annie Dillard.
During each session, participants will use their own places from personal experience and memory, as well as a selection of writings, to write about where they are, where they have been, and where they are going, according to Dr. Willenbrink.
“The course is an outgrowth of some of the teaching and writing I’ve been exploring since the COVID-19 pandemic began,” Dr. Willenbrink said. “I started to really ask myself in teaching writing what were some of the goals that I wanted to get out of it. And one of those goals was to engage more deeply with myself, with my community, and with where I live. I hope that through this course participants are able to explore parts of themselves and the common home that we share in ways that they haven’t before. I also hope that this gives them the ability to experience writing in new, provocative ways.”
The courses are free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the fee is $100 per individual and $150 per couple.
To register for the courses, or for more information on the Schemel Forum, contact Brooke Leonard at 570-941-4740 or brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Dean Aulisio talked about the fall Schemel Forum schedule of events with WVIA’s Erika Funke on ArtScene.
Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.
Schemel Forum Offers Range of Stimulating Courses
-
09/06/2023
Thanks to a new partnership with Geisinger, The University of Scranton’s Edward R Leahy, Jr. Clinic for the Uninsured will reopen to the public in January 2024 with enhanced learning opportunities for area undergraduate and medical students.
A Master Affiliation Agreement signed today between the University and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine adopts a “student-run” model for the clinic that provides “high quality care in a welcoming, respectful, and compassionate environment” for the region’s uninsured patients and expands opportunities for practical experience in patient care, clinic management and other aspects of healthcare for students. The clinic’s teaching and learning opportunities began with reimagining the clinic itself, with students from both The University of Scranton and Geisinger involved in every aspect of planning.
“Since October 2022 as a senior at The University of Scranton and now as a first-year student in the M.D. program at GCSOM, I have had the unique opportunity to participate in the reimagining of The Leahy Clinic,” said Olivia A. Zehel, a 2023 graduate of The University of Scranton and current first-year GCSOM medical student and Abigail Geisinger Scholar. “As a member of the last undergraduate class to experience the University ’s campus before the pandemic, I felt how passionate my classmates were about serving in such a capacity - and shared in their disappointment when the clinic was forced to close. Simultaneously, as a resident of the broader NEPA community, I recognized that access to quality care became even more of a privilege. I am thrilled that our work for the last 10 months - and the work both institutions will continue to do - will allow us to reinvent and reinforce medical learning and healing in our region.”
Third-year GCSOM medical student clinic planner, Madison Gladfelter, said, “During our first and second year of medical school, we spent a lot of time hitting the books and trying to understand each disease and its treatment. However, behind every disease there is a patient. A student-run clinic never lets medical students forget they are not treating the disease, but a patient.”
The Leahy Medical Clinic, located in the lower level of McGurrin Hall with a Kressler Court entrance, will operate under a substantially different model of care compared to the original Leahy Medical Clinic, founded in 2008, which ceased operation in 2020 because of the pandemic. The new medical clinic will provide longitudinal care to patients, replacing the former acute care approach of the original clinic. The medical clinic will provide routine physical examinations, primary care, pre-work physical examinations, adult pre-education physical examinations and sick visits.
Susan Russell, M.D., family physician for Geisinger and assistant professor at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, will serve as the medical director for the clinic. Dr. Russell and other volunteer physicians will routinely be on site precepting and supervising student volunteers at the free clinic.
“Among the things that make Geisinger’s education unique is our emphasis on accountability to the community,” said Julie Byerley, M.D., M.P.H., president, Geisinger College of Health Sciences; dean, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; and executive vice president and chief academic officer, Geisinger. “The Leahy Clinic incorporates that as well as another aspect we value, teamwork among interdisciplinary professionals. This clinic will serve the long-term needs of some of our most vulnerable neighbors, while also offering invaluable opportunities for residents and medical students to work with a variety of other learners to deliver quality primary care. This truly is making better health easy for our communities.”
“At Scranton, we not only want our students to be prepared well within their chosen disciplines – but also want them to be leaders who serve others. That is exactly the role our students – and the medical students – have played in moving this project forward,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “The groundwork laid here will benefit, serve and inspire future physicians, nurses, other health care providers and students from other disciplines for generations to come. By addressing the health needs of the most vulnerable members of our community, our students are demonstrating the Jesuit ideal of being ‘men and women for and with others.’”
Demonstrating a commitment to inter-professional education, the University’s Leahy Clinic continues to offer several areas of care in addition to the medical clinic, including a counseling clinic, low vision clinic and physical therapy clinic.
The Counseling Clinic will offer free clinical mental health counseling and rehabilitation counseling and is conducted by graduate-level counseling students under the direction and supervision of faculty in the University’s Counseling and Human Services Department.
The Low-Vision Occupational Therapy Clinic provides free services to uninsured or underinsured residents of Lackawanna County, and offers opportunities for teaching and learning to University faculty and occupational therapy students.
The Physical Therapy Clinic provides screening, examinations/evaluations and interventions to the uninsured and underinsured members of the community at no cost. The management of the clinic is run by a team of students from the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program and treatment of patients is conducted by DPT students through collaboration, peer-mentorship, and evidence-based practice. Supervision is provided by DPT program faculty and licensed physical therapy clinicians from the community.
The medical Leahy Medical Clinic, which will serve uninsured people primarily in Lackawanna County, will begin operating for the public in January.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudent-Run Model Adopted for Free Medical Clinic
-
09/05/2023
Ten University of Scranton ROTC cadets traveled throughout the United States, as well as to Latvia and Taiwan, as participants in selective military leadership programs offered during the summer months. All of these programs are highly-competitive, with only approximately ten percent of cadets nationwide receiving the opportunity to participate.
“Who wouldn’t love the chance to travel across the pond to learn another language and culture,” said Caleb Grossman, a sophomore international studies major, who studied Russian in Latvia through highly-selective Project Global Officer (Project GO) program. Grossman, Swoyersville, said he knew of this opportunity when he joined the ROTC and hoped he would be able to participate.
Fellow cadet, Conan O’Donnell, a junior history major at Scranton from Elizabethtown, Kentucky, also participated in Project GO, learning Mandarin in Taiwan.
Project GO is a nationwide program open to all qualified ROTC students offering fully-funded opportunities in critical language education, overseas study and cross-cultural experience. Through Project GO, future military officers develop linguistic and cross-cultural communication skills required for effective leadership for all services in the 21st century operational environment.
Ryan Lally, Sussex, New Jersey, a senior cybercrime and homeland security major, and Aidan Szabo, Hillsborough, New Jersey, a senior electrical engineering major, participated in the Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT), which provides cadets the opportunity to shadow a junior officer in a branch that they may be interested in joining. Lally went to Fort Cavazos, Texas, and shadowed an engineer Lieutenant within the 36th Engineer Brigade. Szabo went to Fort Moore, Georgia, to learn about the application of armor (battle tanks) with the 316 Cavalry Brigade.
Jenna Leonhardt, Long Valley, New Jersey, Joseph Lynch, Boiling Springs, and Allison Palmer, Massapequa, New York, all senior nursing majors at Scranton, participated in the Nurse Summer Training Program (NSTP), which provides nursing student cadets the opportunity to experience life as an Army nurse at some of the most sophisticated military hospitals in the world. Leonhardt was at the Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, and shadowed Army nurses at Brooke Army Medical Center, one of the largest and best military hospitals in the continental United States. Lynch was at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, and experienced nursing operations at Bassett Army Community Hospital. Palmer was at the Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and shadowed Army nurses at Madigan Army Medical Center.
Evan Rosa, a junior operations management major from Weehawken, New Jersey, participated in Air Assault Training at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. During the intensive, two-week course he learned to become proficient at rappelling from helicopters and transporting supplies using helicopter sling loads.
Xavier Long, a junior political science major from Germantown, Maryland, participated in the month-long Airborne Training at Fort Moore, Georgia, where he learned to execute airborne operations, including how to parachute from military aircraft.
Caroline Shaffern, a junior nursing major from Scranton, participated in Sage Eagle at Fort Bliss, Texas. Sage Eagle is the culminating training course for members of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations community.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Cadets Travel World for Leadership Training
-
09/05/2023
Stephen E. Whittaker, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, received the John L. Earl III Award for service to the University, the faculty and the wider community. The 2023 John L. Earl III Award was presented at the University’s annual Fall Convocation, which took place on campus on Aug. 31.
The award is given annually to a member of the University community who demonstrates the spirit of generosity and dedication that the late Dr. John Earl, a distinguished professor of history, exemplified during his years at Scranton from 1964 to 1996.
Margarete L. Zalon, Ph.D., professor emerita of nursing and the 2022 John L. Earl III Award recipient, announced Dr. Whittaker as the 2023 recipient at the Fall Convocation. Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, and Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president of academic affairs, along with Karen Earl Kolon, M.D. ’85, daughter of the late John Earl, presented the award to Dr. Whittaker.
Described as the quintessential Renaissance man by Dr. Zalon in announcing the award, Dr. Whittaker was also noted as “a highly-regarded speaker at faculty seminars,” and a faculty member frequently invited to speak at classes “across virtually all disciplines at the University.”
Known for his exacting standards, Dr. Whittaker teaches several of the University’s most-demanding – and most-rewarding – courses. He also serves as moderator for Esprit, the University’s journal of arts and letters.
In addition to his teaching and research, during his four decades of service at Scranton, Dr. Whittaker has served on numerous committees and boards, including the Faculty Senate, FAC and as the acting chair of the English and Theatre Department.
Dr. Whittaker received the University’s 2017 Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award, which recognizes faculty members who have contributed service to the University community, particularly those who demonstrate academic leadership by effectively mentoring their junior colleagues. He received the University’s 2020 Magis Award for Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum. This award recognizes a faculty member who makes specific, sustained and creative efforts to adapt classic principles of Jesuit Pedagogy in his or her own courses.
Dr. Whittaker joined the University’s faculty in 1983. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStephen E. Whittaker, Ph.D., Receives Earl Award
-
09/05/2023
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will present six World Affairs Luncheon Seminars this fall, featuring highly accomplished speakers presenting a range of timely topics.
The luncheons will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room 509, with the exception of the first event. There will also be a Zoom link for those who wish to attend remotely.
The series begins Friday, Sept. 8, with “We’ve Got to Get Ourselves Back to the Garden: Inside the Music and Times of the Woodstock Generation,” presented by composer, conductor, music commentator and author Rob Kapilow, H ’09. The lecture will take place in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
At the talk, Kapilow will bring the 1969 Woodstock Festival back to life through “zooming in on drum fills, bass lines, trumpet licks and background vocals, and zooming out to the racial, cultural and social turmoil of a revolutionary decade that led to a new musical voice for America.”
That evening, Kapilow will perform at Performance Music at The University of Scranton’s “What Makes It Great? The Great American Songbook” concert at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center on campus.
At the next luncheon, on Tuesday, Sept. 12, Jim MacMillan, director of the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting and assistant director of the Logan Center for Urban Investigative Reporting at Temple University, will present “Gun Violence, Prevention, and the Role of the Media.”
MacMillan will discuss the mission of the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting, which was created to explore the theory that changing the way journalists and news organizations report on gun violence could prevent shootings and save lives.
“I plan to cover the relationship between gun violence prevention and the role of the media, what best practices in news reporting could look like, and how we might advance more empathetic, ethical and impactful journalism,” MacMillan said. “I hope that attendees will take away an understanding that reporting on individual shooting incidents can do more harm than good and how better gun violence reporting might even help prevent shootings and save lives.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 19, Michele Moody-Adams, Ph.D., Joseph L. Straus Professor of Political Philosophy and Legal Theory at Columbia University, will present “Revitalizing Democracy.”
Dr. Moody-Adams will pose the question, “Can we breathe new life into the institutions and norms that are critical elements of a stable democracy?” She’ll argue that democratic institutions and norms can be revitalized, but only if we acknowledge the complex sources of their decline and make a robust, public commitment to address them.
“It is easy to understand why many people worry about whether democracy has a future in the United States – and anywhere else around the globe. Yet it is possible to breathe new life into the institutions and norms that are critical to a stable democracy,” Dr. Moody-Adams said. “I will draw on contributions from a wide range of political and social theorists, including Aristotle, John Dewey, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Paul Lederach to show what it looks like to act on a robust commitment to reviving democratic institutions and norms.”
On Thursday, Oct. 5, visual artist, muralist, community arts educator and filmmaker Michelle Angela Ortiz will present “Transforming Spaces: Public Art and Community Engagement.”
Ortiz will talk about how she uses her art to represent people and communities whose histories are often lost or co-opted. Through community arts practices, painting, documentaries and public art installations, she creates safe spaces for dialogue around some of the more profound issues communities and individuals face. She’s designed and created more than 50 large-scale public works nationally and internationally, and has led art for social change public art projects in Costa Rica and Ecuador, and as a cultural envoy through the U.S. Embassy in Fiji, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Venezuela, Honduras and Cuba.
On Friday, Oct. 13, Ann Burgess, a renowned expert in trauma, abuse assessment and treatment, will present “AI and Deciphering the Criminal Mind.”
As mass murders and shootings have increased in recent years, law enforcement has begun to focus more on analyzing the writings and videos of criminals before they kill. There’s now an urgency to develop a tool to analyze communication quickly, and Burgess will discuss how artificial intelligence (AI) could play a role in examining a criminal’s mind before a killing spree.
The seminars will conclude Thursday, Nov. 2, with “A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain,” presented by Sara Manning Peskin, M.D., assistant professor of clinical neurology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Manning will take attendees through tales of the sometimes outlandish, often criticized, and forever devoted scientists who have brought cognitive neurology into the age of molecular science. She’ll look at some of the cutting-edge developments in cognitive neurology and the remaining hurdles that have prevented the medical community from conquering Alzheimer’s disease and other common cognitive ailments.
Admission is free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the seminars are $30 in-person (buffet lunch included) and $10 remote only.Weinberg Memorial Library Dean George Aulisio, the Schemel Forum’s new director, talks about the fall Schemel Forum schedule of events with WVIA’s Erika Funke on ArtScene.
To register for the luncheon seminars, contact Brooke Leonard at 570-941-4740 or brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Seminars Set for Fall
-
08/29/2023
Sept. 8-29 Art Exhibit: “Cura Personalis: Selections from the University of Scranton Art Collection.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu
Sept. 8 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “We’ve Got to Get Ourselves Back to the Garden: Inside the Music and Times of the Woodstock Generation” presented by Rob Kapilow, composer, conductor, music commentator and author. The Kane Forum, Edward Leahy, Jr. Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Sept. 8 5 p.m. Art Gallery Curator’s Lecture: “Cura Personalis: Selections from the University of Scranton Art Collection.” Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 8 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “What Makes It Great? The American Songbook” featuring Rob Kapilow, composer, conductor, music commentator and author, with soprano Magdalyn E. Boga. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 12 11 a.m. Volunteer Fair for area nonprofit agencies offering volunteer opportunities for students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-7429 or email ellen.judge@scranton.edu.
Sept. 12 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Gun Violence, Prevention, and the Role of the Media” presented by Jim MacMillan, journalist, educator and social innovator, director of the Philadelphia Center for Gun Violence Reporting. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Sept. 19 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Revitalizing Democracy” presented by Michele Moody-Adams, Ph.D., Joseph L. Straus Professor of Political Philosophy and Legal Theory, Columbia University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Sept. 19 Noon. Laudato Si’ Plan Kickoff Event. Rev. G. Donald Pantle, S.J., Rose Garden. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 21 7:30 p.m. Ignatian Values in Action Lecture: “Living Against the Grain” presented by Tim Muldoon, theologian, professor and author of several books including The Ignatian Workout. Byron Recreation Complex. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Sept. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “WE!” featuring Wycliffe Gordon, trombone and Eric Reed, piano with an appearance by The University of Scranton Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 28 5 p.m. Lecture: “What is Comparative Theology? How is it humanities? How is it Jesuit? How is it Catholic? Why do you do it, and how have you found that God meets you in this work?” presented by Francis X. Clooney, S.J., Jesuit priest and scholar in the teachings of Hinduism, professor at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Sept. 23-24 The University of Scranton Family Weekend 2023. Various campus locations. Call 570-941-4222 or email familyweekend@scranton.edu.
Sept. 28 7:30 p.m. Asian Studies invites you to the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival tea tasting and dessert pairing and learn about the legends and customs associated with the festival. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Free. Email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu to reserve a seat.
Sept. 30 7 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip to Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rodin Museum. $135 per person. Registration required. Spaces are limited. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 8:30 a.m. 22nd Annual U.S. Conference on DISABILITY “Ability Focused Advocacy: Breaking Barriers to Achieving Careers and Independence” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free for general public. Call 570-941-7819 or visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference.
Oct. 5 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Transforming Spaces: Public Art and Community Engagement” presented by Michelle Angela Ortiz, 2021 Art is Essential Grantee, 2020 Art For Justice Fund Grantee, Pew Fellow, Rauschenberg Foundation Artist and Activist Fellow, and Kennedy Center Citizen Artist National Fellow. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Oct. 6-20 Art Exhibit: “Earth’s Apothecary: Recent Works by Jordan Oakey.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 11 6 p.m. Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities: “Chanteur of French Songs” presented by Kevin Soucie, guitarist. Slattery Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Oct. 12 5:30 p.m. Humanities Forum Lecture: “Bison Hide, Elephant Tusk, and Sperm Whale Oil: The Industrial Revolution and the ‘Late Holocene Depletions’ ca. 1800-1920” presented by J.R. McNeill, Distinguished University Professor at Georgetown University. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Oct. 13 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “AI and Deciphering the Criminal Mind” presented by Ann Burgess, D.N.Sc., renowned expert in trauma, abuse assessment and treatment. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Oct. 13 5 p.m. Artist’s Lecture: “Earth’s Apothecary: Recent Works by Jordan Oakey.” Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 17 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities Collaborative Program: “Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellow in the Humanities and Civic Engagement Lecture” presented by Dale Jamieson, Ph.D., professor emeritus of environmental studies; director, Center for Environmental and Animal Protection; affiliated professor of law, medical ethics and bioethics; founding director of environmental studies program; and former chair of the environmental studies department and professor of philosophy at New York University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Receptions follows. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Oct. 19 5 p.m. Humanities Forum: Lecture and Book Signing by Patricia Leavy, author of Hollyland. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Oct. 22 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 27-Nov. 17 Art Exhibit: “Scranton’s Story: Oral History Portrait Photographs.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 27 5 p.m. Art Gallery Panel Discussion: “Scranton’s Story: Oral History Portrait Photographs.” Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 28 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Chris Lewis, tenor sax. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 20-22 and 27-29 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Dead Man’s Cell Phone” presented by The University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu
Oct. 30 6 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Collaborative Program: “Book Bans and Censorship” presented by Tracie D. Hall, executive director American Library Association, author, curator and advocate for the Arts. PNC Auditorium or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Oct. 31 7:30 p.m. Judaic Studies Institute Lecture: “Dyed in Crimson – Football, Faith, Antisemitism, and the American Dream” presented by Zev Eleff, Ph.D., president of Gratz College, ordained Rabbi and distinguished academic scholar. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
Nov. 2 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “A Molecule Away from Madness: Tales of the Hijacked Brain” presented by Sara Manning Peskin, M.D., assistant professor of clinical neurology, University of Pennsylvania. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Nov 2 4 p.m. Humanities Forum Lecture: “Explaining the Cosmos: Can the Philosopher Help?” presented by Dean Zimmerman, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University, author and lecturer. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Nov. 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 5 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9 7:30 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “The ‘China Shock’ After 22 Years” presented by Robert C. Feenstra, Ph.D., C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics, University of California, Davis. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Nov 10 Noon. Humanities Forum Lecture: “The Habit of Poetry: The Literary Lives of Nuns in Mid-century America” presented by Nick Ripatrazone, author and culture editor of Image Journal. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Nov. 12 4 p.m. Performance Music: “The Generation Sing!” The Catholic Choral Society opens their 75th anniversary season jointed by The University of Scranton concert Choir and Valley View High School Choir with middle school and elementary choirs. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 16 7 p.m. Keynote Lecture and Book Signing: “Who are We as a Nation? Education for Democracy” presented by Danielle Allen, Harvard University political theorist and author of Justice by Means of Democracy. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Nov. 16-18 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Footloose” presented by Liva Arts Company. The Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email livaartscompany@gmail.com.
Nov. 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest violinist Kako Miura Boga. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 2 8 p.m. Performance Music: “56th Annual Noel Night” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert.” Performance Music student musicians perform solo, duo, trio and small group renditions of a variety of Christmas favorites. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items or a monetary donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Schemel Courses:
Tuesdays: Sept. 12, 19, 26 and Oct. 3, 10, 24 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Indiana Jones and the Twentieth Century” presented by Sean Brennan, Ph.D., professor of history, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Wednesdays: Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, 8 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “The Crisis of the Sciences: Positivism, Essentialism, and the Need for Critical Theory?” presented by Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Mondays: Oct. 23, 30 and Nov. 16, 13, 20, 27 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Writing in Place” presented by Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., associate professor, English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Fall Semester Events Planned at University
-
08/28/2023
The University of Scranton granted promotions and/or tenure to 14 faculty members effective at the start of the 2023-24 academic year.
One faculty member has been promoted to professor: Ahmed Gomaa, Ph.D., operations and analytics.
Five faculty members were named associate professor: Peter Andersen, Ph.D., management, marketing and entrepreneurship; Chris Haw, Ph.D., theology and religious studies; Emily Hopkins, Ph.D., psychology; Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., biology; and Billie Tadros, Ph.D., English and theatre.
Three faculty members were named associate professor and granted tenure: JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., political science; Hengameh Hosseini, Ph.D., health administration and human resources; and John Kilker, communication and media.
Five faculty members were granted tenure: Tiffany Bordonada, Ph.D., counseling and human services; Deborah Budash, Ph.D., occupational therapy; Chris Howey, Ph.D., biology; Brian Snee, Ph.D., communication and media; and Lori Walton, Ph.D., physical therapy.
Dr. Gomaa received a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Alexandria in Egypt, and a MBA and doctorate from Rutgers University. He joined faculty at the University in 2016.
Dr. Anderson received a bachelor’s degree and MBA from the University of Tehran, and a doctorate from the University of Malaya. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2015 and serves as the chair of the University’s Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
Dr. Haw received a bachelor’s degree from Eastern University, a master’s degree from Villanova University and a doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He joined the faculty as Scranton in 2018.
Dr. Hopkins received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. She joined the faculty at Scranton in 2018.
Dr. Son received a bachelor’s degree from Dankook University, a master’s degree from Western Illinois University, and a doctorate from Texas A and M University of the Health Sciences. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017.
Dr. Tadros received a bachelor’s degree from Susquehanna University, a master’s degree from Sarah Lawrence College, and a doctorate from the University of Louisiana. She joined the faculty at Scranton in 2018.
Dr. Hopper received her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. Dr. Hopper joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020 and serves as director of the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service.
Dr. Hosseini received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tehran, a master’s degree from King’s College and a doctoral degree from Marywood University. She joined the faculty at the University in 2018.
Prof. Kilker received a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, a master’s degree from Fairfield University, and a master of fine arts in film production from the University of Southern California. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017.
Dr. Bordonada received a bachelor’s degree from Fairmont State University, a master’s degrees from West Virginia University and a doctorate from the University of South Carolina. She joined the faculty at the University in 2017.
Dr. Budash received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh, a master’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a doctorate in education from Northcentral University. She joined the faculty at Scranton in 2019.
Dr. Howey received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware, a master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas, and a doctorate from Ohio University. He joined the faculty at the University in 2017.
Dr. Snee received a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and a master’s degree and doctorate from Pennsylvania State University. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020.
Dr. Walton earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Andrews University, a D.P.T. from Creighton University and a Ph.D. from Nova Southern University. She joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020
University Announces 2023-2024 Faculty Promotions
-
08/25/2023
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will kick off its Fall 2023 concert schedule Friday, Sept. 8, with a presentation of “What Makes It Great? The Great American Songbook,” featuring Rob Kapilow H ’09 with soprano Magdalyn E. Boga.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Part of Kapilow’s long-running “What Makes It Great?” series, the presentation/concert will illuminate for attendees the difference between hearing and listening as Kapilow demonstrates how to pay attention to all the great elements of a song that might otherwise go unnoticed. The evening will include various selections from the Great American Songbook sung by Boga, including the duet “For Good” from “Wicked” in which she will be joined by fellow soprano Jessica Hitchcock.
“Rob has a special gift for creating what he refers to as ‘AHA! moments’ for his audiences,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. “Everyone in the hall – regardless of musical ability or experience – finds their ears opened by his presentations.”
A frequent Performance Music collaborator and acclaimed conductor, composer, music commentator and author, Kapilow has developed a devoted national and international following through his “What Makes It Great?” and “Family Musik” performances. He has appeared on NBC’s “Today” show, presented a special “What Makes It Great?” for PBS’s “Live From Lincoln Center,” and was the subject of a full-length PBS documentary, “Summer Sun, Winter Moon.” His “What Makes It Great?” radio series was broadcast for more than a decade on NPR’s “Performance Today.”
Kapilow has written several books, including “Listening for America: Inside the Great American Songbook from Gershwin to Sondheim,” which was a finalist for the Marfield Prize, and he was the first composer to be granted the rights to set Dr. Seuss’ words to music.
Through the years, Kapilow has conducted many of North America’s major orchestras, as well as numerous works of musical theater, among them the Tony Award-winning “Nine” on Broadway, the premiere of “Frida” for the opening of the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, and works for the American Repertory Theater. He’s received a number of accolades, including first place in the Fontainebleau Casadesus Piano Competition and second place in the Antal Dorati Conductor’s Competition with the Detroit Symphony.
A member of the University’s History faculty since 2010, Magdalyn Boga is equipped with a vocal range of nearly three octaves and a lyric voice capable of unusual power. She studied voice with renowned Bulgarian baritone/bass Guenko Guechev and Chinese mezzo-soprano Xiu-Ru Liu and has delivered solo, duo and quartet performances of operatic and concert repertoire with choirs and orchestras. She has also performed Baroque duet repertoire with New York City-based trumpeters Joseph Boga (her brother) and the legendary Mark Gould. Boga currently serves as the soprano soloist at First Presbyterian Church in Wilkes-Barre and is an active recitalist and chamber musician, performing as a vocal and instrumental soloist and ensemble member throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. She teaches voice at Scranton Music Academy, and performs professionally on voice, cello and French horn.
Jessica Hitchcock is a section leader and regular soloist for both the Choral Society of NEPA, and St. Stephen's Episcopal Pro-Cathedral, Wilkes Barre, and a professional choir member at Temple B'nai B'rith, Kingston, and has performed as a featured soloist with the Arcadia Chorale. Hitchcock has sung throughout the United States, as well as in Austria, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey. Aside from her regular performances as a soloist and chorister, Jessica owns and operates The Vocal Studio of Jessica Hitchcock, which is now in its sixteenth year offering high-quality voice and piano lessons to students of all ages.
Also on Sept. 8, Kapilow will present “We’ve Got to Get Ourselves Back to the Garden: Inside the Music and Times of the Woodstock Generation,” as part of the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at the University. For more information about the luncheon, visit www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
For further information on the show, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Kapilow, visit www.robkapilow.com.
Rob Kapilow Performance Set for Sept. 8
-
08/22/2023
The University of Scranton will welcome nearly 1,500 incoming students for the fall semester.
Incoming University students include more than 1,035 members of its undergraduate class of 2027, which is one of the largest in Scranton’s history, in addition to nearly 60 transfer students and more than 350 graduate students, both on-campus and online. Scranton will also welcome its largest degree seeking, graduate international student cohort in the last 15 years, with more than 120 new graduate degree-seeking international students starting this fall.
The University’s undergraduate class of 2027 was selected from a pool of 9,867 applicants. The class represents more than 450 high schools, has an average SAT score of 1,237. Nearly 23 percent of incoming students identify as a person of color. More than 35 percent of the incoming class identify as first generation college students. Members of the class of 2027 represent 15 states, including California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Texas and Virginia. More than 25 percent of the class is from Northeast Pennsylvania. The most common majors chosen by members of the incoming class are biology, nursing, kinesiology, business administration and occupational therapy.
The class of 2027 also includes 85 legacy children whose parents are University of Scranton alumni.
In addition to the undergraduate class of 2027, the University’s incoming graduate students represent several states and foreign countries, including the Bahamas, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
The University’s Fall Welcome events on August 26 and 27 include a Mass, a class legacy reception and photo, residence hall and commuter meetings and other events and activities. The University will display a special tribute to returning students on its Class of 2020 Gateway, which will run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Fall semester classes on campus begin Monday, Aug. 28.
Scranton Class of 2027 to Move onto Campus
-
08/22/2023
Marking the 22nd consecutive year, The Princeton Review selected The University of Scranton as one of the best colleges in the nation, and, for the seventh year, ranked Scranton among the “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 18) in the U.S.
According to Princeton Review, students are impressed by the “recent improvements Scranton has been making, from laboratories and simulation spaces that impart vital firsthand experiences to ‘the gorgeous glass study rooms in the Loyola Science Center,’ and the cadaver lab to ‘academic buildings [that] are the greatest strength of the school because most have nice classrooms and places to study that foster learning.’”
Students also boast about Scranton’s Alumni network that continues to look “for their Scranton successors, which helps explain the high 99% job-placement rate: as the school puts it, ‘more than 1,000 Scranton alumni are CEOs of their company or organization.’”
Students also mention Scranton’s Jesuit ideals which permeate the course work and that “are designed to help students graduate with a ‘strong commitment to...ethics.’”
Scranton is among just 14 percent of schools listed in the 2024 edition of the “Best 389 Colleges” guidebook to be selected and recommended by The Princeton Review as one of the top colleges in the country.
The Princeton Review does not include an overall ranking of the schools selected as the best in the country, however they do publish rankings of schools in 50 categories based on results of their surveys of 160,000 students at the 389 colleges included in the book. Information from the surveys is also used in the profiles included about each school in the publication.
In addition to Scranton’s ranking of “Best Science Lab Facilities,” The Princeton Review also ranked the school among the “Most Religious Students” (No. 22).
The 2024 edition of the guidebook published online on Aug. 15.
In addition to The Princeton Review, U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 29 consecutive years, placing the University No. 5 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” its 2023 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Among Best Colleges in Nation for 22 Years
-
08/11/2023
The University of Scranton’s chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association (NSSLHA), was awarded Gold Chapter Honors for attaining a distinguished level of achievement in the areas of member recruitment and engagement, community outreach and service, legislative advocacy and fundraising during the 2022-23 academic year.
NSSLHA is the only national student organization for pre-professionals studying communication sciences and disorders recognized by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Established in 1972, the national NSSLHA supports nearly 11,000 members and more than 350 chapters at colleges and universities nationwide. NSSLHA members are studying communication sciences and disorders (CSD), speech-language pathology (SLP) and audiology at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral levels at college and universities nationwide.
“We are so proud of the 2022-23 Gold Chapter Honors awardees, and we congratulate them on all they’ve achieved this year,” said NSSLHA Executive Council President Gabrielle Howard in announcing the chapters receiving gold status. “Each chapter demonstrated a deep commitment to its members, its community, and the professions, and embodied NSSLHA’s values in the areas of collaboration, diversity, education, integrity, leadership and service.”
Each year, NSSLHA recognizes outstanding affiliated chapters that have made significant contributions to CSD programs, the national organization and their local chapters. Chapter Honors are awarded at the bronze, silver and gold levels.
During the 2022-23 academic year, The University of Scranton’s NSSLHA chapter participated in multiple community outreach and legislative activities, including partnering with the Bjorn This Way Foundation raising more than $1,000 to provide speech-language pathology services to individuals with communication disorders. The chapter distributed information for stuttering awareness day, including tips on communicating with individuals who stutter, and worked with the University’s parking services to update accessible parking signs to reflect person-first language. The chapter plans to suggest the same signage changes for the City of Scranton during the next academic year. The chapter participated with Take Action Letters through NSSLHA to request that Congress permanently cover telehealth services under Medicare after the pandemic public health emergency coverage was over.
“I am incredibly proud of all of our chapter members for all of their hard work and dedication throughout the year. This is our first full-year as a chapter and first year we were eligible to receive chapter honors. I am elated that we were able to receive Gold Chapter Honors this year,” said Megan Knecht, Scranton’s NSSLHA chapter president. Knecht, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton.
Other student members of Scranton’s NSSLHA chapter are:
Amelia E. Alacqua, Sewell, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Ava N. Amato, Middlesex, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Alessia N. Clericuzio, Monroe, Connecticut, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Sofia B. Colucci, Saint James, New York, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Maggie J. Cygan, Schnecksville, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Emma D. Dougherty, Ambler, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Madison G. Dunlop, Oreland, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Mianicole Duverge, Scranton, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Kaelan A. Ellis, Wind Gap, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Molly A. Enright, Havertown, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Francesca G. Failla, Merrick, New York, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Teresa R. Fernandes, Philadelphia, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Brooke T. Haltmeier, Towaco, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Marilyn E. Keating, New Providence, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Christina M. Kennedy, Morristown, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Ashley A. Kessell, Exeter, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Anna K. Lunbery, San Antonio, Texas, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Gia R. Maayan, West Caldwell, New Jersey, is a community health education major at Scranton;
Molly R. McGuinness, Stewart Manor, New York, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Elizabeth P. McKechney, Fairport, New York, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Julianna B. McRell, Edwardsville, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Deirdre R. Meagher, Staten Island, New York, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Sheila A. Miller, Milford, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Nora G. O’Connell, Cranford, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Jacob J. Rogomentick, Havertown, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Domenic M. Scaffidi, Hammonton, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Kayla J. Tilwick, Nazareth, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Tanner J. Updyke, Guilford, Connecticut, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Joshua S. Vargas, Verona, New Jersey, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton;
Abigail J. Walsh, Scranton, is a communication sciences and disorders major at Scranton.
In addition, Scranton’s NSSLHA chapter at helped the National NSSLHA organization increase its awareness of communication sciences and disorders on more than 140 local college campuses and communities across the country as well as through virtual platforms. Scranton’s chapter supported the national organization’s advocacy efforts of sending more than 5,400 letters to state and federal legislators; providing scholarships to students in communication sciences and disorders programs by contributing more than $22,500 to the ASH Foundation’s NSSLHA Scholarship; and by supporting CSD-related organizations by donating $60,000 and more than 25,000 hours of chapter members’ time across the country.
Student Organization Receives National Recognition
-
08/11/2023
Six University of Scranton students participated in the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference held at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts this summer.
The national conference, held at a different Jesuit University each summer, entails group discussions, a day of service and various workshops focused on furthering the development of students’ leadership from a Jesuit perspective.
Michael Ritterbeck, director of Center for Student Engagement at the University, and Kayla Betacchini, assistant director of the Center for Student Engagement, served as chaperones at the conference. Ritterbeck presented a breakout session titled “What’s Next? Bouncing Back from Rejection in Student Leadership,” which included information about the University’s resiliency programming.
Scranton students who participated in the leadership conference and the University department they represented were:
Mia N. Familetti, an English and advertising/public relations double major from Dalton, represented Student Government and Orientation;
Daylene Marin Garzon, a criminal justice major from Liberty, New York, represented University Police and Orientation;
Hannah M. Kohrn, a sociology major from Hamden, Connecticut, represented the University of Scranton Student Programming Board and Residence Life;
Maria D. Manno, a biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology major from Blue Bell, represented the Center for Health Education and Wellness and Peer Health Educators;
Simal Sami, an information technology major from Jessup, represented Student Government and Residence Life;
Karla J. Shaffer, a political science major from Doylestown, represented Student Government.Students Attend Jesuit Leadership Conference
-
08/10/2023
The University of Scranton granted nine undergraduate students President’s Fellowships for Summer Research for 2023. The fellowships, administered by the Provost Office, offer each student the chance to partner with a faculty mentor to complete a research project during the summer. Each project was proposed and designed by the student and their faculty mentor.
The following is a list of the students who were awarded 2023 summer research fellowships, their projects and faculty mentors.
Stephen J. Butler, Telford, researched "The effect of social isolation on rates of addiction and neurochemistry in Camponotus floridanus" with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology.
Caitlin J. Doughton, Throop, researched "The Effects of Alkaloid Sequestration on Poison Frog Metabolism" with faculty mentor Vincent Farallo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology,
Emma N. Hughes, Scranton, researched "The Effect of Predator Cues on the Physiology of P. cinereus" with faculty mentor Vincent Farallo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology,
Jacob G. Mohring, East Stroudsburg, researched "Irisin-Hormones and their role in Parkinson’s Disease" with faculty mentor Joseph Brague, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology,
Samantha F. Pickering, Hunlock Creek, researched "Bat Species Richness and Activity in Northeast Pennsylvania at Lackawanna State Park" with faculty mentor Gary Kwiecinski, Ph.D., professor of biology.
Dominick J. Spera, Mount Laurel, New Jersey, researched "Characterization of Thiols on the Glycolytic Enzyme Enolase as a Regulatory Switch Sensitive to Metabolic Stress" with faculty mentor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry.
Nicholas J. Tomassoni, Eynon, researched "The Effects of Recombinant Erythropoietin on Synaptogenesis in Camponotus floridanus " with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology.
Shelby A. Traver, Sweet Valley, researched "The Pandemic Within a Pandemic: Assessing the Impact of Covid-19 on Non-Profit Serving Women in Northeastern Pennsylvania" with faculty mentor JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., associate professor of politcal science.
Miriam M. Vandewater, Souderton, researched "The Effects of Rising Temperature in Pheidole dentata" with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology.
Students Receive Summer Research Fellowships
-
08/10/2023
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-08) announced the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has authorized the release of $16.62 million in Community Project Funding dollars to support a new facility for workforce development, applied research and outreach in health, science and cybersecurity on the campus of The University of Scranton.
“As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, I’m committed to bringing home every penny of our fair share of federal tax dollars to ensure our region is positioned to grow while creating good-paying jobs,” said Rep. Cartwright. “The University of Scranton plans to build a brighter future for area residents by launching a center for workforce development and applied research in health, science and cybersecurity.”
The University of Scranton is finalizing plans for the new building, which will be located on University-owned property on the 300 block of Madison Avenue, directly across the street from Brennan Hall.
“Our project is intended to serve as a nexus between the University and our community, facilitating workforce development, outreach and applied research in the critical areas of cybersecurity, behavioral science and health. The building will serve as a hub for future program development.” said Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton.
Father Marina expects the University to announce detailed plans for the new building in the coming weeks.
“The University is grateful for the support from NIST to make our vision a reality. We were privileged to be among more than a dozen transformative projects in our region that received federal support due to the steadfast efforts of Congressman Cartwright and his team. We deeply appreciate his continued and successful efforts to bolster support for transformative and innovative projects, which also meet the needs of the people of our region,” said Father Marina.
“This funding directly responds to some of the most pressing needs in Northeastern Pennsylvania by creating jobs with better pay, making us safer, and strengthening our communities,” Rep. Cartwright added.
NIST Releases Funds to Support New Building
-
08/10/2023
The Center for Service and Social Justice at The University of Scranton will hold its annual Volunteer Fair for local nonprofit organizations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12, on campus.
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 deadline to register for the fair is Wednesday, Sept. 6.
Fair for Nonprofit Agencies Seeking Volunteers
-
08/09/2023
The Royal Experience Summer Internship Program and the Royal Psychology Experience Summer Internship Program provided seven University of Scranton students, selected from a competitive pool, a stipend of up to $2,000 to support their participation in a meaningful unpaid internship for the summer of 2023.
The Royal Experience program began in 2016 through funding by the University’s Parents’ Executive Council and the donations of alumni and friends of the University. The Royal Psychology Experience is funded by the University’s Psychology Department.
Students receiving support write about their internship experiences in a blog published on the University’s Roche Family Center for Career Development webpage.
The following is a list of students who participated in the 2023 Royal Experience Summer Internship Program.
Cabre Capalongo, a biology major from Scranton, was the Animal Care and Veterinary Medicine Intern at the Indraloka Animal Sanctuary in Dalton.
Olivia Ciccimarra, a criminal justice major from Belmar, New Jersey, was the intern in the Office of Administrative Services Under the Division of Parole for the New Jersey State Parole Board in Trenton, New Jersey.
Olivia Manarchuck, a neuroscience major from Carbondale, was a Research Intern for The University of Scranton Biology Department lab of Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
Jake Marchese, a criminal justice major from Leonardo, New Jersey, participated in the 2023 Law School and College Summer Internship Program of Richmond County District Attorney’s Office in Staten Island, New York.
Amelia Semple, an English major from Northport, New York, was an Archivist Intern for the Northport Historical Society in Northport.
Benjamin Trexler, a business analytics major from Reading, was a Ticket Sales and Sponsorship Intern for Reading Royals in Reading.
The 2023 Royal Psychology Experience Recipient was:
Jack Burke, a psychology major from Stoneybatter in Dublin, Ireland, was a Clinical Research Intern at the Friendship House in Scranton.
Royal Experience Program Summer Interns 2023
-
08/09/2023
Margarete L. Zalon, Ph.D., professor emerita in the Department of Nursing at The University of Scranton, was appointed as a consumer representative to the Pennsylvania e-Health Partnership Advisory Board. The appointment was made by Valerie A. Arkoosh, M.D., Secretary of Human Services, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The Pennsylvania eHealth Partnership is responsible for the creation and maintenance of Pennsylvania's secure health information exchange, known as the PA Patient and Provider Network, or P3N.
Before retiring from Scranton in 2022, Dr. Zalon served as director of the University’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics Program and played a pivotal role in the program’s success. In 2021, the graduate program received accreditation from the prestigious Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
Dr. Zalon has been a member of Scranton’s faculty since 1988. During her more than three decades of service at the University, Dr. Zalon has served on numerous committees, including in leadership roles on the Faculty Senate. Dr. Zalon’s research focuses on vulnerable elders. She has authored book chapters, as well as articles published in numerous scholarly journals and other professional publications. She received a 2022 American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Award for the third edition of her book “Nurses Making Policy: From Bedside to Boardroom.” The book placed 2nd in the program’s Nursing Management and Leadership category. Dr. Zalon also received a 2019 AJN Book of the Year Award for the second edition of this book in 2019.
Dr. Zalon was inducted as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow in 2010 in part for her positive influence on health care policy and delivery. Her leadership legacy includes grassroots advocacy, progressive program design, execution and outcomes in state and national nursing organizations focused on establishing practice and education policy and building research funding capacity.
A previous chair of the American Nurses Foundation, former board member of the American Nurses Association and a past president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, Dr. Zalon has also made research and health policy presentations at the local, state, national and international levels. She currently serves as the president of the Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania, the charitable arm of PSNA which focuses on providing scholarships to students enrolled in nursing programs.
In 2022, Dr. Zalon received the John L. Earl III Award for service to the University, the faculty and the wider community. She was also a recipient of the Duke University School of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award, the PSNA Distinguished Nurse Award and a Leahy Fellowship at Scranton. She also received the University’s Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award in 2020.
Dr. Zalon earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from New York University.
Professor Emerita Joins PA eHealth Advisory Board
-
08/03/2023
Published research articles by students and graduates of The University of Scranton’s doctoral program in accounting and Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, chair of the Accounting Department and director of the Ph.D. in Accounting program at Scranton, won a prestigious 2023 Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA) Lybrand Silver Medal and two Certificates of Merit.
$content.getChild('content').textValueArticles selected for recognition in the Lybrand Competition are drawn from all manuscripts published from May 2022 through April 2023 in the Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA) Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly journals, both of which are rated among the top five refereed practitioner journals.
The article “Creating a Data Analytics Mindset,” co-authored by Richard O’Hara, Lisa Haylon and Dr. Boyle, was recognized with the silver award. The article was published in Strategic Finance in February 2023. O’Hara, Scranton, and Haylon, Hamden, Connecticut, are current Ph.D. students at Scranton.
The article “SEC Targets Earnings Management through New EPS Initiative” by Laura B. Lamb, Ph.D., Jessie K. Wright, Ph.D., Stasia H. Morlino, Ph.D., and Dr. Boyle, won a Certificate of Merit. The article was published in Strategic Finance in May 2022. Dr. Lamb, Oswego, New York, earned her Ph.D. from The University of Scranton in 2023. She received the Doctor of Philosophy in Accounting Outstanding Student Award at commencement. Dr. Wright, Poland, Ohio, and Dr. Morlino, Moorestown, New Jersey, also earned their Ph.D. degrees from Scranton in 2023.
In addition, the article “SEC Enforcement and Remediation Efforts,” published in Strategic Finance in December of 2022 by Dr. Boyle and Jessica (Evanko) Hildebrand, DBA, won a Certificate of Merit. Dr. Hildebrand, an assistant professor of accounting at King’s College, graduated from Scranton’s DBA program in 2022.
Three of Scranton’s doctoral students have previously won Lybrand medals. Ronald Douglas Parker, DBA ’21, won the 2021 Lybrand Silver Medal, and Daniel J. Gaydon, DBA ’21, and Marcus Burke, DBA ’21, won 2020 Lybrand Silver and Bronze medals, respectively. In addition, Patrick O’Brian, DBA ’21, received a 2020 Lybrand certificate of merit and Amanda Marcy, ’10, G’11, DBA ’21, assistant professor of accounting at Scranton, received the inaugural IMA Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year award in 2020 and she won the award a second time in 2021 with Dr. Parker.
Scranton’s accounting faculty have been awarded more Lybrand Medals in the past decade than any other institution in the nation, having won a total eight Lybrand medals, including two gold medals, four silver medals and two bronze medals, as well as ten certificates of merit. They have also been ranked No. 4 in the world for publishing productivity in accounting education in 2020 and No. 5 in 2021 by Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings, which ranks accounting programs and faculty throughout the world based on their success in publishing in top-tier accounting academic journals.
With respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty in the area of accounting education, three Scranton faculty members were ranked internationally. Dr. Boyle was ranked No. 7. James F. Boyle, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting and director of the MAcc program, and Brian W. Carpenter, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Accounting Department, ranked No. 18 (tied).
Scranton’s doctoral program in accounting also received international recognition when the prestigious accrediting body, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), listed the program in 2019 among the “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.”
Dr. Boyle is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant with more than 30 years of industry executive experience. He has served in executive roles in startup, middle market, and Fortune 500 companies, where he has held the positions of board chair, chief executive officer, president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer. An award-winning researcher and teacher, Dr. Boyle was selected as the IMA Research Foundation Distinguished Scholar in 2022, awarded the Outstanding Accounting Educator of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 2015, and an Outstanding Lecturer Award from the Cultural Mission of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in 2012. At Scranton, Dr. Boyle earned Provost Excellence Awards for University Service and Leadership in 2021, the Scholarship of Teaching in 2014 and Scholarly Publication in 2012, and the Faculty Senate’s Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award in 2019. He was named the Kania School of Management’s (KSOM) Alperin Teaching Fellow for 2015 to 2018 and received the KSOM Advisory Board’s Award for Curriculum Innovation for 2017-2018. He received the KSOM Faculty Research Award for 2019 – 2020 and was twice recognized as the KSOM Teacher of the Year. He is the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
Dr. Boyle’s research has been published in numerous academic and practitioner journals, such as The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Accounting Horizons, Issues in Accounting Education, Current Issues in Auditing, The Journal of Accounting Education, The Journal of Forensic Accounting Research, The Accounting Educators’ Journal, The Journal of Accountancy, Strategic Finance, Fraud Magazine, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly, The CPA Journal, Internal Auditing, The Journal of Applied Business Research and The Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Boyle earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Published Research Articles Recognized by IMA
-
08/03/2023
Twenty-three rising high school students entered The University of Scranton’s University of Success program. The four-year, pre-college mentorship program began for the new participants with a two-week summer institute, which took place on the University’s campus in July.
The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program designed to provide academic, social, and cultural enrichment to area high school students. The program’s ultimate goal is to assist participating students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university. Students enter the program at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years.
The summer institute provides learning experiences designed to engage the students in creative thinking, problem solving and communication through activities that expose students to concepts in various academic disciples.
The summer program featured presentations by University faculty, staff and students as well as counselors from Lackawanna County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. At the institute, students learned about alternate renewable energy sources, sustainability, climate change, physics, biology and chemistry, among other topics. The institute included field trips to Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) in Pike County and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The students also volunteered for a service project at the St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen, which was covered in a WBRE/WYOU news story.
Following the summer institute, the students meet monthly throughout their four years in high school.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, Dime Bank, Fidelity Bank, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Carl and JoAnne Kuehner, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, Inc., Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, PPL Foundation, Lisa A. Thomas, M.D., and Waste Management.
Students entering the University of Success program are as follows:
Gabriela Avelar, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Lilyana Castellano, who attended Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Jazib Chohan, who attended Valley View Middle School;
Zion Colon, who attended Delaware Valley Middle School;
Kaitlyn Dos Santos, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Damien Galloway, who attended Wind Gap Middle School;
Gage Hernandez, who attended North Pocono Middle School;
Makenzie Lahotsky, who attended Riverside Junior Senior High School;
Melisa Lopez, who attended South Scranton Intermediate;
Kimberly Li, who attended North Pocono Middle School;
Dustin Machado Reed, who attended Valley View Middle School;
Yadiel Martinez, who attended Riverside Junior Senior High School;
Diana Munoz-Gonzalez, who attended Carbondale Area Junior Senior High School;
Stephen Quintilliano, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Neftali Ramos, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Quenton Reid, who attended Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Hector Rios, who attended West Scranton Middle School;
Ramon Sanchez, who attended West Scranton Middle School;
Tekoya Sanderson, who attended Carbondale Area Middle School;
Harper Sansky, who attended Mountain View School District;
Kayla Sterling, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Raelynn Taylor, who attended Tunkhannock School District;
Aleeya Williams, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Margaret Loughney serves as the program director for the University of Success.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Twenty-three Area Students Begin University of Success
-
07/31/2023
University of Scranton’s Nu Kappa chapter of the Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor society for financial information students and professionals, achieved Superior Chapter status for the 2022-2023 academic year. This is the top chapter achievement level recognized by the international organization. The chapter also achieved Distinguished Chapter status for the 2021-2022 academic year. The chapter began at Scranton in 2015.
The University’s 2022-2023 Beta Alpha Psi Nu Kappa chapter officers were: Aidan Cagner ’23, ’G23, Rockville Centre, president; Brett McCartney, Downingtown, vice president and treasurer; Kevin Duffy ’23, Springfield, New Jersey, secretary; and Kaleigh Timmons, Bergenfield, New Jersey, social engagement director.
Scranton’s 2021-2022 Beta Alpha Psi Nu Kappa chapter officers were: Emma Boyle ’23, Peckville, president; Jared Septer ’22, Langhorne, vice president; Jake Gallagher ’22, Mahwah, New Jersey, treasurer; Cagner ’23, ’G23, secretary; and Mary Kate Yatsonsky ’22, ’G23, Jefferson Township, social engagement director.
“When I took on the role as Beta Alpha Psi faculty advisor in 2015, I never realized how rewarding the experience would be. I am so proud to have been able to guide the chapter through its growth and evolution. We could not have achieved these recognitions had it not been for the commitment of the student officers and the membership,” said Amanda Marcy, ’10, G’11, DBA ’21, assistant professor of accounting.
To receive an award status, chapters and their members must go above and beyond minimum chapter requirements with regard to professional, service, and outreach activities. The members participate in a variety of professional activities, including professional panels and information sessions, internship panels, certification information sessions, career readiness sessions, skill-building workshops, CPA and CMA mock exams and industry site visits. Chapter service activities include holiday card donations, children’s book and supply drives, and community clean-up events. In assisting the accounting department, members also participate in outreach activities, including open houses, high school student information sessions, Path to Business Excellence, and undecided student information and networking events.
Student members also have the opportunity to attend and present at the Beta Alpha Psi Mid-Year and Annual meetings, allowing them to network with Beta Alpha Psi members and professionals from across the globe. The University’s Nu Kappa chapter was selected to host the 2023 Beta Alpha Psi Mid-Year Meeting, which took place in March in Pittsburgh. In this capacity, members helped to plan, coordinate, and run event sessions and activities.
“This achievement reflects not only the commitment of our chapter officers and members, but also the continued support of our faculty, alumni, and professional partners who volunteer their time and professional expertise to provide opportunities to our students,” said Dr. Marcy.
Alumni or professional partners interested in volunteering or sponsoring a Beta Alpha Psi event or activity can contact Dr. Marcy at amanda.marcy@scranton.edu.
Beta Alpha Psi is an international honors organization for financial information students and professionals with over 300 chapters on AACSB accredited college and university campuses with more than 300,000 initiated members. The organization recognizes academic excellence in accounting, finance and business analytics, and complements members’ formal education by providing interaction among students, faculty and professionals. Members must achieve a personal record of superior scholarship in their academic endeavors and demonstrate active engagement in all chapter activities. Members in good standing at the completion of their senior year receive honors cords and pins upon graduation.
$content.getChild('content').textValueHonor Society Awarded Highest Chapter Status
-
07/28/2023
The University of Scranton awarded faculty development summer grants for 2023 to nine faculty members.
Patrick Clark, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies, received a grant to research “Light From Darkness: The Role of Anti-Exemplars in Christian Ethics.” He joined the faculty at the University in 2010. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a master’s degree from Boston College and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Ovidiu Cocieru, Ph.D., assistant professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, received a grant to research “The Impact of a Classroom as Organization on University-to-Work Transition and Early Career.” He joined the faculty at the University in 2019. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Alexandru Ioan Cuza University in Romania and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst.
Kate Cummings, assistant professor, Weinberg Memorial Library, received a grant to research “Professional Obsolescence? Librarians in a Changing World.” Prof. Cummings joined the faculty at the University in 2022. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, a MBA from Wilkes University and a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina.
Taewan Kim, Ph.D., associate professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, received a grant to research “Institutions and entrepreneurial growth aspiration.” He joined the faculty at the University in 2011. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Hannan University in South Korea and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln.
Christian Krokus, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies, received a grant to research “Spiritually Vulnerable: Christian de Cherge (1937-1996), Catholic-Muslim Dialogue, and Beyond.” He joined the faculty at the University in 2009. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Boston College.
Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and co-director of the University’s Undergraduate Honors Program, received a grant to research “The Misalignment Problem: Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Human Values.” He joined the faculty at the University in 2010. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Hamline University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from DePaul University.
Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and director of Asian Studies, received a grant to research “Care, Dependency, and the Ethics of Assistance: A Confucian Perspective.” She joined the faculty at the University in 1997. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Tung-Hai University, a master’s degree from University of South Carolina – Columbia and a Ph.D. from Marquette University.
Meghan Rich, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology, criminal received a grant to research “Urbanization as a Social Problem.” She joined the faculty at the University in 2007. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware.
Robert Shaffern, Ph.D., professor of history, received a grant to research “Sex Workers and Indulgences in Fourteenth-Century Viterbo.” He joined the faculty at the University in 1995. He earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Summer 2023 Faculty Development Grants Awarded
-
07/27/2023
Money magazine gave The University of Scranton its second highest star rating in its selection of the 2023 “Best Colleges in America” based on value. The University of Scranton received a four and one-half star rating based on the magazine’s analysis of dozens of data points to evaluate affordability and student outcomes.
Just 34 colleges in the nation received Money’s highest rating of five-stars, which included many the nation’s ivy league and near-ivy league schools. Scranton was among 189 schools in America to receive the second-highest, four and one-half star rating, which included highly-regarded Jesuit schools like Boston College and the College of the Holy Cross and prestigious schools in Pennsylvania such as Carnegie Mellon University and Villanova University.
Money rated less than 800 colleges in the nation with two and one-half to five stars. Colleges not included in its listing failed to meet Money’s initial screening requirements, such as having at lease 500 in-person undergraduate students or 150 full-time faculty members, having sufficient data to analyze, and other criteria. According to Money magazine, “the most common reason colleges don’t make the cut is that their six-year graduation rate is too low.”
The factors Money used in assessing the value of the education provided by colleges included an analysis of the schools’ quality (30 percent) and affordability (40 percent) and the outcomes of graduates (30 percent).
The factors Money analyzed to determine a college's “academic quality” included the six-year graduation rate, the standardized test scores of incoming students, the student-faculty ratio, financial stability and the graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients, among other factors. The analysis also included “value” assessments that looked at a school’s predicted graduation rates based on the academic and economic profile of its student body versus its actual graduation rates.
The criteria used to assess “affordability” included an estimate of the “net price of a degree,” which assessed tuition, the time it takes for students to graduate, and the school’s average financial aid offered to students. The “affordability” criteria also looked at student debt, student loan default rates, and student loan default rates adjusted for the economic and academic profile of a school’s student body, in addition to other factors.
The factors Money used to assess “outcomes” included the average salaries of students ten years after enrollment based on data from U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard as well as salaries of graduates adjusted by major. In addition to other factors, the “outcomes” criteria looked at socio-economic mobility data from Think tank Third Way that measures a college’s share of students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds as well as the cost and payoff of a degree for those students.
Money’s 2023 “Best Colleges in America” rating was published online July 12.
This is the eighth consecutive year that Money included Scranton in its published list of America’s best values in college education.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity of Scranton Among Best Values in U.S.
-
07/27/2023
Nine members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 have committed to post-graduation long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations. Their service begins this summer at programs run by the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and other organizations.
The following is a list of members of the University’s class of 2023 who committed to long-term service projects and their places of service.
Joseph T. Barry, Blue Point, New York, will serve in education in Portland, Oregon, as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in both political science and philosophy. Barry was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Kaitlyn E. Franceschelli, Spring Brook Township, will serve at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, California, with the Sisters of St. Joseph. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communication.
Elisabeth E. Johnson, Scranton, will serve in community education in Spokane, Washington, as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in both political science and philosophy. Johnson was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Sarah A. Liskowicz, Wilkes-Barre, will serve as a case manager at the Alcott Center for Mental Health as part of the St. Joseph Worker Program in Los Angeles, California. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in both neuroscience and biomathematics. A recipient of the University’s Presidential Scholarship, Liskowicz received the J. Timothy Cannon Award for Excellence in Neuroscience at graduation. She was a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program.
Lauren X. McGuire, Pearl River, New York, will serve with children and youth services in San Diego, Califronia, as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology.
Abigail M. Rzucidlo, Garnet Valley, will serve in education in Portland, Maine, as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematical sciences.
Mia G. Sandy, Scranton, will serve at Maggie’s Place in Phoenix, Arizona. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in counseling and human services.
Julia E. Turnak, Hingham, Massachusetts, will serve in housing services in Portland, Oregon, as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in both biology and philosophy. Turnak was also a member of the University’s Undergraduate Honors Program, its Magis Honors Program in STEM and its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Kathleen I. Wallace, Bowie, Maryland, will serve at Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, California with the Sisters of St. Joseph. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in both philosophy and theology and religious studies. A recipient of the University’s Presidential Scholarship, Wallace received the Excellence in Philosophy Award and the Alumni Loyalty and Service Award at commencement. She was a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Nationally recognized for its commitment to service, The University of Scranton was among just 29 elite colleges in the nation selected to the Catholic Volunteer Network’s 2020 “Top Schools for Service.” The University is also among the nation’s top producers for Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.
Class of 2023 Graduates Choose Long-Term Service
-
07/26/2023
Twenty high school students who completed The University of Scranton’s University of Success program plan to continue their education, with 19 committing to colleges, universities and trade schools and one committing to real estate license training course. The University of Success is a multi-year, academic and enrichment program that is designed for high school students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, Dime Bank, Fidelity Bank, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Carl and JoAnne Kuehner, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, Inc., Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, PPL Foundation, Lisa A. Thomas, M.D., and Waste Management.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their four years of high school. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars.
The following is a list of 2022 University of Success graduates, the high school they attended, and their post-high school plans.
Elias Adame, Old Forge, who graduated from Old Forge Junior Senior High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University – Scranton and major in criminal justice;
Ignacia Ang, Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend Villanova University and major in acounting;
Briana Brijmohan, Scranton, who graduated from West Scranton High School, plans to attend Susquehanna University and major in creative writing;
Alyvianna Cooper, Moscow, who graduated from North Pocono Middle School, plans to attend Temple University and major in science;
Kevin Cordero, Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in kinesiology;
Emily DeOliviera, Olyphant, who graduated from Mid Valley Middle School, plans to attend Bloomsburg University and has not yet declared a major;
Jaydene Edwards, Tobyhanna, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh in the premed program;
Zaniyah Galloway, Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend Metro Beauty School in Allentown and will study cosmetology;
Nicholas Garcia, Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in history in the pre-law track;
Dylan Guzman, Gouldsboro, who graduated from North Pocono High School plans to attend Johnson College to study electrical engineering;
Oscar Hernandez, Scranton, who graduated from West Scranton High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University – Scranton with the intention of studying pre-law or pre-med;
Jonathan Juarez, Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend Johnson College to study mechanics;
Rosa Martinez, Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to pursue courses to obtain a real estate license.
Jesus Nunez-Pazos, Scranton, who graduated from West Scranton High School, plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania to study law;
Andy Perez, Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend Lincoln Tech School in Allentown to train in welding;
Jaidan Perez, Jefferson Township, who graduated from North Pocono High School, plans to attend Marywood University and major in psychology;
Anaclara Quintilliano, Clarks Summit, who graduated from Abington Heights High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University – Scranton and major in criminal justice;
Hannia Ramierez, Scranton, who graduated from West Scranton High School, plans to attend New York University and major in business and communication;
Elizabeth Wasylyk, Moscow, who graduated from North Pocono High School, plans to attend Elizabethtown College and major in environmental science;
Anderson Zou, Scranton, who graduated from West Scranton High School, plans to attend plans to attend Pennsylvania State University – Main Campus and major in computer science.
In addition, Ying Jie Chen, Forest City, completed the four-year University of Success program and will graduate from Forest City Regional High School next year.
Additional information about the program can be found on the University of Success web site.
Students Graduate from the University of Success
-
07/26/2023
University of Scranton President Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., will preside at Mass for the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. The Mass will begin Monday, July 31, at 12:05 p.m. in the recently renovated Chapel of the Sacred Heart on campus.
An ice cream social in the Rose Garden adjacent to the chapel will immediately follow.
All are welcome to join us as we will celebrate the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus.
View a message from Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for Mission and Ministry at the University at the link that follows: Message about the Feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola.Feast of St. Ignatius Celebrated at Scranton
-
07/26/2023
Ten University of Scranton faculty members were honored with Faculty Enhancement awards for excellence in teaching, scholarship or service. The Office of the Provost and the Provost Advisory Group selected the recipients from a pool of candidates nominated by academic deans and department chairs.
Sinchul Back, Ph.D., received the Advancing Global Learning Award, which is presented to a faculty member who has demonstrated noteworthy academic leadership in integrating international issues/perspectives into the curriculum and through whose efforts, students have acquired the competencies, attributes and insights required to meaningfully and successfully participate in an increasingly interdependent world.
Dr. Back, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology, joined the University’s faculty in 2019. Dr. Back’s research interests include Artificial Intelligence, cybercriminal profiling, cybersecurity, digital forensics investigation, homeland security and counterterrorism. He helped lead a faculty-student study abroad course to South Korea this past summer where the students learned about a variety of special criminal justice programs.
Dr. Back earned his bachelor’s degree from Northeastern University, master’s degrees from Bridgewater State University and Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, and his Ph.D. from Florida International University.
Jinghan Cai, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Scholarly Publication Award, which is presented to a faculty member who has attained distinction in scholarship or creative activity. Dr. Cai, associate professor in the Department of Economics, Finance, and International Business, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2014. His research has been published in top-tiered, global, academic journals including Review of Financial Studies, Global Financial Journal and Finance Research Letters. He is the co-author of a book entitled, “The Market Impact of Short Selling,” and has presented his work at numerous international conferences.
Dr. Cai earned his B.A. from Renmin University of China and Ph.D. degrees from City University of Hong Kong and Boston College.
Gerard Dumancas, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Integrating Diversity in Learning Award, which recognizes a faculty member whose efforts to integrate diversity in the curriculum have enriched the students’ learning experiences.
Dr. Dumancas, associate professor of chemistry, joined the faculty at Scranton in the spring of 2022. Over the course of his academic career, he has generated more than $2 million in external research funding from the NSF, Louisiana State University, and the Louisiana Board of Regents. He has published more than 70 research products in the form of journal articles, book chapters, books and intellectual property disclosures related to his research in the development and applications of chemometrics and spectroscopic techniques in food and biological applications. He is the recipient of a five-year, $1.158 million National Science Foundation funded Noyce Scholars grant to support future STEM high school teachers in high-need school districts.
In addition, Dr. Dumancas is serving as the faculty lead for a Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation grant, which is a program that takes a comprehensive approach to student development and retention. Particular emphasis is placed on transforming undergraduate STEM education through innovative, evidence-based recruitment and retention strategies, and relevant educational experiences in support of racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines.
Dr. Dumancas earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oklahoma State University.
Collen Farry received the Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates noteworthy academic leadership in promoting and strengthening cross-disciplinary or interdepartmental teaching and learning endeavors.
Prof. Farry, assistant professor and digital services librarian for Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library, joined the University in 2018. At Scranton, she manages the library’s digital collections and web archives and leads the development of workflows for preserving and delivering born-digital records and supports digital scholarship projects. Prof. Farry works closely with department chairpersons and program directors to ensure the acquisition and cataloging of student capstone projects, including honor’s and master’s theses, and doctoral dissertations.
Prof. Farry earned her B.F.A. from Marywood University, and two master’s degrees from Syracuse University, as well as a Master of Science in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Jean Harris, Ph.D., received the Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award, which recognizes a faculty member who has contributed service to the University community, particularly those who demonstrate academic leadership by effectively mentoring their junior colleagues.
Dr. Harris, professor of political science, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1987. She has served the University as the director of the Women’s Studies program, is a co-founder of the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service and the founding coordinator of the University’s Ready to Run Northeastern Pennsylvania program. Dr. Harris served Scranton in numerous leadership roles including as Faculty Affairs Council Chair, numerous terms on the Rank and Tenure Committee, a variety of search committees, and as both a peer and student mentor.
Dr. Harris earned her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Binghamton University.
Joyanna Hopper, Ph.D., received the Sustainability Award, which recognizes the efforts of a faculty member who strives for excellence in teaching about sustainability and who makes extraordinary efforts to introduce that essential concept into the curriculum.
Dr. Hopper, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and director of the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020. She specializes in public policy and administration, with a scholarly focus on environmental enforcement in the states. She has published a book entitled, “Environmental Agencies in the United States: The Enduring Power of Organizational Design and State Politics,” and has authored numerous articles concerning environmental enforcement.
In addition, Dr. Hopper has developed a new course on environmental justice, which will explore the history of the environmental justice movement, environmental justice policies, and environmental injustices.
Dr. Hopper earned her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Missouri.
Adam Pratt, Ph.D., received the Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum Award, which recognizes a faculty member whose special efforts ensure that students have a keen understanding and appreciation of the realities of the world, including pressing justice issues in a local, national and global context.
Dr. Pratt, associate professor of history, joined the University in 2013. His research interests and publications include the Jacksonian-era, Native American history and the Civil War and Reconstruction. His book, “Toward Cherokee Removal: Land, Violence, and the White Man’s Chance” was published in 2020. He has participated in numerous seminars and discussions on campus including a “Uncovering Scranton’s Native Past,” where he presented the history of the groups of Native people that lived in the northeastern Pennsylvania area and what happened to them; the steps toward creating a Native Land Acknowledgement Statement; and, what other actions should the University make toward addressing past injustices.
Dr. Pratt earned his bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Louisiana State University.
Amelia Randich, Ph.D., received the Magis Award for Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum. This award is intended to recognize a faculty member who makes specific, sustained and creative efforts to adapt classic principles of Jesuit Pedagogy in his or her own courses.
Dr. Randich, assistant professor in the Department of Biology, joined the University in 2020. Her research focuses on the molecular evolution and diversity of bacterial cell shape. Since joining the faculty at the University, she has served as the research mentor for nearly a dozen students. Several of these students were awarded summer grants in support of their research with Dr. Randich, including the Research as a High Impact Practice award, STEM Program Summer Research Fellowships and the Royal Experience Program.
Dr. Randich earned her bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College and her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.
Ann Royer, Ph.D., received the Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, which is presented to a faculty member who makes extraordinary efforts to enhance student learning and who practices teaching as a form of scholarship.
Dr. Royer, assistant professor in the Department of Biology, joined the University in 2017. The courses she teaches include General Biology, Tropical Biology travel course, Humans and Evolution in Action, Evolution and Biostatistics.
Dr. Royer incorporates state-of-the-art instructional techniques in her classroom, including the C.R.E.A.T.E (Consider, Read, Elucidate the hypotheses, Analyze and interpret the data, and Think of the next Experiment) method, which is a new teaching approach that uses intensive analysis of primary literature to demystify and humanize research science for undergraduates. She also uses Perusall, an online social annotation platform, intended to increase student engagement and collaboration.
Dr. Royer earned her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and her Ph.D. from Michigan State University.
Patricia Wisniewski, Ed.D., received the Community-Based Learning Award, which is presented to a faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in community-based learning (CBL) pedagogy as demonstrated by meaningful integration with course or program content that incorporates integration of theory with practice, direct engagement with community members, and personal and critical academic reflection.
A Community-based Learning Faculty Fellow at Scranton, Dr. Wisniewski designed three CBL projects involving local organizations. For a course project with The Recovery Bank, her students participated in a therapeutic healing group for adults in recovery from substance use disorders. She worked with Scranton Tomorrow for a course project where students completed a walkability study in the downtown section of Scranton. She also worked on a course project with United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania through which her occupational therapy students collected data for a high-traffic walkability study for safety and accessibility.
Dr. Wisniewski earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree from Misericordia University and her Ed.D. from the University of South Carolina.
$content.getChild('content').textValueTen Faculty Members Recognized for Excellence
-
07/17/2023
The University of Scranton’s Small Business Development Center was recognized by the Pennsylvania SBDC’s statewide network of 15 centers and its lead office with five awards for excellence, including the Gold Center Performance Award, which recognizes the center’s overall performance for 2022. Scranton’s SBDC met or exceeded all of its programming goals in 2022, placing it in the top three percent of the centers in Pennsylvania.
The awards, presented at the PASBDC Growth Conference in Erie in June, recognize centers for their contributions to the network’s mission of helping the state’s small businesses start, grow and prosper. The annual awards recognize the recipients’ impact on local economic growth, job creation and support of Pennsylvania’s newest and growing entrepreneurs.
Scranton’s SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, also received the Student Project of the Year Award for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Center. The award recognizes a student team for their collaborative efforts in helping their center achieve strategic initiatives. At the Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, student interns and SBDC staff offer business start-up information, guidance and encouragement to lower income women, those experiencing a life transition or those trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. Their services include individual, confidential consulting and programs such as Coffee and Confidence, a one-hour inspiration session, and StartUP, a six-week series that walks participants through the process of starting a business.
In 2022, 11 students interned for the SBDC’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Center. Students were: Caelan Boyle ’24, an international studies major from Havertown; Niamh Boyle’ 23, an international business major from Havertown; Nicole Freeman’ 23, a biology major from New Tripoli and participant in the University’s Undergraduate Honors Program; Lea Grant ’23, an occupational therapy major from Rocky Hill, Connecticut; Erin Hahn ’23, a finance and accounting double major from Flourtown; Xianshu (Iris) Hu ’23, finance major from Fresh Meadows, New York; Molly Lennon ’22, a biology major from Levittown, New York; Jordyn Lieber ’23, a business administration major from Edison, New Jersey, and participant in the University’s Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program; Jennifer Rossiter, a finance major from Jenkinstown and participant in the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program Business Honors Program and its Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program; Kimberly Stossel ’22, ’G23, a marketing major and MBA graduate from East Stroudsburg; and Gabrielle Hart Timoteo ‘23, occupational therapy major from Collegeville.
Scranton SBDC Business Consultant Gretchen Kukuchka received the State Star award for outstanding performance and client satisfaction. The State Star Award, the highest accolade achievable by a member of the PASBDC team, recognizes extraordinary performers who have made strong contributions to their state network. Only one State Star is awarded by the Network each year.
Kukuchka joined the Scranton SBDC in 2002 and serves clients in the Bradford Tioga and Lackawanna counties. She also coordinates the successful Small Business Internship Initiative, which provides internship opportunities at small businesses for students attending a participating college in NEPA. She has presented on this initiative at national conferences. Kukuchka earned her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and University and her master’s degree from The University of Scranton.
Scranton SBDC Business Consultant, Winifred McGee, received the Service Award for the Eastern region. The award recognizes service to the entire Pennsylvania SBDC network.
McGee’s areas of expertise include agri-business and food enterprise start-up and expansion; shared kitchen incubator management; enterprise feasibility studies, business planning and financial analysis; and grant application coaching for agricultural and food enterprises. She joined the Scranton SBDC team in 2019 after having previously worked as a business consultant at the Penn State Small Business Development Center at Penn State Harrisburg, and for 30 years in Penn State Cooperative Extension, providing information and education for home based, food and farm business. McGee earned her bachelor’s degree from Grove City College and her master’s degree from the University of West Florida.
Scranton SBDC Special Projects Coordinator Katelyn McManamon received the Team Spirit Award, which recognizes one network professional for their collaborative attitude in helping the network achieve strategic initiatives.
McManamon joined the Scranton SBDC team in 2020. In her role, she identifies and engage participants and coordinate projects within the SBDC’s eight-county service area. McManamon earned her bachelor’s degree from Millersville University and her MBA from The University of Scranton.
Lisa Hall Zielinski serves as director of the SBDC at The University of Scranton, which serves small business clients in Bradford, Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
Scranton SBDC Recognized with Pennsylvania Awards
-
07/05/2023
Honey may always taste sweet, but is it always pure?
University professors intend to develop a quick, reliable and cost-effective test using a smartphone application device to determine the purity of honey in less than two minutes and they received a $50,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support this effort.
Gerard Dumancas, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at The University of Scranton, is the principal investigator of the project and will serve as the technical lead for the research team. Riddhiman Medhi, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry at Scranton, will serve as the entrepreneurial lead. Bryan R. Crable, Ph.D., former assistant professor of biology at Scranton and current managing director of North Country Bee Works and assistant professor of microbiology at Pennsylvania Western University, will serve as industry mentor for the project.
Honey has a wide array of uses and applications in food and beverages, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. It is also the third most adulterated food product in the U.S. according to research by Honey Authenticity Network, an international effort of individuals and organizations whose fundamental interest is to prevent honey fraud.
Dr. Dumancas noted that more than 60 percent of honey in the United States is imported and can be adulterated with hard to detect adulterants with the overall intent of selling the product at a lower price.
“There is presently no U.S. federal standard for the identification of pure honey,” said Dr. Dumancas. “Current methods for honey authentication are archaic, cumbersome and time consuming, with nearly all of the tests being conducted via third-party labs in Germany using expensive analytical equipment.”
Dr. Dumancas said their project will develop an accurate test that can be completed in less than two minutes.
“The proposed technology involves a smartphone application and a spectrometric system that can test the purity of honey by simultaneously determining the quantities of multiple adulterants as well as its floral and geographical origin in a time- and cost-efficient manner,” said Dr. Dumancas, who is the chief inventor of the technology identifying the mid-infrared spectroscopic method for adulterant testing and has conducted extensive studies across various types of honey to assess its purity.
“I’m pleased that The University of Scranton will receive a $50,000 NSF award for the development of a smartphone app intended to bolster consumer confidence in the products they use,” said U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright. “As the Ranking Member of the Commerce Justice and Science Subcommittee, I will continue to do all that I can to help fund projects like this one through the National Science Foundation. Dr. Dumancas and his team are doing incredibly important work at The University of Scranton, and I look forward to the development of their latest innovative technology.”
Dr. Dumancas joined the faculty at Scranton in the spring of 2022. Over the course of his academic career, he has generated more than $2 million in external research funding from the NSF, Louisiana State University, and the Louisiana Board of Regents. He has published more than 70 research products in the form of journal articles, book chapters, books and intellectual property disclosures related to his research in the development and applications of chemometrics and spectroscopic techniques in food and biological applications. In the spring of 2023, he published a digital primer titled “Spectroscopic and Chemometric Techniques for Pharmaceutical Applications” through the American Chemical Society (ACS). The peer-reviewed and by invitation only ACS primer focuses on providing basic content about various spectroscopic and chemometric tools in pharmaceutical analyses.
Dr. Dumancas also won a research award that will allow him to work with some of the world’s leading scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, as a Visiting Faculty Fellow by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Just last year, Dr. Dumancas received a five-year, $1.158 million National Science Foundation funded Noyce Scholars grant to support future STEM high school teachers in high-need school districts. The grant provides scholarships and educational training support to 21 STEM students with a major or minor in secondary education.
Dr. Dumancas earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oklahoma State University.
Dr. Medhi joined the faculty at Scranton in 2022. A committed teacher and researcher, Dr. Medhi brings a broad background in applied materials chemistry. Under this NSF grant, Dr. Medhi is spearheading efforts to identify attributes of this spectroscopic invention for seamless technology transfer for industry-wide use. This invention could potentially revolutionize purity testing and tracing across the honey industry. He was previously a post-doctoral associate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he worked to develop anti-fouling surface coatings and anti-toxin fabrics. He has applied for two U.S. patents, has authored and co-authored studies that appeared in 12 peer-reviewed publications, in addition to multiple presentations made at national conferences.
Dr. Medhi is a member of the American Chemical Society. He earned both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in chemistry from Gauhati University in Guwahati, India, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Houston. At Houston, his research on optical nanomaterials earned him the Graduate Student Research Award, and the prestigious Dan E. Wells Outstanding Dissertation Award.
As managing director of North Country Bee Works, a family-owned apiary located in Western Pennsylvania, Dr. Crable is involved in the day-to-day operations of the business. He has extensive experience in the beekeeping and honey industry, and will guide the team in networking, understanding the supply chain, and commercial exploration of the relevant sectors.
Dr. Crable’s scientific research has been supported by the NSF, The Lake Lacawac Foundation, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory, among others. He has authored or co-authored articles in 12 peer-reviewed publications, which, together with his collaborators, have been cited over 1,000 times. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Vincent College and a master’s degree from Duquesne University. He completed a doctorate in microbiology at the University of Oklahoma. He also earned his MBA degree from The University of Scranton.
Professors Win NSF Grant to Test Purity of Honey
-
06/30/2023
More than 1,675 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2023 spring semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
A list of students making the Dean’s List can be seen here.
Additions to the Dean’s List for the spring semester can be seen here.
University Announces Spring 2023 Dean’s List
-
06/30/2023
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the fall 2022 semester after publication of the list in January of 2023.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2022 fall semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the fall 2022 Dean’s List are:
John P. CardigesLauren E. CawleyAdelle K. ConferAndrew R. HaggertyAlexis G. LatzanichKate E. MalloyJoshua W. MetzgerJohn J. SibioKathleen I. WallaceTerence M. WalshKerrigan E. WilsonStudents Added to Fall 2022 Dean’s List
-
06/28/2023
Twenty-Three members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 graduated from its Undergraduate Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.
The following is a list of the class of 2023 Undergraduate Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.
Maame E. Addison, Bloomfield, New Jersey, graduated as a neuroscience major. Addison worked with faculty advisor Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Effects of Propylthiouracil (PTU) on the Development of Zebrafish Larvae."
Teleri R. Broomhead, Lower Gwynedd, graduated, summa cum laude, as a business administration major. Broomhead worked with faculty advisor Ann (Nancy) Cummings, faculty specialist, Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, on a thesis titled "An Analysis of Remote Working Habits."
Conor J. Dougherty, Cape Coral, Florida, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Dougherty worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Exploring the Possibility of the Novel Object Recognition Task as a Valid Behavioral Assay Used in Camponotus floridanus." Dougherty was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Astrid P. D’Souza, Elmwood Park, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology major. D’Souza worked with faculty advisor Gerard G. Dumancas, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled "Physical and Chemical Characterization of Ugandan Honey and its Comparison to Manuka Honey."
Emily R. Fleming, Shavertown, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry major. Fleming worked with faculty advisor Timothy D. Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled "Selective Oxidation of Thiols on Alpha-Enolase Expand the physiological Significance of Protein Thiol-Based Redox Regulation and Reveal a Reductive Shift Following Postmortem Ischemia."
Nicole A. Freeman, New Tripoli, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology major. Freeman worked with faculty advisor Vincent Farallo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "The Effect of Thermally Different Habitats on the Metabolism of Plethodon cinereus Salamanders: Can They Stand the Heat?"
Julia M. Gavigan, Long Beach, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as a journalism - electronic media major. Gavigan worked with faculty advisor Brian Snee, Ph.D., associate professor of communication and media, on a thesis titled "Measuring the News Literacy of College Students."
Sydney L Gero, Somerset, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a criminal justice major. Gero worked with faculty advisor Sinchul Back, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice, cybersecurity and sociology, on a thesis titled "The Severity and Certainty of Punishment on the Cyberstalking Offense: An Application of Deterrence Theory."
Jena R. Guilfoyle, Yonkers, New York, graduated, cum laude, as a history major. Guilfoyle worked with faculty advisor Robert Shaffern, Ph.D., professor of history, on a thesis titled "Elizabeth Cary: A Conversion Story."
James C. Hornickle, Reading, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Hornickle worked with faculty advisor Timothy D. Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled "Reversible Oxidations of Alpha-Enolase Thiols Show a Reductive Shift Following Postmortem Ischemia and Support the Relevance of Redox Signaling in the Brain." Hornickle was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Kyle B. Hromisin, Dallas, graduated, magna cum laude, as a forensic chemistry major. Hromisin worked with faculty advisor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of organic chemistry, on a thesis titled "A Green Analysis of Acid-Catalyzed Aerobic Degradation of Polystyrene Under Mild Photochemical Conditions."
Adelyne R. Ibanez, Easton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a political science and philosophy double major. Ibanez worked with faculty advisor Michael E. Allison, Ph.D., professor of political science, on a thesis titled "Call of Duty: Refugees, National Security & Public Opinion." Ibanez was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Kyra M. Krzywicki, Kingston, graduated, summa cum laude, as a journalism - electronic media and theology and religious studies double major. Krzywicki worked with faculty advisor John Kilker, assistant professor of communication and media, on a thesis titled "I was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me: The Stories of Refugees in Scranton, Pennsylvania."
Sarah A. Liskowicz, Wilkes Barre, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and biomathematics double major. Liskowicz worked with faculty advisor Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Contributions of taurine and GABA to aggression in crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, and zebrafish, Danio rerio." Liskowicz was also the recipient of the University's full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Anne K. Murphy, Flemington, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a counseling and human services major. Murphy worked with faculty advisor Paul A. Datti, Ph.D., professor of counseling and human services, on a thesis titled "Analyzing Mental Health of Undocumented and Documented Hispanic and Latino/a/x/e College Students."
Emma C. Nessel, Randolph, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a psychology major. Nessel worked with faculty advisor Emily Hopkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled "Transmission of gender stereotypes from parent to child through play." Nessel was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Veronica I. Romanek, Hampton, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a physics and Spanish studies double major. Romanek worked with faculty advisor Nathaniel A. Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and engineering, on a thesis titled "Climatology of ionospheric Variability with MSTID Periods Observed Using Grape v1 HF Doppler Receivers."
Matthew G. Simms, Newtown, graduated, summa cum laude, as an environmental science and philosophy double major. Simms worked with faculty advisor Robert J. Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Meteorological Conditions Associated with Landbird Migratory Stopover in Northeastern Pennsylvania." Simms was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Nathaniel R. Smith, Wilkes Barre, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Smith worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Navigational failures in Camponotus floridanus due to an Antagonist of Serotonin." Smith was also a member of the University's Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Claire K. Sunday, South Abington Township, graduated, summa cum laude, as a theology and religious studies and philosophy double major. Sunday worked with faculty advisor Christopher M. Hauser, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy, on a thesis titled "Free Will: What, Why, and How?" Sunday was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and was the recipient of Scranton’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Julia E. Turnak, Hingham, Massachusetts, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major. Turnak worked with faculty advisor Cara Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "The Effects of Egg Brightness and Female Aggression on Male Parental Investment in House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon)."Turnak was also a member of the University's Magis Honors Program in STEM and its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Katherine A Welby, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and biology double major. Welby worked with faculty advisor Mary L. Troy, Ph.D., assistant professor of counseling and human services, on a thesis titled "Mental Health in NCAA Division III Student-Athletes."
Piper G. Yerkes, Pottstown, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and biology double major. Yerkes worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled "The Effect of Melatonin on the Locomotion and Circadian Rhythm of Camponotus floridanus."
Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, and Jill A. Warker, associate professor of psychology, serve as co-directors of the Undergraduate Honors Program.
Class of 2023 Honors Program Graduates
-
06/28/2023
Seven members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 graduated from its Magis Honors Program in STEM. The program, which began as a pilot program in the fall of 2017, combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society. The University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM was officially approved as the University’s fifth honors program in 2019.
The Magis Honors Program offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Courses taken over four years at Scranton combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students in the program develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2023 graduated as members of the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Cloe B. Capalongo, Scranton, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. Capalongo worked with faculty mentor Vinny Farallo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on her thesis project.
Angela R. Hudock, Sayre, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major. Hudock worked with faculty mentor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of organic chemistry, on her thesis project. Hudock was also the recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Taylor N. Moglia, Milford, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Moglia worked with faculty mentor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of organic chemistry, on her thesis project.
Michael Quinnan, Shavertown, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biomathematics major. Quinnan worked with faculty mentor Murong Xu, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics, on his thesis project. Quinnan was also the recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Danica May Nichole Ibanez Sinson, Floral Park, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major and was a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. Sinson worked with faculty mentor Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on her thesis project.
Nathaniel R. Smith, Wilkes-Barre, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience major and was a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program. Smith worked with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology, on his thesis project.
Julia E. Turnak, Hingham, Massachusetts, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major and was a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program and its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. Turnak worked with faculty mentor Kara Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on her thesis project.
Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Biology Department, serves as the director of the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Class of 2023 Graduates of Magis Honors Program
-
06/28/2023
Sixteen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 graduated from its Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program Business Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this program undergo four years of honors studies in the areas of economics, entrepreneurship, operations management, accounting, finance, international business, marketing and management, as well as a series of personal development extracurricular activities in the areas of service and career building.
The following is a list of the class of 2023 Business Honors Program graduates and their majors, as well as their faculty mentors and research project.
Christian J. Aldrich, Franklinville, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting and finance double major. Aldrich worked with faculty advisor Richard O'Hara, faculty specialist, Accounting Department, on a thesis titled "Development of the Auditing Field."
Catherine A. Bryceland, Bronxville, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance major. Bryceland worked with faculty advisor John Ruddy, D.P.S., associate professor of economics and finance, on a thesis titled "How Behavioral Finance Affects the East and West Coast."
Victoria A. Cavallaro, Williston, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a marketing and business analytics double major. Cavallaro worked with faculty advisor Mark Higgins, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management, on a thesis titled "Scranton Ignite Program's Social Media Improvement Strategy."
Kevin P. Duffy, Springfield, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Duffy worked with faculty advisor Amanda Marcy, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting, on a thesis titled "A Study of Technostress in Accounting Professionals."
Matthew J. Earley, Chalfont, graduated, summa cum laude, as a finance major. Earley worked with faculty advisor Ziqian Song, Ph.D., assistant professor of operations and analytics, on a thesis titled "Exploring the Challenges of Implementing Artifical Intelligence in the Financial Industry: A Comprehensive Review and Analysis." Earley was also a member of the University's Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program and was the recipient of the full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Andrew J. Faulkner, Randolph, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Faulkner worked with faculty advisor Amanda Marcy, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting, on a thesis titled "Diamond Foods, INC. Fraud."
Justin M. Galli, Wayne, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Galli worked with faculty advisor David Mahalak, D.Eng., faculty specialist, Operations and Analytics Department, on a thesis titled "Analyzing Potential External Factors that Affect Bankruptcy."
Teresa C. Hegarty, Bryn Mawr, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Hegarty worked with faculty advisor Richard O'Hara, faculty specialist, Accounting Department, on a thesis titled "Enablers in Auditing: How Automated Forecasting Tools Have Affected Auditing Over the Past 20 Years." Hegarty was also a member of the University's Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program.
Kaitlyn L. Kruszewski, Simsbury, Connecticut, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance major. Kruszewski worked with faculty advisor John Ruddy, D.P.S., associate professor of economics and finance on a thesis titled "Behavioral Finance: Filling the Gaps in Traditional Investment Theory."
Declan B. Maurer, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as an accounting major. Maurer worked with faculty advisor Richard O'Hara, faculty specialist, Accounting Department, on a thesis titled "The IRS's Use of Data Analytics in Relation to Tax Avoidance."
Annalisa M. Mechanick, Randolph, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Mechanick worked with faculty advisor Amanda Marcy, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting, on a thesis titled "Study of Business Student Experiences with Imposter Syndrome."
Dev U. Patel, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a business analytics major. Patel worked with faculty advisor Ozgur Isil, Ph.D., associate professor of operations and analytics, on a thesis titled "An Empirical Investigation of Covid-19 Volatility Dynamics on S&P 500 Index."
Daniella M. Savaglio-Rodriguez, Franklin Square, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a accounting major. Savaglio-Rodriguez worked with faculty advisor Douglas Boyle, D.B.A., professor and chair of the Accounting Department, on a thesis titled "Accounting Professional's Perceptions of the Importance of Various Communication Skills at Different Career Levels."
Jennifer R. Rossiter, Jenkintown, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance major. Rossiter worked with faculty advisor John Ruddy, D.P.S., associate professor of economics and finance, on a thesis titled "Evaluating a Portfolio and Making Investment Decisions." Rossiter was also a member of the University's Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program.
Jaclyn I. Vincenti, West Caldwell, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a marketing major. Vincenti worked with faculty advisor Abhijit Roy, D.B.A., professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, on a thesis titled "Nonprofit Social Media: Increasing Engagement and Event Promotion for Dress for Success Lackawanna." Vincenti was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Thomas A. Yager, Randolph, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Yager worked with faculty advisor Douglas Boyle, D.B.A., professor and chair of the Accounting Department, on a thesis titled "Homeboy Industries Cousulting Project." Yager was also a member of the University's Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program.
Aram Balagyozyan, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, serves as director of the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program Business Honors Program.
Class of 2023 Business Honors Program Graduates
-
06/28/2023
Seventeen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 graduated from its Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this highly-selective program explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
The following is a list of the class of 2023 Business Leadership Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Owen P. Ascher, Garden City, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting and finance double major.
Emma R. Boyle, Peckville, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major.
Caitlin C. Connallon, Cranston, Rhode Island, graduated, magna cum laude, as a communication and political science double major.
Kevin J. Connor, Taylor, graduated, magna cum laude, as a physiology major.
Thomas J. Csehovics, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance major.
Joshua T. DeMarco, Hillsdale, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a business analytics major.
Genna R. Dominguez, Flanders, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance and business analytics double major.
Matthew J. Earley, Chalfont, graduated, summa cum laude, as a finance major. Earley was also a member of the University's Business Honors Program. Earley was the recipient of the full tuition Presidential Scholarship
Teresa C. Hegarty, Bryn Mawr, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Hegarty was also a member of the University's Business Honors Program
Jillian D. Heier, Mickleton, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major.
Jessica M. Hook, Gouldsboro, graduated, magna cum laude, as a marketing major.
Jordyn S. Lieber, Edison, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a business administration major.
Francis J. Lynch, Richboro, graduated, summa cum laude, as an electrical engineering major.
Aiden P. Messett, Throop, graduated, summa cum laude, as an finance major.
Kayleigh S. Olszewski, Conshohocken, graduated, cum laude, as an accounting major.
Jennifer R. Rossiter, Jenkintown, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance major. Rossiter was also a member of the University's Business Honors Program
Thomas A. Yager, Randolph, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Yager was also a member of the University's Business Honors Program
Robert McKeage, Ph.D., associate professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, serves as director of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program.
2023 Business Leadership Honors Program Graduates
-
06/28/2023
Forty-two members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 graduated from its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA), which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in SJLA pursue a rigorous education designed to develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills through specially designed courses in philosophy, theology and literature.
The following is a list of the class of 2023 SJLA Honors Program graduates and their majors.
Emily M. Amershek, New Ringgold, graduated, summa cum laude, as a philosophy major. Amershek was the recipient of the University's full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Joseph T. Barry, Blue Point, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a political science and philosophy double major.
George D. Burke, Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, graduated as a political science and philosophy double major.
Mary E. Cabassa, Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, graduated, cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
Alexander J. Connor, Wayne, graduated, cum laude, as a criminal justice and philosophy double major.
James J. Cook, Toms River, New Jersey, graduated as a physiology major.
Moira C. Courtney, Hamilton, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a kinesiology and philosophy double major.
Amanda M. Danishanko, Wyoming, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major.
Conor J. Dougherty, Cape Coral, Florida, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Dougherty was also a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program.
Michael J. Edwards, Wadsworth, Ohio, graduated, summa cum laude, as a mathematics and philosophy double major. Edwards was the recipient of the University's full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Dominic G. Finan, Malvern, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Finan was the recipient of the University's full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Timothy A. Gallagher, River Vale, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a computer science and philosophy double major. Gallagher was the recipient of the University's full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Adam E. Hill, North Middletown, New Jersey, graduated, cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major.
Autumn M. Hirschfield, Southbury, Connecticut, graduated, magna cum laude, as a political science, psychology and philosophy triple major.
James C. Hornickle, Reading, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major. Hornickle was also a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program.
Adelyne R. Ibanez, Easton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a political science and philosophy double major. Ibanez was also a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program.
Elisabeth E. Johnson, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a political science and philosophy double major.
Ashley N. LoFaso, Seaford, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major.
Cole J. Miller, Levittown, graduated, cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
Ashley E. Morelli, Malvern, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
Molly C. Neeson, Pottstown, graduated, summa cum laude, as an environmental science and philosophy double major.
Emma C. Nessel, Randolph, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a psychology major. Nessel was also a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program.
Laura S. Petrera, Butler, New Jersey, graduated as a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major.
Jacob H. Rachwal, Bethlehem, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
James L. Russo, Franklin Square, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
Madison S. Schmerder, Vestal, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a physiology and philosophy double major.
Phillip Schoch, Allentown, graduated, cum laude, as a journalism - electronic media major.
Matthew G. Simms, Newtown, graduated, summa cum laude, as an environmental science and philosophy double major. Simms was also a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program.
Tess Rui Brady Sinclair, Bensalem, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
Danica May Nichole Ibanez Sinson, Floral Park, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. Sinson was also a member of the University's Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Lauren M. Staub, Harrisburg, graduated, magna cum laude, as a physiology and philosophy double major.
Christopher C. Stiles, Malvern, graduated as a political science and philosophy double major.
Claire K. Sunday, South Abington Township, graduated, summa cum laude, as a theology and religious studies and philosophy double major. Sunday was also a member of the University's Undergraduate Honors Program and was the recipient of the University's full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Julia E. Turnak, Hingham, Massachusetts, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major. Turnak was also a member of the University's Magis Honors Program in STEM and the Undergraduate Honors Program.
Jaclyn I. Vincenti, West Caldwell, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a marketing major. Vincenti was also a member of the University's Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program.
Joshua S. Vituszynski, Dickson City, graduated, summa cum laude, as a English and philosophy double major.
Andrew C. Vizzard, Havertown, graduated, magna cum laude, as a chemistry major.
Connor J. Waite, Ambler, graduated, magna cum laude, as a history and philosophy double major.
Kathleen I. Wallace, Bowie, Maryland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a philosophy and theology and religious studies double major. Wallace was the recipient of the University's full tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Elisa A. Yanni, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major.
Olivia A. Zehel, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major.
Sofia K. Zingone, Randolph, New Jersey, graduated as a physiology and philosophy double major.
Daniel Haggerty, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Philosophy Department, serves as the director of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program Graduates
-
06/27/2023
University of Scranton class of 2023 graduate Elise Westhafer, Reinholds, and class of 2022 graduate Isaiah Livelsberger, Hanover, have been awarded 2023-2024 Fulbright Student Scholarships, the premier international academic exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. Competitive, merit-based scholarships allow recipients to spend a year conducting research or teaching abroad.
Westhafer received a Fulbright Award to Slovenia where she will conduct research focusing on neurotransmitters in the aging brain at the University of Ljubljana. Livelsberger, received a Fulbright Award to Guatemala where he will study judicial reform in Guatemala by carrying out research at the Rafael Landívar University and at the Association for Research and Social Studies in Guatemala City.
“The Fulbright awards will give both exceptional graduates the ability to pursue research they are passionate about with world-class experts in their fields,” said Kara Kofira Bishop, University of Scranton Fulbright Program adviser. “An ardent researcher, Elise will work with Dr. Nina Vardjan, a member of the medical faculty at the Institute of Pathophysiology at the University of Ljubljana, to study brain metabolism and neuronal function to gain a better understanding of age-related decline. Zealous in pursuit of social justice, Isaiah will work with Professor Byron Morales of the Jesuit-run Rafael Landívar University, and Pablo Hurtado of the Association for Research and Social Studies to analyze how judicial institutions in Guatemala were impacted by the recently-retired International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala.”
According to Bishop, the Fulbright program awards grants based on the recipients’ records of academic achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. This year’s awards continue Scranton’s decades of success with the Fulbright program. Since 1972, a total of 129 University students have been awarded Fulbrights.
Elise Westhafer
Fulbright Award recipient Elise Westhafer is tremendously enthusiastic and skillfully strategic in her pursuit of finding ways to restore cognitive functions of the brain. Her plan builds a step-by-step guide to enable understanding of the causes and function of the brain in decline in order to achieve her ultimate goal of being able to reverse the process.
Westhafer graduated, summa cum laude, from The University of Scranton in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and a minor in philosophy. As a student, she developed research protocols and wrote successful grant proposals to fund a project with a new animal model at Scranton – the axolotl, an aquatic salamander, which she used to study regeneration of the central nervous system with her faculty mentor Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and director of Scranton’s Neuroscience Program. She was awarded multiple Neuroscience Student Research awards at Scranton and continued to hone her skills as a researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the summer of 2021.
At Scranton, Westhafer was a member of Nu Rho Psi, Phi Sigma Tau and Sigma Xi honor societies. She was also a member of the Society of Bioethics and the Neuroscience Society, where she held the office of treasurer during her senior year. She served as a tutor for the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning excellence for courses in general and organic chemistry, physics and calculus. She was also a member of PILLAR, an innovative new student-faculty partnership program at the University through which Westhafer worked with two faculty members to make diversity and inclusion changes in courses in real-time.
In addition to her high school studies, Westhafer leveraged the flexibility of being homeschooled to take college courses at Penn State Berks – and to travel.
“Instead of asking my parents for presents for my birthday, I asked for trips,” said Westhafer, and her parents gladly obliged. She visited historical parks throughout the United States, in addition to traveling to France, Italy, Ireland, Argentina and Costa Rica.
Westhafer is greatly looking forward to seeing Slovenia – and nearby countries in Europe – for the first time and continuing the next step of her research plan as a Fulbright Student Scholar.
When she returns to the United States, Westhafer will pursue a Ph.D. in neuroscience under the Integrated Biomedical Science program at the University of Kentucky and plans to apply to its M.D./Ph.D. program.
$content.getChild('content').textValueIsaiah Livelsberger
The Jesuit ideal of accompaniment lives within Isaiah Livelsberger.
As his year of service at the Kino Border Initiative continues, he hears daily of atrocities endured by refugees seeking safety and a more dignified future. He sees first-hand the problematic conditions for migrants created by governments, corruption and cartels. He sees their strength, determination, dignity and hope. He sees children who have left what little they had behind to travel hundreds of miles for reasons they do not yet fully comprehend.
He also sees the smiles brought to children’s faces by serving them a simple meal, playing soccer, or just being with them.
It is those moments that keep Livelsberger going, and motivate him to dedicate his life to improving the plight of people living in – or fleeing from – hostile conditions.
“I know I can’t fix the system, but each day, I can help someone and learn from their strength. I can listen to their stories. I can offer some food. I can play with the children,” said Livelsberger who attends to the needs of the 120 migrants under his care daily. “It is a very difficult situation. Emotions run high. It’s humbling to be someone that they can confide in and to help create an environment where they feel comfortable.”
Livelsberger’s next step on his path will be as Fulbright Student Scholar as he tries to better understand the causes of the conditions in Central American countries, and the efficacy of possible solutions. He will focus on the effectiveness of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) in prosecuting those responsible for human rights abuses, and the current judicial system post-CICIG, which ended in 2019.
Through the Fulbright award, Livelsberger will work with Byron Morales, a professor in the Rafael Landívar University’s Department of Juridical and Political Sciences and Pablo Hurtado, who serves at the Association for Research and Social Studies, which specializes in the judicial and CICIG-related investigations. Livelsberger will use existing data, as well as new information gathered from interviews with individuals that he will conduct as part of the project.
Livelsberger was active with social justice causes during his time as a student at The University of Scranton. He founded the “We Care Awareness Campaign,” co-founded “Students Helping Others Create Kinship,” served as co-president for Helping Professional Residential Learning Community, and was vice president of the Social Justice Club. He was also a mentor for the Meg Cullen Brown SMART Mentoring Program, a Royal-Ties mentor to first-year students, an instructor for English as a Second Language (ESL), a member of the United Cultures Organization Club, and was a resident assistant. He was also a Search Retreat group leader and participated in two domestic service trips. He served as an assistant researcher in Expert Witness Testimony for Asylum Seekers, and researched as a high Impact Practice Grant Recipient.
Livelsberger graduated, summa cum laude, from Scranton in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in both international studies and philosophy and minor in Spanish and a concentration in Latin American studies. He received the University’s Excellence in International Studies Award at commencement and participated in the University’s undergraduate Honors Program. He served as the president of the Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society, and the secretary of the Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society. He was also a member of the Pi Alpha Theta and Pi Sigma Alpha honor societies. He was the recipient of the President’s Fellowship for Summer Research, first place winner of Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy paper contest, the winner of the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize and a Student Fellow at the Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities. He also participated in the University’s Faculty Student Research Program.
Following his Fulbright year, Livelsberger will continue his social justice and advocacy work by pursuing either a law degree or a Ph.D.
Two University Graduates Win Fulbright Awards
-
06/23/2023
The University of Scranton received a total of $5,000 from two grants from Scranton Area Community Foundation (SACF) to support its SPARK Program, a free, week-long enrichment and mentoring summer camp for Scranton-area teens. The SPARK program received a $3,500 from the Women in Philanthropy initiative of the SACF and $1,500 Spring Community Needs grant from the SACF.
SPARK is designed to foster teamwork, encourage self-esteem and good decision-making and enhance communication skills through interactive educational and outdoor activities. Through shared meals offered through the camp, participants also forge a sense of community and belonging. Area students aged 12-16 who participate in SPARK are recruited through the Nativity Miguel School, the United Neighborhood Centers and Friends of the Poor.
SPARK is run by students from the University and Scranton Prep under the supervision of University staff and faculty. The camp takes place at the University’s Conference and Retreat Center at Chapman Lake one week in July.
SPARK also provides mentoring training and opportunities for service for University of Scranton and Scranton Prep students who volunteer to help run the program.
SPARK was founded in 2012 by Patricia Vaccaro, director of the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, and Danny Marx, a graduate of the University and Prep, who is now a mathematics teacher at Scranton Prep.
The mission of the Scranton Area Community Foundation, a public 501c3 community foundation, is to enhance the quality of life for all people in Northeastern Pennsylvania through the development of organized philanthropy. According to its website, the foundation serves as a steward, a grant-maker, a charitable resource and a catalyst for change. The foundation manages more than 300 charitable funds established by philanthropic individuals in our community and have granted more than $20 million to assist the educational, human service, environmental, civic, and arts and cultural organizations in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Scranton Area Community Foundation Awards Grants
-
06/20/2023
Summer orientation sessions for students, parents and guardians of The University of Scranton’s class of 2027 began June 20 with a health serving C.A.K.E. – not the dessert – but rather an acronym for advice on the keys to student success at Scranton.
Lauren Rivera, J.D., M.Ed., vice president for student life and dean of students at the University, offered incoming students and their parents and guardians a “road map” to a successful transition to college and an enriching education at Scranton. In her presentation, she used imaginative imagery and acronyms to help convey her important message.
Dean Rivera told parents their importance in their college-aged children’s lives hasn’t changed, but their role is now transitioning. She used a tandem bicycle to illustrate this point. Prior to college, parents were in the driver’s seat. In college, their children will now take over the position as driver, steering their way to a transformative education. Parents are still on the bike, only in a different position. She encouraged parents to consider how they will adapt to their new role as they continue to support and encourage their child’s success.
In addition to highlighting some of the Jesuit characteristics of a Scranton education, and discussing the multifaceted social, psychological and academic components of the college transition, Dean Rivera also offered C.A.K.E. as the key to student success at Scranton: connections; advocating and agency; knowing expectations; and engagement. She discussed each in more detail during her presentation on June 20 for the first orientation group, and will do the same for orientation groups on June 22, 26 and 29.
Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, who is also the parent of a member of Scranton’s class of 2027, welcomed the participants at the first orientation session.
Scranton’s summer orientation is designed to introduce new students and their families to the University’s procedures, facilities and support services, and to provide them with the opportunity to meet with faculty, administrators and staff, as well as each other.
This year’s student orientation team leaders are Julie Ciccarino ’24 from Scotch Plains, New Jersey, a forensic chemistry major; Mia Familetti ’25 from Dalton, a English, advertising and philosophy triple major and participant in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; and Alex Shomali ’25, Ellicott City, Maryland, mathematical sciences and philosophy double major and participant in the University’s Undergraduate Honors Program and its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, who is also a recipient of the University’s s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship. They are joining with University administrators, staff, faculty and nearly 60 student orientation assistants to help acquaint members of the incoming class to Scranton.
Sessions for students include information about academic life, the successful transition to college, Scranton’s inclusive community, campus life and mission and ministry, as well as smaller sessions for students to get to know each. Sessions for parents include information about academics, financial aid services, career development, mission and ministry, campus life and strategies for success.
Follow Scranton’s Facebook, Instagram and other social media channels for additional information and photos from the Orientation sessions.
Fall welcome weekend for incoming students is set for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26 and 27. Classes for the University’s fall semester will begin on campus on Monday, Aug. 28.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudent Success at Scranton is a Piece of C.A.K.E.
-
06/15/2023
Thanks to the generosity of University of Scranton students – and a colossal initiative led by the Center for Service and Social Justice – thousands of items destined for area landfills now continue to be used by hundreds of local families. The end-of-the-year drive, through which students leaving campus are encouraged to donate rather than discard items they no longer need, collected more than 120 area rugs and more than 75 mirrors, in addition to storage containers, fans, desk lamps, crock pots, pots and pans, dishes, mugs, silverware, kitchen utensils, towels, new bedding, small appliances, canned goods, personal hygiene products, sleeping bags, backpacks, laundry detergent, throw pillows, toys and games, holiday items, curtains/drapes and many, many other items.
Goods donated were collected and sorted by University students under the supervision of the Center for Service and Social Justice staff. Items were then donated to Friends of the Poor Housing Developments (Valley View Housing and Jackson Terrace), Warehouse Home Goods and Clothesline for Men programs; United Neighborhood Centers Angels Attic; the Community Intervention Center and even the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, which took used blankets, sheets and comforters that other agencies could not take.
Among the University students participating in the end-of-the-year drive were: Stephen Butler, Telford; Fanelysse de la Rosa, New York, New York; Brandon Dagrosa, Hazle Township; Victoria Dowling, East Newport, New York; Matthew Duffy, Plainview, New York; Fione Evans, Scranton; Ariana Flores, Springfield, New Jeresey; Erin Fowler, Washington, New Jersey; Patrick George, Endicott, New York; Stefania Gomess, Staten Island, New York; Chris Gutt, Narberth; Zoe Honney, Scranton; Christina Kennedy, Morristown, New Jersey; Kyle Kennelly, Huntington, New York; Jenna Kotlar, Branchburg, New Jersey; Grace Lloyd, Yardley; Aiden Mackrell, Olyphant; Thomas Marine, Cockeysville, Maryland; Kelly McGovern, Manalapan, New Jersey; Brooke McNabola, Wallingford, Connecticut; Isabella Mesita, Hillsborough, New Jersey; John Molinelli, Westfield, New Jersey; Zachary Morrison, Shamong, New Jersey; Logan Muniz, Ringwood, New Jersey; Julie Rogel, Huntington, New York; Abby Walsh, Scranton; and Isabelle Wohlleber, Hazleton; and end-of-the-year-drive team leaders Abby Casal, South Abington Township, and Maria Manno, Blue Bell.
The drive, already in its 34th year at Scranton, is among the sustainability initiatives recommended for schools to undertake as part of the seven-year process to be designated by the Vatican as a Laudato Si’ University. The University of Scranton began its journey for Laudato Si’ recognition this academic year.
Giving to Others in Action
-
06/14/2023
The University of Scranton and Seton Hall University School of Law have signed a direct admissions agreement that will allow Scranton students who meet program requirements to be eligible for admission to the prestigious law school after just three years at Scranton. The agreement will take effect beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year.
The agreement, commonly referred to as a “3-3 program,” will allow Scranton students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Scranton and a juris doctor (J.D.) degree, or a master of legal studies (M.L.S.) degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in six, rather than seven years. After completion of their junior year at Scranton, the agreement allows eligible J.D. students to earn up to 30 credits – and M.L.S. students to earn up to 18 credits – for their bachelor’s degree requirements, during the first year at Seton Hall Law. Approved first-year law courses would count toward both the student’s law degree and his or her bachelor’s degree at Scranton.
To be eligible for the 3-3 J.D. direct admission program with Seton Hall Law, students must have completed three years of coursework and have earned a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.63 at the time of matriculation to law school and have scored at or above 161 on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), in addition to meeting other required recommendations, character and fitness requirements, and remaining in good academic and discipline standing through matriculation at Scranton.
To be eligible for the 3-3 M.L.S. direct admission program with Seton Hall Law, students must have completed three and one-half years of coursework and have earned a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 at the time of matriculation to law school, in addition to meeting other character and fitness requirements, while remaining in good academic and discipline standing through matriculation at Scranton.
Scranton has a Pre-Law Advisory Program that helps students navigate the law school application process throughout their undergraduate years. The program also offers assistance to Scranton alumni who wish to apply to law school. The University offers a concentration in legal studies. Scranton also has 3-3 program agreements with Boston College Law School, Duquesne University School of Law, Penn State Law and Villanova School of Law.
In the past four years, more than 130 Scranton graduates have received acceptance into more than 50 law schools throughout the United States, including to some of the country’s most prestigious law schools.
For more information, visit Scranton’s pre-law webpage, or contact Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., pre-law advisor and professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-5814 or matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.
$content.getChild('content').textValueSeton Hall Law Direct Admissions Agreement Signed
-
06/12/2023
For nearly two decades, Sondra Myers has done her best to “bring the world to Scranton,” and “that she did with magnificent grace,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, in a message to the University community celebrating her contributions.
Following this spring’s slate of programs, Myers stepped down from her post as the founding director of The University of Scranton’s highly popular Schemel Forum, which for the past 17 years has brought a who’s who of notable thinkers to the city for engaging discussions geared around everything from geopolitics to history to literature.
Since its creation, the aim of the education and cultural enrichment program has always been the same – to provide people of all ages with the chance to be exposed to the intellectual and cultural wonders of the world.
“I’m not calling it a retirement, because I don’t look at it that way,” said Myers, the University’s senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects. “I still want to keep busy and try new things. But I thought it was a good time to exit. I have to say, it’s been a very rewarding experience, and I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. I can’t believe how much it’s grown over the years.”
The origins for the Schemel Forum go back to the 1980s and ’90s, when Myers served as the cultural adviser to Pennsylvania Governor Robert P. Casey and then the special assistant to the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. An author and frequent lecturer on the arts, humanities and civil society who focuses primarily on the integration of culture into public policy in the United States and the strengthening of the culture of democracy worldwide, Myers wanted to bring similarly themed programming to the area.
For additional inspiration, she looked to local oncologist Harmar Brereton, M.D., who along with some friends had started meeting informally to discuss literature, art, and history.
With that framework in place, Myers approached then-University President the Rev. Scott Pilarz, S.J., and then-Provost Harold Baillie, Ph.D. Both loved the idea, and the Schemel Forum was born in July 2006 with funding from the Rev. George Schemel, S.J., Fund, which was created by friends of the beloved campus Jesuit.
The first Schemel events were held that fall, and quickly caught on with members of the University community and the general public.
“We started to get real audiences, and then I knew we were onto something,” Myers said. “The people have been so wonderful and appreciative – I love seeing that they still have that hunger for learning. Many of them come back year after year. It’s adding value to their lives, and that makes me happy.”
Every fall and spring semester, the Schemel Forum hosts a schedule of uniquely themed Courses, World Affairs Luncheon Seminars, and Collaborative Programs, which the University partners on with other local organizations.
The Courses consist of a series of evening classes typically taught by University faculty members and geared around a central theme that aligns with their scholarly focus, be it detective fiction, Eastern philosophy, or modern American conservatism.
“The faculty members love teaching the courses, and they love the fact that the people who attend actually ask questions, unlike some of their students,” Myers said with a laugh.
For the World Affairs lectures, Myers brings in an eclectic roster of speakers, from journalists to historians to novelists. Often, she relies on her extensive network of contacts, or simply reaches out to people whose work she particularly admires. Many guests have agreed to come for well below their typical asking price, she noted.
The list of highly accomplished World Affairs speakers includes Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhtar, longtime CNN journalist and Dunmore native Jill Dougherty (pictured with Myers above), and Dr. Carol Rittner, a Catholic nun and Holocaust historian who Myers collaborated with on the Academy Award-nominated short documentary, “The Courage to Care.”
As she prepared to relinquish her duties, Myers said she’ll take with her countless great memories, and tremendous pride in having built from the ground up a home where thought-provoking ideas could be shared freely.
“Knowing Sondra, she will never truly retire, but will continue her great work on other projects of interest, which I am sure will continue to benefit the region and beyond,” said Father Marina.
“I really did want to bring the world to Scranton, and I think we’ve done that,” Myers said. “It’s become a real wonderful part of the University and I hope it remains that way after I leave.”
The University hosted a tribute to Sondra Myers in April on campus.
$content.getChild('content').textValueFounding Schemel Forum Director Sondra Myers
-
06/05/2023
Eleven members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony held in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall on campus on May 20. Six of the graduates earned Distinguished Military Graduate status by the U.S. Army, which designates placement in the top 20 percent of Army ROTC graduates in the nation for this academic year.
The University of Scranton ROTC graduates who were commissioned at the ceremony are:
2nd Lt. Emma R. Coar of Dunmore, Distinguished Military Graduate, who placed in the top 10 cadets in the nation, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international studies;
2nd Lt. Steven D. Gasperini of Denville, New Jersey, Distinguished Military Graduate, who placed in the top 10 percent of cadets in the nation, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international studies;
2nd Lt. Rachel K. Gerzabek of East Hampton, Connecticut, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and criminal justice;
2nd Lt. Adelyne R. Ibanez of Easton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and philosophy;
2nd Lt. Sarah G. Kern of Monroe, New York, Distinguished Military Graduate, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
2nd Lt. Julie R. Kilmer of Rockville, Maryland, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice;
2nd Lt. Henry J. Lembo II of Hackettstown, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in applied computing;
2nd Lt. Declan B. Maurer of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, Distinguished Military Graduate, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting as a member of the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program;
2nd Lt. Josephine C. Middleton of Sugarloaf, Distinguished Military Graduate, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
2nd Lt. Thomas A. Montefour of Carbondale, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science;
2nd Lt. Zachary J. Turnitza of Cumbola, Distinguished Military Graduate, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.
Members of The University of Scranton’s ROTC class of 2023, presented colors to begin the undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 21. The graduates who presented colors at commencement were 2nd Lt. Steven Gasperini; 2nd Lt. Zachary Turnitza, 2nd Lt. Thomas Montefour, 2nd Lt. Josephine Middleton and 2nd Lt. Declan B. Maurer.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Graduates Commissioned as Second Lieutenants
-
06/05/2023
Student members of The University of Scranton’s Business Club selected David Mahalak, D. Eng., a faculty specialist in the Operations and Analytics Department, as the 2023 Kania School of Management Professor of the Year. The announcement was made a luncheon reception in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on campus May 11.
“My favorite aspect of teaching is the connection with students,” said Dr. Mahalak in a Royal News article published in 2022. “I do my best to create an environment of mentorship where people can share wisdom to help others see opportunities.”
In the article, Dr. Mahalak said he focuses on connecting students with educational and professional opportunities throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania. In addition, he has worked personally with students on supply chain management and process improvement internships.
Dr. Mahalak also serves as advisor to the University’s Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) chapter that recently earned the third place for state of chapter presentation and second place for the Gold Seal Award of Merit, which recognizes outstanding FBLA chapters in the state, at the 2023 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference. Students also won individual awards at the conference and advanced to the national competition which will be held later in June.
Dr. Mahalak joined the faculty at Scranton in 2021. His areas of research interests include decision analysis, supply chain management, lean six sigma, process improvement, statistics and data analysis/management.
He received a Doctorate of Engineering in Engineering Management from The George Washington University, a Master of Science in Operations Research from Northeastern University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics with a minor in Secondary Education from Wilkes University. He has also completed master certificate programs at Michigan State University and Villanova University.
In addition to Dr. Mahalak, the business club students presented awards to several other faculty members. Ashley Stampone, assistant professor, received the Accounting Department Teacher of the Year Award. Aram Balagyozyan, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics, received the Economics and Finance Department Teacher of the Year Award. Greg O’Connell, J.D., faculty specialist, received the Management, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship Department Teacher of the Year Award. Vincent Rocco, faculty specialists, received the Operations and Analytics Department Teacher of the Year Award.
Students Pick 2023 KSOM Professor of the Year
-
05/24/2023
Nearly 300 students in grades five to 12 participated in The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest this year. Awards were announced at the University’s Evening of Environmental Science Event on campus in April.
This year’s essay theme was “People’s Planet, Climate Justice.”
Four of the six fifth-grade essay contest winners were from All Saints Academy in Scranton. These students include Lila Tallo, first place; Griffin Maynor, second place; Liam Marante, second place and Talia Lameo, third place. The other fifth-grade winners came from St. Claire/St. Paul’s in Scranton. Brian Clarke won first place and Annie Butler won third place.
The sixth-grade students that took first place in the essay contest were Tommy Killino, from All Saints Academy and Jimmy Doherty, from St Claire/St. Paul’s. The students who won second place were John Paul Kasaczun, from All Saints Academy and Mya DeSantis, from St Claire/St. Paul’s. Receiving a third-place award were Kelly Heffron and Cecelia Gilmartin, both from St. Claires/St. Paul’s.
The first-place winner of the seventh-grade essay contest was Jazleymi V., from Howard Gardner School in Scranton. In second-place was Niko Benko, from All Saints Academy and in third-place was Raeleigh Reiss, also from Howard Gardner.
The eight-grade first-place winners were Mary Guziewicz, from Howard Gardner School and Nethra Purushothaman, from Herndon, Virginia. In second place were Isabella Benjamin, from St Claire/St. Paul’s and Edie Hann, from Scranton STEMM Academy. The third-place winners were Fallon Price, from All Saints Academy and Rebecca Oakes, from Howard Gardner school.
The ninth-10th grade essay contest winners were: Grace Becklish, first place, North Pocono High school; Clinton J Muir, second place, Holy Cross High School; Emma Woody, second-place, Holy Cross High School; and
The 11th-12th grade essay contest winners were all from West Scranton High School. Coming in first-place was Ally Anderson; in second place was Katherine Barnansky and in third-place was Ella Frounfelker.
University of Scranton students who work in the Jesuit school’s Office of Sustainability reviewed the essays submitted, in addition to organizing the award ceremony Nathaniel Smith, Wilkes-Barre, a neuroscience major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and its Undergraduate Honors Program, served as MC for the award presentation. University student Amelia Farry, South Abington Township, also participated in the ceremony. Mark Murphy, director of the Office of Sustainability at the University, has organized the Earth Day Essay Contest for a decade.
Information about next year’s essay contest will be posted to the University’s Sustainability webpage in January 2024.
Below, from left: University of Scranton students Amelia Farry, South Abington Township, and Nathaniel Smith, Wilkes-Barre; Earth Day Essay Contest 6th grade medalists Tommy Killino, All Saints Academy, and John Paul Kasaczun, All Saints Academy; and Mark Murphy, director of the Office of Sustainability at the University. Gallery shows photos from the Evening of Environmental Science.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Presents Earth Day Essay Contest Awards
-
05/23/2023
Nearly 70 members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 participated in the Jesuit school’s Donning of the Stole Ceremony. The annual ceremony celebrates and honors the accomplishments of members of its class of 2023 from underrepresented identities who received their undergraduate degrees. The purpose of the ceremony, which was a student-led initiative, was to highlight the students’ success in overcoming the particular barriers and obstacles faced by students from these groups, particularly students of color, in attaining a higher education.
The students honored include outstanding academic and leadership achievement award recipients, future physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, counselors, accountants, business analysts, forensic chemists, nurses and many other highly-successful members of the University’s graduating class.
The ceremony, organized by the student committee members and Jose Sanchez, assistant director of the University’s Cultural Centers, took place on campus May 20 as part of Scranton’s commencement activities and events. Janvee Patel, a health administration major from Scranton, spoke on behalf of the class of 2023. Deniya Thompson, of Scranton’s class of 2020, was the Alumni Speaker and Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University, provided the opening remarks. Also speaking at the ceremony were Sanchez; Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry; and members of the University’s class of 2023 Omolola Adetola, a journalism and electronic media from Bowie, Maryland; and Ayana McCalla, a sociology major from North Baldwin, New York.
Members of Scranton’s class of 2023 receiving stoles were:
Daymara C. Acevedo, Philadelphia, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Carmen G. Acosta, Bronx, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Maame E. Addison, Bloomfield, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Omolola G. Adetola, Bowie, Maryland, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and electronic media;
Aditya Agrawal, Old Forge, who earned a Master of Accountancy degree in accounting analytics;
Erika Aguilar, Throop, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history;
Valerie A. Alfaro, Deer Park, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education - English and English;
Melissa D. Almada, Bernardsville, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Paul Amara, Williamsport, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting;
Gabriel Arcentales, Lyndhurst, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing;
Alice B. Banks, Hazle Township, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Isabella R. Barberio, Leland, North Carolina, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in advertising/public relations and social media strategies;
Jonathane R. Bernardez, Bronx, New York,w ho earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Ryann E. Betancourt, North Bellmore, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Natanael Casiano-Agosto, Trenton, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology;
Carissa A. Ceballo, Stroudsburg, who earned a Master of Science degree in clinical mental health counseling;
Ying Chen, People's Republic of China, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in human resources studies;
Arielle S. Contrera, Brooklyn, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English;
Miranda A. Deevy, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice and sociology;
Abigail M. Eckenrode, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
Jessica M. Escalante, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and history;
Naomie T. Felix, Flanders, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
Gianna C. Filiberti, Eastchester, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
Romina B. Gamarra, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in counseling and human services;
Gabriel Gomez-Tirado, Bronx, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology;
Gabriela A. Gonzalez, Farmingdale, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international business;
Tika M. Kadariya, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health administration;
Marilena Kumbios, Staten Island, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting;
Kaylee E. Lopez, New York, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
Ian J. Lui, Brooklyn, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history;
Christine F. Mack, Rochelle Park, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Megan Magallanes, Chester, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Erica Jeanne C. Mascardo, Kansas City, Missouri, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Steve Shabu Mathew, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering management;
Ayana McCalla, North Baldwin, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology;
Mei Lin Q. McElhill, Moorestown, New Jersey, who earned a Master of Science degree in clinical mental health counseling;
Ashley Moronta, Hazleton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forensic chemistry;
Damain D. Morris, East Stroudsburg, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology;
Kimberly J. Murillo, Harrison, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice;
Adeyemi A. Onafowokan, Garfield, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in counseling and human services;
Diya S. Patel, Parsippany, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science and criminal justice;
Drashti A. Patel, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Hirali Patel, East Stroudsburg, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and management;
Janvee U. Patel, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health administration;
Jenis A. Patel, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science;
Siddharth A. Patel, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry;
Yashi D. Patel, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Juna Pokhrel, Taylor, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Skyler A. Pozo, Wayne, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education - citizenship and political science and political science;
Johanna N. Rene, Union, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Ariana L. Rivera, New Haven, Connecticut, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Daniella M. Rodriguez, Franklin Square, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting;
James L. Russo, Franklin Square, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and philosophy;
Vanessa E. Ryan, Wyoming, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Kasey Samalot, Port Jervis, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Sara T. Serrano, Milford, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in advertising/public relations and social media strategies;
Gaurav A. Shah, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Tanya M. Siberon, North Baldwin, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and counseling and human services;
Gracie F. Silva, Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology;
Danica May Nichole I. Sinson, Floral Park, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and philosophy;
Anaiyah D. Smith, Bethel, Connecticut, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice;
Natalie E. Tiu, Metuchen, New Jersey, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology;
Michael G. Trought, New Rochelle, New York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology;
Luis A. Vasquez, West Hazleton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in counseling and human services;
Stephanie C. Vasquez, Scranton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education - citizenship and history and history;
Andrea Velez, Easton, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Ying Wang, York, who earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.
University Celebrates Donning of the Stole Ceremony
-
05/23/2023
William Lambert, faculty specialist for occupational therapy, was named Teacher of the Year by The University of Scranton’s class of 2023. The award was presented at Class Night on May 19.
The award honors a faculty member who maintains high standards of academic excellence and fairness, and through enthusiasm and dedication, inspires the interest of students in a field of education. The University’s Faculty Senate Academic Support Committee instituted the award in 1996.
Prof. Lambert joined the faculty at Scranton in 2009 and has more than 22 years of experience working with children, adolescents and families in inpatient and community settings. At the University, he teaches the psychosocial-based courses and has conducted ongoing research on current preferred adolescent interests and occupations. He developed the Scranton Adolescent Interest Checklist © as a contemporary assessment tool for use with this population.
Prof. Lambert authored chapters on both children and adolescents in Cara and MacRae’s 2019 textbook “Psychosocial Occupational Therapy: An Evolving Process” and on posttraumatic stress disorder in Weiss, Morgan, and Kinnealey’s “A Practitioners Guide to Clinical Occupational Therapy,” published in 2012. Prof. Lambert was the lead author of the psychosocial chapters in the National Occupational Therapy Certification Exam Review and Study Guide, published in 2019, and the National OTA Certification Exam Review and Study Guide, both edited by Rita P. Fleming-Castaldy. He has presented numerous times at state and national occupational therapy conferences.
Prof. Lambert is on the editorial board of the journal Occupational Therapy in Healthcare. He is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists
Prof. Lambert earned a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from King’s College, a bachelor’s in occupational therapy from Misericordia University and a master’s in occupational therapy from The University of Scranton.
A recording of the Class Night ceremony can be seen here.
Graduating Class of 2023 Names Teacher of the Year
-
05/23/2023
The University of Scranton recognized outstanding master’s and doctoral degree graduates at its graduate commencement events the weekend of May 19-21, including at the graduate commencement ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre.
The following graduate students were honored for achievement in their academic area.
Hailey M. Kenyon, Ringoes, New Jersey, received the Doctor of Physical Therapy Outstanding Student Award;
Laura B. Lamb, Oswego, New York, received the Doctor of Philosophy in Accounting Outstanding Student Award;
Thomas P. Simanski, South Abington Township, received the Doctor of Nursing Practice Outstanding Student Award for Nurse Anesthesia;
Khadiga A. AboBakr, Dunmore, received the Outstanding Student Award for Secondary Education;
Abigail Sarah Anderson, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Finance;
Mariah A. Carey, Kingston, received the Outstanding Student Award for Clinical Mental Health Counseling;
Charles M. Csaszar, Hopewell Junction, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Accounting Analytics;
Michelle E. Culley, Park City, Utah, received the Outstanding Student Award for Applied Behavior Analysis;
Kate N. Dalrymple, Berwick, received the Outstanding Student Award for Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling;
Gabriella Ettinger, Scott Township, received the Outstanding Student Award for Family Nurse Practitioner;
Mark J. Ferraro, Jessup, received the Outstanding Student Award for Chemistry;
Christopher A. Franko, Falls, received the Outstanding Student Award for Business Analytics;
Clarence J. Gallagher, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Software Engineering;
Pamela Gagliardi Giarratano, Mountain Top, received the Outstanding Student Award for General Business Administration;
Nicole E. Halis, Morris Plains, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Human Resources;
Jamie R. Johns, Shavertown, received the Outstanding Student Award for Finance;
Aayush H. Kubavat, Baltimore, Maryland, received the Outstanding Student Award for Health Administration;
Alexander Kudziela, Avenel, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Enterprise Resource Planning;
Matthew Lara, East Stroudsburg, received the Outstanding Student Award for Biochemistry;
Reilly J. Medzadourian, Township Washington, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Special Education;
Kevin R. Merle, Stroudsburg, received the Outstanding Student Award for Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity;
Neel C. Patel, Essex Fells, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Healthcare Management;
Jillian R. Paulus, Dickson City, received the Outstanding Student Award for School Counseling;
Delia M. Pellettiere, Staten Island, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Occupational Therapy;
Christina F. Piscitelli, New City, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Operations Management;
Naushaba Khan Rasha, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Business Analytics;
Sherlyn E. Smithmyer, Lewisberry, received the Outstanding Student Award for Human Resources Management;
Kimberly A. Stossel, East Stroudsburg, received the Outstanding Student Award for Marketing;
Mary Kate Yatsonsky, Jefferson Township, received the Outstanding Student Award for Accounting.
Pictured below, outstanding student award recipients from the Panuska College of Professional Studies include, first row, from left: Khadiga A. AboBakr, Dunmore; Reilly J. Medzadourian, Township Washington, New Jersey; Jillian R. Paulus, Dickson City; Michelle E. Culley, Park City, Utah; Hailey M. Kenyon, Ringoes, New Jersey; and Gabriella Ettinger, Scott Township. Back row: Aayush H. Kubavat, Baltimore, Maryland; Delia M. Pellettiere, Staten Island, New York; Thomas P. Simanski, South Abington Township; Kate N. Dalrymple, Berwick; and Mariah A. Carey, Kingston.
$content.getChild('content').textValueOutstanding Master’s and Doctoral Graduates Awarded
-
05/23/2023
The University of Scranton honored 62 members of its undergraduate class of 2023 for academic excellence, service or both at a Class Night ceremony on campus May 19.
Students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges were presented Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence, a memorial to the late administrator who served the University for 53 years.
Class of 2023 O’Hara Award recipients were: Rosa M. Azzato, Harrisburg, and Cassandra K. Haw, Scranton, for the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Kevin P. Duffy, Springfield, New Jersey, for the Kania School of Management; and Dominic G. Finan, Malvern, for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Also recognized at the ceremony were two recipients of prestigious student Fulbright Awards for the 2023/2024 academic year. Elise P. Westhafer, Reinholds, of the class of 2023, received a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award to Slovenia; and Isaiah J. Livelsberger, Hanover, of the University’s class of 2022, received a Fulbright Open Study/Research Award to Guatemala.
In addition, students were honored for outstanding academic achievement in their fields of study and leadership and service.
The students honored and the awards received are as follows:
Azzato also received the Excellence in Occupational Therapy Award;
Alice B. Banks, Hazle Township, received the Excellence in Finance Award;
Brian W. Bartoli, Duryea, received the Excellence in Economics Award (College of Arts and Sciences);
Darby M. Bennett, Panama City, Florida, received the Excellence in Biology Award;
Emma R. Boyle, Peckville, received the Excellence in Accounting Award;
Teleri R. Broomhead, Lower Gwynedd, received the Excellence in Business Administration Award;
Chutikarn Chantavoralak, Scranton, received the Excellence in Chemistry Award;
Emma R. Coar, Dunmore, received the Excellence in International Studies Award and The Military Science Leadership Award;
Brandon J. DaGrosa, Hazle Township, received the Excellence in Health Administration Award and the Jesuit Community Award for Outstanding Service;
Marykate M. De Notaris, Hershey, received the Excellence in Health Promotion Award;
Thomas G. Del Gaizo, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Operations Management Award;
Olivia N. Diana, Marlboro, New Jersey, received the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Award;
McCae A. Dougher, Scranton, received the Prof. Joseph G. Brunner Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages;
Clara M. Downey, Easthampton, Massachusetts, received the Prof. Timothy H. Scully for Excellence in Political Science Award and the Student Life Award;
Hailey K. Dufour, Wayne, received the Excellence in Health Advocacy Award;
Michael J. Edwards, Wadsworth, Ohio, received the Excellence in Mathematics Award;
Keenaan N. Elias, Bethlehem, received the Excellence in Business Analytics Award;
Molly A. Feustel, Endicott, New York, received the Excellence in Applied Mathematics Award;
Daniel Finning, Rockville Centre, New York, received the Prof. Frank C. Brown Award for Excellence in History;
Emily R. Fleming, Shavertown, received the Excellence in Biochemistry Award;
Julia M. Gavigan, Long Beach, New York, received the Prof. Bernard J. McGurl Award for Excellence in Communication;
Sydney L. Gero, Somerset, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Criminal Justice Award;
Colin P. Gildea, Jupiter, Florida, received the Excellence in Information Technology Award;
Gabriela A. Gonzalez, Farmingdale, New York, received the Excellence in International Business Award;
Jillian E. Haller, Williston Park, New York, received the Lawrence A. Mann Award, ex aequo;
Angela R. Hudock, Sayre, received the J.J. Quinn, S.J., Achievement Award for Demonstration of Excellence in English Studies;
Christopher Ruth Karpiak, Scranton, received the Excellence in Theatre Award;
Alex B. Kovacs, River Vale, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Economics Award;
Kaitlin E. Kremsky, Doylestown, received the Excellence in Kinesiology Award;
Oliver I. Lay, Fairfield, Connecticut, received the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award;
Jack V. Lear, Chester Springs, received the Excellence in Middle Level Teacher Education Award;
Henry J. Lembo, Hackettstown, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Applied Computing Award;
Sarah A. Liskowicz, Wilkes Barre, received the J. Timothy Cannon Award for Excellence in Neuroscience;
Francis J. Lynch, Richboro, received the Dr. A.J. Cawley Award for Excellence in Electrical Engineering;
Thomas J. Meehan, Elmhurst Township, received the Excellence in Computer Science Award;
Ashley Moronta, Hazleton, received the Excellence in Forensic Chemistry Award;
Damain D. Morris, East Stroudsburg, received the Excellence in Physiology Award;
Matthew D. Morris, Bayville, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Chemistry Business Award;
Anne K. Murphy, Flemington, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Counseling and Human Services Award;
Kelly E. Nee, Hopatcong, New Jersey, received the J. Harold Brislin Memorial Award for Excellence in Journalism;
Molly C. Neeson, Pottstown, received the Excellence in Environmental Science Award;
Emma C. Nessel, Randolph, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Psychology Award;
Jennifer L. Noll, Paoli, received the Excellence in Early and Primary Education Award;
Dev U. Patel, Scranton, received the Edward J. Spitzer Scholarship Award;
Hirali Patel, East Stroudsburg, received the Excellence in Management Award and the Lawrence A. Mann Award, ex aequo;
David A. Pennino, Smithtown, New York, received the Mary E. Quinn Award for Excellence in Secondary Education;
Shontae A. Petrie, Brooklyn, New York, received the Excellence in Sociology Award;
Colin S. Pierce, Chatham, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Cybercrime and Homeland Security Award;
Michael Quinnan, Shavertown, received the Excellence in Biomathematics Award;
Maria Rocha, Bound Brook, New Jersey, received the Lawrence Lennon Award for Outstanding Service and Achievement in Psychology;
Muhammad Shaaf Sarwar, Qazalbash Chowk, Pakistan, received the Excellence in Mathematical Sciences Award and the Prof. Joseph P. Harper Award for Excellence in Physics;
Claire K. Sunday, South Abington Township, received the Excellence in Theology and Religious Studies Award;
Zachary J. Turnitza, Cumbola, received the Excellence in Nursing Award;
Joshua S. Vituszynski, Dickson City, received the Prof. Joseph B. Cullather Award for Excellence in English;
Kathleen I. Wallace, Bowie, Maryland, received the Excellence in Philosophy Award and the Alumni Loyalty and Service Award;
Michael J. Walton, Gloucester City, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Marketing Award;
Saige E. Yoder, Reading, received the Excellence in Human Resources Studies Award;
Olivia A. Zehel, Scranton, received the Excellence in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Award. $content.getChild('content').textValueOutstanding Graduates Recognized at Class Night
-
05/21/2023
The University of Scranton conferred more than 500 master’s and doctoral degrees at its graduate commencement ceremony on May 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre. Degrees were conferred to graduates who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2022, as well as January and May of 2023.
At the ceremony, the University conferred its first doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in accounting degrees to 12 graduates. The University also conferred doctor of nursing practice degrees and doctor of physical therapy degrees, in addition to master’s degrees in various disciplines. Graduates represented 27 states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Virginia, among others. Students also represented Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia and India. The programs with the most graduates were the master of business administration, master of health administration, master of occupational therapy, master of accountancy and doctor of physical therapy.
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, addressed the graduates at the ceremony, and conferred degrees upon candidates presented by Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; David Dzurec, Ph.D., interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Mark Higgins, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management.
Max Saintvil, Queens Village, New York, who earned his Master of Health Administration degree from Scranton, spoke on behalf of the class of 2023.
Also speaking at the ceremony were Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Paul DiPietrantonio ’97, president of the University’s Alumni Society. Teresa Conte, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, provided the Benediction and Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry, provided the Invocation.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Confers Master’s and Doctoral Degrees
-
05/20/2023
The University of Scranton conferred more than 850 bachelor’s degrees at its undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre. Degrees were conferred to graduates who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2022, as well as January and May of 2023.
Members of the University’s undergraduate class of 2023 represent 17 states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Undergraduate majors with the most graduates are nursing, kinesiology, biology, finance, occupational therapy and accounting.
Judee M. Bavaria ’G72, former University of Scranton trustee and retired president emeritus of Presby’s Inspired Life; James M. Murray II, Ph.D. ’90, chief security officer for Snap, Inc., and former director of the United States Secret Service; and James M. Slattery ’86, former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and chief operating officer of North America for Melrose PLC; received honorary degrees from The University of Scranton at the commencement ceremony. Dr. Murray also served as the principal speaker.
“Rest assured that all you’ve experienced and been exposed to in your time here at Scranton will serve you well in years to come. Your immersion in the Jesuit way has not only afforded you increased knowledge, but it’s given you the chance to examine and develop you: the whole person – mind, body and spirit,” said Dr. Murray in his remarks. “Prime amongst the values, virtues and abilities you have honed here at Scranton is a quality that I encourage to redouble your investment in and make top of mind from now on ... and that is your character.”
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, addressed the graduates at the ceremony, and conferred degrees upon candidates presented by Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; David Dzurec, Ph.D., interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Mark Higgins, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management.
Gabrielle Allen ’23, Mickleton, New Jersey, spoke on behalf of the class of 2023. Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, provided the Invocation and Sarah Kenehan, Ph.D. ’02, executive director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, provided the Benediction. Also speaking at the ceremony were Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Paul DiPietrantonio ’97, president of the University’s Alumni Society.
Members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023, who were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army at a ceremony yesterday on campus and presented colors to begin the undergraduate commencement ceremony, were: 2nd Lt. Steven Gasperini, distinguished military graduate and an international studies major from Denville, New Jersey; 2nd Lt. Zachary Turnitza, distinguished military graduate and nursing major from Cumbola; 2nd Lt. Thomas Montefour, a political science major from Carbondale (holding Pennsylvania flag); 2nd Lt. Josephine Middleton, distinguished military graduate and a biology major from Sugarloaf; and 2nd Lt. Declan Maurer, distinguished military graduate, an accounting major and member of the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program from Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen at this link..
Scranton Holds Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
-
05/19/2023
Undergraduate Commencement: Sunday, May 21 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre.
Principal Speaker: James M. Murray II, Ph.D. ’90, chief security officer for Snap, Inc., and former director of the United States Secret Service.Honorary Degree Recipients: Dr. Murray; Judee M. Bavaria ’G72, former University of Scranton trustee and retired president emeritus of Presby’s Inspired Life; and James M. Slattery ’86, former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and chief operating officer of North America for Melrose PLC.
Master’s and Doctoral Degree Commencement: Sunday, May 21 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre.
The University will confer its first doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) in accounting degrees.
Total graduates: more than 1,350
Total doctoral degrees: more than 70 (Ph.D., DPT, DNP)Total master’s degrees: more than 430Total bachelor’s degrees: more than 850Prestigious scholarships won by class of 2023 graduates: Fulbright scholarship (the U.S. government’s premier scholarship program for overseas graduate study, research and teaching).
States represented by undergraduates: 17
States represented by post-baccalaureate graduates: 27
Top undergraduate programs of study: nursing, kinesiology, biology, finance, occupational therapy and accounting.
Top graduate programs of study: master of business administration, master of health administration, master of occupational therapy, master of accountancy and doctor of physical therapy.
Quick Facts: Commencement 2023
-
05/16/2023
Three University of Scranton students were selected to join the national Common Home Corps program, offered by the Catholic Climate Covenant in collaboration with Loyola University Chicago and Creighton University. The students will attend a summer training program at Loyola Chicago to learn about Catholic social teaching, the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform, climate science and impacts, community organizing and climate advocacy, so that they can then become leaders for ecological conversations in their Catholic Diocesan communities. Participants will receive a stipend throughout the academic year in support of their work as Common Home Corps Leaders.
University of Scranton students selected for Common Home Corps program are: Thomas Elias ’24, a philosophy and theology and religious studies double major from Tunkhannock; Grace Lennox ’26, a political science and philosophy double major from Peckville; and Davida Padi ’25, a social media strategies major from Parsippany, New Jersey.
Elias is a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and a recipient of Scranton’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, who is completing his junior year at Scranton. He is pursuing a minor in Arabic and concentrations in Peace and Justice Studies and Catholic Studies. A dean’s list student at Scranton, he is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu (national Jesuit honor society), Sigma Tau (national honor society for English) and Theta Alpha Kappa (national theology and religious studies honor society). He received the University’s O’Hara Award for academic achievement for his freshman year.
Elias will serve as a resident assistant, as president of Students for Healing, Accountability, Reconciliation and Education (SHARE) Club, and as a Slattery Center Student Fellow for the 2023-2024 academic year. He currently serves as a Royal Ambassador tour guide and as an intern for the Admissions Office at the University. He is a member of Christians for the Common Good and hosts a radio show on 99.5 WUSR, among other activities. Most recently, he was vice president of Student Government and a student representative to the University’s Board of Trustees. Last summer, he served as a teaching assistant for the Leadership and Civic Responsibilities course. He has also served as a youth ministry leader for the Diocese of Scranton.
Lennox is a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program who is completing her first year at Scranton. A dean’s list student, she is pursuing a minor in history and a concentration in legal studies. She is a member of the University’s mock trial team, the political science club, college democrats and serves as secretary of the philosophy society. She also participated in Scranton’s varsity women’s tennis team and serves on the student athletic advisory committee.
Off-campus, Lennox served as a campaign fellow for Cartwright for Congress and helped to organize the Valley View Tennis Summer Camp.
Padi is on the pre-law track at Scranton and is completing her sophomore year. She is studying abroad this semester through the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) Global Scholars Open Campus program. This semester, she was in Rome, London and Madrid. A dean’s list student at Scranton, Padi has received the Teen Vogue 21 under 21 Award, Truth Initiative Impact Scholarship and the Bill Davis Scholarship. On campus, she is a member of the Advertising Club and Pre-Law Society, and participates in the online publication Her Campus.
Padi currently serves as consultant with MTV Youth Mental Health Action Forum and as a Rare Impact Ambassador for Rare Beauty. In addition, she has served as a communications intern for the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation in Washington, D.C. and as a teaching assistant for the National Student Leadership Conference, also in Washington, D.C.
In April, The University of Scranton announced it has begun an extensive seven-year journey to become designated as a Laudato Si’ University by the Vatican. Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” the University will join Catholic and non-Catholic colleges around the world who have committed to develop, implement and evaluate initiatives around seven goals to meet the Pope’s call for integral ecology, that is when science, ethics, spirituality and action are mutually respected and empowered.
Three Students to Become Common Home Corps Leaders
-
05/16/2023
A little bit of timely, focused mentorship can make a huge difference in a young person’s life, as The University of Scranton’s Meg Cullen-Brown SMART (Scranton Mentors Actively Reaching Teens) program continues to prove year after year.
This year’s SMART program paired 18 University student mentors with 26 student mentees from Scranton and West Scranton high schools for six weeks of knowledge- and character-building sessions. The goal is to help the mentees establish a strong relationship with college students who can model the advantages of performing well in school and attending college, which in turn can lead to a boost in their overall self-confidence.
SMART started in 2012 and was renamed in 2017 in honor of Meg Cullen-Brown, a beloved former University administrator who passed away in 2016. The program’s funding comes via a memorial fund established by her family and friends.
Patricia Vaccaro, director of the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, came up with the concept for SMART, believing it could greatly benefit high school students with high academic ability whose life circumstances might be inhibiting their future prospects.
Numerous studies have shown that students who forge meaningful relationships with a mentor improve their chances of academic success.
“I’m always looking to develop service programs that both bring community to us and allow us to go out in the community,” Vaccaro said. “With SMART, we thought it would be great to bring to the campus kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity to walk onto a college campus. For some of them, college might not even be a goal.”
“We had a very culturally diverse group of mentees this year,” Vaccaro continued. “These are kids who could easily fall through the cracks, so they can really benefit from the program.”
This year marked SMART’s return to the campus after being put on pause by the COVID-19 pandemic. As always, the University student mentors spent weeks training with staff members and graduate students before embarking on the program.
Every Friday for six weeks, the mentors and mentees met on campus and spent several hours engaged in fun, interactive exercises geared around an array of topics, including enhancing communication skills, building healthy relationships, confronting bullies/cyber bullies, overcoming obstacles, and understanding self-worth.
“We focus on the strengths of the kids and try to help them identify their gifts and talents,” Vaccaro said. “We put a lot of emphasis on self-image, which is so crucial given self-esteem among teens is now at an all-time low, especially in the wake of COVID.”
Erin Grell, a student in the University’s Occupational Therapy master’s program, served as graduate assistant and coordinator of SMART this year. As she sees it, the program is mutually beneficial.
“It gives our University students the chance to use their own lived experiences to serve as role models and share and learn from the high school mentees,” Grell said. “Although the program is considered a mentorship program, the mentors and mentees are truly in kinship with one another. Over the course of the program, they guide one another, learn from each other, and lift one another up – it’s a two-way street.”
Janvee Patel, a senior healthcare administration major and business administration minor at the University, was first exposed to SMART as a high school student. Her experience as a mentee was “life-changing,” making the decision to return as a mentor an easy one.
“It made me confident, and most importantly, comfortable with who I am. As soon as I finished the program, I knew that I wanted to become a mentor and hopefully make the same impact on my mentees,” Patel said. “I am so glad I got to have a full-circle moment and experience this program in its entirety and get to know my mentees. All these students are a bright group who have their own set of gifts and talents that will get them to big places in life. I really hope that this program helped them realize the potential they all have.”
“While I knew I would benefit from the mentoring experience by strengthening my interpersonal and leadership skills, it is the unexpected benefits that I reflect on,” added fellow mentor Conor Dougherty, a senior neuroscience and philosophy major. “Because of these students’ willingness to share their opinions and experiences, I gained new perspectives and am more socially conscious of their socio-economic challenges.”
For Vaccaro, the best part of the program is the closing ceremony, which is attended by the students’ families. There, the mentees receive a free Google Chromebook and get to offer testimonials about how much they’ve grown from the experience.
“Just to see how much they change over the six weeks is incredible for me,” Vaccaro said. “I’m just grateful we can offer something like this to the community. Our students get so much out of it, and I really think it makes so much of a difference to the high school students.”
“The program has reminded me of the importance of loving and appreciating others for who they are,” Grell added. “When we are authentically ourselves, we can make the world a better place together.”
Students Complete SMART Mentoring Program
-
05/16/2023
The University will host numerous events honoring members of its graduating class of 2023 on Friday, May 19, Saturday, May 20, and Sunday, May 21.
Friday evening events include the Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS) Outstanding Graduate Awards Ceremony, which will take place at 4 p.m. in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall. At 5:30 p.m., Kania School of Management will host a reception for their graduates on the 5th floor of Brennan Hall.
Also on Friday evening, undergraduates will be recognized for academic achievement, leadership and service at Class Night, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
On Saturday, May 20, at 9 a.m., the University will conduct a pinning ceremony for nursing graduates in the Byron Recreation Complex. A reception will follow in the lobby of the Long Center. The Donning of the Stole Ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex. A reception immediately follows the ceremony in the lobby of the Long Center. At 12 p.m., the University will hold the Doctor of Physical Therapy Graduation Awards Ceremony in the DeNaples McIlhenny Ballroom. The Class of 2023 Legacy Photo will take place at 2:45 p.m. on the patio area near the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center.
The Baccalaureate Mass begins at 4 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex. Graduates will assemble for the Mass in the Long Center at 3:30 p.m. with the procession to the Byron Complex beginning at 3:45 p.m.
At 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, ROTC Army cadets will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
Saturday evening, at 8 p.m., the University will host the President’s Reception for Graduates and Parents in the Byron Recreation Complex. Tickets are required to attend this event.
On Sunday, May 21, the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will take place in the Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre, at 11 a.m. Doors will open at 9:45 a.m. James M. Murray II, Ph.D. ’90, chief security officer for Snap, Inc., and former director of the United States Secret Service, will serve as the commencement speaker. Dr. Murray, Judee M. Bavaria ’G72, former University of Scranton trustee and retired president emeritus of Presby’s Inspired Life, and James M. Slattery ’86, former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and chief operating officer of North America for Melrose PLC will receive honorary degrees at the ceremony.
The University will hold its Graduate Commencement Ceremony at 4:30 p.m. in the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Guests attending the events at the Mohegan Sun Arena can review their security procedures, which include a clear bag policy and security checkpoints, to assist with alleviating the time required for entry to the commencement ceremonies. Tickets are not required for the undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies.
The University will live video stream several of the commencement events. For additional information about the University’s 2023 commencement events, including live stream of events, visit scranton.edu/commencement. Post on social media using #Royals2023 for a chance to be featured on the University’s commencement page.
How time flies – just four years ago the Class of 2023 moved onto campus.
Commencement Events Scheduled for Class of 2023
-
05/15/2023
Hundreds of students have been inducted into national honor societies represented at The University of Scranton throughout the 2023 spring semester. Lists of students inducted into some of the University’s honor societies can be seen below.
Alpha Kappa DeltaAlpha Lambda DeltaAlpha Phi SigmaAlpha Sigma LambdaEta Sigma GammaInstitute for Management AccountantsKappa Delta PiPhi Delta KappaSigma Nu TauSigma Pi SigmaSigma Theta TauSigma XiStudents Inducted into National Honor Societies
-
05/15/2023
Seventy-one University of Scranton students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities for 2022. The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students, including students in doctoral level degree programs, who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
Also at the ceremony, five University community members were given honorary inductions into the honor society. Honorary inductees were: Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Christopher Burne ’80, Scranton alumnus and former Judge Advocate General for the U.S. Air Force; Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry; Rev. James F. Duffy, S.J., M.D. ’88, superior for the Scranton Jesuit Community; Bryn Schofield, coordinator of academic affairs, College of Arts and Sciences; and Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology.
In addition, Christian S. Krokus, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies at the University, was presented with the Edward Gannon, S.J. Teacher of the Year Award.
The following undergraduate and graduate students at Scranton were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu:
Emily Amershek;Rosa Azzato;Bethany Belkowski;Madison Borys;Sarah Boyle;Evelyn Bruggeman;Madalyne Buhler;Stephen Butler;Lauren Byrne;Claudia Campo Mirabent;Emma Coar;Aidan Corrigan;Peggy Doolittle;Victoria Dowling;Matthew Duffy;Matthew Earley;Michael Edwards;Thomas Elias;Fione Evans;Jared Fernandez;Dominic Finan;Eva Fine;Daniel Finning;Kiera Flannery;Diana Franceschelli;Sophia Franz;Sydney Gero;Andrew Gordos;Miranda Hanson;Cassandra Haw;Teresa Hegarty;Angela Hudock;Elisabeth Johnson;Kelsey Jopling;Hailey Kenyon;Julie Kilmer;Amanda Kinback;Hannah Kohrn;Amanda Lamphere;Stephanie Lehner;Julia Loury;Diana Lozinger;John Lynott;Sean MacCallum;Brett McCartney;Vanessa Moylan;Meghan Munkirs;John Nelson;Jennifer Noll;Emily Nowak;Victoria Peacock;Hannah Phelan;Vanessa Pinto;Michael Quinnan;Kaitlyn Reimer;Madelyn Ronan;Kasey Samalot;Megan Schurra;Alexandra Shomali;Matthew Simms;Susan Stopper;Owen Stanczak;Nicholas Tomassoni;Shelby Traver;Noelle Walker;Grace Washney;Cayman Webber;Kyla Weckel;Nicole Weinstein;Isabelle Wohlleber;Elisa Yanni.$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society
-
05/11/2023
Christian S. Krokus, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies at The University of Scranton, was named the 2023 Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year.
The award, formally known as the Gannon Award for Teaching in honor of Edward Gannon, S.J., is the oldest teaching award at the University. Established in 1969 by the University’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities, the award recognizes outstanding teaching among faculty. Student members of Alpha Sigma Nu select the professor to be honored.
Dr. Krokus has published multiple articles in academic journals, and has presented at more than a dozen conferences. His areas of research interest include Christian-Muslim comparative theology; Islamic mysticism; Salesian, Ignatian and Carmelite Spiritualities; Louis Massignon; Bernard Lonergan, S.J.; and Francis de Sales. His book, “The Theology of Louis Massignon: Islam, Christ, and the Church,” was published by The Catholic University of America Press in 2017.
Dr. Krokus was the featured speaker at the 2019 McNulty Lecture at Niagara University’s Castellani Art Museum, and was among the esteemed presenters at the 2022 Islamic Studies Association, Delhi and the Jesuit Secretariat for Service of Faith in South Asia webinar series to celebrate Human Fraternity Day.
In addition, he coordinates the annual meeting for Jesuits and faculty members at Jesuit universities who work on interreligious dialogue.
Dr. Krokus, who joined the faculty at Scranton in 2009, received the University’s Intersession Research Grant, Diversity Initiatives Grant and Education for Justice Grant. He was also awarded the Carnegie Corporation Grant for Teaching about Islam and Middle Eastern Culture, the Ernest Fortin Memorial Research Grant at Boston College and the Badley Fellowship from Institute of Medieval Philosophy and Theology at Boston College.
Dr. Krokus earned his bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College and his master’s degree, with distinction, and his Ph.D. from Boston College.
The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students at the University who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
Alpha Sigma Nu Students Name Teacher of the Year
-
05/11/2023
Andrew Sutton, Central Columbia High School, won The University of Scranton’s 2023 Math Integration Bee for high school students.
In addition to Sutton, the four other finalists in the competition were: Noah Beckish, North Pocono High School; Sai Ghatti, Abington Heights High School; Daniel Martinez, Pocono Mountain West High School; and Angela Zeng, Abington Heights High School.
The University’s Mathematics Department hosted the Integration Bee during the spring semester on campus. The competition functions similar to a spelling bee, but with contestants completing definite and indefinite integral problems, a type of calculus problem, instead of spelling words. The competition can help high school students improve their skills for Advanced Placement mathematics tests.
Math Integration Bee Finalists Announced
-
05/11/2023
Navneeth Murali, Edison New Jersey, came in first place in The University of Scranton’s 21st annual Northeast PA Brain Bee competition, held on campus in the spring semester. Harris Khan, Loyalsock Township High School, came in second place, and Nicole Kuzin-Ilian, Wallenpaupack Area High School came in third place.
The competition for high school students in grades nine through 12 was offered free of charge and was sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at the University and the Scranton Neuroscience Society.
For more information about next year’s Northeast PA Brain Bee competition, contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., neuroscience program director and associate professor of biology, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Visit the University’s Community Relations website for information about other academic competitions and K-12 programming offered at The University of Scranton.
Winners of 2023 Brain Bee Competition Announced
-
05/09/2023
Gerard Dumancas, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at The University of Scranton, published a digital primer titled “Spectroscopic and Chemometric Techniques for Pharmaceutical Applications” through the American Chemical Society (ACS), one of the largest scientific societies and the premier home of chemistry professionals with over 155,000 members worldwide. The peer-reviewed and by invitation only ACS primer focuses on providing basic content about various spectroscopic and chemometric tools in pharmaceutical analyses. In collaboration with five professors and scientists from throughout the world, the primer has been purchased by over 300 libraries worldwide to date and is also available for sale to individuals through Google Play.
According to Dr. Dumancas, chemometrics is a highly-specialized discipline that uses statistics and computer applications in analytical chemistry. The primary goal of chemometrics is to utilize various statistical, mathematical and software techniques to develop analytical methods that can interpret data in a more meaningful manner. In pharmaceutical industries, chemometrics is essentially used for quality control of laboratory results, drug development and synthesis, as well as toxicity classification and prediction of drug efficacy to name a few. Utilizing chemometrics reduces time of analysis and minimizes the use of chemicals, thereby providing industries with time and cost-saving resources to optimize results.
The digital primer provides chemists across all levels an overview on important chemometrics topics in just three to four hours.
“A nice introductory overview of the potential of chemometrics for pharmaceutical analysis, which couples a wide overview of the instrumental possibilities and, at the same time, of the possible applications. Good for people who don’t want to struggle much with the theory while focusing on the practical use of the techniques,” as noted by Federico Marini, Ph.D., of the University of Rome La Sapienza in Spain who also served as one of the chemometrician reviewers for the primer.
Dr. Dumancas joined the faculty of The University of Scranton in the spring of 2022 and has then generated 18 peer reviewed publications in high-impact factor journals. Over the course of his academic career, he has won seven international and one U.S. national awards for excellence in research from the American Chemical Society, American Oil Chemists’ Society and the Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening. In 2018, he was awarded by the former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte with a Balik Scientist Award as one of the Outstanding Scientists of the Philippines.
In 2022, Dr. Dumancas, received a $1.158 million National Science Foundation funded Noyce Scholars grant to support future science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) high school teachers in high-need school districts.
Dr. Dumancas earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oklahoma State University.
Professor Publishes Primer on Chemometrics
-
05/08/2023
Nearly 200 area students participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. The academic competition tested the high school students’ knowledge of physics and engineering through a series of quizzes and hands-on challenges. Students competed individually and in teams.
John Lockwood from Delaware Valley High School came in first place in the individual competition, based on a quiz given to all participants and placement in a Jeopardy game of those with highest quiz scores. Noah Beckish from North Pocono High School came in second place. John Ebert from Berwick High School came in third place.
In the team competition, the Delaware Valley High School team placed first. Members of that team were: John Lockwood, Olivia Bogert, Nixon Kameen, Clint Murray, Jess Rhule, John Rivera and Wil Salus. Steve Rhule was their coach. Wyoming Area High School team two came in second place. Members of the Wyoming Area team were: Nathan Ambrosino, Ben Hollister, Andrew Lucas, Joseph Marranca and Jadan Pepe. David Pizano was their coach. Berwick High School team one placed third. Members of the third-place finishing team were: Gabe Hook, John Ebert, Alysa Lewis, Karly Kile and Luke Peters. Matthew Shrader was their coach.
Throughout the daylong competition, the students participated in teams in a series of hands-on challenges that tested their skills in several areas of physics and engineering, including a Data Analysis Event, Static Equilibrium Event, an All Power Out Event and a Trebuchet Event, for which the students had to predict the landing point of a basketball launched across the gym by medieval catapult.
In the Data Analysis Event, the Delaware Valley High School team won first place. In the event titled, “All Power Out,” Berwick High School team one and Wyoming Area High School team one won first place. The first-place winner in the Static Equilibrium Event was North Pocono High School team two. The first-place winner of the Trebuchet Event was Mid Valley High School team one.
The competition was organized by the University’s Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering to encourage more students to pursue careers in physics and engineering.
Nearly 200 High School Students Test Physics Skills
-
05/05/2023
Students representing The University of Scranton came in first and second place in the annual Cyber Forensic Student Competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. Utica University hosted the virtual, two-day competition in April, which included evidence discovery, gathering and preservation, investigation and analysis and a formal written report documenting the forensic investigation.
This is the third consecutive year that Scranton students have taken first place in the competition, which included student teams from Boston University, University of Massachusetts-Lowell and Utica University, among other colleges. Sinchul Back, Ph.D., director of cybercrime and cybersecurity for the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime and assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Cybersecurity and Sociology, served as the advisor for the teams.
Members of The University of Scranton’s team who placed first in the 2023 competition are: Andrew Cupo, West Orange, New Jersey, a cybercrime and homeland security and criminal justice double major in his sophomore year at Scranton; Bradley W. Rausch Sr., Byram Township, New Jersey, a cybercrime and homeland security major in his junior year at Scranton; and Emilia R. Tobey, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, a criminal justice major in her sophomore year at Scranton.
Members of the Scranton’s team that placed second are: Frank Magistro III, Hawley, a cybercrime and homeland security major in his sophomore year at Scranton; John A. McMonagle, Philadelphia, a cybercrime and homeland security and philosophy double major in his sophomore year at Scranton and Jessica Sommo, Commack, New York, a cybercrime and homeland security major in her first year at Scranton.
The University began offering a bachelor’s degree in cybercrime and homeland security in the fall of 2020 and master’s degree in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity in a fully online format in the fall of 2022.
Students Win First and Second Place in Cyber Forensic Competition
-
05/05/2023
University of Scranton student Taegan Mills, Montrose, received the President’s Volunteer Service Award Bronze Medal in recognition of 100 hours of service that occurred during summer 2022. The award was established in 2003 by the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation to recognize the important role of volunteers in America’s strength and national identity.
Led by the AmeriCorps and managed in partnership with Points of Light, this program allows certifying organizations to recognize their most exceptional volunteers. Mills was certified through the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice with the support of Center’s director, Pat Vaccaro, and with the support of her mentor, Barbara King, student life coordinator at the University.
Mills is a political science and criminal justice double major with a law concentration in her sophomore year at Scranton. She is an ROTC cadet and member of the University’s golf team.
Last summer, Mills served at the Hazleton Integration Project, where she worked with immigrant children helping them develop language skills. She also introduced camp participants to a variety of sports with the intended outcome of helping the children feel more comfortable with norms and culture in the United States.
According to Mills, who has been volunteering since the age of four, service to community is very important to her family. Over the years, she has volunteered “ringing a bell for the Salvation Army, sorting food at the local food bank, sharing a passion for gymnastics with children, collecting cans for those in need, and helping kids address academic challenges through tutoring.”
Student Recognized for Volunteer Service
-
05/04/2023
By Lydia Grossman ’24, student correspondent
As part of The University of Scranton’s Earth Day events, Nicole Negowetti, managing director of the Plant Based Foods Institute and vice president of Policy and Food Systems at the Plant Based Foods Association, discussed her work with food, climate and culture. Her lecture, titled “The Regeneration Revolution: Working at the Nexus of Food, Climate, and Culture,” included a discussion of her research findings and work done to promote a more sustainable relationship between food production and the climate.Negowetti began her lecture by describing food as the portal to a relationship with the planet.
“Food connects us to one another, our culture and our mother Earth,” Negowetti said, at the talk that was offered by the University’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities.
Although Negowetti began her talk with positive connotations of food, she quickly went into various environmental concerns and explained how the current food system sits at the heart of the problem. She explained that these problems include climate change, biodiversity loss, shifts in nutrient cycles and land use, saying society’s irresponsible methods within the food system and agricultural production contribute greatly to each issue.
“Each of us is a part of the food system. Food has tremendous potential to improve human health and environmental sustainability, but rather than nourishing our collective health and well-being, food systems are at the heart of social and environmental crisis that we face,” Negowetti said.
After sharing her various forms of research and environmental statistics concerning the current food system, Negowetti explained that the country’s large global footprint has led the Earth into the Anthropocene, which is defined as the period of time during which human activities have impacted the environment enough to constitute a distinct geological change. This era that humans have self-produced led Negowetti to pose the question: “Why are we creating a world in which none of us would choose?”
“The dominant food production system in the U.S can be categorized by large-scale monoculture in which only one plant or animal species is farmed at a time, and there’s heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers. This allows farmers to increase yields in the short term, but the practice depletes soil and nutrients over time, and has led to reduced nutrient content in food, which impairs our health,” Negowetti said.
To decrease harm and better the environment Negowetti encourages a complete transformation of the food system. In her talk, she explained that for society to truly engage in such a transformation, conversations must be regularly held to shed light on current flaws within the food system and within agricultural practices. If everyone does their part, Negowetti believes there is hope for reform.
“By cultivating our spiritual practices, can we discern what’s uniquely ours to do in these times. How we can be of service and how we can act in accordance with our values … it’s important to realize that systems change begins with us,” Negowetti said.
The University of Scranton recently announced, in answer to the call by Pope Francis to “Care for Our Common Home,” the University has begun an intensive seven-year journey to become designated as a Laudato Si’ University by the Vatican.
The Future of Food Analyzed with Nicole Negowetti
-
05/04/2023
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced that Lauren S. Rivera, J.D., M.Ed., has been named Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at Scranton, effective May 1, 2023. Dean Rivera had been serving as interim vice president for student life and dean of students at Scranton. She will continue to serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet.
“Since joining the University community in 2009, Lauren has made an impact across all areas of student life. Personally, I marvel at the depth of her commitment to cura personalis, always working to ensure the best possible experience for our students,” said Father Marina in the campus announcement about Dean Rivera’s new position. “Lauren has been instrumental in many successful Student Life programs and projects, including Resilient Royals, which supports first-year students in their transition to college, and the Fail Forward Panel, a program started in 2019, in which speakers share stories of resilience and navigating struggle. She has displayed a deep commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and justice and strives to foster a campus community where students of all identities can thrive.”
The Division of Student Life includes the Center for Career Development, the Center for Student Engagement, the Cultural Centers (Multicultural Center and Jane Kopas Women’s Center), the Center for Health Education and Wellness, the Counseling Center, Student Conduct and Assessment, Student Health Services, Student Government, Residence Life and University Police.
Dean Rivera joined The University of Scranton community in 2009 as director of student conduct and assessment. In 2015, she was named assistant vice president for student formation and campus life (later student life) and dean of students. Under her leadership, the University expanded student support for issues such as wellness, grief, transition and social challenges. The University launched THR1VE, an initiative that supports first-generation students. In 2022, Scranton was named a First-Gen Forward institution. Colleges selected to the First-gen Forward program receive professional development, community-building experiences and have access to research and other resources.
Dean Rivera also supported the development of ROCK (Royals of Color Kickoff) and shepherded the completion of the expanded Multicultural Center. Recently, she announced a reorganization in Student Life, to integrate better the various functions that support student health and wellness and to advance the University’s campus-wide plan for diversity, equity and inclusion.Dean Rivera is active in student life professional associations. She has presented at national conferences and authored a chapter in the 2019 book “Keep Calm and Call the Students: A Guide to Understanding the Many Faces of the Dean of Students’ Role.”
Dean Rivera earned her bachelor’s degree from Bucknell University and helped to develop a joint-degree program in law and education at Pennsylvania State University, where she earned her master’s of education and juris doctorate degrees.
Vice President for Student Life Named
-
05/04/2023
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum, the Theology and Religious Students Department and the Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute co-presented a lecture titled “Only in America? Religion, State, and a Hasidic Town in Rural New York,” featuring David N. Myers, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History, and director of the Luskin Center for History and Policy at UCLA. The talk took place in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall on campus on April 27
Schemel Forum Collaborative Lecture Held
-
05/03/2023
Nearly 100 students mentored by more than 50 faculty members presented 80 projects at The University of Scranton’s Celebration of Student Scholars, held on campus April 26. The annual event, held in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center, provides a forum for students to present their work conducted in collaboration with faculty.
Fields of research presented at the Celebration of Student Scholars included biology, chemistry, counseling and human services, criminal justice, cybersecurity and sociology, English and theatre, health and human performance, history, management, marketing and entrepreneurship, mathematics, occupational therapy, philosophy, physical therapy, physics and engineering, and psychology, among other disciplines.
Poster presentations included:
“Practicing Occupational Therapist Self-Reported Levels of Knowledge About and Confidence Using Population Health Concepts: A Mixed Methods Explanatory Sequential Study” by graduate students Morgan Albro, Cicero, New York; Mary Bunone, Ramsey, New Jersey; Kristine Fusaro, Dix Hills, New York; Sinead Girdusky, Middle Village, New York; Rachel Harrington, Franklin Square, New York; Emma Kiernan, Nanuet, New York; Jocelyn McCauley, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and Amanda Grace Ruiz, Whippany, New Jersey; with faculty mentor Jennifer Whittaker, adjunct professor, Occupational Therapy Department.
“An Analysis of Remote Working Habits” by undergraduate student Teleri Broomhead, Lower Gwynedd, with faculty mentor Nancy Cummings, faculty specialist, Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Department.
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) bot ChatGPT in higher education and cyber-situational crime prevention (Cyber-SCP) strategy” by undergraduate students Andrew Fernandez, Basking Ridge, New Jersey; Zoe Honney, Scranton; and Jessica Sommo, Commack, New York; with faculty mentor Sinchul Back, Ph.D., assistant professor of criminal justice, cybersecurity and sociology.
“Ozone Concentration effect on Serotonin and Dopamine of Camponotus Floridanus” by undergraduate student Francesca Fidaleo, Fairfield, Connecticut, with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology.
“Computational Investigations of the Electrochemical and Thermochemical Transformations of Pinene” by undergraduate student Devang Patel, Scranton, with faculty mentor Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry.
“Prevalence of Blood Parasites in Grey Catbirds in relation to gender and season” by undergraduate student Maitree Patel, Scranton, with faculty mentor Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology.
“Toward Developing an Algorithm for Separation of Transmitters of High Frequency Chirp Signals of Opportunity for the Purpose of Ionospheric Sounding” by undergraduate student Simal Sami, Jessup, with faculty mentor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and engineering.
“Does Liberal Education Belong in Elementary School” by undergraduate student Emily Sanchez, Bloomfield, New Jersey, with faculty mentor Duane Armitage, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy.
“Using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing to generate Hsd17b7-deficient NIH3T3 cells” undergraduate student Sofia Zingone, Randolph, New Jersey, with faculty mentor Ashley Driver, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology.
In addition to course work, initiatives such as the faculty-student research program and summer research fellowships encourage University of Scranton students to participate in research projects with faculty members. Several of the University’s Honors Programs also include a research component, such as the Magis Honors Program in STEM and the Undergraduate Honors Program.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudent Scholars Celebrated at Scranton
-
05/02/2023
The University of Scranton was ranked No. 9 in the nation in Fortune’s “Best Online Master’s Degree Programs in Accounting” listing published online April 28. In addition, an accompanying article titled “What can you do with a master’s degree in accounting,” also published by Fortune on April 28, quoted Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., professor and chair of the Accounting Department and director of the Ph.D. program at The University of Scranton.
“To eventually land a role in senior management, you need to be well-versed in technology, and master’s degree programs in accounting are incorporating more analytical components to help prepare future business leaders,” said Dr. Boyle in the Fortune article. “That’s what a master’s of accountancy (MAcc) provides because accounting is really transitioning, and is one of the leading professions on implementing analytics.”
The article noted that Scranton’s online master’s in accountancy program offers specializations in forensic accounting and accounting analytics. Fortune also noted that the field is growing, with “more than 136,400 job openings for accountants and auditors are projected each year, on average, through 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
For the “Best Online Master’s Degree Programs in Accounting” ranking, Fortune assessed the selectivity of the online Master of Accounting programs at the colleges as measured by their students’ average undergraduate GPA and the average number of years of work experience of those students, in addition to also considering the colleges’ first-year retention rate and its graduation rate, which accounted for 75 percent of the overall ranking score. In addition, Fortune looked at the one-year enrollment growth of each program (15 percent) and partnered with Ipsos to survey 2,500 business professionals and hiring managers to produce a measurement of the “brand appeal” of the college, or “how much a group of people want to recruit from the university” (10 percent).
For two consecutive years, Fortune included Scranton among America’s “Best Online MBA Programs,” including in its 2022-2023 listing. Scranton was also ranked at No. 57 in the nation in Fortune’s 2022-2023 listing of the “Best Part-time MBA Programs.”
Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 54; and its online MBA program at No. 102 in the nation in its “Best Online Programs” guide. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 72 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
Online Accounting Master Degree Ranked 9 in U.S.
-
05/02/2023
A newly-published national ranking of colleges that produced the highest-earning teachers three-years after graduation placed The University of Scranton at No. 8 in the country.
The ranking published April 28 by teachercertification.com, an online resource for teacher certification information, used data from the Department of Education to determine median earnings three years post-graduation of students with undergraduate degrees in teaching and education – from early childhood and elementary education through high school. Data is from the 2020-2021 school year, representing undergraduate students from the class of 2018.
The University ranked No. 8 in the online publication that listed the average salary for a teacher three years after graduation from Scranton at $51,105.
Accredited by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the University offers bachelor’s degrees in early and primary, middle level and secondary education. Scranton also offers graduate degree programs in secondary education and special education in formats that include accelerated and a five-year bachelor/master degree in special education, among other graduate degree options including curriculum and instruction and educational administration.
Earnings of Teacher Graduates Placed 8 in U.S.
-
05/02/2023
Judee M. Bavaria ’G72, former University of Scranton trustee and retired president emeritus of Presby’s Inspired Life; James M. Murray II, Ph.D. ’90, chief security officer for Snap, Inc., and former director of the United States Secret Service and James M. Slattery ’86, former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees and chief operating officer of North America for Melrose PLC; will receive honorary degrees from The University of Scranton at its undergraduate commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 21. Dr. Murray will also serve as the principal speaker at the ceremony.
Prior to her retirement as president emeritus in 2019, Bavaria served as Presby’s president and CEO since 2005. A not-for-profit, faith-based ministry that provides continuing care and affordable housing to 3,000 economically-disadvantaged senior adults in southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware, Presby grew significantly under Bavaria’s leadership. During her tenure, the affordable housing ministry had grown from 12 communities in 1999 to more than 30 in both sponsored and managed sites. She also executed several strategic plans to expand and improve Presby’s continuing care communities to better meet residents’ evolving needs.
Prior to joining Presby, Bavaria was corporate compliance officer and vice president of operations for Lutheran Services Northeast, a multi-site social ministry in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She also served in a variety of leadership roles for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare. She was a frequent presenter at various state and national senior living conferences.
Bavaria served as vice chair for the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging and as chair of Catholic Senior Housing and Healthcare Services in Bethlehem for 12 years, before resigning from the post in 2014. Additionally, she served as co-chair of Leading Age’s Leadership Circle, a member of Leading Age’s Nominating Committee; and a member of the Leading Age PA Board of Directors. As a member of The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees, Bavaria served as co-vice chair and as chair of its governance committee.
Bavaria was selected from among her state-wide peers as the 2007 Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Homes for the Aging Leader of the Year. She also received the Inspired Service Award in 2019 from the organization Human Good, which is presented annually to those who exceptionally serve people aged 62 and older across the Philadelphia region.
A registered nurse and licensed nursing home administrator, Bavaria earned her bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg University and her master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from The University of Scranton. She is a graduate of Misericordia Hospital School of Nursing. She resides in Dunedin, Florida.
At Snap, Inc., Dr. Murray leads the organization’s global security, intelligence, resilience and protective services operations to safeguard their workforce of more than 6,000 people at 45 facilities in 23 countries. Prior to joining Snap, Inc., Dr. Murray served as the 26th director of the United States Secret Service from May, 2019, to September, 2022, where he led more than 8,000 special agents, police officers and mission support personnel in the execution of the Secret Service’s integrated investigative and protective mission. Previously, he served as their assistant director for the Office of Protective Operations and was responsible for coordinating and executing the Secret Service’s global protective mission. From 2016 to 2018, Dr. Murray served as deputy assistant director of the Office of Protective Operations, where he led combined agency efforts for the 2016 presidential campaign, transition and inauguration. He began his Secret Service career in 1995 as a special agent in the New York Field Office, where he would later serve as the Agency’s primary representative on the FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force.
In recognition of his distinguished public service, Dr. Murray received the 2021 Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and, in 2022, was awarded the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service by President Joseph Biden ’H76.
A native of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Dr. Murray earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from The University of Scranton, where he also completed the Reserve Officer Training Corps program and earned a commission as a U.S. Army Officer. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Seton Hall University. Dr. Murray also graduated from the American University Key Executive Leadership Program and the 2016 FBI Leadership in Counterterrorism FVEY Fellowship Program. He serves on the Advisory Board for Seton Hall University’s Police Graduate Studies Program.
A certified public accountant, Slattery is the chief operating officer of North America for Melrose PLC, a London-based company that buys, improves, and sells companies that engage in the manufacture of highly engineered products. Prior to joining Melrose, he was the chief financial officer for McKechnie Aerospace. Previously, Slattery served as chief financial officer for 180s, Struever Bros. Eccles and Rouse and DAP Products, Inc., and as controller for Wassall PLC. He began his career with Coopers and Lybrand.
Slattery earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Scranton and served as the chair of the University’s President’s Business Council (PBC) Annual Award Dinner in 2013. He and his wife, Betsy, established the University’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities, named in honor of his parents who instilled in him a commitment to Catholic higher education. He resides in Peachtree City, Georgia.
The University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on May 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre.
Three Alumni to Receive Honorary Degrees
-
05/01/2023
By Bethany Belkowski ’24, student correspondent
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of co-education at The University of Scranton, the Office of Alumni Engagement and the Committee for the Celebration of 50 years of Co-education sponsored a panel discussion where three of the University’s early female full-time students shared their experiences with the early stages of co-education in the 1970s.
The panelists included Melinda Ghilardi, J.D. ’80, a former trustee at the University who works at Mulaney Law and previously served as the First Assistant Federal Public Defender, Martina A. Martin ’80, who serves as the senior vice president and chief operating officer at United Way of Central Maryland and Karen L. Pennington, Ph.D. ’76, G’83, H’15, a former trustee at the University who previously served as the vice president of student development and campus life at Montclair State University. Also joining the University graduates was Rev. Bernard R. McIlhenny, who served as the dean of admissions during the University’s shift to co-education. Following brief introductions, Susan Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history at the University and moderator for the event, posed questions to the panel.
Audio of the discussion is available as an episode of The Scranton Shorts Podcast on Apple Podcasts.Dr. Poulson first asked Father McIlhenny to describe the atmosphere at the University preceding the decision to transition to co-education. He explained that in the early 1970s, enrollment numbers were dropping and the atmosphere was tumultuous, protests and demonstrations often breaking out on campus due to the Vietnam War and other activist passions. In a desperate attempt to keep the University’s doors open, the University decided to adhere to a trend of co-education that first arose in the 1960s. As Father McIlhenny explained, this transition took two years to execute after receiving approval in 1970, as dorms needed to be converted for female occupants and majors such as occupational therapy and nursing needed to be added to the University since they appealed to many female students. With this information, Dr. Poulson noted that the decision to transition to co-education was not ideologically based, but rather market-driven, to which Father McIlhenny agreed. With the decision made, 120 women joined the University’s incoming class of 1972.
Dr. Poulson then asked the female panelists how they found the preparations for women on campus. Dr. Pennington responded, mentioning the type of updates made to Fitch Hall, such as partitions between the showers, removal of the urinals, and the addition of washers and dryers on each floor. Dr. Pennington also mentioned the unequal treatment women experienced at the University, including the imposition of a curfew and dress code for female students, the experience of being the only female student in a class, who was often ignored by professors and harassment by male students and teachers who did not agree with the decision to transition to co-education, or who wished to sexualize the female students.
The female panelists were also asked to reflect on their experiences at the University that shaped their lives after college. Atty. Ghilardi responded saying that although being in the minority in a classroom was a strange feeling, the experience taught her how to achieve success: “the way to success was to get noticed, and the way to get noticed was to always be prepared.”
Martin also responded, noting the importance of speaking up during her time at the University. She recalled being pushed by a mentor to approach a successful man in advertising to convince him to teach a class on his work. Not only did she succeed, but she helped him build a business. “If you want something, ask for it,” Martin encouraged the audience.
Martin also recalled being inspired by the head of the Jesuit Honors program, a woman, during her time at the University. She stressed the importance of witnessing someone who looked like her in a position of authority and success. With this role model, Martin felt she could be successful too.
In a final reflection, each of the three women noted that during their time at the University, the Jesuits stressed the principle of Cura Personalis, or care of the whole person. Martin concluded her reflection, asking the audience to consider their privilege and to ask, if they ever witness an individual in the uncomfortable position of the minority, “are we good allies in the ways the Jesuits were to us?”
$content.getChild('content').textValue
The audio of the discussion is available as an episode of The Scranton Shorts Podcast on Apple Podcasts.Alumnae Discuss Early Years of Coeducation at Scranton
-
04/27/2023
The University of Scranton hosted Latin Grammy-nominated composer and Emory University theology scholar Tony Alonso, who presented a combined lecture and musical performance titled “Caminemos con Jesus: Incarnating Hispanic/Latinx Theology in Song” in the Madonna della Strada Chapel on campus. The event was a part of the University’s project, “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” which is supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant and celebrates Scranton’s indigenous, industrial, ethnic and religious heritage. Alonso’s music and talk reflected on how Hispanic/Latinx theology has shaped his craft and the program explored the impact of Hispanic/Latinx culture on religious life locally and nationally.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton’s Story Celebrated with Latin Grammy-Nominee
-
04/25/2023
Through May 5 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition Online.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Virtual exhibit. Free. Call. 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through May 12 Art Exhibit: “Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration” by Mark Loughney. Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 2 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Promise of American Democracy” presented by Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School and professor of history, Harvard University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
May 5 5 p.m. Art Gallery Reception: “Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration” by Mark Loughney as part of downtown Scranton’s First Fridays events. Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “40th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir featuring two new works by composer/conductor Philip J. Kuehn. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 8 11:45 a.m. Closing event for campus community of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation.” Rose Garden and Flag Pole Terrace. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 9 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Vocalising and Music in the Development of Speech Language and Consciousness” presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D., medical and radiation oncologist, Weill Cornell Medical School faculty and clinical professor of medicine at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu
May 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 20 4 p.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 21 11 a.m. Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 21 4:30 p.m. Graduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May Events Planned at University
-
04/25/2023
Continuing its commitment to commissioning and performing new instrumental and choral music, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will spotlight the work of guest composer/conductor Philip Kuehn at its 40th annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert on Saturday, May 6. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
At the concert, The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir will premiere two new commissioned works by Kuehn, written specifically for the University’s student ensembles, entitled The Tree and the Wind (for concert band) and Steps Unseen (for SATB choir), according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. Steps Unseen is based on Psalm 77, which portrays the pain of prayer without response, but also the hope of the sovereignty and works of God. The Tree and the Wind is reflective of the struggles of life and the ability to and necessity of standing firm in the presence of challenges.
Kuehn is a bassist, arranger, composer and educator who has performed with Harry Connick Jr., Wynton Marsalis, Jonathan Batiste, Branford Marsalis, Randy Brecker, Veronica Swift, Khristian Dentley of Take 6, Cyrille Aimee, Anthony Hamilton, Dr. Billy Taylor and Roy Hargrove, among others. His bass playing can be heard on the Disney/Pixar film “Soul,” the soundtrack of which won a Grammy. He also recorded on Batiste’s Grammy-nominated album “Chronology of a Dream - Live at the Village Vanguard,” and has appeared on ABC’s “The View” with Tony Bennett. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from The Juilliard School in New York City, and is conductor and co-director of Performance Music at The University of Scranton.
As a composer and arranger, Kuehn collaborated with Quincy Jones on an extensive composition/arrangement for the Beethoven Orchester Bonn in celebration of Beethoven’s 250th Anniversary. Two of his arrangements were featured in a performance at the White House for President Biden’s State Dinner in December 2022, where he performed with Jon Batiste. Formerly the regular bassist for Jonathan Batiste’s groups, including the “Stay Human” band, Kuehn has made several guest appearances on the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” where his composition and arrangements have been featured. Five of Philip’s arrangements for strings and choir appear on “Christmas with Jon Batiste,” featuring artists such as Aloe Blacc, Judith Hill, Sean Jones and Jason Marsalis. The album placed No. 3 on the Billboard Jazz chart, and No. 1 on the Heatseeker’s chart.
The 75-member University of Scranton Concert Band and the University of Scranton Concert Choir, a 40-member ensemble, are both comprised of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, none of whom are music majors, – joined by a few graduate students, alumni and members of the faculty and staff – all brought together by their mutual love of music-making. The primary focus of Performance Music at the University is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles.
There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University Bands, Performance Choirs, and String Ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year. Other programs within the department - including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection and Scranton Brass Orchestra – closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624 or visit the Performance Music webpage (scranton.edu/music). For more info on Kuehn, visit www.philipkuehn.com.
Philip Kuehn and Cheryl Boga talk about The University of Scranton’s World Premiere Composition Series on WVIA’s Art Scene with Erika Funke.
University’s World Premiere Concert Set for May 6
-
04/24/2023
The exhibition titled “Post COVID: Art by Students for the Scranton School District” was displayed in The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery. The exhibit showed the work of West Scranton and Scranton High School students and reflects their experiences from the last three years. The following art educators of Scranton School District helped to make the exhibition possible: Ryan Hnat, Anne McNally, Rosemary Robertson, Kerri Ruddy-Archer, Adam Ruane and David Schulte.
Local High School Students Art Displayed
-
04/24/2023
The University of Scranton’s Office of Community-Based Learning hosted a talk by Tonyehn Verkitus, executive director of Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania, about environmental factors and their role in disease and health disparity. The talk was among the numerous events planned for Earth Day at the University.
In answer to the call by Pope Francis to “Care for Our Common Home,” The University of Scranton has begun an intensive seven-year journey to become designated as a Laudato Si’ University by the Vatican.
Environmental Health Discussed with Scranton Community
-
04/20/2023
The University of Scranton has begun an extensive seven-year journey to become designated as a Laudato Si’ University by the Vatican. Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical letter “Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home,” the University will join Catholic and non-Catholic colleges around the world who have committed to develop, implement and evaluate initiatives around seven goals to meet the Pope’s call for integral ecology, that is when science, ethics, spirituality and action are mutually respected and empowered.
“The University of Scranton has answered this call and has joined a network of colleges across the globe to begin the process this academic year of becoming a Laudato Si’ University,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of the University, in an announcement to the University community. “Becoming a Laudato Si’ University allows us to enhance and extend the graces for which Scranton has been so richly blessed to the greater care of others and of the earth.”“The University community has always shown great care for one another, and inspired our students to become ‘men and women for and with others.’ For decades, we have called for and implemented sustainable practices throughout our community, from green chemistry classes, to a ‘Responsibility, Sustainability and Justice’ cornerstone course in our MBA program, to building LEED certified facilities, to hosting dozens of Earth Day events annually, and much, much more,” said Father Marina.
To be designated as a Laudato Si University, colleges must evaluate comprehensively current environmental and sustainability programs, then improve and develop further initiatives to address seven goals outlined by the Pope. The goals to be addressed are: to respond to the cries of the Earth; to respond to the call of the poor; to apply ecological economics; to adopt sustainable lifestyles; to implement ecological education programs; to develop ecological spirituality efforts; and to develop of programs to address community resilience and empowerment.
The seven-year plan calls on universities to develop and implement plans that progress from the beginning stage to midrange and advanced levels. A resource website for participating schools incudes lists of initiatives institutions could address, which involves not only a call for universities to review, record and decrease their carbon footprints, but extends to research, spiritual, educational, personal energy consumption and community programs, such as planting gardens, restoring land and supporting local farmer’s markets. Ideas listed include the development of an incentive program for community members to monitor daily cell phone/social media use and then reduce usage by 50 percent, the support of community-based research on local eco-social problems, and expanding the community bank campaign to include investment in green, sustainable business and organizations.
The journey begins with assembling a team of administrators, staff, faculty and students to conduct a comprehensive examination of what the university is currently doing and aspiring to do to “care for our common home” during the first year and create an action plan for the next six years. The Laudato Si’ website states: “(t)he goal is to have a Laudato Si’ Action Plan created by the university and for the university. The action plan would be implemented and evaluated in years two through six. Year seven would mark a time of celebration and official Vatican recognition of the institution as a Laudato Si’ University.”
According to the website, along with critical awareness of current environmental issues facing the planet, the action plans “must carry forward an integral awareness; that is, a recognition that earth-healing programs and activities have not only a public, social dimension, but also a personal, spiritual dimension.” The plans will address the critical needs of the poor. As Pope Francis said in Laudato Si’: “We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both environmental and social.” The plans will address not only the social-structural changes needed to care for the earth and human society, but also “the personal transformations needed to live a sustainable lifestyle” and will include a “spiritual dimension, where students explore the depth of their calling to care for our common home.” The plans also call for “identifying and mobilizing constituents, welcoming the local community members into the university space, building trust, and finding solutions to local environmental problems.”
The University’s Laudato Si’ effort will be led by Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry. Members of Scranton’s Laudato Si’ working group are: Don Bergmann, chief of University Police; Ovidiu Cocieru, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, management and entrepreneurship; Rob Farrell, J.D., general counsel; Joan Grossman, Ph.D., associate professor of health and human performance; Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology; Sheli Pratt-McHugh, associate professor and chair, Weinberg Memorial Library; Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry; Ed Steinmetz, senior vice president for finance and administration; Lori Walton, Ph.D., professor of physical therapy; and University students Clara Downey, a political science major from Easthampton, Massachusetts, and current president of Student Government, and Karla Shaffer, a political science major from Doylestown, and incoming president of Student Government.
Visit The University of Scranton’s sustainability webpage for information about the University’s current sustainability efforts.
University Answers Call of Pope to Care for Our Common Home
-
04/19/2023
University of Scranton alumnus James M. Murray II, Ph.D. ’90, chief security officer for Snap, Inc., and former director of the United States Secret Service, will serve as the principal speaker at the University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 21. He will also receive an honorary degree from the University at the ceremony.
“Throughout his distinguished career at the United States Secret Service, and now at Snap, Inc., Jim Murray has dedicated his life to the protection of others. His decades of experience and exceptional leadership skills will certainly come into play for a commencement address that I am sure our students and guests will enjoy,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton.
At Snap, Inc., Dr. Murray leads the organization’s global security, intelligence, resilience and protective services operations to safeguard their workforce of more than 6,000 people at 45 facilities in 23 countries.
Prior to joining Snap, Inc., Dr. Murray served as the 26th director of the United States Secret Service from May, 2019, to September, 2022, where he led more than 8,000 special agents, police officers and mission support personnel in the execution of the Secret Service’s integrated investigative and protective mission. Previously, he served as their assistant director for the Office of Protective Operations and was responsible for coordinating and executing the Secret Service’s global protective mission. From 2016 to 2018, Dr. Murray served as deputy assistant director of the Office of Protective Operations, where he led combined agency efforts for the 2016 presidential campaign, transition and inauguration.
Dr. Murray began his Secret Service career in 1995 as a special agent in the New York Field Office, where he would later serve as the Agency’s primary representative on the FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force. During his career at the Secret Service, he held operational and supervisory positions in the Presidential Protective Division; the Atlantic City N.J. Resident Office; the James J. Rowley Training Center; and the Washington Field Office.
In recognition of his distinguished public service, Dr. Murray received the 2021 Alexander Hamilton Award, the highest honor issued by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and, in 2022, was awarded the Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Service by President Joseph Biden ’H76.
Dr. Murray actively supports Heroes, Inc., honoring the families of fallen law enforcement officers; assists the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC); and serves on the Advisory Board for Seton Hall University’s Police Graduate Studies Program.
A native of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, Dr. Murray earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from The University of Scranton, where he also completed the Reserve Officer Training Corps program and earned a commission as a U.S. Army Officer. He earned his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Seton Hall University. Dr. Murray also graduated from the American University Key Executive Leadership Program and the 2016 FBI Leadership in Counterterrorism FVEY Fellowship Program.
The University’s 2023 undergraduate commencement ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on May 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre.
James M. Murray II to Speak at 2023 Commencement
-
04/17/2023
Several of The University of Scranton’s graduate programs placed among the nation’s best in the 2023-2024 Best Graduate Schools ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News ranked Scranton’s MBA specialty programs in accounting No. 18 in the nation and business analytics No. 24 in the online ranking that published on Apr. 25.
In addition to the program specialty rankings, Scranton’s graduate program in rehabilitation counseling ranked No. 36 and its program in health care management ranked No. 41 nationally. U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s graduate program in nursing No. 123, its part-time MBA program No. 120 and its Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) No. 134 in America.
For the graduate school rankings, U.S. News uses data gathered by surveys of college faculty and administrators, and for nursing programs, from professionals working in health care, to assess the quality of programs. U.S. News also uses statistical data such as faculty student ratios and student test scores. The U.S. News ranking of the Best Graduate Schools Ranking by MBA Specialties is based solely on ratings by business school deans and directors of AACSB-accredited MBA programs.
The University’s graduate-level business programs include a Ph.D. in Accounting, Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Science in Finance (MSF), Master of Science in Business Analytics (MS) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in general management or with a specialization in accounting, business analytics, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources management, international business, management information systems, marketing and operations management. The University also offers combined/accelerated bachelor’s and master’s level programs including accounting BS/MBA, operations management BS/MBA, finance BS/MBA, management BS/MBA, and College of Arts and Sciences Bachelor’s/MBA, and other programs.
Graduate nursing degrees offered by Scranton include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN, and post-master’s certificate; Executive Nursing Leadership, M.S.N; and Nurse Anesthesia, DNP, and an accelerated MSN degree program. In addition to clinical rehabilitation counseling, the University also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, clinical mental health counseling and school counseling.
All of the University’s graduate programs hold the highest national accreditation within each discipline, including accreditation by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) for business and accreditation by The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for nursing and Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) for nurse anesthesia. The Graduate Health Administration Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) and the Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling in accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
Earlier this year, U.S. News’ “Best Online Programs” publication ranked the University’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 54 and its online MBA program at No. 102 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 72 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
In other rankings published by U.S. News, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 29 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 5 in the 2023 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 6 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.”
Graduate Programs Ranked Among Best by U.S. News
-
04/12/2023
Eight University of Scranton students’ high placements in the 2023 Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) State Leadership Conference have qualified them to advance to FBLA’s National Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, June 22 to 25. In addition to the individual student awards earned at the State Leadership Conference, the University won third place for state of chapter presentation and second place for the Gold Seal Award of Merit, which recognizes outstanding FBLA chapters in the state.
The following University students participated Pennsylvania’s FBLA State Leadership Conference, which took place in Harrisburg in March:
Colin P. Merriman, an undeclared major from Mount Laurel, New Jersey, won first place in business decision making analysis. Merriman is a sophomore at Scranton.
Teammates Alyssa M. Fontana, an operations management major from Douglassville, and Michael A. Castellino, a business analytics major from West Islip, New York, won first place in management analysis and decision making. Fontana, in her junior year at Scranton, also won second place in retail management. Castellino is a junior at Scranton.
Lamar L. Bishop, a business administration major from McDonough, Georgia, won second place in cybersecurity. Bishop is a sophomore at Scranton.
Joseph D. DeFeo, a marketing major from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, won second place in public speaking. DeFeo is a senior at Scranton.
Gregory M. Confessore, a business analytics major from Caldwell, New Jersey, won second place in programming concepts and third place in web design. Confessore is a senior at Scranton.
Teammates Chaz G. DellaCorte, a finance major from Ridgefield, Connecticut, and Todd F. Monahan, a finance major from Moosic, won third place in the finance case competition. DellaCorte is a sophomore at Scranton, and Monahan is a junior.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Advance to FBLA National Competition
-
04/11/2023
On Saturday, April 15 at 7:30 p.m., Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band and Saxophone Ensemble with special guest baritone and bass saxophonist Leigh Pilzer. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
In addition, Pilzer will also offer a free masterclass for local musicians, music teachers and their students in the afternoon before the concert on the topic of section playing. Please email music@scranton.edu for more information on the masterclass.
The concert on Saturday evening will highlight a variety of songs featuring two different instrumentations, according to Performance Music Conductors and Co-Directors Philip Kuehn and Cheryl Y. Boga. Pilzer will perform a variety of selections with the University’s Jazz Band and Saxophone Ensemble, both groups made up of student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum.
Pilzer is a Washington, D.C.-based saxophonist, arranger and educator. She has toured domestically and internationally as a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, and often performs with the National Symphony Orchestra at concerts at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. As an arranger, Pilzer’s work is in the libraries of the SJMO, DIVA, the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra, the DC-area premier military jazz ensembles, and college and professional jazz ensembles and brass quintets throughout the country. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance with jazz emphasis from George Mason University; master’s degrees in jazz studies and saxophone performance from The University of Maryland; and a Bachelor of Music in jazz composition and arranging from the Berklee College of Music.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year. Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection, and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers. High school juniors and seniors who are considering applying to Scranton are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert or tour the building.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624 or visit the Performance Music webpage (scranton.edu/music). For more info on Pilzer, visit www.leighpilzer.com.
Leigh Pilzer to Perform April 15 at University
-
04/11/2023
The University of Scranton will host its annual Evening of Environmental Science on Thursday, April 20, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center. The event includes environmentally themed interactive displays and activities for elementary, middle and high school students, organized and run by University students. The event is free of charge and open to the public.
The event will also display the nearly 200 essays submitted by area students in grades 5 to 12 for this year’s Earth Day Essay Contest. The winners of the essay contest will be announced at the event.
Tours of the University’s state-of-the-art Loyola Science Center will also be offered. The Princeton Review ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” for six years, placing Scranton’s science labs at No. 7 in America the 2023 edition of the “Best 388 Colleges” guidebook.
The Evening of Environmental Science is among numerous Earth Day events hosted by the University and its Office of Sustainability.
Visit The University of Scranton’s sustainability webpage for information about the University’s sustainability efforts and Earth Day events, or call the Office of Sustainability at 570-941-6267.
Evening of Environmental Science Set for April 20
-
04/11/2023
As part of the celebration of The University of Scranton’s 50th Anniversary of Coeducation, Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, presented “Pope Francis, Women and Synodality” in March on campus. Appointed by Pope Francis as an undersecretary in 2021, Sister Becquart is the first woman to hold this position and making her the first woman to have the right to vote in the Synod of Bishops and the highest-ranking woman official at the Vatican. During her visit, Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, presented her with the University’s Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignation Mission and Ministry. The Arrupe Award is given to recognize men and women for outstanding contributions in a wide variety of Ignatian-inspired ministries.
$content.getChild('content').textValueSister Nathalie Becquart Receives Arrupe Award
-
04/06/2023
As part of The University of Scranton’s “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” celebration and its Ellacuría Initiative, the University hosted a day-long teach-in on women’s and gender justice. Through a series of lectures and panel discussions, issues of gender injustice from various perspectives were explored. One session, titled “Wisdom Cries Aloud: Religious Women of Scranton,” featured a panel discussion of five local women leaders of different faiths.
In photo below are University of Scranton students who assisted with an information booth at “The Ellacuría Initiative Women’s and Gender Justice Teach-In." From left: Maria Stephen, a political science major from Huntingdon Valley; Shelby Traver, an international business major from Sweet Valley and recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship; Mackenzie Longo, an occupational therapy major from Holbrook, New York; and Benjamin Burman, a nursing major from Clifford Township.
$content.getChild('content').textValueEllacuria Initiative Teach-In Held at University
-
04/05/2023
Gerard Dumancas, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at The University of Scranton, was selected as a Visiting Faculty Fellow by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Through this highly-competitive program, Dr. Dumancas will have the opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading scientists at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in Berkeley, California. He will research the development of a more convenient, easy-to-use and inexpensive techniques to estimate biomass components by using existing data bases.
According to Dr. Dumancas, biomass is a chemical mixture of three major chemical components, lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose, in addition to non-structural components.
“The determination of the mass fraction of these chemical components is very important since the amount of these chemical constituents influence thermochemical process functions. We will explore the utility of machine learning regression, deep learning and stacked regression to determine the masses of these biomass chemical components using publicly available datasets,” said Dr. Dumancas.
The DOE’s Visiting Faculty Program is designed to provide an opportunity for faculty members to enhance research capabilities and strengthen science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and learning practices to develop talent to contribute to DOE research areas. The Visiting Faculty Program is sponsored and managed by the DOE Office of Science’s Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists in collaboration with the DOE national laboratories.
Just last year, Dr. Dumancas received a five-year, $1.158 million National Science Foundation funded Noyce Scholars grant to support future STEM high school teachers in high-need school districts. The grant provides scholarships and educational training support to 21 STEM students with a major or minor in secondary education.
During his career, Dr. Dumancas has generated more than $2 million in external research grants and has published more than 40 manuscripts in peer-reviewed academic journals.
Dr. Dumancas joined the faculty at Scranton in the spring of 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oklahoma State University.
Chemistry Professor Wins DOE Faculty Award
-
04/03/2023
From April 21 through May 12, the Hope Horn Gallery at The University of Scranton will present "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration" by Mark Loughney. This installation will include 771 pencil portraits drawn during 20-minute sittings throughout Loughney’s 10-year incarceration.
Approached as a process of marking penal time, the Pyrrhic Defeat series depicts imprisoned individuals with a sense of humanity often lost in the prison system. The series title refers to “Pyrrhic defeat theory,” which is the idea that those with the power to make sensible changes to the criminal justice system benefit from the way it currently works. The exhibition will also feature artifacts on loan from the Lackawanna Historical Society and other local collections.
Loughney’s work has also been exhibited in the group show "Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration" at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) PS1 in Long Island City, New York; the David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island; and the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey; and has received critical attention in Artforum, Forbes and the Paris Review.
The exhibition will begin on Friday, April 21, with a Panel Discussion in the Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a Gallery Reception at the Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The Panel Discussion will consider issues of overcrowding in the prison system and reentry strategies following incarceration. Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology and executive director of the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime at The University of Scranton will serve as moderator. Panelists will include Mark Loughney, exhibiting artist, Philadelphia; Sean Kelley, senior vice president and director of Interpretation at the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, Philadelphia; Jasmine Heiss, project director of "In Our Backyards," Vera Institute of Justice, Brooklyn, New York; Jack Norton, assistant professor of criminal justice at Governors State University, University Park, Illinois and Glynis Johns, Founder and CEO of the Black Scranton Project.
An additional Gallery Reception will be held on First Friday, May 5, at the Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The Panel Discussion and Gallery Receptions are free of charge and open to the public. The exhibition can be seen, also free of charge, during gallery hours, which are Sunday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesday evenings, 6 to 8 p.m.
"Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration" is presented with support from the Ellacuría Initiative of the Jesuit Center; the Faculty Initiatives Fund of the Office of Community-Based Learning; a Diversity Initiatives Grant from the Office of Equity and Diversity and the Office of Community Relations at The University of Scranton.
For additional information, please contact Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D, director, Hope Horn Gallery, The University of Scranton, at 570-941-4214 or darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Images below: Mark Loughney. "Pyrrhic Defeat: A Visual Study of Mass Incarceration," (2014-2023).
$content.getChild('content').textValue
Selection from series of 771 works. Graphite on paper. Courtesy of the artist.Visual Study of Mass Incarceration Presented
-
04/03/2023
“Where Does Wealth Come From?” will be discussed at The University of Scranton’s 28th Henry George Seminar on Thursday, April 20. The lecture, presented by Sandra E. Black, Ph.D., professor of economics and international and public affairs at Columbia University, will begin at 4 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Black’s research focuses on the role of early life experiences on the long-run outcomes of children, as well as issues of gender and discrimination. Her more than 40 publications include “Poor Little Rich Kids? The Role of Nature versus Nurture in Wealth and Other Economic Outcomes and Behaviors” (with Paul Devereux, Petter Lundborg, and Kaveh Majlesi), published in the July 2020 issue of Review of Economic Studies; “Apply Yourself: Racial and Ethnic Differences in College Application, Education Finance and Policy” (with Kalena Cortes and Jane Lincove), published in the Spring 2020 issue of Education Finance and Policy; “Born to Lead? The Effect of Birth Order on Non-Cognitive Skills” (with Erik Grönqvist and Björn Öckert), published in the May 2018 issue of Review of Economics and Statistics; and “Why the Apple Doesn’t Fall Far: Understanding the Intergenerational Transmission of Education” (with Paul Devereux and Kjell Salvanes), published in the March 2005 issue of American Economic Review.
According to the abstract to her publication “Like Father, Like Son? A Note on the Intergenerational Transmission of IQ Scores” (with Paul Devereux and Kjell Salvanes), published in Economics Letters in October of 2009, the research finds “that there is substantial intergenerational transmission of IQ scores; an increase in father’s IQ score of 10% is associated with a 3.2% increase in son’s IQ score at age 18.”
Dr. Black is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and the director of the NBER Study Group on Economic Mobility. She is currently an editor of the Journal of Labor Economics and was previously a co-editor and editor of the Journal of Human Resources. From August 2015 to January 2017, she served as a member of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers.
Prior to her position at Columbia University, Dr. Black worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, as a professor in the Department of Economics at UCLA, and held the Audre and Bernard Centennial Chair in Economics and Public Affairs in the Department of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Seminar Series is presented by the University’s Department of Economics, Finance and International Business and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous seminars are Robert Frank (Cornell University), R. Glenn Hubbard (Columbia University), Edward T. O’Donnell (College of the Holy Cross). Robert N. Stavins (Harvard University) and Angus Deaton (Princeton University). Dr. Deaton was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2015.
The seminar series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information about the Henry George Seminar, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Roots of Wealth Discussed at Henry George Seminar
-
03/31/2023
The University of Scranton will host the 2023 Math Integration Bee for area high school students on Thursday, April 27. The competition, offered free of charge, begins with registration at 4:15 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The competition serves as practice for participants to improve skills for upcoming Advanced Placement calculus tests.
The event will include a light dinner for participants.
The competition functions similar to a spelling bee, but with contestants completing definite and indefinite integral problems, a type of calculus problem, instead of spelling words. All contestants to reach the final round, which will conclude by 7:30 p.m., will receive $25. The overall winner of the Math Integration Bee will receive an additional $75.
The event is hosted by the University’s Mathematics Department. Registration is required to participate and contestants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a guardian, parent or faculty member. The deadline for registration is April 20.
Additional information regarding rules, registration and examples of past problems is available on the Math Integration Bee website. For questions, contact Stacey Muir, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, at Stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
Bee Scranton’s Next Integration Champion
-
03/28/2023
A new amateur ham radio station in planned for The University of Scranton’s Amateur Radio Club through support from a nearly $200,000 Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) grant awarded to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor physics and engineering at The University of Scranton. The grant will support antenna systems and state-of-the-art equipment to allow HF, VHF, UHF and microwave operations including amateur satellite operations. The new station will be located in the glass-walled study room 596 on the fifth floor of the Loyola Science Center, with additional lab space on the same floor. The station will give students the chance to learn about amateur radio, radio engineering and radio science, in addition to allowing them to participate in Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) research.
“In addition to serving University students, this installation will benefit the larger community by being accessible through outreach programs for local high school students and community members and, because of the accessibility of back-up power in the Loyola Science Center, possibilities exist to work with Lackawanna and Luzerne County Emergency Communication Agencies,” said Dr. Frissell.
Dr. Frissell includes ham radio technology in his classes and research, as well as with the University’s Amateur Radio Club (W3USR), for which he serves as moderator.
In 2019, Dr. Frissell received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) research. The project seeks to harness the power of a worldwide network of licensed amateur radio operators to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere. He received additional grants, including a $25,000 ARDC grant, to support an annual Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) Workshop, which just took place at The University of Scranton in March 17-18, as well as grants to further support his space research.
Equipment for the new amateur ham radio station has begun to arrive on campus, with members of the Amateur Radio Club hosting a box opening ceremony at their last meeting to reveal some of the technology to University community members. Construction for the station will continue through the summer with the completion date expected for the beginning of the fall semester.
Dr. Frissell noted that the timing of the opening of the station is particularly important this year in order to capture data for the upcoming annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, and the total solar eclipse on Apr. 8, 2024.
“Both eclipses have paths that sweep across the continental United States and are the last solar eclipses to traverse this area until 2044, and are therefore important, time-sensitive, in- formation rich opportunities for running unique and “controlled” ionospheric experiments,” said Dr. Frissell.
For additional information about Scranton’s Amateur Radio Club or the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI), contact Dr. Frissell at nathaniel.frissell@scranton.edu.
Dr. Frissell talks about the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) Workshop 2023 in this WVIA podcast.
Below, members of The University of Scranton’s Amateur Radio Club unwrap equipment arriving on campus for a new, state-of-the-art amateur ham radio station supported through a $196,241 Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) grant awarded to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor physics and engineering. From left: Dr. Frissell, who serves as moderator for the University’s Amateur Radio Club and Scranton students: Gerard Piccini, a sophomore electrical engineering major from Monroe Township, New Jersey; Veronica Romanek, a senior physics and Spanish double major from Hampton, New Jersey; Thomas Pisano, a sophomore electrical engineering major from Staten Island, New York; and James Fox, a sophomore computer science major from Hillsborough, New Jersey.
$content.getChild('content').textValueARDC Grant Supports University Ham Radio Station
-
03/28/2023
Twenty-four University of Scranton students participated in spring break service trips offered by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. Along with six chaperones, the students helped to build and renovate homes, assist at food pantries, and helped with programs at Homeboy Industries at service projects in the Appalachian region of Kentucky, St. Louis, Missouri, and Los Angeles, California.
The following students went to the Appalachian Region of Kentucky to work with the Christian Appalachian Project to renovate and build homes:
Brooke McNabola (student leader);Julia Donofry;James Gammello;Grace Lloyd;Brian White;Susan Wohlmuth;Sara Wynne.Avianna Carilli, coordinator of domestic and international service programs, and Melissa Eckenrode, administrative assistant for the English and Theatre Department, served as chaperones.
The following students worked with L’Arche, Saint Louis University, St. Anthony’s Food Pantry, LifeWise STL and Assisi House in St. Louis, Missouri:
Brandon DaGrosa (student leader);Fanny Rodriguez (student leader);Tabitha Berger;Jack Burke;Rose Camiolo;Angelina Guido;Erin Hartey;Kyle Kennely;Nicole Kenny;Jenna Kotlar.Julie Ferguson, registrar, and Timothy Powers, lecturer in the Counseling and Human Services Department, served as chaperones.
The following students went to Los Angeles, California to work with Homeboy Industries, Midnight Mission, Cantlay Food Distribution Center and HUB OC:
Sophia McMullan (student leader);Bailey Blickhahn;Stephen Butler;Matthew Duffy;Daniella Gomes;Emily Nowak;Fiori Tannenbaum.Erin Grell, a graduate student from Woodridge, New Jersey, and David Kostiak, policy and compliance manager in the University Police Department, served as s chaperones.
Students Travel US for Spring Break Service Trips
-
03/28/2023
On Sunday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m., Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present “In Recital” featuring vocalist Mikaela Bennett. The recital will take place in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. The recital, which is free of charge and open to the public, will feature music spanning a variety of genres, according to Performance Music Conductors and Co-Directors Cheryl Boga and Philip Kuehn.
Bennett is a graduate of The Juilliard School and is celebrated as a singer and actress for her work on stage and in the concert hall. She most recently appeared as a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall conducted by Ted Sperling and performed alongside the Grammy Award winning group Take 6 and MasterVoices. She also appeared as a featured soloist in Daniel Fish’s concert conception of “The Most Happy Fella” at Bard SummerScape. She made her Festival Napa Valley debut as Lauretta in “Gianni Schicchi” under the baton of Kent Nagano and in 2020, Bennett had the distinct honor to appear as a featured soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel performing ‘Aurora’ written by Wayne Shorter.
In 2019, Bennett was honored by Lincoln Center with a Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, and she made her critically acclaimed debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago playing Maria in “West Side Story.” Following a sold-out run in Chicago, she returned to the BBC Proms with the John Wilson Orchestra performing music from the Warner Bros film studio. To cap off an eventful year, Bennett sang the role of Mary Wintergreen in MasterVoices’ concert production of Gershwin’s “Let ‘Em Eat Cake” at Carnegie Hall, music directed and conducted by Ted Sperling.
On stage, Bennett made her professional debut starring as Penelope in “The Golden Apple” at City Center Encores. She originated the role of Norma in Dick Scanlan and Carmel Dean’s new musical “Renascence” in New York City, starred in the title role in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” at the MUNY, and at the 2018 Prototype Festival, she originated the title role of Acquanetta in a new opera composed by Michael Gordon and directed by Daniel Fish.
In the concert hall, Bennett has made her debuts with some of the world’s leading orchestras and foremost conductors in America and the United Kingdom. In August 2018, she made her BBC Proms debut at London’s Royal Albert Hall starring as Maria in the John Wilson Orchestra’s concert production of “West Side Story” to critical and public acclaim. She made her debuts with the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Slatkin and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Bennett performed as a featured soloist in “Bernstein on Broadway” as part of the Leonard Bernstein 2018 centennial celebrations at the Kennedy Center directed by Kathleen Marshall and conducted by Rob Fisher.
Bennett has collaborated multiple times with conductor Ted Sperling, most recently at Carnegie Hall performing Gershwin, as well as serving as the soprano soloist in Handel’s Israel in Egypt with MasterVoices and Orchestra of St Luke’s. She has also appeared with the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra and New World Symphony, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, for the world premiere of his work ‘Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind’. She has also performed in New York City’s prestigious cabaret venues including Joe’s Pub at the Public and solo concerts at Feinstein’s 54 Below. Bennett is a native of Ottawa, Canada.For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624 or visit the Performance Music webpage (scranton.edu/music). For more info on Bennett, please visit www.mikaela-bennett.com.
Soprano Mikaela Bennett to Perform April 2
-
03/28/2023
The University of Scranton’s Center for Career Development will host this year’s spring Career Expo for both students and alumni of all majors on Thursday, March 30, from noon to 3 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex.
More than 120 businesses, colleges and other organizations will be on campus seeking candidates for employment, internships, service, graduate school and other opportunities. Some organizations attending include Allied Services, Air Force Reserve, Baker Tilly, Crayola, Enterprise Holdings, Firetree, Ltd., Northeast Counseling Services, Novus Surgical Consultants, LLC., WNEP-TV and Woodloch Resort. The Career Expo provides students with exposure to countless organizations hiring for full-time jobs, internships, co-op, part-time experiences and more.
Students are reminded to dress according to professional standards and to bring resumes for employers and schools. Resources to prepare for the event can be found on the University’s Career Expo website.
Spring Career Expo to Host 120-Plus Organizations
-
03/28/2023
The University of Scranton Community English as a Second Language (ESL) Program received a $2,000 critical needs grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation. The grant will be used to purchase textbooks and workbooks to serve the growing number of community members who seek to improve their English. Through this program, which is free to participants, University of Scranton students tutor local refugees and immigrants in English as a second language at the Language Learning Center, located in O’Hara Hall on the University’s campus.
The textbooks will expand the capacity and improve the quality of the Community ESL Program through audio and video content, reading and writing exercises, workbooks and more.
The University’s World Languages and Cultures Department oversees the University’s Scranton Community ESL Program. Yamile Silva, Ph.D., professor of Spanish, serves as the department’s chair.
Grant Supports University Community ESL Program
-
03/24/2023
Margarete L. Zalon, Ph.D., professor emerita in the Department of Nursing at The University of Scranton, received a 2022 American Journal of Nursing (AJN) Book of the Year Award for the third edition of her book “Nurses Making Policy: From Bedside to Boardroom.” The book placed 2nd in the program’s Nursing Management and Leadership category. Dr. Zalon also received a 2019 AJN Book of the Year Award for the second edition of this book in 2019.
The AJN Book of the Year program is a prestigious competition in which the best in nursing publications are chosen by a panel of judges who are experienced and well-established in the nursing community. Awards are given for first, second, and third places in 20 categories.
Dr. Zalon’s book calls on nurses to take a more prominent advocacy role in promoting health and advancing the profession. The third edition includes many revisions and new tools, including updated material on COVID-19, diversity, social determinants of health and social justice.
Dr. Zalon, who retired in 2022, has been a member of Scranton’s faculty since 1988. She was inducted as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow in 2010 in part for her positive influence on health care policy and delivery. Her leadership legacy includes grassroots advocacy, progressive program design, execution and outcomes in state and national nursing organizations focused on establishing practice and education policy and building research funding capacity.
During her more than three decades of service at the University, Dr. Zalon has served on numerous committees, including in leadership roles on the Faculty Senate and FAC. When she served as director of the University’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics Program, she has played a pivotal role in the program’s success. In 2021, the graduate program received accreditation from the prestigious Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
Dr. Zalon is a previous chair of the American Nurses Foundation, a former board member of the American Nurses Association and a past president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association.
Her research focuses on vulnerable elders. She has authored book chapters, as well as articles published in numerous scholarly journals and other professional publications. She has also made research and health policy presentations at the local, state, national and international levels.
In 2022, Dr. Zalon received the John L. Earl III Award for service to the University, the faculty and the wider community. She was also a recipient of the Duke University School of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award, the PSNA Distinguished Nurse Award and a Leahy Fellowship at Scranton. She also received the University’s Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award in 2020.
Dr. Zalon earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from New York University.
Book by Nursing Professor Wins Award
-
03/24/2023
University of Scranton students and professors were among the presenters at HamSCI Workshop 2023 which took place at The University of Scranton and the historic Lackawanna Station hotel. The annual workshop brings together amateur radio enthusiasts and professional scientists to collaborate on existing and future innovative research projects.
Twenty-two University of Scranton students and 10 faculty and staff members presented at the workshop along with representatives from Cairo University, Case Western Reserve University, Dartmouth College, Millersville University, Rice University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, The University of Alabama, The University of Alaska, Wilkes University, Virginia Tech, amateur radio clubs and the HamSCI community. Representatives from NASA Headquarters, the Space Science Institute, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the ARRL: The National Association for Amateur Radio, the Tucson Amateur Packet Radio (TAPR) organization, Broadcast Sciences, L.L.C., and Syntek Technologies, also participated.
Tai-Yin Huang, Ph.D., aeronomy program director for the National Science Foundation, and Rosy Schechter (KJ7RYV), executive director of the Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), joined Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., (W2NAF) assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton, and Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Scranton, in welcoming attendees to the conference. Dr. Frissell received NSF and ARDC grants to support the conference. Patricia Reiff, Ph.D., (W5TAR) professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University and founding director of the Rice Space Institute, provided the keynote address.
University of Scranton students presenting at the workshop were:
Milton Andrade Andino, an engineering management major from Randolph, New Jersey;
Augustine Brapoh, an electrical engineering major from Fairless Hills;
Robert Brudnicki, (KC3VFW) a computer engineering major from Archbald;
Christian Chakiris, a computer engineering major from Dickson City;
Devin Diehl, a graduate student from Mayfield;
Matthew Dittmar, an electrical engineering major from Easton;
James Fox, (KE2ANL) a computer science major from Hillsborough, New Jersey;
Nicholas Guerra, (KC3VLK) a computer science major from Scranton;
Sade Lugo, an engineering management major from Scranton;
Michael Molzen, a physics major from Bloomsbury, New Jersey;
John Nelson, a computer engineering major from Jefferson, Maryland;
Cuong Nguyen, (KC3UAX) a computer engineering major from Ashley;
Gerard Piccini, (KD2ZHK) an electrical engineering major from Monroe Township, New Jersey;
Thomas Pisano, (KE2BAC) an electrical engineering major from Staten Island, New York;
Veronica Romanek, (KD2UHN) a physics major from Hampton, New Jersey;
Simal Sami, (KC3UAW) an information technology major from Jessup;
Shaaf Sarwar, (KC3PVF) a physics major from Qazalbash Chowk, Pakistan;
Zainab Shah, a computer engineering major from Hellertown;
Aidan Szabo, an electrical engineering major from Hillsborough, New Jersey;
Francis Tholley, a graduate student from Darby;
Robert Troy, (KC3VJC) an electrical engineering major from Dunmore;
Nisha Yadav, a graduate student from Muradnagar, Ghaziabad.
In addition to Dr. Frissell, University professors and staff presenting were: Ken Dudeck (WB3AHD), visiting professor of physics and engineering; Rachel Frissell (W2RUF), faculty specialist, physics and engineering; Joseph Klobusicky, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics; Majid Mokhtari, manager of laboratory equipment, Department of Physics and Engineering; Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering; Paul Sampson, Ph.D., assistant professor of history; Robert Spalletta (KC3QOB), Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering; Argyrios Varonides, Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering; and Amir Zamanian, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and engineering. Scranton alumnus Jonathan Rizzo (KC3EEY) of the class of 2021, also presented at the workshop.
The HamSCI Workshop 2023 offered both in-person or virtual participation.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents and Faculty Present at HamSCI Workshop
-
03/23/2023
On Saturday, March 25, at 7:30 p.m., Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present “In Recital” featuring the Caleb Hudson and Achilles Liarmakopoulos Trio. The 7:30 p.m. recital will take place in the Houlihan McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Hudson and Liarmakopoulos will be joined by pianist Ahmed Alom, and the recital will feature a virtuosic selection of music, according to Performance Music Conductor and Co-Director Philip Kuehn. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
In addition, Hudson and Liarmakopoulos will also offer a free masterclass for brass players at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Participants under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent.
Currently a member of the Canadian Brass and a graduate of The Juilliard School with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Hudson possesses a wide range of musical styles, and his performance genres and venues range from soloing in Carnegie Hall to performing with early music ensembles and appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live. He is known for his piccolo trumpet mastery of Bach’s infamous Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, and has performed it around the world with ensembles including Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Israel Philharmonic Soloists and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He enjoys writing and arranging music for Canadian Brass and many of his works have been performed, published, and recorded by them on two albums, Canadian Brass: Perfect Landing and Canadian Brass: Great Wall of China.
According to Conductor and Co-Director Cheryl Y. Boga, “Caleb is no stranger to Houlihan-McLean. He visited the University on an almost annual basis for many years both with the NYTE and as a clinician for our brass seminars, and was our music technology mentor as we started our Scranton Isolation Informances broadcasts during the pandemic. His generosity is as remarkable as his talent.”
Hudson currently serves as assistant professor of trumpet at the University of North Texas College of Music, where he is devoted to teaching and sharing his love for music with students.
Liarmakopoulos, trombonist of the Canadian Brass, holds degrees from the Yale University School of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, San Francisco Conservatory and the Philippos Nakas Conservatory. He has performed as a recitalist in China, Panama, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland and Greece. In 2013, salsa icon Ruben Blades invited him to perform at his concerts at Lincoln Center and Madison Square Garden. Liarmakopoulos has been the adjunct trombone professor at Brooklyn College at CUNY University in New York since 2014, and began teaching at the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2020. He has also performed and recorded with the genre bending American band Pink Martini. In 2020, Liarmakopoulos was elected as a member of the Board of Advisors for the International Trombone Association.
Alom is a Cuban-born pianist whose versatility spans Jazz, Latin Jazz, and Classical genres. Having played with notable artists in all of these genres, he is a member of the Latin-Grammy Winner Pedro Giraudo Tango Quartet. His versatility among contrasting styles of music have led him to collaborate regularly with Philippe Quint, Steve Hackman, Teddy Abrams, Paquito D’Rivera and Pedrito Martinez, among others.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year. Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection, and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624 or visit the Performance Music webpage (scranton.edu/music). For more info on Hudson and Liarmakopoulos, please visit www.hudsontrumpet.com and www.achillestrombone.com.
Members of Canadian Brass to Perform March 25
-
03/22/2023
The Scranton School District and The University of Scranton have partnered to give an outstanding opportunity for students to exhibit their art at the University’s Hope Horn Gallery from March 20 to April 14.
The exhibition tilted, “Post COVID,” challenged the high school students to reflect upon the last three years of their lives. Students were asked “What is it like to make art post-COVID from a teenager’s perspective? How are community connections reestablished after long periods of isolation?” A group exhibition explores these questions through work produced by high school students in the Scranton School District.
Self-expression shines in pieces by these young artists, who represent the future of arts and culture in northeastern Pennsylvania, according to Ryan Hnat, art educator at West Scranton High School.
A Curator’s Lecture is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, March 24, in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, followed by a public reception at the Hope Horn Gallery on the fourth floor of Hyland Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. The lecture and reception, presented free of charge and open to the public, have been made possible by The University of Scranton and the following art educators of Scranton School District: Ryan Hnat, Anne McNally, Rosemary Robertson, Kerri Ruddy-Archer, Adam Ruane and David Schulte.
The exhibition can be seen, also free of charge, during gallery hours.
For more information regarding the exhibition, please visit The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery website.
High School Students Exhibit Post-Covid Art
-
03/21/2023
An article written by University of Scranton Doctor of Business (DBA) graduates Amanda S. Marcy, ’10, G’11, DBA ’21, assistant professor of accounting at The University of Scranton, and Ronald Douglas Parker, DBA ’21, assistant professor of accounting at Western Carolina University, received the 2023 Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year Award from the Institute of Management Accountants’ Committee on Ethics and Strategic Finance.
This is the second-time Dr. Marcy received the Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year Award. She received the award in 2020 for an article co-written with Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., chair of the University’s Accounting Department; James F. Boyle, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting; and Daniel P. Mahoney, Ph.D., professor of accounting.
Drs. Marcy and Parker received the 2023 award for their article “The Value of Civility,” which examined the impact incivility has on the finance and accounting profession, as well as strategies organizations can use to combat incivility in the workplace. Their research indicated that “supervisor incivility significantly correlated to an employee’s overall job satisfaction and their intent to seek new job opportunities.” They stated in the article: “Of those who have experienced supervisor incivility, 24% indicated that they plan to leave their current employer within one year compared to only 6% of those that had never experienced such incivility.”
According to the survey Drs. Marcy and Parker conducted as part of their study, the incivility respondents cited that they had experienced by supervisors was “paying little attention to their opinions/statements (62%); doubting their judgment over a matter for which they were responsible (56%); putting them down or acting condescending toward them (47%); and ignoring or excluding them from professional camaraderie (44%).”
A Certified Public Accountant, Dr. Marcy was named assistant professor of accounting at Scranton in 2018 and previously served as a faculty specialist in the department. Previously, she worked as an accountant for Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Accounting Association and the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Dr. Marcy earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting, her MBA specialized in accounting and her D.B.A. in accounting from The University of Scranton.
As a DBA student at Scranton, Dr. Parker and two of his accounting professors won a prestigious 2021 Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Silver Medal for an article they co-authored. A resident of Franklin, North Carolina, Dr. Parker earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Carolina University.
The annual award is named in memory of Curtis C. Verschoor, a longtime member of the IMA Committee on Ethics, editor of the Strategic Finance Ethics column for 20 years, and a significant contributor to the development and revisions of the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice. Verschoor was a passionate, renowned thought leader on ethics in accounting, having earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from Trust Across America-Trust Around the World for his leadership in and advocacy for trustworthy business practices.
The University of Scranton doctoral business administration degree changed to a Ph.D. in Accounting degree beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year.
Professor Wins Second Accounting Ethics Award
-
03/21/2023
In recognition of Pope Francis’s call toward environmental sustainability, The University of Scranton’s Sustainability Office has chosen the theme “The People’s Planet, Climate Justice” for this spring’s Earth Day celebration. The theme of climate justice focuses on the merging of civil rights and climate change to draw attention to the effects of environmental changes on different communities. Many of the University’s offices and departments have come together to offer numerous educational events in honor of Earth Day and Scranton’s ongoing sustainability efforts.
Events are open to the public, free of charge, unless otherwise indicated.
This year’s Environmental Essay Contest is open to all area students in grades 5-12. The essay will revolve around the theme “The People’s Planet, Climate Justice.” Submissions will be accepted until April 3, and winners will be announced at the Evening of Environmental Science event on April 20. For more details, visit the contest webpage.
World Water Day will be celebrated through an interactive event at the University’s DeNaples Center on March 22. Informative activities and displays will help raise awareness of water usage and its importance. March 22 will also start Plant Based Meals Week for University students, in which the positive impacts of eating green will be promoted at meals offered at the Fresh Food Company.
Tonyehn Verkitus, executive director at Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania, will discuss environmental factors and how disparities in communities jeopardize health and well-being at a Community-Based Learning talk on March 23. The talk begins at 11:45 a.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
On March 30, the film “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva” will be screened at the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center at 7:30 p.m. The film shows many successful changes made through environmental activism and caring for all people. Vandana Shiva is a wonderful example of a woman’s lifelong leadership and activism that has improved the lives of millions of people around the world. A very interesting, entertaining, and inspiring movie.
On April 14, an Environmental Art Show address will be given by artist Stephanie Williams in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library, beginning at 4:30 p.m. William’s work includes pictures of nature, people, creatures, sounds and energies. The library will also host an Environmental Art Show featuring environmental art of members of the University community from April 14 to April 25 in the Heritage Room during library hours.
On April 17, Nicole Negowetti, former clinical instructor at the Harvard Animal Law and Policy Clinic, will discuss her work concerning sustainable agricultural procedures. The talk, offered by the University’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, begins at 5:30 p.m. at Brennan Hall, The Pearn Auditorium.
The Earth Day Fair will take place the following day, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center. The event will host University student displays as well as, displays from university departments, local non-profits and governmental offices, which will provide information about sustainable practices and products.
The Evening of Environmental Science, set for April 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center, will feature a display of essays received for the Earth Day Essay Contest, as well interactive environmental displays and activities. Awards for the Essay Contest will be presented at the event.
Earth Day celebrations conclude with a three-hour kayaking trip on the Susquehanna River for students on May 6, hosted by the University’s Sustainability Office and the Society for Sustainability and Conservation.
Visit The University of Scranton’s sustainability webpage for information about the University’s sustainability efforts and Earth Day events, or call the Office of Sustainability at 570-941-6267.
Sustainability in Full Swing at Scranton
-
03/21/2023
As part of events planned for The University of Scranton’s “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” and Women’s History Month, the University’s Career Development Office, Human Resources Office and the Jane Kopas Women’s Center hosted a Salary Negotiation Workshop aimed at helping women overcome the wage gap by teaching students how to properly advocate for themselves in their careers. Lori Moran, director of the University’s Center for Career Development, and Melissa Abda, a senior human resource generalist at the University’s Office of Human Resources, hosted the event.
Moran and Abda began by displaying data that demonstrate women really are paid less even when working the same job, for the same number of hours as a male counterpart. In fact, Moran and Abda explained that this gendered pay discrepancy begins as soon as college graduation for women who do not negotiate their salaries. The wage gap, caused by factors including labor market discrimination and apprehension by women to negotiate pay, slowly grows over the course of women’s careers, culminating in a loss of $2 million for individual women by age 60.
The presenters encouraged the workshop attendees to combat this gendered discrepancy in pay by demonstrating how to determine one’s target salary, making sure to take into account one’s education, strengths and experiences, as well as market research and the median salary for the desired position within the specific geographical area. To determine the median salary for one’s desired job, Moran and Abda specifically recommended utilizing websites like salary.com and payscale.com, since both provide employer-reported data.
Moran and Abda explained what to do once one has received an offer. They advised attendees to examine the whole compensation package (including benefit plans, paid time off, bonuses, opportunities for advancement, retirement plans, etc.) and to not focus singularly on the salary. After taking time to think about the offer, attendees were taught to suggest a higher salary if their research indicated that they deserve higher compensation. If employers cannot provide the salary a potential employee deserves, Moran and Abda suggested that the potential employee should seek their appropriate compensation through other means such as reimbursement for relocation expenses, increased benefits, or a salary increase following a preliminary evaluation period. However, the presenters also advised that each attendee should know at what point they must walk away from an offer if, for instance, an organization cannot provide an appropriate salary due to budgetary restrictions. Moran emphasized the importance of only accepting a salary that will cover one’s cost of living.
The presenters closed the program encouraging the attendees to practice articulating why they would deserve a larger salary. Abda underscored the importance of practice saying, “practice is key so you can come across as confident.” After the workshop’s completion, the presenters roleplayed a salary negotiation to apply the workshop’s lessons, and then opened the floor for questions.
The University’s Spring 2023 Career Expo is set for Thursday, March 30, from noon to 3 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex.
Salary Negotiation Workshop
-
03/20/2023
Through April 14 Art Exhibit: “Post COVID: Art by Students for the Scranton School District.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
April 1 9 a.m. Regional National History Day Competition for junior and senior high school students. The DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
April 1 8:30 a.m. Second annual Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service for public officials, leaders of nonprofit organizations and students. Brennan Hall. $15. Registration required. Email ceeps@scranton.edu.
April 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mikaela Bennett, voice. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
April 4 7 p.m. Performance: “From Music Score To Life On Stage” book by Gene Terruso, co-produced with the University Players and The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
April 14 4:30 p.m. Environmental Art Show opening event – Artist Talk with Stéphanie Williams. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-7482 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.
April 14-25 Environmental Art Show. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7482 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.
April 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band and Saxophone Ensemble with guest baritone/bass saxophonist Leigh Pilzer. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
April 17 5:30 p.m. The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities Lecture: “The Regeneration Revolution: Working at the Nexus of Food, Climate, and Culture” presented by Nicole Negowetti, managing director of the Plant Based Foods Institute and vice president of Policy & Food Systems at the Plant Based Foods Association. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
April 18 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentation and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
April 20 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email salisa.brown@scranton.edu.
April 20 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Where Does Wealth Come From?” presented by Sandra Black, Ph.D., Columbia University. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email john.ruddy@scranton.edu.
April 20 5:30 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Essay contest awards will be announced at the event. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
April 20-22 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Performance: “Curtains” presented by The University of Scranton Liva Arts Company. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com to reserve tickets. Email livaartscompany@gmail.com with questions.
April 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
April 24 through May 5 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition Online.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call. 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
April 26 noon. Celebration of Student Scholars. Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email phillip.swank@scranton.edu.
April 27 4:15 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus-based high school math competition. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Visit https://www.scranton.edu/academics/cas/math/bee.shtml or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
April 27 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email brandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu.
April 27 7:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute at The University of Scranton Collaborative Program: “Only in America? Religion, State, and a Hasidic Town in Rural New York” presented by David N. Myers, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History and director of the Luskin Center for History and Policy, UCLA. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. $15 per person. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
April 27-30 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Theatrical performance of “Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight” by The University of Scranton’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the English and Theatre Department as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. Studio Theatre of the McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
April 28 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The World after the Ukraine War” presented by Jill Dougherty, Russian expert, former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief, current CNN on-air contributor and professor, Georgetown University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
April 29-30 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
April Events Planned at University
-
03/16/2023
The University of Scranton will host the second annual Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service for public officials, leaders of nonprofit organizations and students on Saturday, April 1, in Brennan Hall. The half-day, in-person conference begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and refreshments.
Topics addressed in panel discussions include “Ethics in Hiring and Government Appointments,” “Ethical Contracting of Services,” “Data for Public Officials,” and the pros and cons of the consolidation of public services. The conference will conclude with a luncheon keynote address by University of Scranton alumna Mary Beth Schluckebier, J.D., an attorney with The Public Interest Law Center in Philadelphia, where she advocates for communities combatting uninhabitable housing, unresponsive landlords and evictions.
Before joining the Law Center, Atty. Schluckebier was a litigation associate at Saul Ewing Arnstein and Lehr, focusing on higher education practice while also representing immigrant clients, community groups and civil rights cases on pro bono basis. She earned her bachelor’s degree in counseling and human services from the University and graduated, cum laude, from Temple University Beasley School of Law. In law school, she served as an intern for the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the Sheller Center for Social Justice and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Prior to law school, she worked for several years in community, social service and public policy work around immigration issues in both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
The annual conference is a key initiative of the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS) with the goal of helping to provide a foundation for ethical governance in Northeastern Pennsylvania by developing and nurturing a community of scholars, public officials and citizens dedicated to improving and protecting democracy at the state and local level.
A $15 registration fee includes all meals and materials for the day. Additional information and a schedule of speakers can be seen on the Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service webpage.
Registration is required to attend. Please email ceeps@scranton.edu to register or for additional information about the conference.
Public Service Ethics and Excellence Conference
-
03/15/2023
The University of Scranton presented Women of Vision and Courage Awards to 65 students, faculty and staff at a ceremony on campus on International Women’s Day (March 8). The celebration, sponsored by the Jane Kopas Women’s Center and the Committee on Gender Equity, recognized women on campus for their hard work, dedication and commitment to the University and its mission.
Began as a biannual ceremony in 2016 by the Committee on Gender Equity as a way commemorate International Women's Day, this year’s ceremony was part of the University’s “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation.”
Gretchen Van Dyke, associate professor of political science at the University, gave the principal address, prior to the award presentation by Brandice Ricciardi, assistant director of the Cultural Centers; and Cara A. Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology and chair of the Committee on Gender Equity.
University students Ariana Flores, who serve in the Jane Kopas Women’s Center, and Samantha Gurn, graduate assistant for the Jane Kopas Women’s Center, read portions of the nomination submission for each recipient as the awards were presented.
University of Scranton undergraduate and graduate students who received Women of Vision and Courage Awards were:
Marissa Angelo, Dickson City;Samantha Burton, Jamesville, New York;Amanda Campbell, Farmingville, New York;Clara Downey, Easthampton, Massachusetts;Emily Fleming, Shavertown;Ariana Flores, Springfield, New Jersey;Romina Gamarra, Ossing, New York;Erin Grell, Wood Ridge, New Jersey;Samantha Gurn, Brackney;Jillian Haller, Willisten Park, New York;Hannah Kohrn, Hamden, Connecticut;Mackenzie Longo, Holbrook, New York;Mackenzie Machell, South Abington Township;Claudia Pitts, Scranton;Analiese Seaman, Fairfield, Connecticut;Adrianna Smith, Covington Township;Maria Stephen, Huntingdon Valley;Chyenne Ward, Clifton, New Jersey.University of Scranton faculty and staff students who received Women of Vision and Courage Awards were:
Stephanie Adamec, assistant dean for student wellness;Mary Kay Aston, associate vice president for financial aid and enrollment;Gerianne Barber, director of the Counseling Training Center;Barbara Buxton, Ph.D., professor of nursing;Avianna Carilli, coordinator of internal and domestic service;Teresa Conte, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Nursing;Ann “Nancy” Cummings, professor of accounting;Sherry Dougherty, counseling center;Melissa Eckenrode, administrative assistant for the Department of English and Theatre;Julie Ferguson, registrar;Kym Fetsko, administrative assistant for the Weinberg Memorial Library Dean's Office;Elizabeth Garcia, J.D., executive director of the Office of Equity and Diversity, Title IX coordinator and special assistant to president;Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science;Caitlyn Hollingshead, assistant vice president of graduate and international admissions;JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science;Nicole Hoskins, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology and religious studies;Barbara King, student life coordinator, dean of students;Kristi Klien, coordinator for Panuska College of Professional Studies Academic Affairs;Diane Lang, administrative assistant for the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship;Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs;Andrea Malia, administrative assistant for the vice president for mission and ministry;Frani Mancuso, assistant vice president for annual giving and engagement;Amanda Marcy, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting;Mary Ann Maslar, office manager and administration assistant to the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences;Ellen Morgan, counseling center;Colleen Moyer, head coach of field hockey;Stacey Muir, Ph.D., professor of mathematics;Shannon Murphy Fennie, assistant dean of students;Maria Oreshkina, Ph.D., professor of education;Debra Parry, operations manager for Kania School of Management;Hirali Patel, application developer of integration;Kim Pavlick, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and media;Susan Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history;Meg Purcell, counseling center;Brandice Ricciardi, assistant director of the Cultural Centers;Lauren Rivera, J.D., M.Ed., interim vice president for student life and dean of students;Donna Rupp, administrative assistant for the Department of Psychology;Patricia Savitts, circulation services coordinator;Janet Schieber, operations manager for residence life;Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice principle for community engagement and government affairs;Rose Sebastinelli, Ph.D., professor of operations and analytics;Billie Tadros, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre;Pat Vaccaro, director of the Center for Service and Social Justice;Jillian Wall, admissions counselor;Lori Walton, Ph.D., professor of physical therapy;Donna Witek, professor and information literacy coordinator;Christine Zakzewski, Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering.The slide presentation for the Women of Vision and Courage Award presentation can be seen here.
Fox56 News interviewed students for a story about the event.
More details about events planned for “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” can be seen here. $content.getChild('content').textValueWomen of Vision and Courage Awards Presented
-
03/14/2023
Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, will discuss “Pope Francis, Women and Synodality” on Wednesday, March 29, at 7 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The lecture by the highest-ranking woman official at the Vatican is offered free of charge and is open to the public.
Her appointment by Pope Francis as an undersecretary in 2021, the first woman to hold this position and making her the first woman to have the right to vote in the Synod of Bishops, is considered a watershed moment in the Catholic Church, and an indication of an increased role for women in the life of the Church.
In a Vatican News article, Sister Becquart said she viewed her appointment as undersecretary as a sign of “confidence in the women in the Church” and looked forward to serving the Universal Church.
Established in 1965, the Synod of Bishops is an ecclesiastical advisory group of church leaders from all over the world who assist the pope by regularly examining issues close to the Church. During his papacy, Pope Francis has increased the authority and influence of the Synod of Bishops and expressed a desire to create a more synodal Church, one that is listening and learning from all members.
In 2019, Sister Becquart was appointed, along with four other women and one man, as a consultor to the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. They were the first women to be appointed to that position. Prior to that, she served as director of the national office for youth evangelization and vocations at the French Bishops' conference from 2012 to 2018, and held other positions of increasing responsibility and influence in the Church.
Sister Becquart is the author of “100 Prayers to Weather the Storm” (2012); “The Evangelization of Young People, a Challenge” (2013); “Religious, Why?” (2017); and “The Spirit Renews Everything” (2020).
Sister Becquart joined the Xavière Sisters, Missionaries of Jesus Christ in France in August 1995 and took her final vows in September 2005. She graduated from the HEC school of management with a Master in Management with a specialization in entrepreneurship and worked as a consultant in marketing and advertising before joining her order. She studied theology and philosophy at the Centre Sèvres (the Jesuit seminary in Paris), as well as sociology at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences. She earned a licentiate in sacred theology, specializing in ecclesiology with research on synodality at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
The lecture, sponsored by the University’s Campus Ministries Office, is among the events planned for the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation.”
For information about the lecture, call the University’s Campus Ministries Office at 570-941-7419 or email campusministries@scranton.edu.
Pope Francis, Women and Synodality Topic of Talk
-
03/14/2023
Four University of Scranton students who participate in Performance Music were selected to participate and perform in the 75th Annual Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Band Festival, hosted this year by Mansfield University on March 10-12. They joined 130 other students from colleges and universities throughout the state under the baton of guest conductor Gary Green from the University of Miami for three days of intense rehearsal, culminating in a festival concert on the afternoon of March 12.
The students qualifying for participation were: Colin Gilmartin ’24, euphonium, a political science major from Moscow; Sally Hopkins ’26, tuba, an advertising and public relations major from East Stroudsburg; Tanya Siberon ’23, trumpet, a psychology and counseling and human services double major in the accelerated counseling master’s program from North Baldwin, New York; and Anthony Torres ’25, French horn, a biochemistry major in the pre-med program and member of the University Honors Program from New Milford. Torres is also the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship at Scranton.
The University is one of only four Pennsylvania colleges and universities to have students participate in every PA Intercollegiate Band Festival since 1982.
The primary focus of Performance Music at the University is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year. Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection, and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
For more information on Performance Music at The University of Scranton, visit scranton.edu/music.
The full spring season of Performance Music Concerts can be seen here.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Perform at Intercollegiate Band Festival
-
03/10/2023
The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library is seeking donations and volunteers for its annual book sale. The library will accept donations of clean, properly stored books, especially children’s and young adult books, as well as unscratched CDs and DVDs. A library staff person can assist you with donation drop-offs by making an appointment with Melisa Gallo at 570-941-6195.
All proceeds from the book sale will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services. The event is organized by The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the library staff and volunteers.
The book sale is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 30, from noon to 4 p.m. for the general public. A special preview sale for current members of the Friends of the Library will be held on Friday, April 28, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The sale will take place in the fifth-floor Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Unlike previous years, there will be no tag or plant sale.
For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Melisa Gallo at 570-941-6195. To check your Friends Membership status, please contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816.
University Library Looking for Book Donations
-
03/09/2023
The Weinberg Memorial Library Heritage Room exhibit celebrates the legacy of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. ’H15 (1959-2021), on the 20th the anniversary of his appointment as the 24th President of The University of Scranton in 2003. The exhibit focuses on the dramatic expansion of Scranton’s campus facilities spearheaded by Father Pilarz under his 2005-2010 Strategic Plan – Pride, Passion, Promise: Shaping Our Jesuit Tradition.
Transformational capital projects during his tenure as the 24th President included the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center; the Christopher and Margaret Condron Hall; the John and Jacquelyn Dionne Campus Green; the expansion of the Retreat Center at Chapman Lake, Montrone Hall and the building named in his honor, Pilarz Hall, on Mulberry Street; and the Loyola Science Center. The University’s progress was supported by the Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign, which was the most ambitious capital campaign in the University’s history and surpassed its $125 million fundraising goal.
Father Pilarz, who passed away on March 10, 2021, also served as the University’s 27th President from 2018 to 2021.
The exhibit was curated by Special Collections Librarian and Professor Michael Knies with assistance from Digital Services Assistant David Hunisch, Special Collections Assistant Bridget Conlogue, Assistant to the Dean of the Library Kym Fetsko, and Digital Services Librarian and Assistant Professor Colleen Farry.
“Going Coeducational: Women on Campus, 1923-1972,” an exhibit documenting The University’s transition to a coeducational institution also continues in the Heritage Room.
The exhibits will run through April 23. A digital version will be available in perpetuity at: https://www.scranton.edu/library/father-pilarz
For more information, please contact Michael Knies at Michael.Knies@Scranton.edu or 570-941-6341.Exhibit Celebrates First Presidency of Fr. Pilarz
-
03/09/2023
The University of Scranton hosted a discussion of “Title 42: Justice at the Border” in March on campus. Part of the University’s Ellacuría Initiative programming, the discussion included an introduction to Title 42, an overview of KINO Border Initiative and a presentation of Title 42’s impact at the U.S.-Mexico Border by Michael Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at the University. Julie Schumacher-Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at Scranton, and Jenny Gonzalez, director of Marywood University’s STARS Program, presented the “Historical Context of Migration in Scranton and Experiences of Migration.” The event concluded with a facilitated discussion led by graduate students from the University’s Department of Counseling and Human Services.
$content.getChild('content').textValueJustice at the Border Discussed at Scranton
-
03/07/2023
The recently released 2022 Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings have placed The University of Scranton Accounting Department and faculty among the best research institutions in the world.
The Accounting Department of The University of Scranton ranked No. 5 (tied) in the world for accounting education research published in the most recent six-years in a listing considered to be the gold standard in accounting disciplines. The 2022 Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings also recognized several accounting faculty members individually for their research publication success.
The Brigham Young University report ranks accounting programs and faculty throughout the world based on their success in publishing in top-tier, peer-reviewed accounting journals. The report is updated annually and includes ranks for specific categories of research and for specific time periods. The 2022 update ranks Scranton’s Accounting Department at as the fifth (tied) most prolific department in the world for accounting education research over the most recent six-year period, following Brigham Young University (first), Texas Tech University (second) and Kennesaw State University (third), Clemson University (fourth) and tied (fifth) with Indiana University and West Virginia University. The department was also ranked internationally for all methods, audit, managerial, experimental and archival accounting research.
With respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty in the area of accounting education, three Scranton faculty members were ranked internationally. Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., professor and chair of the Accounting Department and director of the Ph.D. program, was ranked No. 6. James F. Boyle, D.B.A., associate professor of accounting and director of the MAcc program, was ranked No. 19 and Brian W. Carpenter, Ph.D., professor emeritus of accounting, was ranked No. 37. Additionally, Dr. Douglas Boyle was ranked for all methods, auditing and experimental research; Dr. Carpenter was ranked for all methods; and Jeh-Hyun Cho, Ph.D., assistant professor of accounting, was ranked for managerial and archival.
“The University of Scranton’s listing near the top of the 2022 Brigham Young University Accounting Education Research rankings and the very high rankings of many of its individual faculty in a variety of sub-disciplines bear testimony to the Accounting Department’s commitment to excellence in both teaching and research. As an institution that is committed to teaching excellence, it is important that our faculty are committed to conducting research and disseminating it to our students in the classroom. These rankings show that our accounting faculty or engaged in high quality education research that impacts our students at the undergraduate, graduate and doctoral level,” said Mark Higgins, Ph.D., dean of the University’s Kania School of Management and professor of accounting.
This is the third consecutive year that the University’s Accounting Department was ranked in the top five in the world for research success in the prestigious Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings. The Accounting Department and the prolific research of its faculty have been recognized previously by two academic journals including one which ranked it as No. 1 for the number of publications in the leading five accounting practitioner journals.
Accounting Dept. Research Productivity in Top 5 in World
-
03/07/2023
Sursum Corda Awards were presented to four staff members by University of Scranton President Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., who also delivered his State of the University address at the Spring Convocation. The event took place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center in March and also recognized 62 new staff members who joined the University in the last year.
Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technical staff and maintenance/public safety staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University. This year’s recipients were: Gina Butler, assistant dean, College of Arts and Sciences; Pat Cooper, dorm maintenance supervisor; Eileen Notarianni, Human Resources benefits specialist; Catherine Seymour, director of retreats and spiritual programs, Office of Campus Ministries.
In his remarks, Father Marina said this event celebrates the life and mission of the University and this year’s recipients of the Sursum Corda awards “clearly deserve to be recognized for their wonderful work.”
“Many thanks to each of you for your very hard work and for the contributions that you continue to make. You play such a vital role in advancing our mission,” said Father Marina at the convocation.
With gratitude, Father Marina also highlighted in his address several recent accomplishments at the University including students service experiences, the Landmark Championships won by the men’s and women’s basketball teams and the grand opening of expanded Multicultural Center. He also mentioned the University’s year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of coeducation of women at Scranton, among other programs and initiatives.
Also speaking at the convocation were Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., senior provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry.
$content.getChild('content').textValueFour Receive Sursum Corda Awards at University
-
03/03/2023
Two engaging Collaborative Programs are on tap for The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum this spring.
On Wednesday, Mar. 29, the Schemel Forum will partner with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine to present “Mozart: The Mind and Music of a Genius,” featuring Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. in WVIA Public Media Studios’ Sordoni Theater, with a reception to follow. Admission is $35 per person.
At the program, Dr. Kogan, a Julliard-trained pianist and Harvard-trained psychiatrist, will explore the mystery of creative genius through an examination of the life, mind and music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). To illustrate his points, Dr. Kogan will perform some of Mozart's most sublime musical compositions on the piano.
Then, on Thursday, Apr. 27, the Schemel Forum, the Theology and Religious Students Department and the Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute will co-present “Only in America? Religion, State, and a Hasidic Town in Rural New York,” featuring David N. Myers, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History, and director of the Luskin Center for History and Policy at UCLA. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. Admission is $15 per person.
At the program, Dr. Myers will discuss the remarkable case of Kiryas Joel, a town in New York state populated entirely by Satmar Hasidic Jews. What, Myers will ask, does this town of religiously observant Jews tell us about the "wall of separation" between religion and state of which Thomas Jefferson spoke? And, has that Jeffersonian ideal given way to a new vision of religious liberties as the paramount constitutional right?
To register for the programs, contact Brooke Leonard at 570-941-4740 or brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit the Schemel Forum’s webpage (scranton.edu/schemelforum)
Listen to a Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum, discuss the spring season at a WVIA interview with Erika Funke.
Mozart Performance and Talk Begins Spring Program
-
03/03/2023
The University of Scranton’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities hosted a lecture titled “Towards a Just Economy: Guaranteed Income and Human Potential” by Amy Beth Castro, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice and co-founder and director of its Center for Guaranteed Income Research. At the February talk, which took place in the Loyola Science Center, Dr. Castro’s discussed her research on economic mobility, guaranteed income and innovation.
$content.getChild('content').textValueSlattery Center Hosts Talk on Guaranteed Income
-
02/28/2023
“I Am Woman,” the Helen Reddy song that became an unofficial anthem of the women’s movement, hit number one on Billboard’s record chart on Dec. 9, 1972.
At the same time, a group of 120 women were charting a new course for themselves and future generations on the campus of The University of Scranton as members of the first incoming class that included women as residential and commuter full-time students.
A news article from that period in the then-Sunday paper The Scrantonian, interviewed several women in the first coed class about the transition. Students quoted said that they chose Scranton because they felt Scranton genuinely wanted them. Many of the women said that when the classes began in the fall semester, they felt self-conscious about being members of the first coed class and noted that the men, too, had to adjust. But, they said, as the semester continued they felt more comfortable and accepted.
Among the first cohort of women trailblazers at Scranton interviewed in The Scrantonian news story was Susan Swain ’76, now the president and co-CEO of C-SPAN. The English major was quoted as saying: “I find that I don’t have to be on my guard as much. I don’t have to constantly worry about whether I’m making a good impression because the guys I associate with are really good friends and I can be myself and they can too.”
Another member of the first coed cohort, former University Trustee Karen Pennington, Ph.D., ’76, G’83, H’15, who served as vice president for student development and campus life at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, until she retired a few years ago, was quoted as saying: “The small classes are great, because the teachers have the opportunity of giving students closer attention.”
The University has marked the 50th anniversary of becoming coeducational with a year-long celebration.
“These celebrations matter,” said Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the opening ceremony of the celebration in September. “I’m very aware that I am standing in front of you in this space because of these women, and because of this decision,” noting that it is important to remember the women “who created spaces for us that did not exist for them.”
In addition, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of the University, sent a message about the celebration to the University community.
The Committee for the Celebration of 50 years of Coeducation at Scranton is co-chaired by Elizabeth Garcia, J.D., executive director of the Office of Equity and Diversity and special assistant to the president, and Lauren Rivera, J.D., interim vice president for student life and dean of students.
'Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation' upcoming events include:
* A screening of the documentary “Fair Play,” followed by a facilitated conversation about wage gap, the effects of gender roles in families struggling to maintain their work-life balance and intersectionality, will take place March 2 at 6 p.m. in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall. “Fair Play” is based on the best-selling book written by Eve Rodsky.
* A “Talk Back” led by Susan Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history at the University, will immediately follow the 8 p.m. March 4 performance of “Little Women: the Broadway Musical” by The University of Scranton Players in the McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts.
* A Salary Negotiations Workshop, offered by the University’s Center for Career Development, Office of Human Resources and Jane Kopas Women’s Center, is set for March 7 at 6 p.m. in room 405 of the DeNaples Center.
* The Women of Vision and Courage Award Presentation and Celebration will take place at 3 p.m. on March 8, International Women’s Day, in the McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center.
* Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, New Jersey, will present “The Courage to Care” as part of the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars. The talk begins at noon on March 13 in the Rose Room, Brennan Hall.
* In recognition of the 50th anniversaries of Title IX and coeducation at Scranton, a full-day Women’s and Gender Justice Teach-in, hosted by the University’s Ellacuria Initiative will take place on March 28 in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center.
* The highest-ranking female official at the Vatican, Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, will discuss “Pope Francis, Women and Synodality,” at 7 p.m. on March 29 at 7 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Sister Becquart was appointed by Pope Francis as the undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.
* A screening of the film “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva” will take place on March 30 at 7:30 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center.
* An Alumni Panel Discussion will take place on April 12 at 5 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center
* The University of Scranton’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the English and Theatre Department will perform “Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight” at the Studio Theatre of the McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Performances are set for April 27, 28 and 29 at 8 p.m., and on April 30 at 2 p.m.
Additional events include table sits and trivia tables on the second floor of the DeNaples Center in March and a trip to Seneca Falls on March 25, among other activities. The University will also light the Class of 2020 Gateway Sign in honor of the celebration on March 1, 8 and April 12.
Some events are free of charge, while ticket prices vary for others. More details about events planned for “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” can be seen here. For questions or additional information, contact the University’s Jane Kopas Women’s Center at 570-941-6194.
University Celebrates Roar That Began 50 Years Ago
-
02/27/2023
The University of Scranton’s “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” kicks into high gear in March and April. The following is a list of events planned in the coming months.
Mar. 1 11 a.m. Table Sit: information about the 50th anniversary celebration and Women’s History Month, sponsored by the University’s Jane Kopas Women’s Center. Second floor, DeNaples Center. Free. Open to members of the University community. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 2 6 p.m. Documentary film screening: “Fair Play,” based on the best-selling book by Eve Rodsky, followed by a facilitated conversation about wage gap, the effects gender roles in families struggling to maintain their work life balance, and intersectionality. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Open to the University community. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 4 Following the 8 p.m. performance of “Little Women: the Broadway Musical,” Talk Back, led by Susan Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history at The University of Scranton. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Open to the public. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 7 6 p.m. Salary Negotiations Workshop offered by The University of Scranton’s Career Development Office, Human Resources Office and the Jane Kopas Women’s Center. Room 405, DeNaples Center. Free. Open to the public. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 8 3 p.m. Women of Vision and Courage Award Presentation offered by The University of Scranton’s Jane Kopas Women’s Center. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Open to invited guests. Reservations required. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 13 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Courage to Care” presented by Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, New Jersey. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Open to the public. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 1 p.m. Trivia Table sponsored by the University’s Jane Kopas Women’s Center. Second floor, DeNaples Center. Free. Open to members of the University community. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 25 8 a.m. Bus trip to historic Seneca Falls, New York, the birthplace of the women’s movement in the United States. Departs from the DeNaples Center circle. Fees vary. Reservations required. Open to members of the University community. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 8 a.m. Women’s and Gender Justice Teach-in, sponsored by the University’s Ellacuria Initiative, in recognition of the 50th anniversaries of Title IX and coeducation at Scranton. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Reservations required. Free. Open to members of the University community. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 29 7 p.m. Lecture: “Pope Francis, Women and Synodality” by Sister Nathalie Becquart, XMCJ, Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops (the highest-ranking female official at the Vatican). McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Open to the public. Call 570-941-7419 or email campusministries@scranton.edu.
Mar. 30 7:30 p.m. Film screening: “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva,” a documentary film about the life of the eco-activist and agro-ecologist, who fought against multinational agribusiness in India and became leader in the international organic food movement. Panel discussion immediately follows. The event is presented by the University’s Office of Sustainability, The Slattery Center, Environmental Studies Concentration, Women and Gender Studies, Asian Studies and the Cultural Centers. Moscovitz theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Open to the public. Call 570-941-7520 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 12 5 p.m. Alumni Panel Discussion. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Open to the public. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27-30 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight” by the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the English and Theatre Department. Studio Theatre, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Prices vary. Open to the public. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
For additional information about events, contact the University’s Jane Kopas Women’s Center at 570-941-6194 or by email at jkwc@scranton.edu.
A message from Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, about the celebration can be seen here.
Additional events planned in March can be seen here.
Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation Events
-
02/27/2023
On Sunday, Mar. 5, at 7:30 p.m., The University of Scranton’s Concert Choir will present a concert in collaboration with Scranton Brass Orchestra. Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert will take place at 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 Conductors and Co-Directors Cheryl Y. Boga and Philip Kuehn, the concert will feature a short program by each group, followed by the performance of three pieces by the combined groups, with piano accompaniment.
Formed four decades ago, the mixed-voice University of Scranton Concert Choir is a 50-member ensemble made up of students from majors spanning the University’s curriculum, brought together by their love of music. They are known for their eclectic and diverse styles of programming, and their selections for this concert include a lush choral arrangement of the Great American Songbook standard “When I Fall in Love,” an a cappella version of Don McLean’s “Vincent,” a setting by James Mulholland of the Robert Burns poem “A Red, Red Rose,” Rene Clausen’s “If Music Be The Food of Love,” and the tonally shimmering “Water Night” by Eric Whitacre.
Now in its 11th season, Scranton Brass Orchestra is a fully-professional, 28-member ensemble comprised of brass and percussion players/teachers from across the region. Since its founding in June 2011, the group’s performances have been free and open to the public, and have featured nationally and internationally acclaimed guests, among them some of the most acclaimed brass players of our time. For the Mar. 5 concert, the ensemble will perform brass band arrangements of music by Gershwin, Andrew Lloyd Weber and American folk songs.
The primary focus of Performance Music at the University is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year. Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection, and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624 or visit scranton.edu/music.
The full spring season of Performance Music Concerts can be seen here.
Choir and Scranton Brass Orchestra to Perform
-
02/27/2023
The University of Scranton offered a Community-Based Learning Talk titled “Black History and Housing in Scranton,” by Glynis Johns, CEO and founder of the Black Scranton Project, in February. The talk highlighted downtown Scranton’s history and discussed themes of Blackness, housing, racial discrimination and more. The event was part of the University’s Black History Month programming and the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project, which is a National Endowment for the Humanities funded initiative led by the University and various community organizations.
Black History and Housing in Scranton Discussed
-
02/22/2023
For University of Scranton student Ashley Moronta, the Multicultural Center is a “home away from home.”
“I met my closest friends there. It has brought so many student from different backgrounds together,” said Moronta at the Grand Opening and Blessing Ceremony of the newly expanded and renovated Multicultural Center, now located on the first floor of the DeNaples Center.
University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., noted the prominent location and increased size of the Multicultural Center as an illustration of the importance of the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts.
“On my way to the ceremony, I saw a beautiful rainbow in the sky. It is a symbol of what we have here today – the gift God has given us with the diversity of our campus,” said Father Marina in his remarks prior to blessing the Center.
According to José Sanchez, assistant director of the University’s Cultural Centers, input from students was solicited and incorporated into the design of the new space.
The renovated facility includes places to store backpacks and coats and a refrigerator for food; rooms for study and group meetings; and TV screens, white boards and coated walls for presentations or to help organize collaborative efforts. Tables function for dining as well as group work spaces. Couches, comfortable for just relaxing, can be easily reformed into theater-type seating for movie screenings, performances or guest lectures.
“We want the Center to be inviting and a place where our students want to spend their time,” said Sanchez.
And that warmth is what attracted student Paul Amara to the Center.
“I felt welcomed. It made me feel that this is a place where I am meant to be,” said Amara in his remarks at the ceremony. An accounting major from Williamsport, Amara said the Multicultural Center and the people he met there have changed him into who he is today, growing from shy person, to a more outgoing individual.
“It warms my heart that the Center will now be open to more people,” he said.
Following the blessing, officers from student organizations cut a ribbon to formally open the renovated Multicultural Center to the campus community. Students cutting the ribbon were Moronta, a senior forensic chemistry major from Hazleton and president of the United Cultures Organization, who also spoke at the ceremony; Arielle Contrera, a senior English major from Brooklyn, New York, and president of the Spanish Cultural Society; Eli Kerr, a 2022 graduate of the University and current occupational therapy graduate student from Scranton and former president of Scranton Alliance for Equity (SAFE); Erica Mascardo, a senior biology major from Kansas City, Missouri, and president of the International Student Club; Ayana McCalla, a senior sociology major from Baldwin, New York, and president of the Louis Stanley Brown Student Union; Siddharth Patel, a senior biochemistry major from Scranton and president of the Asia Club; and Danica Sinson, a senior biology and philosophy double major from Floral Park, New York, and a participant in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and president of the Scranton Student Association of the Philippines.
Lauren Rivera, J.D., M.Ed., interim vice president for student life and dean of students, and Sanchez also spoke at the ceremony.
The University received generous financial support from PNC to help fund the Multicultural Center renovations.
Photos of the Grand Opening and Blessing Ceremony of the Multicultural Center, as well as the open house that immediately followed, can be seen in the gallery below and a recording of the event can be seen here.
$content.getChild('content').textValueMulticultural Center Renovations Revealed
-
02/22/2023
The University of Scranton will host the HamSCI Workshop 2023, which engages amateur radio enthusiasts and professional scientists to collaborate on existing and future innovative research projects. Titled “Forging Amateur-Professional Bonds,” the conference takes place March 17-18 at locations on campus and at the historic Lackawanna Station hotel. HamSCI is an officially recognized NASA Citizen Science project and the conference has received grant support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC.)
“The HamSCI Workshop plays a unique and important role in the development of both the amateur radio community and the scientific workforce,” said Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., (W2NAF) assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton.
Speakers for the HamSCI Workshop 2023 include a keynote presentation by Patricia Reiff, Ph.D., (W5TAR) professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University and founding director of the Rice Space Institute. She will discuss the importance of united teams of amateurs and professionals in conducting and advancing scientific research. She earned her Ph.D. in space physics and astronomy from Rice University.
Joseph Huba, Ph.D., vice president of Syntek Technologies and former head of the Space Plasma Physics Section at the Naval Research Laboratory, will discuss “Modeling the Ionosphere with SAMI3.” Dr. Huba’s tutorial will provide a general overview of ionospheric physics and SAMI3, which models the plasma and chemical evolution of seven ion species. Dr. Huba earned his Ph.D. in theoretical plasma physics at the University of Maryland.
Also, speaking at the conference will be Jesse Alexander (WB2IFS/3), a licensed amateur radio operator, who will discuss his efforts to introduce young people to the wonder of the Electromagnetic Spectrum through hands-on ham radio-based experiences.
The HamSCI Workshop will give participants hands-on experience using University’s amateur radio station W3USR as well. The workshop will also serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station project (PSWS), which is a $1.3 million NSF funded project previously awarded to Dr. Frissell.
The workshop also features presentations of research abstracts related to the latest developments related radio science and amateur radio, including those related to solar eclipse ionospheric effects, Sporadic E, traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs), and space and terrestrial weather impacts to radio propagation. University of Scranton students Veronica Romanek, Hampton, New Jersey, a senior physics and Spanish double major; Francis Tholley ’21, Darby, a software engineering graduate student, who earned his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Scranton; and Shaaf Sarwar, Qazalbash Chowk, Lahore, Pakistan, a senior physics major and recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, will be among the research presenters.
In addition, the Murgas Amateur Radio club from NEPA will showcase old amateur radios in an “Amateur Radio Through the Ages” exhibit in the display cases on the second floor of Loyola Science Center. The Murgas Amateur Radio Club and Scranton Pocono Amateur Radio Club will also run a special event amateur radio station at the workshop using the W3USR call sign and offer on-site amateur radio license exams.
The HamSCI Workshop 2023 offers both in-person or virtual participation. Lodging for the event is available at the historic Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel Scranton and the Hilton Scranton and Conference Center. For registration details and conference information, visit the HamSCI Workshop 2023 webpage.
Dr. Frissell talks about the workshop in this WVIA podcast.
University to Host HamSCI Sixth Annual Workshop
-
02/21/2023
Through Mar. 10 Art Exhibit: “A New Understanding: Paintings by Travis Prince.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 3-5 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “Little Women; the Broadway Musical” music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, book by Allan Knee presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 4 Following 8 p.m. performance: Talk Back immediately after the performance of “Little Women; the Broadway Musical” by The University of Scranton Players as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 5 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Concert Choir and The Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 7 6 p.m. Salary Negotiations Workshop offered by The University of Scranton’s Career Development Office and the Jane Kopas Women’s Center as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. Room 405, The DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 8 3 p.m. Women of Vision and Courage Award Presentation offered by The University of Scranton’s Jane Kopas Women’s Center as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Reservations required. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 8 7 p.m. Humanities Lecture and Discussion: “Black Patience and Emancipation: A Conversation,” with author Julius Fleming Jr, author of “Black Patience: Performance, Civil Rights, and the Unfinished Project of Emancipation;” discussion follows with Glynis Johns, Black Scranton, and Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.D., associate professor of African American history at The University of Scranton. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Registration requested at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BlackPatience23. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Mar. 13 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Courage to Care” presented by Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, New Jersey. The luncheon is part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Mar. 20 through Apr. 14 Art Exhibit: “Post COVID: Art by Students for the Scranton School District.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 11:45 a.m. Community-Based Learning Talk “Environmental Health” presented by Tonyehn Verkitus. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Post COVID: Art by Students for the Scranton School District” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 25 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2027. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “A Foreigner Called Picasso” presented by Annie Cohen-Solal, writer and social historian, distinguished professor at Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Mar. 29 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Mozart: The Mind and Music of a Genius” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Sordoni Theater, WVIA Public Media Studies. Reception to follow. Registration required. $35 per person. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Mar. 29 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring flute choir, percussion ensemble, steel drums and more. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu
Mar. 30 5 p.m. 26th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “Bedside and Administration: A Strategic Alliance.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-709-9892 or email scarlet.alexander@scranton.edu.
Mar. 30 7:30 p.m. Office of Sustainability film and panel discussion “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva.” Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
March Events Planned at University
-
02/20/2023
For the fourth time, a University of Scranton student was selected for the Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA) “Jimmie Smith” Student Leadership Experience. This highly-selective program chose only three students from the around the world to participate this year.
Charles Csaszar ’22, Hopewell Junction, New York, will participate in a series of virtual meetings from January to May, 2023, focused on governance and volunteerism. The program will conclude in June with his attending the IMA’s Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Throughout the program, Csaszar will be assigned a IMA’s Global Board of Director mentor to learn more about the IMA’s Global Board and explore future IMA volunteer leadership opportunities.
The other two students selected to participate this year are at Illinois State University and Singapore Management University, Singapore.
The IMA Selection Committee only chooses students from IMA Higher Education Endorsement Program member schools to attend this experience. Approximately 100 colleges have achieved endorsement by IMA internationally. The University of Scranton received its endorsement in November 2017.
This is the fourth year a University of Scranton student has attended the prestigious IMA Student Leadership Experience. Nicholas Varriano ’17, ‘G18, attended in 2018, and Nhu Nguyen ’19, attended in 2019, and Emma Bolye ’23, attended in 2022.
Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 140,000 members in 140 countries and over 300 professional and student chapters.
A class of 2022 magna cum laude graduate of The University of Scranton, Csaszar is currently pursuing an accelerated Master of Accountancy degree with a concentration in accounting analytics at Scranton. As an undergraduate, he was an accounting and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and its Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program. He was a member of Phi Sigma Tau, the international honor society for students of philosophy, and Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor society for students of accounting, finance, and operations management. He was a recipient of the Accounting Department’s Sophie V. West Service Award for his leadership in service activities while at Scranton. Csaszar was also a member of a team of Scranton students whose virtual presentation was selected as a “Semi-Final 8” for the 2021 IMA Case Competition. He serves as an officer for the University’s IMA Student Chapter that was three-times selected as one of just five IMA Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation. He completed a tax internship with PwC in the New York office and will return to PwC as a tax associate upon graduation with his master’s degree.
Student Selected for Elite Leadership Program
-
02/15/2023
University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., announced the appointment of Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, Ph.D., as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, effective immediately. Dr. Maldonado was serving as Scranton’s interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the 2022-2023 academic year.
“Dr. Maldonado has a deep understanding and appreciation of our Catholic and Jesuit mission, and a love of the characteristics that make Scranton so special,” said Father Marina in a Feb. 14th message to the University community.
A member of the President’s Cabinet, the provost serves as the chief academic officer for the University and has overall responsibility for its education and research programs. The provost is responsible for providing leadership and oversight for the academic division’s budget, undergraduate and graduate programs, teaching, research, the library and the faculty. In addition, the provost works with deans and faculty to develop advancements to the curriculum and oversee the academic programming of the University’s three colleges.
In the campus announcement, Father Marina noted that during her time as interim provost, Dr. Maldonado “outlined academic priorities that are integrated with the Universal Apostolic Preferences and the University’s Strategic Plan” and had “begun work to implement more transfer-friendly policies for students, created academic support programs for first-generation students, developed innovative programs for non-traditional learners, and is spearheading our initiative to become a Laudato Si’ university.”
“Throughout her time at Scranton, she has also played a key role in the creation and implementation of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan,” said Father Marina.
Dr. Maldonado joined the University in 2020 as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. As dean, she oversaw the development and implementation of a five-year strategic plan for the College and launched an online Master’s in Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity, among other accomplishments.
As a scholar, Dr. Maldonado’s academic areas of specialization include Latino/a and Latin American theology; Afro-Caribbean and Latino/a studies; and constructive and cultural theologies. In addition to the nearly dozen books that she has edited, co-authored or authored, she has published more than 50 articles in academic journals and book chapters. She has also presented at more than 90 academic conferences and meetings and contributed more than a dozen book reviews. She has written articles for the National Catholic Reporter and Conversations, and, in March of 2021, participated as a panelist in “The Francis Factor at Eight Years: Global Impacts, U.S. Challenges” discussion hosted by Georgetown University. In 2022, she was a panel participant and keynote speaker for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s V Encuentro Ministry Series Project.
Prior to joining Scranton, Dr. Maldonado served as assistant provost of undergraduate education at the University of Miami, where she has also served as the executive director of the Office of Academic Enhancement and as a professor of religious studies. She joined the faculty at the University of Miami in 2006.
Dr. Maldonado has received multiple honors and awards during her career, including the Alumni of the Year award from the Graduate Theological Union, the 2008 Catholic Press Association Book Award for Second Place in Gender Issues for her book “Created in God’s Image,” and a 2004 Catholic Press Association Book Award and a 2004 Hispanic Theological Initiative Book Prize for her first book “Sor Juana: Beauty and Justice in the Americas.”
Previously, Dr. Maldonado served as a theologian-in-residence at San Lucas Toliman Mission in Guatemala and as an assistant professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University.
Dr. Maldonado earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, her master’s degree from the Union Theology Seminary, and her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union.
The University’s selection of Dr. Maldonado followed a national search conducted by a broadly representative search committee chaired by Scranton alumnus Anthony Yanni, M.D., University trustee and senior vice president and global head, Patient Centricity for Astellas.
Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, Ph.D., Named Provost
-
02/14/2023
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a nearly $50,000 grant to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton, to support “The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) Workshop 2023.” He also received a grant of just over $25,000 from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) to support the workshop. The HamSCI Workshop 2023 will take place Mar. 17 and 18 at The University of Scranton and the historic Radisson at Lackawanna Station.
“The HamSCI Workshop plays a unique and important role in the development of both the amateur radio community and the scientific workforce,” said Dr. Frissell, who noted there are more than 770,000 licensed ham radio operators in the U. S. and about 3 million worldwide. “Each year, the workshop brings together many young student researchers and experienced scientists, engineers and amateur radio operators in an environment where they can share ideas and learn from each other.”
The HamSCI is a collective of professional researchers and licensed amateur radio operators (a.k.a. hams) with the objective to foster collaborations between the amateur and professional communities for the purposes of advancing scientific research and understanding, encouraging the development of new technologies to support this research, and to provide educational opportunities for the amateur radio community and the general public.
“Dr. Frissell is doing incredible work at The University of Scranton, performing cutting-edge scientific research while educating future scientists. The workshop funded by this grant will bring some of the brightest scientific minds to Scranton, and I am sure it will be a weekend of great collaboration and discussion. As the Ranking Member of the Commerce Justice and Science Subcommittee, I am proud to help fund projects like this one through the National Science Foundation, and I admire Dr. Frissell’s efforts to put Northeastern Pennsylvania on the map through his scientific endeavors,” said U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright.
The workshop will include talks from prominent leaders in radio science, space science and space weather from both the professional and amateur communities, as well as research abstracts related to the latest developments related radio science and amateur radio, including those related to solar eclipse ionospheric effects, Sporadic E, traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs), and space and terrestrial weather impacts to radio propagation.
Dr. Frissell noted that the 2023 HamSCI Workshop is particularly important and timely for the HamSCI community in order to prepare for the upcoming annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, and the total solar eclipse on Apr. 8, 2024. “Both eclipses have paths that sweep across the continental United States and are the last solar eclipses to traverse this area until 2044, and are therefore important, time-sensitive, in- formation rich opportunities for running unique and “controlled” ionospheric experiments,” said Dr. Frissell.
The workshop will serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station project, which is a $1.3 million NSF funded project previously awarded to Dr. Frissell. The project seeks to harness the power of a network of licensed amateur radio operators to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere. In August 2021, Dr. Frissell received a six-figure grant through the NASA’s Space Weather Applications Operations 2 Research Program for the research project “Enabling Space Weather Research with Global Scale Amateur Radio Datasets.
Speakers for the HamSCI Workshop 2023 include a keynote presentation by Patricia Reiff, Ph.D., (W5TAR) professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University and founding director of the Rice Space Institute. She will discuss “Forging Amateur-Professional Bonds.” Joseph Huba, Ph.D., vice president of Syntek Technologies and former head of the Space Plasma Physics Section at the Naval Research Laboratory, will discuss “Modeling the Ionosphere with SAMI3.” (SAMI3 models the plasma and chemical evolution of seven ion species.) Also, Jesse Alexander (WB2IFS/3), a licensed amateur radio operator, will discuss his efforts to introduce young people to the wonder of the Electromagnetic Spectrum through hands-on ham radio based experiences.
In addition, the Murgas Amateur Radio club from NEPA will showcase old amateur radios in an “Amateur Radio Through the Ages” exhibit in the display cases on the second floor of Loyola Science Center.
Dr. Frissell talks about the workshop in this WVIA podcast.
Registration and additional information about the conference, which is offered in an in-person and virtual format, can be found on the HamSCI Workshop 2023 webpage.
NSF and ARDC Grants Support HamSCI Workshop
-
02/14/2023
This spring, The University of Scranton Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars will feature another diverse lineup of thought-provoking discussions centered around important global issues.
Six prominent speakers will appear at the luncheons, which will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room (with the exception of the April 21st event). In addition, a Zoom option is available for those who wish to attend remotely.
The series begins Monday, Mar. 13, with “The Courage to Care,” presented by Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, New Jersey. At the talk, Rittner will discuss the small minority of European Christians who assisted Jewish people during the Holocaust. Among the questions she’ll address are: “Why did they risk their lives?” and “What can we learn from people who had ‘the courage to care?’”
Next, on Tuesday, Mar. 28, writer and social historian Annie Cohen-Solal, distinguished professor at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, will present “A Foreigner Called Picasso,” a look at Picasso’s life in France, where he managed to flourish artistically despite always being looked at as an “other” and never being afforded French citizenship. In spite of all that, he managed to enrich the country’s cultural life like few others in its history.
National Book Award-winning Irish novelist Colum McCann will visit the University on Friday, April 21, for the seminar, “How Stories Heal the World.” During the talk, McCann will discuss how, despite living in fractured times, we can bring a healing bond to our communities and our own lives through the power of stories. The talk will take place in Redington Hall’s Collegiate Hall.
On Friday, Apr. 28, Dunmore native, CNN on-air contributor and Russia expert Jill Dougherty will present “The World after the Ukraine War,” an incisive look at how the war in Ukraine has created global upheaval, affecting energy policies, inflation, food prices and political stability.
Dougherty was in Moscow when the invasion began and now, a year into the war, she’ll examine this watershed event that is transforming Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the world.
“Vladimir Putin thought his invasion of Ukraine would be a blitzkrieg-style lightning strike to remove Ukraine’s president and pull Ukraine back under the influence of Russia,” Dougherty said. “But, one year later, President Volodymyr Zelensky is still in power in Kyiv, NATO allies are supporting Ukraine with tanks and heavy weaponry, the alliance is about to add two more members, Russia’s economy is being hit with unprecedented sanctions, and Ukrainians are more united than ever against Russia.”
On Tuesday, May 2, Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at John F. Kennedy School of Government and professor of history at Harvard University, will present “The Promise of American Democracy.”
At the event, Dr. Logevall will discuss America’s deeply divided politics, and whether the two major parties can ever find their way back to the type of good-faith bargaining that’s essential in a functioning democracy.
“American democracy faces challenges on various fronts,” Dr. Logevall said. “For evidence, we need look no further than the assault on the U.S. Capitol two years ago. Could such violent protest occur again? The possibility is there, so deep is the political dysfunction. But I want to suggest in the talk that there are also reasons to be hopeful, and that some of those reasons can be found in looking at the nation’s history. And I’ll also look to the future a bit, and talk about what I believe a healthy democracy requires.”
Finally, on Tuesday, May 9, Harmar Brereton, M.D., medical and radiation oncologist, Weill Cornell Medical School faculty, and clinical professor of Medicine at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, brings the seminars to a close with “Vocalising and Music in the Development of Speech Language and Consciousness.”
In previous Schemel Forum presentations, Dr. Brereton explored the evolution of consciousness reflected in tool artifacts and Paleolithic art. This time, he’ll look at how the hearing and making of sound also may have influenced the development of consciousness.
“We’ll look at the origins of music up to the beginning of vocalizing and steps taken to what music is for us today,” Dr. Brereton said. “We’ll include a biological and evolutionary review with some assumptions along the way.”
Admission to the luncheon seminars is free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the seminars are $25 in-person (buffet lunch included) and $10 remote.
To register for the seminars, contact Brooke Leonard at 570-941-4740 or brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Additional Schemel Forum events scheduled for the spring semester include courses and collaborative events. Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, discusses the spring events in a WVIA interview with Erika Funke. The full schedule events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.
Six Eclectic World Affairs Seminars Set for Spring
-
02/14/2023
“Towards a Just Economy: Guaranteed Income and Human Potential” is the title of The University of Scranton’s Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities Lecture by Amy Beth Castro, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice and co-founder and director of its Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR). The talk, presented free of charge and open to the public, begins at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, in PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center.
Dr. Castro’s research explores economic mobility, guaranteed income and innovation. She is the co-principal investigator of 30 applied cash-transfer studies housed at CGIR, where she currently advises more than 20 mayoral teams, state and county legislators on unconditional cash research. She is co-principal investigator of the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED), the nation’s first mayor-led guaranteed income demonstration.
Launched in February 2019 by former Mayor of Stockton, California, Michael D. Tubbs, SEED gave 125 randomly selected residents $500 per month for 24 months. The cash was completely unconditional, with no strings attached and no work requirements. Preliminary outcomes indicate the guaranteed income recipients were enabled to find full-time employment and were healthier, showing less depression and anxiety, among other findings, according to the study’s website.
Dr. Castro’s research has been published by the Social Service Review, The Gerontologist, Social Science and Medicine, Social Work, The American Journal of Public Health and the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (JPAM). Her research has been featured in newspapers and national publications that include The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The New Yorker and The Economist, as well as broadcast media outlets such as CNN, NBC, PBS and National Public Radio.
Dr. Castro is also known for her work on women and risky lending during the 2008 foreclosure crisis. She was awarded the Society for Social Work and Research Outstanding Dissertation Award, the GADE research award and the Nina Fortin Award for her work on the gender and racial profiles of predatory lending.
At Penn, she is an affiliated faculty member of the Alice Paul Center and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, and is a member of the LGBTQ faculty working group. Prior to her tenure at Penn, she spent more than a decade working with non-profits and community-based agencies in Philadelphia and New York City.
Dr. Castro received her Ph.D. in social welfare and her master’s degree from the City University of New York, her Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and her bachelor’s degree from Cairn University.
For additional information about the lecture, visit upcoming events on the Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities webpage.
Guaranteed Income and Human Potential Analyzed
-
02/09/2023
The University of Scranton welcomed artist Travis Prince to campus as part of its Black History Month events to discuss an exhibition of his work at the Hope Horn Gallery titled “A New Understanding.” Prince discussed his work at a lecture in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall on Feb. 3, which was immediately followed by an opening reception at the Hope Horn Gallery. His work will be on display during galley hours until Friday, Mar. 10.
See the University’s planned events for the spring semester here.
$content.getChild('content').textValueHope Horn Gallery Hosts Artist Travis Prince
-
02/07/2023
Twenty University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the spring semester at 12 local schools in the following nine school districts: Abington Heights, Dunmore, Mid Valley, NEIU, North Pocono, Riverside, Scranton, Valley View and Western Wayne.
The following is a list of undergraduate and graduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the spring semester.
Delany Adams of White House Station, New Jersey, will teach at Valley View Middle School;
Valerie Alfaro of Deer Park, New York, will teach at Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
Amanda Benko of Allentown will teach at Dunmore Learning Center;
Arianna Boelens of Hackettstown, New Jersey, will teach at Dunmore Learning Center;
Lauren Cawley of Duryea will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Alexandra Colecchia of Freehold, New Jersey, will teach at Dunmore Elementary School;
Halle Conklin of Point Lookout, New York, will teach at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Michael DiMarco of North Bellmore, New York, will teach at Kennedy Elementary School;
McCae Dougher of Scranton will teach at Valley View Middle School;
Stephanie Hoffman of Staten Island, New York, will teach at Dunmore Junior/Senior High School.
Nicole Kokoszka of Parlin, New Jersey, will teach at Valley View Middle School;
Jillian Lambdin of Plainview, New York, will teach at Evergreen Elementary School;
Reilly Medzadourian of Township of Washington, New Jersey, will teach at Evergreen Elementary School;
David Pennino of Smithtown, New York, will teach at Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
Skyler Pozo of Wayne, New Jersey, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Chloe Schubert of Jackson, New Jersey, will teach at Waverly Elementary School;
Katie Tubridy of Manor, New York, will teach at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Stephanie Vasquez of Scranton will teach at North Pocono Middle School;
Mary Grace Winterle of Havertown will teach at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Aubrey Wolff of Hawley will teach at North Pocono High School.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
02/07/2023
The Princeton Review listed The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management among the nation’s “Best Business Schools” in its 2023 ranking of just 243 colleges in the country. This is the 18th consecutive year that Scranton has been included in the listing the nation’s most elite business colleges. Scranton was included among the list of “Best On-Campus MBA Programs,” which was published online on January 31.
The listing of business programs is compiled from data from the Princeton Review’s surveys of nearly 20,300 students enrolled in MBA programs as well as institutional data collected from the schools. The data incorporates career outcomes, academic rigor, admissions selectivity and other factors. The Princeton Review does not provide an overall rank of the schools, but does publish lists of the top 10 schools in 18 different categories, such as the “toughest to get into.”
The University’s Kania School of Management is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is widely considered the gold standard of excellence for business schools. Less than five percent of business colleges worldwide hold AACSB accreditation.
The Princeton Review also listed Scranton in its 2023 edition of the “Best 388 Colleges,” ranking Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 7), “Best Campus Food” (No. 25 ) and “Most Religious Schools (No. 24). The Princeton Review also included Scranton in its 2023 “Guide to Green Colleges,” which lists just 455 schools in the world selected for expressing “strong commitments to the environment in their campus policies, programs and practices.”
Scranton Among Nation’s Best Business Schools
-
02/02/2023
On Sunday, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m., Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with special guest guitarist and vocalist Matt Munisteri. The 7:30 p.m. concert will take place in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Munisteri will also offer a free guitar masterclass in the afternoon before the concert, please email music@scranton.edu for more information.
According to Performance Music directors Cheryl Y. Boga and Philip J. Kuehn, the concert will feature a variety of songs about love and heartbreak, in a nod to the concert’s proximity to Valentines’ Day. Munisteri and the Jazz Band will combine to perform a number of songs together, and there will be several solo pieces during the concert featuring only Munisteri.
A multi-faceted musician, Munisteri is the sparkling guitarist on several chart-topping jazz CDs. He is a critically lauded songwriter and nimble lyricist, an urban banjo-warrior, a selfless and devoted sideman, a wry-yet-honest singer, an engaging and winning front-man, and an arranger whose ear-pulling re-inventions of well-traveled songs have contributed to Grammy winning CDs for artists such as Loudon Wainwright and Catherine Russell.
Munisteri’s debut CD “Love Story” from 2003 wound up on several critic’s “Best Of” lists, and garnered the number two slot on Amazon’s Top Ten Jazz CDs of The Year. A formidable lyricist, his literate songs have been compared to Randy Newman, Mose Allison and Bob Dorough. Munisteri has been featured on France’s ARTE television, profiled in Downbeat magazine, honored with Acoustic Guitar Magazine’s Editor’s Choice award, and has been the subject of several broadcasts on NPR.
When not working on his own projects, his primary sideman gigs for the last few years have been playing with violinist Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing, Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra and with the singer Catherine Russell, for whom he also currently serves as Music Director. He also lent a hand to his friend, guitarist Julian Lage, producing Julian’s acclaimed solo guitar debut “Worlds Fair” (2015).
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year, and a number of University faculty, staff and alumni perform with them.
Performance Music’s large ensembles include Concert/Symphonic Band, Concert Choir/Singers, String Orchestra and Jazz Band (big band format). Smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and include Steel Drum Band, Percussion Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble and Sax Ensemble, plus other small vocal and instrumental groups in various formats. Solo, duo and trio performance opportunities are available to members of the ensembles through the general recitals offered each semester. Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers. High school juniors and seniors who are considering applying to Scranton are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert or tour the building.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. Please check Performance Music’s website, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For further information about Munisteri, visit mattmunisteri.com.
Matt Munisteri Set to Perform with Jazz Band
-
02/02/2023
Area students in grades five to 12 can participate in The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest 2023. The contest is offered free of charge. This year’s essay theme is “The People’s Planet, Climate Justice,” a celebration of our shared global community and how we may all contribute to make it a better one.
Topics students can write about include Conservation, recycling, bees, access to healthy eating, factory farming, renewable energy, eliminating single use containers, gardening, public transportation, community, family, vertical planting and plant-based meals, among other subjects.
Essays for students in grades five and six must be between 200 to 400 words. Essays for students in grades seven and eight must be between 300 to 500 words. Essays for students in grades nine to 12 must be between 500 to 700 words. Electronic submissions must be sent to susan.falbo@scranton.edu on or before Monday, April 3. Mail-in entries must be postmarked on or by April 1 to be considered and can be sent to: The University of Scranton, Office of Sustainability, Smurfit Arts Center, 445 Madison Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510, Attn: Earth Day Essay Contest.
Visit the Sustainability & Energy Management Department section of the University’s facilities management page, then scroll down to locate the contest guidelines, complete submission rules and details.
Winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced by the University’s Sustainability Office and student Sustainability and Conservation Society at an Evening of Environmental Science program for participants and their families and teachers on Thursday, April 20, 2022, beginning at 5:30 p.m., in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center on campus.
See photo gallery below for photos from last year's Evening of Environmental Science.
$content.getChild('content').textValue2023 Earth Day Essay Contest Set for Area Students
-
02/01/2023
The University of Scranton’s Multicultural Center, the Office of Community Engagement and Government Relations, the Weinberg Memorial Library, the Hope Horn Art Gallery, the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union and other organizations have planned a number of events for Black History Month at venues on- and off-campus.
“As many have said, African-American and Black history is American history,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president, in a Black History Month message to the University community. “The historic and ongoing resistance to racial injustice that Black people have undertaken has made the United States more just, more equal, and more democratic in ways that have changed our country forever for the better.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the University will light its Class of 2020 Gateway sign in red, yellow and green for Black History Month. The sign will feature these colors on Saturday evenings in February. The Multicultural Center will sponsor a table sit on the second floor of the DeNaples Center titled “MC Awareness Month Table Sit: Black Resistance.” The table sit begins at 11 a.m.
Also on Feb. 1, the University’s will begin its Black History Month Film Series with the screening of “Moonlight,” which won the 2017 Academy Award for Best Picture. Presented by the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union, the films will be shown at 7 p.m. free of charge on Wednesdays in February in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. Other films planned for the Black History Month Film Series are: “Blackkklansman,” the 2018 Academy-award winning film directed by Spike Lee, on Feb. 8; “Whose Streets?,” a documentary about how the police killing of Mike Brown inspired a global movement, on Feb. 15; and the documentary “Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975,” on Feb. 22. The series will conclude with the screening of “Sparkle,” a musical film inspired by The Supremes, on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m.
On Friday, Feb. 3, the University’s Hope Horn Art Gallery will host a lecture by artist Travis Prince about the exhibition of his work titled “A New Understanding: Paintings by Travis Prince.” The lecture will take place at 5 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, followed by an opening reception of his work in the Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Prince's work will be on display during gallery hours through March 10. The exhibit and lecture are free of charge.
On Thursday, Feb. 9, the University will host a Community-Based Learning Talk, titled “Black History and Housing in Scranton,” by Glynis Johns, CEO and founder of the Black Scranton Project. The event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project, a National Endowment for the Humanities funded initiative led by the University and community organizations. The talk, offered free of charge, beings at 6 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. Registration is required to attend and can be made at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CBL23BlackHistoryHousing
Also as part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project, a Black History PBS Film Series will be screened on three Sundays in February. The first film of the series, “Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom,” will be shown at 3 p.m. on Feb. 5 at the Black Scranton Project Center for Arts and Culture, 1902 North Main Avenue. The film “Becoming Frederick Douglass” will be shown at 3 p.m. on Feb. 19, also at Black Scranton Project Center for Arts and Culture. The series will conclude with the showing of “Jim Crow of the North” at 3 p.m. on Feb. 26 at the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. The files are presented free of charge. Registration is required to attend and can be made by emailing info@blackscranton.org or by calling 570-941-4419.
In addition, the Multicultural Center will also host a trivia night for students the evening of Feb. 7, and is planning additional events for later in the month, including a grand opening ceremony for the Center’s newly-renovated location on the first-floor of the DeNaples Center. The University also launched a progress update webpage for its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan, to inform the University community of the ongoing work accomplished regarding this initiative.
For additional information about the University’s Black History Month events and learning opportunities, contact the Multicultural Center at 570-941-5904 or multicultural@scranton.edu.
The University Celebrates Black History Month
-
01/31/2023
Two University of Scranton accounting Ph.D. students won The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Michael J. Barrett Doctoral Dissertation Award this year, becoming the third and fourth doctoral students to win this highly-coveted prize in just the past four years. Scranton is the only university to have had four students win this national award.
Lisa S. Haylon of Hamden, Connecticut, and Xiaobing (Emily) Li of South Abington Township, both students in the University’s Ph.D. in accounting program, received the IIA’s Michael J. Barrett Doctoral Dissertation Award for 2022. Haylon received the award for her dissertation, “An Investigation of the Tactics Used to Create Collusive Fraud Teams,” and Li received the award for her dissertation, “Effects of Management Training Ground and Internal Audit Service Type on External Auditors’ Reliance on Internal Auditors’ Work.” They join previous Barrett award winners from Scranton: Gregory Kogan, DBA ’22, and Joy Chacko, DBA ’21.
“In the history of IIA’s dissertation award, which began in 2004, Scranton is the leading institution for the number of doctoral students that have received this award. This reflects the practice relevance and quality of the research of our doctoral students, faculty and program. Congratulations to Lisa and Emily and their dissertation committees,” said Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, Accounting Department chair and Ph.D. program director.
The Barrett award selection process is competitive and determined through the IIA’s Committee of Research and Education Advisors, which is comprised of both academicians and practitioners actively involved in the profession of internal auditing. The selection includes the following criteria: relevance of the topic to internal auditing; soundness of methodology; coherent organization and clarity of presentation; and quality of data (where applicable). With an international membership of more than 200,000 members, the IIA is among the largest and most respected professional organizations for accountants.
Haylon, who will graduate with a Ph.D. from Scranton in May, was “honored, humbled and grateful to be selected for award.” She said the award demonstrates that Scranton’s Ph.D program, offered in a non-traditional format for working professionals, “provides valuable experience and exposure in research.”
“Through the program, I was able to explore research collaboration opportunities with global scholars who are well-established and respected in their areas of expertise. The research opportunities have been outstanding,” said Haylon, whose research interests include social influence pressures in practice, collusive fraud and psychological components of fraud.
Li agreed, saying Scranton’s Ph.D. program is “a very well-designed, efficient education model.”
“The program provides students first with a solid foundation on how to properly conduct research studies. Then students work with closely with professors who have been successful in publishing multiple research studies on their own. The professors are accessible and very helpful. They are mentors as well as professors,” said Li, who is a transfer pricing consultant for EY LLP and will also graduate with a Ph.D. from Scranton in May.
Li, a certified public accountant, earned her MBA from Scranton 2020. She also earned a master’s degree in mathematics and statistics from Northeast Normal University in Changehun, China. She has worked in the accounting field for a number of years at organizations that include Northeast PA Center for Independent Living and The University of Scranton. Earlier in her career, she was a middle school mathematics teacher in China.
A certified public accountant, Haylon is an assistant professor at Southern Connecticut State University. Her study “How to Handle Pressure to Act Unethically,” with Dr. Boyle, Carol Bishop, D.B.A., and Dana Hermanson, Ph.D., was published in the summer 2022 edition of Management Accounting Quarterly. She previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and served as an adjunct professor at Fairfield University, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting.
Housed in the Kania School of Management, this is the first Ph.D. program offered by The University of Scranton. The program was developed with a concentration in accounting, to provide experienced practitioners with a practical pathway to an academic career. The program offers participants flexibility, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic” – one who is qualified to teach at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
AACSB recognized Scranton’s doctoral program for “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States” in 2019.
Scranton Doctoral Students Win National Awards in Record Numbers
-
01/26/2023
U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 54 and its online MBA program at No. 102 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 72 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
This is the 12th consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years.
For the 2023 Best Online Programs ranking, which published Jan. 24, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category. The criteria used by U.S. News to rank online business and MBA programs included student engagement (30 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, among other factors. The ranking criteria also included peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (15 percent); student excellence (15 percent); and student services and technology (15 percent).
In addition to offering distance education programs that incorporate coursework that is predominantly online, colleges and universities making the “Best Online Program for Veterans” list must have ranked in top half of 2023 Best Online Program rankings; be regionally accredited; be certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program; and enroll a “critical mass of veterans” as defined by U.S. News based on the size of the college.
Scranton offers online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, business analytics, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources management, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, applied behavior analysis, business analytics, cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity, finance, health administration, health informatics, human resources management and a dual MBA/MHA degree, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for the online programs.
In other rankings published by U.S. News, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 29 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 5 in the 2023 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 6 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” a selection of the top colleges in the nation that express a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
Scranton Online Programs Ranked Among Best in USA
-
01/25/2023
This spring, The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will hold another semester’s worth of stimulating programming courtesy of its ever-diverse collection of courses, luncheons and collaborative programs geared around contemporary cultural and political issues.
There will be three courses this spring, with the first one beginning Thursday, Feb. 2. Taught by University faculty members, the courses are presented in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in the Weinberg Memorial Library.
The courses are free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members, and $75 per individual and $125 per couple for non-members.
Joseph Kraus, Ph.D., professor in the University’s Department of English and Theatre, will present “Down These Mean Streets: An Ethics of Hardboiled, Noir Fiction,” on Monday evenings Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27, and March 6 and 13.
During the course, Dr. Kraus and the class will examine the roots of noir fiction, beginning with its roots in the 1920s and moving all the way up to today’s contemporary practitioners of the form. The class will discuss a selection of stories and novels, as well as some of the classic films they inspired.
Most people hear the word “noir” and think of Humphrey Bogart in a fedora, Dr. Kraus said. That’s true -- but only partly, he stressed.
“For me, noir begins with the crisis of faith that (Ernest) Hemingway and others explored in the 1920s as Modernism developed in literature. Hemingway’s stories show us characters who have lost their faith in something larger – whether religion or some cultural system – and then he shows how they develop ‘codes’ for moving forward in their lives,” Dr. Kraus said. “The first full-blown successful hardboiled/noir writers, Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, move forward with that idea of characters who employ codes of conduct in contexts where faith has collapsed. Chandler gives us detectives who aspire to be modern-day knights but settle for being emotionally insulated men doing what they can to protect flawed clients. Hammett ironizes the whole situation, giving us characters who seem cut-throat but act from clear and sustained motives.”
“Put another way, I see noir as a form of ‘applied ethics,’” Dr. Kraus added. “It asks the question of how we should carry ourselves in a world where – as Nietzsche suggested and Hemingway echoed – we’ve lost the moral clarity of an inherited faith.”
Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., professor in the University’s Department of Philosophy and director of the Asian Studies program, will present “Philosophy East and West” Wednesdays March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 and April 5.
Why teach philosophy comparatively and cross-culturally? What are the benefits of thinking outside the box? Those are some of the questions Dr. Pang-White will explore in the class, reviewing the works of Western thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas and Kant and then thematically compare them to Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism on topics of self-and-other, virtue, government, gender and ecology.
The purpose of this comparative approach, according to Dr. Pang-White, is to broaden people’s mental horizons by considering alternative conceptual frameworks that can serve as useful resources for treatment of contemporary social, political and environmental problems.
“Oftentimes intercultural conflict arises from a lack of understanding of other cultures,” Dr. Pang-White said. “Because of my international heritage and background in philosophy, I thought it would be a great use of my knowledge and interest to bring Western philosophy into conversation with non-Western philosophy on key issues as a step toward peace-making, using a method that questions rigid binary thinking about self and others. I am excited to teach this course and hope that participants will find the class experience enjoyable and thought-provoking.”
Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., professor in the University’s Department of Philosophy, will present “The Anatomy of Contemporary Conservatism in the U.S.” Thursdays Feb. 2, 9, 16 and 23 and March 2 and 9.
The course, Meyer said, will explore “the different strands of conservatism that have emerged in recent years, from George Will’s defense of classic liberalism to Yoram Hazony’s turn to nationalism, and ask to what extent, if at all, these different strands are compatible with each other.”
This semester will be the final one for longtime Schemel Forum Director Sondra Myers, who is retiring.
“It has been a privilege for me to serve you with issues and ideas through all these years and get to know you all,” Myers said in remarks to the Schemel Forum community. “We’ll always be friends.”
To register for the courses, or for more information on the Schemel Forum, contact Brooke Leonard at 570-941-4740 or brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.
Schemel Forum Courses Set for Spring
-
01/25/2023
More than 1,600 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2022 fall semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
University Announces Fall 2022 Dean’s List
-
01/24/2023
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the spring 2022 semester after publication of the list in June of 2022.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2022 spring semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the spring 2022 Dean’s List are:
Anna E. TamkeMeghan L. WinterIan T. SmithCatherine A. BrycelandDanielle M. SbegliaBlaire M. AdamsMackenzie E. LongoTara K. Kotten.Students Added to Spring 2022 Dean’s List
-
01/24/2023
Jan. 28 8:30 a.m. Campaign School 2023. League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County's campaign training program, co-sponsored by the University's Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service. The program also includes a panel of elected local government officials offering helpful tips. Brennan Hall, Rose Room. Fees vary. Register at www.lwvlackawanna.org or email ceeps@scranton.edu.
Feb. 1 7 p.m. Black History Month Film Series: “Moonlight” presented by the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7524 or email george.aulisio@scranton.edu.
Feb. 3 through Mar. 10 Art Exhibit: “A New Understanding: Paintings by Travis Prince.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 3 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “A New Understanding: Paintings by Travis Prince” presented by Travis Prince, exhibiting artist. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Tony Lustig Trio. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 5 3 p.m. Black History PBS Film Series “Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom.” This event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project. Black Scranton Project Center for Arts & Culture. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email info@blackscranton.org.
Feb. 8 7 p.m. Black History Month Film Series: “Blackkklansman” presented by the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7524 or email george.aulisio@scranton.edu.
Feb. 9 6 p.m. Asian New Year Celebration and Workshop. Brennan Hall, Rose Room. Free. Registration required at https://tinyurl.com/AsianNewYearUofS or email asianstudies@scranton.edu.
Feb. 9 6 p.m. Community-Based Learning Talk “Black History and Housing in Scranton” featuring Glynis Johns, CEO and founder of the Black Scranton Project. This event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Registration required at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CBL23BlackHistoryHousing Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Feb. 11 1 p.m. 21th Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 18. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Feb. 15 7 p.m. Black History Month Film Series: “Whose Streets?” presented by the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7524 or email george.aulisio@scranton.edu.
Feb. 19 3 p.m. Black History PBS Film Series “Becoming Frederick Douglass.” This event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project. Black Scranton Project Center for Arts & Culture. Free. Registration required by emailing info@blackscranton.org or call 570-941-4419.
Feb 19 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Matt Munisteri, guitar and voice. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 22 7 p.m. Black History Month Film Series: “Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975” presented by the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7524 or email george.aulisio@scranton.edu.
Feb. 23 5:30 p.m. The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities Lecture: “Towards a Just Economy: Guaranteed Income and Human Potential” with Amy Castro, Ph.D., associate professor, University of Pennsylvania. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.
Feb. 24-26 and Mar. 3-5 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “Little Women; the Broadway Musical” music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, book by Allan Knee presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Feb. 26 3 p.m. Black History PBS Film Series “Jim Crow of the North.” This event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required by emailing info@blackscranton.org or call 570-941-4419.
Feb. 28 7 p.m. Black History Month Film Series: “Sparkle” presented by the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7524 or email george.aulisio@scranton.edu.
Mar. 4 Talk Back immediately after the performance of “Little Women; the Broadway Musical” by The University of Scranton Players as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 5 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Concert Choir and The Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 7 6 p.m. Salary Negotiations Workshop offered by The University of Scranton’s Career Development Office and the Jane Kopas Women’s Center as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. Room 405, The DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 8 3 p.m. Women of Vision and Courage Award Presentation offered by The University of Scranton’s Jane Kopas Women’s Center as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Mar. 13 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Courage to Care” presented by Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, New Jersey. The luncheon is part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Mar. 20 through Apr. 14 Art Exhibit: “Post COVID: Art by Students for the Scranton School District.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 11:45 a.m. Community-Based Learning Talk “Environmental Health” presented by Tonyehn Verkitus. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Post COVID: Art by Students for the Scranton School District” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 25 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2027. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “A Foreigner Called Picasso” presented by Annie Cohen-Solal, writer and social historian, distinguished professor at Bocconi University, Milan, Italy. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Mar. 29 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Mozart: The Mind and Music of a Genius” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Sordoni Theater, WVIA Public Media Studies. Reception to follow. Registration required. $35 per person. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Mar. 29 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring flute choir, percussion ensemble, steel drums and more. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 30 7:30 p.m. Office of Sustainability film and panel discussion “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva.” Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
Mar. 30 5 p.m. 26th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “Bedside and Administration: A Strategic Alliance.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-709-9892 or email scarlet.alexander@scranton.edu.
Apr. 1 9 a.m. Regional National History Day Competition for junior and senior high school students. The DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
Apr. 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mikaela Bennett, voice. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 14-25 Environmental Art Show. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-7482 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.
Apr. 14 4:30 p.m. Environmental Art Show opening event – Artist Talk with Stéphanie Williams. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-7482 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.
Apr. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band and Saxophone Ensemble with guest baritone/bass saxophonist Leigh Pilzer. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 18 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentation and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email salisa.brown@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Where Does Wealth Come From?” presented by Sandra Black, Ph.D., Columbia University. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email john.ruddy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 5:30 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Essay contest awards will be announced at the event. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
Apr. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 24 through May 5 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition Online.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call. 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu
Apr. 27 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email brandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27-30 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Theatrical performance of “Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight” by The University of Scranton’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the English and Theatre Department as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. Studio Theatre of the McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27 7 p.m. Schemel Forum with Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute at The University of Scranton Collaborative Program: “Only in America? Religion, State, and a Hasidic Town in Rural New York” presented by David N. Myers, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History and director of the Luskin Center for History and Policy, UCLA. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. $15 per person. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Apr. 28 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The World after the Ukraine War” presented by Jill Dougherty, Russian expert, former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief, current CNN on-air contributor and professor, Georgetown University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Apr. 29-30 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
May 2 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Promise of American Democracy” presented by Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School and professor of history, Harvard University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
May 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “40th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir featuring two new works by composer/conductor Philip J. Kuehn. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 9 noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Vocalising and Music in the Development of Speech Language and Consciousness” presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D., medical and radiation oncologist, Weill Cornell Medical School faculty and clinical professor of medicine at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
May 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 20 TBA Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 21 TBA Graduate and Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Mondays: Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27 & Mar. 6, 13 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Down These Mean Streets: An Ethics of Hardboiled, Noir Fiction” presented by Joseph Kraus, Ph.D., professor, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Wednesdays: Mar. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 & Apr. 5 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Philosophy East and West” presented by Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., professor, Department of Philosophy and director, Asian Studies Program, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Thursdays: Feb. 2, 9, 16, 23 & Mar. 2, 9 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “The Anatomy of Contemporary Conservatism in the US” presented by Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., professor, Department of Philosophy, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.
Spring Events Planned at University
-
01/20/2023
The Scranton Area Community Foundation has awarded a $5,000 grant to The University of Scranton to support the ongoing “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project.
“Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” explores the aspirational journey to fulfill our national ideals through the lens of Scranton, an iconic American city that has experienced many of the key elements of our nation’s experience, such as industrial era growth and decline, waves of immigration past and present and Black and Indigenous experiences. The ongoing two-year project is supported by a 2021 National Endowment for the Humanities grant. The project includes a number of programs in a variety of participatory formats and as well as story collection component that will engage a diverse group of Scrantonians, which the Scranton Area Community Foundation grant will help to support.
“The story collection project is rooted in the central place that diverse human stories play in the humanities, critical to the goal of sharing Scranton’s stories as archetypal of other stories representing the many American experiences,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for Community and Government Affairs and “Scranton Stories” project director, who also noted that University students majoring in communication have assisted in the recording of the stories through community-based-learning projects included in their courses.
Cohen said that the ongoing story collection includes a public engagement phase this fall that includes an “I am Scranton” social media campaign and collection process at public events inviting stories in different modes, formats and through an online submission form.
Community organizations collaborating on this project include Black Scranton Project, Center for the Living City, Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, The Lackawanna Historical Society, Lackawanna County Immigration Inclusion Comm., Narrative 4, the Scranton Area Ministerium, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA and WVIA.
Scranton Area Community Foundation Grant Awarded
-
01/19/2023
In collaboration with The Schemel Forum, The “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project, a National Endowment for the Humanities-funded initiative of The University of Scranton and community partner organizations, hosted “The Journey from ‘Immigrant’ to Citizen” recently on campus. This roundtable discussion was a part of the Scranton’s Story project’s “From ‘Immigrant’ to Citizen” theme and featured four local speakers sharing their stories. The speakers and the discussion highlighted the myriad ways in which people have come to be members of the Scranton community and “citizens” of the larger United States, and included sharing from those who trace their ancestry to the European immigration of the industrial era to more recent migration from across Latin America and global refugee resettlement.
Visit www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory for more details.
Pictured, from left: Jenny Gonzalez Monge, STARS program director, Marywood University; Ushu Mukelo, Congolese community of Scranton; Jack McGuigan, retired English teacher and poet; Stephanie Longo, author of regional Italian American history; and Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at The University of Scranton, co-moderator of the program.
Journey to Citizenship Discussed at Scranton
-
01/17/2023
Area residents, whose households earned $60,000 or less in 2022, can receive free assistance in completing and filing their federal, state and local tax returns from University of Scranton accounting students through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.
University students have assisted residents with low and moderate incomes who need help with their basic tax returns for more than 30 years.
Walk-in service in Brennan Hall on the University’s campus begins on Wednesday, Feb. 1. The VITA service is offered on a first-come, first served basis during scheduled hours. Appointments are not available at the University.
Residents can schedule appointments at other locations by contacting the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties by visiting www.uwlc.net or calling 211 or 1-855-567-5341.
Residents who qualify for the free VITA service are asked to bring the following items: a valid photo ID; Social Security cards for all taxpayers and dependents; all W2 forms; last year’s tax returns; all 1099 forms (interest, dividends, pensions); unemployment paperwork; Form 8332 for non-custodial parents; information related to income and expenses (business, rental properties, sale of stocks); a personal banking account check if direct deposit is desired; documentation related to health insurance for themselves and anyone on the tax return, such as Form 1095-A, -B or –C; and real estate tax receipts if you qualify for the rent/tax rebate.
Walk-in VITA service without an appointment is available in room 111 of Brennan Hall, Madison Avenue, on the University’s campus on Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesdays, from noon to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Service begins on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and continues to Wednesday, April. 5, except for the week of March 13 to March 17, when the University is closed for Spring Break. Service. The VITA office may also close due to inclement weather.
The University reserves the right to cap the number of walk-in residents they can serve within a single day.
Residents with questions may call the University at 570-941-4045.
Scranton Students Offer Free Income Tax Assistance
-
01/13/2023
On Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m., Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert by the Tony Lustig Trio. The 7:30 p.m. concert will take place in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Tony Lustig is a dynamic saxophonist hailing from Fraser, Michigan. His musical journey began under the mentorship of Detroit trumpeter Marcus Belgrave. Through Belgrave, Lustig had the opportunity to play with such greats as Jon Hendricks, Patti Austin and Gerald Wilson. He received his bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University where he studied with Rodney Whitaker, Diego Rivera, Wes Anderson and others. From there he went on to earn his master’s degree at the illustrious Juilliard School, where he studied with baritone saxophone titan Joe Temperley.
Lustig spent a decade freelancing in New York City. He performed in and out of the jazz idiom with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, The Birdland Big Band – which he was a member of for nearly ten years - the house band of America’s Got Talent, Leslie Odom, Jr., Santino Fontana, Gloria Gaynor, Jon Batiste, Louis Cole, the 8-Bit Big Band, Thomas Rhett and others. His playing brought him all around the world and to such notable stages as the Kennedy Center, Madison Square Garden, Saturday Night Live and the CMT Music Awards. Lustig taught briefly at Connecticut College and now resides in Rhode Island where he has been the house composer for Providence Ballet Theatre for the past five years.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year, and a number of University faculty, staff and alumni perform with them.
Performance Music’s large ensembles include Concert/Symphonic Band, Concert Choir/Singers, String Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble (big band format). Smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and include Steel Drum Band, Percussion Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble and Clarinet Ensemble, plus other small vocal and instrumental groups in various formats. Solo, duo and trio performance opportunities are available to members of the ensembles through general recitals each semester.
Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
High school juniors and seniors who are considering applying to Scranton are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert or tour the building.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For more information on Tony Lustig’s music, please visit: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B01C3LSM9Y/tony-lustig-quintet.
Tony Lustig Trio to Perform at Houlihan-McLean Center
-
01/09/2023
The University of Scranton recognized students and their elementary or high school teachers, who they credit for contributing to their success, with Rose Kelly Awards at a recent ceremony held on campus.
The Rose Kelly Award was established by University of Scranton alumnus Joseph Wineburgh, Ph.D., to link the efforts of educators to the achievements of college students. The award is presented jointly to a student in each of the University’s colleges who has completed two years at Scranton and to the teacher whom he or she recognizes as having a great impact in his or her life. Students are selected based on exemplary achievement in both academics and general campus involvement.
Dominic Finan, Malvern, received the Rose Kelly Award for the College of Arts and Sciences. He honored Kathleen Crisi, his biology teacher at Great Valley High School, Malvern. Finan is a neuroscience and philosophy double major at Scranton with a minor in biochemistry and a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, Finan is a member of the international philosophy and the national chemistry and biology honor societies. He is the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Kathryn Moore, Oyster Bay, New York, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Panuska College of Professional Studies. She honored Rebecca Lieberman, her guidance counselor at Oyster Bay High School. Moore is a counseling and human services major at Scranton enrolled in the University’s accelerated graduate program for clinical mental health counseling. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is a member of the national human services honor society and the international psychology honor society.
Madelyn Ronan, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Kania School of Management. She honored Leigh Ann Larkin, her honors and advanced chemistry teacher at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, Pennsauken Township. Ronan is an accounting and finance double major at Scranton with a minor in business leadership. She is a member of the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program and the University’s Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is a member of the Women’s Business Honor Society.
In photo below, from left Mark Higgins, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management, and Rose Kelly Award recipient Madelyn Ronan. Her high school teacher honored, Leigh Ann Larkin, was absent from the photo. Dominic Finan, who received the Rose Kelly Award for the College of Arts and Sciences, and the teacher he honored were also absent from the photo.
$content.getChild('content').textValueRose Kelly Awards Presented at University
-
01/04/2023
The University of Scranton will light its four-story, Class of 2020 Gateway sign in memory of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Jan. 3, 4 and 5. The sign will display a white cross with a gold background.
White and gold are worn by the Pope during Christmas and Easter, symbolizing the birth and resurrection of Jesus Christ. These colors are also worn during funerals because they symbolize life rather than mourning, according to an ABC News article about the meaning of the colors worn by the Pope.
“As a true pastor and scholar, his writings and teachings will continue to inspire theologians for generations to come. More than that, as a great pastoral leader, he called us all to a deeper relationship with God, one grounded in love and fidelity,” wrote Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of the University, in a statement on the passing of Pope Benedict XVI.
$content.getChild('content').textValueIn Memory of Pope Benedict XVI
-
01/03/2023
Frank O’Hara medals were given to University of Scranton students with the highest grade-point averages in their first-, second- and third-year in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies for the 2021-22 academic year. The awards, named in honor of the late Frank O’Hara who served the University for 53 years in various administrative positions, were presented at a ceremony held recently on campus.
College of Arts and Sciences
Patrick DelBalso, Plains, received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, he is currently a sophomore majoring in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and participates in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the University’s Undergraduate Honors Program. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, he is a member of the Health Professions Organization, and is an editor for Esprit, the University’s literary magazine.
Mary Krichbaum, Endicot, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is a double majoring in mathematics and philosophy with a minor in chemistry. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she participates in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. On campus, she is a lector for Campus Ministries. She is also mathematics tutor with the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and is involved in research in the Chemistry Department.
Emily Amershek, New Ringgold, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a junior majoring in philosophy with minors in theology and international studies and concentrations in legal studies and health humanities. She participates in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is a member of the National Philosophy Honors Society and the National Theology Honors Society. At Scranton, she was awarded a Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities Fellowship and the President’s Fellowship for Summer Research, where she researches bail reform and originalism in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade. She also was the recipient of the O’Hara Award in 2021. She is a tour guide, an orientation assistant, a Campus Ministries lector, a tutor for logic courses, a student conduct University Review Board member and a member of the Pre-Law Society. In the greater Scranton community, she volunteers with Men’s Clothesline project and works part-time as a legal assistant at a local law firm.
Kania School of Management
Samuel Hannah, Dunmore, received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, he is currently a sophomore majoring in accounting. On campus, he is a member of the Society of Accounting Students and The Institute of Management Accountants. He also serves in the Visitor’s Center of the Admissions Office.
Madalyne Buhler, Stony Point, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is currently a junior majoring in finance with a business leadership minor. She participates in the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program and the University’s Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program. She is a member of the Women’s Business Honor Society. On campus, she is co-captain of the Women’s Golf Team and was awarded first-team all-conference honors for her sophomore season. She is a member of Scranton’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and serves as executive chair of the Kania School of Management’s Student Advisory Board, and co-president of PRISM, the University’s student investment club. She also participated in Wall Street Bootcamp. Buhler served as a summer intern for MetLife Investment Management and next summer will be a global markets summer analyst for RBC Capital Markets.
Alice Banks, Hazle Township, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. She is currently a junior majoring in finance and participates in the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program. She was also the recipient of the O’Hara Award in 2021. On campus, she is a Royal Start Ambassador for first-year students and a resident assistant for junior and senior housing. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is a member of the Women’s Business Honor Society, the United Cultures Organization, Praise and Worship and the University of Scranton Black Student Union.
Panuska College of Professional Studies
Priyal Patel, Mountaintop, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is currently a sophomore majoring in health administration with a minor in business. Off-campus, she volunteered with the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth Behling, Raritan, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is currently a junior and is majoring in occupational therapy. On campus, she is a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association (SOTA), where she served as a delegate for the Class of 2024 on SOTA’s Executive Board and currently serves as the club’s vice president. She also serves as a teaching assistant for a second-year occupational therapy anatomy course, and served as a tutor for several anatomy courses.
Rosa Azzato, Harrisburg, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, she is currently a senior majoring in occupational therapy with a minor in psychology and a concentration in lifespan development. She is a member of the Psychology Honors Society. On campus, she serves as vice president of AFYA: The Global Health Club, as secretary and social media representative of the Student Occupational Therapy Association, and as the social media representative for the Students for Life Club. She is a peer mentor and a teaching assistant for the occupation therapy Anatomy and Mechanics of Human Movement course. She also participates in the University’s Performance Music choir and steel drum band, and the University’s music ministries choir, and the Praise and Worship Club. Azzato volunteers with service programs offered through the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. In the greater Scranton community, she volunteered at the Lackawanna Blind Association.
In photos below, from left: Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, and O’Hara Award recipients Elizabeth Behling, Priyal Patel and Rosa Azzato. From left: David Dzurec, Ph.D., interim dean for The University of Scranton’s College of Arts and Science; and O’Hara Award recipients Emily Amershek, Patrick DelBalso and Mary Krichbaum.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Students Receive Frank O’Hara Awards
-
01/03/2023
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, met with James K.J. Lee, director-general, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York, and head of the United Nations Affairs Task Force in New York, and other TECO officials to discuss current and future programming opportunities. He also met with Hans Chunyu Chang, deputy director general of TECO, New York, and Min-Ling Yang, Ph.D., director of the Education Division of TECO, New York. Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and director of Asian Studies at Scranton, and Gerry Zaboski, senior vice president for the Office of the President at Scranton, also attended the meetings.
The University has a long-standing relationship with TECO which began in 2010. Most recently, the University and Fu Jen Catholic University, a Jesuit university in Taiwan, entered into an articulation agreement for a 4+1 MBA degree partnership. The agreement allows qualified students at Fu Jen Catholic University’s College of Management to take graduate-level courses at Fu Jen during their senior year, which will be recognized at The University of Scranton and allow the students to earn an MBA from Scranton in as little as one year after completing their bachelor’s degree at Fu Jen.
Programming established through the University’s international partnership with the Education Division of TECO-New York and Taiwan Ministry of Education includes university-level faculty- and student-exchange programs with elite universities in Taiwan, such as Fu Jen Catholic University. With support from the “Chinese language-and-culture teacher from Taiwan” grant, Scranton hosts visiting instructors annually. In addition, more than 10 University of Scranton students have participated in “Huayu Language Immersion Scholarship” to study in Taiwan at a university-level language center.
Through the partnership with the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, the University has hosted numerous programs in Scranton, including performances by the Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company, the Chai Found Music Workshop and the Taiyuan Puppet Theater, in addition to hosting several lectures and film festivals with meet the author and director discussions.
In 2014, the University was presented with replica of the Kinmen Peace Bell from Taiwan in honor of Scranton’s charter membership in the Taiwan Academy and its success with its Taiwanese cultural programming and Asian Studies program.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton President Meets With Taiwanese Officials
-
12/31/2022
A Statement from Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., President of The University of Scranton, on the Passing of Pope Benedict XVI
Today I join leaders throughout Catholic higher education in celebrating the life and legacy of Pope Benedict XVI. As a true pastor and scholar, his writings and teachings will continue to inspire theologians for generations to come. More than that, as a great pastoral leader, he called us all to a deeper relationship with God, one grounded in love and fidelity. As he said so well in his beautiful work, God is Love: Deus Caritas Est, “Love is the light—and in the end, the only light—that can always illuminate a world grown dim and give us the courage needed to keep living and working.”
I ask that we all pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict on his passing and for the enduring mission of the Church to which he devoted his life.
Statement on the Passing of Pope Benedict XVI
-
12/21/2022
The University of Scranton welcomed a new cohort of students into its Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program. Classes for the program, which seeks to develop future executives to serve area nonprofit institutions, begin in January 2023.
The certificate program combines a rigorous academic component taught by Kania School of Management faculty with expertise in nonprofit organizations, a mentorship and experiential learning. The program includes capstone project that requires participants to form a comprehensive plan to solve a current issue faced by the nonprofit organization they represent.
Since beginning in 2017, 47 participants, representing 40 separate regional nonprofit organizations, have graduated from the program.
Members of the 2023 cohort of Scranton’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and the organizations they represent are:
Kathleen Barry, deputy COO, The Wright Center;
Tiffany Benedict, Susquehanna County program manager, Women's Resource Center;
Amy Benjamin, finance director, Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development Commission;
Laura Boyle, founder/board president, Scranton Youth Arts Coalition;
Avianna Carilli, coordinator of domestic and international service programs, The University of Scranton;
Matthew Ceruti, vice president, resource development, United Way of Lackawanna, Wayne and Pike counties;
Lori Chaffers, executive director, Outreach;
Andrew Chew, director of research, The Institute;
Lauren Cleveland, executive director of administration, Friendship House;
Arrah Fisher, executive director, The Cooperage;
Susan Jeffery, administrator, Hawk Family Foundation;
Glynis Johns, founder and CEO, Black Scranton Project;
Art Levandoski, coordinator of marketing and development, Jewish Family Services;
Amy Luyster, vice president, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce;
Josh Nespoli, deputy director, Community Strategies Group;
Jennifer Passaniti, executive director, Center for Health and Human Services Research and Action;
Joan Peterson, director, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Lackawanna County;
Shane Powers, COO, NeighborWorks;
Erica Rogler, executive director, Wyoming County Cultural Center/Dietrich Theater;
John Santa Barbara, regional philanthropy officer, American National Red Cross;
For additional information visit the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program webpage or call 570-941-4047.
$content.getChild('content').textValueNonprofit Leadership Program Welcomes New Cohort
-
12/19/2022
Faculty and staff of The University of Scranton Education Department gathered with education students and their school cooperating teachers to celebrate the ending of the students’ semester of student teaching.
The twenty Scranton graduate and undergraduate students served as student teachers during the fall semester at ten local schools in the following nine school districts: Carbondale, Dunmore, Mid Valley, Mountain View, Pittston, Riverside, Scranton, Valley View and Western Wayne.
Fall semester 2022 student teachers at Scranton and their cooperating teachers were:
Graduate student Khadiga AboBakr of Scranton and cooperating teacher Christine McDermott, Riverside Junior Senior High School;
Senior Blaire Adams of Cedar Grove, New Jersey, and cooperating teacher Laura Schultz Dunmore Elementary Center;
Senior Kelly Bierals of Mendham, New Jersey, and cooperating teacher Alyssa Bohenek, Valley View Elementary School;
Senior Cassandra Colozza of Old Forge and cooperating teacher Ashley Coviello, Mountain View Elementary School;
Senior Jordan Czap of Danbury, Connecticut, and cooperating teacher Casey Ehnot, Dunmore Elementary Center;
Senior Karen Degnan of Scotch Plains, New Jersey and cooperating teacher Josh Carpenter, Mountain View Elementary School;
Senior Andrea Filachek of Lagrangeville, New York, and cooperating teacher Tracey MacCallum, Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Senior Abigail Knobler of Norristown and cooperating teacher Lisa Gibbons, Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Senior Jack Lear of Coatesville and cooperating teacher Gina Grebas, Riverside East Elementary School;
Senior Emily Mac Millan of Clark, New Jersey, and cooperating teacher Katie Calvert, Carbondale Elementary School;
Senior Julia Mancuso of Dunmore and cooperating teacher Shelly Waibel, Neil Armstrong Elementary School;
Senior Sophia Marlow of Massapequa, New York, and cooperating teacher Mary Theresa Clister, Carbondale Elementary School;
Senior Kayla Masterson of Old Tappan, New Jersey, and cooperating teacher Paul Zaffuto, Pittston Intermediate Center;
Senior Sofia Muta of Greenfield Township and cooperating teacher Thomas Hornlein, Pittston Intermediate Center;
Senior Jennifer Noll of Paoli and cooperating teacher Sara Amendolaro, Dunmore Elementary Center;
Senior Jessica Notari of Thompson and cooperating teacher Summer Klikus, Evergreen Elementary School;
Senior Danielle Raffa of East Northport, New York, and cooperating teacher Mary Alice Raider, Valley View Elementary School;
Senior Laura Scanlon of Scranton and cooperating teacher Ann Marie Barhight, Carbondale Elementary School;
Senior Anna Trojan of Airmont, New York, and cooperating teacher Michele Walsh, Dunmore Elementary Center;
Senior Bridget Warren of Westfield, New Jersey, and cooperating teacher Justine Smith, Riverside East Elementary School.
University Students And Cooperating Teachers Meet
-
12/14/2022
The University of Scranton awarded 2023 faculty development intersession grants to four faculty members.
Gerard Dumancas, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, received a grant to research “A facile, convenient, and affordable method to determine the authenticity of liquid chicken egg whites.” He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oklahoma State University. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2021.
Christopher Hauser, Ph.D. , assistant professor of philosophy, received a grant to research “Aristotle’s Epistemology of Essence.” He earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history from Dartmouth College and a doctorate in philosophy from Rutgers University. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020.
Adam Pratt, Ph.D., associate professor of history, received a grant to research “The Noble and Indefatigable Auxiliary of the Republican Party: The Wide-Awake in Pennsylvania.” He earned a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2013.
Brian Snee, Ph.D., associate professor of communications and media, received a grant to research “The Scene of the Crime: Rhetorical Silences in Fetterman’s Gun Violence.” Dr. Snee earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from The University of Scranton. He earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in communication arts and science from Penn State University. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020.
Read more about faculty research and awards on the Royal News Faculty Webpage.
Intersession Grants Awarded for January 2023
-
12/13/2022
Understanding how structures interact at the microscopic and even molecular scales has been studied for decades, with applications developed for numerous products ranging from pharmaceuticals and medical treatments to dry cleaning. In researching nanostructure interactions, certain approximations of structural properties that could not be precisely measured were commonly used.
New research by John Deák, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at The University of Scranton, combined two existing techniques for the first-time to test the approximations used for reverse micelle structural properties, which are often applied in studying microscopic interactions. The research, published in October in the Journal of Molecular Liquids, shows that assumptions of the shape of the structure at a certain scale range were incorrect.
“The research finding means a lot of text books will have to be updated,” joked Dr. Deák of the significance of his research, which will actually lead to more precise calculations of nano-level interactions that can be applied to drug delivery systems and other life-saving, or life-changing, applications.
Dr. Deák explained that approximations used for the reverse micelle structure assumed a spherical shape, which his research confirmed is correct in certain scale ranges. However, his research showed that the structure changes to an ellipsoidal or egg-like shape at another range of the scale. He said the research explains variations found in data collected in numerous other studies conducted over decades.
“There was speculation about the assumed shape of the reverse micelle structures, because data collected in studies didn’t always fall in the expected range of calculations, but we didn’t have the ability to determine the shape,” said Dr. Deák, who worked on this project for five years. He combined two existing research techniques to examine various shape considerations for the first time which revealed a decades-long misunderstanding about the structure.
“This shows that we cannot assume shapes of nanostructures. We must determine the shapes and develop techniques to enable us to do this,” said Dr. Deák.
His study is titled “Volumetric determination of reverse micelle structural properties and the validity of commonplace approximations.”
Dr. Deák’s research interests include the molecular dynamics of condensed phases and interfaces, energy transfer mechanisms over self-assembled liquid boundaries, and permeation enhancement of biological tissue. His research has been published in dozens of academic journals, including the prestigious journal Science. He is an inventor on more than two dozen patents.
A faculty member at Scranton since 2002, Dr. Deák earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Buffalo and his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Rochester. He completed post-doctoral studies at the University of Illinois, Champaign.
Read more about faculty research and awards on the Royal News Faculty Webpage.
Research Shows Shape Matters at Nano Level
-
12/12/2022
University of Scranton students, faculty and staff participated annual Christmas gift giving programs organized by the Center for Service and Social Justice. Performance Music also provided gifts donated by area residents from its Empty Stocking Fund Concert. The gifts were given to Friends of the Poor/Catholic Social Services who will distribute the donated items to families in need.
In addition, the Center for Service and Social Justice organized the Adopt a Family program with the Catherine McAuley Center.
University Conducts Annual Christmas Gift Drives
-
12/07/2022
Cyrus P. Olsen III, D.Phil., associate professor of theology and religious studies at The University of Scranton, is part of an inter-disciplinary team of professors from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School awarded a Templeton Foundation Grant. The multi-year grant in the amount of $500,000 funds research on how “social networks” among Ugandans includes one’s ancestors and may influence health-seeking behavior in the context of brain health.
The project (Buffering, Porosity and Brain Health in Uganda) is co-directed by Dr. Olsen and Ian Corbin, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School Faculty and co-director of the Human Network Initiative (HNI), an interdisciplinary research center housed in the Neurology Department of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The third member of the U.S. research team is Amar Dhand, M.D., D.Phil., associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and principal investigator at the Dhand Lab, a clinical neurology research center specializing in stroke health and social network analytics, where Drs. Olsen and Corbin are clinical observers.
“The research is focused on brain health of people in Kampala, Masaka and Bwindi/Buhoma, three key locations made possible by Scranton’s twenty years of immersive education, created by Robin and Charles Pinches, named the Scranton-Uganda Partnership,” said Dr. Olsen. “It is to Dr. Pinches and his close collaborators, Scott Kellermann, M.D., and Emmanuel Katongole, Ph.D., that the relationship between Uganda and Scranton remains central to the University’s commitment to global education. The present grant is an outgrowth of that relationship.”
Dr. Olsen explained that the Dhand Lab and its subsidiary, HNI, extend social network analytics into the regions of medical anthropology, philosophy, sociology and religion. They are collaborating with the Dhand Lab and HNI to understand how cultural and spiritual factors impact health-seeking behavior.
“Dr. Dhand’s international research reputation with the National Institute for Health, among other grant organizations, remains essential to the project,” said Dr. Olsen.
The research project, titled “Buffering, Porosity and Brain Health in Uganda,” is for the 2022-2025 period. Through the research study, they will collect and analyze empirical data on patient behavior and social connections of 50 participants in Uganda to determine the various ways that “social networks” impact treatment-seeking actions. They will also approach the data collected from a theoretical perspective to develop a theory of the benefits and dangers of viewing humans as “porous,” or readily influenced by outside forces and actors, in the context of healthcare.
“The applied potential of this theory is to support the design of culturally and contextually appropriate brain health interventions,” according to the research grant proposal. Such interventions must be evidence-based and are part of the future of the project after this initial funding period. Their Ugandan research council and collaborators throughout the country will guide the research and ensure local languages and customs are appropriately integrated into all design and project execution.
For this academic year, Dr. Olsen is on leave from Scranton, serving as the LoSchiavo Chair in Catholic Social Thought at the University of San Francisco and a visiting scholar at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. He was named a fellow at the Lonergan Institute at Boston College for the summer of 2022.
At Scranton, he was named an inaugural fellow for the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities for the spring 2021 semester. In 2017, Dr. Olsen received the University’s Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award, which honors faculty members who cross boundaries between disciplines and departments to create innovative pedagogies that enhance students’ learning and prepare them for real-world challenges.
A faculty member at Scranton since 2006, Dr. Olsen has served on numerous committees and led multiple projects during his tenure at Scranton. Most recently, he served as co-director, Health Humanities Concentration. He has published articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and has presented at more than a dozen professional conferences, meetings and workshops, many of which were also peer-reviewed. Additionally, he is a peer reviewer for the National Endowment for the Humanities and a research partner with the Bethany Land Institute for an Esri Geo-information Systems grant to map land use and reforestation in Luweero, Uganda.
Dr. Olsen, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington and both his master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Oxford.
Professors Study Impact of Social Network on Health
-
12/06/2022
The University of Scranton and Fu Jen Catholic University, a Jesuit university in Taiwan, entered into an articulation agreement for a 4+1 MBA degree partnership. The agreement allows qualified students at Fu Jen University’s College of Management to take graduate-level courses at Fu Jen during their senior year, which will be recognized at The University of Scranton and allow the students to earn an MBA from Scranton in as little as one year after completing their bachelor’s degree at Fu Jen.
“The articulation agreement already signed and other dual degree initiatives being further explored at this time, build upon our long-standing relationship with Fu Jen, other outstanding Taiwanese universities and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office,” said Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “We are especially grateful for the dedication and service of Dr. Ann Pang White, who has tirelessly led our Asian Studies program and encouraged our numerous connections with Taiwan.”
Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, serves as director of Asian Studies at Scranton.
The University’s partnership with Taiwan began in 2010 with several divisions in the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in New York, including the Foreign Affairs Division, the Education Division (Ministry of Education), the Government Information Office and the Council for Cultural Affairs (now combined to form the new Ministry of Culture).
Programming established through the University’s international partnership with the Education Division of TECO-New York and Taiwan Ministry of Education includes university-level faculty- and student-exchange programs with elite universities in Taiwan, such as Fu Jen Catholic University. With support from the “Chinese language-and-culture teacher from Taiwan” grant, Scranton hosts visiting instructors annually. In addition, more than 10 University of Scranton students have participated in “Huayu Language Immersion Scholarship” to study in Taiwan at a university-level language center, including at Fu Jen.
Through the partnership with the Taiwan Ministry of Culture, the University has hosted numerous programs in Scranton, including performances by the Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company, the Chai Found Music Workshop and the Taiyuan Puppet Theater, in addition to hosting several lectures and film festivals with meet the author and director discussions.
In 2014, the University became the only higher education institution in the world to receive a replica of the Kinmen Peace Bell. The gift was given as a gesture from Taiwan in honor of the University’s charter membership in the Taiwan Academy and its success with its Taiwanese cultural programming and Asian Studies program.
In addition, the University’s Slattery Center for the Humanities Global Ignatian Humanities Alliance includes student and faculty exchanges with Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan in addition to universities in Uganda; and Spain.
For additional information about the 4+1 MBA degree partnership with Fu Jen Catholic University, contact Dr. Pang-White at ann.pang-white@scranton.edu or 570-941-7643.
Pictured below at a facilitating meeting at Fu Jen Catholic University are, from left: representing Fu Jen Catholic University Bell Chiu, secretary; Hsiao-Yun Huang, Ph.D., associate dean; and Bruce Lee, Ph.D., dean of Fu Jen’s College of Management; Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., director of Asian Studies, The University of Scranton; and representing Fu Jen Catholic University Chun-Chi Yang, Ph.D., dean, and Ming-Chieh Ma, Ph.D., associate dean, of Fu Jen’s Office of International Education. At the articulation agreement signing at The University of Scranton, from left: Murli Rajan, Ph.D., associate dean of Scranton’s Kania School of Management; Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president for The University of Scranton; and Mark Higgins, Ph.D., dean of Scranton’s Kania School of Management.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton and Fu Jen Catholic University Sign Agreement
-
12/01/2022
A week after its beloved Noel Night, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will continue the holiday cheer at its annual Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert on Sunday, Dec. 11.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. The event is open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. Attendees are asked to bring either a new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, comb/brush, etc.) or a cash donation. All donated items will directly benefit local families in need this holiday season.
At the concert, Performance Music student musicians will perform solo, duet, trio and small group renditions of a variety of classic Christmas songs, according to Assistant Director for Percussion Janelle Decker.
“Our students enjoy preparing for this concert – it means a lot to them to be able to use their talents to benefit families in need at Christmas time,” said Decker.
Empty Stocking’s origins go back to 1999, when Conductor and Director of Performance Music Cheryl Boga’s friend, Alan Drake, the former chairman of the music department at Georgia’s Augusta College, told her about a benefit Christmas concert held there. When Boga asked Drake if he would mind if she brought the idea back to Scranton, he responded, “Absolutely not.”
For that inaugural year, she and Drake decided to wage a friendly competition to see which concert could raise the most money. That year Scranton Performance Music’s audiences prevailed, and an annual tradition where nobody “loses” was born.
No question, the concert’s charitable mission lends it a special resonance, and Boga said it’s always extremely moving to see the generously donated items out on display the night of the concert.
Of course, the concert itself never fails to produce an abundance of yuletide cheer. Graduate accounting student Jimmy Greenfield, Scranton, says, “You can see the light of Christmas in the eyes of the audience members as they walk in the door carrying bags of toys.”
Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For more information on the Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music
Empty Stocking Fund Concert Set for Dec. 11
-
12/01/2022
Parag Pathak, Ph.D., the Class of 1922 Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), presented “Still Worth the Trip? Modern-Era Busing and other Lessons from Urban School Reform” at The University of Scranton’s of 36th Henry George Lecture in November on campus. The founder of MIT’s Blueprint Labs, Dr. Pathak’s work on market design and education was recognized with several awards including a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and the American Economic Association’s John Bates Clark Medal as the best American economist under age 40.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are ten winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
Below, Dr. Pathak, is shown with faculty of The University of Scranton’s Economics and Finance Department. From left: Jinghan Cai, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance; John Ruddy, D.P.S., associate professor of economics and finance; Dr. Pathak; Edward Scahill, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance; Pedro Monteiro, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics and finance; Iordanis Petsas, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Economics and Finance Department; and Aram Balagyozyan, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance.
$content.getChild('content').textValueHenry George Lecture Presented at Scranton
-
12/01/2022
The University of Scranton was honored to host Curtis Zunigha, an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians (Oklahoma) and co-founder/co-director of the Lenape Center in New York, for a keynote lecture and three-day series of campus and community meetings and engagements. At the keynote lecture at the University, he discussed the “Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming.”
“Zunigha shared his experience and mission to heal the wounds of forced removal and colonization and his desire to restore the circle of friendship, respect and shared occupancy,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at the University.
Kat Bolus of WVIA interviewed Zunigha during his visit to Scranton.
The Lenape people are among the original inhabitants of the Scranton area.
The visit was part of the Scranton's Story, Our Nation's Story project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and was a collaboration with several University and community partners including the University’s History Department and Office of Equity and Diversity and community partners including the Black Scranton Project, Lackawanna County Arts & Culture Department, The Lackawanna Historical Society, Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area, Scranton Public Library, and WVIA.
Visit www.scranton.edu/scrantonstory for more information.
$content.getChild('content').textValueLenape Heritage, History and Experiences Shared
-
11/30/2022
Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhtar was the recipient of the 2022 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. The reception and dinner took place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center in November. Prior to the reception, a book signing took place. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAyad Akhtar Honored with Distinguished Author Award
-
11/30/2022
The University of Scranton’s Asian Studies Program hosted two events that examined transnational migration in Taiwan and its cultural impact on the country’s literature and cinema. Hsin-Chin (Evelyn) Hsieh, Ph.D., presented “Bringing the World to Taiwan: Border Crossing and Transnational Cultural Flow in Contemporary Taiwan” and a screening of the award-winning film “The Good Daughter” and Q and A with the director Yu-Ying (Sally) Wu took place in October in Brennan Hall. The lecture and film screening and Q and A were sponsored by the University’s Asian Studies Program and its College of Arts and Sciences, and the Taipei Cultural Center in New York of the Taiwan Ministry of Culture.
Events Examined Transnational Migration in Taiwan
-
11/30/2022
The “living wage income” required for a family of four in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties increased by 39 percent since 2019, according to findings of a 2022 Update of the NEPA Living Wage Report, which was presented to NEPA community leaders at The University of Scranton on Nov. 29.
The Living Wage Report for NEPA, first issued in 2016, defines a “living wage” as the wage rate at which a worker, employed on a full-time basis, can reach a standard of living that meets essential basic needs and allows the individual or family to live a modest but dignified life. The report outlines the living wage threshold for various family compositions in NEPA, such as a family of three, or a family of four. The report reflects principles of Catholic Social Teaching in regard to poverty, just wages and economic justice.
“While our region continues to make many gains and improvements, the study shows that too many of our neighbors experience economic hardship,” wrote Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, in a message in the 2022 update. “I am especially struck by how the median income for both counties now falls short of a living wage for all households with children. Costs are rising for food and other essential needs, while wages and supports are not keeping up, and there is a serious shortage of affordable housing.”
The 2022 report compares current and previous data, details the increases in costs of living, explains some of the major challenges facing those who fall below the living wage threshold, and proposes solutions to address these challenges. The 2022 report highlights mitigating factors – in particular, racial disparities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policies on economic security.
“The most recent data points to an acute need for affordable housing that calls for new policies and approaches,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs. “The report also provides a new focus on racial disparities, with Black and Hispanic households having lower rates of homeownership and lower median incomes than white populations.”
Other key findings of the 2022 report show the continued gap between minimum wage and living wage; the poverty rate in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties remains high and the need for services has increased; and costs for basic needs continue to rise.
“The study found the living wage amounts have increased across the board. It’s taking more funds for families to thrive in 2022 than in the previous 2016 and 2019 reports. Rising prices of food and housing are key factors driving this trend, with rental prices having increased significantly since the start of the pandemic,” said Andrew Chew, director of research at The Institute (formerly named the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development).
The 2022 update shows the living wage income for a family of two adults (one working) and two children in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties increased from $42,910 in 2019 to $59,717 in 2022 – a significant 39 percent increase.
“The findings of this year’s Living Wage Report emphasize the importance of continued community and government action to ensure that individuals and families in NEPA are able to live a modest but dignified life,” said JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and co-director of the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, in her remarks.
To achieve greater economic security for families in NEPA, the report recommends a multi-pronged approach is required that involves public policy changes, economic and workforce development efforts, government programs and private charitable activities.
Recommendations presented in the report include, expanding support for housing assistance and housing affordability; promoting practices to foster equity and inclusivity; advocating for increased wages; supporting cash assistance for low-income families and expanding food and basic necessities assistance; expanding access to existing social safety net programs and supporting programs and policies that help workers to obtain and keep jobs with family-sustaining wages.
The 2022 Update to the Living Wage Report is a project of The Institute and The University of Scranton. The full report is available on the University’s Living Wage webpage.
$content.getChild('content').textValueFindings of 2022 Living Wage Report Presented
-
11/29/2022
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will kick off the holiday season with its 55th annual Noel Night concert on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Beginning at 8 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, the concert will feature The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles. Doors open at 7 p.m., with a prelude beginning at 7:05 p.m. Admission to the concert is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night has been a beloved holiday tradition for numerous Scranton-area residents since its beginnings more than a half-century ago when it was founded by Rev. Edward Gannon, S.J.
This year’s concert will feature music by composers J.S. Bach, Randall Alan Bass, Vaclav Nelhybel, Mark Sirett and others, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. Pianist and harpsichordist for the evening is Ron Stabinsky and organist is Christopher Johnson. Performance Music’s fully restored Steinway grand piano and Austin Opus 301 symphonic organ will be heard on the program, and the evening will feature the debut of the department’s newly donated and restored Zuckerman harpsichord. Remarks and readings will be offered by Rev. James Duffy, S.J., M.D., superior for the Scranton Jesuit Community; Robert W. Davis Jr., Ed.D., vice president for University advancement; Leonard Gougeon, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Department of English and Theatre; Hal Baillie, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Philosophy Department; and senior student members of the ensemble.
Outdoor instrumental caroling by members of the University Bands will greet audience members as they arrive, and the University’s Chamber Orchestra, Flute Quartet and organist Christopher Johnson will perform the prelude.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. Because there is no music major at the University, all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
Performance Music’s large ensembles include Concert/Symphonic Band, Concert Choir/Singers, String Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble (big band format). Smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and include Steel Drum Band, String Quartet, Flute Ensemble, Brass Choir, Saxophone Ensemble, Jazz Combo and Percussion Ensemble, plus small vocal groups. Solo, duo and trio performance opportunities are available to members of the ensembles through general recitals each semester.
Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, the Nelhybel Collection and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For more information on Noel Night, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Noel Night Concert Set for Dec. 3
-
11/21/2022
Five University of Scranton students were selected as 2022 Sanofi US Excellence in STEM Scholars, which provided support for the students’ summer independent research projects.
The University students named 2022 Sanofi US Excellence in STEM Scholars are: Angela Hudock ’23, Sayre; Michael Quinnan ’23, Shavertown; James Russo ’23, Franklin Square, New York; Olivia Sander ’23, Macungie; and Nathaniel Smith ’23, Wilkes-Barre.
The grant received from Sanofi, which totaled $20,000, supported research and professional development of the five undergraduate students involved in STEM programs. In addition, the support provided stipends to help the students purchase consumables, such as chemicals, specialized software or disposable laboratory supplies, needed in carrying out their summer research.
Studies have shown that students who engage in an independent research project are more likely to complete their STEM majors, graduate, and develop a path to achieve their academic and career goals.
Hudock, a Presidential Scholar at Scranton, is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major and a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. She is working with her faculty mentors, Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, and Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on her research project entitled: “Chemical, Physiological, and Behavioral Assessment of Zebrafish Embryo Exposure to Neonicotinoid Pesticide Clothianidin.”
Quinnan, a Presidential Scholar at Scranton, is a biomathematics major and a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. On campus, he is a work study student for the Office of Sustainability. He is also working with his faculty mentor, Murong Xu, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics, on his research project entitled: “Network Analysis on the spread of COVID-19.”
Russo is a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. He is working with his faculty mentor, Amelia Randich, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on his research project entitled: “Dependence of Prosthecomicrobium hirschii Prosthecate Morphotype on Nutrient Levels.”
Sander is majoring in neuroscience at Scranton. She is working with her faculty mentor, Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on her research project entitled: “The Telencephalon’s Influence on the Startle Response of Goldfish.”
Smith is a neuroscience major and member of the University’s Undergraduate Honors Program and its Magis Honors Program in STEM. He received the University’s O’Hara Award medal for outstanding academic achievement during his freshman year. On campus, he is a work study student for the Office of Sustainability. He is working with his faculty mentor, Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology, on his research project entitled: “Navigational Failures in Ants Due to Agonists/Antagonists of Serotonin.”
Faculty members at Scranton often include undergraduate students in their academic projects. The University’s Faculty Student Research Program also supports undergraduate student participation in research. In addition, students participating in the University’s Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM work with faculty mentors on research projects.
Sanofi is a global pharmaceutical company that is involved in the research, development, marketing and manufacturing of various medicines and vaccines. Every year, Sanofi offers multiple grants to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions that are working to advance participation in STEM fields.
Students Named Sanofi Excellence in STEM Scholars
-
11/21/2022
University of Scranton students volunteered to pack and deliver 150 food baskets to area families in need as part of its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive organized by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. The food baskets included turkeys as well as other food items needed to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
The students gathered at the Friends of the Poor warehouse in South Scranton on Nov. 20 to prepare the food baskets, which they later delivered to families at Valley View Terrace, Bangor Heights and Hilltop Manor in Scranton.
Fox-56 covered this year’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive in a news story.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Holds Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive
-
11/17/2022
Author and historian Elizabeth Hinton, Ph.D., presented “Riot or Rebellion?: The Meaning of Violent Protest from the 1960s to George Floyd” at this year’s Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities’ Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellow Lecture last month. Dr. Hinton is an associate professor in the Department of History and the Department of African American Studies at Yale University, with a secondary appointment as professor of law at Yale Law School. Her research focuses on the persistence of poverty, racial inequality and urban violence in the 20th century United States.
The annual lecture is named after community leaders Sondra and Morey Myers.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAuthor Elizabeth Hinton, Ph.D., Spoke at University
-
11/17/2022
Sondra Myers (left), director of the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton, was interviewed by Erika Funke (right) at WVIA about the Wienberg Memorial Library’s 2022 Distinguished Author Award dinner. The Nov. 18 dinner will honor Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhta. The event begins at 6 p.m. in McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at the University. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the Distinguished Author Award reception and dinner, visit scranton.edu/authaward or contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Distinguished Author Award Dinner Discussion Aired
-
11/15/2022
The Princeton Review recognized The University of Scranton among just 455 colleges in the world, for having “strong commitments to the environment in their campus policies, programs and practices” by inclusion in the 2023 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 26 in Canada, two in Taiwan and one (each) in Ecuador, Egypt, Greece, Ireland, Mexico and Morocco.
This is the fourth 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 713 schools. The criteria broadly covered the schools’ academic offerings and initiatives, campus policies and practices to determine “whether students have a campus quality of life that is both healthy and sustainable; how well a school is preparing students for employment in the clean-energy economy of the 21st century, as well as for citizenship in a world now defined by environmental concerns and opportunities; and how environmentally responsible a school’s policies are.”
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. Further inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical titled “On Care for Our Common Home,” the University also conducts multiple community educational programs organized through its Office of Sustainability, which include Bike Scranton, 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 21 consecutive years, also ranking Scranton in its 2023 edition among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 7) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 25).
University of Scranton Recognized for Sustainability
-
11/15/2022
The University of Scranton and Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish new academic relationships and engage in other collaborative programs. Supplemental agreements create opportunities that each school can offer to new undergraduate students enrolling in the fall of 2023.
The memorandum of understanding will allow the Jesuit schools to collaborate in ways that leverage academic strengths, faculty expertise, resources and technology to enhance further the quality and breadth of programs offered to students. The agreement also encourages the exchange of faculty members, research scholars and students, and facilitates jointly organized conferences and other programs, among other items.
Under the innovative agreements, Scranton can enroll up to five qualified students for direct entry into Le Moyne’s Physician Assistant (PA) program after graduation, and Le Moyne can likewise enroll up to five qualified students with a guaranteed seat in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at Scranton.
“The Memorandum of Understanding prudently leverages the existing resources and strengths of two sister Jesuit institutions that share a common mission of Catholic higher education,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “The supplemental agreements already signed will provide access for our respective students to highly competitive, established programs in much-needed health professions. This is a win-win for our schools, our students and for the patients they will compassionately and competently care for in the future.”
“This relationship will serve our students well and strengthen the work of both Le Moyne College and The University of Scranton in developing health care professionals who are so in need today,” said Linda LeMura, Ph.D., president of Le Moyne College. “I'm proud to be working collaboratively with Scranton on this and look forward to how this initiative will be mutually beneficial to both institutions.”
The direct entry pathway for the PA program at Le Moyne is open to up to five incoming University of Scranton students accepted into its class of 2027 who will major in biology, biochemistry, kinesiology, physiology neuroscience or biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. High school applicants must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 92 and have completed specific high school course requirements. They must also have 50 hours of documented shadowing or patient contact, among other requirements. During their matriculation at Scranton, students admitted to the PA Program pathway must maintain a minimum overall G.P.A., and an overall cumulative science G.P.A. of 3.4 or higher; complete an additional minimum of 700 quality patient contact hours; remain in good moral and ethical standing, and meet other program requirements.
The pathway for the guaranteed seat in the DPT program at The University of Scranton is open to up to five incoming Le Moyne students accepted into its class of 2027 who will major in biology, biochemistry, or similar major that allows for completion of required prerequisite courses. High school applicants must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 92 and have completed specific high school course requirements. During their matriculation at Le Moyne, the students admitted to the DPT Program pathway must maintain a minimum overall G.P.A., and an overall cumulative science G.P.A. of 3.2 or higher; and have verified 30 hours of direct observation of physical therapy patient care; remain in good moral and ethical standing, and meet other program requirements.
Le Moyne’s PA program is accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) and the Education Department of the State of New York.
Scranton’s DPT program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
For additional information about the direct entry pathway program for the PA program at Le Moyne for Scranton students, contact Joseph Roback, associate vice president for admissions and enrollment, 570-941-4385, joseph.roback@scranton.edu. For additional information about the pathway program for a guaranteed seat in the DPT program at The University of Scranton for Le Moyne students, contact Le Moyne’s Office of Admission at admission@lemoyne.edu or 315-445-4300.
From left: Mary Collins, Ph.D., associate provost, Le Moyne College; James Hannan, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs, Le Moyne College; Linda LeMura, Ph.D., president, Le Moyne College; Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president, The University of Scranton; Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president, The University of Scranton; and Gerry Zaboski, senior vice president for the Office of the President, The University of Scranton. In another photo, the presidents exchange school pins.
Scranton/Le Moyne Sign Memorandum of Understanding
-
11/10/2022
Six members of The University of Scranton’s ROTC class of 2023 have earned Distinguished Military Graduate status by the U.S. Army, which designates placement in the top 20 percent of Army ROTC graduates in the nation for this academic year. Their distinction is based on their placement in the Order of Merit List, which ranks graduating ROTC cadets from across the country. The designation requires a superior grade-point average, strong performance in the Army Combat Fitness Test, and proven experience as an exceptional leader in college ROTC training.
“These cadets represent the next generation of our military leaders. They are ambitious, talented, intelligent and enthusiastic. The future of the U.S. Army is in good hands,” said Lt. Col. Jason Wenger, professor of military science who heads Scranton’s Army ROTC battalion. “Scranton’s ROTC program continually places in the top 25 percent in the country because of cadets like these.”
One Scranton cadet, Emma Coar of Dunmore, placed No. 9 in the nation on the Order of Merit list.
“Emma is an exceptional leader and excellent at planning and organization. She continually looks for opportunities to learn and improve herself even more. She has studied foreign languages and has taken on duties as battalion operations officer, which is one of the most competitive leadership positions in our program,” said Lt. Col. Wenger of Coar, who is majoring international studies.
Coar’s classmates who were also named as Distinguished Military Graduates are: Steven Gasperini, an international studies major from Denville, New Jersey; Sarah Kern, a nursing major from Monroe, New York; Declan Maurer, an accounting major and member of the University’s Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program from Whitehouse Station, New Jersey; Josephine Middleton, a biology major from Sugarloaf, and Zachary Turnitza, a nursing major from Cumbola.
Together, the group of six Distinguished Military Graduates know nine languages, including Mandarin Chinese, Arabic and Russian. They have won military awards and participated in ROTC enrichment programs, in addition to maintaining stellar G.P.A.s in their academic courses at Scranton. Each cadet is a Dean’s List student at Scranton.
“Scranton’s ROTC program is smaller, which has given us greater opportunities to participate in the leadership and development initiatives available to cadets,” said Middleton. “All six of us have had military (ROTC) internships.”
In fact, together, the group of six have had a total of 16 internships:
Coar: (3) Cadet Troop Leadership Training, Joint Base Lewis McCord, Washington; Cadet Summer Training 2022; U.S. Army Airborne School;
Gasperini: (3) Cadet Troop Leadership Training, Joint Base Lewis McCord; Cadet Summer Training 2022; US Army Air Assault School;
Kern: (2) Nurse Summer Training Program- Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii; Cadet Summer Training 2022;
Maurer: (3) Cadet Troop Leadership Training, Fort Sill; Opposition Forces Support, Cadet Summer Training 2021; Cadet Summer Training 2022;
Middleton: (2) Army Medical at Joint Base Lewis McCord; Cadet Summer Training 2022;
Turnitza: (3) Nurse Summer Training Program- Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii; Cadet Summer Training 2022; US Army Air Assault School.
Through these internships, the students not only gained experience in different aspects of military service and enhanced their leadership skills, but they also gained experience in their chosen professions. Nursing majors Kern and Turnitza and Middleton, who will pursue a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree, gained clinical experiences in military hospital environments that are not common in traditional rotations.
And, there are other benefits of the ROTC program. Maurer credits the fitness regimen for his loss of 60 pounds in his three years of college.
“The ROTC program has developed my communication skills, not only in public speaking or in leading a group of cadets, but also with the more difficult conversations I will have to have with patients as a nurse,” said Turnitza.
“I learned that there is much more to being a leader in the Army than what is shown rallying troops to battle in the movies,” said Gasperini. “There are a lot of different leaderships styles in the military and all are needed. The amalgamation of the different leaders is what makes us strong.”
Additional information about the impressive accomplishments of Scranton’s ROTC class of 2023 Distinguished Military Graduates can be seen here.
But, you had better put on some shades before reading. As you’ll see, the future of the U.S. Army is bright.
Scranton Cadets Earn Distinguished Military Status
-
11/09/2022
The University of Scranton economics professors have published an analysis of the Wyoming Valley of Northeast Pennsylvania’s job and housing market, as well as a look at the cost of living impact inflation has had on household purchasing power in the region.
The analysis, called the Brennan Barometer and completed by Aram Balagyozyan, Ph.D, associate professor of economics, finance and international business, and Satyajit Ghosh, Ph.D., professor of economics, finance and international business, is the second of a series of reports published by the faculty members of the Kania School of Management that look specifically at the economy of NEPA’s Wyoming Valley. The professors plan to publish two comprehensive reports in January and July and two shorter updates: one in fall and one in spring.
“The intent of the series of reports is to make a detailed analysis of economic data specific to NEPA available to area business professionals who might be able to use the information in their industries and organizations,” said Dr. Ghosh, who is frequently quoted about trends in the regional economy in area newspapers and publications.
Data in the most recent Brennan Barometer, published Nov. 8, indicate the unemployment in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wyoming counties remained relatively unchanged in the period of April to August, 2022, which is the most recent month for which official data is available. The unemployment rate for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazelton metropolitan statistical area stood at 5.7 percent in April and has fallen to 5.2 percent for July and August, following national and Pennsylvania trends.
The professors noted that the total labor force and the total number of employed workers has continued to increase, while the total number of unemployed workers has declined. Charts published in the report show the total number employed rising from 257,000 in April, 2022, to 260,800 in August and those unemployed decreasing from 15,200 in April to 14,200 in August. They noted the employment growth was in the private sector with service-providing industries in the “Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities sub-sector” adding about 42 percent of the new private service-sector jobs.
“What is important to note is that in August 2022, the Health Services sub-sector that includes Health Care, Social Assistance, and Hospitals, reported a modest (200) gain of jobs. Normally, this should not be viewed as a significant event. However, historically, this sub-sector has been a very significant source of jobs in the region,” wrote the professors in the report.
Their analysis of the housing market indicated the “tightening of the housing market in Scranton has occurred at faster pace than in the US. Between August 2021 and August 2022, Scranton has shed roughly 25 percent of its housing inventory, while in the United States, this number has declined by only 6.4 percent.” They also noted that “housing prices in the Scranton area outpaced growth of housing prices in Philadelphia and the U.S.” However, the average price of a house in the Scranton area “is much lower than the national average and the Philadelphia market. In August 2022, the value of a typical home in the Scranton area was $178,169, around half as much as it was in Philadelphia ($338,343) or the United States ($354,986).”
In looking at the impact of inflation, the professors reviewed the Cost of Living (or purchasing power) of the average household in Scranton, as compared to the Cost of Living for Brooklyn and Manhattan.
“For example, to have the same standard of living afforded by Scranton’s median household income of $41,687, a household in Queens, New York, would require $64,456, indicating a 55 percent higher cost of living. Similarly, a household income of $103,477 would be needed in Manhattan, New York, to maintain the same standard of living afforded by the median household income of $40,505 of Wilkes-Barre, indicating a 155 percent higher cost of living in Manhattan.”
The professors also noted that “it may not be much of a consolation that the costs of living in the region may be much lower than other big cities in the area if income in the MSA fails to keep up with inflation.”
The full report is available on the University’s website.
Regional Economic Barometer Published
-
11/08/2022
The Human Resources Foundation in Honesdale awarded a $5,000 grant to The University of Scranton’s Autism Collaborative Center of Excellence to support enhanced advocacy and socialization programming for students with disabilities.
The Autism Collaborative Center of Excellence has collaborated with the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and Student Health to enhance and develop programing for students with disabilities to learn advocacy skills, connect and socialize with other students, and become successful leaders in our region.
The grant will support a new Game Night Advocacy Program on campus, which will create socialization opportunities through fun games in an environment that provides tools and skills to enhance student learning. The program, designed to support students with autism and other disabilities, will use popular board games in a safe environment for individuals to practice social skills and learn how to advocate for themselves and others.
The Human Resources Foundation provides financial support to the programs and services of the Human Resources Center (HRC), a nonprofit organization that provides support and services to individuals with disabilities in Wayne, Pike, Carbon, Monroe, Lackawanna, and Susquehanna counties. The Human Resources Foundation also awards public grants to nonprofit and charitable organizations in NEPA to support similar initiatives as that of the HRC.
The University of Scranton is one of five Autism Collaborative Center of Excellence hubs that serve 13 counties in Northeast Pennsylvania.
HR Foundation Grant to Support Advocacy Programs
-
11/04/2022
Curtis Zunigha, an enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians (Oklahoma) and co-founder/co-director of the Lenape Center in New York City, will share the story, experiences, music and legacy of the Lenape at a series of events on Thursday, Nov. 17, and Friday, Nov. 18.
Zunigha will present “Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming” at a Keynote Lecture Thursday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on the University’s campus. The talk is free and open to the public. Zunigha will share his experience and mission to heal the wounds of forced removal and colonization and his desire to restore the circle of friendship, respect and shared occupancy. This lecture is part of the Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story initiative funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and supported by a Diversity Initiatives Grant through the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity.
On Friday, Nov. 18, a noon Diversity and Inclusion Lunch and Learn for University faculty and staff will feature a special presentation and musical performance by Zunigha. He will share his traditions and the present-day culture of the Lenape people. Reservations are required to attend the luncheon hosted by the Office of Equity and Diversity in the Kane Forum. Faculty and staff may contact diversity@scranton.edu or call 570-941-6645 with questions and to register.
During his visit to Scranton, Zunigha will also speak to students at Northeast Intermediate School, in addition to meetings with local government officials and University and community stakeholders. The intent of the events and meetings is to foster deeper learning and engagement in ways that honor Indigenous peoples and cultures, and the history and ongoing legacy and impact of colonialism.
An expert on Delaware/Lenape culture, language and traditional practices, Zunigha has more than 35 years of experience in tribal government and administration, community development, telecommunications and cultural preservation. He is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
The Lenape Center promotes the history and culture of people through the arts, environmental activism, social justice and agricultural practices. The Lenape Center’s work represents the return of the original Indigenous people to their original homeland of Lenapehoking, which includes areas of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
“Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” seeks to capture the unique narrative of Scranton and relate it to the history of the United States prior to the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The ongoing, two-year project incorporates eight themes, including how Scranton has been portrayed in the popular imagination, its industrial era growth, Indigenous history, religious tapestry, diverse immigrant populations – past and present – and the role it played in the Underground Railroad and Black history.
Lenape History, Heritage, Experiences and Culture Shared
-
11/04/2022
The University of Scranton has appointed 21 new full-time faculty members for the 2022-2023 academic year.
Wesam Alramadeen, Ph.D. cand., was named as an instructor in the Operations and Analytics Department. He joined the University faculty as a lecturer in 2021. Previously, he worked internationally for more than two decades as a business development and strategy partner, telecommunications commissioner, consultant and senior engineer, among other positions. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering-telecommunication from Mutah University in Jordan, an MBA from German Jordanian University in Jordan, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering at Binghamton University.
Ran An, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Health and Human Performance Department. She comes to Scranton from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she was a course instructor of fluency and voice disorders. Previously, she was an associate and assistant professor at Dalian Ocean University in China, where she also was director of two English undergraduate programs and vice dean of the English Department. She also was an instructor at Dongbei University of Finance and has published extensively on the subject of stuttering as well as on several linguistics topics. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and international business and her Master of Arts in foreign language studies and applied language studies at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Uzoamaka Anyiwo, Ph.D., was named associate professor in the History Department. Most recently a professor of politics and history at Curry College and before that the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, she is an award-winning, innovative teacher and researcher who specializes in using historical methods to explore racial and gender stereotypes. Other research specialties include contemporary, Colonial and antebellum U.S. history, film history, the history of the vampire and popular culture/film. She has an extensive presentation and paper history on the subject of vampires, pop culture and black womanhood. She earned her bachelor’s degree in American studies and politics and her Ph.D. at the University of Wales Swansea, where her dissertation analyzed the dominant stereotypes of African-American women from the 16th century to present.
Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Psychology Department. The founder and chief executive officer of ABLE Research LLC in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Dr. Betancourt brings back to Scranton expertise in the subjects of bullying, scientific racism, learning disabilities and economic inequality. He has taught at the City College of New York and won a coveted fellowship at the City University of New York teaching undergraduate psychology. He conducted research on socio-emotional and motivational variables that influence students’ preparedness for higher education and/or the workplace. Dr. Betancourt earned his Bachelor of Science in psychology at The University of Scranton, his Master of Arts in general theoretical psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University, and both his Master of Philosophy and his Ph.D. in educational psychology at the City University of New York.
Michele Boland was named lecturer in the Nursing Department. She previously served on the nursing faculty for the for the Practical Nursing Program of the Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County and joins the University after serving as adjunct faculty and a clinical instructor. Boland has had a lengthy hospital career, including tenures as a registered home health care and hospice nurse, home hospice nurse, charge nurse in intensive care, clinical resource manager and nursing supervisor. Boland earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Delaware and Master of Science degree in nursing education at the University of Phoenix. She is certified as a CPR instructor and in oncology/chemotherapy.
Joe Brague, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Biology Department. An accomplished researcher, writer and lecturer, he most recently studied dopamine-mediated synaptic plasticity in the context of Parkinson’s disease and has published prolific research on how hormones influence behavior in the Syrian hamster. He is currently pursuing how biological sex contributes to Parkinson’s Disease. Dr. Brague was most recently a post-doctoral scholar and adjunct professor in neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience and biology at The University of Scranton and his Ph.D. in integrative biology: neuroscience track, at Lehigh University.
Laura Skoronski Chavez, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Nursing Department. Dr. Chavez brings to the University clinical expertise in emergency nursing and nurse education and educational expertise in nurse educator preparation, curriculum development, educational administration, simulation development, preparation and administration, nursing research and online course preparation. She was formerly on the nursing faculty at Wilkes University and an adjunct faculty member at the University. Chavez earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at The University of Scranton, her master’s degree in nursing education at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and her Ph.D. in nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Kate Cummings was named assistant professor and research and instruction librarian for the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library. She was previously library director and an electronic resources librarian at Luzerne County Community College. She has held two elected positions on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Library Association and is a member of the American Library Association. She is an accomplished presenter whose topics have included diversity, equity and inclusion in libraries, and outcomes and assessment. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration (accounting) at the University of Maine, a Master of Business Administration at Wilkes University and a Master of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina.
Stephanie DeNaples was named faculty specialist in the Occupational Therapy Department. She currently works with Neighborworks NEPA and previously served as an occupational therapist at Lehigh Valley Health Network and has been an adjunct instructor in occupational therapy at the University. She also served as an occupational therapist for Coordinated Health, Therapy Unlimited, the Geisinger Health System and St. Luke’s University Health System. She is the founder of We Ride NEPA, an organization that promotes occupational independence in leisure by modifying motorized ride-on vehicles for children. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in health sciences and Master of Science in occupational therapy at The University of Scranton. She is completing a post-professional clinical doctorate at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah.
Kenneth Dudeck was named visiting assistant professor in the Physics and Engineering Department. He was previously an associate professor at Pennsylvania State University in Hazleton and works as an electrical engineering consultant for local manufacturing industries. An accomplished researcher with a notable publication history, he also spent 10 years as a consultant for the Naval Air Warfare Center at Patuxent River, Maryland., and has been a research fellow at the Naval Air Development Center in Warminster. His career also included the titles of microwave and controls engineer at Damaskos Inc. in Chadds Ford, electromagnetic interference and compatibility engineer at General Electric, and electrical engineer at Gould Ocean Systems Division in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering at Pennsylvania State University and his master’s degree in electrical engineering at Villanova University.
Daniel Jackowitz was named visiting assistant professor in the Computing Sciences Department. He comes to the University from SeatGeek in New York City, where he solved interesting data problems in the ticketing. Before that he was a senior software engineer for Datadog and Tumblr, both in New York City, and a software engineer for The New York Times. He has served as adjunct faculty in computing sciences at the University, where he designed and taught a graduate special topics course titled “Introduction to Big Data Platforms.” He was a teaching fellow in operating system engineering at Yale University. Jackowitz earned his Bachelor of Science in computer science and his Master of Science in software engineering at The University of Scranton and his Master of Science in computer science at Yale University.
Riddhiman Medhi, Ph.D., was named assistant professor of inorganic chemistry in the Chemistry Department. A committed teacher and researcher as well as a collaborative scientist, Dr. Medhi brings a broad background in materials chemistry and joins the University after serving as a post-doctoral associate at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he worked to develop anti-fouling surface coatings and anti-toxin fabrics. He has applied for two U.S. patents, has published and presented on numerous occasions, and is a member of the American Chemical Society. He earned both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in chemistry from Gauhati University in Guwahati, India, and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Houston, where he was a graduate research assistant, and served as a teaching assistant. At Houston, his research on optical nanomaterials earned him the Graduate Student Research Award, and the prestigious Dan E. Wells Outstanding Dissertation Award.
Pedro Monteiro, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Economics/Finance Department. A chartered financial analyst (C.F.A.) since 2018, he worked in the financial sector prior to pursuing Ph.D. studies. He served in a multitude of roles, including fixed income analyst, structurer of derivatives products, and private wealth manager. Dr. Monteiro has published and working papers covering different aspects of finance, including hedge funds, corporate short-termism, international markets and entrepreneurial finance. He has taught Principles of Financial Management, Financial Institutions and Advanced Managerial Finance courses at the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University, where he received the singular 2021 Excellence in Ph.D. Student Teaching Award. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in business at Pontifical Catholic University in Rio de Janeiro. He earned his Master of Science in finance and Ph.D. in finance at Florida Atlantic University.
Julie Murphy, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Nursing Department. She previously served as an assistant professor at Wilkes University and assistant professor and director of the RN to BS in Nursing Program at King’s College. She also served on the faculty of the practical nursing program at the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center, where she was the lead instructor for medical surgical courses. Dr. Murphy has been a registered nurse in the local area for many years and has presented at local and national conferences on heart failure, end-of-life care and advance care planning. She earned an Associate of Applied Science in nursing at Luzerne County Community College, a Bachelor of Science in nursing at Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Science in nursing at Misericordia University, a Master of Science in nursing with nurse educator and faculty roles specialization at Drexel University, and a Ph.D. in nursing at Pennsylvania State University. She has recently received a post-master’s degree certificate as a primary mental health care nurse practitioner at Wilkes University.
Michael Nytz, Ph.D., cand., was named lecturer in the Counseling and Human Services Department. A licensed professional counselor (L.P.C.), he was most recently a certified school guidance counselor at Lower Macungie Middle School and teaching assistant at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. Prior to that, he was a clinical case manager at Wordsworth Academy and a residential counselor at Woods School. Nytz also was a military officer for 13 years and served three years on active duty. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Warner Southern College in Lake Wales, Florida, a master’s degree in counseling at Trenton State College in Trenton, New Jersey., and is a Ph.D. candidate in counselor education at the University of the Cumberlands. He also earned an elementary guidance certificate at Kutztown University, a cognitive behavioral therapy certificate from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and a trauma certificate of advanced graduate studies at Chestnut Hill College. He has a secondary guidance certificate from the University.
Jason Phillips was named faculty specialist in the Nursing Department. He was most recently a certified registered nurse practitioner at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in Philadelphia and previously worked for the Einstein Healthcare Network, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro and Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies at Wright State University in Dayton, then an Associate’s of Applied Science in nursing at Luzerne County Community College, a Bachelor of Science in nursing at Pennsylvania State University Worthington Scranton, and Master of Science in nursing in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
Timothy Powers was named lecturer in the Counseling and Human Services Department. He has been an adjunct instructor of social sciences at the State University of New York at Orange and at Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh, New York. He also worked as a private-practice mental health counselor in Middletown and New York, New York, taught religious studies at Xavier High School in New York, New York., and served in assignments in the Bronx, Wilmington, Delaware, and Silver Spring, Maryland, while a Franciscan Friar. He also was director of campus ministries at John S. Burke Catholic High School in Goshen, New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and religious studies and Master of Science in counseling at The University of Scranton, a graduate certificate in theological studies at Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C., and a Master of Social Work at New York University.
Mojib Saei, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Physics and Engineering Department. He comes to the University from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he was a visiting professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He also has been a faculty member at Ivy Tech Community College. He served as a researcher in the Scalable Micro Nano Manufacturing Laboratory as well as the Center for Materials Processing and Tribology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He has published several peer-reviewed journal articles about nanomaterials, multi-layer composites, 3D printing, laser processing and flexible electronics, amassing a total of 23 journal publications and filing one U.S. patent. He earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees, one in materials engineering and another one in industrial engineering, a master’s degree in materials engineering and a Ph.D. in industrial engineering-manufacturing at Purdue University.
Rebecca Sullivan, Ph.D. cand., was named lecturer in the Education Department. She was most recently adjunct faculty in philosophy at Fordham University and has been a course assistant at the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University and a teaching assistant at both Barnard College and Teachers College of Columbia University. She also has been adjunct faculty at the State University of New York at New Paltz and Queens College of the City University of New York. Sullivan has numerous publication and presentation credits and worked as an academic publishing associate and editor at EdLab, Teachers College Record, at Columbia University, was a writing coach, and worked as an educational program leader for the Brox Educational Foundation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and English literature and a master’s degree in philosophy and education at the University of Notre Dame and a master’s in philosophy and education at Columbia University, where she is a Ph.D. candidate.
Elizabeth Vento, Ph.D., was named visiting assistant professor in the Psychology Department. She has provided clinical care in hospital and community-based clinics and has also provided clinical research support for SAMHSA's national epidemiology studies of psychological disorders. Before starting her Ph.D. studies, she was a public-school teacher in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Vento earned a Bachelor of Arts dual degree in literature and creative writing at the State University of New York, Purchase College; a Master of Arts in clinical psychology at St. John's University; a post-baccalaureate certificate in psychology at Columbia University; and a Master of Science in education at the College of New Rochelle. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at St. John’s University.
Laura Zagacki, D.H.S. cand., was named assistant professor in the Occupational Therapy Department. She was most recently therapy manager at Good Shepherd Specialty Hospital in Bethlehem, where she previously worked as a pediatric occupational therapist. She has been a pediatrics occupational therapist, an early intervention occupational therapist, and a school occupational therapist in the Hatboro-Horsham and Wissahickon school districts. She held occupational therapist positions at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital in Philadelphia and Elkins Park and served on the Research Committee Task Force in the Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital Network. She has an extensive teaching, research, publications and presentation background. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in behavioral neuroscience at Lafayette College, where she was a Phi Beta Kappa Society member, and a Master of Science in occupational therapy at Thomas Jefferson University. She is a candidate for a Doctorate of Health Sciences in rehabilitation sciences at Drexel University.
University of Scranton Appoints New Faculty Members
-
11/01/2022
A team from BBC World News broadcasted live reports on the upcoming U.S. election from the balcony of the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on the campus of The University of Scranton. Scranton alumnus Ted Tait ’86, chief engineer for BBC, Washington, D.C., Bureau, was among the BBC team who broadcasted live reports and interviews about the election throughout the day on Oct. 31.
University of Scranton Political Science Professor Jean Harris, Ph.D., was among those interviewed by BBC World News America anchor Laura Trevelyan during the broadcast.
University of Scranton students Alexander Nunez, Hackettstown, New Jersey, and Kelly Nee, Hopatcong, New Jersey, both journalism and electronic media majors, served as student ambassadors during the visit. Nee also serves as editor of The Aquinas, Scranton’s student newspaper. The University’s Public Relations Intern, Edward Fargis, an English major from Ho Ho Kus, New Jersey, was also on hand. Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of the University, visited the BBC team during a break in the broadcast.
Trevelyan tweeted a thank you to the University for its hospitality. $content.getChild('content').textValueProfessor Among Those Interviewed by BBC World News
-
11/01/2022
The University of Scranton’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program seeks to develop future executives who will serve at Northeast Pennsylvania nonprofit institutions. Since beginning in 2017, 47 participants, representing 40 separate regional nonprofit organizations, have graduated from the program.
“The Nonprofit Leadership Certificate is a unique credential that can help graduates advance to executive leadership positions at nonprofit organizations,” said Ryanne Jennings, president and CEO of the Wayne County Community Foundation and a Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program graduate.
“The coursework in not hypothetical. Participants can apply concepts learned in class immediately. That is very powerful and inspiring. The experience in this program was well worth the investment.”
“The courses were very thorough in educating participants in all the aspects involved in managing a nonprofit, from financial best-practices to board cultivation and grant writing and everything in between. The program provided a depth of knowledge that was extremely beneficial to me and the other students,” said Ron Prislupski, president of NativityMiguel School of Scranton and graduate of the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
Prislupski and Jennings valued greatly the colleagues and mentors they met through the program.
“I moved here from Philadelphia,” said Jennings. “The program allowed me learn about the landscape of fundraising in NEPA and to develop a cohort of peers locally who have been a great source for discussing challenges and successes. They have served as sounding boards for ideas and as professional references.”
“The instructors are absolutely wonderful and, three years later, I still keep in touch with them on a regular basis,” said Prislupski. “Also, the 15 members of my cohort share the same career paths. Through this program, you connect with individuals who have their hearts in the nonprofit sector.”
The certificate program combines a rigorous academic component taught by Kania School of Management faculty with expertise in nonprofit organizations, a mentorship and experiential learning. The program includes capstone project that requires participants to form a comprehensive plan to solve a current issue faced by the nonprofit organization they represent.
“My project was to create an annual fundraising plan, which, subsequently, I also developed and implemented at NativityMiguel,” said Prislupski. “What I learned in the program, specifically through the capstone project, has helped a local nonprofit organization develop a stabilized financial plan.”
The University of Scranton is accepting applications for the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program for the 2022-2023 academic year. The deadline to apply is Nov. 11 for classes that begin in January 2023.
For additional information, visit the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program webpage or call 570-941-4047.
NEPA Nonprofits Benefiting from Leadership Program
-
11/01/2022
Homeboy Industries “live and breathe their mission” according to Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program student Emma Boyle.
Jesuit values seamlessly permeate every aspect of the largest gang rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. Only the Latin phrases like “cura personalis” or “magis,” so familiar with Scranton students, do not appear anywhere at their facilities or in their marketing materials.
Members of the University’s McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program may help to change that.
The group of elite business students at Scranton have adopted a comprehensive set of projects involving branding, new revenue opportunities, and program replication for Homeboy as part of their Business Leadership Consulting Theory and Practice course taught by Douglas Boyle, D.B.A., professor and chair of the Accounting Department.
Two students along with Dr. Boyle and Ashley Stampone, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting, visited Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles in September to begin the project. The students and faculty members met with Homeboy’s founder Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., CEO Tom Vozzo and other key leaders at the nonprofit organization.
Initially looking at the website for Homeboy, the in-person visit and review and additional meetings with Homeboy leaders has broadened the scope of the project. Robert McKeage, Ph.D., associate professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship and long-time director of the Business Leadership Honors Program that bears his name, expects the project will take about two years to complete and envisions will involve of members of the Business Leadership Honors Program for the classes of 2023 and 2024.
According to Drs. Stampone and McKeage, the students will now consult with Homeboy on a range of potential opportunities, including community and youth program outreach, grant and donor relation development and possible marketing and expansion of educational programming, as well as identifying growth possibilities for nearly dozen individual enterprises run by Homeboys, such as the tattoo removal service.
The students who visited Homeboy have already been impacted by the organization and the project.
Emma Boyle called the Homeboy Art Academy a “sanctuary for the children.” The students and faculty members were also impressed by the breath of educational programs offered through homeboys, ranging from parenting classes to workforce development courses that incorporated teaching “soft skills,” as well as job training.
“I am really grateful for this opportunity. It will provide real experience consulting with a major company, said Matthew Earley, Perkasie, a senior finance major, member of the McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program and Presidential Scholarship recipient. “I’ve gotten a hands-on look at the process of consulting and a look at the skills that are needed in that field. It was also an eye-opening experience to hear so many tremendous stories of how people turned their lives around that I now have a new perspective in that regard.”
“The visit to Homeboy has given me a new perspective on my career and the career path I want to take to utilize my skills to help others in any way I can,” said Emma Boyle, an accounting major from Peckville.
Other students participating with this project through the McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program Consulting Theory and Practice course are:
Owen P. Ascher, Garden City, New York, an accounting and finance major;
Thomas J. Csehovics, Fair Lawn, New Jersey, a finance major;
Joshua T. DeMarco, Hillsdale, New Jersey, a business analytics major;
Jillian D. Heier, Mickleton, New Jersey, an accounting major;
Jessica M. Hook, Barto, a marketing major;
Jordyn S. Lieber, Edison, New Jersey, a business administration major;
Francis J. Lynch, Richboro, an electrical engineering major;
Aiden P. Messett, Throop, a finance major;
Kayleigh S. Olszewski, Conshohocken, an accounting and finance double major;
Claudia Pitts ’22, Scranton, who is pursuing a master of accountancy;
Jennifer R. Rossiter, Jenkintown, a finance major;
Thomas A. Yager, Randolph, New Jersey, an accounting major.
The University of Scranton’s McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this highly-selective program explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Take on Project with Homeboy Industries
-
11/01/2022
AllOne Charities has awarded a $25,000 grant to The University of Scranton to support free physical therapy services offered by Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students to vulnerable populations in the region.
The University’s Physical Therapy Community-Based Outreach Program seeks to improve women’s health access in the refugee community. This is done through evidence-based preventive health education, risk assessment for disease, and health promotion wellness services, particularly for those who are unlikely to access the University’s free, campus-based Physical Therapy Clinic.
The grant will support the equipment and supplies, translation services and transportation needed for DPT students to conduct faculty-supervised physical therapy and health education clinics for uninsured and underinsured members of our community, particularly refugee or resettled women and families, in their own neighborhoods or community spaces.
The Physical Therapy Community-Based Outreach Program will focus on: reducing maternal mortality and morbidity; improving cognitive, mental and physical health outcomes; and preventing chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among our region’s vulnerable populations.
AllOne Charities supports local and regional non-profit organizations, whose initiatives help to address some of Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania’s most pressing health challenges.
Scranton’s graduate-level, three-year, 111-credit Doctor of Physical Therapy Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE).
All-One Grant Supports Physical Therapy for Vulnerable Populations
-
11/01/2022
University of Scranton Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students participated with the city of Scranton’s “Wellness at Your Doorstep” program, which provides health screening and community resource information at Scranton residencies and community organizations. At a recent “Wellness” event at Adams High-Rise Apartments, DPT students conducted the fall risk assessments and took health screenings of participants.
$content.getChild('content').textValueDPT Students Put Theory into Practice
-
10/31/2022
Pulitzer Prize-winning and New York Times best-selling author, Annette Gordon-Reed, J.D., discussed her book “On Juneteenth” at The University of Scranton’s Values In Action Lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 12. The lecture was part of the University’s annual Royal Reads program, which introduces incoming students to Ignatian values through a shared reading experience of a selected book in addition to courses and extra-curricular activities. From left: Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology; Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre; David Marx, Ph.D., associate provost of academic affairs; guest speaker Gordon-Reed; David Dzurec, Ph.D, interim dean of college of arts and sciences; Michelle Maldonado, interim provost and senior president for academic affairs.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAuthor Annette Gordon-Reed Discussed Book Oct 12
-
10/31/2022
Members of the Wienberg Memorial Library’s 2022 Distinguished Author Committee are planning a Nov. 18 dinner to honor Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhta. At the event, which will be held in McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at The University of Scranton, Akhta will receive the 2022 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award from the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.
Gretchen Welby, Pharm.D., is chair of the 2022 Distinguished Author Committee, whose members include George J. Aulisio, dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library and Marian Farrell, Ph.D., president of Friends of the Weinberg Library and professor of nursing at the University.
Current and retired University employees, as well as members of the greater Scranton area community make up the rest of the committee. Other committee members are: Geri Botyrius, Diana Collins, Deputy Title IX and Equal Employment Opportunity coordinator/investigator, Office of Equity and Diversity; Roy Domenico, Ph.D., professor and chair of the History Department; Donald Drasba, manager of the University bookstore; Kym Fetsko, administrative assistant for the library; Erika Funke, WVIA; Annettte Kalwaytis; John McInerney, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Department of English and theatre; Lisa Mekilo, course materials manager for Follett; Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum; Jennifer Pennington, administrative assistant for the Office of Equity and Diversity and enrollment management; Adam Pratt, Ph.D., associate professor of history; Sheli Pratt-McHugh, associate professor and chair of Weinberg Memorial Library; Phyllis Reinhardt; Rosemary Shaver, Ed.D.; Kara Stone, Ph.D.; Bonnie Strohl; and Narda Tafuri, professor emeritus, library.
Akhtar was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013 for his play “Disgraced,” which also received a Tony Award nomination. The play examines the role of religion, politics and identity in post-9/11 America. His play “Junk,” about junk bonds and Wall Street culture of the 1980s, won the 2018 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History. His work has been published and performed in over two dozen languages.
Named in honor of the late Rev. Royden B. Davis, S.J., who served in many roles at the University and as rector of the Jesuit Community, the Distinguished Author Award was established in 1997. The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library envisioned the series as a way to honor notable fiction and non-fiction authors, and to give them the opportunity to share their literary pursuits and impressions with Northeastern Pennsylvanians. Past recipients of the award have included best-selling authors Madeline Miller, Lorene Cary, Colum McCann, Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Jay Parini, Steve Berry, William Berhardt, Mary Gordon, Phillip Margolin, James Grippando, Linda Fairstein, Lisa Scottoline, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, Malachy McCourt, Jack Palance and Scranton native Stephen Karam.
Prior to the reception, a book signing with the author will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the DeNaples Center. The book signing is free of charge and open to the public. A selection of Akhtar’s books will be available for sale at the event.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the Distinguished Author Award reception and dinner, visit scranton.edu/authaward or contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Distinguished Author Award Dinner Planned
-
10/25/2022
Fifteen elite members of The University of Scranton’s incoming class of 2026 entered its Magis Honors Program in STEM. The program combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society. The Magis Honors Program in STEM is one of the University’s five programs of excellence.
The Magis Honors Program offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Courses taken over four years at Scranton include a special first-year seminar on writing science and a series of seminars on STEM and society. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students in the program develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2026 entered the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Matthew J. Almonte, East Stroudsburg, is majoring in mathematics.
Jordan L. Badman, Sunbury, is majoring in biology.
Connor P. Brophy, Macungie, is majoring in biochemistry, cell, molecular biology.
Alyssa M. Cosklo, Fell Township, is majoring in biology.
Joseph T. Dolan, Conshohocken, is majoring in computer science.
Emily Alexa C. Gotiangco, Staten Island, New York, is majoring in computer science.
Grace L. Lloyd, Yardley, is majoring in neuroscience.
Allison M. Magee, Harleysville, is majoring in mathematical sciences.
Alexa R. Martinez, Walden, New York, is majoring in biology.
Sheldon S. Myers, Blue Bell, has not yet declared a major.
Brian M. Oconnor, Sussex, New Jersey, is majoring in mechanical engineering.
Hailey C. Patts, Harding, is majoring in biochemistry.
Michael L. Redmond, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, is majoring in biophysics.
Daniella M. Scanlon, Goshen, New York, is majoring in neuroscience.
Matthew F. Schade, Haddon Heights, New Jersey, is majoring in mathematical sciences.
Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Biology Department, serves as the director of the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Class of 2026 Students of Magis Honors Program
-
10/25/2022
Twenty-seven elite members of The University of Scranton’s incoming class of 2026 enrolled in its Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this program undergo four years of honors studies in the areas of economics, entrepreneurship, operations management, accounting, finance, international business, marketing and management, as well as a series of personal development extracurricular activities in the areas of service and career building.
The following is a list of the class of 2026 Corcione Business Honors Program participants and their majors:
Luca J. Baratta, Richboro, is majoring in finance.
Logan H. Campbell, Chalfont, is majoring in business analytics.
Karleigh A. Capobianco, Long Beach, New York, is majoring in business analytics.
Zachary Cruz, Philadelphia, is majoring in business administration.
Sean H. Davis, Morristown, New Jersey, is majoring in business administration.
Alice M. Dierkes, West Chester, is majoring in accounting.
Dean J. Finan, Malvern, is majoring in finance.
Michael P. Finley, New Milford, New Jersey, is majoring in business analytics.
Molly F. Gaffney, South Abington Township, is majoring in accounting.
Cinthia K. Garcia, Clarks Summit, is majoring in business administration.
Aidan M. Garrison, Montgomery, New York, is majoring in finance.
Patrick A. George, Endicott, New York, is majoring in business administration.
Sinead A. Gilmartin, Pearl River, New York, is majoring in accounting.
Derek T. Halligan, Staten Island, New York, is majoring in accounting.
Javier Illescas-Peralta, Paterson, New Jersey, is majoring in business administration.
Jeremiah J. King, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, is majoring in accounting.
Jerry T. Klein, Blackwood, New Jersey, is majoring in business administration.
Joseph J. Mazich, Sparta, New Jersey, is majoring in business analytics.
Christian G. Messana, Staten Island, New York, is majoring in finance.
Olivia N. Miller, Phoenixville, is majoring in operations management.
Logan E. Muniz, Ringwood, New Jersey, is majoring in finance.
Michael R. Nicotera, Mountain Top, is majoring in economics.
Camille C. Schwabe, Harleysville, is majoring in business administration.
MacLean L. Thuermer, Manchester Center, Vermont, is majoring in business administration.
Nicholas S. Tollefsen, Rockville Centre, New York, has not yet declared a major.
Elizabeth G. Vander Neut, Exton, has not yet declared a major.
Angelina R. Veve, Bayville, New Jersey, is majoring in business administration.
Aram R. Balagyozyan, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, finance and international business, serves as director of the University’s Corcione Business Honors Program.
Incoming Students Join Business Honors Program
-
10/24/2022
Leigh Magnotta Fennie ’11 ’G19, business consultant for The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC), was honored at America’s SBDC 2022 Conference in San Diego as one of the inaugural America’s SBDC 40 Under 40.
According to America’s SBDC, the network is filled with talented young professionals who make significant contributions to their SBDC mission and local communities. To celebrate these achievements, they launched Top 40 Under 40 Young Professionals Award, a recognition of SBDC staff from across the national network who demonstrate innovation, leadership and commitment to the SBDC mission.
Fennie joined the SBDC in June 2015. She provides business consulting to start-up and existing small businesses across the SBDC’s 8-county service area, with a focus on Monroe and Wayne Counties. She stepped up in 2020 to serve as a CARES Act Business Consultant, assisting existing small businesses impacted by the pandemic, including helping them obtain almost $5,000,000 in disaster financing and grants. She also developed and delivered a number of educational programs and worked with many entrepreneurs to rethink their business models.
She earned her MBA from The University of Scranton in 2019, and her bachelor’s degree in international business from the University in 2011.
Scranton’s SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
SBDC’s Leigh Fennie Earns National Recognition
-
10/19/2022
“Still Worth the Trip? Modern-Era Busing and other Lessons from Urban School Reform” will be discussed at The University of Scranton’s 36th Henry George Lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The lecture, presented by Parag Pathak, Ph.D., the Class of 1922 Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
“What I sometimes find frustrating in conversations about student achievement is they often get sidetracked from the issue of school quality,” said Dr. Pathak in a 2018 Wall Street Journal interview about his research. “At least for disadvantaged children, we see that what helps is what you might expect: smaller class sizes, longer school days, an environment that emphasizes mathematics and reading. They are schools that are attuned to data – they use assessments to see where they’re at.”
Dr. Pathak’s work on market design and education was recognized with several awards including a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers and the American Economic Association’s John Bates Clark Medal as the best American economist under age 40.
Dr. Pathak is the founder of MIT’s Blueprint Labs and the founding co-director of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Working Group on Market Design. Blueprint Labs is a research laboratory which uses tools from market design and research to produce evidence that helps decision-makers design and implement social policy. Dr. Pathak has contributed to the design of school choice systems in several cities including New York City, Chicago, and Washington D.C.
Dr. Pathak has authored leading studies on charter schools, high school reform, exam schools, vouchers, affirmative action and school choice.
Recently, together with Tayfun Sönmez, M. Utku Ünver, and M. Bumin Yenmez, Dr. Pathak has been working on a program that applies ideas from market design to the rationing of vital medical resources, such as ICU beds, ventilators, anti-viral drugs, convalescent plasma and vaccines. This has introduced the concept of a reserve priority system for the allocation of vital medical resources, a concept that is now part of several allocation frameworks in the field.
Dr. Pathak has served as an associate editor at the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy and Econometrica. He was on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Institute for Innovation in Public School Choice from 2007-2019. He is a co-founder of Avela Education.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are ten winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information about the Henry George Lecture, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Economic Research Applied to School Reform Discussed
-
10/19/2022
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band and acclaimed drummer Carmen Intorre Jr. on Saturday, Oct. 29. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Performance Music Conductor and Co-Director Philip J. Kuehn says, “Carmen is one of the first musicians I met when I moved to New York. He is a great human and musician, who has worked with a ‘who’s who’ of musicians. It is always a joy to work with him.”
According to Cheryl Y. Boga, Conductor and Director of Performance Music, “I first got to know Carmen in 2001 when he was 18 and a member of the very first class admitted into The Juilliard Jazz Studies program. He impressed me from our first meeting with not only his musicianship but also the way he exudes happiness when making music, cheerfully perseveres when undertaking hard work, and supports and champions his peers.”
A drummer since the age of 5, Intorre has performed and recorded with numerous musical luminaries such as George Benson, Larry Coryell, Wynton Marsalis, Monty Alexander, George Coleman, Eric Alexander, George Cables, Benny Golson, Richie Cole, Joe Locke, Lew Tabackin, Bobby Watson, Ira Sullivan and Bucky Pizzarelli. He currently serves as the drummer for legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino, touring extensively throughout the world with the guitarist’s trio and quintet.
A 2011 Grammy nominee for co-producing the late Joey DeFrancesco’s critically acclaimed album, “Never Can Say Goodbye: The Music of Michael Jackson,” Intorre also performed alongside DeFrancesco and Dr. Lonnie Smith on the PBS show “Legends of Jazz,” hosted by Ramsey Lewis.
Receiving both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, Intorre has always been eager to uncover and share new approaches to drumming.
“This is my job. I have to give back what I was given a chance to do,” he says in a statement on his website. “Music is an opportunity for me to give up my soul, while in the process connecting with the audiences’ souls as well. I want the musicians on the bandstand and the members of the audience to feel uplifted after a performance, to feel great about themselves through the experience that they encountered.”
Intorre proudly endorses Craviotto, DW, Sabian, ProMark, Evans and LP products.
The University of Scranton Jazz Band is made up of 24 students and alumni from majors throughout the curriculum – none of them majoring in music - all brought together by their love of music making. The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles, there is no major in music at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University Bands, University Performance Choirs, University String Orchestra and Ensembles and Steel Drum Ensemble. A number of members of the faculty and staff, as well as alumni from the region, also perform with the groups. Each year, hundreds of students participate in the ensembles.
Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For additional information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Intorre, visit carmenintorrejr.com.
Drummer Carmen Intorre Jr. Concert Set for Oct. 29
-
10/18/2022
On Sunday, Oct. 23, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by critically and popularly acclaimed award-winning pianist Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Conductor and Director of Performance Music Cheryl Y. Boga says, “I first became of aware of Llewellyn and his incredible talent when my son (Joseph) would text me from his classes at Juilliard to tell me about this amazing 13-year-old who was already enrolled in pursuit of his undergraduate degree and – according to Joseph – ‘played piano like craaaazy!’ Now, at age 25, he is already one of the most virtuosic, vibrant and socially committed musicians of his generation.”
Described as “a gifted virtuoso” by the San Francisco Chronicle, Sanchez-Werner has been performing with orchestras since the age of 6. The California native has played internationally with the Royal Concertgebouw in the Netherlands, CultureSummit Abu Dhabi, the Louvre and Grenoble Museums in France, Smetana Hall in the Czech Republic, State Philharmonic Hall in Slovakia, Verbier Festival in Switzerland, Ashford Castle in Ireland and the Gijon International Piano Festival in Spain. In the United States, he has performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center and National Sawdust in New York City, Mary B. Galvin Hall in Chicago, Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University, Paramount Theater in Oakland, and the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Art Museum and Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.
In addition, Sanchez-Werner has performed at the Kennedy Center and the White House for former President Barack Obama and current President Joe Biden, for President Peña Nieto of Mexico, Prime Minister Peres of Israel and President Kagame of Rwanda. Committed to public service, he received the Atlantic Council Young Global Citizen Award recognizing his dedication to social action through music in such countries as Iraq, Rwanda, France, Canada and the U.S.
An active chamber musician, Sanchez-Werner has collaborated with Renée Fleming, Eric Owens, Marina Poplavskaya, Richard O’Neill and Cynthia Phelps. He partnered with the Gershwin family on a concert and biographical tribute to the Gershwin brothers, and performed “Hallelujah Junction” for John Adams at his 70th birthday celebration in New York.
Sanchez-Werner earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School, where he was awarded the Kovner Fellowship, won the concerto competition and was the youngest admittee to each program at ages 14 and 18, respectively. Juilliard was Sanchez-Werner’s second college experience - he became a full-time student at Ventura College at age five, where he completed 170 college credits toward degrees in music and international relations. Sanchez-Werner also earned an Artist Diploma from the Yale School of Music, where he was awarded the Charles S. Miller Prize.
Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Sanchez-Werner, visit llewellynsanchezwerner.com.
Oct. 23 Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner Piano Recital
-
10/18/2022
Author and historian Elizabeth Hinton, Ph.D., will discuss “Riot or Rebellion?: The Meaning of Violent Protest from the 1960s to George Floyd” at this year’s Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities presentation of the Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellow Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 20. The lecture, presented free of charge and open to the public, will begin at 5 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center.
Dr. Hinton is an associate professor in the Department of History and the Department of African American Studies at Yale University, with a secondary appointment as professor of law at Yale Law School. Her research focuses on the persistence of poverty, racial inequality and urban violence in the 20th century United States. She is considered one of the nation’s leading experts on criminalization and policing. Her books include “From the War on Poverty to the War on Crime: The Making of Mass Incarceration in America” and “America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s.”
At the Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellow Lecture, Dr. Hinton will discuss “a troubling journey from Detroit in 1967 and Miami in 1980 to Los Angeles in 1992 and beyond to chart the persistence of structural racism and one of its primary consequences, the so-called urban riot.” Her discussion “will present a new framework for understanding our nation’s enduring racial strife.”
Dr. Hinton’s articles and op-eds can be found in the pages of the Journal of American History, the Journal of Urban History, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Boston Review, The Nation and Time. She also coedited “The New Black History: Revisiting the Second Reconstruction” with the late historian Manning Marable.
Dr. Hinton earned her bachelor’s degree from New York University and her master’s degree and doctorate from Columbia University. Her many academic awards include being named a Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation Fellow.
The Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture, presented by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities, is named in honor of esteemed community leaders Sondra and Morey Myers, J.D. Sondra Myers serves as director of the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton.
Immediately following the lecture, a cocktail reception will be held for faculty and staff.
Author Elizabeth Hinton, Ph.D., to Speak Oct. 20
-
10/17/2022
Through Nov. 18 Art Exhibit: “Mayan Narratives: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala” photographs by Byron Maldonado. Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Nov. 6 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 8 7:30 p.m. The 36th annual Henry George Lecture: “Still Worth the Trip? Modern-Era Busing and other Lessons from Urban School Reform” presented by Parag Pathak, Ph.D., professor of economics, MIT. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Nov. 10 Noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “On Democracy, Inequality and Jazz Improvisation” presented by Wayne Winborne, Ph.D., executive director, Institute of Jazz Studies, assistant professor arts culture and media, Rutgers University-Newark. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 12 7:30 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip to New York, New York, to August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” $150. Registration required before Sept. 30. Spaces are limited. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 17 7 p.m. Lecture: “Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming” presented by Curtis Zunigha, enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and co-founder/co-director of the Lenape Center. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. McIlhenny Ballroom, The DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Nov. 17-19 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Rent” presented by Liva Arts Company. The Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email livaartscompany@gmail.com.
Nov. 18 6 p.m. Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library and Schemel Forum Collaborative Program: The Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award Event honoring Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, novelist and screenwriter. McIlhenny Ballroom, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 2 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley World Affairs Luncheon Series: “How Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Changed the World” presented by Trudy Rubin, Worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Dec. 3 8 p.m. Performance Music: “54th Annual Noel Night” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 5 5 p.m. Community Relations Roundtable: “The Journey from ‘Immigrant’ to Citizen” featuring local resource speakers from a range of backgrounds, in collaboration with the Schemel Forum. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. PNC Board Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Dec. 9 Noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Process of Peace, Palermo: An Experience, a Model” presented by Leoluca Orlando, professor, former mayor of Palermo, honorary mayor of Palermo Huila Columbia and cofounder of Global Parliament of Mayors. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Dec. 11 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert.” Performance Music student musicians perform solo, duet, trio and small group renditions of a variety of Christmas favorites. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items or a monetary donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
November and December Events Planned at University
-
10/14/2022
Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhtar will receive the 2022 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library on Friday, Nov. 18. The award will be presented at a reception and dinner in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Reservations and tickets are required for the dinner and award presentation, which begins at 6 p.m. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.
Akhtar was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2013 for his play “Disgraced,” which also received a Tony Award nomination. The play examines the role of religion, politics and identity in post-9/11 America. His play “Junk,” about junk bonds and Wall Street culture of the 1980s, won the 2018 Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History. His work has been published and performed in over two dozen languages.
Akhtar is the author of “Homeland Elegies,” which The Washington Post called “a tour de force” and The New York Times called “a beautiful novel…that had echoes of ‘The Great Gatsby’ and that circles, with pointed intellect, the possibilities and limitations of American life.” His first novel, “American Dervish,” was published in over 20 languages. In addition to “Junk” and “Disgraced,” his plays include “The Who & The What” and “The Invisible Hand,” which received the Obie Award, Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award and Olivier, among other accolades.
Among other honors, Akhtar is the recipient of the Edith Wharton Citation of Merit for Fiction, an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Steinberg Playwrighting Award, the Nestroy Award and the Erwin Piscator Award, as well as fellowships from the American Academy in Rome, MacDowell, the Sundance Institute and Yaddo, where he serves as a board director. Additionally, Akhtar is a board trustee at New York Theatre Workshop and PEN America, where he serves as president. In 2021, he was named the New York State Author, succeeding Colson Whitehead, by the New York State Writers Institute.
Named in honor of the late Rev. Royden B. Davis, S.J., who served in many roles at the University and as rector of the Jesuit Community, the Distinguished Author Award was established in 1997. The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library envisioned the series as a way to honor notable fiction and non-fiction authors, and to give them the opportunity to share their literary pursuits and impressions with Northeastern Pennsylvanians. Past recipients of the award have included best-selling authors Madeline Miller, Lorene Cary, Colum McCann, Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Jay Parini, Steve Berry, William Berhardt, Mary Gordon, Phillip Margolin, James Grippando, Linda Fairstein, Lisa Scottoline, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, Malachy McCourt, Jack Palance and Scranton native Stephen Karam.
Prior to the reception, a book signing with the author will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. on the 2nd floor of the DeNaples Center. The book signing is free of charge and open to the public. A selection of Akhtar’s books will be available for sale at the event.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the Distinguished Author Award reception and dinner, visit scranton.edu/authaward or contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Distinguished Author Award to Honor Ayad Akhtar
-
10/14/2022
The University of Scranton held a kick-off event to launch a year-round celebration of the its 50-year anniversary of becoming co-educational. Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of the University, and Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, spoke at the event, which also included refreshments and a commemorative T-shirt giveaway to students.
Banners marking the celebration adorn the campus walkways.
In addition, to mark the beginning of the celebration, the University showed a tribute to the 50th anniversary celebration on its Class of 2020 Gateway sign.
Scranton Celebrates 50 Years of Co-Education
-
10/11/2022
Veronica Romanek’s interests are as vast as the universe.
A member of The University of Scranton’s class of 2023, she is a double major in physics and Spanish and participates in Scranton’s undergraduate Honors Program. She has presented her physics research project at several conferences including those hosted by the American Geophysical Union, CEDAR, HamSCI, SARA, the National Science Foundation, and others. As part of another project, she built an atmospheric sensing device that was launched into space through NASA’s RockOn project. Aside from physics, she is a certified Physical Fitness Zumba instructor and offers weekly Zumba classes on campus. She is also a peer health educator for the University’s Center for Health Education and Wellness and an active amateur (ham) radio operator, the latter of which helped her earn a highly-competitive national Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) scholarship.
Romanek is among just 20 recipients of the $25,000 scholarship awarded for the 2022-2023 academic year by the ARRL National Association for Amateur Radio. Recipients must hold an amateur radio license and maintain an exceptional GPA in their coursework, in addition to demonstrating active ham radio participation and meet other requirements.
Romanek began at Scranton with an undeclared major. She had an interest in physics and foreign languages but wasn’t sure whether she wanted to pursue either as a major.
“I joined a lot of clubs and asked a lot of questions,” said Romanek, who recalled a meeting with Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton, that led her to pursue physics as a major.
“I stopped by his office at the time he was beginning to install radio equipment in the Loyola Science Center. He invited me to help with some of the installation of the impressive equipment as he answered my questions and I was hooked,” said Romanek.
By supplementing her coursework and getting involved in the University’s ham radio club, Romanek was among a group of Scranton students who participated in NASA’s 2021 RockOn Workshop through which students were sent kits to build atmospheric sensing devices. The devices were built and tested on campus, then sent to the RockOn program headquartered in Colorado. Romanek’s device was among the 28 chosen to be launched into space on June 24, 2021, from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on a two-stage Terrier-Orion rocket.
Romanek said her participation with the RockOn Workshop was one of her best experiences at Scranton and gave her a “taste of what working on a scientific team is like.” She worked with fellow physics majors, computer scientists, engineers as well as with students from other disciplines. She is also the current and founding president of the W3USR University Amateur Radio Club.
In the summer of 2022, Romanek presented “HF Doppler Observations of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances in a WWV Signal Received with a Network of Low Cost HamSCI Personal Space Weather Stations” at the National Science Foundation CEDAR Workshop. She also presented “Traveling Ionospheric Disturbance Observations with the Grape Personal Space Weather Station” at the 2022 Dayton Hamvention. She also attended the Incoherent Scatter Radar (ISR) Summer Workshop where she got to run an experiment on the antennas located at the MIT Haystack Observatory. In addition, Romanek participated in the national Youth on the Air (YOTA) Camp, which is a week-long camp that took place at the Voice of America Museum near Cincinnati, Ohio, for young people from across the country to meet and learn more about amateur radio.
After graduation, Romanek plans to pursue a Ph.D. in either plasma physics or astrophysics. As she looks back at her time at Scranton, she treasures most the friendships made on campus. She also appreciated the breath of liberal arts classes she took that included courses from outside her majors including geography, philosophy, and history which allowed her to continue to explore her vast interests. Romanek was awarded membership to a number of honor societies at the University of Scranton, including: Physics Honor Society, Engineering Honor Society and World Language Honor Society.
$content.getChild('content').textValuePhysics Major Awarded National Scholarship
-
10/11/2022
Dru Johnson, Ph.D., director of Center for Hebraic Thought and associate professor of biblical and theological studies at The King’s College in New York City, will present “Does the Hebrew Bible have a Unique Philosophy?” at The University of Scranton’s Judaic Studies Institute Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Johnson teaches Biblical literature, theology and biblical interpretation at The King’s College. He is an editor for the Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism series, an associate director for the Jewish Philosophical Theology Project at The Herzl Institute in Israel and a co-host for the OnScript Podcast.
Dr. Johnson has held research fellowships at the University of Saint Andrews, Scotland, the Shalem Institute for Advanced Studies, Jerusalem, and the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois. He currently serves on the steering committee of the Scripture and Church Seminar in the Institute for Biblical Research and was formerly the chair and co-founder of the Hebrew Bible and Philosophy Program in the Society for Biblical Literature. He has taught in Western Kenya, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
Dr. Johnson is ordained as a minister in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Missouri – St. Louis, a Master’s in Divinity degree from the Covenant Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in theology from the University of St. Andrews – Scotland.
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.
Judaic Studies Fall Lecture Set for Oct. 27
-
10/07/2022
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a solo recital featuring acclaimed modern and historical performance viola and violincello da spalla player Andrew Gonzalez on Saturday, Oct. 15. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
According to Cheryl Y. Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music, “Andrew has performed at Scranton many times with our student string orchestra and his own quartets and trios. We are very excited to welcome him back to present a solo recital – our hall loves his sound.”
Passionate about historical performance, Gonzalez frequently performs on baroque viola and the violoncello da spalla. A student of Cynthia Roberts from the Juilliard 415 program, he has performed in festivals and series such as the Washington Bach Consort, Valley of the Moon Music Festival, American Bach Soloists, the Boston Early Music Festival, Helicon and many others. Gonzalez is one of the few people in the world who plays the violoncello da spalla, a five stringed mini cello that is played on the shoulder.
Hailed by the Strad Magazine for his ‘warm hearted playing and mellow tone’, Gonzalez enjoys a full career as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing in prestigious venues throughout the United States, as well as halls throughout Asia and Europe. As a sought-after chamber musician, his playing has allowed him to collaborate with respected ensembles such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Sejong Soloists, as well as members of the Guarneri, Juilliard, Tokyo, Orion, Borromeo and Vermeer quartets. In the fall of 2020, he became the new violist of the Jasper String Quartet.
Also an accomplished teacher, Gonzalez served as a fellow of Carnegie Hall’s ‘Ensemble Connect’ from 2016-2018 and teaches chamber music in the Heifetz Institute’s Program for the Exceptionally Gifted.
Originally from Chesapeake Virginia, Gonzalez attended the Governor’s School where he was introduced to chamber music and symphonic music. This led to his affiliation with the Hampton Roads Chamber Players, an ensemble that he has since performed with and offered masterclasses for, as well as a concerto appearance with the Virginia Symphony. An avid orchestral player, Gonzalez performs frequently with the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Orchestra of Saint Luke’s, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, New York Classical Players and Novus NY.
A graduate of The Juilliard School, Gonzalez holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree under the direction of renown violists and pedagogues Michael Tree, Heidi Castleman, Steve Tenenbom and Hsin-Yun Huang. He performs on a 1930 Frederick Haenel viola modeled after a Gaspar da Salo.
Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For additional information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Gonzalez, visit andrewgonzalezviolist.com.
Andrew Gonzalez to Perform Oct. 15
-
10/07/2022
The University of Scranton’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS), in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County, will host debates for PA House and Pennsylvania Senate candidates in October. All debates are presented free of charge and will take place in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center on the University’s campus.
The dates and times of the debates and the candidates (listed alphabetically) are listed below.
The 112th Pennsylvania House seat: Tuesday, Oct. 18, at 6:30 p.m.; Kyle Mullins (D) and William Torbeck (R).
The 114th Pennsylvania House seat: Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 6:30 p.m.; David Burgerhoff (R) and Bridget Kosierowski (D).
The 118th state House seat: Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, at 8 p.m.; James Haddock (D) and James May (R).
The 22nd state Senate seat: Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at 6:30 p.m.; Thomas Bassett (R) and Martin Flynn (D).
For more information, email ceeps@scranton.edu.
PA House and PA Senate Candidate Debates Set
-
10/04/2022
A virtual lecture series in October will examine career opportunities in the changing workplace, ways of embedding Equity Diversity Inclusion and Accessibility in an organization to promote the success of the business, employees and the surrounding communities, and the resources available through the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center for Quality Employment (VRTAC-QE). The Edward R. Leahy, Jr., Virtual Speaker Series, presented by The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment, is free of charge. Registration is required to participate and can be made by visiting the lecture series website.
On Wednesday, Oct. 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. (E.S.T.) Kathy West-Evans, director of business relations at National Employment Team (NET), will lead a panel discussion of business partners from the private and public sector to discuss current trends shaping the workplace and ways their companies are working together with the Vocational Rehabilitation NET to ensure that their talent pipeline includes candidates with disabilities as well as supporting employees with disabilities throughout their employment life cycle.
Panelists are Andrea Eselunas, director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for UnitedHealth Group; Ethan Idzior, software developer, for Dell Technologies; and Duronne Walker, Ph.D., departmental selective placement program manager for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Panel moderator, West-Evans, who leads the NET is a certified rehabilitation counselor. A sought-after consultant and presenter on topic areas related to serving individuals with disabilities and business through a dual-customer approach, West-Evans first started in the field of rehabilitation in 1978.
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, from 1 to 3 p.m., Hattie McCarter, CEO/founder of McCarter’s Equitable and Distinctive (M.E.N.D) Consulting Solutions, L.L.C., and Stephanie Perry, a licensed social worker with a diverse educational and professional background, will discuss a human centered Equity Diversity Inclusion and Accessibility approach that creates a safe space for individuals to be authentic and perform to their full potential. McCarter is a Certified DEI Professional, with more than 13 years of experience in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as well as more than seven years in recruitment and retention. Her company, MEND, specializes in DEI program development, employee resource groups, diversity recruitment and how to have BRAVE conversations. With more than 20 years of experience, Perry is completing the last year for a doctorate in social work. She earned her bachelor’s degree in behavioral counseling from Drexel University and a Master of Social Service Management degree from Bryn Mawr College.
On Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 1 to 3 p.m. Catherine Anderson, Ph.D., director of research for the University of Wisconsin-Stout Vocational Rehabilitation Institute and researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) and Dr. Emily A. Brinck, Ph.D., also a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the WCER, will discuss the array of resources and training available through VRTAC-QE, as well as the types of technical assistance offered. The presenters will highlight specific examples of innovative and effective practices, opportunities to learn more and tools that can be implemented in practice.
Dr. Anderson has more than 25 years of leadership experience with numerous research, demonstration and systems-change grants. Her research interests include: understanding and improving employment, career and financial post-secondary outcomes for youth with disabilities; transition-age youth and families; interagency collaboration between education and vocational rehabilitation; cultural responsiveness with low-income and marginalized disability populations; and use of evidence-based practices within vocational rehabilitation. Dr. Brinck’s research interests include: interagency collaboration between schools, vocational rehabilitation, and employers; transition-age youth with disabilities towards successful postsecondary outcomes; and overcoming barriers to employment for people with disabilities.
Registration and additional information is available online or by contacting 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. The University’s annual U.S. Conference on DISABILITY will return next year on Oct. 4, 2023.
Virtual Lecture Series Planned for October
-
10/04/2022
Representatives from NASA met with high school and University of Scranton students, as well as local business owners and manufacturers, to discuss career paths, space technology and ways companies and individuals can support Artemis, a robotic and human Moon exploration program led by NASA.
Campus events, which spanned two days, included a panel discussion on NASA careers with Niki Werkheiser, director for Technology Maturation, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters; Jason L. Kessler, program executive, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Program, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters; and Stephanie Yeldell, education integration lead, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. University of Scranton physics professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., moderated the panel discussion on Sept. 22. Earlier that day, Werkheiser met with Scranton students at an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) meeting.
On Sept. 23, NASA hosted the NASA Northeast Pennsylvania Industry Day, a networking event focused on collaboration opportunities with local businesses. The event at the University’s DeNaples Center included national and local speakers, presentations, and networking opportunities in collaboration with the Keystone Space Collaborative, Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, and Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Local business owners, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and university representatives attended the free event. U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright also participated in the event.
$content.getChild('content').textValueNASA Lands on Campus for Two Days
-
09/30/2022
The University of Scranton’s President’s Business Council (PBC) presented Patti Byrnes Clarke ’86, P’17,’19, global chief talent officer, Havas Group; and Tom O’Brien ’86, P’19, senior managing director, SumRidge Partners, a Raymond James company; with the President’s Medals at its 21st Annual Award Dinner on Sept. 29 at Gotham Hall in New York City. Proceeds from the gala, which raised more than $1.1 million, support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
“Our University has been blessed to be able to honor so many extraordinary individuals over the years and this year is no different. We are privileged to count among them our alumni Patricia Byrnes Clarke and Tom P. O’Brien of the class of 1986,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton in his remarks.
The President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others, representing lifetime achievements that reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service.
“Patti and Tom are highly successful professionals who have had a tremendous impact on generations of alumni,” said Frank Pearn ’83, global chief compliance officer, JPMorgan Chase and Co., and chair of the President’s Business Council, in his remarks at the dinner. “They truly embody everything that the PBC aims to represent and, given the way that they share their talents, gifts and insights, they are wonderful examples of St. Ignatius’s quote that ‘Love is shown more in deeds than in words.’”
Through its past celebrations, the PBC has generated more than $19 million for the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition scholarships awarded to incoming freshmen at Scranton with both outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement.
Class of 2023 Presidential Scholar Dominic Finan ’23, Malvern, a neuroscience and philosophy double major in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, spoke at the award dinner on behalf of the Presidential Scholars.
Other Presidential Scholars of the University’s class of 2023 are: Emily Amershek, New Ringgold, a philosophy major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; Lauren Cawley, Duryea, a secondary education – mathematics and mathematics double major; Matthew Earley, Perkasie, a finance major and member of the University’s Business Honors Program and the Business Leadership Honors Program; Michael Edwards, Wadsworth, Ohio, a mathematics and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; Jared Fernandez, Tunkhannock, a nursing major; Timothy Gallagher, River Vale, New Jersey, a computer science and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; Angela Hudock, Sayer, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM; Amanda Lamphere, Sellersville, a mathematics and computer science double major; James Lanning, Mountain Top, a chemistry major; Sarah Liskowicz, Wilkes-Barre, a neuroscience and biomathematics double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program; Molly Neeson, Pottstown, an environmental science major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; Michael Quinnan, Shavertown, a biomathematics major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM; Muhammad Shaaf Sarwar, Qazalbash Chowk, Pakistan, a physics and mathematical sciences double major; Cameron Shedlock, White Haven, a neuroscience major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM; Claire Sunday, South Abington Township, a theology and religious studies and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and undergraduate Honors Program; Kathleen Wallace, Bowie, Maryland, a philosophy and theology and religious studies double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; and Daniel Zych, Waverly, a mathematics major.
“Collectively, the 18 of us (from the class of 2023) have 28 majors, 18 minors, and 5 concentrations. … These academic pursuits, research opportunities and moments of profound growth would not be possible without the contributions of everyone in this room. So, for that I say thank you. Thank you for empowering our unique gifts, talents, and interests; and thank you, most importantly, for helping us call The University of Scranton our home. You have changed our lives, and our family’s lives, for the better,” said. Finan. “The generosity of the President’s Business Council cleared a path for us to become future lawyers, doctors, actuaries, educators, researchers, and business executives alike. We promise to use the spark you ignited in us to ‘go forth and set the world on fire.’”
In accepting their awards, Byrnes Clarke and O’Brien talked about why they became involved with the PBC and in giving back to the University.
“I got involved with the PBC because I wanted to try to give back to students and help with mentoring and job placement,” said O’Briem. “Early in my career, a fellow Scranton alumnus who I did not know helped me. … I need to do this because someone a long time ago helped me.”
“The exposure to Scranton and its students and its alumni challenged me to take on my own journey to do more and to do better as a person, a family member, a leader and a friend,” said Byrnes Clarke. “It’s true that as Scranton students we are exposed to the Ignatian values, but aren’t always mature enough to overtly put them into practice in our lives. But, with a Scranton education, that Ignaitan foundation is always there. And when you choose to be engaged, and get involved and give back to Scranton, you get this very special opportunity to explore those Ignaitan roots.”
For more information on the PBC, contact Executive Director Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at 570-941-5837 or pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbc.
About Patti Byrnes Clarke
During her time at the Havas Group, which is one of the world’s largest global communications groups and part of the Vivendi Group, Patti Byrnes Clarke has built a talent management approach that includes initiatives on network mobility, high-potential leadership development, women’s leadership advancement, global employee engagement, employer branding, global diversity, equity and inclusion and wellness. As the global chief talent officer, she is responsible for leading the talent and cultural strategy for the group’s 20,000 plus employees in more than 100 countries.
Byrnes Clarke earned her bachelor’s degree in management from the University in 1986. She is a former member of the University’s Board of Trustees and a former member of the Kania School of Management Advisory Board and the University’s Parents’ Executive Council (PEC). She is also a former chair of the PBC and created the PBC/Kania School of Management Career Coaches Program, in which she remains a mentor to current University students. She and her husband, David, reside in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, and have five children.
About Tom O’Brien
Prior to the acquisition of SumRidge Partners, LLC, by Raymond James in July 2022, Tom O’Brien was a co-founder, chief executive officer and president of SumRidge Partners, L.LC., which formed in 2010. SumRidge Partners is a top-ranked electronic fixed income market maker specializing in high-yield, investment-grade corporate bonds, municipal bonds, institutional preferred securities, and emerging market bonds. Prior to launching SumRidge Partners, O’Brien was co-head of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s Capital Markets division and was also a member of the firm’s management and risk committees.
O’Brien earned his bachelor’s degree of economics/finance from the University in 1986 and a master of business administration from Fordham University. He is a former member of the University’s Board of Trustees, where he served as vice chair, and was a former chair of the PBC. Today, he acts as a mentor to current University students and frequently teaches in the fixed income securities and markets course, which he co-developed with the late Frank Corcione, Ph.D., and Murli Rajan, Ph.D., G’84. He resides in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, with his wife, Denise, and their three sons.
$content.getChild('content').textValuePBC Dinner Exceeds Fundraising Goal
-
09/29/2022
The University of Scranton has awarded 15 students from its class of 2026 four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarships.
Presidential Scholarships are awarded to incoming first-year students with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. The scholarship covers four years of full tuition provided that the student maintains at least a 3.25 grade point average.
Matthew J. Almonte, East Stroudsburg, graduated from East Stroudsburg High School South. A member of National Honor Society, he received the Bausch + Lomb Science Award. He was a member the Scholastic Scrimmage Team, and the varsity soccer team, serving as honorary captain during his senior year. He also received recognition as a Lehigh Valley Soccer Scholar. Almonte volunteered with the Emanuel Church media team, worship team (drummer) and was a group leader at Vacation Bible School. He also volunteered at Salvation Army Food Drive and as a running buddy for Girls on the Run. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Almonte will major in mathematics. He is the son of Juan and Lisa Almonte.
Luca Baratta, Richboro, graduated from Perkiomen School in Pennsburg. He was a member of National Honor Society, the National English Honors Society and the Latin Honors Society. A member of the varsity basketball team, he received the Most Improved Player Award at Perkiomen for his senior year and at Council Rock South High School, Holland, as a junior. He will be a member of the Royals men’s basketball team. In high school, he also participated in track and field, golf, the Latin Club and Future Business Leaders of America. Baratta volunteered as at Camp PALS, the CYO Basketball Camp and Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, as well as other service programs. A member of the University’s Business Honors Program, Baratta will major in finance. He is the son of Anthony and Patricia Baratta.
Riley P. Clarke, Scranton, graduated as salutatorian of Scranton High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society and participated in the Ski Club. Clarke volunteered at Friends of the Poor. He will major in computer science. He is the son of Kevin and Jessica Clarke.
Alyssa M. Cosklo, Carbondale, graduated as valedictorian from Carbondale Area High School. She was a member of the National Junior Honor Society and vice president of the National Honor Society. She received multiple first place awards at regional and state Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science competitions. She also received awards at Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) regional and state competitions and was the winner of the 2019 VFW essay contest. Cosklo was captain of the varsity cheerleading squad and a member of the girls’ varsity soccer and track and field teams. She was class president and vice president for Student Council; vice president for FBLA Region 22; treasurer for the school chapter of FBLA; president of the Future Teachers Club; and vice president of Students Against Destructive Decisions. She participated in the Spanish Club, Science and Technology Club, Mock Trial, Yearbook Club and Future Medical Careers Club, among other student organizations. Cosklo volunteered with the Carbondale Area High School Tutoring Club. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Cosklo will major in biology on the premed track. She is the daughter of David and Kimberly Cosklo.
Rebecca R. Doyle, Massapequa, New York, graduated from Kellenberg Memorial High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society. She was also a member of the A team of Science Olympiad Club. She participated in all three of her high school’s choirs, through which she sang at masses, funerals and at a 9/11 memorial service at Point Lookout. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Doyle will major in neuroscience on the premed track. She is the daughter of Michael and Janet Doyle.
Dean J. Finan, Malvern, graduated from Great Valley High School. A National Merit Commended Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction, he received Pennsylvania’s Certificate of Merit for outstanding performance on the SAT and received a Silver Medal and Certificate of Honorable Merit for Outstanding Performance in the National Latin Examination. Finan was a member of the National Honor Society, the Latin Honor Society, the America Club, the Junior Classical League and served as secretary of the Finance Club. He was captain of his high school soccer team and participated in track and field. He is a member of the University’s soccer team. He co-founded and organized a soccer equipment drive that collected and donated cleats, kits, socks and other items to underprivileged children in his community. A member of the University’s Business Honors Program, Finan will major in finance. He is the son of Donald and Deborah Finan.
Matthew George, Avoca, graduated from Scranton Preparatory School. He was a member of the National Honor Society. He participated in the Book Club, the Spanish Club and the Service Club. He volunteered at Allied Services nursing home in Wilkes-Barre. George has not yet declared a major. He is the son of Gene and Helene George, who received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton in 1996 and her master’s degree in 1999.
Emily Alexa C. Gotiangco, Staten Island, New York, graduated from St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School as a full-scholarship recipient of their honors program. A National Merit Commended Scholar and an AP Scholar with Honor, she achieved perfect score on the National Latin Exam. She was a member of the National Honor Society. She was a member of her school’s archery team that won the New York state tournament. She was also a member of the Viking Voices choir and was senior vice president of the Ladies of Charity. Gotiangco volunteered as a tutor for mathematics, science and English and helped serve Thanksgiving meals to the homeless. She was also an altar server at St. Sylvester Parish in Staten Island. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Gotiangco will major in computer science. She is the daughter of Jose and Mildred Gotiangco.
Allison M. Magee, Harleysville, graduated from Souderton Area High School. An AP Scholar with Distinction, she was treasurer of the National Honor Society. She was captain of the girls’ varsity tennis team. She was also treasurer for the Future Business Leaders of America, vice president of Recycle The Cycle and participated in Student Government and Link Crew. A member of University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM, Magee will major in mathematical sciences. She is the daughter of Dave and Carolyn Magee.
Joseph T. Maguire, Islip, New York, graduated from Saint John the Baptist Diocesan High School. A National Merit Commended Scholar, he was a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the science, English, Rho Kappa social studies, Spanish, math and Tri- M music honor societies. He was captain of the men’s varsity volleyball team and both the fall and winter varsity crew teams. He was named one of long island presses top scholar athletes and received the New York State Board of education scholarship for academic excellence. He was also a member of Student Council and the Good Samaritan Hospital WE CARE program. Maguire volunteered as a as a counselor at Saint Patrick’s of Bayshore faith camp. He also served as a peer tutor, wrote book reviews for a library and participated in local beach clean ups. Maguire will major in biochemistry cell and molecular biology on the pre-med track. He is the son of Robert and Kathleen Maguire.
Michael L. Redmond, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, graduated from Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington, New Jersey. An AP Scholar with Distinction, he was a member of the National Honor Society and earned a seal of bi-literacy for Spanish. He was captain of the varsity hockey team. Redmond volunteered at the Flemington Food Pantry. During the COVID quarantine, he hosted neighborhood food drives. He also raised more than $1,700 for the Patrick’s Pals Foundation through his high school’s annual water wars tournament. A member of University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Redmond will major in biophysics. He is the son of Michael, who is a 1993 graduate of The University of Scranton, and Ann-Marie Redmond.
Matthew C. Saita, Scranton, graduated as valedictorian of Scranton High School. He was president of the National Honor Society. He was named a Scranton Times-Tribune Scholastic Superstar, an NEIU Scholar of the Year and received a P.I.A.A. District II Scholar-Athlete Award. He was a four-year member of the school’s baseball team. He was also a Senior Class Officer. He participated in the Coaches vs. Cancer program and volunteered at Christmas to deliver poinsettias to shut-ins at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Scranton. He will major in business administration. He is the son of Carmine and Linda Saita.
Matthew F. Schade, Haddon Heights, New Jersey, graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia. An AP Scholar with Distinction, he was a member of the National Honor Society. He was a member of the varsity soccer team and captain of Ultimate Frisbee team. He was a member of the Travis Manion Leadership Academy. Schade participated in a service trip to Sacred Heart Church in Richmond, Virgina. He also volunteered at St. Rose of Lima vacation bible school and at various community cleanups and food donation programs. A member of University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Schade will major in mathematical sciences. He is the son of Bill and Jackie Schade.
Rachel E. Tuman, Lake Ariel, graduated as valedictorian frim Western Wayne High School. A 2022 Scranton Times-Tribune Scholastic Superstar and a NEIU Scholar of the Year, she was president of the National Honor Society. She received a Bishop’s Youth Award from the Diocese of Scranton and a Daughters of the American Revolution “Good Citizen” Award. She was captain of the girls’ varsity tennis team and participated in the varsity softball team and basketball cheerleading squad. She was senior class vice president for Student Council; president of St. Thomas More Youth Group; vice president of the Scholastic Scrimmage team; and Operations Manager for the Western Wayne School Store, among other activities. She was also senior vice-president for Future Business Leaders of America and was a national competitor in several categories and placed in state and regional competitions. She volunteered at “Tree for New Life” and was an alter server at St. Thomas More/St. Mary Parish in Lake Ariel. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Tuman will major in business administration on the pre-law track. She is the daughter of Michael and Ellen Tuman.
Ashlyn Urbanski, Pittston Township, graduated as valedictorian from Scranton Preparatory School. An AP Scholar with Distinction, she is a member of the National Honor Society. She was named a 2022 Scranton Times-Tribune Scholastic Superstar and NEIU Scholar of the Year. She was awarded a gold medal on National Latin Exam and a bronze medal on National Spanish Exam. She also received a Bishop’s Youth Award from the Diocese of Scranton. She won the Paderewski Gold Medal for 10 years of National Guild piano auditions and was also a Carnegie Hall Winner for piano. Urbanski participated on the lacrosse, cross country and swimming teams and was a member of Student Council, Books for Bedtime Club and secretary for the Technology Student Association. She volunteered as a peer tutor for StudyHard NEPA and was co-founder for Queen of the Apostles Youth Group, among other activities. Urbanski has not yet declared a major. She is the daughter of Chris and Tammy Urbanski.
Scranton Names Class of 2026 Presidential Scholars
-
09/29/2022
The University of Scranton, a nationally recognized Jesuit university in northeast Pennsylvania, will host two Open House events for prospective students and their families on Sunday, Oct. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 6.
“Best 388 Colleges,” “Best Buys in College Education,” “America’s Best Colleges,” “A Focus on Student Success,” “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” “Best Catholic Colleges” – these are just a few of the ways that the nation’s leading college rankings and guidebooks consistently refer to The University of Scranton. For 29 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Scranton among the 10 top Master’s Universities in the North. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list “Best Colleges” for 21 consecutive years and in its ranking of the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 7) for six years, among other rankings.
At the Open House, participants can learn about Scranton’s 69 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 undergraduate Honors Program, Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Magis Honors Program in STEM, Business Honors Program and Business Leadership Honors Program, will also be available.
For additional information, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit Scranton’s Open House webpage.
$content.getChild('content').textValueOpen House Set for Oct. 23 and Nov. 6
-
09/29/2022
The University of Scranton ranked No. 47 among the 603 master’s universities in the nation included in a 2022 listing by Washington Monthly that seeks to rate colleges based on their contribution to the public good. Published in the September/October issue of the magazine and online, Washington Monthly analyzed numerous data sets to determine an overall rank based on what “schools do for the country.” According to the publication, they rank “four-year schools (national universities, liberal arts colleges, baccalaureate colleges, and master’s universities) based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and providing opportunities for public service.”
Washington Monthly also ranked the colleges in categories for “research,” “community and national service” and “social mobility.” Scranton ranked No. 39, No. 52 and No. 124, respectively, in these categories among master’s universities.
Washington Monthly weighted equally the colleges’ scores for research, social mobility and service to calculate the overall ranking. The research score is based on each school’s research expenditure and the number of alumni earning Ph.D.s, relative to the size of the college. The social mobility score is based on actual and predicted graduation rates; student loan repayment rates; the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants; and the school’s average net price for full-time, in-state students with family incomes below $75,000 per year over the past three years, among other factors. The service score, also adjusted for the size of the school, is based on the size of the ROTC program; the number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps; and the percentage of federal work study grant money spent on community service projects and voter engagement, among other factors.
This is the 13th consecutive year Washington Monthly has included Scranton in its college rankings.
In other national rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among regional universities in the north in its 2023 guidebook, marking the 29th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list of “Best Colleges” for 21 consecutive years, and ranked the University No. 7 in the nation for “Best Science Lab Facilities” in its latest edition of the guidebook.
Scranton Ranked in Top 50 for Doing Public Good
-
09/29/2022
A rich burst of color shines in the predominately black and white image of Rose Cuy, highlighting the beauty of Mayan traditional dress that is all-too-quickly fading from the town of San Lucas Tolimán in Guatemala.
Byron Maldonado hopes his photographs of elderly women of his village who still wear traditional Mayan clothes will help remind people in his town, and inform people the greater community, of the richness of Mayan culture.
“I hope to remind people of the importance of traditions that are being lost,” said Maldonado of the images he took in 2012 which will be part of the art exhibition “Mayan Narratives: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala,” to be displayed in The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery from Friday, Oct. 7, through Friday, Nov. 18.
Maldonado, a native of San Lucas Tolimán, has been taking photos of his village and its people since the time when, as a boy, he found a camera discarded by a visiting tourist in the garbage.
One day, a priest who ran a Roman Catholic Church Mission in the village saw one of his photos and bought it. The priest, Father Gregory Schaffer, then asked him to begin documenting the work of the San Lucas Mission.
“My passion for photography was born and my career as a documentary photographer began” wrote Maldonado on his website.
Maldonado recalls that Father Gregory instructed him to only take images of the people, not the way they live, telling him to always keep intact the dignity of the people he photographed.
It is a lesson Maldonado keeps to this very day, saying the faces of those in the photo tell their story – each wrinkle, the texture of their skin, tells about their lives.
Among the photos to be included in the upcoming exhibition is one of Laso Diaz.
“His eyes mean something different to everyone who sees the photo. Some see happiness, others see curiosity. Some see sadness,” said Maldonado. “I remember that he was just so happy to have his photo taken. His big, bright eyes remain with me to this day. In his eyes, I see a sense of hope.”
Maldonado moved to the U.S. in 2006 and further developed his skill as a photographer.
He returns to San Lucas Tolimán annually. He continues to support the work of the Friends of San Lucas Mission and to keep in touch with those he photographed a decade ago.
Maldonado said that if he were to take a portrait photo of himself it would show two images where his heart lives. One would be of him working with the people of San Lucas Tolimán. The other would be of him with his family. It would document the artist, like his art, preserving the past while looking toward the future.
Maldonado will discuss his exhibition at a public lecture at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 7, in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. A gallery reception will immediately follow at the Hope Horn Gallery as part of the City of Scranton’s First Friday events. The exhibition can be seen during gallery hours through Nov. 18. The lecture and exhibition are free of charge and open to the public.
This exhibition is produced through the Hope Horn Gallery in cooperation with the Office of Community Affairs and the Multicultural Center at The University of Scranton. It is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project, made possible in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. (Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.) Funding for the show and its related programming has also been provided by a University of Scranton Diversity Initiatives Grant and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
For additional information, call the Hope Horn Gallery at 570-941-7624, or email Darlene Miller-Lanning, director of the Hope Horn Gallery, at darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
$content.getChild('content').textValuePhoto Exhibition Features Mayan Narratives
-
09/29/2022
More than 50 non-profit organizations met with students at The University of Scranton’s annual Volunteer Fair held on campus Sept. 13.
The fair allows 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. Adopt a Boxer Rescue, Arc of NEPA, Big Brother Big Sister, Catholic Social Services, Friends of the Poor, Neighbor Works of NEPA, Taylor Community Library and the Gino Merli Veterans Center were among the participating organizations.
The annual fair is organized by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Find Volunteer Opportunities at Fair
-
09/27/2022
Forbes ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Top Colleges” for the 14th year. Scranton is the only college in Northeast Pennsylvania to be named among the just 498 elite colleges in the nation listed in the 2022 ranking, which was published online last month. Scranton, ranked No. 414, was among just 33 colleges in Pennsylvania that Forbes selected as “America’s Top Colleges.”
The ranking by Forbes analyzed “outputs” of a college education, weighting alumni salaries at one to six years and 10 years after enrollment and after graduation the most, representing 20 percent of the overall score. The methodology used by Forbes also looked at graduation rates (15 percent), student debt (15 percent) and the number of alumni making the Forbes “American Leaders” lists (15 percent), such as its “Forbes 400” and “Richest Self-Made Women” lists, as well as alumni who won national and international awards or positions, such as winners of the Nobel Prize. Forbes also rated retention rate (10 percent), academic success (10 percent), as measured by alumni winning prestigious academic scholarships, such as Fulbright and Truman scholarships, and a “return on investment” measurement (15 percent), which calculates the time it takes for students to pay their college debt based on the “post-enrollment earnings boost students get compared their typical salary of a high school graduate in their state.”
In other national rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among regional universities in the north in its 2023 guidebook. This is the 29th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list of “Best Colleges” for 21 consecutive years, and ranked the University No. 7 in the nation for “Best Science Lab Facilities” in the 2023 edition of the guidebook.
Forbes Names Scranton Among Top Colleges in USA
-
09/27/2022
The University of Scranton recently hosted a Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) “On the Road” College Election Roundtable to discuss the highly contested Pennsylvania Governor and U.S. Senate races. Panelists for the event, co-sponsored by the University of Scranton’s Political Science Department, were JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., director of The University of Scranton’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service; Jeff Brauer, professor of social and behavioral sciences at Keystone College and University of Scranton alumnus; and Borys Krawczeniuk, investigative reporter for the Scranton Times-Tribune. Francine Schertzer, senior vice president and chief content officer for PCN, moderated the discussion.
Several questions posed to the panel sought to determine what salient issues will likely motivate citizens to vote, and how specific candidate attributes will affect the election outcomes.
Prof. Brauer highlighted the struggling economy as an important factor that will drive people to vote. Dr. Hopper agreed, but expanded, noting that some polls find the issue of abortion, a topic of intense conversation since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in June 2022, to be of larger importance to voters than the economy and inflation. She also referenced Kansas voters’ rejection of a referendum that would have restricted abortion rights as evidence that this issue may bring more women and independents to the polls in favor of Democrats.
Other questions examined if the panel expected the Pennsylvania midterms to defy typical midterm election expectations. For example, after successful primaries, candidates usually shift their rhetoric more to the center of the political spectrum to attract more voters. The party opposite of the president also tends to win more seats in midterm elections. Krawczeniuk responded, explaining that Fetterman, Oz (candidates for the U.S. Senate), and Shapiro (Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania Governor) have all moved their positions closer to the middle, but Doug Mastriano, the Republican candidate for Governor, has not. Dr. Hopper attributed this to a recent trend in which candidates are being “rewarded for being on the extremes.” Krawczeniuk also pointed out that although early data pointed to voters favoring Republican candidates, the Democratic candidates have since taken the lead in the polls. However, Krawczeniuk expects the polls to tighten as they usually do after Labor Day.
Dr. Hopper said that the relevance and influence of a former president (Donald Trump) this long after the conclusion of their term is not typical, but will likely have an effect on the midterm results. Prof. Brauer noted that although midterm elections typically act as a referendum on the president’s party, this election still seems to focus on, in a way, the choice between two presidential candidates – a notion exemplified recently as both President Biden and former President Trump visited Northeast Pennsylvania. Dr. Hopper underscores that the state garners so much attention because “Pennsylvania, I think, it is really truly split.”
The panelists also fielded questions about the importance of debates, social media and endorsements and discussed each of the candidates more specifically.
The panelists concluded the event with advice on how to identify legitimate polls, highlighting the importance of poll timing, poll sample-size, the poll’s margin of error, the poll’s potential partisan leaning and the importance of referencing several different sources. The panelists also noted that polls tend to become more accurate the closer to the election.
The panel discussion can be viewed on PCN’s website.
University Hosts PA Cable Network Election Roundtable
-
09/26/2022
The University of Scranton’s Asian Studies Program will host two events that examine transnational migration in Taiwan and its cultural impact on the country’s literature and cinema.
Hsin-Chin Evelyn Hsieh, Ph.D., will present “Bringing the World to Taiwan: Border Crossing and Transnational Cultural Flow in Contemporary Taiwan” at a public lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 5, in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. The event begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. and the lecture beginning at 6 p.m.
A screening of the award-winning film “The Good Daughter” and Q and A with the director Yu-Ying (Sally) Wu will be held on Thursday, Oct. 6, in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. The event also begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m., and the film presentation beginning at 6 p.m. immediately followed by a Q and A with the film’s director.
Both events are free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Hsieh is an associate professor of the Graduate Institute of Taiwan Literature at National Taiwan University. She formerly taught at Wesleyan University and was a visiting scholar at University of Tubingen, Germany. At the Oct. 5 lecture, she will discuss how Southeast Asian migrants and their experiences have reshaped the cultural landscape of Taiwan. Dr. Hsieh’s research interests include contemporary Taiwan literature, film and documentary and migration studies, particularly related to the contemporary cultural production and the inbound and outbound migration of Taiwan.
Director Wu has collaborated with David Sutherland on his FRONTLINE series and other films that aired on PBS. Her debut feature documentary, “The Good Daughter,” won Best Documentary and Best Editing at the 2020 Taipei Film Festival. The film looks at the complicated marriage of a disabled Taiwanese man and his Vietnamese wife, portraying her struggle to balance her family obligation to support her relatives in Vietnam with her duties as a mother and wife to her impoverished family in Taiwan.
The lecture and film screening and Q and A are sponsored by the University’s Asian Studies Program and its College of Arts and Sciences, and the Taipei Cultural Center in New York of the Taiwan Ministry of Culture.
For more information or questions about the events, contact Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., director of Asian Studies and professor of philosophy at the University, at ann.pang-white@scranton.edu or 570-941-7643
Events Examine Transnational Migration in Taiwan
-
09/26/2022
The University of Scranton President’s Business Council (PBC) will host its first in-person President’s Business Council (PBC) Award Dinner since 2019. The PBC 21st Annual Award Dinner will take place at Gotham Hall in New York City on Thursday, Sept. 29, and will honor this year’s recipients of the President’s Medal: Patti Byrnes Clarke ’86, P’17,’19, global chief talent officer, Havas Group; and Tom O’Brien ’86, P’19, senior managing director, SumRidge Partners, a Raymond James company. Proceeds from the dinner go directly to the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
During her time at the Havas Group, which is one of the world’s largest global communications groups and part of the Vivendi Group, Byrnes Clarke has built a talent management approach that includes initiatives on network mobility, high-potential leadership development, women’s leadership advancement, global employee engagement, employer branding, global diversity, equity and inclusion and wellness. As the global chief talent officer, she is responsible for leading the talent and cultural strategy for the group’s 20,000 plus employees in more than 100 countries.
Byrnes Clarke earned her bachelor’s degree in management from the University in 1986. She is a former member of the University’s Board of Trustees and a former member of the Kania School of Management Advisory Board and the University’s Parents’ Executive Council (PEC). She is also a former chair of the PBC and created the PBC/Kania School of Management Career Coaches Program, in which she remains a mentor to current University students. She and her husband, David, reside in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, and have five children.
Prior to the acquisition of SumRidge Partners, LLC, by Raymond James in July 2022, O’Brien was a co-founder, chief executive officer and president of SumRidge Partners, L.LC., which formed in 2010. SumRidge Partners is a top-ranked electronic fixed income market maker specializing in high-yield, investment-grade corporate bonds, municipal bonds, institutional preferred securities, and emerging market bonds. Prior to launching SumRidge Partners, O’Brien was co-head of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney’s Capital Markets division and was also a member of the firm’s management and risk committees.
O’Brien earned his bachelor’s degree of economics/finance from the University in 1986 and a master of business administration from Fordham University. He is a former member of the University’s Board of Trustees, where he served as vice chair, and was a former chair of the PBC. Today, he acts as a mentor to current University students and frequently teaches in the fixed income securities and markets course, which he co-developed with the late Frank Corcione, Ph.D., and Murli Rajan, Ph.D., G’84. He resides in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, with his wife, Denise, and their three sons.
Byrnes Clarke and O’Brien will be honored with the President’s Medal not only for their career successes, but also for their commitment to the University’s mission and its students.
The PBC was formed in 2001 by the University and a prominent group of alumni and friends with the purpose of advancing the mission of the University. The PBC is committed to strengthening the Scranton network in the business sectors and to providing mentoring, internships and career support for current students and meaningful engagement opportunities for alumni, parents and friends. At the PBC’s Annual Award Dinner, an honoree is presented with the University’s President’s Medal, which recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and who have demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others. Proceeds from the dinner go directly to the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition scholarships awarded to the University’s incoming first-year students with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement.
Additional details regarding this year’s dinner, including the live stream link, are available on the PBC Award Dinner webpage or by contacting Tim Pryle ’89, executive director of the PBC, at 570-941-5837 or pbc@scranton.edu.
Annual PBC Celebration Returns to NYC Sept. 29
-
09/21/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced Robert W. Davis Jr., Ed.D., has been named vice president for University advancement, effective Sept. 19, 2022. Dr. Davis previously served as the vice president for student life at Scranton. In his new position, he will continue responsibility for Athletics and for managing the University’s food service and bookstore partnerships. He will also continue to serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet.
“I know, from my own experience of working closely with Bobby over the last year that he is a senior leader who grounds his service in a genuine devotion to our mission,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., in the campus announcement about Dr. Davis’s new position. Father Marina added that, as vice president for student life, Dr. Davis “provided dedicated and visionary leadership for the division, championing students and the student experience at every turn. I am particularly grateful for the exceptional work that he and his team accomplished throughout the pandemic.”
A graduate of The University of Scranton, Dr. Davis joined the staff at Scranton in 2006 and has served in several capacities, including as area coordinator and assistant director for housing operations in the Office of Residence Life; director of the University’s historic Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign, which was the largest capital campaign in the University’s history, raising more than $129 million to support the University’s mission, endowment and development. He also served as interim vice president for development and alumni relations and as chief of staff in the President’s Office at Scranton, prior to his tenure as vice president for student life.
He currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Scranton Preparatory School.
Dr. Davis earned his bachelor’s, master’s and MBA degrees from The University of Scranton and his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania.
Vice President for University Advancement Named
-
09/19/2022
The University of Scranton named seven individuals to its Board of Trustees: William Canny ’77, H’07; Joseph Collins ’90; Mary Collins, Ph.D.; Matthew Cooper, M.D. ’90; Lisa DeNaples, D.M.D.; Rev. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J.; and Rev. Adam Rosinski, S.J. ’07.
William Canny
William Canny, executive director of United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS), has more than 30 years of service to the Catholic Church and to refugees and migrants through his current position, as well as previous positions held at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the International Catholic Migration Commission.
Canny joined USCCB/MRS in 2015. He previously served as CRS in several positions during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. He served as director of emergency operations at CRS from 2010 to 2012, leading the emergency department in global prevention, preparedness, protection and response operations. Canny directed CRS’ initial response to the Haiti earthquake of 2010. From 1998 to 2004, Canny served as secretary general for the International Catholic Migration Commission. He also served as the chief operations officer of the Papal Foundation.
Throughout his distinguished career, Canny has demonstrated commitment to – and has provided a wealth of experience in – providing service to migrants, refugees and others in need. He has lived and worked in Niger, Djibouti, Burkina Faso, India, Switzerland and Haiti.
Canny received an honorary doctorate in humane letters from The University of Scranton at the New Student Assembly in 2007. He earned a bachelor’s degree in human services in 1977 from
Scranton and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Pittsburgh. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife Patricia and his twin sons Alex and Roan.
Joseph Collins
Joseph Collins, vice president, Medical Intelligence, Patient Insights and Solutions at Astellas Pharmaceuticals, has spent his career in the pharmaceutical industry. At Astellas, a global Life Sciences organization, Collins manages teams tasked with ensuring the perspective and insights of patients and healthcare providers are considered in all phases of drug development and commercialization. Prior to joining Astellas, he worked at Sanofi and Roche Pharmaceuticals.
Collins is active in several organizations including serving on the board of Times Shamrock Communications. He is a member of the President’s Business Council at The University of Scranton and serves as a mentor to undergraduates in the Kania School of Management. He has served on the Devon Preparatory School Alumni Board, Keystone College Board of Trustees and the Greater Scranton Area Chamber of Commerce.
Collins graduated from The University of Scranton in 1990 with dual bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history and received his master’s in business administration from Villanova University in 2007. He lives in Scranton with his wife Mauri Haggerty Collins and their five daughters Clare, Catie, Cecelia, Rita and Elizabeth.
Mary Collins, Ph.D.
Dr. Mary Collins, associate provost and as a resident Chaplain at Le Moyne College, has 40 years of experience in Jesuit Catholic higher education. During her time at Le Moyne College, Dr. Collins has served as associate provost for twelve years, as resident Chaplain for ten years, as the inaugural dean of management for several years, as the department chair of accounting for multiple terms, and as Faculty Senate president three times. As a faculty member, Dr. Collins, who is also a licensed certified public accountant in New York, has taught upper-division courses in financial accounting and auditing, pursued her research interest on budgets and organizational behavior and served on numerous committees primarily in academic affairs and finance. She received two awards for teaching excellence.
During her distinguished career, Dr. Collins has served on numerous boards, including the Institute of Internal Auditors of Central New York Chapter, Peace Action of Central New York, VNA Systems, Inc., among others. She served on numerous committees of professional organizations and
local initiatives including the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, vice-chair of Mayor’s Commission on Living Wage, New York State’s Assembly’s Task Force on University-Industry Cooperation and the American Accounting Association Auditing Section National Committee, to name a few.
Dr. Collins earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Le Moyne College, and her master’s degree in accounting and Ph.D., focusing on accounting and organization behavior, change and development, from Syracuse University.
Matthew Cooper, M.D.
Dr. Matthew Cooper is a professor of surgery at Georgetown School of Medicine, and director of kidney and pancreas transplantation and director for quality at the Medstar Georgetown Transplant Institute (MGTI). He is involved in transplantation activities both in the U.S. and around the world. He is the current United Network for Organ Sharing/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network president. He is a member of the National and D.C. Board of Directors for the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and a member of the NKF’s National Transplant Task Force. He has served as a councillor for the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. He is a current board member for the National Kidney Registry, the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation, the International Pancreas and Islet Cell Transplant Association and Donate Life America. Dr. Cooper has served as chair of the American Transplant Congress.
Dr. Cooper seeks new opportunities for living donation through innovation and by removing the disincentives for those considering donation while promoting the safety and long-term care of live organ donors. His clinical interests include kidney and pancreas transplantation; particularly the use of marginal organs. He has authored over 220 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 300 abstracts and 12 book chapters. He is regularly invited to speak on a variety of transplant-related topics both nationally and internationally.
Prior to his current role at Medstar Georgetown Transplant Institute, which he began in 2012, Dr. Cooper directed the kidney transplant and clinical research program the University of Maryland (2005-2012). He joined the transplant faculty at the Johns Hopkins Hospital upon completion of his training and was appointed surgical director of kidney transplantation and clinical research in 2003.
Dr. Cooper graduated from The University of Scranton in 1990, earning his bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. He earned his medical degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine.
He completed his general surgery training at the Medical College of Wisconsin followed by a fellowship in multi-organ abdominal transplantation at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
Dr. Cooper and his wife, Alicia, reside in Columbia, Maryland. They are the parents of 3 children: Julia’ 19, Emily and Matthew.
Lisa DeNaples, D.M.D.
Dr. Lisa DeNaples, is owner and managing trustee at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, a premier resort in the Poconos with nearly 300 rooms, a spa and salon and five restaurants. Mount Airy was the first AAA Four Diamond casino resort in Pennsylvania.
When a hand injury forced Dr. DeNaples to reduce some of her dental work, she became co-owner and vice president of a Harley Davidson Dealership located in Williamsport. She attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, California, for one and a half years, where she had an externship in the City District Attorney’s Office. While attending law school, she was asked by her father to lead the Mount Airy Project where she currently serves as owner and managing trustee.
Dr. DeNaples is a current board member of Highmark Blue Cross. She is a former board member of the Boys and Girls Club of Scranton, Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau, The University of Scranton, Scranton Council on Literacy Advance (SCOLA) and Mercy Hospital (Scranton Regional Hospital).
A graduate of Scranton Preparatory School, Dr. DeNaples earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Marywood University. She earned her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Dental School with a focus on General Family Dentistry.
Rev. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J.
Rev. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J., is the director of campus ministry and university Chaplain at Fairfield University, where he has served since July 2021. A native of Long Island, New York, he joined the East Coast Province Jesuits in the summer of 2008. He has served mainly in campus ministry at the college and high school level, in retreat work, and in faith formation. He has also served as the director of religious education at a diverse parish in Oakland, California.
Father Maczkiewicz was ordained a priest in June 2018 and has worked in campus ministry at Georgetown University, the College of the Holy Cross and The University of Scranton, where he lived in Hafey Hall as a resident minister from 2006 to 2008.
Father Maczkiewicz earned his bachelor’s degree in history/American studies/education from Fairfield University and his master’s degree in secondary education from Providence College. After entering the Society of Jesus, he completed his philosophy studies and earned a master’s degree from Loyola University Chicago and his completed theology studies earning a M.Div., Th.M., S.T.L. at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, California. He is currently a student in the Executive Doctor of Higher Education program at Boston College, in its inaugural cohort.
Rev. Adam Rosinski, S.J.
Rev. Adam Rosinski, S.J., a priest of the USA East Jesuit Province, currently serves as the Socius and assistant director of novices at the St. Andrew Hall Jesuit Novitiate in Syracuse, New York. Since his ordination to the priesthood in 2019, he previously served as associate pastor at St. Raphael Catholic Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, and as the assistant director and promoter of vocations for the Jesuits’ USA East Province.
Father Rosinski serves as a trustee of St. Joseph's Preparatory School in Philadelphia.
Father Rosinski earned his bachelor’s degree in theology and counseling and human services from The University of Scranton in 2007. He entered the Society of Jesus in 2009 and, during his Jesuit formation, he earned his master’s degree in social philosophy from Loyola University Chicago, served as a teacher and campus minister at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, and went on to earn Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
University of Scranton Names Seven New Trustees
-
09/14/2022
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will present two eclectic Collaborative Programs this fall.
On Thursday, Oct. 13, Julie Byerley, M.D., dean of the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM), president of Geisinger College of Health Sciences and executive vice president and chief academic officer, Geisinger, will present “Threats to Equity: The Influence of Social Determinants on Human Behaviors that Promote Well-being.” Co-sponsored by GCSOM, the program will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room, and will also be streamed remotely.
A pediatrician by training, Byerley’s former clinical practice was focused on the care of adolescents with fatigue, chronic pain, anxiety and depression. Combining her interest in health habits that help combat these conditions with a drive to enhance overall health equity, she’ll examine how social determinants influence behaviors that improve well-being. Attendees will be encouraged to consider how daily habits influence the health of individuals and communities alike.
Admission to the program is free for University students, faculty and staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the fee is $25 per individual and $50 per couple for in-person, and $10 per individual and $20 per couple for remote-only. To register, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Then, on Friday, Nov.18, the Schemel Forum will partner with the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library to present the Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award Event honoring Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-nominated playwright, novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhtar. The event begins at 6 p.m. in the DeNaples Center’s McIlhenny Ballroom. Reservations are required to attend, and ticket prices vary.
Akhtar is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Edith Wharton Citation of Merit for Fiction, and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the author of “Homeland Elegies,” which The Washington Post called “a tour de force” and The New York Times called “a beautiful novel…that had echoes of ‘The Great Gatsby’ and that circles, with pointed intellect, the possibilities and limitations of American life.” His first novel, “American Dervish,” was published in over 20 languages. His plays include “Junk,” “Disgraced,” “The Who & The What” and “The Invisible Hand.”
For more information on the Distinguished Author Award Event, visit scranton.edu/authaward or contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Collaborative Programs Set for Fall
-
09/14/2022
Representatives from NASA will be at The University of Scranton on Thursday, Sept. 22, to discuss space technology and Artemis, a robotic and human Moon exploration program led by NASA. At a 7 p.m. panel discussion and reception, area high school and college students and their families, can also learn about career paths at NASA and how students can become involved with the Artemis Generation.
The event, titled “We Are Going: Artemis and the Role of Space Technology,” will begin with a panel discussion at 7 p.m. in PNC Auditorium of University’s Loyola Science Center. Panelists will discuss how technology drives exploration. They will discuss how, through Artemis, NASA will return to the Moon and test the technologies needed to take the next giant leap: sending astronauts to Mars. Panelists will discuss how NASA’s investments in research and development contribute to science and human exploration missions, and support opportunities and advancements on Earth. They will also discuss how the agency’s work benefits communities across the country, and how individuals can join the Artemis Generation.
A reception will immediately follow the panel discussion in the Atrium of Loyola Science Center. The event is free of charge.
Panelists are: Niki Werkheiser, director for Technology Maturation, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters; Jason L. Kessler, program executive, Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Program, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters; and Stephanie Yeldell, education integration lead, Space Technology Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters.
Earlier in the day, Werkheiser will speak to University of Scranton students at an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) meeting on campus.
On Sept. 23, NASA will offer an industry day and networking event focused on collaboration opportunities with local businesses at the University’s DeNaples Center. NASA Northeast Pennsylvania Industry Day will begin at 9 a.m. and will include national and local speakers, presentations, and networking opportunities in collaboration with the Keystone Space Collaborative, Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, and Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Local business owners, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and university representatives are encouraged to attend the free event. Registration is required and can be made on the event’s website.
The Sept. 22 NASA panel discussion and reception, titled “We Are Going: Artemis and the Role of Space Technology,” is free of charge and does not require reservations.
For more information about the NASA event on Sept. 22, contact the University’s Office of Community and Government Relations at community@scranton.edu or 570-941-4419.
NASA to Discuss Artemis Space Technology Sept. 22
-
09/14/2022
Oct. 1 9 a.m. Scranton’s Ready to Run Northeast Pennsylvania Program: “Wanted: More Women Like You in Politics.” Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6326 or email sharon.olechna@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 6 p.m. Asian Studies Public Lecture and Meet the Award-winning Author “Life on the Move: Transnational Migration and Cross-Cultural Imagination in Taiwan Literature and Film,” Part 1. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Oct. 6 6 p.m. Asian Studies Film Screening and Meet the Award-winning Director of “The Good Daughter.” “Life on the Move: Transnational Migration and Cross-Cultural Imagination in Taiwan Literature and Film,” Part 2. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free, Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Oct. 7 through Nov. 18 Art Exhibit: “Mayan Narratives: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala” photographs by Byron Maldonado. Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 7 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Mayan Narratives: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala” presented by Byron Maldonado. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 12 1 p.m. The Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Virtual Speaker Series: “Career Opportunities in the Changing Workplace” with panel moderator Kathleen West-Evans, MPA, CRC. Presented by the J. A. Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment. Free. Visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference. Call 570-941-7401.
Oct. 12 7:30 p.m. Ignatian Values in Action Lecture: “On Juneteenth” presented by Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times best-selling author. Byron Recreation Complex. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Oct. 13 Noon. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Threats to Equity: The Influence of Social Determinants on Human Behaviors that Promote Well-being” presented Julie Byerley, MD, president and dean of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 15 2 p.m. Art Gallery: “Walking Tour: Scranton Lace Company/Lace Village Site.” Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu
Oct. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Andrew Gonzalez, viola and violincello da spalla. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 19 1 p.m. The Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Virtual Speaker Series: “Embedding Deia: A Cultural-Shift for Business, Communities, and You!” Speakers Hattie McCarter, MS, CRC; CEO of M.E.N.D. Consulting Solutions and certified DEI professional and Stephanie Perry, MSW, LSW DEI consultant. Presented by the J. A. Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment. Free. Visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference. Call 570-941-7401.
Oct. 21-23 and 28-30 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Almost, Maine” presented by The University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Oct. 23 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 26 1 p.m. The Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Virtual Speaker Series: “A Framework for Community Engagement: A Pathway to Employment” with speakers Cayte Anderson, Ph.D., and Emily Brinck, Ph.D., both are researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, VRTAC-QE. Presented by the J. A. Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment. Free. Visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference. Call 570-941-7401.
Oct. 29 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band and guest drummer Carmen Intorre Jr. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
October Events Planned at University
-
09/14/2022
Margarete L. Zalon, Ph.D., professor of nursing, received the John L. Earl III Award for service to the University, the faculty and the wider community. The 2022 John L. Earl III Award was presented at the University’s annual Fall Convocation, which took place on campus on Sept. 2.
The award is given annually to a member of the University community who demonstrates the spirit of generosity and dedication that the late Dr. John Earl, a distinguished professor of history, exemplified during his years at Scranton from 1964 to 1996.
Daniel J. West Jr., Ph.D., professor and chair the Health Administration and Human Resources Department at The University of Scranton and the 2021 John L. Earl III Award recipient, announced Dr. Zalon as the 2022 recipient at the Convocation. Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, presented the award to Dr. Zalon.
During her more than three decades of service at the University, Dr. Zalon has served on numerous committees, including in leadership roles on the Faculty Senate and FAC. As director of the University’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics Program, Dr. Zalon has played a pivotal role in the program’s success. In 2021, the graduate program received accreditation from the prestigious Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
Dr. Zalon, who has been a member of Scranton’s faculty since 1988, was inducted as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow in 2010 in part for her positive influence on health care policy and delivery. Her leadership legacy includes grassroots advocacy, progressive program design, execution and outcomes in state and national nursing organizations focused on establishing practice and education policy, and building research funding capacity.
Dr. Zalon is a past chair of the American Nurses Foundation, a former board member of the American Nurses Association and a past president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association.
Dr. Zalon’s research focuses on vulnerable elders. She has authored book chapters, as well as articles published in numerous scholarly journals and other professional publications. She has also made research and health policy presentations at the local, state, national and international levels. She is the co-author of the book “Nurses Making Policy: From Bedside to Boardroom” with Rebecca M. Patton, MSN and Ruth Ludwick, Ph.D.
Dr. Zalon is a recipient of the Duke University School of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award, the PSNA Distinguished Nurse Award and a Leahy Fellowship at The University of Scranton. She also received the University’s Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award in 2020.
Dr. Zalon earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from New York University.
Margarete L. Zalon, Ph.D., Receives Earl Award
-
09/13/2022
“The Office” cast member and New York Times best-selling author Brian Baumgartner will visit The University of Scranton on Thursday, Sept. 15, for an exclusive Q and A with students, faculty and staff, followed by book signing just for members of the University community. The event comes two-days after publication of his latest book, “Seriously Good Chili Cookbook.”
Baumgartner was on campus in November 2021 for a student Q and A and book signing for his then just published book “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office,” which became a New York Times best-seller.
Baumgartner will be on campus as part of a tour to promote his second book, “Seriously Good Chili Cookbook.” In real life, Baumgartner is “a true chili master and aficionado,” who is “just as serious as his fictional counterpart about making the most perfect pot of chili.” His first cookbook features 177 chili recipes hand-picked by Baumgartner. Written in a humorous and friendly tone, the book showcases specific styles of chili, including Texas chili, Cincinnati chili, vegetarian chili, black bean chili and home-style chili, as well as other regional and international variations and a bonus recipe of the official “Kevin’s Famous Chili” recipe from The Office. The book is also peppered with fun chili facts.
Baumgartner played Kevin Malone on The Office, which originally aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013, was among the most popular shows on Netflix and can now be seen on Peacock. He was among the cast members who visited the University for The Office Convention in 2007 and The Wrap Party in 2013. He was also on campus for the taping of his popular podcast on the history of The Office, which was the precursor to his first book, “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office.”
Called “The definitive history of The Office” by E! News, “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin,” co-authored with Ben Silverman, the executive producer of The Office, is based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with the actors, creators, writers, producers, directors, network executives and crew members of The Office, who share their favorite stories of the making of what became the most-watched series in the world.
Pre-registration is required to attend the Q & A, which begins on Sept. 15 at 4:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. A book signing immediately follows at 5:30 p.m. Both events require Royal cards for access.
“Seriously Good Chili Cookbook,” published by Fox Chapel, can be pre-ordered at the University’s book store or its webpage, with copies available prior to the book signing.
Two public book-signing events are planned for area residents with Baumgartner the following day, Sept. 16. He will be at a book signing at Books-A-Million at the Viewmont Mall in Dickson City from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Baumgartner will also be at a book signing at PNC Field on the Geisinger Plaza (inside the main entrance) from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Friday evening event will also feature a Backyard BBQ with chili and fireworks.
Exclusive Campus Visit by Brian Baumgartner Sept. 15
-
09/12/2022
U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” in the 2023 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook, which became available online today. U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 universities in its category for 29 consecutive years.
U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 6 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” a selection of the top colleges in the nation that express a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
“Our students and their parents, our faculty and staff, and our alumni know well and value greatly the quality of the Jesuit education offered at Scranton. However, it is also very gratifying for Scranton to receive such consistently high-marks and recognition from more impartial sources like U.S. News and other national rankings,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “We are delighted U.S. News once again ranked Scranton No. 5 in its latest guidebook.”
Several of Scranton’s programs were also included in national rankings, as opposed to listings by category. U.S. News ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Programs in Accounting” at No. 44 in the U.S.; among the “Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs” at No. 135; and among “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” at No. 185 (where doctorate is not offered). Scranton’s was also listed among the 537 “Best Undergraduate Computer Science Programs” in the nation. Scranton also ranked No. 219 among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” which listed just 516 schools that hold accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
For these program listings, U.S. News only ranked schools holding the highest recognized national accreditations in their fields. The rankings were based solely on dean and senior faculty recommendations from peer institutions.
In addition, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 54 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” which compares academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the tenth consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was ranked No. 145 in its category in “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” which looks at the success of schools that enroll and graduate students who were awarded with Pell Grants.
U.S. News uses data on 17 measures of academic quality to rank bachelor’s degree colleges in the America. For its rankings, U.S. News considers a range of quality indicators that include a peer assessment of academic excellence (20 percent); faculty resources (20 percent), which includes class size and regional cost-of-living adjustments to faculty pay and benefits; graduation rates (17.6 percent); freshman retention (4.4 percent); graduation performance rates (8 percent), which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class; financial resources (10 percent); a social mobility score (5 percent); graduate indebtedness (5 percent); and alumni giving (3 percent). U.S. News ranking analysis also includes student selectivity (7 percent), as measured by SAT or ACT scores and high school ranking of students in the top 25 percent of their class.
U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.
The 2023 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 12.
$content.getChild('content').textValueU.S. News Ranks Scranton No. 5 in 2023 Guidebook
-
09/12/2022
“Once in office, compared to male colleagues, women sponsor more legislation in the U.S. Congress, bring back nine percent more federal funding to their districts, and are more responsive to their constituents back home. In both Congress and state legislatures, women are more likely to collaborate with other legislators,” wrote JoyAnna S. Hopper, Ph.D., director of the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service and Assistant Professor of Political Science at The University of Scranton, in an editorial in the Scranton Times-Tribune, published Sept. 11.
In the editorial, Dr. Hopper spoke of the need for more women to serve in elected office and highlighted a training program, Ready to Run Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA), that encourages and trains women who are interested in becoming more involved in government. The Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service at Scranton, in collaboration with the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, offers the non-partisan, campaign training programs that target women in in Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
The next Ready to Run NEPA program is set for Saturday, Oct. 1, at The University of Scranton. Participants will gain insight into establishing themselves as credible and viable candidates as well as inspiration to launch a campaign. Topics covered include presentation and messaging skills; what makes women qualified candidates; and how to get started with your campaign. Participants will also gain an understanding of what the underrepresentation of women in Pennsylvania's state and local governments means for women, their families and our communities.
The session begins with check-in/registration at 9 a.m. on the fifth floor of Brennan Hall on the University’s campus and ends at 2 p.m. Refreshments, lunch and materials are included with the registration fee. The event is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County. WNEP is the media partner.
Registration is $30 for the general public or $10 for students with ID. A limited number of partial scholarships are also available. Registration is required to attend and can be completed online. (https://www.scranton.edu/academics/ready-to-run/registration.shtml).
For additional information visit the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service website or contact Sharon Olechna, administrative assistant for the Political Science Department, at 570-941-6326 or sharon.olechna@scranton.edu or readytorun@scranton.edu.
Ready to Run NEPA Set for Oct. 1 at University
-
09/09/2022
Update: Due to a situation beyond his control, Vincent Grana will be unable to perform in recital Saturday evening. Carlos Avila will instead be joined by recent Grammy-nominee cellist Michael Nicolas.
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome pianist Carlos Avila and bass vocalist Vincent Grana for a recital scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17. The recital begins at 7:30 p.m. in the 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, Avila has been a favorite performer at the University for the last decade, having appeared here both as a soloist, as well as with a variety of ensembles. Boga said, “As he serves as pianist for a number of renowned and ‘rising star’ operatic voices, I asked him to select the vocalist for this performance from among his favorite young artists on the national scene, and he is looking forward to introducing our Scranton audience to Vincent Grana.”
One of the most in-demand pianists on the classical music scene, the New York City-based Avila has played concerts across North and South America, Europe and Asia. He has performed at festivals such as Schleswig-Holstein, Tanglewood, Sarasota, Aspen, Banff, Music Academy of the West, Pianofest, Holland, ChamberFest Dubuque, Lake George and the Carnegie Hall Workshops.
An avid collaborator, Avila has maintained a 20-year partnership with acclaimed violinist Jay Oh, with whom he has given over 80 recitals across Asia and the United States. He has played at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s All-Access Chamber series and the New York Philharmonic’s Leonard Bernstein salon series, and has been showcased on New York’s WQXR, where he gave an all-transcription recital broadcast as one of the winners of The Juilliard School’s prestigious Gina Bachauer Piano Competition.
Avila serves on the collaborative piano faculty at the Heifetz Institute, and is a highly in-demand studio pianist at conservatories throughout the NYC area. A proud Filipino American, Avila is a graduate of Juilliard, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal.
Based in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, Grana debuted at Dayton Opera performing the role of Zuniga in their production of Bizet’s Carmen. He has performed with the Castleton Festival under the baton of Maestro Lorin Maazel, covering such roles as Alcindoro and Benoit (“La Boheme”), Simone (“Gianni Schicchi”) and Escamillo in a concert performance of “Carmen.” In addition, he has performed in the Crested Butte Music Festival’s production of “L’elisir d’amore” and has worked with such renowned artists as Samuel Ramey.
A Philadelphia District winner at the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, Grana has sung with Sarasota Opera as an apprentice artist and performed the role of Simone in Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” with Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance program in the summer of 2017. Some of his more recent roles include Gardiner in Opera San Jose’s production of “Moby Dick,” Il Priore in Bellini’s “La Straniera” and Podestà in Rossini’s “La Gazza Ladr,” both with Teatro Nuovo, and Rafael and Adam in Haydn’s “The Creation and Colline in La Boheme” at the Dayton Opera.
Grana received his bachelor’s degree in music education and master’s degree in vocal performance from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.
Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on the performers, visit vincentgrana.com and artsglobal.org.
Carlos Avila and Vincent Grana Perform Sept. 17
-
09/06/2022
The Royal Experience Summer Internship Program provided six University of Scranton students, selected from a competitive pool, a stipend of up to $4,000 to support their participation in a meaningful unpaid internship for the summer of 2022. The program was started in 2016 through funding by the University’s Parents’ Executive Council and the donations of alumni and friends of the University.
Students receiving support write about their internship experiences in a blog published on the University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development webpage.
The following is a list of students who participated in the 2022 Royal Experience Summer Internship program.
Sydney Gero ’23, a criminal justice major from Somerset, New Jersey, participated in the New Jersey State Parole Board (NJSPB) Internship Program at the Community Programs Division of NJSPB in Trenton, New Jersey.
Nicole Gomber ’23, a counseling and human services major from New Providence, New Jersey, interned at Good Grief in Morristown, New Jersey.
Julia Loury ’23, an entrepreneurship major from Scranton, was the coordinating project officer and operations assistant intern at Aardvark Amusements in Sayreville, New Jersey.
Clare Maguire ’23, a criminal justice major from Oreland, participated in the 2022 Summer Internship Program at the Montgomery County Detective Bureau in Norristown.
Simal Sami ’24, an information technology major from Jessup, was an intern for The University of Scranton’s IT Department.
Michael Walton ’23, a marketing major from Gloucester City, New Jersey, was a public relations and marketing intern for The Borgen Project, Tacoma, Washington.
Royal Experience Program Summer Interns 2022
-
09/06/2022
University of Scranton alumnus and former University trustee, Rev. James F. Duffy, S.J., M.D., will serve as the new superior for the Scranton Jesuit Community. His position became effective July 31. He replaced Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., who stepped down from that position, which he has held since 2015.
A 1988 graduate of The University of Scranton, Father Duffy served as a trustee at his alma mater from 2007 to 2016. He received the University’s Frank J. O'Hara Distinguished Alumni award in 2013, which is the highest award bestowed jointly by the University and our Alumni Society.
A board-certified internist, Father Duffy earned his medical degree from Georgetown University in 1992. He served as an undersea medical officer for the U.S. Navy in Sardegna, Italy, onboard the USS Simon Lake (AS-33), from 1993-1996. When he returned to the U.S. after four years of service, he entered the Society of Jesus as a novice in 1996 and was first missioned to complete his residency training in Internal Medicine at Georgetown University Hospital from 1998-2000. During his philosophy studies, he earned his master’s in health care ethics from Loyola University of Chicago and during his theological studies, he completed his M.Div. from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. Following ordination in 2006, Father Duffy served as associate cean of clinical education at Georgetown University School of Medicine from 2006 to 2016, before joining the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in 2017 in the same role.
Consistent with the Universal Apostolic Preferences, Father Duffy has continued to practice in Spanish-speaking, underserved medical clinics throughout his Jesuit formation and medical career.
Scranton Jesuit Community New Superior is Alumnus
-
09/02/2022
The Princeton Review selected The University of Scranton once again among the best colleges in the nation. Scranton is among just 14 percent of schools listed in the 2023 edition of the “Best 388 Colleges” guidebook, marking the 21st consecutive year the University was selected and recommended by The Princeton Review as one of the top colleges in the country.
In addition, for the sixth year, The Princeton Review ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 7) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 25). Scranton also ranked among the “Most Religious Students” (No. 24) in the latest edition of the guidebook.
The Princeton Review wrote “some students refer to The University of Scranton as ‘Disney World in PA’ because ‘everyone is so friendly and helpful,’” in its profile of Scranton, which also included boasts about the University’s accessible and caring faculty, outstanding facilities, a network of supportive alumni, and a Jesuit mission and curriculum firmly grounded in ethics.
“We salute The University of Scranton for its outstanding academics, and its many other impressive offerings. We are delighted to recommend it as an ideal choice for students searching for their ‘best fit’ college,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor –in-chief and lead author of “The Best 388 Colleges,” in a news release.
The Princeton Review does not include an overall ranking of the schools selected as the best in the country, however they do publish rankings of schools in 50 categories based on results of their surveys of 160,000 students at the 388 colleges included in the book. Information from the surveys is also used in the profiles included about each school in the publication.
In addition to The Princeton Review, U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 28 consecutive years, placing the University No. 5 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” its 2022 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook.
Scranton Picked Among Best Colleges in Nation
-
08/31/2022
The University of Scranton held a capping ceremony for members of its 2024 graduate nurse anesthetist program. The students completed the rigorous first-year academic course requirements of the three-year program and now will begin the clinical rotation portion of the master’s degree program.
Nurse anesthetist students capped at the ceremony were:
Deborah Antwih, Towson, Maryland;
Toni Baran, Sugarloaf;
William Bianco, Long Beach, New York;
Gabriel Bigatel, Old Forge;
Graham Bigsby, Endwell, New York;
Kevin Constantinescu, Scranton;
Aaron Crowell, Plains
Vincent David, Scranton;
Kelsey Davis, Bloomsburg;
Elijah Emmons, Chattanooga, Tennessee;
Rolando Flores, Sunnyside, New York;
Umid Iskhakov, Brooklyn, New York;
Starr Jackson, Staten Island, New York;
Boris Lukatskiy, Rego Park, New York;
Raza Mian, Staten Island, New York;
Calvin Ngo, Brooklyn, New York;
Tess Nidetch, Sayre;
Adam Nugdalla, Coram, New York;
Isaac Osei-Wusu, Newark, New Jersey;
Nelson Ramos, New York, New York;
Erik Steffens, Scranton;
Samantha Valle, Holbrook, New York;
Meghan Visalli, Scranton;
Jeff Yalun, Congers, New York.
Future Nurse Anesthetists to Begin Clinical Rotations
-
08/31/2022
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will offer three stimulating evening courses as part of its fall programming.
Taught by University faculty members, the courses will be presented in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in the Weinberg Memorial Library. The courses are free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the fee is $75 per individual and $125 per couple.
Billie Tadros, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre, will present “Crossing the Line(s): Reading and Writing Contemporary Poetry” on Monday evenings Sept. 19 and 26 and Oct. 3, 17, 24 and 31.
During the sessions, Tadros will help students develop a vocabulary for the shared practice of close-reading forms of poetry, from the traditional (e.g., the sonnet, the villanelle, the sestina, the pantoum) to the newer forms invented by living poets (e.g., the Golden Shovel, the duplex, the pecha kucha).
Participants will be invited (though not required) to write their own poems, and there will be time for sharing and discussion during each course meeting.
“I aim to provide participants with the confidence and the vocabulary to read and to talk about contemporary poems,” Tadros said. “I’ll invite participants to experiment with poetry themselves and to consider what poetry can do for them in their own lives as readers and writers. In a 1994 interview, award-winning poet Adrienne Rich described poetry as ‘a portable art,’ saying that ‘it travels.’ In my course, I hope to provide participants with something portable, both something they can carry with them and something to help carry them forward.”
Roy Domenico, Ph.D., professor of history, will present “What is Fascism?” on Wednesday evenings Sept. 21 and 28 and Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26.
For decades, historians have struggled to define fascism – has the word become so unwieldy that it has lost its meaning, or does it still convey something that informs us about our world? With those questions in mind, Domenico will use the course to examine fascism, or something that resembles it, starting with its French and Italian roots and its Nazi variations, and concluding with the global populist and mass-surveillance phenomena.
“Has there ever been a clear definition of fascism?” Domenico said. “We'll explore the various angles of fascism, something that went away in 1945 ... or not?”
Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor in the University’s Department of English and Theatre, will present “How a Masterpiece of Medieval Irish Art Bridged the Classical & Christian Worlds” on Tuesday evenings Oct. 4, 11, 18 and 25 and Nov. 1 and 8.
In this look at the origins and legacy of the Monogram Page of “The Book of Kells,” commonly known as “the chief relic of the Western world,” Whittaker will examine how an Irish treasure from the year 800 unified science, religion and art.
“During the golden age of classical Greece, Plato articulated a unity of scientific, theological and artistic perspectives. This coherence of ways of thinking about human experience lay obscured for a millennium, but it surfaced again in the Chi Rho page of ‘The Book of Kells,’” Whittaker said. “This medieval Irish masterpiece embodies and transmits to us a vision of the deep unity of sacred, natural and artistic modes of human experience.”
To register for the courses, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Additional Schemel Forum events scheduled for the fall semester include luncheon seminars collaborative events and a bus trip. Myers talks about the fall programming in an interview with Erika Funke for WVIA. The full schedule events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.
Professors Set to Teach Schemel Forum Courses
-
08/30/2022
More than twenty members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 arrived on campus Aug. 25 to participate in the Royals of Color Kickoff (ROCK). Now in its second year, ROCK was developed based on feedback from students of color at Scranton. The program allows students meet each other, meet returning students who will serve as mentors, tour downtown Scranton and learn more about University resources prior to Fall Welcome programming that began on Aug. 27 when their classmates arrived on campus.
The program included a meet and greet with Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J. president of The University of Scranton, a welcome from Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University, a tour of downtown Scranton and a returning student panel discussion, among other events.
University students participating in the panel discussion were: Nickalia Beckford, a psychology major from Mount Vernon, New York; Zitha Igbokwe, an accounting major from Gauteng, South Africa; Serena Martin, a political science major from Bronx, New York; Ayana McCalla, a sociology major from North Baldwin, New York; Ashley Moronta, a forensic chemistry major from Hazleton; Anthony Torres, a biochemistry major in the premed program from New Milford; Michael Trought, a kinesiology major from New Rochelle, New York; and Luis Vasquez, a counseling and human services major from Hazleton.
The University of Scranton welcomed one of its largest and the most diverse class in the history of the school the weekend of Aug. 27. Two-hundred and eighty-five members of its class of 2026 identified as a student of color, which represents nearly 27 percent of the incoming class of more than 1,060.
Photos of students participating in ROCK and fall welcome activities, can be seen on the University’s Flickr page.
Fall semester classes on campus began Monday, Aug. 29.
$content.getChild('content').textValueClass of 2026 Students ROCK
-
08/30/2022
Forty-two members of The University of Scranton’s Class of 2026 arrived on campus on Aug. 22 to participate in FIRST (Freshmen Involved in Reflective Service Together), a reflective service immersion program at Scranton.
The students spent the week volunteering at area nonprofit organizations during the day and reflecting on their service experiences and getting to know each other in the evenings spent at the University’s Conference and Retreat Center at Chapman Lake.
Students volunteered with Neighborworks, the Belleview Center, Telespond and Friends of the Poor. FOX-56 News interviewed students participating in FIRST at the Friends of the Poor warehouse in south Scranton.
FIRST Members of Class of 2026 Arrive
-
08/29/2022
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will kick off its fall season Friday, Sept. 2, with a concert by the Matt Marantz Quartet. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the 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, Marantz is a friend and longtime colleague of Scranton’s new Co-Director of Performance Music Phil Kuehn.
A Texas native, Marantz grew up in a musical family and, during the early years of his saxophone studies, became an admirer of the music of Charlie Parker, Phil Woods and Cannonball Adderly.
While a student at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Marantz nurtured his love of playing in different types of ensembles under the tutelage of his father and then-director of the jazz bands, Bart Marantz. There, he also learned about the jazz greats who served as his musical foundation, among them Keith Jarrett, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Some of Marantz:s peers at the school, most notably pianists Sam Harris and Frank LoCrasto, additionally had a big impact on his playing and composing.
In 2004, Marantz moved to New York City, beginning a musical journey that has taken him as far away as the Middle East, Europe and Asia for tours. Along the way, he has had the chance to perform live with Herbie Hancock, Michael Bublé, Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard and Jason Moran. His 2010 album, “Offering,” received three and a half stars in Downbeat, while his self-released title “Aura” is available on Bandcamp.
Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for information regarding venue requirements for audiences, as policies regarding campus health and safety may change throughout the season.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Marantz, visit mattmarantz.com.
Matt Marantz Quartet to Perform Sept. 2
-
08/25/2022
The University of Scranton will welcome the most diverse class in the history of the school this weekend with 285 members of its class of 2026 identifying as a student of color, representing nearly 27 percent of the incoming class. Scranton will also welcome its largest degree seeking, graduate international student cohort in the last 15 years, with more than 60 new graduate degree-seeking international students starting this fall.
Incoming University students include more than 1,060 members of its undergraduate class of 2026, which is one of the largest in Scranton’s history, in addition to nearly 50 transfer students and nearly 275 graduate students, both on-campus and online.
The University’s undergraduate class of 2026, selected from a pool of more than 9,525 applicants, is the most diverse in its history, with nearly 27 percent of incoming students identifying as a person of color. More than 30 percent of the incoming class identify as first generation college students. The class represents more than 500 high schools, has an average SAT score of 1,240 and includes seven valedictorians and eight salutatorians. Members of the class of 2026 represent five countries, including Ukraine, and 14 states, including Delaware, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Texas. Nearly 25 percent of the class is from Northeast Pennsylvania. The most common majors chosen by members of the incoming class are nursing, biology, occupational therapy, kinesiology, business administration and psychology.
The class of 2026 also includes 74 legacy children whose parents are University of Scranton alumni.
In addition to the undergraduate class of 2026, the University’s incoming graduate students represent several states and foreign countries, including the Czech Republic, India, Ethiopia, Ghana, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea.
The University’s Fall Welcome events on August 27 and 28 include a Mass, a class legacy reception and photo, residence hall and commuter meetings and other events and activities. The University will display a special tribute to returning students on its Class of 2020 Gateway, which will run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Photos of fall welcome activities, as well as images from students participating in FIRST (Freshmen Involved in Reflective Service Together) and ROCK (Royals of Color Kickoff) can be seen on the University’s Flickr page.
Fall semester classes on campus begin Monday, Aug. 29.
Forty-two members of The University of Scranton’s Class of 2026 arrived on Aug. 22 to participate in FIRST (Freshmen Involved in Reflective Service Together), a reflective service immersion program at Scranton.
Scranton Welcomes Diverse Class of 2026
-
08/23/2022
Serhii Kuzmin Jr. completed his high school studies in Ukraine in 2021 and spent a gap year searching for a school in the United States to fulfill his dream of attending college in America. He found a fit to cultivate his love of philosophy grounded within a Catholic tradition at The University of Scranton.
Then, he was awakened by loud noises in the early morning hours of February 24. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had begun and everything else stopped.
For three days, he and his parents sheltered in his home in Kharkiv, deciding it was too dangerous to try to escape their city as it was being attacked by Russian forces. On the fourth night, he and his parents packed what they could fit into their car and drove with a small group of close relatives to a village in central Ukraine away from the invading forces. There they began to make arrangements to escape to Germany.
He and his parents stayed there for three weeks, as they secured documents verifying Serhii’s exemption from military service and other permissions needed to leave Ukraine and attain refugee status in Germany. Serhii and his parents were able to safely cross the border by car to Germany, where they were given lodging in a one-room World War II bomb shelter.
With access to the internet again and encouragement from his parents, Serhii renewed his plans to pursue his dream of attending college in the United States. He regained contact with Stacey Urgento, assistant director of graduate admissions at The University of Scranton, who was able to confirm his admittance to Scranton’s class of 2026 and that the University would be able to provide financial assistance to cover his education expenses.
Although he was moving ahead with his dream, his thoughts and concern for his family and friends in Ukraine engulfed him. Russians had advanced to his grandparents’ village and he was worried about their safety.
“The Russian soldiers who occupied my grandparents’ town cut off all humanitarian aid,” said Serhii. His grandparents survived the occupation eating potatoes and other foods they were able to store before the town was invaded. His grandparents were spared the further atrocities committed by Russian occupiers that occurred in Bucha and other towns.
Serhii sees his effort in the war as one of communication. He wants to share the awful truth about what is happening in his country, saying accounts by media and on the internet are not accurate.
It is a battle for which he is well suited.
Serhii studied English in public school since the 1st grade. He noticed, however, that when he was in 8th grade, his friends’ skills in English were out pacing his.
“I decided to change all of my electronic devices to English in order to force myself to learn the language,” said Serhii. It worked. He is now fluent in English.
His mother, a teacher who is highly educated with a master’s degree, introduced and encouraged his interest in philosophy. That interest, and his Orthodox Christian religion, in turn led him to look at Catholic, Jesuit schools in America, eventually finding The University of Scranton. His mother also preferred Scranton to colleges located in larger cities.
Although she is glad he will attend The University of Scranton, she and her husband will miss Serhii greatly. They are trying to find a sponsor in the United States or Canada so that they can move closer to him.
Serhii’s Mission
Intelligent, self-motivated and resilient, Serhii, who will major in computer science at Scranton, continues to move forward with his life and his mission to tell others of the awful realities of the senseless destruction of the war in Ukraine.
The school Serhii attended in Kharkiv was hit multiple times by missiles.
“The front section of the school is completely gone. The two sides of the building are badly damaged. Basically, the school is destroyed,” said Serhii, who said homes, theaters, malls, museums, schools and universities were devastated in the attack.
“The only reason my parents and I could think of for bombing schools and museums would be to try to completely wipe out a culture,” said Serhii. “Homes could be rebuilt, but it is much more difficult to rebuild a museum, or a school, or a university. You need the community to do that.”
The village where his grandparents live is now protected by Ukraine forces. Yet he has other family members and friends in Russian occupied territories of Ukraine where communication is completely cut off.
“I hope that by talking about how this war destroyed villages and towns, and killed, hurt and damaged the lives of so many people, maybe in the future, people will be more reasonable and peaceful and others will not have to go through what we experienced” said Serhii.
Serhii’s contribution to Ukraine’s fight has begun on Ukraine’s Independence Day.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudent from Ukraine Joins Class of 2026
-
08/23/2022
The University of Scranton announced Campus Health and Safety protocols related to the pandemic for the fall semester. The plan, informed by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance released on August 11, is intended to minimize the impact of COVID-19.
The University’s Campus Health and Safety protocols follow the latest guidance concerning isolation and exposure, as well as contact tracing and vaccine recommendations.
Other aspects of the University’s plan were unchanged from the summer months. Masks will remain optional in all campus buildings regardless of vaccination status, unless otherwise instructed. The campus remains open to the general public.
The full update for the fall semester is available on the University’s Campus Health and Safety webpage.
Fall Campus Health and Safety Protocols Announced
-
08/22/2022
Sept. 2-30 Art Exhibit: “Time and Lace: A History of the Scranton Lace Company.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Matt Marantz Quartet. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 7 3 p.m. PCN 2022 Pennsylvania Election Panel Discussion. Pennsylvania Cable Network panel discussion on Pennsylvania’s Governor and U.S. Senate races. Panelists include JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., co-director of The University of Scranton’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, and Borys Krawczeniuk, investigative reporter for the Scranton Times-Tribune. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 7 3:45 p.m. Public Meeting for The University of Scranton’s Department of Health and Human Performance – Speech-Language Pathology program with the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6305 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 8 5:30 p.m. Lecture: “The 1902 Anthracite Strike: Causes and Consequences, A 120th Anniversary Evaluation” presented by Bob Wolensky, Ph.D., sociologist and anthracite historian with panel respondents. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. Lackawanna County Courthouse, 200 N. Washington Avenue. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Sept. 12 Noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Covering the White House: Challenges and Opportunities” presented by Ashley Parker, White House Bureau Chief for the Washington Post and NBC/MSNBC senior political analyst. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Sept. 13 11 a.m. Volunteer Fair for area nonprofit agencies offering volunteer opportunities for students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-7429 or email ellen.judge@scranton.edu.
Sept. 15 4:30 p.m. Q and A with Brian Baumgartner, The Office cast member and author of “Seriously Good Chili Cookbook” and “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office.” Exclusive event for University students, faculty and staff. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 15 5:30 p.m. Book signing with Brian Baumgartner, The Office cast member and author of “Seriously Good Chili Cookbook” and “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office.” Exclusive event for University students, faculty and staff. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Royal card ID required. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 16 5 p.m. Art Gallery Curator’s Lecture: “Time and Lace: A History of the Scranton Lace Company.” Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 17 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Carlos Avila, piano, and Vincent Grana, bass voice. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 19 Noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Higher Education’s Indispensable Role in Preserving and Advancing Democracy” presented by Ira Harkavy, Ph.D., founding director, Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Sept. 21 7:00 p.m. “A Shop on Every Corner: Memories of the Garment Industry Film Screening and Discussion” presented by Ken Wolensky, Ph.D., historian and Maureen McGuigan, filmmaker. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. Ritz Theater and Performing Arts Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Sept. 22 7 p.m. NASA event for college and high school students and the general public about future space missions and related careers. PNC Auditorium and Atrium of Loyola Science Center. Free Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 23 9 a.m. NASA Northeast Pennsylvania Industry Day, a networking event focused on collaboration opportunities with local businesses. Fourth Floor, DeNaples Center. Free with reservations required to attend. (reservation link if needed: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasa-industry-day-and-small-business-networking-event-tickets-383703245737). Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 23-25 The University of Scranton Family Weekend 2022. Various campus locations. Call 570-941-4222 or email familyweekend@scranton.edu
Sept. 24 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert: Family Weekend” featuring Joseph Boga and the Scranton Ramblers with an appearance by The University of Scranton Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 28 Noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Managing Today and Envisioning Tomorrow: Leading the City of Scranton” presented by Paige Gebhardt Cognetti, mayor, City of Scranton. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Sept. 29 6:30 p.m. President’s Business Council 21st Annual Award Dinner honoring Patricia A. Byrnes Clark ’86, global chief talent officer, Havas Group, and Thomas P. O’Brien ’86, CEO and president, SumRidge Partners, LLC, at Gotham Hall, New York City. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Tickets required. Call 570-941-5837, visit www.scranton.edu/PBCdinner or email timothy.pryle@scranton.edu.
Oct. 1 9 a.m. Scranton’s Ready to Run Northeast Pennsylvania Program: “Wanted: More Women Like You in Politics.” Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6326 or email sharon.olechna@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 6 p.m. Asian Studies Public Lecture and Meet the Award-winning Author “Life on the Move: Transnational Migration and Cross-Cultural Imagination in Taiwan Literature and Film,” Part 1. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Oct. 6 6 p.m. Asian Studies Film Screening and Meet the Award-winning Director of “The Good Daughter.” “Life on the Move: Transnational Migration and Cross-Cultural Imagination in Taiwan Literature and Film,” Part 2. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free, Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Oct. 7 through Nov. 18 Art Exhibit: “Mayan Narratives: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala” photographs by Byron Maldonado. Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 7 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Mayan Narratives: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala” presented by Byron Maldonado. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 12 7:30 p.m. Ignatian Values in Action Lecture: “On Juneteenth” presented by Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times best-selling author. Byron Recreation Complex. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Oct. 13 Noon. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Threats to Equity: The Influence of Social Determinants on Human Behaviors that Promote Well-being” presented Julie Byerley, MD, president and dean of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 15 2 p.m. Art Gallery: “Walking Tour: Scranton Lace Company/Lace Village Site.” Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Andrew Gonzalez, viola and violincello da spalla. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 21-23 and 28-30 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Almost, Maine” presented by The University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu
Oct. 23 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 29 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band and guest drummer Carmen Intorre Jr. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 6 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 8 7:30 p.m. 36th annual Henry George Lecture: “Still Worth the Trip? Modern-Era Busing and other Lessons from Urban School Reform” presented by Parag Pathak, Ph.D., professor of economics, MIT. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Nov. 10 Noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “On Democracy, Inequality and Jazz Improvisation” presented by Wayne Winborne, Ph.D., executive director, Institute of Jazz Studies, assistant professor arts culture and media, Rutgers University-Newark. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 12 7:30 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip to New York, New York, to August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson” $150. Registration required before Sept. 30. Spaces are limited. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 17 7 p.m. Lecture featuring Curtis Zunigha, enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians and co-founder/co-director of the Lenape Center. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. McIlhenny Ballroom, The DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Nov. 17-19 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Rent” presented by Liva Arts Company. The Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email livaartscompany@gmail.com
Nov. 18 Time: 6 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Collaborative Program: The Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award Event honoring Ayad Akhtar, Pulitzer Prize winning and Tony Award nominated playwright, novelist and screenwriter. McIlhenny Ballroom, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 2 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley World Affairs Luncheon Series: “How Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Changed the World” presented by Trudy Rubin, Worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Dec. 3 8 p.m. Performance Music: “54th Annual Noel Night” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 5 5 p.m. Community Relations Roundtable: “The Journey from ‘Immigrant’ to Citizen” featuring local resource speakers from a range of backgrounds, in collaboration with the Schemel Forum. The event is part of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a project supported by a NEH grant led by The University of Scranton and community partners. PNC Board Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Dec. 9 Noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Process of Peace, Palermo: An Experience, a Model” presented by Leoluca Orlando, professor, former mayor of Palermo, honorary mayor of Palermo Huila Columbia and cofounder of Global Parliament of Mayors. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Dec. 11 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert.” Performance Music student musicians perform solo, duet, trio and small group renditions of a variety of Christmas favorites. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items or a monetary donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Schemel Courses:
Mondays: Sept. 19, 26 and Oct. 3, 17, 24, 31 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Crossing the Line(s): Reading and Writing Contemporary Poetry” presented by Billie Tadros, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Wednesdays: Sept. 21, 28 and Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “What is Fascism?” presented by Roy Domenico, Ph.D., professor of history, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Tuesdays: Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, 8 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “How a Masterpiece of Medieval Irish Art Bridged the Classical and Christian Worlds” presented by Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, The University of Scranton. Room 305 Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Fall Semester Events Planned at University
-
08/18/2022
Once again, the annual Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at The University of Scranton will feature an array of thoughtful discussions geared around critically important global issues.
Six highly accomplished thinkers will be featured at the fall luncheons, which will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room 509 (with the exception of the second event). In addition, a Zoom link is available for those who wish to attend remotely.
The series begins Monday, Sept. 12, with “Covering the White House: Challenges and Opportunities,” presented by Washington Post White House bureau chief Ashley Parker. At the talk, Parker will share stories and lessons from her life on the campaign trail and covering two presidents. Parker covered the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns, and currently serves as an NBC/MSNBC senior political analyst.
Next, on Monday, Sept. 19, Ira Harkavy, Ph.D., founding director of the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania, will present “Higher Education’s Indispensable Role in Preserving and Advancing Democracy.” At the talk, which will take place in Edward Leahy Hall’s Kane Forum 235, Harkavy will examine the current threats to democracy around the world and higher education’s role in helping to meet the threat.
“I would like to have the audience appreciate higher education’s indispensable role in preserving and advancing democracy, particularly at this time with the rise of autocracy and authoritarianism,” Harkavy said. “I would also like to discuss how a democratic mission has been at the core of U.S. colleges and universities through much of their history, as well as how that mission might be best achieved in 2022.”
On Wednesday, Sept. 28, Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti will return to the Schemel Forum to present “Managing Today and Envisioning Tomorrow: Leading the City of Scranton.” Cognetti will provide a glimpse into her average day and discuss the unique responsibilities that come with running a city of Scranton’s size.
“Shedding the past while charting a course for the future is a challenge, especially for public entities,” said Cognetti, who added running a city “requires teams of thoughtful people who don’t always agree, creativity, positive thinking and good local coffee.”
On Thursday, Nov. 10, Wayne Winborne, executive director for the Institute of Jazz Studies and assistant professor of arts culture and media at Rutgers University-Newark, will present “On Democracy, Inequality, and Jazz Improvisation.” During the talk, Winborne will explore the state of our current democracy, the cause and corrosive effect of deepening inequality, and the utility of jazz improvisation as both a metaphor and actual strategy for rebuilding society, community and human relations, both domestically and abroad.
“I hope to talk about our particular form of democracy and how the challenges we face today will require us to be like great jazz musicians in their ability to improvise collectively and individually,” Winborne said. “I also hope to start a conversation about forward-thinking problem solving at the community level based on these ideas.”
On Friday, Dec. 2, Trudy Rubin, WorldView Columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, will present “How Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Changed the World.” Rubin will look at how the West must confront a new era in which despotic rulers seek to expand their territory by force, now that the rules-based order of the post-World War II world is over.
Finally, on Friday, Dec. 9, the series will conclude with “Process of Peace, Palermo: An Experience, a Model,” presented by Leoluca Orlando, former Mayor of Palermo, Sicily, honorary Mayor of Palermo Huila Colombia and cofounder of the Global Parliament of Mayors. Now a university professor, Orlando will discuss his experiences courageously combatting the Mafia during his many years as mayor of Palermo.
Admission is free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the seminars are $25 in-person (buffet lunch included) and $10 for remote access. A live-stream link will be emailed prior to the event.
To register for the seminars, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Additional Schemel Forum events scheduled for the fall semester include courses, collaborative events and a bus trip. The full schedule events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu. Myers talks about the fall programming in an interview with Erika Funke for WVIA.
Schemel Forum Luncheon Seminars Set for Fall
-
08/18/2022
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright announced that NASA will offer an industry day and networking event focused on collaboration opportunities with local businesses at the DeNaples Center at The University of Scranton.
The NASA Northeast Pennsylvania Industry Day will be held Friday, Sept. 23, beginning at 9 a.m. on the fourth floor of the University’s DeNaples Center. The regional business-building event will include national and local speakers, presentations, and networking opportunities in collaboration with the Keystone Space Collaborative, Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, and Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance Procurement Technical Assistance Center.
Local business owners, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and university representatives are encouraged to attend the free event. Registration is required.
“Northeastern Pennsylvania has a proud industrial heritage, and I’m looking forward to helping our local businesses work with NASA on advancing America’s world-leading space exploration program,” said Rep. Cartwright, who chairs the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds NASA. “I thank NASA for their valued effort to form successful partnerships with local businesses that will generate a strong economic impact in our community.”
During the event’s one-on-one networking sessions, participants will be paired with multiple “buyers” from government and industry relevant to their company’s offerings. The meetings will also provide attendees government contract advice and guidance on how to work with NASA and other aerospace contractors.
“Collaboration with businesses is a cornerstone of NASA’s technology development and exploration work,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “We look forward to connecting with the innovators of northeast Pennsylvania and sharing information about opportunities to work with NASA.”
“The University of Scranton is pleased to be able to provide a venue for NASA representatives to explore opportunities with local business representatives and is grateful to Congressman Cartwright for facilitating these connections. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students as well as for members of the greater Scranton community,” said Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The University of Scranton.
“We are very pleased to be supporting this event to show Northeastern Pennsylvania is open for business and our manufacturers are ready for the opportunity to hear from NASA speakers, and to be part of the matchmaking portion of the day,” said Jeffrey Box, president and CEO of the NEPA Alliance PTAC. “This would not be happening without the support of Congressman Cartwright and his staff, and we thank him for making this event a reality.”
In April of 2022, University students met with Retired Col. Douglas H. Wheelock, a NASA astronaut, who spoke to students about the Launch America Program and plans for the U.S. mission to return to the moon. Also in 2022 and in 2021, Scranton undergraduates participated in NASA’s RockOn! Program through which a device built by the students was launched into space.
For more information or to register for the event, please click here.
NASA Industry Day Set for Sept. 23 on Campus
-
08/18/2022
The University of Scranton’s Department of Health and Human Performance – Speech-Language Pathology program invites you to a public meeting with the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). The CAA is a nationally recognized accrediting agency. As part of the CAA’s recognition by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the agency is encouraged to develop a method for allowing public input about the accreditation process and about graduate education programs prior to final decision by the CAA. Accordingly, individuals who wish to provide input about a program seeking candidacy (pre-accreditation) may do so in two ways: (1) submitting written comments prior to the accreditation site visit in accordance with the procedures specified below or (2) attending and providing comments at a public meeting during the program’s scheduled site visit. All comments provided must:
- relate to a program’s compliance with the published Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Education Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (Standards) in effect at the time comments are submitted, and
- identify the specific program seeking candidacy, initial accreditation, or reaccreditation with the CAA.
Public Meeting
Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2022
Time: 3:45 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: The University of Scranton - Edward Leahy Hall – Kane Forum - 235
If you are unable to attend, you are invited to submit written comments. Please see below for the Policy on Written Comments. A copy of the Standards for Accreditation and/or the CAA’s Policy on Public Comment may be obtained by contacting the Accreditation Office at ASHA, 2200 Research Boulevard, #310, Rockville, Maryland 20850, calling ASHA’s Action Center at 1-800-498-2071, or accessing the documents online at https://caa.asha.org/.
Comments Submitted Prior to the Site Visit
The CAA publishes on its website the list of programs that have submitted applications for candidacy, initial accreditation, and reaccreditation during that calendar year for which the CAA is seeking public comment as part of its current accreditation review of the published programs. The listing will include the dates of the scheduled site visit for each program. Individuals who wish to submit written testimony about any of the programs scheduled for a site visit must adhere to the following procedures.
- All comments about education programs are due in the Accreditation Office no later than 15 days before the first day of the scheduled site visit. Comments received after this time will not be forwarded to the site visit team for consideration during the accreditation review.
- All written testimony—including comments faxed or submitted as e-mail attachments--must include the commenter’s name, address and telephone contact information and the commenter’s relationship to the program in order for Accreditation staff to verify the source of the testimony. All comments must be signed. Comments should be submitted to:
Accreditation Public Comment
Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
2200 Research Boulevard, #310 Rockville, MD 20850
accreditation@asha.org Fax: 301-296-8570.Notice of Public Meeting
-
08/15/2022
Four University of Scranton students and a physics and engineering faculty member presented their research at the National Science Foundation CEDAR Workshop in Austin, Texas, in June and the 2022 Dayton Hamvention, which is the world’s largest ham radio gathering that was held in Xenia, Ohio, in May.
Veronica Romanek ’23, a physics major from Hampton, New Jersey, presented “HF Doppler Observations of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances in a WWV Signal Received with a Network of Low Cost HamSCI Personal Space Weather Stations” at the National Science Foundation CEDAR Workshop. Romanek also presented “Traveling Ionospheric Disturbance Observations with the Grape Personal Space Weather Station” at the 2022 Dayton Hamvention. In addition, Romanek participated in the national Youth on the Air (YOTA) Camp in July. The week-long camp, which took place at the Voice of America Museum in Cincinnati, Ohio, allows young people from across the country to meet and learn more about amateur radio.
Cuong Nguyen ’23, an electrical engineering major from Ashley, presented “An Algorithm for Determining the Timing of Components within the HamSCI-WWV/WWVH Scientific Test Signal” at the National Science Foundation CEDAR Workshop and at the 2022 Dayton Hamvention.
Simal Sami ’24, an information technology major from Jessup, presented “Ionosondes of Opportunity Observed with GNU Chirpsounder2 from a HamSCI PSWS Prototype Station in Spring Brook, Pennsylvania” at the National Science Foundation CEDAR Workshop.
Francis Tholley, ’21, G’23, a current software engineering graduate student from Darby, who earned his bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Scranton, presented “Porting the MUSIC Algorithm to the SuperDARN pyDARN Library for the Study of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances” at the National Science Foundation CEDAR Workshop.
At the National Science Foundation CEDAR Workshop, Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton, presented “Recent Advances in Observing Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Using Amateur Radio Techniques” and “HamSCI Observations for Ionospheric Measurement.” He also presented “First Observations of Large Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Using Automated Amateur Radio Receiving Network” at the 2022 Dayton Hamvention and “HamSCI Plans for the Study of the 2023 & 2024 Solar Eclipse Impacts on Radio and the Ionosphere” at both events. Dr. Frissell will lead a National Science Foundation grant-supported collaborative research project that will collect and analyze data on the ionospheric variability during the 2023 and 2023 solar eclipses.
Dr. Frissell served as the research advisor for these students and was also the keynote speaker at the national Youth on the Air Camp. In addition to working with Dr. Frissell, these students work with collaborators from other institutions and from around the world. Many of these collaborators are volunteers from the HamSCI Citizen Science project with years of professional experience and advanced academic training. These collaborations provide a unique a community-based research experience that is enriching to both the students and the volunteers.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Present Space Physics Research
-
08/10/2022
A comprehensive analysis of the return on investment (ROI) of college degrees at more than 4,500 colleges in the United States shows the value gains of liberal arts education during the lifetime of a career. The analysis also ranks the ROI of a degree from The University of Scranton among the top 6.1 percent of colleges in the country after 40 years, among the top 7 percent after 30 years and among the top 11 percent after 20 years.
The analysis by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce calculated the 40-year net present value of a University of Scranton degree is $1.133 million, which ranked No. 276 of 4,500 colleges in the nation (top 6.1 percent). The 30-year net present value for a Scranton degree was calculated at $842,000, which ranked at No. 310 in the nation (top 7 percent); and the 20-year net present value of a degree was $488,000, which ranked at No. 489 in the country (top 11 percent).
The Center ranked 4,500 colleges based on the net value of the degrees at 10, 20, 30 and 40 years after enrollment using data from the expanded College Scorecard. The analysis, published online in the spring of 2022, looked at the net cost of attendance, which includes tuition, fees, books and supplies, and living expenses, minus aid received from all sources. The Center then calculated the net present value of a degree, which is “a metric that includes costs, future earnings and the length of time it would take to invest and earn a certain amount of money over a fixed horizon.”
The analysis found that “bachelor’s degrees from private colleges, on average, have higher ROI than degrees from public colleges 40 years after enrollment. Community colleges and many certificate programs have the highest returns in the short term, 10 years after enrollment, though returns from bachelor’s degrees eventually overtake those of most two-year credentials.”
In addition, the analysis showed “the median ROI of liberal arts colleges is nearly $200,000 higher than the median for all colleges. Further, the 40-year median ROI of liberal arts institutions ($918,000) is close to those of four-year engineering and technology-related schools ($917,000), and four-year business and management schools ($913,000).”
Scranton has been recognized for its value in other national rankings such as U.S. News & World Report and The Economist. Most recently, Money magazine ranked the University at No. 268 among its selection of just 623 of the nation’s best values for a college education.
ROI of Scranton Degree Ranks in Top 7 Percent
-
08/08/2022
For the second year in a row, a device built by University of Scranton undergraduates was among approximately 60 devices build by college students from across the U.S. and launched into space by NASA in a rocket. The devices were built as part of a special NASA program called the RockOn! through which students were sent kits to build atmospheric sensing devices, called payloads. The devices were built and tested on campus then sent to the RockOn! program headquartered in Colorado. NASA launched into space about 60 devices build by undergraduate students on June 24.
The University students who participated were: Cuong Nguyen ’23, Ashley, an electrical engineering major; Gerard Piccini ’25, Monroe Township, New Jersey, an electrical engineering major; Ellie Rosentel ’22, Kingston, who earned her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in May from the University; and Mergim Berisha ’22, Wilkes-Barre, who earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in May from the University.
Following the launches, the devices with the data collected will be returned to the University for the students to then study further.
“This unique project provides an opportunity for students to obtain hands-on experience in developing space-flight experiments, which is vital in developing future scientists and engineers,” said Giovanni Rosanova, chief of the NASA Sounding Rockets Program Office at NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility, who noted this is the 14th year that “the NASA Sounding Rocket Program has provided a suborbital rocket flight for undergraduate university students to fly their experiments into space.”
Support for this project was provided through the NASA Pennsylvania Space Grant Consortium, of which The University of Scranton is now an affiliate. The PA Space Grant is part of the national Space Grant mission to expand opportunities for U.S. citizens to learn about and participate in NASA’s aeronautics and space programs by supporting and enhancing science and engineering education, research, and outreach programs. Additional NASA Space Grant activity at the University of Scranton includes a project by mathematics professor Joseph Klobusicky, Ph.D. entitled, “Phase Transitions in Two-dimensional Foams,” and an upcoming project led by physics and engineering professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D. entitled, “Development of a Low-Cost Low-Power Ionosonde.”
NASA Launch Includes Scranton Student Project
-
08/08/2022
Eleven University of Scranton faculty members were honored with Faculty Enhancement awards for excellence in teaching, scholarship or service. The Office of the Provost and the Provost Advisory Group selected the recipients from a pool of candidates nominated by academic deans and department chairs.
Darla Germeroth, Ph.D., and Margarete Lieb Zalon, Ph.D., received the Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award, which recognizes faculty members who have contributed service to the University community, particularly those who demonstrate academic leadership by effectively mentoring their junior colleagues. Dr. Germeroth, professor of communication and media, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1989. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kansas State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Denver. A member of Scranton’s faculty since 1988, Dr. Zalon, professor of nursing and director of the online Master of Science in Health Informatics Program, earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from New York University.
Renee Hakim, Ph.D., and Roberrt McKeage, Ph.D., received the Faculty Senate Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates dedication to teaching graduate students in a manner that creates an encouraging and intellectually stimulating environment that promotes critical thinking and learning. Dr. Hakim, professor and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1996. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, her master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her Ph.D. from Temple University. Dr. McKeage, associate professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship and director of the Business Leadership Honors Program, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1974. He earned his bachelor’s and MBA degrees from The University of Scranton, his master’s degree from Lehigh University and his Ph.D. from Temple University.
Jennifer Kaschak, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates noteworthy academic leadership in promoting and strengthening cross-disciplinary or interdepartmental teaching and learning endeavors. Dr. Kaschak, associate professor of education, joined Scranton’s faculty in 2010. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Illinois Wesleyan University, her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and her Ph.D. from Columbia University.
Bonnie Markowski received the Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, presented to faculty members who make extraordinary efforts to enhance student learning and who practice teaching as a form of scholarship. Professor Markowski, a faculty specialist in the English and Theatre Department, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2007. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and her master’s degree from The University of Scranton.
Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Integrating Diversity in Learning Award, which recognizes a faculty member whose efforts to integrate diversity in the curriculum have enriched the students’ learning experiences. Dr. Nolan, professor of psychology and director of the environmental studies concentration, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, her master’s degree from California State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas.
Ismail Onat, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Scholarly Publication Award, presented to faculty members who have attained distinction in scholarship or creative activity. Dr. Onat, assistant professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2016. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Turkish National Police Academy and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Rutgers University.
Matthew Reavy, Ph.D., posthumously received the Magis Award for Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum. This award is intended to recognize a faculty member who makes specific, sustained, and creative efforts to adapt classic principles of Jesuit Pedagogy in his or her own courses. Dr. Reavy, associate professor in the Department of Communication and Media, who passed away Feb. 2 of this year, joined the faculty at the University in 1998. During his nearly 25-year tenure at Scranton, he served on numerous committees and governance bodies, as department chair and as the faculty adviser to The Aquinas. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton and his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.
In addition, Barbara Bossi, adjunct professor of health administration, and Eric Hosie, adjunct professor of marketing, management and entrepreneurship, were honored with the Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Professor Bossi, senior director of network management and development at UPMC Health Plan, has taught as an adjunct professor in the Panuska College of Professional Studies since 2016. A Fellow of American College of Healthcare Executives, she earned her bachelor’s degree from Marywood University and her master’s degree from The University of Scranton. Professor Hosie, a certified financial planner and vice president at M and T Securities, Inc., has taught as an adjunct faculty member in the Kania School of Management since 2008. A graduate of The University of Scranton, he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1988 and his MBA in 1993 from Scranton.
University Faculty Recognized for Excellence
-
08/04/2022
The Center for Service and Social Justice at The University of Scranton will hold its annual Volunteer Fair for local nonprofits from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, on campus.
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.
To register a nonprofit organization for the event, email ellen.judge@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7429. The deadline to register for the fair is Sept. 8.
Fair for Nonprofit Agencies Seeking Volunteers
-
08/02/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., has been named vice president for mission and ministry, effective July 18, 2022. He will also serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet.
“Through his education at Jesuit universities and his experience in higher education at Catholic schools, Dr. Cosacchi understands well and values greatly the important role Catholic and Jesuit education plays in the formation of our students,” said Father Marina in a campus announcement. “He always places students first in his efforts and holds them in high regard, as he challenges and encourages them to discover their calling and reach their full potential in service to the needs of this world. His efforts to engage students in reflection and service extend beyond the classroom and beyond the campus.”
As vice president for mission and ministry, Dr. Cosacchi is responsible for articulating, enhancing and promoting the University's Catholic and Jesuit identity across all constituencies. He will provide leadership and direction for the departments of Campus Ministries, the Jesuit Center, and the Center for Service and Social Justice, while overseeing mission and ministry initiatives for the University community including students, staff and faculty.
Dr. Cosacchi previously served as assistant professor of religious studies at Marywood University. In addition to teaching core and elective courses in theology and religious studies, he was the College of Arts and Sciences representative on the Mission Integration Committee and director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program. He also served as Marywood’s representative to the Synod on Synodality and served on several other committees.
Dr. Cosacchi is co-author/editor of the book “The Berrigan Letters: Personal Correspondence Between Daniel and Philip Berrigan,” and has published articles in the Journal of Jesuit Studies, among other journals.
Prior to joining the faculty at Marywood University, Dr. Cosacchi taught at Fairfield University and was a Canisius Postdoctoral Fellow there from 2016-2019. He served as faculty moderator for the Canisius Academy, planning and hosting prominent events centered on social justice and the Catholic intellectual heritage and moderating mini-lectures on Catholic topics. He also served as a mentor for Ignatian Residential College there.
Dr. Cosacchi earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, his master’s degree from Boston College and his Ph.D. from Loyola University of Chicago.
Vice President of Mission and Ministry Named
-
08/02/2022
Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton, will lead a $399,211 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-supported collaborative research project entitled “Measuring Daily Ionospheric Variability and the 2023 and 2024 Solar Eclipse Ionospheric Impacts Using HamSCI HF Doppler Shift Receivers.” As the lead principal investigator, Dr. Frissell will work with students at the University of Scranton, collaborators at Case Western Reserve University, and volunteers across the nation to study how dawn, dusk, and solar eclipses affect the electrified portion of the upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere. This will be done using a network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stabilized/synchronized high frequency (HF) receivers (known as Grapes), which were developed as part of the $1.3 million NSF-funded HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS) project he was awarded in 2019.
An annular solar eclipse will take place on Oct. 14, 2023 and a total solar eclipse will take place on April 8, 2024.
“These are the last solar eclipses to traverse the continental United States until 2044, and are therefore important, time-sensitive, information rich opportunities for running unique and ‘controlled’ ionospheric experiments,” said Dr. Frissell. “This project takes advantage of the unprecedented opportunity to study the ionospheric impacts of the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses and the daily ionospheric variability associated with dawn/dusk transitions.”
A better understanding of the impact of ionospheric disturbances is imperative, because these changes can affect crucial navigation and communications systems.
According to Dr. Frissell, this new NSF grant will fund an additional 30 Grape receivers that will be deployed throughout North America. Volunteers from the HamSCI amateur radio community will be able to fund and field additional stations. All stations will run continuously from deployment through at least the end of the project in 2025, and will capture the 2023 and 2024 eclipses. The grant will also support master’s and Ph.D. level student participation in the research data collection and analysis.
“This project will also establish a new network of measurement instruments that, due to its low- cost and operation by volunteers, has the potential to provide measurements for years to come,” said Dr. Frissell, who also noted that results of the project “will be shared widely with the amateur radio community through presentations at amateur radio conventions, local clubs, and publication in amateur radio magazines and journals.”
In a news release announcing NSF funding received by The University of Scranton and Marywood University, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright said, “(t)he bright and talented STEM students trained by Marywood today become the Dr. Frissells of tomorrow, conducting cutting edge scientific research, but whether in the classroom or in the field, scientists and professors need funding to do their important work. As the chair of the Commerce-Justice-Science subcommittee that funds the National Science Foundation, I am proud to support this essential investment in education and research.”
In addition, Dr. Frissell was awarded a highly-competitive, five-year $616,054 NSF CAREER grant in 2020 to apply sophisticated, physics-based atmospheric/ionospheric models to extensive data sets collected through the international network of ham radio operators.
Dr. Frissell joined the faculty at Scranton in the fall of 2019. He earned a doctorate and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and a bachelor’s degree in physics and music education from Montclair State University in New Jersey. He is the founder and lead organizer of the international citizen science space physics research collective known as the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI.org). HamSCI is recognized as an official NASA Citizen Science Project.
Professor Awarded Six-figure NSF Grant
-
08/01/2022
Five students from The University of Scranton Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Student Chapter were selected as one of the final-four teams for the national IMA Case Competition held in Austin, Texas in June. Marissa Angelo ’22 of Dickson City; Matthew Earley ’23 of Perkasie; Andrew Faulkner ’23 of Randolph, New Jersey; Claudia Pitts ’22 of Scranton; and Russell Young ’22 of Charleston, South Carolina; presented in front of a live audience during the IMA Annual Meeting. The team offered their strategic recommendations on how to maximize customer value for a fictitious indoor futsal facility based on various economic, financial, cultural and industry factors.
For the competition, student teams from around the country submitted their analysis in early February, and after multiple rounds of a blind submission and judging process, the final-four teams were selected in late April. At the final four competition, The University of Scranton student team presented against three student teams from The University of Nevada—Las Vegas, with one of those being named the winner. Just for making it to the finals, the University of Scranton team received a cash prize of $2,000 and their trip was sponsored by the IMA.
This is the first time that a student team from Scranton was selected to present at the annual meeting since the student chapter’s inception in 2017. Last year, a Scranton case competition team made it to the elite-eight in the judging process. In addition, The University of Scranton’s student chapter was named as one of just five IMA Outstanding Student Chapters for three consecutive years. Ashley Stampone, D.B.A. ’10, G’11, DBA’ 20, assistant professor of accounting, served as the faculty advisor for the final-four team and the student IMA chapter at the University.
Angelo graduated this past May earning her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. She was a member of both the Business Leadership Honors Program and the Kania School of Management Business Honors Program. At commencement, she received the Outstanding Senior Award in Accounting and Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence, which is given to students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges. She also among the just 253 students in the nation selected to receive a 2021-2022 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) scholarship. Angelo is currently completing an assurance internship with E&Y in their Philadelphia office. She will pursue her Master of Accountancy at The University of Scranton this fall.
Earley is a rising senior majoring in finance with business leadership and computer science minors. He is a member of both the Business Leadership Honors Program and the Kania School of Management Business Honors Program. He is the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship. He is currently a corporate development intern with Dorman Products in their Colmar office.
Faulkner is a senior majoring in accounting. He is a member of the Kania School of Management Business Honors Program and he will begin pursuing his Master of Accountancy at The University of Scranton in the spring.
Pitts graduated this past May earning her Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. She was a member of both the Business Leadership Honors Program and the Kania School of Management Business Honors Program. She is currently completing an assurance internship with E&Y in their Iselin, New Jersey, office. She will pursue her Master of Accountancy at The University of Scranton this fall.
Young also graduated this past May earning his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting with a minor in business analytics. He was a member of the Kania School of Management Business Honors Program. He will pursue his Master of Accountancy at the University of South Carolina this fall.
Students Advance to Final Four in National Contest
-
07/29/2022
Money magazine ranked The University of Scranton among its list of the nation’s best values for a college education. The 2022 ranking is based on the magazine’s analysis of dozens of data points to evaluate educational quality, affordability and alumni success. Money ranked Scranton at No. 268 among its selection of just 623 “Best Colleges in America,” a ranking of “schools that combine quality and affordability, while admitting at least 20 percent of applicants.”
This is the seventh consecutive time that Money included Scranton in its published list of America’s best values in college education. Scranton was the highest ranked school in Northeastern Pennsylvania listed.
Scranton ranked in the top 15 percent of schools listed for “outcomes.” The factors Money used to assess “outcomes” included the average salaries of students ten years after enrollment based on data from U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard as well as salaries of graduates adjusted by major. In addition to other factors, the “outcomes” criteria looked at socio-economic mobility data from Third Way that measures a college’s share of students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds as well as the cost and payoff of a degree for those students.
The factors Money analyzed to determine a colleges’ “academic quality” included the six-year graduation rate, the standardized test scores of incoming students, the student-faculty ratio and the graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients, among other factors. The analysis also included “value” assessments that looked at a school’s predicted graduation rates based on the academic and economic profile of its student body versus its actual graduation rates.
The criteria used to assess “affordability” included an estimate of the “net price of a degree,” which assessed tuition, the time it takes for students to graduate, and the school’s average financial aid offered to students. The “affordability” criteria also looked at student debt, student loan default rates, and student loan default rates adjusted for the economic and academic profile of a school’s student body, in addition to other factors.
Colleges with graduation rates below the national median, that were in financial difficulty, or that had fewer than 500 undergraduates, were not included in Money’s ranking. A separate ranking was done for schools that accept fewer than 20 percent of applicants.
Scranton has been recognized for its value in other national rankings such as U.S. News & World Report and The Economist, among others.
Scranton Ranked Among America’s Best Values
-
07/28/2022
Intelligent.com ranked The University of Scranton’s Master of Accountancy Degree No. 3 in the nation for “Best Online Master’s in Accounting” and No. 13 in the country for “Best MBA in Healthcare Management.” The 2022 ranking of accredited, nonprofit schools by the online education source is based on an assessment of student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third-party evaluations of the programs, including an assessment of consistent performance in other national rankings such as U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News has ranked Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 28 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 5 in the 2022 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.” Earlier this year, U.S. News ranked Scranton’s MBA Specialty in accounting No. 14 in the nation, tying with Harvard University, Arizona State University and Ohio State University in its full-time MBA program ranking. U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s MBA specialty programs in business analytics No. 29 and finance No. 34 in America. In addition, U.S. News ranked Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 55; and its online MBA program at No. 98 in the nation in its “Best Online Programs” guide.
Graduate Programs Ranked Among Best in Nation
-
07/27/2022
The University of Scranton will join Jesuit colleges and universities across the world to mark the close of “The Ignatian Year,” a year-long, worldwide celebration of the 500thanniversary of the transformation of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus.
The University will light its Class of 2020 gateway sign with a white cross and purple background the evenings of July 28 to July 31, the Feast Day of St. Ignatius and the official closing date of The Ignatian Year.
The University’s Jesuit Center will host a Spirituality Luncheon for staff and faculty to commemorate the Feast of St. Ignatius and the end of The Ignatian Year on Thursday, July 26. The University will also host a ice cream social for faculty and staff on Friday, July 29, hosted by Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president, and Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for Mission and Ministry at the University.
In a message to the University community about the Feast Day of St. Ignatuis, Father Marina referenced a quote about The Ignatian Year by Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus:
“It is good to remind ourselves that the wound Ignatius suffered in Pamplona was not so much a happy ending, but rather a happy beginning. Conversion consists sometimes of great moments of change, but it is also a never-ending process. We need to put Christ in the center every time, again and again.”
“At Scranton, … (m)ay the Ignatius 500 celebration remind us of the many ways in which we continue the work of St. Ignatius through the transformative education we provide to our students. May we continue to place God at the center of our work, our mission and our lives. May Peace be with you and all who we encounter during our journey,” said Father Marina in his message.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Celebrates Closing of Ignatian Year
-
07/26/2022
Twenty rising high school students entered The University of Scranton’s University of Success program. The four-year, pre-college mentorship program began for the new participants with a two-week summer institute, which took place on the University’s campus in July.
The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program designed to provide academic, social, and cultural enrichment to area high school students. The program’s ultimate goal is to assist participating students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university. Students enter the program at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years.
The summer institute provides learning experiences designed to engage the students in creative thinking, problem solving and communication through activities that expose students to concepts in various academic disciples.
The summer program featured presentations by University faculty, staff and students as well as counselors from Lackawanna County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. At the institute, students learned about alternate renewable energy sources, sustainability, climate change, physics, biology and chemistry, among other topics. The institute included field trips to Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) in Pike County and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The students also volunteered for a cleanup project at the Children’s Advocacy Center.
Following the summer institute, the students meet monthly throughout their four years in high school.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include Dime Bank, Fidelity Bank, Carl and JoAnne Kuehner, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, Inc., Overlook Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, PPL Foundation, Lisa C. Thomas, M.D., and Waste Management.
Students entering the University of Success program are as follows:
Royli Jesus Ayala, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Isidora Berrios, Moscow, who attended North Pocono Intermediate School;
Makenna Boozer, Dickson City, who attended Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Anthony Campbell, Dickson City, who attended Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Sophia Chen, Milford, who attended Delaware Valley Middle School;
Trent Coffield, Moosic, who attended Riverside Junior Senior High School;
Corey Condon, Dunmore, who attended Dunmore School District School;
Luis Angel Espino, Scranton, who attended North East Intermediate School;
Vishwa Gandhi, Moosic, who attended Riverside Junior Senior High School;
Lucianna Gonzalez, Clarks Summit, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Joshua Miranda, Clarks Summit, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Eleany Sarai Nunez-Pazos, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Engel Ovalles, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
K’lea Palukonis, Clarks Summit, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Yadhira Panamo, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Juan Ramos, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Elias Rios, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Brandon Sanchez, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Nmesoma Clare Udoye, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Laylah Weeks, Clarkes Green, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
$content.getChild('content').textValueTwenty Area Students Begin University of Success
-
07/26/2022
Nearly 60 members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 participated in the Jesuit school’s Donning of the Stole Ceremony. The annual ceremony celebrates and honors the accomplishments of members of its class of 2022 from underrepresented identities who received their undergraduate degrees. The purpose of the ceremony, which was a student-led initiative, was to highlight the students’ success in overcoming the particular barriers and obstacles faced by students from these groups, particularly students of color, in attaining a higher education.
More than 70 percent of Scranton’s class of 2022 Stole recipients made the Dean’s List at Scranton. The students honored include a Fulbright scholar, outstanding academic and leadership achievement award recipients, future physicians, physical therapists, engineers and many other highly-successful members of the University’s graduating class.
The ceremony, organized by the student committee members and Jose Sanchez, assistant director of the University’s Cross Cultural Centers, took place on campus in May as part of Scranton’s commencement activities and events.
Members of Scranton’s class of 2022 honored at the event were:
Tiannah N. Adams, New York, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Sophia V. Alderman, Oreland, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Kayla A. Alvero, Yonkers, New York, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in strategic communication;
Kyla L. Avant, Bridgeton, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Ariana I. Baldwin, Far Rockaway, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice;
Jill M. Bautista, Philadelphia, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in health administration;
Allysa A. Belches, Dumont, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology;
Alexander M. Belotte, Elmont, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international business;
Taysha V. Campana, North Bergen, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business analytics;
Destiny R. Carpitella, Brooklyn, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in early and primary teacher education;
Claire J. Carrera, North Bergen, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Noemi Carreto, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry;
Colleen R. Chan, East Brunswick, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
Hunter E. Chin, Northport, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration;
Alison M. D’Mello, East Brunswick, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social media strategies;
Koebe S. Diaz, Dumont, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Christopher D. Gentles-Steele, New Rochelle, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration;
Sophia Li Gonzalez, Mount Pocono, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Vincent Gonzalez, Bedminster, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in advertising/public relations;
Nadia T. Green, Philadelphia, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration;
Branden Gual, New York, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Caitlin G. Hariprasad, Tobyhanna, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Felicia K. Harris, Orem, Utah, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Zeruiah I. Harris, Saylorsburg, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forensic chemistry;
Steve Holguin, Bethlehem, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering;
Natalie J. Intrieri, North Salem, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in counseling and human services;
Bianca J. Jimenez, Bronx, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental science;
Ryan J. Lebron, East Stroudsburg, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics;
Abril Lopez, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice andphilosophy;
Ximena G. Maldonado Aguilar, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in advertising/public relations;
Julissa Mercedes, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Myriam A. Moise, Warwick, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Patricia Denille Gonzales Nicolas, Middlesex, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Crysta A. O’Donnell, Riegelsville, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international studies andHispanic studies;
AnnMarie N. Onwuka, Newburgh, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Bansariben Patel, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Riya A. Patel, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Sinal Y. Patel, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology;
Vrunda A. Patel, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Brianna M. Phillips, Manchester, Connecticut, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Tianna S. Popstein, Port Jervis, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
Katia Ramirez, Forest Park, Georgia, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history andHispanic studies;
Laura Rebolledo, Branchburg, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Ysobelle F. Reyes, Somerville, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Katherine A. Rodrigo, South Plainfield, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting andphilosophy;
Joshua Jose I. Romero, Newark, Delaware, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science;
Amanda Grace M. Ruiz, Whippany, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Paola V. Santa Rosario, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology;
Krista M. Segreti, Danbury, Connecticut, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Alex O. Sophabmixay, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Myles T. Spencer, Brooklyn, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in computer information systems;
Danielle E. Taglucop, Berlin, Connecticut, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Aman-Preet Talawan, Carteret, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
Ethan O. Techitong, Koror, Palau, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English;
Haylle B. Thomas, Stanhope, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Catherine I. Torres, Hazleton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing;
Miguel Augusto G. Valencia, Farmingdale, New York, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social media strategies.
Additional information about each Stole recipient can be seen on their Merit page. The full ceremony can be seen here.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Celebrates Donning of the Stole Ceremony
-
07/25/2022
The University of Scranton received an $11,000 Community Needs grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation to support a program that helps teens and young adults who are living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Northeastern Pennsylvania achieve their employment aspirations.
The free program, called the Job Club, will be offered each semester on campus by the University’s Rehabilitation Counseling faculty and graduate students.
Through the program, motivated teens, who are age 16 or older, and young adults with ASD will develop the necessary technical and soft skills to prepare them to secure meaningful employment. Learning modules include skill development in a variety of related topics and activities, such as setting employment goals, creating resumes, employment soft skills, completing applications, practicing interviewing skills, understanding/starting the job-hunting process and what to expect on your first day of work. The program will be customized to participants to meet their individual needs.
The Scranton Area Community Foundation is a public 501(c)(3) community foundation with assets of more than $57 million and more than 260 charitable funds. Visit www.safdn.org to learn more.
Grant Supports Job Club Program for People with ASD
-
07/22/2022
The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees have approved the change of the doctoral business administration degree to a Ph.D. in Accounting degree beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year. The curriculum and degree requirements will remain the same. This is the first Ph.D. degree to be offered at Scranton.
The business doctoral degree, which the University began in 2017 and graduated its first cohort of students in 2021, has already been internationally recognized when in 2019 the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) listed the program among the “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” The program was recognized for providing a non-traditional research doctoral degree in accounting that “promotes diversity and practice relevance by providing a flexible path for experienced practitioners to gain the knowledge and credentials required to succeed in tenure-track positions at AACSB-accredited institutions.”
“The doctoral program was developed in direct response to calls made by the Pathways Commission to transform experienced accounting professionals into exceptional academics and teachers capable of producing original-practice relevant research grounded in the ethical foundation of Scranton’s Jesuit identity,” said Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., C.P.A., C.M.A., professor and chair of the University’s Accounting Department and Ph.D. program director
“As co-chair of the Implementation Phase of Pathways, the Accounting Ph.D. at The University of Scranton is exactly what we hope institutions would strive to create,” said Mark Higgins, Ph.D., Dean of the Kania School of Management. “We wanted institutions to create terminal degrees that align with an institutions mission and this program does that by incorporating Jesuit values and producing graduates that are capable of publishing in relevant practiced based research in quality journals.”
The first and second cohorts of doctoral graduates and faculty have already co-authored and published more than 20 manuscripts in internationally recognized refereed journals with six of the publications winning awards from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), including two Lybrand Competition Medals and the Curtis C. Verschoor Ethics Article of the Year. Gregory Kogan ’22 and Joy Chacko ’21 were awarded the Institute of Internal Auditors Michael J. Barrett Doctoral Dissertation Award for their respective years.
Scranton’s accounting professors in the program have received numerous awards for teaching and have also been recognized internationally for their research. The 2021 Brigham Young University Accounting Report Update, which annually ranks accounting programs and faculty throughout the world based on their success in publishing in top-tier accounting journals, placed the Accounting Department at The University of Scranton as the fourth most prolific department in the world for accounting education research (excluding cases) over the most recent six-year period. The department was also ranked internationally for all methods, audit and experimental accounting research.
With respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty in the area of accounting education reported in the 2021 Update: Dr. Douglas Boyle, was ranked No. 7; and James F. Boyle, D.B.A., C.P.A., associate professor and director of the MAcc program, and Brian W. Carpenter, Ph.D., professor, ranked No. 18 (tied).
The doctoral program, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, also engages renowned scholars from other institutions to advise and serve on dissertation committees. These esteemed faculty members include George W. Krull, Jr., Ph.D., external global strategic advisor for the doctoral program, Dr. Krull served as a partner in the executive office of Grant Thornton LLP and was the firm’s chief learning officer. He has served as an executive-in-residence and professor of accounting at Bradley University where he was awarded emeritus status in 2011. During his distinguished career, Dr. Krull has served with the American Accounting Association (AAA), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Pathways Commission. He was a member of the AACSB International’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Accreditation Quality and has served four terms on the AACSB’s Accounting Accreditation Committee. In 2014, Dr. Krull was recognized as one of one hundred distinguished graduates of Spears School at Oklahoma State during its centennial anniversary celebration, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Spears School Hall of Fame. In 2016, he received the American Accounting Association Outstanding Service Award.
Students currently enrolled in the program and students entering the program for fall 2023 will receive a Ph.D. degree.
For additional information about Scranton’s first Ph.D. program, visit the program’s webpage or contact the Accounting Department at the University at 570-941-4047 or Caitlyn Hollingshead,
Scranton to Offer First Ph.D. Degree
-
07/22/2022
Sarah Kenehan, Ph.D., a University of Scranton alumna and former professor of philosophy at Marywood University, was named executive director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, effective July 5.
Since joining the faculty at Marywood University in 2009, Dr. Kenehan has taught courses in business, environmental and animal ethics, and global, climate and food justice. She served as the chair of Marywood’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, director of their Women’s Studies Program, and was the co-founder and co-chair of Pacers for Justice and Peace. She also served on dozens of other committees, including the Rank and Tenure Committee and Student Evaluation of Teaching Task Force.
As a scholar, Dr. Kenehan has studied extensively the works of John Bordley Rawls, an American moral and political philosopher in the liberal tradition, and has published three books on climate justice: “Climate Justice and Feasibility: Normative Theorizing, Feasibility Constraints, and Climate Action” (Rowman Littlefield International, 2021); “Climate Justice and Feasibility: Principles of Justice and Real-World Climate Politics” (Rowman Littlefield International, 2021); and “Food, Environment, and Climate: Justice at the Intersections” (Rowman Littlefield International, 2018). She has published numerous articles on academic journals, contributed to book chapters, and presented at more than 30 international, national and regional conferences and meetings.
Dr. Kenehan earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and philosophy from Scranton in 2002 as a member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. She was a member of the Women’s Cross Country Team at Scranton. She also earned her master’s degree from the University of Tennessee, and her Ph.D. from the University of Graz in Austria.
Executive Director of Slattery Center Named
-
07/18/2022
University of Scranton student, Alex Chan ’23, Wilkes-Barre, was awarded a 2022 Huayu Enrichment Chinese Language Immersion Scholarship from the Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. The scholarship will allow him to study at Fu Jen Catholic University, a Jesuit university in Taipei, Taiwan, during the summer.
The scholarship was established in 2005 by Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to encourage international students and individuals to study the Mandarin Chinese language in Taiwan.
A dean’s list student at Scranton, Chan is a neuroscience major with a concentration in Asian studies and a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program. He was inducted to the University’s Asian Studies Honor Society.
Chan is a graduate of Holy Redeemer High School.
Chan is the second Scranton student to be awarded the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship since 2020. Mary-Katherine Cotter ’22, Massapequa, New York, received the scholarship in 2021.
With support from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, the University has strengthened its Chinese language program and hosted numerous events that showcase and educate members of the University and greater Scranton community about Taiwanese culture. During the past decade, the University has hosted a Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company performance of an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice;” the Taiwanese Film and Cultural Festival; and performances by the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company and the Chai Found Music Workshop, among other enrichment and educational events.
In 2012, the University was formally presented with the Kinmen Peace Bell Replica by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York in recognition of the cordial relationship and collaboration between the University and the various government agencies and universities of Taiwan. The Peace Bell, engraved with the word “peace” in more than 100 languages, can be seen in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center.
Student Wins Chinese Language Immersion Scholarship
-
07/18/2022
The Broadway Green Alliance, an industry-wide initiative founded in 2008 to educate and encourage the theatre community to implement environmentally friendlier practices, featured The University of Scranton Players in its community spotlight in the spring semester.
The sustainability efforts of the University Players were highlighted through the Broadway Green Alliance social media network, which includes Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The post included a quote from University student Samantha Burton, a theatre major from Jamesville, New York, and the University’s student Green Captain for the Alliance, which provides Captains at colleges and universities with resources for greening collegiate theatre productions.
“The theatre program at The University of Scranton has incorporated sustainable practices even before the current trend. Faculty, guest artists and students have long been encouraged to reuse scenic elements and incorporate a ‘trash into treasure’ philosophy of scenic, costume and prop décor, and have tried to institute sustainable best practices in all production areas,” said Burton in the social media post.
The University Players have incorporated green initiatives into their productions for more than two decades. Early sustainable theatre examples include the program’s inventive reuse of cardboard carpet tubing and discarded carpet to create life-like trees for the setting of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” production in 2002. The “trees” were subsequently “harvested” to create a log fishing cabin for the Player’s 2002 production of “The Foreigner.” Rich Larsen, who had served as director of the Theatre Program at Scranton for many years, received the University’s Provost’s Award in 2007 for Excellence in Integrating Sustainability in the Curriculum in recognition of the Theatre Program’s many green initiatives.
Sustainability efforts continue at the University today. Scranton is among just 100 colleges with an active College Green Captain Program.
The University of Scranton Players is an academic Theatre Program that brings exceptional theatre to Northeastern Pennsylvania every season. The Players’ productions feature University of Scranton students in a mix of classical and contemporary works under the direction and mentorship of award-winning faculty and guest artists.
University Players Recognized for Green Initiatives
-
07/06/2022
More than 1,700 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2022 spring semester. In addition, students were added to the Dean’s List for the 2021 fall semester after the list was published in January.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
University Announces Dean’s List Students
-
07/05/2022
Michael Bermudez, Ed.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy at The University of Scranton, received the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program teaching and research award to Uganda for 2022-2023. Dr. Bermudez will spend six months working with faculty of the Special Needs and Rehabilitation Department at Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda, teaching undergraduate students studying in the occupational therapy and educational technology fields, as he researches “Educational Technology for Inclusive Learning in Uganda.”
Dr. Bermudez will study perceptions of college students regarding the use of educational technology before and after introducing student learning experiences with 3-D Printer and simple circuit technologies.
“I am hoping this research project will lead to a better understanding of ways to overcome barriers regarding the use and application of educational technologies that can open the doors for women and minority student populations and lead to the creation and application of education technology tools that will improve learning for people with disabilities in Uganda and other countries,” said Dr. Bermudez, who explained that many women and minority students in the US tend to be more hesitant in using technology. “Overcoming barriers of perception can release untapped potential for new applications that can then improve the lives and learning of so many others. The impact can be exponential.”
Dr. Bermudez is optimistic about the potential based on a pilot study he completed last Spring of 2022 at Scranton, through which occupational therapy students participated in small groups to use circuit boards to create their own adaptive educational tools for people with disabilities, such as communication boards.
Dr. Bermudez said some of the students at Scranton were at first apprehensive about using the technology, but their perceptions and enthusiasm towards its use changed after their classroom experience. He is hopeful he will see similar results with undergraduate students in Uganda. He will also let these students design assistive devices for children with disabilities to be produced in a 3D printer which he will bring to Uganda,
In addition to his teaching and research, Dr. Bermudez will serve in Ugandan communities to help assess the abilities of children with disabilities to participate in more inclusive education..
“Children everywhere deserve the ability to play and learn. Occupational therapy and educational technology can help them better achieve these basic human needs,” said Dr. Bermudez. “I hope to help develop ‘occupational justice’ mindsets; that is, to help ensure a person’s right to engage in activities—including participation in school or participating in activities of daily living.”
Dr. Bermudez, who joined the faculty at Scranton in 2019 after practicing in the field for nearly 20 years, said he is grateful for the support he received from the University throughout the competitive Fulbright application process.
“Despite the arduous process, I would encourage faculty to apply to this program. The Provost’s Office, the Panuska College of Professional Studies Dean’s Office, fellow faculty, staff members and my students – everyone at Scranton was helpful and encouraging throughout the process,” said Dr. Bermudez, who credits his students for recommending he look at Uganda as a location for his research.
“Some of my students knew of my interest to expand my research in educational technology beyond the United States, and suggested I consider Uganda after they returned from a service trip there,” said Dr. Bermudez.
At Kyambogo University, Dr. Bermudez will work with Eli Katunguka Rwakishaya, Ph.D., vice-chancellor; Lawrence Eron, Ph.D., dean of the Department of Special Needs and Rehabilitation; Stackus Okwaput, Ph.D. research fellow and head of the Department of Special Needs; and James Bulenzibuto, head of International Relations.
Dr. Bermudez earned his bachelor’s degrees from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines and the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, and his master’s degree and doctorate from New Jersey City University.
Widely considered to be the premier international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, the Fulbright program awards grants to faculty and professionals as well as to student scholars. Since 1972, a total of 127 University students have been awarded Fulbrights.
Professor Uses Fulbright to Promote Occupational Justice
-
07/05/2022
Ten members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 have committed to post-graduation long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations. Their service begins this summer at programs run by the Jesuit Volunteer Corps and other organizations.
The following is a list of members of the University’s class of 2022 who committed to long-term service projects and their places of service.
Marino D. Angeloni, Jessup, will serve as a high school teacher and assist with campus ministry at Yap Caholic High School in Micronesia. Angeloni earned a Bachelor of Science degree in counseling and human services.
Victoria T. Chiulli, Scarsdale, New York, will serve as an activities coordinator as part of the Mercy Volunteer Corps at the Adult Day Program at Georgia Infirmary in Savannah, Georgia. Chiulli earned a Master of Science degree in occupational therapy.
Isaiah J. Livelsberger, Hanover, will serve with advocacy work and legal services at Casa Nazaret with the KINO Border Initiative. Livelsberger earned a Bachelor of Science degree as a double major in international studies and philosophy. He also was a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Abril Lopez, Scranton, will teach at Holy Name School in Camden, New Jersey, as an ACE Teaching Fellow with St. Joseph’ s University. Lopez earned a Bachelor of Science as a double major in criminal justice and philosophy.
Margaret R. McGrath, Drexel Hill, will serve at Little Brothers, Friends of the Elderly in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. McGrath earned a Bachelor of Science degree as a double major in biology and philosophy. She was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, its undergraduate Honors Program and its Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Emma M. Reed, Stratford, Connecticut, will serve as a high school English teacher in Baltimore, Maryland, with Operation Teach. Reed earned a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education – English.
Molly H. Skinner, Reading, Massachusetts, will serve in learning support as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Northwest, at St. Therese Catholic Academy in Seattle, Washington. Skinner earned a Master of Science in special education.
Olivia R. Stemkowski, Highland Mills, New York, will serve as an adult services coordinator at the University of Alaska at the Kuskokwim Consortium Library in Fairfax, Alaska, as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Northwest. Stemkowski earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history.
Lauren P. Usaitis, Du Bois, will serve as an after school and teen programs coordinator at Girls in the Game in Chicago, Illinois, as part of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Usaitis earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.
Sarah V. White, Brooklyn, New York, will serve with eco-justice initiatives at the St. Joseph Justice Center Ministry in Orange County, California, for the Sisters of St. Joseph Volunteers. White earned a Bachelor of Science degree as a double major in biology and philosophy. She was a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and its Magis Honors Program in STEM. She was also the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Nationally recognized for its commitment to service, The University of Scranton was among just 29 elite colleges in the nation selected to the Catholic Volunteer Network’s 2020 “Top Schools for Service.” was among just 361 colleges in the nation to earn the highly-respected Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification and was among the higher education institutions named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.
Class of 2022 Graduates Choose Long Term Service
-
06/29/2022
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2021 median annual wage for biochemists and biophysicists was $102, 270. Additionally, the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Science Education predicts that “the aging of the baby-boom population will likely drive demand for biophysicists involved in biomedical research.”
The University of Scranton’s Bachelor of Science in biophysics provides students with an interdisciplinary education aimed learning how to develop the critical thinking and analytical skills needed in this complex field of work. University departments that frequently collaborate with students in this program include chemistry, biology, psychology, physical therapy, occupational therapy and nursing.
With small class sizes capped at 25 to 30 students, faculty work with students on an individual basis to ensure their unique goals are being met, especially regarding research opportunities. Through optional faculty-mentored research opportunities, students can work on a variety of research topics that are of interest to them. Previous student work covered topics including haptic research, heart rate variability, biophysics of hearing and transdermal drug delivery. Previous students have also attained paid summer research experiences at Purdue University of South Florida and Rutgers University.
An undergraduate degree in biophysics prepares students to pursue advanced degrees in fields like biomedical engineering, electrical engineering, medical physics medicine, or optometry. Examples of graduate schools that have accepted recent Scranton graduates include Columbia University, Carnegie Mellon University, John Hopkins University, and The University of Pennsylvania.
While most Scranton’s biophysics majors choose to pursue additional graduate education, there are career opportunities available in the industry immediately after graduation as well.
Researching Career Possibilities with Biophysics
-
06/21/2022
University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., quoted from St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit order, in his welcome to the students and their families of the class of 2026.
“‘Strive after the goal to which you are called with all your might. Know that God has already supplied you with the means to achieve it. And, remember that love must always manifest itself in deeds rather than words.’ Those words are nearly five centuries old, and yet they are still relevant today as they were when St. Ignatius wrote them,” said Fr. Marina at the start of the orientation sessions for the 1,000-plus members of Scranton’s class of 2026. The University will conduct four two-day sessions for the members of its incoming class and their parents and guardians on June 21-22, 23-24, 27-28 and June 30-July 1.
Scranton’s summer orientation is designed to introduce new students and their families to the University’s procedures, facilities and support services, and to provide them with the opportunity to meet with faculty, administrators and staff, as well as each other.
Follow Scranton’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media channels for additional photos from the Orientation sessions.
$content.getChild('content').textValueMembers of Class of 2026 Begin Orientation
-
06/17/2022
More than 1,700 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2022 spring semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
University Announces Spring 2022 Dean’s List
-
06/17/2022
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the fall 2021 semester after publication of the list in January of 2022.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2021 fall semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the fall 2021 Dean’s List are:
Lamar BishopFiona BurkeElizabeth CarusoDaniel CoatesElena DarmientoAlexis DeMartinoCollin EnnisJacqueline HeratyNoah JohnsonBrendan KingHannah KowalskiHannah MayerClare McGradeAnnalisa MechanickTaylor MogliaFred MukeloJacqueline MurphyElise SementilliCameron ShedlockNathan TauberMia Zaloga.Students Added to Fall 2021 Dean’s List
-
06/16/2022
Summer orientation sessions for students, parents and guardians of The University of Scranton’s class of 2026 will begin next week. The University will conduct four two-day sessions for the 1,000-plus members of its incoming class and their parents on June 21-22, 23-24, 27-28 and June 30-July 1.
Scranton’s summer orientation is designed to introduce new students and their families to the University’s procedures, facilities and support services, and to provide them with the opportunity to meet with faculty, administrators and staff, as well as each other.
Student orientation team leaders Kathryn Olafson ’24 from Malvern, a secondary education –citizenship/history major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program; David Reese ’24 from Lebanon, New Jersey, a computer science major; and Margaret Swiderski ’23 from Farmingville, New York, a biology major, will join with University administrators, staff, faculty and nearly 60 student orientation assistants to help acquaint members of the incoming class to Scranton.
Sessions for students include information about academic life, the successful transition to college, Scranton’s inclusive community, campus life and mission and ministry, as well as smaller sessions for students to get to know each. Sessions for parents include information about academics, financial aid services, career development, mission and ministry, campus life and strategies for success. The University will also display a tribute to the class of 2026 on its four-story, Class of 2020 Gateway lighted sign on the evenings of orientation.
Fall welcome weekend for incoming students is set for Saturday and Sunday, August 27 and 28. Classes for the University’s fall semester will begin on campus on Monday, August 29.
$content.getChild('content').textValueClass of 2026 Summer Orientation Session to Begin
-
06/15/2022
The University of Scranton’s Cybercrime and Homeland Security program, with support from Jacobs, the global defense and security consulting firm, will offer a free Royal’s Cyber Investigation Camp for area high school students July 12-15. Through hands-on active learning experiences and lessons by University professors and professionals working in the field of cyber intelligence and cybersecurity, participants will have a unique opportunity to explore possible career paths in the emerging, dynamic and in-demand sector.
Students in the camp will learn about cybercriminal profiling, cybersecurity countermeasures, cyber law and digital forensics through classes taught in the University’s Cyber Forensics and Cybersecurity lab. In addition to Scranton faculty, Jacobs staff members will also participate as instructors. Jacobs will also host the high school students at their office in the Washington, D.C., area on the final day of the camp.
Participation is open to students who will be in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade in fall 2022. There is no fee for students attending this camp. The priority application deadline is June 24, 2022, after which new applications will continue to be considered until spots are filled. Interested students can apply for the camp here.
The University of Scranton began to offer a bachelor’s degree in cybercrime and homeland security in the fall of 2020 and will begin to offer a master’s degree program in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity beginning in the fall 2022. Students participating in these programs have access to hands-on programming and research opportunities offered through the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime.
In May, the University announced a partnership with Jacobs through which the global company will offer advice on the fast-changing field to support and keep current the University’s cyber-related undergraduate and graduate curriculum. In addition to supporting the summer Royal Cyber Investigation Camp, Jacobs will also be a source of internships for University students and a source of job placement for University graduates.
For more information or questions about the Royal Cyber Investigation Camp, please contact Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Criminology, at Michael.Jenkins@scranton.edu or 570-941-6170.
Free Cyber Investigation Camp Planned for July 12-15
-
06/14/2022
Twenty-one high school students completed The University of Scranton’s University of Success program, a multi-year, an academic and enrichment program that is designed for high school students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. All of the graduates have plan to continue their education post-secondary schools, with 19 already committing to colleges, universities and trade schools.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include Dime Bank, Fidelity Bank, Carl and JoAnne Kuehner, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, Inc., Overlook Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, PPL Foundation, Lisa C. Thomas, M.D., and Waste Management.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their four years of high school. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars.
The following is a list of 2022 University of Success graduates, the high school they attended, and their post-high school plans.
Rebecca Coldwell of Taylor, who graduated from Riverside Junior/Senior High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in physiology in the pre-medical and pre-health professions program.
Elisha De Souza of Blakely, who graduated from Valley View High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and will pursue a major in business.
Anthony Diaz of Scranton, who graduated from West Scranton High School, plans to attend Baldwin Wallace University in Ohio and major in biology in the pre-veterinary program.
Shane Frank of Taylor, who graduated from Riverside Junior/Senior High School, plans to attend Juniata College and major in physics.
Adriana Gentle of Tunkhannock, who graduated from Tunkhannock Area High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University, Wilkes-Barre. She has not yet declared a major.
Caillou Kaneski of Tunkhannock, who graduated from Tunkhannock Area High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in mathematics and computer science.
Emily Kogan of Moscow, who graduated from North Pocono High School, plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh and major in chemistry.
Samuel Anthony Loukopoulos of Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend Lackawanna College. He has not yet declared a major.
Logan Matone of Throop, who graduated from Mid Valley Secondary Center, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in electrical or mechanical engineering.
Mikayla Mendez of Taylor, who graduated from Riverside Junior/Senior High School, plans to attend Georgia State University and major in early and primary education.
Liam Misko of Carbondale, who graduated from Carbondale Area Junior Senior High School, plans to attend Kentucky Welding Institute for pipeline fabrication.
Andrea Murphy of Milford, who graduated from Delaware Valley High School, plans to attend an online university to study real estate.
Corey Ortiz of Bushkill, who graduated from Norte Dame High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University, main campus, and major in computer science.
Yeraiza Pena of Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in international business.
Ritu Regmi of Scranton, who graduated from Scranton High School, plans to attend Marywood University in the pre-physician assistant program.
Mahnoor Sami of Jessup, who graduated from Valley View High School, plans to attend Marywood University in the pre-physician assistant program.
Victoria Scarpati of Lake Ariel, who graduated from Western Wayne High School, plans to attend the University of New Haven. She has not yet declared a major.
Jordan Traver of Friendville, who graduated from Montrose Area Junior Senior High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in nursing.
Mayra Suely Varela of Taylor, who graduated from Riverside Junior/Senior High School, plans to attend Marywood University and major in nursing.
John Edgardo Velazguez of Scranton, who graduated from West Scranton High School, plans to attend Kutztown University and major in physics/astronomy.
Pavel Vorozilchak of Blakely, who graduated from Valley View High School, has not yet committed to a college or university. He is interested in studying political science, Spanish or business.
Additional information about the program can be found on the University of Success web site.
Students Graduate from the University of Success
-
06/14/2022
The University of Scranton awarded faculty development summer grants for 2022 to 11 faculty members.
Roxana A. Curiel, Ph.D., assistant professor of world languages and cultures, received a grant to research “De muxe a muxe: Mueidad and the Third Gender in Zapotec Culture.” She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (2012) from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and a Ph.D. (2016) in Peninsular and Mexican Literature and Cultures from the University of California, Riverside. Dr. Curiel has worked for the University since 2020.
Roy Domenico, Ph.D., professor and chair of the History Department, received a grant to research “Two Worlds: Italo-American Cultural Relations and the Cold War.” He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University. Dr. Domenico has worked for the University since 1997.
Christopher Fremaux, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy, received a grant to research “Crusisu’s Guide to Living Rationally: A Translation Report.” He earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas, a master’s degree from Boston College and a Ph.D. from the State University of New York, Stony Brook. Dr. Fremaux has worked for the University since 2020.
Madeline B. Gangnes, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre, received a grant to research “Young Folks and Victorian Illustrated Periodicals.” She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound, a master’s degree from the University of Dundee in Scotland and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. Dr. Gangnes has worked for the University since 2020.
Emily Hopkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, received a grant to research “Shared storybook reading as an educational tool in early childhood.” She earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. Dr. Hopkins has worked for the University since 2018.
JoyAnna S. Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and co-director of the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, received a grant to research “Environmental Condition and State Environmental Agency Approval.” She earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. Dr. Hopper has worked for the University since 2020.
David Ingber, Ph.D., faculty specialist in the Biology Department, received a grant to research “Effects of Corn Herbivory-Induced Plant Volatiles (HIPVs) on Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugpiderda Smith) Oviposition Choice.” He earned a a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York, Oswego, a master’s degree in entomology from Iowa State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Delaware. Dr. Ingber has worked for the University since 2019.
Michael Knies, professor, Weinberg Memorial Library, received a grant to research “The Impact of Linotype Technology on the British Typefounding Industry, 1896-1910. ‘The lino is killing us.’” He earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree from Rutgers University. He has worked for the University since 1996.
Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering, received a grant to research “NMR Detector with electronic frequency control.” He earned a bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Dr. Mulhall has worked for the University since 2004.
Paul Sampson, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, received a grant to research “Ventilating the Empire: Environmental Machines in Britain 1700-1850.” He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Dallas, a master’s degree from Marquette University, and his Ph.D., from Rutgers University. Dr. Sampson has worked for the University since 2020.
Matthew Shea, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy, received a grant to research “God and Happiness.” He received a bachelor’s degree from Boston College and a Ph.D. from Boston College. Dr. Shea has worked for the University since 2020.
Summer Faculty Development Grants Awarded
-
06/14/2022
The University of Scranton SBDC offers educational programs and guidance as part of a microgrant program for new small business in the City of Scranton located in low-moderate-income demographic areas. The first businesses were granted funds through this program recently: Electric City Cuts and Fades and Pilgers’ Pastrie.
The funds are awarded to the city through the Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program from the Housing and Urban Development Administration (HUD).
The CDBG Small Business Micro-Grant Program for new or early-stage businesses located in Scranton’s low-moderate-income demographic areas (LMA) will supply funds ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 per business through 2022 to assist with start-up costs, thus contributing to their initial success and continued revitalization of our community. Final applications for the microgrants must include a referral form from the SBDC, available after completing the required educational program series and/or business consulting and demonstrating appropriate business planning in accordance with program guidelines.
Qualifying businesses can find an application on the City of Scranton website.
Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of the SBDC at The University of Scranton, joined Scranton Mayor Paige G. Cognetti, at an event to announce the recipients of two microgrants awarded through the program.
The SBDC at The University of Scranton is housed in the Kania School of Management.
SBDC Offers Businesses Educational Support
-
06/14/2022
Author Nicole Eustace, Ph.D., the winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in History for her book “Covered with Night,” spoke at The University of Scranton in May, as part of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) supported “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” Project. She drew from the central themes of her award-winning book in her presentation titled “Murder and Mercy: A Colonial Encounter in the Susquehanna Valley.” The talk by Dr. Eustace, a professor of history at New York University, was related to the “Scranton’s Story” project’s third theme: “The Indigenous History of Northeast Pennsylvania.”
The lecture, and a second talk titled “Removal and the Right to Remain in the United States,” by Samantha Seeley, Ph.D., associate professor of history at the University of Richmond, at which took place in May the Albright Memorial Library, were sponsored by the University’s Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities, History Department and Office of Community Relations; and community partners the Black Scranton Project, Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, Lackawanna Historical Society, Scranton Public Library, and WVIA.
“Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” seeks to capture the unique narrative of Scranton and relate it to the history of the United States prior to the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The project will incorporate eight themes over a two-year period, including how Scranton has been portrayed in the popular imagination, its industrial era growth, Indigenous history, religious tapestry, diverse immigrant populations – past and present – and the role it played in the Underground Railroad and Black history. Both lectures in May relate to the project’s third theme: “The Indigenous History of Northeast Pennsylvania.”
$content.getChild('content').textValuePulitzer Prize Winning Author Speaks at Scranton
-
06/10/2022
More than 300 students in grades five to 12 from Northeast Pennsylvania, New York and Singapore participated in The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest this year. Awards were announced at the University’s Evening of Environmental Science Event on campus in April.
“Some teachers are very connected with doing projects related to sustainability and the environment. They pass this along to their students and put a lot of work into ensuring that the essays submitted by their students are done very well,” said Mark Murphy, director of the Office of Sustainability at the University, about the quality of the record number of essays received this year for the contest.
University students who work in the Jesuit school’s Office of Sustainability reviewed the essays submitted, in addition to organizing the award ceremony. University students participating in the ceremony and helping with the event were: Nathaniel Smith, Wilkes-Barre, a neuroscience major and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, who served as MC for the award presentation; Emily Burgers, an environmental science major from Woodland Park, New Jersey; Meghan Caffrey, an English major from Wilkes-Barre; Angela Hudock, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major from Sayre; Matthew Kinback, a 2021 graduate of The University of Scranton and current graduate student at the University from Factoryville; Sam Marranca, a history major from Pittston and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program; Michael Quinnan, a biomathematics major from Shavertown and a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM; Karla Shaffer, a political science major from Doylestown; and Emma Warras, an environmental science major from Kinnelon, New Jersey.
This year’s essay theme was “We Are All Connected.”
Three of the four fifth-grade essay contest winners were from Dallas Intermediate High School in Luzerne County. Carley Knorr won first place, Callie Comstock won second place, and Ryan Ricardo, who tied for third place with Alec G. from All Saints Academy in Scranton.
The sixth-grade essay contest winners were Emma DeSanto, first place, from Holy Rosary in Duryea; Nicholas Ardolino, second place, from Bay Academy in Brooklyn, New York; and Devin Rong, also from Bay Academy, tied for third place with Alex Rosencrance from Holy Rosary.
The seventh-grade essay contest winners were: Maggie Butler from St. Clare/St. Paul’s in Scranton, who tied with Maeve Judge from Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School in Scranton for first place; Edie Hann from Northeast Intermediate School who tied with Cole G. from All Saints Academy, Scranton, for second place, and Matthew Cohen from Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School who tied with Edwin Camacho from West Scranton Intermediate School for third place.
The eighth-grade essay contest winners were: Mckayla White, first place, Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School, and Justin Gao and Briana Huang, tied for second place, both from Bay Academy. Both third place winners, Kayla V. and Cleo D., were from All Saints Academy.
The ninth-10th grade essay contest winners were: Brooke Bilski, first place, Holy Cross High School, Dunmore; Archer Jones, second place, West Scranton High School; and Ella Cohen, third place, Scranton Preparatory School.
The 11th-12th grade essay contest winners were: Norah Kennedy, first place, Holy Cross High School,; Dante Warhola, second place, Holy Cross High School; and Hannah Burke, third place, Blue Mountain High School, Schuylkill Haven.
Information about next year’s essay contest will be posted to the University’s Sustainability webpage in January 2023.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Presents Earth Day Essay Contest Awards
-
06/09/2022
The University of Scranton hosted panel discussion about the Jesuit university’s Prison Education Initiative on campus during the spring semester.
Inspired by the work of Gregory Boyle, S.J., the founder of Homeboy Industries, The University of Scranton’s Prison Education Initiative seeks to provide inmates in Northeastern Pennsylvania with an Associate of Arts degree in just over three years. The program, directed by Chris Haw, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology/religious studies at Scranton, hopes to build foundations upon which inmates can continue their education.
Panelists Dr. Haw and Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology, discussed their experience teaching at the State Correctional Institution, SCI-Dallas, in Luzerne County; and Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., then provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Scranton, spoke on the subject of mass incarceration. Darryl Byers-Robinson, an alumnus of the Bard Prison Initiative, who starred in “College Behind Bars,” also participated in the discussion as a guest-speaker.
Pictured below are several professors at The University of Scranton who have taught at the State Correctional Institution, SCI—Dallas in Luzerne County through the Jesuit university’s Prison Education Initiative. From left are some of the professors who have participated in the Prison Education Initiative: Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of physics and electrical engineering; Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology; Darryl Byers-Robinson, Alumnus of Bard Prison Initiative, guest speaker at a panel discussion about the initiative; and Will Cohen, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Hosts Discussion of Prison Education Initiative
-
06/09/2022
Ryan Sheehan, J.D., has been named executive director of the Jesuit Center at The University of Scranton, effective June 1, 2022.
Sheehan joined The University of Scranton in 2012 as assistant director of The Jesuit Center. During his time at Scranton, he has led numerous retreats and seminars for staff and faculty members to learn, experience and explore Ignatian spirituality. He has also served as interim executive director in 2017. Among the programs he led was the “Footsteps of Ignatius Pilgrimage,” which begins with a nine-month on-campus Ignatian Leadership Program and culminates with a summer trip to Spain and Italy to visit the important sites in the life of St. Ignatius and other prominent Jesuits.
Sheehan also serves as an adjunct professor in several departments at Scranton, including political science, philosophy, English and history.
In addition, Sheehan leads immersion trips for the Kino Border Initiative for the Ignatian Colleagues Program, which is a national program of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities designed to educate and form administrators and faculty more deeply in the Jesuit and Catholic tradition of higher education.
Prior to joining the University, Sheehan worked and lived with Native Americans in Arizona and New Mexico, serving as a teacher and coach at St. Michael Indian School, a Catholic school on the Navajo Reservation.
Sheehan earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware, his master’s degree from Western New Mexico University and his juris doctor degree from Arizona State University.
Ryan Sheehan Named Executive Director
-
06/09/2022
The University of Scranton’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service held its inaugural conference on campus in April. Craig Wheeland, Ph.D., the senior vice provost for academics, and professor of public administration at Villanova University, served as keynote speaker. In addition, panelists discussed current political topics including the ethics of legislative pay and per diems, the best grant writing practices, the ethics boards and codes of local governments. University students Clara Downey, Easthampton, Massachusetts; Ana Rahman, Pearl River, New York; and Conor Nealon, Duryea; presented on ways to increase voting among young adults.
The Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS) was instituted in the fall of 2021. Programs offered seek to develop ethical and capable public officials in Northeastern Pennsylvania in order to govern in ways that are just and effective for all community members. CEEPS also hopes to develop an engaged and civically informed community through education, training and public service opportunities. JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science, and Jean Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science, serve as co-directors of CEEPS.
Pictured below, from left, are: Megan J. Schurra, Easton, University student intern for CEEPS; JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and CEEPS co-director; Craig Wheeland, Ph.D., keynote speaker, senior vice provost for academics and professor of public administration, Villanova University; Jean Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science and CEEPS co-director; and Caroline Ries, Tunkhannock, University student intern for CEEPS.
$content.getChild('content').textValueEthics and Excellence in Public Service Conference Held
-
06/09/2022
The University of Scranton hosted a lecture by Michael Mann, Ph.D., on his latest book, “The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet.” Dr. Mann’s presentation, part of Scranton’s Earth Day programming, explored the intricacies of the struggle to conquer the disinformation campaigns of the fossil fuel industry. Following his assessment of the current political barriers to climate change policy, Dr. Mann discussed inadequate solutions as well as the responses to the climate crisis he deems best.
The author of five books on climate change, Dr. Mann’s research has been published in more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications. He was a lead author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001 and was organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences Frontiers of Science in 2003. He contributed, with other IPCC authors, to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.
Dr. Mann is a Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science and the director of the Earth System Science Center at Penn State University. He holds joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute and has received countless awards over the past two decades for his work.
Author Discusses Climate Crisis at Scranton
-
06/01/2022
Thirty-Three members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.
The following is a list of the class of 2022 undergraduate Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.
Tiannah N. Adams, New York, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a psychology major. Adams worked with faculty advisor Patrick T. Orr, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, on a thesis titled "The Effects of Apparent Race and Resume Strength on Company Response Rates."
Sophia V. Alderman, Oreland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a psychology major. Alderman worked with faculty advisor Emily J. Hopkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled "Individual differences and a hierarchy of learning: How children learn from educational television." Alderman was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Christina F. Alfano, Red Bank, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major. Alfano worked with faculty advisor Kathleen G. Dwyer, Ph.D., Department of Biology, on a thesis titled "Generation of CRISPR Construct pCA1g61370CR2 Targeting the Arabidopsis thaliana At1g61370 Receptor Like Kinase (RLK) Gene and Restriction Site Loss Analysis of pGSMFSCRL26CR2 Knockout Transgenic Plants."
Emily L. Allen, Scott Township, graduated as a biology and Hispanic studies double major. Allen worked with faculty advisor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Effect of Age on Cellular Respiration in Camponotus floridanus Ants."
Stephanie R. Alvarez, South Setauket, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a political science and criminal justice double major. Alvarez worked with faculty advisor Michael E. Allison, Ph.D., professor of political science, on a thesis titled "The Future of US-Cuba Relations."
MaKenna L. Bryant, Dallas, graduated, magna cum laude, as a physiology major. Bryant worked with faculty advisor Christopher Howey, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Effects of Ambient Light at Night on the Metabolic Rates of Anolis carolinensis."
Claire J. Carrera, North Bergen, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a psychology major. Carrera worked with faculty advisor Christie P. Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology, on a thesis titled "Student Perceptions of Microaggressions by Authorities & Peers."
Lauren E. Cleary, Lynbrook, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Cleary worked with faculty advisor Jill A. Warker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, on a thesis titled "The Effects of Rhythmic Priming on Word Learning."
Mary-Katherine J. Cotter, Massapequa, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a history and political science double major. Cotter worked with faculty advisor Michael E. Allison, Ph.D., professor of political science, on a thesis titled "United States-Chinese Relations: The Prevention of Violence."
Patrick Dawid, Exeter, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Dawid worked with faculty advisor Christie P. Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology, on a thesis titled "Predicting Treatment Stigma Using Constructs Associated with Self-Reliance." Dawid was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and was the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship at Scranton.
Koebe S. Diaz, Dumont, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a psychology major. Diaz worked with faculty advisor Jessica M. Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology, on a thesis titled "Crisis at the Southern Boarder: A Scenario Study."
Mia K. Gianello, Old Forge, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and biomathematics double major. Gianello worked with faculty advisor Steven T. Dougherty, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, on a thesis titled "Distances in Graphs of Permutations."
Sarah C. Hickey, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a history major. Hickey worked with faculty advisor Susan L. Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history, on a thesis titled "False Memories: A History of Racism in the Women's Suffrage Movement and its Historiography."
Megan G. Johannesen, Rocky Point, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a political science and philosophy double major. Johannesen worked with faculty advisor Jean W. Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science, on a thesis titled "The Americans with Disabilities Act - Title I: Employment." Johannesen was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Isaiah J. Livelsberger, Hanover, graduated, summa cum laude, as an international studies and philosophy double major. Livelsberger worked with faculty advisor Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, on a thesis titled "Transitioning into Justice and Peace: A Comparative Study of Elites and Civil Society in Post-Genocide Rwanda and Guatemala."
Nia N. Long, East Stroudsburg, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Long worked with faculty advisor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled "The Effects of Synthetic Hydraulic Fracturing Solution on Locomotion and Brian Morphology in Camponotus floridanus." Long was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Ryan J. Maguire, Chester Springs, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry major. Maguire worked with faculty advisor David A. Rusak, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled "Effect of Sewer Treatment on Nitrate and Phosphate Levels in the Lackawanna River."
Serena M. Mancini, Wayne, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a criminal justice and counseling and human services double major. Mancini worked with faculty advisor Loreen Wolfer, Ph.D., professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, on a thesis titled "The Media's Influence on the Public's Perception of Mass Murder and its Implications."
Samuel L. Marranca, Pittston, graduated, summa cum laude, as a history major. Marranca worked with faculty advisor Sean Brennan, Ph.D., professor of history, on a thesis titled "Coping with the Nazi Legacy: An Examination of Denazification and Post-War Divided Memory in West Germany, 1945-1965."
Allison M. McGee, Peckville, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. McGee worked with faculty advisor Christopher Howey, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Latex Balloon Degradation Differs Based on Environment."
Margaret R. McGrath, Drexel Hill, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major. McGrath worked with faculty advisor Christopher Howey, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "The Effects of Ambient Light at Night on the Stress Response in Green Anoles (Anolis carolinensis)." McGrath was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Laura E. Miller, White Haven, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and biology double major. Miller worked with faculty advisor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Bacteriophage Transfer in Camponotus floridanus through Trophallaxis."
Ashley E. Mullan, Hunntington, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as an applied mathematics and philosophy double major. Mullan worked with faculty advisor Murong Xu, Ph.D., assistant professor of mathematics, on a thesis titled "Musical Feature Classification: Using Techniques of Machine Learning to Detect Genre." Mullan was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and was the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship at Scranton.
Shane D. Power, Bronx, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. Power worked with faculty advisor Cara A. Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Effects of Environmental Quality on House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) Reproductive Success."
Natalie G. Pullows Tetuan , Saint James, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a criminal justice major. Pullows Tetuan worked with faculty advisor Loreen Wolfer, Ph.D., professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, on a thesis titled "Examining the Perception of Recreational Marijuana and Non-Prescription Adderall use amongst College Students."
Catherine R. Renton, Ringwood, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as an environmental science major. Renton worked with faculty advisor Vincent R. Farallo, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Soil Microhabitat Differences Between Two Microendemic Salamanders."
Krista M. Segreti, Danbury, Connecticut, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Segreti worked with faculty advisor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled "Nestmate Presence Reduces Isolation Induced Digestive Impairments in the Ant Camponotus floridanus."
Amanda L. Serafin, Mechanicsburg, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting and business analytics double major. Serafin worked with faculty advisor Ashley L. Stampone, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting, on a thesis titled "Integrating ESG into the Accounting Curriculum: Insights from Accounting Educators."
Elias J. Shomali, Ellicott City, Maryland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Shomali worked with faculty advisor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled "The Effects of Serotonergic Manipulation on Ant Feeding Behavior." Shomali was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and was the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship at Scranton.
Cameron J. Shedlock, White Haven, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Shedlock worked with faculty advisor Katherine A. Stumpo, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled "Characterizing Pancreatic Xenograft Tumor Response to Gemcitabine Treatment with Imaging Mass Spectrometry." Shedlock was also a member of the University's Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Alex O. Sophabmixay, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology major. Sophabmixay worked with faculty advisor Bryan R. Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled "The Analysis of Transport Influences."
Fatima A. Torres, Scranton, graduated, cum laude, as a criminal justice major. Torres worked with faculty advisor Ismail Onat, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, on a thesis titled "A Turning Point: The Relationship Between Employment and Recidivism."
Anna E. Wengyn, Chalfont, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry major. Wengyn worked with faculty advisor Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre, on a thesis titled "With the PCOS stuff, I'm like 'Am I not good enough?': Lived Experiences and Understandings of Femininity in the Narratives of Women Ages 18-24 with PCOS." Wengyn was the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship at Scranton.
Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, and Jill A. Warker, associate professor of psychology, serve as co-directors of the undergraduate Honors Program.
Class of 2022 Honors Program Graduates
-
06/01/2022
Twenty-nine members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 graduated from its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA), which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in SJLA pursue a rigorous education designed to develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills through specially designed courses in philosophy, theology and literature.
The following is a list of the class of 2022 SJLA Honors Program graduates and their majors.
Sophia V .Alderman, Oreland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a psychology major. She was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Megan T. Bertrand, East Windsor, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as an English and philosophy double major.
Jacob T. Breighner, Hanover, graduated, magna cum laude, as an international studies and philosophy double major.
Peter Burke, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a theology and religious studies, history and philosophy triple major.
Caroline P. Cirella, Randolph, New Jersey, graduated, cum laude, as a political science and philosophy double major.
Sean Patrick Robert Connolly, Danbury, Connecticut, graduated, summa cum laude, as a business analytics and philosophy double major. He was also the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship at Scranton.
Charles M. Csaszar, Hopewell Junction, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as an accounting and philosophy double major. He was also a member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program.
Patrick Dawid, Exeter, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. He was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program. He was also the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship at Scranton.
Elizabeth B. Dern, Doylestown, graduated, cum laude, as an exercise science and philosophy double major.
Michael R. Deutsch, East Northport, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major.
Eric W. Dittmar, Stroudsburg, graduated, summa cum laude, as a computer science and philosophy double major. He was also the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Amanda K. Gerenza, Stroudsburg, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major.
Sarah M. Grosso, Newtown Square, graduated, magna cum laude, as an English and philosophy double major.
Caroline R. Hagen, Skaneateles, New York, graduated, cum laude, as a neuroscience major.
Megan G. Johannesen, Rocky Point, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a political science and philosophy double major. She was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Nia N. Long, East Stroudsburg, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Long was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Samantha M. Matamoros-Patrick, Archbald, graduated, cum laude, as a neuroscience major.
Margaret R. McGrath, Drexel Hill, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major. She was also a member of the University's undergraduate Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Ashley E. Mullan, Huntington, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as an applied mathematics and philosophy double major. She was a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program. She was also the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Katelyn R. O’Connor, Sussex, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as an English and philosophy double major.
Jenna M. O’Malley, Scranton, graduated, cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
Ellyn C. Prusinowski, Clay, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major.
Sultana Rahman, Pearl River, New York, graduated, cum laude, as a political science major.
Katherine A. Rodrigo, South Plainfield, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as an accounting and philosophy double major.
Elias J. Shomali, Ellicott City, Maryland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program. He was the recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Adrianna O. Smith, Covington Township, graduated, cum laude, as a philosophy and theology and religious studies double major.
Kristina J. Thomas, Archbald, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry and philosophy double major.
Sarah V. White, Brooklyn, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major. She was a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. She was also the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Kolton T. Zaffuto, Plymouth, Massachusetts, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry and philosophy double major.
Daniel Haggerty, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Philosophy Department, serves as the director of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program Graduates
-
06/01/2022
Fifteen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 graduated from its Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this highly-selective program explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
The following is a list of the class of 2022 Business Leadership Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Marissa E. Angelo, Dickson City, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Angelo was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Alexandra C. Benadon, Hillsborough, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a human resource studies major.
Philip J. Cocco III, Pittston, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Cocco was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Charles M. Csaszar, Hopewell Junction, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as an accounting major. Csaszar was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Collin E. Ennis, Pleasant Mount, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance major. Ennis was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Austin J. Glidewell, Clarks Summit, graduated, summa cum laude, as a finance and economics double major. Glidewell was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Hanna P. Guarnuccio, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an economics and accounting double major. Guarnuccio was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Dillon C. Heinz, Leonardo, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance major.
Jacqueline J. Heraty, New York, New York, graduated, as a neuroscience major.
Rebecca A. Johnson, Scranton, graduated, magna cum laude, as an accounting major.
Benjamin C. Koshinski, Mountain Top, graduated, summa cum laude, as a management and accounting double major.
Carolina R. Murphy, Jenkintown, graduated, summa cum laude, as a finance and Hispanic studies double major. Murphy was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Christina F. Piscitelli, New City, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major.
Claudia D. Pitts, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Pitts was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Caitlin S. Schreiber, Clarence Centre, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as a business administration major. Schreiber was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Robert McKeage, Ph.D., associate professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, serves as director of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program.
2022 Business Leadership Honors Program Graduates
-
06/01/2022
Five members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 graduated from its Magis Honors Program in STEM. The program, which began as a pilot program in the fall of 2017, combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society. The University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM was officially approved as the University’s fifth honors program in 2019.
The Magis Honors Program offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Courses taken over four years at Scranton combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students in the program develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2022 graduated as members of the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Justine E. Duva, Glenmoore, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology major. Duva worked with faculty member Maria Squire, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effect of acetaminophen on the tibiae of C57/BL6 male mice.”
Michael W. Laabs, Scranton, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. Laabsworked with faculty member Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Effects of nicotine on recruitment time and recruitment response in the ant Pheidole dentata.”
Margaret R. McGrath, Drexel Hill, graduate, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Undergraduate Honors Program and the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. McGrath worked with faculty member Chris Howey, assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The effects of ambient light at night on the stress response in green anoles (Anolis carolinensis).”
Cameron J. Shedlock, White Haven, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major and member of the University’s Undergraduate Honors Program. Shedlock worked with faculty member Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Characterizing pancreatic xenograft tumor response to gemcitabine treatment with imaging mass spectrometry.”
Sarah V. White, Brooklyn, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. White worked with faculty member Anne Royer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Quantifying geographic variation and color variation in populations of Mimulus ringens with divergent life histories.” White was also the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship at Scranton.
Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Biology Department, serves as the director of the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Class of 2022 Graduates of Magis Honors Program
-
06/01/2022
Twenty members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 graduated from its Business Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this program undergo four years of honors studies in the areas of economics, entrepreneurship, operations management, accounting, finance, international business, marketing and management, as well as a series of personal development extracurricular activities in the areas of service and career building.
The following is a list of the class of 2022 Business Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Peter A. Amicucci, Poughquag, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as an operations management major. Amicucci also won a Fulbright-Lappeeranta University of Technology Graduate Award to Finland.
Marissa E. Angelo, Dickson City, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Angelo was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
Christopher J. Bauer, Cresco, graduated, cum laude, as an accounting major.
Claudia V. Bennett, Parsippany, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major.
Philip J. Cocco, Pittston, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Cocco was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
Christopher R. Coico, South Hempstead, New York, graduated, cum laude, as an accounting major.
Jake H. Croston, Mount Sinai, New York, graduated, cum laude, as a management major.
Collin E. Ennis, Pleasant Mount, graduated, magna cum laude, as a finance major. Ennis was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
Austin J. Glidewell, Clarks Summit, graduated, summa cum laude, as a finance and economics double major. Glidewell was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
Hanna P. Guarnuccio, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an economics and accounting double major. Guarnuccio was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
Ryan S. Hammer, Wayne, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as an accounting major.
Jacob E. Heaton, Medford Lakes , New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major.
Alyssa Lamparelli, Palmerton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a marketing major.
Holly L. McCarthy, Wall Township, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a marketing major.
Carolina R. Murphy, Jenkintown, graduated, summa cum laude, as a finance and Hispanic studies double major. Murphy was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
ClaudiaD.Pitts, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major. Pitts was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
Caitlin S. Schreiber, Clarence Centre, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as a business administration major. Schreiber was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
Alexander K. Schwabe, Doylestown, graduated, cum laude, as a finance major.
Erin M. Wilson, Collegeville, graduated, summa cum laude, as an economics major.
Russell A. Young, Charleston, South Carolina, graduated as an accounting major.
Rose Sebastianelli, Ph.D., professor of operations and analytics, serves as director of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Class of 2022 Business Honors Program Graduates
-
06/01/2022
The annual median pay for a career in data analytics can range from $82,000 to $114,000. Additionally, market-related analytics is one of the fastest growing fields with Forbes estimating a growth rate of “67% over the past year, and 136% over the past three years” and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting employment growth of up to 27% from 2016 to 2026.
The University of Scranton’s Bachelor of Science in business analytics is designed to help students learn the variety of skill sets needed to be successful in this interdisciplinary field, where they will be asked to conduct, analyze and evaluate data in order to make better business decisions. Potential job titles one can pursue with this degree include management consultant, data analyst, operations research analyst, and more.
As part of the Kania School of Management (KSOM), Scranton’s business programs are accredited by the rigorous standards of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is an elite accolade that fewer than five percent of business schools worldwide hold.
Scranton’s business analytics program includes courses from data mining, database management systems, and simulation as well as the communication, managerial and decision-making skills needed to Students will be introduced to tools like structured query language (SQL) and Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) as related to the use of analytics in decision making.
Scranton also offers a master’s degree in business analytics in an online or on-campus format, as well as a business analytics certificate.
Predicting the Future with Business Analytics
-
05/31/2022
The University of Scranton honored 62 members of its undergraduate class of 2022 for academic excellence, service or both at a Class Night ceremony on campus May 20.
Students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges were presented Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence, a memorial to the late administrator who served the University for 53 years.
Class of 2022 O’Hara Award recipients were: Marissa Emily Angelo, Dickson City, for the Kania School of Management; Stephanie Michele Hoffmann, Staten Island, New York, for the Panuska College of Professional Studies; and Sarah Veronica White, Brooklyn, New York, for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Also recognized at the ceremony were two members of the class of 2022 who received prestigious student Fulbright Awards. Peter Anthony Amicucci, Poughquag, New York, won a Fulbright-Lappeeranta University of Technology Graduate Award to Finland, and Crysta O’Donnell, Riegelsville, won an English Teaching Assistantship to Andorra.
In addition, students were honored for outstanding academic achievement in their fields of study and leadership and service.
The students honored and the awards received are as follows:
Tiannah Nicole Adams, New York, New York, received the Lawrence Lennon Award for Outstanding Service and Achievement in Psychology and The Alumni Loyalty and Service Award;
Sophia Victoria Alderman, Oreland, received the Excellence in Psychology (ex-aequo) Award;
Sabrina M. Alvarez, Moosic, received the Excellence in Information Technology Award;
Amicucci also received the Excellence in Operations Management Award;
Angelo also received the Excellence in Accounting and the Edward J. Spitzer Scholarship awards;
Marino David Angeloni, Jessup, received the Jesuit Community Award;
Alexa Nyx Baldon, Langhorne, received the Excellence in Applied Computing Award;
Lauryn Elizabeth Beermann, Dalton, received the Excellence in Health Advocacy Award;
Alexandra C. Benadon, Hillsborough, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Human Resource Studies Award;
Shannon Malloy Broderick, New Fairfield, Connecticut, received the Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing Award;
MaKenna Lynn Bryant, Dallas, received the Excellence in Physiology Award;
Mary Elizabeth Bunone, Ramsey, New Jersey, received the Lawrence Mann Award;
Peter Aloysius Burke, Scranton, received the Prof. Frank C. Brown Award for Excellence in History and the Excellence in Theology/Religious Studies Award;
Philip Joseph Cocco III, Pittston, received the PA Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Award;
Sean Patrick Robert Connolly, Danbury, Connecticut, received the Excellence in Business Analytics Award;
Alexander K. Curtis, Waymart, received the Excellence in Chemistry Award;
Koebe Soleil Diaz, Dumont, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Psychology (ex-aequo) Award;
Eric W. Dittmar, Stroudsburg, received the Excellence in Computer Science Award;
Charles Dominick, Langhorne, received the Excellence in Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Award;
Laura Gale Ellwood, Mount Holly Springs, received the Excellence in Environmental Science Award;
Mia Kathryn Gianello, Old Forge, received the Excellence in Biomathematics Award;
Hanna Patricia Guarnuccio, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Economics Award;
Zeruiah Imani Harris, Saylorsburg, received the Excellence in Forensic Chemistry Award;
Hoffmann also received the Excellence in Middle Level Education Award;
Natalie Jade Intrieri, North Salem, New York, received the Excellence in Counseling and Human Services Award;
Madison Rylie Jashembowski, Middletown, New York, received the Excellence in Finance Award;
Emily Christine Kale, Mount Arlington, New Jersey, received the Academic Excellence in Nursing Award;
Benjamin C. Koshinski, Mountain Top, received the Excellence in Management Award;
Claudia Rose Kovaleski, Lake Ariel, received the Prof. Bernard J. McGurl Award for Excellence in Communication;
Brian Kroll, Laflin, received the Dr. A.J. Cawley Award for Excellence in Electrical Engineering;
James John Leonard, Interlaken, New Jersey, received the J. Harold Brislin Memorial Award for Excellence in Journalism;
Isaiah J. Livelsberger, Hanover, received the Excellence in International Studies Award;
Abril Lopez, Scranton, received the Lawrence Mann Award;
Ryan James Maguire, Chester Springs, received the Excellence in Biochemistry Award;
Serena Martine Mancini, Wayne, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Criminal Justice Award;
Caitlyn Reilly Maurer, White House Station, New Jersey, received The Military Science Leadership Award;
Ashley Elana Mullan, Huntington, New York, received the Excellence in Applied Mathematics Award;
Carolina Rose Murphy, Jenkintown, received the Prof. Joseph G. Brunner Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages;
Katelyn Rose O’Connor, Sussex, New Jersey, received the Prof. Joseph B. Cullather Award for Excellence in English;
Caitlin M. O’Dowd, Congers, New York, received the Excellence in Health Administration Award;
Erin M. Palermo, Midland Park, New Jersey, received the Excellence in Health Promotion Award;
Simon John Peter, Jr., Wilkes Barre, received the Prof. Timothy H. Scully Award for Excellence in Political Science;
Kevin Glenn Phiefer, Hamburg, New Jersey, received the Prof. Joseph P. Harper Award for Excellence in Physics;
Noslairi Rodriguez Mesa, Philadelphia, received the Excellence in International Business Award;
Caitlin S. Schreiber, Clarence Center, New York, received the Excellence in Business Administration Award;
John W. Shaughnessy, Florida, New York, received the Excellence in Chemistry-Business Award;
David Richard Shea, South Gibson, received the American Chemical Society Award;
Elias Jacob Shomali, Ellicott City, Maryland, received the J. Timothy Cannon Award for Excellence in Neuroscience;
Adrianna Olga Smith, Covington Township, received the Student Life Award;
Alex Oudomsack Sophabmixay, Scranton, received the Excellence in Biology Award and The J.J. Quinn, S.J., Achievement Award;
Kimberly Ann Stossel, East Stroudsburg, received the Excellence in Marketing Award;
Kayla B. Stubits, Lehighton, received the Excellence in Sociology Award;
Michael M. Taylor, Union Dale, received the Excellence in Economics Award;
Tiffany Catherine Toth, Meshoppen, received the Excellence in Kinesiology Award;
Maura Elizabeth Turi, Scranton, received the Excellence in Mathematical Sciences Award;
Alexa Scott Untener, Stony Point, New York, received the Excellence in Early and Primary Education Award;
Matthew T. Valunas, Dunmore, received the Excellence in Theatre Award;
Anna Camille Van Wert, South Abington Township, received the Mary E. Quinn Award for Excellence in Secondary Education;
Lyndsey Charlotte Weitzel, Newtown, received the Excellence in Occupational Therapy Award;
White also received the Excellence in Philosophy and Student Life awards;
Zeba Naz Zafar, Scranton, received the Excellence in Mathematics Award. $content.getChild('content').textValueOutstanding Graduates Recognized at Class Night
-
05/31/2022
The University of Scranton recognized outstanding master’s and doctoral degree graduates at its graduate commencement events the weekend of May 20-22. At the graduate commencement ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, the University conferred post-baccalaureate degrees to more than 500 graduates who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2021, as well as January and May of 2022.
Graduates represented 34 states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington, among others. Students also represented Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, India, Mexico and France. An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
The following graduate students were honored for achievement in their academic area.
Chelsey C. Gill, Binghamton, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Doctor of Nursing Practice, Nurse Anesthesia;
Jennifer Ann Kalinowski, Spring Brook Township, received the Outstanding Student Award for Doctor of Nursing Practice;
Ashley L. Stampone, Old Forge, received the Outstanding Student Award for Doctor of Business Administration;
Fahad Saeed Alrefaei, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Management Info Systems;
Juliet A. Baldassarri, Baldwin, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Occupational Therapy;
Hinkish Dhakal, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Biochemistry;
Courtney Erwin, New York, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Healthcare Management;
Megan E. Fabian, West Seneca, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Theology;
Hillary Beatrice Grove, York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Health Administration;
John Hakim, Dallas, received the Outstanding Student Award for Business Analytics;
Jeffrey William Heilbrunn, Inkerman, received the Outstanding Student Award for Business Analytics;
Katheryn Dolores Hickey, South Huntington, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Special Education;
Christian Tyler Huckfeldt, Ambler, received the Outstanding Student Award for Doctor of Physical Therapy;
Zaid Yahya Iskandarani, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Business Analytics;
Kathie Haaheo Kaopuiki-Nestrick, Exeter, received the Outstanding Student Award for Clinical Mental Health Counseling;
Caroline Bernice Kropp, Shavertown, received the Outstanding Student Award for Rehabilitation Counseling;
Thomas P. Maccari, Emmaus, received the Outstanding Student Award for Software Engineering;
Joseph A. Macus, Allentown, received the Outstanding Student Award for Human Resources;
Leyna Christine Magdon, Stephens City, Virginia, received the Outstanding Student Award for Enterprise Resource Planning;
James P. McGuire, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Accounting Analytics;
Matthew Ian Morrow, Bethlehem, received the Outstanding Student Award for General Business Administration;
Robert Mullen, Jr., Parkesburg, received the Outstanding Student Award for Operations Management;
Matthew Daniel Pinto, Massapequa Park, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Accounting;
Calvin M. Ralph, Hillsdale, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Secondary Education;
Julia M. Rostron, Harleysville, received the Outstanding Student Award for Business Analytics;
Sarah Rusch, Graham, North Carolina, received the Outstanding Student Award for Master of Business Administration/Master of Healthcare Management;
Jennifer Lynn Thomas, Susquehanna, received the Outstanding Student Award for Family Nurse Practitioner;
Angelica Torres, El Paso, Texas, received the Outstanding Student Award for Health Informatics;
Shelby E. Valvano, Meshoppen, received the Outstanding Student Award for School Counseling;
Kelly A. Williams, Jessup, received the Outstanding Student Award for Marketing;
Yue Xie, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Finance.
$content.getChild('content').textValueOutstanding Master’s and Doctoral Graduates Awarded
-
05/31/2022
Eight members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony held in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall on campus on May 21.
The University of Scranton ROTC graduates who were commissioned at the ceremony are:
2nd Lt. Ryan M. Ginder of Wharton, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Caitlyn Reilly Maurer of White House Station, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Andrea Susana McDarby of Clarks Summit;
2nd Lt. Zachary N. Raico of Sykesville, Maryland;
2nd Lt. Maximilian James Sharkey of Carlisle;
2nd Lt. John W. Shaughnessy of Florida, New York;
2nd Lt. Brenna C. Tracy of Lavallette, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Katelyn Elizabeth Weisz of Littlestown.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Graduates Commissioned as Second Lieutenants
-
05/26/2022
The University of Scranton will offer a new Master’s Degree in Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity in a fully online format that will focus on the criminological aspects of the much-in-demand field.
In addition, the graduate degree program is aligned with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, which consists of standards, guidelines and best practices to manage cybersecurity risk. The program, which will be offered starting in the fall of 2022, will help prepare students for various professional certifications by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, such as Certified Ethical Hacker and Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator.
“The field of cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity is growing rapidly as malicious attacks to information systems at the local, regional, national and international level become more frequent and detrimental to individuals and organizations who have become increasingly dependent upon the use of technology,” said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology at The University of Scranton. “Many new and existing higher education programs in this field focus heavily on the computer science discipline, however, to prevent cyber threats today, we also need professionals who fully understand cybercriminal’s motivations, goals, behaviors, methods of intrusions and manipulations.”
The University’s new 30-credit Master’s Degree in Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity program courses include Cyber Criminology and Criminal Justice, Digital Forensics Investigation, Mobile Forensics, Cyber Defense and Cyber Risk Assessment and Management, among others. The program will leverage the University’s partnership with Jacobs, through which the international defense and security firm will advise Scranton on the fast-changing field to support and keep current the cyber-related undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Jacobs will also be a source of job placement for University graduates.
Dr. Jenkins said graduates of the program can work for small or large businesses, as well as for government agencies or nonprofit organizations. Positions in this field include cybercrime investigator, digital forensic examiner or cybersecurity specialist.
“Job reports continue to project a national and worldwide shortage of cyber-related workers. With the cyber-related global workforce expected to rise to 6 million professionals by 2030, a 1.5 million shortfall is predicted for this workforce,” said Dr. Jenkins.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics employment for cybersecurity analysts will increase by 28 percent between 2016 and 2026, and employment for digital forensic analysts is expected to increase by 32 percent between 2018 and 2028. Both rates are higher than the average growth rate for all other professionals.
According to PayScale.com, information security officers, a position for which master’s degrees are often preferred or required, earn an annual median salary of $92,000.
The new master’s degree program will be housed in the University’s Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology.
The University began offering a Bachelor of Science in Cybercrime and Homeland Security in the fall of 2020. Both undergraduate and graduate students in these programs have access to hands-on programming and research opportunities offered through the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime.
For additional information, email Dr. Jenkins at Michael.jenkins@scranton.edu.Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity Graduate Degree
-
05/24/2022
The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates overall employment of mathematicians and statisticians to “grow 30 percent from 2018 to 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations,” reasoning that “businesses will need these workers to analyze the increasing volume of digital and electronic data.”
The University of Scranton’s Bachelor of Science in mathematical sciences bridges the interdisciplinary nature of studying mathematics at an undergraduate level with students individual career goals by offering five academic tracks including actuarial science, biological sciences, computer and information science, data science or physical sciences. Although all students are required to take courses in calculus and linear algebra, additional upper-level mathematics courses are chosen with students’ individual goals in mind.
With career opportunities in STEM disciplines, business and the social sciences, this program is focused on developing the skill sets students need to succeed in a wide variety of professions. Courses are taught with the intention of developing students’ problem-solving skills, critical thinking, logical reasoning and collaboration. With small class sizes of approximately 10 to 20 students, faculty can get to know students on an individual basis and provide academic support that is tailored to each students’ needs. As part of their undergraduate education, students are also encouraged to pursue internships and co-ops.
Job titles of Scranton biomathematics and applied mathematics program graduates, include actuarial analyst, data scientist, operations analyst, software consultant and compensation analyst. Scranton graduates can be found working at HP Hood, Penn Life Mutual Insurance, Voya Financial and Central Square Technologies. Graduates who chose to pursue additional education have been accepted at schools such as Cornell University, Texas A and M, University of Pittsburgh, Drexel University and the University of Massachusetts.
Calculating Career Possibilities with Mathematics
-
05/24/2022
Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D., assistant professor in the English and Theatre Department, was named Teacher of the Year by The University of Scranton’s class of 2022. The award was presented at the Class Night event on May 20.
The award honors a faculty member who maintains high standards of academic excellence and fairness, and through enthusiasm and dedication, inspires the interest of students in a field of education. The University’s Faculty Senate Academic Support Committee instituted the award in 1996.
Dr. Tadros joined the faculty at Scranton in 2018. She serves as the faculty moderator for Scranton’s Mu Omicron chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society. She is also an associate faculty member in the Women’s and Gender Studies Program. She directs the Health Humanities Concentration. The courses she teaches include Introduction to Poetry, Contemporary American Poetry, Perspectives in Literature about Illness, “Bodybuilding” Narratives of Health and Ability, Composition and Poetry Writing.
Dr. Tadros is the author of three books of poems, “Graft Fixation” (Gold Wake Press, 2020), “Was Body” (Indolent Books, 2020) and “The Tree We Planted and Buried You In” (Otis Books, 2018). She also authored three chapbooks, “Am/Are I” (Francis House, 2020), “inter: burial places” (Porkbelly Press, 2016) and “Containers” (Dancing Girl Press, 2014). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals including, Bone Bouquet, Black Warrior Review, Crab Fat Magazine, Entropy, Lavender Review and Tupelo Quarterly, and in anthologies including, “The Queer South” and “Women Write Resistance: Poets Resist Gender Violence.” She is currently working on a narrative research project exploring the gendered implications of traumatic injuries to self-identified women runners.
Dr. Tadros also serves as a poetry editor for the journal Gigantic Sequins and as an assistant poetry editor for the journal Fairy Tale Review.
Dr. Tadros earned her bachelor’s degrees in creative writing and music from Susquehanna University and a master’s in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College. She earned her doctorate in English and creative writing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Graduating Class of 2022 Names Teacher of the Year
-
05/24/2022
Two members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 have been awarded 2022-2023 Fulbright grants, the prestigious international academic exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government that awards competitive, merit-based scholarships for recipients to spend a year conducting research or teaching abroad.
Through the 2022-2023 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Peter Amicucci ’22 won a Fulbright-Lappeeranta University of Technology Graduate Award to Finland, and Crysta O’Donnell ’22 won an English Teaching Assistantship to Andorra.
Widely considered to be the premier international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, the Fulbright program awards grants based on the recipients’ records of academic achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.
“Both graduates will benefit greatly from their Fulbright experience. Crysta’s aptitude for languages and appreciation of different cultures make her well-suited for a career in foreign service. Peter will absorb and learn sustainable supply chain management practices from a world-renowned institution and put that knowledge into practice throughout his career,” said Susan Trussler, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance and The University of Scranton’s Fulbright Program Advisor.
Since 1972, a total of 127 University students have been awarded Fulbrights.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.
Peter Amicucci, Poughquag, New York
Growing up in the scenic Hudson Valley, Peter Amicucci has always been in awe of nature.
“I enjoy hiking and just being in nature. Mount Beacon is a favorite spot that I go to throughout the year with my family and friends. The views are beautiful,” said Amicucci. “Being near the Hudson River also made me aware of the damage pollution can have on the environment, as well as the positive impact of clean-up initiatives. That’s where my interest in sustainability began.”
Amicucci studied sustainable practices in his coursework at Scranton. His class in Quality Management included the study of environmental management systems.
As a Fulbright student, he plans to learn even more about sustainable practices.
Amicucci will pursue a two-year Master of Science degree in economics and business administration with a concentration in supply management at Lappeeranta University of Technology in Finland. Dr. Anni-Kaisa Kankonen, vice dean of academic affairs and professor of supply management at Lappeeranta University will serve as his mentor.
“Lappeeranta University of Technology is known for its expertise in supply chain management and Finland is one of the most sustainable countries in the world,” said Amicucci.
The focus of his research will be on sustainable supply chains specifically for the tourism industry. He will look for ways to make ecofriendly improvements throughout the supply chain of the service sector. His planned courses include “Green Logistics” and a project course on “Sustainable Business.” He will also take courses on Finnish language and culture.
His ultimate goal is to create a consulting firm that specializes in helping businesses in the tourism industry, such as hotels, theme parks and commercial transportation companies, develop and support their sustainability efforts in the procurement, manufacturing and delivery of their goods and services.
In addition to course studies, Amicucci plans to immerse himself in the local Finnish community through his love of music and sports. He has played the trumpet since the fourth grade and was a member of the University’s Performance Music Concert Band and Strings Ensemble. He was also a member of Scranton’s varsity wrestling team. In Finland, he plans to join a music ensemble and a wrestling club.
Amicucci earned a bachelor’s degree in operations management, summa cum laude, from Scranton with minors in mathematics and business analytics. He is also a member of the Business Honors Program, one of the University’s five programs of excellence. At Class Night, he received the University’s Excellence in Operations Management Award.
A Dean’s List student at Scranton, Amicucci was inducted into Omicron Delta Epsilon, (international economics honor society), and Alpha Sigma Nu (national Jesuit honor society), where he served as vice president. In the 2021, he came in sixth place in both Future Business Executive and Organizational Behavior and Leadership at the Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference, and came in first place for Future Business Executive and second place for Organizational Behavior and Leadership at the 2021 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference Qualifier. He was the president and founder of Scranton’s Phi Beta Lambda chapter. He was also a member of the Business Club, PRISM (Portfolio of Responsible Investment Under Student Management), Business Honors Club and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
His semester studying abroad at Fordham University London Centre was cut short in 2020 due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the summer of 2021, he participated with about 200 college students from across the country in a leadership development internship at Hershey Park.
In the greater Scranton community, he volunteered with Big Friends, Little Friends.
Crysta O’Donnell, Riegelsville, Pennsylvania
Crysta O’Donnell was born in Nicaragua in a multi-ethnic home where French and Spanish were spoken daily.
As a Fulbright Teaching Assistant, O’Donnell will travel to Andorra, a small country that borders Spain and France, where both Spanish and French are dominant languages. She will teach English and American culture at an Andorran School.
“Andorra’s official language is Catalan,” said O’Donnell, who looks forward to learning yet another language. “As a Fulbright student, I will also have the opportunity to learn and practice Catalan.”
Languages come easily to O’Donnell, who learned English at a very young age at a prestigious elementary school she attended. She is fluent in Spanish and English and advanced in French. She also has a natural love and interest in learning about different cultures.
The Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship award will also allow her to develop her other passions: teaching and diplomacy.
O’Donnell enjoyed teaching her younger sisters the languages she mastered. While serving as an English as a Second Language tutor at Scranton, she developed creative approaches to helping students learn English.
“I used images, art and songs by popular artists to help students understand the words, meanings and culture,” said O’Donnell. “I plan to do the same with my students in Andorra.”
O’Donnell’s interest in a future career as a diplomat began when she and her mother and sisters emigrated to the United States. She saw first-hand the challenges and barriers faced by those entering the country, as well as the importance of the resources and assistance others can provide. O’Donnell wants to be a resource to others in the future.
As a Fulbright student, O’Donnell will also volunteer to coach youth soccer. In addition, she will research how the cultural and linguistic diversity of Andorra’s people relates to their allegiance and engagement with the sport of soccer.
O’Donnell earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies and Hispanic studies, summa cum laude, from Scranton with a minor in French and a concentration in Latin American studies.
A Dean’s List student, O’Donnell was inducted into Alpha Mu Gamma (national foreign language honor society), Phi Alpha Theta (international history honor society) and Pi Sigma Alpha (national political science honor society). At Scranton, she was president of the Spanish Cultural Society and a member of the Mountain Sports Club, the Archery Club and the Fencing Club. She also volunteered the University’s Leahy Clinic, serving as an interpreter for migrant families.
$content.getChild('content').textValueTwo Class of 2022 Graduates Win Fulbrights
-
05/20/2022
The University of Scranton conferred more than 500 master’s and doctoral degrees at its graduate commencement ceremony on May 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre. Degrees were conferred to graduates who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2021, as well as January and May of 2022.
At the ceremony, the University conferred doctor of business administration degrees, doctor of nursing practice degrees and doctor of physical therapy degrees, in addition to master’s degrees in various disciplines. Graduates represented 34 states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington, among others. Students also represented Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, India, Mexico and France. The programs with the most graduates were the master of business administration, master of health administration, master of accountancy, master of occupational therapy and doctor of physical therapy.
Degrees were conferred by Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, upon candidates presented by Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Michael Mensah, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management. Also speaking at the ceremony was Joseph L. Sorbera, III ’08, president of the University’s Alumni Society, and Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Margarete Zalon, Ph.D., professor of nursing, provided the Benediction and Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, provided the Invocation.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
University Confers Master’s and Doctoral Degrees
-
05/20/2022
The University of Scranton conferred more than 850 bachelor’s degrees at its undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre. Degrees were conferred to graduates who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2021, as well as January and May of 2022.
Members of the University’s undergraduate class of 2022 represent 14 states, including Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Undergraduate majors with the most graduates are nursing, biology, occupational therapy, finance and psychology.
Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick S.C., Congregational Leader for the Sisters of Charity, Halifax, Canada; and Lawrence R. Lynch, former chair of The University of Scranton Board of Trustees and recently retired assurance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP; received honorary degrees from the University of Scranton at the ceremony. Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry at Scranton, served as the principal speaker. Father Keller received an honorary doctoral degree from the University in 2006.
“Your superior college education is a gift given, but given for a purpose, given with an obligation: to give back to those with whom you journey in this life,” said Father Keller in his remarks. “Your journey continues now, and you’re not the same as when you began your journey here four years ago. You are not the same because of the ways that you have connected with others; what you have come to know about yourself, this world, your family, your friends, and your God. You leave this arena today to continue your journey on this planet and you do so with changed hearts because your hearts have connected with others. And if you are open to this world and God’s grace, that change in your hearts will continue.”
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, addressed the graduates at the ceremony and conferred degrees upon candidates presented by Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; and Michael Mensah, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management.
Avianna Antoinette Carilli ’22 spoke on behalf of the class of 2022. Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, provided the Invocation and University Trustee Jacquelyn Dionne provided the Benediction. Also speaking at the ceremony were Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Joseph L. Sorbera, III ’08, president of the University’s Alumni Society.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
Scranton Holds Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony
-
05/20/2022
Undergraduate Commencement: Saturday, May 21 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre.
Principal Speaker: Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry at Scranton.Honorary Degree Recipients: Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick S.C., Congregational Leader for the Sisters of Charity, Halifax, Canada; and Lawrence R. Lynch, former chair of The University of Scranton Board of Trustees and recently retired assurance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.
Master’s and Doctoral Degree Commencement: Saturday, May 21 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre.
Total graduates: more than 1,350
Total doctoral degrees: more than 65 (DPT, DNP, DBA)
Total master’s degrees: more than 440Total bachelor’s degrees: more than 850
Prestigious scholarships won by class of 2022 undergraduates: Fulbright scholarships (the U.S. government’s premier scholarship program for overseas graduate study, research and teaching).
States represented by undergraduates: 14
States represented by post-baccalaureate graduates: 34
Top undergraduate programs of study: nursing, biology, occupational therapy, finance and psychology.
Top graduate programs of study: master of business administration, master of health administration, master of accountancy, master of occupational therapy and doctor of physical therapy.
Quick Facts: Commencement 2022
-
05/20/2022
The University of Scranton will partner with the international defense and security company, Jacobs, to prepare students and professionals for careers in cyber intelligence, law enforcement and cybersecurity. Through the partnership, initiated by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, Jacobs will offer advice on the fast-changing field to support and keep current the University’s cyber-related undergraduate and graduate curriculum in cybercrime investigation, homeland security and cybersecurity. Jacobs will also be a source of internships for University students and a source of job placement for University graduates. In addition, Jacobs will engage-in and support the University’s summer Cyber Investigation Camp for local high school students.
“It was my privilege to play a role in establishing a partnership between The University of Scranton and Jacobs. This strategic partnership has great potential to raise the profile of educational and professional training opportunities in the region as well as affording good-paying job opportunities.” said Rep. Cartwright. “Nearly every aspect of our lives is online and, sadly, cybercrime and cyberterrorism are real threats in this day and age. That is why this training is so important for this growing industry when it comes to defending personal information, public institutions and the nation.”
Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Their services range from intelligence to infrastructure, sustainability, cybersecurity and space exploration. They work with government entities, corporations and law enforcement agencies globally. In the United States, Jacobs supports 12 of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies for cyber threat hunting, cybersecurity operations and solutions, cyber intelligence analysis and cyber-offensive and defensive training development.
“For years at Jacobs, we’ve started every meeting with a Culture of Caring moment – a daily reminder of ways to keep ourselves and our communities safe including mental health, emotional wellbeing, professional development, inclusion, and diversity. We look to this partnership as a way to mentor and enlighten the cyber professionals of tomorrow,” said Retired General Bruce Crawford, Jacobs Senior Vice President for Strategic Development and Critical Mission Solutions.
“Collaboration between academia and industry is key to addressing the pressing global challenges – cyber threats and cyber defense – that face our society,” said Dr. Sinchul Back, assistant professor/director of cybercrime and cybersecurity for Scranton’s Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Criminology.
Jacobs will also support the University’s second annual Royal Cyber Investigation Camp for local high school students planned for July 12 to July 15 this summer. In addition to funding support for the camp, which is offered free of charge, Jacobs staff members will participate as instructors. Jacobs will also host the high school students at their office in the Washington, D.C., area on the final day of the camp.
The University of Scranton began to offer a bachelor’s degree in cybercrime and homeland security in the fall of 2020 and will begin to offer a master’s degree program in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity beginning in the fall 2022. Students participating in these programs have access to hands-on programming and research opportunities offered through the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime.
“Well-prepared cyber intelligence and cybersecurity professionals are needed locally and across the country. To fill this gap, University’s like ours need to partner with industry leaders like Jacobs. Our shared culture of caring for individuals at the University and at Jacobs, ensures that this partnership will result in substantial benefit to our students and community,” said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Criminology at The University of Scranton.
University of Scranton/Jacobs Cyber Intelligence Partnership Announced
-
05/18/2022
University of Scranton President Joseph G. Marina, S.J., sent “A Message on Buffalo and Other Recent Acts of Violence” to the University community.
Dear Friends,
Over the weekend, our nation learned of three tragic acts of violence – a mass shooting at a flea market in Houston, Texas, a church in Laguna Woods, California, and a third at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York.
While all three tragedies were senseless and outrageous attacks on the dignity of human life, for the shooting at the Tops Market in Buffalo, the motive now seems clear. As a nation, we must continue to face the evil and arrogance of racism and white supremacy. In this, we join our sister Jesuit institution, Canisius College in Buffalo, in standing in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Black community of Buffalo, Scranton and across the country. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, we must be a beacon of love and healing as well as a voice against injustice, intolerance and hatred in all its forms.
Please pray today and in the days ahead for all who were killed, injured and traumatized and for those who care for and support them. Let us also pray and work for a society built on peace and justice with a genuine concern for human dignity and all of creation.
“Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness” (1 John 2:9).
Yours faithfully,
Joseph G. Marina, S.J.
President
President Message on Recent Acts of Violence
-
05/18/2022
The University’s Prison Education Program at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas “provides an opportunity for the cultivation of human dignity at the heart of a Jesuit education,” according to program director Christopher Haw, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology and religious studies.
Through the program, inmates can take general education college-credit courses to earn an Associate of Arts degree from the University, which Haw hopes will one day grow into a bachelor’s program. The courses are taught by University professors on-site at the correctional facility. Currently, 14 inmates are enrolled in the program, which began in the fall 2021 semester.
Participants can earn 60 credits for an associate’s degree in just two and a half years. Inmates had to apply for admission and be interviewed and accepted to participate in the program. The program is currently running another round of admissions to increase the cohort to 28 students.
“The courses have the same rigor as those taught on campus, with the same outcome expectations, only the approach to the material is adapted to the learners,” said Haw.
Will Cohen, Ph.D., a professor of theology at Scranton, taught one of two introductory theology courses at the prison this past semester.
“I've loved teaching the students in this program,” he said. “Each class, because we meet just once a week, goes for three hours, and each time I'm amazed at how fast it goes. I always leave freshly reminded that human beings are made for contemplation, for deep reflection and dialogue. At least when it's oriented toward the good, the true and the beautiful for which we all yearn, it's intrinsically joyful. I feel this very powerfully from my students at the Dallas prison.”
The Prison Education Program was highlighted at a panel discussion on campus in April featuring Cohen, Haw and other University faculty members who taught in the program. It also featured special guest Darryl Byers-Robinson, an alumnus of the Bard Prison Initiative who was featured in the documentary “College Behind Bars.”
Prison Education Program Offers Degrees to Inmates
-
05/18/2022
One hundred twenty-seven students mentored by 50 faculty members presented 64 projects at the Celebration of Student Scholars, held on campus April 27. The annual event, held in the Loyola Science Center, provides a forum for students to present their work conducted in collaboration with faculty.
Poster presentations included:
“Cyber Espionage: Who is it Targeting?” by cybercrime and homeland security major Emily McAlarney, Staten Island, New York, with faculty mentor Sinchul Back, Ph.D., assistant professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology;
“Exploring the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Brand Equity: an Empirical Study” by Business Honors Program members Phillip Cocco, an accounting major from Pittston, and Caitlin Schreiber, business administration major from Clarence Center, New York, with faculty mentor Rose Sebastianelli, Ph.D., professor of operations and analytics;
“Loneliness in Older Adults with Visual Impairment” by occupational therapy majors Kelly Corcoran, Pittstown, New Jersey; Crisel Divinagracia, West Nyack, New York; Emily Erickson, Floral Park, New York; Rachel Fernandez, Tunkhannock; Jadriane Hernandez, Staten Island, New York; Daniel Shuck, Bethlehem; and Kate Wisner, Hanover; with faculty mentor Julie Nastasi, O.T.D., Sc.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy;
“Navigational Failures in Ants due to Agonists/Antagonists of Serotonin” by Magis Honors Program in STEM member Nathaniel Smith, a neuroscience major from Wilkes-Barre, with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
“Catholicism and the New Sciences: Descartes’ Break with Aristotle” by Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program member Adrianna Smith, a philosophy and theology double major from Covington Township, with faculty mentor Christopher Fremaux, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy;
“Seasonal difference in leukocyte counts in Gray Catbirds” by biology major Maggie Kowalewski, Forest City, with faculty mentor Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology;
“Parasite Load in Breeding Gray Catbirds with Respect to Age and Weather” by Katie Nebzydoski, Pleasant Mount, with faculty mentor Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology;
“The Effect of Ambient Light at Night on Melanophores in Anole Lizards” by Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program member Mary Cabassa, a biology and philosophy double major fromMountain Lakes, New Jersey, and biology major Kaylie Levinsky, Moscow, with faculty mentor Gary Kwiecinski, Ph.D., professor of biology;
“Zinc sulfate as a neurotoxin: The role of the medial habenula in regulating anosmia-induced anxiety-like behavior” by neuroscience major Jillian Haller, Williston Park, New York, with faculty mentor Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology
Fields of research presented at the Celebration of Student Scholars included biology, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, chemistry, criminal justice, cybercrime and homeland security, electrical engineering, history, marketing management, neuroscience, occupational therapy, philosophy, physical therapy, physics and theology, among others.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Celebrates Student Scholars
-
05/11/2022
According to Teach.com, “Regardless of temporary economic conditions, hiring practices, budget cuts or any other factors that impact the education system, the need for teachers is timeless and universal. Society will always need educators, and in that respect, teaching is one career in which you can be confident you will always have a purpose.”
The U.S. News and World Report reports that the average median salary for high school teachers is $56,310.
At The University of Scranton, students can earn a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education with a dual degree in a specific content area. Content area focuses offered are biology, chemistry, citizenship with history or political science, communication, English, French, general science, German, Latin, mathematics, physics, and Spanish.
Secondary education coursework explores educational psychology, assessment, methods of instruction and teaching diverse learners. Taught by experienced faculty in small class sizes, these courses give students the opportunity to develop important professional relationships with peers and professors.
With hands-on teaching experiences beginning as early as the first year of study, students can take advantage of Scranton’s mutually beneficial partnerships with private/Catholic schools in the area.
Recent Scranton graduates can be found working for a variety of school districts including Abington Height School District, Quakertown, Pennsylvania School District and Teach for America.
Educating a New Generation of Educators
-
05/11/2022
The University will host numerous events honoring members of its graduating class of 2022 on Friday, May 20, Saturday, May 21, and Sunday, May 22.
Friday evening events include the Donning of the Stole Ceremony in the Moskovitz Theatre, DeNaples 401, beginning at 4 p.m. A reception will follow on the DeNaples Patio. The Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS) Outstanding Graduate Awards Ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall. At 6 p.m., the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Cohort II Graduation Reception will be held in Brennan Hall on the fifth floor.
Also on Friday evening, undergraduates will be recognized for academic achievement, leadership and service at Class Night, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
On Saturday, May 21, at 8 a.m., the University will conduct a pinning ceremony for nursing graduates in the Byron Recreation Complex. At 12 p.m., the University will hold the Doctor of Physical Therapy Graduation Awards Ceremony in the DeNaples McIlhenny Ballroom (room 407).
Also at 12 p.m., the Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony will take place in the Mohegan Sun Arena. Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry, will serve as the commencement speaker. Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick S.C., Congregational Leader for the Sisters of Charity, Halifax, Canada; and Lawrence R. Lynch, former chair of The University of Scranton Board of Trustees and recently retired assurance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP; will receive honorary degrees from the University at the ceremony.
At 5 p.m. on Saturday, ROTC Army cadets will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
The University will hold its Graduate Commencement Ceremony at 5 p.m. in the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Saturday evening, at 8 p.m., the University will host the President’s Reception for Graduates and Parents in the Byron Recreation Complex. Tickets are required to attend this event.
On Sunday, May 22, the University will hold its Baccalaureate Mass at 10:30 a.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex. The President’s Picnic will take place on the DeNaples Patio and Dionne Campus Green immediately following the Mass. Guests planning to attend the picnic are asked to RSVP here.
Guests attending the events at the Mohegan Sun Arena can review their security procedures, which include a clear bag policy and security checkpoints, to assist with alleviating the time required for entry to the commencement ceremonies. Tickets are not required for the undergraduate and graduate commencement ceremonies.
The University will live video stream several of the commencement events. For additional information about the University’s 2022 commencement events, including live stream of events, visit scranton.edu/commencement. Also, post on social media using #Royals2022 for a chance to be featured on the University’s commencement page.
Commencement Events Celebrate Class of 2022
-
05/11/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., will serve as dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS), effective immediately. Dean Castellanos has served as the interim dean of PCPS since January 2022. She served as the associate dean of PCPS since 2012, when she joined The University of Scranton community.
“Her professionalism, dedication and leadership, in addition to her caring insightfulness, have greatly benefited the University and PCPS, and I look forward to continuing to work with her as dean,” said Father Marina in an announcement to the University community.
At Scranton, Dean Castellanos oversaw the PCPS undergraduate and graduate curriculum review process, the T.A.P.E.S.T.R.Y. professional development program and other PCPS projects and programs. She was also the college shepherd for the construction of Edward R. Leahy Jr. Hall. She has served on numerous committees at the University, including the Provost’s Committee on Academic Policy Compliance, the Strategic Enrollment Committee and the Faculty Handbook Committee, among many others.
Prior to her work at Scranton, Dean Castellanos served in a number of positions at Florida International University (FIU) from 1996 to 2012, including as the associate dean of the University Graduate School, the Ph.D. program director and the undergraduate didactic program director for the Department of Dietetics and Nutrition. She was also an associate professor of dietetics and nutrition at FIU.
Dean Castellanos has published dozens of articles about her research in the area of dietetics and has contributed several academic book chapters, in addition to presenting on her research at numerous conferences. During her career, she was awarded multiple U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services grants totally more than $850,000.
Dean Castellanos’ board memberships include Individual Abilities in Motion, The Arc of North Eastern Pennsylvania and The Arc of NEPA Foundation. Her professional memberships include the Dietitian’s Council on Quality Nursing Home Care, the American Society for Nutrition and the American Dietetic Association.
Dean Castellanos earned her bachelor’s degree from Montana State University and her master’s degree and Ph.D. in nutrition from the University of California. She completed a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship at Pennsylvania State University.
Panuska College of Professional Studies Dean Named
-
05/11/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced Mark Higgins, Ph.D., will serve as the Dean of the Kania School of Management beginning July 1. Dr. Higgins currently serves as a professor of accounting at St. Louis University (SLU), a sister Jesuit university in Missouri.
“I know from my conversations with him, along with the endorsements of his peers, that Dr. Higgins is deeply committed to our Catholic and Jesuit mission. We are fortunate as well to have someone of his exceptional experience and expertise,” said Father Marina in an announcement to the University community.
From 2015 to 2019, Dr. Higgins served as the Edward Jones Dean and Professor of Accounting at SLU’s Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business. During his tenure at SLU, he has worked with deans and faculty to repurpose facilities into a multipurpose data analytics lab for finance and a behavioral lab space for marketing; and has worked with faculty to revise SLU’s one-year, full-time MBA program to focus on data analytics and ethical leadership. He also helped to revise faculty support models at SLU to encourage publication in top-tier business journals, among other accomplishments.
Dr. Higgins has extensive experience with AACBS accreditation, widely considered the gold-standard of business school accreditations. The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management holds AACBS accreditation. In 2016, he chaired SLU’s successful re-affirmation of AACSB accreditation for the undergraduate and graduate business programs and worked with the department chair and the accounting faculty to achieve initial accreditation for undergraduate and graduate accounting programs. He currently serves as chair of the AACSB Accounting Accreditation Policy Committee and is a member of the AACSB Business Accreditation Policy Committee. His professional memberships include the American Accounting Association, the American Taxation Association and the Missouri State Society of CPA’s. He received the American Accounting Association Service Award in 2015 and the American Taxation Association Lifetime Service Award in 2009.
Dr. Higgins earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina and his Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Tennessee.
Kania School of Management Dean Named
-
05/11/2022
For the third year in a row, student members of The University of Scranton’s Business Club selected Ashley L. Stampone ’10, G’11, DBA’22, assistant professor in the Accounting Department as the Kania School of Management Professor of the Year. The announcement was made at a virtual event on May 10. Prof. Stampone, who will graduate with her third degree from Scranton – a Doctor of Business Administration – next week, was also selected as KSOM Professor of the Year in 2020 and 2021.
In addition to Prof. Stampone, the business club students presented awards to several other faculty members. Aram Balagyozyan, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics, received the Economics and Finance Department Teacher of the Year Award. Greg O’Connell, J.D., faculty specialist, received the Management, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship Department Teacher of the Year Award. Richard O’Hara, faculty specialist, received the Accounting Department Teacher of the Year Award. Vincent Rocco, faculty specialists, received the Operations and Analytics Department Teacher of the Year Award.
An award-winning teacher, Prof. Stampone became a faculty member at her alma mater in 2016. In 2019, she was also honored with the Faculty Leadership Award from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). The national award recognizes one faculty member annually who has demonstrated significant leadership activities at the national, regional, and/or local levels of IMA and has made additional contributions to IMA. In 2021, she won IMA’s Ursel K. Albers IMA Campus Advocate of the Year Award, which recognizes a campus advocate/student chapter advisor who has made significant contributions to the IMA overall and the IMA student members in particular. Prof. Stampone serves as the faculty advisor for the University’s IMA student chapter, which has been recognized as one of IMA five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the past three consecutive years.
Also in 2021, Prof. Stampone received the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Young Leaders Award, which recognizes members under the age of 40 who demonstrate a commitment to the accounting profession through active PICPA or community volunteer activities. She was also recognized by Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal in her selection to the area’s Top 20 Under 40, which is NEPA Business Journal’s “salute to the best and brightest young business stars in the region.”
Earlier in her career, Prof. Stampone worked as an internal auditor for QVC, Inc., as a senior financial systems analyst for Bridon American Corporation, as an inventory accountant for International Salt Company and as a staff accountant for ParenteBeard, LLC.
A resident of Old Forge, Prof. Stampone received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from The University of Scranton. She will graduate with a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from Scranton at the 2022 graduate commencement ceremony on May 21.
Dr. Balagyozyan joined the faculty at Scranton in 2011. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yerevan State University, Yerevan, Armenia, and a doctorate in financial economics from the City University of New York.
Atty. O’Connell became a faculty specialist at Scranton in 2019. He previously served as an adjunct faculty member at the University since 1992. He received a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania and juris doctorate from John Marshall Law School in Chicago.
Prof. O’Hara, also became a faculty specialist at Scranton in 2019. He received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Pennsylvania State University and an MBA in finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.
Prof. Rocco became a faculty specialist at Scranton in 2016. He also previously served as an adjunct instructor in the University’s Kania School of Management. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance and marketing from Saint Joseph’s University and an MBA from Wilkes University.
Students Pick 2022 KSOM Professor of the Year
-
05/10/2022
Author Nicole Eustace, Ph.D., the winner of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in History for her book “Covered with Night,” will speak at The University of Scranton on Wednesday, May 11, as part of National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) supported “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” Project. She will draw from the central themes of her award-winning book when she presents “Murder and Mercy: A Colonial Encounter in the Susquehanna Valley,” at 5 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center on campus.
At the lecture, Dr. Eustace, a professor of history at New York University, will explore the complex layers of everyday life as colonists encountered and interacted with Native people in Eastern Pennsylvania. A discussion will follow the lecture.
A second lecture on Wednesday, May 18, titled “Removal and the Right to Remain in the United States,” will also explore the Indigenous History of Northeast Pennsylvania. The talk by Samantha Seeley, Ph.D., associate professor of history at the University of Richmond, will be held at 5 p.m. on May 18, in the Henkelman Room at the Albright Memorial Library. She will discuss her book, “Race, Removal, and the Right to Remain: Migration and the Making of the Early United States.” A discussion will follow the lecture.
Both lectures are offered free of charge to members of the greater Scranton community. Registration is required to attend and can be made at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MurderMercy2022 and/or https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RemovalRight2022. Please email community@scranton.edu or call 570-941-4419 with any questions.
The lectures are sponsored by the University’s Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities, History Department and Office of Community Relations; and community partners the Black Scranton Project, Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, Lackawanna Historical Society, Scranton Public Library, and WVIA.
“Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” seeks to capture the unique narrative of Scranton and relate it to the history of the United States prior to the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The project will incorporate eight themes over a two-year period, including how Scranton has been portrayed in the popular imagination, its industrial era growth, Indigenous history, religious tapestry, diverse immigrant populations – past and present – and the role it played in the Underground Railroad and Black history. Both lectures in May relate to the project’s third theme: “The Indigenous History of Northeast Pennsylvania.”
Indigenous History of NEPA Discussed by Authors
-
05/04/2022
According to The University of Scranton’s First Destination survey for the Class of 2020, the average starting salary of Scranton history graduates 12 months after graduating was $40,600.
History degrees remain in demand due to the various transferable skills emphasized in the program including, writing, verbal and interpersonal communication, research, analysis and critical thinking.
A degree in history provides the foundation for a wide range of career opportunities ranging from law to medicine and more. Examples of successful individuals who have earned degrees in history include Conan O’Brian, Chris Hughes and the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden.
Scranton’s Bachelor of Arts degree in history prepares students for various post-graduate opportunities including higher education, teaching assistantships, public service work or employment in both the public and private sectors. Scranton’s department of history has produced five Fulbright Scholars in the past decade.
With proximity to various Lackawanna County historical organizations, including the Lackawanna Historical Society and Steamtown National Historic Site, students can get hands-on learning experiences and immerse themselves in the region’s role in American history.
Additional opportunities for independent research are built into the program. Undergraduate student research is frequently submitted for publication or presented at conferences.
Those interested in traveling will find multiple travel abroad courses within the department to places like Italy, Germany, England and the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Students looking to study abroad can do so within the department as well.
Recent Scranton graduates have been admitted to prestigious schools such as Boston College, Cornell University, Georgetown University, a Yale University. Organizations that employ Scranton history graduates include ABC News, Chase Manhattan Bank, the Office of the Attorney General, Paine Weber and the U.S. Military.
Timeless Value of a Degree in History
-
05/04/2022
Students have been inducted into national honor societies represented at The University of Scranton throughout the 2022 spring semester. Lists of students inducted into some of the University’s honor societies can be seen below.
Alpha Lambda DeltaAlpha Sigma LambdaEta Sigma GammaInstitute for Management AccountantsKappa Delta PiNu Rho PsiPhi Delta KappaSigma Nu TauSigma Pi SigmaSigma Theta TauSigma Theta TauSigma XiStudents Inducted into National Honor Societies
-
05/04/2022
Thirty-Six University of Scranton students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities for 2022. The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students, including students in doctoral level degree programs, who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
The following undergraduate and graduate students at Scranton were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu:
Sophia Alderman;Marissa Angelo;Savannah Biasi;Peter Burke;Philip Cocco;Brandon Dagrosa;Patrick Dawid;Eric Dittmar;Conor Dougherty;Caitlin Doughton;Jane Fiore;Lindsay Fitchett;Emily Fleming;Nicolette George;Nicholas Gershey;John Hakim;Stephanie Hoffmann;Christian Huckfeldt;Adelyne Ibanez;Serena Mancini;Samuel Marranca;Fiona McCaul;Margaret McGrath;Annalisa Mechanick;Melissa Menagh;Mahad Muhammad;Ashley Mullan;Emma Nessel;Hirali Patel;Lauren Rice;Brea Rutledge;Jacqueline Savage;Nathaniel Smith;Joshua Vituszynski;Kathleen Wallace;Olivia Zehel.Students Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society
-
05/04/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced Carl Hurst will serve as associate vice president for information technology and Chief Information Officer, effective immediately.
“Mr. Hurst, who will also serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet, possess significant knowledge of IT operations and infrastructure, as well as network and data security,” said Father Marina in an announcement to the campus community.
Hurst joined the staff at the University in 2017 as the associate Chief Information Officer. During his time at Scranton, he played a leading role in the development and coordination of comprehensive technical and IT operational plans. He assisted the CIO with facilitating an IT governance strategy, researched emerging technologies and helped to evaluate and assess the University’s current technology and operations to guide future decisions. He also managed IT security, IT security audits and performed vendor security assessments, among other duties.
Prior to joining the University, Hurst was the director of technical infrastructure at TMG Health. Previously, he was the manager of network and desktop infrastructure at Blue Cross NEPA and manager of Windows and desktop server systems at Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises.
Hurst earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Wilkes University.
Carl Hurst Named Associate Vice President
-
05/03/2022
Margaret Mary Fitzpatrick S.C., Congregational Leader for the Sisters of Charity, Halifax, Canada; and Lawrence R. Lynch, former chair of The University of Scranton Board of Trustees and recently retired assurance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP; will receive honorary degrees from The University of Scranton at its undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 21.
Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry at The University of Scranton, will serve as the principal speaker. Father Keller received an honorary doctoral degree from the University in 2006.
Sister Fitzpatrick, Ed.D., was elected the Congregational Leader of the Sisters of Charity Halifax in October of 2020, serving her Sisters and advancing the charism of charity throughout the world. She also serves as a board member of DePaul University and St. John’s University.
A nationally recognized leader in higher education, Sister Fitzpatrick served as president and CEO of St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, New York, for 25 years before retiring from that position in June of 2020. During her tenure, she placed sustainability at the forefront of the college’s efforts, incorporating sustainability into the curriculum and daily operations of the college and creating the Global Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility as a hub of these efforts. She also led the way for the college to join the Catholic Climate Covenant, a pledge to educate students, employees and community members on climate change.
From 1981 to 1995, Sister Fitzpatrick served at St. John’s University, holding a number of positions there, including senior vice president and vice president and assistant to the president. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Boston State College and a master’s degree from Fordham University, a master’s degree in education and her doctorate from Columbia University.
Until his recent retirement, Lynch was assurance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, serving in the financial services sector. He previously served as a trustee of Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, Friends of Saint Joseph’s Passionist Church of Paris, International Insurance Foundation, chairman of the board of trustees for the Marymount International School in Paris, as a board member of the French American Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia chapter, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Social Services.
Lynch has supported many University initiatives, including fundraisers and recruitment for students. Lynch serve three consecutive terms on the University’s Board of Trustees (2009-2018) and served as its chair from 2014-2018. He also served as president of the Scranton Club of Philadelphia; and as a member of the Alumni Society’s Board of Governor, the Kania School of Management’s Accounting Department Professional Alumni Council and the President’s Business Council. With his wife, Keli, they established the Joseph F. Lynch Memorial Scholarship in honor of Lynch’s father, Joseph, to provide need-based aid for students.
A certified public accountant, Lynch earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Scranton in 1981.
The University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony will begin at noon on May 21 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre.
Two Will Receive Honorary Degrees from University
-
05/03/2022
MAY 9 UPDATE: The debate originally planned for 7 p.m. for the Republican Primary candidates for the 118th PA House District has been cancelled. The debate for the 113th District Democratic Primary candidates is still set for this evening. Original release follows.
The University of Scranton’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS), in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County, will host two debates for PA House Primary candidates on Monday, May 9.
Republican Primary candidates for the 118th PA House District, John Lombardo and James May, will participate in a debate beginning at 7 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall on Madison Avenue. Immediately following, Democratic Primary candidates for the 113th PA House District, Kyle Donahue and Patrick Flynn, will participate in a debate, which is set to begin at 8 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall.
The debates are offered free of charge.
For more information, email ceeps@scranton.edu.
PA House Primary Candidate Debates Set for May 9
-
04/28/2022
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by the father-son duo of organist John A. Romeri and flautist John Romeri on Saturday, May 7.
The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
A church musician for nearly 50 years, John A. Romeri has served in Catholic churches and cathedrals across the country. Most recently, he served as the first director of music for the newest American cathedral, Christ Cathedral in Orange County, California. While there, he established the Cathedral choirs, Diocesan Choir and Diocesan Children’s Choir. In addition, he served as the host of “Music from the Tower,” a weekly radio program focused on sacred and classical music.
“We are very excited to welcome this dynamic father-son duo, and to introduce them for the first time to our concert hall and its mighty Austin,” said Cheryl Y. Boga, director of Performance Music at The University of Scranton.
John A. Romeri’s choirs have toured the United States, Europe and Canada, and he has served in leadership positions with the American Guild of Organists, the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and Pueri Cantores. Through the years, he has received a number of awards, including the Westminster Choir College Alumni Merit Award and the Paul Creston Award from St. Malachy, the Actor’s Chapel in New York City.
Meanwhile, his son, John Romeri, is the co-founder and artistic director of the Broadway Chamber Players, a group of Broadway pit musicians who play chamber music concerts in New York’s Theater District. In addition, he maintains an active teaching and performance schedule throughout the Northeast, often performing with the Stamford, Delaware, Harrisburg and Lancaster symphonies, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Philadelphia Virtuosi and Black Pearl Chamber orchestras, as well as at St. Paul's Chapel of Trinity Wall Street and Central Park’s Shakespeare in the Park.
For many years, the younger Romeri has been a sought-after musician for numerous Broadway shows, among them “Carousel,” “Wicked,” “Miss Saigon,” “Sunset Boulevard,” “My Fair Lady,” “The King and I,” “She Loves Me,” “An American in Paris,” “On the Town,” “Les Misérables” and “Beauty and the Beast.” He has also performed music for such television shows as “Mildred Pierce,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” “The Sound of Music Live!” and “Peter Pan Live!”
The Houlihan-McLean Center’s Austin Opus 301 symphonic organ was built in 1910 by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut, for Scranton’s Immanuel Baptist Church. Restored and re-dedicated by the University in 2005, the organ is one of the few rare surviving original examples of early 20th-century organ building, possessing a total of 3,178 pipes, 45 ranks and four manuals. The instrument is maintained by artist/technicians from Emery Brothers/Dieffenbach organs.
For the performance, audience members are required to wear a higher-grade mask (N95, KN95, KF94 or double masking) at all times. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for the most current information on additional required audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on John A. Romeri, visit johnromeri.com. For more on John Romeri, visit www.broadwaychamberplayers.org/about.
Romeri Duo to Present Organ-Flute Recital May 7
-
04/27/2022
After serving almost a decade as CNN’s Moscow Bureau Chief, Schemel Forum guest speaker Jill Dougherty was living and working in Moscow in February 2022 when tensions between Russia and Ukraine were rising, witnessing firsthand the tactics used by various media organizations to promote a single narrative.
After discussing the role American media played in the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Dougherty began to explain how Russian media presented the same situation. By placing Russian weapons and troops in the geographically significant separatist territories of the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, Putin effectively had the country of Ukraine surrounded. According to Dougherty, the narrative Russian media presented was that Putin’s intentions for doing this were those of self-defense against a supposed genocide of these people. Dougherty recognized that “what they were doing is what the old Soviet Union used to do with kind of weird little places they would recognize, and then say we have to protect them and then they would put their forces in to ‘protect’ them.’” Dougherty said, “at that moment it was so obvious that they had been setting this up for weeks.”
Other media tactics employed by some Russian media companies that Dougherty explored in her lecture include: presenting prerecorded statements as live ones; selectively recording attacks in certain areas while ignoring others; and including persuasive rhetoric like referring to people as “traitors.”
Ultimately, Russian media sanctions against independent media outlets forced many journalists, including Dougherty, out of the country in fear of potential retaliation for statements made on air. However, Dougherty noted that this is not the only recent change that will impact the country and the world in the years to come.
“The implications for Ukraine are dire, but the implications for Russia, militarily, and their society in many ways are dire too. There’s no other word because both countries will be transformed by what is going on,” said Dougherty.
Dougherty presented “Russia and the Post-Truth Society” at a Spring Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar held on The University of Scranton’s campus in April.
Former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief on Russian Media
-
04/27/2022
Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry at The University of Scranton, will serve as the principal speaker at the University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 21. The ceremony will begin at noon at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre.
“Father Keller has dedicated his life to strengthening, furthering and bettering Catholic and Jesuit education. His congenial warmth and keen sense of humor make him beloved by all who meet him. He is an exceptional teacher, leader and speaker, and I am sure our students and guests will enjoy his message at commencement,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton.
Father Keller, who serves as the rector of the Scranton Jesuit Community, will step down as vice president for Mission and Ministry at the University at the end of the 2021-22 academic year. Previously, he served as interim president at Scranton for the 2017-2018 academic year and also as special assistant to the president. He received an honorary doctoral degree from the University in 2006.
At the conclusion of the academic year, Fr. Keller will return Scranton Preparatory School as a teacher and pastoral minister. Father Keller served as president of Scranton Prep for 18 years and is the longest-serving president in the Jesuit school’s history.
Father Keller entered the Jesuit novitiate in Wernersville in 1969. In 1975, he received a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Fordham University. He earned a master’s degree with distinction from Weston School of Theology in Boston and a professional diploma in secondary school administration from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education.
He was ordained a priest in 1981 and has served in Jesuit secondary education for 35 years. Father Keller was named principal of Scranton Prep in 1983 and served in that capacity for eight years. From 1991 to 1997, he was named principal of his alma mater, Saint Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, and also served as rector of the Jesuit Community.
In 2016, Father Keller served as a delegate from the Maryland Province for the Society of Jesus' General Congregation 36. In addition to servicing 17 years on The University of Scranton’s board across several terms, he is a past trustee of Fairfield University and Saint Joseph’s University, as well as Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School and Gonzaga College High School.
Read the announcement of the commencement speaker in The Aquinas.
Speaker Announced for 2022 Commencement
-
04/27/2022
The University of Scranton announced plans to open its campus again to the general public at the start of the summer semester on May 24. The University is currently open to members of the University community and invited guests, which includes family members and friends attending Scranton’s various graduation ceremonies and other events on campus. Currently, higher-grade masks are optional for individuals indoors, regardless of vaccine status.
The University also announced COVID vaccine requirements for students and employees for the fall semester. The University will require all students attending in-person classes or accessing campus for other reasons in the fall 2022 semester to provide proof of being fully vaccinated by August 1. All employees are required to provide an attestation that they are fully vaccinated. Students and employees can apply for medical or religious exemptions to the vaccine requirements.
Regarding boosters, the University strongly recommends, but does not require, that students and employees stay “up to date” with COVID-19 vaccinations.
The University has based its health and safety plan on recommendations by the CDC and other health organizations. The University continues to monitor the situation and will update its plan as needed.
The full update for the summer and fall is available on the University’s Royals Back Together webpage
University to Open Campus to General Public Again
-
04/27/2022
More than 100 area students participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. The academic competition tested the high school students’ knowledge of physics and engineering through a series of quizzes and hands-on challenges. Students competed individually and in teams.
Noah Beckish from North Pocono High School came in first place in the individual competition, based on a quiz given to all participants and placement in a Jeopardy game of those with highest quiz scores. Matthew Pelleschi, from Wyoming Area High School, came in second place. Anderson Zou from West Scranton High School came in third place.
In the team competition, Berwick High School team one placed first. Members of that team were: John Ebert, Jaida Geiser, Sophia Guerriero, Gabe Hook, Jeff Lin, Brendan Torowski, and Sadie Zehner. Matt Shrader was their coach. Wallenpaupack Area High School came in second. Members of the Wallenpaupack team were: Adam Basile, Andrew Bromberger, Xin Chen, Alec Crouthamel, Lucas Macdonough, Lucas Ryan, Jack Smith and Matt Tavalsky. Ryan Neenan was their coach. Wyoming Area team one placed third. Members of the third-place finishing team were: Sean Burke, Richard Kashuba, Zachary Kostik, Hunter Lawall, Hailey Patts and Matthew Pelleschi (who came in second place in the individual competition). coach David Pizano was their coach.
For each game, prizes were also awarded. In the game titled “Chopped,” North Pocono team four won the Ingenuity Award. In the game titled “The Chase,” Scranton High won the Ingenuity Award. Forest City Regional’s team received the Ingenuity Award for the game titled “The Price is Right.” And West Scranton’s team took home the Ingenuity Award for the “American Ninja Warrior Media Event.”
The competition was organized by the University’s Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering to encourage more students to pursue careers in physics and engineering.
$content.getChild('content').textValueCompetition Tests Students’ Knowledge of Physics
-
04/21/2022
A record number of middle and high school students participated in The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest, which was one of several Earth Day events hosted in April.
Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical titled “On Care for Our Common Home,” The University of Scranton’s Sustainability Office selected the theme “We Are All Connected” for their 2022 Spring Earth Day sustainability initiative.
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, referenced a Universal Apostolic Preference of the Society of Jesus in his Earth Day message to the campus community.
“As you know, the fourth Universal Apostolic Preference (UAP) of the Society of Jesus, prescribed to all Jesuit institutions around the world by Superior General Fr. Arturo Sosa in 2019, addresses the problem of ecological degradation and destruction. As Fr. Sosa has said, ‘creation today is crying out as never before, labouring to be set free (Romans 8). Today’s environmental crisis is impacting in a particular way on the poor and vulnerable. Action is needed urgently by Christians and by all people of good will. Whole nations and peoples need an ecological conversion if we are to be honest custodians of this wonderful planet,’” wrote Father Marina in the message sent April 1.
More than 350 students in grades 5-12 participates in the University’s Earth Day Essay Contest. Most participants were from NEPA, but students in New York and Texas also submitted essays. The winners of the essay contest were announced at the Evening of Environmental event that took place in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center on April 20. The event featured interactive science experiments run by University students and included a display of the essays submitted.
On April 21, the University hosted a lecture by renowned American climatologist and geophysicist Michael Mann, Ph.D., author of “The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet.” Dr. Mann is the author of five books on climate change, as well as more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications, numerous op-eds and commentaries. is the Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute. He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center.
Other Earth Day events included an Environmental Art Show, an Earth Day Fair, an Environmentally-Friendly Tie-Dye event, and a screening of “The Human Element,” a film in which photographer James Balog uses his camera to document and uncover how environmental change affects the lives of Americans each day.
The final Earth Day event for the month of April will be an art show address on April 25 by Laura Kern, an artist from rural Pennsylvania who uses her sculptures to emphasize the connection between humans and the environment, as well as to highlight prominent environmental and societal issues. Kern will present her address in the lobby of the Loyola Science Center.
The events were sponsored by the University’s Sustainability Office with the support of the Jesuit Center, the Kania School of Management, the Multicultural Center, the environmental studies concentration and major, the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Society for Sustainability and Conservation student organization.
$content.getChild('content').textValueRecord Number Participate in Earth Day Essay Contest
-
04/19/2022
The University of Scranton was ranked among Fortune’s “Best Online MBA Programs” listing, placing at No. 62 in the nation. This is the second year of the ranking by Fortune and is also the second year Fortune included Scranton among America’s “Best Online MBA Programs.”
For the ranking, Fortune looked at the quality of the online MBA program at the colleges as measured by their students’ average undergraduate GPA and GMAT score, the number of students enrolled, the colleges’ first-year retention rate and its graduation rate, which accounted for 62.5 percent of the overall ranking score. Fortune partnered with Ipsos to survey 2,500 business professionals and hiring managers to produce a measurement of the “brand appeal” of the college, or “how much a group of people want to recruit from the university” (20 percent). Fortune also counted the number of Fortune 1000 executives who earned an MBA from the college (17.5 percent).
Fortune’s “Best Online MBA Programs” ranking was published online on April 6.
Scranton was also ranked at No. 55 in the nation in Fortune’s 2021-2022 listing of the “Best Part-time MBA Programs.”
Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 55; and its online MBA program at No. 98 in the nation in its “Best Online Programs” guide. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 65 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
Fortune Picks Scranton Among Best Online MBAs
-
04/14/2022
Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., professor and chair of The University of Scranton’s Accounting Department and director of its nationally recognized DBA program, was selected as the 2022 Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Research Foundation Distinguished Scholar.
The prestigious national award, based on peer recommendations, recognizes the recipient’s body of research and its relevance to the mission of IMA Research Foundation, as well as the awardee’s contribution to the management accounting body of knowledge and demonstrated practical value to accounting and financial professionals. The IMA Distinguished Scholar Award, which will be formally presented at the American Accounting Association’s annual meeting in San Diego in August, was previously known as the IMA Research Foundation Siegel Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Boyle has received numerous accolades for his research. The Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings, which internationally recognizes and ranks accounting faculty members based on their research publication success in top-tier, peer-reviewed accounting journals, placed Dr. Boyle No. 7 in the world in 2021 and 2020 reports for accounting education research. An article published by Dr. Boyle and Scranton accounting professors James Boyle, D.B.A., and Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D., won the IMA’s Lybrand Gold Medal as the “outstanding article of the year” for 2019; and an article published by Dr. Boyle, Dr. Mahoney and University Accounting Professor Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., received the 2016 Lybrand Gold Medal. His articles with Scranton professors and DBA students also won Lybrand Silver Medals in 2021, 2020, and 2015 and Lybrand Bronze Medals in 2020 and 2014, in addition to other awards.
Dr. Boyle’s research has been published in numerous academic and refereed journals, such as The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy (JAPP), Accounting Horizons, Current Issues in Auditing, The Journal of Accounting Education, The Accounting Educators’ Journal, The Journal of Accountancy, Strategic Finance, Fraud Magazine, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly, The CPA Journal, Internal Auditing, The Journal of Applied Business Research and The Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences.
A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Boyle has more than 30 years of industry experience. He has served in executive roles in startup, middle market and Fortune 500 companies where he has held the positions of chief executive officer, president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer.
An award-winning teacher, Dr. Boyle was profiled for the past three years as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs.
At Scranton, Dr. Boyle was named the Kania School of Management’s (KSOM) Alperin Teaching Fellow for 2015 to 2018 and received the KSOM Advisory Board’s Award for Curriculum Innovation for 2017-2018. He has twice earned the KSOM Teacher of the Year award and earned the Provost Excellence Awards for the Scholarship of Teaching in 2014 and for Scholarly Publication in 2012 and the Faculty Senate’s Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award in 2019. He was awarded the Outstanding Accounting Educator of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 2015 and an Outstanding Lecturer Award from the Cultural Mission of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in 2012. He is also the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
Scranton’s DBA program has received international recognition when the prestigious accrediting body, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), listed the program in 2019 among the “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” Two DBA students have received the prestigious Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) Michael J. Barrett Doctoral Dissertation Award.
Dr. Boyle earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Accounting Professor Named Distinguished Scholar
-
04/14/2022
During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton will explore the extraordinary life and influence of Rev. George Schemel, S.J., who served on Scranton’s faculty and inspired his friends and colleagues to found the Schemel Forum 16 years ago.
On Monday, April 25, in collaboration with Scranton’s Jesuit Center, the University will present “A Schemel Legacy: The Engineer and the Monk.” The program will be conducted by Fr. Schemel’s two nephews, whom he most profoundly inspired: Christopher F. Schemel, Ph.D., president of Delta Q Consultants, Inc., and courtesy professor of chemical engineering at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa; and Brother Mario Joseph Schemel, a Trappist monk at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit near Conyers, Georgia.
Dr. Schemel is a leading expert in fire and explosion dynamics and chemical process safety. Before joining the monastery in 2010, Br. Mario, spent 15 years in industry and 15 years in academia. The brothers will describe the influence that Father George had on them in their respective callings.
The Schemel Forum was founded at the University in July 2006 through generous gifts to the Rev. George Schemel, S.J., Fund, created by friends of the beloved campus Jesuit. The program aims to provide people of all ages with the opportunity to explore the intellectual and cultural wonders of the world via a range of lectures and courses.
“A Schemel Legacy: The Engineer and the Monk” will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, followed by a reception. Admission is free for University students, faculty and staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the fee is $25.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. To pay by credit card over the phone, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816, or to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Program to Explore Life of George Schemel, S.J.
-
04/12/2022
The median annual wage for human resources specialists and compensation/benefits specialists was $60,350 and $119,120, respectively, in May 2017. Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth in this field to nearly double, from five to nine percent, between 2016 and 2026.
Professionals working in human resources are responsible for a wide variety of jobs in corporate settings including recruitment, employee relations, payroll, benefits, training and administration of human resources policies. Examples of potential careers include compensation and benefits managers, human resources managers, and training and development managers.
The University of Scranton’s bachelor of science program in human resources studies is an interdisciplinary major that incorporates courses from the social and behavioral sciences, business and liberal arts. With flexibility in the curriculum, students have the chance to pursue a minor in business administration, psychology or other related fields.
Coursework is designed to actively engage students in applying theory to real-world scenarios and emphasize the development of decision-making, interpersonal, leadership, organizational and speaking skills. With small classes capped at around 25 to 30 students, Scranton human resources studies student get to know faculty and get individualized advice on their unique career aspirations from professionals who have worked in the field.
As part of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, students are required to complete at least 80 hours of service learning aimed at developing student engagement with their community. Additionally, human resources studies students complete 120 hours of internship experience their senior year in order to get hands-on experience outside of the classroom and under the supervision of human resources professionals. Recent internship sites include Nestle USA, Allied Services, Scranton Times-Tribune and Hilton Hotels-NY.
Outside of the classroom, students can get involved in the department by joining the student chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management, related clubs and honor societies.
Scranton graduates can be found working in companies like Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Martin, L’Oréal NY and Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
See Where a Degree in Human Resources Can Take You
-
04/12/2022
Gerard Dumancas, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry at The University of Scranton, received a $1.158 million National Science Foundation funded Noyce Scholars grant that will support future science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) high school teachers in high-need school districts.
The grant, which will be allocated over a five-year period beginning (this summer) (in the 2022-2023 academic year), will provide a scholarships and educational training support to 21 STEM students with a major or minor in secondary education.
“There are many areas in the United States that are in need of great high school science and mathematics teachers in Pennsylvania – really across the country. We have advanced technologies in the U.S., yet many of our students lag behind those in other countries, especially with skills related to the sciences and mathematics. As educators, we are trying to train and build the workforce of the future, and their high school exposure to the sciences and math is a key element to their – and our – future,” said Dr. Dumancas, a widely published analytical chemist, who considers himself to be “a teacher first.”
Dr. Dumancas’s research on the development and application of novel spectroscopic and computational tools applied to chemical analysis of food and biomedical products has been published in multiple top-tier, peer-reviewed academic journals. Since coming to The University of Scranton, he has published four research articles and submitted four book chapters.
“It takes a great deal of support to make a good science or mathematics teacher,” said Dr. Dumancas.
The NSF grant provides a financial stipend to participants selected to become Noyce Scholars, in addition to affording them early field teaching experience and mentoring opportunities with practicing teachers in partner schools. Noyce Scholars will also participate in special courses to expose them to computational science methods, among other educational opportunities in the sciences.
“The grant is geared to provide documented support to students to make them successful as high school STEM teachers,” said Dr. Dumancas, who said the success of the scholars is monitored and is part of the research collected through the grant. Programs that prove to be successful can receive additional support in the future.
Mid Valley School District and Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) are partner schools for the grant. Students at these schools will have the opportunity to participate in special programming in the STEM fields at the University supported by the University faculty and Noyce Scholars.
University students in their senior or junior year of studies, majoring or minoring in secondary education in the STEM field and meeting other academic and program requirements can apply to become a Noyce Scholar for the fall 2022 semester. LCCC students continuing their education at Scranton who meet the program requirements can also apply to the program for their junior and senior years. Students selected to the program are required to teach in a high-need school district anywhere in the United States for two years for each year of their participation as a Noyce Scholar.
Applications for the program will become available in the coming weeks, but anyone interested could contact Dr. Dumancas by email at gerard.dumancas@scranton.edu.
Dr. Dumancas joined the faculty at Scranton in the spring of 2022. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oklahoma State University. During his career, Dr. Dumancas has generated more than $2 million in external research grants and has published more than 40 manuscripts in peer-reviewed academic journals.
Professor NSF Grant Supports Future STEM Teachers
-
04/11/2022
Note: Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
May 9-13 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 7-8 8 a.m. National History Day State Competition for qualifying students from Pennsylvania. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
May 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring John Romeri, organist and John Romeri, flautist. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with special guests. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 21 Noon Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 21 5 p.m. Graduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 22 10:30 a.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
University Announces Planned May Events
-
04/08/2022
Continuing its commitment to presenting world class musical talent, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will spotlight the work of guest composer/conductor Javier Nero at its 39th annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert on Saturday, April 30. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
At the concert, The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir will premiere two brand-new commissioned works by Nero written specifically for the University’s student ensembles, entitled The Return (for concert band) and One Day (for six part choir), according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
An internationally award-winning jazz trombonist, composer, arranger and educator, Nero recently won the position of lead trombone in the prestigious U. S. Army Blues, the big band jazz element of The U. S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in Washington, D.C. His compositions have been described by Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Brian Lynch as “modern, sophisticated yet accessible, pleasing the player and listener alike.”
In addition to his career with the Army Blues, Nero also performs in the D.C. and N.Y.C. areas with two of his ensembles, the Javier Nero Septet and the Javier Nero Jazz Orchestra. With the Septet, he released his first album, “Freedom” and his big band album will be released later this year. He has also been a member of the award-winning Haitian band Klass, which has toured the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, South America and France.
Nero’s compositions and arrangements have earned him awards from Downbeat magazine, as well as participation in the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program and the Banff Centre’s international workshop in jazz and creative music, and his works have been performed by the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, Frost Symphony Orchestra, Studio Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Vocal 1, Extensions, the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra.
As a trombonist, Nero has won first place in four international jazz solo competitions, including the 2011 International Trombone Association’s Carl Fontana Competition, the ITA’s 2013 JJ Johnson Competition, the 2014 American Trombone Workshop National Jazz Solo Competition and the 2015 Texas State Trombone Symposium Jazz Trombone Competition. He was also a finalist in the Detroit Jazz Festival’s Curtis Fuller National Solo Competition, and he recently won and placed as finalist for two consecutive years in the Ithaca College Jazz Composer Contest.
Nero received his Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School, a Master of Music in studio/jazz writing from the University of Miami, and a Doctor of Musical Arts with a minor in classical trombone performance from Miami’s Frost School of Music.
All audience members are required to wear a higher-grade mask (N95, KN95, KF94 or double masking) at all times. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for the most current information on additional required audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Nero, visit www.javiernero.com.
World Premiere Composition Series Concert April 30
-
04/08/2022
Sursum Corda Awards were presented to four staff members, and University of Scranton President Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., delivered his first State of the University address at the Spring Convocation, which took place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on April 5. In addition, new staff members who joined the University between Jan. 31, 2020 through April 1, 2022, were recognized.
Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technical staff and maintenance/public safety staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University. This year’s recipients were: Cindy Hricko, business applications analyst and manager of enterprise application for Information Technology; Kristi Klien, administrative assistant for the Center for Career Development; Maria Marinucci, director of the Cross Cultural Centers; and Pete Sakowski, network resources technician.
In his remarks, Father Marina thanked the award recipients for their service to the University and said the Sursum Corda, Lift Up Your Hearts, is “an award so fitting for Kristi, Pete, Cindy and Maria, and all those who have received this award before you.”
In his address, he referred to the state of universities in the nation as being “the best of times and the worst of times,” referencing the famous opening words of the Charles Dickens novel “A Tale of Two Cities.”
He outlined a number of challenges facing colleges and universities, then acknowledged the many in-roads The University of Scranton has already begun to address these issues and to advance Scranton’s mission as a Catholic and Jesuit university. These include renovations made to Hyland Hall to support the new mechanical engineering major and the University’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan that was formed through input from constituencies from all over the University, among other initiatives.
“At the last meeting of the Board of Trustees, the Board unanimously approved the creation of the Opening Doors Scholarship Fund to meet the unmet need of students seeking to enroll at Scranton who have graduated from Cristo Rey High Schools, Arrupe College and other institutions with similar missions,” said Father Marina. “Our Trustees are contributing to this fund from their own personal resources and already, after just a couple of months, there is more than $400,000 in this new fund, which will advance our goals for both access and affordability and increasing the diversity of our student body.”
In closing, Father Marina referred again to the Charles Dickens quote.
“In higher education, the present days can be considered as the best of times and the worst of times because of both the opportunities as well as the great challenges that currently exist. Yet, if we meet these challenges together, as friends and colleagues in mission, we can turn them into opportunities. If we are able to do that, then the worst of times will dissipate and only the best will remain,” said Father Marina.
University Holds Spring Convocation
-
04/05/2022
The University of Scranton held a political dialogue titled, “Freedom and Our Founding: What do they mean for us today?” In small mediated groups, students discussed the concept of freedom, the founding of the United States, and the role of citizens in democracy. Students then shared their experiences and listened to the perspectives of others.
Front row from left: Jenny Gonzalez, local advocate; Lia Richards-Palmiter, Ph.D., director of the Office of Diversity Efforts at Marywood University; Alejandra Marroquin, Scranton Immigrant Inclusion Committee co-chair; Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., associate professor and director of First-Year Seminars; and Julie Cohen, assistant vice president for Community Engagement and Government Affairs. Back row front left: Carolyn M. Bonacci, Community and Civic Engagement Coordinator of External Affairs; Chris Norton, chief content officer, WVIA; and Gus Fahey, president of Valley in Motion.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Students Burst Political Bubbles
-
04/05/2022
For the seventh annual presentation in the Jay Nathan, Ph.D. Visiting Scholar Lecture Series, The University of Scranton hosted Her Excellency, Ambassador Bergdís Ellertsdóttir of Iceland. She presented a lecture titled, “Iceland: History, Culture, Environment.” After the presentation and panel discussion, Eva Ingolfsdóttir, a classical Icelandic violinist, gave a performance to demonstrate Icelandic culture through music. From left: Eva Ingolfsdottir, classical violinist; Jay Nathan, Ph.D.; Iceland Ambassador Bergdis Ellertsdottir; Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton; Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the University's College of Arts and Sciences; and George J. Aulisio, dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library at the University.
The lecture was sponsored by the Weinberg Memorial Library.
$content.getChild('content').textValueIcelandic Culture Discussed at Nathan Lecture
-
04/05/2022
The University of Scranton hosted alumnus Neal Thompson ’87 for a discussion and book signing for his latest book, “The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of An American Dynasty.” The book details the Kennedy family’s flight from the Ireland potato famine and their later actualization of the American Dream.
The event was cosponsored by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities and the History Department.
$content.getChild('content').textValueBook Discussion and Signing with Scranton Alumnus
-
04/05/2022
Recognized globally as a leading expert on climate change, climatologist and geophysicist Michael E. Mann, Ph.D., will discuss his new book “The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet” at The University of Scranton on April 21. The lecture, offered free of charge, begins at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
The author of five books on climate change, Dr. Mann’s research has been published in more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications. He was a lead author on the Observed Climate Variability and Change chapter of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Scientific Assessment Report in 2001 and was organizing committee chair for the National Academy of Sciences Frontiers of Science in 2003. He contributed, with other IPCC authors, to the award of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. He was named to the Bloomberg News list of 50 Most Influential People in 2013, Academic’s Ten Most Influential Earth Scientists list in 2020, and, in 2002, was named by Scientific American as one of 50 leading visionaries in science and technology, among dozens of other honors and awards.
Dr. Mann is the Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute. He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center. He is the co-founder of the award-winning website RealClimate.org.
Dr. Mann’s latest book, “The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet,” was nominated among the 15 Best Science and Environment Books of 2021 by The Times (UK) and nominated for the Business Book of the Year 2021 by Financial Times (runner-up). His book explores the intricacies of the struggle to conquer the disinformation campaigns of the fossil fuel industry and their intentional division of modern climate advocates. Dr. Mann demonstrates that these tactical efforts by fossil fuel producers currently render the work of climate advocates ineffective and divert attention from necessary sweeping environmental policy actions. Along with these topics, Dr. Mann will discuss inadequate solutions as well as the responses to the climate crisis he deems best.
Dr. Mann earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and applied mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley; and his master’s degree in physics and Ph.D. in geology and geophysics from Yale University.
Dr. Mann’s research and presentation echo the Jesuit teaching and commitment to care for our common home. Pope Francis broadcasts the same message, highlighting in his encyclical that “the Creator does not abandon us” and that, as humans, we have a duty to protect the planet because “humanity still has the ability to work together in building our common home” (Laudato Si’ 13).
Presented as part of The University of Scranton’s Earth Day events this year, the lecture and other related events focus on the theme “we are all connected,” inspired by Pope Francis’ famous encyclical On Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si’).
The lecture is presented by the University’s Jesuit Center and Office of Sustainability. Health and safety protocols that are in effect on April 21 as outlined in the Royals Back Together plan must be followed by those in attendance.
For more information about the lecture, email mark.murphy@scranton.edu or call call 570-941-6267.Climate Change Expert Michael Mann to Speak April 21
-
04/04/2022
Andrew Schotter, professor of economics at New York University and the director of the Center for Experimental Social Science, will be the speaker at the 2022 Spring Henry George Seminar on April 20 from 4 to 5:15 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Schotter, whose areas of research interests include economic theory, game theory, and especially experimental economics, will give a talk entitled, “Social Learning and the Evolution of Conventions of Behavior.” The lecture is free of charge to University students, faculty and staff and members of the greater Scranton community.
Dr. Schotter has published four books: “The Foundations of Positive and Normative Economics: A Handbook,” “Microeconomics: A Modern Approach,” “The Economic Theory of Social Institutions” and “Free Market Economics: A Critical Appraisal,” and more than 90 articles in leading economics journals including the European Economic Review, Economic Inquiry, Games and Economic Behavior, the Journal of Public Economic, and the American Economic Review.
He has been a consultant for the National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), AT&T and the New York Stock Exchange, an economic theory fellow with the Society for Advancement of Economic Theory and a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation. He received the Kenan Enterprise Award from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th-century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
The University of Scranton health and safety protocols in place on April 20 outlined in the Royals Back Together plan must be followed by conference attendees.
For more information about the Henry George Spring Seminar, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Spring Henry George Lecture Set for April 20
-
04/04/2022
As a result of the commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of first-generation college students demonstrated through The University of Scranton’s THR1VE programming, Scranton was selected to join the national 2022-23 First-gen Forward cohort. The cohort is sponsored by The Center for First-generation Student Success, which is an initiative of the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education and The Suder Foundation.
Colleges selected to the First-gen Forward program receive professional development, community-building experiences and have access to research and other resources of the Center to further improve programming for first-generation college students.
“Through the application process, it was evident that The University of Scranton is not only taking steps to serve first-generation students but is prepared to make a long-term commitment and employ strategies that foster an environment of success for this important population,” said Dr. Sarah E. Whitley, assistant vice president, Center for First-generation Student Success. “First-gen Forward now recognizes and supports nearly 300 diverse institutions across four cohorts, all of which continue to lead the nation through their commitment to first-generation student success.”
First-generation (first-gen) college students are the first in their family to attend a four-year college or university. At Scranton, first-gen students make up 22 percent of the undergraduate student population. In 2019, the University launched the THR1VE program in an effort to meet the diverse needs of first-gen students and foster their success at Scranton.
According to Shannon Fennie Murphy, assistant dean of students who oversees the University’s first-gen programming, THR1VE focuses on three pillars: understanding and celebrating the first-generation identity; connecting students to resources; and celebrating students’ successes. Programming was initially based on a first-generation needs assessment conducted in late 2018 and is further guided by current needs identified through a student advisory council.
THR1VE programming begins at orientation and continues throughout matriculation. Programming includes the GU1DE peer mentoring program, which pairs first-year first-gen students with upper division first-generation volunteer mentors; a community awareness component that identifies staff and faculty members who were also first-gen college students; and participation in the National First-Generation College Student Day, among numerous other initiatives.
“The THR1VE monthly newsletter scaffolds student resources based on the time of the academic year and the class year of the student,” said Murphy Fennie. “For example, the October newsletters focus on tutoring services, imposter syndrome, and wellness resources for first-year and sophomore students, and on career development, internships and financial wellness for juniors and seniors. We find providing students with appropriate resources just prior to them needing the information reduces stress and allows students to navigate the systems independently.”
Murphy Fennie noted there are also many opportunities for involvement in THR1VE for faculty and staff who are first generation college students themselves or want to be advocates for current first generation students at Scranton. Faculty and staff members interested in becoming involved with the THR1VE program can complete this online survey.
Murphy Fennie wrote an article about THR1VE programming in the January 2022 issue Connections, published by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
The Center for First-generation Student Success is the premier source of evidence-based practices, professional development and knowledge creation for the higher education community to advance the success of first-generation students. Based in Washington, DC, the Center offers an outlet for sharing cutting-edge research and current media conversations, opportunities for engagement through online learning, conferences and events, as well as access to numerous programs and services intended to improve first-generation initiatives across higher education.
The Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, formerly called the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), is a network of 15,000 professionals and 1,200 institutions across the globe.
Scranton Joins National Cohort for Advancing First-Gen Students
-
04/01/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced Shannon A. Zottola has been named vice president for enrollment management, effective July 1, 2022. Zottola currently serves as vice president and dean for enrollment management and marketing at Ursinus College. At Ursinus, she serves on several institutional committees and task forces, and is a member of the Senior Leadership Team.
“Ms. Zottola has over seventeen years of leadership experience in enrollment management. She is strongly committed to Catholic and Jesuit education that is grounded in the liberal arts and centered around students,” said Father Marina in an announcement to the University community regarding the position. “Since beginning her service at Ursinus in 2018, she led the school’s effort to successfully recruit three of the largest, most diverse and academically talented classes in the school’s 152-year history. Ms. Zottola also created a strategic enrollment management plan that is now considered a ‘best practice’ among her peers in higher education.”
The vice president of enrollment management is a member of the President’s Cabinet and serves as Scranton’s chief enrollment officer. The vice president will contribute to a well-established division and strong foundation by providing strategic and innovative leadership, in alignment with the University’s mission and strategic priorities, for undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral admissions, as well as financial aid, while serving as a resource for academic program planning and participating in the University’s strategic financial and enrollment planning processes, among other responsibilities.
Zottola’s work in admissions and marketing has won numerous Council for Advancement and Support of Education and College and University Public Relations Association of Pennsylvania awards. In addition, she has presented at both the national and regional level on various topics regarding admission, enrollment and leadership.
Prior to her service at Ursinus, which began in 2018, Zottola held several positions in admissions at Cabrini University (College) from 2011 to 2018, including serving as the assistant vice president for enrollment management and director of undergraduate admissions. From 2005 to 2013, she served at Marywood University in several capacities, including as the assistant director of retention and advising. She also served as a faculty fellow at Cabrini and as an instructor at Marywood.
Zottola is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
A native of Scranton, Zottola earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh.
Shannon A. Zottola Named Vice President
-
03/30/2022
Several of The University of Scranton’s graduate programs ranked among the best in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 edition of “Best Graduate Schools.”
Scranton’s MBA Specialty in accounting ranked No. 14 in the nation, tying with Harvard University, Arizona State University and Ohio State University in the U.S. News full-time MBA program ranking. Scranton’s MBA specialty programs in business analytics ranked No. 29 and finance ranked No. 34 in America in the ranking published by U.S. News online March 29.
In addition to the program specialty rankings, Scranton’s graduate program in nursing ranked No. 95 and its part-time MBA program ranked No. 100 out of all such programs nationally.
For the graduate school rankings, U.S. News uses data gathered by surveys of college faculty and administrators, and for nursing programs, from professionals working in health care, to assess the quality of programs. U.S. News also uses statistical data such as faculty student ratios and student test scores. The U.S. News ranking of the Best Graduate Schools Ranking by MBA Specialties is based solely on ratings by business school deans and directors of AACSB-accredited MBA programs.
The University’s graduate-level business programs include a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Science in Finance (MSF). Master of Science in Business Analytics and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in general management or with a specialization in accounting, business analytics, finance, healthcare management, international business, management information systems, marketing and operations management. The University also offers combined/accelerated bachelor’s and master’s level programs including accounting BS/MBA, operations management BS/MBA, finance BS/MBA, management BS/MBA, and College of Arts and Sciences Bachelor’s/MBA, and other programs.
Graduate nursing degrees offered by Scranton include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN, and post-master’s certificate; Executive Nursing Leadership, M.S.N; and Nurse Anesthesia, DNP, and an accelerated MSN degree program.
All of the University’s graduate programs hold the highest national accreditation within each discipline, including accreditation by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) for business and accreditation by The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for nursing and Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) for nurse anesthesia.
Earlier this year, U.S. News’ “Best Online Programs” publication ranked the University’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 55 and its online MBA program at No. 98 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 65 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
In other rankings published by U.S. News, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 28 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 5 in the 2022 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.”
Graduate Programs Top U.S. News National Rankings
-
03/30/2022
Inspired by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical titled “On Care for Our Common Home,” The University of Scranton’s Sustainability Office has selected the theme “We Are All Connected” for their Spring sustainability initiative. To celebrate this theme, especially as Earth Day approaches, the Sustainability Office will host several events for students, faculty and staff as well as guests from the greater Scranton community.
Area students in grades 5-12 may participate in the University’s Earth Day Essay Contest. Submissions will be accepted through April 4. This year’s theme is “We Are All Connected.” For submission rules and details, visit: https://www.scranton.edu/sustainability/docs/earth-week-2022/earthday-2022-essay-rules.pdf.
Winners of the essay contest will be announced at the Evening of Environmental on Wednesday, April 20, in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center on campus. The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and features interactive science experiments run by University students. The event will also include a display of the essays submitted. Finalists will receive Earth Day medals and certificates at a ceremony.
On the following day, April 21, the University will host a lecture by renowned American climatologist and geophysicist Michael Mann, Ph.D., author of “The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet.” Dr. Mann is the Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Science at Pennsylvania State University, with joint appointments in the Department of Geosciences and the Earth and Environmental Systems Institute. He is also director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center. He is the author of five books on climate change, as well as more than 200 peer-reviewed and edited publications, numerous op-eds and commentaries. The lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on campus.
The final Earth Day event for the month of April will be an art show address on April 25 by Laura Kern, an artist from rural Pennsylvania who uses her sculptures to emphasize the connection between humans and the environment, as well as to highlight prominent environmental and societal issues. Kern will present her address in tthe Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. The event runs from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Other events open to University students, faculty and staff include an Environmental Art Show on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library from April 19 to April 26; an Earth Day Fair in the lobby of the Loyola Science Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on April 19; an Environmentally-Friendly Tie-Dye event, taking place on the Dionne Campus Green at 5 p.m. on April 20; and a kayaking trip on the Susquehanna River on May 7.
Several related events also took place in March, including a screening of “The Human Element,” a film in which photographer James Balog uses his camera to document and uncover how environmental change affects the lives of Americans each day. The University also hosted a celebration of World Water Day on March 22.
All of these events are sponsored by the University’s Sustainability Office with the support of the Jesuit Center, the Kania School of Management, the Multicultural Center, the environmental studies concentration and major, the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Society for Sustainability and Conservation student organization.
University Hosts Multiple Earth Day Events in April
-
03/29/2022
The University of Scranton will host the Inaugural Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service for public officials, leaders of nonprofit organizations and students on April 9 on campus. The half-day, in-person conference begins at 8 a.m. with registration and refreshments and will take place on the fifth floor of Brennan Hall.
The annual conference is a key initiative of the University’s recently launched Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS) with the goal of helping to provide a foundation for ethical governance in Northeastern Pennsylvania by developing and nurturing a community of scholars, public officials and citizens dedicated to improving and protecting democracy at the state and local level.
“We expect that the conference will help connect state and local governing officials to one another and make them aware of the opportunities and training offered by the Center,” said JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and co-director of CEEPS. “Additionally, we expect that the Conference will offer scholars interested in promoting and protecting democracy through the study of ethics at the state- and local-level an opportunity to present and share research. That research can be disseminated through the Center and shared with community members and state and local governments.”
Dr. Hopper also sees the conference as a way to introduce University students to issues concerning ethics and government effectiveness and further engage them in career opportunities in the public and government service sector. University students will participate in a panel discussion about their efforts in 2020 to increase voter registration among young adults.
Additional topics covered in panel discussions at the conference include “Local Government Ethics Boards and Codes;” “Grant writing: Best Practices for Local Governments;” and “Legislative Pay, Per Diems, and Ethics.”
The conference will conclude with a luncheon keynote address by author Craig Wheeland, Ph.D., a noted scholar in the area of public administration and senior vice president for academics and professor of public administration at Villanova University. Dr. Wheeland has published numerous articles and has also published two books on the topics of local government and urban politics. His research on city management has received external funding from organizations such as the American Political Science Association.
Additional information and a schedule of speakers can be seen on the Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service webpage.
Registration is required to attend and fees vary for the conference. Reservations and additional information is also available online. A $15 registration fee includes all meals and materials for the day. If you are unable to pay the $15 registration fee, there is an option on the registration form that will allow you to register and attend without paying the fee. The conference is free for students.
The University of Scranton health and safety protocols in place on April 9 outlined in the Royals Back Together plan must be followed by conference attendees.
For additional information, email ceeps@scranton.edu or contact Sharon Olechna, administrative assistant for the Political Science Department, at 570-941-6326 or by email at sharon.olechna@scranton.edu.
CEEPS to Host Inaugural Conference April 9
-
03/25/2022
Legendary musician and composer Dr. Wycliffe Gordon, H ’06, will return to The University of Scranton for two upcoming concerts presented by Performance Music.
On Wednesday, April 6, Gordon will perform with The University of Scranton Singers and Scranton Brass Orchestra at the 14th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert. Then, the following night, Thursday, April 7, Gordon will perform a second concert with The University of Scranton Jazz Band. Both performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. All audience members are required to wear a higher-grade mask (N95, KN95, KF94 or double masking) at all times. Please check Performance Music’s website within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on additional required audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
At the concerts, Gordon and the ensembles will perform a wide variety of selections. Programming on the April 6 concert will feature Gordon as a soloist on trombone, trumpet and singing with the choir and brass orchestra, and will include music ranging from popular selections from The Great American Songbook and spirituals to O Fortuna from Orff’s “Carmina Burana” and Va Pensiero from Verdi’s “Nabucco.”
Programming on the April 7th concert with the Jazz Band will feature Gordon again both playing and singing, and a number of the works performed will be Gordon’s own acclaimed big band compositions, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
The recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University and commencement speaker in 2006, Gordon’s long friendship with Boga has also become a close relationship with the University. He’s performed and taught at the University on many occasions with almost every one of the student wind and choral ensembles, and has composed a number of new works for the university ensembles.
“Wycliffe Gordon is my single favorite musician – he’s my musical hero,” Boga said. “He’s bigger than life. It’s like what Itzhak Perlman is to violin and Pavarotti was to voice, Wycliffe is to trombone. And I don’t know any musician in the world as generous with their time and talent. To me, he’s the closest thing we have to Louis Armstrong still with us.”
A genuine virtuoso on the trombone, Gordon was recently named “Trombonist of the Year” for the 14th time by the Jazz Journalists Association, while the Downbeat Critics Poll has named him “Best Trombone” on six occasions.
A former member of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Gordon has received numerous other accolades, including the Louie Award for his dedication and commitment to the music of Louis Armstrong; the International Trombone Association Award; the Satchmo Award from the Sarasota Jazz Club; the Louis Armstrong Memorial Prize from the Swing Jazz Culture Foundation; Artist of the Year from the Augusta Arts Council; and the ASCAP Foundation’s Vanguard Award, among many, many others.
Gordon’s compositions have been performed throughout the world, he has been a featured guest artist on television, film, and every other broadcast medium, is one of the nation’s most in-demand music educators, and also serves as director of Jazz Studies at Augusta University in Augusta, Georgia.
Sponsored by former Scranton Mayor David Wenzel and his wife, Janet, the April 6th Yevich Memorial Concert is a celebration of the life of former Scranton Fire Chief Gene Yevich, Boga’s late father. Besides his career as a fireman, Yevich, who passed away in 2005, was also a highly accomplished local musician. A multi-instrumentalist known for his virtuosity on the accordion, he was a longtime member of the bands the Novelaires and the Mediterranean Sounds, who were regulars at Italian festivals in the Scranton area and New York City.
Yevich was married for almost 50 years to the former Julia Pucher, with whom he had three children, Boga and University graduates Michael Yevich and Cynthia Yevich. His grandchildren are Joseph Boga, trumpeter with the legendary band Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks, who often performs and leads clinics and masterclasses at the University, and Magdalyn Boga, who earned a master’s degree from the University and is a member of its history faculty, and is also an operatic soprano.
For further information on the concerts, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Gordon, visit wycliffegordon.com.
Wycliffe Gordon to Perform April 6 and 7
-
03/21/2022
The University of Scranton held a Byzantine Catholic prayer service for Ukraine in the Byzantine Rite Chapel in Ciszek Hall on campus just prior to spring break. Rev. Dr. Eduard Shestak, a native of Ukraine and Byzantine Catholic priest and theology instructor at the University, led the Molében to the Precious and Life-Giving Cross.
Since Feb. 26, The University has lit the Ukraine flag in its three-story, Class of 2020 Gateway sign to show support for the people of Ukraine. Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, also addressed the crisis happening in the Ukraine in an Ash Wednesday message sent to the University community on March 2.
$content.getChild('content').textValue $content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Holds Prayer Service for Ukraine
-
03/18/2022
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome back acclaimed violinist Kako Miura for a recital on Saturday, April 2. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. All audience members are required to wear a higher-grade mask (N95, KN95, KF94 or double masking) at all times. Please check Performance Music’s website within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on additional required audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
Originally from Tokyo and currently based in New York City, Miura has performed internationally as a soloist with orchestras in Asia, Australia and the United States. Her solo and chamber music performances have taken her to a number of high-profile venues, including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill and Zankel Halls at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House.
According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, “The stunning virtuosity of Ms. Miura’s performances mesmerizes our audiences and students every time she is here. We are delighted to welcome her back to our hall along with two of her colleagues.”
The recipient of numerous accolades, Miura took first prize in the Nagano International Music Festival Violin Competition, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra’s Young Artists Competition, and Sound Symphony Orchestra’s Solo Competition. She also received the National YoungArts Foundation Award.
Long committed to community engagement and music education, Miura has worked extensively with the Music Advancement Program of The Juilliard School’s Preparatory Division, teaching violin and courses on historical performance and curricular studies. In 2019, as part of Juilliard’s Young People’s Concerts series, she conceived, directed and performed “A Day in the Life of a King,” an original interactive concert centered around Baroque music, for elementary school students in New York City.
Miura earned a Bachelor of Music from Juilliard, where she also attended the Pre-College Program, and a Master of Music from The Colburn School. She’s now pursuing another graduate degree in historical performance at Juilliard under the guidance of Cynthia Roberts, Elizabeth Blumenstock and Robert Mealy. She’s also studied under Robert Lipsett and Masao Kawasaki.
Miura will be joined at the recital by cellist Cullen O’Neil, whose performances have brought her to venues such as Alice Tully Hall, the Kennedy Center, Mariinsky II in St. Petersburg, Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms, the Helsinki Musiikkitalo and the Philharmonie de Paris alongside Les Arts Florissants. Also performing will be pianist/harpsichordist Elliot Figg, an active member of several New York-based early music and contemporary ensembles, whose recent engagements include as conductor and harpsichordist for the U.S. premiere of Chevalier de St-Georges’ L’Amant Anonyme with Little Opera Theatre of New York, assistant conductor and harpsichordist for Vivaldi’s Farnace, and for Cavalli’s Veremonda, both with Spoleto Festival USA, and assistant conductor and harpsichordist for Dido and Aeneas with L.A. Opera.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Miura, visit www.colburnschool.edu/calendar/season-overview/kako-miura.
Violinist Kako Miura Returns to Scranton April 2
-
03/18/2022
Fifty University of Scranton students participated in four domestic service trips, organized by the Center for Service and Social Justice, over spring break. Students helped with disaster relief efforts, refugee assistance and with tutoring and mentoring children. They worked with persons with disabilities and former gang members and helped out at soup kitchens and food pantries
During spring break, the students volunteered at the Christian Appalachian Project/Workfest in Appalachia, Kentucky; The McKenna Center in Washington, D.C.; and the Romero Center in Camden, New Jersey. Students also participated in the Electric City Experience, through which they volunteered in the Scranton region at Neighbor Works, St. Francis Soup Kitchen, Nativity Miguel School, St. Joseph’s Center and other Scranton-area projects.
The following students served at Christian Appalachian Project/Workfest:
Tabatha Berger, Cresco;
Stephen Butler, Telford;
Brandon DaGrosa, Hazle Township;
Laura Echausse, Mineola, New York;
Fione Evans, Scranton;
Kaitlyn Franceschelli, Spring Brook Township;
Lauren McGuire, Pearl River, New York;
Cole Miller, Levittown;
Hailey Monaghan, Langhorne;
Thomas Pisano, Staten Island, New York;
Fanny Rodriguez, Sheppton;
Peter Sims, Yardley;
Maria Stephen, Huntingdon Valley;
Lauren Usaitis, Du Bois;
Miguel Valencia, Farmingdale, New York;
Sarah White, Brooklyn, New York, who also served as a peer facilitator.
Sean Brennan, professor of history; Rose Merritt, office manager, Counseling Center; and Jason Schwass, senior director of student success, Kania School of Management, served as chaperones.
University students serving with Christian Appalachian Project were highlighted in this Lexington, Kentucky WKYT news story.
The following students participated in the Electric City Experience:
Kayla Abcede, Garwood, New Jersey;
Abigail Casal, South Abington Township;
Victoria Chiulli, Scarsdale, New York;
Robert Correas-Rivera, Reading;
Caitlin Czyzewski, Philadelphia;
Rachael Gallagher, Havertown, who also served as a peer facilitator;
Angelina Guido, Merrimack, New Hampshire;
Jenna Kotlar, Branchburg, New Jersey;
Kristen LeFebvre, Ridgefield, Connecticut;
Kayla Maas, Barryville, New York;
Kate Malloy, Bethlehem;
Margaret McGrath, Drexel Hill;
Bailey McLaughlin, Allentown, New Jersey, who also served as a peer facilitator;
Brooke McNabola, Wallingford, Connecticut;
Emily Nowak, Hackettstown, New Jersey;
Marina Nunziato, Cranford, New Jersey;
David Pennino, Smithtown, New York;
Laura Petrera, Butler, New Jersey;
Cayman Webber, Buckeye, Arizona;
Brian White, Brooklyn, New York.
Lynn Gavin, coordinator of local service and community outreach for the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, served as chaperone.
The following students served at The McKenna Center:
Marino Angeloni, Jessup, who also served as a peer facilitator;
Mary Bunone, Ramsey, New Jersey;
Matthew Duffy, Plainview, New York;
Nicole Gomber, Province, New Jersey;
Daniella Gomes, Staten Island, New York;
Kyle Kennelly, Huntington, New York;
Sophia McMullan, Cranford, New Jersey;
Michael Meyer, Paramus, New Jersey.
Melissa Eckenrode, administrative assistant, Department of English and Theatre, and Alec Hufford, a Jesuit novice assigned to the University’s Office of Campus Ministries and the Center for Service and Social Justice, served as chaperones.
The following students served at the Romero Center:
Erin Grell, Wood Ridge, New Jersey;
Isaiah Livelsberger, Hanover;
Jennifer Noll, Paoli;
Mia Sandy, Scranton;
Julia Turnak, Hingham, Massachusetts;
Kathleen Wallace, Bowie, Maryland.
Shannon Everton, Sykesville, Maryland, graduate occupational therapy student and graduate assistant in the Center of Service and Social Justice, served as chaperone.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Volunteer Service During Spring Break
-
03/18/2022
Two upcoming Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminars at The University of Scranton will explore topics related to Russia.
Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University, changed his planned topic in light of the invasion of Ukraine. On Thursday, March 24, Dr. Logevall will now present “A New Cold War? How to Think about the Struggle in Ukraine.” The noon luncheon seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on campus. A remote option is also available for participation.
On Friday, April 22. Russian expert Jill Dougherty, who formerly served as CNN’s Moscow Bureau Chief for nearly a decade, will discuss “Russia and the Post-Truth Society.”
“During the Cold War, the USSR tried to convince the world that communism was the future of humankind,” said Dougherty, a CNN on-air contributor. “The U.S. tried to convince the world that democracy and capitalism gave people a better life. Today, propagandists still try to convince but, more and more, try to confuse and to overwhelm their target audiences with a firehose of mis- and dis-information.”
Dougherty, who is currently teaching a course titled “Information Wars” at Georgetown University, will explore the new paradigm, what it means for Russia, and what it could mean for America. The noon luncheon seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Edward Leahy Hall and will also be offered in a remote format.
Admission is free for University students, faculty and staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the luncheons are $25 in person and $10 remotely. To register for the seminars, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. To pay by credit card over the phone, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816, or to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Seminars with a Russian Twist
-
03/18/2022
University of Scranton students, faculty and staff learned about the ways in which different Asian cultures and traditions celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Asian New Year Festival and Workshop held on campus in the spring semester. The program included hands-on lessons on Chinese calligraphy and Japanese origami related to the Year of the Tiger and a chopstick competition.
According to Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., director of Asian Studies and professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, many Asian cultures celebrate the New Year differently, however, there is more consensus around the meaning of the tiger in the Chinese zodiac.
The event also included presentations about Asia’s chopstick culture and the meaning of chopsticks, how new year is celebrated in Japan, and how it is celebrated in China and Taiwan. Instructors and students from the Japanese and Chinese classes at Scranton assisted with the hands-on portion of the workshop.
WBRE/WYOU News reporter Madonna Mantione covered the workshop.
The workshop was co-sponsored by the departments of Asian Studies and World Languages and Cultures.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAsian Studies Workshop Celebrates Lunar New Year
-
03/18/2022
The University of Scranton hosted a lecture by the author of “The Future of Catholic Higher Education: The Open Circle,” Rev. James L. Heft, in honor of the Jesuit school’s participation in Ignatius 500, a worldwide celebration marking the 500th anniversary of St. Igantius of Loyola’s conversion. The University’s College of Arts and Sciences and Jesuit Center co-sponsored the talk by Father Heft, the Alton M. Brooks Professor of Religion and founding president of the Institute for the Advancement of Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California. From left: David Dzurec, Ph.D., associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Ryan Sheehan, J.D., assistant director of the Jesuit Center; and Father Heft.
Author Discusses Future of Catholic Education
-
03/17/2022
For the seventh annual presentation in the Jay Nathan, Ph.D. Visiting Scholar Lecture Series, The University of Scranton will host Her Excellency, Ambassador Bergdís Ellertsdóttir of Iceland. Ambassador Ellertsdóttir will present a lecture titled, “Iceland: History, Culture, Environment” on Tuesday, March 29, at 4 p.m.
Ambassador Ellertsdóttir’s presentation will explore the intricacies of Iceland, its government, economic system, history and culture. A panel discussion will accompany the presentation. Following the panel discussion, there will be a demonstration of Icelandic culture in a performance by the classical violinist Eva Ingolfsdóttir. At the conclusion of the event, a reception will be held for all those in attendance.
Ambassador Ellertsdóttir began to serve as Iceland’s ambassador to the United States on Sept. 16, 2019. Prior to this appointment, she held positions at Iceland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Icelandic Embassy in Germany and the European Free Trade Association. Ambassador Ellertsdóttir has also previously served as ambassador of Iceland to Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Switzerland and San Marino. She received her education at the University of Freiburg in Germany, studying German, political science, English and history. Then, at the University of Iceland she continued studying political science and English. She earned her master’s in European studies from the University of Essex in Britain.
Ingolfsdóttir is a classical violinist, animator and composer with her first album of compositions in the works. She started to play the violin at a young age and has studied broadly in Europe, beginning her training at the Conservatory of Reykjavík, and traveling to conservatories in Brussels, Geneva, and Amsterdam. She has played solo recitals around the globe, including stages in Iceland, Japan, the United States, Russia and Europe.
This lecture is sponsored by the Weinberg Memorial Library and will take place on March 29 in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. The event is free of charge and open guests from the greater Scranton community through the generous support of Dr. Nathan. Reservations are encouraged and can be made on the Jay Nathan, Ph.D. Visiting Scholar Lecture Series webpage or by calling Kym Balthazar Fetsko at 570-941-7816.
Health and safety protocols that are in effect on March 29 as outlined in the Royals Back Together plan must be followed by those in attendance.
Iceland to be Discussed at Nathan Lecture
-
03/16/2022
The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) awarded University of Scranton Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) student Gregory Kogan the Michael J. Barrett Doctoral Dissertation Award for his DBA program dissertation study entitled “RPA in Accounting Risk and Internal Control Governance: Insights from RPA Program Managers.” The IIA’s dissertation award is typically given to one dissertation a year under the oversight of the Committee of Research and Education Advisors.
Kogan is the second Scranton DBA student to receive this prestigious award in that past three years. In 2020, then DBA student Joy Chacko received the award for his DBA program dissertation study.
“In the history of IIA’s dissertation award, which began in 2004, only two other institutions have had two students received this award – Case Western University and the University of Texas at Austin. Now, Scranton joins that elite list of schools,” said Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, Accounting Department chair and DBA program director.
The IIA’s Committee of Research and Education Advisors is comprised of both academicians and practitioners actively involved in the profession of internal auditing. The selection process is competitive and includes the following criteria: relevance of the topic to internal auditing; soundness of methodology; coherent organization and clarity of presentation; and quality of data (where applicable). With an international membership of more than 200,000 members, the IIA is among the largest and most respected professional organizations for accountants.
“The Scranton DBA program faculty were very caring and provided rigorous course work while also emphasizing key avenues toward success with research and publication,” said Kogan, who in 2021 co-authored the text book “Self-Service Data Analytics and Governance for Managers.”
A certified public accountant (CPA), Kogan, Manalapan, New Jersey, is an assistant professor of practice in accounting at Virginia Tech University. He previously taught accounting practice at Long Island University. He has experience as an auditor at Ernst & Young and as a controller at Tiger Management. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and his MBA in accounting from Rutgers University. He is a member of the third cohort of DBA students at Scranton and will graduate from the program in 2022.
Members of Kogan’s dissertation committee include Dr. Boyle, dissertation committee chair, and Jeff Cohen, Ph.D., professor of accounting at Boston College.
Housed in the Kania School of Management, the University’s DBA program began in the fall semester of 2017. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) recognized Scranton’s DBA program for “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States” in 2019. The program was developed with a concentration in accounting, to provide experienced practitioners with a practical pathway to an academic career. The program offers participants flexibility, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic” – one who is qualified to teach at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
Second DBA Student Wins Esteemed Dissertation Award
-
03/15/2022
A book translated by Ann Pang-White, Ph. D., professor of philosophy and director of the Asian Studies Program at The University of Scranton, was selected to be featured in a philosophy digital campaign for Oxford University Press called “Philosophy in Focus.”
Dr. Pang-White’s translation of the book “The Confucian Four Books for Women: A New Translation of the Nü Sishu and the Commentary of Wang Xiang” is included in the recommended reading section of the Oxford University Press campaign’s website and in its social media for March, which focused on the theme of feminism in recognition of Women History Month and International Women’s Day (March 8).
The philosophy digital campaign by Oxford University Press hosts a selection of “high-quality, thought provoking free content around a particular theme” each month with aim of expanding the reach, engagement and awareness of featured books within in the philosophy community.
“The Confucian Four Books for Women,” published by Oxford University Press in 2018 and translated with introductions, annotations and notes by Dr. Pang-White, is the first complete English translation of the Nü Shishu and the commentary of Wang Xiang. The 16th century book is a female counterpart to the Sishu (Four Books) compiled by Zhu Xi. It includes four books by five women authors over a span of 1,600 years and provides a look at the history and evolution of Chinese women’s writing, education, identity and philosophical discourse.
Dr. Pang-White joined the faculty at Scranton in 1997. She received the University’s 2010 and 2017 Provost Award for Excellence in Advancing Global Learning. In 2011, she guided the Asian Studies Program in receiving the Bringing the World to Pennsylvania: K-16 Collaborative Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Council for International Education.
Dr. Pang-White’s has published numerous articles in scholarly journals related to her research interests in interdisciplinary aspects of Chinese philosophy and Western theories on metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy and women. Her book “The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy and Gender” was published in 2016.
Dr. Pang-White earned her bachelor’s degree from Tung-Hai University in Taiwan, her master’s degree from the University of South Carolina–Columbia and her doctorate from Marquette University.
Professor Book Featured by Oxford University Press
-
03/15/2022
The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library will hold its annual Book Sale on Saturday, April 30, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 1, from noon until 4 p.m. in the Scranton Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the library. Book prices begin at 50 cents and the large assortment of used hardcover and paperback books available for sale include children’s books, cookbooks, fiction and non-fiction.
A special preview sale will be held on Friday, April 29, for current Friends’ members and Schemel Forum members.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services.
The Weinberg Memorial Library is accepting paperback and hardcover books in good condition, such as children's books, young adult books, cookbooks, fiction, and non-fiction books. Appointments to donate books are needed. The library is also seeking volunteers to help work the book sale. Volunteer shifts are flexible. To schedule an appointment to donate books, obtain clarification on accepted books, or to volunteer, please reach out to Melisa Gallo at melisa.gallo@scranton.edu or by phone at 570-941-6195.
The University of Scranton health and safety protocols in place on April 30 and May 1 outlined in the Royals Back Together plan must be followed by volunteers and guests.
Books Start at 50 Cents at Library Book Sale
-
03/15/2022
The University of Scranton’s pre-law advisory program guides undergraduate students of various majors through the process of fulfilling the requirements for law school.
Pre-law advisor and professor in the Department of Philosophy, Matthew Meyer Ph.D., begins working with students in their first year, offering course selection guidance and personalized advice based on individual student interests.
The American Bar Association refrains from stating a major best suited for law school preparation, but rather suggests that undergraduate education should enhance students’ problem solving, critical reading and writing, oral communication and listening. Working closely with Scranton alumni and the University’s legal studies concentration, students in the pre-law program are encouraged to develop a wide range of skills both inside and outside of the classroom.
Additionally, leadership opportunities are available on campus through the student-run Pre-Law Society and Mock Trial Team, which all pre-law students are encouraged to join upon entry into the program.
Scranton also has several 3+3 affiliation agreements with law schools, such as Boston College Law School and Villanova University School of Law, allowing the possibility for students to complete their bachelor’s and law degrees in six years rather than seven years.
Additional information about the University’s pre-law programs is available on Scranton’s website.
Is Scranton’s Pre-Law Program for You?
-
03/14/2022
Women in northeastern and central Pennsylvania who are interested in becoming more involved in government can attend the Ready to Run Northeastern Pennsylvania Program at The University of Scranton on Saturday, April 2. The day-long, nonpartisan training session, titled “Wanted: More Women Like You in Politics and Government,” is directed towards women in Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
The session begins with check-in/registration at 9 a.m. on the fifth floor of Brennan Hall on the University’s campus and ends at 4:30 p.m. Continental breakfast, lunch and a binder with information materials are included with the registration fee.
The Ready to Run NEPA Program, offered by the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS), trains women to run for office, work on campaigns and get more politically engaged in their community. Participants will gain insight into establishing themselves as credible and viable candidates as well as inspiration to launch a campaign. Topics covered include presentation and messaging skills; fundraising; and how to get started with your campaign. Participants will also gain an understanding of what the underrepresentation of women in Pennsylvania's state and local governments means for women, their families and our communities.
According to Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science at Scranton and co-director of CEEPS, research shows women govern differently than do men and they bring different priorities and solutions to policy-making process.
“Women public officials work to make government more transparent to their constituents and more accessible to the diversity of people, voices, and concerns in their communities,” said Dr. Harris.
The event is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County. WNEP is the media partner.
Registration is $50 for the general public or $15 for students with ID. A limited number of partial scholarships are also available. Registration is required to attend and can be completed at Scranton.edu/readytorun.
For additional information visit Scranton.edu/readytorun, or contact Sharon Olechna, administrative assistant for the Political Science Department, at 570-941-632 or sharon.olechna@scranton.edu or readytorun@scranton.edu.
Ready To Run NEPA Set for April 2 at University
-
03/11/2022
Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Through Apr. 29 Art Exhibit: “Shinnecock Sites and Portraits: Photographs by Jeremy Dennis.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 2 9 a.m. Ready to Run Northeastern Pennsylvania Campaign School offered in collaboration with the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service. Fifth floor of Brennan Hall. Fees vary. Registration required. Register at scranton.edu/readytorun. Call 570-941-6326 or mail sharon.olechna@scranton.edu or readytorun@scranton.edu.
Apr. 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Kako Miura, violinist and friends. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “14th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert” featuring Dr. Wycliffe A. Gordon with The University of Scranton Singers and Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 7 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for invited high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-6296 or email declan.mulhall@scranton.edu.
Apr. 7 4 p.m. 2022 Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “HEALTH’y Employees Lead to HEALTH’y Patients: Strategies to Support the Well-Being of Healthcare Professionals.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 484-632-6605 or email brooke.devers@scranton.edu.
Apr. 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Dr. Wycliffe A. Gordon with The University of Scranton Jazz Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 7-9 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Drowsy Chaperone” presented by The Liva Arts Company. The Royal Theater, McDade Literary and Performing Arts Center. $7 admission. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com or email joelle.cote@scranton.edu.
April 9 8 a.m. Inaugural Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service for public officials, leaders of nonprofit organizations and students. Fifth floor of Brennan Hall. Fees vary. Registration required. Email ceeps@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7401.
Apr. 9-10 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. sessions on Saturday and Sunday. Pysanka workshops to teach the art of decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs with traditional folk designs using a wax-resist method. Smurfit Arts Center. $25 fee will be donated to humanitarian aid in Ukraine via World Central Kitchen. Registration required at surveymonkey.com/r/PysankaApril2022. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Apr. 19-26 Environmental Art Show. Fifth floor Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
April 19 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair. Atrium of Loyola Science Center. Free. . Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu
Apr. 20 4 p.m. Henry George Spring Lecture: “Evolution of Conventions of Behavior” presented by Andrew Schotter, Ph.D., professor of economics, New York University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
April 20 5 p.m. Environmentally-Friendly Tie-Dye event. Dionne Campus Green. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 6 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Essay contest awards will be announced at the event. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email info@scranton.edu.
Apr. 21 7:30 p.m. Lecture by renowned American climatologist and geophysicist Michael Mann, Ph.D., author of “The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 22 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Russia and the Post-Truth Society” presented by Jill Dougherty, former CNN’s Moscow bureau chief for almost a decade, Russian expert, adjunct professor at Georgetown University and a CNN on-air contributor. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum Collaborative Program with the Jesuit Center, The University of Scranton: “A Schemel Legacy: The Engineer and the Monk” presented by Christopher F. Schemel, Ph.D., president Delta Q Consultants, Inc. and courtesy professor of chemical engineering, University of South Florida, and Brother Mario Joseph, Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, Georgia. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall or remote, reception follows. $25 fee. Registration required. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 5:30 p.m. Art show address by environmental artist Laura Kern. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27 1 p.m. “19th Annual Celebration of Student Scholars.” Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email tabbi.miller-scandle@scranton.edu.
Apr. 28 5 p.m. Take Back the Night. Event includes a pre-rally with information booths and the Clothesline Project display from 5 to 7 p.m.; followed by a march at 7 p.m. and a speak out at 7:15 p.m. Dionne Campus Green. Free. Call 570-941-7902 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Apr. 30-May 1 9 a.m. Saturday; noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Apr. 30 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “39th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir premiering two new commissioned works by guest composer/conductor Javier Nero. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
University Announces Planned April Events
-
03/09/2022
The University of Scranton has named George Aulisio as of Dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library, effective immediately. Dean Aulisio has been serving as the interim dean of the library since July 1, 2021.
“Since Dean Aulisio joined the University community in 2009, he has been actively involved in multiple aspects of campus life. His internal service is wide-reaching, having served on 40 Library departmental committees and programs, as well as with nearly 40 broader University service projects and committees,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, in an announcement to the University community.
The dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library provides leadership and strategic direction for all aspects of library services to the University, contributing to the Library’s campus-wide focus on transformative teaching and learning in the Ignatian tradition. The dean oversees the library and plays a creative role in fostering a climate conducive to supporting the teaching, learning and scholarship of students, faculty and staff.
At Scranton, Dean Aulisio currently serves on Library Advisory Committee, Friends of the Library Board, Faculty Handbook Committee, the Graduate Programs Council, the Information Security Advisory Council, the Provost’s Committee on Academic Policy and Compliance, the Faculty Personnel Committee and the Strategic Enrollment Council, among others. He previously served on the Hiring for Diversity Working Group and the Faculty Affairs Council Executive Committee, among numerous other committees.
As a research and instruction librarian, Dean Aulisio works closely with students in research consultations and the Information Literacy program. His library scholarship focuses on sustainability and green libraries, open access initiatives, library orientation and instruction, and professional ethics and copyright law. He recently published a book on philosophy collection development for an imprint of the American Library Association, and he has been the editor of the Library Materials and Pricing Index since 2018.
His professional service includes holding elected officer positions on the Pennsylvania Library Association’s Northeast Chapter and the College and Research Division. He also serves in an appointed officer position for the American Library Association.
Dean Aulisio also regularly teaches philosophy courses and independent studies courses at Scranton. His philosophy scholarship focuses on the philosophy of mind, Descartes’s scientific endeavors and comparative ethics.
Dean Aulisio earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Bloomsburg University. He earned a Master of Science in library and information science from Drexel University and a Master of Liberal Arts in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in philosophy at Temple University.
Weinberg Memorial Library Dean Named
-
03/09/2022
Neal Thompson, a 1987 University of Scranton graduate, will return to campus to discuss his new book, “The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of An American Dynasty,” on March 30 at 5 p.m. lecture. The book is the story of the first Kennedys escaped the potato famine of Ireland and came to America in the mid-1800s.
Bridget Murphy and Patrick Kennedy arrived in America penniless, hungry and hopeful, like many thousands of mid-1800s immigrants. They met, married, and had five children together, losing their first-born son as an infant. Three years later, Patrick became ill and died of consumption. This left Bridget – JFK’s tenacious great-grandmother – to raise four children single-handedly in the slums of East Boston.
“I wanted to find a story that told many stories. I wanted to explore the origins of the Kennedy family in America. I wanted to understand Irish immigration in America. I wanted to understand life for Irish immigrants in the 1800s, which was when Bridget (Murphy Kennedy) came here,” said Thompson about his book during a recent interview published by the JFK Library.
In “The First Kennedys,” Thompson highlights Bridget’s ability to overcome both discrimination and poverty to maintain her family and clear a path for her only son P.J. to become the first of many Kennedys elected to public office.
The grandson of an Irish immigrant couple, also named Bridget and Patrick, Thompson is the author of five highly acclaimed books, including “A Curious Man,” “Driving with the Devil” and “Kickflip Boys.” A former newspaper reporter, Thompson has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, Outside, Esquire, Backpacker, Vanity Fair and The Wall Street Journal.
Thompson will sign copies of his book prior to his talk, from 4:30 to 5 p.m. on the 4th floor of the DeNaples Center, and immediately following his discussion, which begins at 5 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater in the DeNaples Center.
The event is cosponsored by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities and the History Department, and is free to University students, faculty, staff and guests from the greater Scranton community. Health and safety protocols that are in effect on March 30 as outlined in the Royals Back Together plan must be followed by those in attendance.
For more information about the lecture of book signing, email david.dzurec@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7561.
Lecture/Book Signing by The First Kennedys Author
-
03/08/2022
Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The University of Scranton, has been named the 22nd president of St. Bonaventure University.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to offer my heartfelt congratulations to Dr. Gingerich on this fitting recognition of the leadership, innovation and devotion to mission that we have come to appreciate during his tenure at Scranton,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, president of The University of Scranton in a message to the University community about the announcement. “On a personal level, I cannot thank Jeff enough for his wise counsel, steadfast support and friendship throughout my own transition and during this first year with you. … I look forward to remaining colleagues in Catholic higher education and wish him and St. Bonaventure every success in the coming years.”
St. Bonaventure announced the appointment to their campus at noon today. Dr. Gingerich will continue to serve at Scranton through June 1, 2022. He will assume duties as the president of St. Bonaventure on June 20.
“I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity I’ve been given to join the Bonaventure community,” said Dr. Gingerich. “I have always had such deep respect and admiration for the Franciscans. Their humility, reflection and sense of community are fundamental in the way I strive to live my life.”
“Seldom in life do you see so many points of interest intersect on one conclusion, but in this case, all facets of the university community converged on a singular belief – that Jeff should be our next president,” said John Sheehan, chair of St. Bonaventure’s board of trustees, in a press release announcing the appointment.
St. Bonaventure Trustee Deb Henretta, who co-chaired the search committee, said, “Jeff is mission-driven, he’s student-centered and he’s a caring, empowering leader.”
Dr. Gingerich joined Scranton as provost and senior vice president of academic affairs in 2018. He served as Scranton’s acting president for four months after the death of the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., who passed away March 10, 2021.
During the pandemic, Dr. Gingerich helped guide the University through unprecedented transitions to online and hybrid formats before returning to fully in-person instruction. A consistent voice for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Dr. Gingerich advanced new initiatives and programs at Scranton related to faculty hiring and development, staff and administrator training, curricular improvements and student support and engagement. He also led Scranton’s most recent accreditation review by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and led the University’s planning efforts, which culminated in a new Strategic Plan. His tenure included a renewed focus on securing federal support for research and sponsored programs. An avid supporter of student-centered program growth, Dr. Gingerich led the University’s strategic enrollment planning and worked with faculty to develop successful new undergraduate and graduate programs.
Prior to his role as provost at Scranton, Dr. Gingerich spent nearly 20 years at Cabrini University in suburban Philadelphia, teaching in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and serving as their provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Dr. Gingerich earned master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Eastern Mennonite College.
Additional information can be seen in St. Bonaventure’s press release announcing Dr. Gingerich’s appointment.
Father Marina’s video congratulations to Dr. Gingerich can be seen here.
Provost Named St. Bonaventure University President
-
03/07/2022
Whether your future career aspirations lie in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, podiatry, optometry or other doctoral health professions, The University of Scranton’s pre-medical and pre-health professions programshave an established tradition of success in guiding students through the complex application process and preparing them for the rigorous curriculum of doctoral health programs.
Of the more than 1,200 applicants to doctoral health professions schools over the past 20 years, nearly 80% of Scranton students were accepted to schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, podiatry, optometry and pharmacy, which is well-above the national acceptance rate. In addition, well over half of Scranton’s successful applicants in the past 10 years have received more than one acceptance.
Resources in place at Scranton help inform and guide students through their undergraduate years in preparation for the medical school application process. Resources include the student-run Health Professions Organization, where guest speakers and alumni present on topics such as medical ethics and navigating the professional school application process. Additionally, students can seek out advice and assistance from Scranton alumni through the University’s Medical Alumni Council at any of its various events, including the Medical Alumni Symposium that pre-health professional students can attend for free.
With Faculty-Student Research and Teaching Mentorship programs, service through the Edward Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured and tutoring opportunities through the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Scranton pre-professional students also have plenty of opportunities to gain hands-on experience beyond a classroom setting.
As one of seven undergraduate institutions participating in the nationally recognized Jefferson Medical College Physician Shortage Area Program, Scranton’s program works to recruit students interested in practicing medicine in underserved rural areas as well.
Additional information about the University’s pre-medical and pre-health professions programs is available on Scranton’s website.
Pre-med Program at Scranton Has History of Success
-
03/07/2022
Area students in grades five to 12 can participate in The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest 2022. The contest is offered free of charge and this year’s essay theme is “We Are All Connected.” Topics students can write about include conservation, recycling, healthy eating, agriculture, renewable energy, eliminating single use containers, bees, gardening or transportation, among other subjects.
Essays for students in grades five and six must be between 200 to 400 words. Essays for students in grades seven and eight must be between 300 to 500 words. Essays for students in grades nine to 12 must be between 500 to 700 words. Electronic submissions must be sent to susan.falbo@scranton.edu on or before Monday, April 4. Mail-in entries must be postmarked on or by April 1 to be considered and can be sent to: The University of Scranton, Office of Sustainability, Smurfit Arts Center, 445 Madison Avenue, Scranton, PA 18510, Attn: Earth Day Essay Contest.
Visit the University’s Sustainability website for complete submission rules and details.
Winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced by the University’s Sustainability Office and student Sustainability and Conservation Society at an Evening of Environmental Science program for participants and their families and teachers on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, beginning at 6 p.m., in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center on campus.
Earth Day Essay Contest for Grades 5 to 12 Open
-
03/02/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton addressed the crisis happening in the Ukraine in an Ash Wednesday message sent to the University community on March 2.
“Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week, we have watched with anguish and deep concern as violence and turmoil unfold in eastern Europe. On this Ash Wednesday, I ask the entire University community to answer the call of Pope Francis to devote ourselves to prayer and fasting for peace today. May we also heed his powerful words: ‘May the weapons fall silent. God is with the peacemakers, not with those who use violence. ... It is the people who are the real victims, who pay for the folly of war with their own skin.’ Let us pray for the Ukrainian people, especially those trapped in the midst of violence and those who are now refugees seeking shelter abroad. Let us be inspired by the courage of Ukrainians as they seek to preserve their freedom and fledgling democracy, and by Russians risking their safety to protest against the war,” wrote Father Marina in the message. He also mentioned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in a Women’s History Month reflection sent to the University community on March 1.
Since Feb. 26, the Ukraine flag has been lit on the University’s three-story, Class of 2020 Gateway sign to “show our thoughts and prayers are with the Ukrainian people, as we join with others across the world to pray peace and freedom are restored to their country and their people once again,” the University said in a statement.
In addition, University professors have discussed the ongoing situation with news reporters, including this WNEP-TV story featuring interviews with Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor and acting chair of the Political Science Department, and Sean Brennan, Ph.D., professor of history; and this WNEP-TV interview with Konstantin Lyavdansky, who teaches Russian at the University’s World Languages and Cultures Department.
University Responds to Ukraine Invasion
-
03/02/2022
Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor and acting chair of the Political Science Department at The University of Scranton, was recently selected to serve as a member on both the Lilly Fellows Program National Network Board and the Friendship House Board of Directors.
Dr. Van Dyke will undertake her second four-year term on the Lilly Fellows Program National Network Board beginning this April. The organization seeks to enhance the character of church-related institutions of learning through the promotion of Christian leadership, teaching, scholarship, and interaction with similar institutions. The University of Scranton first became a member of the Lilly Network in 1996, and Dr. Van Dyke has served as the University’s faculty representative to the Lilly Fellows Program since 2000. The University also hosted the Lilly Fellows Program National Conference in 2013, at which Dr. Van Dyke served as the conference chair. From 2016-2019, she served as a mentor for the 9th cohort of the Lilly’s Graduate Fellows Program.
Dr. Van Dyke began her three-year term on the Friendship House Board of Directors in January 2021. Founded by a local group of women in 1871, the organization originally sought to care for the poor and “friendless” women and children of Scranton. It has since expanded, now serving adults with mental illness and/or developmental disabilities, as well as families and their children with autism, emotional difficulties, behavioral difficulties, and/or trauma. As a board member, Dr. Van Dyke will apply her knowledge in the areas of social justice and humanitarianism to assist those with such needs within the Scranton and surrounding communities.
Dr. Van Dyke also recently received a Provost award from the University. Her award, the “Excellence in Advancing Global Learning Award,” recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated remarkable academic leadership in integrating international issues and perspectives into the curriculum. In 2013 she was recognized with a Provost Award for “Excellence in Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum.”
Dr. Van Dyke joined the political science faculty at Scranton in 1994. In addition to teaching courses related to international relations and American government, she has also taught and developed courses that address contemporary questions of war and peace, social justice and humanitarianism.
Dr. Van Dyke earned her bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in Washington D.C. Later, following three years of work in the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill, she completed her master’s degree and Ph.D. in foreign affairs at the University of Virginia.
Professor Named Member of Two Boards
-
03/02/2022
Each week, University of Scranton students will use the two kitchens of a newly dedicated Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., House on Clay Avenue to prepare 100 meals for area residents in need. In another room, students will crochet hats and blankets, many of which will be given to the homeless in our area.
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, blessed the house at a ceremony that will be used for some of the many student volunteer programs offered by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice that allow students to put their faith into action each day.
“Since day one, my first day here on campus last June, I have been marveling at the great work these students do,” said Father Marina at the March 1st dedication. “We know how challenging going to college can be, especially these days. In addition to that, to find not only the time, but to find it in your heart to give of so much time, energy and passion to keep this Center going and to feed so many and to affect so many people for the good is just a marvelous thing.”
The house was dedicated in honor of Father Arrupe, the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus (1963 to 1983), who is now in the process toward beatification and canonization by the Roman Catholic Church. His profound belief in justice informed his understanding of the goal of Jesuit education, saying “our prime educational objective must be to form men and women for others; men and women who will live not for themselves but for God and his Christ.”
In his remarks at the dedication ceremony, Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry, said Father Arrupe “was a man of great spiritual depth who made it his life’s work to educate women and men to serve others – an ideal that now guides Jesuit institutions across the world. Considered by many as the “second founder” of the Society of Jesus, Father Arrupe revolutionized the Society’s mission towards a service of faith that requires the promotion of justice … May the Arrupe House be a reminder to us every day on this campus of our obligation to be men and women for others.”
The Arrupe House will provide space for the We Care Meal program, for which students prepare 100 meals weekly. The meals include a main course, side, drink, dessert and handmade card. Students volunteer to make, package and deliver the meals to the Community Intervention Center, Friends of the Poor, as well as to families living in low income housing developments such as Valley View Terrace, Bangor Heights, Hilltop and Jackson Terrace. The house also provides space for the Craft for a Cause program through which students make cards, crochet items, jewelry and other crafts that are donated to the Catherine McAuley Center and Friends of the Poor. The building also houses EFFORT, which is a program that collects non-perishable food items, and the Royal Restore Food Pantry that can be accessed by students or University community members in need. The Arrupe House also has additional group meeting spaces for students working with other Center for Service and Social Justice programs.
Also speaking at the dedication ceremony were: Patricia Vaccaro, director of the Center for Service and Social Justice; Shannon Everton, a 2021 graduate of the University from Sykesville, Maryland, who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in occupational therapy and is the graduate assistant for The Center for Service and Social Justice; and Brandon Dagrosa, a health administration major from Hazle Township and a work study student for The Center for Service and Social Justice.
$content.getChild('content').textValueHouse to be Used for Student Service Programs
-
02/28/2022
Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Mar. 1 5 p.m. Lecture with Q&A via Zoom - “Freedom and Our Founding: What do they mean for us today?” The event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project’s second theme, “The U.S. Citizen and the American Founding.” Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Mar. 3 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Linneaus’ Legacy: Corrupting Color to Serve Discrimination and Exploitation” presented by Kathy Johnson Bowles, executive director of the Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science and Art. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 3 4:30 p.m. Lecture on “The Future of Catholic Education: Challenges and Opportunities” by author Fr. James L. Heft, founding president of the Institute for the Advancement of Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California. Presented in honor of the Ignatian year, the lecture is hosted the Jesuit Center and the College of Arts and Sciences. Moskovitz Theater. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu
Mar. 4-6 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “A Good Farmer” by Sharyn Rothstein presented by The University Players, co-produced by The Jesuit Center. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 14 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “A Remarkable Tale of Law, Politics, and Religion: The Making of Kiryas Joel, a Hasidic Town in Upstate New York” presented David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn professor of Jewish history at UCLA and director of the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, and Nomi Stolzenberg, founder and co-director of the USC Center for Law, History and Culture. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 21 through Apr. 29 Art Exhibit: “Shinnecock Sites and Portraits: Photographs by Jeremy Dennis.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 22 7 p.m. Public Dialogue on “Freedom and Our Founding: What do they mean for us today?” The event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project’s second theme, “The U.S. Citizen and the American Founding.” Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music students in solo, duo, trio and small ensemble performances. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Window Into the Presidency: The White House Tapes and Their Meaning” presented by Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 26 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2026. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mar. 29 4 p.m. Jay Nathan Lecture Series: “Iceland: History, Culture, Environment” presented by Her Excellency, Ambassador Bergdís Ellertsdóttir of Iceland. Cultural performance and reception to follow. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Reservations encouraged. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Mar. 30 5 p.m. Lecture by Neal Thompson, author of “The First Kennedys.” Book signing immediately follows lecture. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7561 or email david.dzurec@scranton.edu.
University Announces Planned March Events
-
02/23/2022
The University of Scranton will relax masking requirements for students, faculty and staff on Monday, Feb. 28, the same date a vaccine booster requirement for those eligible becomes effective.
The University announced as of Feb. 28, higher-grade masks are optional indoors for fully-vaccinated and boosted members of the University community with the following exceptions: classrooms, laboratories, shared offices and campus liturgies. There, higher-grade masks (N-95, KN-95) or double masking is still required.
Members of the community who are unvaccinated or eligible but not boosted must wear higher-grade masks indoors throughout campus, as must invited guests who are on campus, regardless of their vaccination status. The University remains open only to students, faculty and staff and invited guests.
The University also announced proof of vaccination is no longer required for visitors to attend athletic events.
The full announcement can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
University Updates Mask Policy
-
02/23/2022
Scranton Mayor Paige G. Cognetti announced the opening of applications for small business microgrants in the City of Scranton through an initiative for new businesses located in low-moderate-income demographic areas. The initiative includes educational programs and guidance offered by the Small Business Development Center at The University of Scranton.
These funds are awarded to the city through the Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program from the Housing and Urban Development Administration (HUD).
The CDBG Small Business Micro-Grant Program for new or early-stage businesses located in Scranton’s low-moderate-income demographic areas (LMA) will supply funds ranging from $2,500 to $5,000 per business through the 2022 year to assist with start-up costs, thus contributing to their initial success and continued revitalization of our community. New and newly established businesses are defined as businesses that opened within the last 12 months or are planning to open within nine months of application.
“We are pleased to be able to assist small businesses in the City of Scranton in partnership with the Small Business Development Center at The University of Scranton through the awarding of these microgrants. Small businesses are the heart and soul of our city, and the City of Scranton is grateful to be able to assist them,” said Mayor Cognetti at the news conference announcing opening for applications for the microgrants.
Final applications for the microgrants must include a referral form from the SBDC, available after completing the required educational program series and/or business consulting and demonstrating appropriate business planning in accordance with program guidelines.
Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of the SBDC at The University of Scranton, said the SBDC is pleased to be able to partner with the City of Scranton “on impactful programs like this one, focused on providing microgrants to newer small businesses in the low-moderate-income demographic areas of the City. … Furthermore, as part of our Catholic and Jesuit mission at the University, we devote ourselves to service to others and working with underserved populations is an important part of how we give back to the community, so this program is meaningful to us on many levels.”
The SBDC’s role in this microgrant program will be to walk entrepreneurs through all of the criteria as it pertains to their business, gather required documents, assemble financials, and prepare their applications for submission to the City. The SBDC will do this through a combination of one-on-one meetings and/or educational programming based on the individual’s needs.
The awarded grants can be used for inventory costs, procurement of machinery, furniture, fixtures, equipment, and Defined working/operating capital such as utilities, rent, business services (accounting, IT, website development).
Qualifying businesses can find an application on the City of Scranton website.
The SBDC at The University of Scranton is housed in the Kania School of Management.
Scranton Microgrant Program Partners with SBDC
-
02/22/2022
University of Scranton students, faculty and staff can learn about the ways in which different Asian cultures and traditions celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Asian New Year Festival and Workshop on Feb. 24. The program will include a chopstick competition and hands-on lessons on Chinese calligraphy and Japanese origami related to the Year of the Tiger. The workshop begins at 6 p.m. in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
Many Asian cultures celebrate the New Year differently, however, there is more consensus around the meaning of the tiger in the Chinese zodiac.
“The tiger is a symbol of courage and fortitude that wards off all evils,” said Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., director of Asian Studies and professor of philosophy at the University.
The evening event will include three presentations about Asia’s chopstick culture and the meaning of chopsticks, how new year is celebrated in Japan, and how it is celebrated in China and Taiwan. Instructors and students from the Japanese and Chinese classes will also assist with the hands-on portion of the workshop.
Seating is limited and registration is required to attend the event. University community members can register for the workshop here.
The workshop is co-sponsored by the departments of Asian Studies and World Languages and Cultures.
For additional information, contact Dr. Pang-White at ann.pang-white@scranton.edu or 570-941-6312. $content.getChild('content').textValueAsian Studies Workshop Celebrates Lunar New Year
-
02/18/2022
The University of Scranton held a COVID-19 vaccine booster clinic for students, faculty and staff in the Byron Recreation Complex on Feb. 17. The clinic was organized by the University’s Center for Health Education and Wellness (CHEW), who partnered with Hometown Health Care of NEPA to administer the vaccines. Both Moderna and Pfizer vaccine boosters were available.
In addition to staff members of CHEW, 62 students, faculty and staff volunteered at the clinic, including 24 students enrolled in the University’s nursing program who helped to administer the vaccinations to nearly 350 University community members at the clinic.
The University initiated a vaccine requirement for students and employees who are on campus for the fall semester and approximately 97 percent of the University’s students, faculty and staff are already fully vaccinated. A booster requirement for those eligible goes into effect on Feb. 28. In accordance with Pennsylvania law, the University has granted waivers for the vaccine requirements to students and employees for religious or medical reasons. University community members who were granted a waiver participate in weekly PCR testing and follow other health and safety guidelines.
Booster Vaccination Clinic Held on Campus
-
02/18/2022
The University of Scranton’s Bachelor of Science in Accounting program provides students with a nationally-recognized education and prestigious job opportunities after graduation with all Big Four accounting firms actively recruiting on campus.
Companies that have recently hired Scranton accounting graduates include: Deloitte, EY LLC, Grant Thornton, J.P. Morgan, PwC, KPMG and more.
More than 90% of Scranton accounting graduates obtain full-time employment in their field.
According to The University of Scranton’s First Destination survey for the Class of 2020, the average salary of a Scranton accounting graduate was $53,206.
Douglas Boyle, DBA, CPA, CMA, Doctorate Program Director, Department Chair and Associate Professor says, “In our close campus community, we know students on a first-name basis. Our faculty, staff and distinguished alumni work together for the success of our students.”
Every year, over 80% of Scranton accounting students participate in internships, including a unique experience at PwC where Scranton alum Linda McGowan ’80 built a nationwide internship program for Scranton students.
Entry-level career paths that graduates pursue with this degree are accounting manager, asset manager, auditor, budget analyst, controller and treasurer.
Prepare to Become a Respected Financial Leader
-
02/18/2022
Seventeen University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the spring semester at nine local schools in the following seven school districts: Dunmore, Lackawanna Trail, Mid Valley, Mountain View, Riverside, Valley View, and Western Wayne.
The following is a list of undergraduate and graduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the spring semester.
Abigail Allen of New Milford, Connecticut, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Kayleigh Basovsky of Hillsdale, New Jersey, will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Meghan Bode of Sparta, New Jersey, will teach at Evergreen Elementary School;
Destiny Carpitella of Brooklyn, New York, will teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Corinne Estes of Ivyland will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Gillian Groom of Wantagh, New York, will teach at Evergreen Elementary School;
Shaelynn Guilfoyle of West Nyack, New York, will teach at Riverside Elementary School West;
Katheryn Hickey of South Huntington, New York, will teach at Valley View Intermediate;
Abigail Hoban of Scranton will teach at Mountain View Elementary School;
Margaret Kiess of Glen Rock, New Jersey, will teach at Riverside Jr./Sr. High School;
Jillian Odonnell of Levittown will teach at Riverside Jr./Sr. High School;
Calvin Ralph of Hillsdale, New Jersey, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Emma Reed of Stratford, Connecticut, will teach at Riverside Jr./Sr. High School;
Christina Rombousek of Milford, will teach at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Katherine Roughan of Oceanside, New York, will teach at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Molly Skinner of Reading, Massachusetts, will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Anna Van Wert of South Abington Township will teach at Riverside Jr./Sr. High School.University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
02/17/2022
The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a four-year pre-college mentorship program, is now accepting applications for the upcoming 2022 academic year that begins this summer.
The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program funded entirely by corporate and foundations grants, so there is no charge to students and their families. The program's goal is to assist first generation bound students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university.
Students who are currently in the eighth grade are eligible to apply.
Accepted students will begin the program with a two-week residential summer academy which will be held on the campus of The University of Scranton from July 10, to July 22. Upon completion of the summer program, the students will continue to meet for enrichment sessions during their high school career.
The deadline for submission of applications is Friday, April 1, 2022.
Applications may be obtained by emailing Margaret Loughney, University of Success program director, at margaret.loughney@scranton.edu. Applications may also be obtained online the University of Success web site.
University of Success Now Accepting Applications
-
02/16/2022
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual pay for financial managers and financial analysts in 2020 was $131,180 and $83,660, respectively.
Housed in The University of Scranton’s AACSB-International accredited Kania School of Management, this Bachelor of Science degree prepares students for employment in the financial services industry with opportunities to participate in prestigious internships, faculty-mentored research and the CFA Investment Research Challenge. Career opportunities in this field include collateral analysts, fixed income analysts, traders and securities brokers.
Companies where students have interned include AXA Equitable, Bloomberg LP, the Federal Reserve Board and Morgan Stanley.
Scranton graduates have gone on to work with companies that include Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, AXA Financial and Bank of America, among others. Among the graduate schools that have admitted Scranton graduates are Cornell School of Law, University of California at Berkley and the Wharton School of Business at Penn.
Investing in a Finance Degree at Scranton
-
02/16/2022
On Thursday, February 10, an audience of University students, staff and invited guests joined guest lecturer, Roosevelt Montás, Ph.D., in the Moskovitz Theater at The DeNaples Center for the Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement Lecture. Sponsored by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, the lecture, entitled “Liberal Education for Human Freedom,” addressed Dr. Montás’ view on the importance of a liberal arts education.
Dr. Montás is a senior lecturer in American Studies and English at Columbia University and author of “Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation.”
After a brief introduction from Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Jeff P. Gingerich Ph.D., and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Michelle Maldonado Ph.D., Dr. Montás began his lecture by directly addressing students in the audience.
“Liberal education is the portion of your education that is due to you from us by virtue of your humanity,” said Dr. Montás.
He went on to structure the lecture by elaborating on key terms in the title: human, liberal education, and freedom.
Beginning with a brief evolutionary overview of how humans as a species grew to be the dominant creature on earth, Dr. Montás stressed the idea that as we continue to progress technologically, it is becoming increasingly important that we are all well-versed in how to make ethical decisions that will impact our species for years to come.
When discussing the term liberal education, the topic of his book, Dr. Montás prefaced his explanation by stating that it has nothing to do with political ideologies. Here, he uses the term liberal as it pertains to the concept of freedom. In contrast to a technical, applied or servile education, a liberal education is an all-encompassing education that goes beyond utilitarian instruction and encourages students to explore concepts outside of their chosen career areas. Dr. Montás advocates for such an education by exploring its fundamental role in a functioning democratic society.
“There is no area of human understanding and human learning that lies outside of what this individual, who is being prepared for a life of citizenship and for a life of self-governance, needs to know,” he said.
In order to ensure that students are adequately prepared to experience true freedom, his final term, Dr. Montás quoted Frederick Douglass to draw a connection between the withholding of literacy as a means to control slaves. He alludes to the concept of modern “wage slavery” where individuals are so busy trying to earn enough money to make ends meet, that they do not get to live beyond merely trying to survive.
Dr. Montás concluded his talk with the statement that, “although we can’t change society in one fell swoop, the university’s mission must include looking beyond the materialist ethos of our time and educating ourselves to be free rather than enslaved to our desire for power, wealth and security.”
Author of ‘Rescuing Socrates’ Speaks at Scranton
-
02/16/2022
Forty local law enforcement officers participated in a free workshop on de-escalation strategies presented by The University of Scranton Police Department and supported by an innovative impact grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation.
The half-day workshop was developed and presented by trained University of Scranton Police officers, who shared their knowledge and expertise on de-escalation strategies with local college police and security personnel and municipal officers.
Many of the situations encountered by police officers, especially those who work in a college setting or in small municipalities, are emergency or personal crisis situations that require a specific set of interpersonal skills. Police officers are expected to be able to recognize the characteristics of individuals in crisis and respond appropriately, employing strategies that can defuse and de-escalate a tense situation to provide an effective and helpful resolution, while reducing liability and risk of injury.
The workshop presented techniques to safely and effectively recognize and respond to situations involving persons in crisis including training in effective communication and active listening skills which can reduce injury and the need for using physical force.
David Kostiak, policy and compliance manager and crime prevention coordinator, University of Scranton Police, and Joe Laguzzi, sergeant and de-escalation trainer, University of Scranton Police, developed and presented the de-escalation strategies workshop.
$content.getChild('content').textValueLaw Enforcement Officers Learn De-escalation Strategies
-
02/16/2022
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected employment of market research analysts to grow 23 percent from 2016 to 2026, and the National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2018 survey listed marketing as one of the “top bachelor’s degrees in demand, by major.”
A Bachelor of Science degree in marketing at The University of Scranton provides a solid foundation for work in any industry where marketing professionals are increasingly needed. Career paths in this field include advertising, public relations, market analysis, purchasing and sales management.
Housed in Scranton’s AACSB International accredited Kania School of Management, this undergraduate program is taught by highly capable professors including former Fulbright fellows, field experts and professional consultants.
Recent marketing graduates from Scranton have completed internships with Harper Collins Publishers, Merrill Lynch, Bloomberg LP, UBS Financial Services and other companies.
Scranton graduates have gone on to work for employers such as A.C. Nielsen Co., Bank of America, Kellogg’s, Johnson and Johnson, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and Ralph Lauren, among others.
Scranton’s Professor of Marketing, Abhijit Roy, D.B.A., said that “faculty members strive to prepare students for the corporate world and to be leaders in creating a more just and human society with a broader understanding of the global environment, including marketing strategies that can be used to enhance public policy and improve consumer well-being.”
Enter the Ever-Evolving Field of Marketing
-
02/15/2022
The Accounting Department of The University of Scranton ranked No. 4 in the world for accounting education research published in the most recent six-years in a listing considered to be the gold standard in accounting disciplines. The recently released 2021 Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings also recognized several accounting faculty members individually for their research publication success.
The Brigham Young University report ranks accounting programs and faculty throughout the world based on their success in publishing in 12 top-tier, peer-reviewed accounting journals. The report is updated annually and includes ranks for specific categories of research and for specific time periods. The 2021 update ranks Scranton’s Accounting Department at as the fourth most prolific department in the world for accounting education research over the most recent six-year period, following Brigham Young University (first), Texas Tech University (second) and Kennesaw State University (third), and preceding Indiana University – Indianapolis (fifth). The department was also ranked internationally for all methods, audit, managerial, experimental and archival accounting research.
With respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty in the area of accounting education, three Scranton faculty members were ranked internationally. Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department and director of the DBA program, was ranked No. 7. James F. Boyle, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting and director of the MAcc program, and Brian W. Carpenter, Ph.D., professor of accounting, ranked No. 18 (tied). Additionally, Dr. Douglas Boyle was ranked for all methods, auditing and experimental research; Dr. Carpenter was ranked for all methods; and Jeh-Hyun Cho, Ph.D., assistant professor of accounting, was ranked for all methods, managerial and archival.
“The University of Scranton’s listing near the top of the 2021 Brigham Young University Accounting Education Research rankings and the very high rankings of many of its individual faculty in a variety of sub-disciplines bear testimony to the Accounting department’s commitment to excellence in both teaching and research. I am very proud of the faculty’s research productivity and their skillful use of scholarship to inform and nourish teaching. This greatly benefits students in our many outstanding programs, but especially in our ground-breaking, research-focused DBA program,” said Michael Mensah, Ph.D., interim dean of the University’s Kania School of Management and professor of accounting.
This is the second consecutive year that the University’s Accounting Department was ranked No. 4 in the world for research success in the prestigious Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings. The Accounting Department and the prolific research of its faculty were also recognized by two academic journals in 2019 and 2020, including an article in Issues in Accounting Education that ranked Scranton No. 1 in the nation for accounting programs and faculty based on the number of publications in the leading five accounting practitioner journals.
Accounting Dept./Faculty Top Research Productivity List
-
02/14/2022
The University of Scranton Players will present “A Good Farmer” by Sharyn Rothstein, directed by West Scranton native Bob E. Gasper. A timely drama that deftly approaches multiple perspectives of issues regarding immigration and social justice in America, the play will run February 25-27 and March 4-6 in the Royal Theatre of the McDade Center for the Literary and Performing Arts on the University’s campus. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and the Sunday performances begin at 2 p.m.
“A Good Farmer” is the story of two women – a farm owner and her unlikely best friend, an undocumented Mexican immigrant – fighting to survive in a small town divided by America’s immigration battle. The play “brings the much-needed sense of humanity to the issue of immigration and addresses many of the moral questions we face …This is an important piece of theatre,” according to a 2018 review by Broadway World. The play, laced with humor, is about love, friendship and finding the power to face what divides us.
The cast features: Seraphina Stager, Lincoln, Rhode Island; Ariana Flores, Springfield, New Jersey; Nick Baranosky, Stevensville, Maryland; Keenan Beveridge, Warminster; Samantha Gurn, Brackney; and Olivia Raineri, Shirley, New York; in addition to Bridget Fry, Allentown, New Jersey; and Matt Valunas, Scranton; who are also assistant stage managers for the production. Also assisting with the production are Samantha Burton, Jamesville, New York, stage manager; Zainab Shah, Hellertown, assistant stage manager; Gillian Williams-Mayers, Scranton, assistant director and props coordinator; Kelsey Bennet, Orangeville, costume coordinator; Kit Karpiak, Scranton, sound counsel operator; and Isabelle Oister, Pottstown, lighting console operator.
The University’s production of “A Good Farmer” is being co-produced by The Jesuit Center.
For tickets, contact the University Players box office at 570-941-4318 or visit thescrantonplayers.com. (or did you want to use 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu) Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students and University of Scranton faculty and staff. Second weekend performances are free for first-year students at the University.
Audience members are required to follow the University’s health and safety guidelines, which currently include wearing higher-grade masks (N95, KN95, KF94 or double masking) indoors. The University’s health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
For more information, contact players@scranton.edu or visit the University Players on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.University Players to Present ‘A Good Farmer’
-
02/14/2022
On Sunday, Feb. 20, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by nationally acclaimed solo and orchestral concert pianist and Peckville native John Wilson. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. All audience members are required to wear a higher-grade mask (N95, KN95, KF94 or double masking) at all times. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on additional required audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
Wilson, a graduate of Valley View High School who holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, will perform Aaron Copland’s Piano Sonata, Upon Further Reflection by Michael Tilson Thomas and Seven Virtuoso Études after Gershwin.
According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, “it has been an amazing experience to have a front row seat to the artistic development and achievement of this young man from his middle school and high school years performing at local schools and music festivals to his current command of national and international stages as a soloist and with major orchestras.”
Proclaimed a “marvelous musical mad scientist” by the Music Critics Association of North America, Wilson has distinguished himself with a deep repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary. He has performed extensively throughout North America at high-profile venues such as New York City’s Merkin Hall, Miami’s New World Symphony Center and San Francisco’s Louis M. Davies Hall. As a soloist, he has performed with the New World Symphony, Napa Valley Symphony Orchestra and both the New Amsterdam Symphony and Orchestra Camerata Notturn in New York.
Meanwhile, Wilson has become a sought-after collaborator for some of the world’s most prolific composers, performing on the U.S and world premieres of solo piano works by Michael Tilson Thomas, duo works by Timo Andres and Judith Lang Zaimont, and ensemble works by Steve Reich, Reinbert de Leeuw, HK Gruber and Bernd Deutsch.
The top prize winner in a number of international piano competitions, Wilson took first prize in the 2019 International Respighi Competition, resulting in an invitation to perform as soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of New York. In addition, he won first place in the American Prize Foundation 2019 Competition and Best Performance of an American Work at the 2017 Liszt-Garrison International Piano Competition.
Wilson also is an in-demand chamber musician and collaborator, appearing in chamber ensembles with musicians from the San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and San Diego Symphony. In addition, he has performed recitals with violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Johannes Moser, violinist Anthony Marwood and soprano Audra McDonald. He has recorded for MSR Classics, and his performances can be heard on Medici.tv and WQXR.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Wilson, visit johnwilsonpiano.com.
Peckville Native to Perform at University Feb. 20
-
02/09/2022
As technology continues to advance, so does cyber-related crime. Homeland security, private business and individual security are among places that need individuals trained to investigate these cyber offenses. Career paths in this growing field include computer forensic investigator, cyber threat intelligence analyst, law enforcement agent, military officer or legislative assistant.
The University of Scranton offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Cybercrime and Homeland Security. Housed in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology, this degree is designed to give students a comprehensive introduction to the evolving world of cybercrime law and the tools used to enforce it.
As part of Scranton’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime, the University’s new cyber-forensics and cyber security lab, students can gain vital hands-on experience with digital forensics tools that are used by professionals in the field.
Some key topics covered in this program’s curriculum include cyber intelligence, digital forensics investigation, ethical hacking and terrorism and homeland security.
Scranton’s Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Criminology is one of just a handful of undergraduate criminal justice programs in the United States that has been certified by the Academy of Criminal Justice in the last 10 years.
Explore the Emerging Field of Cybercrime and Homeland Security
-
02/09/2022
During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Seminars at The University of Scranton will explore insightful topics with timely perspectives and historical undertones.
Six experts in their fields will lead discussions via a remote format as well as in-person when luncheons return to the campus. Each event will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Admission is free for University students, faculty and staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the luncheons $25 in person and $10 remotely.
The series opens on Thursday, Feb. 10, with “Our Common Home: Vatican and Multifaith Engagement on Environment and Climate Justice,” presented by Rabbi Daniel Swartz of Temple Hesed in Scranton. He also serves as the executive director of the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), based in Washington, D.C. Rabbi Swartz joined 40 global religious leaders, 10 scientists and social scientists, and Pope Francis at the Vatican in October 2021 to take part in an ongoing multi-faith effort to address climate change. He will share highlights of that work and discuss the role of faith traditions to protect the environment and promote the common good.
“The science of climate change has been clear for a while, but a combination of denial and disinformation, especially in the U.S., has delayed an appropriate response to the looming global crisis,” said Rabbi Swartz, who was invited because of his efforts to articulate the moral urgency of climate change and because those efforts are “on the ground” rather than administrative. One of only five participants from the U.S., he played a prominent role in writing the document presented a few weeks later at the 2021 U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland.
“At the Vatican, in the interest of social justice, we prepared a shared vision of how wealthy countries can come together to mitigate the even-harsher effects of climate change on poorer regions,” said Rabbi Swartz. “Hope is the belief that if you work hard enough, any situation can improve; and that’s something all faiths have carried since the origin of religion. This initiative is different from previous planning, because we made a commitment to continue the discussion locally and reconvene periodically to assess our progress and plan action steps based on those assessments.” The seminar will take place in remote format only. A remote link will be emailed to those registered.
On Friday, Feb. 18, Elzbieta Matynia, Ph.D., professor of sociology and liberal studies and director of the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies at the New School for Social Research, will present “Is Liberal Democracy Already History?” Dr. Matynia will explore the state of democracy today, at home and abroad and the evolution of illiberal democracies, particularly in eastern European countries. She will discuss the factors that made possible the societal hope that took root, the factors that facilitated unprecedented setbacks, and the factors that now sustain the promise of reclaiming democracy while addressing the issues of broader social justice. The seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Edward Leahy Hall, and a remote link will be emailed to those registered.
“Linneaus’ Legacy: Corrupting Color to Serve Discrimination and Exploitation” will be presented on Thursday, March 3 by Kathy Johnson Bowles, executive director of Scranton’s Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science and Art. Swedish botanist, zoologist and taxonomist Carl Linneaus (1707-1778) formalized a system of naming organisms still used today.
“Linneaus’ theories have been expanded upon by several influential thinkers over the years,” said Bowles. “Reinforcing the notion that skin color, head shape and other physical characteristics determine the value of a group or individual is clearly discriminatory and racist.” Bowles will raise eyebrows by connecting those dots to the seemingly innocent naming of crayon colors and other ways that we inadvertently further these antiquated and harmful notions. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall, and a remote link will be emailed to those registered.
Two prominent scholars from Los Angeles will team up on Monday, March 14 to present “Remarkable Tale of Law, Politics, and Religion: The Making of Kiryas Joel, a Hasidic town in Upstate New York.” David N. Myers, Ph.D., a Scranton native, is the Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History at UCLA, where he serves as the director of the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy. He will join his wife and co-author Nomi Stolzenberg, founder and co-director of the USC Center for Law, History and Culture. This talk will explore the fascinating story of Kiryas Joel, a legally recognized municipality in New York made up entirely of strictly Orthodox Hasidic Jews. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall, and a remote link will be emailed to those registered. Copies of the book by Dr. Stolzenberg and Dr. Myers, “American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, a Hasidic Village in Upstate New York,” will be on sale.
On Thursday, March 24, Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University, will present “Window Into the Presidency: The White House Tapes and Their Meaning.” For a brief eleven-year period, from 1962 to 1973, three American presidents secretly recorded high-level White House deliberations concerning top policy issues. Dr. Logevall will play some of these extraordinary recordings and discuss what they reveal about the affairs of state during a tumultuous period of American history. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall, and a remote link will be emailed to those registered.
The series will conclude on Friday, April 22. “Russia and the Post-Truth Society” will be presented by Jill Dougherty, who formerly served as CNN’s Moscow Bureau Chief for almost a decade. An expert on Russia, she is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and a CNN on-air contributor.
“During the Cold War, the USSR tried to convince the world that communism was the future of humankind,” said Dougherty. “The U.S. tried to convince the world that democracy and capitalism gave people a better life. Today, propagandists still try to convince but, more and more, try to confuse and to overwhelm their target audiences with a firehose of mis- and dis-information.”
Dougherty, who is currently teaching a course titled “Information Wars” at Georgetown University, will explore the new paradigm, what it means for Russia, and what it could mean for America. The semiar will take place in the Kane Forum of Edward Leahy Hall; and a remote link will be emailed to those registered.
To register for the seminars, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. To pay by credit card over the phone, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816, or to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Seminars Cover Enticing Topics
-
02/09/2022
University of Scranton Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) student Gregory Kogan co-authored the text book “Self-Service Data Analytics and Governance for Managers,” which was published in 2021 by Wiley.
“The Scranton DBA program provided me with incredible research support and the professors were very involved in assisting with research and publications,” said Kogan, Manalapan, New Jersey. “It felt great to be in such an inclusive and encouraging environment that promoted collaboration between professors and DBA students. Dr. Doug Boyle, the DBA program director at Scranton, was both a coach and mentor to me. I hope to continue to collaborate with him and others at Scranton after graduation.
Kogan said he and other DBA students say Scranton’s program is “the best in the country.”
“The Scranton DBA program faculty were very caring and provided rigorous course work while also emphasizing key avenues toward success with research and publication. Furthermore, the connections that I made with other DBA students are invaluable and I am looking forward to keeping in touch with the Scranton University network in the future,” said Kogan.
A certified public accountant (CPA), Kogan is currently an assistant professor of practice in accounting at Virginia Tech University. He previously taught accounting practice at Long Island University. He has experience as an auditor at Ernst & Young and as a controller at Tiger Management. He earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and his MBA in accounting from Rutgers University. He is a member of the third cohort of DBA students at Scranton and will graduate from the program in 2022.
Housed in the Kania School of Management, the University’s DBA program began in the fall semester of 2017. The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) recognized Scranton’s DBA program for “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States” in 2019. The program was developed with a concentration in accounting, to provide experienced practitioners with a practical pathway to an academic career. The program offers participants flexibility, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic” – one who is qualified to teach at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
DBA Student Co-authors Textbook
-
02/03/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, professed his final vows as a Jesuit in the presence of members of The University of Scranton community at a Mass in the Madonna della Strada Chapel on campus on January 30.
Members of the Society of Jesus take their final vows after completing the last stage of formation called “Tertianship,” which includes a 30-day retreat to reengage the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola, as well as a year-long refection on their life and service as a Jesuit.
Father Marina invited the University community to share with him the formal conclusion of his Jesuit formation, which he began 18 years ago. Father Marina entered the Society of Jesus in 2004 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2012. He became the 29th President of The University of Scranton in June of 2021.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity President Professes Final Vows
-
02/02/2022
Roosevelt Montás, Ph.D., author and senior lecturer in American studies and English at Columbia University, will present “Liberal Education for Human Freedom” at the Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement Lecture on Thursday, Feb. 10, at The University of Scranton. The lecture, sponsored by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, will begin at 5:30 p.m. at Moskovitz Theater DeNaples Center.
At Columbia University, Dr. Montás teaches “Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West,” a year-long course on primary texts in moral and political thought, as well as seminars in American Studies including “Freedom and Citizenship in the United States.” He served as the director of the Center for the Core Curriculum at Columbia College from 2008 to 2018. He is also the director of the Center for American Studies’ Freedom and Citizenship Program in collaboration with the Double Discovery Center.
Dr. Montás speaks and writes on the history, meaning and future of liberal education and is the author of “Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation” (Princeton University Press, 2021).
“‘The West’ as a category is, of course, itself problematic … the banners of “Western civilization” and “Western culture” have been used to give cover to imperialist, racist and colonialist agendas and to justify the subjugation and exploitation of “non-Western” people. But the term is also used to describe something more legitimate: a large and porous cultural configuration around the Mediterranean Sea, with strong Greco-Roman roots, that served as the historical seedbed for the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and much of what is called ‘modernity,’” wrote Dr. Montás in an opinion piece published by The Chronicle of Higher Education on Nov. 16, 2021. “While the European continent figures prominently, the tradition incorporates defining elements from non-European sources like the Arab world, ancient Egypt and North Africa, and even the East. It is a tradition rife with fissures, where overturning the past is preferred to venerating it. Loose and fractured as this tradition of contest and debate is, key aspects of the modern world emerge from it. The tradition matters not because it is Western, but because of its contribution to human questions of the highest order.”
Dr. Montás earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Columbia University. His research specializes in Antebellum American literature and culture, with a particular interest in American citizenship.
For the lecture, the University will follow current health and safety guidelines as outlined in the Royals Back Together plan, which include the wearing higher grade masks (e.g. N95, KN95 or KF94) or double masking (e.g. a cloth mask worn over a surgical mask) in indoor spaces on campus.
For more information about the lecture, contact Matthew Meyer, Ph.D, professor of philosophy and faculty director of the University’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, at matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.
Liberal Education for Human Freedom to be Discussed
-
02/01/2022
Accounting students from The University of Scranton will follow an adjusted contactless process to assist local residents with filing their federal, state and local tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The process for this year has been adjusted to because of COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
The free service is available to residents of Lackawanna and Wayne counties with household incomes of $57,000 or less for 2021.
Qualified clients can provide the information needed to complete tax forms (see below) in a secure “drop-off box” located in the University Police Department, 820 Mulberry Street, beginning Feb. 7. Forms will be processed remotely by University student volunteers. Clients will be contacted by phone or email with any questions and when their tax forms have been filed electronically. The documents provided, or copies of documents if originals were needed for filing, will be then returned to participants.
- Documents need for filing tax forms include:
- name, email and phone number;
- a copy of the taxpayer’s driver’s license (and spouse’s if applicable);
- a copy of Social Security cards for the taxpayer, the spouse, and any dependents;
- all Wage and earning statements, including, but not limited to:
- Form W-2 (employees);
- W-2G (gambling winnings);
- 1099-R (retirement withdrawals);
- 1099-Misc, 1099-NEC(miscellaneous income) and any related expenses;
- 1099-G (unemployment income);
- 1099-SA (Social Security statement);
- 1099-B (sales of stock);
- interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV);
- a copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available;
- a voided check for proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit;
- forms 1095-A, B and C, health coverage statements;
- any information pertinent to deductions and credits the taxpayer may be eligible for, such as:
- 1098-T for anyone on the tax return who attended a higher education institution during 2020;
- totals paid to daycare providers and the daycare provider's tax identifying number such as their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number, name, and address;
- for those who qualify for a property tax or rent rebate (age 65 and older, a widow/widower, disabled, and within certain income limits), copies of property tax receipts for any property taxes paid during the 2020 tax year;
- list of charitable donations;
- also note if you received the economic impact payment? (late 2020 or early 2021) $600/ taxpayer-spouse and each qualifying child.
Residents can include information above in an envelope and place it in the “drop-off box” in the University Police Department, 820 Mulberry Street, weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., beginning Monday, Feb. 7. The program will end when the capacity to process tax forms received has been met.
Residents with questions may call the University at 570-941-4045.
University students have participated in the VITA program for more than 30 years.
Contactless Income Tax Assistance Offered
-
02/01/2022
On Sunday, Feb. 13 at 3 p.m., Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a Valentine’s Day Eve Concert featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band and special guest Arnt Arntzen. The 3 p.m. concert will take place in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The concert is open to invited guests and all members of the University community. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. All audience members are required to wear a higher-grade mask (N95, KN95, KF94 or double masking) at all times. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
The concert will feature a variety of songs about love and heartbreak, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. Arntzen and the band will combine to perform a number of songs together, there will be several solo pieces during the concert featuring only Arntzen, and two pieces will feature the band alone.
A very talented banjoist, guitarist and singer, Arntzen plays regularly with Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, as well as the Louis Armstrong Eternity Band at Birdland. He is a traditional jazz specialist who has performed with the Three Generations of Jazz band with his grandfather Lloyd, parents Georgina and Tom, brother Evan and a number of other family members and has also co-led the Brothers Arntzen with his brother Evan.
In addition, Arntzen has collaborated with numerous other ensembles in New York and Vancouver, including Baby Soda Jazz Band, Gordon Webster Swing Band, Avalon Jazz Band and many more. Though mostly a sideman, he also leads small groups exploring obscure parts of the American jazz lexicon from the early part of the 20th century.
The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year, and a number of University faculty, staff and alumni perform with them.
Performance Music’s large ensembles include Concert/Symphonic Band, Concert Choir/Singers, String Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble (big band format). Smaller groups are made up of members from within the large ensembles, and include Steel Drum Band, Percussion Ensemble, Flute Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble and Clarinet Ensemble, plus other small vocal and instrumental groups in various formats. Solo, duo and trio performance opportunities are available to members of the ensembles through the general recitals held each semester.
Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
High school juniors and seniors who are considering applying to Scranton are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert or tour the building.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Arntzen, visit arntmusic.com.
Arnt Arntzen and University Jazz Band to Perform
-
01/31/2022
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for medical and health services managers in May 2017 was $98,350.
The University of Scranton’s Bachelor of Science degree in health administration affords students the opportunity to choose a concentration between a health administration generalist program or a long-term administration program. The former aims to provide students with a broad base knowledge of employment opportunities in various facilities, while the latter focuses on preparation for job opportunities within long-term care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
Scranton’s program holds full undergraduate membership in the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA) and is one of just 11 programs nationwide to be approved for its long-term care administration curriculum by the National Association of Long-Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB).
Experiential learning is emphasized in the health administration program where students complete a three-credit, 120-hour internship and 80 hours of community-based learning in their four years. Past internship sites include AseraCare Hospice, Clarks Summit Senior Living, Jefferson Health System, Lebanon Valley Advanced Care Center and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Recent graduates have been employed by various health care providers in the eastern U.S. such as Memorial Sloan Kettering, Geisinger Health System, Lehigh Valley Health Care System and Allied Services.
Scranton graduates who choose to pursue graduate-level education in health administration-related programs have been accepted at schools such as Columbia University and New York University, as well as The University of Scranton, which also offers a master’s degree in health administration.
The In-Demand Field of Health Administration
-
01/28/2022
The University of Scranton awarded faculty development intersession grants for 2022 to eight faculty members.
Hope Baylow, D.A., assistant professor of health and human performance, received a grant to research “Voice Problems and Quality of Life in Individuals with Marfan Syndrome.” She earned her bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University, her master’s degree from Long Island University and her doctoral degree from Adelphia University. She has worked for the University since 2020.
Hengameh Hosseini, Ph.D., assistant professor of health administration and human resources, received a grant to research the “Development of a new Undergraduate Minor in Public Health.” She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tehran, her master’s degree from King’s College and her doctoral degree from Marywood University. She has worked for the University since 2018.
Joseph Pellegrino, Ph.D., assistant professor of health and human performance, received a grant to research the “Quantification of the Physical Load and Physiological Strain on Division III Women’s Basketball Players.” He earned his bachelor’s degree from Cook College, his master’s degree from the University of Montana and his doctoral degree from Rutgers University. He has worked for the University since 2019.
Abhijit Roy, D.B.A., professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, received a grant to research “A Hierarchical Model of Social Justice Initiatives by the Jesuits: Embeddedness of Social Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation.” He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Allahabad, his master’s and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Arizona and his doctoral degree from Boston University. He has worked for the University since 2006.
Janette Scardillo, D.P.T., faculty specialist for the Physical Therapy Department, received a grant to research “Utilizing Best Practice to Implement Simulation-based Experiences in the DPT Curriculum.” She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from The University of Scranton. She has worked for the University since 2017.
Yamile Silva Gualteros, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, received a grant to research “A Critical Edition of Dominican Writer Abigail Meja’s Transatlantic Journalism.” She earned her bachelor’s degree from Los Andes University, and her master’s degree and doctoral degree from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has worked for the University since 2009.
Brian Snee, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and media, received a grant to research “Columbus Uncancelled: Reflective Rhetoric in the Third and Fourth Personae.” He earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, and his master’s degree and doctoral degree from the Pennsylvania State University. He has worked for the University since 2020.
Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre, received a grant to research “The Wyoming Option: Will Arbery, Rod Dreher and Conservative Catholicism.” He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tulsa, and his master’s degree and doctoral degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has worked for the University since 2009.
Intersession Grants Awarded to Faculty
-
01/25/2022
During the spring semester, University of Scranton professors will share their passion and expertise at three different Schemel Forum courses that run in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in-person at the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library, or remotely via a zoom link.
Sean Brennan, Ph.D., professor of history at the University, will present “James Bond and the Cold War” on the following Tuesdays: February 1, 8, 15 and 22; and March 1 and 8.
One of the most famous fictional characters to come out of the British Isles, Ian Fleming’s superspy James Bond has been a constant presence in books, films, video games and merchandise for almost seventy years. This course will put Bond back into the context of the Cold War from the 1950s to the 1980s. It will begin with an examination of Fleming’s novels and how they connect to his own background in espionage and then move to the films from the Connery to Dalton eras, ranging from “Dr. No” to “The Living Daylights.”
Christopher E. Fremaux, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy at the University, will present “Moral Citizenship: The Enlightenment Vision of the Ethical Community” on the following Thursdays: February 3, 10, 17 and 24; and March 3 and 10.
“Among the plethora of issues that mark our contemporary political discourse is a growing skepticism of the practicality, and perhaps even the value, of democratic institutions,” said Dr. Fremaux. “Helping to fuel this skepticism is disagreement over a perennial issue in political philosophy: the relation between the individual and the community.” The course will examine this topic by exploring a vision of society first articulated in the Enlightenment: the vision of an ethical community, i.e., a political community structured according to moral principles
Dr. Fremaux added, “We will focus upon the ideas of four philosophers in particular: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Johann Fichte and Georg Hegel. Taken collectively, these philosophers put forward the clearest articulation of the ethical community. By exploring their ideas, we will develop a moral conception of citizenship in view of which we are obligated to work for the sake of the common, not simply the individual, good.”
“Police as Guardians in a Time of War” will be taught by Michael J. Jenkins, Ph.D., associate professor and chair the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology, and executive director of the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime (CAPoC) at the Univeristy. The course will meet on the following Wednesdays: February 9, 16 and 23; and March 2, 9 and 23.
This course will first discuss the Anglo-Peelian roots of police as maintainers of order. Findings from key court cases and commissions on policing will serve as an overview of the modern history of policing in the United States. The course will conclude with present controversies in policing and debate ideas for aligning the need for maintaining orderly communities with the mandate of ensuring justice.
The courses are free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the in-person fee is $75 per individual and $125 per couple, and $60 for remote-only.
To register for the courses, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. To pay by credit card over the phone, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816, or to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses Set for In-Person and Zoom
-
01/25/2022
More than 1,650 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2021 fall semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
University Announces Fall 2021 Dean’s List
-
01/25/2022
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the spring 2021 semester after publication of the list in June of 2021.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2021 spring semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the spring 2021 Dean’s List are:
Nicholas GuerraZohal Gul MohammadFelicia HarrisItzanamy Herrera SolanoJulia KhalilIsaiah LivelsbergerMarguerite E. MunleyNadia OffendelSara PellegrinoDavid ReeseJaelyn SlaughterKevin ValdesAnnaise N. Vazquez.Students Added to Spring 2021 Dean’s List
-
01/25/2022
U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 55 and its online MBA program at No. 98 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 65 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
This is the 11th consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years.
For the 2022 Best Online Programs ranking, which published January 25, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category. The criteria used by U.S. News to rank online business and MBA programs included student engagement (30 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, among other factors. The ranking criteria also included peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (15 percent); admission selectivity (15 percent); and student services and technology (15 percent).
In addition to offering distance education programs that incorporate coursework that is predominantly online, colleges and universities making the “Best Online Program for Veterans” list must have ranked in top half of 2022 Best Online Program rankings; be regionally accredited; be certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program; and enroll a “critical mass of veterans” as defined by U.S. News based on the size of the college.
Scranton offers online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, business analytics, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, business analytics, finance, health administration, health informatics and human resources and a dual MBA/MHA degree, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for the online programs.
In other rankings published by U.S. News, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 28 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 5 in the 2022 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.” U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category in its “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching,” among other rankings.
Scranton Online Programs Among Best in Nation
-
01/24/2022
The University of Scranton recognized students and their elementary and high school teachers, who they credit for contributing to their success, with Rose Kelly Awards at a recent virtual ceremony.
The Rose Kelly Award was established by University of Scranton alumnus Joseph Wineburgh, Ph.D., to link the efforts of educators to the achievements of college students. The award is presented jointly to a student in each of the University’s colleges who has completed two years at Scranton and to the teacher whom he or she recognizes as having a great impact in his or her life. Students are selected based on exemplary achievement in both academics and general campus involvement.
Emma Boyle, Peckville, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Kania School of Management. She honored Dana Marion, her kindergarten teacher at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center. Boyle is an accounting major at Scranton.
Alexander Luancing, Easton, received the Rose Kelly Award for the College of Arts and Sciences. He honored Gina Rakos, his AP biology teacher at Nazareth Area High School. Luancing is a biology major at Scranton.
Anne Murphy, Flemington, New Jersey, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Panuska College of Professional Studies. She honored Chelsea D’Antonio her teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School. Murphy is a counseling and human services major at Scranton.
Rose Kelly Awards Presented at University
-
01/21/2022
The University of Scranton ranked No. 84 among the 616 master’s universities in the nation included in a 2021 listing by Washington Monthly that seeks to rate colleges based on their contribution to the public good. Published in the September/October issue of the magazine and online, Washington Monthly analyzed numerous data sets to determine an overall rank, as well as a score and rank of colleges for “research,” “social mobility” and “community and national service.” Scranton ranked No. 34, No. 187 and No. 115, respectively, in these categories among master’s universities.
Washington Monthly weighted equally the colleges’ scores for research, social mobility and service to calculate the overall ranking. The research score is based on each school’s research expenditure and the number of alumni earning Ph.D.s, relative to the size of the college. The social mobility score is based on actual and predicted graduation rates; student loan repayment rates; the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants; and the school’s average net price for full-time, in-state students with family incomes below $75,000 per year over the past three years, among other factors. The service score, also adjusted for the size of the school, is based on the size of the ROTC program; the number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps; and the percentage of federal work study grant money spent on community service projects and voter engagement, among other factors.
This is the 12th consecutive year Washington Monthly has included Scranton in its college rankings.
In other national rankings, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Scranton among the 10 top Regional Universities in the North for 28 consecutive years, and as a “Best Value” school for nine consecutive years. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list “Best Colleges” for 20 consecutive years.
Scranton Nationally Ranked for Doing Public Good
-
01/20/2022
For the third time, a University of Scranton accounting student was selected for the Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA) “Jimmie Smith” Student Leadership Experience. This highly-selective program includes only five students from the around the world.
Emma Boyle of Peckville, will participate in a series of virtual meetings from January to May, 2022, focused on governance and volunteerism. The program will conclude in June with her attending the IMA’s Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. Throughout the program, Boyle will be assigned a IMA’s Global Board of Director mentor to learn more about the IMA’s Global Board and explore future IMA volunteer leadership opportunities.
The other four students selected to participate are from Christ University in India, American University of Beirut in Lebanon, and Dixie State University in Nevada.
The IMA Selection Committee only chooses students from IMA Higher Education Endorsement Program member schools to attend this experience. The University of Scranton received its endorsement in November 2017. Just 62 colleges in the U.S. are currently endorsed by the IMA, and 40 colleges are endorsed internationally.
This is not the first year a University of Scranton student has attended the IMA Student Leadership Experience. Nicholas Varriano ’17, ‘G18, attended in 2018, and Nhu Nguyen ’19, attended in 2019.
Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 140,000 members in 140 countries and over 300 professional and student chapters.
At Scranton Boyle is pursuing a major in accounting with a triple-minor in business analytics, business leadership and forensic accounting. On campus, she is a tour guide and Royal Ambassador. She currently serves as president for the University’s IMA Student Chapter, Beta Alpha Psi honor society, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners Student Chapter.
Boyle previously interned with Neumentum, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and the University’s Career Development Office. She is currently completing an audit internship with Deloitte in the Philadelphia office. Upon graduation, Boyle plans to complete her Master of Accountancy at The University of Scranton with a concentration in accounting analytics.
Accounting Student Selected for Elite Program
-
01/19/2022
The University of Scranton and community partners hosted three events recently as part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The purpose of the two-year project is to explore the aspirational journey to fulfill our national ideals through the lens of Scranton, as an iconic “All American City” that has experienced many of the key elements of our nation’s experience: industrial era growth and decline, waves of immigration past and present, Black and Indigenous experiences, and a rich religious and neighborhood tapestry that is integral to Scranton’s community and resilience. Eight themes will involve a range of events, including lectures, dialogues, community workshops and story collection.
The recent events comprised the theme, “Portrait of Scranton, Portrait of a Nation,” and included a keynote address by Scranton-born author Jay Parini and local panelists on “Scranton in the Popular Imagination,” a Lackawanna Avenue “Jane Jacobs” walk to consider “what Scranton is, has been, and can be,” and a roundtable discussion on “Scranton and the Nation: Who are we and who do we aspire to be?”.
Upcoming events in winter of 2022 will focus on the U.S. Citizen and the American Founding and will include a book discussion (Feb. 3), lecture with guest scholars (March 1) and public dialogue (March 22) focused around the question: “Freedom and Our Founding – What do they mean for us today?” Spring 2022 events will focus on the Indigenous History of NEPA. For more information visit scranton.edu/scrantonstory.
Events Explore Story of Scranton
-
01/19/2022
Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Feb. 3 5 p.m. Book Discussion: “Freedom: An Unruly History” led by Matt Meyers, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, University of Scranton. The event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project’s second theme, “The U.S. Citizen and the American Founding.” Offered in-person or in a virtual format. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Feb. 4 through Mar. 4 Art Exhibit: “Beneath the Surface, Behind the Horizon: Sculptures and Drawings by Cynthia Myron.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 10 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Our Common Home: Vatican and Multifaith Engagement on Environment and Climate Justice” presented by Rabbi Daniel Swartz, spiritual leader, Temple Hesed and executive director, Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 13 3 p.m. Performance Music: “Valentine’s Day Eve Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with special guest Arnt Arntzen, banjo, guitar and voice. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 18 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Is Liberal Democracy Already History?” presented by Elzbieta Matynia, Ph.D., professor of sociology and liberal studies and director of the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies at the New School for Social Research. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 20 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring John Wilson, pianist. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 1 5 p.m. Lecture with Q&A via Zoom - “Freedom and Our Founding: What do they mean for us today?” The event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project’s second theme, “The U.S. Citizen and the American Founding.” Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Mar. 3 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Linneaus’ Legacy: Corrupting Color to Serve Discrimination and Exploitation” presented by Kathy Johnson Bowles, executive director of the Everhart Museum of Natural History, Science and Art. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 14 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “A Remarkable Tale of Law, Politics, and Religion: The Making of Kiryas Joel, a Hasidic Town in Upstate New York” presented David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn professor of Jewish history at UCLA and director of the UCLA Luskin Center for History and Policy, and Nomi Stolzenberg, founder and co-director of the USC Center for Law, History and Culture. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 21 through Apr. 29 Art Exhibit: “Shinnecock Sites and Portraits: Photographs by Jeremy Dennis.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 22 7 p.m. Public Dialogue on “Freedom and Our Founding: What do they mean for us today?” The event is part of the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project’s second theme, “The U.S. Citizen and the American Founding.” Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music students in solo, duo, trio and small ensemble performances. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Window Into the Presidency: The White House Tapes and Their Meaning” presented by Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 26 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2026. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Apr. 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Kako Miura, violinist and friends. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “14th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert” featuring Dr. Wycliffe A. Gordon with The University of Scranton Singers and Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 7 4 p.m. 2022 Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “HEALTH’y Employees Lead to HEALTH’y Patients: Strategies to Support the Well-Being of Healthcare Professionals.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 484-632-6605 or email brooke.devers@scranton.edu.
Apr. 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Dr. Wycliffe A. Gordon with The University of Scranton Jazz Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 4 p.m. Henry George Spring Lecture: “Evolution of Conventions of Behavior” presented by Andrew Schotter, Ph.D., professor of economics, New York University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Apr. 22 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Russia and the Post-Truth Society” presented by Jill Dougherty, former CNN’s Moscow bureau chief for almost a decade, Russian expert, adjunct professor at Georgetown University and a CNN on-air contributor. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum Collaborative Program with the Jesuit Center, The University of Scranton: “A Schemel Legacy: The Engineer and the Monk” presented by Christopher F. Schemel, Ph.D., president Delta Q Consultants, Inc. and courtesy professor of chemical engineering, University of South Florida, and Brother Mario Joseph, Monastery of the Holy Spirit, Conyers, Georgia. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall or remote, reception follows. $25 fee. Registration required. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27 4:30 p.m. Annual Math Integration Bee. Calculus based competition for both high school and college divisions. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-6580 or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
Apr. 30-May 1 9 a.m. Saturday; noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Apr. 30 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “39th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir premiering two new commissioned works by guest composer/conductor Javier Nero. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 9-13 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring John Romeri, organist and John Romeri, flautist. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with special guests. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 21 TBA Graduate and Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 22 TBA Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Tuesdays, Feb. 1, 8, 15, 22 & Mar. 1, 8 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “James Bond and the Cold War” presented by Sean Brennan, Ph.D., professor of history, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Thursdays: Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24 & Mar. 3, 10 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Moral Citizenship: The Enlightenment Vision of the Ethical Community” presented by Christopher E. Fremaux, Ph.D., assistant professor of philosophy, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Wednesdays: Feb. 9, 16, 23 & Mar. 2, 9, 23 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Police as Guardians in a Time of War” presented by Michael J. Jenkins, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology and executive director, Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library or remote. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces Planned Spring Semester Events
-
01/14/2022
David Dzurec, Ph.D., was appointed associate dean for The University of Scranton’s College of Arts and Sciences, effective January 1, 2022.
Dr. Dzurec joined the faculty of the University’s History Department in 2008. During his time at Scranton, he has served as interim associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, interim executive director of the Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities, and was chair of the History Department from 2015 to 2021. He also served as vice president of the Faculty Senate, co-chair of the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee, chair of the Conference Committee on Curriculum, faculty advisor, and held several leadership positions within the Faculty Affairs Council Executive Committee, including chair. He served as the University’s faculty athletics representative to the NCAA and as the faculty mentor for the University’s cross-country and track teams. In 2018, he received The University of Scranton Provost’s Award for Service and Leadership.
In the announcement of his appointment as associate dean, Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president of academic affairs at the University, wrote that Dr. Dzurec brings “experience to the role, as well as his extensive Committee work, scholarship, and teaching.” He also noted “Dr. Dzurec has been a strong advocate for our Jesuit and Catholic identity, serving on the Jesuit Center Advisory Board” and that Dr. Dzurec “designed the First-year Faculty Seminar which he now co-facilitates with the Jesuit Center. This program, which focuses on Jesuit educational principles, emphasizes our Catholic and Jesuit mission and its flourishing within our community, both intellectually and personally.”
Dr. Dzurec’s research and teaching interests focus on the early United States, American Foreign Relations, and the history of the Jesuits in the United States. His publications include a book, “Our Suffering Brethren: Foreign Captivity and Nationalism in the Early United States,” and numerous articles in scholarly publications that include The Historian, War in History, The Journal of New York History, Catholic Historical Review, and The Journal of the Early Republic. In 2015, he served as a Fulbright Core Scholar, teaching American history and politics at Trnava University in Slovakia.
Dr. Dzurec earned his bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University, his master’s degree from the University of Connecticut and his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.
David Dzurec, Ph.D., Named Associate Dean for CAS
-
01/14/2022
Ashley L. Stampone ’10, G’11, faculty specialist in the Accounting Department of The University of Scranton, was named among the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal’s Top 20 Under 40. The list is the NEPA Business Journal’s “salute to the best and brightest young business stars in the region.” The publication has published the list annually since 2002.
The profile of Prof. Stampone can be seen on the NEPA Business Journal webpage.
In 2021, Prof. Stampone also received the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Young Leaders Award and the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Ursel K. Albers IMA Campus Advocate of the Year Award. She received the University’s the Kania School of Management Professor of the Year twice, in 2021 and 2020. In 2019, Prof. Stampone was also honored with the IMA’s Faculty Leadership Award.
Prof. Stampone joined the faculty at Scranton in 2016. Previously, she worked as an internal auditor for QVC, Inc., as a senior financial systems analyst for Bridon American Corporation, as an inventory accountant for International Salt Company and a staff accountant for ParenteBeard, LLC.
A resident of Old Forge, Prof. Stampone received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from The University of Scranton. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at Scranton.
Ashley Stampone Named Among NEPA Top 20 Under 40
-
01/14/2022
Patrick Keehan ’19 ’G20, business consultant for The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center, recently earned the title of Certified Green Belt from the International Association for Six Sigma Certification (IASSC).
According to IASSC’s website, IASSC Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt is “a professional who is well versed in the core to advanced elements of Lean Six Sigma Methodology,” which is a process that relies on a collaborative team effort to improve performance by systematically removing waste and reducing variation.
Keehan will use this knowledge and expertise to assist small business clients of the Scranton SBDC with problem identification, solutions and implementation as well as discussing simple ways to improve operational efficiency.
“It’s not just a method, but a mindset that will always be there and manifest itself in the advice I give and how I listen to clients,” said Keehan.
Keehan joined the SBDC in June 2020. He provides business consulting services to start-up and existing small business clients in the Scranton SBDC’s service area. He earned his MBA from The University of Scranton in 2020, and his bachelor’s degree in finance, summa cum laude, from the University in 2019. He also participated in the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program.
Scranton’s SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
SBDC’s Patrick Keehan Earns Six Sigma Certification
-
01/13/2022
Frank O’Hara medals were given to University of Scranton students with the highest grade-point averages in their first-, second- and third-year in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies for the 2020-21 academic year. The awards, named in honor of the late Frank O’Hara who served the University for 53 years in various administrative positions, were presented at a ceremony held recently on campus.
College of Arts and Sciences
Thomas Elias, Tunkhannock, received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, he is currently a sophomore double majoring in philosophy and theology and participates in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. On campus, he is a class of 2024 senator in Student Government, treasurer of the Astronomy Club, a tour guide, and has a radio show on 99.5 WUSR. He is also a member of Christians for the Common Good and the Philosophy Society. Elias is involved with the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, Campus Ministries, and research in the Physics Department.
Emily Amershek, New Ringgold, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a junior majoring in philosophy and participates in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. On campus, she is a tour guide, an orientation assistant, a Campus Ministries lector, a tutor for logic courses, and a teaching mentor for INTD 290. She is also a member the University Review Board, and has studied abroad in Israel and Palestine. Amershek represented the University of Scranton with Philadelphia Insurance Companies in the summer of 2021.
Sarah White, Brooklyn, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a senior double majoring in biology and philosophy and participates in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM. On campus, she is a production manager of Esprit, co-founder of the Royal-Ties Program, vice president of The Royal Signers, co-president of Random Acts of Kindness, president of Alpha Sigma Nu and vice president of Phi Sigma Tau honor societies. She is also a tutor with the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, a P.A.C.T. peer facilitator, chair of the Team Development Committee of Relay for Life, and a lector with Campus Ministries. While working with the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, White participated in the Craft for a Cause Program, the We Care Program, cross-campus Racial Justice Dialogues and a domestic outreach service program to St. Michaels, Arizona. White also participated in Michigan University’s Great Lakes Research Experience for Undergraduates in summer 2021
Kania School of Management
John Sheehan, Dumont, New Jersey received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. He is currently a sophomore majoring in accounting and participates in the University’s Business Honors Program. On campus, he is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants, Society of Accounting Students and helps with the Portfolio of Responsible Investments under Student Management, which is worth almost $1 million. He also served as an accounting tutor.
Alice Banks, Hazleton, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior majoring in finance and participates in the University’s Business Honors program. On campus, she is a Royal Start Ambassador for first-year students and a resident assistant for junior and senior housing. She is a member of the Women’s Business Honor Society, the United Cultures Organization, Praise and Worship and the University of Scranton Black Student Union.
Marissa Angelo, Dickson City, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. She is currently a senior majoring in accounting and participates in the University’s Business Honors Program. On campus, she is co-vice president of the Kania School of Management’s Student Advisory Board and a junior officer for the Institute of Management Accountants Student Chapter. She is also a member of the Business Leadership Honors Program, Kania Women in Business Club, the University of Scranton Society of Accounting Students and Omega Beta Sigma honor society. Angelo received the 2021 Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) Scholarship and won the PricewaterhouseCoopers case challenge in 2019 and 2020.
Panuska College of Professional Studies
Kathryn Regan, West Chester, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. She is currently a sophomore majoring in kinesiology and participates in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM. She is a member of the University’s Women’s Swimming and Diving Team. While working with the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, she has participated in the Clothesline for Men and We Care Programs.
Alexis Angstadt, Jamison, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior and is majoring in occupational therapy. On campus, she is a tutor with the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, a teaching assistant for OT anatomy, and a junior representative in the Student Occupational Therapy Association. She is also a member of the Kindness for Chemo Club and participates in various intramural sports. Angstadt has volunteered with St. Clare’s Food Pantry and Rock Steady Boxing, a boxing gym to help those with Parkinson’s disease.
Cristina Rodier, Nutley, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior majoring in occupational therapy. She is a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association and has participated in intramural soccer. She served at the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence as a note taker for the statistics in behavioral sciences course.
Kayla Maas, Barryville, New York, receives a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. She is currently a senior majoring in kinesiology. On campus, she is a member of the Kinesiology Club and volunteers with the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. She serves as a teaching assistant for anatomy and physiology. Maas also works as a nursing assistant at Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, New York.
University Students Receive Frank O’Hara Awards
-
01/13/2022
The University of Scranton will join with the Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission to celebrate the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King this weekend. The University will light a tribute for MLK Day on its Class of 2020 Gateway sign from Thursday evening, Jan. 13, through Monday evening, Jan. 17. The University will also host The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission’s Annual Community Awards and Celebration program on Sunday, Jan. 16.
This year, the Greater Scranton MLK Commission’s Community Awards and Celebration will be presented as an interactive Zoom webinar with an audience Q and A. The program, which will begin at 2:30 p.m., is sponsored by Geisinger, with hosting support from the University’s Office of Community and Government Relations, Office of Equity and Diversity and Information Technology. The program is free and open to the public. Registration is required to attend.
The theme for 2022 community event is “Covid 19: Recognizing the trauma. Healing the soul” with the Greater Scranton MLK Commission focusing on the effects of the pandemic on the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community with respect to mental health, stemming off of Dr. King’s quote: “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”
The webinar will include a keynote address by author, teacher and social worker Laura Quiros Ph.D., associate professor, School of Social Work, Adelphi University and director of Adelphi’s external Diversity Certificate Program. Her books include “Incorporating Diversity and Inclusion into Trauma - Informed Social Work.” She is also a contributing author of “Latinx in Social Work.” She is the recipient of Adelphi University’s Social Justice, Equity Diversity and Inclusion (SJDEI) Excellence in Teaching Award (2021).
Dr. Quiros is an affiliate partner of Coston Consulting, a certified Black-owned business advisory firm. The firm represents clients across industries and specializes in advising professional services firms, with an expertise in the legal industry. Focus areas include strategy, business development, marketing and DEI consulting.
The 2022 webinar will also include a panel discussion featuring: Lia Richards-Palmiter, Ph.D., director Office of Diversity Efforts, assistant professor, Department: School of Social Work, Marywood University; David Palmiter, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist in South Abington Township and Scranton; Lauren Hazzouri, Psy.D., a licensed psychologist and the founder of Hazzouri Psychology in Scranton; and Lauri Andress Ph.D., J.D., associate dean of Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, associate professor, Department of Medical Education, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.
Also at the event, The Greater Scranton MLK Commission will honor Ida L. Castro, J.D., as the recipient of the “Distinguished Honor” award for her significant contributions and many years of diversity work in the Scranton community. Atty. Castro is the former vice president for community engagement, associate dean for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.
The Commission will also present the “Agent of Change” award will be given to the Wallenpaupack Area School District for their efforts and continuing work to educate faculty, staff and students on diversity, inclusion and positive race relations.
Registration is required to attend the event. To register, visit https://safdn.org/mlk-event/. Questions about the event can be emailed to gsmlkcommission@gmail.com.
Virtual MLK Celebration Set for Jan. 16
-
01/13/2022
Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Jan. 16 2:30 p.m. The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Community Celebration: “Covid 19: Recognizing the trauma. Healing the soul.” Interactive Zoom webinar with audience question and answer. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-6645 or email jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu.
Jan. 29 8 a.m. Virtual Campaign School 2022. Learn how to run a successful campaign for public office. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County, the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service at The University of Scranton, WNEP-TV and Toyota of Scranton. Registration required. Fees vary. Email lwvlackawanna@gmail.com or visit www.lwvlackawanna.org.
University Announces January Public Events
-
01/05/2022
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, has named Gerald Zaboski ’87, G’95, as senior vice president for the Office of the President, effective July 1, 2022.
Zaboski currently serves as vice president for enrollment management and external affairs. In his new position, he will continue to oversee the areas of marketing, communications and external affairs for Scranton, in addition to assuming new responsibilities for assisting the president with the advancement of the University’s strategic plan, and the creation and sustaining of new and existing partnerships with other institutions of higher learning, both international and domestic.
“Beginning his service in 1988, Gerry’s vast experience at Scranton and unquestionable devotion to our mission will prove quite beneficial to our success in the years ahead,” said Father Marina in an announcement to the University community regarding the promotion.
Zaboski will also continue to serve as a member of the University’s cabinet and as the leader for the University’s Incident Management Team.
Zaboski joined the staff at the University in 1988. During his career at Scranton he served as executive assistant to the president, vice president for external affairs and vice president for alumni and public relations. He has also served on and chaired several committees including the University’s 125th Anniversary Committee. Prior to joining the University, he worked as public information manager for the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
Zaboski serves on the board and executive committee of the Agency for Community Empowerment, and on the boards of Lackawanna Industrial Fund Enterprises and the Institute for Public Policy and Research. He also serves as treasurer of the West Wyoming Hose Company #1. He is a past president of the Scranton Lions Club.
A resident of West Wyoming, Zaboski earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton and is a member of Alpha Epsilon Alpha and Alpha Sigma Nu honor societies.
Gerald Zaboski Named Senior Vice President
-
01/05/2022
The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a grant of nearly $50,000 to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton. The grant will support “The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) 2022 Workshop,” which will take place March 18 and 19 at The U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The conference, which will take place in-person, also has a virtual format option.
The Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) is a collective of professional researchers and licensed amateur radio operators (a.k.a. hams) with the objective to foster collaborations between the amateur and professional communities for the purposes of advancing scientific research and understanding, encouraging the development of new technologies to support this research, and to provide educational opportunities for the amateur radio community and the general public.
The workshop will serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station project, which is a $1.3 million NSF funded project previously awarded to Dr. Frissell. The project seeks to harness the power of a network of licensed amateur radio operators to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere.
The theme for the two-day HamSCI workshop is “The Weather Connection.” The fifth annual workshop will feature prominent leaders in space weather, atmospheric weather and the connection between them.
Speakers include a keynote presentation by Chen-Pang Yeang, Sc.D., Ph.D., associate professor at the Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, University of Toronto and author of “Probing the Sky with Radio Waves: From Wireless Technology to the Development of Atmospheric Science.” He will discuss “Ham Radio and the Discovery of the Ionosphere.” Tamitha Skov, Ph.D., research scientist in the Physical Sciences Laboratory Aerospace Corporation, will discuss the ionospheric impacts of space weather. Dr. Skov is well-known to the amateur radio community as “The Space Weather Woman” through her innovative YouTube space weather forecasts. Jim Bacon, a well-known retired meteorologist from the United Kingdom and active developer of the PropQuest website, will provide an amateur radio tutorial on the influences of terrestrial weather on radio propagation and the ionosphere.
“The workshop series has led to cutting-edge work in the fields of space physics, citizen science, and the use of crowd-sourced ionospheric data,” said Dr. Frissell. “To maximize the potential of the ham radio-professional researcher relationship, meetings are needed to bring these groups together to learn about each other’s communities, vocabularies, share ideas, and participate in activities that advance both the scientific field and the radio hobby.”
Dr. Frissell’s research focuses on the ionosphere, which is an atmospheric region that extends from about 50 to 600 miles above the earth’s surface. According to Dr. Frissell, changes in the ionosphere alter the behavior of radio wave propagation and greatly affect the radio communications and global navigation satellite systems. Understanding ionospheric structures and processes will lead to an increased understanding and prediction of these effects.
In August 2021, Dr. Frissell received a six-figure grant through the NASA’s Space Weather Applications Operations 2 Research Program for the research project “Enabling Space Weather Research with Global Scale Amateur Radio Datasets.”
The location of the 2022 conference near the NASA Marshal Space Flight Center.
Registration for the HamSCI Workshop 2022 will open soon. Registration and additional information about the conference can be found on the HamSCI Workshop 2022 webpage.
Physics Professor Awarded NSF Grant for Workshop
-
01/04/2022
Monica Brooks, Avoca; Jennifer Davis, Scranton; Jennifer Dice, Dalton; Amourelle Donnay, Dunmore; Suzanne Jarecki, Kunkletown; Katharine Lewis, Scranton; Siobhan McKenna, Clarks Green; and Erin Moskel, Peckville, and two others completed The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center StartUP Fall Program.
Facilitated by experienced business consultants from The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC), this six-week certificate series is designed to provide women with the skills and knowledge needed to start their own businesses, with a focus on serving women in transition or those trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. This program offers participants education, support and guidance in determining if entrepreneurship is an option for them while 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.
Housed in the Kania School of Management, The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center (WEC) is a program of the SBDC. WEC student interns and SBDC staff offer business start-up information, guidance, and encouragement. For more information, visit www.scrantonsbdc.com.
Scranton’s SBDC serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.Area Women Complete SBDC StartUP Program
-
12/21/2021
The University of Scranton is pleased to share in the great pride of today’s announcement that alumnus Reverend Jeffrey J. Walsh ’87 has been appointed by Pope Francis as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Gaylord, Michigan.
Bishop-elect Walsh currently serves as pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Carbondale. His episcopal ordination and installation as Bishop of Gaylord are scheduled for March 4, 2022, at 2 p.m. in Saint Mary Cathedral, Gaylord.
A native of Scranton, Bishop-elect Walsh graduated from The University of Scranton in 1987 with a degree in Counseling and Human Resources. He studied for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland, earning a Master of Divinity Degree. He received a Master of Arts in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University in 1999 and a Master of Social Work degree from Marywood University in 2010. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 25, 1994.
“The University of Scranton joins His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, and people throughout the Diocese of Scranton in congratulating Bishop-elect Walsh on this joyful news as he prepares to begin this important episcopal ministry in the Great Lakes region of Michigan,” said Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton.
An article by the Catholic News Agency quoted Bishop-elect Walsh as saying: “With gratitude to our Holy Father Pope Francis, and joy in the Lord, I am eager to begin a new chapter in my life of discipleship among the good people of the Diocese of Gaylord. I am also most grateful to God for 27 years of priestly ministry in the Diocese of Scranton. I have been inspired and challenged to grow in faith through various diocesan assignments and will forever prayerfully remember all the lay faithful, religious, deacons, priests, and bishops with whom and for whom I have served.”
Bishop-elect Walsh has served in a number of assignments in the Diocese of Scranton, including as the Parochial Vicar of Saint Rose of Lima parish, and Director of Religious Education at Sacred Heart High School in Carbondale (1995); Parochial Vicar at the Cathedral of Saint Peter (1996); Pastor of Our Lady of the Lake parish in Lake Winola (1999); Director of Education at St. Pius X Seminary (1999); Director of Vocations (2002); Pastor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Tunkhannock (2004); Regional Episcopal Vicar (2006); Administrator of Saint Rita parish in Gouldsboro (2008); Administrator of Saint Anthony parish in Throop (2009); Secretary for Catholic Social Services (2009); Pastor of Saint John's parish in East Stroudsburg (2010); Vicar for the clergy (2015). He became pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish and Saint Rose of Lima Parish in July 2020. Bishop-elect Walsh is also a member of the diocesan College of Consultors and of the Presbyteral Council.
Pope Names Scranton Alumnus as New Bishop of Gaylord, Michigan
-
12/20/2021
More than 200 students, in addition to faculty and staff, participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Christmas gift-giving programs. In addition, Scranton’s Kania School of Management raised funds for this year’s program and Performance Music provided gifts donated by area residents from its Empty Stocking Fund Concert. The gifts were given to Friends of the Poor/Catholic Social Services who will distribute the donated items to families in need.
In addition, the Center for Service and Social Justice organized the Adopt a Family program with the Catherine McAuley Center, which helped 40 family members through generous donations made by members of the University community.
Students Give at Annual Christmas Gift Drives
-
12/17/2021
A degree in biology prepares graduates for a broad range of professions in fields such as health sciences, environmental science and policy, education and technology.
In anticipation of students’ post-grad pursuits, The University of Scranton’s Bachelor of Science in Biology meets most of the course requirements for health professional graduate programs such as medical, dental and veterinary. Scranton’s medical school acceptance rate is consistently above the national average, averaging nearly 80 percent for the last 20 years. Recent graduates have been admitted into leading medical schools including Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Jefferson Medical College, the University of Connecticut and the University of New Hampshire, among others.
Scranton’s biology majors have also been successful entering graduate programs of studies at numerous institutions, including Cornell University and Texas A and M University. Graduates have also entered the workforce at companies such as Sonofi, Abbott Labs, Becton Dickinson, Biomed Labs and Fisher Scientific, among others.
With plenty of research opportunities, undergraduate students majoring in biology work one-on-one with faculty advisors and even have the potential to co-author papers and present at international conferences. Examples of Faculty/Student Research projects are “Effects of estrogen on bone quantity and density,” “Modeling stenotic aortic valves in a cardiovascular model” and “Morphine addiction in ants: a new model for self-administration.”
“Every biology student is assigned a faculty advisor in their sophomore year who not only helps with course selections but becomes an extension of a student’s support system,” said Terrence Sweeney, Ph.D., professor of biology and physiology program director. “Faculty advisors are there to help students understand their goals – and themselves – better.”
A Closer Look at Biology Studies at Scranton
-
12/17/2021
The 15th annual Panuska College of Professional Studies Blessing of the Books project collected more than 6,000 children’s books this year. The books were blessed at a ceremony in the lobby of The Kane Forum in the Edward Leahy, Jr. Hall on Dec. 2.
Two of the largest book donors this year offered the blessing at the ceremony: University students Melissa Menagh, a senior kinesiology major from Long Valley, New Jersey, and Victoria Mauri, a first-year kinesiology major from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Both students held book drives in their respective home towns and each collected well over 1,000 books. Both students were active in community service throughout their high school years and are continuing to be “women for and with others,” living and growing in the Ignatian mission here at The University of Scranton said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS), who began the Blessing of the Books project when she arrived on campus 15 years ago.
“St. Ignatius of Loyola believed that love ought to show itself in deeds more than in words. Our first-year students in PCPS have met this challenge and this fall have really been creative and determined to collect children’s books to help others with the gift of literacy,” said Dean Pellegrino, who is retiring as dean this year.
This year the Blessing of the Books project also benefited from donations of books from organizations outside of the University community. The Keystone State Literacy Association Northeast Pennsylvania donated more than 500 books. The MMI Preparatory School Interact Club also held a book collection and donated well over 900 books. These donations are so vital to the program and helping increase the literacy of children here in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Dean Pellegrino believes that now more than ever we need to focus on literacy as a gift and a blessing to help an adult and a child utilize the gift of reading for meaningful engagement in today’s world.
The PCPS Blessing of the Books program allows first-year students to collect and donate new or gently used books for children who might not otherwise have access to books. The first-year students as part of the T.A.P.E.S.T.R.Y. program also register to come to the Dean’s office to write inspirational quotes inside the books. This gives the students a chance to pass along their life-long love of learning and reading to the children who receive these books noted Dean Pellegrino.
After the blessing ceremony, the donated books are donated to area non-profits who get the books into the hands of needy children. The Blessing of the Books is just an extension of Dean Pellegrino’s lifetime commitment to education and community service.
The Blessing of the Books is a tradition in PCPS and the students, faculty, and staff always enjoy the ceremony and the cookies and milk after the ceremony. Not to mention the endless hours of joy and inspiration their donated books will bring to children in NEPA and beyond.
$content.getChild('content').textValueMore than 6,000 Donated Books Blessed at Scranton
-
12/16/2021
The University of Scranton’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics has received accreditation from the prestigious Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
CAHIIM provides consistent quality monitoring of academic degree programs in health informatics through accreditation policies and processes that include tools for assessing continuous quality improvement through partnerships with colleges and universities, a voluntary peer review process, and annual program monitoring of continuous improvements in health informatics education to meet healthcare workforce needs. CAHIIM provides accredited programs with benchmark data and best practices for continuous improvement.
“As a Catholic and Jesuit university, Scranton strives to maintain the highest standards for academic excellence in all of our degree programs, as well as embedding strong ethical components within our curricula to ensure we are fulfilling our Ignatian mission of graduating men and women who serve for and with others. CAHIM’s accreditation process confirms that we are fulfilling our mission in profound ways,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The University of Scranton.
By meeting the rigorous accreditation standards set by CAHIIM, students earning a master’s degree in health informatics from Scranton are assured that the program provides the required knowledge and skill demanded by professionals working in high-growth field. The online 33-credit graduate program is designed to support the student’s development of the American Medical Informatics Association’s master’s level competencies in health informatics. A final capstone course allows students to develop expertise in a specialized arena by working on a real-world informatics project under the guidance of a preceptor.
Scranton’s master’s degree in health informatics is an interdisciplinary program that includes courses developed and taught by faculty from healthcare clinical disciplines, health informatics and health administration from the Panuska College of Professional Studies; computer science in the College of Arts and Sciences; and operations and analytics in the Kania School of Management, which holds accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
In the fall 2021 semester, the University began to offer a specialization in data analytics for the master’s degree program in health informatics that requires an additional 6-8 credits of coursework. Applicants to the graduate program must meet admission requirements.
For additional information, visit the Master of Science degree in Health Informatics webpage or contact Margarete L. Zalon, Ph.D., professor of nursing and director of the University’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics Program at Margarete.zalon@scranton.edu or 570-941-7655.
Online Health Informatics Masters CAHIIM Accredited
-
12/15/2021
The U.S. News & World Report lists nursing as one of the top-ranking jobs in healthcare, while the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects growth of job for nurses at higher than that of most other professions.
According to The University of Scranton’s First Destination survey for the Class of 2020, the average salary of a Scranton nursing graduate 12 months after graduating was $62,943.
Scranton’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program aims to prepare students for a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings with clinical experiences beginning in their sophomore year. Using an active-learning approach in state-of-the-art simulation laboratories, highly qualified teacher-scholars train students in patient-centered and evidence-based care.
In addition, undergraduate students have the opportunity to complete clinical work in a variety of settings including: specialty hospital units, ICU, operating rooms, emergency departments, inpatient, outpatient, community health center, home care and hospice.
Scranton Nursing graduates work at some of the most prestigious hospitals and outpatient practices in the U.S. including: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Georgetown University Medical Center and more.
Open Doors with a Degree in Nursing
-
12/08/2021
Caitlin Connallon Cranston, Rhode Island, was awarded third place in After Dinner Speaking at the Southern-Northern Atlantic Forensics Union speech and debate tournament, which was held recently in a virtual format and hosted by Seton Hall University. Other schools participating in the competition included St. Joseph’s University, Cornell University, James Madison University, George Mason University, and Seton Hall University.
Connallon is a communication major in her junior year at Scranton.
Students compete in collegiate forensics tournaments as part of The University of Scranton Speech and Debate Team, a co-curricular student organization.
University Student Medals in Forensics Tournament
-
12/08/2021
Participants in the 23rd Annual 2022 Ann Moskovitz Leaves of Class Raffle, offered by The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton, have a chance to win more than $7,000 in prizes.
Raffle tickets are $25 and earn each participant four chances to win quarterly prize drawings, which begin on Jan. 3 and continue through Sept. 1. The raffle helps support the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund.
This year’s prizes include: an iPad; gift certificates to numerous area restaurants; cash prizes up to $250; tickets to local theater performances and concerts; fitness club memberships; resort gift certificates; jewelry and clothing boutique gift certificates; gift baskets; and numerous other prizes.
To be eligible for the drawings, a completed entry form, along with $25, must be returned to the Dean’s Office of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Checks should be made payable to “Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library.”
Tickets may also be purchased online at www.scranton.edu/leaves.
For more information on the Leaves of Class drawing, contact the Weinberg Memorial Library at 570-941-7816.
Library Raffle Offers Chance at Quarterly Prizes
-
12/08/2021
Sarah Hazelrigg, West Long Branch, New Jersey, and Shelby Traver, Sweet Valley, have qualified to participate in the national American Forensics Association’s (AFA) Tournament, based on their placement at the District VII’s AFA Tournament on Nov. 14. The district competition, hosted by Seton Hall University, was held in a virtual format. The students placed in the top 10 percent at the district competition, which qualified them for the national tournament that will take place in April 2022.
AFA’s District VII includes Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
Hazelrigg, a junior at Scranton majoring in advertising and public relations, qualified in after-dinner speaking, which is a public speaking event that uses humor to make a serious point. Her speech focused on the use of language.
Traver qualified in program oral interpretation, which weaves selections from poetry, prose and other sources around a theme. The theme of her program was anxiety. She is a junior at Scranton, majoring in international business.
Students compete in collegiate forensics tournaments as part of The University of Scranton Speech and Debate Team, a co-curricular student organization.
Students Advance to National Forensics Tournament
-
12/07/2021
Forbes says “The growth rate in marketing-related analytics hires is eye-popping --up 67 percent over the past year, and 136 percent over the past three years.”
The annual median pay for a career in data analytics can range from $82,000 to 114,000.
Careers graduates can pursue with a degree in this field include data analyst, operations research analyst, market research analyst and management consultant. Some industries that hire business analysts are health care, retail, construction, banking and transportation.
The University of Scranton’s Bachelor of Science in Business Analytics prepares students to have the broad range of skills needed to evaluate sets of data and help companies make informed decisions.
The Business Analytics undergraduate major is housed in the University’s Kania School of Management which is accredited by the rigorous standards of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
With advanced courses covering topics like data mining and database management systems, graduates enter the workforce with both in-class and real-world experience, gained through internship opportunities, preparing them for a competitive and growing career field.
The Fast-Growing Field of Business Analytics
-
12/07/2021
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will be encouraging folks to join them in the holiday spirit of giving at its annual Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 12, in the Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue) the concert will feature student musicians from Performance Music at The University of Scranton.
The concert is open to invited guests and all members of the University community. Attendees are asked to bring either a new and unwrapped child’s toy or book, new article of child’s clothing, new toiletry items (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, comb/brush, etc.), or a cash donation to gain admission. The donated items will benefit local children and families in need this holiday season.
All audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
As always, this informal concert will include a variety of Christmas carols, performed by soloists and small ensembles including the University’s Percussion Ensemble, Steel Drum Band, String Ensemble, Holiday Choir, Trumpet Sextet, Clarinet Quintet, Flute Quartet and Saxophone Trio.
There will be no audience sing-along portion of the program this year due to the pandemic.
The origins of the Empty Stocking Fund Concert date back to 1999, when Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga’s friend, Alan Drake, the former band director at Georgia’s Augusta College (now Augusta University), told her about a benefit Christmas concert held there. When Boga asked Drake if he would mind if she brought the idea back to Scranton, he responded, “Absolutely not.”
For that inaugural year, she and Drake decided to wage a friendly competition to see which concert could raise the most money, and a new tradition was born.
No doubt, the concert’s charitable mission lends it a special resonance, and Boga noted it’s always moving to see the donated items put on display the night of the concert.
And then there’s the warm yuletide vibes produced at the concert. By the time it ends, Boga said, “You can really see people starting to feel the Christmas spirit.”
For more information on the Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Annual Empty Stocking Fund Concert Set for Dec. 12
-
12/01/2021
The Panuska College of Professional Studies held a Celebration of Remembrance to honor individuals who donated their bodies to further the education of students in the health professions at The University of Scranton. Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president, offered a special prayer at the service held on Nov. 18 in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
At the ceremony, Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of The Panuska College of Professional Studies, shared the poem, “The Anatomy Teacher,” by Amy Marie Millikan from The New England Journal of Medicine. In her remarks, Dr. Pellegrino expressed gratitude “to these individuals who donated their bodies so that our students can learn, and to these teachers who have shared their lasting gift even after their death.”
During the summer and fall of 2021 academic semesters, 176 undergraduate and graduate students at Scranton studying in the fields of nurse anesthesia, physical therapy, occupational therapy and kinesiology learned firsthand the intricacies of the human body in the gross anatomy lab thanks to the gifts these individuals bestowed to science.
“I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to all the donors and their families who have made an impact on myself and my fellow classmates’ education and lives,” said Samiel Torres ’21 in her student reflection presented at the ceremony. “Your loved one has taught me so many lessons not only about the human body, but the immense generosity of humanity that I'll carry with me forever.”
Torres, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, is in her first year of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at Scranton and will graduate with her DPT in 2024.
Also participating in the ceremony were Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, anatomy faculty member of the DPT program; Chandra Nealon, DPT, anatomy faculty member for the Occupational Therapy (OT) program; and students of the DPT and OT program. PCPS Lab Director Cheryil Demkosky offered closing remarks.
$content.getChild('content').textValueThose Who Gave Their Bodies to Science Remembered
-
11/30/2021
The keynote speaker at the 35th annual Henry George Lecture, Yuliy Sannikov Ph.D., filled nearly every seat in the McIlheney Ballroom on Nov. 17 with an audience of students, faculty and invited guests.
Following the lecture series’ tradition of inviting esteemed guest speakers, Dr. Sannikov is the Jack Steele Parker professor of economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. His awards include the 2015 Fisher Black Prize, the 2014 Kiel Excellence Award in Global Economic Affairs and the 2016 John Bates Clark Medal for his contributions to economic thought as an American economist under the age of 40.
For the Henry George Lecture, “The Value of Money: Currencies, Bonds, Bitcoin,” Dr. Sannikov addressed the growing role cryptocurrencies play in today’s economy.
Walking the audience through a basic valuation equation and a simplified version of the Samuelson OLG Model, Sannikov concluded that, despite cryptocurrencies’ increasing prevalence in our world, “fundamentally, at least in the long-run, the value of currency should have something to do with how the government balances its budget.”
Dr. Sannikov said this discussion becomes important for average people, regardless of whether they have money invested into cryptocurrencies, because the popularity of different currencies impacts the value of the U.S. dollar and ultimately the country’s inflation rate, driving prices of goods higher. Dr. Sannikov stated that “recently there has been an uptake in inflation and the most recent data from October gives the number of 6.2 percent.”
Whether or not this is directly related to the public’s growing interest in alternative currencies, like Bitcoin, Sannikov explained that “if an asset becomes inflated in value and it becomes a bubble, when that bubble crashes it coincides with inflation.” He was quick to clarify that it is unclear if the values of various cryptocurrencies are falsely inflated, but said it is something to keep an eye on as more and more people become interested in the concept.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are 11 winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: David Card (2021), Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th-century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
Scranton Holds Annual Henry George Lecture
-
11/23/2021
Continuing a time-honored holiday tradition, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 54th annual Noel Night concert on Saturday, Dec. 4. The concert will begin at 8 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue). Doors will open at 7:20 p.m., and there will be an organ prelude beginning at 7:25 p.m.
The concert will feature The University of Scranton Singers with pianist Ron Stabinsky, organist Christopher Johnson, trumpeter Mark Gould, a quartet from The Scranton Brass Orchestra and members of the University’s String Orchestra. The performance is open to invited guests and all members of the University community. Admission is free, and all audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
Noel Night is now more than a half-century into its existence as the University’s Christmas gift to the community. “It’s always a deeply meaningful musical evening,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. The student mixed choir is comprised of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum (the vast majority of them undergraduate students, none of whom are music majors) joined by a few alumni, all brought together by their mutual love of music-making. They will be joined by leaders of the University community offering greetings and readings of the Nativity Martyrology, Prologue to The Gospel of St. John and St. Luke Nativity Narrative. The program will include works by Bach, Handel, Holst, Leontovich, Nelhybel, Saint-Saens and more.
Pianist Ron Stabinsky is among the most sought-after freelance pianists in the Northeast. He performs as a solo, ensemble and collaborative pianist throughout the world in concerts and events spanning a stunningly wide variety of genres. His debut album, “Free for One,” received four stars in DownBeat magazine and tied for the No. 1 debut of the year in the 2016 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. His recent festival appearances include Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Moers Festival (Germany), Jazzfestival Saalfelden (Austria), Outreach Festival (Austria) and Jazz and More Festival Sibiu (Romania).
Organist Christopher Johnson, a graduate of The Cleveland Institute of Music, Manhattan School of Music and Yale University is the newly-appointed organist and director of music at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Scranton. He previously served as director of music and organist at The Riverside Church and artist-in-residence at Union Theological Seminary - both on Manhattan’s Upper West Side - for a number of years, and is the long-time director of Chapel music at The Interchurch Center in New York City. He also performs regularly as flautist with The Knights, an exceptional New York City-based orchestra that tours and records extensively.
Mark Gould served as principal trumpet with The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for more than 30 years. Either he or his students have performed with virtually every major orchestra, chamber group or brass ensemble throughout the world, and he has guest conducted and rehearsed ensembles all over the globe. His professional contributions as performer, teacher and conductor have influenced or impacted – directly or indirectly – virtually every accomplished trumpeter in the world today, and have positively transformed the world of brass playing and brass pedagogy. He is sought after throughout the world as a performer, conductor, teacher and clinician.
For further information on the Noel Night concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Christmas Season Begins with Noel Night Concert
-
11/22/2021
The University of Scranton held the Inaugural Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture, presented by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities on Nov. 18. Lonnie Bunch III, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, presented “The Humanities, Democracy and Race” at lecture in a virtual format. A reception immediately followed the talk at the Slattery Center on campus.
Lecture namesakes, Sondra and Morey Myers, J.D., are esteemed community leaders whose work has encouraged and enriched the practice of community engagement here in Scranton and nationally. Sondra Myers serves as senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects and director of the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton. The Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in Humanities and Civic Engagement serves to commemorate their commitment to the humanities.
Secretary Bunch is an American educator, curator and historian whose scholarly works cover a wide range of topics from diversity in museum management to the impact of politics on museum funding. He is the Smithsonian Institution’s first Black secretary and the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture Held
-
11/22/2021
Fortune ranked The University of Scranton at No. 55 in the nation in its first ranking of part-time MBA programs. For its “Best Part-Time MBA Programs” ranking, published online Nov. 17, Fortune surveyed thousands of business professionals and hiring managers about their opinions of the MBA programs offered at business schools across the country.
Scranton is among the just 70 part-time MBA programs selected by Fortune for the ranking, which included just eight Jesuit colleges, and only four colleges in Pennsylvania.
For the ranking, Fortune looked at the quality of the part-time MBA program at the colleges as measured by their students’ average number of years of experience in the workforce, because, according to Fortune, part-time MBA students value the knowledge they gain from their fellow classmates’ professional experiences, as well as the curriculum. In addition to work experience, Fortune also looked at the undergraduate GPA and GMAT score for incoming students, for a measurement that accounted for 60 percent of the overall ranking score. Fortune partnered with Ipsos to survey thousands of business professionals and hiring managers to produce a measurement of the “brand score” of the college, or a calculation of “how much a group of people want to recruit from the university” (25 percent); and counted the number of Fortune 1000 executives who earned an MBA from the college (15 percent).
Earlier this year, Fortune’s inaugural ranking of the “Best Online MBAs” placed The University of Scranton at No. 72 in the nation for the 2021 listing published online in April. In addition, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 48; and its online MBA program at No. 111 in the nation in its “Best Online Programs” guide. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 67 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.” The University’s on-campus programs have also been consistently ranked among the best in the nation by numerous sources, including U.S. News for 28 consecutive years, The Princeton Review for 20 consecutive years, and The Wall Street Journal since the ranking began in 2016.
Fortune Ranks Scranton in Best Part-Time MBA List
-
11/22/2021
Students and members of The University of Scranton community gathered to pack food baskets for area families in need as part of its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive organized by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. The food baskets included turkeys as well as other food items needed to prepare a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
More than 80 students and staff members volunteered at the Friends of the Poor warehouse in South Scranton on Nov. 21 to prepare and distribute the food baskets to local families.
Monetary contributions for the food items were made possible by employees of The University of Scranton.
WNEP TV covered this year’s annual Thanksgiving Food Drive in a news story.
Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive Held at Scranton
-
11/19/2021
Scranton loves “The Office.”
Hundreds of students and residents endured long lines and rainy weather to have their copy of the newly published “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office” signed by the book’s author and cast member Brian Baumgartner.
Prior to the book signing on the DeNaples Center patio, which was open to students and the general public, Baumgartner met exclusively with University of Scranton students for a Q and A session in the Moskovitz Theater.
At the student Q and A, University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., presented Baumgartner with an Honorary Certificate of Scrantology from the University, in recognition of “his extensive knowledge of all things Scranton acquired through his thorough research for the book.”
“Is it Ph.D.? Am I a doctor?” joked Baumgartner, who played Kevin Malone on The Office, when Father Marina presented the certificate to him in front of more than 250 students who attended the Q and A.
Prior to the Nov. 18 Q and A, Baumgartner met for interviews with University student Kelly Nee ’23, managing editor of the University’s student newspaper The Aquinas, and Frank Wilkes Lesnefsky ’17, a graduate of The University of Scranton who is now a reporter with the Scranton Times-Tribune.
The Student Q and A with Brian Baumgartner was moderated by Stephanie Adamec, director of the University’s Center for Health, Education and Wellness.
The Office, which originally aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013, was among the most popular shows on Netflix and can now be seen on Peacock. Baumgartner was among the cast members who visited the University for The Office Convention in 2007 and The Wrap Party in 2013. He was also on campus in 2020 for the taping of his popular podcast on the history of The Office, which was the precursor to his book.
Called “The definitive history of The Office” by E! News, “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin,” co-authored with Ben Silverman, the executive producer of The Office, is based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with the actors, creators, writers, producers, directors, network executives and crew members of The Office, who share their favorite stories of the making of what became the most-watched series in the world. The book includes 100 behind-the-scenes photographs and a foreword written by the U.S. show’s creator Greg Daniels.
The book includes memories from Steve Carell, John Krasinkski, Jenna Fischer, Ricky Gervais, Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Craig Robinson, Brian Baumgartner, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Ed Helms, Oscar Nunez, Amy Ryan, Ellie Kemper, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein and Mike Schur, among others.
“Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office” is published by Custom House. The book is available in the University’s bookstore.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Gives Royal Welcome to Brian Baumgartner
-
11/17/2021
“The Office” cast member Brian Baumgartner will visit The University of Scranton for an exclusive Q and A with students, followed by a public book signing for his just published book “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office.”
Called “The definitive history of The Office” by E! News, “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin,” co-authored with Ben Silverman, the executive producer of The Office, is based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with the actors, creators, writers, producers, directors, network executives and crew members of The Office, who share their favorite stories of the making of what became the most-watched series in the world. The book includes 100 behind-the-scenes photographs and a foreword written by the U.S. show’s creator Greg Daniels.
The book includes memories from Steve Carell, John Krasinkski, Jenna Fischer, Ricky Gervais, Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Craig Robinson, Brian Baumgartner, Phyllis Smith, Kate Flannery, Ed Helms, Oscar Nunez, Amy Ryan, Ellie Kemper, Creed Bratton, Paul Lieberstein and Mike Schur, among others.
Baumgartner played Kevin Malone on The Office, which originally aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013, was among the most popular shows on Netflix and can now be seen on Peacock. He was among the cast members who visited the University for The Office Convention in 2007 and The Wrap Party in 2013. He was also on campus for the taping of his popular podcast on the history of The Office, which was the precursor to his book.
Baumgartner will meet with University of Scranton students exclusively for a Q and A session on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. in the DeNaples Center. Pre-registration is required for attendance. Contact studentlife@scranton.edu with questions regarding this event.
A book signing, which is open to the public, will be held with Baumgartner on the DeNaples Center patio from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 18. A book signing with Baumgartner is also planned at Coopers Seafood House from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday, followed by an After Party at the Backyard Alehouse.
“Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office,” published by Custom House, is available at the University bookstore.
Brian Baumgartner Q and A and Book Signing Nov. 18
-
11/16/2021
The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities will present the Inaugural Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture Thursday, Nov. 18 at 11:30 a.m. A viewing will be held in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. Keynote lecturer, Lonnie Bunch III, the 14th secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, will present “The Humanities, Democracy and Race.”
The lecture can also be watched via a zoom live steam.
Secretary Bunch is an American educator, curator and historian whose scholarly works cover a wide range of topics from diversity in museum management to the impact of politics on museum funding. He is the Smithsonian Institution’s first Black secretary and the founding director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Additionally, Bunch was elected to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House by President George W. Bush in 2002 and reappointed by President Barack Obama in 2010. Bunch has spent nearly 30 years in the museum field and is regarded as one of the nation’s leading figures in the historical and museum community.
The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities opened in the fall of 2019 with the intention of enhancing the Universities liberal arts tradition. With the support of benefactor and University Trustee James M. Slattery ’86 and his wife Betsy, the center serves to create programs of scholarship, sponsor insightful lectures from prominent speakers and encourages community members to think about careers in non-corporate settings.
Lecture namesakes, Sondra and Morey Myers, J.D., are esteemed community leaders whose work has encouraged and enriched the practice of community engagement here in Scranton and nationally. Sondra Myers serves as senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects and director of the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton. The Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in Humanities and Civic Engagement serves to commemorate their commitment to the humanities.
University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Slattery Center Hosts Inaugural Lecture
-
11/16/2021
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring the University’s Symphonic Band on Saturday, Nov. 20. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The concert is open to invited guests and all members of the University community. Admission is free. Audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check the Performance Music website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the concert for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
The program will include works by James Barnes, Luigi Denza, Eric Ewazen, Julie Giroux, H. Owen Reed, Ottorini Respighi and Frank Ticheli.
The University of Scranton Symphonic Band is a 60-plus member ensemble comprised of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum. The vast majority of members are undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff, none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu. For more information on Performance Music at The University of Scranton, please visit scranton.edu/music.
Symphonic Band to Perform Nov. 20
-
11/15/2021
Four University of Scranton undergraduate students presented their research at the American Society for Mass Spectrometry's (ASMS) 69th annual conference, with one student’s presentation receiving one of just four poster awards given by ASMS.
The annual conference is attended by more than 6,500 researchers and scientists. The 2021 conference took place in Philadelphia on Oct. 31 through Nov. 4.
University students who presented at the conference were: Mia Gianello, a senior neuroscience major from Old Forge; Angela Hudock, a senior biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major from Sayer; Taylor Moglia, junior neuroscience major from Milford; and Cameron Shedlock, a senior neuroscience major from White Haven. Shedlock received one of just four undergraduate poster awards from ASMS, which also went to undergraduate students from the University of Texas - Austin, North Carolina State University and Purdue University.
All of the students are being mentored by Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., adjunct professor in the Department of Chemistry at Scranton.
Gianello, a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program, presented a poster that summarized a statistical analysis of neurotransmitter expression and spatial arrangement to assess biological variation and tissue homogeneity
Hudock’s research poster presentation explored the advantages of using a mixed nanoparticle matrix to enhance the MALDI MSI signal of small molecules and lipids from tissue sections. She is a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Moglia, a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, presented a poster that investigated the expression of small molecules in the eye of Danio rerio, the zebrafish.
Shedlock’s poster presentation was on research conducted over the summer at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he investigated the delivery, metabolism, and response of pancreatic tumor xenografts to gemcitabine using MALDI Imaging Mass Spectrometry. He is a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM.
The undergraduate Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM are among the University’s five programs of excellence.
Students Present Research at National Conference
-
11/15/2021
Yamile Silva, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at The University of Scranton, has been accepted to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the United Kingdom’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Spanish Paleography and Digital Humanities Institute. The NEH/AHRC joint initiatives seek to advance digital scholarship.
Participation in the institute, which runs from Nov. 1 to Dec. 17, will benefit Dr. Silva’s research and teaching on 16 to 18 century manuscripts in Spanish. The six-week, on-line institute will provide her with specialized training from digital humanities practitioners from the University of Texas at Austin (LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections) and Lancaster University on several open-source tools that can be used to facilitate collaborative research and to visualize data in colonial texts. She can also include these digital tools in the courses she teaches at the University.
Dr. Silva is a member of the Executive Council of the Colonial Section, Latin American Studies Association, the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. She also serves as former president of the academic organization Association of Gender and Sexuality Studies and has served on the Curator Council of the Festival de la Palabra, San Juan, Puerto Rico, since 2013.
Dr. Silva joined the faculty at The University of Scranton in 2009. She received the University’s Excellence in Advancing Global Learning Award in 2014. At Scranton, Dr. Silva served as director of the Latin American Studies Program from 2013-2018 and has been an associated faculty member of the Women Studies Program since 2010. She also serves as director of the Intersession Study Abroad Program in Puebla, México (Universidad Iberoamericana) and the Summer Spain Program (Universidad de Navarra).
Dr. Silva’s recent books include Agencia, Historia y Empoderamiento Femenino (2018) coedited with Diane Martin, Ph.D., and Eva Paris, Ph.D.; La sonrisa del paisaje. Diarios de Abigail Mejía (2020); the anthology Palabras: Dispatches from the Festival de la Palabra (2014), coedited with Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre at The University of Scranton; the monograph issues Raza, género y diáspora en el Caribe (2017) and Las utopias en la literatura (2018), both co-edited with Daniel Torres, Ph.D.
Dr. Silva earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in Hispanic literatures and cultures from the University of Massachusetts and her bachelor’s degree in modern languages and linguistics from Los Andes University in Bogota, Colombia.
Professor Named to Digital Humanities Institute
-
11/11/2021
The University of Scranton’s President and ROTC students participated in a Veterans Day service at the Lackawanna County Courthouse and University students, faculty and staff gathered for an All Faiths Prayer Service on-campus to honor and remember veterans on Nov. 11.
University President Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., was the principal speaker at a Veterans Day event held at the Lackawanna County Court House Square. University ROTC cadets served as the Color Guard at the ceremony.
Father Marina began his remarks by playing his cell phone’s ring tone – The United States Coast Guard song “Semper Paratus,” which is the branch the military where his father served. He spoke of the songs for each branch of the military intended to “spark the bravery in the women and men who will risk everything to protect others … And with God’s Grace and purpose, high has been the call for those who have served so bravely in all the branches of the U.S. military and those who continue to serve today.”
Father Marina also spoke of the University’s long history educating men and women in the military through the ROTC program, as well as through programs at Scranton that support student veterans and their families.
On campus, current student veterans Benjamin DeTrempe of Scranton, Shannon Stoddard of Scranton and Kyle Twitchell of Barnesville, Maryland, led an All Faiths Prayer Service hosted by the University’s Student Veterans Organization, Veterans Advocacy Committee, Student Life, Financial Aid and Campus Ministries. University student Selene Lopez, New Rochelle, New York, sang the National Anthem at the service.
At the ceremony, a plaque was unveiled and blessed honoring Lt. Col. (Ret.) Joseph K. Wetherell, who served at Scranton for 25 years in the Military Science Department and University’s Office of Admissions. He passed away in 2020.
The University’s observance of Veterans Day also included a “Field of Flags” on Founders Green and a tribute on its Class of 2020 Gateway sign.
$content.getChild('content').textValueVeterans Day Observed at Scranton
-
11/09/2021
“The Devil and the Dolce Vita. Catholic Attempts to Save Italy’s Soul, 1948-1974,” a book by Roy Domenico, Ph.D., professor and interim chair of the History Department at The University of Scranton, examines the secularization that occurred during Italy’s economic expansion after World War II and the Church’s efforts to preserve the country’s traditional Catholic culture and values.
“Between Church and politics, faith and hedonism, ‘The Devil and the Dolce Vita’ is an accurate and compelling portrait of the Italian Catholic world at the time of the great secularization,” wrote Eliana Versace, Istituto Paolo VI, Italy, in her review of the book published in 2021 by The Catholic University of America Press.
“Domenico masterfully weaves together broad narrative threads of post-war Italian history with detailed analysis of lesser-known sources that tell us much that we did not know about Catholic attempts to influence cultural practices and social mores. This engagingly written book will greatly enrich our understanding of the often caricatured and polemicized place of Catholicism in Italian politics and civil society,” wrote Robert A. Ventresca of King’s University College at Western University in his review of the book.
A member of The University of Scranton’s faculty since 1997, Dr. Domenico’s major field of study is 19th and 20th century Europe, with emphasis on Italy and Catholic nations. His many publications include the “Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Politics, 1789-present,” edited with Mark Hanley (Greenwood Press, 2006); “Sex, Scandal and Catholic Politics during Italy’s Dolce Vita” in Scandal! An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Consequences, Outcomes, and Significance of Political Scandals edited by Alison Dagnes and Mark Sachleben (Bloomsbury Press, 2014); and “Italian Fascists on Trial, 1943-1948” (University of North Carolina Press, 1991), which won the 1992 Helen and Howard R. Marraro Prize from the Society for Italian Historical Studies.
Dr. Domenico received a Fulbright Senior Research Award for Italy in the spring of 2005 semester to research Italian-Catholic political culture during the Cold War. He served as president and currently serves as secretary-treasurer of the Society for Italian Historical Studies, which is affiliated with the American Historical Association, the largest organization of historians in the United States.
A resident of Clarks Green, Dr. Domenico earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, a master’s degree from the University of Connecticut, and a doctorate from Rutgers University.
History Professor Publishes Book
-
11/08/2021
Bongrae Seok, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy at Alvernia University, discussed “Moral Psychology of Confucian Shame” at The University of Scranton’s Asian Studies Program Lecture. The lecture took place in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall on Oct. 20.
After a brief introduction from Asian Studies Program Director, Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., Dr. Seok described his approach to the concept of shame. Using elements of philosophy, psychology, cognitive neuroscience, history and biology, he has studied cultural perceptions of shame and their effect on human behavior.
Dr. Seok was careful to distinguish between our Western understanding of shame as a harmful emotion and argued that “shame is interpreted and transformed into a constructive moral emotion by ancient Confucian philosophers.”
Using statistics on mental illnesses in the United States, Dr. Seok explained that a Western perception of shame insinuates and encourages the idea of a “bad person.” Although this understanding of shame provided evolutionary benefits at some point, he suggested it’s modern function hinders personal growth and should be considered vestigial, similar to that of the human appendix.
However, through the analysis of the works of early Confucian philosophers, such as Mencius, Dr. Seok was able to share how Eastern cultures perceive shame. Rather than a punitive emotion that drives behavior with negative consequences, Confucian moral shame is led by an inner desire to be virtuous. Dr. Seok argued that instead of writing off shame altogether, co-opting Confucian moral shame can be a productive method to promote human flourishing.
“Shaming is not good ... however, don’t be afraid of listening to an inner autonomous sense of shame, as suggested by ancient Confucian philosophers,” said Dr. Seok.
Asian Studies Lecture Held
-
11/05/2021
Ninety-nine percent of The University of Scranton’s class of 2020 graduates at the undergraduate level, and 98 percent of class of 2020 members at the graduate level, reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within 12 months of graduation. The “First Destination Survey” report by Scranton’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development is based on career success data obtained for 83 percent of the undergraduate class. This “knowledge rate,” or percentage of graduates for whom their career outcome is known, exceeds the National Association of College Employers recommended rate of 65 percent. The knowledge rate for members of the University’s graduate class of 2020 is 74 percent.
For members of University’s class of 2020 earning a bachelor’s degree, 50 percent of graduates had the goal of obtaining full-time employment and 99 percent of graduates succeed with that goal. Forty-five percent of graduates had the goal of attending graduate or professional school and 99 percent of graduates successfully achieved that goal.
The average (mean) salary is $50,662, based on the bachelor’s degree graduates that provided salary information. The average salary varied by major. The highest average salaries reported are in computer science ($75,000), nursing ($62,943) and electrical engineering ($58,264).
Geographically, of those employed, 80 percent reported working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
Additionally, the report for undergraduates showed 87 percent of the Class of 2020 completed at least one experiential learning opportunity during their education at Scranton, which includes internships, research, student teaching, observations, clinicals, externships and residencies.
For master’s degree graduates with a 98 percent overall success rate, the report shows 92 percent being employed full-time; 3 percent being employed part-time; 1 percent pursuing additional education; 2 percent seeking another goal, and 2 percent still seeking employment. The average (mean) salary for 2020 master’s degree graduates is $73,601, based on the graduates that provided salary information. Salaries reported vary by degree programs. The highest average salaries reported are for graduates with master’s degrees in nurse anesthesia ($172,627), enterprise resource planning – MBA ($143,878) and family nurse practitioner ($84,780).
Of those employed, 74 percent are working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
For the University’s class of 2019, 99 percent graduates at both the undergraduate and graduate level reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation.
Class of 2020 Graduates Successful at Career Goals
-
11/04/2021
On Friday, Nov. 12, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring the University’s Jazz Ensemble with acclaimed trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III as their guest soloist. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The concert is open to invited guests and all members of the University community. Admission is free, all audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
The program will feature Benack soloing with the band on both voice and trumpet, and will include a variety of songs such as Bye Bye Blackbird, Choo Choo Ch’Boogie, Operator, Sway, St. Louis Blues and more.
Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga is excited for Benack’s first visit to Scranton. “I have known Benny since fall of 2009 and have truly enjoyed watching and listening to him develop into such a mature, versatile and exciting musician and entertainer,” said Boga. “I am really looking forward to having him work with our students.”
A 2014 finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition and winner of the 2011 Carmine Caruso International Trumpet Competition, Benack has already proven himself to be a rare talent as both a jazz trumpeter and vocalist. A frontman for Postmodern Jukebox, the vintage music collective famed for its old-school covers of modern pop songs, Benack in 2020 released “A Lot of Livin’ to Do,” the follow-up to his well-received 2017 debut album, “One of a Kind.”
The third in the generational line of a legendary family of Pittsburgh jazzmen, Benack has been showcased in international headliner tours at Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai, JALC’s “NY Jazz All-Stars” (Mexico), throughout Asia and Europe, and has headlined his own group’s tours throughout the U.S. He has performed at New York City’s leading jazz venues, as well as played in the house band for NBC’s “Maya & Marty” and performed as a trumpet soloist with the Christian McBride Big Band, Ann Hampton Callaway, Josh Groban and Ben Folds.
The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 22-member ensemble made up of students from majors spanning the curriculum. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Other programs within the department, including both large ensemble and chamber ensemble music-making opportunities, guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, the Nelhybel Collection and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
High school juniors and seniors who are considering applying to Scranton are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert, or tour the building.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Benack, visit bennybenackjazz.com.
Benny Benack III to Perform Nov. 12
-
11/04/2021
Five University of Scranton students received Excellence in STEM Program Sanofi US Summer Research Awards, which provided support for the students’ independent research projects.
The University students who received the Excellence in STEM Sanofi US Summer Research Awards are: Victoria Caruso ’22, Freehold, New Jersey; Nia Long ’22, East Stroudsburg; Michael Quinnan ’23, Shavertown; Olivia Sander ’23, Macungie; and Elisa Yanni ’22, Scranton.
Caruso is majoring in biology at Scranton. She is working with her faculty mentor Amelia Randich, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on her research project entitled “Growth of diverse Alphaproteobacteria.”
Long is majoring in neuroscience at Scranton. She is working with her faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on her research project entitled “Effects of chronic exposure to synthetic hydraulic fracturing solution on brain morphology in adult ants (Formica sp.)”
Quinnan is majoring in biomathematics at Scranton. He is working with his faculty mentor Amelia Randich Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on his research project entitled “Characterizing Alphaproteobacteria and their cellular morphology.”
Sander is majoring in neuroscience at Scranton. She is working with her faculty mentor Rob Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the neuroscience program, on her research project entitled “The telencephalon’s influence on startle response plasticity in goldfish.”
Yanni is majoring in neuroscience at Scranton. She is working with her faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on her research project entitled “The effect of sleep deprivation on learning in Camponotus floridanus.”
Faculty members at Scranton often include undergraduate students in their academic projects. The University’s Faculty Student Research Program also supports undergraduate student participation in research. In addition, students participating in the University’s Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM work with faculty mentors on research projects.
Sanofi is a global pharmaceutical company that is involved in the research, development, marketing and manufacturing of various medicines and vaccines. Every year, Sanofi offers multiple grants to nonprofit organizations and educational institutions that are working to advance participation in STEM fields.
Sanofi Summer Research Awards to Student
-
11/03/2021
Bryan Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at The University of Scranton, was awarded a $198,265 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for a two-year study of the impact of plastic debris on the physiology of freshwater microorganisms in Lake Lacawac. In addition to Dr. Crable’s role as principal investigator, the research project will involve and train approximately eight undergraduate students in field, laboratory and computer simulated investigations.
According to Dr. Crable, microplastics are plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size that are a common pollutant that have seen widespread accumulation in the environment since World War II.
“This type of research is important because we really don’t have a good understanding of how plastics influence ecosystems,” said Dr. Crable. “For the longest time, we thought that microplastics didn’t really impact the local ecosystem. Over the last five to ten years, we have begun to get a better understanding of their impact. In the last few years, researchers have discovered there are microbes that degrade plastics and, although that can be beneficial, the overall impact has to be studied much more.”
According to Dr. Crable, comparatively, there has been lots of research on the effects of plastic debris in marine environments, but there has been very little research in freshwater environments.
“Lake Lacawac is only about 30 minutes away from campus and is a near pristine freshwater watershed. The lake was privately owned for a few hundred years. There has been essentially no development on the lake and there is no known microplastic intrusion,” said Dr. Crable. “Our experiment will use water from the lake in microcosms that we establish in a lake side field lab. In the first year, we will look at microbial communities which colonize plastics versus natural debris such as leaf litter. In the second year of the study, we will analyze the impacts of different types of plastics on microbial communities.”
The project will provide full-time summer research opportunities to two to three students each summer for two years. Dr. Crable noted that students will gain experience using state-of-the-art software programs for analyzing microbial communities as well as learn critical programming languages used for statistical analyses.
“One of the great things about the University is that undergraduates are doing actual research projects,” said Dr. Crable.
“The benefit undergraduates get out of research, especially working on larger projects in a faculty member’s labs, is that they get to take ownership over some part of a project. The students are able to take the seeds of an idea and move it forward – to design the necessary experiments, carry them out and analyze the results to answer a question,” said Dr. Crable, who noted that students also have the possibility to present their studies at conferences, with some undergraduates having their research published in an academic journal.
Through the research project, Dr. Crable will also develop an advanced undergraduate curriculum on microplastics, which will be integrated into the Special Topics in Biology – Environmental Microbiology course.
Dr. Crable joined the faculty at Scranton in 2018. His research focuses on the fields of microbial physiology, environmental microbiology and microbial biotechnology. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Saint Vincent College, his master’s degree from Duquesne University and his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Oklahoma. In 2010, Dr. Crable was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship by the Institute for International Education to conduct research at the University of Wageningen in The Netherlands.
Scranton Professor Awarded Six-figure NSF Grant
-
11/03/2021
The University of Scranton will host a Fail Forward Panel discussion on Tuesday, Nov. 9, at 7 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. At the event, which is part of the University’s Resilient Royals initiatives, the panelists will share stories of some of their past struggles and failure as well as how these challenges have shaped their lives.
Panelists are Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Tara Hamilton-Fay, faculty specialist, biology; and Randy Shemanski, associate director of athletics.
The Fail Forward event is part of a collaborative community effort to help students better develop resilience, practice self-compassion, and understand how to cope with failures. The initiative stems from the results of an earlier National Collegiate Health Assessment, which revealed a need to improve student’s resilience and self-compassion. As a result, Student Life staff at Scranton and faculty partners developed the Resilient Royals initiative to help foster skill development through peer education, resilience training embedded in the classroom curriculum, and signature events, such as the Fail Forward Panel.
Earlier this year, the University’s Resilient Royals initiative earned the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ 2021 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Academic Partnership.
Doors to this semester’s Fail Forward Panel open at 6:30 p.m. Free t-shirts will be distributed to the first 250 students.
Fail Forward Panel Set for Nov. 9
-
10/29/2021
The University of Scranton celebrated the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Conference on disABILITY with more than 550 conference attendees, who represented 30 states, including Alaska and Hawaii, and four countries. This year’s conference, which was held in a virtual format on Oct. 14, continued the theme of “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities.”
The full-day conference culminated with an afternoon presentation titled “The Boy Through His Art” featuring guest speakers Devin Wildes and AJ Paron-Wildes.
After a brief welcome from the University’s Dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, Debra Pellegrino Ed.D., the pair greeted the conference attendees and played a short video that gave the audience a brief overview of their story.
Wildes, now a 26-year-old artist, began displaying symptoms of severe autism as a baby and received a diagnosis at the age of four. His mother, Paron-Wildes, expressed concern for her son’s future, explaining that she was afraid of the difficulties he would face as a result of his disability. She realized that her son’s autism did make him different, but that it was not necessarily a bad thing.
“Different doesn’t mean you’re less, and in many times different means you’re much, much more,” said Paron-Wildes.
Paron-Wildes learned that her son has exceptional visual acuity. Though he was primarily nonverbal for the first 14 years of his life, Wildes expressed himself through art. At the conference, he presented a powerpoint of some the pieces he created.
Ranging from sketches to three-dimensional functional pieces, Wildes impressed the audience with the complexity and depth that each work held. His piece titled “Hideous” showed an intricate display of black and white Zentangle-like lines contained within a vague shape which he explained was a skull. Scattered amongst the pattern, formless facial features, like eyes and lips, could be found in atypical locations on the “skull.”
At the onset of COVID-19, Paron-Wildes began posting examples of her son’s work on her Facebook page, asking friends and family to send them photos of landscapes for Devin to draw.
Overwhelmed with responses, Paron-Wildes said that, “In a time of darkness and dreariness, people were telling me ‘I can’t wait to see what Devin is going to draw and what he’s going to make next.’ ... It’s like my beacon of hope on social media.”
Eventually, Wildes and his mother were able to start a website where his work could be commissioned and sold (devinwildes.com). Since the time the website was launched, Wildes has been able to raise thousands of dollars for INTERACT, the center for visual and performing arts that he attends. This program helps inspire and fund his ability to continue creating art, forming what his mother calls a “circle of giving.”
At the end of their presentation and remaining consistent with the overall mission of the disABILITY conference, Paron-Wildes pointed out that “every human being has creative value and, if you’re not finding it in them, you are not looking hard enough.”
The 20th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY, presented by the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment in partnership with AllOne Foundation, was open to the public free of charge. The primary sponsor of the conference was UPMC Health Plan and Geisinger was the featured sponsor.
Edward R. and Patricia Leahy served as honorary co-chairs of the 2021 conference they helped to establish 20 years ago. University of Scranton professors Rebecca Spirito Dalgin, Ph.D., director of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program, and Lori Bruch, Ed.D., chair of the Counseling and Human Services Department, served as conference co-chairs.
Annual Conference on disABILITY Turns 20
-
10/28/2021
This fall’s Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton will include two thought-provoking Collaborative Programs slated for November.
On Thursday, Nov. 4, Steven Scheinman, M.D., president and dean of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and executive vice president and chief academic officer at Geisinger, will present “This Community’s Medical College: How Advances in Pedagogy and Technology, and the Pandemic, Have Shaped Medical Education in the 21st century.” The program will take place in a virtual format. Admission is $10. A link will be emailed to those who would like to attend remotely.
During the talk, Scheinman will explore the evolution of medical education, which for much of the past century has conformed to a template laid out in 1910 by Abraham Flexner and was heavily reliant on lectures, laboratory exercises and clinical experiences in urban hospitals. However, in recent decades, some innovative medical schools, including The Commonwealth Medical College (now Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine), have moved past this model through embracing active learning, new educational technologies and community-based clinical experiences. The lecture will also examine how, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools have pivoted to embrace online learning, telemedicine and other technologies in ways that are likely to inform medical education well into the future.
Then, on Tuesday, Nov. 9, Richard Kogan, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program, will present the concert/lecture, “Beethoven’s Deafness: Psychological Crises and Artistic Triumph.” The event will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple, 420 N. Washington Ave., with a reception following. Admission is $30.
In observance of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth, Kogan, a psychiatrist and concert pianist, will explore the composer’s extraordinary resilience in response to medical and mental illness and illustrate his artistic transformation through performing some of his most awe-inspiring music.
The Schemel Forum was founded at the University in July 2006 through generous gifts to the Rev. George Schemel, S.J., Fund, created by friends of the beloved campus Jesuit. The program aims to provide people of all ages with the opportunity to explore the intellectual and cultural wonders of the world via a range of lectures and courses.
To register for the Collaborative Programs, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. To pay by credit card over the phone, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816, or to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Plans Collaborative Programs
-
10/27/2021
Michael Fennie, Ph.D., Arthur Catino, Ph.D., and Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., all associate professors of chemistry at The University of Scranton, were awarded a $362,773 National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation grant. The grant will allow the University to purchase a Bruker 400 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, which will be used by undergraduates, graduate students and faculty at Scranton in both chemistry courses and research projects. Professors from local colleges and researchers from area companies will also have access to the state-of-the-art equipment, as will area high school students through an outreach program included as part of the NSF funded proposal.
“NMR spectroscopy is central to modern chemistry research. This instrument uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to determine the structures of molecules, giving us information about their physical properties and reactivity,” said Dr. Fennie, the principal investigator on the grant. “We need to train our students to be competent scientists once they enter graduate school, or start a career in industry or at a lab. Having hands-on research experience using real-world instrumentation at Scranton is what makes a difference in our outcomes.”
NMR spectroscopy shares the same theoretical principles as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used in healthcare – only for molecules, explained Dr. Fennie, which he said also provides a good conceptual foundation for pre-med students. The new NMR equipment, with much-improved detection and throughput capabilities, will increase the productivity of faculty research and enhance the research-training of undergraduate and master’s students as they prepare for STEM careers in academia or industry.
NMR spectroscopy, using older equipment, is already included in more than half a dozen chemistry courses at Scranton, including organic chemistry labs II and III, Instrumental Analysis Lab, Forensic Chemistry Lab, and Advanced Inorganic Lab. The new equipment will enhance the students’ exposure in courses as well as supplement their research projects.
“Our current instrument allows for only a single sample to be loaded at a time for analysis, and each analysis takes a long time to complete, making it impractical to obtain individual NMR data for each student in larger lab courses, such as sophomore-level organic chemistry. The new equipment allows for auto-loading of multiple samples at a time, and the time required for each analysis is much shorter, enabling students in these labs to prepare their own samples, submit them to the NMR queue, and then receive their own data, which is getting closer to what it is like in an actual research setting,” said Dr. Fennie. “Getting that training early on is only going to be more helpful to our students’ development as scientists.”
The technology can also be used for broad research areas ranging from medicinal chemistry, such as studies pertaining to peptide folding and natural products, to experiments for the synthesis of molecules that can be used in OLED displays.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Dr. Michael Fennie and his colleagues at The University of Scranton, and this investment in our students and promise it has to bridge the classroom to the work room,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright. “Giving industry partners access to this tool will serve as an enticement for them to stay in the region and grow our STEM-related job market. I also applaud the collaboration among our higher learning institutions and secondary schools, I look forward to what new research, new ideas and new scientists may come from it.”
The new equipment will be used for collaborative and independent research projects with faculty members at area colleges, such as King's College, Penn State Scranton and Keystone College, as well as for studies at area businesses, such as Schott Glass, The Azek Company and Process Technologies and Packaging.
Dr. Fennie is especially interested in how the new equipment can be used discover new reactions and better understand how these reactions actually work.
“The NMR will allow us to collect data on how fast a reaction proceeds and the intermediates the reaction might go through. That is important for developing new chemical processes, and optimizing reactions so that we can use less resources in our experiments. In other words, making the chemistry more sustainable,” said Dr. Fennie.
In addition, the University will work with teachers at Scranton High School, West Scranton High School, Honesdale High School, Mid Valley Secondary Center and MMI Preparatory School to bring their students to campus to learn more about the scientific uses of NMR spectroscopy.
The NMR spectrometer will be installed during the University’s winter break and intersession. Faculty, and then students, would be trained in the use of the new equipment in late January and during the spring semester.
Dr. Fennie joined the faculty at Scranton in 2012. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Canisius College and his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Catino joined the faculty at Scranton in 2013. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Franklin and Marshall College and his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Maryland. Dr. Sizemore joined the faculty at Scranton in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University and his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of California, Irvine.
Professors Awarded NSF Grant for Research Equipment
-
10/26/2021
Father Columba Stewart, O.S.B., executive director of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) at St. John’s University, received an honorary degree from The University of Scranton at its Fall Lecture in the Humanities held on campus on Oct. 21.
“A Benedictine monk like no other, Father Columba Stewart has traveled to some of the world’s most dangerous places and used state-of-the-art digital technology to preserve early Christian and Islamic manuscripts threatened by destruction from weather, theft, unrest and wars,” read the honorary degree citation presented to Father Stewart. “Through efforts led by Father Stewart, the precious lessons contained in early religious texts are now preserved and can be widely shared for generations to come.”
Father Stewart served as the principal speaker at the lecture at which he presented “Recovering the voices of our ancestors: preserving the world’s endangered manuscript heritage.”
Father Stewart was named HMML’s sixth executive director in 2003. In that role, he travels extensively throughout the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and South Asia cultivating relationships with communities possessing manuscript collections from the early medieval to early modern periods. HMML has photographed tens of thousands of manuscripts in many of the world’s most dangerous and difficult-to-reach places and given priority to preserving the manuscript collections of persecuted or endangered minorities.
Under his leadership, HMML was awarded the 2011 National Medal of Honor from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the highest award a library can receive in the United States. Father Stewart was named by the NEH as the 2019 Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities, the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.
Participating in the Oct. 21 event were Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton; Christian Krokus, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies; Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science; Rev. Patrick Rogers, S.J., executive director of the University’s Jesuit Center; and Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Scranton.
$content.getChild('content').textValueFather Columba Stewart Receives Honorary Degree
-
10/26/2021
“The Value of Money: Currencies, Bonds, Bitcoin” will be discussed at The University of Scranton’s 35th Henry George Lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 17. The lecture, presented by Yuliy Sannikov, Ph.D., the Jack Steele Parker Professor of Economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
The lecture is free of charge and open to members of the University community and invited guests.
Dr. Sannikov is an economic theorist whose work has not only broken new ground in methodology, but has had a substantial influence on applied theory. He has made significant contributions to the study of dynamic games, which have applications for the design of securities, contract theory, macroeconomics with financial frictions, market microstructure and collusion.
Dr. Sannikov’s work highlights how even simple and well-studied models can yield new insights. His most recent work tackled complex models in finance and macroeconomics. His methods allow models to include the most important forces and deliver results that are much more relevant. He is one of the few theorists in many years to have introduced a truly novel tool that changed the way theory is done.
Dr. Sannikov was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal in 2016. The Clark Medal is awarded annually to the American economist under the age of forty who is judged to have made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge. He received the Fischer Black Prize in 2015 and the Kiel Excellence Award in Global Economic Affairs in 2014.
Dr. Sannikov’s numerous scholarly articles have appeared in Econometrica, The American Economic Review: Macroeconomics, The Journal of Finance, The Review of Economic Studies and several other journals.
Dr. Sannikov received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Princeton University in 2000 and a Ph.D. in business administration from the Stanford School of Business in 2004. He was a professor in economics at Princeton University from 2008 to 2016.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are 11 winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: David Card (2021), Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information about the Henry George Lecture, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu. For information regarding campus access and other health and safety information, visit the Royals Back Together webpage.
Currencies, Bonds and Bitcoin Topic of Lecture
-
10/26/2021
University of Scranton alumnus and former trustee, Yohuru Williams, Ph.D. ’93 G’93, spoke to members of the University’s class of 2025 about the message of racial justice taken from this year’s Royal Reads assigned book, and how we, as part of a Jesuit institution, are called to do more than just listen.
Dr. Williams began his talk by referencing this year’s Royal Reads book by James Baldwin, “The Fire Next Time,” saying “Baldwin was writing to his nephew, but he was talking to you … The ‘fire’ was his nephew. The ‘fire’ is you.” With this bold interpretation, he went on to challenge listeners to view their individual efforts as part of a larger community effort toward the common good.
As is tradition, the Ignatian Values in Action Lecture introduced first-year students at Scranton to core tenets of Jesuit education, as well as the moral and ethical expectations placed upon student and graduates of the University. After connecting Baldwin’s message to 12 Jesuit characteristics, Dr. Williams transposed these ideals onto modern-day issues by identifying ways in which racial issues continue to present themselves today.
Specifically, Dr. Williams mentioned the killing of George Floyd and included a video clip of the Minneapolis Chief of Police’s reaction to it. Emphasizing that the pursuit of racial justice is a matter of social justice, he went on to identify what makes a Jesuit education stand out.
“A decision to work with others toward the dismantling of unjust social structures so that the weak, the oppressed, the marginalized of this world may be set free. That’s what you signed up for when you signed on for a Jesuit education,” Dr. Williams said.
Using Martin Luther King Jr.’s writings on the purpose of education, Dr. Williams further explained to the class of 2025 that as a student of a Jesuit institution, remedying social injustices needs to be at the forefront of their minds, regardless of what major they are pursuing.
With a final call to reflect on the topics discussed, Williams ended the lecture with a reminder to the audience that “you are the class of 2025, but you are more than that. You are ‘The Fire Next Time.’”
Also speaking at the Ignatian Values in Action Lecture were Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and the student founder of the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union at the University, Tiannah Adams of New York, New York.
The lecture for first-year students took place in the Byron Recreation Complex on campus and was also streamed to several auditoriums on campus for viewing by other students and members of the University community.
$content.getChild('content').textValueAlumnus Gives Ignatian Values In Action Lecture
-
10/22/2021
On Saturday, Oct. 30, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring the University’s String Orchestra and guest artist John-Morgan Bush. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The concert is open to invited guests and all members of the University community. Admission is free, and seating arrangements will include provisions for socially distancing between groups attending together. All audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
At the concert, Bush will perform as soloist on works by composers Astor Piazzola, Ennio Morricone and Alan Hovhaness, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
Bush has visited Scranton on many occasions, both as an artist/teacher with The Scranton Brass Orchestra, and as a performer in joint concerts here by the University Singers and the Manhattan School of Music Brass Orchestra.
An award-winning horn player, Bush is the director of lifelong learning at The Juilliard School, where he leads the Evening Division, the school’s continuing education wing. Prior to that, he served as director of learning and leadership programs at the League of American Orchestras, where he worked to provide innovative programming and resources for the orchestral field at the national level. There, he coordinated initiatives including the Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview, the Ford Musician Awards for Excellence in Community Service, the Essentials of Orchestra Management seminar and the National Conference, the largest annual convening of orchestra professionals in the world.
As a concert artist, Bush has maintained a vigorous schedule since winning second prize at the 2008 International Horn Society Solo Competition in Denver. The recipient of the John Clarke Award for Excellence in Brass Performance, he regularly performs with orchestras in the greater New York area and presents innovative solo and chamber music recitals across the region. He has two bachelor's degrees in music performance and music education from the University of Kentucky and a master's degree in classical horn performance from the Manhattan School of Music.
Currently, Bush serves as an adjunct faculty member at the New School University, Mannes School of Music. He was formerly on the music faculty at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where he taught courses in applied horn, music education and arts administration, conducted the school’s string ensemble, and was selected as a Difference Maker faculty entrepreneurship fellow.
The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 25-member string ensemble made up of students from majors spanning the curriculum. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Other programs within the department, including small ensemble and chamber ensemble music-making opportunities, guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, the Nelhybel Collection and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers.
High school juniors and seniors who are considering applying to Scranton are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert, or tour the building.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Bush, visit https://www.johnmorganbush.com.
String Orchestra to Perform with John-Morgan Bush
-
10/21/2021
The University of Scranton now offers a new undergraduate major in public policy and service, which will prepare students for careers in the public, nonprofit and private sectors or to pursue specialized graduate training in public administration, public policy and nonprofit studies and nonprofit management. The new major, housed in the University’s College of Arts and Sciences and Department of Political Science, is currently enrolling students for the fall 2022 semester.
“A public policy major acquires the knowledge and skills from political science, business, theology and other areas of the curriculum needed to successfully analyze and propose solutions to some of the most complex problems confronting our region, country and world today,” said Michael Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at The University of Scranton.
The new interdisciplinary major combines coursework from public policy, public administration and nonprofit studies. Students will learn the fundamentals of administration and policymaking in the United States and acquire skills in budgeting, personnel management, policy analysis and program evaluation, in addition to expertise in a specific policy area. Courses include Political Science Research, Policy Analysis, Women’s Right and Status, Environmental Policy Process, Economic Policy and Public Budgeting and Social Welfare Policy, among others.
Students majoring in public policy and service will also complete an internship, community-based learning course or independent study to apply firsthand what they learned in the classroom. Several internship opportunities relevant to the program already exist in the local area in government agencies, nonprofits and the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development. Students will also be able to complete coursework in Washington, D.C., through the Washington Internship Institute and the Washington Center where the University has articulation agreements already in place. The University’s new Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service provides opportunities for student internships, research projects, and training programs, as well as networking opportunities with public officials and alumni working in public service careers.
For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 888-727-2686 or email admissions@scranton.edu, or Dr. Allison at 570-941-4392 or michael.allison@scranton.edu.
Public Policy and Service Major Added
-
10/20/2021
University of Scranton alumnus Thomas Tate, Esq. ’56, spoke to students majoring in physics and engineering during his Oct. 14th visit to campus and toured the exhibit “New Frontiers: The Thomas N. Tate, Esq. ’56 Collection of Aerospace Memorabilia,” which he donated to the University. The collection of items accumulated during his service with the national aerospace program from 1962 through 2003 was displayed in the new 5,300 square-foot, state-of-the-art learning and laboratory space for the Mechanical Engineering program on the first floor of Hyland Hall.
“I know that with philanthropy comes promise and possibilities. I want the next generation of explorers to receive a Catholic and Jesuit education that takes them to discovering their great frontier. Together, our support can redirect their future in ways unimagined,” said Tate of his donation to the University.
Tate spoke to University students at The Institute for Electronics and Electrical Engineering Seminar Series about his personal experience with the aerospace program, which included work on the Gemini, Apollo and Space Shuttle initiatives.
A native of Olyphant, Tate received his bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University in 1956. His distinguished career spanned four decades, during which he held positions with Rockwell International for 12 years; the federal government, serving on the House of Representatives’ Committee on Science and Technology for 15 years; and an advocacy group, working for the Aerospace Industries Association for 17 years.
His collection will have a permanent home in the mechanical engineering facility in Hyland Hall. The renovated space includes three laboratories, a workshop, a machine shop, and a 16-seat computer lab, as well as faculty offices and a student lounge area. In the facility, mechanical engineering students will experiment with several pieces of equipment in solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, control, dynamics and vibration labs. Students, like aerospace scientists, will work with a wind tunnel, where they will determine important fluid characteristics by measuring aerodynamics pressures, forces and moments applied to aerodynamics models such as airfoil models by the airflow in laminar and turbulent flows. They will also investigate the behavior of engineering materials by performing precise tensile and compression tests to determine material properties such as strength, modulus of elasticity, yield and failure stresses of standard engineering materials.
In addition to mechanical engineering, which the University began to offer in the fall of 2020, other majors offered by the University’s Physics and Engineering Department include computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, biophysics and physics.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Hear Firsthand Account of Space Programs
-
10/19/2021
The University of Scranton will host two in-person Open House events for prospective students and their families on Sunday, Oct. 24, and Sunday, Nov. 7., allowing prospective students and their families to see first-hand the Jesuit school’s state-of-the-art labs in the sciences, physical and occupation therapy, nursing, engineering, kinesiology and other programs. Participants can also see the University’s cyber forensics and cyber security labs and its Alperin Financial Center.
At the Open House, participants can learn about Scranton’s 69 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 undergraduate Honors Program, Faculty-Student Research Program, Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Magis Honors Program in STEM, Business Honors Program and Business Leadership Honors Program, will also be available. The full schedule for Open House can be seen here.
The University of Scranton has been consistently recognized among America’s best colleges in numerous college guidebooks and national rankings. For 27 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Scranton among the 10 top Master’s Universities in the North. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list “Best Colleges” for 19 consecutive years and in its ranking of the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 8) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 7) for six consecutive years, among other rankings.
For additional information, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit Scranton’s Open House webpage.
$content.getChild('content').textValueOpen House Dates Set for Oct. 24 and Nov. 7
-
10/19/2021
Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Nov. 4 Noon. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “This Community’s Medical College: How advances in pedagogy and technology, and the pandemic, have shaped medical education in the 21st century” presented by Steven Scheinman, M.D., president and dean, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; executive vice president and chief academic officer, Geisinger. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu
Nov. 7 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Beethoven’s Deafness: Psychological Crises and Artistic Triumph” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Reception to follow. Scranton Cultural Center at Masonic Temple. Registration required. $30. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9 7 p.m. Fail Forward Panel Discussion about navigating setbacks with Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Tara Hamilton-Fay, faculty specialist, biology; and Randy Shemanski, associate director, athletics. Event is part of the University’s Resilient Royals initiative. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Open to University community only. Free. Call 570-941-4253 or email chew@scranton.edu.
Nov. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble with guest artist Benny Benack III, voice and trumpet. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 17 7:30 p.m. 35th Henry George Lecture: “The Value of Money: Currencies, Bonds, Bitcoin” presented by Yuliy Sannikov, the Jack Steele Parker Professor of Economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Nov. 18-20 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “The Addams Family” presented by Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $7. Call 570-941-7401 or email joelle.cote@scranton.edu.
Nov. 20 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
University Announces November Events
-
10/19/2021
“All public service is a trust given in faith and accepted in honor,” words inscribed over the front door of the Finance Building in Harrisburg, remind U.S. Senator Bob Casey of the promise and expectation of public servants, and, now, can be words to inspire and guide the work of the new Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service at The University of Scranton.
Senator Casey was among the speakers at the opening of the Center that will serve 13 counties in Northeast Pennsylvania. In his remarks, he quoted from the mission of the Center “to advocate for and promote the common good of all through programs that support the development of ethical and competent public officials and of civically knowledgeable, responsible and engaged community members,” noting that the region– and the nation – need both competent and ethical leaders now more than ever.
JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and co-director of the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, said in her remarks that “according to Pew Research Center, public trust in government has been near to historic lows for more than a decade.” She said the work of the Center “will reach out to local community members, providing them with the tools and resources they need to hold their elected officials accountable. We plan to engage with public officials or those who hope to run for office to help educate and provide support, through workshops, certificate programs and opportunities for networking.”
Dr. Hopper, who will co-direct the Center with University Political Science Professor Jean Harris, Ph.D., also said the Center will provide internships, research opportunities, mentorships and training that will allow University students to “become competent and ethical leaders in our local communities.”
Clara Downey, a junior political science major at the University who is serving as an intern for The Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, said in her remarks that she has seen “first-hand what Dr. Hopper and Dr. Harris are working to offer students, and similarly how important it is for students, most especially Jesuit educated students, to be active and knowledgeable voters. The work we are starting here in the Center will enable my peers and I to not only be better people, but to enact real change in our world, because locality is where that has to start.”
Downey, Easthampton, Massachusetts, is also a Student Government Senator at Scranton.
Also speaking at the opening were Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
The Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service will be housed in the University’s Political Science Department of the College of Arts and Sciences. The 13 counties served by the Center are Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Montour, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming.
Members of the Center’s Steering Committee are Michael Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science; Julie Schumacher-Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs; Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology and executive director of the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime; Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and faculty director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities; and Donna Witek, professor, Weinberg Memorial Library.
The University offers a new major in public policy and service.
Additional information about the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service can be seen on its website (www.scranton.edu/ceeps), or by contacting Dr. Harris or Dr. Hopper at the Political Science Department at CEEPS@scranton.edu or 570-941-6326.
$content.getChild('content').textValueCenter for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service Opens
-
10/19/2021
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome back acclaimed cellist Mark Kosower, principal cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra, for a solo performance as part of his unique recital series “Bach for Humanity,” on Sunday, Oct. 24. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The concert is open to all members of the University community and invited guests. Admission is free. Seating arrangements will include provisions for socially distancing between groups attending together and masks must be worn by audience members at the recital.
Kosower has performed at the University several times in recent years. In 2018, he launched “Bach for Humanity,” a three-year commitment to bringing the composer’s cello suites and arrangements of his violin sonatas and partitas to both conventional and nonconventional venues, including concert halls, educational institutions, community centers and senior residences, through Ohio, the region and the nation.
Kosower will also offer a masterclass for members of the University’s string orchestra during his visit.
Currently the principal cello for the Cleveland Orchestra, Kosower has been called “a virtuoso of staggering prowess” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. From 2006 to 2010, he served as the solo cellist of the Bamberg Symphony in Germany.
Kosower has performed as soloist with symphony orchestras throughout the world, including Rotterdam Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, China National Symphony in Beijing, National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra and the Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, and is a frequent guest at international chamber music festivals, including Santa Fe, Eastern Music, North Shore Chamber Music, Japan’s Pacific Music Festival and Colorado’s Strings Music Festival.
He has recorded for the Ambitus, Delos, Naxos International and VAI labels, and was the first cellist to record the complete music for solo cello of Alberto Ginastera, which he completed for Naxos. From those recordings, he was described as a “powerful advocate of Ginastera’s art” by Music-Web International, and Strings Magazine noted of his Hungarian music album (also with Naxos) that “the music allows Kosower to showcase his stunning virtuosity, passionate intensity and elegant phrasing.”
A member of the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Kent Blossom Music Festival, Kosower also teaches a week of classes at California:s Hidden Valley Music Seminars in Carmel Valley each summer, and has served as a visiting distinguished professor at the University of Oregon. He has given masterclasses around the world, and served as professor of cello and chamber music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music from 2005-2007.
Kosower’s June 2020 appearance on Performance Music’s “Scranton Isolation Informances” series can be viewed at: https://fb.watch/8CQacWoKHI/.
All audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Kosower, visit clevelandorchestra.com/discover/meet-the-musicians/cellos/kosower-mark.
Acclaimed Cellist Mark Kosower to Perform Oct. 24
-
10/13/2021
Father Columba Stewart, O.S.B., executive director of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) at St. John’s University, will deliver The University of Scranton’s Fall Lecture in the Humanities on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. He will present “Recovering the voices of our ancestors: preserving the world’s endangered manuscript heritage.”
The University will bestow an honorary degree upon Father Stewart at the lecture, which is open to members of the University community and invited guests.
“Through his drive and initiative, Father Columba has rescued, saved, digitally archived and shared with the world ancient religious texts that were in jeopardy of being lost forever,” said Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “We are delighted to recognize his lifelong commitment both to the Church and to the preservation of the world’s religious history by bestowing upon him an honorary degree.”
Father Stewart was named HMML’s sixth executive director in 2003. In that role, he travels extensively throughout the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and South Asia cultivating relationships with communities possessing manuscript collections from the early medieval to early modern periods. Although HMML’s original efforts targeted primarily Christian collections in various European locations, under Father Stewart’s leadership, HMML’s non-European manuscript preservation projects have increased from one project in Lebanon to projects located in more than a dozen countries. During this time, HMML has photographed tens of thousands of manuscripts in many of the world’s most dangerous and difficult-to-reach places and given priority to preserving the manuscript collections of persecuted or endangered minorities.
“Father Columba believes it is important to preserve these early Christian and interreligious and intercultural documents, manuscript and artifacts from our past because they help us understand not only those specific societies and cultures, but also because they help us understand more fully our connectedness as human beings,” said Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science at The University of Scranton, who first met Father Stewart when she was a Resident Scholar at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in Collegeville, Minnesota, during the 2018-2019 academic year.
Since 2003, Father Stewart has secured more than $11 million in funding from leading private foundations and government agencies, including the Arcadia Fund, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. These funders have fueled HMML’s increased field operations and supported the creation and expansion of HMML’s online platform, the largest and most comprehensive digital collection of manuscripts ever created. The online collections are available to registered users to browse through tens of thousands of manuscripts at no cost. Under his leadership HMML also completed a record-setting capital campaign in 2017 that raised more than $20 million to support HMML’s digital manuscript preservation goals and renovate HMML’s facilities in Collegeville.
Under his leadership, HMML was awarded the 2011 National Medal of Honor from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the highest award a library can receive in the United States. Father Stewart was named by the NEH as the 2019 Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities, the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities.
Fr. Columba has been featured on many national and international media outlets, including the CBS News program 60 Minutes, BBC World News, PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly as well as in The Economist, Harvard Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, NEH’s Humanities Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and The Chronicle of Higher Education. In December 2019, he wrote a cover story for America specifically highlighting the long Benedictine determination to preserve ancient texts around the world.
Father Stewart has published extensively in his research field of early Christian monasticism and is much in demand as a presenter and lecturer. He has received numerous grants and fellowships for his own scholarship, including being named a Guggenheim Fellow and a resident member of the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, among others.
Father Stewart earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and his master’s degree from Yale University. After further studies at Saint John’s University School of Theology, he earned his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, England. He professed vows as a Benedictine monk of Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville, in 1982 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1990. In 1989, he joined the faculty of the graduate School of Theology and undergraduate Department of Theology at Saint John’s University. He also currently serves as the Benedictine in residence at the Collegeville Institute.
Fall Lecture in the Humanities Set for Oct. 21
-
10/13/2021
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome back acclaimed N.Y.C. organist and composer Alexander Pattavina for a recital on Friday, Oct. 15. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The concert is open to invited guests of Performance Music and all members of the University community. Admission is free and seating arrangements will include provisions for socially distancing between groups attending together.
At the recital, Pattavina will perform works by Bach, Dupre, Ireland, Swinnen and Widor on the Houlihan-McLean Center’s completely restored Austin Opus 301 symphonic organ. Since restoring the organ, Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga has made it a point to bring world-class organists to the University.
“We’re delighted to have Alex back. He’s not only an amazing organist, he’s also a truly nice guy, and the kids enjoy having him around,” Boga said. “What’s especially interesting is that he’s not only an organist, but also a composer and advocate for the organ and organ music – he’s so passionate and so articulate.”
“There’s just something about Paul Jacobs’ students; I want to know what his “magic pill” is. They’re like preachers for the organ,” Boga continued. “There’s something about how they craft these really interesting programs that have this way of all hanging together. They really explain to the audience in very interesting ways about how and why they crafted the program without being condescending.”
A native of Stoughton, Massachusetts, Pattavina is a recent graduate of The Juilliard School, having earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organ performance under the tutelage of Paul Jacobs. He is the director of music at the Church of Saint Agnes in New York City. Pattavina is the first-place winner of the 2019 Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival. He also received first place in the 2014 L. Cameron Johnson Competition in Storrs, Connecticut, among other awards. Formerly, he worked as organ scholar of Christ Church in Bronxville, New York, under conductor Philip Stopford. An avid composer, his choral work, All in a Stable Cold and Bare (2016), is published by Hal Leonard.
The Houlihan-McLean Center’s Austin Opus 301 symphonic organ was built in 1910 by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford, Connecticut, for Scranton’s Immanuel Baptist Church. Restored and re-dedicated by the University in 2006, the organ is one of the few rare surviving original examples of early 20th-century organ building, possessing a total of 3,178 pipes, 45 ranks and four manuals. The instrument is maintained by artist/technicians from Emery Brothers/Dieffenbach organs.
All audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Please check Performance Music’s website, scranton.edu/music, within 24 hours of the recital for the most current information on audience COVID-19 mitigation measures (e.g., masking, vaccination, distancing, etc.).
For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Organist Alexander Pattavina Will Perform Oct. 15
-
10/13/2021
The University of Scranton has awarded 18 students from its class of 2025 four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarships.
Presidential Scholarships are awarded to incoming first-year students with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. The scholarship covers four years of full tuition provided that the student maintains at least a 3.25 grade point average.
Gabrielle Bingener, Barto, graduated as salutatorian from Boyertown Area Senior High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society. She played on her school’s junior varsity and varsity field hockey teams. Bingener was elected soprano section leader for her school’s chorus, select singers and show choir. She earned the Karma for Cara national grant for her work with the GreenAllies network providing student grown organic produce to local food insecure families. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Bingener will major in neuroscience. She is the daughter of Ken and Barb Bingener, who is a 1990 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Grace Boyle, South Abington Township, graduated from Scranton Preparatory School with gold and silver medals on the national Latin exam and a silver medal on the national Spanish exam. She was a member of the National Honor Society. She served as president of her school’s yoga club, secretary of the Kiva microfinance club and participated in the Climate Change Awareness Club and Nonprofit Leadership Club. She performed at various piano competitions, including one at Carnegie Hall. Boyle also volunteered with representative Bridget Malloy Kosierowski’s 2020 campaign and at vacation bible school at the Church of Saint Gregory in Clarks Green. A member of University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Boyle has not yet declared a major. She is the daughter of Dr. John Boyle, who graduated from The University of Scranton in 1987, and Kathleen Boyle, who graduated from The University of Scranton in 1991.
Stephen Butler, Telford, graduated from Souderton Area School District. An AP scholar with distinction, he was a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the Athletic Leadership Council, and the Principal Student Advisory Council. He served as a peer tutor for math and chemistry. He played four years of varsity golf, two of which he was captain, and played and was captain of the varsity tennis team for one year. After four years on the Academic Challenge team, he spent the latter two as the team’s captain. He was an alter server at Saint Maria Goretti Church in Hatfield. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM, Butler will major in neuroscience and philosophy with a biochemistry minor on the premed track. He is the son of Nathan and Stephanie Butler.
Amanda Campbell, Farmingville, New York, graduated from Sachem East High School. An AP scholar with honors, she received the New York State Board of Regents Award and the United States Presidential Award for Education Excellence, as well as multiple academic awards at her high school. She served as president of her school’s National Honor Society, publicity director of Student Government, secretary of the National Art Honor Society and was a member of the National Math Honor Society, Rho Kappa History Honor Society, National Science Honor Society and National Foreign Language Honor Society. Along with participation in various community events such as the Memory Project, Light the Night and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation walks, she organized an ALS Ride for Life walk and a Thanksgiving food drive for local families. Campbell will major in occupational therapy with a minor in studio art. She is the daughter of Michael and Kristie Campbell.
Cabre Capalongo, Scranton, graduated from West Scranton High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society and the Tomorrow's Leaders Today program. She also participated in the Scholastic Bowl competition and earned first honors in mathematics. She was captain of both the freshman basketball cheer team and the varsity football cheer team. She served as treasurer of her school’s Art Club and its Spanish Club. Capalongo volunteered with the Feed a Friend program, Matthew’s Mission and Alex’s Lemonade Stand. A member the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Capalongo will major in biology on the pre-veterinary track. She is the daughter of Dino and Tracy Capalongo, who earned her bachelor’s degree in 1996 and master’s degree in 2002 from The University of Scranton.
Arissa Chambers, Henryville, graduated from Pocono Mountain East High School. An AP scholar with distinction, she was a member of the National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society and the Psi Alpha Honor Society. She was captain of her school’s color guard and Envirothon teams and also participated in mock trial, Science Olympiad and Biology Olympics. She participated in her school’s speech and debate team, Leo Club, and the East Pride Initiative Committee. Chambers was a member of the Mount Pocono Borough Junior Council and involved in the Pocono Mountain East gifted program, where she helped with giving tree toy donations and food drives. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Program in STEM, Chambers will major in biology. She is the daughter of Dave and Stacey Chambers.
Bella Davis, Atlantic Beach, New York, graduated from Sacred Heart Academy. She was a member of the National Honor Society and National Science Honor Society. She was a four-year member of her school’s varsity swim team, the last of which she served as team captain. Additionally, she swam competitively for the Long Island Aquatic Club. Davis was a member of her school’s Key Club, She’s the First Club and Students for Free Tibet Club. She served as an assistant coach for girls basketball and volleyball teams as part of the Catholic Youth Organization program. Davis will major in kinesiology with a guaranteed seat in the University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program. She is the daughter of Stephen Davis and Maureen Horan.
Patrick DelBalso, Plains Township, graduated as valedictorian of his class from Holy Redeemer High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society. He won the Spiritus Christi award, was named a Citizens’ Voice Scholastic Superstar, and is a Piano Guild’s 5-year national winner. DelBalso played on his school’s basketball, baseball and track and field teams as well as for the Amateur Athletic Union and American Legion. He was class representative, commissioner and treasurer of Student Council and involved in Student Leadership Club. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, DelBalso will major in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. He is the son of Pat and Leane DelBalso, who is a 1994 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Nicolas Hipolito Jr., Scranton, graduated from West Scranton High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society and a graduate of The University of Scranton’s University of Success program. He won first place for the 2019-2020 PTA Reflection Literature Contest for the Scranton area. In high school, he was the vice president of his senior class. He was also active in his school’s art club, speech and debate team, PRIDE Club, Red Cross Club and was a National Academy Foundation member. In the community, he volunteered with the Friends of the Poor annual Thanksgiving dinner and, through his school clubs, with Mathew’s Mission’s Breakfast with Santa. He also worked more than 3,000 hours at Walmart as a front-end associate/health ambassador. Hipolito will major in mathematics. He is the son of Irma Retamar.
Samantha Hoffmann, Millington, New Jersey, graduated as salutatorian from Watchung Hills Regional High School, earning a New Jersey Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish. A National Merit Commended Scholar, she was a member of the National Honor Society, the National Spanish Honor Society and the National Art Honor Society. She played on her school’s varsity soccer team as well as with the NJ Elite Soccer Club. She served as president, vice president and treasurer of her school’s Red Cross Club during her four years in high school. As part of the INTERACT Community Service Club, Hoffmann volunteered at the Matheny Medical and Education Center. She is also a volunteer EMT with the Long Hill First Aid Squad. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Hoffmann will major in chemistry. She is the daughter of Lisa and Michael Hoffmann.
Mary Krichbaum, Maine, New York, graduated from Maine-Endwell High School. A member of the National Honor Society, she participated in BAE Systems Engineering Pathfinder program. A member of the varsity cross country and track teams, she was awarded New York State Scholar Athlete four years in a row. She was a chemistry tutor. She also participated in the New York State School Music Association solo festival as a member of her school’s symphonic band. Additionally, Krichbaum participated in the Girl-Up Club, Key Club and the Mathletes Team. She regularly volunteered at various community programs at Most Holy Rosary Church and the Mercy House of the Southern Tier, among other organizations. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Program in STEM, Krichbaum will major in chemistry. She is the daughter of Jean and John Krichbaum.
Grace McDonald, Jamison, graduated from Central Bucks High School East. A National Merit scholar and an AP scholar with distinction, she was a member of the National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society. She was president of her school’s Mock Trial Team and the East-Holicong Tutoring Club, as well as a Class Council representative. Outside of school, McDonald played travel soccer for the Vereinigung Erzgebirge Club and was captain of her team. She worked as a nursing assistant at a pulmonary practice. She volunteered at the YMCA and local community events. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, McDonald will major in biochemistry. She is the daughter of Thomas and Karen McDonald, who is a 1994 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Elizabeth McKechney, Fairport, New York, graduated from Fairport Public High School. An AP scholar with distinction, she was a member of the National Honor Society and served as secretary of her school’s German National Honors Society. She won the New York State Senate Leadership Award. McKechney was vice president of Outreach for FIRST Fairport Robotics team from 2019 to 2020. Through this team, she ran a Knitting for a Cause initiative that knitted and distributed over five hundred masks to local essential workers at the beginning of the pandemic. Additionally, she served as a worship leader in Pittsford Community Church’s youth group and a religious education teacher at St. John of Rochester Church. McKechney will major in nursing. She is the daughter of Michael and Heather McKechney.
Liam Moran, Scranton, graduated from Scranton High School. He is a member of the National Honor Society. He participated in the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. He participated in both his school’s orchestra and in district orchestra. Moran served as captain of his school’s soccer and track and field teams and was a Lackawanna League First Team Soccer All Star. He participated in the Coaches vs. Cancer and Feed a Friend programs. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Program in STEM, Moran will major in biology. He is the son of Patrick and Leslie Moran.
Theresa Pham, Philadelphia, graduated as valedictorian from Archbishop John Carroll High School with the United States Presidential Award for Educational Excellence. An AP scholar with distinction, she was the executive board tutoring chair for her school’s National Honor Society. She was involved in the Community Service Corps, Hi-Q, Best Buddies program and Student Ambassadors. In her church, she served as a volunteer church pianist, an altar server and a lector. She was a dance leader at her cultural dance program. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Program in STEM, Pham will major in biology. She is the daughter of Duc Pham and Trang Nguyen.
Alexandra Shomali, Ellicott City, Maryland, graduated from Notre Dame Preparatory School. A National Merit Commended Scholar and AP scholar with distinction, she was a member of the National Honor Society, National Science Honor Society, National French Honor Society and National Music Honor Society. She was a recipient of the Rensselaer Medal. She also participated in Tri-M, French Club and the Ambassador Club. In high school, she played first chair clarinet in concert band as well as tenor saxophone in jazz band. Outside of school, she played for the Catholic University of America Honor Band. Shomali was awarded the Maryland Music Educators Association Solo and Ensemble first place medals. She played for the Soccer Association of Columbia. She spent summers mentoring Baltimore City children at Camp Umoja. Additionally, she was a concert manager at UNMUTE and participated in Leadership U. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Program in STEM, she will major in neuroscience on the pre-med track. She is the daughter of Mansur and Margaret Shomali.
Anthony Torres, New Milford, graduated as salutatorian from Blue Ridge High School. An AP scholar with distinction, he was a member of the National Society of High School Scholars, National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society. He was a Hispanic Scholar of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. He was captain of his school’s Scholastic Bowl and Envirothon teams. With the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, he was involved in both district and regional band and orchestra, as well as all-state wind ensemble. Additionally, he played in the Pennsylvania Lions All-State Band as well as the Northeastern Youth Wind Ensemble and American Youth Wind Ensembles. He was head manager of his school’s varsity basketball, soccer and track and field teams. He served as a lector, an altar server, a youth choir member and a cantor at Holy Name of Mary Church in Montrose. He was involved in various community programs such as the Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Relay for Life programs. Torres will major in biochemistry. He is the son of Israel and Marilyn Torres.
Grace Washney, West Wyoming, graduated as valedictorian from Wyoming Area Secondary Center. An AP scholar with honor, she received first, second and third place medals in hovercraft, astronomy and mission possible, respectively, for her school’s Science Olympiad Team, as well as first place in Health Care Administration for her school’s Future Business Leaders of America program. She played basketball and served as captain of the varsity field hockey team and won her school’s award for the highest average of a student athlete. Washney was also a member of the Key Club and Student Council. Working with the Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre program as a member of the class of 2021 and as a senior advisor, she collaborated with a local wellness center to raise more than three thousand dollars for World Cancer Day and create 100 boxes for the Jared Box organization. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Programs in STEM, she will major in biochemistry and philosophy on the premed track. She is the daughter of Robert and Jennifer Washney-Thomas, who is a 1987 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Scranton Names Class of 2025 Presidential Scholars
-
10/13/2021
Three college resource websites for prospective students have ranked The University of Scranton among the top 25 best Catholic colleges in the nation in recently published rankings. The rankings include some of the most prestigious Catholic universities in America.
Niche.com ranked Scranton No. 22 among the 2022 “Best Catholic Colleges in America,” which is a ranking based on key statistics and student reviews. The ranking is based on their analysis of academic, admissions, financial and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. Niche.com ranked Scranton No. 2 among the “Best Catholic Colleges in Pennsylvania.”
College Factual ranked Scranton No. 17 in its 2022 list of “Best Colleges Affiliated as Roman Catholic Nationwide.” The national ranking is based their analysis of retention and graduation rates, student loan default rates, overall average post- graduation earnings based on PayScale and College Scorecard data, among other data.
College Choice ranked Scranton No. 23 among the “Best Catholic Colleges and Universities” in the nation, published in June 2021. The ranking was based on their analysis of the college’s reputation, net cost, financial aid and average graduate salary, which used publicly available data from websites of the schools, the National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. News and World Report and Payscale.com.
Scranton Among Top 25 Catholic Colleges in Nation
-
10/05/2021
Twenty incoming University of Scranton students began the Magis Honors Program in STEM, which combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society.
The Magis Honors Program in STEM, which is one of Scranton’s five programs of excellence, offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The Magis Honors Program’s courses, which students will take over their four years at Scranton, combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students will develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
Prior to the fall semester beginning, the students entering the Magis Honors Program participated in a field project at the Lacawac Sanctuary.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2025 began the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Gabrielle M. Bingener, Barto, is a neuroscience major at Scranton.
Stephen J. Butler, Telford, is a neuroscience major at Scranton.
Cabre A. Capalongo, Scranton, is a biology major at Scranton.
Arissa J. Chambers, Henryville, is a biology major at Scranton.
James P. Fox, Hillsborough, New Jersey, is a computer science major at Scranton.
Madelyne M. Gasper, Stroudsburg, is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major at Scranton.
Samantha G. Hoffmann, Millington, New Jersey, is a chemistry major at Scranton.
Michael J. Howard, Mayfield, is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major at Scranton.
Evan M. Hromisin, Dallas, is an Engineering Management major at Scranton.
Mary E. Krichbaum, Endicott, New York, is a chemistry major at Scranton.
Grace K. McDonald, Jamison, is a biochemistry major at Scranton.
Luciano P. Medico, South Abington Township, is a biology major at Scranton.
Jacob G. Mohring, East Stroudsburg, is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major at Scranton.
Liam P. Moran, Scranton, is a biology major at Scranton.
Theresa Pham, Philadelphia, is a biology major at Scranton.
Alexandra L. Shomali, Ellicott City, Maryland, is a biology major at Scranton.
Miriam M. Van de Water, Souderton, is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major at Scranton.
Grace E. Washney, West Wyoming, is a biochemistry major at Scranton.
Grace D. Wenzel, West Orange, New Jersey, is a chemistry major at Scranton.
Brian L. White, Brooklyn, New York, is a biology major at Scranton.Students Join Magis Honors Program in STEM
-
10/05/2021
Scranton is the hometown of the President of the United States, and the hometown of the father of a former First Lady. It is the location of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in NBC’s The Office. It’s the where the Pennsylvania Polka started. It is also the place where anthracite coal was mined and where a miner’s strike in 1902 led to national labor reforms. Scranton is like Boston - only without the clams, if the description mentioned in an episode of HBO’s Sopranos is accurate. Scranton makes cameo appearances in the movie Home Alone and in the Harry Chapin song, 30,000 Pounds of Bananas.
On Tuesday, Oct. 19, a program will examine “Scranton in the Popular Imagination,” and consider how and if Scranton in the popular and national imagination reflects the Scranton of today. The event is the first public event of “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” a multi-year project led by The University of Scranton in collaboration with community partners, and supported through a grant from The National Endowment for the Humanities.
“Scranton in the Popular Imagination” features a talk by author and Scranton native Jay Parini, Ph.D., followed by a panel discussion with community leaders and University humanities faculty. The event, which begins at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19 at the Scranton Cultural Center, is offered free of charge. Reservations are required to attend and can be made at: surveymonkey.com/r/ImagineScranton. Additional events around this theme include a Jane Jacobs inspired walking tour on Oct. 23 at 1 p.m. in downtown Scranton.
An award-winning poet, biographer, fiction writer and educator, Dr. Parini is the Axinn Professor of English at Middlebury College in Vermont. He has written is volumes of poetry and biographies of John Steinbeck, Robert Frost and William Faulkner. His books include “The Last Station” about the last year in the life of Russian author Leo Tolstoy that was made into a film in 2009, which received two Oscar nominations. His most recent book is “Borges and Me: An Encounter,” published in 2020.
A graduate of West Scranton High School, Dr. Parini received an honorary degree from The University of Scranton in 2005 and was awarded the Weinberg Memorial Library’s Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award in 2012.
Panelists for “Scranton in the Popular Imagination” are Joseph Kraus, Ph.D., professor and chair of the English and Theatre Department at the University; Glynis Johns, founder and CEO of the Black Scranton Project; and Maria MacDonald, executive director of the Center for the Living City. Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., Theatre Program director and associate professor in the Department of English and Theatre at the University will moderate the panel and audience discussion.
“For the first set of events as part of this larger project, we thought we should begin at home and focus discussion around our identity. What makes Scranton unique? How does its portrayal match our lived experience? What does it mean to be a Scrantonian, as we look ahead to the 250th anniversary of the country? Authenticity and authentic portrayal are integral parts of any city’s ethos and our experience of where we live,” said Willenbrink, also a member of the project’s steering committee.
“Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” seeks to capture the unique narrative of Scranton and relate it to the history of the United States prior to the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The project incorporates eight themes, starting with how Scranton has been portrayed in the popular imagination, and continuing to its industrial era growth, Indigenous history, religious tapestry, diverse immigrant populations – past and present – and the role it played in the Underground Railroad and Black history. Throughout, civic engagement, founding debates, and local and national identity will be explored by considering how the Scranton, and American, story may be understood anew 250 years later and the roles and responsibilities of local citizens.
The programs, which begin in Oct. 2021 and end in fall 2023, will involve lectures with question and answer interactive sessions, panel discussions with audience responses, public facilitated dialogues, and story exchanges, as well as walking and bus tours, youth writing workshops, and an oral history story collection that will provide new humanities material for discussion.
University offices coordinating the project include: Office of Community Relations, Schemel Forum, Slattery Center for the Humanities, and the Weinberg Memorial Library. Community organizations collaborating with the University on the project include: Black Scranton Project, Center for the Living City, Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, The Lackawanna Historical Society, Lackawanna County Immigration Inclusion Committee, Narrative 4, the Scranton Area Ministerium, United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania and WVIA.
Event Explores Perception of Scranton in Nation
-
10/04/2021
The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranked The University of Scranton No. 89 in the nation for student engagement. This was Scranton’s best ranking among the 796 schools included in The Wall Street Journal’s “Best Colleges 2022” ranking, which scored schools in several categories as well as an overall ranking. Scranton also ranked at No. 212 for student outcomes, scoring well for salaries of graduates, adjusted for student, location and other characteristics, among other factors. Scranton’s overall ranking was No. 261 in the nation.
Scranton had the best overall ranking, as well as student engagement and outcomes rankings, of the northeastern Pennsylvania colleges that were included in The Wall Street Journal’s ranking.
The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education ranking is based on an analysis of 15 performance metrics in the categories of resources, student engagement, outcomes and campus environment.
The student engagement portion of their analysis is based largely on The U.S. Student Survey data. Factors considered for the student engagement score are related directly to their college experience, such as interaction with faculty and other students, and whether they would recommend their schools to others. The number of accredited programs offered is also factored into this measure. Student engagement represented 20 percent of the overall ranking score.
Outcomes, which represented 40 percent of the overall ranking score, looked at graduation rate, academic reputation, debt after graduation and the “value added” to graduate salary. The “value added” portion of the analysis applied statistical modeling to adjust for student, location and other characteristics in order to measure the impact the school has on the salary of its graduates.
The ranking also measured resources invested in instruction and student services (30 percent of the overall ranking), which included the finance cost per student, faculty/student ratio and research papers published per faculty member, and the learning environment (10 percent of the overall ranking), which includes student and staff diversity, among other factors.
The ranking was published by The Wall Street Journal Sept. 17.
Scranton Among Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges
-
10/01/2021
The University of Scranton received a $2,500 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation to support its We Care Wednesday’s program, which is an initiative to provide meals to those most in need in the Scranton area. The program is unlike other food giveaway projects in that the ready-to-eat meals are delivered to those without transportation or the means to prepare food.
The program, organized by the Center for Service and Social Justice and EFFORT (Excess Food For Others Recovery Team), was started in 2020 as a way to bring members of campus together for a service project while meeting the health and safety requirements established during the pandemic.
The program was so well received that it surpassed its original plan of preparing five grab-and-go meals a week. In September alone, 240 grab-and-go meals were organized and distributed to local agencies including the Community Intervention Center in Scranton. During the fall semester, members of the University community provided more than 600 meals, including a roast beef holiday lunch at the end of the semester. During spring semester, the program expanded to include a meal on Thursdays. In total, more than 2,000 grab and goal meals were prepared during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Throughout the 2020-2021 academic year, University faculty, staff and students donated time and funding to prepare salads, meals and desserts. A team of students volunteered for one-hour shifts in small socially distant groups to make the final preparations for the meals, which often included cards with inspirational messages and homemade gifts like bracelets and keychains from students. Meal bags also often included a variety of snacks (cereal, fresh fruit, granola bars) and COVID- care items such as masks, paper products or hand sanitizer, collected by the Center for Service and Social Justice and EFFORT.
Support from the Spitz Foundation will be used support the continuation of the successful program for the 2021-2022 academic year.
The Robert H. Spitz Foundation is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports initiatives and programs serving the residents of Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Scranton Area Community Foundation serves as the administrator of the Robert H. Spitz Foundation.
Spitz Foundation Grant Supports University Program
-
10/01/2021
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) was recently awarded the Pennsylvania SBDC (PASBDC) 2019 and 2020 Center Performance Award, the 2020 Creative Funding Award and the 2020 Service Award for the Ag Center of Excellence.
In addition, consultant manager Donna Simpson, business consultant Keith Yurgosky and business consultant Gretchen Kukuchka are each the recipients of the PASBDC $2 Million Dollar Club Award for helping their clients obtain $2 million dollars in combined financing during 2020.
In addition, SBDC consultant manager Donna Simpson and business consultant Keith Yurgosky were both recognized for 25 Plus Years of Service.
Scranton’s SBDC serves Bradford, Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming counties.
Scranton SBDC Wins Pennsylvania SBDC Awards
-
09/30/2021
The University of Scranton has appointed 16 new full-time faculty members for the 2021-2022 academic year.
Wesam Alramadeen, was named lecturer in the Operations and Analytics Department. Previously, he has worked internationally for more than two decades as a business development and strategy advisor, consultant and senior engineer, among other positions. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering-telecommunication from Mutah University in Jordan, a MBA from German Jordanian University in Jordan, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering at Binghamton University.
Hossein Banitabaei, Ph.D., Vancouver, was named assistant professor in the Physics and Engineering Department. Dr. Banitabaei’s research expertise is in fluid dynamics and interfacial phenomena utilizing experimental techniques and numerical simulation methods. He has published several articles in reputable journals including a Featured Article in Physics of Fluids. Dr. Banitabaei earned his bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering and industrial engineering (systems analysis and planning), as well as a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology in Iran. He received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from York University in Toronto. Dr. Banitabaei was awarded a joint postdoctoral fellowship with BC Research Inc. in Vancouver and the University of British Columbia through which he worked on a project to develop a gel used for oil containment in large oil spill incidents.
Dana Brookover, Ph.D., NCC, Scranton, was named assistant professor in the Counseling and Human Services Department. A licensed school counselor and national certified counselor, Dr. Brookover worked as a professional school counselor in Virginia. She was an instructor at DePaul University, Villanova University and Virginia Commonwealth University prior to beginning at The University of Scranton. She has published over a dozen articles in refereed academic journals on topics that include the social health needs of college students and factors that influence the preparedness of first-generation college students. Dr. Brookover earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Christopher Newport University and her master’s degree in school counseling from the College of William and Mary. She graduated with her doctoral degree in counselor education and supervision from the Virginia Commonwealth University in December 2020.
Gerard Dumancas, Ph.D., Iloilo City, Philippines, was named associate professor in the Chemistry Department. Previously, he served as an associate professor of chemistry at Louisiana State University at Alexandria. His core research interests involve the development of novel spectroscopic and computational tools with a wide array of applications in edible oils, food science and biomedical research. During his career, Dr. Dumancas has generated more than $2 million in external research grants and has published more than a dozen articles in peer-reviewed academic journals. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Philippines and his Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Oklahoma State University.
Rachel Frissell, Spring Brook Township, was named faculty specialist in the Physics and Engineering Department. She worked as a process engineer at SRI International in Princeton, New Jersey, serving as the primary engineer on physical vapor deposition tools. She also worked in the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She studied geomagnetic field observations from Antarctica and presented her work at various conferences. Professor Frissell earned her bachelor’s degree in physics from the Robert E. Cook Honors College at Indiana University of Pennsylvania; her master’s degree in materials science and engineering from Virginia Tech; and her master’s in applied physics from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Dana Gadaire, Psy.D., Gainesville, Florida, was named visiting assistant professor in the psychology department. Last academic year, she taught in Scranton’s Counseling and Human Services Department. She is a licensed psychologist, social worker and board-certified behavior analyst who has established community-based clinical services in local primary care clinics where she works with physicians and nurses to promote access to behavioral health screening and treatment among underserved populations in our area. Dr. Gadaire has published extensively on empirically-supported practices to promote pediatric behavioral health including functional assessment, token-based interventions and activity schedules. She is particularly interested in the dissemination of community-based supports to address behavioral health disparities among underserved populations. Dr. Gadaire earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Florida, her master’s degree in social work from the University of Georgia, her master’s degree in clinical and community psychology from Georgia State University and her Doctor of Psychology in school psychology from the University of Southern Maine.
Natalie Gilboy, Clarks Summit, was named faculty specialist in the Nursing Department. She currently serves as a nurse practitioner with Pediatric Associates in Kingston. She earned certification in Pediatric Primary Care Mental Health Specialist through the Pediatric Nursing Board in 2018. Gilboy is also active in her community through participation with the Abington Heights High School Student Aid fund and the PTA and as a volunteer coach for school and sports teams. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing and her Family Nurse Practitioner master’s degree in nursing from The University of Scranton.
Alicia Hatcher, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the English and Theatre Department. Dr. Hatcher has served as an instructor and adjunct instructor at Fayetteville Technical Community College in North Carolina, and as an adjunct instructor at North Carolina Central University and Campbell University, also in North Carolina. Dr. Hatcher serves as a mentor for The Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition’s online mentoring program (2021-2022) and as co-editor of The Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics – Comics/Visual Rhetorics, Decoloniality, and Liberatory Futures special issue, which is slated for publication in the spring of 2022. Her research focuses on embodied, spatial and cultural rhetorics, specifically the ways bodies and spaces are used as rhetorical and symbolic tools in the fight against systemic oppression.
Dr. Hatcher earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, her master’s degree in English from North Carolina Central University and her Ph.D. in rhetoric, writing and professional communication from East Carolina University.
Nicole Hoskins, Ph.D., Chicago, Illinois, was named assistant professor in the Theology and Religious Studies Department. Dr. Hoskins received the Charlette W. Newcombe Fellowship, Louisville Institute Fellowship, and the Forum for Theological Education Fellowship to support her graduate research. She is also a member of the Society for the Study of Black Religion. Her current research project examines the religious and ecological practices of black women in Chicago’s Altgeld Gardens, an area sociologists identify as one of the most egregious cases of environmental racism in the U.S. Dr. Hoskins earned her bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Spelman College, her Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School, and her Ph.D. in religion and society from Drew University.
John Kaufman, Lehigh Valley, was named faculty specialist in the Computing Science Department. Professor Kaufman worked at IBM for 41 years in Endicott, Glendale, Fishkill and Poughkeepsie, New York as an advisory engineer on Unix Operating Systems and Networking. During his career at IBM, he received multiple recognition and leadership awards. Professor Kaufman earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from The University of Scranton and his master’s degree in telecommunication from Syracuse University. He is also an SAP Advisory Architect, trained by SAP America, and a graduate of LongRidge Writers Group.
Bibi Khan, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Biology Department. She was a post-doctoral fellow at the Noble Research Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma, and served as a lecturer at the University of Guyana. Dr. Khan’s research interests include plant molecular biology, plant cell biology, plant biotechnology and plant genetics. She has authored or co-authored nearly a dozen research studies that have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals. In 2004, she received a Fulbright scholarship to pursue graduate studies in the United States. Dr. Khan earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the University of Guyana. She earned her master’s degree in molecular plant pathology from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville and her Ph.D. in cell and molecular biology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Neelam Lahankar, Ph.D., Brooklyn, New York, was named faculty specialist in the Chemistry Department. She was an adjunct professor at CUNY New York City, Bergen County Community College in New Jersey and at New Jersey City University. She taught chemistry to 11th and 12th-grade students in Pune and Mumbai India. She is also certified in effective college instruction and teaching online. Dr. Lahankar earned her bachelor’s degree in science and mathematics from Pune University in India and her Ph.D. in chemistry from Seton Hall University, where she was awarded the Robert De Simone Graduate Fellowship.
David Mahalak, D.Eng., Dallas, was named faculty specialist in the Operations and Analytics Department. He has worked as a strategic business management consultant at Applied Logistics Integration Consulting, LLC. He was an adjunct professor at Wilkes University and Penn State University – Hazleton. Dr. Mahalak earned his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Wilkes University, his master’s degree in operations research from Northeastern University and his Doctorate of Engineering in engineering management from George Washington University. He also completed a master certificate program in supply chain management and operations at Michigan State University and a Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt Certificate at Villanova University.
Joseph Morrissey, Ph.D., was named lecturer in the Psychology Department. He was an instructor at Binghamton University for more than 15 years, and was also a lecturer at the University of Massachusetts in Boston and at Boston University. He served as an adjunct professor at Boston College and Regis College, as well as at several other colleges. He has developed pedagogical resources in his field. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in brain, behavior and cognition from Boston University.
Ashley Stampone, A.B.D., Old Forge, was named assistant professor in the Accounting Department. She joined the faculty at Scranton as a faculty specialist in 2016 and has received University and national accolades for her work. She was twice named Kania School of Management Professor of the Year. In 2019, she was honored with the Faculty Leadership Award from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) and in 2021 received IMA’s Ursel K. Albers IMA Campus Advocate of the Year Award. She also received the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Young Leaders Award for 2021. Professor Stampone earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting and her MBA from The University of Scranton. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at Scranton.
Ash Zareian, Ph.D., was named faculty specialist in the Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Department. He was a lecturer at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, where he also worked as a data analyst. He earned his bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Texas Pan American and his MBA and Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
The University of Scranton Appoints New Faculty Members
-
09/29/2021
“The University really is a miracle. It is a place in point of fact where miracles are commonplace; where dreams are nurtured; where hope is born in every generation, where the students have a friendship and a genius for loyalty, and therefore a place where friendships are strong and lifelong; where character is formed; where God is discovered, wrestled with, praised and served; where generosity is a way of life.” Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J., the 23rd president of The University of Scranton and current president of Fordham University
“What we need at this moment in higher education are leaders capable of distinguishing between the inevitable and the possible. Leaders with enough creativity and originality to write a new script for the future. And that, University of Scranton, is just one of the ways in which you are so blessed to have Joe Marina as your president.” Linda M. LeMura, Ph.D., president of Le Moyne College
“This campus and its students bring such a vibrant energy to our city and we are all proud to have such a world class institution in the heart of the city of Scranton. The University is a true exemplar of the best of Jesuit education.” U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright
“The city would not be what it is today without The University of Scranton. The University is a foundational institution in the community and as we do go forward it is paramount that we continue to build together.” Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton.
“At its core, the University continues to fulfill its original vision, rooted in the life of the church as a Catholic and Jesuit university animated by the spiritual vision and tradition of excellence characteristic of the Society of Jesus and those who share its way of proceeding.” Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton,
“In Father Marina, the board found a skilled academic leader and proven teacher who is also the ideal champion for mission and for community in all its richness.” James Slattery ’86, chair of The University of Scranton Board of Trustees
“Speaking for all Jesuits, you have our great affection, our prayers and every confidence that you will be a wonderful leader of this amazing place.” Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J., provincial of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus,
“We are absolutely privileged to have such a kind and thoughtful person leading The University of Scranton community as our new president. We have already noticed Father Marina’s genuine commitment to students and remain excited about the legacy he will leave on this University long after many of us have graduated. … While I’m sure his culinary skills are on point, it’s comforting to know that students aren’t the only ones who set of the fire alarm in Pilarz Hall.” Adrianna O. Smith ’22, president of Student Government
“More so than any other person I know, Joe has a stunningly acute sacramental vision. What I mean by that is that he sees clearly what is before him, but he also looks through those things, people, relationships, objects, impasses. He looks beyond them to see possibilities and newness. He sees the best of what can be and ultimately he sees how the finger of God is at work in all of it and in all of us.” Rev. Peter Folan, S.J., assistant professor of theology and religious studies at Georgetown University, in the Introduction of the President.
A recording of the ceremony can be viewed from the Inauguration website.
Quotes from the Inauguration of the 29th President
-
09/29/2021
The University of Scranton will host a lecture discussing “Muslims and the Making of America” with author Amir Hussain, Ph.D., professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University. The lecture will take place in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall on Friday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m.
Sponsored by the University’s Ellacuria Initiative and the Dialogue Across Differences initiative, the lecture is open to members of the University community and invited guests.
At the lecture, Dr. Hussain will discuss his book, “Muslims and the Making of America,” which looks at the historical role Islam and American Muslims have played in the foundation of American culture and its values. He will directly address negative stereotypes and discuss aspects of Islam’s history in America as it relates to music, sports and more.
Dr. Hussain is a board member for the American Academy of Religion. He has served as an advisor for National Geographic’s “The Story of God” with Morgan Freeman.
The University’s Ellacuria Initiative, previously named Education for Justice, provides discussions, lectures and other programming to explore the service of faith and the promotion of justice. The 2021-23 programming focuses on theme of “truth and reconciliation.” The University’s Political Dialogues Working Group is comprised of several of its campus partner offices and departments.
Author to Discuss Contributions of Muslims in U.S.
-
09/29/2021
Author and University of Scranton alumnus Yohuru Williams, Ph.D. ’93 G’93, will present “The Fire This Time: Racial Justice, Catholic Social Teaching, and the Promise of Jesuit Education in the Age of Black Lives Matter,” at The University of Scranton’s Values In Action Lecture on Oct. 4. The lecture is part of the University’s annual Royal Reads program, which introduces incoming students to Ignatian values through a shared reading experience of a selected book in addition to programming in courses and extra-curricular activities throughout the semester that expands discussion on themes first encountered in the book.
The book selected for members of Scranton’s Class of 2025 is James Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time, the 1963 national bestseller that delves into the grave consequences of racial injustice and calls readers to recognize the importance of advocating for racial equality.
The lecture for first-year students will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex. The lecture will be live streamed to the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center, the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall and the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center for other members of the University community.
Dr. Williams is the Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas. His research interests include African American history, civil rights, Black Power movements, African-American constitutional and legal history, urban history and 20th-century American history. He has authored and edited numerous books, including “Rethinking the Black Freedom Movement,” “Black Politics White Power, Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Black Panthers in New Haven” and “The Black Panthers: Portraits of an Unfinished Revolution,” among others. He has presented at numerous conferences, panels and public lectures and has appeared on a variety of national radio and television programs, including ABC, CNN, CSPAN, Fox Business News and NPR.
A former trustee of The University of Scranton, Dr. Williams earned his bachelor’s degrees in political science and history and a master’s degree in history from Scranton. He received a Ph.D. in history from Howard University.
Values In Action Lecture Examines Racial Justice
-
09/28/2021
The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management announced a gift of $1 million from John D. Dionne ’86 and Jacquelyn Dionne ‘89. The generous donation will be used to name and support two Kania honors programs: the Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program; and the Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program. The fund will support the growing Study Abroad program and other activities for students in these two honors programs, as well as other students enrolled in the Kania School of Management.
The Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program and the Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program are among the University’s five undergraduate programs of excellence. The Business Honors Program is a selective four-year program geared toward highly-motivated undergraduate students interested in pursuing academic excellence in business who will pursue honors studies in the areas of economics, entrepreneurship, operations management, accounting, finance, international business, marketing and management. The Business Leadership Honors Program is a highly-selective program students enter in their junior year. Participants explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
For over twenty-five years, the Dionnes have been good friends and generous benefactors of The University of Scranton and the Kania School of Management. The Dionnes were co-recipients of the 2013 University President’s Medal and were the driving force behind creating the Kania School Business Leader Hall of Fame. The green located at the heart of the University’s campus is named in their honor.
“I can’t thank you enough for your generosity and steadfast support. You are an example to our students and your fellow graduates and an inspiration to me.” said Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president, upon announcing the gift at his Inauguration as Scranton’s 29th president on Sept. 24.
A native of Scranton, Jackie Dionne is a registered nurse and received her bachelor’s degree in health administration from the University. She currently serves as an RN with elderly and Alzheimer’s patients. Jackie Dionne serves on the University’s Board of Trustees and previously served on its board from 2011 to 2017. She works with numerous charitable organizations, including the National Charity League, Horizons Organization of Bridgeport and Meals on Wheels.
A New Hampshire native, John Dionne graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics/finance and accounting from the University and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. A very successful business executive, he retired in 2013 as a senior managing director from the Blackstone Group. He currently serves as a senior advisor to Blackstone, is a senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School, and a director of Fortune 500 companies. A former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, John Dionne, helped launch the President’s Business Council and the annual award dinner. A frequent speaker in the Kania School of Management’s Executive in Residence program and other leading universities, he was recently ranked among Harvard’s top 50 most prominent alumni.
“We are grateful to honor two of the long-time icons of the Kania School in current Professor Dr. Robert McKeage and the late Dr. Frank Corcione. They share a demanding Jesuit philosophical ideal, illustrated by the quote of St. Luke – ‘from whom much is given, much is expected,’” said John Dionne. “Dr. Corcione was demanding but cared, and motivated students to give it their all. Wall Street is awash with ‘Corcione products.’”
“Additionally, we are pleased to enhance the rapidly growing demand by students for semesters abroad by making them more affordable. We believe the program is a life-changing experience and an exciting complement to a University of Scranton Catholic and Jesuit education,” added Jackie Dionne. “Dr. McKeage is award-winning, dedicated faculty member, who always places student learning first.”
University Receives 1 Million Dollar Donation
-
09/28/2021
Supported by a generous gift from the Dionne family, The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management will name two programs of excellence after faculty who have had a significant impact on the lives of Kania students: the Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program and the Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program.
About the Professors Honored
The legendary Frank P. Corcione, Ph.D., professor emeritus, retired in 2009 after 28 years of distinguished service to The University of Scranton. A member of the department of Economics and Finance and professor emeritus at Scranton, he taught a wide range of courses within his field. A highly-regarded professor, he was an imposing presence in the classroom and demanded students give their best. Generations of students will attest to the nervousness they felt when enrolling in his classes. However, in return, Dr. Corcione had a huge impact on the lives of many of his students. He was demanding but cared, and motivated students to give it their all. He used his strong connections with alumni to help students secure internships and jobs. Wall Street is awash with “Corcione products.” During his nearly 30 years at The University of Scranton, Dr. Corcione was active with the faculty union. He also served as a consultant working on economics damages cases and was widely respected for his formidable skill in providing courtroom testimony. A native of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Dr. Corcione earned a bachelor’s degree from Moravian College. He earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Lehigh University. He proudly served in the U.S Marine Corps from 1958 to 1962. Sadly, he passed away in December 2020 and is survived by his widow Sandy, sons Christopher and Matthew, and grandson Michael.
A distinguished professor who has served as a faculty member at The University of Scranton since 1974, Robert L. McKeage, Ph.D. ’71, G’73, is the director of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program and an associate professor of marketing and management in the Kania School of Management. Dr. McKeage played a key role in the development of Scranton’s Business Leadership Honors Program, which has graduated more than 200 elite students who have completed the prestigious two-year program. An award-winning, dedicated faculty member, who always places student learning first, Dr. McKeage’s numerous teaching accolades include the Alpha Sigma Nu’s Edward Gannon Award for Teaching, the Kania School of Management’s Student’s Choice Award for Teaching and the Provost’s Enhancement Award for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. In 2011, he was awarded the University’s O’Hara Award, which is the highest honor bestowed jointly by the University and its Alumni Society. Most recently, he was named an Alperin Teaching Fellow. Dr. McKeage is an active volunteer in the greater Scranton area, serving on several regional non-profit boards. A native of Montrose, Pennsylvania, Dr. McKeage holds both a Bachelor of Science in Management and a Master’s in Business Administration from The University of Scranton. He also earned a Master’s of Science from Lehigh University and a Ph.D. from Temple University.
John D. Dionne ’86 and Jacquelyn Dionne ’89 said in the announcement of their gift of $1 million:
“We are grateful to honor two of the long-time icons of the Kania School in current Professor Dr. Robert McKeage and the late Dr. Frank Corcione. They share a demanding Jesuit philosophical ideal, illustrated by the quote of St. Luke – ‘from whom much is given, much is expected,’”
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president, announced the gift at his Inauguration as Scranton’s 29th president, thanking the Dionnes' for their “generosity and steadfast support. You are an example to our students and your fellow graduates and an inspiration to me.”
About the Programs of Excellence
The Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program and the Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program are among the University’s five undergraduate programs of excellence. The Business Honors Program is a selective four-year program geared toward highly-motivated undergraduate students interested in pursuing academic excellence in business who will pursue honors studies in the areas of economics, entrepreneurship, operations management, accounting, finance, international business, marketing and management. The Business Leadership Honors Program is a highly-selective program students enter in their junior year. Participants explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
Two Honors Programs Named After Professors
-
09/27/2021
The University of Scranton named six individuals to its Board of Trustees: John Boken P’16, P’22; Rev. Thomas W. Neitzke, S.J.; Crystal E. Newby, Ed.D. ’04, G’08; Rev. Angelo J. (“A.J.”) Rizzo, S.J. ’03; Joseph L. Sorbera Jr. P’08, P’08; and Anthony J. Yanni, M.D. ’88, P’21, P’23.
Boken is a managing director in the turnaround and restructuring services practice at AlixPartners, an international consultancy firm. With more than 30 years of corporate turnaround and restructuring experience, he specializes in complex, high profile, national and cross-border cases, including NRG Energy (2004) and Flying J (2011). He has often been appointed to senior management positions in client engagements, including serving as CEO, COO, CFO, and Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO), helping companies address and resolve financial and operational distress. Recently, he served as Deputy CRO for Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) in its landmark Chapter 11 bankruptcy case in California. His experience spans a variety of industries, including energy, logistics, entertainment, homebuilding, industrial construction, manufacturing, retail, health care and agriculture.
Boken started his professional career at Arthur Andersen, ultimately becoming a principal and co-owner of a premier boutique restructuring advisory firm, Zolfo Cooper. In 2018, he and his partners merged their firm with AlixPartners, where he now serves in both a leadership capacity and continues as a senior client restructuring advisory practitioner. In addition, Boken serves on the board of directors for The Pasha Group.
Boken holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Santa Clara University. He resides in South Pasadena, California, with his wife, Susie. They are the parents of three children: Brendan ’16, Connell and Eryn ’22.
Father Neitzke, Ed.D., is the dean and executive director at Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago. Previously, he served as president of Creighton Preparatory School and was also an adjunct faculty member at Creighton University’s Graduate School. He has taught courses in strategic and political leadership, school law and foundations of education, and has supervised internships in elementary/secondary administration. He is also an adjunct faculty member for the Jesuit Worldwide Learning: Higher Education at the Margins.
Father Neitzke served as chairman of the board at Creighton Preparatory School before his term as president, and currently serves on the boards of Marquette University, Marquette University High School and the Jesuit Academy. Previously, he served on the boards of Georgetown Preparatory School, Loyola Academy, Seattle University, Brophy College Preparatory School and the Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands.
Father Neitzke earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Loyola University in Chicago, a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of San Francisco, a Master of Divinity degree from Santa Clara University and a doctorate from Creighton University focusing on educational leadership.
Dr. Newby recently accepted the role of senior director of strategic admission, access and diversity initiatives at the College Board. Previously, Dr. Newby served as the inaugural director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, where she served for eight years. Earlier in her career, she worked in college admission offices at The University of Scranton, Montclair State University and Bloomsburg University.
Most recently, Dr. Newby joined the Advisory Council for the Philadelphia College Prep Roundtable, a college access and completion network. In addition, she served as a selection committee member from 2015-2020 for the American School Counselor Association’s School Counselor of the Year award. In 2020, she interviewed Professor Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of “How to be an Antiracist and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” co-authored by Jason Reynolds. In June 2021, Dr. Newby had an essay published in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: I’m Speaking Now: Black Women Share Their Truth in 101 Stories of Love, Courage and Hope.”
Dr. Newby earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from The University of Scranton and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. At her undergraduate commencement at Scranton, Dr. Newby received the Lawrence A. Mann Award, which recognizes leadership and service to the University community. As a student at Scranton, she was an active member of Performance Music, United Colors, Liva Arts Company and University Players. She also served as a resident assistant, orientation assistant and student teleworker.
Father Rizzo is a priest of the U.S.A. East Province of the Society of Jesus, who began serving as the president of Scranton Preparatory School in July 2021. Most recently, he served as director of mission and identity at Regis High School in New York City.
Fr. Rizzo taught English, religion and Latin at Scranton Prep from 2011 to 2014. An alumnus of St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, he previously ministered at several other Jesuit high schools on the east coast. He served at his alma mater as a volunteer teacher in the school’s Alumni Service Corps. He also served as the director of Christian service at Loyola Blakefield for three years. He entered the Society of Jesus in 2007 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2017. He served as assistant pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola parish in Baltimore, and earlier was a deacon at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Oakland, California.
Fr. Rizzo has served as a trustee of St. Ignatius High School, St. Elizabeth High School and Fairfield Preparatory School.
Father Rizzo earned bachelor’s degrees in both biology and philosophy from The University of Scranton, a master’s degree in pastoral counseling from Loyola University Maryland; a master’s degree in humanities from Fordham University, and a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University. Fr. Rizzo was awarded a doctorate in Catholic educational leadership from the University of San Francisco.
Sorbera is the CEO and president of JLS Cost Management Systems, Inc., based in New York City. His firm manages finances, costs and strategies associated with major construction projects being conducted by businesses across the United States and Europe. He also serves as a long-standing member of the board of directors-executive management committee of Bideawee, a 118-year-old animal rescue and adoption organization.
Since 2004, Sorbera has served The University of Scranton in multiple capacities: first as an involved parent, then in a leadership position alongside then-President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., in the Pride, Passion and Promise Capital Campaign. He has served as an executive-in-residence for Kania School of Management and as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees from 2009-2015. He is currently a member of the President’s Business Council and was honored with the President’s Medal in 2018.
Sorbera earned his bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Phoenix. He and his late wife, Diane, have three children Christina, Diana ’08 and Joseph III ’08, and a granddaughter, Danielle Marie.
Dr. Yanni is senior vice president and head of patient centricity at Astellas, where he is responsible for leading the development and execution of the company’s global patient centricity strategy across all functions of the organization. With a shared vision to better and more genuinely understand the patient journey in the real-world setting, along with the continued development of a patient-centered corporate culture worldwide, one area in which he is focused is on creating sustainable processes to address key areas that matter to patients and applying their unique insights to the entire product lifecycle – from early research to development and, ultimately, to utilization.
Previously, Dr. Yanni held multiple roles at Sanofi, most recently serving as head of patient insights, solutions and outcomes where he led a global team to create a first-in-industry process to integrate the patient and clinician perspective into research portfolio decision-making. Earlier in his career, Dr. Yanni spent nearly 15 years in clinical practice serving as a primary care physician, chief of internal medicine and chief medical officer for a health system in the Northeastern United States.
Dr. Yanni currently serves on the board of directors for Patient Focused Medical Development. He was selected as one of 2021’s 100 Most Inspiring People in the life-sciences industry by PharmaVoice Magazine.
Dr. Yanni earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, a MBA from the University of Massachusetts and a M.D. from Drexel University School of Medicine (formerly Hahnemann). He is married to Karen (Fagin) Yanni ’88, G’08, and they have four children: Patrick, Gina, Nicholas ’21 and Elisa ’23.
The University of Scranton Names Six New Trustees
-
09/24/2021
“A Fire That Kindles Other Fires,” the theme chosen for the Inauguration of Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., as the 29th president of The University of Scranton, was evident throughout the address given by the new president at the ceremony. In his Inaugural Address, Father Marina referred to remarks of former Scranton presidents, words of Jesuit superior generals, the life of St. Ignatius and the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff, alumni and others, to illustrate the influence one person can have on others.
“In his first inaugural address, Father Pilarz referred to our University as a miracle in the mountains. And that’s exactly what it is. But it didn’t take long for me to notice that Scranton is also a vineyard in the valley, a place where hard work, dedication, and an authentic commitment to the ideals and characteristics of Catholic and Jesuit higher education converge for the benefit of the students we serve,” said Father Marina. “This vineyard produces sweet and abundant grapes and our harvest is a harvest to be envied. … The credit goes to our wonderful students, our amazing faculty and staff, loyal trustees, alumni and benefactors who, year after year, have cultivated the soil of this vineyard to make it rich and nurturing.”
Father Marina said the term “a fire that kindles other fires,” from the second decree of the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, “is a metaphor that every Jesuit work, and every member of that work, can take on in a personal and apostolic way. The University of Scranton is, without a doubt, a fire that kindles other fires – one that illuminates and warms rather than burns and destroys.”
Father Marina referred to the University’s sense of community as its greatest asset.
“The community that is Scranton is authentic, and you can feel it almost immediately when stepping onto our beautiful campus. We are a family,” said Father Marina. “Our community is not an insulated one. It is grounded in God’s love. Our university exists because of Jesus Christ. And our future will be stoked by the fire of the Holy Spirit for decades to come. This triune reality makes our community open to all, not despite their differences, but precisely because of them. We are made stronger by our diversity and by our love for one another.”
Father Marina closed his remarks citing advice he received from Scranton’s 23rd president, Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J., currently the president of Fordham University: “If you love The University of Scranton, if you truly love it, then marvelous things are bound to happen.”
Father Marina said that is “exactly” what he intends to do, and asked others to “please join me as we carry our mission forward, or, more rightly, may I join you? So that, together, we can cultivate this wonderful vineyard in the valley and be that fire that kindles other fires.”
The Inauguration occurred during the Ignatian Year, the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus.
Nearly 1,500 members of the University community and invited guests attended the Inauguration, including representatives from more than 45 colleges and universities; Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J., provincial of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, who presented the Missioning of the President at the ceremony; Scranton’s Mayor Paige Cognetti, who provided greetings from the city; and Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, who provided the Invocation, among others. Recorded greetings were given by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright and U.S. Senator Bob Casey, a Scranton native. The Inauguration also featured the performance of an original work composed for the Inauguration by David Lantz III, titled “To the Ends of the Earth.”
A recording of the ceremony is available for viewing. Photos from the event can be seen on the University’s Inauguration Flickr album.
In addition to the Inauguration Ceremony, an Inauguration Mass is planned for Saturday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. on campus. An Inauguration Concert is set for Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. The events coincide with Family Weekend.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton Celebrates Inauguration of 29th President
-
09/24/2021
Inauguration Date: Sept. 24, 2021
Ignatian Year - commemorating the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus
Theme: “A Fire that Kindles Other Fires” – The Inauguration theme is quoted from Decree 2 of the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus.
Attendance: Nearly 1,500
Number of Colleges and Universities Represented: 41
Oldest College Represented: University of Pennsylvania (established 1740)
Newest College Represented: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medical College (established 2008)
Number of School Presidents in Attendance: 11
Former University of Scranton Presidents in Attendance: 3
Quotable: “The 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, in its second decree, proposed the symbol of a fire that kindles other fires. This term was first used in reference to St. Alberto Hurtdado of Chile and later intended for the renewal of all Jesuits. But it wasn’t meant for them alone. This is a metaphor that every Jesuit work, and every member of that work, can take on in a personal and apostolic way. The University of Scranton is, without a doubt, a fire that kindles other fires – one that illuminates and warms rather than burns and destroys.” Inaugural Address of Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., President of The University of Scranton.
World Premiere at Inauguration: First performance of a new work for combined band and choir entitled “To The Ends Of The Earth,” composed by David Lantz III with a text inspired by themes from the 35thGeneral Congregation of The Society of Jesus.
Quick Facts on Inauguration of the 29th President
-
09/22/2021
Those of us who are older recall growing-up hearing the lyrics to the old 1936 song “pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.” The Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields song about endurance was used to encourage us to be resilient when we stumbled and fell.
Colleges today are composing new creations to encourage the same endurance to overcome hardships among their students and The University of Scranton’s innovative resiliency programming received a national accolade in being awarded the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ 2021 Ignatian Medal for Outstanding Academic Partnership.
Scranton’s Resilient Royals initiative, developed by Student Life staff and faculty partners, includes signature events and peer education components, as well as resilience training embedded into the classroom curriculum. The programming is intended to address student needs related to their resilience and self-compassion based on data gathered from their participation in the National Collegiate Health Assessment.
“The Resilient Royals initiative seeks to normalize struggle and failure while helping students to understand the benefit of growth that can occur by overcoming challenges and for student to develop a greater awareness of resilience and self-compassion,” said Lauren Rivera, J.D., dean of students and assistant vice president for student life at The University of Scranton, who leads the initiative on campus.
Dean Rivera said national research suggests that the current generation of college students often struggles to view challenge or failure with a growth mindset. As a result, higher education professionals are helping students to develop a growth mindset as well as other healthy coping skills to successfully navigate academic and non-academic challenges of college life.
Scranton’s Resilient Royals programming included a 2019 Fail Forward panel discussion which was attended by 298 people. A survey conducted immediately following the program showed 98 percent of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the Fail Forward Panel helped them to realize that encountering challenges and experiencing failure is a normal part of life, and 94 percent of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that the panel inspired them to reflect on how they have coped with and navigated setbacks and challenges in their own life. A survey conducted of attendees one month after the program showed 54 percent of respondents always or frequently viewed challenges, failures and setbacks in their life as opportunities to learn and grow, and 36 percent of respondents practiced self-compassion.
Resilient Royals programming also included interactive “Fail It Forward Boards,” which were created and displayed at various times and locations on campus. The boards invite students to write in six words or less of a recent struggle or failure. Students were invited to take a message of encouragement written on a sticky notepad or to leave a message of encouragement for another student.
“The boards helped students to recognize that they are not alone in experiencing struggle,” said Dean Rivera, who noted through the Fail It Forward Boards, the Center for Health and Wellness’s Peer Health Education team provided educational information to more than 1,000 students during the 2019-2020 academic year.
In addition to other programming and peer education components, the initiative provided training to faculty members to support their understanding of and ability to integrate resilience development into their courses. Pre- and post-test data of nine faculty members who included resiliency components in their courses show students began to engage in practices to help build their resilience (e.g., mindfulness, gratitude journaling) after talking about resilience in class. Also, pre-and post-test data suggests that students developed a growth mindset over the course of the semester, viewing challenges and failures as opportunities to learn and grow.
Dean Rivera said Resilient Royals was “a labor of love” involving the contribution of many members of the University community, including Stephanie Adamec, director of the University’s Center for Health Education and Wellness; Vince Rocco, faculty specialists for the Alperin Lab in the Kania School of Management; Tara Hamilton-Fay, faculty specialist in biology; Teresa Conte, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Nursing Department; Geri Barber, director of the Counselor Training Center of the Panuska College of Professionals Studies; and Sherry Dougherty counselor in the University’s Counseling Center, among others.
The success of the endurance lessons of Resilient Royals illustrate today what the 1936 lyrics say: “Don’t lose your confidence if you slip, be grateful for a pleasant trip, and pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.”
Resilient Royals Wins National Prize
-
09/22/2021
Forbes ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Top Colleges” for the 13th year. Scranton is the only college in Northeast Pennsylvania to be named among the 600 elite colleges listed in the 2021 ranking, which was published online on Sept. 8. Scranton, ranked No. 425, was among just 35 colleges in Pennsylvania that Forbes selected as “America’s Top Colleges.”
The ranking by Forbes analyzed “outputs” of a college education, weighting alumni salaries at one to four years and 10 years after graduation the most at 20 percent of their overall score. The methodology used by Forbes also looked at graduation rates (15 percent), student debt (15 percent) and the number of alumni making the Forbes “American Leaders” lists (15 percent), such as its “Forbes 400” and “Richest Self-Made Women” lists, as well as alumni who won national and international awards or positions, such as winners of the Nobel Prize and graduates who are members of the Supreme Court. Forbes also rated retention rate (10 percent), academic success (10 percent), as measured by alumni winning prestigious academic scholarships, such as Fulbright and Truman scholarships, and a “return on investment” measurement (15 percent), which calculates the time it takes for students to pay their college debt based on the “post-enrollment earnings boost students get compared their typical salary of a high school graduate in their state.”
Also in September, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” in the 2022 edition of their “Best Colleges” guidebook, marking the 28th consecutive year that U.S. News ranked Scranton among the top 10 universities in its category. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category in its “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching;” No. 45 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North;” and No. 138 in its category in “Top Performers on Social Mobility.” In national rankings, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 166 among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs;” No. 185 among “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs;” and No. 148 among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs.”
Scranton Named Among Top Colleges in America
-
09/20/2021
On Saturday, Sept. 25, Performance Music at The University of Scranton’s Family Weekend President’s Concert will celebrate the Inauguration of Joseph G. Marina, S.J., as the University’s 29th President.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. inside the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue.
The concert is open to invited guests, parents and family members visiting campus for Family Weekend and all members of the University community. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. All audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir will both perform at the concert, which is in commemoration of Father Marina’s Inauguration. The performance will include the second performance of a new work for combined band and soprano, alto, tenor and bass (SATB) choir commissioned for Father Marina’s inauguration, entitled “To The Ends Of The Earth,” composed by David Lantz III with a text inspired by themes from the 35thGeneral Congregation of The Society of Jesus. The work will receive its premiere at the Inauguration Ceremony on Sept. 24, the day before the concert, and the composer will be conducting the work at both the Inauguration Ceremony and the concert.
The concert will also include a short four-part choral work that was written as a gift to the University by Dr. Wycliffe Gordon H. ’06, “We Give In To Your Will”, which has become an Inauguration tradition at Scranton.
In addition, surprise guest performances with a “family” theme will be part of the event, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. Guest artists for the evening include the composer’s wife Marti Lantz (who will serve as pianist for the performance), Boga’s son Joseph (trumpeter with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks and The Louis Armstrong Eternity Band) and his girlfriend Kako Miura (acclaimed solo and chamber music violinist).
For more information on the Family Weekend Concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Family Weekend Concert Celebrates Inauguration
-
09/16/2021
Twenty-three University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the fall semester at 10 local schools in the following ten school districts: Blue Ridge, Commonwealth Charter, Dunmore, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Pittston Area, Valley View, Wayne Highlands, Western Wayne and Wilkes-Barre Area.
The following is a list of undergraduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the fall semester.
Delany Adams of White House Station, New Jersey, is teaching at Blue Ridge Elementary School;
Amanda Benko of Allentown is teaching at Valley View Elementary School;
Arianna Boelens of Hackettstown, New Jersey, is teaching at Mayfield Elementary School;
Alexandra Colecchia of Freehold, New Jersey, is teaching at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Halle Conklin of Point Lookout, New York, is teaching at Bear Creek Community Charter School;
Adrianna Creighton of Farmingdale, New Jersey, is teaching at Valley View Elementary School;
Bridget Fry of East Windsor, New Jersey, is teaching at Valley View Elementary School;
Angela Grissinger of Moscow is teaching at Valley View Elementary School;
Stephanie Hoffmann of Staten Island, New York, is teaching at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Caroline Hudson of Ramsey, New Jersey, is teaching at Pittston Intermediate School;
Samuel Krompinger of Holbrook, New York, is teaching at Evergreen Elementary School;
Jillian Lambdin of Plainview, New York, is teaching at Blue Ridge Elementary School;
Reilly Medzadourian of Township Washington, New Jersey, is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Thomas Nagle of Berwyn is teaching at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Erin Pepe of Edison, New Jersey, is teaching at Pittston Intermediate School;
Jennifer Relovsky of Marlton, New Jersey, is teaching at Valley View Elementary School;
Theresa Scarola of Glen Head, New York, is teaching at Lakeside Elementary School;
Chloe Schubert of Jackson, New Jersey, is teaching at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Natalie Sottile of Taylor is teaching at Valley View Elementary School;
Katie Tubridy of Manor, New York, is teaching at Bear Creek Community Charter School;
Alexa Untener of Stoney Point, New York, is teaching at Lakeside Elementary School;
Kierston Van Fleet of Old Forge is teaching at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Grace Winterle of Havertown is teaching at Bear Creek Community Charter School.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
09/15/2021
The University of Scranton announced today that more than 96 percent of its students, faculty and staff who are on campus for the fall semester are fully vaccinated. The University implemented a vaccine requirement for the return of in-person classes and activities for the fall 2021 semester, which began on Monday, Aug. 30.
Vaccination rates above 90 percent were found to be important for resuming normal campus activity, according to a recently released study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Students attending classes on campus were required to submit vaccine information through the school’s Student Health Services and employees were required to attest to their vaccination status through the Office of Human Resources. In accordance with Pennsylvania law, students and employees could request a waiver to the vaccine requirement for religious or medical reasons.
Students attending fully-online graduate courses were not required to submit vaccine information.
According to University records, nearly 96 percent of students and more than 97 percent of staff are fully vaccinated. The University expects these percentages to increase in the coming weeks as individuals with one dose of the vaccine receive their second dose.
Unvaccinated members of the University community who were granted a waiver to be on campus during the fall semester must participate in weekly PCR testing and wear a mask when indoors and when outdoors when social distancing is not possible, among other health and safety requirements as outlined in the University’s Royals Back Together plan.
Vaccinated individuals do not need to participate in COVID-19 surveillance testing.
Following CDC guidelines, the University will adjust indoor masking requirements for vaccinated individuals based on community spread. A Mask Status tile on the Royals Back Together webpage will indicate if masks are required indoors for vaccinated individuals, as well as other health and safety requirements. (Currently, the University is requiring all individuals to wear masks indoors through Oct. 4, and the access to the campus is limited to University community members, invited guests and others as outlined in its Royals Back Together plan. The University will update information on or before Oct. 4).
More than 96 Percent Vaccinated at Scranton
-
09/14/2021
The Ignatian mission of The University of Scranton will take a preeminent role in the Inauguration of Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., as the 29th president of The University of Scranton. The Inauguration will occur as the Society of Jesus celebrates an Ignatian Year, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus.
The Inauguration theme, “A Fire that Kindles Other Fires,” is quoted from Decree 2 of the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus.
The Decree reads: “Legend has it that Saint Ignatius, when he sent Saint Francis Xavier to the East, told him: ‘go, set the world alight.’ With the birth of the Society of Jesus, a new fire was lit in a changing world. A novel form of religious life came about, not through human enterprise but as a divine initiative. The fire that was set alight then continues to burn in our Jesuit life today, as was said about Saint Alberto Hurtado, ‘a fire that kindles other fires.’ With it, we are called to set all things alight with the love of God.”
The formal Inauguration Ceremony for Father Marina will take place on Friday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. on campus for members of the University community and invited guests. The University will livestream the event. A luncheon will immediately follow the ceremony.
In addition to the Inauguration Ceremony, an Inauguration Mass is planned for Saturday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. on campus. An Inauguration Concert, set for Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, will feature an original work composed for the Inauguration by David Lantz III, titled “To the Ends of the Earth.”
The events coincide with Family Weekend. Parents and family members visiting campus for the weekend are welcome to attend the Inauguration events.
Thomas MacKinnon, vice president for university advancement, and Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, are serving as co-chairs for the Inauguration Celebration.
Additional information is available on The Inauguration of Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., website.
Inauguration Celebrates Jesuit Mission of University
-
09/14/2021
The stunningly cross-genre combo Port Mande Quartet will kick off Performance Music at The University of Scranton’s fall 2021 concert season on Saturday, Sept. 18.
The concert, presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, will begin at 7:30 p.m. inside the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, downtown Scranton.
Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis for invited guests of Performance Music and all members of the University community.
Port Mande is a collaborative partnership between clarinetist Mark Dover of Imani Winds and pianist/producer Jeremy Ajani Jordan. For this performance, they will be joined by Johannes Felscher, bass, and Jimmy Macbride, drums.
A play on a “portmanteau” – a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two words – Port Mande appropriately blends Dover and Jordan’s vast musical influences and work within the classical, jazz, hip hop, gospel, pop, electronic and world music genres. The duo’s overriding mission is to bring all cultures of people together by embracing music of all types, and in July 2020 they released their self-produced debut EP, “Is This Loss?”
Individually, Dover and Jordan have collaborated and performed with numerous marquee artists, among them Yo Yo Ma, Anthony McGill, Gil Kalish, Imani Winds, Vulfpeck, Edward Simon, Brian Blade, Scott Colley, David Binney, Cyrille Aimee, Charles Yang and the Temptations.
Recently, Port Mande has performed original music at National Sawdust as part of Chris Gryme’s Open G Series, as well at National Sawdust live on Chicago’s WFMT and New York City’s WKCR, premiering Jonathan Ragonese’s “Non-Poem 4” as part of the Live at National Sawdust Series and Relevant Tones. In addition, they have played Emerald City Music in Seattle, Lyrica Music in New Jersey and other New York venues including DROM, Spectrum and Rockwood Music Hall.
Dover is a member of the award-winning Imani Winds, and serves on the faculty of The Curtis Institute of Music, Rutgers Mason Gross School of the Arts and the Aaron Copland School of Music at CCNY Queens.
A winner of The Steinway Concerto Competition, Jordan has appeared as a soloist and with chamber ensembles and orchestras throughout the world.
All audience members must wear masks throughout the performance. University campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Port Mande, visit: markdovermusic.com/port-mande.
Performance Music Starts Fall Concerts Saturday
-
09/14/2021
Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of the Environmental Studies Concentration at The University of Scranton, received a 2021 Women in Conservation Award from PennFuture, an independent, nonpartisan environmental advocacy organization. Dr. Nolan received the award for Woman of Environmental Education.
Dr. Nolan joined the faculty at Scranton in 2008. She teaches Environmental and Conservation Psychology and Social Psychology, among other courses, and runs the Conservation Psychology Lab at the University. The Conservation Psychology Lab studies the human impact on the environment and uses the tools and methods of psychology to understand and solve environmental problems. Her research focuses on the application of psychological tools and principles to understand and solve environmental problems. She has studied the effects of normative social influence on various environmental behaviors, including energy conservation and household recycling. Dr. Nolan has published more than a dozen articles on environmental behavior in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has presented her research at numerous professional conferences.
In her role as director of the Environmental Studies Concentration, Dr. Nolan has partnered with local environmental groups such as Friends of Lackawanna, Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and the Lackawanna River Conservation Association to sponsor more than a dozen co-curricular events for students and the local community.
In 2018, Dr. Nolan received the University’s Excellence in Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum Award. This award is given to a faculty member who strives for excellence in teaching about sustainability and makes extraordinary efforts to introduce concepts of sustainability into the curriculum.
Dr. Nolan is also the founder of Green Drinks Scranton, an informal networking group that provides a forum for area residents interested in environmental issues to connect and learn from one another.
Dr. Nolan earned her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University, her master’s degree at California State University and her Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas.
Psychology Professor Receives Conservation Award
-
09/14/2021
The University of Scranton President’s Business Council (PBC) announced that the 20th Annual Award Dinner, planned for Thursday, Oct. 7, at Gotham Hall in New York City, has been canceled due to complications related to the ongoing pandemic. The PBC will instead offer a virtual celebration on Thursday, Nov. 18, which will honor John E. (Jack) Brennan ’68, P’06, in memoriam, and will also provide a retrospective look at the first twenty years of the PBC.
“Working in consultation with our New York City-based PBC leadership team, we decided that hosting a virtual event in November was best for the University, our honorees and all of our constituents,” said Timothy J. Pryle ’89, executive director of the PBC. “We are confident that we can build on our extremely successful virtual event last year as we honor the late Jack Brennan and reflect on the first twenty years of the PBC.”
Patricia A. Byrnes Clarke ’86, P’17,’19 and Thomas P. O’Brien ’86, P’19, who were also scheduled to be honored on Oct. 7, will be the honorees for the October 2022 PBC Dinner.
The PBC was formed in 2001 by the University and a prominent group of alumni and friends with the purpose of advancing the mission of the University. The PBC is committed to strengthening the Scranton network in the business sectors and to providing mentoring, internship and career support for current students and meaningful engagement opportunities for alumni, parents and friends. At the PBC’s Annual Award Dinner, an honoree is presented with the University’s President’s Medal, which recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and who have demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others. Proceeds from the dinner go directly to the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
Additional details regarding this year’s virtual celebration will follow.
PBC Opts for Virtual Celebration Honoring Jack Brennan
-
09/14/2021
Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Sept. 14 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Arguing at the Supreme Court in a Time of Conflict” presented by Neal Katyal, partner at Hogan Lovells and the Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center. Remote presentation. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Sept. 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Port Mande Quartet, Mark Dover, clarinet and Jeremy Ajani Jordan, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 20 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Biden and the World” by presented by Trudy Rubin, Worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Remote presentation. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Sept. 24 11 a.m. The Inauguration of Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., as the 29th President of The University of Scranton. Dionne Campus Green. Invited guests and University community members only. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@Scranton.edu.
Sept. 25 4 p.m. Inauguration Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Invited guests, University community members and Family Weekend guests only. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@Scranton.edu.
Sept. 25 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Family Weekend President’s Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir with surprise guest artists. Houlihan-McLean Center. Invited guests, University community members and Family Weekend guests only. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 28 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The 2020 Pennsylvania Presidential Election Litigation” presented by Dan Brier and Donna Walsh, partners, Myers, Brier and Kelly, LLP. Remote presentation. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 1 3 p.m. Lecture: “Muslims and the Making of America” by author Amir Hussain, Ph.D., professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Oct. 4 7:30 p.m. Ignatian Values In Action Lecture by author Yohuru Williams, Ph.D., G’93, as part of the Royal Reads program 2021-2022 book “The Fire Next Time” by James Baldwin. Byron Recreation Complex. First-Year students only. Lecture will be live streamed for others University community members and guests in LSC 133, BRB 228 and TDC 401. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Oct. 7 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Jane Jacobs’ First City: What Comes Next?” presented by Paige Cognetti, mayor, City of Scranton. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 14 8:30 a.m. 20th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities. Year III.” This virtual conference will include daylong live events as well as pre-recorded session offerings. Free. Registration opens mid-September. Call 570-941-7819 or visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference.
Oct. 15 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Democracy in America? An Outsider’s View” presented by Fintan O’Toole, columnist for The Irish Times and the Leonard L. Milberg Lecturer in Irish Letters, Princeton. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Alexander Pattavina, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 20 4:30 p.m. Asian Studies Lecture: “Moral Psychology of Confucian Shame: Shame of Shamelessness” presented by Bongrae Seok, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, Alvernia University. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. No registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Oct. 23 7:45 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip “Back to Gotham! NYC!” $150. Registration required to reserve a spot by Oct. 1 as spaces are limited. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 24 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 24 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Bach for Humanity” featuring Mark Kosower, cello. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 26 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The Holocaust and Jewish-Christian Relations” presented by Dr. Carol Rittner, RSM, distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, New Jersey. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu
Oct. 30 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest artist John-Morgan Bush, horn. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 4 Noon. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “This Community’s Medical College: How advances in pedagogy and technology, and the pandemic, have shaped medical education in the 21st century” presented by Steven Scheinman, M.D., president and dean, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; executive vice president and chief academic officer, Geisinger. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 7 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Beethoven’s Deafness: Psychological Crises and Artistic Triumph” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Reception to follow. Scranton Cultural Center at Masonic Temple. Registration required. $30. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble with guest artist Benny Benack III, voice and trumpet. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 18-20 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “The Addams Family” presented by Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $7. Call 570-941-7401 or email joelle.cote@scranton.edu.
Nov. 20 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 4 8 p.m. (Prelude begins at 7:05 p.m.) Performance Music: “54th Annual Noel Night” featuring The University of Scranton Singers, Instrumental Chamber Ensembles, and pianist Ron Stabinsky. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu
Dec. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Recital.” Performance music student musicians perform solo, duet, trio, and small group renditions of a variety of Christmas favorites. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items, or a monetary donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Wednesdays: Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 and Nov. 3, 10 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Social and Moral Issues in Information Technology” presented by Kevin Nordberg, Ph.D., professor emeritus, philosophy and Latin American studies, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Fall Semester Events Planned at University
-
09/13/2021
U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” in the 2022 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook, which became available online today. U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 universities in its category for 28 consecutive years.
U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category in its “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”
In addition, Scranton was ranked No. 45 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” which compares academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the ninth consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was ranked No. 138 in its category in “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” which looks at schools that enroll and graduate “large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants.”
In national rankings, as opposed to listings by category, U.S. News included Scranton among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” ranking Scranton at No. 166 in the U.S., “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” at No. 185 (where doctorate is not offered); and among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs,” ranking Scranton No. 148 in the nation.
U.S. News uses data on 17 measures of academic quality to rank 1,466 bachelor’s degree colleges in the America. For its rankings, U.S. News considers a range of quality indicators that include an “outcomes” measurement” (40 percent), which assesses graduation rates; freshman retention; a social mobility score; graduate indebtedness; and graduation performance rates, which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class. U.S. News ranking analysis also includes a peer assessment of academic excellence (20 percent); faculty resources (20 percent), which includes class size and regional cost-of-living adjustments to faculty pay and benefits; student excellence (7 percent), as measured by SAT or ACT scores and high school ranking of students in the top 25 percent of their class; financial resources (10 percent); and alumni giving (3 percent).
U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.
The 2022 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 13. The printed edition of the guidebook will be available in bookstores Nov. 2.
To read more about all the accolades the University has received visit our Outcomes & National Recognition page.
$content.getChild('content').textValueU.S. News Ranks Scranton No. 5 in 2022 Guidebook
-
09/10/2021
University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., sent the following reflection about the 20th anniversary of 9/11 to the University and alumni community on Sept. 10, 2021.
In the Madonna della Strada Chapel, on a wall next to the main entrance, a plaque is dedicated in loving memory of members of the University family who lost their lives on September 11. In sacred space, this plaque quietly and profoundly reminds us of the direct tragic impact this day had on our community – an impact shared by countless other communities across the nation.
For many of our students, they learned of the day as they grew up. Others among us recall vividly where we were on that fateful morning in 2001, as we watched the unthinkable unfold before our eyes. Fear, shock, sadness and worry filled our hearts as we prayed for those caught in the World Trade Center and Pentagon and for the safety of brave first responders who placed themselves in harm’s way to save them. Later, we mourned the loss of airline passengers on a field in Shanksville, Pa., who sacrificed themselves to save others.
As the days unfolded, we discovered ways that each of us was touched directly or indirectly by the loss. The University community learned that five alumni perished on 9/11, as did dozens more with close family ties to our community.
In the months and years that followed, we searched for understanding and made efforts to remember loved ones lost. We built memorials to tell of the events that we vowed never to forget. And, we carried on with our lives, rebuilding as we remembered.
As we mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11, let us recall in memory and prayer our faithful alumni, family and friends who lost their lives on this tragic day. Let us pray for peace and understanding in a world still filled with unrest. Let us also pray for our students today and the faculty and staff who educate and serve them. May they may go into the world as a voice calling for peace and justice and change the world for the betterment of all.
Let me close by quoting from a September 2001 message by my predecessor, Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., the 23rd President of the University, who provided such capable and pastoral leadership through this crisis:
"As a community of faith, we also pray -- and pray fervently -- that God our Lord will strengthen us in this time of sorrow so that, guided by His wisdom, we will be able to build a world in which the reign of love overcomes hatred, suspicion and violence.”
University President Reflects on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11
-
09/08/2021
The Scranton Times-Tribune published the following editorial by University of Scranton President, Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., about doubling the Pell Grant.
Like the Class of 2025, I too am a newcomer to The University of Scranton, deeply grateful to serve as its 29th President. Over the summer, some of my first meetings involved joining with my fellow Jesuit college presidents in advocating for Congressional legislative proposals to further assist college students with financial need. Affordability and access are a priority for the University as I look ahead to the future of higher education in our country.
Throughout my career, which has involved several colleges and universities, I have been consistently impressed with the drive and determination of Pell Grant recipient students. The Pell Grant program, established in 1972 with bi-partisan support, provides a grant from the federal government to assist students with financial need complete their undergraduate degrees. Since the program started, increases in the grant have not kept pace. Nearly 50 years ago, Pell grants covered more than three-quarters of the cost of attending a four-year public college. Today, Pell covers just one-third
Now is the time to double the Pell grant to $13,000. We need to make an historic investment in Pell Grants, one that will help a new generation of students complete their undergraduate careers with less economic stress and immediately contribute to the American workforce. Doubling Pell will increase access to higher education for students, allowing them to choose the right school for them – public or private. This longstanding program assists students with the greatest need and reduces heavy borrowing – directing taxpayer dollars to those who need it most. Nearly 70 percent of Pell Grant dollars go to students with a family income at $30,000 or below, as reported by the U.S. Department of Education (for the 2018-2019 year)
In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the network of private colleges and universities, including The University of Scranton, makes a big impact. Our sector educates 51% of all students and 44% of low-income students. These schools’ 6-year graduation rates among all students average 74%. At the University of Scranton, our graduation rates are as high as 84.4%, much higher than national averages.
At the University, Pell students make up 22% of our total student body. These students benefit from our Catholic, Jesuit education, steeped in the humanities, and can choose from a wide array of liberal arts, science, business, and professional degrees. At the same time, the entire University benefits from the experience and perspectives they bring to our campus. We are proud to have strong Pell graduation rates at 72%, also exceeding national averages and aligning very closely with our overall graduation rate.
Non-completion of college can be a life-altering event; doubling Pell is a time-tested strategy to boost degree completion.
As a leader of a Catholic, Jesuit institution, I support doubling the Pell Grant as a tool for greater equity and as a way to empower students while opening the doors of opportunity. At the University, we are also doing our part to address affordability and access – through scholarships and additional financial aid programs, a unique “Book and Supply” award, and financial counseling programs.
We also know that Pell offers a strong return on investment. College graduates consistently earn higher wages than individuals with only a high school diploma. And yet in Northeastern Pennsylvania, higher education attainment still lags from statewide and national averages. While 22.2% in Scranton have a bachelor’s degree or higher, according to 2019 U.S. Census Bureau reporting, in Pennsylvania overall that percentage is significantly higher at 31.4%.
Doubling Pell is one important way for the U.S. Congress to assist the students who need support the most and ensure that our country can be successful in the 21st century. Right now, Congress is making decisions about how to spend resources next year. So please reach out to your members of Congress and visit www.doublepell.org to make your voice heard.
President Marina Op-Ed About Doubling Pell Grant
-
09/08/2021
The University of Scranton plans to offer a new Master of Science degree in speech-language pathology, which is one of the nation’s fastest growing occupations. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for speech-language pathologists is expected to grow 25 percent between 2019-2025. The average annual salary for speech-language pathologists, which require a master’s degree and passing a national board examination for certification, was $80,480 for 2020.
The Master of Science (M.S.) education program in speech-language pathology at The University of Scranton is an applicant for candidacy by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology (CAA) of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Anticipated to begin in the fall of 2023, the graduate program will be offered in a blended format with online academic courses offered within a synchronous remote learning environment during the fall and spring semesters, an on-campus clinical rotation and in-person academic courses during the first summer session, and two in-person externship clinical training experiences in the student’s place of residence during year two. Students who are interested, may also elect a healthcare specialization in order to obtain advanced training in testing and therapy procedures commonly used by the speech-language pathologist in a medical setting. The program is designed to provide students with the specified knowledge and skill outcomes stipulated in the 2020 Standards for the Certificate of Clinical Competence in Speech-Language Pathology and the 2017 Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Education Programs in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology.
“The vision of the graduate degree program is for the University to become a leader in speech-language pathology studies by providing exemplary well-rounded training with the opportunity for specialization in healthcare,” said Hope E. Baylow, D.A., assistant professor in the University’s Department of Health and Human Performance. “The University of Scranton’s undergraduate communication sciences and disorders and graduate speech-language pathology degree programs will positively impact the number of competent and qualified speech-language pathologists and audiologists who service not only the Scranton community and the state of Pennsylvania, but across the United States of America and beyond.”
The graduate degree program is designed to accommodate students from across the United States and beyond by providing a distance learning environment spanning two academic years from 21 to 24 months. The length of the degree program is determined by the student’s selection to complete the program either with or without an area of specialization. The student may choose to solely complete the 63- credit hour degree program of study or select the 73-credit hour degree program of study with specialization in healthcare. The healthcare specialization requires an additional 10 credit hours, which is dispersed over a 24-month timeframe.
“Through a diverse range of academic and clinical experiences, students will acquire advanced knowledge of basic human communication sciences and disorders by analyzing, interpreting, integrating and applying evidence-based theory to the clinical environment within a learner, knowledge and skill and assessment-centered blended learning atmosphere,” said Dr. Baylow. “This will be done in the context of a Jesuit Catholic education, which provides an inclusive and caring community, individual attention to students, and shows respect for the uniqueness of each member of the University community.”
“The three interrelated themes of Jesuit Catholic education – a focus on a diverse and open-minded education, moral reflection, and teaching for social justice – are embedded in the curriculum along with rigorous scholarship, teaching, service, and community partnerships.” said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies. “Our emphasis is on developing critical thinking, communication skills and interpersonal competency that create a transformational experience and strengthen our professional practice in helping others. Our graduates, as well as our faculty and staff, are compassionate and ethical practitioners and mentors, committed to striving for excellence grounded in gratitude, lifelong learning and service to others in a global community.”
“As dean of PCPS, I have the utmost confidence that our future speech language pathologist will unite with PCPS alums who model the tenets of St. Ignatius of Loyola by being ‘men and women for and with others.’ They will strengthen our community through service to others by working on inter-professional teams. Our SLP graduates will be grounded in Jesuit ideals and Ignatian pedagogy that will enhance their knowledge and skills to make a difference in their communities by providing culturally relevant and sensitive care and by treating others with respect and dignity, and advocating for basic human communicative rights and safe medical care,” said Dean Pellegrino.
Applicants to this highly anticipated new graduate program must meet admission requirements. For more information, visit the program’s webpage or contact Dr. Baylow at hope.baylow@scranton.edu.
New Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology
-
09/08/2021
Daniel J. West Jr., Ph.D., professor and chair the Health Administration and Human Resources Department at The University of Scranton, received the John L. Earl III Award for service to the University, the faculty and the wider community. The 2021 John L. Earl III Award was presented at the University’s annual Fall Convocation, which took place on campus on Sept. 3.
The award is given annually to a member of the University community who demonstrates the spirit of generosity and dedication that the late Dr. John Earl, a distinguished professor of history, exemplified during his years at Scranton from 1964 to 1996.
A well-respected teacher and scholar with specialization in international health care, globalization, multiculturalism and diversity management, Dr. West holds a professor in public health appointment at Trnava University, as well as a visiting professor appointment at the University of Matej Bel, Slovakia and affiliated faculty at Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia. He previously served as a CEO for a hospital, medical practice and several health care businesses. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990.
Leonard G. Gougeon, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of English and Theatre at the University and the 2020 John L. Earl III Award recipient, in presenting the award to Dr. West, referred to him as a “quiet overachiever,” as he listed the impressive accomplishments and service Dr. West has generously given to the University over the past three decades.
“For nearly two decades, he has served as the chairperson of his department, overseeing two undergraduate and three graduate programs of study. He has planned and conducted dozens of study abroad tours for graduate students and faculty to countries as diverse as Bolivia, Slovakia, Haiti and China. He has served as faculty senator, but his most under-appreciated contributions have been made, in the spirit of Jack Earl, through his commitment to the Faculty Affairs Council,” said Dr. Gougeon.
Dr. West maintains a fellowship with the American College of Healthcare Executives, American College of Medical Practice Executives, American Academy of Medical Administrators, American College of Health Care Administrators, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine and Association of Behavioral Healthcare Management. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Health Care Management Forum of Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Regents Advisory Council for Northeast Pennsylvania. His other board memberships include the Healthy Northeast Pennsylvania Initiative, Scranton Temple Residency Program, Medical Advisory Board of the International Brain Trauma Association, Scranton Temple Residency Program IRB and the Behavioral Health Research Institute.
A resident of Covington Township, Dr. West received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the Pennsylvania State University. In 2019, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from Trnava University, Slovakia.
$content.getChild('content').textValueProfessor Dan West, Ph.D., Receives Earl Award
-
09/03/2021
This fall’s Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at The University of Scranton promise an array of thought-provoking, timely lectures, presented both in-person and remotely.
The series will feature eight highly accomplished speakers in all, with all luncheons taking place from noon to 1:30 p.m. With the exception of the second seminar, all events will take place in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room 509, with Zoom links provided to attendees who would prefer to attend remotely.
Admission is free for University students, faculty and staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the luncheons are $25 in-person and $10 remote only.
The series kicks off Friday, Sept. 10, with a lecture by Akhil Reed Amar, J.D., titled “The Words That Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840.” During the talk, Atty. Amar, the Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, will explore the theories found in his book, “The Words That Made Us,” which revives the constitutional history of the United States for a 21st-century nation and confronts the founders’ failures and successes with admirable frankness. Signed copies of Atty. Amar’s book will be sold following the lecture.
Next, on Tuesday, Sept. 14, former acting solicitor of the United States Neal Katyal, J.D., will present “Arguing at the Supreme Court in a Time of Conflict.” During the talk, Atty. Katyal, who has conducted 44 oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court (more than any minority attorney in American history), will explain the Supreme Court’s role in times of conflict. A regular contributor to MSNBC, Atty. Katyal is currently a partner at Hogan Lovells and the Paul and Patricia Saunders Professor of National Security Law at Georgetown University Law Center.
This luncheon will take place in Edward Leahy Hall’s Kane Forum, with Atty. Katyal presenting his talk remotely.
On Monday, Sept. 20, Philadelphia Inquirer Worldview columnist Trudy Rubin will present “Biden and the World,” in which she’ll assess President Joe Biden’s handling of a number of complex foreign policy issues, including an increasingly aggressive China, a vengeful Russia and the lingering effects of conflicts in the Mideast and Afghanistan that occupied previous administrations.
On Tuesday, Sept. 28, local attorneys Dan Brier, J.D., and Donna Walsh, J.D., partners at Myers, Brier & Kelly, LLP, will present “The 2020 Pennsylvania Presidential Election Litigation,” a backstage tour of the court challenges that played out statewide in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.
Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti will present “Jane Jacobs’ First City: What Comes Next?” on Thursday, Oct. 7. During the talk, Cognetti will note Scranton’s reputation as a city during the 1930s as seen through the eyes of city native and iconic urbanist/activist Jane Jacobs, and then address present issues and her visions for the city’s future.
“In May of this year, our city celebrated the life and work of Jane Jacobs, a Scranton native who as a child observed the impact that city planning has on community, culture and life,” Cognetti said. “I’m excited to continue this conversation at the Schemel Forum this fall, sharing what we hope to accomplish in Scranton in the coming years and hearing from attendees about their ideas.”
On Friday, Oct. 15, Fintan O’Toole, columnist for The Irish Times and Leonard L. Milberg Lecturer in Irish Letters at Princeton University, will present “Democracy in America? An Outsider’s View.” The Irish writer will discuss his unique perspective on the American democratic experiment, the troubles it has faced in recent years and how those difficulties seem to go beyond immediate political events to raise more fundamental questions about systems, values and institutions. O’Toole will explore how deep this crisis goes, and whether the promise that America once held for the rest of the world can be restored.
Finally, on Tuesday, Oct. 26, Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, will present “The Holocaust and Jewish-Christian Relations,” which will look at how the Christian churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church, have re-evaluated their theology, religious education and prayers when it comes to Jews and Judaism in the decades since the Holocaust.
To register for the seminars, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. To pay by credit card over the phone, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816, or to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
World Affairs Luncheon Seminars Planned for Fall
-
09/01/2021
The University of Scranton is once again counted among the best colleges in the nation according to The Princeton Review. Scranton is among the 14 percent of schools listed in the 2022 edition of the “Best 387 Colleges” guidebook, marking the 20th consecutive year the University was selected by The Princeton Review to be among the top colleges in the country.
This year also marks the 30th anniversary for the guidebook, which was published August 31. To mark the milestone, The Princeton Review put together 26 “Great Lists” to recognize schools with the most impressive history of being included in the guidebook’s annual “best of” lists. Scranton made the “Great List” for “Best Campus Food.” The Princeton Review did not publish their “best of” lists this year because of the pandemic. The “Best of” lists of the “Top 20” colleges in 62 categories are based entirely on surveys of students at colleges selected by The Princeton Review for inclusion in its guidebook.
“With most students attended college remotely this past year due to COVID, we knew it would be impossible to survey them about their on-campus experiences – from how they rated their college library to their campus food,” said Robert Franek, editor-in-chief at The Princeton Review.
In addition to consistently making the “Best Campus Food” listing, The Princeton Review has also included Scranton in its listing of the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” for six consecutive years (No. 8 in the 2021 edition).
The 2022 edition of the guidebook includes detailed profiles of each of “The Best 387 Colleges.” Scranton’s profile mentions its “strong science programs, which result in a ‘high rate of students get- ting acceptance to medical schools.’” The Jesuit university’s professors were described as “awesome,” “caring” and “really supportive” and that “they really ‘want their students to excel’ and ‘care about their...success.’”
In addition to The Princeton Review, U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 27 consecutive years, placing the University No. 6 in its 2020 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook. In addition, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category in a “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”
Scranton Makes Best College List for 20 Years
-
08/30/2021
The University of Scranton granted promotions and/or tenure to 19 faculty members effective at the start of the 2021-22 academic year.
Nine faculty members have been promoted to professor: Doug Boyle, D.B.A., accounting; Bryan Burnham, Ph.D., psychology; Patrick Clark, Ph.D., theology and religious studies; Paul Cutrufello, Ph.D., health and human performance; Christian Krokus, Ph.D., theology and religious studies; Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., philosophy; Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., philosophy; Murli Rajan, Ph.D., economics and finance; and Yamile Silva, Ph.D. world languages and cultures.
Michael Landram, Ph.D., health and human performance, was named associate professor and granted tenure.
Six faculty members were named associate professor: Hamza Adeinat, Ph.D., operations and analytics; Julie Nastasi, O.T.D., Sc.D., occupational therapy; Ismail Onat, Ph.D., sociology, criminal justice and criminology; John Ruddy, D.P.S., economics and finance; Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., communication and media; and Andrew Venezia, Ph.D., health and human performance.
Three professors were granted tenure: Peter Andersen, Ph.D., management, marketing and entrepreneurship; Wendy Manetti, Ph.D., nursing; and Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., chemistry.
Dr. Boyle, chair of the Accounting Department and director of the Doctor of Business Administration Program, received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, his master’s degree from Columbia University and his doctorate from Kennesaw State University. He has worked for the University since 2009.
Dr. Burnham received his bachelor’s degree from Utica College of Syracuse University, and his master’s degree and doctorate from the State University of New York at Albany. He has worked at the University since 2007.
Dr. Clark received his bachelor’s degree from Duke University, his master’s degree from Boston College and his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He has worked for the University since 2010.
Dr. Cutrufello, chair of the Department of Health and Human Performance, received his bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University, his master’s degree from Bloomsburg University and his doctorate from Marywood University. He has worked for the University since 2008.
Dr. Krokus received his bachelor’s degree from Lafayette College, and his master’s degree and doctorate from Boston College. He has worked at the University since 2009.
Dr. LaZella, co-director of the undergraduate Honors Program, received his bachelor’s degree from Hamline University, and his master’s degree and doctorate from DePaul University. He has worked at the University since 2010.
Dr. Meyer, faculty director for the Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities and pre-law advisor, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas, his master’s degree from Harvard University and his doctorate from Boston University. He has worked for the University since 2010.
Dr. Rajan, associate dean of the Kania School of Management, received his bachelor’s degree from the Victoria University, his master’s degrees from the Delhi School of Economics of the University of Delhi and The University of Scranton, and his doctorate from Temple University. He has worked for the University since 1989.
Dr. Silva, chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, received her bachelor’s degree from Los Andes University, and her master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has worked at the University since 2009.
Dr. Landram received his bachelor’s degree from Truman State University, his master’s degree from Appalachian State University and his doctorate from the University of Roma. He has worked for the University since 2015.
Dr. Adeinat received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Jordan, his master’s degree from the University of Houston and his doctorate from The Pennsylvania State University. He has worked for the University since 2016.
Dr. Nastasi, director of low vision therapy for the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured, received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, her master’s degree from Tufts University and doctorate degrees from the Boston University and Towson University. She has worked at the University since 2011.
Dr. Onat, chief analyst for the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime, received his bachelor’s degree from the Turkish National Police Academy, and his master’s degree and doctorate from the State University of New Jersey, Rutgers. He has worked at the University since 2016.
Dr. Ruddy received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, his master’s degree from George Washington University and his doctorate from Pace University. He has worked at the University since 2013.
Dr. Smulowitz received her bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University, her master’s degree from Ithaca College Park School of Communication and her doctorate degree from Rutgers University School of Communication. She has worked at the University since 2009.
Dr. Venezia received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Bloomsburg University and his doctorate from the University of Maryland. He has worked at the University since 2016.
Dr. Andersen received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Tehran and doctorate degrees from the University of Malaya and the University of Texas, Pan American. He has worked at the University since 2015.
Dr. Manetti received her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from The University of Scranton, and her doctorate from Widener University. She has worked at the University since 2011.
Dr. Stumpo received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and her doctorate from Texas A and M University. She has worked at the University since 2015.
University Announces Faculty Promotions
-
08/26/2021
The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded a $152,791 grant to The University of Scranton to support a multifaceted two-year project that seeks to capture the unique story of Scranton and relate it to the history of the United States. The project, called “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story,” involves multiple community partners and relates Scranton’s industrial, religious and ethnically diverse heritage and aspirations to the history of the nation, responding to the NEH special initiative “A More Perfect Union” commemorating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States. The project also seeks to share underrepresented Scranton stories, including that of recent immigrants, Black Scrantonians and Indigenous history, in order to stitch together a full local and national narrative.
The University was among just 239 projects in the nation to receive NEH support and among 16 projects in Pennsylvania to receive funding. The grants awarded “demonstrate the resilience and breadth of our nation’s humanities institutions and practitioners,” said NEH’s Acting Chairman Adam Wolfson in a news release announcing $28.4 million in funding support for the 239 projects.
“We are grateful to the National Endowment for the Humanities for its support of this important project for the University, Scranton and the nation,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “The humanities play an integral part of the transformational nature of the Jesuit education we provide to our students. This project will give our students and the greater community a more profound understanding of the human transformations that have occurred in the lives of Scrantonians and Americans.”
“We have lots of stories to tell about how the Electric City has powered and shaped our great nation over the course of our history, and I can’t think of anyone better to lift them up than The University of Scranton,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright. “I am very much looking forward to seeing the results of this project, but I know it will offer all of us new reasons to be proud of our Northeastern Pennsylvania ties.”
“Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” incorporates eight themes ranging from how Scranton has been portrayed in the popular imagination, to its industrial era growth, Indigenous history, religious tapestry, diverse immigrant populations – past and present – and the role it played in the Underground Railroad and Black history. Throughout, civic engagement, founding debates, and local and national identity will be explored by considering how the Scranton, and American, story may be understood anew 250 years later and the roles and responsibilities of local citizens.
The programs will involve lectures with question and answer interactive sessions, panel discussions with audience responses, public facilitated dialogues, and story exchanges, as well as walking and bus tours, youth writing workshops, and oral history story collection and community mapping projects that will provide new humanities material and content for discussion.
“As a broad team of university faculty and community organization partners, we are proud and excited to be able to highlight Scranton’s multi-faceted story in the context of our nation’s story with the support of the NEH,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for Community and Government Affairs and Project Director. “All events will enable audience and community participation and engagement, drawing on humanities resources in history, literature, philosophy and religious studies and facilitate story-telling and dialogue to build civic engagement.”
Cohen noted the facilitated dialogues are based on public and student dialogues run by the University combining the reflective, structured dialogue methods of non-profit Essential Partners and the non-sectarian tradition of reflection and discernment of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Events will begin in Oct. 2021 and end in fall 2023.
Community organizations collaborating on the project include: Black Scranton Project, Center for the Living City, Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department, The Lackawanna Historical Society, Lackawanna County Immigration Inclusion Committee, Narrative 4, the Scranton Area Ministerium, United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania and WVIA.
The project comprises a range of University offices. In addition to Cohen, project team members include, from The University of Scranton: Patrick Clark, PhD., associate professor of theology and religious studies; David J. Dzurec, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of History; Colleen Farry, assistant professor and digital services librarian; Teresa A. Grettano, Ph.D.; associate professor of English and theatre; Gregory W. Jordan, executive director of the Slattery Center for the Humanities; Aiala Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, Latin American studies, and women’s and gender studies; Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and faculty director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities; Sondra Myers, senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects and director of the Schemel Forum; Jessica A. Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology; Adam J. Pratt, Ph.D., associate professor of history; Sheli E. Pratt-McHugh, assistant dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library; Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., Theatre Program director and associate professor of English and theatre; and Carolyn M. Bonacci, community and civic engagement coordinator. Community humanities partners include: Erika Funke, senior producer, classical producer and program host at WVIA Public Media; Maureen McGuigan, director of the Lackawanna County Arts and Culture Department; Glynis Johns, founder and CEO of the Black Scranton Project; Sarah Piccini, assistant director of the Lackawanna Historical Society; and Mary Ann Moran-Savakinus, director of the Lackawanna Historical Society.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Awarded NEH Grant for Scranton’s Story
-
08/25/2021
The 20th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility at The University of Scranton will be held in a virtual format on Oct. 14. The conference, “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities,” is open to the public free of charge and will feature a number of live and pre-recorded speakers. Registration is required to attend the conference.
Speakers at this year’s conference include a keynote address by Maria Davis–Pierre, founder and CEO of Autism In Black, Inc., and licensed mental health counselor, who will look at Autism from a cultural perspective. Award-winning artist Devin Wildes, who was diagnosed with autism when he was 4 years old, and his mother, AJ Paron-Wildes, a design consultant in healthcare and education, will share their inspirational story. The conference also includes a panel discussion of “Dads Making a Difference” with Jose Velasco (moderator), vice president of product development for SAP and U.S. ambassador of Autism at Work (an employment initiative of SAP); V. R. Ferose, senior vice president and head of SAP Engineering Academy; and Thorkil Sonne, founder of Specialisterne and Specialisterne Foundation.
The conference will also include pre-recorded sessions on curriculum and inclusive classrooms and first responder training, as well as panel discussions with employees with ASD, with the ACCE Grant Founders Panel about creative collaborations, and a discussion with The Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation/National Employment Team business partners. The conference is presented by the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment in partnership with AllOne Foundation.
Registration is required to attend and capacity is limited. Registration and 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.
Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility Turns 20
Edward R. and Patricia Leahy will serve as Honorary Conference Co-Chairs for the 2021 U.S. Conference on disAbility, which they helped to establish 20 years ago.
“We established the endowment as a way to remember our son and do something to help children with disabilities,” said University of Scranton alumnus and benefactor Edward Leahy ’68, H’01.
“Providing a quality education, proper resources and access to qualified professionals will empower individuals with disabilities to secure high quality employment, live independently in the community, and share fully in the American dream,” said Patricia Leahy at the inaugural U.S. Conference on disAbility in 2002.
Over the past two decades, numerous nationally-recognized speakers have discussed topics such as transitioning from school to work and enhancing the quality of life of individuals with disabilities, autism across the lifespan, veterans’ issues, the evolution of the Americans with Disabilities Act., vocational workforce innovations and technology for accessing education, employment and life. Since 2019, through a partnership with AllOne Foundation, the conference has focused on “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities.”
Past Conference on disAbility keynote speakers include John Hockenberry, an Emmy Award-winning journalist; Richard Pimentel, disability rights activist and subject of the film “Music Within;” Most Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D., former president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Archbishop of Louisville, Kentucky; actor R.J. Mitte, who played Walter “Flynn” White Jr. in the television series “Breaking Bad;” and well-known authors including Denise Bissonnette, Br. Rick Curry, S.J, Dr. Edward Hallowell, Jonathan Mooney, Nelson Lauver, Kerry Magro, Ph.D., and Dr. Temple Grandin, world-renowned animal behaviorist and autism spokesperson. U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey Jr., also spoke at several conferences.
Another constant presence at the conferences has been Dr. Bruch, who has had a role in the conferences since they began in 2002.
“The conference will offer participants a chance to explore best practices, increase their knowledge of resources, technology and legislation, and develop advocacy skills that can help school-age students with disabilities,” said Dr. Bruch in 2002. The U.S. Conference on disAbilities continues to provide world-class resources and information to empower individuals with disAbilities to meet their full potential as well as the families and professionals who help them.
A look at the U.S. Conference on disAbility over the years.
Conference on disAbility Marks 20th Year
-
08/25/2021
The University of Scranton will welcome more than 1,100 incoming students for the start of the fall semester and a return to in-person class instruction and activities on a fully-vaccinated campus. Only graduate courses which were offered online prior to the pandemic will continue to be offered in an online format.
Incoming University students include more than 825 members of its undergraduate class of 2025, more than 40 transfer students and more than 250 graduate students, both on-campus and online.
The University’s undergraduate class of 2025, selected from a pool of more than 9,225 applicants, has an average SAT score of 1,230. Incoming students represent 405 high schools and 17 states, including Arizona, Delaware, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Virginia. Approximately 25 percent of the class is from Northeast Pennsylvania. More than 20 percent of incoming students identify as people of color and 27 percent identify as first generation college students. The most common majors chosen by members of the incoming class are biology, nursing, kinesiology, occupational therapy, business administration and psychology.
The class of 2025 also includes 64 legacy children whose parents are University of Scranton alumni.
The University’s Fall Welcome events include a Mass, a class legacy photo, residence hall and commuter meetings and other events and activities. The University will display a special tribute to returning students on its Class of 2020 Gateway, which will run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings.
In addition to the undergraduate class of 2025, the University’s incoming graduate students represent several states and foreign countries, including India, China, Bangladesh, Ghana, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Fall semester classes on campus begin Monday, Aug. 30.
Scranton Welcomes Class of 2025
-
08/25/2021
The University of Scranton will use a tile near the top of its Royals Back Together plan to indicate if masks are required indoors for full-vaccinated individuals and whether or not the campus is open to the general public.
The Royals Back Together plan takes into account the latest health and safety recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). The University will adjust the plan regarding masking and other health requirements based on the virus spread within the local community.
The University announced in a campus update on Aug. 23 that masks will be required indoors for fully-vaccinated individuals through to Sept. 13, when the University will update the campus to any changes. Masks will be required indoors for unvaccinated individuals throughout the semester.
The University also announced that the campus is only open to invited guests, which include parents and family members of students who will be on campus this weekend helping their children move into residence halls.
In addition to parents and family members, invited guests include those registered for admissions tours and guests; spectators at athletic events; invited speakers or guests for meetings and events; contractors and other campus service providers; and fully vaccinated guests in University residence halls, for which registration required. The campus is closed to the general public through to Sept. 13 and a Royal Card is needed to access buildings on campus.
The full update available on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Masking Requirements and Campus Access Updated
-
08/24/2021
In response to the pandemic last year, Facilities Operations at The University of Scranton implemented multiple adjustments to Campus Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems in academic buildings and most office buildings on campus to improve indoor air quality.
The University increased the outdoor air and relief air of HVAC systems where possible. This process reduces the recirculation of air into the space while improving the air quality by flushing more impurities out of the space. The University will also continue to run HVAC systems longer, both before and after the space is occupied, in order to clear more aerosols from the space. The University will also increase the supply air rate in the HVAC system by increasing the fan speeds wherever possible, thereby increasing the air change rate in the space. The University has also treated all heating and cooling coils with an anti-bacterial spray and has replaced air filters prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
For residence hall bedrooms and remote office spaces that did not have HVAC systems, the University has provided portable room air cleaners with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. HEPA is a type of pleated mechanical air filter that can remove 99.97 percent of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles down to 0.1 microns. New HEPA filters have bene installed in all the existing portable air cleaners in preparation of the fall semester.
HVAC Adjustments Continued for Cleaner Air Indoors
-
08/23/2021
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum returns this fall with three evening courses that will be delivered both in-person and remotely.
Covering a range of stimulating and timely topics, the courses will be taught in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in room 305 of the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library, with Zoom links provided via email for those who would like to attend remotely.
The courses are free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the in-person fee is $75 per individual and $125 per couple, and $60 for remote-only.
Paul Sampson, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at the University, will present “Trust the Science? A Political History of Science,” Thursday evenings Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30 and Oct. 7 and 14.
Sampson will use the course to examine how conventional scientific views on subjects like climate change, vaccinations, the theory of evolution and even the shape of the earth have become controversial among some in contemporary American society by linking these ideas to the history of modern science, which emerged as an attempt to avoid political and religious disagreement by viewing nature with “objectivity.”
Among other things, the course will look at the creationist vs. geological conceptions of Earth’s origins, debates surrounding Darwin’s theory of evolution and the rise and fall of eugenics practices to get a sense of how political and religious concerns have always played a role in scientific work.
The goal, Sampson said, is to show how scientific ideas and practices have a history, and to better understand how that history and the place of scientists within the wider society continues to influence and inform scientific work.
“This course is essentially a condensed version of the History of Science course I teach at the University,” Sampson said. “The standard version of the history of science that most people were taught begins in Europe around 1600 and focuses on ‘geniuses’ who made astounding discoveries and cleared away ‘superstitious’ ideas about the nature and the universe. What I try to do in my course is to show that the story is much more complicated than that. Science has never been exclusive to Europe; it has always involved large networks of people rather than lone ‘geniuses,’ and there has always been a lot of interaction between science, religion and politics.”
Sampson said he’s very excited to be participating in the Schemel Forum.
“I am a strong believer in making history public and accessible, and I am glad that the University is helping to make that happen,” he said. “I am also looking forward to continuing some of the conversations that I started with my students and hearing the thoughts of the lifelong learners here in Scranton.”
Joe Kraus, Ph.D., professor and chair of the University’s Department of English and Theatre and president of MELUS (Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States), will present the course, “Invisible Men: Novels by Ralph Ellison and Viet Thanh Nguyen,” Monday evenings Sept. 13, 20 and 27 and Oct. 4, 18 and 25.
During the sessions, Kraus and the class will explore W.E.B. DuBois’s concept of double-consciousness and its adaptation into Ralph Ellison’s concept of invisibility in his iconic novel, “Invisible Man.” From there, the class will read Viet Thanh Nguyen’s “The Sympathizer” to see how those concepts were reworked in an Asian-American context.
Kevin Nordberg, Ph.D., professor emeritus of philosophy and Latin American studies at the University, will present “Social and Moral Issues in Information Technology” Wednesday evenings Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27 and Nov. 3 and 10.
Throughout the course, Nordberg will cover a number of relevant technological issues, including intellectual property, software and music video piracy, liability for defective software, privacy, free speech, facial recognition and computer crime. Among the questions that will be posed -- Is the internet used as a distraction technology rather than an informative technology?
To register for the courses, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. To pay by credit card over the phone, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816, or to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum to Begin Courses in Multiple Formats
-
08/19/2021
The University of Scranton has returned its campus to pre-pandemic configurations for the return of in-person classes and activities for the fall 2021 semester. The photo gallery shows how indoor lounges, classrooms, labs, dining facilities and other spaces on campus now look just prior to the start of the semester on Monday, August 30.
The University will continue to follow health and safety guidelines as outlined in the Royals Back Together plan during the semester. The plan incorporates health and safety recommendations for a fully-vaccinated campus. The University has instituted a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students and employees for the start of the semester.
The plan also takes into account the latest health and safety recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH), including flexibility to adjust the plans masking and other health requirements based on the virus spread within the local community.
More information about the plan is available on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Campus Ready for Royals Back Together
-
08/19/2021
The University of Scranton announced its Royals Back Together plan for the return of in-person classes and activities for the fall 2021 semester, which begins on Monday, Aug. 30. The plan incorporates the University’s previously announced COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students and employees.
The plan also takes into account the latest health and safety recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH), including flexibility to adjust the plans masking and other health requirements based on the virus spread within the local community.
Vaccinated individuals do not need to participate in COVID-19 surveillance testing. Following CDC guidelines, the University will adjust indoor masking requirements for vaccinated individuals based on community spread. A Mask Status tile on the Royals Back Together webpage will indicate if masks are required indoors for vaccinated individuals. (Currently, the University is following its summer plan, which requires all individuals to wear masks indoors.) Throughout the semester, masks can be worn by individuals if they prefer, and faculty and staff can require masks be worn in their offices, classroom or labs if desired.
In accordance with Pennsylvania law, students and employees may request a waiver to the vaccine requirement for religious or medical reasons. For students or employees who are granted a vaccine waiver, the Royals Back Together plan requires weekly COVID-19 surveillance testing, mask requirements when indoors or in crowded spaces outdoors where social distancing cannot be met, daily health screenings via a wellness app, as well as specific quarantine and isolation instructions and other health and safety guidelines.
Students who are required to quarantine or isolate must do so off-campus during the fall semester. The University will provide temporary areas for quarantine and isolation if needed while off-campus arrangements are being made.
The Royals Back Together plan reminds members of the University community of their individual responsibility to follow guidelines to protect the health and well-being of themselves and others.
The Royals Back Together plan also addresses cleaning protocols, health services, student life, athletics and a number of other critical areas, including contact tracing procedures. The plan also recognizes the need to continue to adapt to changing circumstances.
Move-in for the fall semester is Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 28 and 29. Classes resume on Monday, Aug. 30.
More information about the plan is available on the Royals Back Together webpage.
Fall Semester Royals Back Together Plan Announced
-
08/18/2021
Students living in campus residence hall will notice something different in their laundry rooms this fall - new washers and dryers. And, they will notice something missing: A Royal swipe card connection to the machines.
The 100 new washing machines and 100 new dryers installed over the summer no longer require a Royal card for use. The LG commercial-grade laundry machines are all front service accessible. The programming controls are intuitive and allow students to choose from a variety of functions and programs easily.
“Students in residence hall you will no longer need to swipe a Royal Card or load a machine with quarters to activate the washers and dryers. They can just load their clothes into the new machines, choose a cycle and press start key. It’s that simple and they can do as many loads as they want” said Bradley Troy, director of residence life.
A laundry service was added to the housing charges, allowing the University to invest in the new washers and dryers, and allowing students living in residence halls use of new appliances during the year without accessing their Royal Card.
Troy said the change would make doing laundry easier for the students, as well as the staff, because credits would no longer have to be issued for any problems incurred with the equipment.
In addition to the new machines, new instructions will be placed on the walls in the laundry rooms for the students should they encounter a problem with the new washers and dryers.
The laundry rooms are also equipped with new instructions for using the LG appliances to wash and dry clothes.
After all, college is about learning, even if the lesson is about laundry.
$content.getChild('content').textValueNew Way to Wash Clothes on Campus
-
08/17/2021
Ashley L. Stampone ’10, G’11, faculty specialist in the Accounting Department of The University of Scranton, received the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Ursel K. Albers IMA Campus Advocate of the Year Award and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) Young Leaders Award for 2021.
The IMA Campus Advocate of the Year Award recognizes a campus advocate/student chapter advisor who has made significant contributions to the IMA overall and the IMA student members in particular. Prof. Stampone serves as the faculty advisor for the University’s IMA student chapter, which has been recognized as one of IMA five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the past three consecutive years. Through the chapter, University students have participated in numerous educational and professional development events, including IMA’s student case competition and its student manuscript competition, as well as IMA’s student leadership conference.
The PICPA Young Leaders Award recognizes members under the age of 40 who demonstrate a commitment to the accounting profession through active PICPA or community volunteer activities.
Prof. Stampone has received several awards recognizing her for leadership and dedication to the accounting field, as well as for teaching and service. She received the University’s the Kania School of Management Professor of the Year twice, in 2021 and 2020. Student members of the University’s Business Club select a faculty member for the annual award.
In 2019, Prof. Stampone was also honored with the IMA’s Faculty Leadership Award. The national award recognizes one faculty member annually who has demonstrated significant leadership activities at the national, regional, and/or local levels of IMA and has made additional contributions to IMA.
Prof. Stampone joined the faculty at Scranton in 2016. Previously, she worked as an internal auditor for QVC, Inc., as a senior financial systems analyst for Bridon American Corporation, as an inventory accountant for International Salt Company and a staff accountant for ParenteBeard, LLC.
A resident of Old Forge, Prof. Stampone received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from The University of Scranton. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at Scranton.
Faculty Member Ashley Stampone Nationally Feted
-
08/11/2021
The University of Scranton’s new Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service will offer its inaugural workshop “An Introduction to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for NEPA Government Official” on Tuesday, Aug. 31. The workshop, offered free of charge offered free of charge to county and city officials of Northeastern Pennsylvania via Zoom, will run from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will be facilitated by DNG Consulting, an independent diversity, inclusion and equity consulting group (see attached flyer for facilitator bios). PNC is the exclusive sponsor of the event.
“Promoting and maintaining diversity, equity and inclusion is imperative in ensuring ethical and effective governance for all. We are glad to provide a workshop on these timely issues and we look forward to having the Center offer programs on a range of topics that can aid public officials and their staff in their important work,” said JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and co-director of the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service.
The interactive workshop will address why attentiveness to diversity, equity and inclusion is important for effective governance and articulate how implicit bias and systemic racism are defined and identified. The workshop will also cover best practices in how government bodies and officials can take matters of racism and bias into consideration in evaluating institutions and policy effectiveness.
Three experienced consultants with DNG will facilitate in the workshop. Principal at DNG Consulting, Danielle N. Gadson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of public administration at Villanova University and chairs their Public Administration Department Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. As a professor and a trained Intergroup Dialogue facilitator focusing on race, Dr. Gadson teaches courses in public administration theory, data analysis, health services planning, and intergroup relations.
Senior consultant at DNG, Stephen A. Sheridan, Jr. works as the director for accountability, accreditation and assessment services at Villanova University, providing leadership and expertise in the design, implementation, and analysis of assessment activities related to student development and learning outcomes. He is a trained Intergroup Dialogue facilitator with experience facilitating on the topics of disability, race and socioeconomic status.
Senior consultant at DNG, Terri Boyer, Ed.D., is the founding director of the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women’s Leadership and an associate professor of education and counseling at Villanova University. Dr. Boyer has published widely on educational and workforce equity, institutional reform for equity, women’s education and leadership, the effectiveness of equity programs, and assessment and teacher training.
The workshop is convened by the University’s Center for Excellence in Ethics and Public Service with its Office of Community and Government Relations in collaboration with DNG Consulting. Registration is required to participate in the event and can be completed online or by e-mailing ceeps@scranton.edu.
The University of Scranton Center for Ethics and Excellence and Public Service is focused on advocating for and promoting the common good of all through programs that support the development of ethical and competent public officials and of civically knowledgeable, responsible and engaged community members. Through education, collaboration and outreach, the Center seeks to support communities in Northeastern Pennsylvania in which local and state public officials and community members are dedicated to governance. The Center is housed in the University’s Political Science Department and is co-directed by Dr. Hopper and Jean Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science.
Workshop Offered for NEPA Government Officials
-
08/11/2021
For the third consecutive year, the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) named the University of Scranton’s student chapter as one of just five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the 2020-2021 academic year. The IMA’s Award of Excellence is presented to the top student chapters that qualified for Gold Status.
Officers of the University’s IMA student chapter for 2020-2021 were: Grace Gallagher ’21 of Dalton, president; Ngoc Nguyen ’21 New Tripoli, vice president; Zeli-Anne Policarpio ’21 of South Plainfield, New Jersey, secretary; Sarin Baldante ’21 of Sayville, New York, treasurer; and Charles Csaszar of Hopewell Junction, New York, junior officer. Ashley Stampone, CPA, faculty specialist in the Accounting Department, serves as the faculty advisor for the University’s student chapter. Prof. Stampone received the IMA’s Ursel K. Albers IMA Campus Advocate of the Year Award for 2021. The award recognizes an IMA Campus Advocate/Student Chapter Advisor who has made significant contributions to the IMA overall and the IMA student members in particular.
In order to qualify for IMA’s student chapter Award of Excellence, the chapter had to facilitate/sponsor numerous student events and meetings including a new member orientation, a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exam information session, ethics and other educational opportunities in addition to participating in the IMA’s national student case competition, its national student manuscript competition and the Student Leadership Conference.
The numerous events hosted by Scranton’s IMA student chapter during the academic year included a new member orientation, a remote internship panel discussion, a CMA exam information session, an accounting industry panel discussion and virtual office tours with BKD and PwC. In addition, the student officers coordinated an Easter Basket Drive within the Kania School of Management to support the Center for Service and Social Justice’s initiative to benefit Friends of the Poor. IMA student members also participated in the IMA’s Student Case Competition, the Clark Johnson Achievement Award Competition and the Student Manuscript Competition. The team consisting of Gallagher, Csaszar, Aidan Cagner of Rockville Centre, NY, and Annalisa Mechanick of Randolph, New Jersey, had their virtual presentation selected as a “Semi-Final 8” for the IMA Case Competition.
Gallagher also was awarded the IMA’s Memorial Education Fund Scholarship for 2020, The scholarship is presented annually to top accounting, finance, and IT students demonstrating exceptional commitment to the IMA and the management accounting profession, extraordinary leadership abilities, and the highest personal integrity.
“I am so honored to have been awarded the IMA’s MEF scholarship,” said Gallager. “Being a part of the IMA student chapter is one of my proudest accomplishments, and it is an honor to be recognized for such involvement. Additionally, winning the Outstanding Student Chapter Award of Excellence, signifying we are one of the top chapters in the nation, not only makes us as a student chapter proud of our hard work, but even more determined to continue this work into the future. I am incredibly honored to be part of this team of student leaders.”
The University’s IMA student chapter formed in 2017.
The IMA’s Endorsement of Higher Education initiative recognizes programs that meet rigorous educational standards, enabling students to pursue and earn the CMA credential. The University’s undergraduate accounting program was endorsed by the IMA in 2017.
Student Group Wins Third National Award in a Row
-
08/10/2021
Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor in The University of Scranton’s Physics and Engineering Department, was awarded a $481,260 grant through the NASA’s Space Weather Applications Operations 2 Research Program. He will serve as the principal investigator for the research project entitled, “Enabling Space Weather Research with Global Scale Amateur Radio Datasets,” with collaborators at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Haystack Observatory and The University of Alabama.
According to Dr. Frissell, the grant will fund “the development of an empirical model for the prediction of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) in high frequency radio communications while investigating the geophysical drivers of these disturbances.” The grant funds will be disbursed over a two-year period.
“This grant includes significant funding for participation of Scranton undergraduate students in this research, as well as support for new computation resources,” said Dr. Frissell.
Dr. Frissell explained that the predictive, empirical TID models the research project will develop will use data collected by automated, Global-scale radio communication observation networks that are voluntarily operated by the amateur radio community. Undergraduate students will help the faculty researchers create algorithms used for the model development. This new NASA award complements the five-year, $616,054 NSF CAREER grant Dr. Frissell received in 2020, which aims to understand the source of the TIDs observed in both the amateur radio data and other scientific datasets.
In 2019, Dr. Frissell received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to fund a three-year initiative to measure modulations produced in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. The grant supports a collaborative team to develop a modular, multi-instrument, ground-based space science observation platform known as the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station that will be used to study variability in the coupled geospace system and better understand high frequency radio propagation.
This is the second research project for which Dr. Frissell has received funding from NASA. A space physicist, Dr. Frissell is among the researchers working on a NASA Living With a Star project entitled, “Wave-Driven Asymmetries in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere due to Asymmetries in the Northern and Southern Polar Vortices.” That project is being led by Richard Collins, Ph.D., principal investigator, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.
Dr. Frissell joined the faculty at Scranton in the fall of 2019. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is the founder and lead organizer of the international citizen science space physics research collective known as the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI.org). Dr. Frissell also serves as advisor to the student W3USR University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club.
Physics Professor Awarded $481,260 NASA Research Grant
-
08/06/2021
Twenty rising high school students entered The University of Scranton’s University of Success program. The four-year, pre-college mentorship program began for the new participants with a two-week summer institute, which took place on the University’s campus in July.
The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program designed to provide academic, social, and cultural enrichment to area high school students. The program’s ultimate goal is to assist participating students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university. Students enter the program at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years.
The summer institute provides learning experiences designed to engage the students in creative thinking, problem solving and communication through activities that expose students to concepts in various academic disciples.
The summer program featured presentations by University faculty, staff and students as well as counselors from Lackawanna County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. At the institute, students learned about alternate renewable energy sources, sustainability, climate change, physics, neurobiology research and neurological disorders, among other topics. The institute included field trips to Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) in Pike County and the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. The students also volunteered for a cleanup project at the Advocacy Center and helped to water plants in the Community Garden on the University’s campus.
Following the summer institute, the students meet monthly throughout their four years in high school.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T; BB&T Bank; The Dime Bank; Fidelity Bank; Charles A. Frueauff Foundation; Carl and JoAnne Kuehner; Medico Industries; Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, Inc.; Overlook Estate Foundation; Peoples Security Bank and Trust; PPL Foundation; Lisa C. Thomas, M.D.; and Waste Management.
Students entering the University of Success program are as follows:
Christain Alers, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Brandon Amorim, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Amiya Brown, Scranton, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Christopher Cordero, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Christina Denney, Clifford Township, who attended Mountain View Middle School;
Nathan Fuller, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Alisha Jackson, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Leslie Martinez, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Luisa Martinez, Taylor, who attended Riverside High School;
Pujan Nepal, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Aiden Norton, New Milford, who attended Mountain View Middle School;
Latifa Pearson, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Christian Quintana, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Dawson Reed Machado, Peckville, who attended Valley View Middle School;
JoAnn Regan, Moosic, who attended Riverside High School;
Jorge Rodriguez, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Mikayla Sansky, Clifford, who attended Mountain View Middle School;
Sulekha Sharma, Moosic, who attended Riverside High School;
Gabriella Singh, South Abington Township, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Amber Wine, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
$content.getChild('content').textValueTwenty Area Students Begin University of Success
-
08/06/2021
The University of Scranton has been approved for Tuition Assistance through Memorandum of Understanding with Department of Defense. Active duty, National Guard and Reserve Component Service members enrolling at Scranton in an approved program of study by the VA may be eligible for Tuition Assistance benefits.
Those interested in pursuing tuition assistance should first consult with their individual unit or base education office for procedures on establishing benefits as well as payment rates, as all branches of service have varying rules and regulations for service members to follow. Once application is made through their individual unit, applicants can contact the University’s Financial Aid office for information on next steps and certification.
The University has a long history of successfully administering Veteran Administration (VA) education benefits through the Montgomery GI Bill®, Post 9/11 GI Bill® to veterans, active duty service members and their families and we are also proud to work with the VA to cover tuition and fees to qualifying veterans and their dependent children through the VA Yellow Ribbon program.
The University of Scranton has been recognized for its support of veterans and active personnel of the U.S. military and their families. In the 2017 edition, the U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 2 for Best College for Veterans. Scranton was also selected by G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School.
More information on tuition assistance and VA education benefits, visit Veteran Information page of the University’s webpage.
University Approved for Tuition Assistance with DOD
-
08/04/2021
The Scranton Brass Orchestra will perform a “pops” concert on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center at The University of Scranton. Admission is free, and the performance is open to the public. Doors will open at 6:50 p.m. with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. Masks will be required for all audience members.
Guests are reminded to check the Performance Music website at scranton.edu/music regularly for changes or updates in attendance guidelines and requirements.
The program for the concert features a variety of arrangements and transcriptions for brass band/brass orchestra of pops hits, Great American Songbook ballads and folk songs, including Bohemian Rhapsody, MacArthur Park, Amazing Grace, Guantanamera, Black Bottom Stomp, You’ll Never Walk Alone, Over The Rainbow, When I Fall In Love, Someone To Watch Over Me and others.
The Scranton Brass Orchestra is under the direction of founder and director Cheryl Y. Boga and is presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton. Now in its 11th season, it is a fully professional 28-member ensemble comprised of brass & percussion players/teachers from the region. The group's performances are free of charge and open to the public, and have often featured nationally and internationally acclaimed guests, including many of the most respected brass players of our time. The group made its debut before hundreds of appreciative audience members in June 2011, and has since garnered acclaim from both audiences and musicians alike.
For additional information, visit scranton.edu/music or email music@scranton.edu.
Scranton Brass Orchestra to Perform August 22
-
08/04/2021
Mehmet F. Bastug, Ph.D., assistant professor in The University of Scranton’s Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology Department, was named to the 100-member Certified Ethical Hacker Hall of Fame by the EC-Council, the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants. The 2021 Hall of Fame celebrates some of the most accomplished Certified Ethical Hackers (CEHs) around the world.
The Hall of Fame recognizes EC-Council members who earned their Certified Ethical Hacking certification with a score of 90 percent or better, who were chosen by the council’s selection committee based on their accomplishments regarding their contribution to society and their role in the organization where they are employed, among other factors.
Dr. Bastug, who joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020, has conducted research and presented at several conferences. He has also co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. His areas of expertise include counter-terrorism, cybercrime and cyber forensics.
Dr. Bastug previously was an adjunct professor in the Criminology Program at Lakehead University in Orillia, Ontario; an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa; and online video conferencing instructor in the Cybersecurity Governance and Operations Certificate Program at Montclair State University in New Jersey. He earned a doctorate and master’s degree in global affairs from Rutgers University; a master’s degree in international relations from Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey; and a bachelor’s degree in security studies and criminal justice from the Turkish National Police University in Ankara.
Founded in 2001, the EC-Council is the world’s leading global cybersecurity certification body, employing over 400 people worldwide with 10 global offices in the USA, Canada, U.K., Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Indonesia.
The University of Scranton began offering a major in the much-in-demand field of cybercrime and homeland security in the fall of 2020.
Professor Named Among Elite Global Ethical Hackers
-
08/04/2021
The University of Scranton will offer a new graduate certificate in business analytics beginning in the fall 2021 semester. The 12-credit program in the emerging, high-growth field can be completed on-campus or online in as little as six-months.
Business analytics is one of the fastest growing professions in the country, with job opportunities available in virtually every type of industry, as companies seek qualified employees capable of analyzing complex data to make informed decisions. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects double-digit employment growth for management analysts and market research analysts from 2019 to 2029, with job opportunities for management analysts expected to increase by 11 percent, and market research analyst positions projected to increase by 18 percent.
The graduate certificate program in business analytics is offered through the University’s Kania School of Management, which holds accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International). The curriculum is comprised of four courses, which includes two required courses (Introduction to Business Analytics and Data Mining) and two electives that can focus on highly sought skills related to Python, R, Tableau, or SQL. Students admitted to the program without business knowledge in statistics, management science and information systems may need to take foundational courses in those areas.
In addition to the graduate certificate, the University offers a 30-credit master’s degree in business analytics and a 36-credit MBA degree with a specialization in business analytics both of which are offered in on-campus and online modalities. The University also offers a bachelor’s degree in business analytics, as well as a business analytics minor and concentration. The programs are housed in the University’s Operations and Analytics Department.
For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Graduate Admissions at 888-727-2686 or by email gradadmissions@scranton.edu, or Nabil Tamini, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Operations and Analytics Department at nabil.tamini@scranton.edu.
New Graduate Certificate in Business Analytics
-
08/04/2021
University of Scranton student Marissa Angelo, Dickson City, was among the 253 students in the nation selected to receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) for the 2021-2022 academic year.
The merit scholarship program is funded through the collection of PCAOB monetary penalties generated through the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Students attending accredited college accounting degree programs, preferably at schools holding the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) accreditation, are eligible for the program. The undergraduate and master’s programs in business offered by the University’s Kania School of Management have been accredited AACSB International for the past 25 years.
The goals of the PCAOB Scholars Program are: to benefit outstanding students who are likely to become auditors; and to make a difference to eligible students who might otherwise pursue a different career path.
Students nominated for the scholarship by their university, must show an aptitude and interest in accounting and auditing as evidenced by an overall GPA of 3.3 or higher or being in the top third of their overall class, and demonstrate high ethical standards, as well as meet other program requirements.
A dean’s list student in her junior year at Scranton, Angelo is majoring in accounting while participating both the Business Honors Program and the Business Leadership Honors Program. She is a member of the Omega Beta Sigma honor society. She participates in a number of campus organizations including the Institute of Management Accountants Student Chapter, the Business Club, Kania Women in Business and the Society of Accounting Students. She is also a member of the Kania Student Advisory Board.
Angelo graduated as valedictorian of her high school class at Mid Valley Secondary Center.
“Congratulations to our PCAOB Scholars who achieved this distinction during an unquestionably challenging period for students everywhere,” said PCAOB Acting Chairperson Duane M. DesParte. “The PCAOB is pleased to help support these dedicated individuals on their paths to becoming leaders in accounting and auditing.”
Since the program’s inception in 2011, the PCAOB has awarded $16.23 million in scholarships to 1,623 recipients.
Student Awarded National Accounting Scholarship
-
07/29/2021
University of Scranton President Joseph G. Marina, S.J., sent “Best Wishes for the Feast” to The University of Scranton faculty and staff.
Dear Friends,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer and that everyone you know and love is safe and healthy.
On Saturday, the Church will celebrate the great Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, made even more marvelous this year as the Society of Jesus and all Jesuit works have begun an initiative called “The Ignatian Year.” This celebration goes from May 2021 until July 2022 and honors the 500th anniversary of the transformation of Inigo the glory seeker into Ignatius the humble pilgrim and future saint. You will hear more about the Ignatian Year in weeks to come but, for this year’s feast, I hope you will find much consolation and grace in remembering that our University is a strategic and integral part of a dynamic mission that goes back nearly five centuries and, with God’s help, will continue for many more to come.
This Saturday also marks the birthday of our beloved past president, Fr. Scott Pilarz. It’s a beautiful coincidence, or perhaps no coincidence at all, that he was born on the anniversary of the feast of the founder of the Jesuits and author of the Spiritual Exercises. Having now spent nearly six weeks here at Scranton, it’s very clear to me why Fr. Pilarz referred to our University as “the miracle in the mountains.” Please remember him in your prayers in a special way this weekend.
Over the past several weeks, our campus has come to life with the presence of various groups of people, from middle-school children in the Regis High School REACH Program to harpists and their friends with the Welsh Heritage Society to the National Point Guard Basketball Camp and on it goes. I can only imagine how good it will be when all of our students and you will be back on campus in the fall. That said, I am very grateful for those who are here now –dedicated staff in offices and on the grounds, our excellent faculty teaching summer courses here or online, the student ambassadors leading visitors up and down the campus, and other student volunteers involved in service.
As you know, the effort to protect our community through COVID-19 vaccination and other safety measures is continuing. Various campus facilities are being readied for the fall opening. And the summer is flying by, as it always does. But I wanted to take a moment to call our collective attention to the spiritual dimension of life, which is always with us, by wishing you a very happy feast on St. Ignatius Day 2021. May the spirit of Ignatius fill our minds and hearts with the desire to seek God in all things and the energy to advance the service of faith and promotion of justice.
Enjoy the rest of the summer and be assured of my prayers and very best wishes on the feast and always!
Yours faithfully,
Fr. Marina
Prayers and Best Wishes for the Feast from President
-
07/26/2021
High school students were introduced to the extraordinary world of physics at a summer camp hosted at The University of Scranton. The three-day camp for 9th and 10th grade high school students, taught by University physics faculty members, included mini-lectures and hands-on activities to introduce basic physics concepts of electricity and magnetism, as well as dramatic real-life examples of these principals in action.
At the camp, which took place July 19-21, 12 high school students learned about types of waves, oscilloscopes, magnetic coils, loudspeakers and software defined radio. They built a generator, a motor, and learned to use cutting edge Software Defined Radios (SDR). They installed and got to keep an actual SDR to use at home.
The students were also introduced to an array of much-in-demand careers available to physicists, or “supercharged engineers,” as the profession is described by Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of physics and engineering at Scranton.
“Physicists have a depth of knowledge and training to give them a broad understanding of a subject and are able to apply their training to find solutions to complex problems and issues,” said Dr. Mulhall, who was among the faculty members leading the camp. “People always have to learn new technology to enter the workforce because of technological advances. Physics – and to some extent engineers – are the source of those advances, and we are training future physicists.”
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook physicists and astronomers is projected to grow seven percent from 2019 to 2029, faster than the average for all occupations. The median annual wage for physicists was $129,850 in May 2020.
Dr. Mulhall said graduates earning a bachelor’s degree in physics work in a number of industries. Recent graduates of the University are working as industrial physicists at Collins Aerospace, optical systems designers at Thorlabs, as well as pursuing graduate studies in physics or astrophysics. “One student is working on cutting edge quantum computers at Michigan State University. She reports loving it,” he said.
The summer camp was offered free of charge to participants through support from the University’s Department of Physics and Engineering and a National Science Foundation grant.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Holds Physics Summer Camp
-
07/26/2021
The University of Scranton conferred doctor of business administration (DBA) degrees to the first cohort of students to graduate from the program at a special ceremony in the McIllhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on July 12.
The University’s DBA program with a concentration in accounting was developed to provide experienced practitioners with a practical pathway to an academic career at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
“When this program was born, we inspired to transform experienced accounting professionals into exceptional academics and teachers capable of producing advanced-practice relevant research grounded in the ethical foundation of our institution’s St. Ignatian identity,” said Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, chair of the University’s Accounting Department and DBA program director, at the ceremony. “Graduates of cohort one, you have exceeded our expectations and we look forward to witnessing the continued impact you will have on the world of business through the education and formation of future generations of leaders in industry grounded in the ethical formation of Ignatian identity.”
Dr. Boyle noted that the DBA graduates and faculty have already co-authored and published 15 manuscripts in internationally recognized refereed journals with six of the publications winning awards from the Institute of Management Accountants. He noted that each of the graduates had been successful in securing at least one publication as a co-author while still attending the program. He also said the majority of cohort one graduates have already secured tenure-track position in AACSB-accredited schools of business, with others continuing to work in industry or establishing consulting practices.
Scranton’s DBA program, which began in 2018, has already been internationally recognized when AACSB listed the program among the “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” The program was recognized for providing a non-traditional research DBA in accounting that “promotes diversity and practice relevance by providing a flexible path for experienced practitioners to gain the knowledge and credentials required to succeed in tenure-track positions at AACSB-accredited institutions.”
At the ceremony, degrees were conferred by Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, upon candidates presented by Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
“Your education lives on after this day. Although it belongs to you, it also belongs to the world, where you are called and needed to be agents of change, to be ethical leaders and to work for the common good,” said Father Marina at the ceremony.
Also at the ceremony, George W. Krull, Jr., Ph.D., global strategic advisor for the University’s DBA program, provided the keynote address and Todd DeZoort, Ph.D., a global scholar in Scranton’s DBA program and the Durr-Fillauer Chair in Business Ethics and Professor of Accounting at the University of Alabama, was recognized as the Kania School of Management Global Scholar of the Year. Rev. Patrick Rogers, S.J., executive director of the University’s Jesuit Center, provided the Invocation and Father Marina provided the Benediction.
Class of 2021 graduates of The University of Scranton’s DBA program are:
Marcus Justin Burke of Highland Village, Texas;
Joy Chacko of Chandler, Arizona;
Anthony Lamont Fulmore of Killeen, Texas;
Craig Gallagher of South Abington Township;
Daniel J. Gaydon of Plains;
Elena V. Isaacson of Niskayuna, New York;
Heather J. Losi of Liverpool, New York;
Amanda Sue Marcy of Clifford Township;
Patrick Edward O’Brien of North Merrick New York;
Ronald Douglas Parker of Franklin, North Carolina;
Savas Saymaz of Allentown.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton DBA Program Graduates First Students
-
07/23/2021
Frank O’Hara medals were given to University of Scranton students with the highest grade-point averages in their first-, second- and third-year in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies for the 2019-20 academic year. The awards, named in honor of the late Frank O’Hara who served the University for 53 years in various administrative positions, were presented at a ceremony held recently on campus.
College of Arts and Sciences
Nathaniel Smith, Wilkes-Barre, received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. He is currently a rising junior majoring in neuroscience and member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. On campus, he is a work study student for the Office of Sustainability.
Molly Neeson, Pottstown, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a rising senior majoring in environmental science. She is also member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Gabriel Ragusa, New Hyde Park, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for his junior year. He earned his bachelor’s degree in in biology with a double minor in biochemistry and Spanish in May of 2021, where he was among the students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges to receive Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence at commencement. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, Ragusa also received the University’s Excellence in Biology Award. He is a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta and Alpha Sigma Nu honor societies. On campus, he was a member of the Health Professions Organization and the Men’s Crew Team and served as a resident assistant. He was a leader of the Manresa and the SPARK programs offered through the University’s Campus Ministries Office. He performed research in the Plant Population Genetics Lab of Anne Royer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, and the Environmental Microbiology Lab of Bryan Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology. He also participated in study abroad to Peru.
Kania School of Management
Marissa Angelo, Dickson City, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. She is currently a rising junior majoring in accounting and is also a member of the Kania School of Management Business Honors Program. On campus, she is a member of the Business Club, Kania Women in Business Club, the Institute of Management Accountants Student Chapter and Omega Beta Sigma Honor Society.
Madison Jashembowski, Middletown, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a rising senior double majoring in accounting and finance. On campus, she is a portfolio manager for the University’s Investment Club, a member of Random Acts of Kindness Club, and participates in intermural soccer. She also participates on the Kania School of Management Student Advisory Board, with the University’s Business Club mentorship program and volunteers at the University’s Safe Trick or Treat, Street Sweep, and Fall Move-In events. She has interned at Cetera Investors, K-12 Financials Advisors and KPMG in their audit practice.
Kyle Shaffer, Mahwah, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for his junior year. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance with a minor in business leadership in May of 2021, where he was among the students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges to receive Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence at commencement. He also participated in the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program. He is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma and Alpha Sigma Nu honor societies. On campus, he was the executive chair of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board; student advisor for the University’s Kania School of Management Strategic Planning Committee; co-president of PRISM Investment Group and president of Scranton’s Wall Bootcamp. He served as captain of the University’s Division III Wrestling Team and was named an Academic All-American and regional medalist in 2019. He was a financial services intern for Kolinsky Wealth Management, a summer intern for Verizon, and an investment management summer analyst for Goldman Sachs.
Panuska College of Professional Studies
Zachary Turnitza, Cumbola, received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. He is currently a rising junior majoring in nursing. He is a ROTC Army cadet and member of the Royal Warrior Battalion. Through ROTC program, he competed in the annual Ranger Challenge Competition at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Emily Kale, Succasunna, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a rising senior majoring in nursing with a concentration in nutrition. She was the freshman representative for the University’s Student Nursing Association and attended the National Student Nursing Association conference. She also served as an anatomy lab teaching assistant and studied abroad in Perugia, Italy.
Kate Wisner, Hanover, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she earned her bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy in May of 2021, where she was among the students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges to receive Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence at commencement. At Scranton, she was secretary of the Royal Singers, a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association and the knitting club. She served as a teaching assistant for occupational therapy courses in anatomy and kinesiology. She also volunteered with the University’s Take Back the Night, Love Your Body Day and Safe Trick-or-Treat events.
Students Receive Frank O’Hara Awards
-
07/23/2021
The University of Scranton recognized students and their high school teachers, who they credit for contributing to their success, with Rose Kelly Awards at a recent virtual ceremony.
The Rose Kelly Award was established by University of Scranton alumnus Joseph Wineburgh, Ph.D., to link the efforts of educators to the achievements of college students. The award is presented jointly to a student in each of the University’s colleges who has completed two years at Scranton and to the teacher whom he or she recognizes as having a great impact in his or her life. Students are selected based on exemplary achievement in both academics and general campus involvement.
Sarah White, Brooklyn, New York, received the Rose Kelly Award for the College of Arts and Sciences. She honored Dr. Marie O’Brien, her American Literature class teacher at Marymount School of New York in New York City.
A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, White is a biology and philosophy double-major with a mathematics minor at Scranton. She is also member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM. She received the University’s Frank O’Hara award for academic excellence in 2019.
Additionally, White serves as a tutor in the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, community service chair of the Royal Signers, a P.A.C.T. peer facilitator, a lector, and chair of the Team Development Committee of Relay for Life. She is a member of Esprit, the Random Acts of Kindness Club and Alpha Sigma Nu Honor Society. She has also participated in the University’s Faculty-Student Research Program.
Hanna Guarnuccio, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Kania School of Management. She honored Kathleen Brennan, her AP macroeconomics teacher from Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung, New Jersey.
Guarnuccio is majoring in economics at Scranton and participates in the University’s Business Honors Program and the Business Leadership Honors Program. On campus, she serves as co-leader of the Value Team of PRISM, and as Alumni Relations Chair for Kania Women in Business. She is the founding member of KSOM’s Fed Challenge Team.
Kelly Goria, River Edge, New Jersey, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Panuska College of Professional Studies. She honored Sharon Vogt, her Honors English II and Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition teacher at River Dell Regional High School, Oradell, New Jersey.
Goria is a counseling and human services major at Scranton. She is a member of Tau Upsilon Alpha Honor Society. She participates the Counseling and Human Services Association, Her Campus and volunteers for service events such as Safe Trick or Treat and Take Back the Night.
Students and High School Teachers Recognized
-
07/23/2021
University of Scranton student Mary-Katherine Cotter ’22, Massapequa, New York, was awarded a 2021 Huayu Enrichment Chinese Language Immersion Scholarship from the Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. The scholarship will allow her to study Mandarin at Fu Jen Catholic University, a Jesuit university in Taipei, Taiwan, during the summer.
The scholarship was established in 2005 by Ministry of Education of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to encourage international students and individuals to study the Mandarin Chinese language in Taiwan.
A dean’s list student at Scranton, Cotter is studying both Chinese and Japanese languages at the Jesuit university. She is a history and political science double major with an Asian studies concentration. She also participates in the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
With support from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, the University has strengthened its Chinese language program and hosted numerous events that showcase and educate members of the University and greater Scranton community about Taiwanese culture. During the past decade, the University has hosted a Taiwan Bangzi Opera Company performance of an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice;” the Taiwanese Film and Cultural Festival; and performances by the Taiyuan Puppet Theatre Company and the Chai Found Music Workshop, among other enrichment and educational events.
In 2012, the University was formally presented with the Kinmen Peace Bell Replica by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York in recognition of the cordial relationship and collaboration between the University and the various government agencies and universities of Taiwan. The Peace Bell, engraved with the word “peace” in more than 100 languages, can be seen in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center.
Student Awarded Chinese Language Scholarship
-
07/20/2021
Nineteen high school students received hands-on training in investigating and thwarting cybercrimes from experts in the much-in-demand field of cyber security at The University of Scranton’s first Cybercrime Investigation Summer Camp. Run by faculty of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology, the camp took place July 13-15 in the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime on campus.
Through lectures, exercises, case discussions, the University’s data center tour, computer simulations and a capture-the-flag competition, the students learned about cyber threats, cybercriminal profiling, cyber law, cyber security and how to conduct a cyber forensics investigation. They also learned about the various roles and responsibilities assumed by professionals working in the growing field.
The job outlook for cybersecurity analysts is predicted to increase by 31 percent for the period between 2019 and 2029, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The annual median salary for cybersecurity analysts in 2020 was $103,900. The University offers a major in cybercrime and homeland security.
The camp was offered free of charge to participants through support from the University’s College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office and the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Holds Cybercrime Investigation Camp
-
07/20/2021
The innovation, cooperation and success of The Electric City Connection, an effort led during the pandemic by The University of Scranton, Scranton Tomorrow and Friends of the Poor, was presented at the International Town and Gown Association conference. The program, which raised more than $66,500 since its launch in March of 2020, enabled local restaurants to use donations from area residents to supply meals for members of our community who were in need.
Topics discussed at the three-day virtual conference hosted by Marquette University in May included “Partnerships to Mutually Strengthen What Are Perceived to be Disparate Communities.” University of Scranton representatives Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president of community and government relations, and Carolyn M. Bonacci, community and civic engagement coordinator, with community partners Liz Baldi, project coordinator of Scranton Tomorrow and Meghan Loftus, president and CEO of Friends of the Poor, presented “Electric City Connection – Addressing Small Business Needs and Food Insecurity as an Anchor Institution Amidst COVID.”
The initiative partnered with more than 20 restaurants in Scranton to provide more than 4,400 meals to area residents who were facing food insecurity during the pandemic.
Members of the International Town and Gown Association represent colleges and universities, municipalities, businesses, and strategic partners. The organization is a resource for addressing challenges, emerging issues and opportunities between and among institutions of higher education and the communities in which they reside.
Partnership Program Spotlighted at International Conference
-
07/15/2021
Nine University of Scranton faculty members were honored with Provost Faculty Enhancement awards for excellence in teaching, scholarship or service. The Office of the Provost and the Provost Advisory Group selected the recipients from a pool of candidates nominated by academic deans and department chairs.
Douglas Boyle, D.B.A., received the Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award, which recognizes faculty members who have contributed service to the University community, particularly those who demonstrate academic leadership by effectively mentoring their junior colleagues. Dr. Boyle, chair of the Accounting Department and director of the DBA program at Scranton, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2009. He is the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program. He earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, his master’s degree from Columbia University and his doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Paul Datti, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Integrating Diversity in Learning Award, which recognizes a faculty member whose efforts to integrate diversity in the curriculum have enriched the students’ learning experiences. Dr. Datti, professor of counseling and human services, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2009. He earned his bachelor’s degree and doctorate from the Pennsylvania State University, and his master’s degree from The University of Scranton.
LeeAnn Eschbach, Ph.D., received the Faculty Senate Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates dedication to teaching graduate students in a manner that creates an encouraging and intellectually stimulating environment that promotes critical thinking and learning. Dr. Eschbach, associate professor of counseling and human services, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1986. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Washington State University.
Virginia Picchietti, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Advancing Global Learning Award, which recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated noteworthy academic leadership in integrating international issues/perspectives into the curriculum and through whose efforts, students have acquired the competencies, attributes and insights required to meaningfully and successfully participate in an increasingly interdependent world. Dr. Picchietti, professor of world languages and cultures, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1995. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Rosary College and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the Indiana University.
Charles Pinches, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates noteworthy academic leadership in promoting and strengthening cross-disciplinary or interdepartmental teaching and learning endeavors. Dr. Pinches, professor of theology ad religions studies, joined Scranton’s faculty in 1990. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame.
Rose Sebastinelli, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum Award, which recognizes the efforts of faculty who make extraordinary efforts to introduce that sustainability into the curriculum. Dr. Sebastinelli, professor of operations and information management and Alperin Professor of Business Administration, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1988. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the Pennsylvania State University.
Lori Walton, Ph.D., D.P.T., received the Excellence in Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum Award. This award honors a faculty members whose special efforts ensure that students have a keen understanding and appreciation of the realities of the world, including pressing justice issues in a local, national and global context. Dr. Walton, professor of physical therapy, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2020. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Andrews University, her D.P.T. from Creighton University and her Ph.D. from Nova Southern University.
Jill Warker, Ph.D., received the Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, presented to faculty members who make extraordinary efforts to enhance student learning and who practice teaching as a form of scholarship. Dr. Warker, associate professor of psychology, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2011. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the Bucknell University and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Illinois.
Patricia Wright, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Scholarly Publication Award, presented to faculty members who have attained distinction in scholarship or creative activity. Dr. Wright, professor of nursing, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2007. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from College Mistericordia and her Ph.D. from Loyola University of Chicago.
University Faculty Recognized for Excellence
-
07/13/2021
University of Scranton students won top awards at state level business competitions to qualify for the 2021 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference in their first year of existence as a chapter at Scranton. The national Future Business Leaders of America conference is for collegiate business students from across the United States in addition to a few other countries who have successfully competed at the state level and qualified for the highest level of competition.
Scranton’s Phi Beta Lambda chapter won 1st Place for Local Chapter Annual Business Report and 2nd Place, Gold Seal Chapter Designation – Most Outstanding – at the 2021 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference. At the 2021 National Leadership Conference, the Scranton chapter came in 8th Place for Local Chapter Annual Business Report, which is a 15-page summary the chapter’s activities for the year.
Carolina Murphy ’22, Jenkintown, and Matthew Kronenberg ’22, Succasunna, New Jersey, competed as a team and took 1stplace for Financial Analysis and Decision Making at the 2021 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference, becoming the first national champions in the history of the University’s Phi Beta Lambda chapter. Both also won 1st place in Financial Analysis and Decision Making at the Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference.
Murphy serves as vice president the University’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda. She is a finance major at Scranton.
Kronenberg is the treasurer of Scranton’s chapter and is a finance major.
At the 2021 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference Qualifier, Peter Amicucci ’22, Poughquag, New York, came in 1st Place for Future Business Executive and 2nd Place for Organizational Behavior and Leadership, qualifying him for national competition in both categories. At the 2021 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference, he came in 6th place in Organizational Behavior and Leadership and in 6th place in Future Business Executive.
Amicucci is the president of the University’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda. He is an operations management major.
Kevin Scanlon ’22, Verona, New Jersey, and Joseph DeFeo ’23, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, came in 2nd place in the 2021 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference Qualifier in Marketing Analysis and Decision Making and qualified as a team to compete at the national conference. They came in 5th place in the Marketing Analysis and Decision Making event at the 2021 Phi Beta Lambda National Leadership Conference.
Scanlon is the historian for the University’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda. He is a history major. He also came in as First Pennsylvania PBL Alternate for Entrepreneurship Concepts at the 2021 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference Qualifier.
DeFeo is the secretary for the University’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda. He is a marketing major at Scranton. He also participated in Management and Marketing at the 2021 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference Qualifier.
Thomas Yager ’23, Randolph, New Jersey, came in 1st Place for Financial Concepts at the Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference Qualifier and competed in that category at the national leadership conference. He is an accounting major.
Hirali Patel ’23, East Stroudsburg, received the CMAP Directors Award Winner at the 2021 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference Qualifier. She participated in Management Concepts and Personal Finance at the state qualifier. Patel is an accounting major at Scranton.
Justin Galli ’23, Wayne, New Jersey, participated in Microeconomics at the 2021 Pennsylvania State Leadership Conference Qualifier. He is an accounting major at Scranton.
Students Place at Phi Beta Lambda Conference
-
07/09/2021
Laura Adamo, East Stroudsburg; Tara Atkins, North Abington Township; Vandy Galvez, Bushkill; Kristy Jamison, Scranton; Cliffette Longford, Scranton; Esther Pagan, Bushkill; Christina Ranallo, Forest City; Ashley Shipsky, Jermyn; Brianna Turner, Wilkes-Barre; and Valerie Valenti, Scranton, and one other individual completed The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center and Small Business Development Center StartUP Program in June.
Facilitated by experienced Small Business Development Center (SBDC) consultants, this certificate series is designed for women in transition or those trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. This program offers women education, support and guidance in determining if entrepreneurship is an option for them while 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.
Housed in the Kania School of Management, The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center is a program of the SBDC. WEC student interns and SBDC staff offer business start-up information, guidance, and encouragement. Participating interns included: Erin Hahn, junior accounting and corporate finance major, Flourtown; Iris Hu, junior finance major, Tianjin, China; Jaqueline Heraty, senior neuroscience major, New York, New York; Jennifer Rossiter, junior business administration major, Jenkintown; Jordyn Lieber, junior business administration major, Edison, New Jersey; Kimberly Stossel, junior marketing major, East Stroudsburg; Nicole Freeman, junior biology major, New Tripoli; and Rebecca Farrell, sophomore entrepreneurship major, Clarks Summit.
Scranton’s SBDC serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
Participants Complete SBDC StartUP Program
-
07/07/2021
Five members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 have committed to post-graduation long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations throughout the country. Their service begins this summer at programs run by the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
The following is a list of members of the University’s class of 2021 who committed to long-term service projects and their places of service.
Abigail Guziewicz, a psychology and philosophy major from Peckville, will serve as a workforce development associate at Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, California.
Julia L. Hack, a political science major from Lake Katrine, New York, will serve as a client engagement specialist at St. Joseph the Worker, Phoenix, Arizona.
Sarah A. Lajeunesse, a mathematics and philosophy major from Havertown, will serve as a client advocate with the Gabrielle Giffords Resource Center, Phoenix, Arizona.
Brian J. Luisi, a marketing major from Ledgewood, New Jersey, will serve as a director of outreach services at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, San Antonio, Texas.
Madison Ziobro, a biochemistry and Hispanic studies major from Scott Township, will work in a high school health office with Native American Health Centers, Oakland, California.
Nationally recognized for its commitment to service, The University of Scranton was among just 29 elite colleges in the nation selected to the Catholic Volunteer Network’s 2020 “Top Schools for Service.” was among just 361 colleges in the nation to earn the highly-respected Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification and was among the higher education institutions named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.
Graduates Commit to Long Term Service Positions
-
07/02/2021
The University of Scranton honored 63 members of its undergraduate class of 2021 for academic excellence, service or both at a virtual Class Night ceremonyon May 21.
Students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges were presented Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence, a memorial to the late administrator who served the University for 53 years.
This year’s O’Hara Award recipients were: Gabriel J. Ragusa, New Hyde Park, New York, for the College of Arts and Sciences; Kyle S. Shaffer, Mahwah, New Jersey, and Nicole C. Cavanaugh, Dallas, for the Kania School of Management; and Kate E. Wisner, Hanover, for the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
In addition, students were honored for outstanding academic achievement in their fields of study and leadership and service.
The students honoredand the awards received are as follows:
Devin J. Adams, White House Station, New Jersey, Excellence in Applied Mathematics Award;
Ann E. Amentler, Drums, Excellence in Finance Award;
Julia Victoria Joan Betti, Dickson City, Excellence in Marketing Award and the Edward J. Spitzer Scholarship Award;
Carly S. Bock, Cedar Grove, New Jersey, Excellence in Psychology Award;
Lauren E. Buscarino, Centereach, New York, Excellence in Community Health Education Award;
Mya M. Buschman, Nottingham, Maryland, the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Award;
Nicole C. Cavanaugh, Dallas, Excellence in Accounting Award;
Kathleen A. Coar, Dunmore, Excellence in Criminal Justice Awardand The Military Science Leadership Award;
Jeffrey M. Colucci, Mahwah, New Jersey, the Student Life Award ex aequo;
Danielle M. Cook, Kingston, the Lawrence Lennon Award for Outstanding Service and Achievement in Psychology;
Abigail R. Corrigan, Carbondale, the Alumni Loyalty and Service Award;
Sarah E. Coulson, Branchburg, New Jersey, Excellence in Exercise Science Award;
Ryne E. Culley, Rockville, Maryland, Excellence in Environmental Science Award;
Michael J. Curran, Clarks Green, Excellence in Management Award;
Daniel J. Damico, Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Mary E. Quinn Award for Excellence in Secondary Education;
Matthew M. DeBenedetto, Westfield, New Jersey, Excellence in Operations Management Award;
Tyler DeGeorge, Otisville, New York, Excellence in Business Analytics Award;
Kristen M. Denniston, Hawley, the Lawrence A. Mann Award ex aequo;
Brooke K. Devers, New Tripoli, Excellence in Health Administration Award;
Crisel R. Divinagracia, West Nyack, New York, the Lawrence A. Mann Award ex aequo;
Carly F. Dugan, Westwood, New Jersey, Excellence in Counseling and Human Services Award;
Evan M. Esposito, Pittston, Excellence in Computer Science Award;
Corinne E. Estes, Ivyland, Excellence in Early and Primary Education Award;
Rachael E. Gallagher, Havertown, Excellence in Occupational Therapy Award;
Jithin V. George, Newtown, Excellence in Neuroscience Award ex aequo;
Giovanni Gunawan, Scranton, Excellence in Neuroscience Award ex aequo;
Julia L. Hack, Lake Katrine, New York, the Prof. Timothy H. Scully Award for Excellence in Political Science;
Isaiah J. Harris, Scranton, The J.J. Quinn, S.J., Achievement Award for Demonstration of Excellence in English Studies;
Angela M. Hendricks, Newtown, Excellence in Middle Level Education Award;
Christine Jiang, Philadelphia, Excellence in Business Administration Award;
Tatiana S. Klacko, Scranton, Excellence in Human Resource Studies Award;
Sarah A. Lajeunesse, Havertown, Excellence in Mathematics Award (B.A.);
Bailey C. McLaughlin, Allentown, New Jersey, the Jesuit Community Award for Outstanding Service;
Matthew S. Mills, Sewell, New Jersey, Excellence in Information Technology Award;
Maria K. Montauredes, Mexico Beach, Florida,Excellence in Chemistry-Business Award;
Jacob F. Myers, Blue Bell, Excellence in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Award;
Victoria K. Norman, Pittsburgh, the Professor Joseph P. Harper Award for Excellence in Physics;
Megan R. Osborne, Mifflinville, Excellence in Mathematics Award (B.S.);
Sara C. Pellegrino, Stroudsburg, Excellence in Sociology Award;
Mary T. Petrucci, Ambler, Dr. A.J. Cawley Award for Excellence in Electrical Engineering ex aequo;
Mary R. Purcell, Ocean City, New Jersey, theProf. Joseph B. Cullather Award for Excellence in English ex aequo;
Gabriel John Ragusa, New Hyde Park, New York,Excellence in Biology Award;
Dagny C. Rippon, South Abington Township, Excellence in International Business Award;
Alexa D. Romberger, Valley View, Excellence in Biochemistry Award;
Aubrey N. Savage, Scranton, the Dr. A.J. Cawley Award for Excellence in Electrical Engineering ex aequo;
Ryan C. Schultze, Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Award;
Jake D. Selingo, Shavertown, Excellence in Chemistry Award;
Hollyann Serp, Commack, New York, Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award;
Alana B. Siock, Jefferson Township, Excellence in International Studies Award;
Ann Marie Siock, Jefferson Township, the Professor Bernard J. McGurl Award for Excellence in Communication;
Ashley C. Spencer, Tunkhannock, Excellence in Biomathematics Award;
Emily A. Swenarton, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, Excellence in Health Advocacy Award;
Erin H. Toburen, Harleysville, Academic Excellence in Nursing Award;
Amanda B. Tolvaisa, Springfield, the Prof. Joseph B. Cullather Award for Excellence in English ex aequo;
Gabrielle M. Verbeke-O’Boyle, Mountain Top, Excellence in Physiology Award;
Tyler B. Wakalowski, Harford, Excellence in Economics Award (Kania School of Management);
Ashley L. Walker, Drexel Hill, the Student Life Award ex aequo;
Casey E. Welby, Scranton, the Prof. Joseph G. Brunner Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages (Classical) and the Prof. Frank C. Brown Award for Excellence in History;
Kelsey E. Wynn, South Abington Township, the J. Harold Brislin Memorial Award for Excellence in Journalism;
Brianna L. Zettlemoyer, Reading, the Excellence in Forensic Chemistry Award;
Madison Ziobro, Scott Township, the Prof. Joseph G. Brunner Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages (Modern).
Outstanding Graduates Recognized at Class Night
-
06/28/2021
Eighteen of high school students completed The University of Scranton’s University of Success program, a multi-year, pre-college program that is designed for high school students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. One graduate will take a gap year, all the other graduates have been admitted to post-secondary schools or have enlisted in the military.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T Foundation, BB&T Bank, Dime Bank, Fidelity Bank, Carl and JoAnne Kuehner, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Medico Industries, Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials, Inc., Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, PPL Foundation, Lisa C. Thomas, M.D., and Waste Management.
The following is a list of 2021 University of Success graduates, the high school they attended, and their post-high school plans.
Nicholas Alejandro of Cresco, East Stroudsburg Senior High School, plans to attend Washington and Lee University and major in biochemistry.
Rachel Batista of Scott Township, Lakeland Senior High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in communications.
Raphel Carvalho of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend Penn State, Wilkes Barre campus, and major in pre-med.
Maria Do Vale of Dickson City, Mid Valley Secondary Center, plans to attend Temple University and major in sports medicine.
Nicholas Freeswick of Olyphant, Mid Valley Secondary Center, plans to attend North Point Bible College and major in theology.
Nicholas Hipolto of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in mathematics.
Shak’ee Hoskins of Carbondale, Carbondale High School, plans to attend King's College and major in psychology.
Kimberly Kovalcki of Scranton, Lackawanna Trail High School, plans to attend West Chester University and has not yet declared a major.
Mauri Kurcin of Olyphant, Mid Valley Secondary Center, plans to attend Bloomsburg University and major in communications and speech.
Wilber Lopez of Scranton, Scranton High School, has enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Marisol Olivares of Covington Township, North Pocono High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and major in accounting.
Dev Patel of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton and has not yet declared a major.
Haripriya Ramkissoon of Milford, Delaware Valley High School, plans to attend Bloomsburg University and major in music.
Marytere Qunitana of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend Wilkes University and major in political science.
Brayan Rodriquez of Scranton, Scranton High School, has enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Zi Xuan Weng of Plains, Coughlin High School, plans to attend the University of Florida and major in computer science.
Ivan Urena of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Johnson College following a gap year.
Paige Zona of Tunkhannock, Tunkhannock High School, plans to attend Marywood University and major in nursing.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Seniors Graduate from University of Success
-
06/28/2021
More than 1,875 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2021 spring semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
A list of students making the Dean’s List can be seen here.
University Announces Spring 2021 Dean’s List
-
06/28/2021
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the fall 2020 semester after publication of the list in January of 2021.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2020 fall semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the fall 2020 Dean’s List are:
Drake BayardBrian BulgerAlena CoutoMichael DinardiChristopher DrainaZohal Gul MohammadTimothy LanahanGuillermo MartinezMichael MeyerRyan PetersonClaire PikalLaura RebolledoCatherine RentonDylan WeybrechtJoseph ZaniStudents Added to Fall 2020 Dean’s List
-
06/24/2021
Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for Mission and Ministry at The University of Scranton, has accepted a position in the Theology Department at Scranton Preparatory School, effective in the summer of 2022. In his position at Scranton Prep, Father Keller will return to the classroom and will also provide pastoral support for students, including involvement with the school’s Kairos retreat program.
Father Keller will step down as vice president for Mission and Ministry at the end of the 2021-22 academic year. The division he leads includes Campus Ministries, the Center for Service and Social Justice, and The Jesuit Center. He has held the role since 2019, having previously served as the University’s interim president for the 2017-2018 academic year and as special assistant to the president.
“On behalf of the University, I am deeply grateful for the many ways in which he has helped advance our Catholic and Jesuit mission, from his leadership of Mission and Ministry to his generous service as interim president,” said Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “The University community, especially our students, benefit from Father Keller’s deep devotion to personal and spiritual development, and we are fortunate to have his continued service this coming year both in mission and ministries and as a member of the President’s Cabinet.”
“We wish him every grace and blessing as he prepares for this next chapter of his distinguished service to the Society of Jesus,” he added.
“I am deeply thankful for the opportunity to have worked at The University of Scranton for these past years and am especially honored to have served as interim president. In turn, I am grateful to Scranton Preparatory School for the invitation to join the school full time as a teacher and pastoral minister.” Father Keller said. “After 37 years as a high school and college administrator, I greatly look forward to this new opportunity and this new mission that I have received from my Jesuit Provincial.”
Father Keller has served as the rector of the Scranton Jesuit Community since September 2015. Prior to that, he served for 18 years as president of Scranton Preparatory School and is the longest-serving president in the Jesuit school’s history.
He entered the Jesuit novitiate in Wernersville in 1969. In 1975, he received a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Fordham University. He earned a master’s degree with distinction from Weston School of Theology in Boston and a professional diploma in secondary school administration from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education.
He was ordained a priest in 1981 and has served in Jesuit secondary education for 35 years. Father Keller was named principal of Scranton Prep in 1983 and served in that capacity for eight years. From 1991 to 1997, he was named principal of his alma mater, Saint Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, and also served as rector of the Jesuit Community.
In 2016, Father Keller served as a delegate from the Maryland Province for the Society of Jesus' General Congregation 36. In addition to servicing 17 years on The University of Scranton’s board across several terms, he is a past trustee of Fairfield University and Saint Joseph’s University, as well as Saint Joseph’s Preparatory School and Gonzaga College High School. In 2006, Father Keller received an honorary doctoral degree from The University of Scranton.
Father Keller Returning to Scranton Prep in 2022
-
06/23/2021
The University of Scranton recognized outstanding master’s and doctoral degree graduates at its in-person graduate commencement ceremony on May 22. At the ceremony at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, the University conferred post-baccalaureate degrees to more than 500 graduates who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2020, as well as January and May of 2021.
Graduates represented several foreign countries and 29 states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia among others. The programs with the most graduates were the master of business administration, master of accountancy, master of health administration, master of occupational therapy and doctor of physical therapy. An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
The following graduate students were honored for achievement in their academic area.
Jill L. Hanisak, Phillipsburg, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Doctor of Nursing Practice.
Morgan Lynn Rentzheimer, Laurys Station, received the Outstanding Student Award for Doctor of Physical Therapy.
Jillian Marie Balberchak, West Pittston, received the Outstanding Student Award for Nurse Anesthesia.
Kanak Manjari Chattopadhyay, South Abington Township, received the Outstanding Student Award for Operations Management.
Wenhan Cheng, Provo, Utah, received the Outstanding Student Award for Clinical Chemistry.
Jeanene Contreras, Danville, received the Outstanding Student Award for General Business Administration.
Nicholas M. DeAntonio, Lake Ariel, received the Outstanding Student Award for Marketing.
Cassandra Lee Enck, Ephrata, received the Outstanding Student Award for Rehabilitation Counseling.
Joseph M. Fose, N. Tonawanda, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Chemistry.
Xicong Ge, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Family Nurse Practitioner.
Lauren Elizabeth Hughes, Fairport, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Accounting.
Minori Koga, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Secondary Education.
Caitlin Jane Leonard, Ringwood, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Enterprise Resource Planning.
Meghan C. Lonergan, Springfield, Virginia, received the Outstanding Student Award for Educational Administration.
Maria R. Marinucci, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Human Resources.
Sean J. McTiernan, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Software Engineering.
Katherine Grace Melilli, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Special Education.
Sara Laura Miraglia, Eynon, received the Outstanding Student Award for Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Kristen Dawn Mott, Roanoke, Virginia, received the Outstanding Student Award for Finance.
Laura Ann Moyer, Salt Lake City, Utah, received the Outstanding Student Award for Accountancy.
Alicia Jean O’Toole, Lincroft, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for Occupational Therapy.
Steven N. Parrinelli, Huntington, New York, received the Outstanding Student Award for Biochemistry.
Megan Elizabeth Pierce, Henrico, Virginia, received the Outstanding Student Award for Healthcare Management.
Sarah Virginia Redick, Equinunk, received the Outstanding Student Award for School Counseling.
Irfan Sabir, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Finance.
Jaime Sainz, Scranton, received the Outstanding Student Award for Business Analytics.
William F. Schwalm, Ringwood, New Jersey, received the Outstanding Student Award for International Business.
Corin E. Ulichney, Catawissa, received the Outstanding Student Award for Curriculum and Instruction.
Stacy Marie van der Putten, Jersey Shore, received the Outstanding Student Award for Health Informatics.
Outstanding Master’s and Doctoral Graduates Awarded
-
06/21/2021
An atmospheric sensing device built by University of Scranton physics undergraduates will be among those launched into space by NASA in a rocket on June 24, 2021. The device was built as part of a special NASA program called the RockOn Workshop through which students were sent kits to build atmospheric sensing devices, called payloads. The devices were built and tested on campus then sent to the RockOn program headquartered in Colorado.
Three University students, all majoring in physics, participated in workshop: Veronica Romanek, Hampton, New Jersey; Kevin Phiefer, Hamburg, New Jersey; and Ryan Lebron, East Stroudsburg.
Romanek’s device was among the 28 chosen to be launched on June 24th from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility on a two-stage Terrier-Orion rocket to an altitude of about 73 miles. Other devices submitted for RockOn Workshop will be launched in a NASA high altitude balloon in September 2021.
Each of the sensing devices include an accelerometer, gyroscope, Geiger counter and equipment to measure atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity, as well as a secure digital card to capture data and a gravity switch that will activate the device during the launch. All of the components of the device built by the students had to be tested as part of the project prior to being sent to the workshop.
Following the launches, the devices with the data collected will be returned to the University for the students to then study further.
According to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at the University, measuring devices used in satellites are often first tested through rocket launches and high altitude balloons, such as those used in the RockOn Workshop.
A recording of Romanek’s Zoom presentation about the RockOn Workshop can be seen here.
NASA Includes Scranton Student Project in Rocket
-
06/17/2021
In-person summer orientation sessions for students, parents and guardians of The University of Scranton’s class of 2025 will begin next week. Due to health and safety measures put in place in response to the pandemic that allow for smaller groups to gather, the University will conduct eight one-day sessions on June 21, 22, 24, 25, 28, 29 and July 1 and 2.
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, will welcome the students and their families at each of the summer orientation sessions.
Scranton’s summer orientation is designed to introduce new students and their families to the University’s procedures, facilities and support services, and to provide them with the opportunity to meet with faculty, administrators and staff, as well as each other.
Sessions for students include information about academic life, the successful transition to college, Scranton’s inclusive community, campus life and mission and ministry, as well as smaller sessions for students to get to know each. A track of sessions is also set for parents that include information about academics, financial aid services, career development, mission and ministry, campus life and strategies for success.
Student orientation leaders Mary Bunone, a senior occupational therap major from Ramsey, New Jersey; Michael Meyer, a junior neuroscience major from Paramus, New Jersey; and Hirali Patel, a junior accounting major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program from East Stroudsburg; along with a team of University administrators, staff, faculty and nearly 50 student orientation assistants, will participate in the sessions to help acquaint the incoming class to Scranton.
Incoming students will also attend additional virtual events during the summer to allow them to get to know the University and their classmates better.
Fall welcome weekend for incoming students is set for Saturday and Sunday, August 28 and 29. Classes for the University’s fall semester will begin on campus on Monday, August 30.
Summer Orientation to Begin for Class of 2025
-
06/17/2021
University of Scranton President Joseph G. Marina, S.J., sent “A Call to Reflection on Juneteenth” to the University community.
Dear Friends,
Juneteenth is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery in the United States. It commemorates the day that enslaved African Americans in Texas learned of their freedom – two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
While this liberation happened over 156 years ago, Black Americans continue to feel the effects of systemic racism through criminal laws that disparately impact them, unequal access to education and health care, and attempts to silence their voices and those of their allies.
Over the last year, and especially following the murder of George Floyd, the University has intensified its commitment to equality and opportunity for all. Efforts to date include approving and sharing an updated Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy, increasing training, education and development programs about diversity and inclusion, and deepening our commitment to diversify our faculty and staff, including the creation of four new faculty positions. In the coming year, I look forward to even more progress, especially the completion of a Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan.
Our work to address institutional racism at the University and in the community must continue. Let us use the celebration of Juneteenth to reflect on our collective challenge to continue building a campus committed to equity and equality that welcomes everyone. As a resource, the Weinberg Memorial Library has developed a list of readings, podcasts, media and other materials related to racism that I encourage you to explore in your reflection.
These are just small steps on a long road but we are moving in the right direction. And, with the help of God’s grace, we will continue to approach the vision of a society rooted in peace and fully committed to justice. Thank you for all you have done already to help advance this essential part of our Catholic and Jesuit identity. I look forward to walking with you in the journey ahead.
Yours faithfully,
Joseph G. Marina, S.J.
PresidentUniversity President Calls for Reflection on Juneteenth
-
06/16/2021
The University of Scranton announced plans to establish a Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, with a full launch planned during the fall semester 2021. Housed in the University’s Political Science Department of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center will work to foster the development of ethical and competent public officials and civically knowledgeable, responsible, and engaged community members. It will develop new educational and networking opportunities for incumbent and aspiring public servants including training in the legal and ethical obligations of public servants as well as the knowledge, skills and capacities essential to just and effective governance. Moreover, the Center will be a clearinghouse for information on local and state governments and officials in NEPA, and relevant educational and training opportunities for public servants provided by other public and professional entities.
In addition to its community offerings, the Center will offer students internships (both on-campus and in the community), training programs, networking events with state and local government officials, and research opportunities, all of which will be focused on ethics and public service.
“The programming and research created and shared by the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service will offer new and meaningful opportunities for students who wish to pursue a career in public service or are interested in findings ways to pursue justice and contribute positively to their communities,” said Jean Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science and co-director of the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service.
Dr. Harris noted that Northeast Pennsylvania is uniquely positioned to study “swing state” politics, since the region is one of the central focal points of federal races, where presidential, congressional and senate candidates visit and focus their attention. This will provide additional opportunities for the Center’s programs and initiatives.
“We are excited to partner with local and state public officials, the University’s Office of Community Engagement and Government Affairs, and NEPA communities to offer education and resources to foster good governance and create a more knowledgeable and engaged citizenry” said JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and co-director of the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service. “The Center will provide students with opportunities to be an active part of improving the lives of NEPA residents.”
“This kind of Center will be one-of-a-kind in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The University works regularly with local and state government agencies and officials in a range of ways. The Center provides something unique – bringing academic, government and community stakeholders together to pursue just and effective governance. The kinds of resources, tools and networking that will be available fill a gap when we look at other parts of the Commonwealth and nation,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at the University.
The Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service at the University will launch fully in the fall semester. For additional information, contact Dr. Harris or Dr. Hopper at the Political Science Department at CEEPS@scranton.edu or 570-941-6326.
Center for Ethics in Public Service Planned
-
06/11/2021
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., will begin his tenure as the 29th president of The University of Scranton on Monday, June 14th. Acting President Jeff Gingerich, Ph. D., announced the official start-date of the incoming president in a message sent to the University community June 11. The University named Father Marina as the incoming president in February 2021, following approval from the University’s Board of Trustees at the conclusion of a national search overseen by a broadly representative search committee that included trustees and representatives from the faculty, staff, student body, alumni and administration.
Among his first duties as president, Father Marina will greet incoming members of the University’s Class of 2025 and their families at eight one-day orientation sessions which run from June 21 to July 2.
Since the announcement, members of the University community were introduced to the incoming president through an interview and Q and A series and videos, including an introduction video, “Humanities” and “First Things List” recordings published in Royal News.
Prior to becoming Scranton’s 29th president, Father Marina served as provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of education at Le Moyne College from 2016 through the spring of 2021. His responsibilities included overseeing the Jesuit college’s three academic schools, honors program, library, campus life, student housing, conduct and Title IX compliance, diversity and inclusion programming, global education, student success and support services, disability services, and several other areas. From December 2020 to February 2021, Father Marina served as acting president at Le Moyne while the college’s president Linda M. LeMura, Ph.D., participated as a Chancellor’s Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Syracuse University.
Prior to his tenure as provost and vice president for academic affairs, Father Marina held positions at Le Moyne as associate provost, interim chair of the education department and special assistant to the president.
Earlier in his career, Father Marina served as the dean of the School of Continuing Education at Providence College, assistant dean for the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University, and assistant dean for Metropolitan College at St. John’s University. In addition, he taught religious studies at Providence College and mathematics at St. John’s University. He served as pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier and as associate pastor of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, both of which are in New York City.
Father Marina was recently a trustee at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York, and serves currently on the board of Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York, where he is chair of the board’s governance committee. He previously served on the boards of St. Thomas Aquinas College, Regis University, Canisius College, Xavier High School and Le Moyne College.
His research interests include leadership and organizational change, and, in the area of theology, scripture and the question of non-belief. His presentations include “Inner-city Healthcare and Higher Education: A Partnership in Catholic Social Teaching,” “Graduate and Continuing Education in the Jesuit Tradition” and “Educational Delivery System Options: Programs to Attract and Retain and Educate Adult Students.”
Father Marina holds a Doctor of Philosophy in administration and supervision from Fordham University, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from Boston College and a Master of Science in Secondary Education from St. John’s University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences, with a theology minor, from St. John’s University.
Father Marina entered the Society of Jesus in 2004 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2012.
Joseph G. Marina, S.J., Begins Presidency June 14
-
06/10/2021
The University of Scranton has named David Marx, Ph.D., associate provost of academic affairs, concluding a national search for the position. A long-time chemistry faculty member at Scranton, Dr. Marx currently serves as the interim associate provost.
“Dr. Marx brings great experience as a faculty advocate, curriculum expert and research scholar,” said Acting President Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., in an announcement to the University community. He also thanked members of the University’s search committee, chaired by Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for their work in finding the right candidate for the position.
As associate provost, Dr. Marx will oversee the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, Office of Institutional Reporting and Data Analytics, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Office of Educational Assessment, Office of Graduate Academic and Student Services, the Office of Global Education and the Office of Planning and Institutional Effectiveness.
Dr. Marx joined the faculty at Scranton in 1987. Over more than 30 years, he has served the University in numerous ways, including as chair of the Department of Chemistry for five consecutive terms, as the University’s chemical hygiene officer for nearly two decades, as a faculty senator for many years. He served on numerous senate and campus-wide committees, including the University Governance, University Planning and Provost’s Academic Policy Committee. Recently, he served important roles as coordinator of general education and co-chair of the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee. He also served as the faculty representative to the Education Committee of the Board of Trustees for four years.
As a scholar, Dr. Marx has presented his research on topics including kinetics and photochemistry at national and international conferences. He has also earned numerous research grants to support his work and holds several U.S. Patents.
Dr. Marx was ordained as a permanent deacon in the Diocese of Scranton and is assigned to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pittston.
Dr. Marx earned his bachelor’s degree from East Stroudsburg University and his Ph.D. from Binghamton University.
Associate Provost of Academic Affairs Named
-
06/09/2021
Seven members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated from its Magis Honors Program in STEM. The program, which began as a pilot program in the fall of 2017, combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society. The University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM was officially approved as the University’s fifth honors program in 2019.
The Magis Honors Program offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Courses taken over four years at Scranton combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students in the program develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated as members of the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Elena K. Donato, Langhorne, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major. Donato worked with faculty mentor Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Extraction of eumelanin from gray catbird feathers, and distinctions in concentration between sexes.”
Molly K. Elkins, Owings, Maryland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major. Elkins worked with faculty mentor Bryan Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Analysis of the constitutive expression of the PAO1 Type VI secretion system of P. aeruginosa.” Elkins was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program and the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and was the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Alexander J. Kidd, Tunkhannock, graduated as a biology major. Kidd worked with faculty mentor Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Biology Department and director of the Magis Honors Program in STEM, on a thesis titled “The compressive strength of the valves of Mytilus edulis.”
Jacob F. Myers, Blue Bell, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Myers worked with faculty mentor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as a sensor for cellular metabolic states.” Myers was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program and the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Elizabeth R. Ridge, Southampton, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Ridge worked with faculty mentor Cara Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “1MAN size does not affect song variability in adult male house wren (Troglodytes aedon).” Ridge was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Karlee B. Ruth, Schwenksville, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry major. Ruth worked with faculty mentor Joan Wasilewski, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Chemistry Department, on a thesis titled “An investigation of redox therapies through the effect of ebselen and mercaptosuccinic acid in the absence and presence of hydrogen peroxide using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a cancer cell model.” Ruth was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Michael L. Samulevich, Shickshinny, graduated, cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major. Samulevich worked with faculty mentor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigating the intramolecular interactions in the formation of 2-cyano-tryptophan.” Samulevich was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program and the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Class of 2021 Graduates of Magis Honors Program
-
06/09/2021
Twenty-one members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.
The following is a list of the class of 2020 undergraduate Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.
Brittany Cadwalder, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Cadwalder worked with faculty advisor Kathleen Dwyer, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Design and Preparation of the CRISPR Constructs pBC1g11280CR2 and pBC4g10767CR2 Targeting the Arabidopsis thaliana Receptor-Like Kinase (RLK) Gene At1g11280 and the S-Locus Cysteine_Rich Like (SCRL) Gene At4g10767.” Cadwalder was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Danielle M. Cook, Kingston, graduated, summa cum laude, as a psychology major. Cook worked with faculty advisor Emily Hopkins, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Parent/Child Play: A Descriptive Analysis of Mothers, Fathers, Gender Norms, and the Division of Labor.”
Molly K. Elkins, Owings, Maryland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major. Elkins worked with faculty advisor Bryan Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Analysis of the Constitutive Expression of the P. aeruginosa PAO1 Type VI Secretion System.” Elkins was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM and was the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Jessica L. Fanelli, Carbondale, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology major. Fanelli worked with faculty advisor Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology on a thesis titled “A Study of the Impact of Habitat on the Composition of Breeding Bird Communities in the Lackawanna State Park During the Summer of 2020.”
Jithin V. George, Newtown, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and biomathematics double major. George worked with faculty advisor Patrick Orr, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “2-Week Exposure to High-Fat Diet Sufficient to Produce Glucose Intolerance, Not Visuospatial Memory ImpairmentsorMolecular Changes in C57Bl/6 Mice.” George was also a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Jesse L. Hunt, Williamsport, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Hunt worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Lateralization of olfactory associative learning in Camponotus floridanus.”
Traevon Malakai Martin, Springfield, Massachusetts, graduated as a neuroscience major. Martin worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Light Deprivation on Mushroom Body Neuroplasticity in the Camponotus florinadus Ant.”
Jacob F. Myers, Blue Bell, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Myers worked with faculty advisor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase as a sensor of Cellular Metabolic States.” Myers was also a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and was the recipient of a full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Denise L. Pinto, Pittston, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Pinto worked with faculty advisor Kathleen Dwyer, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Design and Preparation of CRISPR Construct pDP4g03230CR2 Targeting Arabidopsis thaliana Receptor Like Kinase (RLK) Gene At4g03230.”
Parita Ray, Scranton, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. Ray worked with faculty advisor Cara Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Geographical Variation in the Song Structure of Female Troglodytes aedon.”
Zachary S. Rieker, Pottstown, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and biomathematics double major. Rieker worked with faculty advisor Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology on a thesis titled “Effects of Anthropogenic Noise on the Characteristics of Birdsong.”
Dagny C. Rippon, South Abington Township, graduated, magna cum laude, as a international business major. Rippon worked with faculty advisor Susan Trussler, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance, on a thesis titled “Gender Inequality and Conceptualization in International Business Research.” Rippon was also a member of the University's Business Leadership Honors Program.
Alexa D. Romberger, Valley View, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry major. Romberger worked with faculty advisor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigations of New Ways to Synthesize the Precursors to Heterocycles.”
Karlee B. Ruth, Schwenksville, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry major. Ruth worked with faculty advisor Joan Wasilewski, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Chemistry Department, on a thesis titled “An Investigation of Redox Therapies Through the Effect of Ebselen and Mercaptosuccinic Acid in the Absence and Presence of Hydrogen Peroxide using Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a Cancer Cell Model.” Ruth was also a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Michael L. Samulevich, Shickshinny, graduated, cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major. Samulevich worked with faculty advisor Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigating the Intramolecular Interactions in the Formation of 2-Cyano-Tryptophan.” Samulevich was also a member of the University’s the Magis Honors Program in STEM and the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Ashley C. Spencer, Tunkhannock, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and biomathematics double major. Spencer worked with faculty advisor Bryan Crable, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Antimicrobial Effects of Pennsylvania Honey on Clinical Isolates of Escherichia coli.”
Richard R. Terranova, Staten Island, New York, graduated, cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Terranova worked with faculty advisor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The effects of social isolation on axonal pruning in the mushroom bodies of the ant Pheidole dentata.”
Cara F. Webster, Bradford, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Webster worked with faculty advisor Gary Kwiecinski, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Impact of Hurricane Maria on the bat populations of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.” Webster was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Casey E. Welby, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a classical language Latin and history double major. Welby worked with faculty advisor Michael Knies, professor, library, on a thesis titled “European Medieval Manuscript Leaves: Varieties of Script and Content from the Jims Sims Collection.”
Alexis A. Wislotsky, Ashland, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Alexis Wislotsky worked with faculty advisor Patrick Orr, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Acetaminophen may Upregulate p42 ERK Phosphorylation in c57B1/6 Female Mice.”
Makayla C. Wislotsky, Ashland, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology major. Makayla Wislotsky worked with faculty advisor Cara Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Immunological tradeoffs with Female Aggression in Troglodytes aedon.”
Class of 2021 Honors Program Graduates
-
06/08/2021
Fifteen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated from its Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this highly-selective program explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
The following is a list of the class of 2021 Business Leadership Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Ann E. Amentler, Drums, graduated, summa cum laude, as a finance major.
Nicole C. Cavanaugh, Dallas, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major.
Jenna N. Cyr, Coopersburg, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting and finance double major.
Matthew M. DeBenedetto, Westfield, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an operations management and philosophy double major. DeBenedetto was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Michael E. Diehl, Hopewell Junction, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major.
Andrew J. Ferrier, Bayonne, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an economics major.
Grace M. Gallagher, Dalton, graduated as an accounting major.
Livia M. Kelly, Rockville Centre, New York, graduated, magna cum laude, as an accounting major. Kelly was also a member of the University’s Business Honors Program.
Elena M. Loeffler, Matawan, New Jersey, graduated, magna cum laude, as a business communication major.
Matthew T. Marcotte, Monroe, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as an accounting major.
Ngoc K. Nguyen, New Tripoli, graduated, magna cum laude, as an accounting and finance double major.
Dagny C. Rippon, South Abington Township, graduated, magna cum laude, as an international business major. Rippon was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Robert Joseph Scholly, Glenside, graduated, magna cum laude, as a marketing major.
Kyle S. Shaffer, Mahwah, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a finance major.
David J. Vergaray Ramirez, Harrison, New Jersey, graduated, cum laude, as a finance major.
Business Leadership Honors Program Graduates
-
06/08/2021
Thirty-seven members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021 graduated from its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA), which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in SJLA pursue a rigorous education designed to develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills through specially designed courses in philosophy, theology and literature.
The following is a list of the class of 2021 SJLA Honors Program graduates and their majors.
Nicholas P. Brown, Kingston, graduated, cum laude, as a biochemistry and philosophy double major.
Brittany Cadwalder, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology major. Cadwalder was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Elizabeth F. Carpenter, Philadelphia, graduated as a computer science major.
Alaina T. Ciorra, Merrick, New York, graduated, summa cum laude, as a psychology and philosophy double major.
Alena J. Couto, Edison, New Jersey, graduated as a neuroscience and philosophy double major.
Matthew M. DeBenedetto, Westfield, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a operations management and philosophy double major. DeBenedetto was also a member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program.
Laura E. Demytrk, Bushkill, graduated, cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
Kristen M. Denniston, Hawley, graduated, cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major.
Colette J. Deppe, East Amherst, New York, graduated as a biomathematics and philosophy double major.
Elena K. Donato, Langhorne, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major. Donato was also a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Maxwell B. Earl, Clarks Summit, graduated, magna cum laude, as a journalism - electronic media and philosophy double major.
Molly K. Elkins, Owings, Maryland, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major. Elkins was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM. She was the recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Emily E. Foster, West Chester, graduated, magna cum laude, as a marketing and philosophy double major.
Christopher P. Gallant, Doylestown, graduated, cum laude, as an English and philosophy double major.
Jithin V. George, Newtown, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and biomathematics double major. George was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Giovanni Gunawan, Scranton, graduated, summa cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major.
Abigail Guziewicz, Peckville, graduated, magna cum laude, as a psychology and philosophy double major.
Braden F. Hood, Abington, graduated as an electrical engineering major.
Andrew N. Lacina, Kingston, graduated, magna cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major.
Sarah A. Lajeunesse, Havertown, graduated, magna cum laude, as a mathematics and philosophy double major.
Alexis M. Manzo, Moosic, graduated, cum laude, as an accounting and philosophy double major.
Marilyn G. Murphy, Wyckoff, New Jersey, graduated, cum laude, as an accounting major.
Halle T. Music, Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as a biology and philosophy double major.
Elisa R. Palmieri, Northford, Connecticut graduated, cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major.
Mary T. Petrucci, Ambler, graduated, magna cum laude, as an electrical engineering and philosophy double major.
Zeli-Anne V. Policarpio, South Plainfield, New Jersey, graduated as an accounting major.
Mary R. Purcell, Ocean City, New Jersey, graduated, summa cum laude, as an English and philosophy double major.
Christian D. Rickrode, Mountain Top, graduated as a finance and philosophy double major.
Elizabeth R. Ridge, Southampton, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience major. Ridge was also a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Joshua T. Rudolph, Peckville, graduated, summa cum laude, as a journalism - electronic media and philosophy double major.
James T. Ruff, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, graduated as a computer science and philosophy double major.
Sandra Rutkowski, Lindenhurst, New York, graduated as a biology and philosophy double major.
Michael L. Samulevich, Shickshinny, graduated, cum laude, as a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major. Samulevich was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Amanda B. Tolvaisa, Springfield, graduated, summa cum laude, as an English and philosophy double major. She was the recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Cara F. Webster, Bradford, graduated, magna cum laude, as a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Webster was also a member of the University's undergraduate Honors Program.
Quinn A. Williams, Hawley, graduated as a philosophy major.
Kyle Zaboski, Wyoming, graduated as a strategic communication and philosophy double major.
Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program Graduates
-
06/02/2021
Yaodong Bi, Ph.D., professor of computing sciences, was named Teacher of the Year by The University of Scranton’s class of 2021. The award was presented at a virtual Class Night event on May 21.
The award honors a faculty member who maintains high standards of academic excellence and fairness, and through enthusiasm and dedication, inspires the interest of students in a field of education. The University’s Faculty Senate Academic Support Committee instituted the award in 1996.
Dr. Bi joined the faculty at Scranton in 1991. For nearly 25 years, he has served as the director of the University’s master’s program in software engineering. The courses he teaches at the University include Computer and Information Literacy, Database Systems, Mobile Application Development, Special Topics: Real-Time Systems, Principles and Applications of Software Design, and Engineering of Software Systems, among others.
Dr. Bi’s research interests include software engineering, real-time systems, database systems, operating systems, mobile application development and software design. He has presented research at professional conferences and has published articles in peer-reviewed academic journals. He is a member of the computer society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
Dr. Bi earned a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the Northeast University of Technology Shenyang, People’s Republic of China, and a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.
Graduating Class of 2021 Names Teacher of the Year
-
06/01/2021
Twelve members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2021, along with graduates from East Stroudsburg University, King’s College, Penn State Scranton and Wilkes University, were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during an in-person ceremony held on campus on May 29.
The University of Scranton ROTC graduates who were commissioned at the ceremony are:
2nd Lt. Edward Burke of Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan;
2nd Lt. Kathleen Coar of Dunmore;
2nd Lt. Shannon Everton of Sykesville, Maryland;
2nd Lt. Sean Gannon of Garrison, New York;
2nd Lt. Miranda Livingston of Simsbury, Connecticut;
2nd Lt. Diana Mesa of Miami, Florida;
2nd Lt. Mackenzie Murray of Lebanon, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Samuel Polhemus of Syracuse, New York;
2nd Lt. Jack Rickard of Honesdale;
2nd Lt. Jonathan Sheehan of Jim Thorpe;
2nd Lt. Alec Sullivan of Rock Tavern, New York;
2nd Lt. Kyle Wood of Clarks Summit.
In addition, 10 ROTC graduates from area colleges were also commissioned as officers at the ceremony. Second Lieutenants commissioned from East Stroudsburg University were: Mattison Barone, King of Prussia; Mickayla Grow, Lykens; Victoria Reid, East Stroudsburg; and Jacquleine Tracy, Kunkletown. Second Lieutenants commissioned from King’s College were Antonio Angelini, Wilmington, Delaware; Michael Brubaker, Sinking Spring; and Nicholas Rottger, Auburn, New York. The 2nd Lieutenant commissioned from Penn State Scranton was Antonio Cerminaro, Mayfield. Second Lieutenants commissioned from Wilkes University were Megan Magoon, Barnegat, New Jersey; and Matthew Rojas, Orlando, Florida.
$content.getChild('content').textValueGraduates Commissioned as Second Lieutenants
-
06/01/2021
The Royal Experience Summer Internship Program will provide five University of Scranton students, selected from a competitive pool, a stipend of up to $4,000 to support their participation in a meaningful unpaid internship for the summer of 2021. The program was started in 2016 through funding by the University’s Parents’ Executive Council and the donations of alumni and friends of the University.
Students receiving support are writing about their internship experiences in a blog published on the University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development webpage.
The following is a list of students who will participate in the 2021 Royal Experience Summer Internship program.
Royal Experience Recipients Summer 2021
Tiannah Adams ’22, a psychology major from New York, New York, will be a summer intern at Manhattan Justice Opportunities, in New York city.
Christina Alfano ’22, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major from Red Bank, New Jersey, will be a senior undergraduate researcher in the microbiology lab of Amelia Randich, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at The University of Scranton.
Jillian Haller ’23, a neuroscience major from Williston Park, New York, will be a research assistant in the Neurodevelopment lab of Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at The University of Scranton.
Samuel Marranca ’22, a history from Pittston, will be a legal intern at Atty. Rose Randazzo Law Offices in Pittston.
Kathleen Wallace ’23, a philosophy and theology double major from Bowie, Maryland, will be an outreach intern for the Churches for Middle East Peace in Washington, D.C.
Royal Experience Program Names Summer Interns
-
06/01/2021
For the second year in a row, student members of The University of Scranton’s Business Club selected Ashley L. Stampone ’10, G’11, faculty specialist in the Accounting Department as the Kania School of Management Professor of the Year. The virtual announcement was made May 19. Prof. Stampone was also selected for this honor in May or 2020.
A graduate of The University of Scranton, Prof. Stampone became a faculty member at her alma mater in 2016. In 2019, she was also honored with the Faculty Leadership Award from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). The national award recognizes one faculty member annually who has demonstrated significant leadership activities at the national, regional, and/or local levels of IMA and has made additional contributions to IMA.
At Scranton, Prof. Stampone serves as the moderator of the University’s IMA student chapter, through which University students participated in IMA’s student case competition and its student manuscript competition, as well as IMA’s student leadership conference. IMA selected Scranton’s student chapter as one of just five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Previously, Prof. Stampone worked as an internal auditor for QVC, Inc., as a senior financial systems analyst for Bridon American Corporation, as an inventory accountant for International Salt Company and a staff accountant for ParenteBeard, LLC.
A resident of Old Forge, Prof. Stampone received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from The University of Scranton. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) at the University.
Ashley Stampone Named KSOM Professor of the Year
-
05/26/2021
The University of Scranton held its first in-person Donning of the Kente Stole Ceremony to celebrate and honor the accomplishments of 45 members of its class of 2021from underrepresented identities who received their undergraduate degrees. The purpose of the ceremony was to highlight the success in overcoming the particular barriers and obstacles faced by students from these groups, particularly students of color, in attaining a higher education.
For the past two years, the Multicultural Center set out to explore opportunities to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of students from underrepresented identities approaching graduation. The Donning of the Kente Stole Ceremony was a student led initiative that started with the research done by graduating senior Camila Robles Class of 2019, and the vision of Aba Amon-Kwafo Class of 2020, who lead the efforts to develop the proposal and approval of the Donning of the Kente Stole Ceremony and set the foundation for the ceremony to become a University of Scranton Commencement event.
“The Donning of the Kente Stole Ceremony is an important and significant step the University has taken to provide graduates of color with a positive, rewarding experience that recognizes their hard work and dedication to their education,” said Samiel Torres, a member of the University’s class of 2021 and the student leader of Donning of the Kente Ceremony Committee.
“We are here to celebrate you. And it is my opinion that the graduating class of 2021 is by far one of the most intelligent, resilient, and innovative graduating classes that I have ever seen, and probably that the world has ever seen. Time didn’t stop for any of us during this pandemic, but you mastered the art of finesse, getting it done, and commitment. Wear your Kente stole proudly,” said guest Glynis Johns, founder and CEO of the Black Scranton Project, who was selected by the students to speak at the event.
The ceremony, organized by the student committee members and Jose Sanchez, assistant director of the University’s Cross Cultural Centers, took place on campus on May 21. The “Doning of the Kente Commencement Ceremony” was first held in the United States on May 15, 1993, at Westchester University of Pennsylvania. Through the years, The Kente Ceremony or versions of this ceremony have become an annual cultural achievement ceremony where families, colleagues, and friends gather to celebrate the accomplishments of graduates from underrepresented and marginalized communities receiving their undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees. The significance of the Kente cloth dates back to 12th century Africa and was worn by Asante royalty in the area of Africa that is now Ghana and today is used as a staple for special occasions.
In addition to Torres, Sanchez and Johns, also speaking at the event were: Robert Davis Jr., Ed.D. vice president for student life; Helen Wolf, Ph.D., director of the Office of Campus Ministries, David Vergaray, member of the University’s class of 2021; and AnnMarie Onwuka and Tiannah Adams, members of the University’s class of 2022 and Donning of Kente Stole Ceremony Committee.
Members of Scranton’s class of 2021 honored at the event were:
Hussain Mohammed Alshakhori, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering;
Corine Jamie Auguste, Bay Shore, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
John B. Baez, Brooklyn, New York, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social media strategies;
Sheryl A. Barba, Elmwood Park, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Vanessa N. Bueno, Uniondale, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Samantha Celine Camilo, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international business;
Nathalie Jean Cespedes, New Hyde Park, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in counseling and human services;
Srivatsav R. Challa, Wilkes Barre, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Kelly C. Chavez, Northvale, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in strategic communication;
Poul A. Chinga, Hazleton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology;
Breanna B. Cole, Bronx, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing;
Mahmoud Y. Dabsheh, Shavertown, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology;
Christina Marie De La Espriella, Parsippany, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international business;
Alba Rosa DeLeon, Somerset, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in early and primary teacher education;
Crisel Rose Divinagracia, West Nyack, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Bashirah D’Ann Foy, Emmaus, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science;
Jithin V. George, Newtown, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Christopher Gonzalez, Teaneck, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance;
Jamie M. Greene, Somerset, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science;
Giovanni Gunawan, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Isaiah Jordan Harris, Scranton, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Jadriane Michelle Hernandez, Staten Island, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in occupational therapy;
Trajan F. Hyde, West Orange, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Traevon Malakai Martin, Springfield, Massachusetts, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience;
Guillermo Ernesto Martinez, Maywood, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Dilma Jacqueline Mejia, Alexandria, Virginia, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Bradley Andrew Mendez, Bronx, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Jessica Teheipualani Desiree Moufa, Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree;
Ngoc Khanh Nguyen, New Tripoli, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting;
Brian Michael Noel, Cheltenham, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science;
Kyra Z. O’Toole, Chalfont, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science;
Stephanie Marie Panzenbeck, New York, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physiology;
Ashna B. Patel, Monroe, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science;
Denise Laura Pinto, Pittston, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology;
Cassandra Ramirez, Spring Valley, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology;
Annamarie Rodriguez, Kingston, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology;
Taylor Kennedy Roman, Poughkeepsie, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in international business;
Brian Santos Sevilla, Bergenfield, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting;
Lucy Noelle Smeets, Glen Ridge, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree;
Marquis S. Swan-Lezama, Mount Vernon, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science in information technology;
Tomi L. Toles II, Freeport, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting;
Samiel C. Torres, Hasbrouck Hts, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in exercise science;
Jalitza Vazquez, Newburgh, New York, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting;
David J. Vergaray Ramirez, Harrison, New Jersey, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance.
The full ceremony can be seen from the University’s Commencement 2021 webpage $content.getChild('content').textValueDonning of the Kente Stole Ceremony Held
-
05/26/2021
A member of The University of Scranton’s first graduating class of its Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program, Ronald Douglas Parker, DBA ’21 and two of his accounting professors won a prestigious 2021 Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Silver Medal for an article they co-authored. The article, “Dark Triad Personality Types and Fraud Behavior,” was co-authored with Dr. Parker by Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, chair of the Accounting Department and director of the DBA program at Scranton, and Brian W. Carpenter, Ph.D., professor of accounting.
Articles selected for award in the Lybrand Competition are drawn from all manuscripts published during the year in the Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA) Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly journals, both of which are rated among the top five refereed practitioner journals.
Dr. Parker is the third member of Scranton’s DBA class of 2021 cohort to win a Lybrand medal, joining classmates Daniel J. Gaydon, DBA ’21, and Marcus Burke, DBA ’21, who won 2020 Lybrand Silver and Bronze medals, respectively, for articles co-authored with Dr. Boyle and Daniel P. Mahoney, Ph.D., professor of accounting. In addition, Patrick O’Brian, DBA ’21, received a 2020 Lybrand certificate of merit and Amanda Marcy, ’10, G’11, DBA ’21, faculty specialist, received the inaugural IMA Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year award in 2020.
Scranton’s accounting faculty have been awarded more Lybrand Medals in the past decade than any other institution in the nation, previously winning six Lybrand medals, including two gold medals, two silver medals and two bronze medals, as well as five certificates of merit. They have also been internationally recognized for their research and publishing efficiency in the 2020 Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings, which ranks accounting programs and faculty throughout the world based on their success in publishing in top-tier accounting journals. The report, which is updated annually and includes ranks for specific categories of research and for specific time periods, ranks the Accounting Department at Scranton as the fourth most prolific department in the world for accounting education research (excluding cases) over the most recent six-year period. The department was also ranked internationally for all methods, audit and experimental accounting research.
With respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty in the area of accounting education, Dr. Boyle was ranked No. 7, and Dr. Carpenter was ranked No. 22 (tied). Additionally, Dr. Boyle was ranked for all methods, auditing, and experimental research and Dr. Carpenter was ranked for all methods.
Scranton’s DBA program also received international recognition when the prestigious accrediting body, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), listed the program in 2019 among the “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” Scranton’s DBA was recognized for providing a non-traditional research DBA in accounting that “promotes diversity and practice relevance by providing a flexible path for experienced practitioners to gain the knowledge and credentials required to succeed in tenure-track positions at AACSB-accredited institutions.”
Dr. Parker’s dissertation is “A Bright Side of the Dark: The Effects of Machiavellian Personality Trait and Fraud Risk Indicators on Auditors’ Skeptical Judgments.” A resident of Franklin, North Carolina, Dr. Parker is a tenure-track assistant professor of accounting at Western Carolina University, which is where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Boyle has more than 25 years of industry executive experience. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Boyle was profiled in 2020 and 2019 as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs. He was awarded the University Service and Leadership Award from the Provost in 2021, the Award in Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award from the Faculty Senate at Scranton in 2019 and has won numerous other awards for teaching and research. He is the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
Dr. Boyle’s research has been published in numerous academic and practitioner journals, such as The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Accounting Horizons, Issues in Accounting Education, Current Issues in Auditing, The Journal of Accounting Education, The Accounting Educators’ Journal, The Journal of Accountancy, Strategic Finance, Fraud Magazine, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly, The CPA Journal, Internal Auditing, The Journal of Applied Business Research and The Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Boyle earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Dr. Carpenter, who was named the University’s inaugural PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) LLP Accounting Research Chair, also received numerous teaching awards throughout his distinguished career. In 1990, he was named as The University of Scranton’s Alpha Sigma Nu Professor of the Year. In 1997, he was selected as Pennsylvania’s Accounting Professor of the Year by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants. In 2002, he was selected as Scranton’s CASE Professor of the Year. In 2008, he was a recipient of the university’s Provost Excellence Award for the Scholarship of Teaching.
Dr. Carpenter co-authored two textbooks and published more than 50 articles in numerous professional and academic journals, including Accounting Organizations and Society, Accounting Horizons, The CPA Journal, Strategic Finance, Management Accounting Quarterly, The Internal Auditor, Internal Auditing, the Journal of Accounting Education, the Pennsylvania CPA Journal, the Journal of Applied Business Research and the Journal of Business and Economics Research. He holds an MBA from The University of Scranton as well as a bachelor’s degree and doctorate in accounting from the Pennsylvania State University.
DBA Graduate and Professors Win Silver Medal
-
05/23/2021
The University of Scranton conferred more than 800 bachelor’s degrees at its in-person undergraduate commencement ceremonies on May 23. Degrees were conferred to graduates who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2020, as well as January and May of 2021. Due to capacity restrictions in place because of the pandemic, separate ceremonies were held for the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, the Kania School of Management and the College of Arts and Sciences at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre.
Members of the University’s undergraduate class of 2021 represent 12 states including Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Undergraduate majors with the most graduates are accounting, nursing, biology, occupational therapy, exercise science, finance and marketing.
Each of the undergraduate ceremonies included a tribute to the late Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., who served as the University’s 24th and 27th President, and a recorded principal address by University of Scranton alumna Susan M. St. Ledger ’86, president of worldwide field operations for Okta, Inc. St. Ledger received an honorary degree from the University along with Rev. Otto Hentz, S.J., associate professor of theology, Georgetown University; Rev. Columba A. Stewart, O.S.B., executive director of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library at St. John’s University; and Scranton alumna Nicole Young ’00, Emmy Award-winning producer for 60 Minutes.
St. Ledger told the members of the class of 2021 in a recorded address, which was played at each undergraduate ceremony, their “life as a student never ends.” Reflecting on lessons taught to her by her parents, Mary and Dave, who is also a University of Scranton alumnus, she told the graduates “my father taught me that the purpose of education, whether its grade school or college, is to learn how to learn, so you understand how to learn for the rest of your life. My mother often reminded me that there are many life experiences outside the classroom with tremendous educational value. Years later, it became clear to me my father taught me to be a student for life, and my mother taught me to be a student of life. … Because you are beneficiaries of a Jesuit education, the seeds that will enable you make a difference have already taken root. You are well prepared to respond to a call to human excellence, the continued development of the whole person and lifelong learning.”
Jeffrey P. Gingerich, Ph.D., acting president, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, addressed the graduates at the virtual ceremony, and conferred degrees upon candidates presented by Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Sam Beldona, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management; and Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Members of the class of 2021 who spoke at their respective commencement ceremonies were: Taylor Rose Schwartz ’21, Broomall, an occupational therapy major representing the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Taylor Kennedy Roman ’21, Poughkeepsie, an international business major representing the Kania School of Management; and Casey E. Welby ’21, Scranton, a classical language Latin and history double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program, representing the College of Arts and Sciences. Also speaking at the ceremony was Joseph L. Sorbera, III ’08, president of the University’s Alumni Society. David E. Marx, Ph.D., interim associate provost for academic affairs, provided the Benediction and Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, provided the Invocation.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here. $content.getChild('content').textValueUndergraduate Commencement Ceremonies Held
-
05/22/2021
The University of Scranton conferred more than 500 master’s and doctoral degrees at an in-person commencement ceremony on May 22 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre. Degrees were conferred to graduates who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2020, as well as January and May of 2021.
At the ceremony, the University conferred its first doctor of business administration degrees in addition to doctor of nursing practice degrees, doctor of physical therapy degrees and master’s degrees in various disciplines. Graduates represented several foreign countries and 29 states, including Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia among others. The programs with the most graduates were the master of business administration, master of accountancy, master of health administration, master of occupational therapy and doctor of physical therapy.
The ceremony included a tribute to the late Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., who served as the University’s 24th and 27th president.
Degrees were conferred by Jeffrey P. Gingerich, Ph.D., acting president, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, upon candidates presented by Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Sam Beldona, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management; and Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Also speaking at the ceremony was Joseph L. Sorbera, III ’08, president of the University’s Alumni Society. David E. Marx, Ph.D., interim associate provost for academic affairs, provided the Benediction and Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, provided the Invocation.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Confers Master’s and Doctoral Degrees
-
05/18/2021
The University of Scranton student team placed sixth in the 2021 District 2 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). The Scranton team competed in a virtual format against students from colleges in Pennsylvania and other states.
The national competition is administered by the American Advertising Federation and was sponsored by Tinder this year. The competition required teams to perform research, create, write and present an integrated advertising campaign for Tinder.
Teams from more than 150 colleges and universities participate nationally each year. The winning teams from 15 district competitions advance to the final round of the national contest, which will be held in Hollywood, Florida, in June. District 2, considered a mega district advanced two teams to the national competition: Ithaca University and Syracuse University.
The University’s 2021 Advertising Competition Team members were: Lauren Bogert, Mahwah, New Jersey; Alessia Brunori, South Abington Township; Kathryn Donfield, New Providence, New Jersey; Joseph Fullam, Coatesville; Lindsay Roberto, Princeton, New Jersey; and Sara Tavares, Branchburg, New Jersey. Communication Professor Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., serves as the team’s faculty advisor.
Students Participate in Advertising Competition
-
05/18/2021
The University of Scranton honored its graduating class by dedicating a 26-foot Norway Spruce on the Dionne Campus Green as the Class of 2021 Evergreen. The tree, which also serves as the University’s Christmas tree, was dedicated at a ceremony on May 12.
University of Scranton Acting President Jeffrey P. Gingerich, Ph.D., acknowledged that the University’s administration knew the success of reopening the campus for the 2020-2021 academic year depended on the students’ willingness to follow the safety guidelines put in place because of the pandemic.
“I have to say - the cooperation and care you have demonstrated for one another in following so many health and safety guidelines – brought us here today,” said Dr. Gingerich at the dedication ceremony. “We wanted to acknowledge in a special way the members of our graduating class, for the sacrifices made – and for the leadership demonstrated. Therefore, I am pleased to announce, the University has dedicated this Norway spruce as: The Class of 2021 Evergreen.”
The evergreen was planted on the Dionne Campus Green last November at the direction of the then President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., to serve as a permanent Christmas tree. Fr. Pilarz also wished to have the tree named in honor of the class of 2021.
“When I heard of this tree being planted by Father Pilarz, one of the last campus improvements he made, I thought it was such a neat idea – planting a Christmas tree in the middle of our campus that would be seen year-round and that would be the same year after year,” said Jeffrey M. Colucci Jr. ’21 Student Government president, 2020-2021, in his remarks. “He wanted this tree to be dedicated to our class – he wanted this to be our tree. He wanted us to be able to come back to campus and see this same tree as a symbol of our adaptability, wisdom, strength and resiliency.”
Adrianna O. Smith ’22, Student Government president, 2021-2022, said in her remarks that she thinks of “Father Pilarz and the current Scranton community as the roots of the tree. We have firmly anchored our dedication and love for Scranton during the years when the tree was first planted. The tree’s branches represent the future of Scranton. This evergreen will grow and change throughout the years, just as the student body, faculty, and staff will.”
Colucci is a double major in accounting and finance from Mahwah, New Jersey. Smith is a philosophy and theology double major and member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program from Covington Township.
At the ceremony, Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, read a poem by Mary Oliver, one of Father Pilarz’s favorite poets, prior to blessing the tree. Lauren S. Rivera, J.D., assistant vice president for student life and dean of students, also spoke at the ceremony.
A recording of Class of 2021 Evergreen dedication ceremony can be seen here.
$content.getChild('content').textValue“When I Am Among the Trees” by Mary Oliver
When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness.
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, “Stay awhile.”
The light flows from their branches.And they call again, “It’s simple,” they say,
“and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine.”Class of 2021 Evergreen Dedicated at Scranton
-
05/17/2021
The University of Scranton has begun construction on the reconfiguration of 5,300 square feet of the first floor of Hyland Hall into state-of-the-art learning and laboratory space for its new Mechanical Engineering Program. The renovated space on the ground floor of Hyland Hall, which will be completed for the start of the 2021 fall semester, will include three laboratories, a workshop, a machine shop, and a 16-seat computer lab, as well as faculty offices and a student lounge area.
“The Physics and Engineering Department at Scranton emphasizes active and applied learning methods to educate our students,” said W. Andrew Berger, Ph.D., professor and chair of the University’s Physics and Engineering Department. “The renovated facilities will allow us to use the latest in laboratory, simulation and modeling techniques to prepare our students to be successful in their professional careers in mechanical engineering.”
In the renovated space, mechanical engineering students will experiment with several pieces of equipment in solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, control, dynamics and vibration labs. Students, like aerospace scientists, will work with a wind tunnel, where they will determine important fluid characteristics by measuring aerodynamics pressures, forces and moments applied to aerodynamics models such as airfoil models by the airflow in laminar and turbulent flows. They will also investigate the behavior of engineering materials by performing precise tensile and compression tests using state-of-the-art Instron equipment to determine material properties such as strength, modulus of elasticity, yield and failure stresses of standard engineering materials.
“We prepare our Mechanical Engineering students to take the position they deserve by focusing on the applied sciences in engineering, experiments and manufacturing, and research that it is essential in future careers of the students,” said Amir Hosein Zamanian, Ph.D., assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Scranton.
Dr. Berger said that engineering faculty members are actively engaged in research and often involve undergraduate students in their lab work to enrich the student learning experience. In addition, students frequently participate in internship opportunities to expand their skills and experience, as well as mentoring and individual advising with faculty members to fully develop their aptitude and interests.
“As a Jesuit and Catholic university, the rigorous curriculum at Scranton not only challenges students, it reinforces ethical, professional and socially conscientious practices,” said Dr. Berger. “Our graduates are prepared well to face the technical and ethical challenges of the future.”
Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering disciplines and involves the design, production and operation of mechanical systems and thermal systems. The program will allow the students to specialize in several areas, such as biomechanics, energy conversion, laser-assisted materials processing, fracture mechanics, vibrations and combustion.
Students graduating in mechanical engineering will be prepared to work in a wide array of fields, including the automotive and aerospace industries, manufacturing, electronics, mechatronics and nanotechnologies.
Earlier this year, the University received a $1.5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant in support of its new mechanical engineering major, which includes the reconfiguration of instructional space in Hyland Hall. Additional renovations are planned for the fourth floor of Hyland Hall which will begin in late summer and be completed for the spring 2022 semester.
In addition to mechanical engineering, which the University began to offer in the fall of 2020, other majors offered by the University’s Physics and Engineering Department include computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, biophysics and physics.
For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 888-727-2686 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
$content.getChild('content').textValueRenovations Underway for Mechanical Engineering
-
05/12/2021
The University of Scranton presented Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards to staff members, Kim Hurst, payroll specialist; Maryjane Rooney, director of strategic outreach and presidential events; and JoAnn Stavisky, caretaker of the Retreat Center at Chapman Lake; at a ceremony held on campus that can be viewed here. The awards, presented by Acting President Jeffrey P. Gingerich, Ph.D., recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technical staff and maintenance/public safety staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University.
“This year we will honor three staff members who have shown exceptional dedication or creativity in performing their duties; built, contributed or nurtured the sense of community; and contributed in a significant way to helping members of our community,” said Patricia Tetreault, vice president for human resources, at the ceremony.
In his remarks, Dr. Gingerich thanked “all the staff and faculty who have done so much this year and who are all deserving of awards” prior to presenting Sursum Corda Awards to three “exceptional staff members.”
“Since day one, Kim has shown herself to be a dedicated, loyal and conscientious employee, working under strict deadlines each week to be sure the various payrolls she is responsible for are all completed accurately and on-time,” said Dr. Gingerich in presenting the Sursum Corda Award to Kim Hurst. “Kim is known to regularly plan her vacation time around payroll dates.”
In presenting the award to Maryjane Rooney, Dr. Gingerich said that she has served the University through her work in the Alumni Office “with grace, care and a true sense of mission for the past 32 years.”
“For Maryjane, 51,000 is not merely a number, there is a story and a memory behind each one and the fact that she can recall so many of them is astonishing,” said Dr. Gingerich. “She makes it a point to get to know students and alumni on a personal level, strengthening their Scranton connection.”
Dr. Gingerich said JoAnn Stavisky is more than the caretaker for the University’s Retreat Center – “she’s the innkeeper.”
“In speaking with JoAnn, one knows the fulfillment she gets in making sure the Retreat Center is a place of contemplation, reflection and enjoyment for all that walk through any of its doors. She prepares the Chapel and the Lake Room so the students have the space needed to interact with each other, their leaders and the Lord.”
Staff members who joined the University in the fall of 2020 and in 2021 were also recognized at the ceremony.
$content.getChild('content').textValueSursum Corda Awards Presented to Staff Members
-
05/11/2021
Students representing The University of Scranton came in first place in the inaugural two-day Cyber Forensic Student Competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. Utica College hosted the virtual competition on April 29-30 at which 10 college teams from the Northeast U.S. competed. The competition included evidence discovery, gathering and preservation, investigation and analysis.
Members of The University of Scranton’s team, called the Royal-Cyber Warriors, were: Maria Mancuso, a sophomore cybercrime and homeland security major from Lebanon, New Jersey; Evan Chang, a sophomore cybercrime and homeland security major from Malvern; and Andrew Huertas, a senior criminal justice major from Dalton.
Sinchul Back, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of cybercrime and cybersecurity at the University’s Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology, served as the team’s advisor.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Win Cyber Forensic Competition
-
05/11/2021
The University of Scranton will formally recognize four honorary degree recipients at its undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Sunday, May 23. Receiving honorary degrees from the University, which were conferred by the University’s Board of Trustees prior to commencement, are: Susan M. St. Ledger ’86, president of worldwide field operations for Okta, Inc.; Rev. Otto Hentz, S.J., associate professor of theology, Georgetown University; Rev. Columba A. Stewart, O.S.B., executive director of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library at St. John’s University; and Nicole Young ’00, Emmy Award-winning producer for 60 Minutes. St. Ledger will also serve as the principal speaker at the 2021 commencement on Sunday, May 23.
Susan M. St. Ledger ’86
At Okta, a global provider of secure identity management platforms, St. Ledger’s responsibilities include worldwide sales, customer success and support, professional services, partner and channel ecosystems, marketing and brand, and business operations. She has more than 25 years of senior leadership in high-growth technology companies. She previously served for more than four years as president of worldwide field operations for Splunk, more than 11 years at Salesforce and more than 12 years at Sun Microsystems. She is a passionate learner and anchors her leadership principles in what she calls a high-growth mindset, which is required to transform and accelerate business. She has demonstrated expertise in identifying market opportunity and business transformation needs for SaaS environments.
St. Ledger started her career in several technical jobs, including her first role out of college as a software engineer at the National Security Agency. In November 2019, St. Ledger became the first independent board member of HashiCorp, the leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software.
St. Ledger earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science, magna cum laude, from the University in 1986.
Rev. Otto Hentz, S.J.
Fr. Hentz has been a professor at Georgetown University for more than 50 years. A gifted and dedicated teacher, Georgetown University named him a Wall Street Alliance Honoree in 2015.
In 1955, Fr. Hentz entered the Society of Jesus, and later taught philosophy at Georgetown from 1962-1965. He was ordained as a priest in 1968. He earned a doctoral degree in theology from the University of Chicago. He returned to Georgetown in 1972 as a member of the Department of Theology and has served as an associate professor at Georgetown since 1978, teaching courses on the Catholic Church in the modern world, Christianity and Jesus Christ, and systematic theology.
Fr. Hentz has served two terms as a member of The University of Scranton’s board of trustees.
Rev. Columba A. Stewart, O.S.B.
Through his work at the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library, Fr. Stewart has traveled to the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and South Asia, working with international religious leaders, government authorities and archivists to preserve ancient to early-modern religious manuscripts. In 2015, the Hill Museum launched an online reading room to provide access to the library’s growing digitized collection, which is already the world’s largest digital collection of ancient manuscripts. His work has been featured in stories in 60 Minutes, the BBC, Harvard Magazine and The Atlantic.
A scholar of early Christian monasticism, Fr. Stewart’s books include Working the Earth of the Heart: the Messalian Controversy in History, Texts and Language to 431 and Prayer and Community: the Benedictine Tradition.
Fr. Stewart earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, his master’s in religious studies from Yale University, and his doctorate in theology from Oxford University.
Nicole Young ’00
During her distinguished career, Young has been honored with 16 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, three Alfred I. DuPont- Columbia Awards, four Writer’s Guild Awards, two Gerald Loeb Awards, two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, four National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, a George Polk Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Wilbur Award to name a few.
Young’s most recent 60 Minutes assignments include breaking news coverage on the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump; reporting on Syria from the front lines on the refugee crisis, the use of chemical weapons and The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as “The White Helmets” and Ethiopia’s Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela. Some of Young’s most critical stories, however, are those focusing on job loss, poverty, homelessness and especially child hunger in the United States.
In addition to producing pieces for 60 Minutes, Young played an essential role as a senior producer at the CBS Evening News for six years where she broke major stories for the nightly broadcast.
Young arrived at CBS News as an intern at the age of 19 and has worked for CBS in Washington, D.C., London and New York. She joined 60 Minutes in 2004 as Scott Pelley’s assistant and became his producer a few years later. A member of The University of Scranton’s Board of Trustees, Young earned her bachelor’s degree from Scranton in 2000 and her master’s degree from City, University of London.
Undergraduate commencement ceremonies will be held on Sunday, May 23, for graduates of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies at 9:30 a.m.; the Kania School of Management at 1 p.m.; and for the College of Arts and Sciences at 4:30 p.m.
Four Receive Honorary Degrees from University
-
05/05/2021
We asked Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., the 29th president of The University of Scranton, a few personal questions to get to know him better. Here are his responses.
Do you have any pets?
I don’t have any pets at the moment, but I love animals, especially dogs.
Do you have any hobbies?
Hobbies, I have two. And, my two favorite hobbies are almost diametrically opposed to each other. I love to walk and hike when I can – and I also love to cook. Sometimes those hobbies are in tension with each other, but I typically try to do a good job in keeping them in balance.
Do you have a favorite meal you like to cook? Do you have a specialty?
I make a really good Bolognese sauce, if I must say so myself.
Do you have a favorite movie?
My favorite movie would be “A River Runs Through It.” I think it’s a wonderfully reflective movie. The cinematography is just gorgeous. It is a film that I could watch again, and again.
How about a favorite book?
I would say my favorite book is the one that I’m always currently reading. So, the answer changes as I move from one to the other. Right now, I’m reading “A Man who Loved Dogs.” It’s a historical novel about Leon Trotsky.
How about a favorite sport?
Well, I’m not much of a sportsman, I’ll have to admit that. But, I really enjoy college athletics, especially when they’re connected to the school at which I happen to be serving. So, the athletes and the coaches at Scranton will see me in the stands and in the bleachers as often as my schedule allows.
When you’re in the stands for those Scranton athletes, are you a rowdy fan?
Well, I’m afraid that sometimes I run the risk of getting thrown out of the gym. But, I promise to be on my best behavior.
Are you more of a morning person are more of a night owl?
If you had asked me that 30 years ago, I would give you a different answer. Now, I am definitely a morning person. I get most of my work done in the early morning hours.
What quote, or phrase, or word do you think maybe best describes you?
I would hope it would be the word loving. That may be too audacious for me to claim. But let me say it’s a word that I aspire to.
How would you describe The University of Scranton in one word?
I’m very glad to now use the word home.
Watch the latest video featuring Scranton's president-elect below.
Get to Know Father Marina
-
05/05/2021
From January 2021 to date, more than 150 University of Scranton nursing students, as well as 12 Nursing Department faculty members and staff volunteered to administer thousands of doses of COVID-19 vaccines at 15 locations in the Scranton area. Together, they have provided more than 350 hours of service in the fight to help end the SARS COV2 Global Pandemic.
“I think this is a really important thing to do,” said nursing student Kathryn Antonawich, a senior from West Islip, New York. “The pandemic has affected so many people, so I wanted to do my part to help out.”
That sentiment was echoed by other nursing students.
“To be able to put in practice the skills I have learned in classes while also being able to help the community was the perfect opportunity for me,” said sophomore nursing major Victoria Barbosa of Scranton.
“It is astonishing how interested and willing our students are to help administer the COVID vaccines. Last week, we put out a call for 16 volunteers for a vaccination clinic and the slots filled in 2 minutes – literally, in two minutes,” said Kim Subasic, Ph.D., assistant professor and chair of the University’s Nursing Department.
In addition to helping the community, volunteering at vaccination clinics allowed the nursing students to chance to hone their clinical and patient communication skills.
“As a nurse, we give a lot of injections. Volunteering to administer vaccinations at a clinic was a great opportunity for me,” said Tianna Popstein, a nursing major in her junior year from Port Jervis, New York. “The Nursing Department set up areas for students to practice before going to the clinics, so I felt as prepared as I could be.”
“The experience made me feel that I am ready. I am prepared go out into the field and help people,” said Antonawich, who will graduate in May. “By volunteering at so many vaccine clinics, I was able to strengthen the communication aspect that is such a huge part of nursing. I am now more comfortable and confident to begin working as a nurse.”
Since January, student nurses, faculty and staff have volunteered at vaccination clinics at: The University of Scranton, Medicus Urgent Care, Throop Civic Center, VNA Olyphant, Abington Heights High School, North Pocono High School, Mount Airy Lodge, the Reserve Center, the Leahy Clinic, Lackawanna College, the Bhutanese Center in south Scranton, Montage, the Mohegan Sun Casino and the Dunmore Community Center.
The student volunteer service opportunities were coordinated by Nursing Department staff members Colleen McGoff, nursing lab director; Autumn Forgione, clinical coordinator and assistant lab director; and Andrea Mantione, DNP, director of the Leahy Community Health and Family Center.
Nursing faculty members who volunteered with the students were: Mary Jane DiMattio, Ph.D., professor of nursing; Forgione; Marilyn Highhouse, adjunct professor; Lisa Lesneski, Ph.D., associate professor; Ann Maire Loiseau, adjunct professor; Dr. Mantione; McGoff; Kirsten McIntyre, clinic nurse manager, Leahy Community Health and Family Center; Christine Pabst, adjunct professor; Dr. Subasic; Laurie Valunas, faculty specialist; and Cristen Walker Ph.D., assistant professor.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to help the community. Who would have known that we would be doing this when we stared college a few years ago,” said Popstein.
“If anything, the vaccine clinic experience helped solidify my decision to become a nurse,” said Barbosa. “I am 100,000 percent certain I made the right decision.”
$content.getChild('content').textValueStudents Grateful to Volunteer at Vaccine Clinics
-
05/04/2021
Students have been inducted into national honor societies represented at The University of Scranton throughout the 2021 spring semester. Lists of students inducted into some of the University’s honor societies can be seen below.
Alpha Lambda DeltaAlpha Sigma LambdaBeta Beta BetaChi Delta RhoInstitute for Management AccountantsKappa Delta PiNu Rho PsiOmega Beta SigmaPhi Delta KappaPhi Lambda UpsilonPi Sigma AlphaSigma Nu TauSigma Pi SigmaSigma Theta TauSigma XiTau Upsilon AlphaTheta Alpha KappaStudents Inducted into National Honor Societies
-
05/04/2021
Sixty-One University of Scranton students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities for 2021. The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students, including students in doctoral level degree programs, who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
The following undergraduate and graduate students at Scranton were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu:
Peter AmicucciAmy AtkinsonJoseph BarryEmma BoyleShannon BroderickMya BuschmanEmily CampoKanak ChattopadhyayAlaina CiorraSarah CoulsonHannah CrilleyJenna CyrEmily D’UrsoMichael DiehlElizabeth DiGiovineCrisel DivinagraciaAllison EichingerElizabeth FilachekAutumn FlickEmily FosterMelisa GalloAmanda GerenzaAnna GiannantonioJack GoldenJessica GoldschlagerBridget GrasErin GrellHanna GuarnuccioGiovanni GunawanEmily HarvanJoseph HasseyKathie Kaopuiki NestrickSarah LajeunesseAlicia LipinskiIsaiah LivelsbergerClare LongMegan MaloneyVincent McCloskyMarnie MonahanKimberly MorrisBridget NealAlexis PagonisSimon PeterJulia PiermatteoMatthew PintoJessica RaichelMorgan RentzheimerKatherine RodrigoMeghan RohrJulia RomanovichKyle ShafferZachary ShafferChristina ShaffernEvan SpinnerSalvatore SullivanClaire SundayJordyn ThompsonCasey TrezzaKatherine WelbyChristiana WoodMary Kate YatsonskyStudents Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society
-
04/28/2021
The University of Scranton’s partnered with Hometown Healthcare of NEPA to hold a COVID-19 vaccine clinic for students, faculty and staff in the Byron Recreation Complex on April 23. In addition to members of the University community, spouses and children who 16 or older of faculty and staff, and students from Scranton Preparatory School aged 16 or older, also received their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the clinic. In total, 969 people were vaccinated at the clinic.
Participants will receive the second dose of the vaccine at a clinic on campus scheduled for Friday, May 14.
The University’s Center for Health Education and Wellness (CHEW) worked with Hometown Healthcare of NEPA to arrange the clinic. In addition to staff members of CHEW, 52 students, faculty and staff volunteered at the clinic, including 16 students enrolled in the University’s nursing program who helped to administer the vaccinations.
As part of the University’s Royals Safe Together Plan, students who are fully vaccinated are asked to upload their vaccine information through the student health portal. Based on vaccination documents submitted, a student survey and participation in the campus vaccine clinic last week, the University estimates that more than 2,500 students have already received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination.
COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic Held on Campus
-
04/27/2021
Leonard G. Gougeon, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of English and Theatre at The University of Scranton, received the John L. Earl III Award for service to the University, the faculty and the wider community. The 2020 John L. Earl III Award was presented at a virtual faculty award ceremony on campus that took place in April 2021.
The award is given annually to a member of the University community who demonstrates the spirit of generosity and dedication that the late Dr. John Earl, a distinguished professor of history, exemplified during his years at Scranton from 1964 to 1996.
An internationally recognized scholar on Ralph Waldo Emerson, Dr. Gougeon has taught at the University for nearly fifty years. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 1974. A past-president of the Ralph Waldo Emerson Society, Dr. Gougeon received the society’s Distinguished Achievement Award in 2008. He has presented on Emerson and the British at Oxford University, and, in 2003, was one of a small group of invited scholars who spoke at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Historical Society as part of the Emerson Bicentennial celebration.
Dr. Gougeon is the author of Virtue’s Hero: Emerson, Antislavery, and Reform; Emerson and Eros: The Making of a Cultural Hero; and Emerson’s Truth, Emerson’s Wisdom: Transcendental Advice for Everyday Life. He is the coeditor of Emerson’s Antislavery Writings. He has published numerous scholarly articles on major figures of the American antebellum period in such journals as The New England Quarterly, American Literature, Walt Whitman Quarterly Review, Studies in the American Renaissance, Modern Language Studies and others. His essays appear in a number of collections including The Oxford Handbook to Transcendentalism, Emerson Bicentennial Essays, The Cambridge Companion to Henry David Thoreau, Thoreau at 200: Essays and Reassessments, A Political Companion to Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emerson in Context, Teaching Emerson and others. In 2015, he received the University’s Excellence in Scholarly Publication Award.
During his distinguished career at Scranton, Dr. Gougeon served as a member of the Faulty Senate for 31 years, including as a member of the Senate Committee on Shared Governance and Leadership. He also served as chair of the University Senate and as a member of the Faculty Affairs Council, where he served on its Board on Rank and Tenure and its Handbook Committee.
Dr. Gougeon earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University Halifax, and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
English and Theatre Professor Receives Earl Award
-
04/27/2021
Fortune’s inaugural ranking of the “Best Online MBAs” placed The University of Scranton at No. 72 in the nation. Fortune initiated the new ranking in response to the transition of many schools to virtual formats for learning caused by the pandemic. Fortune expects the popularity of the online format for MBA programs will increase in the coming years.
The “Best Online MBAs” ranking was published online on April 26.
For the ranking, Fortune looked at the quality of the online MBA program at the colleges as measured by their students’ average undergraduate GPA and GMAT score, the number of students enrolled, the colleges’ first-year retention rate and its graduation rate, which accounted for 55 percent of the overall ranking score. Fortune partnered with Ipsos to survey thousands of business professionals and hiring managers to produce a measurement of the “brand appeal” of the college, or “how much a group of people want to recruit from the university” (20 percent). Fortune also counted the number of Fortune 1000 executives who earned an MBA from the college (17.5 percent) and calculated the “prestige score” of a college based its online MBA program rankings by other national sources such as U.S. News, The Princeton Review and others (7.5 percent).
Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 48; and its online MBA program at No. 111 in the nation in its “Best Online Programs” guide. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 67 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.” The University’s online and on-campus programs have been ranked by numerous sources, including The Princeton Review and The Wall Street Journal.
Fortune Best Online MBA Programs Includes Scranton
-
04/22/2021
Sixty-four students in grades six to 12 from Pennsylvania, New York and Singapore participated in The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest this year. Awards were announced in a virtual ceremony on Earth Day, April 22.
University students who work in the Jesuit school’s Office of Sustainability reviewed the essays submitted, in addition to organizing and participating in the virtual award ceremony. University students participating in the ceremony were: Angela Hudock, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major from Sayre; Samuel Marranca, a history major from Pittston; Michael Quinnan a biomathematics major from Shavertown; and Nathaniel Smith, a neuroscience major from of Wilkes-Barre.
“The quality of the submittals was very impressive again this year,” said Mark Murphy, director of the Office of Sustainability at the University. “The essay contest creates an opportunity for our young people to select an Earth Day topic, research it and write about it. Many students relate their topics to personal experiences and we feel this is a powerful way to impact our young people to care for our planet.”
This year’s essay theme was “Caring for our Common Home.”
According to Murphy, topics covered in essays this year included recycling, conservation, minimalism, plant based diets, single-use items, bees, gardening, the Paris Climate Agreement, agriculture, food composting, upcycling and micro-plastics, among others.
The sixth-grade essay contest winners were all from Bay Academy in Brooklyn, New York: Sophia Kokaram, first place; Ameen Zafar, second place; and Michael Gotesman, third place.
The seventh-eighth grade essay contest winners were: Stephen Tharian, first place, Bay Academy; Kayla Marie Goultone, second place, Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School, Scranton; and Abernathy Itterly, third place (tie), Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School and Haram Shahid, third place (tie), Bay Academy.
The eighth-grade essay contest winners were: Ronan Whittaker, first place, Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School; Gianna Coroniti, second place, Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School; Jaela Callender, third place (tie), Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School and Brian Yablonovskiy, third place (tie), Bay Academy.
The ninth-10thgrade essay contest winners were: Kiera Kupsho, first place, Hazleton Area Academy of Science, Drums; and Brooke Charette, second place, Hazleton Area High School, Hazleton.
The 11th-12th grade essay contest winners were not designated as first, second or third place, but recognized as award winners. The students receiving an award for the 11th and 12th grade category were: Hannah Burke, Blue Mountain High School, Schuylkill Haven; Chan Kia Meng Charles, Dunman High School, Singapore; Gavin Ross, Abington Heights High School, Clarks Summit; and Ashley Sabia, Hazleton Area Academy of Science.
Information about next year’s essay contest will be posted to the University’s Sustainability webpage in January 2022.
Earth Day Essay Contest Awards Presented
-
04/20/2021
Dear Members of the University Community,
Late this afternoon, a Minneapolis jury returned a guilty verdict on all counts in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. As the trial unfolded on national television, it reminded us of the outrage and anguish that followed the murder of Mr. Floyd at the hands of police last May. While justice was served with today’s guilty verdict, it does not remove this pain and anger. We join so many across our nation today in praying that it provides a path for peace, justice and action.
Campus Ministry, the Cross Cultural Centers and the Office of Equity & Diversity are collaborating to conduct “Giving Voice to the Silenced,” a prayer vigil on May 4 (rain date of May 5) on the Dionne Green from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. As a University committed to cura personalis, education and social justice, we want to provide time and space to mourn, express our feelings, support each other, and work toward a better future. Students, faculty and staff can visit for any amount of time in prayer, reflection and solidarity as we remember Mr. Floyd and so many others whose lives were cut short as a tragic consequence of systemic racism and oppression in our nation.
As Father Pilarz noted last June, “As a university, we seek truth. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, we insist that truth be accompanied by freedom, justice and love.” We must as a University continue to build a community in which all are welcome and thrive without fear or prejudice. We will educate ourselves and improve the culture and systems at The University of Scranton for equity and inclusion.
At this time, I ask that we pray for Mr. Floyd and his family, for the people of Minneapolis and for persons everywhere who face injustice and violence in their lives and in their communities.
Sincerely,
Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D.
Acting President
Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Statement on Verdict in Chauvin Trial
-
04/20/2021
Forty-eight University of Scranton education majors served as student teachers during the fall and spring semesters at 15 local schools in the following 10 school districts: Carbondale Area, Dunmore, Lackawanna Trail, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, North Pocono, Valley View, Wayne Highlands and Western Wayne.
The following is a list of undergraduate and graduate students who served as student teachers and the schools to which they were assigned during the fall semester.
Kayleigh Basovsky of Hillsdale, New Jersey, taught at Valley View Intermediate;
Meghan Bode of Sparta, New Jersey, taught at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Sarah Collette of Oyster Bay, New York, taught at Fell Charter School;
Angelica Divietro Colontonio of Little Ferry, New Jersey, taught at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Corinne Estes of Ivyland taught at Valley View Elementary;
Emmaline Freeman of Walton, New York, taught at Fell Charter School;
Gillian Groom of Wantagh, New York, taught at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Margaret Kiess of Glen Rock, New Jersey, taught at Fell Charter School;
Katherine Roughan of Oceanside, New York, taught at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Leigh Scarano of Westfield, New Jersey, taught at Valley View Elementary;
Tylar Smith of Garden City, New York, taught at Mayfield Elementary School;
Julia Zendell of Suffern, New York, taught at Valley View Elementary.
The following is a list of undergraduate and graduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the spring semester.
Alexandra Altier of Clarks Summit is teaching at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Michelle Brenneman of Auburn is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Nadine Brosnan of Goshen, New York, is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
TaraRae Burns of Brooklyn, New York, is teaching at Dunmore Elementary;
Mia Carty of Short Hills, New Jersey, is teaching at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Anna Christiansen of Honesdale is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Daniel Damico of Wyckoff, New Jersey, is teaching at North Pocono High School;
Alba DeLeon of Somerset, New Jersey, is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Kathleen DeTreux of Wayne is teaching at Evergreen Elementary;
Julia Dobel of Kenilworth, New Jersey, is teaching at Valley View Elementary;
Margaret Donnelly of New Hyde Park, New York, is teaching at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Thomas Doyle of Florham Park, New Jersey, is teaching at Dunmore Learning Campus;
Michael Farry of South Abington Township is teaching at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Shaelynn Guilfoyle of West Nyack, New York, is teaching at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Angela Hendricks of Newtown is teaching at North Pocono Intermediate School;
Katheryn Hickey of South Huntington, New York, is teaching at Evergreen Elementary;
Megan Houlihan of New Milford is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Regan Hughes of Scranton is teaching at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Minori Koga of Scranton is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Shane Maurer of Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, is teaching at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Grace McAllister of Horsham is teaching at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Katherine Melilli of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Anna Oliveri of Bridgewater, New Jersey, is teaching at North Pocono Intermediate School;
Lauren Ottomanelli of East Northport, New York, is teaching at Evergreen Elementary;
Jessica Persky of Wantagh, New York, is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Christina Rombousek of Milford is teaching at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Nicole Rutman of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, is teaching at Valley View Elementary;
Danielle Sauro of Armonk, New York, is teaching at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Angela Scurti of Melville, New York, is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Molly Skinner of Reading, Massachusetts, is teaching at Lakeside Elementary School;
Caleigh Snead of Kings Park, New York, is teaching at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Allison Steitz of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, is teaching at Dunmore Learning Campus;
Mazie Stiles of Nyack, New York, is teaching at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Mary Wolf of Malverne, New York, is teaching at Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Christiana Wood of Marlboro, New York, is teaching at Lakeside Elementary School;
Megan Zinn of Bridgewater, New Jersey, is teaching at Valley View Elementary.
University Student Teachers Serve at Area Schools
-
04/20/2021
A book by Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., associate professor of communication and media at The University of Scranton, was published recently by Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. The book, “The Communication Solution: Leading Successful Change in Higher Education,” provides a practical and theoretical guide based on preexisting and original research data to issues surrounding planned organizational change strategies, core competencies and other aspects of the change process needed for effective leadership in higher education.
Dr. Smulowitz’s research focuses on theory and strategy for assessing and promoting excellence in organizational leadership. Her work has been featured in Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Journal of Intercultural Communication Studies, Measuring Business Excellence, Change Management: An International Journal, The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods and in several books, book chapters and training manuals.
At the University, Dr. Smulowitz teaches courses in advertising, leadership and organizational communication. She often includes community-based learning projects for students in her classes, which include developing and pitching marketing-based, integrated advertising campaigns to area organizations. She also serves as moderator for the University’s Advertising Club.
In March of 2021, Dr. Smulowitz received the American Advertising Federation of NEPA Silver Medal Award.
An Accredited Business Communicator (A.B.C.), Dr. Smulowitz is president of Smulowitz Communications, a strategic communication and leadership consulting firm. She also serves as executive director of the Eastern Communication Association and education chair of Boost Business NEPA.
A resident of Shavertown, Dr. Smulowitz earned a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University, a master’s degree from Ithaca College and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University.
Professor Publishes Book on Leadership
-
04/14/2021
Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor in The University of Scranton’s Physics and Engineering Department, is among the scientists participating in research projects on traveling ionospheric disturbances. One project received funding support from NASA. The second project is through an International Space Science Institute (ISSI) team. Through these projects, the University will receive more than $167,000 in funding to support graduate students, data analysis/computing equipment and conference travel.
Dr. Frissell is among the researchers working on a NASA Living With a Star project entitled, “Wave-Driven Asymmetries in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere due to Asymmetries in the Northern and Southern Polar Vortices.” The project is being led by Richard Collins, Ph.D., principal investigator, of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute.
A space physicist, Dr. Frissell is also part of an International Space Science Institute (ISSI) team entitled, “Resolving the generation mechanisms and electrodynamical effects of Medium Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances (MSTIDs).” The team is led by Jeffrey Klenzing, Ph.D., of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Katherine Zawdie, Ph.D., of the Naval Research Laboratory.
Dr. Frissell explained that traveling ionospheric disturbances, also known as TIDs, are wave-like variations in electron density in the ionosphere, the electrically charged region of the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Dr. Frissell and his students will be using TID observations from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN), GPS Total Electron Content databases, and the amateur radio databases in their research.
In 2019, Dr. Frissell received a $1.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to fund a three-year initiative to measure modulations produced in the Earth’s upper atmosphere. Through the grant, Dr. Frissell will develop a network of licensed amateur radio operators and will lead a collaborative team to develop modular, multi-instrument, ground-based space science observation equipment and data collection and analysis software to measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere.
Dr. Frissell joined the faculty at Scranton in the fall of 2019. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Montclair State University and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is the founder and lead organizer of the international citizen science space physics research collective known as the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI.org). Dr. Frissell also serves as advisor to the student W3USR University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club.
Professor Among Researchers for NASA Project
-
04/13/2021
A flame ignited in the hearts of students from Jesuit universities across the globe they discussed the unique ways in which their shared experience of Ignatian humanities shape their lives around the common goal of making the world a better place for all. Students from The University of Scranton, Loyola Andalucia en Seville in Spain and Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya in Peru were moved by their common spiritual base as they learned from and with one another through a two-day virtual Ignatian Humanities event sponsored by Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities at Scranton.
“It was really fulfilling, more so in the personal than the academic level. It felt like our education is truly helping us have an effect in the world, and that we are not alone in the values we carry with us every day,” said Juan Galera, Loyola Andalucia en Seville.
The two-day event, held April 7-8, brought together more than 40 students from the three Jesuit universities to explore Ignatian humanities. The virtual event included breakout sessions with students from three continents in which they reacted to a lecture by Scranton Philosophy professor Duane Armitage, Ph.D., entitled, “Finding God in All Things: Jesuit Truism or Ignatian Truth?”
“Interacting with other students from Jesuit universities around the world, especially on the central Ignatian topic of social justice, facilitated a profound examination into how we apply Jesuit values and principles toward the injustices we witness in the world today,” said Isaiah Livelsberger, a senior at The University of Scranton from New Oxford, Pennsylvania.
Alberto Gonzales Guzmán of the Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya found the discussion sessions “exciting and challenging. The distances and differences of our peoples are not as many as we think they are. Each partner experiences the emotion and challenge and transmits it vividly. We are not alone, we are a great community.”
“I felt that my experience was heard and valued by people who share the same convictions, each participant had an open heart to different social conflicts,” said Naiara Cruz Ramirez Cabrera, Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya. “Especially in this pandemic situation that has exposed humanity’s inability to act together, spaces like this promote citizen participation and the vocation of service in the function of our community and those who need it most.”
Dr. Armitage argued in his keynote lecture that social justice without spirituality risks devolving into mere Marxism. He explained in his address that for St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, God is Christ, and that “Christ is the crucified, that is, the victim, the marginalized, the weak.” Social justice must include what students in the event came to call “spiritual justice” for it to truly mimic Christ’s teaching on reconciliation and the divinity of every human life.
“Thus to find God, Christ, in ‘all things’ is primarily to encounter God in the oppressed, the persecuted, the victimized, which of course provides justification for the social justice ethic of siding with the weak,” said Dr. Armitage. “When we think of God then as Christ, as the victim, as the marginalized, as the weak, the idea of finding God ‘Christ’ in all things begins to take on new meaning, meaning that is thoroughly steeped in Social Justice.”
In addition to core Ignatian principles and teachings, the students shared another common idea: the hope the Ignatian Humanities event will grow in future years to involve more students, school and face-to-face dialog.
The University of Scranton’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities was established to advance the University’s liberal arts tradition and to enhance the role it plays in the formation of students to become “men and women for and with others.”
What Students from Jesuit Colleges Across Globe Share
-
04/13/2021
The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Jammu, and The University of Scranton have signed an agreement to develop academic exchanges for students and faculty members and channel research collaborations.
The agreement was signed virtually by both partners on April 13, 2021, in the presence of senior representatives, including: Director Professor B. S. Sahay, Ph.D., Professor Jabir Ali, Ph.D., and Aakash Kamble, Ph.D., from IIM Jammu; and Jeffrey Gingerich, Ph.D., acting president and provost/senior vice president of academic affairs, Gerald Zaboski, vice president for enrollment management and external affairs, Sam Beldona, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management, and Murli Rajan, Ph.D., associate dean of the Kania School of Management, from The University of Scranton.
This strategic collaboration paves a roadmap for the internationalization of education with a broader objective to build synergies between both partners in academics, research and executive education. With the National Education Policy 2020 announcing strategic changes in the associations between Indian and foreign education providers, the association between IIM Jammu and Scranton provides a unique opportunity for Indian students to experience a blended variant of global education.
The strategic models of engagement have been identified to form the basis of the association. They will focus on student exchange for the MBA Program and the five-year Integrated Program in Management with faculty exchanges and doctoral research scholar exchange between the partners. The faculty members at both institutions will also conduct research collaborations and joint research projects.
Dr. Sahay from IIM Jammu, said, “the National Education Policy 2020 has given impetus to the internationalization of the Indian education system. Academic and research collaborations are the pathways to create an institute par excellence. The collaborations with leading global universities align with the vision and mission of IIM Jammu to provide a global outlook to the student with a strong foundation of regional and national focus. The partnership with The University of Scranton opens up doors for IIM Jammu students to pursue international student exchange programs in the USA, thus enriching their learning experience.”
Speaking at the launch, Dr. Gingerich from The University of Scranton said, “We are delighted to have an association with IIM Jammu. One of our objectives at Scranton is to connect and partner with high-achieving education providers worldwide. These partnerships are important to the University since they provide alternative learning experiences and allow for the sharing of ideas and experiences. The partnership with IIM Jammu will provide an opportunity to collaborate with world-class teachers and researchers and expand global research. It will also help students gain international experience that will benefit them in their future careers.”
About the Indian Institute of Management, Jammu:
Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu, an Institute of National Importance, was established by the Ministry of Education, Government of India in 2016 in Jammu, India. IIM Jammu offers MBA and Ph.D. programs in Management and has launched the 5-year Integrated Programme in Management from the upcoming academic year 2021-22. IIM Jammu has set high standards to provide value-based education and research, executive education, consultancy, and strong corporate and international linkages. The 200-acre, state-of-the-art campus of IIM Jammu is coming up at Jagti in Jammu with a footprint of 750,000 sq. ft. IIM Jammu also has set up an off campus in Srinagar.
About The University of Scranton:
Founded in 1888, The University of Scranton is a comprehensive, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit institution located in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Northeast with an enrollment of approximately 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students. “Best 380 Colleges,” “Best Buys in College Education,” “America's Best Colleges,” “A Focus on Student Success,” “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” “Most Innovative Schools,” “Best Catholic Colleges” – these are just a few of the ways that the nation’s leading college rankings and guidebooks consistently refer to The University of Scranton.
Agreement with Indian Institute of Management Signed
-
04/12/2021
A book written by University of Scranton English and Theatre Professor Joe Kraus, Ph.D., was a finalist for the inaugural Union League Club of Chicago’s Outstanding Book on the History of Chicago Award 2021, which was presented in a virtual format on April 7. His book, “The Kosher Capones: A History of Chicago’s Jewish Gangsters,” was one of 10 finalists. The 2021 award was presented to “Occupied Territory” by Simon Balto.
In 2019, Dr. Kraus’s book, “The Kosher Capone,” won the 2019 bronze Indie Award in the category of history (adult non-fiction).
“The Kosher Capones,” published by Northern Illinois University Press, tells the story of Chicago’s Jewish gangsters from the end of the 19th century into the 1980s. Dr. Kraus’s grandfather and great-uncles were part of the notorious Miller Brothers of the Jewish West Side, who were among Chicago’s early Jewish gangsters. Dr. Kraus spent thirty years collecting details from newspapers, archives, photo collections and other sources. The book traces the changing political, demographic, and economic pressures that transformed the opportunistic gamblers and bootleggers of Maxwell Street and Lawndale into some of the under-the-radar architects of the Chicago Syndicate that grew out of the gang made famous under Al Capone’s leadership.
Dr. Kraus is chair of the Department of English and Theatre at Scranton. He joined the faculty at the University in 2004. From 2015 to April of 2021, he served as president of the Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS).
A resident of Shavertown, Dr. Kraus earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, his master’s degree from Columbia University and his doctorate from Northwestern University.
“The Kosher Capones” is available in hardcover, paper, audio and as an e-book. For more information about the book, visit www.thekoshercapones.com.
Book by English Professor is Award Finalist
-
04/08/2021
College students across the country dream of “making a difference” in the world, but how does this lofty goal translate to their chosen professions as an occupational therapist, accountant or cybercrime investigator?
The University of Scranton received a $47,635 Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) program development grant to extend its efforts in helping students address that question. The grant will allow the University to extend to all four-years of study what is already a successful First-Year Seminar program that initiates and encourages student reflection on what it might mean to be called to be, in the Ignatian phrase, “men and women for and with others.”
“To have a “vocation” is to have a ‘calling’ or summons that comes to us from beyond us, urging us to offer particular kinds of service to God and others. Although often thought of only in a religious context, a vocation can extend to anyone in any field or career, and includes being called to the defining commitments of our lives, such as being a parent, friend or student.” said Charles Pinches, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies and director of the University’s First-Year Seminar. “The heart of the educational mission of the University is its commitment to form students to become ‘men and women for and with others.’ This mission brings to the surface the question of where our students are headed in their adult lives, and how a vision for this commitment can be encouraged within them.”
In 2013, the University implemented a three-credit First-Year Seminar taught by full-time faculty members and intended, in part, to introduce students to the Jesuit and Catholic mission of the University and grow student capabilities in critical and discerning thought.
With support from a 2013-15 NetVUE Program Development Grant and additional internal University funding, faculty who teach First-Year Seminar courses participated in workshops to encourage ways to consider mission and vocation related matters with Scranton’s incoming students. The current grant, which builds on work completed during that earlier grant, aims to institute a practice for incoming students whereby they write a “letter my future self” about what they hope for their lives, where they might be headed, and how they might best identify and use their gifts and talents. Initially composed within one of the 55 or so sections of the First-Year Seminar courses taught during the fall semester, that letter can be revisited and revised over the course of the student’s time at the University, with the help of peers and faculty guides and in light of a growing sense of the student’s vocations. Funding will support faculty training and program development for this initiative beginning this summer and continuing through the 2022-23 academic year.
The University is among is among a group of NetVUE members institutions selected to receive a grant, the purpose of which is to deepen vocational exploration and discernment among undergraduate students. NetVUE Program Development Grants are made possible through financial support to the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) by Lilly Endowment Inc.
NetVUE is a nationwide network of colleges and universities formed to enrich the intellectual and theological exploration of vocation among undergraduate students. The initiative is administered by CIC with support from Lilly Endowment Inc. and members’ dues. The Lilly Endowment is a private philanthropic foundation, established by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons, Eli and J.K. Jr, of the firm Eli Lilly and Company.
Grant Supports Turning a Career into a Vocation
-
04/06/2021
The resources available through The University of Scranton’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development are available to students as soon as they start at Scranton. The Career Roadmap, along with other resources on the Career Development website, provides students with year-to-year tips for their career success based on their major, beginning with their first-year on campus.
“It’s never too early to prepare for your career,” said Chris Whitney, director of the Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development, who would encourage students to meet with the Center’s staff. “When we understand their unique skills, talents and goals, we can better help them to identify opportunities early on that will position them for success.”
The advice for the first-year student on the Career Roadmap was develop based on input from faculty, students and alumni. Tips include meeting with their academic advisors and getting to know their professors, as well as finding resources on campus to help students achieve and maintain strong G.P.A.s. The advice also suggests clubs and organizations on campus students can join, based on their majors, and enrichment programs offered by their colleges or academic departments in which students can participate.
During their four-years at Scranton, students can use a number of resources offered through the Center for Career Development to prepare or update their resumes or to schedule a mock interview. The Center also has tools students can use to build their LinkedIn profile, such as LinkedIn University for Students or the LinkedIn Profile Checklist and several resources to assist students looking for internships, including paid experiential learning opportunities.
In addition, the Center can provide resources to students who are undecided or thinking of changing their major, or who are applying to graduate or professional schools.
According to the First Destination Survey report by the Center for Career Development, 99 percent of Scranton’s class of 2019 graduates, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation.
To learn more, visit the Center for Career Development website or use the drop-in zoom hours posted to speak with a career counselor.
Career Development Begins Year One at Scranton
-
04/06/2021
Several online information websites for prospective undergraduate and graduate students have ranked some of The University of Scranton’s programs to be among the nation’s best in recently published rankings.
Intellegent.com ranked a dozen of the University’s program among the nation’s best in listings that include: No. 2 among the best master’s in human resources; No. 10 among the best MBA in international Business; No. 13 among the best MBA in healthcare management; No. 14 among the best MBA in human resources; No. 15 among the best online master’s of accountancy; No. 19 among the best accounting degree programs; No. 25 best master’s in health informatics; and No. 33 among the best master’s in healthcare administration, among others. The ranking is based on an assessment of student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third-party evaluations of the programs.
In the first Nursing Schools Almanac rankings published, Scranton’s nursing program ranked No. 71 in the nation. Scranton also ranked No. 30 among private nursing school in the U.S. Nursing Schools Almanac noted Scranton students benefit from “small class sizes and a strong clinical focus, with clinical experiences beginning during sophomore year” and that undergraduates “have opportunities for research, study abroad, and participation in domestic and international service trips.” The rankings are based on evaluation of academic prestige and perceived value; the breadth and depth of nursing programs offered; and student success rates, particularly on the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCLEX) national licensure exam.
Besthealthdegrees.com ranked Scranton’s online master’s degree in health informatics No. 10 in the nation; and its bachelor’s degree programs in healthcare management at No. 18 in the country. Among the factors considered in this ranking are the cost of attendance, reputation and salary potential, using data from IPEDS and Niche, U.S. News and World Report and other higher education rating publications.
Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report ranked several of the University’s graduate programs among America’s best and the University’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 48; and its online MBA program at No. 111 in the nation in its “Best Online Programs” guide. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 67 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
Scranton Programs Ranked Among Best in Nation
-
03/31/2021
Several of The University of Scranton’s graduate programs are once again ranked among the America’s best by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022 edition of “Best Graduate Schools” that published online March 30.
Scranton’s graduate program in nursing ranked No. 88 and its part-time MBA program ranked No. 95 in the nation. U.S. News also listed several Scranton programs among the Best Graduate Schools Ranking by MBA Specialties in the nation, ranking programs in information systems No. 20; production operations No. 22; accounting No. 28; and finance No. 36. Scranton’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program ranked at No. 113 in the nation.
For the graduate school rankings, U.S. News uses data gathered by surveys of college faculty and administrators, and for nursing programs, from professionals working in health care, to assess the quality of programs. U.S. News also uses statistical data such as faculty student ratios and student test scores. The U.S. News ranking of the Best Graduate Schools Ranking by MBA Specialties is based solely on ratings by business school deans and directors of AACSB-accredited MBA programs.
Graduate nursing degrees offered by Scranton include Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN, and post-master’s certificate; Executive Nursing Leadership, M.S.N; and Nurse Anesthesia, DNP, and an accelerated MSN degree program.
The University’s graduate-level business programs include a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Science in Finance (MSF). Master of Science in Business Analytics and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in general management or with a specialization in accounting, business analytics, finance, healthcare management, international business, management information systems, marketing and operations management. The University also offers combined/accelerated bachelor’s and master’s level programs including accounting BS/MBA, operations management BS/MBA, finance BS/MBA, management BS/MBA, and College of Arts and Sciences Bachelor’s/MBA, and other programs.
All of the University’s graduate programs hold the highest national accreditation within each discipline, including accreditation by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) for business and accreditation by The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for nursing and Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs (COA) for nurse anesthesia.
Earlier this year, U.S. News’ “Best Online Programs” publication ranked the University’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 48; and its online MBA program at No. 111 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 67 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
In other rankings published by U.S. News, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 27 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 6 in the 2021 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.”
MBA and Nursing Program Ranked Among Best in U.S.
-
03/29/2021
The University of Scranton received a second grant from the Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation to establish an endowed scholarship fund to support students who demonstrate financial need and academic potential. The Stabler Foundation has contributed a total of $585,000 in grants to the University since 2019.
Recipients of the scholarship must be residents of Pennsylvania who are able to demonstrate their academic potential, financial need and eagerness for a college education.
Mr. and Mrs. Stabler recognized the importance of higher education and had an unwavering dedication to providing opportunities for deserving students. They also firmly believed that the recipients of financial aid should be encouraged to “pay it forward” to help others have the advantage of similar assistance. The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Scholarship Fund has been established at the University in their honor.
“The University of Scranton is grateful to be among the select universities to receive generous support from the Stabler Foundation. The structure of the scholarship endowment matches well with our core Jesuit mission and the characteristics we strive to encourage in our students,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., acting president.
The fund is uniquely positioned to be self-sustaining through the gratitude of the scholarship recipients. Students who receive a Stabler Scholarship are asked to pledge to make contributions to the endowment scholarship fund after they graduate. The commitment is more of a “debt of conscience” rather than a legal obligation with the intent of encouraging philanthropy in students who have received funding and support through the scholarship program.
The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation, located in Harrisburg, was established by Mr. and Mrs. Stabler in 1966 exclusively for charitable, religious, scientific, literary or educational purposes. Generally, the Stabler Foundation makes grants to organizations and institutions that are located, or provide their primary services, in central and/or eastern Pennsylvania.
Stabler Foundation Scholarship Established
-
03/29/2021
May 21 8 p.m. Virtual Class Night. Presentation of outstanding academic, service and leadership awards to Class of 2021 undergraduates. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 22 10 a.m. Graduate Degree Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Tickets required. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 22 4:30 p.m. Virtual Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 23 9:30 a.m. Undergraduate Commencement for Panuska College of Professional Studies. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Tickets required. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 23 1 p.m. Undergraduate Commencement for Kania School of Management. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Tickets required. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 23 4:30 p.m. Undergraduate Commencement for College of Arts and Sciences. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Tickets required. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
University Announces Events for 2021 Commencement
-
03/24/2021
The University of Scranton will host a Virtual Preview Day for high school students accepted to its Class of 2025 and their families on Saturday, Mar. 27. The virtual event, which will begin at 10 a.m., will include live, interactive sessions with faculty, students and staff members, as well as informational videos and panel discussions. The event will include virtual tours of campus and labs and allow for personal appointments with staff from the Financial Aid Office.
The virtual event will include residence hall tours and live Q and A sessions with current students; sessions on more than 35 academic programs, pre-law, honors programs and pre-health professions; live sessions on student life, study abroad, and career development; mission and ministries and more.
The virtual event will provide an opportunity for accepted students to take a closer look at the Jesuit university before making their final college decision. The last sessions will begin at 1 p.m.
For additional information or to register for Virtual Preview Day, visit the Virtual Preview Day webpage or contact The University of Scranton Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON.
Preview Day Set for Accepted Students on March 27
-
03/23/2021
The University of Scranton announced plans to return to fully in-person classes for the fall semester and will begin to open the campus to in-person camps and conferences beginning this summer. The University will adhere to capacity limits established by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and will continue to follow other health and safety requirements, which include social distancing and mask wearing.
The campus will remain closed to the general public through the summer.
“Since the pandemic began, the University planned and adapted based on state and federal guidance and directives, the best available scientific advice, and circumstances within our campus and surrounding community,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., acting president, noting the University’s planning placed “the health and safety of our community at the center of our decisions.”
“We have succeeded thus far in responding to the pandemic because our care and concern for each other has inspired personal responsibility and sacrifice,” said Dr. Gingerich in an announcement sent to the University community announcing plans for the fall and summer. “I am confident that our love for each other and for the University will continue to inspire the best in us as we strive to remain Royals Safe Together.”
The University plans to offer undergraduate and graduate classes fully in-person in the fall 2021 semester, which begins August 30. The University will continue to offer graduate programs online that have been traditionally offered in that format.
An in-person Fall Welcome Weekend is being planned for Saturday and Sunday, August 28 and 29, and in-person summer orientation sessions are being planned for the Class of 2025.
This summer, the University will offer some in-person classes and laboratories, University-sponsored summer programs, and conferences and camps conducted by outside community groups and organizations. On-campus admissions tours will continue to be offered.
Additional information will be shared in the coming weeks, with more details about campus safety requirements as adaptions are made to the University’s Royals Safe Together Plan to follow updated guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The Royals Safe Together plan will continue to updated in the months ahead as the situation related to the pandemic continues to develop.
Fully In-person Classes to Resume at University in Fall
-
03/23/2021
Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of The University of Scranton’s College of Arts and Sciences, was among the distinguished panelists who participated in “The Francis Factor at Eight Years: Global Impacts, U.S. Challenges” discussion hosted by Georgetown University. The virtual March 18th event was part of Georgetown University’s Dahlgren Dialogues and was co-sponsored by its Office of Mission and Ministry and the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life.
Georgetown’s Francis Factor dialogues focus on Pope Francis’ mission and message, his priorities and leadership, his impact, and the challenges he offers to U.S. Catholics.
Joining Dr. Maldonado as panelist were Cardinal Seán O’Malley, OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston; Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; and Cindy Wooden, Rome bureau chief of Catholic News Service.
A scholar of religious studies, Dr. Maldonado’s areas of specialization include Latino/a and Latin American theology; Afro-Caribbean and Latino/a studies; U.S. minority, Third World and feminist theologies; and constructive and cultural theologies. She is the editor, co-author or author of 10 books, two of which won Catholic Press Association book awards. She has published more than 40 articles in academic journals and book chapters, presented at 85 academic conferences and meetings, and contributed more than a dozen book reviews. She has also written a number of articles for the National Catholic Reporter.
Dr. Maldonado began her service as dean at Scranton in July 2020. She previously served as assistant provost of undergraduate education at the University of Miami.
Dr. Maldonado earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University; her master’s degree from the Union Theology Seminary and her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union.
Read more about “The Francis Factor” discussion in this Catholic News Service article.
CAS Dean Discusses the Francis Factor
-
03/22/2021
Dear Members of the University Community,
The University stands in solidarity with our Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islander students, faculty and staff and members of the local Scranton community and condemns any acts of hate, racism and violence.
We join the nation in mourning the killing of eight people this week in Atlanta, six of whom were Asian women. These murders follow a surge of racism, violence and harassment against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. Our prayers are with the victims and their families and with those who live in fear of similar actions against them. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, we use our voices and direct our actions to serve communities affected by hate and violence.
Nationally, nearly 3,800 hate incidents have been reported against AAPI individuals over the last year, mostly against women. This is deeply troubling. While discrimination has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic, anti-Asian racism is longstanding in the United States.
We are committed to promoting opportunities to build better understanding of the richness and diversity of Asian cultures and experiences. I would like to remind members of our campus community that should you witness or experience discrimination, harassment or bias, resources are available within the Office of Equity and Diversity.
At this time, we commit ourselves in words and deeds to ensure that all those of Asian descent and other marginalized groups know that The University of Scranton stands with them.
Sincerely,
Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D.
Acting President
Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
A Statement Condemning Anti-Asian Racism and Violence
-
03/19/2021
The University of Scranton will stop accepting new clients though the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program on Thursday, Mar. 25, so students volunteering with the program have the time needed to complete their course requirements and prepare for final examinations.
The accounting students will assist area residents with filing their federal, state and local tax returns whose information is received prior to the cut-off date.
Because of the pandemic, the University has developed a contactless process for assisting residents who qualify for the free tax assistance program. Residents of Lackawanna and Wayne counties with household incomes of $57,000 or less for 2020 can provide the information needed to complete tax forms in a secure “drop-off box” located in the University Police Department, 820 Mulberry Street, Mondays through Thursdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. until Mar. 25. Forms will be processed remotely by University student volunteers. Clients will be contacted by phone or email with any questions and when their tax forms have been filed electronically. The documents provided, or copies of documents if originals were needed for filing, will be then returned to participants.
The documents needed for filing tax forms include:
- name, email and phone number;
- a copy of the taxpayer’s driver’s license (and spouse’s if applicable);
- a copy of Social Security cards for the taxpayer, the spouse, and any dependents;
- all Wage and earning statements, including, but not limited to:
-
- Form W-2 (employees);
- W-2G (gambling winnings);
- 1099-R (retirement withdrawals);
- 1099-Misc, 1099-NEC(miscellaneous income) and any related expenses;
- 1099-G (unemployment income);
- 1099-SA (Social Security statement);
- 1099-B (sales of stock);
- interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV);
- a copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available;
- a voided check for proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit;
- forms 1095-A, B and C, health coverage statements;
- any information pertinent to deductions and credits the taxpayer may be eligible for, such as:
-
- 1098-T for anyone on the tax return who attended a higher education institution during 2020;
- totals paid to daycare providers and the daycare provider's tax identifying number such as their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number, name, and address;
- for those who qualify for a property tax or rent rebate (age 65 and older, a widow/widower, disabled, and within certain income limits), copies of property tax receipts for any property taxes paid during the 2020 tax year;
- list of charitable donations;
- note if you received the first stimulus payment? (spring of 2020) $1,200/taxpayer-spouse and $500 for each qualifying child;
- also note if you received the economic impact payment? (late 2020 or early 2021) $600/ taxpayer-spouse and each qualifying child.
Residents with questions may call the University at 570-941-4045.
University students have participated in the VITA program for more than 30 years.
University VITA Program to Close for Tax Season
-
03/19/2021
University of Scranton alumnus William F. Demarest, Jr. ’69, established a scholarship for Scranton students attending Boston College School of Law. Atty. Demarest graduated from Boston College School of Law, magna cum laude, in 1972.
The scholarship, which will be funded by Atty. Demarest and his wife, Donna, will provide scholarship aid to a graduating student from the University to attend Boston College School of Law. Preference will be given to Scranton graduates who majored in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) The scholarship will begin in the 2021-2022 academic year.
Atty. Demarest graduated, cum laude, from Scranton with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
“My undergrad training in the scientific method, as well as a broad liberal arts education, prepared me well for the case method in law school,” said Atty. Demarest. “Due to a special relationship which appeared to exist between B.C. Law and the University in the late ‘60s, I was fortunate to receive an academic full-tuition Presidential Scholarship from B.C. Law.”
As a law student at Boston College, Atty. Demarest was Articles Editor of the Boston College Law Review. He won a judicial clerkship with the Hon. Ruggero J. Aldisert on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. His distinguished career in law included serving as counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Commerce, and counsel to its chair, Hon. John Dingell.
“Having now retired, my wife, Donna, and I are most appreciative of the opportunities that attending B.C. Law provided to us and our family. I am also of the view that the legal profession can benefit from greater participation by individuals trained in sciences,” said Atty. Demarest, explaining his motivation in establishing the scholarship.
The University of Scranton and Boston College School of Law have an early admissions agreement that allows Scranton students who meet program requirements to be eligible for admission to the prestigious law school after three years at Scranton. The agreement, commonly referred to as a “3-3 program,” allows Scranton students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Scranton and a juris doctor (JD) degree from Boston College in six, rather than seven years. Scranton also has 3-3 program agreements with Villanova School of Law, Duquesne University School of Law and Penn State Law in University Park.
For more information about the scholarship or Scranton’s 3-3 programs, visit Scranton’s pre-law webpage, or contact Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., pre-law advisor and professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-5814 or matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.
Law Scholarship Started for Scranton STEM Grads
-
03/18/2021
The University of Scranton announced plans for in-person graduate and undergraduate commencement ceremonies for its class of 2021, which will now be held May 22-23, one week earlier than originally scheduled. Additionally, the University will now hold separate ceremonies for each of its undergraduate colleges and for graduate students at the Mohegan Sun Arena. Following Pennsylvania’s current indoor capacity guidelines, a maximum of 2,500 people would be able to attend each ceremony at the arena.
The graduate commencement ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 22. Separate undergraduate commencement ceremonies will be held on Sunday, May 23, for graduates of: the Panuska College of Professional Studies at 9:30 a.m.; the Kania School of Management at 1 p.m.; and for the College of Arts and Sciences at 4:30 p.m.
Graduates will receive four tickets for guests to attend their ceremonies to ensure space capacity limits are followed. Other health and safety guidelines, such as social distancing and wearing masks, will also be followed. The ceremonies will also be live streamed for online viewing.
The announcement, sent to the University community by Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., acting president, also mentioned plans for a virtual Baccalaureate Mass at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 22. On Friday, May 21, at 8 p.m., the University will hold a virtual Class Night event, at which undergraduate students will be recognized for academic, service and leadership excellence. Information about additional commencement events will be shared in the coming weeks and will be posted on the University’s commencement webpage.
The University was able to determine plans for in-person commencement ceremonies because of recent modifications in Pennsylvania’s pandemic restrictions, which were announced Mar. 15. The University will continue to monitor and adapt to changes in health and safety recommendations from federal or state guidelines between now and May.
In-person Commencement Events Planned May 22-23
-
03/17/2021
The University has launched a memorial website to honor the life and service of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., The University of Scranton’s 24th and 27th president, who passed away on March 10, 2021.
"Anyone who spent time with Father Pilarz experienced his humor, compassion and genuine humanity. He was a person for others in every sense, devoted to a life of service that exemplifies what it means to be a Jesuit and a priest,” wrote James M. Slattery ’86, chair of the Board of Trustees in the announcement of Father Pilarz’s death, which will be displayed on the website along with the obituary and the recording of the Mass of Christian Burial.
The site includes a photo gallery featuring Father Pilarz alongside students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends on and around campus during his two Scranton presidencies.
“Don’t waste love,” Father Pilarz often reminded the University community. Many continue to follow this advice in the wake of his death. Condolences, tributes and shared memories have come in from across the country in remembrance of his extraordinary life and career. Members of the University community and friends are invited to view these memories and condolences and submit their own through a form on the site.
Social media posts and comments about Father Pilarz are being added to the site as well.
The website also includes tributes from his colleagues and friends in higher education, the Jesuit community and government officials.
“We all admired his boundless energy and his capacity to share himself with others,” wrote Rev. Michael J. Garanzini, S.J., president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). “But, of all the things he taught us, his last gift was showing us how to face adversity with grace and dignity, with the same abandonment of personal will and comfort that characterized his Jesuit priesthood. That final lesson, his struggle with ALS, is, perhaps, his greatest legacy and a most eloquent example of a life lived totally for others and for Christ.”
Remembering Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
-
03/17/2021
The University of Scranton’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics degree will offer a specialization in data analytics, beginning in the fall 2021 semester. Applications are currently being accepted for the program.
The curriculum for the master’s degree in health informatics was designed by Scranton faculty, who are active leaders and experts in this burgeoning field. The health informatics program’s mission is to “promote excellence in the Jesuit tradition by preparing graduates in the interdisciplinary field of health informatics to use data, information, knowledge and wisdom to improve health.”
Health informatics, data analytics and their associated tools have seen a rapid increase in importance in healthcare due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This increase comes after a period of amplified interest in big data analysis in healthcare, in an effort to improve patient outcomes and efficiency. A 2019 Leadership survey conducted by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) shows that executive-level leaders at both health information technology vendors and hospitals are now seeing clinical and business analytics as a higher priority than in the past. As a result, the demand for health informaticians who have data analytics, data mining and data visualization skills is increasing. Another HIMSS analysis shows one of the top five job growth areas for health informatics was found to be analytics consultant.
Burning Glass Technologies, a job market analysis company, projects positions for health information managers and directors will grow 20.5 percent through 2029, which is more than four times the national average. Master’s-educated professionals in this position earn up to $106,000 annually.
The online program with a data analytics specialization includes three courses that are offered by Scranton’s Operations and Information Management Department, requiring the completion of a total of 39-41 credits for the master’s degree in health informatics with this specialization. Two one-credit modules in statistics and management science are also required, but may be waived depending on the student’s background.
The additional courses students will take for data analytics specialization will provide an overview of descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics, data mining and data visualization. Graduates will be prepared to turn health data into actionable information.
Applicants to the graduate program must meet admission requirements. For additional information, visit the Master of Science degree in Health Informatics webpage or contact Margarete L. Zalon, Ph.D., professor of nursing and director of the University’s online Master of Science in Health Informatics Program at Margarete.zalon@scranton.edu or 570-941-7655.
New Online Master’s Degree Specialization Offered
-
03/17/2021
The American Advertising Federation of NEPA recognized Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., associate professor of communication and media at The University of Scranton, with the Silver Medal Award at a virtual ceremony on Mar. 12.
An Accredited Business Communicator (A.B.C.), Dr. Smulowitz is president of Smulowitz Communications, a strategic communication and leadership consulting firm. She also serves as executive director of the Eastern Communication Association and education chair of Boost Business NEPA.
At the University, Dr. Smulowitz teaches courses in advertising, leadership and organizational communication. She often includes community-based learning projects for students in her classes, which include developing and pitching marketing-based, integrated advertising campaigns to area organizations. Past clients for the classes have included Scranton Tomorrow, Cedar Bike & Paddle, East Scranton Business Association, Anthracite Heritage Museum and others. In addition, through her academic courses, University students also participate in the American Advertising Federation’s National Student Advertising Competition.
Dr. Smulowitz also serves as moderator for the University’s Advertising Club, through which students also work with area businesses to gain real-world experiences. Clients the student club has previously worked with include Sno Mountain, Café Sveda, Duffy’s Accessories, Coconut Summer, Stinky’s Chili and Anthracite Bicycle Coalition.
Dr. Smulowitz’s research focus is on theory and strategy for assessing and promoting excellence in organizational leadership. Her most recent book, The communication solution: Leading successful change in higher education, was published in 2021. Her work has also been featured in Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Journal of Intercultural Communication Studies, Measuring Business Excellence, Change Management: An International Journal, The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods and in several books, book chapters and training manuals.
Dr. Smulowitz also volunteers with the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania and serves as a troop leader.
A resident of Shavertown, Dr. Smulowitz earned a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University, a master’s degree from Ithaca College and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University.
Community Group Awards Faculty Member
-
03/17/2021
Treasured quotes said by Father Pilarz; words written by his favorite poets; memories penned by University students and bouquets of purple and white flowers adorned the Byron Recreation Complex, which served as the site of a public viewing and Mass of Christian Burial for University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
Thousands of mourners attended the public viewing for Father Pilarz on Friday, March 12, and thousands more watched the broadcast of his Mass of Christian burial on Saturday, March 13.
Rev. Herbert Keller, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry at the University and rector of the Scranton Jesuit community, served as principal celebrant for the Mass.
“Father Scott Pilarz had many loves in his life, and these loves shaped the person, the Jesuit and the priest that he was. Scott was fond of saying ‘don’t waste love,’ and it is clear in his own life, he never did,” said Father Keller in his Homily. He spoke of Father Pilarz’s love for his family, friends, the Church, the Society of Jesus, the sacred mission of Catholic and Jesuit education, the people of northeastern Pennsylvania and The University of Scranton, the place Father Pilarz called in his first Presidential Inaugural address the “miracle in the mountains.”
“It turned out he was the miracle who inspired us to be our best selves,” said Father Keller. He quoted from a reflection of Father Pilarz shared by former University of Scranton President Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham University: “‘What an iconic son of St. Ignatius, a pastor and a teacher to the end.’”
“If there is one guiding image that somehow captures the blessings of Father Pilarz’s life, it is that of the teacher. Teaching was the source his fulfillment and happiness,” said Father Keller.
“Scott saw the amazing possibilities for the transformation of lives in education and the belief that education ultimately reveals to us in (Gerard Manley) Hopkin’s phrase ‘a world charged with the grandeur of God.’”
In his Homily, Father Keller described lessons of faith, love and hope learned from Father Pilarz, quoting from the Gospel of St. John, and from the words of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, S.J., Saint Robert Southwell, S.J., poet Mary Oliver and “the bard of New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen”
“We are called on this earth to build one another up. We are called to support each other. Strengthened and loved by God, it is our task in this world to strengthen and love one another. This belief was at the foundation of his vision of a Catholic and Jesuit university – a place where one can discover the extraordinary grace and goodness of God in the ordinary,” said Father Keller. “We thank God for the gift of his life and the blessing that it was to walk this road with him.”
Steven Surovick, S.J., ’96 cousin of Father Pilarz, concelebrated the Mass and provided the eulogy.
“No matter which part of the family you are from, be it New Jersey, Georgetown, the Society or Scranton, we knew Scott. We loved Scott. We know that where Scott loved, he lived. We know that where Scott loved, we lived,” said Father Surovick. “In gratitude for the life and love we have known, we continue in that life and continue in that love, until together again.”
In addition to family and friends, The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, attended the Mass as did dozens of Catholic priests and Jesuits and University of Scranton President-elect Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J. The Very Reverend Joseph M. O’Keefe, provincial of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, was represented at the Mass by Provincial Assistant Rev. Jack Hanwell, S.J.
Born in 1959 on the Feast of St. Ignatius, Father Pilarz served as Scranton’s president for two terms: first as the 24th president from 2003-2011; then as the 27th president from 2018-2021. He was the second-longest- serving president in Scranton’s history.
University of Scranton President Laid to Rest
-
03/12/2021
A private Mass of Christian Burial for Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 13. You may livestream the Mass by following this link.
Also, as was shared in the obituary, a walk-by viewing for students, faculty and staff will be held in the Byron Recreation Complex on campus on Friday, March 12, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The viewing will be open to the general public as well from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Guests will be asked to maintain social distance and to wear masks at all times.
In addition, you may pay tribute to Father Pilarz by sharing your condolences or your own special memory of him through this form. In the days and weeks to come, these entries will be collected and displayed on our website in his honor.
Livestream Mass of Christian Burial for Father Pilarz, March 13
-
03/10/2021
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. ’H15, President of The University of Scranton, passed away Wednesday, March 10, in Scranton from complications related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 61.
Father Pilarz served as Scranton’s President for two terms: first as the 24th President from 2003-2011; then as the 27th President from 2018-2021. He was the second-longest- serving President in Scranton’s history. He announced his ALS diagnosis in 2018, committing himself to continued service and to raising awareness about the disease.
During Father Pilarz’s second tenure as President at Scranton, he leveraged the University’s strengths and responsibilities as a Jesuit and Catholic institution to be a source for understanding and positive change in the community and the wider world. He marshaled resources in response to the national call to action against systemic racism, and formed the Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope as part of the University’s response to the sexual abuse crisis facing the Church. He also established the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities and supported the humanities generally at the University to further advance the liberal arts tradition that is at the core of Jesuit education.
Under his leadership, the University developed and adopted the 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, which includes goals focused on diversity and inclusion, and the humanities. He also led the University’s fundraising efforts to strengthen scholarship endowments to keep Scranton accessible to students and families, and strongly supported efforts to ensure the health and future vitality of Scranton’s Catholic and Jesuit mission and identity.
Most recently, Father Pilarz calmly and competently guided the University’s response to the pandemic, focusing steadfastly on the school’s sacred mission to provide students with a transformational Catholic and Jesuit education. He brought students back to campus during the fall and spring semesters of the 2020-2021 academic year, ensuring extensive health and safety protocols were in place to protect all members of the University community. Throughout the pandemic, he shared his love and support for the University community through pastoral messages of courage, hope and even humor, including classic reflections on campus Christmas tree challenges.
During Father Pilarz’s first term as President, the University earned national recognition for academic quality, community engagement and student success, achieving then record admissions and undertaking the largest construction projects in its history. He expanded international mission and service opportunities and programs to enhance its Catholic and Jesuit identity. The University also earned the highly selective Community Engagement Classification designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Guided by a 2005-2010 Strategic Plan – Pride, Passion, Promise: Shaping Our Jesuit Tradition, Father Pilarz was instrumental in planning and securing resources for transformational capital projects that included the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center; the Christopher and Margaret Condron Hall; the John and Jacquelyn Dionne Campus Green; the expansion of the Retreat Center at Chapman Lake, Montrone Hall and the building named in his honor, Pilarz Hall, on Mulberry Street; and the Loyola Science Center.
Father Pilarz’s other accomplishments as Scranton’s 24th President included dedicated support for research by new faculty, and establishing the President’s Colloquy for Presidential Scholars and five endowed chairs to attract top scholars. The University’s progress was supported by the Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign, the most ambitious capital campaign in the University’s history, which surpassed its $125 million fundraising goal.
Prior to Father Pilarz returning to Scranton for his second term as President, he served as President of Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., from 2014 to 2018. His accomplishments at Georgetown Prep included leading the community in a celebration of the 225th anniversary of its founding, guiding the development of a comprehensive strategic plan, and working to secure the largest gift in the school’s history.
During his service as President of Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 2011 to 2013, he spearheaded a strategic planning process and also guided the school into the newly configured Big East athletic conference.
Always a teacher at heart, he found time during his various administrative positions to teach courses and seminars focused on Shakespeare, Renaissance poetry and prose, and Jesuit education.
Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant Professor of English and Interim University Chaplain at Georgetown University, where he worked on numerous committees and leadership roles for various academic and spiritual programs, and retreats for students and alumni. During his Jesuit formation, he was a visiting professor at St. Joseph’s University, a lecturer in philosophy at Sts. Peter & Paul Seminary at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and an English teacher at Loyola High School, Towson, Maryland.
Throughout his Jesuit service as a researcher, teacher and administrator, he shared his deep love of poetry with all, frequently including quotes from favorite poets in speeches and talks. At The University of Scranton, he selected a quotation from the poet who was the subject of his research, St. Robert Southwell, S.J., to be etched above a prominent entrance to the DeNaples Center. It reads: “Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live.” Father Pilarz chose that same quote as the theme of his second Inauguration at Scranton, capturing a feeling toward the school and its sense of community that he had in common with the entire Scranton family.
The leadership skill of Father Pilarz was recognized through his inclusion among the 38 successful individuals profiled by Ronald Shapiro in The New York Times bestseller Dare to Prepare: How to Win Before You Begin. As a scholar, Father Pilarz delivered numerous papers at scholarly conferences on various aspects of medieval and Renaissance literature. He also lectured and published on topics related to Jesuit education. His book, Robert Southwell, S.J., and the Mission of Literature 1561-1595: Writing Reconciliation, was published by Ashgate Press. He was a professional member of numerous scholarly and academic societies including the Renaissance Society of America, Shakespeare Association of America, John Donne Society and Modern Language Association.
He received multiple awards for teaching, service and scholarship, including the John Carroll Award from Georgetown University for lifetime achievement, the highest honor bestowed by the Georgetown University Alumni Association. He received the Ignatian Award from Scranton Preparatory School, and was awarded honorary degrees from King’s College, Wilkes University, Marywood University and The University of Scranton. He served on the board of trustees of several institutions, including Boston College and Saint Joseph’s University, and as President of the board of his alma mater, Camden Catholic High School.
A proud Polish son of New Jersey and an avid dog lover, Father Pilarz earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University, winning three Saint Genevieve Awards for his acting and directing; a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University; and a master’s degree in divinity from the Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the City University of New York. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1981, and was ordained a priest in 1992.
A devoted son, brother and uncle, Father Pilarz is survived by his parents, Ron and Joan Pilarz, a sister, Susan, and brother-in-law, Joseph Lappin, Lewisville, Texas, a niece, Carly, nephew, Joey, and grandniece, Marin.
A walk-by viewing for students, faculty and staff will be held in the Byron Recreation Complex on campus on Friday, March 12, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The viewing will be open to the general public as well from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A private Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 13. The Mass will be available for viewing online.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. Scholarship that will provide financial assistance to University of Scranton students in need. Contributions can be mailed to The Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Scholarship care of: University Advancement, The University of Scranton, 800 Linden St., Scranton,18510. Contributions can also be made online.
Obituary Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. ’H15
-
03/10/2021
Dear Members of the University Community,
I am saddened to report that Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., the University’s 24th and 27th President, passed away today at the age of 61 from complications related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Father Pilarz shared the news of his ALS diagnosis in 2018, promising to “move forward” and “keep working” in service of a university and a community he had grown to love as his home. In the years that followed, he poured himself into the work together with all of you, achieving so many remarkable accomplishments. He challenged us to dream and plan for the University’s future while never forgetting our mission as a Catholic and Jesuit university. He spoke passionately on behalf of others facing ALS, helping to dispel myths as he raised awareness.
Anyone who spent time with Father Pilarz experienced his humor, compassion and genuine humanity. He was a person for others in every sense, devoted to a life of service that exemplifies what it means to be a Jesuit and a priest. Along the way, the depth of his vocation and of his love for all that makes us human inspired countless students, alumni, parents, friends and colleagues to see beyond themselves and to strive for something more.
Over the last year, perhaps the most challenging ever faced in higher education, Father Pilarz guided us calmly and confidently through the pandemic’s chaos, focused always on our students and on the sacred mission to provide them with a transformational Catholic and Jesuit education. He met other challenges head-on as well, harnessing our strengths to serve the needs of the community and the wider world. He championed the University’s response against racism and the sexual abuse crisis facing the Church. He advocated tirelessly for the humanities and for the liberal arts as core to the formation of students.
Through his two terms as President, he transformed campus and advanced our mission. The exceptional success of the Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign made possible the largest and most ambitious projects in the University’s history – everything from the Patrick & Margaret DeNaples Center, John & Jacquelyn Dionne Campus Green and Loyola Science Center, to Christopher and Margaret Condron Hall, and Sandra & Paul Montrone Hall and the hall that would bear his name.
Also during his tenure, Scranton earned national recognition for academic quality, community engagement and student success, achieving record admissions. He expanded international mission and service opportunities and programs, and provided dedicated support for research by new faculty members, among a host of other accomplishments.
As we all mourn his loss, the trustees are keenly aware that, more than anything, Father Pilarz would insist on the University continuing to “move forward” and “keep working” on behalf of our students and mission. In accord with the University’s by-laws,Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, will serve as Acting President. As previously announced, Joseph G. Marina, S.J., begins his term as President in June.
Information will be shared soon about ways for the University community to pay their respects. A public viewing is being planned. A funeral mass, while private, will be available for online viewing.
In a special way, please join me in expressing our great sadness to Father’s parents, Ron and Joan Pilarz, who themselves have become part of the Scranton family. Please remember Father Pilarz and his family and many friends in your prayers.
Remember also to care for one another. I want to remind students of the support available on campus through the Counseling Center and Campus Ministries, and faculty and staff of support through the University’s Employee Assistance Program.
Father Pilarz concluded the announcement of his diagnosis by reminding us that we must “find God in all things” and inviting us to do so with him. May he continue to inspire us to follow that example.
May God bless you, may God bless Catholic and Jesuit education, and may God bless The University of Scranton.
Sincerely,
James M. Slattery ’86
Chair, Board of Trustees
Death of University President Scott R. Pilarz S.J.
-
03/09/2021
University of Scranton students Daniel Crossan, Media, and Jacob Lisicky, Whitehall, were quoted in an article that appeared in Yahoo! News and Scranton Times-Tribune about their experience conducting an inventory survey of Scranton businesses. The real-life project is a community-based learning assignment for their Principles of Management and Entrepreneurship II (Mgt 352) course.
Through the project, the students are calling Scranton businesses to update their information and learn about their needs, challenges and experiences. They will then create an up-to-date business inventory that captures the current climate of business in Scranton that will be shared with community partners to provide them with a better understanding of how they can best work to support businesses in the City of Scranton.
Ovidiu Cocieru, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, management and entrepreneurship who teaches the course, was also quoted in the article as were owners of Scranton businesses and representatives of the project’s community partners, which include the City of Scranton (Office of Economic Development); Scranton Tomorrow; NeighborWorks Northeastern PA; and the United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern PA.
Crossan is a business administration major in his junior year at Scranton.
Lisicky, is an accounting major who is also in his junior year at Scranton.
Students Discuss Community-Based Learning Project
-
03/09/2021
The University of Scranton’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities will host a virtual presentation titled “Hope and Healing for Ugandan Youth: Educating Amidst Environmental Degradation, Food Insecurity, and Poverty Through the Bethany Land Institute.” Rev. Emmanuel Katongole, professor of theology and peace studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, will present the lecture at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Mar. 18.
The talk, part of the 2020-21 Humanities Forums at Scranton, is open to the public and can be viewed on Zoom at: http://bit.ly/3bApVZU, or on YouTube at http://bit.ly/2Ipj8Hv.
Father Katongole holds a joint appointment with the Keough School of Global Affairs, where he serves as a full-time faculty member of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. A member of the Contending Modernities Initiative team, he coordinates an inter-disciplinary research project, which investigates how religious and secular forces compete or collaborate in shaping new modes of authority, community and identity within the context of nation-state modalities in Africa. He is a Catholic priest of Kampala Archdiocese, Uganda, where he was ordained in 1987.
His research focuses on politics and violence in Sub-Saharan Africa; political theology; global Catholicism; theology and peace studies and reconciliation His publications include “Born from Lament: the theology and Politics of Hope in Africa” (Eerdmans, 2017); “The Journey of Reconciliation: Groaning for a New Creation in Africa” (Orbis, 2017); and “Reconciling All Things: A Christian vision of Justice, Peace and Healing” (IVP Books, 2018).
Before joining the University of Notre Dame in 2013, Father Katongole served as associate professor of theology and world Christianity at Duke University, and as founding co-director of the Duke Center for Reconciliation. He taught at The University of Scranton in the Theology/Religious Studies Department during the 1999-2000 academic year.
Talk on Challenges of Educating Youth in Uganda Set
-
03/08/2021
The fourth annual HamSCI Workshop 2021 for amateur radio operators and professional scientists will be held in a virtual format on Friday and Saturday, March 19-20. The University of Scranton will serve as host for the Zoom webinar, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), that will include addresses by guest speakers, poster presentations and demonstrations of relevant instrumentation and software.
Participation is free through support from the NSF and the University. The theme of this year’s workshop is midlatitude ionospheric science.
The workshop will also serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station project, which is a NSF funded project awarded to University of Scranton physics and electrical engineering professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D. The project seeks to harness the power of a network of licensed amateur radio operators to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere.
The workshop’s keynote address on the “History of Radio” will be given by Elizabeth Bruton, Ph.D., curator of technology and engineering at the Science Museum of London. She will discuss the history, science, technology and licensing of radio amateur communities from the early 1900s through to the present day, exploring how individuals and communities contributed to “citizen science” long before the term entered popular usage in the 1990s. Dr. Bruton has been a non-licensed member of Oxford and District Amateur Radio Society since 2014 and their web manager since 2015.
Michael Ruohoniemi, Ph.D., professor of electrical and computer engineering at Virginia Tech and principal investigator of the Virginia Tech SuperDARN Initiative, will review the physics of the midlatitude ionosphere and discuss ways in which the amateur radio community can contribute to advancing scientific understanding and technical capabilities. Joe Dzekevich K1YOW, an amateur radio citizen scientist who recently published his work in CQ Magazine, will present “Amateur Radio Observations and The Science of Midlatitude Sporadic E.” The event will also include virtual oral presentations by researchers from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, MIT Haystack Observatory, the University of Oslo, the University of Bath, Case Western Reserve University, Dartmouth College. the University of Alabama, Clemson University, the New Jersey Institute of Technology and The University of Scranton, among others.
University students Veronica Romanek (KD2UHN), Hampton, New Jersey; Cuong Nguyen, Ashley; and M. Shaaf Sarwar (KC3PVF), Lahore, Punjab, are among the iposter presenters.
A full schedule of speakers and registration information can be found on the HamSCI Workshop 2021website.
Virtual HamSCI Workshop Planned for March 19-20
-
03/04/2021
Area students in grades seven to 12 can participate in The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest 2021. The contest is offered free of charge and this year’s essay theme is “Caring for our Common Home.”
Essays for students in grades seven and eight must be between 200 to 400 words. Essays for students in grades nine to 12 must be between 300 to 500 words. Electronic submissions must be sent to susan.falbo@scranton.edu on or before Friday, April 9.
Visit the University’s Sustainability website for complete submission rules and details. Only electronic submissions will be accepted this year. Mail-in entries will not be accepted for 2021.
Winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced via an event hosted on The University of Scranton Sustainability Office Facebook page on Earth Day, April 22, beginning at 7 p.m.
This year marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day.
Earth Day Essay Contest Open for Submissions
-
03/04/2021
Emma Barber, Chatham, New Jersey, was awarded second place in After Dinner Speaking at the Southern-Northern Atlantic Forensics Union speech and debate tournament, which took place in a virtual format Feb. 28. Cornell University served as the tournament’s host.
Barber is a sophomore at Scranton, majoring in women’s and gender studies.
Students compete in collegiate forensics tournaments as part of The University of Scranton Speech and Debate Team, a co-curricular student organization.
University Student Medals in Forensics Tournament
-
03/03/2021
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., the newly named 29th president of The University of Scranton, answered a few questions about himself, the University, its strategic plan, the city and more in a Q & A session for Royal News, part of which is included in a video posted on the announcement webpage. Father Marina will begin serving as the 29th president this summer.
What about The University of Scranton inspired you to want to become its 29th president?
Since the first day I joined the Jesuits, I heard that The University of Scranton takes seriously its Catholic and Jesuit identity. I’ve heard that so many times, it has to be true. When I became aware of the opportunity to serve as president and thought about how the mission and identity ring true, I knew that I had to apply.
What were your impressions of the University before the search, and what have you learned through the process that surprised you?
My impressions were always very good. I’ve known for some time how Scranton has fared in the ratings in U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review, and many other national rankings. But it wasn’t really until the search process itself that I started to become really familiar with the University, its components, and, most especially, its people. All of that has confirmed everything that I have believed in with regard to the University for some time now.
You entered the Jesuits a little bit later in life. Can you share some of what led you to make that decision?
I met the Jesuits when I began my doctoral program at Fordham University. This is a little hard to explain, but meeting them was comparable to being away on a long journey, coming home, putting your key in the door and walking in. There’s no feeling like the one you get when you know that you’re “home.” That’s how joining the Society of Jesus felt to me. Even though I didn’t know the Jesuits well, it still felt like home to me whenever I was on the campus of Fordham, learning about St. Ignatius and Ignatian spirituality, or engaging in other things related to the Jesuits. I took more formal steps to get to know the Society of Jesus later in my life. I entered at 42, which is really quite unusual even these days, but I don’t regret a moment of it. In fact, I wish I had started the process sooner!
Could you talk a little about how you see the relationship between the University and the city?
I learned from one of my Jesuit mentors that a Jesuit university is only worth its salt if it has a direct and beneficial impact on the city around it. I’m well aware of the mutually beneficial relationship that exists between the City of Scranton and the University, and I’m really interested in learning more about it and helping that relationship to grow. Also, I’d like to meet Bishop Bambera, and hear about the impact and the needs of the local church. All of these things work together with local industry to allow us as a team to provide the greatest impact and benefit that we can. It is a dynamic relationship already, and I think it can only get better from here. I'm’ looking forward to learning and doing more to help this relationship grow.
How do you see yourself connecting with students? Do you have certain things in mind that you think helps you to connect best with them?
The way that I connect with students here at Le Moyne is in both formal and informal ways. That means meeting formally with student leadership, being present at club meetings and such. Then I also like to spend time with them informally, having lunch or dinner with them in the dining hall, walking around the campus and chatting for a few minutes as they make their way to class. Sometimes I will take my laptop to the library in the evening and catch up on my email there. It’s a chance to say hello to students and answer a quick question they may have, or just ask them how they’re doing. It’s essential that a university president be accessible to students and I intend to be so.
What would you like to say to the Scranton family?
What I'd like to say to the Scranton family is thank you. Thank you for inviting me into your midst. This is the privilege of a lifetime. I promise you that I'm going to do everything I can to live up to the confidence that you're showing in me at this moment. And, the last thing I'll say is, "Go Royals."
Students provided their own welcome to Father Marina in this video.
Update, March 2021: Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., was named the University's 28th president in February 2021, but with the addition of Jeffrey Gingerich, Ph.D. as acting president after the passing of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., the University's 27th president, in March 2021, Father Marina will become the 29th University president. Dr. Gingerich is the 28th University president. Where it was possible, the University has updated references to reflect this change.
Q and A with the University’s 29th President
-
03/03/2021
The University of Scranton will offer a new Master of Science degree in Applied Behavior Analysis, which will provide students with the educational and supervised fieldwork experiences necessary to achieve national board certification in the much-in-demand profession. Applications are currently being accepted for the graduate program that begins in the fall 2021 semester.
Annual demand for board certified behavior analysts “has increased each year since 2010, with a 1,942 percent increase from 2010 to 2018 and a 127 percent increase from 2017 to 2018,” according to a 2019 Behavior Analyst Certification Board report on U.S. Employment Demand for Behavior Analysts: 2010-2018 (Littleton, CO. author). In addition, the report noted that demand has also increased in all 50 states during this period.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects above-average job growth of 22 percent for behavior analysts between 2018 and 2028. According to Payscale.com, the average salary for Board Certified Behavior Analysists is $62,472.
“There is a critical shortage of skilled professionals who can offer behavioral intervention. Board Certified Behavior Analysts are required to demonstrate a high level of understanding and application of behavioral principles and concepts that are scientific and evidence-based,” said Michael E. Kelley, Ph.D., LP, BCBA-D, program director.
The 42-credit master’s degree program will be housed in the Counseling and Human Services Department of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies. The course content is consistent with certification rules for individuals and accreditation standards for programs that meet the eligibility requirements for graduates to sit for the national certification exam for Behavior Analysis, as specified by Behavior Analysis Certification Board.
“Board certification is required for working with individuals living with autism in behavior analysis in most states in the United States of America,” said Dr. Kelley. “Highly-educated and skilled providers of autism services are needed in our region to help our children and family members who are waiting – often desperately – for services.”
Students in this graduate program will complete: 30 credit hours of classroom-based didactic courses; six credit hours of thesis or capstone; and six credit hours of a supervised fieldwork experience. The supervised fieldwork experience will provide students with real-world experience in the application of Behavior Analytic principles, clinical services and research. The clinical site selection will be based on the student’s career goals.
The University currently offers an 21-credit post-graduate Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study. The University also serves as the Executive Hub of five Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence, which are part of a multi-year, multi-million regional initiative supported 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. The University’s executive hub, located on Mulberry Street, has state-of-the-art assessment labs to aide in education and training of graduate students. The center is also used for evaluation purposes and research.
Applicants to the graduate program must meet admission requirements. For additional information, visit the applied behavior analysis master’s degree program webpage or contact Dr. Kelley at Michael.kelley@scranton.edu or Caitlyn Hollingshead, director of graduate, transfer and international admissions, at Caitlyn.Hollingshead@scranton.edu or 570-941-6202.
New Master’s Degree in Applied Behavior Analysis
-
02/25/2021
The gold standard for business school accreditation – AACSB International – will continue at The University of Scranton for the next five years. The undergraduate and master’s programs in business offered by The Kania School of Management have been accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) for the past 25 years. AACSB has extended Scranton’s accreditation through 2025.
Schools accredited by AACSB submit to a comprehensive, 360-degree review every five years to prove that the college continues to offer students an exceptional and relevant business education.
“Parents and students recognize AACSB as the de facto gold standard for business school accreditation. The external accrediting body provides them reassurance of the quality of the business programs being offered at Scranton,” said Sam Beldona, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management.
Less than five percent of business colleges worldwide - 882 schools of business in 57 countries – hold the prestigious AACSB accreditation.
Dean Beldona credits the success of the AACSB accreditation review to the scholarship and passion for teaching of the faculty; the care given to students by staff, alumni and business partners; and the motivation and aptitude of our students.
The accreditation review, completed by deans of other AACSB accredited schools, includes an extensive written report in addition to an onsite visit. The visiting deans meet with faculty, staff and students, the provost and president, as well as multiple advisory committees. The process seeks evidence to prove the education provided by colleges remain relevant to the current needs of businesses. The review looks at a school’s course creation or innovation; the course delivery or engagement of faculty, staff, students and other shareholders; and outcomes or assessment of learning.
Dean Beldona noted that the successful innovations at the Kania School of Management include the launching of a business honors program, a new master’s degree in finance, new undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business analytics and a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program, which AACSB recognized in 2019 for “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.”
“Faculty have not only remained current with research, but have been internationally and nationally noted for successful research and publication,” said Dean Beldona. Most recently, the Accounting Department was ranked as the fourth most prolific department in the world for accounting education research (excluding cases) over the most recent six-year period in a 2020 Brigham Young University report. The report also ranked three faculty members with respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty in the area of accounting education.
“Examples of the University’s engagement with the community include MBA curriculum content developed specifically for and delivered at Geisinger in Danville and for Tobyhanna Army Depot. In addition, we have worked with The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to develop initiatives for the Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, as well as other programming,” said Murli Rajan, Ph.D., associate dean of the Kania School of Management.
Undergraduate Kania School of Management programs include bachelor’s degree programs in accounting, business administration, business analytics, economics, electronic commerce, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, management, marketing and operations and information management.
Graduate level Kania School of Management programs include a master’s in accountancy, a master’s in finance, a master’s in business analytics and a master of business administration (MBA) in general management or with a specialization in accounting, business analytics, finance, healthcare management international business, management information systems, marketing and operations management.
Combined bachelor’s and master’s level programs include accounting BS/MBA, operations management BS/MBA and finance BS/MBA, as well as accelerated programs in a number of areas.
The University also offers online MBA programs in general management or with specialization in accounting, business analytics, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management.
Founded in 1916, AACSB International is the longest serving global accrediting body for business schools that offer undergraduate, master’s level and doctoral degrees in business.
Kania School of Management Accreditation Extended
-
02/24/2021
The University of Scranton will offer a new undergraduate major in communication sciences and disorders, which will prepare students to pursue graduate studies in the much-in-demand fields of speech-language pathology, audiology or a related discipline. The new major, housed in the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, is currently enrolling students for the fall 2021 semester.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for speech-language pathologists and audiologists is stronger than average for growth and has high earnings potential. For speech-language pathologists, which requires a master’s degree, the job growth projected for 2019-2029 is 25 percent. The median pay for 2019 was $79,120. For audiologists, which requires a doctoral degree, the job growth projected for 2019-2029 is 13 percent. The median pay for 2019 was $77,600.
The new major will focus on the basic science of human communication, including biological, physical, social, and linguistic aspects. Students will develop an understanding of what happens when communication is impaired, and how to treat those impairments. Infused within the program, students will complete the prerequisite coursework required to apply for graduate studies in speech-language pathology and/or audiology. However, if the student chooses an alternate path, the completion of the degree program will prepare the student for the advanced study in a related discipline such as education, counseling and human services, gerontology, public health, or neuroscience.
Students pursing a major in communication sciences and disorders will complete coursework in statistics, social/behavioral science, biological science, and chemistry or physics. They will develop enhanced critical thinking skills, professional and technical oral and writing skills, and problem-solving skills as they engage in projects that examine and analyze current research, participate in clinical case study reviews, and develop empirical studies that focus on communication disorders. In addition, ethics of clinical research practices and evidence-based practice will be emphasized. Clinical intervention techniques and empirical studies for the assessment and treatment of various communication disorders will be introduced. Students will also be required to orally present a detailed case study and analysis of a specific treatment approach within an evidence-based practice framework.
For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 888-727-2686 or email admissions@scranton.edu, or Hope E. Baylow, D.A., assistant professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance, at hope.baylow@scranton.edu.
Communication Sciences and Disorders Major Added
-
02/23/2021
Students representing The University of Scranton were among the four teams named as finalists in the 2021 Philadelphia CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Institute Research Challenge.
The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides college students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis and professional ethics. Local level competitions are organized and judged by CFA Institute society members and volunteers who function as local hosts. The winning university team from each local competition advances to the sub-regional competition, then to regional, and global competitions.
The University’s team members were finance majors: Jack W. Brining ’21, Sloatsburg, New York; Gary Guinane ’21, Limerick, Republic of Ireland; and Ana C. Luta ’22, Sterling, Virginia. Scranton alumnus William Burns ’97, senior investment consultant at Vanguard, served as the team’s industry mentor. John Ruddy, D.P.S., assistant professor of finance, served as the team’s faculty mentor.
In addition to Scranton, two teams Temple University and a team from the University of Delaware were also named as finalists in the 2021 Philadelphia CFA Institute Research Challenge.
The University’s team did not advance beyond the 2021 Philadelphia Sub-regional Competition, which was held in a virtual format on Feb. 16.
The CFA Institute is a global, not-for-profit professional organization with more than 170,000 members that provides investment professionals with finance education
Students Compete in Finance Research Challenge
-
02/23/2021
University of Scranton students will work with the City of Scranton and area civic organizations to conduct a business inventory survey during the spring semester. This community-based learning project is part of the Principles of Management and Entrepreneurship II (Mgt 352) courses taught by Ovidiu Cocieru, Ph.D., assistant professor of marketing, management and entrepreneurship.
Through the courses, students will create an up-to-date business inventory to capture the current climate of business in Scranton. During the semester, students will phone Scranton businesses to update their information and learn about their needs, challenges and experiences. The information gathered will be shared with community partners to provide them with a better understanding of how they can best work to support businesses in the City of Scranton.
The partners for the project are: the City of Scranton (Office of Economic Development); Scranton Tomorrow; NeighborWorks Northeastern PA; and the United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern PA.
Students have already begun to contact Scranton businesses. Surveys will continue throughout the spring semester, which ends May 21. Participation in the survey is optional for Scranton businesses.
For more information, contact any of the business partners or The University of Scranton’s Community Relations Office at community@scranton.edu.
Through community-based learning projects offered in academic courses, University of Scranton students partner with area organizations to bring their class work to life with real-world initiatives and activities. Because of current health and safety restrictions caused by the pandemic, community-based learning project for the spring semester are being conducted in remote formats.
Students to Survey Scranton Businesses about Needs
-
02/17/2021
The University of Scranton was awarded a $1.5 million Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant to support renovations of Hyland Hall to create new laboratory and classroom space for the new mechanical engineering program. The facility renovations are necessary to support the multidisciplinary, high-impact learning design of the undergraduate engineering program that will prepare students to meet the modern-day workforce needs of the field. The renovated space in Hyland Hall will include four engineering laboratories; a student classroom; a garage; staff offices and equipment to allow students to learn using the latest simulation and modeling techniques.
Students graduating in mechanical engineering will have the ability to use the techniques and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice; design a system or process within budgetary, environmental, safety and other constraints; and understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context. Scranton graduates will be able to communicate effectively, function on multidisciplinary teams and understand the professional and ethical responsibility inherent in the field. They will be well prepared to enter the workforce in such industries as automotive, HVAC, aerospace, biotechnology, computers/ electronics, and manufacturing.
The University will use the RACP grant to fund a portion of the costs associated with the Hyland Hall renovation project, which will be undertaken in two phases. The first phase will be completed by the start of the 2021-2022 academic year to allow students to begin to use the space in the fall semester. The full project will be completed in the spring of 2022.
The University’s Mechanical Engineering program addresses a local need for a much-in-demand field. Few mechanical engineering programs exist in the northeast states, and only seven Jesuit universities in the nation offer this major. Scranton’s 131-credit program will draw students to Northeastern Pennsylvania and also help retain those students who might otherwise leave to study elsewhere. The program will also improve regional workforce development by being responsive to industry needs through the program’s Industrial Advisory Board.
“Our mechanical engineering program was conceived and became a reality due to advice and help of our Industrial Advisory Board,” said W. Andrew Berger, Ph.D., professor and chair of the University’s Physics and Engineering Department.
The University of Scranton, and the physics and electrical engineering programs in particular, have a long and successful record of placing its students in many science and engineering related careers.
“The University of Scranton is one of the finest institutions of higher learning in the country and this grant will allow the University to expand its course offerings and add a cutting edge mechanical engineering program,” said then Pennsylvania Senator John Blake in a press release in January 2021.
In addition to mechanical engineering, other majors offered at Scranton offered by the University’s Physics and Engineering Department include computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, biophysics and physics.
For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 888-727-2686 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
University Awarded $1.5 Million PA RACP Grant
-
02/17/2021
Inside Higher Ed published an article written by Performance Music Director Cheryl Y. Boga about adaptions made during the pandemic so that student musicians could still sing and play instruments safely at Scranton.
Excerpts from the article follow.
My students at the University of Scranton were, like many across the country, also prevented by the pandemic from playing a woodwind or brass instrument in a band or singing in the choir this fall. We had all learned a new word -- aerosolization -- the spread of tiny droplets of our breath, which has been shown to increase significantly when playing wind instruments or singing. We offer no major in music, so we decided it just did not make sense to do things that increased risk -- especially since playing such instruments or singing was not part of those students’ formal curriculum nor, most likely, their future livelihood. Still, I wanted to help find a way they could make music together, because it's such an important outlet and means of expression for so many of them. …
The pandemic did not limit opportunities for every musician on our campus. Those who played string and percussion instruments could be fully masked, and we were able to continue those ensembles, although in separate and smaller sections to enable safe setup and social distancing. So we asked ourselves: What if our wind musicians and singers pivoted and learned to make music another way? And we began offering choir members and woodwind and brass players the opportunity to learn to play a string or percussion instrument. …
It also became clear quickly that we needed a way to teach these instruments to adult beginners who were already musicians, a way that moved a little faster by building upon the knowledge and skills they had developed through their other musical pursuits. …
So we created our own methods. We added Zoom master classes with guest artists and friends of our program from places like the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra and the Juilliard School. I also began an intermittent online webcast called “Scranton Isolation Informances,” in which a changing panel of student, staff and alumni guest hosts discussed interdisciplinary topics with a number of acclaimed musicians we have had the privilege of making music with in past semesters.
The support we received in this undertaking was vital and came not only from within the institution but also from our alumni. Knowing how important making music together was to them while they were students, they responded with generous donations that allowed us to purchase dozens of string instruments, additional percussion equipment and steel drums from Trinidad and Tobago.
The full article can be seen on Inside Higher Ed’s webpage.
Nearly 140 University student musicians participate in the COVID ensembles, which include percussion groups, strings groups and the virtual choir project.
Performance Music Continues with COVID Edition
-
02/16/2021
Through Mar. 21 Hope Horn Gallery Art Exhibit: Soaring Gardents Artists’ Retreat: The Second Decade. Scheduled appointments only. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 17 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “Vanguard: How Black Women Overcame Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All” presented by Martha S. Jones, J.D., Ph.D., Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, professor of History and the SNF Agora Institute, Johns Hopkins University. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 19 3 p.m. Northeast Student Data Corps: Data Science Career Virtual Panel. This event is for students and educators interested in learning more about data science careers, internships and education from panelists in academia, government, industry and not for profit organizations. Registration required http://bit.ly/20210219-DATA. Free. Email ahmed.gomaa@scranton.edu.
Feb. 25 3 p.m. Scranton Reads and the Office of Community Relations: “Never Caught: An Online Dialogue.” Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Mar. 9 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “Next Steps with Russia?” presented by Jill Dougherty, was CNN’s Moscow Bureau Chief for almost a decade, a Russian expert, adjunct professor at Georgetown University and a CNN on-air contributor. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 16 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “America: The Farther Shore” presented by Carla McCabe, president and CEO, WVIA. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar in collaboration with the Department of World Languages and Cultures and Latin American Studies: “Borges and Me: My Travels in the Highlands of Scotland with a Literary Genius” presented by Jay Parini, Axinn Professor of English, Middlebury College, Vermont. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 26 through Apr. 23 Hope Horn Gallery Art Exhibit: Retrieve: Recent Collage By Zoja Forsberg. Scheduled appointments only. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 27 9 a.m. Virtual Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2025. Reservations required. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Apr. 9 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “The Abolitionist International” presented by Manisha Sinha, Ph.D., Draper Chair in American History, University of Connecticut. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 16 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “A Jesuit Education and Integrative Thinking in Biotechnology (fighting Tuberculosis) and Economics (eradicating poverty)” presented Michael Fairbanks, Ph.D., Fellow at Harvard and the chairman and founder of Akagera Medicines, a biotech company based in Boston and San Francisco focused on cures for infectious diseases. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 22 TBA. University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest virtual announcement of winners. ZOOM. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
Apr. 24 11 a.m. Schemel Forum Virtual Tour: “The Museum of the American Revolution.” ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 2 through 14 Hope Horn Gallery Art Exhibit: University of Scranton Student Exhibition 2021. Scheduled appointments only. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 7-9 9 a.m. National History Day State Competition (virtual) for junior and senior high school students. Registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
TBA Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “Consciousness: Life Transitions and the Importance of Story - Continued” presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Mondays: Feb. 8, 15, 22 & Mar. 1, 8, 15 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Eros and Metaphor: Contemporary Love Poems” presented by Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of English & Theatre, The University of Scranton. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Thursdays: Feb. 11, 18, 25 & Mar. 4, 11, 18 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery: The Power of Connection” presented by Oliver J. Morgan, Ph.D., professor of Counseling and Human Services, The University of Scranton. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Tuesdays: Mar. 16, 23, 30 & Apr. 6, 13, 20 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Women Philosophers of the Middle Ages and Early Modernity” presented by Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, The University of Scranton. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces Virtual Events for Spring
-
02/15/2021
Robert B. Farrell, J.D., Ed.D., general counsel at The University of Scranton, received the 2020 Donald A. Gatske Award for Outstanding Dissertation on Higher Education from the American Association of University Administrators. The award was presented recently in a virtual format because of health and safety recommendations caused by the pandemic. His dissertation, which he presented in 2019 for an education doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, was titled “Leadership Response to Campus Free Speech Incidents.” His dissertation also earned distinction from Penn.
The selection criteria for the national award include the importance and relevance of the dissertation’s topic to the broad field of higher education administration, the evidence of the development of a theoretical framework which guided the research, and the overall quality of writing, among other standards.
Dr. Farrell has presented at the national convention of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, of which he is also a member.
Dr. Farrell joined the staff at the University in 2008. Previously, he served as city solicitor for the City of Scranton. He was an associate, then partner, at Kreder, Brooks, Hailstone and Ludwig Law Firm and a law clerk for Judge Chester T. Harhut in the Court of Common Pleas in Lackawanna County.
Dr. Farrell has volunteered his time and expertise at a number of government, civic and nonprofit organizations over the years including the Office of the Mayor of the City of Scranton, serving on the advisory board of directors of Catholic Social Services of Lackawanna County, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the Nay Aug Conservancy, Scranton Tomorrow and East Scranton Business Association, among others. He served on the Economic Development Advisory Committee of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania. He also serves as a lector and on the Parish Finance Council of Immaculate Conception Parish in Scranton.
Dr. Farrell earned his bachelor’s degree from the College of the Holy Cross, his juris doctorate from Dickinson School of Law and his Ed.D. from The University of Pennsylvania.
The American Association of University Administrators is a non-profit professional organization for higher education leaders and administrative personnel from two- and four-year; public, private non-profit and private for-profit colleges in the United States.
Robert Farrell Wins Award for Dissertation
-
02/10/2021
The recently released 2020 Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings have placed The University of Scranton Accounting Department and faculty among the best in the world.
The BYU report ranks accounting programs and faculty throughout the world based on their success in publishing in top-tier accounting journals. The report is updated annually and includes ranks for specific categories of research and for specific time periods. The recently released BYU update ranks the Accounting Department at The University of Scranton as the fourth most prolific department in the world for accounting education research (excluding cases) over the most recent six-year period. The department was also ranked internationally for all methods, audit and experimental accounting research.
With respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty in the area of accounting education, three Scranton faculty members were ranked internationally. Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., associate professor, chair of the Accounting Department, and director of the DBA program was ranked No. 7. James F. Boyle, D.B.A., assistant professor and director of the MAcc program, and Brian W. Carpenter, Ph.D., professor, ranked No. 22 (tied). Additionally, Dr. Douglas Boyle was ranked for all methods, auditing, and experimental research and Dr. Carpenter was ranked for all methods.
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools (AACSB) estimates that there are more than 13,000 business schools in the world. Since 1990, only 664 of those 13,000 schools had any publications in any of the top-tier journals used in the BYU rankings, and only 336 of these schools had any publications in the top-tier accounting education journals used in the BYU rankings.
The University of Scranton’s Accounting Departmental fourth place ranking is a continuation of research accolades received by the department, faculty, and students. Last year, the department was ranked No. 1 in the nation in “The Intersection of Academia and Practice: Publishing in Leading U.S. Accounting Organizations’ Journals” (Issues in Accounting Education, May 2020), for the number of publications in the leading refereed accounting practitioner journals, over the most recent five-year period. Four Scranton accounting faculty received individual national rankings: Dr. Douglas Boyle ranked No. 1, Dr. Carpenter ranked No. 2 (tied); Daniel P. Mahoney, Ph.D., professor, was ranked No. 3 (tied), and Dr. James Boyle was ranked No. 7 (tied).
“We are very proud of the scholarly accomplishments of our Accounting department faculty and especially glad to see their commitment to publishing with students. This student-centered approach to scholarship is integral to our Jesuit mission and tradition,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
Additionally, last year articles co-authored by accounting faculty and Doctor of Business Administration program (DBA) students were recognized in the most recent international Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Lybrand competition. Lybrand awards are given annually to the top three articles published by the IMA whose journals reach more than 120,000 subscribers. Dr. Douglas Boyle and DBA student Daniel Gaydon received the Lybrand silver medal for an article titled “SEC Whistleblower Program Expands,” published in Strategic Finance. Dr. Douglas Boyle and Dr. Mahoney and DBA student Marcus Burke received the Lybrand bronze medal for an article titled “Goodwill Accounting: The Matter of Serial Non-Impairment,” published in Management Accounting Quarterly. Dr. Douglas Boyle and DBA student Patrick O’Brian received a Lybrand certificate of merit for an article titled “Do You Have Emotional Intelligence?” published in Strategic Finance. Drs. Douglas Boyle, James Boyle, and Mahoney and DBA student Amanda Marcy received the IMA inaugural Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year for an article titled “The Value of Trust to Financial Professionals and Their Organizations,” published in Strategic Finance.
With these most recent recognitions, Scranton’s Accounting Department has received more Lybrand awards than any other program in the world over the past ten years with six Lybrand medals (two gold, two silver and two bronze) and five certificates of merit (“An Analysis of IMA’s Lybrand Awards: 2010-2019,” Management Accounting Quarterly, 2020). Four Scranton faculty received individual rankings: Dr. Douglas Boyle ranked No. 1; Dr. Carpenter ranked No. 3; Dr. Mahoney ranked No. 4 (tied); and Dr. James Boyle ranked No. 6 (tied).
Accounting Faculty Research Ranked Among the Top in World
-
02/09/2021
Quotes about Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., the 29th president of The University of Scranton.
“Father Marina brings a vast array of experience that will affirm the Catholic and Jesuit values upon which The University of Scranton has already been built. We are blessed that he has chosen to share his unique gifts and experiences with the students, faculty and staff of The University of Scranton. With a proven track record of being a knowledgeable and respected voice in higher education, Father Marina’s presence will serve The University of Scranton well as it continues to distinguish itself as an academically rigorous, socially responsible learning community where students become men and women for others.” The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton.
“Father Marina belongs at Scranton. He understands well what makes Scranton special, and he believes deeply that Catholic and Jesuit education can have a profound influence on a person’s life. He has experienced it himself. He is committed to justice and realizes the important role colleges – especially Jesuit colleges – play in leading this effort for their immediate communities and for the world.” Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., ’H15, President, The University of Scranton.
“Having had many conversations with Father Marina over the last several months, I will share just one exchange that speaks volumes about who he is, and about how much he already loves the University he will soon lead. At the end of a preliminary interview with a small group of my fellow trustees, I invited Father Marina to offer closing remarks. After reiterating his enthusiasm for the presidency of Scranton, and humbly outlining his own experience and credentials, he had this to say: ‘I would like to speak to you now not as a candidate, but as a Jesuit. For the future of The University of Scranton, and of Jesuit higher education in America, what’s most important to me is not whether you choose me, but that you choose the most qualified candidate. I’ll pray for your discernment.’” Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ‘93, G’93, University of Scranton Trustee, Chair, Search Committee.
“Father Marina will bring his unique experience – as teacher, pastor, scholar and school administrator with more than 20 years of experience in higher education – to Scranton. We are pleased to have him lead our Scranton community.” James M. Slattery ’86, Chair, Board of Trustees, The University of Scranton.
“In both words and actions, throughout his career Father Marina has demonstrated a deep devotion to the mission of Jesuit higher education. He is particularly committed to the mission of educating the whole person and developing ethical leaders and critical thinkers. I’m pleased The University of Scranton has selected Joe as its next president.” Sharon Kinsman Salmon, former Chair Le Moyne College Board of Trustees.
“Joe has been a vital part of Le Moyne's success over the past five years. Among his accomplishment as provost are the continued growth of graduate programs, including the launch of our first doctoral program in Educational Leadership, his work on our strategic plan Sempre Avanti, and the establishment of the Quantitative Reasoning Center and the Writing Center. On a personal level, he has been a confidant, friend and wonderful colleague.” Linda M. LeMura, Ph.D., President, Le Moyne College.
“In addition to his accomplishments as provost, Father Marina has been a great sacramental presence to the entire Le Moyne College community. We are proud of and celebrate Joe’s selection, which once again confirms the College’s historic role in cultivating and exporting great talent that other institutions want and need. It is an honor to know that, in terms of mission and the entrepreneurial spirit, Le Moyne College develops leaders for the greater good of the Jesuit education network.” Robert Reklaitis, Chair, Le Moyne College Board of Trustees.
“I will be delighted to mission Fr. Marina to Scranton. He will bring a wealth of experience as an academic administrator and a pastor. He has a tremendous ability to articulate the Jesuit education vision, and he has the requisite management skills to make that vision a reality.” Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J., Provincial of the East Coast Province of the Society of Jesus.
Update, March 2021: In February 2021, Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., was named the University’s 28th president. After the passing of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., in March, Jeffrey Gingerich, Ph.D. became acting president and, therefore, the University’s 28th president.
Father Marina will now become the 29th president of the University when he takes office in summer 2021. Where possible, we have updated references to reflect this change.
Said about the University’s 29th President
-
02/09/2021
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., provost and vice president for academic affairs at Le Moyne College, Syracuse, N.Y., will serve as the 29th president of The University of Scranton. James M. Slattery ’86, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, made the announcement to the University community today. Father Marina, who will take office in the summer, will succeed Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., ’H15, whose second term as president ends at the close of the 2020-2021 academic year.
“Father Marina brings to Scranton his unique experience as teacher, pastor, scholar and school administrator with more than 20 years of experience in higher education,” said Slattery. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank the members of the presidential search committee for their careful work in leading us through the search process to its successful conclusion.”
“Father Marina has a special dedication to Catholic and Jesuit higher education, and a pastoral approach to leadership that is grounded in his faith, in Ignatian spirituality and in a call for justice. He will further Scranton’s commitment to provide a transformative education, rooted in the liberal arts, and will guide our students to become ‘men and women for and with others,’” said Father Pilarz.
“I am humbled and honored to be chosen as The University of Scranton’s next president and to succeed Father Pilarz who has with his colleagues on campus fostered such a strong foundation on which to build Scranton’s future success,” said Father Marina. “From day one as a Jesuit I have heard time and again how seriously Scranton takes its mission and identity. What strikes me most is how students excel with the help of the authentic commitment of faculty and staff. As we take this journey together beginning this summer, the wonderful truth remains that anything and everything we do at Scranton should be and will be done for our students first. Our shared focus is precisely where it belongs, on our students and their success.”
Father Marina was selected following a national search, which began in August with the appointment of a broadly representative search committee that included trustees and representatives from the faculty, staff, student body, alumni and administration. University Trustee Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ‘93, G’93, H'19, served as chair of the search committee.
“On behalf of the search committee, I want to say how pleased and excited we are that Father Marina has agreed to lead our beloved University,” said Dr. Sprows Cummings. “I am so very grateful to my colleagues on the committee for their thoughtfulness and dedication throughout the search process. Father Marina has our full and enthusiastic support as he prepares to begin his service this summer.”
Since 2016, Father Marina has served as provost and vice president for academic affairs and professor of education at Le Moyne College, where he oversees the Jesuit college’s three academic schools, honors program, library, campus life, student housing, conduct and Title IX compliance, diversity and inclusion programming, global education, student success and support services, disability services, and several other areas. Previously at Le Moyne, he held positions as associate provost, interim chair of the education department and special assistant to the president.
On Feb. 12, he will conclude just over two months serving as acting president at Le Moyne while Linda M. LeMura, Ph.D., president, is a Chancellor’s Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Syracuse University.
“I commend The University of Scranton for selecting Father Marina as its next president,” said Dr. LeMura. “Joe has been a vital part of Le Moyne's success over the past five years. Among his accomplishments as provost are the continued growth of graduate programs, including the launch of our first doctoral program in Educational Leadership, his work on our strategic plan Sempre Avanti, and the establishment of the Quantitative Reasoning Center and the Writing Center. On a personal level, he has been a confidant, friend and wonderful colleague. I wish him nothing but the best in his new role.”
His prior experience includes serving as the dean of the School of Continuing Education at Providence College, assistant dean for the College of Science and Mathematics at Montclair State University, and assistant dean for Metropolitan College at St. John’s University. In addition, he taught religious studies at Providence College and mathematics at St. John’s University. He served as pastor of the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City and as associate pastor of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, also in New York City.
Father Marina is currently a trustee at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York, and Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York, where he is chair of the board’s governance committee. He previously served on the boards of St. Thomas Aquinas College, Regis University, Canisius College, Xavier High School and Le Moyne College.
His research interests include leadership and organizational change, and, in the area of theology, scripture and the question of non-belief. His presentations include “Inner-city Healthcare and Higher Education: A Partnership in Catholic Social Teaching,” “Graduate and Continuing Education in the Jesuit Tradition” and “Educational Delivery System Options: Programs to Attract and Retain and Educate Adult Students.”
Father Marina holds a Doctor of Philosophy in administration and supervision from Fordham University, a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from Boston College and a Master of Science in Secondary Education from St. John’s University. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Sciences, with a theology minor, from St. John’s University.
Father Marina entered the Society of Jesus in 2004 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2012.
Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J., Provincial of the East Coast Province of the Society of Jesus remarked, “I will be delighted to mission Fr. Marina to Scranton. He will bring a wealth of experience as an academic administrator and a pastor. He has a tremendous ability to articulate the Jesuit education vision, and he has the requisite management skills to make that vision a reality.”
Founded in 1888, The University of Scranton is a Catholic and Jesuit institution located in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Northeast with an enrollment of nearly 5,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Scranton consistently ranks among the nation’s best colleges and universities in publications such as U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Princeton Review and others. Scranton is known for the outstanding success of its graduates.
Update, March 2021: In February 2021, Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., was named the University’s 28th president. After the passing of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., in March, Jeffrey Gingerich, Ph.D. became acting president and, therefore, the University’s 28th president.
Father Marina will now become the 29th president of the University when he takes office in summer 2021. Where possible, we have updated references to reflect this change.
The University of Scranton Names 29th President
-
02/08/2021
Accounting students from The University of Scranton will follow an adjusted contactless process to assist local residents with filing their federal, state and local tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The process for this year has been adjusted to because of COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
The free service is available to residents of Lackawanna and Wayne counties with household incomes of $57,000 or less for 2020.
Qualified clients can provide the information needed to complete tax forms (see below) in a secure “drop-off box” located in the University Police Department, 820 Mulberry Street. Forms will be processed remotely by University student volunteers. Clients will be contacted by phone or email with any questions and when their tax forms have been filed electronically. The documents provided, or copies of documents if originals were needed for filing, will be then returned to participants.
Documents need for filing tax forms include:
- name, email and phone number;
- a copy of the taxpayer’s driver’s license (and spouse’s if applicable);
- a copy of Social Security cards for the taxpayer, the spouse, and any dependents;
- all Wage and earning statements, including, but not limited to:
- Form W-2 (employees);
- W-2G (gambling winnings);
- 1099-R (retirement withdrawals);
- 1099-Misc, 1099-NEC(miscellaneous income) and any related expenses;
- 1099-G (unemployment income);
- 1099-SA (Social Security statement);
- 1099-B (sales of stock);
- interest and dividend statements from banks (Forms 1099-INT and 1099-DIV);
- a copy of last year’s federal and state returns, if available;
- a voided check for proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit;
- forms 1095-A, B and C, health coverage statements;
- any information pertinent to deductions and credits the taxpayer may be eligible for, such as:
- 1098-T for anyone on the tax return who attended a higher education institution during 2020;
- totals paid to daycare providers and the daycare provider's tax identifying number such as their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number, name, and address;
- for those who qualify for a property tax or rent rebate (age 65 and older, a widow/widower, disabled, and within certain income limits), copies of property tax receipts for any property taxes paid during the 2020 tax year;
- list of charitable donations;
- note if you received the first stimulus payment? (spring of 2020) $1,200/taxpayer-spouse and $500 for each qualifying child;
- also note if you received the economic impact payment? (late 2020 or early 2021) $600/ taxpayer-spouse and each qualifying child.
Residents can include information above in an envelope and place it in the “drop-off box” in the University Police Department, 820 Mulberry Street, Mondays through Thursdays between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The VITA Program began on Monday, Feb. 8. The program will end when the capacity to process tax forms received has been met.
Residents with questions may call the University at 570-941-4045.
University students have participated in the VITA program for more than 30 years.
Safe, Free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Offered
-
02/08/2021
The University of Scranton has named Rebekah Bernard as associate director of admissions and enrollment management information systems. In her new role, she will manage technology systems and data processes for admissions, including the development of statistical reports for data analysis. She will also supervise staff in Admissions Office operations and support the development and automation of communication plans, among other duties.
Bernard joined the staff of the Admissions Office at the University in 2001, where she has worked as an admissions counselor, a communications specialist, and, since 2012, as an information and technology specialist. She has also served as an adjunct professor for the University’s Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship.
At Scranton, Bernard was elected to the Staff Senate in 2017 and has served as vice president and as chair of its Finance Committee and By-Laws Committee, among other positions. She also served on the University’s Strategic Enrollment Planning Committee Undergraduate Programs Working Group, the Employee Wellness Committee and as chair of University Council. She participated in the University’s Kino Border Initiative Immersion Experience and with the University’s International Service Program.
Bernard is a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling. She has served as a parent volunteer at Our Lady of Peace School and as a youth sports coach.
Bernard earned her bachelor’s degree in English and her MBA from The University of Scranton.
Rebekah Bernard Named Admissions Associate Director
-
02/02/2021
U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 48 and its online MBA program at No. 111 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 67 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
This is the 10th consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years.
For the 2021 Best Online Programs ranking, which published in January, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category. The criteria used by U.S. News to rank online business and MBA programs included student engagement (30 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, among other factors. The ranking criteria also included peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (15 percent); admission selectivity (15 percent); and student services and technology (15 percent).
In addition to offering distance education programs that incorporate coursework that is predominantly online, colleges and universities making the “Best Online Program for Veterans” list must have ranked in top half of 2021 Best Online Program rankings; be regionally accredited; be certified for the GI Bill and participate in the Yellow Ribbon Program; and enroll a “critical mass of veterans” as defined by U.S. News based on the size of the college.
Scranton offers online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, business analytics, finance, health administration, health informatics and human resources and a dual MBA/MHA degree, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for the online programs.
In other rankings published by U.S. News, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 27 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 6 in the 2021 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.” In national rankings of all business programs in America, U.S. News ranked Scranton’s finance program at No. 30, its entrepreneurship program at No. 36 and its accounting program at No. 44 in the country, among other rankings.
Scranton Online Programs Among Best in Nation
-
02/02/2021
The University of Scranton has named Mary Kay Aston as associate vice president for financial aid and enrollment. The position was created as part of a restructuring in the University’s Division of Enrollment Management and External Affairs and the retirement of William R. Burke, the long-serving director of Financial Aid at Scranton. In her new role, Aston will lead the Financial Aid Office and work with staff members to help make a Scranton education possible for students and families.
Most recently, Aston served as the University’s assistant vice president for admissions and enrollment. She joined the University in 1993, holding positions in the Chemistry Department and as assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences prior to joining the staff of the Admissions Office. During her tenure at Scranton, Aston served on the University’s Strategic Enrollment Planning Committee, the Information Security Advisory Council and the Provost Committee on Academic Policy and Compliance, among others.
Aston is a member of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling, the Middle States Association of Collegiate Registrars and Officers of Admission and the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators.
Aston earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Marywood University and her master’s degree in biochemistry from The University of Scranton.
Mary Kay Aston Promoted at Scranton
-
02/02/2021
During the spring semester, University of Scranton professors will share their expertise on contemporary love poems, new perspectives on addiction and treatment, and pioneering women philosophers. Schemel Forum evening courses will meet in six weekly virtual sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. A zoom link will be emailed to participants.
Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of English and Theatre, will teach “Eros and Metaphor: Contemporary Love Poems.” Dr. Tadros said, “In this seminar, which borrows its title from a talk given by poet Alicia Suskin Ostriker at Rutgers University in 2005, we will develop a vocabulary for the shared practice of close-reading poems, and we’ll analyze and engage twenty-first century love poems. Class discussions will concern the formal and structural aspects of poems, as well as the broader questions of what constitutes a ‘love poem’ – or, even, what constitutes a ‘poem’.” Participants will read poems by a diverse group of contemporary poets including award-winning writers Jericho Brown, Meg Day, Natalie Diaz, Jack Gilbert, Louise Gluck, Terrance Hayes, Maggie Nelson and Carl Phillips. Virtual classes will meet on the following Mondays: Feb. 8, 15 and 22; and Mar. 1, 8 and 15.
“Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery: The Power of Connection” will be taught by Oliver J. Morgan, Ph.D., professor of counseling and human services. The Independent Press Award recognized Dr. Morgan’s book “Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery: The Power of Connection” as a winner in the category of Addiction and Recovery. Dr. Morgan will provide a fresh take on addiction and recovery through cutting-edge work in attachment, interpersonal neurobiology and trauma, integrated with ecological-systems thinking to provide a consilient and comprehensive picture of addiction. His work reorients understanding and clinical practice for mental health and addiction counselors, psychologists, and social workers, as well as for addicts and those who love them. Virtual classes will meet on the following Thursdays: Feb. 11, 18 and 25; and Mar. 4, 11 and 18.
Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, will teach “Women Philosophers of the Middle Ages and Early Modernity.” This course will study the ideas of six women philosophers of the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period, along with their place in the larger philosophical and historical landscape. The philosophers include Heloise, Julian of Norwich, Christine de Pizan, Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia, Anne Conway and Margaret Cavendish. “Participants will analyze how we construct the narrative of the history of philosophy, what philosophers are included and who is overlooked,” said Dr. LaZella. “The philosophers treated in this course are most often overlooked in canonical tellings of the history of philosophy, yet their voices provide an important perspective in expanding the narrative.” Virtual classes will meet on the following Tuesdays; March 16, 23 and 30; and April 6, 13 and 20.
Participants can enroll in any course for $60; Schemel Forum members and University staff, students and faculty can enroll free of charge. During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum is also offering eight virtual World Affairs Seminars to area residents.
To register for the seminars, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. And, for more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum to Begin Virtual Evening Courses
-
02/02/2021
The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a four-year pre-college mentorship program, is now accepting applications for the upcoming 2021 academic year that begins this summer.
The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program funded entirely by corporate and foundations grants, so there is no charge to students and their families. The program's goal is to assist first generation bound students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university.
Students who are currently in the eighth grade are eligible to apply.
Accepted students will begin the program with a two-week residential summer academy which will be held on the campus of The University of Scranton from July 11, to July 23. Upon completion of the summer program, the students will continue to meet for enrichment sessions during their high school career.
The deadline for submission of applications is Thursday, April 1, 2021.
Applications may be obtained by emailing Margaret Loughney, University of Success program director, at margaret.loughney@scranton.edu. Applications may also be obtained online the University of Success web site.
University of Success Accepting Applications
-
02/02/2021
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) announced that Elizabeth Geeza, Dalton, has joined its staff as a program coordinator. In this role, she will coordinate logistics for training programs, including programming geared toward small businesses impacted by COVID-19 pandemic, which is supported by SBA CARES Act funding.
In addition to her role with the SBDC, Geeza will continue to work as a conference and events coordinator in the University Advancement Division, a position she has held since 2013.
At the University, Geeza was elected to the Staff Senate in 2018 and served on its Staff Development Committee and as the co-chair of its Communications Committee. She also served as a chaperone for domestic service trips organized by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice and was a member of University Advancement’s Internal Communications and Core Values committees.
Geeza is an active member of the Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors – International.
Prior to joining the University, Geeza worked in professional sports, where she was marketing manager at the Central Hockey League in Tempe, Arizona, and director of special events and group fulfillment for the Arizona Sundogs, a Central Hockey League member club in Prescott Valley, Arizona.
Geeza earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations from Susquehanna University.
The University of Scranton SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses.
Elizabeth Geeza Joins University of Scranton SBDC
-
01/27/2021
The University of Scranton announced its Royals Safe Together Plan for the return of students to campus for the spring 2021 semester. The plan takes into account the latest health and safety recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). Although the plan includes many of the elements put in place for the fall semester, such as campus-wide COVID-19 surveillance testing, social distancing, mask requirements and cleaning protocols, the spring semester plan requires all graduate and undergraduate students returning to campus to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result taken within 72 hours prior to their arrival on campus. Also, following new recommendations from the CDC, the period required for students to be in quarantine will now be 10 days. The University will follow the updated CDC guidelines for COVID testing students while in quarantine.
During the spring semester, the University will be among the Landmark Conference schools participating in winter, fall and spring sports, following the health and safety recommendations of the NCAA Resocialization Guidelines, as well as Landmark Conference Covid-19 Game Day Policies. Spectators are not allowed at competitions at this time. Live streaming of games is available. Additional information regarding team schedules will be posted on the University’s Athletics webpage.
In November, the University announced changes to its academic calendar for the spring semester, which begins on Monday, Feb. 1, and ends on Friday, May 21. The University will not have a spring break; however, two days with no classes were included in the schedule on Tuesday, Mar. 9, and Wednesday, Mar. 24. The University will have an Easter break from Thursday, Apr. 1, to Monday, Apr. 5.
The Royals Safe Together Plan for the spring semester reminds members of the University community of their individual responsibility to follow guidelines to protect the health and well-being of themselves and others. As in the fall semester, face masks and social distancing are required on campus, and personal hygiene practices, and cleaning and disinfecting regimens that were enacted in the fall continue in the spring semester. Special Student Life guidelines for off-campus students will continue, including to limit group gathering size, and the University will continue to address any non-compliance. All students and employees who are on campus will also participate in COVID-19 PCR surveillance testing, which will be conducted on campus throughout the semester beginning the week of Feb. 8. Members of the University community who are on campus will continue to use a daily wellness self-screening application that provides an easy way for them to review symptoms by responding to a series of simple questions as recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Even those who are vaccinated must adhere to the University’s health and safety requirements.
Also in the spring semester, as in the fall, classes will be offered in a variety of formats including: traditional face-to-face formats in classrooms adjusted to meet social distancing recommendations; hybrid formats with students attending in-person classes and remote formats; and classes that are fully remote.
Laboratory classes will also follow social distancing protocols. Undergraduate, graduate and graduate clinical coursework in off-campus locations will be permitted with the cooperation and permission of external partners. The campus will remain closed to visitors and the general public except by appointment (i.e. admissions visitors, athletics), including the use of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
The Royals Safe Together Plan also addresses cleaning protocols, dining services, Campus Ministries, health services, student life and a number of other critical areas, including contact tracing, and housing arrangements for students requiring isolation or quarantine. The plan also recognizes the need to continue to adapt to changing circumstances.
Decisions regarding Commencement have not yet been made.
More information is available on the Royals Safe Together Plan webpage.Spring Semester Plans Adjust to Latest Guidelines
-
01/27/2021
The University of Scranton’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities will host virtual lectures that will further examine the Catholic Church and American politics and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
On Wednesday, Feb. 3, the Center for the Ignatian Humanities will host a Zoom webinar with Massimo Faggioli, Ph.D., author of “Joe Biden and Catholicism in the United States” and professor of professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University. Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, and Therese Ratliff, Ph.D., publisher, Twenty-Third Publications, will moderate the discussion that promises to be an insightful and spirited reflection on the Catholic Church and American politics, as well as on the faith and life of President Biden. The event begins at 7 p.m. and is offered free of charge. Reservations are required to attend and can be made online.
On Tuesday, Feb. 9, the center will host a Humanities in Action Series Zoom event featuring Rev. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., author of “The Ignatian Adventure” and president of Santa Clara University. Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, and Rose Sebastianelli, Ph.D., professor of operations and information management at Scranton, will moderate the discussion of how the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius have shaped Father O’Brien’s life and work. The event will give members of the Scranton community unique insight into how the Exercises constitute an unparalleled way to embrace the complexities, joys and challenges of the human experience. The event begins at 7 p.m. and is offered free of charge. Reservations are required to participate and can be made online.
For more information about the virtual events, call 570-941-7401.
Two Authors to Speak at Virtual Events in February
-
01/27/2021
The photo of University of Scranton nursing student Glen Johnson administering a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine shot, originally taken for the Scranton Times-Tribune, was put on the national wire service by the Associated Press (AP) News and appeared in newspapers across the country, including US News. The photo was taken by University of Scranton graduate Christopher Dolan, who earned his bachelor’s degree in communication in 2014 and now works as a photographer at the Scranton Times-Tribune.
Johnson, Scranton, is nursing student in his junior year at the University. Nursing students and faculty have been serving in vaccination clinics in the Scranton area
Nursing Students Help Administer Vaccine Shots
-
01/22/2021
During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Seminars at The University of Scranton will deliver a full spectrum of enlightening presentations on current topics. Eight experts in their fields will bring their insights into the homes of area residents, once again through a Zoom format due to health and safety restrictions caused by the pandemic. Events will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m., except the Feb. 3 seminar. Admission is $10 per seminar, and registered attendees will receive an emailed Zoom link prior to each talk.
The series opens on Wednesday, Feb. 3, with “The Post-Pandemic World: Lessons from Asia,” presented by Parag Khanna, Ph.D., managing partner of FutureMap Pte. Ltd. Likening the coronavirus pandemic to the 14th century Black Death, Dr. Khanna asserts that both have caused a profound worldwide loss of life, significant restructuring of trade patterns, major reordering of geopolitical relations and substantial disruption to our daily lives. Dr. Khanna will map out expectations of the future of global capital flows, infrastructure investments, supply chains, industrial policies, accelerating growth sectors and other major drivers of the new world order. This seminar will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Martha S. Jones, J.D., Ph.D., Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, and professor of history and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, will present “Vanguard: How Black Women Overcame Barriers, Won the Vote and Insisted on Equality for All.” Dr. Jones said, “In the standard story, the suffrage crusade began in Seneca Falls in 1848 and ended with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. But this overwhelmingly white women’s movement did not win the vote for most black women. Securing their rights required a movement of their own.” Dr. Jones will discuss the history of African American women’s political lives in America, from the earliest days of the republic to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and beyond.
On Tuesday, March 9, “Next Steps with Russia?” will be presented by Jill Dougherty, formerly CNN’s Moscow Bureau Chief for almost a decade and a frequent participant in the Schemel Forum seminar series. An expert on Russia, she is currently an adjunct Professor at Georgetown University and a CNN on-air contributor. “The new U.S. administration faces a dangerously degraded relationship with Russia,” said Dougherty, who will analyze Russia’s challenge of redefining its relationship with America, without a “reset.”
On Tuesday, March 16, Carla McCabe, president and CEO of WVIA, the regional PBS/NPR affiliate, will present “America: The Farther Shore.” McCabe cited, “‘Believe that a farther shore is reachable from here.’ Those words of Nobel Laureate poet Seamus Heaney were my inspiration for coming to America. I grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but here I am in Scranton, honored to lead WVIA. My aim is to ensure that we are embedded in the core of the communities we serve, producing programs that reflect who we are, and at the same time, open our hearts and minds to the world we live in.”
On Wednesday, March 24, “Borges and Me: My Travels in the Highlands of Scotland with a Literary Genius” will be presented by Jay Parini, Axinn Professor of English at Middlebury College in Vermont. Parini, a native of Scranton and recipient of the University’s Distinguished Author Award in 2012, is a poet, novelist and biographer. The author of 30 books, Parini’s The Last Station was made into an Academy Award-nominated film. His most recent book, Borges and Me, is a memoir of a young writer’s unexpected, life-changing encounter with literary genius Jorge Luis Borges, an Argentine poet, essayist and short-story writer whose works became classics of 20th-century literature.
On Friday, April 9, Manisha Sinha, Ph.D., Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut, will present “The Abolitionist International.” Dr. Sinha said, “My talk re-imagines abolition as a radical international movement composed of ordinary men and women, whites and blacks. It shows how the fight to end slavery overlapped with contemporary social movements such as feminism, utopian socialism and pacifism, as well as struggles for rights of labor, immigrants and Native Americans.” Adam Pratt, associate professor of history at the University of Scranton, describes Dr. Sinha as a “first-rate scholar, whose work has forced historians to reconsider long-held ideas about how social and political change happened in the 19th century.”
On Friday, April 16, “A Jesuit Education and Integrative Thinking in Biotechnology (fighting tuberculosis) and Economics (eradicating poverty)” will be presented by Michael Fairbanks, Ph.D., fellow at Harvard University and chairman and founder of Akagera Medicines, a Biotech company based in Boston and San Francisco focused on cures for infectious diseases. “The Scranton tradition of ‘scholarship and service’ is only part of the innovation story,” said Dr. Fairbanks. “Taking the best ideas and tools from one academic domain and applying them to the challenges of another is how real progress occurs.” Dr. Fairbanks has advised two-dozen presidents in Latin America, Africa, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe on private sector development. Since 2001, he has been a senior advisor to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, and his company, Akagera Medicines, is a public-private partnership between the people of Rwanda and scientists who are focused on solutions to infectious diseases.
The series will conclude on a to-be-determined date with “Consciousness: Life Transitions and the Importance of Story – Continued,” presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D. A former Scranton-area physician and one of the founders of the Schemel Forum, Dr. Brereton will follow up his fall semester seminar on life transitions with references to cave paintings, Homer, Sophocles, Jung, Tennyson, Shakespeare and Erik Erikson.
The World Affairs Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
To register for the seminars, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. And, for more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Virtual Seminars Set for Spring
-
01/21/2021
The University of Scranton’s lighting of the Class of 2020 Gateway and The Estate in amber to honor the lives lost as part of a national moment of remembrance appeared in national television coverage of the Inauguration of President Joe Biden, a native of Scranton and 1976 recipient of an honorary degree from the University.
Since April, the University has lit its new, prominent gateway sign with a red cross on a blue background as part of its Royals Respond initiative to honor those who are bravely and selflessly responding to COVID-19, especially acknowledging the service of alumni and members of the University community. The lighting of the Gateway has changed only a few times since April to mark special occasions, such as the Christmas, Easter, the Fourth of July, Juneteenth National Freedom Day and, most recently, as part of the national moment of remembrance for the Inauguration of President Biden.
The University’s Class of 2020 Gateway features a lit glass wall etched with the seal of The University of Scranton that spans the center of the four-story St. Thomas Hall. The façade can be seen on Linden Street for blocks from downtown Scranton. The sign was first lit in a ceremony in February 2020.
University’s Gateway Makes National Appearance
-
01/20/2021
University of Scranton President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., shares A Prayerful Reflection on Inauguration Day.
Few times in our nation’s history have we faced so many serious challenges simultaneously. Considering all the uncertainties of the future, I am reminded of these words from Saint Ignatius: “Act as if everything depended on you; trust as if everything depended on God.” Ignatius understood that we must demonstrate our love for each other and for God’s creation through our actions, at the same time striving to find God in all things – even in troubling times.
We pray for the success of President Biden and our nation as we celebrate today his inauguration to serve as the 46th president of the United States.
The road forward will not be easy for our country. We mourn the loss of so many to illness and injustice; we are burdened with division and despair. And yet, with hope in our hearts, we must commit ourselves as Ignatius did “to give, and not to count the cost.”
May God inspire us to join our hands and hearts in solidarity and purpose for the good of our nation and all humankind.
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
The University of ScrantonA Prayerful Reflection on Inauguration Day
-
01/14/2021
More than 1,800 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2020 fall semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Dean’s List students, listed alphabetically, can be seen here.
University Announces Fall 2020 Dean’s List
-
01/14/2021
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the spring 2020 semester after publication of the list in June of 2020.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2020 spring semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the spring 2020 Dean’s List are:
Alexa Anzulewicz
Nicholas Cerep
Victoria Norman
Students Added to Spring 2020 Dean’s List
-
01/13/2021
The Princeton Review listed The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management among the nation’s “Best Business Schools” in its 2021 ranking of just 224 colleges in the country. This is the 16th consecutive year that Scranton has been included in the listing the nation’s most elite business colleges. Scranton was included among the list of “Best On-Campus MBA Programs,” which was published online in December.
The listing of business programs is compiled from data from the Princeton Review’s surveys of nearly 24,000 students enrolled in MBA programs at 369 schools, and of administrators at those schools. The data incorporates career outcomes, academic rigor, admissions selectivity and other factors.
The University’s Kania School of Management is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is widely considered the standard of excellence for business schools. Less than five percent of business colleges worldwide hold AACSB accreditation.
The Princeton Review also listed Scranton in its 2021 edition of the “Best 386 Colleges,” ranking Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 8), “Best Campus Food” (No. 7) and “Most Religious Schools (No. 15); and included Scranton among the nation’s “Best Online MBA Programs.”
In other national rankings, U.S. News ranked Scranton’s finance program at No. 30, its entrepreneurship program at No. 36 and its accounting program at No. 44 in the country. US News also ranked Scranton among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” (No. 201), and among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” (No. 141 among U.S. schools where a doctorate is not offered). In its overall ranking for colleges, Scranton ranked No. 6 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North,” marking the 27th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10 of its category.
University Among Nation’s Best Business Schools
-
01/12/2021
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is teaming up with the City of Scranton to hold First Step: Scranton, a training event for individuals who are interested in starting a business in the City of Scranton. The training will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, Jan. 20, from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m.
The City of Scranton Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD) will provide information about their mission and an overview of the programs they have to offer for small businesses. The SBDC will talk about their programs and services, and will also present information about applications and licenses needed to start a business, different types of business structure, business plan development, and what to expect in financing. Emphasis on the licenses and registrations in the City of Scranton will be shared.
“At the start of a New Year, many people resolve to finally start the business they’ve been dreaming of,” said Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of The University of Scranton SBDC. “We are teaming up with the City of Scranton to offer the direction and guidance people need to make those dreams a reality and add more small businesses to the city.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to partner with the SBDC to help prospective business owners launch a business in the city,” said Eileen Cipriani, executive director of the OECD. “Our goal is to provide the resources and guidance needed to streamline the start-up process. To meet that goal, Mayor Cognetti has combined Licensing, Inspections and Permits with City Planning and the Office of Economic and Community Development to place all the departments under one umbrella, the new Office of Community Development.”
Advance registration is required and can be made by visiting www.scrantonsbdc.com and viewing Upcoming Classes. For more information, contact The University of Scranton SBDC at sbdc@scranton.edu or 570-941-7588.
Scranton’s SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses.
The Office of Economic and Community Development (OECD), a self-sufficient department, acts as the grants administration arm of the City of Scranton. OECD identifies grant programs that could provide sources of support for a variety of community and economic development initiatives and aggressively pursue these funds. Employees are responsible for administering these grants, taking care to allocate funds to activities that best address important community and economic development needs and ensuring compliance with their regulations.
SBDC Offers Business Start-Up Training with City
-
01/07/2021
University of Scranton President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., sent the following Statement on National Unity to members of The University of Scranton community.
Dear Members of the University Community,
As I am sure is true for you, I watched in horror the incidents that took place in the United States Capitol Building yesterday. This afternoon, the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities issued a statement that I have signed on behalf of the University. What follows is a more personal reflection.
The Capitol Building has always had a deep and abiding sense of sacredness. It is a feeling I remember fondly while interning for my congressman during my early years of college. Years later, I remember touring my niece and nephew through the building and being moved to tears by the importance of this hallowed space and the role it would play in their future
I was reminded also of the deep roots that The University of Scranton family has in the Washington, D.C., area. In a special way, I prayed for the safety and wellbeing of alumni, parents and friends working in the Capitol.
Yesterday’s violation and desecration is a blow to us all both substantially and symbolically. It must be condemned in the strongest terms.
Our nation is in the midst of one of the most divisive times in its history. As a university, we are no stranger to dialogue and disagreement, but we do so with respect. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, we also advocate for justice and the common good, especially in times of great trial.
In the weeks and months ahead, I pray that we move forward as one nation discerning through civil discourse the answers to the substantive challenges we face.
May God Bless the United States of America.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
University President Statement on National Unity
-
01/05/2021
Through multiple community-based learning projects offered in courses during the fall semester, University of Scranton students partnered with area organizations to bring their class work to life virtually with real-world initiatives and activities. In the fall of 2020, students worked remotely with the City of Scranton, the Scranton Area Community Foundation and United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
“Community-based learning projects provide opportunities for learning outside of the classroom and bring what students are exploring in their academic course into an external, local context through addressing community-defined needs. They can apply their skills and, most importantly, learn from community agencies long at work addressing such issues as diversity and inclusion, public health, philanthropy, and community and economic revitalization,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs and chair of the Community-Based Learning Board at the University.
In the fall semester, community-based learning projects in two courses partnered with the City of Scranton. Students a doctoral course in nursing, Advanced Health Care Policy, taught by Margarete Leib Zalon, Ph.D., professor of nursing, worked with the City of Scranton to help them explore different public health priorities. John J. Strain III, faculty specialist of communication and media, linked his Art of the Pitch course to a community-based learning project for the City of Scranton’s new “Work From Here” initiative. Students in the course researched and developed marketing strategies that they “pitched” to the City of Scranton for the campaign. Read more about these projects here.
Students in a Spanish language-based course, Service and the Hispanic Community, taught by Roxana Curiel, Ph.D., assistant professor of world languages and cultures, undertook a community-based learning project with United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania to spotlight businesses in Scranton neighborhoods owned and operated by individuals from a range of Latin American countries. The business profiles, provided in both English and Spanish, can be viewed on the Welcoming Scranton Facebook page. Read more about the project here.
Students in a social media communication class taught by Brian J. Snee, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and media, gained real-world experience on a community-based learning project partnering with the Scranton Area Community Foundation. Read more here.
In 2017, the University launched the Office of Community-Based Learning, headed by Meghan Ashlin Rich, Ph.D., professor of sociology/criminal justice and women’s studies, aimed at further supporting faculty conducting community-based learning courses and strengthening the ways in which the campus engages with the hopes, concerns, challenges and opportunities facing Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Students Work on Real-world Projects in Courses
-
12/17/2020
Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering at The University of Scranton, was awarded a highly-competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER grant that integrates original research on the effects of lower and middle atmospheric waves on ionospheric disturbances with course instruction and undergraduate and graduate research and education. The five-year $616,054 NSF CAREER grant is a special funding program that is only available only to early-career, tenure track faculty members and must include tightly integrated research and education components.
In a press release, U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright applauded the NSF’s $616,054 federal grant awarded to Dr. Frissell.
“America’s leadership in technology is due in large part to the work that goes on in places like the University of Scranton,” said Rep. Cartwright, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “This kind of research not only moves us forward on innovation, the students who take part in it can then become part of a highly skilled workforce that attracts space and technology businesses to our area. I applaud Dr. Frissell and The University of Scranton for their pioneering work. In Congress, I will continue to support National Science Foundation initiatives that lift up Northeastern Pennsylvania’s best minds.”
Dr. Frissell’s NSF CAREER proposal builds on his previously awarded $1.3 million NSF grant to develop modular, ground-based space science observation equipment and software that will be used to collect and analyze data from an international network of amateur (ham) radio users, which includes a newly formed a student radio club at Scranton.
“Space weather significantly impacts important modern technological systems, and the effective operation of such systems is dependent on the state of the ionosphere. Understanding the connection between traveling ionospheric disturbances and atmospheric gravity wave sources in the lower atmospheric regions could improve the ability to predict the ionospheric state and thus its impact on navigation and communications systems,” said Dr. Frissell in the introduction of his grant proposal.
Through the NSF CAREER grant, Dr. Frissell will apply sophisticated, physics-based atmospheric/ionospheric models to extensive new data collected through in international collaboration of ham radio operators using “Personal Space Weather Stations” that he helped to develop in order to better understand the connection between ionospheric disturbances and atmospheric gravity wave sources. The new funding supports two graduate master of science in software engineering research assistants at Scranton who will conduct data analysis, and run models and code implementation using a new Linux-based analysis server that this proposal will also fund.
“The master’s theses software engineering students will include both a software engineering component and a science component,” said Dr. Frissell. “These interdisciplinary theses will maximize the students’ options after graduation. In addition to being well prepared to work as a software engineer, they will have experience for jobs in any of the science fields related to this project.”
In addition, Dr. Frissell will introduce physics and engineering students to space physics research and develop the skills needed to conduct this research through an introductory physics course for first-year students and, at a more sophisticated level, through an upper-level undergraduate Introduction to Space Science and the Atmosphere course he teaches. The grant also funds a summer undergraduate research assistant and encourages other opportunities for student research.
“Research opportunities will be made available to any interested student, with priority given to students majoring in physics, electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field,” said Dr. Frissell. “It is expected that this research will generate multiple peer-reviewed articles that will be published in journals such as Geophysical Research Letters, Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Space Weather, and Radio Science, with some articles authored or co-authored by a master’s or undergraduate student.”
Under the grant proposal, Scranton’s amateur radio club W3USR will also play a role in disseminating the information about the research on campus and to the broader community.
Dr. Frissell joined the faculty at Scranton in the fall of 2019. He earned a doctorate and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, and a bachelor’s degree in physics and music education from Montclair State University in New Jersey. He is the founder and lead organizer of the international citizen science space physics research collective known as the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI.org).
Professor Awarded Six-figure NSF CAREER Grant
-
12/15/2020
The University of Scranton has launched a website to share details of its 2020-2025 Strategic Plan, which “faces the future while embracing our deepest and most central traditions,” according to Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton.
“Grounded in our Catholic and Jesuit mission, the plan will guide our transformative work and help us navigate changes, challenges and opportunities for the coming five years, though we believe its impact will be felt well beyond,” wrote Father Pilarz to members of the University community announcing the strategic plan, which was approved by the University’s Board of Trustees in September. “No doubt, the strategic plan we crafted together is lofty in its aspirations, and we launch it at a significant crossroads for higher education. But we know that it is also together that we will achieve concrete, positive outcomes on behalf of our students, campus community and broader Scranton family.”
The five goals of the University’s Strategic Plan 2020 are as follows:
The Humanities as a Foundation for Transformation: to ensure that the Scranton student experience is transformational, integrated and grounded in the humanities as a pathway to understanding the human experience in its many dimensions.
Faith, Passion and Purpose – The Student’s Journey: to engage students as individuals through personal attention that helps them explore their faith, discern their purpose and pursue their passion, as they work to create a more just and sustainable world.
Advancing the University Through Innovation: to advance the University into the future by challenging ourselves to educate and support an ever-changing, diverse landscape of students in ways that are affordable, relevant and innovative.
Diversity and Inclusion – A Welcoming and Supportive Community: to reflect and understand the diversity of the world by demanding that diversity be a priority as we build an inclusive community and campus culture, develop and deliver our education, and shape our student experience.
Growing Partnerships in Our Mission: to invite and inspire our alumni, parents, friends and community to be partners in the mission of the University.
The plan builds “on areas of excellence and initiatives underway, including the high-impact learning processes, the exciting work of cross-disciplinary humanities (the Slattery Center for Humanities), and a multi-year collaborative strategic enrollment plan, a process that has already resulted in new academic student support and majors,” said Father Pilarz.
The strategic plan was developed through a comprehensive, collaborative effort led by members of the University Planning Committee that incorporated input from students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, parents and the board of trustees.
“I am grateful to the campus community for their input and collaboration, which went into the development of this plan. Together, we concentrated on making a strategic plan unique to our mission and one that will accelerate the excellent education at the University,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
“Our plan, as it should be, is rooted in assessment and analysis, including our 2019 Middle States self-evaluation study and the (Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities) 2018 Mission Priority Examen, which examined our Catholic and Jesuit tradition and the deep and active life of mission on our campus,” said Father Pilarz in a video about the plan. “We are also proud of the ways the plan supports the Universal Apostolic Preferences, a set of core priorities embraced by the Society of Jesus just last year.”
According to Kate Yerkes, assistant provost for planning and institutional effectiveness, the planning process itself is beneficial to the University.
“The value of planning is not just this product, but the coming together of the members of our community to examine our strengths, and be open to ways to grow, innovate and improve,” said Yerkes.
“Our plan captures the commitment to community the mutual respect and care for each other that has always been and will always be the hallmark of The University of Scranton,” said Father Pilarz.
Details of the plan can be found at the University’s Strategic Plan 2020 website.
University Publishes 2020-2025 Strategic Plan
-
12/08/2020
Evelyn Barra, Kingston; Jasmine Benvenutti, Scranton; Jennifer Coleman, Carbondale; Tanya Crawford, Matamoras; Lori DeVoe, Hawley; Nohemi Garcia Tafoya, Scranton; Laura Gilbody, Clarks Summit; Michele Havrilchak, Olyphant; Allison Leonard, Montrose; April Owen, Tobyhanna; Crystal Perez, Old Forge; Lonni Schmeckenbecher, Tunkhannock; and Yajaira Suarez-Babcock, Hawley; completed The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center and Small Business Development Center (SBDC) StartUP fall program.
Facilitated by experienced SBDC consultants, StartUP is a six-week certificate series designed for women in transition or those trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. The StartUP Program offers women education, support and guidance in determining if entrepreneurship is an option for them. Participants in this interactive program learn start-up basics, legal and insurance considerations, marketing and social media essentials, business plan development, accounting and budget skills, financing options and requirements, and goal setting. Local women business owners presented during the sessions to share their experiences.
The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center is a partnership between the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the University’s Kania School of Management (KSOM) that utilizes experienced SBDC consultants along with carefully selected KSOM student interns. The interns are highly skilled, and enhance the work done by consultants by assisting with training, conducting research, and completing projects.
The University’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Center student interns participating were: Emilee Barrett, a senior marketing major from Clarks Summit; Mollie Boyd, a junior marketing major from Old Forge; Chloe Burns, a senior entrepreneurship major from Philadelphia; Nicole Freeman, a sophomore biology major from New Tripoli; Abigail Guziewicz, a senior psychology major from Peckville; Jordyn Lieber, a sophomore business administration major from Edison, New Jersey; and Hollyann Serp, a senior entrepreneurship major from Commack, New York.
The Fall 2020 series was offered free of charge thanks to funding from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
The free series will be held again in the Spring. Those interested in the spring session can register at scrantonsbdc.com under the education and training tab. For more details, contact Katelyn McManamon, SBDC Special Projects Coordinator, at 570-941-4168 or e-mail katelyn.mcmanamon@scranton.edu.
Thirteen Women Complete StartUP Fall Program
-
12/08/2020
Biology faculty members Ashley Driver, Ph.D., David Ingber, Ph.D., and Tara Fay had to rethink how they ran their lab classes during the fall semester to safely meet the health restrictions caused by the pandemic.
Dr. Driver, who taught the lab for her Cellular Biology course (Bio 350) and Dr. Ingber, who taught the lab sections for General Biology courses (Bio 141 and 142), both used technology in different ways to introduce a technique or experiment, which is normally done during the lab, in order to optimize the students’ time spent in the lab.
Dr. Driver used virtual simulations to introduce the particular technique that the students then practiced in the lab.
“What this allowed me to do was to navigate the issue of having fewer students able to be in the lab at a given time because of social distancing requirements and having to shorten the lab activities to be able to rotate students through, while still giving them enough knowledge so they are able to get something out of that technique,” said Dr. Driver. “The real goal of a cellular biology lab is to have students experience and apply techniques that are common in cell and molecular biology. I have the students complete online simulations followed by shortened in-lab experiments where use one of these techniques to gain data and then interpret the data to draw conclusions.”
For his General Biology labs, Dr. Ingber used Panopto to create video demonstrations of the experiment his students would then complete in a lab session.
“The demonstration video shows the students what they will be doing in that lab. The video shows a top down view where you see my hands as I do the experiment, in addition to multi-camera views where it shows me and a white board or the screen of my laptop if we are using a specific program. The goal is to have the students know exactly what they have to do when they get into the lab,” said Dr. Ingber, who also had to rotate students through the lab periods in order to meet the social distancing constraints of the space.
Dr. Ingber also customized pre-lab lessons using an online tool (Lt by ADInstruments) that included graphs, questions, downloadable items and pop-ups with videos and vocabulary to help the students understand the significance of the procedure they would be performing. He moved the instructional time online in order to have in-classroom time strictly focused on data collection. Following the lab, the students then used the data they collected to complete their analysis and write their lab reports.
In addition to the social distancing requirements that limit the number of students in lab spaces, the Human Anatomy and Physiology course labs (Bio 110) taught by Prof. Fay use painted models and bones that would not tolerate the disinfecting cleaners required for students to safely handle them. These factors led Prof. Fay to teach the labs remotely.
“As a way to try to offset the loss of the hands-on component of the lab, the students used an oil-based modeling clay that remains its pliable for months to make models of a long bone, a portion of the spinal cord and some human muscles,” said Prof. Fay. “We used the clay models in about half the labs during the semester and since the clay doesn’t dry out, the students can then refer to the models they created to study for the course.”
For dissection labs, Prof. Fay used a program called Visible Body that “is basically a human anatomy atlas. The images are interactive where you can add muscles, or take away muscles, add skin or take skin away, which allowed the students to do a virtual dissection,” said Prof. Fay. She said the program also allows students to watch videos of the muscle in action.
“When a particular muscle contracts it performs an action to move a part of your body in a specific way. The students had the ability to watch muscles working,” said Prof. Fay.
Dr. Ingber created videos demonstrations for experiments his student would then complete in his General Biology course labs during the fall semester.Faculty Creatively Adapt Biology Labs for Semester
-
12/02/2020
The NativityMiguel School in Scranton will honor Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J. H’06, vice president for mission and ministry at The University of Scranton, at a virtual dinner on Friday, Dec. 4. Proceeds from the event, which begins at 5 p.m., will support the budget of the tuition-free, independent Catholic middle school that serve economically challenged students in Lackawanna and Luzerne County.
Father Keller has served on the board of the NativityMiguel School since 2015. During the academic year, University students volunteer with the children at the school through programming offered through the Center for Service and Social Justice.
At the University, Father Keller also served as interim president from June 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, and as the special assistant to the president.
Father Keller has served as the rector of the Scranton Jesuit Community since September 2015. Prior to that, he served for 18 years as president of Scranton Preparatory School and is the longest-serving president in the Jesuit school’s history.
Father Keller entered the Jesuit novitiate in Wernersville in 1969. In 1975, he received a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Fordham University. He earned a master’s degree with distinction from Weston School of Theology in Boston and a professional diploma in secondary school administration from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education. He was ordained a priest in 1981 and has served in Jesuit secondary education for more than 35 years.
Father Keller was named principal of Scranton Prep in 1983 and served in that capacity for eight years. From 1991 to 1997, he served as principal at his alma mater, Saint Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia. During his tenure there, Father Keller was appointed as rector of the Jesuit community at Saint Joseph’s Prep. In 1997, he was named president of Scranton Preparatory School.
In 2016, Father Keller served as a delegate from the Maryland Province for the Society of Jesus' General Congregation 36. In 2006, he received an honorary doctoral degree from The University of Scranton.
Tickets for the virtual event honoring Father Keller are available for $150 at nativitymiguelscranton.org. For additional information, call the NativityMiguel School at 570-955-5176.
Vice President for Mission and Ministry Honored
-
12/01/2020
The University of Scranton Nursing Program’s pass rate for the National Council Licensure Examination for first-time test takers for graduates with a bachelor’s degree for 2019 was 98.72 percent. The 2019 average national pass rate for first-time test takers with a baccalaureate degree is 91.22 percent, according to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing website. This is the most recent annual data available.
The National Council Licensure Examination is a nationwide examination for the licensing of nurses in the United States, Canada and Australia.
“The high pass-rate equates to the success of the program for its educational methods, delivery and student preparation for the licensure exam,” said Kimberly Subasic, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Nursing Department.
According to Dr. Subasic, the University’s pass rate is usually above both state and national averages. She credits its students, curriculum and faculty for its continued strong pass rates, as well as “the state-of-the-art campus laboratory simulation practice and extensive clinical experience provided to our students.”
The University of Scranton’s nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and has full approval of the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.
National Nursing Licensure Pass Rate Tops 98 Percent
-
11/24/2020
University of Scranton Associate Professor Yibai Li, Ph.D., is always looking for unique ways for students in his Data Mining course to apply their knowledge in an actual professional context.
In the spring of 2018, he found one such opportunity – working with Lititz, Pennsylvania-based R.W. Sauder, one of the country’s biggest egg wholesalers.
Students in the course spent the entire semester attempting to find out whether data mining could predict egg prices six weeks ahead of time. That would allow R.W. Sauder to better manage its inventory, reduce its costs and increase its profits.
By the end of the project, the class had developed a model that could predict egg prices six weeks out -- at an accuracy rate of 92.8 percent when the confidence level was above 0.57, according to Dr. Li.
“I was pleased with the students' performance, considering data mining is a difficult topic,” said Dr. Li, a member of the Operations and Information Management Department. “Typically, it requires many years of learning, sometimes a Ph.D., before someone can complete a project like this. We did it within one semester. The students learned data mining from scratch and were able to complete a real-world project by the end of the semester.”
Various Algorithms Used
To start the project, Dr. Li divided the class into five groups, with each working independently, yet comparing their results to improve each other's models. Besides gathering Sauder’s 10-year sales numbers and egg prices, the students collected some other useful information, including Avian flu incidents, severe weather incidents and temperature over the same decade.
“I think the project was done very rigorously,” Dr. Li said. “The students followed the data mining methodology they learned in the course and tried many different cutting edge algorithms and optimized the results accurately.”
The students presented their results to R.W. Sauder's President and CEO, Mark Sauder, and other company representatives. The executives found the results useful and commended the students for their efforts.
Mutually Beneficial Results
Besides providing a significant service to R.W. Sauder, the students made themselves more marketable in the process.
“This project gave me great exposure to not only polishing my data mining skills, but also in working on my presentation skills, which continues to help me immensely in my current role,” said Hurr Hamdani, a securitized products analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co. He received his MBA from the University in 2018.
Meanwhile, Hamdani's classmates have landed positions at other top-flight companies, including Goldman Sachs.
“The students,” Dr. Li said, “got real-world project experience that they could put on their resumes.”
Data Mining Class Gives Students Real-World Experience
-
11/24/2020
“Our America: Who Are We? A Digest of Impressions, Reflections and Opinions,” a book edited by Sondra Myers, senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects and director of the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton, was added to the permanent collection of the Library of Congress.
The book, published this summer, is a collection of writings that explore the essence of who America is as nation and as a people. The book includes writings of former Presidents of the United States, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama, as well as economist Joseph Stiglitz, historian Joyce Appleby, abolitionist Frederick Douglass and poet Walt Whitman, among many others.
“My aim is to provide reflections and impressions by scholars, political leaders, historians, critics, naturalized Americans and artists who are themselves trying to define just what this country and its people are all about,” wrote Sondra Myers in the preface of the book. “I mean to create an impressionistic array of facts, opinions and hopes that give us a more palpable sense of our America.”
This is Myers’ tenth book. Her others include “Democracy is a Discussion,” “The Interdependence Handbook,” “The New Rwanda: Prosperity and the Public Good” and “The People's Choice: Public Education and American Democracy.”
“Our America: Who Are We? A Digest of Impressions, Reflections and Opinions” can be ordered for $20 by contacting the University’s Schemel Forum at Alicen.Morrison@scranton.edu. All proceeds from the book will benefit the Schemel Forum.
Library of Congress Adds Our America to Collection
-
11/24/2020
Four University of Scranton students won medals at the two virtual, collegiate forensic tournaments hosted by Cornell University in November, including two students who qualified to attend the American Forensic Association’s National Tournament this spring.
Scranton was among 10 colleges participating in Cornell University’s B.R.A.I.N. Tournament, which was held in a virtual format on Nov. 7. Scranton students Abigail Buck, a senior biology major from Washingtonville New York, and Juliet Baldassarri, a senior occupational therapy major from Baldwin, New York, won fifth place in Dramatic Duo Interpretation.
At the District 7 Fall Qualifier Forensic Tournament, hosted virtually on Nov. 8 by Cornell University, Caitlin Connallon, a sophomore communication major from Cranston, Rhode Island, was awarded second place in Program of Interpretation. Emma Barber, a sophomore women’s and gender studies from Chatham, New Jersey, was awarded fourth place in After Dinner Speaking. Both Connallon and Barber qualified to attend the American Forensic Association’s National Tournament, which will be held virtually April 2-4, 2021.
The students competed as part of The University of Scranton Speech and Debate Team, a co-curricular student organization.
Two Students Qualify for National Forensics Tournament
-
11/20/2020
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 53rd annual Noel Night, COVID edition, on Saturday, Dec. 5, virtually via social media. The concert has served as the University’s Christmas gift to the community for more than half a century.
The premiere “watch party” will take place on the Performance Music Facebook page on Dec. 5, beginning with a band caroling prelude at 7:45 p.m. Noel Night will begin at its traditional 8 p.m. start time. Following the premiere, the video will be available for re-streaming in its entirety on the Performance Music YouTube channel throughout the Christmas season.
The University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night has become a beloved holiday tradition for many Scranton-area residents since its creation more than a half-century ago. Traditionally, it is a choral concert, but this year, due to the pandemic and concerns about singing and playing woodwind and brass instruments indoors, the choir – who will perform a few pieces virtually – are delighted to welcome the help of the University’s String Orchestra and Percussion Ensemble and the newly-formed Beginner Strings, Beginner Percussion and Steel Drum groups.
“We all certainly need something to lift our spirits during these challenging times, and it has been a pleasure to watch the resilience displayed by these students in their determination to continue to make and share their musical talents in whatever way is possible during this pandemic,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. “They were adamant that the first year in more than half a century without a Noel Night would not happen on their watch.”
For the virtual concert, the 40-voice mixed virtual choir will be joined by 25 members of the String Orchestra, the 12-member Percussion Ensemble, 33 beginner string and percussion players, and eight newly-minted steel drummers, as well as 15 stalwart band members who – after not having been able to play together since last March – came together on an incredibly cold, windy, rainy afternoon to play Christmas carols outdoors as they do when the audience is arriving each Noel Night. University President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Hal Baillie, Ph.D., professor emeritus, and Leonard Gougeon, Ph.D., distinguished professor of English and theatre, will offer greetings and Nativity readings from the books of John and Luke.
Also heard during the event will be contributions by legendary musician, composer, and educator Wycliffe A. Gordon H’06, the favorite guest artist of the Performance Music ensembles, and Mark Gould, a regular Noel Night guest who served as the principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra from 1974-2003, as well as a few alumni special guests.
Tom Salitsky, director of Advancement Communications, recorded the video of all of the concert hall portions of the event, and assembled and edited the concert video from all of the various parts, with additional footage provided by University students serving as assistant videographers Kasidy Leggin ’21, Archbald, and Alex Chan ’23, Wilkes-Barre. Joseph Link ’21, Springfield, served as videographer for the outdoor caroling. Scranton alumnus Mark Prestifilippo ’04 recorded the sound for the strings and percussion portions of the video. Joseph Boga did all of the audio and video engineering to create the virtual choir portions of the program from the individual recordings submitted by the singers.
In addition to Cheryl Y. Boga, Performance Music staff members include Janelle Decker, assistant director, and Thomas Cipriano ’98, administrative assistant.
For further information on the Noel Night concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
University’s 53rd Annual Noel Night Goes Virtual
-
11/18/2020
In 1976, then-U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. told the graduating class at The University of Scranton there was “a crisis in American leadership.”
President-Elect Biden, set to receive an honorary degree from Scranton that year, stepped in to serve as the principal speaker at the University’s undergraduate commencement when President Gerald Ford was unable to attend.
Rev. William J. Byron, S.J., then president of The University of Scranton (with then-Senator Biden at left), recalled that he and former Governor William Scranton, a close friend of the University, had made arrangements for then-President Ford to speak at the commencement. Father Byron was aware that Ford’s schedule could change at a moment’s notice, so he wanted to have a back-up plan.
“I got the idea of inviting Joe Biden, who just was elected to the U.S. Senate a few years before,” Father Byron said of the Scranton native who was elected to the Senate in 1972 at the age of 29.
“We invited him to come back to Scranton to receive an honorary degree. We would bring his old neighborhood pals together to celebrate his achievement of becoming a senator,” Father Byron said. “When I talked to Biden, I said, ‘By the way, President Ford is going to be the speaker, but in the event that he cannot make it and his plans change, would you be willing to be the speaker?’ Biden said sure, and that, in fact, was the way it happened.”
The bicentennial year of the United States marked the first presidential election after Watergate and the resignation of President Nixon.
“I don’t think there has ever been as much doubt in America as there is today,” Biden told the 880 graduates and their families assembled in the Long Center for the 1976 commencement.
“More than 72 percent of the people in this nation, surveyed in a recent poll, said that they thought America was in trouble and that things would get worse in the next 10 years.”
Biden encouraged students to participate in America’s political system.
“Those of you who don’t participate . . . should not complain.”
In his introduction of then-Senator Biden, Father Byron said he was a Scranton native who “reflects glory on this city,” and that, despite already having a close connection to the city, he hoped that the senator would become even closer.
“It is our hope that his appearance here today will bind him a little closer to all of us, and that no matter how high he goes he will remember his city and the University of which he has become an honorary alumnus,” said Father Byron in his introduction.
That was the first-time Father Byron met Biden, whose uncle Edward Blewitt Finnegan graduated from The University of Scranton in 1937.
“At graduation, we would use the expression ‘Father President.’ Biden got a big kick out of that term. He said that he enjoyed that term a lot better than what they say in Washington, which is ‘Mister President,’” said Father Byron.
The University’s class of 1976 included the first cohort of women graduates who began at Scranton in 1972 when the University became coed.
Receiving honorary degrees at the ceremony along with Senator Biden were Jean O'Hara Lynett, widow of Edward Lynett, the former publisher of the Scranton Times, Dr. Mildred Jefferson, president of the National Right to Life Committee, and Shenandoah native Rev. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J., the Polish-American priest who conducted missionary work in the Soviet Union and who is now being considered for sainthood.
The University dedicated a building in honor of Father Ciszek in 2005.
Scroll through the gallery below for more photos from the 1976 graduation.
Biden Urges Students to Be Engaged Citizens at 1976 Commencement
-
11/18/2020
Research on mass spectrometry imaging by Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, and two of her students, now graduates, was published in an academic journal. They also have a patent pending on their imaging technique.
Dr. Stumpo, who leads a research group of 12 undergraduate and 10 graduate students at the University, focuses their research on mass spectrometry (MS), which is an analytical technique that essentially “weighs” molecules.
“MS research extends from instrument development to applications in chemistry, geology, forensics, biological sciences, and more,” said Dr. Stumpo. “Our project focus of late has been on mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), which is an incredibly powerful technique that can determine qualitative and quantitative information of hundreds of compounds in a tissue section in one experiment. We have published on this recently, as a proof-of-concept that we can detect these compounds of interest.”
Dr. Stumpo’s ongoing research is a continuation of that work.
Dr. Stumpo and then University of Scranton students Nolan McLaughlin ’20, Moscow, and Tyler Bielinski ’18, ’G20, Dunmore; along with colleagues Caitlin Tressler, Ph.D.; Eric Barton; and Kristine Glunde, Ph.D.; published an article titled “Pneumatically Sprayed Gold Nanoparticles for Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Neurotransmitters,” in the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry. They demonstrated a simple citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) approach for the for the ionization of neurotransmitters that enhances laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry and “provides a fast, high-spatial resolution method for simultaneous detection of a class of molecules that typically evade comprehensive detection with traditional matrixes.”
Dr. Stumpo, McLaughlin, Bielinski, Dr. Glunde, and Dr. Tressler have a patent pending for their “Method of Comprehensive Neurotransmitter Detection using Citrate-Capped AuNPs for Imaging Mass Spectrometry.”
Dr. Stumpo also published a chapter titled “Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Neurotransmitters,” in Mass Spectrometry, edited by Goran Mitulovic, in InTechOpen in 2020. The chapter explored previous and up-and-coming techniques for maximizing the detection of neurotransmitters in mass spectrometry imaging.
McLaughlin is pursuing a Ph.D. at Washington University in St. Louis and Bielinski is applying for admission to medical school.
Dr. Stumpo joined the faculty at Scranton in 2015. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a Ph.D. from Texas A and M University.
Professor Works with Students to Publish Research
-
11/17/2020
University of Scranton President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced to the university community “a new addition to our campus, a 25’ evergreen tree or more specifically, a Norway Spruce” that will serve as the University’s Christmas tree this year and for years to come.
“There’s a song from the Broadway musical, Mame, entitled, ‘We need a Little Christmas.’ If there was ever a time when we need a little Christmas, it’s right now,” said Father Pilarz in a message sent to the University community on Nov. 13. He said the tree was planted early this year so students can enjoy it prior to the campus closing next week on Nov 25.
“Let it be a symbol to all of us of enduring hope and the God who saves us by entering our world with love. All during this pandemic, you have been remarkable colleagues and collaborators. Let us not take that for granted,” wrote Father Pilarz. “When you come back to visit in the coming years, you can tell your families that you were here when this tree was planted.”
The University could not hold a formal tree-lighting ceremony this year due to restrictions caused by the pandemic.
University Christmas Tree is a Live One for 2020
-
11/17/2020
The University of Scranton’s Center for Service and Social Justice has modified its annual Christmas giving programs to meet COVID-19 health restrictions implemented this year.
The annual Giving Tree will take place in a virtual format. The University partnered with Friends of the Poor for their annual Christmas toy drive with their wish list via Amazon. Gifts can be purchased on their site on Amazon and will be shipped directly to Friends of the Poor. Members of the University community may also choose to purchase a toy locally and drop it off at the Center for Service and Social Justice in the DeNaples Center. All gifts must arrive no later than Friday, Dec. 11. The center will deliver all donated gifts dropped off at their office to the Friends of the Poor drive-by toy giveaway location.
Students, faculty or staff wishing to participate in the annual Adopt an Angel program should contact The Catherine McAuley Center directly via this form to participate. Participants will shop and deliver gifts directly to the McAuley Center on Pittson Avenue in South Scranton. Gift drop offs can be made curbside. Since the semester is ending on Nov. 25, this format provides the flexibility for participants to drop-off their donations at a time convenient to them.
As a gift idea, the Center for Service and Social Justice created Campus Colors, a University of Scranton Coloring Book that includes more than 50 Scranton scenes. The coloring books are $15 each and all proceeds benefit the Arrupe Service and Social Justice Endowment, which helps make service opportunities possible for Scranton students. Orders can be placed here.
Christmas Giving Drives Modified for 2020
-
11/16/2020
Five members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2024 began its Royal Scholars Program. In 2018, the University was awarded a $645,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to fund scholarships and provide additional academic support to undergraduate students majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields over the next five years.
The Royal Scholars Program provides scholarships to University students who have demonstrated academic achievement and a need for financial assistance. The grant also supports student and faculty mentorships, internship and research opportunities for the students, as well as additional enrichment programs. The scholars will also participate in a common first-year seminar on science and society and in common sections of STEM introductory classes for those in the same majors. The scholarships awarded range from $4,500 for the first year to $6,000 for years three and four.
Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Biology Department, is the principal investigator for the grant.
Incoming students joining the University’s Royal Scholars Program are as follows:
Zohal Gul Mohammad, a biophysics major from Scranton;
Tyler A. Kover, a physics major from Drums;
Devang Patel, a neuroscience major from Scranton;
Simal Sami, a computer science major from Jessup;
Danyelle A. Tech, a biology major from Dunmore.
For additional information about the Royal Scholars Program, contact Dr. Voltzow at 570-941-4378 or janice.voltzow@scranton.edu.
Students Begin Royal Scholar Program in STEM
-
11/11/2020
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) along with the Wilkes University SBDC recently conducted a consumer preference survey designed to help small retail shops plan for the upcoming holiday season.
The survey, conducted by The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development, found that 71 percent of consumers are planning to do their holiday shopping online and that trend was consistent among all age groups. More importantly, 83.4 percent were likely to shop at a small business. A desire to support small businesses and the community during the pandemic, better customer service, more unique options and protecting their health were some of the reasons noted by participants.
Dorothy Lane, director of the Wilkes University SBDC was glad to hear the support for the small business community was strong. Lane said, “2020 has been a struggle for small businesses everywhere, but time and again we have witnessed consumers making a concerted effort to support their neighborhood businesses.”
The information calls on small businesses to establish an online presence whether it’s through a website, a sales platform such as Etsy or social media channels. If a small business needs guidance in this area they are encouraged to reach out to their SBDC for assistance.
“Holiday sales are critically important for our small businesses and this particular season comes with many challenges,” said Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of The University of Scranton SBDC. “The SBDCs are ready to help our small retailers create and implement plans that encourage more people to shop small this holiday season.”
Download the full report: scrantonsbdc.com/2020-retail-survey-results/
SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses. The Wilkes University SBDC serves five counties in Northeastern, Central and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development was formed as a partnership of 13 colleges and universities in the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre/ Hazleton Metropolitan Statistical Area and the business community.
SBDC Releases Consumer Holiday Survey Results
-
11/10/2020
The University of Scranton will display the American flag on the Class of 2020 Gateway on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 10 and 11, in observance of Veterans Day.
In addition, Scranton’s ROTC cadets have fashioned a “Field of Flags” on Founders Green near the Commons Flag Terrace on campus to honor our nation’s fallen veterans.
University Observes Veterans Day on Campus
-
11/10/2020
How do faculty know what is working and, more importantly – what’s not, when teaching a class? They observe student reactions during class; review results of assignments, tests and quizzes; and even survey students regarding their opinions about the way the course material is being presented. At least these are some of the methods applied by Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, and Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and engineering, for their curriculum during this unprecedented fall semester.
Dr. Sizemore is teaching Introductory Chemistry I (Chem 110) and Organic Chemistry I (Chem 232) remotely this semester. In the spring, the pandemic obliged him to adjust courses to a virtual format midway through the semester. At the semester’s end, he used a survey that allowed students to anonymously provide feedback about the course and then used their input to inform his approach to the material for the fall semester.
Dr. Sizemore relies on a combination of recorded lectures and slides for problem-sets that he can complete as he goes through the material. The students watch the pre-recorded lectures prior to attending class. The class time is then used as a discussion session, giving students the opportunity to ask questions about material covered in the lecture. In addition, he will also offer online discussion sessions if warranted.
Dr. Sizemore essentially “flipped” his class. “I reorganized the way we cover material,” said Dr. Sizemore. “We spend a lot of class time solving problem sets. The students watch the lectures on their own time. That’s a better use of class time than having the students struggle through a problem set on their own, then sit in my class for a lecture.”
Dr. Sizemore also surveys students at mid-term, allowing them to anonymously tell him which aspects of the class and resources offered are most useful, as well as which are not.
“Some items mentioned in the feedback can be adjusted easily during the semester, some cannot. The students have been pretty understanding of that,” said Sizemore, who has done mid-term surveys of his students since he began teaching at Scranton five years ago. “The main thing is to be willing to be as accommodating as possible.”
Dr. Frissell also tries to be as flexible as possible to accommodate students.
“I am trying to add a sense of normalcy to class instruction during these unusual times. At beginning and end of class, I chat with students about how they are doing,” said Dr. Frissell, who is teaching Digital Signal Processing (EE 346) and Intro to Astrophysics (Phys 360) courses in-person, while incorporating Zoom for students who cannot make it to class. The Zoom option is also maintained so he can move seamlessly to an online format as needed during the semester.
Dr. Frissell is leveraging technology for instruction. He uses Zoom Share to allow remote students to ask questions in real time and has integrated his iPad into Zoom to allow him to solve problems live during class sessions, a demonstration he found his students prefer.
“I also download notes prior to class so students can review and follow along during the class. The students can also refer to the notes over time,” said Dr. Frissell.
Dr. Frissell views the video feed of students on his computer during class, so he can “see their reactions to the material while I’m also watching the students in the classroom, too. That gives me a general impression – do they like the format – do they like the way I am teaching – as well as do they seem to understand the material? After I explain something, I give the students time to respond with questions.” Dr. Frissell uses homework assignments for students to demonstrate their understanding of the material covered. In addition, prior to reviewing material in class, he uses a real-life application of a concept to motivate the students about the topic.
For the physics and engineering courses taught by Dr. Frissell, learning some kind of computer programming language is important.
“How do you take these concepts and actually put them into the computer?” said Dr. Frissell. “What’s beautiful now is that there are free and open-source tools available to students that will let them use the computations we learn in class. I use those tools a lot in the class. I can teach the code and input the digital signals into the computer, then students can do the processing and use that to help solve homework or exam problems. I am trying to give students the same level of experience they would get in the classroom remotely and vice-versa.”
In physics and engineering courses taught by professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., students learn computer coding and input the digital signals to solve homework or exam problems.
Faculty Adjust Method of Instruction for Fall
-
11/05/2020
The University of Scranton Players will present Clue: stay at home edition based on the cult movie, based off the classic board game on Friday, Nov. 6, and Friday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. via Broadway On Demand. Both performances are free and open to the public. This version of Clue is based on the screenplay by Jonathan Lynn, written by Sandy Rustin, with additional Material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price with original music by David Abbinanti, and directed by Michael O’Steen.
Viewers can access the Nov. 6, live stream at: https://bit.ly/3oWnuXu and the Nov. 13, live stream at: https://bit.ly/38bv4aJ. Viewers will need to create a free Broadway on Demand log in to view the production.
Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Led by Wadsworth the butler, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up. Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out who did it, where and with what.
The company of Clue features University students: Matt Valunas of Dunmore; Alex Pérez of Puerto Rico; Samantha Munson, Tunkhannock; Caroline Kuzy, Philadelphia; Elizabeth Giannone, Moosic; Samantha Gurn of Brackney; Thomas Kennedy, Scranton; Nick Baranosky, Stevensville, Maryland; Andrew Vizzard of Havertown; Wilmarr Saint Surin, Baldwin, New York; Sam Burton, Jamesville, New York; and Katherine Pepe of West Pittston. Gillian Williams-Mayers, Scranton, will serve as stage manager.
For questions or information about the performances, email players@scranton.edu or visit www.thescrantonplayers.com. Information about the University Players can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
University Players to Live Stream Clue
-
11/05/2020
The University of Scranton received a $8,000 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation to support its SPARK Program, which a free, week-long summer enrichment camp for Scranton-area teens offered through a collaboration between The University of Scranton and Scranton Preparatory School. Area students aged 12-16 who participate in SPARK are recruited through the Nativity Miguel School, the United Neighborhood Centers and Friends of the Poor.
SPARK is designed to foster teamwork, self-esteem and acceptance of others through interactive educational and outdoor activities. The program is run by students from the University and Scranton Prep under the supervision of University staff and faculty. SPARK takes place at the University’s Conference and Retreat Center at Chapman Lake one week in July.
SPARK also provides mentoring training and opportunities for service for University and Scranton Prep students who volunteer to help run the program.
SPARK was founded in 2012 by Patricia Vaccaro, director of the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, and Danny Marx, a graduate of the University and Prep, who is now a mathematics teacher at Scranton Prep.
Support from the Spitz Foundation will allow planning and recruiting for SPARK’s mentors and participants to begin early 2021, so that the camp is ready to continue this summer when the danger from the pandemic has passed.
The Robert H. Spitz Foundation is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization that supports initiatives and programs serving the residents of Lackawanna County and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The Scranton Area Community Foundation serves as the administrator of the Robert H. Spitz Foundation.
Spitz Foundation Grant Supports Summer Program
-
11/05/2020
Crystal Ondrick, assistant director of financial aid at The University of Scranton, has been named as treasurer of the Pennsylvania Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (PASFAA), an organization that represents more than 300 Pennsylvania educational institutions, lenders and organizations involved with higher education.
Ondrick previously served as treasurer elect for PASFAA and volunteered on PASFAA’s Finance and Development Committee.
Ondrick joined the University in 2011. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Keystone College.
Crystal Ondrick Named PASFAA Treasurer
-
11/03/2020
The University of Scranton’s Department of Nursing was among two programs in the country presented with a 2020 Assessment and Impact Award for Nursing Education. The award recognizes colleges that have successfully used data to analyze and make changes to better their undergraduate nursing programs. It is presented annually by Skyfactor Benchworks, a Macmillan Learning Company, which produce the most widely used assessments in nursing education.
Scranton’s nursing program was recognized for “high performance in satisfaction with instruction,” demonstrating how a nursing education program “can improve the student experience and support their accreditation efforts through strategically using data.” An analysis of the program’s data highlighted the value of faculty efforts to build strong relationships with students as well as the impact of instructional changes that increased hands-on experiences in their curriculum.
The 2020 winners were chosen through a careful analysis of multiple years of data from the AACN/Benchworks Undergraduate Nursing Exit Assessment. The Skyfactor Benchworks Analytics and Research Team first conducted a quantitative analysis and review of applications, followed by interviews with finalists to learn about improvements in their nursing programs. Those applications and interview notes were then blind reviewed and evaluated on a rubric by an external panel of experts in the nursing education profession.
The University’s nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Read more by clicking below.
Nursing Program Nationally Recognized for Impact
-
11/03/2020
Eleven incoming University of Scranton students began the Magis Honors Program in STEM, which combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society.
The Magis Honors Program in STEM, which began as a pilot program in the fall of 2017 and was officially approved as Scranton’s fifth honors program in 2019, offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The Magis Honors Program’s courses, which students will take over their four years at Scranton, combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students will develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2024 began the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Tabitha R. Berger, Cresco, is a biochemistry, cell, and molecular biology major at Scranton.
Dylan J. Estevez, Garnerville, New York, is a mechanical engineering major at Scranton.
Fione Evans, Scranton, is a biology major at Scranton.
Zohal Gul Mohammad, Scranton, is a biophysics major at Scranton.
Tyler A. Kover, Drums, is a physics major at Scranton.
Hannah R. Maynard, Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, is a biology major at Scranton.
Devang Patel, Scranton, is a neuroscience major at Scranton.
Kathryn M. Regan, West Chester, is a chemistry major at Scranton.
Simal Sami, Jessup, is a computer science major at Scranton.
Jacqueline N. Savage, Kings Park, New York, is a biology major at Scranton.
Cayman B. Webber, Buckeye, Arizona, is a physiology major at Scranton.
Students Begin Magis Honors Program at Scranton
-
11/03/2020
University of Scranton students and political science faculty members were interviewed by journalists representing multiple international publications as part their news coverage of the U.S. Presidential Election. Faculty members and students were also quoted in national, state and local news stories about the election.
Professor and Political Science Department Chair Michael Allison, Ph.D., spoke to Voice of America and Spain’s ETB, Basque Public TV. JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science, was interviewed by Poland’s Polsat News. Political Science Professor Jean Harris, Ph.D., and University students were interviewed for a segment on Pennsylvania voters for France 24 TV.
In national news coverage of the election, Dr. Harris and Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, were interviewed for CBS news stories. University students participated in a Fox News focus group following the first Presidential Debate.
Dr. Harris and University of Scranton students participated in Pennsylvania Cable Network’s (PCN) Election College Panel. Julie Cohen, adjunct professor of political science, was interviewed for a story by Pennsylvania Capital Star. Iordanis Petsas, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Economics and Finance Department, was interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer for a story about the candidates’ trade policies.
Dr. Allison, Dr. Harris and Dr. Hopper were also interviewed for numerous local news stories on the election, the presidential debates and the frequent visits by the candidates and their running mates to the Scranton area.
Scranton Part of International Election News
-
11/02/2020
Three University of Scranton students won medals at the two virtual, collegiate forensic tournaments hosted by Seton Hall University in October. The students competed as part of The University of Scranton Speech and Debate Team, a co-curricular student organization.
Scranton was among 15 colleges participating in The Ed Leonard Invitational Tournament, which was held on Oct. 24. At the virtual tournament, Emma Barber, a sophomore women’s and gender studies from Chatham, New Jersey, was awarded third place in After Dinner Speaking. Sarah Hazelrigg an advertising and public relations major from West Long Branch, New Jersey, was awarded fourth place in After Dinner Speaking. Caitlin Connallon, a sophomore communication major from Cranston, Rhode Island, was awarded seventh place in Program Oral Interpretation.
The University was among 22 colleges participating in the Southern-Northern Atlantic Forensics Union Tournament (SNAFU), No. 2, on Oct. 25. The same three University students won awards at this tournament. Barber was awarded fourth place in After Dinner Speaking. Hazelrigg was awarded sixth place in After Dinner Speaking. Connallon was awarded seventh place in Program Oral Interpretation.
Students Medal at Virtual Forensics Tournaments
-
10/30/2020
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, updated the campus community on its Royals Safe Together Plan as the end of the fall semester approaches and discussed the upcoming election in a video message sent on Oct. 30.
“We are now well past the middle of our semester and can actually begin planning for finals and the even the spring semester,” said Father Pilarz, who thanked members of the University community for their sacrifice and patience. “We have only come this far because of your care for each other and your willingness to follow the requirements of our Royals Safe Together Plan.”
Father Pilarz encouraged students, faculty and staff to continue following the plan for the remaining weeks of the semester. He said the University will announce more detailed plans about the end of the semester in the coming days.
Regarding the election, Father Pilarz said, “I encourage each of you, and every one of you, to exercise your civic duty by voting. Regardless of which party, candidate or cause is dear to you, it is essential that your voice be heard. … We must as a University community remain united regardless of the election’s outcome next week. Our campus must always be a place where we can safely, and without fear or malice, discuss and even disagree.”
Father Pilarz’s full message can be seen here.
President Sends Message to Campus Community
-
10/28/2020
Prospective students and their families can participate in live interactive sessions and panel discussions at The University of Scranton’s virtual Open House on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Through an innovative virtual event platform that integrates recorded videos with live interactive sessions, participants can experience more closely an in-person Scranton Open House without leaving the comfort of their own homes.
“Live Q & A” Zoom sessions are available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with faculty representatives from academic programs, as well as with staff and students representing campus ministries, student life, athletic teams, club sports, study abroad and other departments and programs offered at Scranton. The virtual event will include live Zoom webinars featuring panel discussions on topics that include pre-health/pre-med professions, pre-law programs, liberal arts and humanities, honors programs, admissions and student life, among others. In addition, dynamic virtual sessions with admissions/financial aid are also available to allow for questions and answers. A more detailed program for Open House can be seen here.
Participants can register for Sunday’s Open House here. For questions, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit www.scranton.edu/admissions.
Interactive Sessions Part of Virtual Open House
-
10/28/2020
Joshua Perry, associate director of admissions at The University of Scranton, discusses the adaptions the University is implementing to the application process for competitive majors, such as physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT) and nursing. Understanding the challenges high school students have faced scheduling standardized tests during the pandemic, the University is implementing flexible and proactive steps for programs that normally require SAT and ACT scores.
How is the University approaching the application process to competitive programs during the pandemic?
We understand the college search is hard in a normal year, but this year is exceptionally so. We want to help alleviate concerns parents and students have about SAT and ACT testing and scores. This year, we will be flexible with applicants to our nursing, OT and PT programs. We will meet the needs of students and not hold something against them that is outside of their control. With SAT and ACT test dates being postponed or cancelled basically since March – we are implementing steps to make sure students can apply to competitive programs.
Has the University adjusted the SAT or ACT requirement for applying to the competitive programs?
This year, students can apply to these programs even if they were not able to take an SAT or ACT. They just need to alert us when they apply if they have been unable to take the SAT or ACT due to the pandemic. We will also work individually with students who had taken the SAT or ACT prior to everything shutting down and planned to take the test again.
What if the situation changes regarding SAT and ACT testing and a student who applied without test scores can now take the test?
We are happy to re-evaluate our admissions and merit scholarship decisions. Again, we are looking to be flexible. If a student who applied without a test score takes the SAT or ACT and wants to use the test score, then we will consider their test results for admissions and merit scholarships.
If students apply to these competitive programs without a SAT or ACT test score, what will you consider when evaluating their application?
Students are never just a test score to Scranton. We look at the whole student. We consider their high school record, including their GPA, class rank if available, rigor of course work the student is taking. We also evaluate their essay, extracurricular activities, letters of recommendation, other accolades and achievements and leadership roles. These are all important pieces of the application process. All of these factors go into evaluating how good of a fit a student will be at Scranton and how successful they will be in a very competitive program. The nursing, PT and OT programs are challenging. We want to make sure that we are admitting students into the programs that we believe can be successful.
Are there any other adaptions you have made for the application process?
Yes, we are also using evaluative interviews to get to know student applicants better and to put context to certain elements of the application that we typically wouldn’t have when the application is being reviewed. Students can reach out to us directly to set up an interview or schedule an evaluative interview on their own using the following link: https://apply.scranton.edu/portal/interview.
If students or parents have questions regarding applying to competitive majors, who can they contact?
If they have questions or concerns about applying, they can reach out to our Admissions office by phone at 1-888-SCRANTON or by email at admissions@scranton.edu. They can also contact their admissions counselor directly. We are here to offer guidance and advice on the college search process in general and about applying to The University of Scranton.
Applicants Given Flexibility for Competitive Majors
-
10/27/2020
Celebrated Washington Post political columnist E.J. Dionne, Jr., will present “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save the Country” at a University of Scranton Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar. The virtual event will take place Thursday, Oct. 29, from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
During the talk, Dionne, who is also a contributor to MSNBC and NPR, a professor at Georgetown University and a visiting professor at Harvard University, will discuss his latest book, which posits that real change in the United States can only come via a highly diverse coalition of political allies, from Democratic Socialists to those who once would have been called liberal Rockefeller Republicans.
Admission is $10, and registered attendees will receive an emailed Zoom link prior to each talk.
The World Affairs Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
To register for the seminar, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
E.J. Dionne to Speak at Oct. 29 Schemel Forum
-
10/26/2020
Members of The University of Scranton’s Liva student organization have leveraged their love of musicals – and for one another – to host events that safely bring members together twice each week.
“We are basically a family that happens to put on a show at the end of the year,” said Bailey McLaughlin, president of the student-run musical theater club, now celebrating its 30th anniversary year at Scranton. Amid the club’s pandemic-imposed separation, McLaughlin knew its members wanted to get together. They are, however, from different majors and live in scattered locations throughout the campus so it was difficult to see one another face-to-face in courses, labs or residence halls. Of course, Zoom meetings were an option, but she and her club officers wanted to come-up with a more personal way to bring the group to together.
Liva uses a University house on campus as a space for rehearsals, staging, costumes, prop creation and other items needed for the theatrical club to stage the performance of a musical each semester. This gave McLaughlin and her colleagues an idea. Although the club could not present a musical this semester and could not gather indoors, they did have access to house’s large backyard.
The club set-up a screen, projector and speaker in the backyard of the house and began to show musicals weekly on Wednesday evenings. To keep members properly socially distanced, each participant was provided with a six-foot diameter towel to use as a visual cue for the social distancing grid set-up on the spacious lawn. Arrival and departure times of participants were staggered. Masks were also required for all those in attendance.
The movies proved so popular, that a more interactive second event was added on Friday evenings. Friday night events have included musical theater jeopardy and a painting night.
“Everyone in Liva is very close. We really missed each other,” said McLaughlin, “This has been a crazy semester. We wanted to find a way around the obstacles to give the members a way to get together in a safe manner.”
In addition to McLaughlin, a senior occupational therapy major from Allentown, New Jersey, other student officers for the Liva Club are: Alaina Ciorra, vice president, a senior psychology major from Merrick, New York; Amanda Lamphere, secretary, a sophomore mathematics major form from Sellersville; Christopher Draina, treasurer, a senior biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major from Hanover Township; and Joelle Cote, business manager, a junior occupational therapy major from Shelton, Connecticut. Rev. Ron McKinney, S.J., professor of philosophy, serves as the club’s moderator.
For more information about Liva, contact the student officers or the club moderator.
Musicals Live During Pandemic Thanks to Liva Club
-
10/23/2020
Eighteen members of The University of Scranton class of 2024 began the Jesuit school’s four-year Business Honors Program, which is a selective program geared toward highly-motivated undergraduate students interested in pursuing academic excellence in business.
Students enrolled in the Business Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s five programs of excellence, undergo four years of honors studies. The first component is academic with curriculum designed to develop the knowledge and skills needed for success. Students complete honors study in areas such as accounting, analytics, economics, finance, international business, management, marketing, and operations. The second component promotes personal and professional development through Jesuit-inspired co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that emphasize experiential learning and service. Students take part in a specially designed orientation program and complete requirements as a cohort in a challenging, meaningful way and graduate with the distinguished achievement of honors.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2024 began the Business Honors Program, in the fall 2020 semester.
Morgan D. Beaudoin, Lake Hopatcong, New Jersey, is an accounting major at Scranton.
Madalyne R. Buhler, Stony Point, New York, is a finance major at Scranton.
Ellen Collins, Long Valley, New Jersey, has not yet declared a major at Scranton.
Matthew K. Dittmar, Easton, is an accounting major at Scranton.
Matthew J. Duffy, Plainview, New York, is a finance major at Scranton.
Nina J. Figetakis, Little Neck, New York, is an accounting major at Scranton.
Aidan T. Guarnuccio, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, is a marketing major at Scranton.
Garret W. Kurtz, Mahwah, New Jersey, is a finance major at Scranton.
Stephanie C. Lehner, Poughkeepsie, New York, is a biology major at Scranton.
Julia L. Loury, Scranton, is an entrepreneurship major at Scranton.
Riley H. Murphy, Lambertville, New Jersey, is a finance major at Scranton.
Yashaswini D. Patel, Scranton, is a finance major at Scranton.
Hannah G. Phelan, Yardley, has not yet declared a major at Scranton.
Gabrielle Richetti, Holbrook, New York, is a business administration major at Scranton.
Matthew A. Roda, Newtown, is a finance major at Scranton.
Madelyn G. Ronan, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, is an accounting major at Scranton.
John J. Sheehan, Dumont, New Jersey, is an accounting major at Scranton.
Kaleigh E. Timmons, Bergenfield, New Jersey, is an accounting major at Scranton.
Incoming Students Begin Business Honors Program
-
10/21/2020
In today’s global economy, a little more social justice could go a long way.
With that in mind, the Operations and Information Management (OIM) Department is making this main tenet of the Jesuit philosophy a significant part of its curriculum.
Thanks to the results of a research project by three professors, it appears that integrating social justice themes into undergraduate business courses is making a difference. These professors, all from the OIM department, infused social justice into statistics, management science, operations management and business information management core courses.
The intention is to mold business graduates who possess a firm understanding and commitment to ethics, justice and good works on behalf of underserved populations.
Professor Rose Sebastianelli, Ph.D., Alperin Endowed Chair in Business Administration, Associate Professor Yibai Li, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor Ozgur Isil, Ph.D., began their work in 2017.
They spent four semesters incorporating social justice elements into their courses. Using a rigorous pre-test post-test research design with control groups, they set out to determine if students’ beliefs, attitudes and intentions regarding social justice could be changed for the better.
The results were encouraging.
“We found these efforts made a difference in attitude and perceptions of social norms surrounding social justice,” Sebastianelli said
A Sense of Purpose for Faculty
The seeds of the project were planted several years ago, when Dr. Sebastianelli participated in the national Ignatian Colleagues Program for Jesuit university administrators and faculty seeking a deeper appreciation for the religious order’s core values.
It included online workshops, reflection papers, seminars and an immersion trip to the United States-Mexico border through the KINO Border Initiative. The program concluded with a capstone experience in which participants plan projects for advancing mission on their own campuses.
“It really gave me a renewed sense of purpose in my work here – it’s so incumbent upon us to try to live our mission,” Dr. Sebastianelli said. “It made me think, ‘What more can I do to help students and faculty become instilled with these values?’”
As her capstone project, Dr. Sebastianelli organized a Business Education for Justice seminar for Kania School faculty. Drs. Li and Isil were among the participants, and its focus on issues like environmental sustainability, ethics and corporate social responsibility paved the way for the research project.
Social Justice a Timely Topic
Dr. Sebastianelli is confident social justice can be seamlessly integrated into the curriculum, considering the many issues now at play in the international business community – be it child labor laws or environmental regulations.
Even a highly analytical course like statistics, which Dr. Sebastianelli teaches, can be infused with social justice via examples that revolve around societal problems like gender and racial discrimination, she said.
Dr. Li plans to use assignments and case studies to weave social justice into his Business Information Management course.
“A lot of new technologies such as cloud computing, big data, business intelligence and blockchain, terms that people didn’t hear about 10 years ago, now have been widely applied in the business world,” Dr. Li said. “Things happen so quickly that the legal, ethical, social justice and privacy implications of these technologies have not been fully understood by the industry.”
Dr. Isil will specifically focus on incorporating environmental sustainability into the OIM courses.
“Environmental sustainability issues often have implications on social justice. For example, environmental degradation in the developed world can negatively impact less developed countries, such as through increased flooding in developing countries due to worsening climate change caused by emissions from developed countries,” he said. “How should the scientific consensus on worsening environmental degradation inform business, which causes much of the environmental degradation?”
Impacting the Future
The professors have presented their research at several conferences, and have written a manuscript that was published in the September 2020 issue of the Decision Sciences Journal of Innovative Education. They hope the concept will eventually spread to other business schools.
“This is something that, to me, has meaning and could have an impact on the future,” Dr. Sebastianelli said. “Maybe if we can get students to think this way now, they might consider the consequences and ramifications of their actions once they’re in their careers.”
“In the future, when they are in managerial positions, I hope they will recall what they learned in my course,” Dr. Li added. “And I hope they will make thoughtful decisions that will benefit not only their business but also all of society.”
Faculty Show Social Justice Can Be Taught
-
10/20/2020
The University of Scranton has awarded 13 students from its class of 2024 four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarships. The Presidential Scholarship recipients are: Tabitha Berger, Cresco; Luke Capper, Mechanicsburg; Caitlin Doughton, Throop; Thomas Elias, Tunkhannock; Stephanie Lehner, Poughkeepsie, New York; Diana Lozinger, Cranberry Township; John Nelson, Jefferson, Maryland; Nadia Ostrosky, Sherman, Connecticut; Jacqueline Savage, Kings Park, New York; Kathleen Till, Newtown Square; Shelby Traver, Sweet Valley; Jessica Tsu, Valley Stream, New York; and Cayman Webber, Buckeye, Arizona.
Presidential Scholarships are awarded to incoming first-year students with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. The scholarship covers four years of full tuition provided that the student maintains at least a 3.25 grade point average.
Tabitha Berger, Cresco, graduated from Pocono Mountain East High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish National Honor Society. She was captain of the varsity cross country team and a four-year participant in the varsity swim team. She was the team manager for the boys varsity soccer team and participated in state competitions for the Future Business Leaders of America. Berger volunteered with American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, her school’s family swim night, mini-THON and several other organizations. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Berger will major in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology on the pre-med track. She is the daughter of Deanna and Joshua Berger.
Luke Capper, Mechanicsburg, graduated from Trinity High School in Camp Hill. He was a member of the National Honor Society and the Mathematics National Honor Society. He was a member of the varsity cross country team, track and field team and swimming and diving team. He was a member of the Quizbowl Team and Indoor Percussion Ensemble. An Eagle Scout, Capper also participated in Boy Scouts. He volunteered serving breakfast to the homeless at the kitchen at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Harrisburg. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Capper will major in applied computing. He is the son of Christine and Thomas Capper, who are 1990 graduates of The University of Scranton.
Caitlin Doughton, Throop, graduated from Scranton Preparatory School. She was a member of the National Honor Society, captain of the football cheerleading team and a member of the track and field team. She was a homeroom representative for Student Government, president of the Medical Club and a founder of Mindfulness Monday’s. She also participated in the Spanish Club and Book Club. Doughton volunteered at numerous organizations, including Nativity Miguel School, St. Joseph’s Center Daycare, Habitat for Humanity and NeighborWorks of NEPA. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Doughton will major in biology and philosophy on the pre-med track. She is the daughter of Karen and Robert Doughton.
Thomas Elias, Tunkhannock, graduated as salutatorian from Tunkhannock Area High School. He was vice president for the National Honor Society, team captain for Scholastic Scrimmage and the Battle of the Books. He participated in the Governor’s STEM Competition, SkillsUSA Quiz Bowl, Student Council, the Physics Club and the Robotics Club. He was a member of the Jazz Band, Marching Band and Concert Band. He served as a facilitator, trainer and speaker for the Diocese of Scranton’s International Student Leadership Institute and as an altar server and Sunday school aide at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Tunkhannock. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Elias will major in physics and philosophy. He is the son of Susan and Samuel Elias.
Stephanie Lehner, Poughkeepsie, New York, graduated from Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the Science National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society. She was a member of the varsity golf team and a four-year member of the varsity soccer team. She participated with the Math Team, Ski Club and Spanish Club and served as a physics and calculus tutor and student ambassador at her high school. She was named the 2017 CYO Student Artist of the Year and completed her Girl Scout Gold Award. She was an altar server for Holy Trinity Parish in Poughkeepsie and volunteered at Mid-Hudson Regional Hospital. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Business Honors Program, Lehner will major in biology on the pre-med track. She is the daughter of Maria and Eric Lehner.
Diana Lozinger, Cranberry Township, graduated from Vincentian Academy in Pittsburgh with an International Baccalaureate Diploma. A member of the National Honor Society, she received the Martin Luther King Jr. Day first place award in prose from Carnegie Mellon University. She participated in the National Federation of Music Clubs Festival in Vocals. She was a member of the International Club and served as the Diocesan youth council representative and as a cantor for her school and her parish, Saint Kilian Parish in Cranberry Township, where she also served as a CCD aid. An advocate for childhood stroke, brain injury and disability, Lozinger has made more than 3,500 beaded bracelets for children in recovery in hospitals and outpatient care. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Lozinger will major in counseling and human services and theology. She is the daughter of Tika and Charles Lozinger.
John Nelson, Jefferson, Maryland, graduated from St. John’s Catholic Prep in Buckeystown. A member of the National Honor Society, he was a member of the Science Olympiad and placed 1st in several events. He was a lawyer and witness on his school’s mock trial team that made it to the top 4 mock trial teams in the state before the pandemic began. He was captain of both the varsity golf team and varsity soccer team for which he played for four years. He served as student body executive president. He participated in his school’s musical theater performances, Math Club, Campus Ministries and other activities. He was lead altar server, retreat leader, cantor, lector and leader of religious education for children at his parish, Holy Family Catholic Church in Middletown. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Nelson will major in mechanical engineering and philosophy. He is the son of Karen and John Nelson.
Nadia Ostrosky, Sherman, Connecticut, graduated from Shepaug Valley High School in Washington. A National Merit Commended Scholar, she was a member of the National Honor Society and the Art National Honor Society. She was a member of the varsity soccer team, the cross-country team and was captain of the varsity indoor and outdoor track team. She was named a Berkshire League Scholar Athlete for three years. She also participated in Student Council and served as a tutor for underclassmen. She volunteered as a coach for youth girl’s soccer and with the Sherman Historical Society Summer Program. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Ostrosky will major in business communication and philosophy. She is the daughter of Helen Anne and Robert Ostrosky, who are 1992 graduates of The University of Scranton.
Jacqueline Savage, Kings Park, New York, graduated from Smithtown High School West in Smithtown. She was an AP Scholar with Distinction and member of the National Honor Society, as well as the mathematics, English and social studies honor societies. She was secretary for the Italian Honor Society and event coordinator for the Tri-M Music Honor Society. She placed 5th in the calculus level of the Suffolk County Mathematics Teachers Association Contest. She was concert master and principal clarinetist for her school’s Symphonic Band and leader for the Woodwind Ensemble. She also participated in the Orchestra Pit, Symphonic Orchestra and the NYSCAME all-county music festival. She volunteered at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM, Savage will major in biology. She is the daughter of Gina and Dave Savage.
Kathleen Till, Newtown Square, graduated from Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield. She was National Merit Scholarship Finalist and member of the National Honor Society. She served as the president of her school’s Community Service Corp and was on the executive board of the Danny Hammond Dance Marathon. She also participated in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, choir and musical theater. She served as a cantor at St. Anastasia parish in Newtown Square. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Till has not yet declared a major. She is the daughter of Ann and Eric Till.
Shelby Traver, Sweet Valley, graduated as salutatorian from Lake-Lehman Junior/Senior High School. She was a National Merit Commended Scholar, an AP Scholar with Distinction, and member of the National Honor Society. A Speech and Debate Association Academic All-American, Traver was a three-time qualifier to the Pennsylvania High School Speech League State Tournament in Student Senate, placed 12th in the state in Student Senate at the PHSSL State Tournament and a four-time qualifier to the National Catholic Forensics League Grand National Tournament in Student Congress. She twice won first place at the Regional National History Day Contest and was a two-time qualifier to the State National History Day Contest. She was captain of the Speech and Debate Team and also participated in the Interact Club, Science Olympiad, Scholastic Scrimmage and Martial Arts. She volunteered at Dorothy Day Catholic Worker's Farm, among other places. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Traver will major in international business and international studies. She is the daughter of Anne and Kelly Traver.
Jessica Tsu, Valley Stream, New York, graduated from Valley Stream North High School. She is a National AP Scholar, National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar and member of the National Honor Society. She is also a member of the science, social studies, mathematics and foreign language honor societies and was president of the English Honor Society. She received the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 2019 Medal of Honor. She was a four-year participant in the winter/spring track and field team and was a county qualifier for three years. She was a member of the Student Council, Class of 2020 Grade Council and the Gay Straight Alliance. She volunteered as a Spanish tutor to junior high students, an assistant Girl Scouts troop leader and at the Sunrise Senior Living Center. Tsu will major in occupational therapy. She is the daughter of Adele and James Tsu.
Cayman Webber, Buckeye, Arizona, graduated as valedictorian of the Odyssey Institute for Advanced and International Studies in Buckeye, with an International Baccalaureate Diploma. A National Merit Commended Scholar, Webber earned a summer internship with the KEYS Research Program at the University of Arizona. In Student Government, she served as president for her freshman class, vice president for her sophomore class and treasurer for her junior and senior classes. She was captain of her high school swim team and was a three-time Division III State Championship finalist in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard individual medley. She was a mission field trip coordinator for WATERisLIFE, a youth leader for the Summit Community Church in Buckeye and a delegate and counselor for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM, Webber will major in biology and philosophy in the pre-dental track. She is the daughter of Alicia and Tony Webber.
Scranton Names Class of 2024 Presidential Scholars
-
10/20/2020
Members of The University of Scranton’s new Political Science Club span the political spectrum.
“We have members that are republican, democrat and independent, which makes for good conversation,” said club president Ryan Hammer, a sophomore accounting major from Wayne, New Jersey. The club’s members also represent a number of majors, including political science, accounting, criminal justice and biology, to name a few.
The club meets via Zoom every two weeks. At the meetings, members have discussed the Presidential and Vice-Presidential debates and how the coronavirus has affected politics.
“I believe this club serves members with a safe space where students can be accepted and respected to share their political beliefs. With everything going on in the world and all the hatred between political parties, I am happy we can provide a place where students can feel comfortable discussing their views on sensitive topics,” said Hammer. “The Political Science Club also provides students with a place to become more educated on different political views and with the problems going on in the world today.”
Future meetings will include guest speakers and other activities, such as mock debates.
In addition to Ryan Hammer, who serves as president, other student officers of the Political Science Club are: Sean Hammer, vice president a sophomore biology major from Wayne, New Jersey; Amanda Wolfson, secretary, a sophomore criminal justice major from Wayne, New Jersey; and Michael Abromovage, marketing chair, a sophomore biochemistry major from Wyoming. Michael Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Political Science Department, serves as the club’s moderator.
University students are welcome to the Political Science Club. For more information, contact the student officers or the club moderator.
Student Political Science Club Starts at Scranton
-
10/14/2020
The virtual President’s Business Council (PBC) 19th Annual Award Celebration honoring Margaret “Maggie” Quinn Mariotti, Au.D., P’10, John R. Mariotti, D.M.D., ’75 and Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, J.D., J.C.L., ’72, raised more than $900,000. Proceeds from October 8th celebration, during which the honorees were presented with the University’s President’s Medal, support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund, and this year will also support the James P. Sweeney, S.J., Family Outreach Fund for students facing unexpected financial hardship and the Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Scholarship, a need-based scholarship established in 2011 by the Sorbera Family.
“Tonight, we gather in spirit from all over the country and the world,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton at the virtual celebration. “Tonight, we celebrate what is best about Scranton. Our honorees Maggie and John Mariotti and Monsignor Quinn are great examples of the best about Scranton. Ours is a University committed to building community and I know few people who are more committed to building community than these great friends – Maggie, John and Joe.”
In presenting the President’s Medal, the University and the PBC recognize individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and who have demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others while personifying the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service.
In his remarks, Father Pilarz recalled that Monsignor Quinn chaired the University’s Presidential Search Committee in 2003 “that had the audacity to pluck someone out of the classroom with no administrative experience and whose scholarly life was dedicated to 16th century poetry. Only Joe Quinn would have an imagination big enough to make me the President of The University of Scranton.”
Father Pilarz said Maggie and John Mariotti were his “special Scranton welcome wagon,” noting “their love for Scranton was contagious.”
Five of the University’s class of 2021 Presidential Scholars also spoke during the celebration: Molly Elkins, Owings, Maryland, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major and member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, undergraduate Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program for STEM; Hannah Graff, Melville, New York, an accounting major currently pursuing her master’s in accountancy with a concentration in forensic accounting; Jacob Myers, Ambler, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major and member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program for STEM; Megan Osborne, Mifflinville, a mathematics major; and Amanda Tolvaisa, Springfield, an English and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
The Presidential Scholars expressed their gratitude to those whose generous support made their scholarships possible, and spoke of the research, internship and academic opportunities the scholarships offered to them.
“The Presidential Scholarship and my time at Scranton has given me an unrivaled education in science supplemented by a robust background in the humanities,” said Myers. “This experience has allowed me to participate in several research programs funded through the NSF (National Science Foundation) over the last several years. This past summer, I had the opportunity to work on determining how long SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, survives on surfaces in order to better understand its transmission.”
Through its previous 18 dinners, the PBC has generated over $16 million for the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
The President’s Business Council (PBC) 19th Annual Award Celebration can be seen here. For additional information, contact Timothy J. Pryle ’89, executive director of the PBC, at 570-941-5837 or pbc@scranton.edu.
About the honorees
Dr. Margaret “Maggie” Quinn Mariotti is a retired clinical audiologist whose private practice included offices in Honesdale and Clarks Summit. She has held several clinical audiologist positions at various institutions, including the U.S. Army Hospital Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic at Fort Stewart, Ga. Dr. Mariotti also taught as an adjunct professor in the communication sciences and disorders program at Marywood University.
She was a Pennsylvania Speech and Hearing Association liaison and served as a board member of the Women’s Resource Center and the IHM Foundation. Dr. Mariotti was a member of the University’s Board of Trustees from 2003 through 2010. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Marywood University, a master’s degree in audiology from Temple University, and a doctorate in audiology from the University of Florida.
Dr. John R. Mariotti has worked as an orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics practitioner for 35 years and is certified by the American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Mariotti earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University and a doctor of dental medicine degree from Temple University. He was commissioned as a U.S. Army captain in the Army Dental Corps at Fort Stewart, Ga. After completing his tour of duty, Dr. Mariotti pursued his post-graduate degree in orthodontics at the Eastman Dental Center at the University of Rochester. At Eastman, he conducted research in growth and development and TMJ disorders.
Dr. Mariotti served as president and chair of the board of the Scranton District Dental Society and is a past board president of the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists. An active member of the University’s Medical Alumni Council, he became a member of the Board of Trustees in 2019.
The Mariottis, who reside in Jefferson Township, have four children.
Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn has been a priest in the Diocese of Scranton for 35 years and currently serves as pastor of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Clarks Summit. For 16 years, he was the rector of St. Peter’s Cathedral. Prior to his current role, he was the vice president for mission and ministry at Fordham University.
Monsignor Quinn received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Scranton and a juris doctorate from Seton Hall University. At the age of 25, he was appointed a federal magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court, becoming the youngest person in the country to serve in that position. After resigning his post, he entered the seminary and completed his studies at the North American College in Rome, earning graduate degrees in theology from the Gregorian University and the Angelicum University.
He has served on numerous boards, including as a member of the Board of Advisors of the North American College and as the founding chairman of the Scranton Preparatory School Board of Trustees. He is a former member of the University’s Board of Trustees, which he served for 15 years.
The Quinns are two of the 12 children of the late June Scanlan Quinn and John A. Quinn Sr., D.D.S., ’40.
Three Receive President’s Medals at Virtual Event
-
10/13/2020
Ahmed Gomaa, Ph.D., entrepreneurship director and associate professor of operations and information management at The University of Scranton, received a $50,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for a project that seeks to improve shared access to and security of individual health information.
The project seeks to identify and find solutions to problems concerning information capturing, managing and sharing of individual health records, while meeting compliance requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) for the U.S. and the General Data Protection Requirements (GDPR), required by the European Union.
Through the project, Dr. Gomaa, principal investigator and industry mentor, is working with colleagues Matt Hope, M.D. candidate, and Evan Porter, M.D., from Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine who co-founded Summa, a new healthcare technology company. They have already interviewed more than 100 stakeholders in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. Their survey of stakeholders confirmed the need to address the information “silos” challenge among the different parties, such as specialized and primary health care providers, hospitals and health information collected by pharmaceutical companies through clinical trials, as well as personal health data collected by various wellness wearable devices, and applications. Their research also revealed stockholders concerns about shared data governance and information bias from the various sources, in addition to health information security requirements.
“An objective of the NSF is to help researchers transform their inventions into impact. The NSF wants to make sure that the scientists are speaking with those in the industry to ensure that the technologies they are developing meet actual industry needs,” said Dr. Gomaa.
Their research will focus on developing an information system that meets the validated industry needs, such as capturing, managing and sharing individual health information, while still maintaining HIPAA and GDPR requirements.
Eventually, Dr. Gomaa envisions being able to better forecast individual health risks, while ensuring transparent data governance using blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and predictive analytics.
Dr. Gomaa’s research focuses on developing practical applications that harness data to solve existing problems or improve business functions that have the potential to be commercialized in three to seven years. He has published research articles in the areas of entrepreneurship, health informatics, business analytics, blockchain, sentiment analysis and security. His work is cited in patents granted to companies including IBM, British Telecom, Deloitte, Intel, Microsoft and SAP, to name a few. Prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Gomaa founded iMediaStreams, a technology company that uses sentiment analysis for online marketing.
Dr. Gomaa earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Alexandria in Egypt, and his MBA and doctorate from Rutgers University.
Professor Receives NSF Grant
-
10/13/2020
The University of Scranton ranked No. 112 among the 614 master’s universities in the nation included in a 2020 listing by Washington Monthly that seeks to rate colleges based on their contribution to the public good. Published in the September/October issue of the magazine and online, Washington Monthly analyzed numerous data sets to determine an overall rank, as well as a score and rank of colleges for “research,” “social mobility” and “community and national service.” Scranton ranked No. 37, No. 189 and No. 227, respectively, in these categories among master’s universities.
Washington Monthly weighted equally the colleges’ scores for research, social mobility and service to calculate the overall ranking. The research score is based on each school’s research expenditure and the number of alumni earning Ph.D.s, relative to the size of the college. The social mobility score is based on actual and predicted graduation rates; student loan repayment rates; actual verses predicted median earnings of graduates 10 years after enrollment; and the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants and the school’s average net price for full-time, in-state students with family incomes below $75,000 per year over the past three years, among other factors. The service score, also adjusted for the size of the school, is based on the size of the ROTC program; the number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps; and the percentage of federal work study grant money spent on community service projects and voter engagement, among other factors.
This is the 11th consecutive year Washington Monthly has included Scranton in its college rankings.
In other national rankings, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Scranton among the 10 top Master’s Universities in the North for 27 consecutive years, and as a “Best Value” school for eight consecutive years. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list “Best Colleges” for 19 consecutive years and in its ranking of the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 8) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 7) for six consecutive years, among other rankings.
Scranton among Best Colleges for Public Good
-
10/06/2020
The University of Scranton will use an innovative technology platform to create a dynamic experience for prospective students and their families for two virtual Open House events on Sunday, Oct. 18, and Sunday, Nov. 1.
Through the virtual event platform, 6Connex, the University has customized its virtual environment with campus facilities and will integrate recorded videos with live interactive sessions and panel discussions to allow participants to experience more closely an in-person Scranton Open House without leaving the comfort of their own homes. The format includes a lobby area from which participants can easily access a Welcome video and links to all other virtual Open House content, including information about the Jesuit school’s 70 undergraduate majors and other academic programs, student life, admissions, financial aid and other departments and programs.
The virtual event will include live Zoom webinars featuring panel discussions on topics that include pre-health/pre-med professions, pre-law programs, liberal arts and humanities, honors programs, admissions and student life, among others. Dynamic virtual sessions with admissions/financial aid are also available to allow for questions and answers. In addition, “Live Q & A” Zoom sessions are available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with faculty representatives from academic programs, as well as with staff and students representing campus ministries, student life, athletic teams, club sports, study abroad and other departments and programs offered at Scranton. A more detailed program for Open House can be seen here.
For 27 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 eight consecutive years. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list “Best Colleges” for 19 consecutive years and in its ranking of the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 8) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 7) for six consecutive years, among other rankings.
The University’s Open House events begin at 9 a.m. and conclude at 2 p.m.
For additional information, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit www.scranton.edu/admissions.
University to Host High-tech Virtual Open Houses
-
10/06/2020
By using online resources, one of The University of Scranton’s newest student organizations has been active throughout the semester.
W3USR University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club has held weekly Zoom meetings, which have included guest speaker appearances by world leaders in amateur radio and ionospheric science. Club members have used online radio platforms, such as kiwisdr.com and Echolink, to remotely access shortwave listening facilities around the globe. Through collaborations with other university amateur radio clubs, such as New Jersey Institute of Technology K2MFF, Massachusetts Institute of Technology W1MX and the Case Western Reserve University W8EDU, club members have earned new or upgraded amateur radio licenses remotely.
According to the club’s advisor, Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and electrical engineering, amateur (ham) radio is a hobby that is officially recognized by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as having the fundamental purpose of providing volunteer public service and emergency communications, advancing the state-of-the-art of radio technologies, expanding the pool of trained radio operators, radio technicians, and electronics experts, and enhancing international goodwill. W3USR is the official radio call sign issued to the club by the FCC.
Student officers for W3USR Amateur Radio Club are: Veronica Romanek KD2UHN, president, a sophomore physics major from Hampton, New Jersey; Jonathan Rizzo KC3EEY, vice president, a senior electrical engineering major from Pittston Township; Thomas Baran KD2SNG, secretary, a junior neuroscience major from Blairstown, New Jersey; and Steve Holguin, treasurer, a junior computer engineering major from Whitehall.
Last year, Dr. Frissell was awarded a $1.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that seeks to harness the power of a network of licensed amateur radio operators to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere. In March of 2020, the University hosted – in a virtual format – the third annual HamSCI Workshop 2020 for amateur radio operators and professional scientists.
University students are welcome to join W3USR Amateur Radio Club. For more information, contact the student officers or the club advisor.
Students Start Amateur Radio Club at Scranton
-
10/06/2020
The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranked The University of Scranton No. 92 in the nation for student engagement. This was Scranton’s best ranking among the nearly 800 schools included in The Wall Street Journal’s “Best Colleges 2021” ranking, which scored schools in several categories as well as an overall ranking. Scranton also ranked at No. 208 for student outcomes, scoring well for salaries of graduates, adjusted for student, location and other characteristics, among other factors. Scranton’s overall ranking was No. 243 in the nation.
The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education ranking is based on an analysis of 15 performance metrics in the categories of resources, student engagement, outcomes and campus environment.
The student engagement portion of their analysis is based largely on The U.S. Student Survey data. Factors considered for the student engagement score are related directly to their college experience, such as interaction with faculty and other students, and whether they would recommend their schools to others. The number of accredited programs offered is also factored into this measure. Student engagement represented 20 percent of the overall ranking score.
Outcomes, which represented 40 percent of the overall ranking score, looked at graduation rate, academic reputation, debt after graduation and the “value added” to graduate salary. The “value added” portion of the analysis applied statistical modeling to adjust for student, location and other characteristics in order to measure the impact the school has on the salary of its graduates.
The ranking also measured resources invested in instruction and student services (30 percent of the overall ranking), which included the finance cost per student, faculty/student ratio and research papers published per faculty member, and the learning environment (10 percent of the overall ranking), which includes student and staff diversity, among other factors.
The ranking was published by The Wall Street Journal Sept. 17.
Scranton Among Wall Street Journal’s Best Colleges
-
09/30/2020
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced the University would resume in-person instruction (or mode of teaching established at the beginning of the semester) on Wednesday, Sept. 30. The University had paused in-person instruction for a two-week period that began Sept. 16 in an effort to reduce the spread of the SARS-Cov-2 virus on campus.
In addition, Masses will resume in person on Sunday evening in the Byron Recreation Complex and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon in the Madonna della Strada chapel on campus. University facilities, such as the library and fitness center, will resume schedules established prior to the two-week pause, and most of the other restrictions put in place during the pause were lifted. The University has continued to limit informal gatherings in residence halls or off-campus residences to no more than 10 people and urged on-campus students to avoid gatherings at Hill Section residences.
Health and safety measures put in place through the Royals Safe Together Plan remain in place throughout the semester. These measures include the wearing of masks on campus, following social distancing guidelines, cleaning and disinfecting procedures and completing a daily wellness screening application screening for symptoms related to the virus, among other protocols.
The University is also continuing screening tests for all students, faculty and staff on campus in a proactive effort to identify individuals with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, especially when they do not have symptoms.
“As we have done from the start of the pandemic, we will monitor this situation with great care and will respond to developments accordingly. I remain deeply grateful to our entire community for your commitment to the sacred work of the University. Your patience and resilience are an inspiration. Please continue to hold one another up in prayer,” said Father Pilarz in an email sent to the University community on Sept. 28.
Father Pilarz’s full message can be seen here.
On-Campus Instruction Resumes at Scranton
-
09/29/2020
University of Scranton students taking a social media communication class with professor Brian Snee, Ph.D., are getting a good dose of reality through a community-based learning project with the Scranton Area Community Foundation (SACF).
Working in groups of two, the students in Dr. Snee’s class are being challenged to develop detailed plans using social media to promote one of the Scranton Area Community Foundation’s campaigns. During the course, students will conduct a strength, weakness, opportunity, threat (SWOT) analysis of SACF’s website and social media channels, and consult multiple times with their client via Zoom. The students will formally present their final plans to the client at the end of the semester.
Brittany Pagnotti, communications manager for SACF, saw the project as a great opportunity for the nonprofit organization, as well as for the students. She was happy to participate.
Dr. Snee also saw the learning opportunities the project offers to his students.
“I wanted the students to do real work for a real client, not just submit homework to me,” said Dr. Snee. “This community-based learning project challenges them to solve problems with creative solutions. It will give them professional quality content to add to their portfolios, and of course it's a reminder that a Jesuit education is – among many other things – all about doing good work in the real world.”
He is already seeing results.
“It is clear to me that they see themselves as young pre-professionals essentially operating a student-run social media agency--not just students in a class,” said Dr. Snee.
Students in the course are: Kayla Alvero, Yonkers, New York; Daniel Armato, Brooklyn, New York; Eren Cimsir, Leonia, New Jersey; Emma Davidson, Budd Lake, New Jersey; Tim Kiess, Glen Rock, New Jersey; Anthony Lambroia, Northport, New York; Sean Pietruszkiewicz, Clarks Summit; Emily Termyna, Clifton, New Jersey; Ryan Trimble, Warren, New Jersey; and Erika Witt, Mahwah, New Jersey.
Project Allows Students to Work with Real Client
-
09/29/2020
During the fall semester, University of Scranton professors will make Latin American authors come alive and explore the COVID-19 pandemic from a philosophical perspective. Schemel Forum evening courses will meet in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. A zoom link will be emailed to participants.
“Inverted America: Great Stories from Latin America” will be taught by Yamile Silva, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
“This course will take you on a journey through Latin America by reading and watching important short stories and films from one of the most vibrant parts of the world,” said Dr. Silva. “Along the way, we’ll explore the various literary styles writers have employed beginning with ‘el criollismo’ and ‘lo fántastico’ through to magical realism and contemporary artists working today. Inspired by the painting ‘Inverted America’ (1943) by Uruguayan artist Joaquín Torres, this course will include some stories by canonical writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortázar and Juan Rulfo, but will invert the traditional selection of writers and include more women writers.”
Participants will read recent works including short stories by Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, whose writing has been described by Terrence Rafferty, book critic for “The New York Times,” as “exhilaratingly, arrestingly strange […] after a while you don’t know where you are, either in the book or in the world.” We will also read works by Samantha Schweblin, who was chosen in 2010 by “Granta” magazine as one of the 22 best writers in Spanish under 35 years old. Her book “Little Eyes” was recently nominated for the prestigious Man Booker International Prize. We will watch and analyze the psychological thriller “The Headless Woman” by Lucrecia Martel, the most critically acclaimed auteur in Spanish-language art cinema from Latin America.
Course discussions will address style, identity, representation, gender and sexuality, and influence in national and transnational contexts in these truly unique artistic works. Classes will meet on the following Mondays: Oct. 5, 12, 19 and 26; and Nov. 2 and 9.
Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, will teach “Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis: A Philosophical Perspective.” This seminar will look at the COVID-19 crisis from the perspective of political philosophy and examine how these philosophies shaped responses to it — in particular, through the conflict between individual rights and the common good.
“Today’s rapidly evolving news cycle is providing more and more material for the course,” said Dr. Meyer. Participants will discuss the debate between Dr. Anthony Fauci and Rand Paul; Attorney General Barr’s comments that compared stay-at-home orders to slavery; court rulings that deemed Wisconsin’s and Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home orders unconstitutional on the grounds that they violate individual liberty; and the impact of the Michigan Liberty Militia, which actively supports anti-mask and anti-lockdown protests.
Dr. Meyer said, “The course will begin with an open discussion of COVID-19 and these controversies. We will likely be reading and discussing selections from George Will, Richard Epstein, Michael Sandel and Robert Reich that examine the nature of freedom – and different understandings of this concept – and promote and critique the notion of the common good (some authors we will encounter even deny that such a thing exists).”
The course will conclude with a final discussion of the controversies surrounding COVID-19 in light of these readings and class discussions about freedom and the common good. Classes will meet on Thursdays, Oct. 15 and 22; Wednesday, Oct. 28; and Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12 and 19.
Area residents can enroll in any course for $60; Schemel Forum members and University staff, students and faculty can enroll free of charge. The Schemel Forum is also offering six virtual World Affairs Seminars during the fall semester, which are also available to area residents.
To register or for more information, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Fall Courses Offered Via Zoom
-
09/28/2020
The U.S. Small Business Administration announced The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center received its 2020 Eastern Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award.
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides quality educational programs and no-cost, confidential consulting services to entrepreneurs looking to start, grow and sustain their small business. Established in 1980, the SBDC is under the direction of Lisa Hall Zielinski, director, and her team. Small businesses, including agricultural enterprises and entrepreneurs, located in Bradford, Lackawanna, Monroe, Pike, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, and Wyoming counties rely on the SBDC’s experienced and professional staff of 10 associates to offer assistance, education and guidance in finding practical solutions for turning business problems into business success.
“It’s wonderful to have the privilege to recognize the achievements of our resource partners such as The University of Scranton SBDC and leaders like Lisa,” said Steve Dixel, director, SBA Eastern Pennsylvania. “Under Lisa’s leadership, the SBDC emphasized collaboration between various economic development partners to promote the availability of federal, state and local funding for businesses impacted by COVID-19 and they continue to assist the business community to rebound with resiliency and innovation.”
“The University of Scranton SBDC is a leader in innovation. For example, when COVID-19 brought traditional internships to a screeching halt, the team evaluated the needs of small businesses, determining that they needed extra help from interns virtually, and with as few obstacles as possible. As a result, the SBDC developed a virtual, micro-internship component for short-term, project-based opportunities performed remotely to add to their Small Business Internship Initiative,” said Dr. Ernie Post, director, Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center Network.
Other unique programs created by The University of Scranton SBDC include:
- Women’s Entrepreneurship Center (WEC): A partnership between The University of Scranton Kania School of Management (KSOM) and the SBDC. WEC student interns and SBDC staff offer business start-up information, guidance and encouragement to low-income women, those in transition or those trying to make a better life for themselves and their families. The program was highlighted as an AACSB Accreditation Best Practice and was an influencer in the creation of the Scranton Area Foundation’s Women in Philanthropy Micro-loan Program. Nearly 50 students have completed WEC internships and more than 300 women have completed the StartUP series.
- Engage! Business Walk: A team of economic development partners and stakeholders visit individual businesses in a walkable area to hear from owners about their small business experiences. Business owners are asked to share thoughts about challenges and opportunities, all with a goal of helping them grow their business and the businesses in the local community. Engage! is a statewide business retention and expansion (BRE) program funded by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (PA DCED). It was highlighted as a Best Practice by PA DCED and selected for presentation as a Best Practice at the Connections 20/20 Conference.
“We are honored to be presented with the 2020 SBA Eastern Pennsylvania Center of Excellence and Innovation award, and so proud to serve the small businesses in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania,” said Zielinski. “The Scranton SBDC team is dedicated to helping small businesses succeed across the region. Last year alone, our small team worked with more than 500 individuals, resulting in 45 new business starts and a record $14.2 million in capital formation for start-up and existing businesses. We are so thankful for the outstanding resources and support provided by SBA, our host institution and PA DCED. It’s a privilege to be part of the Pennsylvania SBDC Network.”
“The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center is an excellent partner in the Northeastern Pennsylvania Partnership for Regional Economic Performance,” said Jeffrey K. Box, president and CEO NEPA Alliance/NE PREP Coordinator. “Lisa and her team are always small business client and customer focused for the betterment of the economy of our region. We congratulate them on receiving this award from SBA.”
“Many of today’s students have entrepreneurial dreams. Even more seek practical applications for classroom learning,” said Gerald C. Zaboski, vice president for enrollment management and external affairs at The University of Scranton. “We are so proud to count the Scranton SBDC as being among the best at providing both. Through innovative programs and services, Scranton's SBDC gives our students unique and powerful practical experiences. Women’s Entrepreneurship Center interns talk about a life-changing internship better than any they have done. Likewise, the Small Business Internship Initiative serves the needs of both businesses and students in an innovative way.”
The University of Scranton SBDC is part of the PA SBDC Network of colleges and university centers, which is a joint venture of federal, state, and private sector agencies and organizations including the SBA, PA DCED and The University of Scranton. The SBDC is an accredited affiliate of the national network of America’s Small Business Development Centers.
SBA’s Eastern Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center Excellence and Innovation Award Winner is selected annually from among nominees located across the 40 counties of eastern Pennsylvania. National Small Business Week recognizes the small business community’s contribution to the American economy. Learn more about National Small Business Week at https://www.sba.gov/national-small-business-week.
SBDC Wins Center Excellence and Innovation Award
-
09/28/2020
The University of Scranton named four individuals to its Board of Trustees: James F. Cummings, M.D., ’88, H’15; Rev. Richard G. Malloy, S.J.; John P. “JP” Sweeney P’08, P’13, P’20; and Nicole Young ’00.
Dr. Cummings is the president of ICON Government and Public Health Solutions Inc., a global clinical research organization, providing clinical trial and functional services to government and commercial customers. Previously, he served as vice president of clinical development and translational medicine at Novavax Inc., in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where he led the development programs for all emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, including human and veterinary vaccine development and polyclonal human antibody development.
Colonel (Retired) Cummings enjoyed a distinguished 26-year career in the U.S. Army with a proven track record in vaccine, drug and diagnostics development. Most recently, he served as director of the Department of Defense (DoD) Global Emerging Infectious Diseases Surveillance and Response Systems (DoD GEIS) leading Biosurveillance for the US DoD with laboratories and partners in 71 countries, and as the consultant to the Surgeon General for all medical research and development. He also served at Walter Reed Army Research Institute of Research (WRAIR), where he directed the comprehensive translational medicine research division within the WRAIR and DoD, and was director of the clinical trials center in DoD, and chief of overseas vaccine development for WRAIR’s Department of Immunology, Division of CD&I. He has been elected a fellow in the American College of Physicians (FACP), the Infectious Diseases Society of America (FIDSA) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (FASTMH). Dr. Cummings has more than 35 peer-reviewed publications, several book chapters and has recently served as a member of numerous national committees and editorial boards.
A native of Dunmore, Dr. Cummings graduated from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1993, after earning his bachelor’s degree in biology from The University of Scranton in 1988. He also received an honorary doctorate from the University in 2015 and delivered principal remarks at the graduate commencement. He resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife, Julia, and their two children.
Fr. Malloy serves as director of mission and ministry, Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Previously, he served as University Chaplain and vice president for University Ministries at Scranton, and taught courses there in anthropology, sociology and theology. From 1988-2003, he worked as a member of the Jesuit Urban Service team at Holy Name Parish in Camden, New Jersey, where he also served in various positions at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
His books include, A Faith That Frees: Catholic Matters for the 21st Century (Orbis Books, 2008), which examines the relationships between the practices of faith and the cultural currents and changes so rapidly occurring in our global world. He has also published Being on Fire: the Top Ten Essentials of Catholic Faith (Orbis Books 2014). His third book, Spiritual Direction: A Beginner’s Guide was published by Orbis in the Fall of 2017. All three books were recognized with awards by the Catholic Press Association in the category “Best Presentation of the Catholic Faith.”
Fr. Malloy has also written numerous articles for Catholic newspapers, magazines and other publications, and has led and presented at numerous retreats and workshops.
Fr. Malloy entered the Jesuit order in 1976. He earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University and a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology from Temple University. He earned a Master of Divinity and a S.T.L. from Weston Jesuit School of Theology. During his Jesuit training, Fr. Malloy served for three years (1981-1984) in Osorno and Santiago, Chile. He was ordained in 1988.
Sweeney is a vice president in the Private Client Group of Wells Fargo Advisors in Scranton. Before entering the financial services industry, he served as vice president/program manager with Specialty Defense Systems headquartered in Dunmore.
Sweeney has been actively engaged with the University of Scranton. He and his wife Davida served as co-chairs of the University’s Parents Executive Council for the 2019-20 academic year. He has been a member of the Carlesimo Golf Tournament and Awards Committee and the President’s Business Council. He also serves on the boards of several local nonprofit organizations.
The Sweeney’s have five children, Kathleen ’08 G’10, Patrick ’14, Marc G’20, Maeve and Meg ’20. Sweeney attended The University of Scranton’s Dexter Hanley College. His father, John P. Sweeney, graduated from Scranton in 1961 and received the University’s Frank J. O’Hara Award in 2006.
Young is an award-winning producer for 60 Minutes. Among her many honors, she has received 16 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, three Alfred I. DuPont- Columbia Awards, four Writer’s Guild Awards, two Gerald Loeb Awards, two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, four National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, a George Polk Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Wilbur Award.
Young’s most recent 60 Minutes assignments include breaking news coverage on the COVID-19 pandemic, social injustice and the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump; reporting on Syria from the front lines on the refugee crisis, the use of chemical weapons and The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as “The White Helmets” and Ethiopia’s Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela. Some of Young’s most critical stories, however, are those focusing on job loss, poverty, homelessness and especially child hunger in the United States.
In addition to producing pieces for 60 Minutes, Young was a senior producer at the CBS Evening News for six years where she broke major stories for the nightly broadcast.
Young earned her bachelor’s degree in communication at the University and her master’s degree in international journalism from City University of London. She resides in the New York City area with her family.
University of Scranton Names Four New Trustees
-
09/25/2020
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) announced Katelyn McManamon of Scranton has joined its staff as a special projects coordinator. In her role, she will identify and engage participants and coordinate projects within the SBDC’s eight-county service area. Projects include the Small Business Internship Initiative and the Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, as well as other SBDC programming.
For more than a decade, McManamon worked for the Penn East Federal Credit Union as a marketing and business development manager and, most recently, as assistant vice president of marketing. She developed strategic marketing, advertising and social media campaigns and served as a spokesperson for her organization. She produced a number of events, including customer appreciation, grand opening and large public events, as well as educational seminars. Prior to her work at Penn East, she was a public relations coordinator at Moses Taylor Hospital.
McManamon is an alumna of both Leadership Lackawanna and Leadership Wyoming. She has volunteered as a judge for the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce Sage Award and served as a purse bingo committee member for the Boys and Girls Club of Scranton.
McManamon earned her bachelor’s degree in communication – public relations from Millersville University.
Scranton’s SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses.
Katelyn McManamon Joins University of Scranton SBDC
-
09/23/2020
Dr. Temple Grandin, world-renowned animal behaviorist and autism spokesperson, will be the keynote speaker at the 19th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility at The University of Scranton, which will be held in a virtual format on Oct. 6. The conference, “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities,” is open to the public free of charge. Registration is required to attend the conference.
Born in 1947, Dr. Grandin was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. At the time, autism was considered a form of brain injury. Her parents worked tirelessly to secure the best possible care and instruction for their daughter. Still, social interactions were difficult for Grandin through middle and high school.
Dr. Grandin persevered, going on to earn a degree in psychology from Franklin Pierce College, a master's degree in animal science from Arizona State University and a doctoral degree in animal science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She first spoke publicly about autism in the 1980’s, and has since become an autism advocate, worldwide.
Dr. Grandin is widely known and respected for her work regarding animal welfare, neurology and philosophy, and has authored best-selling books and articles on this subject. She has received several honorary degrees, is a fellow of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, and has been featured in television and radio shows. In 2010, HBO released the film Temple Grandin, which won five Emmy Awards.
Chris Banks, chief executive officer and president as of the Autism Society of America, and Jose Velasco, vice president of Product Management at SAP and SAP Autism at Work program, will also deliver keynote addresses. The conference will also feature professional and family track sessions and a virtual vendor expo.
The conference, which will feature a number of live and pre-recorded speakers, is presented by the Panuska College of Professional Studies and the Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Endowment in partnership with AllOne Foundation. Registration is required to attend and capacity is limited. Click here to register.
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.
Conference on disAbility to be Virtual this Year
-
09/23/2020
James L. Caffrey, associate vice president for facilities operations, successfully completed the requirements to become a Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP).
The advanced level of certification, granted by the Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers, called APPA, is a mark of superior proficiency in the core competencies for education facilities professionals. According to the APPA website, the certification “demonstrates superior proficiency, professional strength and unfailing dedication in the field of educational facilities.”
Caffrey, who joined the staff at University in 2016, has more than 30 years of experience in various facilities management roles. Prior to his position at Scranton, he served as administrator of facilities operations at Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown. Caffrey also served as administrator of facilities management for the Greater Hudson Valley Health System in Middletown, New York; assistant vice president for facilities management at Catskill Regional Medical Center, Harris, New York; and vice president of administrative services for Wyoming Valley Health Care System, Wilkes-Barre. He also held the position of adjunct architectural engineering professor at Luzerne County Community College.
Caffrey earned his and bachelor’s degree and MBA from Wilkes University. He is pursuing a Doctorate of Business Administration in Project Management at Liberty University.
James Caffrey Granted Professional Certification
-
09/22/2020
The University of Scranton Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminars are going virtual this fall, yet still promise to deliver their usual thought-provoking insights on history, geopolitics and the human condition.
The series will feature six talks throughout the fall semester, all of which will take place on Zoom rather than the typical luncheon format. With the exception of the third seminar, featuring celebrated Washington Post political columnist E.J. Dionne, Jr., each event will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Dionne’s talk on Oct. 29, will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m.
Admission is $10 per seminar, and registered attendees will receive an emailed Zoom link prior to each talk.
The series begins Thursday, Oct. 1, with former Scranton-area physician and founder of the Schemel Forum Harmar Brereton, M.D., presenting “Artistic Manifestations of Life Transitions.” During the first portion of the talk, Dr. Brereton will examine the artworks discovered in the Caves du Volp in the French Pyrenees – specifically the Lion sequence in the Cave Chauvet and the Bison sculpture room in the Cave Trois-Freres – and their potential relationship to the transformation that occurs during adolescence. Then, in the second half of the presentation, he will look at the transition of Odysseus through midlife, from “The Iliad” to his homecoming in “The Odyssey.”
According to Dr. Brereton, “the talk will look at three early artistic representations of life transitions and hopefully make the point that the artist long before the psychologist was looking outward and inward with skill and understanding.”
Next, on Friday, Oct. 23, Christine Leuenberger, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University, will present “The Politics of Maps: Cartographic Constructions of Israel/Palestine.” The talk will look at how various actors, institutions and governments – particularly the Israelis and the Palestinians – engage in “map wars” in order to further different and often incommensurable geopolitical visions of contested territories.
Dionne’s presentation, “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save the Country,” will take place Thursday, Oct. 29, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. During the talk, Dionne, a longtime syndicated columnist who is also a contributor to MSNBC and NPR, a professor at Georgetown University and a visiting professor at Harvard University, will discuss his latest book, which posits that real change in the United States can only come via a highly diverse coalition of political allies, from Democratic Socialists to those who once would have been called liberal Rockefeller Republicans.
Then, on Thursday, Nov. 5, Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University, will present the extremely timely lecture, “What Democracy Requires: The 2020 Election in Historical Perspective.” During the talk, which will be held two days after Election Day, Logevall will examine how history provides important clues to the 2020 presidential election and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead depending on its outcome.
“In times of crisis, it’s especially important for Americans to think about their democracy and what it requires,” Logevall said. “Not least, they need to recognize that the success of democracy depends on having an informed and engaged electorate, committed to reasoned communication and to good-faith bargaining between the parties.”
On Friday, Nov. 20, David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History at UCLA and president of the New Israel Fund, will present “Antisemitism Past, Present, and Future.” Myers’ lecture will explore the enduring history of antisemitism – referred to as the “longest hatred” in history – through its various manifestations, its staying power and the significant threats it poses today.
The series will conclude on a to-be-determined date with “Christo's Alternative Universe: Challenging All Boundaries As a Practice of Freedom,” presented by Annie Cohen-Solal, Ph.D., cultural historian, writer and professor of American Studies at the Université de Caen. At the talk, Cohen-Solal will look at legendary artist Christo’s spectacular artistic productions and their relationship to stories of war, trauma, diaspora and catastrophe. Through these unique insights into the process of this singular artist, Cohen-Solal seeks to demonstrate that comfort and empowerment are possible even during times of crisis.
The World Affairs Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
To register for the seminars, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. And, for more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum to Host Virtual Seminars This Fall
-
09/21/2020
Through Nov. 6 Hope Horn Gallery Art Exhibit: Women in Art: Selections from the Everhart Museum. Scheduled appointments Only. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 23 7 p.m. “An Evening with Willie Mays Aikens” presented by The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities in coordination with The University of Scranton Athletic Department and Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology. The evening will cover topics of prison sentencing reform, America's drug laws, race, sports, spirituality, and friendship. The virtual zoom panel will be moderated by: Michael Jenkins, Ph.D. '06, criminal justice chair, Joel Kemp, Ph.D., former theology professor and David Martin, athletics director. ZOOM. Free. Registration required at https://scranton.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9psA400CRs2RyVSy4Jr0hg.
Sept. 28 Noon. Lunchtime Seminar: “COVID-19 and the Economy” featuring Satyajit Ghosh, Ph.D., professor of economics, Kania School of Management. Co-sponsored by The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center and The Office of Community Relations. ZOOM. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6667 or email elizabeth.geeza@scranton.edu.
Sept. 30 5 p.m. The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities: “A Conversation with New York Times Correspondent Eric Schmitt” with Adam Pratt, Ph.D., history professor and Paige Cognetti, Scranton mayor. A Q and A session will conclude the event. ZOOM. Free. Registration required at https://scranton.alumniq.com/index.cfm/events:register/home/eventId/93.
Oct. 1 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “Artistic Manifestations of Life Transitions” presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 1, 8, 15 5:30 p.m. “Talking About Racism – A Community Conversation.” The Greater Scranton MLK Commission in conjunction with various higher education partners including The University of Scranton, is hosting a series of presentations that will include a Questions and Answer segment. ZOOM. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email carolyn.bonacci@scranton.edu.
Oct. 6 9 a.m. 19th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities – Year II.” ZOOM. Registration required. Free. Visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference or email disabilityconference@scranton.edu.
Oct. 6 5 p.m. “Virtual Book Talk” presented by Colum McCann, author and founder of international story exchange organization Narrative 4, on his new book Apeirogon. Special guests are Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan, members of Parents Circle-Palestinian and Israeli Bereaved Families for Peace. ZOOM. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Oct. 8 7 p.m. President’s Business Council 19th Award Celebration honoring Margaret Quinn Mariotti, Au.D., P’10, Mariotti Audiology, John R. Mariotti, D.M.D., ’75, P’10, Quinn, Mariotti, Abod Orthodontics, and Msgr. Joseph G. Quinn, J.D., J.C.L., ’72, Diocese of Scranton. Proceeds support the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund, James P. Sweeney, S.J., Family Outreach Fund for students facing unexpected financial hardship, and Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Scholarship a need-based scholarship established in 2011 by the Sorbera Family. Free. Event link will be made available at www.scranton.edu/PBCcelebration.
Oct. 18 9 a.m. Virtual Open House for prospective students and their families. ZOOM. Registration required. Free. Call 1-888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 23 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “The Politics of Maps: Cartographic Constructions of Israel/Palestine” presented by Christine Leuenberger, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies, Cornell University. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 29 4 p.m. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar in collaboration with the Jesuit Center: “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save the Country” presented by E.J. Dionne, syndicated columnist for the Washington Post, contributor on MSNBC and NPR, professor, Georgetown University, and visiting professor at Harvard University. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu
Nov. 1 9 a.m. Virtual Open House for prospective students and their families. ZOOM. Registration required. Free. Call 1-888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 5 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “What Democracy Requires: The 2020 Election in Historical Perspective” presented by Fred Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 13 to Nov. 20 Hope Horn Gallery Art Exhibit: Soaring Gardens Artists’ Retreat: The Second Decade Preview. Scheduled appointments only. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Nov. 20 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Seminar: “Antisemitism Past, Present and Future” presented by David N. Myers, Ph.D, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA, and president, New Israel Fund. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Mondays: Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26 and Nov. 2, 9 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Virtual Course: “Inverted America: Great Stories from Latin America” presented by Yamile Silva, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, The University of Scranton. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Thursdays: Oct. 15, 22; Wednesday, Oct. 28; Thursdays, Nov. 5, 12, 19 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Virtual Course: “Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis: A Philosophical Perspective” presented by Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, The University of Scranton. ZOOM. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces Virtual Events for Fall
-
09/16/2020
Pennsylvania Cable Network’s (PCN) Election College Panel program, recorded via Zoom at The University of Scranton, will air on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 7 p.m. on PCN’s cable channel and streaming services. The show is part of PCN’s “On the Road” program which traveled to five Pennsylvania colleges and universities to talk to students about election issues. PNC is broadcasting the Election College Panel programs from Sept. 14 to Sept. 18.
Panelists in The University of Scranton’s segment were Political Science Professor Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D.; Scranton alumnus Jeff Brauer, professor of political science at Keystone College; and Bill O’Boyle, a staff writer with the Times-Leader newspaper. PCN’s Francine Schertzer was the moderator.
University of Scranton students participating in the program were: Carly Long, Randolph, New Jersey, a strategic communication major and president of College Democrats; Thomas Salandra, Caldwell, New Jersey, an accounting major and vice president of College Republicans; Conor Nealon, Duryea, a political science major; Simon Peter, Wilkes-Barre, a political science major; and Grace Seechock, Scranton, a political science major.
PCN will re-air the Election College Panel program from the University on Thursday, Sept. 17, at 10 p.m.; on Friday, Sept. 18 at 5:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.; and on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 11 a.m.
University Participates in PCN’s Election Coverage
-
09/16/2020
Mary Jane Hanson, Ph.D., professor of nursing and director of the Department of Nursing’s graduate and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs at The University of Scranton, was named as a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). Through a competitive application process, Academy Fellows are selected for induction into the organization for their extraordinary contributions to improve health locally and globally.
Dr. Hanson, and other 2020 Fellow inductees, will be recognized for their significant contributions to health and health care at the Academy’s annual Transforming Health, Driving Policy Conference, which will take place virtually Oct. 29-31.
Dr. Hanson joins University of Scranton Nursing Professor Margarete Zalon, Ph.D., among the American Academy of Nursing’s approximately 2,700 Fellows, who are recognized nursing leaders in education, management, practice and research.
Dr. Hanson holds certifications as an Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist, Adult Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner and maintains a current part-time family nurse practitioner practice. She also maintains numerous professional memberships and serves as chair of the board for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Dr. Hanson has published more than 30 papers in national and international peer-reviewed journals including Nursing Research, Western Journal of Nursing Research, The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Nursing Education Perspectives, Journal of Health Management and Public Health, The Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Journal of Critical Care, The American Journal for Nurse Practitioners, American Journal of Nursing, and Nursing Management. Her research interests include cigarette smoking, women’s health, cross-cultural study, adolescents’ risk behaviors and primary health care.
In addition, Dr. Hanson has been very successful at securing grant funding and has successfully authored federal grants for the graduate nursing program totaling more than three million dollars.
Dr. Hanson earned her bachelor’s degree from Cedar Crest College and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the faculty at University in 1996.
American Academy of Nursing Fellow Named
-
09/15/2020
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced the University’s decision to cancel class of 2020 commencement events planned for the weekend of Oct. 24-25.
“Today, I have the unfortunate task of sharing some bad news. Although we had hoped things would have settled down by now, the pandemic continues to be a challenge all across the country. Necessary limits put in place by Pennsylvania, prohibit us from moving ahead with our commencement scheduled for October,” said Father Pilarz in a video message sent to members of the University’s class of 2020 on Sept. 14.
“I have not made this decision lightly, and I do so with a genuine sense of disappointment and sadness. Nothing would have brought me greater joy than to have been able to gather your class as we had hoped and planned,” wrote Father Pilarz in an email message that linked to the video.
The University of Scranton held virtual celebrations in May for the members of its undergraduate and graduate class of 2020, at which the University announced the naming of the Class of 2020 Gateway in their honor. The University conferred degrees to graduates as a group at these celebrations. The University had planned to announce the graduates individually at its October commencement.
Planned October Commencement Events Cancelled
-
09/15/2020
The University of Scranton will celebrate Constitution Day on Thursday, Sept. 17, with a Class of 2020 Gateway lighting, a WUSR radio reading of constitution and a virtual political dialog event.
At noon, the University’s student radio station, WUSR will broadcast a reading of the U.S. Constitution. Members of the University’s speech team, the University’s provost, volunteer staff and faculty will participate in the reading, as will members of the University’s 2020 Vision Committee, which was formed to promote the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment. Readers include: University students Juliet Baldassarri, Baldwin, New York; Colleen Boyle, Bryn Mawr; Abigail Buck, Washingtonville, New York; Caitlin Connallon, Cranston, Rhode Island; Samantha Gurn, Brackney; Kyra Krzywicki, Kingston; Nadia Offendel, Springfield Gardens, New York; and Shelby Traver, Sweet Valley; Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D., professor of history; Maria Marianucci, director, Cross Cultural Centers; Rebecca Mikesell, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and media; Kim Pavlick, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and media; Susan Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history; Jose Sanchez, assistant director, Cross Cultural Centers; and Rose Sebastianelli, Ph.D., professor of operations and information management.
The University will host a non-partisan Student Political Dialogue on Constitution Day, Sept. 17 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. via ZOOM. The discussion is titled “the 2020 Elections: Values that Inform Your Vote.” University students of different perspectives and backgrounds are invited to engage and encounter each other's experiences and views - not debate or persuade - through structured dialogue to build understanding. Students must register in advance to attend.
The virtual event is part of the University’s Bursting our Political Bubbles Initiative which draws on reflective, structured dialogue methods and Ignatian spirituality.
Also, as part of its Constitution Day programming, the University will display the American flag on its Class of 2020 Gateway the evening of Sept. 17.
University to Celebrate Constitution Day
-
09/14/2020
U.S. News & World Report has ranked The University of Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for the 27th consecutive year. U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 6 in the 2021 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook, which became available online today.
U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category in its “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”
In addition, Scranton was ranked No. 40 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” which compares academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the eighth consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was ranked No. 136 in its category in a new listing U.S. News of “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” which looks at schools that enroll and graduate “large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants.”
In national rankings, as opposed to listings by category, U.S. News included Scranton among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” ranking Scranton at No. 201 in the U.S., and among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs,” ranking Scranton No. 141 among schools where a doctorate is not offered. Also, in national rankings of all business programs in America, U.S. News ranked Scranton’s finance program at No. 30, its entrepreneurship program at No. 36 and its accounting program at No. 44 in the country.
U.S. News changed the methodology used in its rankings this year to include graduate indebtedness among the data used to determine a school’s “outcomes” assessment, which represents 40 percent of the overall score. Other factors in the “outcomes” assessment include a social mobility score, freshman retention, graduation rates and graduation performance rates, which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class.
In addition, U.S. News considers a range of quality indicators for its ranking that includes peer assessment of academic excellence (20 percent); faculty resources (20 percent), which now includes regional cost-of-living adjustments to faculty pay and benefits; student selectivity (7 percent); financial resources (10 percent); and alumni giving (3 percent).
U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.
The 2021 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 14. The printed edition of the guidebook will be available in bookstores Oct 27.
U.S. News Ranks Scranton No. 6 in 2021 Guidebook
-
09/11/2020
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced a pause to in-person instruction for a two-week period beginning Wednesday, Sept. 16. Classes will return to in-person instruction, or the mode of teaching established at the beginning of the semester, on Wednesday, Sept. 30. Father Pilarz made the announcement in a video message sent to members of the University community on Sept. 11.
“After closely monitoring the results from testing throughout the week, I have decided to begin implementing proactive measures for a period of two weeks to reduce the spread of the virus on our campus,” said Father Pilarz. “Our efforts will take place in two steps. First, beginning at the end of the day today we are asking students to further restrict their movements on- and off-campus. Second, beginning next Wednesday, Sept. 16, we will pivot or shift all classes to remote instruction. In-person classes will resume on Wednesday, Sept. 30.”
“These measures, while disruptive, give us the best opportunity to conclude our semester together – a goal that we all share. And so, I am again asking for your patience and cooperation. As I do, I am confident that all of you – students, faculty and staff – will once again rise to the challenge of this moment,” said Father Pilarz.
University offices, dining services and residence halls will remain open during this period. Sunday evening Mass will be live-streamed. The University’s fitness center and indoor recreation space will be closed during this two-week pause. Outdoor spaces will remain available. Additional details of the plan were sent to members of the University community on Friday and can be seen here.
Father Pilarz’s full message can be seen here.
President Pauses On-Campus Instruction for 2-weeks
-
09/09/2020
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, provided an update on University’s pandemic response, campus active cases and contingency planning in a video message sent to members of the University community on Sept. 8.
In the video message, Father Pilarz noted the number of positive cases reported on campus was “concerning,” however “the level of case activity so far is manageable … If activity were to rise sharply from current levels during the course of this week then we may need to pivot to online learning for all classes for two weeks to let things settle down. I hope pausing in-person classes will not be necessary, but I wanted to alert you to the possibility.”
Father Pilarz discussed the University’s screening tests of all students, faculty and staff on campus as a proactive approach that “helps to limit the spread compared to testing only individuals who develop symptoms.”
“From the start of the semester, we expected that we would have positive cases. The virus is too widespread nationally to avoid it. Our hope then and now is that our case numbers would be manageable and that anyone impacted would be spared the more serious effects of COVID-19,” said Father Pilarz.
Father Pilarz ended the message by thanking faculty for their “flexibility in working with individual students who need to isolate or quarantine;” staff for their “dedicated, mission-driven work across campus;” and students for “embracing our plan so seriously, for dialing back your social activities in responsible ways and, most importantly, for continuing to display the care and concern for each other that is a hallmark of the Scranton community.”
Father Pilarz’s full message can be seen here and below.
President Updates Campus on Pandemic Response
-
09/09/2020
At a Virtual Student Activities Fair, representatives from nearly 80 of Scranton’s student clubs and organizations will staff Zoom meeting rooms, set-up displays and be available to talk to visitors one-on-one about what their organization does on campus. The fair will take place on Saturday, Sept. 12, from noon to 3 p.m.
“I definitely would encourage students to attend the fair. Students can expect to learn about different clubs, different resources available to them, and they’ll be able to explore new, exciting interests,” said Jithin V. George, Newtown, a senior neuroscience and biomathematics major and president of the Health Professions Organization (HPO). He would advise students participating in the fair “to try something new or sign up for a club that seems a little scary to you. You will figure out your interests as you go along, that’s part of the college journey.”
The virtual fair will have an event landing page where students can browse the different clubs and organizations available. During the fair, the University will also hold raffle drawings for prizes for both student attendees and participating student organizations.
All University students will receive an invitation to check-in to the activities fair on the morning of the event.
Student Activities Fair Set for Saturday, Sept. 12
-
09/08/2020
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) with SBDC partners at Clarion University and Pennsylvania State University received CARES Act funding from the United States Small Business Administration to launch the PASBDC Ag (agricultural) Center of Excellence initiative that will help Pennsylvania agriculture businesses sustain operations and stabilize food supply chains in the wake of the pandemic. The Scranton SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, received $80,000 in support for this initiative. Only nine SBDCs in Pennsylvania received funds to support the creation of Center of Excellence initiatives.
The PASCDC Ag Center of Excellence initiative will be a cooperative effort between the three SBDC centers, located in Northeast, Central and Western Pennsylvania, to provide agricultural businesses educational and training seminars and webinars on relevant topics; team consulting services; and support for the implantation of food safety protocols and for access to resources for capital. The initiative will leverage host institution resources and partnerships including the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Penn State Extension, and the agricultural expertise and programming already developed by Scranton’s SBDC.
“Support for this initiative recognizes the critical role production agriculture, agribusinesses, food processors and manufacturers, retailers and the entire distribution and support network from farm to table play in assuring a safe, reliable food supply,” said Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of The University of Scranton SBDC.
The PASBDC Ag Center of Excellence initiative will offer webinars and seminars on topics such as FSMA compliance, finance, planning and expansion, grants and federal and state financing programs, market research, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), managing cash flow, environmental assistance and cybersecurity, among other topic related to health and safety issues concerning COVID-19. The initiative will provide team consulting outreach and services. It will also support ag business development specialists, who will assist small agricultural businesses with implementing protocols that can protect their workplaces, employees and customers against potential health and safety threats, including the prevention of the transmission of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.
PASCDC Ag Center of Excellence agriculture business development specialists will also work with producers and their supply chain partners to access and apply for federal Paycheck Protection Program loans, SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans, and all types of SBA, USDA and other commercial loan programs, so small businesses can effectively access capital and promote business sustainable agricultural operations, growth and future resiliency.
Over the past 13 years, Scranton’s SBDC has developed programming and outreach specifically for businesses in the agriculture and food industry. Programming includes: ServSafe® Food Safety Certification; Building Your Food Business workshops; and FSMA Made Simple among other programs. Since January 2019, the SBDC has retained a business consultant with expertise in farm and food business, who has expanded the SBDC’s outreach to agricultural producers.
Scranton’s SBDC was also among the 16 SBDC Centers in the Commonwealth recently awarded CARES Act funds by the Pennsylvania SBDC network to help mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small-businesses.
SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses. The University of Scranton SBDC serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
SBDCs Create Center of Excellence for Agriculture
-
09/03/2020
Yamile Silva, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at The University of Scranton, was elected as a member of the Executive Council of the Colonial Section, Latin American Studies Association (LASA).
LASA is the largest professional association in the world for individuals and institutions engaged in the study of Latin America. With over 13,000 members, more than 60 percent of whom reside outside the United States, LASA brings together experts on Latin America from all disciplines.
Dr. Silva will serve on LASA’s Executive Council for five years (2020-2025). She also serves as former president of the academic organization Association of Gender and Sexuality Studies and has served on the Curator Council of the Festival de la Palabra (San Juan, PR) since 2013.
Dr. Silva joined the faculty at The University of Scranton in 2009. At Scranton, she served as director of the Latin American Studies Program from 2013-2018 and has been an associated faculty member of the Women Studies Program since 2010. She also serves as director of the Intersession Study Abroad Program in Puebla, México (Universidad Iberoamericana) and the Summer Spain Program (Universidad de Navarra). Dr. Silva received the University’s Excellence in Advancing Global Learning Award in 2014.
Dr. Silva’s research and publications focus in the areas of 17th and 20th century Spanish women writers, Spanish American literature (colonial and contemporary), women's studies, historical textualities and transatlantic studies. Her recent books include Agencia, Historia y Empoderamiento Femenino (2018) coedited with Diane Martin, Ph.D., and Eva Paris, Ph.D.; La sonrisa del paisaje. Diarios de Abigail Mejía (2020); the anthology Palabras: Dispatches from the Festival de la Palabra (2014), coedited with Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre at The University of Scranton; the monograph issues Raza, género y diáspora en el Caribe (2017) and Las utopias en la literatura (2018), both co-edited with Daniel Torres, Ph.D. In addition to articles published in academic journals, she has published book chapters in Women's Negotiations and Textual Agency (2017), Gendering Citizenship and Globalization (2011) and La constitución de identidades subalternas en el discurso jurídico (2008).
Dr. Silva earned her Ph.D. and master’s degrees in Hispanic literatures and cultures from the University of Massachusetts and her bachelor’s degree in modern languages and linguistics from Los Andes University in Bogota, Colombia.
Faculty Member Named to LASA Executive Council
-
09/02/2020
The University has appointed 24 new full-time faculty members for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Mehmet F. Bastug, Ph.D., of Ontario, Canada, was named assistant professor in the Sociology, Criminal Justice & Criminology Department. He previously was an adjunct professor in the Criminology Program at Lakehead University in Orillia, Ontario; adjunct professor in the Faculty of Social Science and Humanities at Ontario Tech University in Oshawa; and online video conferencing instructor in the Cybersecurity Governance and Operations Certificate Program at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Dr. Bastug, who has conducted research and presented at several conferences, has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. He earned a doctorate and master's degree in global affairs from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick; a master's degree in international relations from Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey; and a bachelor's degree in security studies and criminal justice from the Turkish National Police University in Ankara.
Hope E. Baylow, D.A., CCC-SLP, TSHH, BCS-S, of Long Beach, New York, was named assistant professor in the Exercise Science and Sport Department. Her many professional positions held in the broad field of speech and language pathology since 1993 include working recently as a voice and swallowing specialist at ENT Associates of Nassau County in Levittown, New York; the administrative director of rehabilitative medicine at the Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island, New York; and a graduate program director and special assistant professor of speech-language-hearing science at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Dr. Baylow, who has received several research grants, has presented at numerous regional, national, and international conferences and has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles. She earned a doctor of arts (D.A.) in communication sciences and disorders from Adelphi University in Garden City, New York; a master's degree in speech-language pathology from Long Island University-CW Post in Brookville, New York; and a bachelor's degree in teacher of the speech and hearing handicapped (TSHH) from Hofstra University. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence for Speech-Language Pathologists (CCC-SLP), and she is a Board-Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders (BCS-S).
Jeh-Hyun Cho, Ph.D., of Old Forge, was named assistant professor in the Accounting Department. Previously, he was an accounting instructor at Arizona State University in Tempe and a teaching assistant at Seoul National University. He also held nonacademic positions in accounting and finance in South Korea. Dr. Cho's experience includes research, publication and conference participation. He received a doctorate in accountancy from Arizona State University, a master's degree in business administration from Seoul National University, and a bachelor's degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Roxana Ariadne Curiel, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the World Languages and Cultures Department. She was a visiting professor at Pepperdine University (2016-2018) and an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow (2018-2020) in Mexican Literature and Cultural Production at Williams College. As an interdisciplinary scholar, her work analyzes representations of bodies that challenge normative notions of citizenship, gender and race in Mexico, Central America, and the Latinx diaspora in the U.S. Her teaching interests encompass pedagogies for language-minoritized students, racialized communities, abolition as a transnational project, and migrations across the Americas. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree (2012) from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico and her Ph.D. (2016) in Peninsular and Mexican Literature and Cultures from the University of California, Riverside.
Ashley M. Driver, Ph.D., of Kunkletown, was named assistant professor in the Biology Department. Previously, she was an assistant professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; a visiting faculty of biology at the University of Miami-Hamilton Campus in Ohio; and a postdoctoral fellow at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Driver, who has received several research grants, has presented at numerous conferences and has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She received a doctorate in dairy science and a bachelor's degree in animal science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Vincent R. Farallo, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Biology Department. He recently held postdoctoral research positions at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; and Virginia Polytechnic Institute in Blacksburg. Previously, Dr. Farallo was a teaching assistant at Ohio University in Athens and Texas State University-San Marcos. He has received several research grants, presented at numerous conferences and has co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles. Dr. Farallo earned a doctorate of philosophy, ecology and evolutionary biology from Ohio University; a master's degree in population and conservation biology from Texas State University-San Marcos; and a bachelor's degree from John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio.
Christopher E. Fremaux, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Philosophy Department. Before coming to the University, he served as a graduate assistant and graduate teaching assistant at Stony Brook University (SUNY); a visiting research fellow at Universität Trier in Germany; and an adjunct instructor at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Fremaux has conducted research, published and made conference presentations. He received a doctorate of philosophy from Stony Brook University; a master's degree in philosophy from Boston College in Massachusetts; and a bachelor's degree in philosophy and theology from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.
Spencer C. Galen, Ph.D., of Clarks Summit, was named assistant professor in the Biology Department. Recently, he was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in the Biological Collections Program at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia; and a doctoral fellow at the Richard Gilder Graduate School of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Previously, he was a teaching assistant at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and the University of Delaware in Newark. Dr. Galen has conducted research, published and presented at professional conferences. He received a Ph.D. in comparative biology from the Richard Gilder Graduate School, a master's degree from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor's degree from University of Delaware.
Madeline B. Gangnes, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the English and Theatre Department. A former instructor at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Dr. Gangnes teaches courses in Romantic and Victorian literature, as well as more general English courses. She has received grants, conducted research, authored refereed journal articles and made conference presentations. Dr. Gangnes received a doctorate in English from the University of Florida; a master's degree in Comics Studies from the University of Dundee in Scotland; and a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington.
Emily Gerstle, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Exercise and Sport Department. Before coming to the University, she was an ad hoc professor and teaching assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a high school science teacher in Jackson, Michigan. Throughout her teaching career, she guided students of all ages in building environmental and outdoor awareness skills. She has co-authored journal articles and delivered conference presentations. She received master's degree in kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she also earned her Ph.D. She received a bachelor's degree from Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
Christopher Hauser, Ph.D., of Clarks Summit, was named assistant professor in the Philosophy Department. As a graduate student at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, from 2016 to 2020, he taught philosophy courses as both an assistant and sole instructor, and received the Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Award for Distinguished Contribution to Undergraduate Education. Dr. Hauser also mentored in the Graduate-Undergraduate Mentorship Program for Rutgers’ Philosophy Department. He participated in Catholic Intellectual Tradition Summer Seminars for Graduate Students and is a member of the Mellon Philosophy as a Way of Life Network. Dr. Hauser has published articles in Faith and Philosophy and Metaphysics. A frequent presenter at conferences, he received a doctorate in philosophy from Rutgers University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and history from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
JoyAnna S. Hopper, Ph.D., of Scranton, was named assistant professor in the Political Science Department. She taught courses at Sewanee: The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and at the University of Missouri in Columbia. She earned fellowships, grants and academic awards at both institutions; and authored peer reviewed journal articles and presented at professional conferences. Dr. Hopper received a doctorate and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Missouri; and a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston.
Joseph J. Klobusicky, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Mathematics Department. Previously, he was a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow in the Applied and Computational Mathematics Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Previously, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York; a lecturer at Bucknell University in Lewisburg; a data scientist and applied mathematician at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville; and a teaching assistant at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Klobusicky has co-authored several journal articles and made several conference presentations. He received a doctorate and a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Brown University; and a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
Sylvia Orner of Old Forge was named assistant professor in the Weinberg Memorial Library. Before coming to the University, she was head of technical services and head cataloger at the Scranton Public Library. Previously she was a technical services librarian at the Osterhout Free Library in Wilkes-Barre and manager of the library’s Plains Township Branch. She has held leadership and service roles with the Scranton Public Library, the Pennsylvania Integrated Library System and the Pennsylvania Library Association. Ms. Orner has made presentations at several professional conferences and has received awards for her leadership and service. She received a master’s degree in library and information services from Syracuse University in New York and a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College.
Amelia Randich, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Biology Department. Previously, she was a guest instructor at Stephens College and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri; an instructor, guest lecturer, and postdoctoral researcher at Indiana University in Bloomington; a teaching assistant at the University of Chicago; and a teaching assistant at Grinnell College in Iowa. She has conducted and mentored research, co-authored journal articles and presented at professional conferences. Dr. Randich received a doctorate from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree in biological chemistry and English from Grinnell College. Her research at The University of Scranton will focus on the molecular evolution and diversity of bacterial cell shape.
Joshua J. Reynolds, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Psychology Department. Previously he taught courses in psychology and criminal justice at Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey; he was a teacher, lab instructor and teaching assistant at the University of Wyoming in Laramie; and he was a lab instructor and teaching assistant at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. Dr. Reynolds was a mentor and performed academic service at these institutions. The recipient of honors and awards in his field, he authored several journal publications and book chapters, and he presented at professional conferences. He received a doctorate of philosophy in experimental psychology from the University of Wyoming; a master’s degree in forensic psychology from the University of North Dakota; and a bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology from Southern Oregon University in Ashland.
Paul E. Sampson, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the History Department. Before coming to the University, he was a teaching assistant at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in New Brunswick; and Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A presenter at several professional conferences, Dr. Sampson has performed academic and community service as an undergraduate and graduate student. He received a doctorate in history at Rutgers University; a master’s degree in history at Marquette University; and a bachelor’s degree in history and teaching certification at the University of Dallas in Irving, Texas.
Matthew F. Shea, Ph.D., of Dunmore, was named assistant professor in the Philosophy Department. His areas of specialization include moral philosophy and biomedical ethics. Previously, he was a Clinical Ethics Fellow at UCLA Health System; a part-time faculty member at the Bioethics Institute at Loyola Marymount University; a lecturer in the David Geffen School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA; an instructor in the Philosophy Department at Saint Louis University; and a teacher at Saint Sebastian’s School in Massachusetts. His publications have appeared in The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, The Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly and Religious Studies. His professional service includes journal editing, conference organizing and serving as the co-chair of the Philosophy of Medicine Affinity Group at the American Society for Bioethics and Humanities. Dr. Shea received a doctorate in philosophy from Saint Louis University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Boston College.
Brian J. Snee, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Communications and Media Department. Before joining the University faculty, he was a professor and chair of the Communication & Media Department at Manhattanville College in Harrison, New York. He held positions of assistant and associate professor at the State University of New York-Potsdam; Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky; and Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Snee received several grants and awards, and in the area of curriculum development, he created a Digital Media Production B.A. degree program at Manhattanville College. He was the author or co-author of several books, book chapters and journal articles, and he presented at numerous professional and academic conferences. Dr. Snee was active in the area of professional, academic and community service at every institution where he taught. In 2017, he led a TEDx Talk titled “How the Virtue of Eloquence Became a Vice.” Dr. Snee earned a doctorate and master’s degree in communication arts and science from Penn State University; and a bachelor’s degree in communication from The University of Scranton.
Ziqian Song, Ph.D., of Scranton, was named assistant professor in the Operations & Information Management Department. She was an instructor, a teaching assistant, a lab instructor and a mentor for both graduate and undergraduate courses at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg; and a graduate research assistant for three projects funded by the National Science Foundation. She has been conducting interdisciplinary research to uncover new insights for business decisions through the application of Machine Learning/ AI in Business. She co-authored several journal articles and conference papers. She earned a doctorate and a master’s degree in Computer Science and Applications from Virginia Tech, a master’s degree in Media Economics from Renmin University of China in Beijing, and a dual bachelor’s degree in Advertisement and Business Administration from Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou, China.
Cristen M. Walker, Ph.D., MSN, CRNP, CCRN, of Pittston, was named assistant professor in the Nursing Department. Previously, she was a clinical instructor for the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center’s School of Practical Nursing, a certified family nurse practitioner for two medical practices, and a staff nurse at several hospitals. Currently, she volunteers as a family nurse practitioner at the Edward Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured in Scranton, as well as the Care and Concern Clinic in Pittston and will be joining Student Health Services as a provider. Dr. Walker, a Certified Critical Care Registered Nurse and a Certified Nephrology Nurse, has a broad background in critical care nursing. She recently completed doctoral studies with a focus in nursing education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and was selected as a 2019-2020 National League for Nursing Jonas Scholar. Her doctoral research examined the impact of a certified therapy dog intervention on nursing student test anxiety. She received a master’s degree in nursing from the State University of New York at Binghamton and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Pittsburgh.
Lori Maria Walton, Ph.D., DPT, was named professor in the Physical Therapy Department. A licensed physical therapist, she has worked as a professor in academia, both undergraduate and graduate programs since 2005 and practiced as a clinical physical therapist, with emphasis in women’s health and neurologic PT since 1995. She has served as an associate professor of physiotherapy, director of research and statistics, and chair of physical therapy programs. In clinical practice, Dr. Walton has held various positions in both hospital and private setting and including four years as the CEO and owner of Private Practice Women’s Health Therapies in Topeka, Kansas. Her research is focused on the effects of trauma on health outcomes for vulnerable populations of women and children living in South Asia and MENA countries. She has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and three books, as well as numerous peer-reviewed scientific and professional presentations. Dr. Walton had contributed pro bono services to many underserved communities both domestic and abroad, and during her career, she has provided organizational, research and administrative services to many academic institutions. She received her Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; a DPT from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska; and a master’s degree in physiotherapy and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. She is completing her master’s degree in public health with an emphasis in Global Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.
Murong Xu, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Mathematics Department. Before coming to the University, she was an assistant professor in the Mathematics Department at the Ohio State University in Marion; a graduate teaching assistant at West Virginia University in Morgantown; and an information management analyst at HSBC Electronic Data Processing Limited in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. Dr. Xu, who has received several research grants, has presented at several conferences and has co-authored several peer-refereed journal articles. She has been active in service to her academic institutions and the surrounding communities. She received a doctorate in mathematics and a master’s degree in statistics from West Virginia University in Morgantown; and a master’s degree in applied mathematics and a bachelor’s degree in information and computing science from Jinan University in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Amir Zamanian, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Physics and Engineering Department. He was previously a lecturer, research, and teaching assistant at the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, and at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, Iran. He held several positions in his field. He developed an expert application for vehicle gearbox health monitoring combining artificial intelligence techniques and vibration signal processing. He received the best paper award in the 4th Condition Monitoring and Fault Diagnosis Conference at Sharif University of Technology in 2010. He has co-authored several articles for professional journals and conferences. His current research interests include vibration, modal analysis, dynamics, control, soft robotics, condition monitoring, soft-computing, artificial intelligence, signal processing, finite element modeling and numerical computing. He is the author of a technical drawing textbook and is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has served as a peer reviewer for academic journals including IEEE/ASME Transactions of Mechatronics, Mechanism and Machine Theory, Advances in Systems Science and Applications, Frontiers of Computer Science, Journal of Optimization, and more. He received his Ph.D. from SMU, Dallas, Texas; his Master of Science degree from Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, Iran; and his bachelor’s degree from Bu-Ali Sina University in Hamedan, Iran, all in Mechanical Engineering.
University of Scranton Appoints New Faculty Members
-
08/28/2020
Dear Members of the University Community:
Although efforts to reopen campus for the Fall Semester in the midst of the pandemic demands considerable attention, we continue to make progress on actions to combat racism and ensure that Black Lives Matter at The University of Scranton.
First, as I mentioned in June, the Office of Equity and Diversity now reports to the President, and Elizabeth Garcia has quickly become a valuable member the President’s Cabinet as Executive Director of Equity and Diversity and now also Special Assistant to the President.
Today, the University has launched a Diversity and Inclusion website that will reside prominently on the University’s site and provide a consolidated overview and access point for resources and educational efforts across campus. Additionally, I asked the Office of Equity and Diversity to gather a fulsome account of many other related programs and actions that took place over the summer or that are planned for the fall. This report can be accessed on the new Diversity and Inclusion website by clicking here.
Briefly, however, I wanted to highlight just a few key actions on which the President’s Cabinet and I have focused these past several weeks. Many relate to the areas of concerns that were most frequently raised in June following the death of George Floyd and now in the deeply disturbing events in Wisconsin surrounding the shooting of Jacob Blake and three protestors:
- Policy on racism, discrimination, bias and inclusion for all members of the University community.
- After I approved the new Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy in June, the Office of Equity and Diversity (OED) with assistance from Student Life and Human Resources created a reporting and resources brochure for students, faculty and staff. Printed copies are also being distributed throughout campus. In addition, OED and Student Government collaborated to create a social media information campaign to promote the policy.
- Students, faculty and staff now may file reports of harassment, discrimination, bias or hate on-line. Reports can be filed anonymously.
- OED also provided training on the Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy to all recently hired faculty and staff. Now that our community is back on campus, additional trainings will be announced over the next few weeks.
- Long-term commitment through strategic planning:
- In coordination with the University Planning Committee and with feedback from across the University community, we have solidified our long-term commitment to diversity and inclusion by firmly embedding them into the new strategic plan. The plan will be presented to the Board of Trustees in September for approval.
- One of the five primary goals for this new plan is to: Reflect and understand the diversity of the world by demanding that diversity be a priority as we build an inclusive community and campus culture, develop and deliver our education and shape our student experience.
- Training and development for students, faculty and staff.
- Student Life developed and implemented a session for all incoming students that focused on diversity and inclusion and educates students about microaggressions as part of every Summer Orientation session.
- Faculty were provided a host of curricular resources developed by OED.
- The need to address better in our curriculum racism, discrimination and the cultural richness, and contributions of blacks and all persons of color.
- Faculty have begun a productive discussion to ensure that a review of general education this year includes a focus on the development and implementation of a curricular component that addresses racism and discrimination. In addition, some academic departments have already had significant discussions about how to strengthen their disciplinary curriculum and teaching methods.
- Relatedly, I approved a proposal from the History Department to hire a full-time faculty member with a focus on African American history. Other academic departments have submitted proposals for new faculty lines to strengthen our curriculum and help to diversify our faculty. We ask that any further proposals be submitted by September 4 to the Provost’s Office.
I want also to report progress related to faculty and staff hiring, an area of strategic importance. At my request, Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Patricia Tetreault, Vice President for Human Resources, convened a working group of faculty and staff to assist the Office of Equity and Diversity in identifying and implementing steps to expand the pool of candidates and intentionally seek to build a faculty and staff that better represent the growing diversity of our student body. I am grateful to the following individuals who have agreed to serve on this working group: George Aulisio, Lori Bruch, Elizabeth Garcia, Christie Karpiak, Michelle Maldonado and Nabil Tamimi. Additional information is included on the website.
Personally, I reached out throughout the summer to alumni who shared with me their experience as students of color, listening to their stories and seeking their advice. I was deeply moved by their candor. Consistently, they talked about being feeling marginalized by fellow students who used racist terms largely out ignorance and unfamiliarity with people of color. It is painful but necessary for all of us in the University community to acknowledge the presence of systemic racism, implicit bias, and microaggressions on our campus.
In the coming days, I will meet personally with several students of color, including leaders of our United Cultures Organization. I look forward to listening to them and to asking for their good counsel on ways that we can do better.
Creating a welcoming and supportive community is uniquely central to Scranton’s Catholic and Jesuit mission. I am grateful to the many members of campus for their efforts this summer and their plans for this fall. I recognize, however, that a list of activities is not enough to transform any institution and that there is so much more to be done. We must all commit ourselves to this work and accept nothing less than a community in which everyone feels welcome and safe.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
An Update on University Actions to Combat Racism and Discrimination
- Policy on racism, discrimination, bias and inclusion for all members of the University community.
-
08/26/2020
The Student Activities Fair is “the best opportunity to get to know all that campus has to offer regarding student engagement,” according to University senior Taylor Roman, secretary for Student Government. One hundred student clubs and organizations are expected to participated in this year’s Activities Fair, which is set for on Saturday, Aug. 29, from noon to 3 p.m. on Fitzpatrick Field.
“I would strongly recommend students attend the fair, especially first year students,” said Roman, “I remember when I attended the Activities Fair my first year, I signed up for so many different clubs and then throughout the semester I was able to narrow it down to a few that I really enjoyed.”
Roman would recommend students “sign up for anything that even partly interests you, because signing up does not mean you have to commit, you are simply showing interest in learning more about that club. I would even encourage other students who are not first years to attend because I feel that it is important that everyone finds something to get involved in and keep busy with, especially with all the current restrictions on campus.”
Roman, Poughkeepsie, New York, will be representing the International Business Club at the fair. An international business major at Scranton, Roman serves as vice president of International Business Club.
The rain date for the fair is Sunday, Aug. 30.
Students Can Explore Interests at Activities Fair
-
08/26/2020
It’s never too early to prepare for your career.
The University of Scranton’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development website has a list of items students can begin to work on now to be best prepared for professional job opportunities when they graduate.
Students can use a number of sources offered through the Center for Career Development to prepare or update their resumes, such as Resume Writing Guide or jobhero.com. The Center also has a Cover Letter Writing Guide that is posted on their website. Students can schedule a video call for a mock interview, use the Big Interview resource posted on the website, or both. The Center also has tools students can use to build their LinkedIn profile, such as LinkedIn University for Students or the LinkedIn Profile Checklist, and many other resources to help students prepare for their chosen career path.
In addition, the Center can provide resources to students who are undecided or thinking of changing their major, or who are applying to graduate or professional schools.
The Center has several resources to assist students looking for internships, including paid experiential learning opportunities that can be completed remotely through a partnership between the Center for Career Development and Parker Dewey, the largest freelance platform for college students and recent graduates.
According to the First Destination Survey report by the Center for Career Development, 99 percent of Scranton’s class of 2019 graduates, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation.
To learn more, visit the Center for Career Development website or use the drop-in zoom hours posted to speak with a career counselor.
Career Development Tips for the Fall
-
08/26/2020
The University of Scranton ranked among the nation’s best values for a college education based on educational quality, affordability and alumni success, according to a 2020 ranking by Money magazine published online Aug. 25. Money ranked Scranton at No. 274 among its selection of the 739 “Best Colleges for Your Money” in America, a ranking of “schools that successfully combine quality and affordability.” Money based its ranking on its analysis of more than 20,000 data points.
This is the sixth consecutive year Money has listed Scranton among America’s best values in college education. Scranton was the highest ranked school in Northeastern Pennsylvania and had the eighth highest rank of the 25 Jesuit colleges listed.
The factors Money analyzed to determine a colleges’ “academic quality” included the six-year graduation rate, the standardized test scores of incoming freshmen, the student-faculty ratio and the graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients, among other factors. The analysis also included “value” assessments that looked at a school’s predicted graduation rates based on the academic and economic profile of its student body versus its actual graduation rates.
The criteria used to assess “affordability” included an estimate of the “net price of a degree,” which assessed tuition, the time it takes for students to graduate, and the school’s average need- and merit-based financial aid offered to students. The “affordability” criteria also looked at student debt, student loan default rates, the affordability for low-income students and student loan default rates adjusted for the economic and academic profile of a school’s student body, in addition to other factors.
The factors Money used to assess “outcomes” included the average salaries of alumni reported in PayScale early- and mid-career, and their reported earnings at these points adjusted by major. In addition to other factors, the “outcomes” criteria looked at socio-economic mobility index that uses data from the Equality of Opportunity Project, a study that examines the percentage of students that move from low-income backgrounds to upper-middle-class jobs before the age of 34.
Colleges with graduation rates below the national median, that were in financial difficulty, or that had fewer than 500 undergraduates, were not included in Money’s ranking.
Scranton has been recognized for its value in other national rankings such as U.S. News Forbes, The Economist and Barron’s.
Scranton Among Nation’s Best Values for College
-
08/26/2020
The University of Scranton granted promotions and/or tenure to 20 faculty members effective at the start of the 2020-21 academic year.
Eleven faculty members have been promoted to professor: George Aulisio, library; Sean Brennan, Ph.D., history; Will Cohen, Ph.D., theology and religious studies; Paul Datti, Ph.D., counseling and human services; Michael Knies, library; Nathan Lefler, Ph.D., theology and religious studies; Sufyan Mohammed, Ph.D., communication; Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., psychology; Iordanis Petsas, Ph.D., economics and finance; Donna Witek, library; and Habib Zanzana, Ph.D., world languages and cultures.
Howard Fisher, Ph.D., communication, and Wendy Manetti, Ph.D., nursing, were named associate professors.
Six faculty members were named associate professor and granted tenure: Jinghan Cai, Ph.D., economics and finance; Ozgur Isil, Ph.D., operations and information management; Jo Ann Nicoteri, Ph.D., nursing; Patrick Orr, Ph.D., psychology; Juan Serna, Ph.D., physics and electrical engineering; and Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., chemistry.
Ahmed Gomaa, Ph.D., operations and information management, was granted tenure.
Prof. Aulisio, chair of the library, received his bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University and his master’s degrees from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked for the University since 2009.
Dr. Brennan received his bachelor’s degree from Rockhurst University, his master’s degree from the Villanova University and his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He has worked for the University since 2009.
Dr. Cai received his bachelor’s degree from Renmin University of China, his doctorate degrees from the City University of Hong Kong and Boston College. He has worked for the University since 2014.
Dr. Cohen received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University, his master’s degree from St. Vladmir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and his doctorate from the Catholic University of America. He has worked for the University since 2009.
Dr. Datti received his bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University, his master’s degree from The University of Scranton and his doctorate from the Pennsylvania State University. He has worked for the University since 2009.
Dr. Fisher, chair of the Department of Communication and Media, received his bachelor’s degree from the Minnisota State University, his master’s degree from Texas Tech University and his doctorate from Ohio University. He has worked for the University since 2009.
Dr. Gomaa received his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from the University of Alexandria in Egypt, and a MBA and doctorate from Rutgers University. He has worked for the University since 2016.
Dr. Isil received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas, Austin, and his MBA and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin. He has worked for the University since 2009.
Prof. Knies received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and his master’s degree from Rutgers University. He has worked for the University since 1996.
Dr. Lefler received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, his master’s degree from Yale Divinity School and his doctorate from the Catholic University of America. He has worked for the University since 2008.
Dr. Manetti, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton and her doctorate from the Widener University. She has worked for the University since 2011.
Dr. Mohammed received his bachelor’s degree from Jai Hind College, his MBA degrees from Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research and the Rochester Institute of Technology, and his doctorate from Texas Tech University. He has worked for the University since 2008.
Dr. Nicoteri received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, her master’s degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton and her doctorate from the University of Maryland. She has worked for the University since 1985.
Dr. Nolan received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, her master’s degree from California State University and her doctorate from the University of Arkansas. She has worked for the University since 2008.
Dr. Orr received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, and his master’s degrees and his doctorate from Yale University. He has worked for the University since 2015.
Dr. Petsas, chair of the Economics and Finance Department, received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Thessaloniki and his MBA degree and his doctorate from Indiana University. He has worked for the University since 2002.
Dr. Serna received his bachelor’s degree from Universidad de Antioquia and his master’s degree and his doctorate from the University of Arkansas. He has worked for the University since 2015.
Dr. Sizemore received his bachelor’s degree from Case Western Reserve University and his doctorate from the University of California. He has worked for the University since 2015.
Prof. Witek received her bachelor’s degree from the Tisch School of the Arts and her master’s degree from Long Island University. She has worked for the University since 2008.
Dr. Zanzana received his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and his doctorate from Indiana University. He has worked for the University since 1995.
University Announces Faculty Promotions
-
08/19/2020
University of Scranton President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced in a video to the campus community today his intention to step down at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year. Father Pilarz said he came to the decision to conclude his term as Scranton’s 27th president after assessing the progression of symptoms related to his diagnosis of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
“During the past two years, my love [for the University] has only grown stronger and my sense of gratitude deeper. I love the University too much to ever jeopardize her future. That is why I think it is prudent to step aside at the end of this year. The University needs a strong and steady hand, and I pray for the success of the search. I ask you all to pray with me for God’s continued grace and for the University’s unique place in the landscape of Catholic and Jesuit education,” said Father Pilarz in a video message.
During the upcoming year, Father Pilarz plans to focus on the health and safety of the campus community related to the pandemic; ways in which the University can address systemic racism; the continued success of the Slattery Center for the Humanities; the launch of the of the University’s 2020-2025 strategic plan; and the advancement of a capital campaign to build the University’s endowment, support its aspirations and enrich the University’s Catholic and Jesuit mission.
“I would also like to direct my energy toward continuing to educate people about ALS, the urgent need for research and the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which protects people living with ALS,” said Father Pilarz in his video message.
When Father Pilarz concludes his second term as president on May 31, 2021, he will have been the second-longest-serving president in the University’s history. Only J.A. Panuska, S.J. (1982-1998) has served a longer term as president.
During Father Pilarz’s second tenure as president, Scranton further advanced its commitment to providing students a transformative education in the Catholic and Jesuit tradition. The founding of the Slattery Center for the Humanities in 2019 underscores the core role that the liberal arts plays in the formation of students to become “men and women for and with others.” Renewed strategic enrollment initiatives led the University to add majors in academic areas of emerging growth, including mechanical engineering, cybercrime and homeland security, and business analytics, among others. The University increased its endowment to support student-faculty research and faculty development, and has strengthened scholarships and financial aid for students and their families. The University further aligned its commitment to serve the region by opening the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence Executive Hub on campus to enhance services for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The establishment of a new community-based learning office coordinates and encourages academic course projects focused on community needs. In response to the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic church, Father Pilarz established the Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope.
James M. Slattery, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, announced in a letter to the campus community, also sent on Aug. 19, that the board has accepted Father Pilarz’s resignation “with an equal measure of gratitude and sadness.”
“As trustees, we could not be more pleased with the masterful way in which Father Pilarz has led the University throughout his presidency and especially during these past months – perhaps the most challenging time in our history. His love for the University – and especially our students – inspires all of us every day, and we take comfort in knowing that he continues to lead us through the end of next May,” said Slattery in the letter to the campus community.
According to Slattery, the University’s Board of Trustees will form a committee to conduct a national search for a new president that will seek input from the campus community and will make the “search process as inclusive as possible, within the necessary limits of confidentiality.”
University President Stepping Down in May 2021
-
08/18/2020
For the 19th consecutive year, The Princeton Review included Scranton among the nation’s “Best 386 Colleges” in its annual guidebook that published Aug. 18. In addition, The Princeton Review ranked Scranton for the sixth consecutive year among the nation’s “Best Campus Food” (No. 7) and “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 8). The Princeton Review also ranked Scranton at No. 15 in the nation for “Most Religious Students.”
The 2020 edition of the guidebook includes detailed profiles of each of “The Best 386 Colleges.” Scranton’s profile stated that students “like the fact that they are required to take courses in the ‘humanities, philosophy, and theology irrespective of [their] major.’ In turn, this ensures that students receive a well- rounded education.” Students also touted Scranton’s strong science programs and high acceptance rates to medical schools. Student’s also praised the faculty saying “they’re just so engaging and really know how to present the material in such a way that it’s interesting for us as students.”
For the annual guidebook, The Princeton Review selects schools it “believes are the best in the nation, academically.” Just 13 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and universities are included. The book also includes The Princeton Review’s much publicized “Best of” lists of the “Top 20” colleges in 62 categories. The “Best of” lists are based entirely on surveys of students at colleges selected by The Princeton Review for inclusion in its guidebook.
In addition to The Princeton Review, U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 26 consecutive years, placing the University No. 6 in its 2020 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 5 in its category in a listing, based on peer assessment recommendations, of the nation’s “Most Innovative Schools,” which recognizes colleges that are making “innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities.” In addition, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 12 in its category in its “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”
Scranton in Princeton Review’s Best Colleges List
-
08/18/2020
For the second year in a row, the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) recognized the University of Scranton’s student chapter as one of just five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the 2019-2020 academic year. The IMA’s Award of Excellence is presented to the top student chapters that qualified for Gold Status. Officers of the University’s IMA student chapter for 2019-2020 were: Ngoc Nguyen of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, president; Rosemary Wolf of Little Neck, New York, vice president; Grace Gallagher of Dalton, secretary; and Sarin Baldante of Sayville, New York, treasurer.
In order to qualify for this achievement, the student chapter had to facilitate/sponsor numerous student events and meetings including a new member orientation, a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exam information session, an ethics-based meeting and other educational opportunities in addition to participating in the IMA’s national student case competition, its national student manuscript competition, and the Student Leadership Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The 2019 Student Leadership Conference was the highlight of the student officers’ year as they were able to accept the Award of Excellence from the 2018-2019 academic year and they were able to connect with fellow students from around the world.
“Being an officer in the IMA Student Chapter has provided me many opportunities to learn more about leadership through connecting with other IMA officers worldwide. From that, I can share my leadership experience and promote the importance of the CMA certification with our IMA members” said Nguyen.
The University’s IMA student chapter formed in 2017 and grown to over 35 active members over the past three years.
The IMA’s Endorsement of Higher Education initiative recognizes programs that meet rigorous educational standards, enabling students to pursue and earn the CMA credential. The University’s undergraduate accounting program was endorsed by the IMA in 2017.
Ashley Stampone, faculty specialist in the Accounting Department, serves as the faculty advisor for the University’s student chapter.
Student Group Wins Second National Award
-
08/17/2020
George W. Krull, Jr., Ph.D., CPA, CGMA, global strategic advisor for The University of Scranton’s doctor of business administration (DBA) program, was presented a 2020 Lifetime Service Award from the American Accounting Association (AAA) at its annual meeting, which took place virtually earlier this week.
The Lifetime Service Award recognizes service contributions to accounting education made over a sustained period of time through service to the AAA, service with the education efforts in the profession through involvement with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), and other accounting professional organizations, and service with the education efforts of public accounting firms, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations.
“I am honored to receive the AAA’s Lifetime Service Award for 2020 along with Beatrice Sanders and the late William F. (Bill) Ezzell, Jr., who have both contributed so much to advance education in the field of accounting. To be honored alongside such distinguished colleagues is truly a humbling experience,” said Dr. Krull.
Dr. Krull served as a Partner in the Executive Office of Grant Thornton LLP and was the firm’s chief learning officer. Since retiring, he has remained active with the academic and professional accounting communities. He has served as an executive-in-residence and professor of accounting at Bradley University where he was awarded emeritus status in 2011. He has served as interim chair at the University of North Texas, Saint Louis University, and Oklahoma State University. He joined The University of Scranton as a global strategic advisor for the DBA program in 2017.
“On behalf of the University and the Kania School of Management, we congratulate Dr. Krull on receiving one of the highest honors awarded in the accounting field and we are privileged to have him participating in our DBA Program, mentoring our doctoral students and collaborating with our faculty on scholarship,” said Sam Beldona, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management.
“We are most honored and proud to have George providing strategic insights to our program. His global perspective, knowledge, integrity and professionalism are invaluable. He is one of the most respected and trusted leaders in the accounting profession and academia. I view him as a true mentor and friend and congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition,” said Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., chair of the Accounting Department, director of the DBA Program and founder and director of the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program at Scranton.
During his distinguished career, Dr. Krull has served with the AAA, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, the AICPA and the Pathways Commission. He was a member of the AACSB International’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Accreditation Quality, has served four terms on the AACSB’s Accounting Accreditation Committee and continues doing business and accounting accreditation peer reviews.
In 2014, Dr. Krull was recognized as one of one hundred distinguished graduates of the Spears School at Oklahoma State during its centennial anniversary celebration, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Spears School Hall of Fame. In 2016, he received the AAA’s Outstanding Service Award and, in 2017, Dr. Krull received the AICPA’s Gold Medal Award of Distinction. Dr. Krull received his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University, Oklahoma State University, and Michigan State University, respectively, and he is an honorary alumnus from Northern Illinois University.
Scranton’s DBA program received international recognition when the prestigious accrediting body, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), recognized the program in 2019 among the “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” Scranton’s DBA was recognized for providing a non-traditional research DBA in accounting that “promotes diversity and practice relevance by providing a flexible path for experienced practitioners to gain the knowledge and credentials required to succeed in tenure-track positions at AACSB-accredited institutions.”
For information about Scranton’s DBA program, visit scranton.edu/dbaprogram.
DBA Program Advisor Awarded Lifetime Service Award
-
08/14/2020
The University of Scranton welcomed more than 1,000 incoming students for the fall semester, including more than 900 members of its undergraduate class of 2024, more than 30 transfer students and more than 140 graduate students, both on-campus and online.
The University’s undergraduate class of 2024, selected from a pool of nearly 9,100 applicants, has an average SAT score of 1,200. Incoming students represent 14 states including California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Virginia and Vermont. Members of the class are also from China, the Cayman Islands and Nigeria. Approximately 23 percent of the class is from Northeast Pennsylvania. The most common majors chosen by members of the incoming class are nursing, occupational therapy, biology and business administration.
The class of 2024 also includes 75 legacy children whose parents are University of Scranton alumni.
The University’s Fall Welcome events included a Mass, a virtual class photo, residence hall and commuter meetings and other in-person and virtual events and activities. The University will display a special tribute to returning students on its Class of 2020 Gateway, which will run on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings. University of Scranton President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., also welcomed students back to campus in a video message.
In addition to the undergraduate class of 2024, the University’s incoming graduate students represent several states and foreign countries, including China and Saudi Arabia.
Fall semester classes on campus begin Monday, Aug. 17.
Find fall Move-in photos by clicking on the image below.
Scranton Welcomes Class of 2024
-
08/14/2020
Julie A. Cerrito, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the School Counseling Program at The University of Scranton, was one of just eleven counselor educators nationwide to be selected to participate in the Counselor Educator Academy held at the National Career Development Association Global Conference in Houston, Texas. Dr. Cerrito also received the University’s Faculty Senate Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award for 2020, which recognizes a faculty member at Scranton who demonstrates dedication to teaching graduate students in a manner that creates an encouraging and intellectually stimulating environment that promotes critical thinking and learning.
Dr. Cerrito was selected to the Counselor Educator Academy based on her role as a professor of career counseling graduate courses to focus on the growth and development of the intersection of counselor education and career counseling.
The purpose of the Academy is to support those counselor educators who work teaching future counselors about their role in career counseling. The goal of the Academy is to provide information, experiences, and tools that counselor educators can use in their work to enhance the practice of teaching career counseling across the profession. This Academy aims to facilitate determining best practices in the field of career counselor education and to provide leadership/research opportunities to academics.
As part of the 2019-20 Counselor Educator Academy cohort, Dr. Cerrito has been working with a group of fellow counselor educators on a year-long research and development project focused on the intersections of career counseling and counselor education. The cohort will then present their findings and recommendations at the 2021 National Career Development Global Conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Dr. Cerrito is a National Certified Counselor and a National Certified School Counselor.
Dr. Cerrito joined the faculty at the University in 2013. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University, her master’s degree from The University of Scranton and her Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University.
Professor Selected to National Academy
-
08/14/2020
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) announced that Patrick Keehan ’19, G’20 of Danville has joined its staff as a business consultant in June. In his role, he will provide business consulting services to start-up and existing small business clients in the Scranton SBDC’s service area. He will also help small businesses gain access to, and effectively utilize, interns from local colleges and universities by assisting with the Small Business Internship Initiative.
Keehan earned his MBA from The University of Scranton in 2020, as well as his bachelor’s degree in finance, summa cum laude, from Scranton in 2019 with minors in accounting, business leadership and philosophy. He also participated in the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program.
Keehan was among the select members of the University’s undergraduate class of 2019 honored for academic excellence at graduation. He received the University’s Excellence in Finance Award. He was a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, Omicron Delta Epsilon and the IMA Accounting honor societies. He was a graduate assistant and intern at the SBDC for the 2019-2020 academic year. During his undergraduate years at Scranton, Keehan was a resident assistant, a retreat leader, a member of the Business Club and participated in the PwC case challenge.
Keehan graduated from Danville Area High School, Danville.
Scranton’s SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses.
Patrick Keehan Joins University of Scranton SBDC
-
08/12/2020
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, welcomed the return of students to campus for the fall semester in a video message sent to members of the University community today.
“Without you, this campus is a lot of well-designed, beautiful buildings and a lovely landscaped park. You are the heart of the matter and we are so glad that you are here,” said Father Pilarz. Students will return to campus this weekend. Classes resume on campus on Monday, Aug. 17.
“Universities and colleges were founded on the conviction that people learn best from one another – in person. Although we can’t always guarantee that’s going to be the case in these very challenging times, we are very graced to have this time together,” said Father Pilarz.
Father Pilarz reminded students and their parents of the extensive preparation made throughout campus for their safe return.
“Trust that we are doing all we can to create a safe living and learning environment for our students and for every member of the University community,” said Father Pilarz. “The magnitude of the challenge that we face demands that we all abide by reasonable requirements that we have put forward in the plan (Royals Safe Together). Requirements that we need to stay safe.”
In the message, he reminded members of the University community of the shared responsibility to keep each other safe.
“St. Ignatius and his companions never flinched in the face of the unknown. Instead relying on God’s good grace, they embraced challenges that were to come. Challenges that they could not imagine. Inspired by their example, I am confident in our community’s ability to thrive, even under current, often daunting circumstances.”
Father Pilarz’s full message can be seen here.
President Welcomes Students Back to Campus
-
08/12/2020
Cardio equipment and free-weight areas have been spaced to allow for social distancing; additional sanitary wipe stations and hand sanitizing stations have been located throughout the facility; and masks must be worn by those using the facility. These are among the health and safety measures put in place for the Fitness Center for the fall semester, following guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH).
The Fitness Center will operate from 6 a.m. to midnight from Monday through Thursday; from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays; from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays; and from 9 a.m. to midnight on Sundays. Students, faculty and staff will need a reservation to use the facility during the fall semester. Reservations for 90-minute blocks of time can be made 24-hours in advance using IMLeagues.com. (Users will have to sign-up for an IM Leagues account using their Royal ID).
Those using the Fitness Center will swipe themselves in using their Royal Card and give their name to the attendant at the front desk, who will have a list of those registered. No one will be allowed to enter the facility prior to their scheduled start time. Walk-ins will not be allowed. The facility will also be closed to guests. Faculty/staff family and alumni memberships have been suspended for the semester.
All equipment in the Fitness Center will be available for use on a first-come, first-serve basis to those with a reservation. All users will be expected to wipe down equipment prior to and after use. Sanitary wipe stations and hand sanitizing stations have been added throughout the facility, in addition to signage reminding students, faculty and staff of health and safety expectations for use of the Center.
Masks will be required in the Fitness Center and social distancing must also be observed.
Water bottle stations will not be available during the semester, so users of the facility should bring their own water or sports drink.
The locker room and shower areas will remain open.
Additional cleaning protocols will be completed by staff throughout the day. A fogger/mister will be used at the end of each day and periodically throughout the day in the locker room areas.
Additional information about the Fitness Center can be seen here.
Health and Safety Protocols Set for Fitness Center
-
08/12/2020
Dining Services has adjusted ways to prepare and deliver meals for the fall semester that accommodate all University meal plans and follow federal, state, local, Aramark, and University health and safety guidelines to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19. Plans include additional cleaning procedures; reduced density seating and accommodations for social distancing in all food service locations; and expanded outdoor seating options in front of the DeNaples Center.
Pre-packaged “grab-and-go” meals that include a salad, dessert and up to two lunch and dinner choices as well as beverage options will be available on the third floor of the DeNaples Center, the lobby of the Long Center, a food truck on the DeNaples Patio as well as other locations on campus.
Dining Services has added lunch and dinner hours in the Fresh Food Company; and meal swipe access at Bleecker Street in the Loyola Science Center and Einstein Bros. Bagels in Leahy Hall. Take-out containers will be available for all of these options. Mobile ordering for the DeNaples Food Court on the first floor will be available in September.
Aramark employees will serve food at all stations. Self-serve food areas will be eliminated for the fall semester.
Seating, food preparation and serving areas will be cleaned by Aramark staff throughout the day as well as when the venues close. Cleaning and disinfection protocols comply with guidelines from the CDC for preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Students are required to wear a mask when ordering food or moving about dining facilities areas on campus. Masks can only be removed while eating at designated dining areas. Plexiglass shields have been added to tables and booths of Fresh Food Company to allow two students to sit in defined seating areas while meeting social distancing requirements. Additional seating that meets safety recommendations has been added in tented areas outside of the DeNaples Center. Seating in the first-floor dining area of the DeNaples Center has been removed to accommodate space needed for those using these food services to socially distance.
Signage throughout food service areas will remind students of health and safety recommendations and the shared responsibility of all community members to follow the guidelines put in place to stay safe.
Additional information about University of Scranton Dining Services is available on its webpage.Meal Options Added to Accommodate Fall Conditions
-
08/12/2020
Spaces on campus have been dedicated for students to use for Zoom sessions and remote classes, as well as for study.
Commuter students will have access to residence hall rooms in Lynett Hall for the fall semester primarily to participate in remote classes while on campus. Later this week, the Office of Residence Life will inform commuter students of the process to reserve space for day-use within Lynett Hall. Students will also be allowed to reserve space for the same day/time throughout the semester if it is needed for a particular class period. Occupancy will be limited to one student per room at a time.
Facilities staff will clean rooms regularly during the day and will also deep clean rooms each evening. In addition, each room will have disinfectant wipes and hand-sanitizer available for students. Students are asked to wipe down the desk and chair space upon arrival and prior to leaving the room.
In addition, rooms located across campus have been designated as “zoom rooms” for all students to use throughout the day, except when closed for cleaning. Each room will have a capacity, based on social distancing, that will be posted. These rooms cannot be reserved. When a student enters the room, they must be sure that they do not cause the room to exceed capacity. If so, they must exit the room and find another study location. Students should use hand sanitizer before entering the zoom rooms and wipe down desks when leaving. Students should also use headphones in the rooms to reduce noise. Additional information about zoom rooms can be seen in the Aug. 10 Royals Safe Together Update.
The Weinberg Memorial Library also has spaces available for students. Seating has been reconfigured to meet recommended social distancing requirements and should not be rearranged. Group study rooms have reduced seating, and use of group study rooms will be available by reservation only. The most up-to-date information about the library can be seen here.
Spaces Dedicated for Commuters, Zoom Use, Study
-
08/12/2020
Three information websites for prospective college students have ranked The University of Scranton in the top 25 best Catholic colleges in the nation in recently published rankings for 2020. The rankings include some of the most prestigious Catholic universities in America.
Niche.com ranked Scranton No. 18 among the 2020 Best Catholic Colleges in America, which is a ranking based on key statistics and student reviews using data from the U.S. Department of Education. According to their website, “top-ranked Catholic colleges are leading academic institutions that offer students an education and college experience rooted in Catholic traditions and faith.” The ranking is based on their analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni.
College Factual ranked Scranton No. 22 in its 2020 list of “Best Colleges Affiliated as Roman Catholic Nationwide.” The national ranking is based their analysis of retention and graduation rates, student loan default rates, overall average post- graduation earnings based on PayScale and College Scorecard data, among other data. Scranton ranked No. 3 “Best Colleges Affiliated as Roman Catholic in Pennsylvania.”
College Choice ranked Scranton No. 23 among just 75 “Best Catholic Colleges and Universities” in the nation. The ranking was based on their analysis of the college’s reputation, net cost, financial aid and average graduate salary, which used publicly available data from websites of the schools, the National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S. News and World Report, and Payscale.com.
In April of 2020, College Consensus ranked Scranton No. 37 among the “Best Catholic Colleges and Universities” in America. For the ranking, College Consensus calculated an “average rating score” for colleges based on national guidebook rankings, which include U.S. News and World Report, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and others. College Consensus also calculated an “overall score” for colleges based on student reviews posted on multiple sites, including Niche.com. The schools were ranked based on a “consensus ranking” that combined both these scores.
In addition to the above rankings, The University of Scranton is listed in numerous well-known national “best college” rankings and guidebooks, such as U.S. News, The Princeton Review and others.
Scranton Ranked Among Best Catholic Colleges in US
-
08/11/2020
“The Kosher Capones: A History of Chicago’s Jewish Gangsters,” by University of Scranton English and Theatre Professor Joe Kraus, Ph.D., was awarded the 2019 bronze Indie Award in the category of history (adult non-fiction). The award recognizes the best books published in 2019 from small, indie, and university presses, as well by self-published authors.
“The Kosher Capones,” published by Northern Illinois University Press, tells the story of Chicago’s Jewish gangsters from the end of the 19th century into the 1980s. Dr. Kraus’s grandfather and great-uncles were part of the notorious Miller Brothers of the Jewish West Side, who were among Chicago’s early Jewish gangsters. Dr. Kraus spent thirty years collecting details from newspapers, archives, photo collections and other sources. The book traces the changing political, demographic, and economic pressures that transformed the opportunistic gamblers and bootleggers of Maxwell Street and Lawndale into some of the under-the-radar architects of the Chicago Syndicate that grew out of the gang made famous under Al Capone’s leadership.
“This is an academic book, but I wanted it to be something fun to read, too,” said Dr. Kraus. “I appreciate this award as it says to me that people have enjoyed it.”
Dr. Kraus, Shavertown, is chair of the Department of English and Theatre at the University. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 2004. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, his master’s degree from Columbia University and his doctorate from Northwestern University.
The Kosher Capones is available in hardcover, paper, audio and as an e-book. For more information about the book, visit www.thekoshercapones.com.
Book by Faculty Member Wins Indie Award
-
08/11/2020
Twenty-five rising high school students entered The University of Scranton’s University of Success program. The four-year, pre-college mentorship program began for the new participants with a week-long summer program, which took place virtually in July.
The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program designed to provide academic, social, and cultural enrichment to area high school students. The program’s ultimate goal is to assist participating students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university. Students enter the program at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years.
“The University of Success, a first-generation college-bound program is living out the mission of St. Ignatius of Loyola by insuring that students beginning in the middle school years have a support network with the information and strategies to follow their paths to college, go to college, and grow into the people they are capable of becoming,” said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, which houses the University of Success program.
The summer program provides learning experiences designed to engage the students in creative thinking, problem solving and communication through activities that expose students to concepts in various academic disciples. The virtual program featured presentations by former Success students, Admissions and Financial Aid Personnel from the University of Scranton, Counselors from Lackawanna County Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center, and University Science Professors and Staff.
Following the summer program, the students meet monthly throughout their four years in high school.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Kuehner Family Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Overlook Estate Foundation, Prudential Foundation, Scranton Area Foundation, The University of Scranton, Waste Management, Wells Fargo and William G. McGowan Charitable Fund.
Students entering the University of Success program are as follows:
Andrea Amigon, Wilkes-Barre, who attended Solomon/Plains Junior High School;
Trinity Anglin, Clarks Summit, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Jovani Aguilar, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Colby Beck, Hawley, who attended Wallenpaupack Middle School;
Krista Lynn Davis, Carbondale, who attended Carbondale Area Junior/Senior High School;
Kydasia Deas, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Isaac Diaz, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Emily Durkin, Moosic, who attended Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
Jacob Emmet, Carbondale, who attended Carbondale Area Junior/Senior High School;
Stephany DeOliveira, Olyphant, who attended Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Arthur Garcia, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Natasha Hendrickson, Lakewood, who attended Preston Area/Wayne Highlands Area School;
Mariella McCue, Clarks Summit, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Quienton McMillian, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Evelyn Moctezuma, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Chloe Moore, Susquehanna, who attended Preston Area/Wayne Highlands Area School;
Elizabeth Novak, Scott Township, who attended Lakeland Junior/Senior High School;
Vallery Oentoya, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Braeden Philpott, New Milford, who attended Blue Ridge Middle School;
Miguel Ramos, Dunmore, who attended Dunmore Junior High School;
Olivia Rowehl, Matamoras, who attended Delaware Valley Middle School;
Kateryna Smirnova, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Zi Cheng Weng, Plains, who attended Solomon/Plains Junior High School;
Alayshia Williams, Carbondale, who attended Carbondale Area Junior/Senior High School;
Jaden Willis, Taylor, who attended Riverside High School;
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.Area Students Begin University of Success
-
08/05/2020
Areas throughout the DeNaples Center have been reconfigured to accommodate health and safety recommendations for a safe return to campus for the fall semester, as well as to allow for additional instructional spaces.
Event spaces in the DeNaples Center, including the ballrooms, have been reconfigured for class instruction. Technology is being added to the rooms to allow for the various instructional formats. The spaces meet social distancing recommendations and hand sanitizers have been added near the doorway to rooms used for instruction.
All of these adjustments are part of Royals Safe Together: A Plan to Reopen Campus, which also include face mask requirements, personal hygiene practices, contact tracing and other health and safety recommendations that comply with Pennsylvania’s Preliminary Guidance for Resuming In-Person Instruction at Post Secondary Institutions and Adult Education Programs as well with relevant guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH).
Preparations Made to DeNaples Center for Fall
-
08/05/2020
Electronic health records. Telehealth. Mobile check-in. These are just a few of the changes that Student Health Services (SHS) has made to their usual health processes for fall 2020.
“We want students to know that we’re here for them. Our phone is always answered. Students can request telehealth appointments, more than once a day, if they need to. We’re following all the CDC regulations, we have enough personal protective equipment (PPE) and we have mobile check-in so registration is contactless. By implementing telehealth, we hope that there will be little to no wait time for in-person appointments and COVID-19 testing,” said Marguerite Mannion, CRNP, FNP-BC, director of SHS.
SHS reminds students that in addition to wearing masks and social distancing, this year it is vitally important for them to bring a reusable thermometer, their medications, disinfecting wipes and cleaning supplies to campus. SHS and the CDC is also advising people to make getting a flu shot this fall a priority to “reduce your risk from flu but also to help conserve potentially scarce health care resources.” The University will offer flu clinics on campus during the fall semester.
Students who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 or with known or suspected exposure to the virus should contact Student Health Services by phone at (570) 941-7667 for advice and care. For immediate medical assistance after hours or on weekends University Police will be available at 570-941-7777. The University has established protocols to address isolated positive cases of COVID-19 on campus, which you can read here.
“The first thing a student should do when they feel sick is to stop what they’re doing and stay where they are,” said Mannion. “Then they should call us at the front desk. That person will use their best judgement as to whether the student needs to come in for a regular appointment or schedule a telehealth appointment.”
Students who are determined by SHS to need COVID-19-testing will be treated on a separate side of the SHS building so as not to come in contact with other patients. The testing will take place when regular clinic activities are complete in order to limit traffic near the SHS building. Providers at the testing site will be in full PPE.
Students will be required to isolate/quarantine depending on individual circumstances and in accordance with the guidelines established by the CDC and the PA Department of Health. The University will provide a testing option for students experiencing symptoms.
If a student has pending or positive test results SHS and Residence Life will provide the person with quarantine and isolation instructions.
Isolation is used to separate infected people from people who are not sick. People in isolation should separate themselves from others by staying in a specific “sick room” and using a separate bathroom.
Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. People in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health and follow directions from their local Department of Health.
SHS Offers Advice: Focus on the 3 W’s
- Wash your hands frequently
- Wear a mask
- Watch your distance!
Isolation rooms are available on campus for short-term use. Students are encouraged to return to home for quarantine or isolation.
The University will also implement contact tracing, which you can read about on the University’s Royals Safe Together website, under “Testing and Contact Tracing” and in this Royal News article. According to the CDC, a close contact is someone who was within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from two days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days prior to specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.
“Someone in ‘close contact’ might mean a roommate or someone else you were in less than 6 feet away from for more than 15 minutes, not someone who may have passed you in the dining hall or was sitting 6 feet away from you in class,” said Mannion.
SHS outlines the rules for discontinuing quarantine or isolation:
Quarantined students (people who have been around a person with COVID-19) should stay home for 14 days after your last contact with the sick person. Monitor your health during this time and report symptoms of COVID-19 illness to your health care provider. Avoid people who are at high risk for getting very sick from the virus.
Sick students can be with others (discontinue isolation) after
At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and
At least 24 hours with no fever without fever reducing medicine and
Symptoms have improved
The Student Health Services staff promises to guide and counsel students through illness or exposure, and the University will continue to monitor the spread of the virus, especially within the broader region, and will respond accordingly.
Any additional institutional actions, including decisions related to campus closure, will be informed by this ongoing assessment and by guidance or directives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Read the entire Royals Safe Together plan on the website, here, and visit the SHS website, here.
Information for Faculty & Staff
Employee guidance for addressing student questions:
- Employees should refer students who test positive for COVID-19, who are concerned about having been exposed to someone testing positive and/or who are experiencing symptoms to Student Health Services to ensure necessary monitoring, support, and/or contact tracing.
- The employee should then alert the Dean of Students Office (570-941-7680) to ensure appropriate follow-up.
Information for an employee who has been exposed to COVID-19:
- An employee who has been exposed, is experiencing symptoms, or has tested positive to COVID-19 should report this information to the employee’s supervisor (staff), dean (faculty) or HR directly and go home.
- The supervisor or dean should notify HR immediately so that appropriate information can be shared with the employee and, if needed, contact tracing can take place.
Read more about Responding to a Resurgence, here.
Student Health Services Prepares for Arrival of Students
-
08/05/2020
Throughout campus, Facilities Operations has already adopted cleaning and disinfection protocols that comply with guidelines from the CDC for preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Additional cleaning procedures have been put in place for the fall semester for instructional spaces such as classrooms, laboratories, as well as other spaces on campus that will be used for classes during the fall semester. Classrooms have been adjusted to meet social distancing recommendations.
“The focus of Royal Safe Together – A Plan to Reopen Campus has been to provide our students with an education grounded in our Catholic and Jesuit mission in a safe manner at this unique time. Priority was given to the use of all spaces on campus for instruction and an extensive plan was developed to implement health and safety precautions to keep our campus safe for our students, faculty and staff. We realize this is a shared responsibility and the plan and procedures put in place take this into account,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
Cleaning procedures for instructional spaces include custodial cleaning as well as protocols for students and faculty using these rooms. The cleaning and disinfecting procedures are in addition to the wearing of masks and room reconfigurations that allow for social distancing recommendations.
The custodial cleaning program of academic areas will be increased in frequency and will follow the CDC’s cleaning and disinfection guidance of cleaning high touch-points such as door handles, banisters, elevator buttons, public areas and restrooms. Classroom cleaning will include the use of electrostatic cleaning and backpack sprayers after classes end each day. Log sheets indicating the date and time of cleaning protocols completed will be posted in classrooms and restrooms.
The cleaning program was reviewed and confirmed by Michael Baltrusaitis, University health and safety officer, from Cocciardi & Associates, Inc., a recognized firm providing guidance on health and safety issues.
In addition to the custodial staff, students and faculty will also play a role in keeping instructional areas clean. Students and faculty will be asked to apply hand sanitizer as they enter the class. Hand sanitizer is available by the door of every instructional space. EPA-registered disinfectant wipes will also be available to students and faculty as they enter the classroom. Each student will wipe down the surface area in front of them before and after they sit down. Faculty members or others responsible for instruction (e.g. laboratory staff or teaching assistants) will wipe down surface areas in front of them before and after class. This may include computer, podium, front table, etc.
Signage of these procedures will be placed in instructional spaces as a reminder of the protocols.
Facilities staff will restock cleaning supplies in instructional spaces throughout the day. Additional cleaning supplies, as well as masks, will also be available at the Dean’s Offices in Brennan Hall, St. Thomas Hall and Leahy Hall, and in the Dean of Students Office in the DeNaples Center.
The University will determine alternate arrangements for faculty or staff who are unable to perform any cleaning tasks due to medical conditions. Students who are unable to perform any of these cleaning tasks outlined in this protocol due to medical conditions can contact the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE). Faculty will be informed of students who cannot perform these tasks.
In addition to cleaning protocols, for classes with more than 20 students, instructors are asked to dismiss students in smaller groups for social distancing purposes.
Royals Safe Together: A Plan to Reopen Campus complies with Pennsylvania’s Preliminary Guidance for Resuming In-Person Instruction at Post Secondary Institutions and Adult Education Programs as well with relevant guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). The plan also recognizes the need to continue to adapt to changing circumstances, noting that the University “will continue to monitor the spread of the virus, especially within the broader region, and will respond accordingly.”
Protocols Keep Instructional Spaces Clean and Safe
-
08/04/2020
Move-in will look different this year, with several move-in dates, fewer family members on campus and less luggage.
Not sure what to expect? We lay it all out for you here.
In order to avoid a rush right before classes begin, students may request a move-in time to drop off their belongings, set up their living space and then depart campus several days before classes begin, between Aug. 9 and 11, by requesting a slot here. This phase is fully optional based on student ability and interest.
First year-students should have received Welcome Packets with their assigned move-in times for Aug. 15.
- Each student is assigned a time between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- First-year students can expect help from returning students with their move-in.
- The Welcome Packets include information about the traffic routes for Aug 15.
- Additional information can be reviewed by visiting the Residence Hall Move-in webpage, here, after Aug. 6.
Returning students will move in Aug. 16.
- Returning students who did not participate in Drop-off or as a Move-in Volunteer may return to campus housing on Aug. 16
- Students may arrive between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
- Additional information can be reviewed by visiting the Residence Hall Move-in webpage, here, after Aug. 6.
“We are excited to have students return to campus as campus is a very quiet place without our students,” said Brad Troy, director of Residence Life, “Life on campus will be a bit different, but a commitment to personal safety expectations from the entire campus community will help to ensure we have a successful semester. We want to remind students and families that all persons visiting campus during move-in must wear a face covering at all times and practice proper social distancing and good hand hygiene.”
Students should (are encouraged to) pack lightly since the semester will end before the coldest weather traditionally hits Scranton.
Students are being asked to bring disinfecting wipes, cleaning supplies and a reusable thermometer from home.
Students should be arriving with no more than two family members with whom they currently reside. Upon arriving on campus, students and family members will be required to follow basic safety guidelines, including
- Social distancing
- Wearing masks at all times, on campus and in residence halls,
- Washing hands and using the provided hand sanitizer often.
Some residence life adjustments for this year include:
- Triple rooms being used for two rather than three students;
- A small number of single rooms being reserved for students who demonstrate specific risk factors (students should contact CTLE for this accommodation)
- No non-University guests and no overnight guests will be allowed in residence halls during the fall semester
- Students from international locations or from designated states must complete a 14-day quarantine in Pennsylvania prior to their arrival on campus or must quarantine in their residence hall room or private residence (the Office of Residence Life will contact impacted students to determine their plans).
Find all information on this year's move-in on the Residence Hall Move-in webpage, here.
Please also familiarize yourself with the Royals Safe Together website, here, which details safety in residence halls and around campus.
Please follow these safety guidelines from The University of Scranton's Royals Safe Together plan, which you can find here.
FACE COVERINGS IN RESIDENCE HALLS
- Face coverings are not required when students are in their assigned residence (room, suite, or apartment) and the only other person(s) present is their assigned roommate(s). Residents in apartments are permitted to remove face coverings within other areas of their apartment so long as only residents who share the apartment are present.
- Given that students may not know if they can maintain social distancing, face coverings are required any time students leave their residence, including going to building common spaces or bathrooms.
RESIDENCE HALL BATHROOMS
- In buildings with multiple community bathrooms on a floor, students will be assigned a specific bathroom for their use, and limited occupancy in the bathroom spaces will be implemented.
- Increased cleaning procedures will be in place for all community bathrooms during the fall semester, which may mean the bathroom is closed during certain parts of the day.
- In-room custodial services (trash removal and vacuuming) in first year and sophomore residences will be paused this semester. Students will be given instructions on trash disposal at the beginning of the semester by their Resident Assistants.
RESIDENCE HALL GUESTS
In order to limit community spread, it is necessary to limit contact between people in close quarters. Accordingly, no non-University guests and no overnight guests will be allowed in residence halls during the fall semester.
Preparing for Move-in, Fall 2020
-
07/29/2020
The University of Scranton will follow Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for contact tracing of students, faculty or staff who are suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19. The Student Life Division will conduct contact tracing for students and the Office of Human Resources will conduct contact tracing for faculty and staff. The contact tracing done by the University will focus on possible exposures to the campus community and are in addition to public health contact tracing that will also occur.
University staff conducting the contact tracing will have completed the Johns Hopkins Contact Tracing Training program, which includes guidelines to follow regarding exposure determined by time and circumstances. According to the CDC, a close contact is someone who was within six feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting from two days before illness onset (or, for asymptomatic patients, two days prior to specimen collection) until the time the patient is isolated.
During contact tracing, the names of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are suspected of an exposure will not be disclosed. Even the software used to facilitate contact tracing protects confidentiality.
Staff from Student Life (students) or Human Resources (faculty, staff) will contact individuals who have been identified based on the level of exposure to a person with a positive test or with symptoms awaiting a positive test. Individuals contacted may be required to be tested, or quarantine or both. Employees would contact their health care providers to coordinate testing as needed. Student Life will coordinate the testing for students if needed.
For students, spaces have been reserved specifically for isolation and quarantine. Quarantine and isolation would be temporary until students could return home for the majority of their required time in isolation/quarantine. If a student cannot return home, they may remain in a temporary housing assignment for the duration of their isolation/quarantine. Student Life staff will also work with faculty to provide support for coursework for quarantined students.
For employees who are required to quarantine, Human Resources would contact their supervisor or dean to establish remote work opportunities when feasible.
Facilities Operations would also be contacted to clean work spaces and other areas as applicable.
For more information about the University’s plans for a safe return to campus for the fall, visit Royals Safe Together: A Plan to Reopen Campus.
University Prepared for Contact Tracing in Fall
-
07/29/2020
Throughout campus, classrooms and event spaces have been measured and retrofitted to meet social distancing recommendations. Plexiglass shields have been added to high traffic areas. Signage has been developed to remind community members of mask, hygiene, social distancing and other health and safety recommendations. All done as part of Royals Safe Together: A Plan to Reopen Campus.
The University commissioned a detailed architectural assessment of each classroom to guide room and laboratory layouts and capacity that follow recommendations for social distancing by six feet. Many classrooms on campus have already been adjusted to allow for faculty and students to follow the social distancing recommendations. Additional spaces on campus, usually used for larger events or conferences, will be used for instruction during the fall semester. Space occupancy limits that allow for social distancing will be posted on the doors prior to the beginning of the semester. Technology will also be added to the classroom spaces to allow for the various instructional formats.
Hand sanitizers have been added near the doorway to classrooms. As part of Royals Safe Together, students and faculty are asked to apply hand sanitizer as they enter the class. In addition, EPA-registered disinfectant wipes will be available to students and faculty as they enter the classroom. Each student will wipe down the surface area in front of them before and after they sit down. Faculty members or others responsible for instruction (e.g. laboratory staff or teaching assistants) will wipe down surface areas in front of them before and after class. In addition, instructional spaces will be deep-cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis with special attention to frequently touched surfaces, such as desks, tables, chairs and door knobs.
Plexiglass shields have been installed in high traffic areas throughout campus, including in the library, the DeNaples Center, academic advising centers, Technology Support Center, Printing and Mailing Services and dozens of other areas on campus.
Signage has been developed to remind students, faculty and staff of safety and health recommendations, as well as to indicated sanitized areas. Throughout campus, cleaning and disinfection protocols are in place that comply with guidelines from the CDC for preventing the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The signs will be placed throughout campus prior to the beginning of the semester.
Royals Safe Together: A Plan to Reopen Campus reminds members of the University community of their individual responsibility to follow guidelines to protect the health and well-being of themselves and others. Face masks, social distancing, personal hygiene practices, cleaning and disinfecting regimens comply with Pennsylvania’s Preliminary Guidance for Resuming In-Person Instruction at Post Secondary Institutions and Adult Education Programs as well with relevant guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). The University has also added a wellness self-screening application for use by students and employees that provides an easy way for them to review symptoms each day by responding to a series of simple questions as recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The plan addresses testing protocols, contact tracing, and housing arrangements for students requiring isolation or quarantine which include students returning home for a designated time when possible. The plan also recognizes the need to continue to adapt to changing circumstances, noting that the University “will continue to monitor the spread of the virus, especially within the broader region, and will respond accordingly.”
University Prepares for Safe Return to Campus
-
07/29/2020
Facilities Operations at The University of Scranton is in the process of implementing multiple recommendations made through a Campus Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Survey of academic buildings and most office buildings on campus. The survey was completed by Martin Rogers Engineering Consultants in the spring semester.
The recommendations included the increase of outdoor air and relief air of HVAC systems where possible. This process reduces the recirculation of air into the space while improving the air quality by flushing more impurities out of the space. The University will run HVAC systems longer, both before and after the space is occupied, in order to clear more aerosols from the space. The University will also increase the supply air rate in the HVAC system by increasing the fan speeds wherever possible, thereby increasing the air change rate in the space. The University has also treated all heating and cooling coils with an anti-bacterial spray and will replace air filters prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Lastly, the University will replace electric hand driers with paper towel dispensers, since studies have shown that electric hand driers can circulate aerosolized particulate.
For residence hall bedrooms and remote office spaces that did not have HVAC systems and, therefore, were not included in the survey, portable room air cleaners with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters will be used. HEPA is a type of pleated mechanical air filter that can remove 99.97 percent of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particles down to 0.1 microns.
HVAC Adjustments Mean Cleaner Air Indoors
-
07/22/2020
In January, NBC’s The Office cast member Brain Baumgartner (Kevin) stopped by The University of Scranton campus to speak to students, staff and alumni about the show’s connection to Scranton for a podcast airing on Spotify. The History of The Office, hosted by Baumgartner, chronicles the show from its origins to its continued popularity today on streaming services like Netflix.
In addition to interviews the show’s creators, cast members, writers and fans, Baumgartner interviewed organizers of The Office Convention and The Office Wrap Party, which took place on the University’s campus and other locations in the city. Scranton alumnus Tim Holmes ’88, along with area resident Michele Dempsey, were interviewed in the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library for the podcast. Scranton alumni Emily Holmes G’14 and Colin Holmes ’13 also participated.
Scranton staff members who helped to organized The Office Convention and The Office Wrap Party on campus also spoke to Baumgartner during the visit, including Randy Shemanski, associate director of athletics; Frani Mancuso ’93, executive director of conferences and event services; Stan Zygmunt ’84, G’95, director of news and media relations; Shannon Murphy Fennie ’99, assistant dean of students; and Michael Ritterbeck ’09, director of the Center for Student Engagement, who was a University student volunteer for the Office Convention.
Scranton students who were fans of The Office were also interviewed, including Virginia Farrell, Scranton; Abril Lopez, Scranton; Makenzie Mason, Doylestown; Conor Nealon, Duryea; Eliza Phenneger, Center Valley; Adrianna Smith, Covington Township; Claire Sunday, South Abington Township; and Lily Warhaftig, New York, New York.
Makers of The History of The Office Visited Campus
-
07/21/2020
Two articles co-authored by University of Scranton Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) candidates and professors of accounting were awarded prestigious Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Silver and Bronze medals for 2020. Scranton’s accounting faculty have been awarded more Lybrand Medals in the past decade than any other institution in the nation, previously winning four Lybrand medals, including two gold medals.
The 2020 Lybrand Silver Medal was awarded for the article “SEC Whistleblower Program Continues to Expand,” co-authored by DBA candidate Daniel J. Gaydon and Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., chair of the Accounting Department at Scranton.
The 2020 Lybrand Bronze Medal was awarded for the article “Goodwill Accounting: The Matter of Serial Non-Impairment,” co-authored by DBA candidate Marcus Burke, Dr. Boyle, and Daniel P. Mahoney, Ph.D., professor of accounting at Scranton.
The Lybrand Competition considers for awards all manuscripts published during the year in the Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA) Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly journals, both of which are rated among the top five refereed practitioner journals.
“As a longtime reader of Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly, I’m so honored to receive this recognition,” said Gaydon. “I’m grateful to work with Dr. Boyle on this article as well as a number of other articles over the last few years. The DBA program at The University of Scranton allows me the opportunity to work with top-notch faculty and global scholars through my dissertation committee.”
“Dr. Boyle and Dr. Mahoney provided a wealth of knowledge, which helped me to develop meaningful research ideas and greatly assisted in guiding me through the academic publishing process. That knowledge and willingness to collaborate is well reflected in the Lybrand award, and I look forward to future research endeavors,” said Burke.
Scranton’s DBA program received international recognition when the prestigious accrediting body, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), recognized the program in 2019 among the “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” Scranton’s DBA was recognized for providing a non-traditional research DBA in accounting that “promotes diversity and practice relevance by providing a flexible path for experienced practitioners to gain the knowledge and credentials required to succeed in tenure-track positions at AACSB-accredited institutions.”
Dr. Boyle serves as director of Scranton’s DBA Program and as the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
Gaydon, Plains, is a member of the University’s first cohort of DBA students. During his time at Scranton, he also published with Dr. Boyle “Managing Reputational and Financial Risks Through Internal Whistleblower Programs,” Management Accounting Quarterly (Spring 2020); “Occupational Fraud Trends and Implications,” Internal Auditing (May/June 2020); “SEC Enforcement: Doing More With Less,” Internal Auditing (January/February 2020); and “Penalizing Corruption,” Internal Auditor (December 2018). Gaydon is expected to graduate from the program in the fall of 2020.
Burke of Poughkeepsie, New York, is also a member of the University’s first cohort of DBA students. He is expected to graduate from the program in the fall of 2020.
A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Boyle has more than 25 years of industry executive experience. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Boyle was profiled in 2020 and 2019 as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs. He was awarded the Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award from the Faculty Senate at Scranton in 2019 and has won numerous other awards for teaching and research. Dr. Boyle earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Dr. Boyle’s research has been published in numerous academic and practitioner journals, such as The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Accounting Horizons, Issues in Accounting Education, Current Issues in Auditing, The Journal of Accounting Education, The Accounting Educators’ Journal, The Journal of Accountancy, Strategic Finance, Fraud Magazine, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly, The CPA Journal, Internal Auditing, The Journal of Applied Business Research and The Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences.
An award-winning teacher and scholar, Dr. Mahoney earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from The University of Scranton as well as a doctorate in accounting from Syracuse University. A Certified Public Accountant, he was named Kania School of Management’s Professor of the Year five times and has won numerous other awards for teaching.
Dr. Mahoney’s research has been published in numerous professional journals, such as The CPA Journal, Internal Auditor, Strategic Finance, Management Accounting Quarterly and Journal of Business and Economics Research, Accounting and Financial Management.
DBA Student/Professor Articles Win National Awards
-
07/21/2020
Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and media at The University of Scranton, was named executive director for the Eastern Communication Association, the oldest professional communication association in the United States.
A faculty member at Scranton since 2009, Dr. Smulowitz teaches courses in advertising, healthcare planning and marketing, and small group, organizational and leadership communication. She also advises the Ad Club and the AAF National Student Advertising Competition team at Scranton. Her research interests focus on theory and strategy for promoting excellence in organizational, women’s and girls’ leadership.
An Accredited Business Communicator (A.B.C.), Dr. Smulowitz is also president of Smulowitz Communications, a strategic communication and leadership consulting firm.
A resident of Shavertown, Dr. Smulowitz earned a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University, a master’s degree from Ithaca College and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University.
Faculty Member Named as ECA Executive Director
-
07/21/2020
The University of Scranton’s Office of Sustainability recognized several students with sustainability awards at a virtual ceremony in the spring.
The awards were presented by Tate Ackerman, Endicott, New York, who served as the 2019/20 President Society Sustainability and Conservation, and Ryne Culley, Rockville, Maryland, who will serve as the 2020/21 President Society Sustainability and Conservation.
Students receiving awards were as follows:
Erin A. Carlin, Scranton, the Saint Francis Assisi Sustainability Leadership Award 2020 and the Sustainability Award for Social Media Specialist;
Daniella R. Dickison, Bloomsbury, New Jersey, Office of Sustainability’s Green School Award;
Natalie Marie Krupka, Allentown, Sustainability Award for Community Outreach;
Taylor Mackenzie Limone, Burlington, New Jersey, Sustainability Award for Most Passionate;
Eva T. Rine, Covington Township, Sustainability Award for Most Creative;
Sarah Robinson, Manlius, New York, Sustainability Award for Green Character;
Abigail S. Tirador, Bloomfield, New Jersey, Sustainability Award for the Plant Identification Project;
St. John Taylor Whittaker, Scranton, Sustainability Award for Most Dedicated Volunteer.
University student Michael Quinnan, Shavertown, served as emcee for the virtual Sustainability Award presentation ceremony. Also participating in the virtual event were: Mark R. Murphy, director of Sustainability and Energy Management; James Caffrey, associate vice president for facilities operations; Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of the University’s concentration in environmental studies; Rob Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology; and Rev. Patrick Rogers, S.J., executive director of the University’s Jesuit Center.
Students Recognized by Office of Sustainability
-
07/21/2020
The Weinberg Memorial Library announced the winners of the 2020 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize competition. The Undergraduate Foundational Winner was Eryn Boken, Pasadena, California, for the project, Coronavirus Concerns for the U.S. Economy, completed in the course WRTG 107: Composition, taught by Prof. Dawn D’Aries Zera, adjunct faculty member, English and theatre. The Undergraduate Upper-level Winner was Katherine R. Burke, South Abington Township, for the project, Towards an Ethics of Gendered Difference, completed in the course PHIL 382: Care Ethics in Japanese Film, taught by Prof. George Aulisio, professor and chair of the library. The Graduate Winner was Liam Mulvaney, Jenkintown, for the project, Historical Analysis: A Century of Progress in Adaptive Equipment, completed in the course OT 501: Leadership in Occupational Therapy, taught by Marlene Morgan, Ed.D., associate professor of occupational therapy.
The Weinberg Memorial Library inaugurated the prize in 2011 to recognize excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge of the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services. In 2017, the prize was named for Professor Emerita Bonnie W. Oldham, who founded the prize at the University in 2011.
The Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize was fully endowed in 2019 and consists of a prize of $500 awarded to winning projects in each of the three categories: Undergraduate Foundational (100-level projects), Undergraduate Upper-level (200- to 400-level projects), and Graduate. This year’s winning projects and descriptions of the research process submitted by student winners will be deposited into the University of Scranton Student Scholarship digital collection this summer.
Projects selected as Honorable Mention in 2020 in the three categories are as follows. Undergraduate Foundational Honorable Mentions: Brayden Druger, Ambler, for the project, Preliminary Military Health Screenings: Are They Worth It?, and Sydney Youngblood, Moscow, for the project, To Heal or To Kill, both completed for the course WRTG 107: Composition taught by Prof. Dawn D’Aries Zera, adjunct faculty member, English and theatre. Undergraduate Upper-level Honorable Mention: Sarah White, Brooklyn, New York, for the project, Constrained Women, Authoritarian Men, and Gender-Based Medical Treatments: Unequal Gender Roles and a Tragic Descent into Madness in Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wall-paper”, completed for the course ENLT 265J: The American Literary Experience taught by Leonard Gougeon, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of English and Theatre. Graduate Honorable Mentions: Melissa Busch, Yardley, for the project, Occupational Therapy in the Hospital, completed for the course OT 501: Leadership in Occupational Therapy taught by Marlene Morgan, Ed.D., associate professor of occupational therapy; Emily Gilinger, Marlton, New Jersey, Tyler Huggins, Harleysville, Brian Gargiulo, Cheshire, Connecticut, and Joshua Taylor, Beach Lake, for the project, Recreational Activities Impact on Activity and Participation in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review, completed for the course PT 772/773: Scientific Inquiry II/III in Physical Therapy taught by Renée Hakim, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy.
Judges for this year’s competition were: Kelly Banyas, assistant professor, library; Marian Farrell, Ph.D., professor of nursing; Colleen Farry, assistant professor, library; Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre; Eugeniu Grigorescu, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence; Wendy Manetti, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing; William Miller, Ph.D., faculty specialist, health administration and human resources; Linda Mlodzienski, faculty specialist, accounting; Ian O'Hara, assistant professor, library; Adam Pratt, Ph.D., associate professor of history; and Amy Simolo, Ed.D., faculty development specialist.
Library Research Prize Winners Recognized for 2020
-
07/17/2020
The University of Scranton awarded eight professors 2020 Faculty Development Summer Grants, which are intended to promote scholarship and curriculum development efforts by faculty members.
Michael Azar, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies, will research “The Role of Scripture in Jewish-Christian Dialogue: An Orthodox Perspective.” A faculty member at Scranton since 2013, Dr. Azar earned a bachelor’s degree from Colorado Christian University, a master’s degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Fordham University.
John Deák, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, will research “Measuring Reorganization Within and Organized Molecular Interface Using Microscopic Volume Changes.” He joined the faculty at the University in 2002. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Buffalo, a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester and completed post-doctoral studies at the University of Illinois, Champaign.
Josephine Dunn, Ph.D., professor of art history, will research “Hidden Histories: Women Making History in Northeastern Pennsylvania.” Dr. Dunn joined the faculty at Scranton in 1988. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Colleen Farry, assistant professor and digital services librarian, will research “Iterative Experimentation with Crowdsourcing Technologies.” She joined the University community in 2015. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Marywood University, and master’s degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, director of the pre-law advisory program and faculty director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities, will research “Nietzsche’s ‘Thus Spoke Zarathustra.’” He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas, a master’s degree from Harvard University and a Ph.D. from Boston University. He joined the University faculty in 2010.
Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication and media, will research “Leading Change in Higher Education.” A faculty member at Scranton since 2009, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Wilkes University, a master’s degree from Ithaca College and a Ph.D. from Rutgers University.
Patricia Moyle Wright, Ph.D., professor of nursing, will research “Older Parent’s Experiences of Losing an Adult Child.” Dr. Wright received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from College Misericordia. She earned her Ph.D. from Loyola University Chicago. She joined the faculty at Scranton in 2007.
Habib Zanzana, Ph.D., professor of world languages and cultures, will research “The Representation of Disability in World Literature and Cinema: A Socio-economic and Healthcare Perspective.” Dr. Zanzana joined the faculty at Scranton in 1995. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University.
Faculty Awarded Summer Development Grants
-
07/15/2020
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced today more detailed plans for return of students to campus for the fall 2020 semester, which begins on Monday, Aug. 17, and ends on Wednesday, Nov. 25.
“We must carefully and calmly prepare to respond to the next phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in ways that are grounded in our Catholic and Jesuit mission and in the commitment to community that defines and distinguishes us. We are here to educate our students and to help them achieve their goals and aspirations. We must, therefore, be creative in choosing appropriate and necessary measures that respond to the virus but also support our students,” wrote Father Pilarz in a message to the University community that linked to a 15-page document titled “Royals Safe Together: A Plan to Reopen Campus.”
The plan reminds members of the University community of their individual responsibility to follow guidelines to protect the health and well-being of themselves and others. Face masks and social distancing are required on campus in addition to personal hygiene practices, cleaning and disinfecting regimens that comply with Pennsylvania’s Preliminary Guidance for Resuming In-Person Instruction at Post Secondary Institutions and Adult Education Programs as well with relevant guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH). The University has also added a wellness self-screening application for use by students and employees that provides an easy way for them to review symptoms each day by responding to a series of simple questions as recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Classes will be offered in a variety of formats including: traditional face-to-face formats in classrooms adjusted to meet social distancing recommendations; a flexible format with students rotating to in-person classes and remote viewing of the class period either synchronously or asynchronously; a format where some students will attend in-person classes and others will view the class remotely either synchronously or asynchronously; and classes that are fully remote in either a synchronous or asynchronous format. Faculty will provide fallback support to traditional face-to-face classes for quarantined students by allowing them to remotely view the class.
Laboratory classes will also follow social distancing protocols. Undergraduate, graduate and graduate clinical coursework in off-campus locations will be permitted with the cooperation and permission of external partners.
In an effort to reduce possible exposure to COVID-19, internships and community-based learning projects are only allowed that can be completed remotely during the fall semester. The campus will remain closed to visitors and the general public except by appointment (i.e. admissions visitors), including the use of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Non-University guests are prohibited in all residence halls.
The plan also addresses cleaning protocols, dining services, University ministries, health services, student life and a number of other critical areas including off-campus students as well as COVID-19 testing protocols, contact tracing, and housing arrangements for students requiring isolation or quarantine which include students returning home for a designated time when possible.
The plan recognizes the need to continue to adapt to changing circumstances, noting that the University “will continue to monitor the spread of the virus, especially within the broader region, and will respond accordingly.”
"Royals Safe Together: A Plan to Reopen Campus" can be seen here.
University Fall Semester Plans Announced
-
07/15/2020
Sondra Myers, senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects and director of the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton, has published a new collection of writings that explore the essence of who America is as nation and as a people.
“My aim is to provide reflections and impressions by scholars, political leaders, historians, critics, naturalized Americans and artists who are themselves trying to define just what this country and its people are all about,” wrote Sondra Myers in the preface of her new book “Our America: Who Are We? A Digest of Impressions, Reflections and Opinions.” “I mean to create an impressionistic array of facts, opinions and hopes that give us a more palpable sense of our America.”
The book includes writings of former Presidents of the United States, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama, as well as economist Joseph Stiglitz, historian Joyce Appleby, abolitionist Frederick Douglass and poet Walt Whitman, among many others.
“Recognizing that our imperfections – our racism, our consumerism, our xenophobia – have come into sharp profile at this moment in history, I decided to bring to the surface the writings of thinkers who, beginning with Alexis de Tocqueville, see in us some traits, aspirations and virtues that set us apart from others,” wrote Myers.
Myers went on to conclude “Americans are not defined by our race or ethnicity but by our diversity and our commitment to our America, the place we want, in the words of Spike Lee, ‘to do the right thing.’ … For me, compiling this book has been a journey through our America. I have been guided in part by the way that Tocqueville observed our American-ness – our exceptionalism. I believe that we are exceptional in many ways, but especially in our hope-driven energy through good and bad times to move forward.”
William Sullivan, senior scholar, New American Colleges and Universities, wrote that the book is “(p)erfect for focusing serious discussion as well as personal exploration of what, despite serious failures and problems, makes America a land of promise.”
This is Myers’ tenth book. Her others include “Democracy is a Discussion,” “The Interdependence Handbook,” “The New Rwanda: Prosperity and the Public Good” and “The People's Choice: Public Education and American Democracy.”
“Our America: Who Are We? A Digest of Impressions, Reflections and Opinions” can be ordered for $20 by contacting the University’s Schemel Forum at Alicen.Morrison@scranton.edu. All proceeds from the book will benefit the Schemel Forum.
Our America by Sondra Myers Published
-
07/10/2020
The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center was awarded more than $317,000 in CARES Act Funding from the United States Small Business Administration to expand education, training and business advising to address the issues faced by small businesses as a result of the pandemic, such as supply chain disruptions, staffing challenges and a decrease in gross receipts or customers.
“Small, locally-owned businesses are among the entities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of The University of Scranton SBDC. “The funding will allow us to increase our staff and other resources to provide additional outreach and programming, as well as one-on-one confidential consulting to small business owners to assist them with the individual challenges they are facing because of the pandemic.”
The expanded training and programming will address how small businesses can protect their workplaces, employees and customers against potential health and safety threats, including the prevention of the transmission of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. In addition, training will be offered to educate small businesses on best practices to develop and execute continuity of operations through planning, telework and remote management and customer service practices to sustain business activities during periods of interrupted business service. The SBDC will also continue to assist businesses with accessing the various financial resources available to them.
Scranton’s SBDC, housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, was among the 16 SBDC Centers in the Commonwealth awarded CARES Act funds from the U.S. Small Business Administration and passed through the Pennsylvania SBDC network. Scranton’s SBDC was also one of nine PA SBDC centers awarded additional funds to create a Center of Excellence, theirs focused on agricultural and food businesses. CARES Act funding is intended to help mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses.
SBDCs are hosted by leading universities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training to new and existing businesses. The University of Scranton SBDC serves eight counties in Northeastern and Northern Tier Pennsylvania.
University SBDC Awarded CARES Act Funds
-
07/06/2020
Beginning in the fall 2020 semester, The University of Scranton will offer a new Master of Science in Business Analytics. The 30-credit graduate program will be offered both online and on-campus and can be completed in as little as one year when taken on a full-time basis. Applications for the program are currently being accepted
Business analytics is one of the fastest growing professions in the country, with job opportunities available in companies of all sizes and in all sectors. A recent survey in Forbes found that more than 95 percent of businesses had some kind of need to manage large amounts of data. Job titles include: business intelligence analyst, data analyst, information technology analyst or marketing research analyst, among other titles.
According to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s (GMAC) 2019 Corporate Recruiters Survey, 72 percent of technology companies looked to directly hire personnel with a master’s in business analytics last year. According to GMAC, the median starting salary for Master of Science in Business Analytics graduates is $85,000. According to Payscale, salaries for Management Consultants rise to more than $140,000 at top companies. Salary estimates of business analysts range between $65,000 to $130,000 based on postings listed by indeed.com.
Students pursing a master’s degree in business analytics will develop specialized knowledge in using advanced analytics techniques such as data visualization, predictive analytics and prescriptive analytics to solve business problems. Students will develop hands-on experience with highly sought after software tools such as Python, R, and Tableau. Courses for the program include data mining, introduction to Big Data, business database management systems, forecasting models, data visualization, business simulation and customer relations management analytics.
The University also offers a specialization in business analytics in its MBA program, as well as a bachelor’s degree in business analytics.
Business programs offered at The University of Scranton are accredited by the rigorous standards of AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). Less than 5 percent of business colleges worldwide hold AACSB International accreditation, which is widely considered the gold standard mark of excellence for business schools.
For additional information visit the Master of Science in Business Analytics webpage.Master’s in Business Analytics Offered at Scranton
-
07/06/2020
Five University of Scranton faculty members received Interdisciplinary Seminar Fund, or Clavius Fund, support from the University to pursue an interdisciplinary approach to a subject. The University’s Clavius Fund is designed to promote interdisciplinary engagement and to foster a greater sense of colleagueship across departmental lines by creating settings whereby diverse faculty can explore a topic of mutual interest from divergent perspectives.
The following projects were awarded Clavius Funds for 2020-2021:
Kelly Banyas, Marleen Cloutier and Colleen Farry for “Open Revolution.”
Charles Pinches, Ph.D., and Joel Kemp, Ph.D., for “Hungering for the Library Arts: Historical African-American Perspectives.”
Banyas joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017 as an assistant professor in the library. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a master’s degree from the University of Maryland.
Cloutier, assistant professor and cataloging and metadata librarian, joined the University in 2019. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the Wentworth Institute of Technology and a master’s degree from Drexel University. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in human resources management at The University of Scranton.
Farry, assistant professor and digital services librarian, joined the University in 2015 as a library metadata specialist for the Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Marywood University, and master’s degrees from Syracuse University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Kemp, assistant professor of theology/religious studies, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017. He earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard College, a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School, a Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School and a Ph.D. from Boston College.
Dr. Pinches, professor of theology/religious studies, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Faculty Awarded University Calvius Fund Support
-
06/30/2020
Nine University of Scranton faculty members were honored with Provost Faculty Enhancement awards for excellence in teaching, scholarship or service. The Office of the Provost and the Provost Advisory Group selected the recipients from a pool of candidates nominated by academic deans and department chairs.
Tara Nicole Fay received the Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, presented to faculty members who make extraordinary efforts to enhance student learning and who practice teaching as a form of scholarship. Fay, faculty specialist in the Biology Department, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts and her master’s degree from the University of Colorado.
Jason M. Graham, Ph.D., and Margarete Lieb Zalon, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates noteworthy academic leadership in promoting and strengthening cross-disciplinary or interdepartmental teaching and learning endeavors. Dr. Graham, associate professor of mathematics, joined Scranton’s faculty in 2012. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and master’s degrees from Southern Methodist University and the University of Iowa. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa as well. A member of Scranton’s faculty since 1988, Dr. Zalon, professor of nursing, earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from New York University.
Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum Award. This award honors a faculty members whose special efforts ensure that students have a keen understanding and appreciation of the realities of the world, including pressing justice issues in a local, national and global context. Dr. Harris, professor of political science, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1987. She earned her bachelor’s master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the Binghamton University.
Iordanis Petsas, Ph.D., and Narda Tafuri received the Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award, which recognizes faculty members who have contributed service to the University community, particularly those who demonstrate academic leadership by effectively mentoring their junior colleagues. Dr. Petsas, professor and chair of the University’s Department of Economics and Finance, joined Scranton’s faculty in 2002. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Thessaloniki and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Florida. Tafuri, associate professor in the Library has worked at the University since 1994. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York, Oneonta; and her master’s degrees from New York University and the State University of New York, Albany.
Nabil A. Tamimi, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Scholarly Publication Award, presented to faculty members who have attained distinction in scholarship or creative activity. Dr. Tamini is a professor and chair of the Operations and Information Management Department at the University. He joined the faculty at Scranton in 1993. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University, his MBA from The University of Scranton and his Ph.D. from Temple University.
Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Advancing Global Learning Award, which recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated noteworthy academic leadership in integrating international issues/perspectives into the curriculum and through whose efforts, students have acquired the competencies, attributes and insights required to meaningfully and successfully participate in an increasingly interdependent world. Dr. Van Dyke, associate professor of political science, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1994. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Trinity College and her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia.
Stephen E. Whittaker, Ph.D., received the Magis Award for Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum. This award is intended to recognize a faculty member who makes specific, sustained, and creative efforts to adapt classic principles of Jesuit Pedagogy in his or her own courses. Dr. Whittaker, professor of English and theatre, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1983. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas.
Faculty Recognized for Excellence
-
06/24/2020
Virtual Orientation sessions for students, parents and guardians of The University of Scranton’s class of 2024 began this week. The two-day virtual, interactive program will continue June 25-26, 29-30 and July 1-2.
Scranton’s virtual summer orientation is designed to introduce new students and their families to the University’s procedures, facilities and support services, and to provide them with the opportunity to meet with faculty, administrators and staff, as well as each other.
Interactive virtual sessions for students include information about academic life, the successful transition to college, Scranton’s inclusive community and its Jesuit heritage, as well as social activities and smaller sessions for students to get to know each other based on interest and majors. A track of virtual sessions is also set for parents that include information about academics, financial aid services, career development, mission and ministry, campus life and strategies for success. Both students and parents can also attend a zoom session with representatives from 25 University departments, resources and activities.
Student orientation leader Abril Lopez, a criminal justice and philosophy double major from Scranton; along with a team of University administrators, staff, faculty and nearly 50 student orientation assistants, will participate in the sessions to help acquaint the incoming class to Scranton.
Academic placement tests for incoming students will be taken during the month of June. Incoming students will also attend additional virtual social events during the summer to allow them to get to know their classmates better.
Classes for the University’s fall semester will begin on campus on Monday, August 17.
Class of 2024 Virtual Summer Orientation Begins
-
06/24/2020
More than 2,000 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2020 spring semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Dean’s List students, listed alphabetically, can be seen here.
University Announces Spring 2020 Dean’s List
-
06/24/2020
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the fall 2019 semester after publication of the list in January of 2020.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2019 fall semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the fall 2019 Dean’s List are:
Emily de Onis
Hannah Evans
Ian Graham
Gary Guinane
Megan Rafferty
Rayna Sciarrotta
Alyssa Segnello
Anthony Spoto
Students Added to Fall 2019 Dean’s List
-
06/23/2020
Sixteen of high school students completed The University of Scranton’s University of Success program, a multi-year, pre-college program that is designed for high school students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. One graduate will take a gap year, all the other graduates have been admitted to post-secondary schools.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, BB&T Bank, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Dime Bank, Fidelity Bank, Carl and JoAnne Kuehner, Memco Realty Co., MetLife Foundation, Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, PPL Corp., Prudential Foundation, Dr. Lisa C. Thomas, Waste Management and Wells Fargo.
The following is a list of 2020 University of Success graduates, the high school they attended, and their post-high school plans.
Olivia Bell of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend East Stroudsburg University;
Abygale Bergamino of Old Forge, Old Forge High School, plans to attend the Honors Program of Grand Canyon University;
Lisa Blanchard of Carbondale, Carbondale High School, plans to attend Maryville University;
Corey Bridges of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Ranjeeta Dhungel of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Leandria Hercules of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Caroline Linn of Waymart, Scranton Preparatory School, plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh;
George Loukopoulos of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Penn State University, Scranton;
Erica Monteiro of Dunmore, Dunmore High School, will take a gap year;
Alex Musti of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Lackawanna College;
Shanice Nelson of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Juliet O'Brien of Shohola, North Pocono High School, plans to attend Penn State University, Scranton;
Emily Ortiz of Bushkill, Notre Dame High School, plans to attend Penn State University, main campus;
Sarah Pineiro of South Abington Township, Abington Heights High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania College of Technology;
Simal Sami of Jessup, Valley View High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Jamie Stine of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend Lebanon Valley College.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Seniors Graduate from University of Success
-
06/19/2020
The University of Scranton will observe Juneteenth National Freedom Day in Pennsylvania on Friday, June 19, by lighting the Class of 2020 Gateway in the symbol of the Juneteenth flag of red and blue with a white star at its center. The holiday celebrates African-American history and culture and is an occasion to reflect on the legacy of slavery in the United States and its impact on the Black community.
Governor Wolf, who last year signed legislation which designated June 19 as “Juneteenth National Freedom Day” in Pennsylvania, is encouraging all Pennsylvanians to reflect on the importance of the state holiday and the continued need for a fair and just society.
Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865, to commemorate Union army general Gordon Granger’s reading of federal orders in the city of Galveston, Texas, the furthest point in the south, proclaiming all slaves in Texas to be free. The slaves were previously unaware of the end of the Civil War and that they had been freed more than two years earlier when President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Class of 2020 Gateway features include a lit glass wall etched with the seal of The University of Scranton that spans the center of the four-story west façade of St. Thomas Hall.
Gateway Lit for PA Juneteenth National Freedom Day
-
06/17/2020
Eight members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2020 committed to post-graduation long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations throughout the country. Their service begins this summer and includes programs run by the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
The following is a list of members of the University’s class of 2020 who committed to long-term service projects and their places of service.
Keidy Barrientos, Port Jervis, New York, will serve at the Peace Corps in Los Angeles, California.
John Garvey, Marlton, New Jersey, will serve as a teacher’s aide at Cristo Rey High School through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Emma Graham, Waverly Township, will serve as an educational associate at Homeboy Industries through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Los Angeles, California.
Brion Harris, Amityville, New York, will serve with the Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry at a location TBA.
Nathan Houston, Manasquan, New Jersey, will serve as a teacher at the De LaSalle Blackfeet school with the Lasallian Volunteers in Browning, Montana.
Bridget McGuire, Towson, Maryland, will serve as an educational specialist at St. Matthew’s School through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Phoenix, Arizona.
Giancarlo Ponticello, Bloomfield, New Jersey, will serve with Catholic Charities Refugee Programs through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Phoenix, Arizona.
Domonique Thompson, Brooklyn, New York, will serve with Franciscan Mission Service at a location TBA.
Nationally recognized for its commitment to service, The University of Scranton was among just 29 elite colleges in the nation selected to the Catholic Volunteer Network’s 2020 “Top Schools for Service.” was among just 361 colleges in the nation to earn the highly-respected Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification and was among the higher education institutions named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.
Graduates Commit to Long Term Service Positions
-
06/16/2020
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced today to the University community an earlier start to the fall 2020 semester of Monday, Aug. 17, and an earlier semester end date of Wednesday, Nov. 25, the day prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. Previously, the semester was scheduled to begin on Aug. 31 and end Dec. 19.
The changes apply only to campus-based classes and programs. The calendar for online graduate classes and programs will continue as originally planned.
“The goal of all of our efforts remains the same: to deliver for our students an exceptional Catholic and Jesuit education distinguished by personal care and attention. The revisions to our calendar will support our hope and plan to do so on campus and in person,” said Fr. Pilarz in his message to the University community.
In the revised schedule, final exams will take place on campus from Friday, Nov. 20, through no later than 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25. In order to complete the mandated semester hours and to limit longer interruptions, the University will hold classes on Labor Day (Sept. 7) and the days previously scheduled for Fall Break (Oct. 12 and 13).
The plan was presented to the President’s Cabinet by the University’s Fall Planning Group, chaired by Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and was developed with input from the faculty, staff and student senates, as well as with consultation with representatives from key offices and departments across campus.
The University will announce full details of its complete plan for the fall semester in early July.
“The plan will include more detailed information about move-in procedures for new and returning students and health and safety guidelines for campus. We will also be working closely with faculty to create a schedule of courses that allows for appropriate social distancing precautions in the classroom and ensures that faculty, students and staff are safe and healthy,” said Fr. Pilarz.
The full message to the University community can be seen here.
Changes to Fall Semester Calendar Announced
-
06/16/2020
The University of Scranton’s Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured earned a 2020 Gold Rating from the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) Quality Standards Program.
As a member of NAFC, the Leahy Clinic is required to quantify and qualify the care provided utilizing a formalized set of quality standards set forth by this national association. Voluntary submission of information to the NAFC on the various policies and procedures is required to attain their standards rating along with validation that they are successfully incorporated within the organization. NAFC quality standards elements included policies and procedures related to the following areas: administrative, enhanced access and continuity of care, identifying and managing patient population information, planning and managing care, providing self-care support and community resources, tracking and coordinating care and measuring and improving performance.
Procedures documented by the Leahy Clinic, Lackawanna County’s only free clinic, include reports of the diversity in its racial, ethnic and language composition within the patient population. Language services and multi-lingual staff of the clinic interpret for the patient utilizing culturally specific dialects that decrease the possibility for misdiagnosis due to lack of understanding in both directions of interpretation. The Leahy Clinic has also established relationships with medical and diagnostic specialists with the goal of improving overall health and decreasing inappropriate Emergency Department utilization due to lack of accessible care, by implementing a patient navigation system.
“We have been members of NAFC for the past 10 years, and along with University of Scranton students, have been able to develop resources and provide patient care based on best practices for delivery of outpatient care,” said Andrea Mantione, D.N.P., director of the University’s Leahy Community Health and Family Center, which includes the Leahy Clinic. Both Dr. Mantione and Maria Vital, Ph.D., operations manager at the Leahy Community Health and Family Center, have been featured as guest speakers to NAFC’s national audience.
“We continue to work with both the National and State Association of Free and Charitable Clinic as a model of high quality health care delivery to our most vulnerable populations,” said Dr. Mantione. “We are excited to have received this top rating highlighting our commitment to providing quality care for our patients.”
The Leahy Clinic, now in its 13th year of operation at the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, 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 Leahy Clinic has been able to offer free care that includes medical, counseling, physical therapy and low vision services, along with exercise and nutrition classes. Since 2007, the clinic has served more than 7,000 individual patients through more than 16,000 visits.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., the NAFC is working to ensure that the medically underserved have access to affordable quality health care and strives to be a national voice promoting quality health care for all. Both the NAFC and The Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured are dedicated to ensuring that patients receive quality health care.
Leahy Clinic Earns Gold Quality Standard Rating
-
06/11/2020
Dear Members of the University Community,
Since I wrote you last week, the anger and grief unleashed by the murder of George Floyd has coalesced into a demand for immediate and systemic changes across our country and the globe to combat racism and to ensure, once and for all, that Black Lives Matter. Within our own community, my colleagues and I have heard the voices of black students, faculty, staff and alumni as they shared their own experiences of racism and let us know that we must do more and do better to create a community where all can feel welcome and safe always.
The concerns that we have heard most frequently relate to the following:
- Policy on racism, discrimination, bias and inclusion for all members of the University community;
- Training and development for students, faculty and staff; and
- The need to address better in our curriculum both racism and discrimination and the cultural richness and contributions of blacks and all persons of color.
As I said, we are not waiting until September to act. Here are some immediate steps:
- Since last summer, the University’s various governance bodies have been considering a substantially updated and revised Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy recommended for approval by University Governance Council following a review by all three senates. The new, comprehensive policy applies to the entire University community – students, faculty, staff – and even those who visit campus to indicate clearly that we do not tolerate acts of racism. While there may still be minor amendments needed in the future, I am today approving this policy and directing the Office of Equity and Diversity to begin its immediate implementation with appropriate collaboration across campus. This implementation should include sessions to educate all segments of the University community on their respective responsibilities. You can read the new policy here.
- Determined to increase representation and improve retention of diverse populations among our faculty and staff, I have asked Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Patricia Tetreault, Vice President for Human Resources, to convene a special task force that will work with the Office of Equity and Diversity to implement ways that we can expand our pool of candidates and intentionally seek to build a faculty and staff that better represent the growing diversity of our student body. At scheduled meeting of the Board of Trustees next week, I will ask them to designate a portion of the University’s quasi-endowment to support our hiring objectives. We are working to identify other sources of funds as well.
- The Office of Equity and Diversity will now report to the President. In recognition of this move, Elizabeth Garcia, J.D., will lead the office as Executive Director of Equity and Diversity and Special Assistant to the President. In this role, she will continue to chair the Council for Diversity and Inclusion and will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet bringing her important knowledge and perspective into our deliberations. I am grateful to Ms. Garcia for her willingness to accept these new responsibilities.
- I charge my colleagues on the faculty to develop and implement a curricular component to our general education that addresses racism and discrimination. Given the gravity of the moment, I would expect this to demand your immediate and sustained attention and look forward to receiving your recommended changes by the conclusion of the fall semester. Relatedly, I have approved a proposal from the History Department to hire a full-time faculty member with a focus on African American history. We will be asking for proposals from other departments to strengthen our curriculum and help to diversify our faculty.
- Last year, under the leadership of the Office of Equity and Diversity and Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, we began a series of ongoing workshops, many of them led by our faculty on topics of diversity and inclusion. These recorded sessions include Pedagogy Workshops on inclusion and links to materials on creating inclusive classes, courses, etc. Once again, I charge every member of the faculty to avail themselves of these resources over the summer and to consider how you can engage race and racism within your courses, scholarship and/or University service.
- Last year, Dr. Gingerich established the broadly representative Council on Diversity and Inclusion to provide insights and guidance to institutional plans for diversity, inclusion and anti-racism. I am asking every member of Cabinet to review and, when possible, implement recommendations as they are developed.
- Gingerich will ask the deans to implement an annual evaluation of how academic departments have contributed to the University’s diversity and inclusion efforts and policies and how they might further support our efforts.
Other suggested actions for the University were already in place. These include:
- Student Life developed and implemented a session for all incoming students that focuses on diversity and inclusion and educates students about micro-aggressions. The new session is part of the Summer Orientation sessions set to begin June 22.
- Last year, the Office of Equity and Diversity developed a Toolkit for Inclusionary Recruitment and Hiring and updated training for faculty hiring to include implicit bias.
- In 2016, The University of Scranton Police Department earned accreditation by the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, becoming one of just 10% in the Commonwealth to earn this distinction. Part of this accreditation process included a thorough review of policing tactics and training. As a result, University Police protocols already ban the use of choke holds. The department was reaccredited in 2019.
- As an additional resource for students of color, the Counseling Center in collaboration with the Cross Cultural Centers launched a weekly support and empowerment group just prior to the COVID-19 campus closure. Restructuring last year in Student Life, created an Assistant Dean of Students position to increase retention and student success with emphasis on first generation students and students of color.
The actions outlined above are not the end of our efforts. Nevertheless, they are an important beginning. I challenge you all to join in the hard work that lies ahead to accomplish our aspirations.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
Actions to Combat Racism and Discrimination
-
06/11/2020
Beginning in the fall 2020 semester, The University of Scranton will offer a new major in cybercrime and homeland security to address the growing needs to investigate and protect information in the realm of cyberspace for both government and private sectors.
The proposed curriculum would allow students to gain skills required for a career in cybersecurity, and, at the same time, allow students to join a homeland security workforce that already employs more than 240,000 professionals, if that is the career path they prefer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the demand for cybersecurity analysts is likely to increase by 18% (much higher than average) with high median pay for the period 2014 to 2024. Salary data posted on the BLS website show a salary range for an information security analyst in Pennsylvania to be $60,010 (lowest 10th percentile) to $142,110 (highest 90th percentile).
According to James Roberts, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University, cybercrime is an increasing problem in everyday life of people and business, yet cybersecurity/intelligence analyst is a relatively new profession in the criminal justice system and private sector.
“Over the past two decades, the expansion of the Internet and the availability of technological devices have resulted in an increase in computer crimes or cyber-related offenses. Numerous largescale attacks targeted Home Depot, Target, and, most recently, Equifax,” said Dr. Roberts. “Responses to breaches in cybersecurity are increasingly reliant on criminal justice practitioners. In real-world, cyber threats influence homeland security, private business and individual security, all of which increases the need for trained law enforcement, prosecutors or judges with the skills to understand and investigate cybercrime.”
In addition, Dr. Roberts said that cyber-attacks of both individuals and corporations require the cybercrime unit in law enforcement agencies, or the division of information technology in the private sector, to conduct cybercrime investigations related to fraud and theft perpetrated electronically. He noted the courses in the new major will cover legal, investigative, technical parts of cybercrime in addition to homeland security.
“As cybercrime is a borderless crime, our students also need to understand the broader national security implications, and how the technology relates to each component of the homeland security,” said Dr. Roberts. “The cybercrime and homeland security major will help students develop analytical skills to understand and analyze cybercrime in order to inform practitioners, policymakers, or public.”
The program includes courses criminal justices, mathematics, information systems and computer programming. Required courses include Cybercrime, Cyber Law and Policy, Cyber Intelligence, Ethical Hacking, Foundation of Cybersecurity, Introduction to Network Security, Digital Forensic Investigation, Introduction to Homeland Security, Terrorism and Homeland Security and Emergency Management, among other courses.
“With the skills developed through this curriculum, a graduate in this major will be able to apply to federal, state or local criminal justice agencies, or, based on the interests of the graduate, apply to other government or private sector jobs that are related to cybercrime or pursue advance graduate study in the field,” said Dr. Roberts. “That said, the main goal of the proposed program is to form the cybercrime investigators or digital forensic examiners or information security analysts and advocates of national security of tomorrow.”
The Bachelor of Science in Cybercrime and Homeland Security program will be housed in the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology within the College of Arts and Sciences. Students pursing this major will also have access to hands-on programming and research opportunities offered through the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime.
For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 888-727-2686 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Cybercrime and Homeland Security Major Now Offered
-
06/08/2020
The University of Scranton will join Scranton area institutions to display lights of crimson and gold the evening of June 8 in remembrance of George Floyd. The University will light the Class of 2020 Gateway and the historic Scranton Estate in the colors of Floyd’s high school in solidarity with the Black community and in the struggle against systemic racism, injustice, hatred and bigotry.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner asked mayors across the country to light their city halls in crimson and gold on June 8. Scranton’s mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti in turn asked area institutions to join the city and school district in the initiative.
The Class of 2020 Gateway features include a lit glass wall etched with the seal of The University of Scranton that spans the center of the four-story west façade of St. Thomas Hall. The historic Scranton Estate on Monroe Avenue of campus was built in 1867 and today houses the University’s Office of Admissions.
Gateway, Estate Lighting in Memory of George Floyd
-
06/08/2020
Thirty members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2020 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.
The following is a list of the class of 2020 undergraduate Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.
Marah A. Alian, Derby, Connecticut, who was a neuroscience major, worked with faculty mentor Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Examination of Visually Evoked Startle Responses in the Common Goldfish (Carassius auratus).”
Kimberly S. Baxter, Philadelphia, who was a political science and criminal justice double major, worked with faculty mentor Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science, on a thesis titled “Obligations of Universities and the Criminal Court regarding Title IX.”
Daniel R. Buzzerio, River Edge, New Jersey, who was an accounting major, worked with faculty mentor Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department, on a thesis titled “Perceptions of the Dark Triad and the Effect on Professional Skepticism.”
Erin A. Carlin, Scranton, who was an environmental science major, worked with faculty mentor Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science, on a thesis titled “Why Policies Prompting Action on Climate Change are Incompatible with the ‘Make America Great Again’ Model: A Comparative Analysis of President Donald Trump’s Energy Policy and Paris Agreement Rhetoric.”
Grace E. Cieri, Collegeville, who was a chemistry major, worked with faculty mentor Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Studies Toward the Total Synthesis of Pantocin A.”
Michael P. Diana, Somerset, New Jersey, who was a psychology major, worked with faculty mentor Jessica M. Nolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “The Cognitive Ripple Effect.”
Virginia Mary Farrell, Scranton, who was a history major, worked with faculty mentor Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, on a thesis titled “Do We Value the Arts in America?”
Amy P. Kaiser, Downingtown, who was a nursing major, worked with faculty mentor Catherine P. Lovecchio, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “Investigating the lived experience of primary caregivers of children with chronic diseases during the transition of their child to a long-term care facility.”
Hailey M. Kindt, Easton, who was a neuroscience and philosophy double major, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Examining the Role of Phenoloxidase in the Immune Response of Endosymbiont-Depleted C. floridanus.” Kindt was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Theresa Anne Koch, Whitehall, who was a neuroscience major, worked with faculty mentor Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The effect of Dextromethorphan on retinal neurons in developing zebrafish larvae.”
Makayla A. Light, Vestal, New York, who was a biochemistry major, worked with faculty mentor Katherine A. Stumpo, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Structural Characterization of N-glycan Moieties from the IgY of the Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) Serum and the Effect of Haemoproteus spp. Infection Using Mass Specctrometry.”
Jake N. MacDonald, Scranton, who was a neuroscience major, worked with faculty mentor Matthew J. Socha, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Acute Exposure to High Glucose and High Free Fatty Acids on Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Mouse Superior Epigastric Arteries.”
Samantha M. Manganelli, Sugarloaf, who was a neuroscience major, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Effects of Clozapine in Pogonomyrmex Barbatus Ants on Neurogenesis and Aggression.”
Julia A. McKinney, Perkasie, who was a neuroscience and philosophy double major, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Sleep Deprivation on Learning and Biogenic Amines in Camponotus floridanus Ants.” McKinney was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Madeline M. Meaney, Ellington, Connecticut, who was a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major, worked with faculty mentor Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre, on a thesis titled “PTSD Narratives: Gendered Gap in Scientific Literature and Memoirs.”
Abbey A. Murphy, Mountain Top, who was an accounting and philosophy double major, worked with faculty mentor Andrew T. LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, on a thesis titled ‘Steinian Empathy, Personhood, and Interreligious Dialogue.” Murphy was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Katherine Musto, Pittston, who was a biology major, worked with faculty mentor Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Effects of Lesions in Different Locations of the Goldfish Telencephalon on Acoustiic Startle Response.” She was a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Sazia Nowshin, Moosic, who was a political science major, worked with faculty mentor Joel B. Kemp, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology and religious studies, on a thesis titled “Does Heaven Have a Government?”
Stefan H. Olsen, Luzerne, who was a biochemistry and biomathematics double major, worked with faculty mentor Timothy D. Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Chemical Cross-linking of Protein Thiols by Arsenic: Analysis of Thio-Arsenic Binding Energy and Aresenic-Binding Proteins.”
Katherine R. Peccerillo, Southington, Connecticut, who was a biology major, worked with faculty mentor Robert J. Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “An Examination of Haemosporidian Infection and Feather Coloration in Gray Catbirds (Dumetella carolinensi).”
Shannon M. Rattigan, Wappingers Falls, New York, who was a biology major, worked with faculty mentor Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Potential Effect of Ocean Acidification on the Behavior of the Grass Shrimp Palaemonetes vulgaris.”
Kristina M. Reid, Robbinsville, New Jersey, who was an occupational therapy major, worked with faculty mentor Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “MR Fusion-Guided vs. "Blind" Approach to Diagnosing Prostate Cancer.”
Josephine M. Rodgers, Lancaster, who was a biochemistry and philosophy double major, worked with faculty mentor Maria E. Squire, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Influence of Tylenol on Cortical and Trabecular Bone Development in Juvenile Mice.”
Jasmin E. Russo, Hamden, Connecticut, who was an exercise science major, worked with faculty mentor Andrew C. Venezia, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Acute Exercise Timing on Long-Term Memory in Healthy College-Aged Students.”
Minahil Sami, Jessup, who was a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Immunological Priming for Bacterial Strain Specific Effects in Ants.” Sami was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Nicole E. Schaeffer, Easton, who was a history and philosophy double major, worked with faculty mentor David J. Dzurec III, Ph.D., professor and chair of the History Department, on a thesis titled “A Comparative Historical Analysis of the AIDS Crisis in the United States from a Journalistic Perspective.” Schaeffer was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Joshua M. Toth, Jefferson Township, who was a biophysics and physics double major, worked with faculty mentor Robert A. Spalletta, Ph.D., professor of physics and electrical engineering, on a thesis titled “Investigation of Material Hardness and Mesoscale Friction Properties of the Camponotus floridanus Cuticle as Determined by Atomic Force Microscopy.” Toth was also a member of University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Bevin B. Walker, Wyckoff, New Jersey, who was a psychology and criminal justice major, worked with faculty mentor John J. O’Malley, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Psychology Department, on a thesis titled “A Comparison of Emotional Intelligence in Varsity Student Athletes and Non-Student Athletes at the University of Scranton.”
Madeline R. Walker, Brookfield, Connecticut, who was a neuroscience and philosophy double major, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Imidacloprid detection and aversion in Bombus impatiens.” Walker was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Alexis I. Ward, Wysox, who was an English and philosophy double major, worked with faculty mentor Joseph E. Kraus, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of English and Theatre, on a thesis titled “Imagining China from the West: A Tropological Genealogy of Chinese Representation in Popular Culture.” Ward was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Class of 2020 Honors Program Graduates
-
06/08/2020
Fifteen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2020 graduated from its Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this highly-selective program explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
The following is a list of the class of 2020 Business Leadership Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Kyle Francis Ascher, Garden City, New York, was an accounting and finance double major.
Kevin W. Bronander, Westfield, New Jersey, was an operations management major.
Patrick J. Budicini, Ridgefield, Connecticut, was a finance major.
Daniel Robert Buzzerio, River Edge, New Jersey, was an accounting major. Buzzerio was also a member of the University's undergraduate Honors Program.
Marcella Rose Creasy, Shenandoah, was a mathematics major.
Sotirios D. Econopouly, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, was a business administration major.
Amanda C. Fatovic, Oradell, New Jersey, was an international business major.
Nathan Koziol, Farmington, Connecticut, was a marketing major.
Kayla Marie Marsac, Levittown, New York, was a biology major.
Mary E. McCafferty, Lancaster, was a marketing and philosophy double major. McCafferty was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Andrew J. Platt, Warren, New Jersey, was a marketing major.
Juliette Grace Porcelli, Jackson, New Jersey, was a accounting major.
Colleen C. Rohr, Norristown, was a marketing, operations and information management and philosophy triple major. Rohr was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and a recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Brianna E. Stein, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, was an operations management and philosophy double major at Scranton. Stein was also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Hannah Nicole Tracy, Ramsey, New Jersey, was an accounting and finance double major.
Business Leadership Honors Program Graduates
-
06/05/2020
Thirty-nine members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2020 graduated from its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA), which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in SJLA pursue a rigorous education designed to develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills through specially designed courses in philosophy, theology and literature.
The following is a list of the class of 2020 SJLA Honors Program graduates and their majors.
Tate Ackerman, Endicott, New York, was a biology and philosophy double major.
Fahad Ashraf, Clarks Summit, was a biology and philosophy double major.
Amanda Anne Boland, South Abington Township, was a biology and philosophy double major.
Garrett M. Boyd, Sugarloaf, was a criminal justice major.
Andrew G. Buttner, Camillus, New York, was a computer engineering major.
Michael Nicholas Cardiges, Fogelsville, was a biology and philosophy double major.
Kayla Grace Collins, Prince Frederick, Maryland, was a counseling and human services, philosophy and theology and religious studies triple major.
Grace F. Dickson, Maplewood, New Jersey, was a counseling and human services major.
Kathryn Ann Donnelly, Havertown, was a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Donnelly was also a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Megan Elizabeth Dowd, Wilkes Barre, was a biology and philosophy double major. Dowd was also a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Lauren E. Earnshaw, Norristown, was a marketing major.
Megan Elizabeth Fabian, West Seneca, New York, was an exercise science and philosophy double major. Fabian was also a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Corinne E. Freivald, Huntington Station, New York, was a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major.
Emma R. Graham, Waverly Township, was a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major.
Zoe Rose Haggerty, South Abington Township, was a philosophy and theology and religious studies double major. Haggerty was also a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Austin J. Hariprasad, Tobyhanna, was a criminal justice major.
Amanda Therese Horner, Buffalo, New York, was a community health education and philosophy double major.
Nadeen Jafar, South Abington Township, was a biology and philosophy double major.
Catherine Gabriella Johnson, Scranton, was an English and philosophy double major.
Brian P. Kilner, Potomac, Maryland, was an environmental science, biochemistry and philosophy triple major. Kilner was also a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Hailey Marie Kindt, Easton, was a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Kindt was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Taylor Mackenzie Limone, Burlington, New Jersey, was a biochemistry and philosophy double major.
Brian Anthony Martin, Scranton, was a biology and philosophy double major. Martin was also a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Mary E. McCafferty, Lancaster, was a marketing and philosophy double major. McCafferty was also a member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program.
Julia Anne McKinney, Perkasie, was a neuroscience and philosophy double major. McKinney was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Germaine Laira Mendonca, Middletown, New Jersey, was a neuroscience, theology and religious studies and philosophy triple major.
Elise Marie Molleur, Summit, New Jersey, was an environmental science and philosophy double major.
Abbey A. Murphy, Mountain Top, was an accounting and philosophy double major. Murphy was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Charles Stuart Nugent, North Haven, Connecticut, was a political science and philosophy double major.
Colleen C. Rohr, Norristown, was a marketing, operations and information management and philosophy triple major. Rohr was also a member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program and a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship.
Minahil Sami, Jessup, was a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major. Sami was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Nicole Elizabeth Schaeffer, Easton, was a history and philosophy double major. Schaeffer was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Cara R. Shannon, Asbury, New Jersey, was an exercise science and philosophy double major.
Maaz Siddiqui, South Abington Township, was a biology and philosophy double major.
Brianna E. Stein, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, was an operations management and philosophy double major. Stein was also a member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program.
Nyssa A. Thompson, Waldorf, Maryland, was a neuroscience and philosophy double major.
Madeline R. Walker, Brookfield, Connecticut, was a neuroscience and philosophy double major. Walker was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Alexis I. Ward, Wysox, was an English and philosophy double major. Ward was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
St. John Taylor Whittaker, Scranton, was an environmental science, biochemistry and philosophy triple major.
Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program Graduates
-
06/05/2020
Eight members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2020 became the first graduates of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM. The program, which began as a pilot program in the fall of 2017, combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society. The University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM was officially approved as the University’s fifth honors program in 2019.
The Magis Honors Program offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Courses taken over four years at Scranton combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students in the program develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2020 graduated as members of the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Jack Charles Aversa III, Gouldsboro, worked with faculty research mentor Gary Kwiecinski, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Variation in Peak Frequencies of Echolocation Calls of a Neotropical Frugivorous Bat.” He was a biology and biomathematics double major at Scranton and the recipient of a Royal Scholars scholarship.
Maxwell L. Greene, Brewster, New York, worked with faculty research mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Simulating Resource Allocation Strategies in Annually Social Insects.” He was a neuroscience and applied mathematics double major at Scranton.
Brian P. Kilner, Potomac, Maryland, worked with faculty research mentor Arthur Catino, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Progress towards Catalytic Enantioselective Friedel-Crafts Reactions for the Preparation of Chiral Tetraarylmethanes.” The recipient of the University's full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, Kilner was an environmental science, biochemistry and philosophy triple major and a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Nolan K. McLaughlin, Moscow, worked with faculty research mentor Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Imaging of neurotransmitters using AuNPs with Laser-Desorption Ionization Mass Spectrometry.” He was a neuroscience major at Scranton.
Liam Michael O’Hare, Branchburg, New Jersey, worked with faculty research mentor Oleksandr (Alex) Rudniy, Ph.D., assistant professor of computer science, on a thesis titled “Automating the Deployment/Termination of Virtual Machines.” He was an information technology major at Scranton.
Robert Glenn Rade, Jr., Scranton, worked with faculty research mentor Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Effect of Increased Temperature and Elevated Carbon Dioxide on the Density of the Symbiotic Dinoflagellate (Symbiodinium spp.) in the Sea Anemone Exaiptasia pallida.” He was a biology major at Scranton and the recipient of a Royal Scholars scholarship.
Meagan Riley Scheider, Parlin, New Jersey, worked with faculty research mentor Anne Royer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Quantifying Migration in Crotalus horridus.” She was an applied mathematics and biomathematics double major at Scranton.
Joshua Matthew Toth, Jefferson Township, worked with faculty research mentor Robert Spalletta, Ph.D., professor of physics and electrical engineering, on a thesis titled “Investigation of Material Hardness and Mesoscale Friction Properties of the Camponotus floridanus Cuticle as Determined by Atomic Force Microscopy.” The recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, Toth was a biophysics and physics double major and a member of the University's undergraduate Honors Program.
First Graduates of Magis Honors Program at Scranton
-
06/05/2020
The Royal Experience Summer Internship Program will provide six University of Scranton students, selected from a competitive pool, a stipend of up to $4,000 to support their participation in a meaningful unpaid internship for the summer of 2020. The program is funded by the philanthropy of the University’s Parents’ Executive Council and the donations of alumni and friends of the University.
Students receiving support are writing about their internship experiences in a blog published on The University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development webpage.
The following is a list of students who will participate in the 2020 Royal Experience Summer Internship program.
Thomas Baran ’22, a neuroscience major from Blairstown, New Jersey, will be a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and intern at Blairstown Ambulance Corps.
Kaitlyn Bentley ’21, a marketing major from Effort, will be a remote communications intern at For It Is a Keeper for the White Birch Media Group, LLC, Madison Township.
Carly Dugan ’21, a counseling and human services major from Westwood, New Jersey, will be a student intern at Women and Families Ascending Association, Wayne, New Jersey.
Jithin George ’21, a neuroscience and biomathematics double major from Newtown, will be a biopsychology lab summer intern for the Biopsychology Lab of Patrick Orr, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at The University of Scranton.
Brianna Murawski ’21, a marketing major from Harrington Park, New Jersey, will be a Search Engine Optimization (SEO), social media and marketing intern at Jafri Capital, LLC, New York, New York.
Ellyn Prusinowski ’22, a biochemistry cell and molecular biology and philosophy double major from Clay, New York, will be a research intern for Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York.
Royal Experience Program Supports Summer Interns
-
06/04/2020
Dear Members of The University of Scranton Family,
On Tuesday, I wrote to you to express our shared outrage and anguish at the murder of George Floyd and to call us all both to be a source for peace and healing and also to search our own hearts for the “shadow of racism and indifference.” We stand in solidarity with the African American community and with all persons of color.
We are aware of social media posts with allegations concerning current students. The University does not and will not discuss the behavior of individual students. At the same time, I want to state here strongly that hatred, bigotry and racism run contrary to who we are as a Catholic and Jesuit university and are not tolerated on our campus.
Nevertheless, as I said on Tuesday, this is a call to action, and we must act. Through several important, campus-wide efforts we have determined that diversity and inclusion must remain a priority for us. This theme runs strongly, for example, through the strategic plan we are preparing to present to our Board of Trustees for approval in September.
We are not waiting until September to move forward. Student Life was already considering new ways for our students to support and engage each other. Academic Affairs and the Office of Equity and Diversity, for example, are also continuing various initiatives to advance our diversity and inclusivity efforts. Among these steps are many that we already had in place and have been committed to enhancing, including policies, education, professional development, student orientation and hiring.
Finally, I want in a special way to speak to the African American members of our community. I can only imagine how this past week has affected you. Please know that you are in my prayers. Although technology can do many things, I prefer to spend time with you in person when campus reopens, listening and learning from your thoughts and experiences. In the meantime, I continue to urge the entire University community to pray, speak out and act for justice, equality and greater sensitivity. The promotion of justice in particular is central to our Jesuit mission and identity.
God bless you all.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
The University of Scranton: No Place for Hatred, Bigotry and Racism
-
06/03/2020
Twelve members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2020, along with graduates from King’s College, Misericordia University and Wilkes University, were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a virtual ceremony held on May 30.
The University of Scranton ROTC graduates who were commissioned at the ceremony are:
2nd Lt. Paige Elizabeth Clarke of Freehold, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Sotirios D. Econopouly of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Natania M. Feliciano of Haledon, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Kristen M. Flanigan of Aberdeen, Maryland;
2nd Lt. Ryan J. Haley of Olean, New York;
2nd Lt. Keller Joseph Jacobs of Port Washington, New York;
2nd Lt. Regina Grace Kruegler of Boiling Springs;
2nd Lt. Joseph Emmanuel Merolla of Dalton;
2nd Lt. Matthew M. Mitnick of Chadds Ford;
2nd Lt. Kayla Marie Moschetti of Newburgh, New York;
2nd Lt. Vincent T. Oliverio of Carlisle;
2nd Lt. Ryan R. Walker of Milton, New York.
Graduates Commissioned as Second Lieutenants
-
06/02/2020
University of Scranton President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., sent a message to the University of Scranton community on the death of George Floyd.
Dear Members of The University of Scranton Family,
We have endured months of isolation coupled with fear and sadness from the havoc caused by the coronavirus pandemic. These pains are fresh, and we have not yet had enough time to mourn the more than 100,000 we have lost.
We are faced now with a new challenge as we watched in horror at the senseless death of George Floyd. The pain caused by Mr. Floyd’s murder stretches back to the very roots of our country. That pain is not relegated to history, however. It remains fresh as losses continue to be mourned, too many to be counted. On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. uttered four simple words – “I have a dream” – in a speech for the ages that captured his life’s hope for a peaceful end to centuries of striving for racial equality and justice for African Americans. George Floyd’s death and days of anguished protest remind us of how much more needs to be done to achieve this dream.I recognize that peaceful protests have been marred by violence and, tragically, more death. We must reject all violence. We must also, however, not be distracted from the clarion call to join in chorus with those who peacefully but with righteous anger shout for change in voices that “…resound loud as the rolling sea.”
As a university, we seek truth. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, we insist that truth be accompanied by freedom, justice and love. St. Oscar Romero once said, “let us not tire of preaching love. It is the force that will overcome the world.” At this time of strife and struggle, I ask you to join me in prayer that the love that defines our University of Scranton community focuses for us the moral mandate to be a source for peace and healing for George Floyd’s family, for African Americans, for law enforcement, for our leaders, and for all who long for justice. Reading the signs of the times, we must also as The University of Scranton community examine our hearts for the shadow of racism and indifference.
Let me end with words from Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle. A native of Scranton and member of the Class of 1916, Cardinal O’Boyle championed civil rights as the first resident archbishop in our nation’s capital. He encouraged the March on Washington and offered the following during his invocation on that August day in 1963 preceding Dr. King:
Send in our midst the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of all to the great truth that all men are equal in Your sight. Let us understand that simple justice demands that the rights of all be honored by every man.
May God bless the University community as we take up anew the mandate of the Society of Jesus to serve faith and promote justice.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
PresidentA Call to Action to The University of Scranton Community
-
06/02/2020
The University of Scranton and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) have established the Premedical Scholars Program that guarantees an interview to the Doctor of Medicine (MD) Program for Scranton students who meet program requirements.
“The agreement with GCSOM provides qualified students a guaranteed interview at a distinguished medical school that shares our commitment to providing its students with a world-class education grounded in service to the needs of others,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at The University of Scranton. “We are pleased the GCSOM Premedical Scholars Program will further enhance the opportunities for our students interested in attending medical school.”
“I am delighted to sign this agreement, which signals Geisinger’s commitment to its community. GCSOM has long welcomed talented students from The University of Scranton who have gone on to serve our neighbor with skill and compassion. This agreement helps ensure this tradition continues,” said Steven J. Scheinman, M.D., president and dean of Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and executive vice president and chief academic officer of Geisinger.
To be eligible for the Premedical Scholars Program with GCSOM, students must complete the required medical school applications within the mandated time frame. Students must also maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.5 or higher (4.0 scale), as well as meet G.P.A. requirements for biology, physics, organic chemistry and other science related courses. Students must also achieve a score of 509 or higher on the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and meet other requirements.
GCSOM will make the final determination regarding admittance into its MD program.
The University of Scranton has a storied history of success with placement of its graduates into medical school, dental school, veterinary school or other doctoral health professions. Of Scranton’s 1,148 applicants to doctoral health professions schools over the past 20 years, an average of 80 percent were accepted to schools of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, podiatry and optometry. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2018 is 94 percent and the acceptance rate for the Class of 2019 is 91 percent. In addition, well over half of successful applicants in the past 10 years have received more than one acceptance.
Additional information about Premedical Scholars Program with GCSOM and Scranton’s pre-medical and pre-health professions program can be found here, or by contacting The University of Scranton at 1-888-SCRANTON or by email at admissions@scranton.edu.
Premedical Scholars Program Started with GCSOM
-
05/31/2020
University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced at its virtual celebration for its undergraduate class of 2020 that the recently renovated façade of St. Thomas Hall will be named the Class of 2020 Gateway in honor of the character shown by members of the class throughout the pandemic.
“I can’t say how much my heart goes out to you, to miss your last months of college is heart wrenching and I am saddened by this state of affairs, as I know we all are,” said Father Pilarz in his remarks at the virtual ceremony. “(A)dversity does not build character. Adversity reveals character, and you have revealed your character in all of the things that have marred your college experience. … Because of your diligence and perseverance and special, very special character and devotion to one another and to The University of Scranton, I am pleased to announce that what we have previously called St. Thomas Gateway, will now be the Class of 2020 Gateway. It’s a fitting way to remember always, what you’ve revealed about yourself in these difficult times.”
At the virtual undergraduate celebration, which aired on May 31, the University conferred Bachelor’s degrees to more than 875 graduates as a group. The University plans to announce the graduates individually at a formal Oct. 25 commencement ceremony.
The Class of 2020 Gateway features include: a lit glass wall etched with the seal of The University of Scranton that spans the center of the four-story west façade of St. Thomas Hall; layers the region’s distinctive West Mountain stone with granite quarried from the same site as the stone used in 1867 to construct the Scranton Estate on campus; a wood trellis; a wall carved with The University of Scranton’s name; a stone bench for seating; and an iconic cross that rises above the left side of the building. The renovation of the façade was completed in Feb. 2020 and originally called the St. Thomas Gateway.
The University illuminated special tribute to its Class of 2020 on the gateway evenings from May 26 through May 31.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
Campus Gateway Named in Honor of Class of 2020
-
05/31/2020
The University of Scranton conferred more than 875 bachelor’s degrees at its virtual undergraduate celebration ceremony on May 31. Degrees were conferred to graduates in a group who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2019, as well as January and May of 2020. A formal commencement ceremony, at which graduates will be individually recognized, will take place on Oct. 25 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre.
Members of the University’s undergraduate class of 2020 represent 14 states including California, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Undergraduate majors with the most graduates are nursing, exercise science, biology, accounting, occupational therapy and marketing.
“Our Class is unlike any other. We experienced a rude awakening to the words carved into the DeNaples Center: ‘not where I breathe, but where I love, I live,”’ said Hailey Marie Kindt, Easton, a neuroscience and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program and its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, who was among the members of the class of 2020 who spoke at the virtual ceremony. “When we left campus mid-March, uncertain of our return, for long awaited lasts, one word brought me solace: gratitude. I was grateful to have something that made leaving abruptly so heartbreaking. There’s something very special about Scranton that I always struggled to put into words, but it’s simple: it’s the people, the community that has transformed each of us in some way since move-in day. Today and every day, let us be grateful for those people.”
Other members of the class of 2020 speaking at the ceremony were Colleen C. Rohr, Norristown, a marketing, operations management and philosophy triple major and member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program and its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program; and Fahad Ashraf, Clarks Summit, a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of the University, addressed the graduates at the virtual ceremony, and conferred degrees on candidates presented by Brian P. Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Sam Beldona, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management; and Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
In his remarks, Father Pilarz told graduates “adversity does not build character. Adversity reveals character, and you have revealed your character in all of the things that have marred your college experience. … Because of your diligence and perseverance and special, very special character and devotion to one another and to The University of Scranton I am pleased to announce that what we have previously called St. Thomas Gateway, will now be the Class of 2020 Gateway. It’s a fitting way to remember always, what you’ve revealed about yourself in these difficult times.”
Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, provided the Invocation. Also speaking at the ceremony were Lauren Rivera, J.D., assistant vice president for student life and dean of students; Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry; and Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Congratulatory remarks to the class of 2020 were also given by Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti; U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey; and former cast members of NBC’s The Office Leslie David Baker (Stanley), Kate Flannery (Meredith) and Oscar Nunez (Oscar).
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
University Holds Virtual Undergraduate Celebration
-
05/30/2020
The University of Scranton conferred more than 600 master’s and doctoral degrees at a virtual celebration ceremony on May 30. Degrees were conferred to graduates in a group who had completed their academic degree requirements in August and December of 2019, as well as January and May of 2020. A formal commencement ceremony, at which graduates will be individually recognized, will take place on Oct. 25 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre.
The University conferred five doctor of nursing practice degrees, 40 doctor of physical therapy degrees and more than 570 master’s degrees in various disciplines. Graduates represented several foreign countries and 31 states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, among others. The programs with the most graduates at Scranton were the master of business administration, master of accountancy, master of health administration, occupational therapy and educational administration.
The virtual celebration included remarks by University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. Degrees were conferred by Father Pilarz upon candidates presented by Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Sam Beldona, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management; and Brian P. Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Also speaking at the virtual ceremony were graduate students Matthew H. Aitken, Edison, New Jersey, and Emily Mary Pavlick Okrepkie, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry; and Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Congratulatory remarks were also given by Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen here.
University Confers Master’s and Doctoral Degrees
-
05/29/2020
The University of Scranton honored 58 members of its undergraduate class of 2020 for academic excellence, service or both. The awards were presented at a virtual Class Night program on May 29.
Students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges were presented Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence, a memorial to the late administrator who served the University for 53 years.
This year’s O’Hara Award recipients were: Anna Maria Gerarda Giblin, Berwyn, and Charles Kulick, Pittston, for the College of Arts and Sciences; Ryan J. Haley, Olean, New York, Tarquin Lenahan McGurrin, Clarks Summit, and Abbey A. Murphy, Mountain Top, for the Kania School of Management; and Amanda Therese Horner, Buffalo, New York, for the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
In addition, students were honored for outstanding academic achievement in their fields of study and leadership and service.
The students honored, and the awards received are as follows:
Nicole Isabella Antonelli, Washington, New Jersey, Excellence in Physiology;
Tyler L. Atcavage, Forest City, Excellence in Forensic Chemistry;
Jack Charles Aversa III, Gouldsboro, Kathryn and Bernard Hyland Memorial Award for Excellence in Biology;
Patrick J. Barney, Peckville, Excellence in Exercise Science and Sport;
Garrett M. Boyd, Sugarloaf, Excellence in Criminal Justice;
Nadine Marie Brosnan, Goshen, New York, Excellence in Early and Primary Education;
Sarah M. Brown, Dunmore, Jesuit Community Award for Community Service;
Patrick J. Budicini, Ridgefield, Connecticut, Excellence in Finance;
Erin A. Carlin, Scranton, Excellence in Environmental Science;
Reilly A. Charles, Rockaway Park, New York, Excellence in Theatre;
Grace E. Cieri, Collegeville, Excellence in Chemistry;
Julia M. DalCeredo, Yorktown Heights, New York, Prof. Bernard J. McGurl Award for Excellence in Communication;
Michael Joseph Delevan, Kingston, Excellence in Computer Science;
Danielle R. Desseyn, Mechanicsburg, Prof. Joseph G. Brunner Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages;
Michael P. Diana, Somerset, New Jersey, Lawrence Lennon Award for Outstanding Service and Achievement in Psychology;
Amanda C. Fatovic, Oradell, New Jersey, Excellence in International Business;
Anna Maria Gerarda Giblin, Berwyn, Prof. Frank C. Brown Award for Excellence in History;
Zoe Rose Haggerty, South Abington Township, Lawrence A. Mann Award;
Ryan J. Haley, Olean, New York, Excellence in Business Administration and Military Science Leadership;
Courtney Jade Hayashi, Lake Elmo, Minnesota, Excellence in Occupational Therapy;
Amanda Therese Horner, Buffalo, New York, Excellence in Community Health Education;
Grace Ann Hudock, Bethlehem, Excellence in Women’s Studies;
Catherine Gabriella Johnson, Scranton, Prof. Joseph B. Cullather Award for Excellence in English (ex-aequo);
Amy P. Kaiser, Downingtown, Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing;
Cooper Carlson Knipmeyer, Southampton, Excellence in Entrepreneurship;
Nathan Koziol, Farmington, Connecticut, Excellence in Marketing;
Charles Kulick, Pittston, Excellence in Mathematics;
Kevin Michael Latz, Ramsey, New Jersey, Excellence in Human Resources;
Marissa Faithe Lembo, Plainview, New York, Excellence in Health Administration;
Emma M. Long, Honesdale, Excellence in Psychology;
Brian Anthony Martin, Scranton, Lawrence A. Mann Award;
Claire Margaret McAllister, Plymouth Meeting, Mary E. Quinn Award for Excellence in Secondary Education;
Bridget Ann McGuire, Towson, Maryland, Excellence in International Studies;
Tarquin Lenahan McGurrin, Clarks Summit, PA Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA);
Julia Anne McKinney, Perkasie, Excellence in Neuroscience;
Eileen McNulty, Cape May Court House, New Jersey, Dr. A.J. Cawley Award for Excellence in Electrical Engineering;
Germaine Laira Mendonca, Middletown, New Jersey, Excellence in Theology and Religious Studies;
Abbey A. Murphy, Mountain Top, Excellence in Accounting and Excellence in Philosophy;
Liam Michael O'Hare, Branchburg, New Jersey, Excellence in Information Technology;
Stefan Henry Olsen, Luzerne, The J.J. Quinn, S.J., Achievement Award for Demonstration of Excellence in English Studies, Excellence in Biochemistry and Excellence in Biomathematics and American Chemical Society Award;
Victoria Maria Pardi, Clifton Park, New York, Excellence in Chemistry-Business;
Andrew B. Patterson, Hillsborough, New Jersey, Student Life Award;
John James Peccerillo, Derby, Connecticut, Excellence in Electronic Commerce;
Nicholas Pepen, Orefield, Prof. Timothy H. Scully Award for Excellence in Political Science;
Meghan Elizabeth Pratt, Dudley, Massachusetts, Excellence in Counseling and Human Services;
Jamie Lynn Rizzotti, Yardley, Excellence in Health Advocacy;
Daniela Salcedo, Bronx, New York, Excellence in Management;
Minahil Sami, Jessup, Excellence in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology (BCMB);
Artem Barysavich Samiahulin, Cheshire, Connecticut, Excellence in Economics;
Meagan Riley Scheider, Parlin, New Jersey, Excellence in Applied Mathematics;
Anthony Spoto, Lake Ariel, Excellence in Business Analytics;
Brianna E. Stein, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, Excellence in Operations Management;
Deniya H. Thompson, Brooklyn, New York, Student Life Award;
Johanna Torre, Lynbrook, New York, Academic Excellence in Nursing;
Joshua Matthew Toth, Jefferson Township, Prof. Joseph P. Harper Award for Excellence in Physics;
Brianna Marie Tucciarone, Warren, New Jersey, Alumni Award;
Emily Rose Turano, Clifton, New Jersey, Edward J. Spitzer Scholarship Award;
Alexis I. Ward, Wysox, Prof. Joseph B. Cullather Award for Excellence in English (ex-aequo).
Outstanding Graduates Recognized at Class Night
-
05/29/2020
University of Scranton theology and religious studies professors Christian Krokus, Ph.D., and Will Cohen, Ph.D., had planned a travel course for over a year. With the aid of a University provost grant they made a preparatory trip to meet with Fr. Mikolaj Martinjak, S.J., from the Jesuit Faculty of Philosophy and Religious Studies of the University of Zagreb. With him and through their own contacts, they developed an exciting itinerary and syllabus on “Religious Diversity, Conflict, and Reconciliation in Southeast Europe.” The course was a spring semester course with a travel component whose itinerary included travel to Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia. Just as they were finalizing plans for a May 21 departure, the Covid-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of all study abroad trips.
Drs. Krokus and Cohen, known for their flexibility and creativity, quickly adjusted the course to include a virtual travel component. Using Zoom they brought together 12 students from The University of Scranton and nine students from the University of Zagreb. In addition to Fr. Martinjak, who spoke on the history of the Jesuits in Southeast Europe, guest speakers from Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia included: Boris Erg, who discussed the Jewish experience in Serbia; Nermin Botonjić, who discussed Islam in Croatia; Dr. Petra Belković Taylor, who discussed conflict through the lens of literature; and others. Students from both schools participated actively in the discussions after presentations by both professors and guest speakers. Those discussions were also carried on virtually through posts on the course’s discussion board with each Scranton student having a Zagreb discussion partner.
Amra Pandžo, a self-identified feminist Muslim and director of a NGO dedicated to peace and reconciliation in Sarajevo said, “in war, all the systems that you have depended upon to live and survive, stop. What is left is your inner self which they cannot take away from you and that is what you need to develop. Who are you and what kind of person do you want to be? How should we treat each other?”
Alen Kristić with Fr. Ivan Nujić, OFM from Bosnia and Jelena Jorgačević Kisić with Prof. Andrej Jeftić from Serbia helped the participants to understand the depth of atrocities that happened in the civil war of the 1990s and the failure of people and faith leaders to admit their complicity in those atrocities. As Jorgačević Kisić explained, one of the ways that complicity is rationalized is through competing narratives of victimization. Each of the ethnic groups magnify their own suffering while dismissing or diminishing the other’s suffering. And one student participant from Zagreb added, “there can be no reconciliation without truth and nobody wants to know the truth.”
The University of Scranton students came to understand that these topics are not just academic issues but that they are very real and intense experiences for their Zagreb counterparts. As Ivan Matijevać from Zagreb wrote, “the discussion board for the students has been a great help for students to exchange different types of experiences. … We as students from this area can facilitate the Scranton students coming to really appreciate these topics because we are de facto, living them. And they help us understand how others outside of our area are looking at Southeastern Europe.”
Scranton student Kate O’Connor ’22 supported Matijevać’s position. She wrote, “although, of course, it’s not the same as being there, Drs. Cohen and Krokus have gone above and beyond when it comes to providing a substitute for our cancelled trip. The online discussion board we’ve been using has been a great way to interact with the students from the University of Zagreb outside of class. I believe that hearing their perspectives both in and outside of class is an integral part of this course, and I'm glad we can still get that aspect of it despite the long-distance restriction.”
Drs. Cohen and Krokus even managed to incorporate a service component virtually. Jelena Djurdjević described her work in the “Pedro Arrupe Integration House” in Belgrade, Serbia. This Jesuit Refugee Service home ministers to unaccompanied refugee minors. The present residents range in age from nine to 18 years old. Most of them are from Syria and Afghanistan. This house itself is an exciting microcosm of the very topic of the course. It is supported by the Roman Catholic Jesuit Refugee Service, staffed by primarily Serbian Orthodox and with residents who are almost exclusively Muslims.
Virtual Travel Class Includes International Dialog
-
05/28/2020
“If you don’t stretch you don’t grow,” said Temple Grandin, Ph.D., author of the book, “The Autistic Brain,” at a “sold out” Virtual Town Hall meeting held at The University of Scranton May 19.
“As dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, I smiled when I heard her say that and thought to myself that she was right on the mark. COVID 19 has stretched all of our brains to think more creatively, imaginatively and to be a problem solver,” said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D.
“Although Dr. Grandin was discussing the autistic brain, I immediately thought of the Virtual Town Hall meetings at the University and how these virtual meetings have allowed the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE) initiative to continue to successfully serve those in 13 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania,” said Dean Pellegrino. “Families of those with autism in rural Pennsylvania or in a COVID hotspot now have easy access to information and connections to professionals and other support system via online resources.”
Pre-registration for the Virtual Town Hall Meeting with Temple Grandin closed at 3,000. When the Zoom webinar began on May 19, 1,477 participants were already signed in, ready and waiting for the meeting to begin. The format was an interview with the prolific author of 20 books led by Dana M. Gadaire, Psy.D., BCBA-D, visiting assistant professor in the Counseling and Human Services Department at Scranton.
The first two minutes of this video includes information about upcoming ACCE programming at Scranton, such as the 19th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY that is scheduled for Oct. 6 and will feature Dr. Grandin, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, a consultant to the livestock industry and an autism spokesperson.
The full Town Hall meeting with Dr. Grandin can be seen here or on the ACCE website.
According to Dean Pellegrino, future virtual events may include a discussion on Dr. Grandin’s book, “The Autistic Brain,” where she weaves her own experiences in discussing the transformation of the autism revolution.
ACCE is part of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar regional initiative led by the Attorney John Moses and the ALLONE Foundation Board of Directors intended to significantly enhance the service delivery system for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families living in 13 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania. The ACCE executive hub is housed in the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies.
As part of this initiative, the University began to offer a post-graduate Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study. Information about Scranton’s Applied Behavior Analysis Program and the verified course sequence (VCS) information is available here.
ACCE have been providing services remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Visit the ACCE website to learn more about virtual summer programming, parent and caregiver support, and the caregiver and wellness group.
Thousands Virtually Hear About the Autistic Brain
-
05/28/2020
By Ann Slock ’21, written for a media writing course, spring semester 2020
“I can’t remember the last person I’ve had a non-digital encounter with outside my family. ” said Kevin Bowery, a junior theology and information technology double major at The University of Scranton said.
Bowery, like many others, has begun to grow restless in the wake of social distancing because of COVID-19.
Andrew Faulkner, a first-year accounting major at the University responded similarly.
“For me, it’s a tie between having the opportunity for some pre-class socialization with my friends and having actual lectures. It just isn’t the same online,” Faulkner said.
While an official end to social distancing policies across the country is still in question, The University of Scranton’s clubs decided to bring the community to the students through various online events and social media campaigns to keep students engaged in the campus community while at home.
Alana Siock, a junior French and Francophone cultural studies and political science double major, president of the Commuter Student Association (CSA), and director of operations for the club council board of directors said that while entering social distancing was difficult for the CSA board, they have committed to producing virtual events for members to attend.
“We had to cancel one of the biggest events this semester,” Siock said, “We didn’t let it stop us.”
Scranton’s CSA has since been reworking their spring programming, reconfiguring older events and starting to brainstorm new activities that could keep their club members and others in the University community engaged with the school outside of class.
This has taken the form of weekly trivia nights with prizes being given to the winners, as well as social media campaigns geared toward keeping students creative even as they are stuck inside. For these campaigns club members submit everything from favorite homemade foods to songs that can be added to a special quarantine soundtrack, lovingly dubbed ‘Quarantunes,’ on the club’s Spotify account.
The CSA has even created a virtual forum on Discord to simulate the student forum on campus to allow students to interact throughout the day.
While students are grateful for the attempts being made to try to bring their Scranton experience online, the separation has taught them valuable lessons about the University community.
“The Scranton community thrives on face-to-face communications. Scranton students never fail to greet each other enthusiastically, with a hug, high five or a fist bump,” Bowery said. “I never took the time for granted, but I wish I had appreciated each moment even more than I did.”
CSA Keeps Campus Community Alive Online
-
05/28/2020
By Nicholas Yanni ’21, written for a media writing course, spring semester 2020
When The University of Scranton closed its doors in March because of COVID-19, Ian MacDonald was immediately faced with a challenge.
“It’s just a terrible situation. My mom works at Tobyhanna Army Depot and is considered essential personnel so she is at risk every day of contracting COVID-19 and bringing it home,” said MacDonald, a senior allowed to stay on the University’s campus during this time, along with a few others.
MacDonald has been on the University’s campus since March. Although his hometown of Albrightsville is not too far away, MacDonald is still struggling with trying to adapt to a vastly different campus life.
“It’s like a ghost town,” MacDonald said. “I spend most of the day in my room. Meals are served at lunch and dinner for about 90 minutes in the dining hall. I will see people there and that’s most of my in-person interaction these days. The few people I do see are in decent spirits.”
Dan Shuck, a junior at the University, is trying to adapt as well.
“I try to call people to socialize but it’s nothing like talking in person,” Shuck said. “Everyone on campus has to stay far away from each other.”
“I am doing okay now because this is bigger than me,” MacDonald said. He is hopeful that his world will return to normal soon.
“I accepted a job offer with Pepsi at the beginning of the fall, and my tentative start-date has been June 15,” MacDonald said. “They have reassured me that they are still preparing to welcome me on June 15 and that I should look for apartments. The thought of something changing is stressful but I should be good to go.”
Some Scranton Students Stay Isolated on Campus
-
05/26/2020
The University of Scranton will display a tribute on the St. Thomas Gateway and hold virtual celebrations this week to celebrate the graduates of its class of 2020.
A light show honoring the class of 2020 will run each evening on the St. Thomas Gateway from Tuesday, May 26, through Sunday, May 31.
Virtual events for the Class of 2020 will begin with a toast, “Raise a Glass for Your Class,” set for 5 p.m. on May 26. A “Senior Night Trivia” virtual event is planned for the class on Wednesday, May 27, at 7 p.m.
On Friday evening, May 29, undergraduates of the class of 2020 will be recognized for academic achievement, leadership and service at a virtual Class Night, which will begin at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, May 30, at 9:30 a.m., the University will conduct a virtual, live Nurse Blessing of the Hands Award Ceremony.
At noon on Sunday, May 31, the University will celebrate members of its undergraduate class of 2020 at a special ceremony. The virtual event will include congratulatory messages from faculty, staff and members of the graduating class; remarks by students and guest speakers, including Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and U.S. Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey, as well as remarks from deans, Dr. Gingerich and Father Pilarz. Degrees will be conferred to graduates as a group during this virtual event. The University plans to announce the graduates individually at its October commencement.
At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, ROTC Army cadets will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army at a virtual, live ceremony.
At 4 p.m., the University will air a Mass for the Class of 2020, which was recorded in in Madonna della Strada Chapel on campus. Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, will preside, and Father Pilarz will offer a special homily. The Mass will feature virtual participation from members of the class of 2020.
At noon on Sunday, May 31, the University will celebrate members of its undergraduate class of 2020 at a special ceremony. The virtual event will include congratulatory messages from faculty, staff and members of the graduating class; remarks by students and guest speakers, including Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti and U.S. Senator Bob Casey, as well as remarks from deans, Dr. Gingerich and Father Pilarz. Degrees will be conferred to graduates as a group during this virtual event. The University plans to announce the graduates individually at its October commencement.
The 2020 commencement celebrations can be viewed at scranton.edu/commencement.
The University of Scranton’s 2020 commencement ceremony and other events will be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24-25.
Scranton Celebrates Class of 2020
-
05/26/2020
Accounting and finance professionals who show higher emotional intelligence are more likely to obtain higher organizational positions according to research discussed in a Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) podcast by Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., chair of the Accounting Department and director of the University’s internationally recognized DBA program.
In the episode 62 IMA’s “Count Me In” podcast, which aired nationally on April 27, Dr. Boyle discusses the four major components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management; social awareness; and relationship management. He also discusses training to develop skills in each of these areas, and explains in more detail the traits of each of these components that are valued throughout your career, as well as specific traits that are advantageous at different levels of advancement, such as at the supervisory, managerial or executive career levels.
At Scranton, Dr. Boyle also serves as director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program. He, along with accounting faculty members James Boyle, D.B.A., and Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D., led the University’s effort to establish a Business High School Scholars Program.
A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Boyle has more than 25 years of industry executive experience. He has served in executive roles in startup, middle market and Fortune 500 companies where he has held the positions of chief executive officer, president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer.
An award-winning researcher and teacher, Dr. Boyle was profiled in 2018 as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs. The professors, who teach at business schools in the Northeast with online MBA programs, were selected based on their professional experience and knowledge.
Dr. Boyle, who joined the faculty at Scranton in 2009, was awarded the Faculty Senate Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award for 2019; the Kania School of Management’s (KSOM) Alperin Teaching Fellow for 2015 to 2018; and the KSOM Advisory Board’s Award for Curriculum Innovation for 2017-2018. In addition, he has twice earned the KSOM Teacher of the Year award and earned the Provost Excellence Awards for the Scholarship of Teaching in 2014 and for Scholarly Publication in 2012. He was awarded the Outstanding Accounting Educator of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 2015. Also, four research papers he has authored with fellow KSOM faculty members have received the IMA’s Lybrand Medals for “outstanding papers.”
Dr. Boyle earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, a MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
IMA is one of the largest and most-respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. In 2017, the University’s undergraduate accounting program earned endorsement by IMA, which recognizes select programs across the county that meet rigorous educational standards, enabling students to pursue and earn the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®) credential. IMA also recognized Scranton’s student chapter as one of just five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Emotional Intelligence Discussed in Podcast
-
05/20/2020
The University of Scranton will bestow honorary degrees upon: Rev. Otto Hentz, S.J., associate professor of theology, Georgetown University; Lawrence R. Lynch '81, assurance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP; Susan M. St. Ledger ’86, president of worldwide field operations for Splunk; and Nicole Young ’00, Emmy Award-winning producer for 60 Minutes. The University will confer the honorary degrees at a virtual ceremony on May 31 with other members of the class of 2020. The formal presentation of the honorary degree citations will occur at the October ceremony. St. Ledger will also serve as the principal speaker at the 2020 commencement on Sunday, Oct. 25.
“We are proud to be able to honor such an accomplished group of individuals who have exemplified Jesuit values throughout their careers. They are remarkable role models for – and will make fine additions to – our Class of 2020,” said Rev. Scott. R. Pilarz, S.J., president.
Fr. Hentz has been a professor at Georgetown University for more than 50 years. A gifted and dedicated teacher, Georgetown University named him a Wall Street Alliance Honoree in 2015.
In 1955, Fr. Hentz entered the Society of Jesus, and later taught philosophy at Georgetown from 1962-1965. He was ordained as a priest in 1968. He earned a doctoral degree in theology from the University of Chicago. He returned to Georgetown in 1972 as a member of the Department of Theology and has served as an associate professor at Georgetown since 1978, teaching courses on the Catholic Church in the modern world, Christianity and Jesus Christ, and systematic theology.
Fr. Hentz has served two terms as a member of The University of Scranton’s board of trustees.
A certified public accountant, Lynch served as a member of the University’s board of trustees for three consecutive terms (2009-2018) and as board chair from 2014 to 2018. He serves as president of the Scranton Club of Philadelphia and as a member of the Kania School of Management’s Accounting Department Professional Council and the President’s Business Council. Previously, he was a member of the Alumni Society’s Board of Governors.
Lynch has supported many University initiatives, which include fundraisers as well as the recruitment of students. His guidance, care and love for the University was evident as he led the Board of Trustees through the 2016-2017 presidential search and transition. With his wife, Keli, they established the Joseph F. Lynch Memorial Scholarship in honor of his father, to provide need-based aid to students at Scranton.
Lynch previously has served as a trustee of Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, chairman of the board of trustees for the Marymount International School in Paris, as a board member of the French American Chamber of Commerce’s Philadelphia Chapter, the International Insurance Foundation, Friends of Saint Joseph’s Passionist Church of Paris, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Social Services.
St. Ledger oversees global sales, customer success and marketing at Splunk. She has more than 25 years of senior leadership in high-growth technology companies, including more than 11 years at Salesforce and more than 12 years at Sun Microsystems. She is a passionate learner and anchors her leadership principles in what she calls a high-growth mindset, which is required to transform and accelerate business. She has demonstrated expertise in identifying market opportunity and business transformation needs for SaaS environments.
St. Ledger started her career in several technical jobs, including her first role out of college as a software engineer at the National Security Agency. In November 2019, St. Ledger became the first independent board member of HashiCorp, the leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software.
St. Ledger earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science, magna cum laude, from the University in 1986.
During her distinguished career, Young has been honored with 16 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, three Alfred I. DuPont- Columbia Awards, four Writer’s Guild Awards, two Gerald Loeb Awards, two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, four National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, a George Polk Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Wilbur Award to name a few.
Young’s most recent 60 Minutes assignments include breaking news coverage on the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump; reporting on Syria from the front lines on the refugee crisis, the use of chemical weapons and The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as “The White Helmets” and Ethiopia’s Rock-hewn Churches of Lalibela. Some of Young’s most critical stories, however, are those focusing on job loss, poverty, homelessness and especially child hunger in the United States.
In addition to producing pieces for 60 Minutes, Young played an essential role as a senior producer at the CBS Evening News for six years where she broke major stories for the nightly broadcast.
Young arrived at CBS News as an intern at the age of 19 and has worked for CBS in Washington, DC, London and New York. She joined 60 Minutes in 2004 as Scott Pelley’s assistant and became his producer a few years later. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and her master’s degree from City, University of London.
The University’s commencement ceremony will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, on Sunday, Oct. 25, at noon.
Four to Receive Honorary Degrees from University
-
05/19/2020
The University of Scranton announced that Susan M. St. Ledger ’86, president of worldwide field operations for Splunk, will be the principal speaker at its 2020 commencement on Sunday, Oct. 25. The University will confer an honorary degree upon St. Ledger and will confer degrees to members of the class of 2020 as well at a virtual ceremony on May 31. The formal presentation of the honorary degree citation and her commencement address will occur at the October ceremony.
“Susan St. Ledger will bring to our graduates a dynamic perspective from an uncommon career path that has led her to achieve incredible success in the high-growth technology field, while remaining firmly grounded in gratitude for the education, opportunity and guidance she received throughout her career. She is an advocate for the need for diversity and inclusion in the workforce and especially for the need to provide mentors to women in technology fields,” said Rev. Scott. R. Pilarz, S.J., president.
At Splunk, St. Ledger oversees global sales, customer success and marketing. She has more than 25 years of senior leadership in high-growth technology companies, including more than 11 years at Salesforce and more than 12 years at Sun Microsystems. She is a passionate learner and anchors her leadership principles in what she calls a high-growth mindset, which is required to transform and accelerate business. She has demonstrated expertise in identifying market opportunity and business transformation needs for SaaS environments.
In a 2008 Wall Street Journal article, St. Ledger credited her career success to “cross-functional experience, taking risks and consistently hiring great people.” Her rise up the corporate ladder was through what she calls a series of pivots and changes of direction, rather than a straight climb to the top. The diverse experience she gained along the way helped to broaden her perspective and success as a leader. In a 2009 Scranton Journal article, she credited her Jesuit liberal arts education for providing her “an incredibly competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
St. Ledger started her career in several technical jobs, including her first role out of college as a software engineer at the National Security Agency. In November 2019, St. Ledger became the first independent board member of HashiCorp, the leader in multi-cloud infrastructure automation software.
The St. Ledger family established the David F. St. Ledger ’56 Scholarship at the University to honor her late father, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Scranton and spent his career as a teacher at Forest City Regional High School and Carbondale Area High School.
St. Ledger earned her bachelor’s degree in computer science, magna cum laude, from the University in 1986.
The University of Scranton’s 2020 commencement ceremony will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, on Sunday, Oct. 25, at noon.
2020 Commencement Speaker Announced
-
05/19/2020
Ashley L. Stampone ’10, G’11, faculty specialist in the Accounting Department at The University of Scranton, was selected by the University’s Business Club as the Kania School of Management Professor of the Year. The announcement was made during a Zoom session of the club on May 7.
Prof. Stampone joined the faculty at Scranton in 2016. She received the 2019 Faculty Leadership Award from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). The national award recognizes one faculty member annually who has demonstrated significant leadership activities at the national, regional, and/or local levels of IMA and has made additional contributions to IMA. Prof. Stampone serves as the moderator of the University’s IMA student chapter, through which University students participated in IMA’s student case competition and its student manuscript competition, as well as IMA’s student leadership conference. IMA selected Scranton’s student chapter as one of just five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Previously, Prof. Stampone previously worked as an internal auditor for QVC, Inc., and as a senior financial systems analyst for Bridon American Corporation. Prior to that, she was an inventory accountant for International Salt Company and a staff accountant for ParenteBeard, LLC.
A resident of Old Forge, professor Stampone received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from The University of Scranton. She is currently pursuing a D.B.A. at the University.
KSOM Professor of the Year Named
-
05/11/2020
What words or phrases may enter the vernacular following the COVID-19 pandemic? What financial advice might be prudent during the pandemic? What has been the impact of the coronavirus on the region’s unemployment?
Recent news stories related to these topics and others quoted University of Scranton faculty members.
Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor of English and Theatre, discussed “zoombomb” and other words, phrases and jargon that may become commonly used following the pandemic in a Scranton Times-Tribune story May 10.
Iordanis Petsas, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Economics and Finance, offered tips for investors to consider during the volatile markets created by the worldwide pandemic for a news story on Fox-56 on May 5. Last month, Dr. Petsas discussed the the economic effects of the government’s Coronavirus economic stimulus payments sent to taxpayers in a WBRE-WYOU news story.
Satyajit Ghosh, Ph.D., professor of economics, discussed the impact of the corona virus on the banking industry in a Times-Tribune news story that also appeared in the Citizens’ Voice in Wilkes-Barre on May 3. A few days earlier, Dr. Ghosh discussed regional unemployment, also impacted by the pandemic, in a Times-Tribune article.
Other news stores related to COVID-19 that published in April and March quoted Bryan R. Crable Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, in Fox-56 and Mary Jane Hanson, Ph.D., professor of nursing and director of graduate and doctor of nursing practice programs, was quoted in several articles in the Scranton Times-Tribune. In addition, Debra Pelligrino, dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, wrote an editorial published in the Scranton Time-Tribune about Autism in the COVID-19 Era. University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., was featured in an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled “Ritual, Rhythm, Community: Everything Higher Ed Does Best, the Coronavirus Attacks.”
Faculty in the News
-
05/11/2020
Students have been inducted into national honor societies represented at The University of Scranton throughout the 2020 spring semester. Lists of students inducted into some of the University’s honor societies can be seen below.
Alpha Epsilon AlphaAlpha Kappa DeltaAlpha Lambda DeltaAlpha Mu GammaAlpha Sigma LambdaEta Sigma GammaKappa Delta PiNu Rho PsiOmega Beta SigmaOmicron Delta EpsilonPhi Alpha ThetaPhi Delta KappaPhi Lambda UpsilonPi Sigma AlphaPhi Sigma TauSigma Nu TauSigma Pi SigmaSigma Theta TauSigma XiStudents Inducted into National Honor Societies
-
05/11/2020
Fifty-two University of Scranton students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities for 2020. The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students, including students in doctoral level degree programs, who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
The following undergraduate and graduate students at Scranton were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu:
Ann AmentlerJulia BettiNadine BrosnanErin CarlinAbigail CohenJeffrey ColucciJulia CookPatricia CummingsMatthew DeBenedettoBrooke DeversSophia DiCamilloErin DunleavyMolly ElkinsLaura FreelyAlysha GrimesJulia HackGrace HambroseCourtney HayashiPeter HeckmanEmily KellyGrace KronenbergIan MacDonaldMatthew MarcotteRuth MartinClaire McAllisterAlexandra McGivernJulia McKinneyBailey McLaughlinKatherine MelilliDiana MikulaJames MurphyJacob MyersLiam O’HareKatherine PeccerilloGabriel RagusaJohn ReutherColleen RohrAlexa RombergerMinahil SamiLaura SchmanskiRyan SchultzeCara ShannonElias ShomaliAlana SiockAlexis TayounIsabelle okashAshley WalkerShannon WarburtonAnna WengynSarah WhiteJake ZiedeMegan Zinn.Students Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society
-
05/08/2020
Students can pursue paid experiential learning opportunities that can be completed remotely through a new partnership between the University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development and Parker Dewey, the largest freelance platform for college students and recent graduates.
Parker Dewey Micro-Internships are short-term, paid, professional, work assignments available at companies across the country that can be completed remotely. The projects allow students the chance to demonstrate skills and abilities, explore career paths, and build networks. Micro-Internships take place year-round and typically range from 5 to 40 hours of work with assignments due between one week and one month after the start date. Micro-Internships are offered in numerous fields, including communication, marketing, technology, finance and human resources.
Firms that use Micro-Internships range from Fortune 100 companies to emerging start-up businesses.
Students interested in pursuing Parker Dewey Micro-Internships can create an account at http://info.parkerdewey.com/scranton and complete as much profile information as possible. The form does allow students to download their resumes. Students can then review current Micro-Internship projects available and apply to projects of interest.
For more information, contact the Center for Career Development at careers@scranton.edu or 570-941-7640.
Students Can Pursue Remote, Paid Internships
-
05/08/2020
An article by John C. Norcross , Ph.D., distinguished professor of psychology at The University of Scranton, and Scranton alumna Colleen M. Phillips ’97, titled “Psychologist Self-Care During the Pandemic: Now More Than Ever,” was published online by the Journal of Health Service Psychology. The article offers “nine research-supported, practitioner-friendly methods of self-care to manage anxiety” among psychologists – and humans – during the pandemic.
Among the nine tips is “Practice Daily Gratitude,” for which a classic three good things in life intervention is suggested that recommends “writing a brief daily note about positive things about the last day, making a daily entry of good things in a gratitude diary, or identifying those things as one falls asleep.”
According to the authors, “moments of happiness and other positive emotions occur every day even during a pandemic, but we often fail to absorb and internalize them. We also fail to record them to remind ourselves of them later. Making note, both in mind and in writing, helps the positive emotions stick.”
Other tips include: limiting media intake of COVID-19 coverage; maintaining a schedule or routine; and refocusing on your mission and privilege of practicing psychology; among other interventions. The authors say these “techniques must be embedded within broader self-care regimens and resilience strategies.” The full article can be seen here.
An internationally recognized expert on behavior change and psychotherapy, Dr. Norcross is the author of “Changeology,” in addition to more than 400 scholarly publications and 25 books that he has co-written or edited. A Fellow of 10 professional associations, he has been honored with APA’s Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training Award, the Pennsylvania Professor of the Year from the Carnegie Foundation, the Rosalee Weiss Award from the American Psychological Foundation, and election to the National Academies of Practice. Dr. Norcross joined the University faculty in 1985. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Rutgers University and his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island. A board-certified clinical psychologist, he performed his clinical internship at Brown University School of Medicine.
Phillips serves as a mental health court coordinator for Lackawanna County. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from The University of Scranton and her master’s in psychology from Iowa State University.
Article Lists Self-Care Tips for the Pandemic
-
05/05/2020
“Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery: The Power of Connection,” a book by University of Scranton Professor Oliver Morgan, Ph.D., won a 2020 Independent Press Award in the category of Addiction and Recovery.
The prestigious international competition is judged by experts from different aspects of the book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copywriters. Selected award winners and distinguished favorites are based on overall excellence.
“We are thrilled to announce the winners and distinguished favorites in our annual 2020 Independent Press Award. This year included a myriad of excellent independently published books. It is clear that independents are prospering in every corner of the earth. We are so proud to be highlighting key titles representing global independent publishing,” said awards sponsor Gabrielle Olczak.
In “Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery: The Power of Connection,” the latest installment in the Norton Series on Interpersonal Neurobiology, Dr. Morgan provides a fresh take on addiction and recovery by presenting a more inclusive framework than traditional understandings. Cutting-edge work in attachment, interpersonal neurobiology and trauma is integrated with ecological-systems thinking to provide a consilient and comprehensive picture of addiction.
According to Dr. Morgan, professor of counseling and human services at Scranton, humans require connected and nourishing relationships for healthy living. Early and lifetime adversities, however, bring fragmentation and disconnection, and create the conditions for ill health. They create vulnerabilities. In order to cope, individuals can turn to alternatives, or “substitute relationships,” that ease the pain of disconnection. These can become addictions.
Dr. Morton’s book, “Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery,” calls for change in the established ways we think and behave about addiction and recovery. It reorients understanding and clinical practice for mental health and addiction counselors, psychologists, and social workers, as well as for addicts and those who love them.
Dr. Morgan joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. He has authored or co-authored ten book chapters and proceedings, covering topics that include addiction, pastoral care, spirituality and clinical practice. He has also co-edited five books and published more than twenty peer-reviewed articles in his field. He has received numerous awards during his tenure at Scranton, including the Magis Award for Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum; being named a Leahy Faculty Fellow in the Panuska College of Professional Studies in 2002 and being named the University’s CASE Professor Nominee in 2008.
Dr. Morgan is a National Certified Counselor, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Pennsylvania and a Master Addiction Counselor.
Dr. Morgan earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, his master’s degree from Hahnemann Medical University and his Master of Divinity degree from Weston School of Theology, and his Ph.D. from Boston University.
In 2020, the Independent Press Award had entries worldwide. Participating authors and publishers reside in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, India, Ireland, Portugal, Sweden and others.
For more information about the Independent Press Award, visit independentpressaward.com; and to see this year’s list of winners visit
https://www.independentpressaward.com/2020winners, or to see the list of 2020 Distinguished Favorites visit: https://www.independentpressaward.com/2020distinguishedfavorites.
Professor’s Book Wins International Award
-
05/01/2020
University of Scranton Chemistry Professor David Rusak, Ph.D., applied a high-tech chemical analysis procedure to help solve a 2008 Bucks County murder investigation. The case, including an interview with Dr. Rusak, was featured in a recent Forensic Files II episode.
Mary Jane Fonder was convicted of first-degree murder and related crimes in the Jan. 23, 2008, murder of Rhonda Smith, who was shot inside the church office of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Springfield Township.
A break in the case a came a few months after the incident, when an 8-year-old boy fishing with his father at Lake Nockamixon found a pistol. Authorities said the gun, owned by Fonder, matched a bullet found in the church office and bullet fragments recovered from Smith’s body. Fonder claimed that she threw the gun in Lake Nockamixon more than a decade ago.
Dr. Rusak was asked to determine the maximum length of time which the gun could have been exposed to the water. Dr. Rusak, along with David Marx, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, used a high-speed chemical analysis process called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) to answer that question. The gun in question had a blued steel finish, which is a protective coating that gave the gun its black color. The LIBS analysis showed that the bluing on this gun was unusually thin. If the gun had been in the water for 14 years as Fonder claimed, it would have shown much more corrosion.
“There’s no way that gun laid in the bottom of a lake for 14 years,” said Dr. Rusak in an interview for the Forensic Files II broadcast. The 13th episode of the new show, tilted “Church Lady,” is scheduled to air again in the U.S. on the HLN channel on Thursday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8. Episodes of Forensic Files II will also be available to stream on Hulu for Hulu Live subscribers.
The University of Scranton offers a major in forensic chemistry, which takes an interdisciplinary approach to the field with criminal justice course work supplementing primary courses in chemistry. The 132.5 credit major in forensic chemistry was developed to closely follow the standards set by the National Institute of Justice for professionals in the field. The curriculum is consistent with the requirements of the Forensic Education Program Accreditation Committee (FEPAC), and many students completing the program receive a minor in criminal justice.
Dr. Rusak joined the faculty at Scranton in 2000. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina and his Ph.D. from the University of Florida.
Faculty Member Applies Chemistry in Murder Case
-
05/01/2020
A group of community organizers, led by University of Scranton faculty, staff, and students together with community partners, are asking area residents to share stories of resiliency. On April 30, they held an online dialogue, “Finding Community Amid Coronavirus,” to kick off the effort, with 25 participants joining from a range of backgrounds, spanning generations and across diverse racial/ethnic identities.
“In light of the current pandemic, we are asking area residents to share stories of when they or their community found the strength to overcome a difficulty. We hope reflecting on lessons of resilience we have from our pasts can help us face the coronavirus challenges of today,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at the University. “We know we have so many experiences that make up the story of Northeastern Pennsylvania – the coal mining era, economic hardship, military service, the journeys of refugees and immigrants. And across it all, the bonds of family, friends, and community are a common thread.”
Residents can easily submit their stories at Scranton.edu/findingcommunity and submitters can remain anonymous if they so choose. Images related to the stories can also be uploaded. The stories will be shared on the University’s website, social media, and other outlets, and may be accessed for University research or creative purposes.
“In this time of social distancing, we are trying to find ways to create community, to foster mutual understanding, and to build connections. By sharing and reflecting on our collective and diverse stories of resilience, we hope to help our neighbors draw strength and exercise empathy as we encounter this coronavirus pandemic, which has brought new struggles. The online dialogue allowed us to form a virtual community to share experiences; now we want to amplify that effort, keeping in mind that while we may be in different boats, we are truly in this ocean together. Collecting these stories also will help us catalogue this unique and challenging time for the future,” said Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre, and a co-leader of the University’s dialogue initiative efforts. The dialogue was modeled after a recent national dialogue series organized by Essential Partners, a national non-profit organization based in Boston, which the University has collaborated with over the past three years.
Additional Scranton faculty, staff, and students leading the effort are: Carolyn M. Bonacci, Community and Civic Engagement Coordinator; Tiffany Bordonada, Ph.D., assistant professor of counseling and human services; Cyrus P. Olsen III, D. Phil, associate professor of theology and religious studies; Amy Simolo, Ed.D., faculty development specialist for the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence; along with University of Scranton student Conor Nealon, Duryea, who serves as an intern in the Community and Government Relations Office. Community members also involved with the project are: Gus Fahey, President and CEO, Valley in Motion; Margaret Gannon, IHM, Ph.D., IHM Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Professor Emerita, Marywood University; and Donna Korba, IHM Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Director of the Office of Justice and Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC).
Area Residents Asked to Share Stories of Strength
-
04/30/2020
The University of Scranton has hired Michael E. Kelley, Ph.D., BCBA-D, as a faculty member in the Counseling and Human Services Department. He holds a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) degree, which is doctoral designation for Board Certified Behavior Analysts with doctoral training in behavior analysis.
The University of Scranton serves as the executive hub for the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE), which is part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar regional initiative led by the AllOne Foundation intended to significantly enhance the service delivery system for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families living in 13 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania.
Dr. Kelley will take a leadership role with University’s ACCE executive hub, housed in the Panuska College of Professional Studies, to establish educational and scientific efforts to develop and deploy empirically-based information for improving care to those with ASD in the local community. Over time, Dr. Kelley hopes to develop a National Model of Excellence for clinical service, training and research in Autism and related developmental disabilities.
Dr. Kelley will also teach in the University’s post-graduate Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study, which the University began to offer in the fall of 2019. The 18-credit program for professionals working in psychology, education, child care, occupational therapy, speech and language disorders, and counseling will prepare students to meet the requirements needed to take the Behavior Analysis Certification Board examination.
Dr. Kelley most recently served as the executive director of the Scott Center for Autism Treatment at Florida Institute of Technology, in addition to being a professor there. He previously served as an assistant professor at University of Nebraska Medical Center and as director of the Medical Center’s Severe Behavior Program, Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. Earlier in his career, Dr. Kelley taught as assistant research professor at University of Southern Maine and as an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine.
Dr. Kelley’s research has appeared in 50 peer-reviewed publications and he has received grants from National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, among others. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, and has previously served on the Board of Editors for the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Dr. Kelley earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University, his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Louisiana State University. He was a pre-doctoral intern and post-doctoral fellow at Marcus Institute and Emory University School of Medicine. He is a Licensed Psychologist in Florida.
Behavior Analysis Faculty Member Hired
-
04/24/2020
The University of Scranton was selected to the Catholic Volunteer Network’s 2020 “Top Schools for Service,” a list of just 29 elite Catholic colleges in the nation noted for the expression of their commitment to service. Scranton is among the seven schools selected in the Mid-Atlantic Region and is among 13 Jesuit colleges listed in all four regions of America.
The national list of “Top Schools for Service” recognized “campuses who have demonstrated consistent excellence in collaborating with our network and championing post-grad service among students.” According to Catholic Volunteer Network, the recognition celebrated “the women and men who serve in Campus Ministries, Service-Learning and Social Justice Offices and Career Centers at colleges and universities nationwide” who make long-term commitment to service by students possible. The Catholic Volunteer Network honored the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice.
“The University of Scranton is delighted to be among the select universities in the nation recognized by the Catholic Volunteer Network for the ways in which we encourage in our students a commitment to service,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president. “Our Catholic and Jesuit mission is central to the transformative education we provide to our students to inspire in them a passion to serve others for the greater glory of God and the betterment of human kind.”
In addition to the community-based academic learning service projects that are part of a course, student volunteers assist community agencies and participate in numerous campus service projects, many of which are organized and facilitated by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. Service projects also include those completed by members of the University’s 85 student clubs which are required to complete at least three service events each academic year. Patricia Vaccaro serves as the director of the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice.
Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service. In addition, each year members of the University’s graduating class commit to long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations throughout the country and internationally. Catherine Seymour, campus minister, coordinates the University’s post-grad service program.
Scranton’s previous national recognition for its commitment to service includes being named among just 361 colleges in America to earn the highly-respected Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification. Scranton has also been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
Catholic Volunteer Network, the leading membership organization of Christian volunteer and mission programs, fosters and promotes full-time domestic and international faith-based volunteer service opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds, and skills.
Scranton Among Nation’s Top Schools for Service
-
04/22/2020
“Post-pandemic clinical nursing education: The value of academic-practice partnerships,” an article written by three University of Scranton professors of nursing, was published in April by American Nurse. In the article, authors Mary Jane K. DiMattio, Ph.D., professor of nursing and director for the University’s Office of Educational Assessment; Sharon S. Hudacek, Ed.D., professor of nursing, and Catherine P. Lovecchio, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, underscored the benefits of academic-practice partnerships in nursing as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The University has had Clinical Liaison Nurse Academic Practice Partnership with Regional Hospital of Scranton, Moses Taylor Hospital and Geisinger Community Medical Center.
Through this partnership model, the University was able to offer support to its clinical partners coping with the COVID-19 pandemic in several ways, including the donation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supplies from student practical laboratories to partner hospitals and the lending of three ventilators from the University’s nurse anesthetist laboratories. The University’s Nursing Department also produced a video of support and thanks from current students and faculty to Clinical Liaison Nurse partners.
In addition, the article states that “on March 26, 2020, a group of major nursing organizations in the United States endorsed a policy brief to encourage academic-practice partnerships during the COVID-19 pandemic. The brief noted that these models can be both innovative and valuable at this time in history and emphasized the need for safety and alignment of student and nurse skills and competencies.”
The article also noted: “Amidst the seemingly overnight critical demands facing the nursing profession resulting from COVID-19, the Clinical Liaison Nurse (CLN) model may serve as a template for others. The model ensures that nursing students have challenging and complex clinical experiences overseen by both expert staff nurses (CLNs) and academic faculty collaborating at the bedside to prepare new nurses for the adversity they will soon face in the hospital setting.”
The University’s Clinical Liaison Nurse model, a community-based, academic-practice partnership that began in 2009, pairs expert staff nurses with academic faculty to create an improved learning environment for undergraduate student nurses and an added level of safety for patients.
Post-pandemic Clinical Nursing Education
-
04/22/2020
A record number of students in grades six to 12 participated in The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest this year, which also marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The University received nearly 150 submissions from students representing home school, charter schools and private schools, in addition a submission from a student from Singapore.
“The essay contest is a way for young people to learn about sustainability and to research ways to help save our planet,” said Mark Murphy, director of the Sustainability Office at The University of Scranton. “The topics covered in this year’s submissions addressed a wide range of subjects, including: bees, recycling, tree planting, gardens, net zero buildings, animal agriculture, healthy eating, changing habits, electric cars, renewable energy, geo-thermal, eliminating plastic straws, single use products, plastic-free packaging, fossil fuels, reducing food waste, clean water and littering. Ninety-nine percent of the essays showed a very positive attitude from our participants. It is this positive attitude that will help save our planet.”
This year’s essay theme was “Sustainability for the Earth: Choose it or Lose it.”
Winners of this year’s Earth Day Essay Contest were announced on Earth Day, April 22, via The University of Scranton Sustainability Office Facebook page.
The sixth-grade essay contest winners were all from Bay Academy in Brooklyn, New York: Brianna J. Huang, first place; Alexia Matskevich, second place; and Stephen Tharian, third place. The seventh-eighth grade winners were: Susan Arp, seventh grade, home school, Clarks Summit, first place; Hasaan Mahmood, eighth grade, Bay Academy, Brooklyn, New York, first place; Joshua Manukov, eighth grade, Bay Academy, Brooklyn, New York, second place; and Dina Vistman, third place, and Ioane Kharebava, third place, both from Bay Academy, Brooklyn, New York.
The ninth-10thgrade essay contest winners were all in 10th grade at Holy Cross High School. The students were: Molly White, Scranton, first place, and Mariah Mancuso, Dunmore, first place; Julia Goetz, Old Forge, second place; and Kaitlyn Idhaw, Clifford Township, third place and Autumn Niemiec, third place, Moosic.
The 11th-12th grade essay contest winners were Chan Kia Meng Charles, grade 12, Dunman High School, Singapore, first place; Lauren Wolstenholme, grade 11, Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School, Fallowfield, second place; Rebecca Cruciani, grade 12, Wyoming Seminary, Scranton, third place.
Information about next year’s essay contest will be posted to the University’s Sustainability webpage in January 2021.
Earth Day Essay Contest Awards Announced
-
04/20/2020
Merely four decades ago, when Clara Claiborne Park wrote her groundbreaking book The Siege, autism was viewed as a perverse disorder and the parents, and particularly the mothers, of autistic children as responsible for that perversion. Cold mothers, hard fathers, inward children – the myth was propagated by no less than acclaimed psychiatrist and writer Bruno Bettelheim.
But rebel and defiant members of the healthcare community, perhaps the richest profession for mining dramatic human stories, gave writers, filmmakers and artists the discoveries and creative spark they needed to help effect a massive cultural transformation.
And so, it took art – not science, not politics, not economics – to transform our understanding and embrace of autism. From The Siege to the film Rain Man, from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close to My Name is Khan, writers, filmmakers and artists revolutionized, together with their medical counterparts, the acceptance and treatment of innumerable children around the world. Over a few decades, the pediatric field of Developmental Disabilities expanded in lockstep with the arts’ powerful portrayals of autism, and parents who were once scorned or looked askance at slowly have become heroic figures.
In November 2018, as part of a 13-county survey of health needs in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS), and key colleagues at PCPS received an assessment of unmet health needs in the area. Autism and other developmental disorders ranked alongside opioid addiction at the top. PCPS’ new autism program grew out of this assessment. It aims to produce leading professionals in the field – but also serve this community. The effort will bring national and international figures to the Scranton area to focus on applied behavior analysis, the field PCPS has identified as most lacking in the area and most fundamental to improving lives for those with autism. This work will be performed because of a generous a three-year, $6 million grant in partnership from the AllOne Foundation for the 13 counties or Pennsylvania. The AllOne Foundation named five hubs with PCPS as the executive hub of the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE), putting the University at the forefront of front-line research and analysis in autism. One in every 64 children in the U.S. develop some form of autism; the PCPS program, with their many partners through the AllOne Foundation, will serve more than 17,500 children and their families in the Northeastern Pennsylvania area.
Recently, Michael E. Kelley, Ph.D., BCBA-D, as a faculty member in the Counseling and Human Services Department, came on board at PCPS to collaborate with counseling professors Lori Bruch, Ed.D., and Vanessa Jensen, Ed.D., BCBA-D, on making the program a national leader. Dr. Kelly will focus on leading the Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study, an 18-credit program for professionals working in psychology, education, childcare, occupational therapy, speech and language disorders, and counseling, and developing a Master of Science in Applied Behavioral Analysis with his colleagues.
This collaboration between PCPS and the University’s Slattery Center for the Humanities will take this historic, groundbreaking relationship between the arts and medicine as our model. The Slattery Center, seeking to bring storytelling about autism to both its local and global platforms, will soon announce the Autism Project as the lead initiative in its Health Humanities platform. The Slattery Center’s executive director, Gregory Jordan, J.D., will coordinate together with new Philosophy professor Matthew Shea, Ph.D., currently a medical ethicist at UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Shea will also serve as a sort of intellectual and philosophical bridge to PCPS, focusing not least on the Ignatian dimensions of caregiving, healthcare, and family life.
As the artistic, philosophical and theological complement to PCPS’ cutting-edge work, the Slattery Center will provide the narrative focus, human backdrop and dramatic context to PCPS’ innovative programs. PCPS will bring the professional focus, research, and clinical expertise, and the Slattery Center will mine and memorialize the stories that PCPS generates and will bring in renowned autism storytellers to enrich the PCPS program and participants.
Collaboration content will include:
- Local Humanities/Digital Humanities
- The Center will film, present and archive a series to be called Autism Stories in which local families will tell their stories on video. We will have a Local Autism Film Festival at the end of each year showing the work of Slattery Center student videographers who will interview local families and children about their autism stories.
- The Center will host a regular reading series of work by these parent and children partners in the area.
- Screenings
The Center will hold screenings for feature films and documentaries on/about autism.
- Art Shows
The Center will host art exhibits for autistic artists.
- Speakers Series
The Center and PCPS will invite and host an elite list of internationally respected arts and pediatric healthcare figures.
The Panuska College of Professional Studies also hosts the U.S. Conference on Disability which is in its 19th year of offering this conference. With the partnership of the AllOne Foundation, the 19th annual conference on October 6, 2020, “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities,” is open to the public free of charge. As part of the conference, an evening Town Hall with the keynote speaker will be co-hosted by the Slattery Center for the Humanities.
Collaboration to Ignite Humanistic Flame of Autism
-
04/15/2020
Students can be prepared to put their best virtual foot forward at The University of Scranton’s Virtual Career Event planned for Thursday and Friday, April 16 and 17. The University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development posted an article on the Virtual Career Event webpage, published by Rasmussen College entitled “12 Ways to Make the Most out of a Virtual Career Fair.”
Among the tips mention in the article are ones recommended for in-person as well as virtual career fairs, including to register ahead of time, research participating organizations, dress professionally and prepare your resume. In addition, there are tips more specific to the virtual format, such as making sure the technology you are using works and to pay attention to the background you are presenting on screen. Participants want the focus to be on them – not something distracting in the background.
Virtual participants also must be more prepared to present themselves and “make their pitch.” The full article can be seen on the Virtual Career Event webpage. Students can also register for the virtual event on the page and see a list of organizations participating in the fair.
The Center for Career Development organizes a career fair each semester to help students from all majors discover opportunities for jobs, internships, co-ops or graduate and professional education. In addition to the career fairs, the center assists students in making career decisions that are consistent with their unique talents, aspirations and skills. Students can receive training in resume and cover letter writing as well as interview and job search techniques, among other services offered through the center.
According to the University’s six-month post-graduate survey of members of its undergraduate and graduate classes, 99 percent of Scranton’s class of 2019 graduates, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation. The success rate is based on career success data obtained for 77 percent of the undergraduate class and 83 percent of its graduate class.
Tips for Virtual Career Event Participants
-
04/15/2020
An article written by four University of Scranton accounting professors was awarded the inaugural Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year from the Institute of Management Accountants’ Committee on Ethics and Strategic Finance. The article, titled “The Value of Trust,” was written by Amanda S. Marcy, assistant professor of accounting; Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., chair of the University’s Accounting Department; James F. Boyle, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting; and Daniel P. Mahoney, Ph.D., professor of accounting. The award highlights an article that focuses on the importance of ethics in business as a whole and finance and accounting in particular.
The new annual award is named in memory of Curtis C. Verschoor, a longtime member of the IMA Committee on Ethics, editor of the Strategic Finance Ethics column for 20 years, and a significant contributor to the development and revisions of the IMA Statement of Ethical Professional Practice. Verschoor was a passionate, renowned thought leader on ethics in accounting, having earned a Lifetime Achievement Award from Trust Across America-Trust Around the World for his leadership in and advocacy for trustworthy business practices.
Professor Marcy was named assistant professor of accounting at Scranton in 2018 and previously served as a faculty specialist in the department. She worked as an accountant for Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP. She is a Certified Public Accountant and member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Accounting Association and the Healthcare Financial Management Association. Professor Marcy earned both a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA specialized in accounting from The University of Scranton, and is currently pursuing her doctorate of business administration in accounting at the University.
Dr. Douglas Boyle serves as director of the University’s internationally recognized DBA program and the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
In addition, he, along with Dr. James Boyle and Dr. Mahoney, led the University’s effort to establish a Business High School Scholars Program. Articles written by these three professors have also won four Institute of Management Accountants’ “outstanding article of the year” medals, including two gold medals.
A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Douglas Boyle has more than 25 years of industry executive experience. An award-winning teacher, he was profiled in 2019 as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs.
Dr. Douglas Boyle’s research has been published in numerous academic and practitioner journals, such as The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy (JAPP), Accounting Horizons, Issues in Accounting Education, Current Issues in Auditing, The Journal of Accounting Education, The Accounting Educators’ Journal, The Journal of Accountancy, Strategic Finance, Fraud Magazine, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly, The CPA Journal, Internal Auditing, The Journal of Applied Business Research and The Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences. He earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Dr. James Boyle has taught part-time at the University since 2009 and full-time since 2012 and also served as an internal auditor for the University for more than a decade. He has published articles in multiple academic journals, including The CPA Journal, Strategic Finance, The Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting and Internal Auditing. He holds a bachelor’s and MBA from The University of Scranton and a DBA from Kennesaw State University.
An award-winning teacher and scholar, Dr. Mahoney’s research has been published in numerous professional journals, such as The CPA Journal, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly and Journal of Business and Economics Research, Accounting and Financial Management. A Certified Public Accountant, he was named Kania School of Management’s Professor of the Year five times and has won numerous other awards for teaching. He earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from The University of Scranton as well as a doctorate in accounting from Syracuse University.
Accounting Faculty Article Wins National Award
-
04/14/2020
The University of Scranton Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE) executive hub will offer a series of virtual town hall meetings for parents with ASD individuals in their families and caregivers during Autism Awareness Month in April. The University developed the series of informational and educational online experiences related to ASD and associated disorders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The “town hall” format will allow greater interaction among the virtual participants during the sessions.
Topics to be discussed at the virtual sessions include: “Help with Challenging Behaviors in the COVID-19 Era;” “Picky Eating: Tips for Changing Eating Habits;” “Supporting Positive Family Interactions: Managing Sibling Conflict;” “Identifying Signs of Anxiety and Depression in Your Child;” and “Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis.” The full list of topics, dates, times and additional information of the planned April virtual town hall sessions can be seen at the ACCE website www.alloneforautism.org.
University of Scranton professor Michael Kelley, Ph.D., BCBA-D, and visiting professor Dana M. Gadaire, Psy.D., BCBA-D, will lead the sessions. Dr. Kelley specializes in assessment and treatment of symptoms of Autism (specifically, early intervention), severe behavior disorders, feeding difficulties and other common behavior problems encountered by those affected by Autism. Dr. Kelley’s research is dedicated to disseminating information about assessment and treatment of symptoms of Autism and preventing treatment relapse. Dr. Gadaire specializes in interdisciplinary approaches to the treatment of common childhood disorders including Autism, ADHD and anxiety disorders. Dr. Gadaire’s research focuses on interventions to facilitate positive social interaction, learning behaviors and general wellbeing among children with diverse needs.
All virtual town hall sessions are live and will also be recorded. Participants who do not want their image to be recorded, should not turn on their video. Participants may also be muted in these sessions, and questions can be submitted through the chat or the Q&A feature. Recordings will be made available at a later date.
ACCE is part of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar regional initiative led by the AllOne Foundation intended to significantly enhance the service delivery system for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families living in 13 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania. The ACCE executive hub is housed in the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies. The Centers have been providing services remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
To learn about additional programming in the future, visit the ACCE Facebook page or join the ACCE listserv by emailing accefamilysupport@scranton.edu.
Virtual Help for Parents of Children with Autism
-
04/08/2020
The names of more than 100 students, parents and alumni have been submitted to The University of Scranton Royals Respond Honor Roll, which recognizes members of the University community who are responding to the pandemic. The list includes nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians, residents, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, firemen, police officers and others who are in some way are responding the coronavirus. Honorees represent eight states and Washington D.C., and include some of the hardest-hit areas of the country.
The Honor Roll is part of a “Royals Respond” initiative the University launched April 1 to recognize, honor and thank alumni and other members of the University community who are selflessly responding to the pandemic. Students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends can add their own name or that of others connected to the University to the Honor Roll. University community members can also share individual stories, photos with captions, news coverage, video footage or reflections that may be featured on the Royals Respond section of the University’s Royal News website and shared in social media and other University publications in the weeks and months ahead. Visit scranton.edu/royalsrespond to submit names to the Honor Roll or stories for publication.
Also as part of this initiative, the University will light a red cross on a blue background on the St. Thomas Gateway from sunset until 10 p.m. each evening to honor all those who are bravely responding to COVID-19, especially acknowledging the service of alumni and members of the University community.
University Honors Royals Responding to Pandemic
-
04/07/2020
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a Facebook Live virtual event with “virtuosos on clarinet and saxophone,” as described by The New York Times. Peter and Will Anderson will perform during the April 9 “Informance.” The identical twins will also discuss the band and choir pieces they composed for the University’s World Premiere Concert. The event will include a a live question and answer segment. The “Informance” begins at 7 p.m. and can be seen at facebook.com/peterandwillanderson/live/.
The University’s 37th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert, which will feature the Andersons’ original compositions for band and choir, has been postponed until the fall.
Washington, D.C., natives and graduates of The Juilliard School, the Andersons have performed with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D’Rivera, Wynton Marsalis and Frank Vignola. In addition, they can be heard performing with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks on the 2014 Grammy-winning soundtrack of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” and are members of Kyle Athayde Dance Party.
The Andersons have performed at a number of prestigious venues throughout the country and abroad, including Carnegie Hall, The Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Feinstein’s 54 Below, Blues Alley, Birdland and on public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” They have been featured six times in New York City’s famed Highlights in Jazz series, and are the recipients of a Drama Desk nomination and a Bistro Award.
The brothers have released several albums, among them “Correspondence,” which Vanity Fair named one of its “Four New Releases to Make You Love Jazz,” and “Déjà Vu,” which JazzTimes called “a burner that reveals the band’s cohesiveness and spirit.”
For further information about the Facebook Live event, visit scranton.edu/music, email music@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7624.
Virtual Virtuosos’ Informance Set for April 9
-
04/07/2020
One competition is not closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic: The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest.
Area students in grades seven to 12 have through April 15 to submit an essay for the contest via email. The contest is offered free of charge and this year’s essay theme is “Sustainability for the Earth: Choose it or Lose it.”
Essays for students in grades seven and eight must be between 200 to 400 words. Essays for students in grades nine to 12 must be between 300 to 500 words. Electronic submissions must be sent to susan.falbo@scranton.edu on or before April 15. Visit the University’s Sustainability website for complete submission rules and details.
Winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced via The University of Scranton Sustainability Office Facebook page on Earth Day, April 22. This year marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day.
Earth Day Essay Contest Still Open for Submissions
-
04/02/2020
The University of Scranton, through its Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE) executive hub, will recognize World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 and National Autism Awareness Month for the month of April.
ACCE is part of a multi-year, multi-million-dollar regional initiative led by the AllOne Foundation intended to significantly enhance the service delivery system for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families living in 13 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania. The Centers have been providing services remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The autism community across this country is being affected in ways that many might not understand, such as disruption to routine or schedules, caregiver support and respite care not to mention the challenges for visiting medical facilities at this time,” said University of Scranton alumnus Christopher Banks, president and CEO of the Autism Society of America. “With this pandemic, everyone has to rapidly adjust and learn – health care professionals, parents and caregivers alike – with no preparation time.”
The University is honoring all those who are bravely and selflessly responding to COVID-19, especially acknowledging the service of alumni and members of the University community, by illuminating a red cross on a blue background on the St. Thomas Gateway from sunset until 10 p.m. each evening. The University will also highlight the actions of alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff through individual stories on the Royals Respond website and in an honor roll. Submissions can be made at scranton.edu/royalsrespond.
In addition, the ACCE executive hub, housed in Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, is planning to host virtual town hall meetings for parents with ASD individuals in their families and caregivers during April.
The Autism Society of America is the nation’s largest and oldest grassroots autism organization. In 1970, the Autism Society launched an ongoing nationwide effort to promote autism awareness and assure that all affected by autism are able to achieve the highest quality of life possible. In 1972, the organization launched Autism Awareness Week, which developed into Autism Awareness Month. In addition, April 2 is the 13th annual World Autism Awareness Day, with this year’s theme of “Light It Up Blue” in recognition of people with autism and those who love and support them. Blue is the color associated with autism.
Additional information about ACCE can be found at www.alloneforautism.org.
University Promotes Autism Awareness in April
-
04/02/2020
Jaewon Ryu, M.D., president and CEO of Geisinger, spoke to students participating in The University of Scranton’s Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence, in February on campus. Students in this highly-selective program explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
Business Leadership Honors Program participants Marcella Creasy, a mathematics major from Shenandoah; Matthew Marcotte, a forensic accounting major from Monroe, New York; and Brianna Stein, an operations management and philosophy double major from Basking Ridge, New Jersey; served on the Business Leadership Host Committee and helped to plan and schedule the event.
Geisinger CEO Speaks at University
-
04/01/2020
The University of Scranton is launching “Royals Respond” to recognize, honor and thank alumni and other members of the University community who are selflessly responding to the pandemic. As part of this initiative, the University will light a red cross on a blue background on the St. Thomas Gateway to honor all those who are bravely and selflessly responding to COVID-19, especially acknowledging the service of alumni and members of the University community. The Gateway will be lit from sunset until 10 p.m. each evening after Mar. 31.
Royals Respond will invite students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends to add their own name or that of others connected to the University to an Honor Roll recognizing those who are helping the nation and the world respond to the pandemic. The University community will also be invited to share individual stories, photos with captions, news coverage, video footage or reflections that may be featured on the Royals Respond section of the University’s Royal News website and shared in social media and other University publications in the weeks and months ahead.
“We are grateful to all who have given of themselves to help others in small and great ways during this pandemic and are especially thankful to our alumni and members of the University community for their contribution in this time of need,” said University of Scranton President Rev. Scott. R. Pilarz, S.J. “Through their efforts, they embody the Jesuit ideal of being ‘men and women for and with others.’ We wanted to use the prominence of the St. Thomas Gateway and other resources available to us as a way to express our heartfelt thanks to them.”
The University will also highlight the actions of alumni, students, parents, faculty and staff through individual stories on the Royals Respond website, which will serve as a repository of their efforts, great and small. The stories will also be shared in Royal News, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or other University social media and publications. Alumni, parents and all members of the University community can share their story or that of another Royal for possible publication.
Visit scranton.edu/royalsrespond to submit names to the Honor Roll or stories for publication.
The University’s St. Thomas Gateway features a lit glass wall etched with the seal of The University of Scranton that spans the center of the four-story building. The façade can be seen on Linden Street for blocks from downtown Scranton.
University Honors and Thanks Pandemic Responders
-
03/31/2020
Since 1995, The University of Scranton has engaged in a Health Management Education Partnership with Trnava University in Trnava, Slovakia.
The long-standing partnership between the two Jesuit universities, which in the past has received support from United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other U.S. funding sources, was recently enhanced by support from an Erasmus+ grant from the European Union. Erasmus+ is the European Union’s program that provides opportunities for over 4 million participants to study, train, gain experience and volunteer abroad and also supports activities with partner countries.
“Our partnership with Trnava University first started when Father Panuska was president of The University of Scranton and U.S. agencies were giving aid to former Soviet Union and Central European countries. The U.S. aid focused on creating programs that were sustainable, and we certainly did that with this partnership,” said Daniel J. West Jr., Ph.D., professor and chair of Scranton’s Department of Health Administration and Human Resources.
“Today, the European Union is providing support to the partnership. This is a continuation in cooperation with a move of support from the U.S. side to the E.U. side,” said Viera Rusnakova, M.D., Ph.D., vice dean for international relations and development at Trnava University and affiliated faculty member for health administration at the University, during a recent visit to Scranton as part of this program.
The Erasmus+ supported project was developed by Trnava University to sustain the long-term cooperation with Scranton and to improve the mobility of teachers to further strengthen the international dimension of the program, especially in research and pedagogical capacities of both partnerships. The project builds on existing cooperation that includes study visits, exchanges of lecturers and students, joint conferences and research publication especially in the area of health administration education and public health and social work.
“The previous 20-plus years of collaboration has had an indisputable impact on the improvement of quality of education at Trnava University and its workplaces, supporting international auditing and providing expertise from the American side of the university, as well as quality assurance at healthcare facilities in Slovakia,” said Martin Rusnak, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Department of Public Health at Trnava University and affiliated faculty member for health administration at Scranton.
Dr. West said that the program has produced much research that has been disseminated through publications, as well as “by faculty sharing research with students in the classroom, so the international mobility of teachers is a crucial element to the sharing of information.”
“And, the international dimension of health care important component of education and research,” said Dr. Rusnakova.
According to Drs. Rusnakova and Rusnak, Trnava University provides opportunities to address health problems not only in Slovakia, but also in international and global contexts. They explained that the issues addressed cross national borders or have a global political and economic impact. They include improving health (including mental health), reducing health inequalities and protecting against global threats. Attention is paid to the problems of travel medicine, as well as to migration, population aging and chronic diseases, a common response to natural disasters and persistent threats to infectious diseases. Thus, the focus is not just about comparing and identifying differences in health across countries, but rather finding common features in terms of possible collective, partnership-based activities.
“Global health is aimed at citizens around the world, promotes interpersonal understanding and calls for the cultivation of such approaches,” said Dr. Rusnakova.
For the future, the partners are examining executive certificate programs and joint degree possibilities and are looking to develop technologies capable to deliver these programs.
25-year-old Partnership Focuses on Global Health
-
03/27/2020
The University of Scranton donated more than 7,000 surgical masks, 15,000 examination gloves, 300 personal protection equipment items including gowns, shoe covers and goggles, and more than 8,000 miscellaneous items such as disposable oxygen tubing and nebulizers, alcohol pad, cotton applicators and sanitary wipes. The items, given to three area hospitals, were collected from the Leahy Clinic, the Departments of Nursing and physical therapy as well as biology and chemistry laboratories. The University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies also lent three ventilators used in hospital simulation laboratories on campus for clinical training in the Department of Nursing.
The personal protective equipment and medical supplies were donated to the Commonwealth Health Regional Hospital of Scranton, Geisinger Community Medical Center and Moses Taylor Hospital.
The ventilators will be used by Geisinger during the COVID-19 crisis. Geisinger will upgrade two older-model ventilators for use in the hospital and will thoroughly clean the equipment prior to returning it to the University.
Andrea Mantione, D.N.P., director of the Leahy Community Health and Family Center, catalogued and organized the items donated from departments in the Panuska College of Professional Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences together with University administrators and faculty and with community health partners.
“This was a collaborative University effort to assist our partners in the local health care industry who are on the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. We are grateful for all the ways in which we partner with these organizations for student learning opportunities and are glad to be able to provide these needed supplies and equipment at this time as they prepare to care for our community during this global pandemic.” said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
University Donates Needed Medical Supplies
-
03/27/2020
More than 90 University of Scranton students participated in Google News Initiative Training which took place on campus in February and was sponsored by the University’s Department of Communication and Media and the Society of Professional Journalists. Participants were trained on the use of free tools available for data journalism.
Frank Bi, an editorial engineer for Vox Media’s SB Nation in New York City, led the training that covered dataset searches, pivot tables, web scraping and other topics.
According to communication professor Kim Pavlick, Ph.D., “several students said they referenced that they had Google News Lab training during job and internship interviews, and the training allowed them to speak fluently with the people who were interviewing them.”
“I try to take every opportunity to give my students the ability to succeed in their job searches,” said Dr. Pavlick.
The Google News Initiative aims to help journalists and news organizations use new technology to meet their needs in the digital age. The Society of Professional Journalists and the Google News Initiative partnered in 2015 to provide training to journalists looking to apply Google’s tools in their reporting. Since then, more than 21,000 journalists have been trained at more than 550 locations across the United States and Canada.
The Google News Lab training session was offered free of charge and was open to students, professional journalists and the general public.
Communication Students Learn about Data Journalism
-
03/27/2020
Dear Members of the University Community,
Let me begin by expressing my sincere hope that this email finds you and your families well. I pray for the wellbeing of the University community every day and for all those affected by COVID-19, especially those who are suffering or have lost their lives. As promised in our campus update on Monday, I am writing to you today about plans for after Easter Break on April 14, including the status of campus-based instruction, campus access and Commencement.
Plans for After April 14 and the Status of Campus-Based Instruction
When I wrote you on March 11 regarding the move to remote education, I shared our hope that the University could return to campus-based instruction after Easter Break on April 14. We have concluded that it will be necessary to continue remote education through the end of the spring semester.
We withheld making this decision hoping it would not be necessary. The state and national situation, however, remains uncertain, and we must give faculty and staff time to prepare for remote instruction that will now continue through the remainder of the semester.
Students enrolled in online master’s programs are not affected by this change. These programs will continue on their normal schedule.
I have asked Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, to write separately to you all next week with additional details about remote education.
Campus Closure and Access for Residential Students
The campus is closed until further notice as per directives from Pennsylvania’s Governor and Department of Education. University offices continue to work remotely and will reopen on campus when possible.
Students will not have access to campus buildings during closure, except for limited access for residential students who received permission to remain on campus.
Residential students will understandably want to know when they can retrieve personal belongings. Right now, we are advised that students should only ask to retrieve essential items, such as medication. Students needing essential items should contact Residence Life by email at res-life@scranton.edu or by phone at 570-941-6226. Robert Davis Jr. Ed.D., Vice President for Student Life, will share specific instructions for all residential students regarding when and how they can return for their personal items as soon as our campus situation is more clear.
I will be writing tomorrow to residential and meal-plan students about the status of room and board charges already paid for the spring semester.
Commencement
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began disrupting campus life, the University community has been especially concerned about the impact on undergraduate and graduate students completing their degrees. The status of Commencement weekend is among the most common questions we have received from students and families.
We have NOT yet decided to cancel Commencement Weekend events for May 30-31. Our ceremony is later than most schools, and we want to wait as long as possible before deciding whether or not conditions will require us to change our current plans. Similarly, we have not yet cancelled Senior Week Events during the week of May 25. We will notify students and families of the status of Senior Week and Commencement Weekend no later than Monday, May 11.
At the same time, we believe it is important to have a contingency plan in place. For this reason, we have identified the weekend of October 24-25 as a fallback date should we need to change our plans for May.
We have already reserved the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza for a ceremony on either May 31 or October 25 and are grateful to the Arena for their flexibility. We encourage families to plan for both possibilities in terms of hotel arrangements.
Once again, Dr. Gingerich will be writing to graduating students and families with additional information in the coming weeks.
As always, you can find the most up-to-date information at scranton.edu/COVID-19.
I have said before that the decisions I have had to make these past few weeks to shift to remote education and to close campus are among the most difficult of my presidency. In large ways and small, however, I am so encouraged by the way the Scranton family is caring for each other through these uncertain times. In sharing our decisions today, we hope to bring what clarity we can to our students, faculty, staff and parents.
Please know that you remain in my thoughts and prayers and that together I have no doubt that our community will emerge more united. I leave you now with words shared this week by Father General Arturo Sosa, S.J.:
We don’t know how long this stretch of the road is or what will follow after. So let us ask for light to see the way forward and the grace that we need to work as brothers and sisters in solidarity with the whole of humanity and with the planet on which we live.May the Lord bless and keep us. We walk this journey together. AmenMay God bless The University of Scranton.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
March 26 Update on Remote Education, Commencement
-
03/25/2020
Before I started college I was homeschooled. While my younger sister Bodo chose to attend high school, I stayed home throughout, loving the independence and freedom (and quiet) of learning from home.
Now it’s my final semester at The University of Scranton, my sister’s second, and I will be learning the way I started, back at home with my family. While I wouldn't say that anyone in my family is happy about the situation, we do seem to be more prepared for this period than a lot of our friends.
Having made the switch from homeschooling to classroom learning, we know how jarring the change can be. Study skills and routines that you have perfected and personalized over the last 12-16 years of “regular school” might fall apart over the next few weeks. Technological aspects aside, home or e-learning might require a complete reworking of organization, routine, time management and discipline. We aren’t saying “homeschooling” is better or worse, easier or harder - we’re just saying it’s different; very, very different.
In the spirit of braving this weird time together, Bodo and I thought we’d compile a list of tips about how to approach e-learning so that we all come out of this semester with GPAs and sanity intact.
1) Get Dressed
While admittedly we did spend more time in our pajamas than most kids, we highly recommend getting dressed in the morning.
You’re probably thinking, “I don’t always get dressed in the morning for class; I wear sweats to school and I’m fine.”
While that might have been fine two weeks ago, you still had to go to class. Just leaving your dorm, stepping outside into the breeze, finding your uncomfortable seat, complaining to your neighbors tells your brain, “the day has started, it’s time to focus.” Those factors are gone, now. Getting up out of bed, putting on jeans, brushing your hair, or doing your makeup can go a long way. The physical activity and sensations of getting dressed will help make up for other lost stimuli, reminding you to start working. It also prevents you from falling asleep again and missing that zoom seminar.
2) Write out a Daily Schedule
Probably our most important piece of advice is something neither of us have kept up with in college. Whether you need one in school before or not, use a planner. Write things down. Without external reminders from lectures, comments in class, friends stressing over assignments, study groups etc., assignments and due dates will start to slip your mind. You need one place where you can keep track of what you need to accomplish and when. We used a very simple three-step system in middle and high school.
- Write out a plan for the week that includes when things are due.
- Write out a plan for the day that maps out when you will be working on tasks.
- Check tasks off. This will help you keep track of where you stand in relation to your work but most importantly make you feel like you have accomplished something.
3) Work in the Morning
I hate waking up and Bodo is in her prime hours between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., but we agree on the following: get up at a reasonable time and get stuff done in the morning. If you too are a night owl, this might seem counterintuitive to you, but trust us. If you put off working in the morning, you will continue to put off working throughout the day. Get it over with as early as possible.
As a compromise Bodo tends to do her immediate assigned work early in the day, take a long break in the afternoon, and then study or work ahead at night. Obviously everyone has different methods but don’t take “homeschooling” to mean you should sleep until noon just because you can. Did we do that sometimes? Of course. Should we have? Nope.
4) Make a Rewards System
Losing scheduled class times, meals with friends, varied study spaces, “student gatherings,” sports and clubs can make remote learning overwhelming and stressful at the same time as completely mind-numbing and monotonous. Trust us; we’ve been here. It can be rough, so be kind to yourself. Give yourself breaks, watch an episode of Netflix, eat an entire box of chocolate, go for a run, whatever you need to do. Just make sure these rewards are part of your daily plan, not just spontaneous ways to procrastinate.
What both of us have found helpful in the past is to incorporate these with school work. That online quiz equals ten minutes on Instagram. One draft of a paper equals a walk around the block. If played right these rewards can act as both a distractor and a motivator.
5) Move
We’ve all done it: 10 hour Netflix/gaming/reading binges. Sitting still for a whole weekend, getting up only to use the bathroom or make popcorn. These days or weekends can be relaxing but they are not conducive to good work and productivity. Don’t treat remote learning like a binge weekend. You have to move.
It might not seem like it but moving from one classroom to the next, from your dorm room to DeNaples or to the library to print makes a huge difference. You need to get your blood moving, to change your scenery. Study for biology in your backyard. Write your philosophy essays at the dining room table. Walk around the block with your dog or sister after an hour of studying for an economics exam. Do not sit on your bed for 19 hours a day. It will make sleeping difficult and focusing impossible.
6) Plan Meals
Don’t forget to eat. It’s weirdly easy to forget to eat if you aren’t moving around, and aren’t confined to a schedule. One minute it’s, “I’ll make lunch after this page;” next minute it’s 8 p.m. and you don’t know why your head hurts. When you’re planning your day out, decide ahead of time when you are going to stop for lunch. This can turn lunch into part of your reward system, motivating you to get along with something. It will also prevent you from using snack time as a procrastination tool.
7) Get a Browser Nanny
It’s embarrassing how much time in high school I spent on YouTube and Netflix. You might think you do now, but you haven’t studied along, at home day after day after day yet. When all you have is your laptop, the temptation to open a new tab on your browser and waste time is staggering. Thankfully there are helpful free tools that you can download that will limit your access to certain websites on your browser. “StayFocused” on the Google Chrome Webstore is a good option.
8) Sleep
Finally, it is still important to stick to a sleep schedule. Foregoing actual sleep and relying on one-hour naps between tasks is a horrible idea. Adjust your schedule how you see fit. It‘s likely going to be different than it was during the first part of the semester that’s fine. Sleep till 10 if your 9 a.m. isn’t meeting on zoom, but make a somewhat consistent sleep schedule and make sure you sleep for more than 30-minute spurts.
And that’s it. We hope our childhood experience will help you get through this part of the semester. You got this.
Additional tips can be found on the University’s Student Life Student Activities webpage.
How to Learn at Home
-
03/25/2020
Virtual Preview Day at The University of Scranton will include eight large panel sessions and more than 40 department sessions, as well as formats that will allow high school students, accepted as members of the Class of 2024, to interact with current University students.
The virtual event will include the preview more than 22 videos made for the occasion. The University will also offer individual appointments throughout the day for attendees to speak with campus staff regarding admissions, financial aid, academic support services (Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence) and transfer credit evaluations. The event will include virtual tours of campus and labs, Zoom chatrooms and social media interaction.
The University’s Virtual Preview Day for high school students accepted to its Class of 2024 and their families will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 28. The virtual event provides an opportunity for accepted students to take a closer look at the Jesuit university before making their final college decision.
To date, more than 930 high school students have registered to attend the event.
For additional information or to register for Virtual Preview Day, visit the Virtual Preview Day webpage or contact The University of Scranton Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON.
Scranton Set to Host Virtual Preview Day Mar. 28
-
03/23/2020
Twenty University of Scranton students volunteered as judges for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science regional competition held in February at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre. The students who volunteered were taking courses in science at Scranton.
University students who volunteered were: Karissa Bove, Brooklyn, New York; Julia Braito, East Williston, New York; Anna DeLauro, Bridgewater, New Jersey; Mary Delia, New Providence, New Jersey; Olivia Diana, Marlboro, New Jersey; Naomie Felix, Flanders, New Jersey; Daniella Gomes, Staten Island, New York; Morgan Hakes, Short Hills, New Jersey; Madison Improta, Staten Island, New York; Adeline Keefer, Palmyra; Kaylee Lopez, New York, New York; Ryan Padgett, Hillsborough, New Jersey; Dominique Preate, Clarks Summit; Devon Robinson, Montoursville; Kelsey Schatz, Tobyhanna; Danielle Scotto, Staten Island, New York; Maeve Seymour, Clarks Summit; LilyAnne Stevens, Brick, New Jersey; Katelyn Thomas, Scott Township; and Kira Treitz, Gouldsboro.
University of Scranton chemistry faculty specialist Glenn Pettinato accompanied the students.
University Students Volunteer as Judges for PJAS
-
03/20/2020
Community organizations are partnering with area businesses to provide meals to low-income residents. The Electric City Connection, an effort led by The University of Scranton, Scranton Tomorrow and Friends of the Poor, will accept donations which will then be used by local restaurant partners to supply meals for low-income residents.
Here’s how it works: members of the community are encouraged to donate $15 (via www.scrantontomorrow.org). Funds will be used to purchase $15 gift cards for participating Scranton restaurants to be used for take-out and delivery meal options, including, but not limited to: Abe’s Deli, the Black Box Café, Downtown Victoria’s Gourmet Cuisine, Fratelli’s Pizza & Pasta House, Mansour’s Market Café, Pizza by Pappas, Peculiar Slurp, POSH @ The Scranton Club, Savory Maza, A Little Pizza Heaven and Vincenzo’s Pizzeria & Catering.
Friends of the Poor, which is coordinating emergency food giveaways, will distribute the gift cards to low-income Scranton residents. “We are seeing tremendous need among families and individuals in our community due to this crisis. We are glad to partner on a program like this that taps into community generosity and also supports our local small businesses,” said Sr. Ann Walsh, IHM, assistant director, Friends of the Poor.
Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs, The University of Scranton, developed the program after learning about similar efforts in other cities. “The COVID-19 crisis is creating additional hardship for those who were already experiencing economic insecurity. This program is an effort to support the wellbeing of community members in need and support our local economy here in the City of Scranton,” she said. “We deeply appreciate the collaboration with partner organizations and local restaurant owners – finding ways to connect as a community is what will help get us through this crisis.”
The program was a natural fit for Scranton Tomorrow, a non-profit economic development organization in Downtown Scranton. In addition to helping those in need, the program will also support City restaurants facing their own set of economic challenges during this crisis. “The Electric City Connection is a prime example of the strength, resilience, creativity and compassionate spirit of the Scranton community,” said Leslie Collins, executive director, Scranton Tomorrow. “We are proud to coordinate this effort, and we will continue to create economic development incentives in support of local businesses during this challenging time.”
The Electric City Connection will begin accepting donations on Friday. Mar. 20, with distribution of gift cards for fresh meals through Friends of the Poor beginning during the week of Mar. 23. Donation can be made through Scranton Tomorrow, at www.scrantontomorrow.org.
For questions about The Electric City Connection, contact The University of Scranton Community Relations Office via email at community@scranton.edu or by calling 570-941-5529. Additional University partner offices include the Center for Service and Social Justice and University of Scranton Small Business Development Center
Partnership Shares Meals for Those in Need
-
03/18/2020
Kyra Krzywicki, Kingston, a first-year journalism – electronic media major at The University of Scranton, won a fifth-place medal for After Dinner Speaking at the Southern-Northern Atlantic Forensics Union Tournament, which was held at Cornell University in February.
Earlier in February, Krzywicki won the second-place medal for After Dinner Speaking at the Harold Cox Invitational Forensics Tournament, which was held at Wilkes University.
Krzywicki and other Scranton students are competing as part of the University’s Speech and Debate Team, a co-curricular student organization.
Student Wins Speech Award at Collegiate Tournament
-
03/17/2020
The University of Scranton will host a Virtual Preview Day for high school students accepted to its Class of 2024 and their families on Saturday, Mar. 28. The virtual event, which will begin at 9 a.m., will include live, interactive sessions with faculty, students and staff members, as well as informational videos and panel discussions. The event will include virtual tours of campus and labs. Virtual Preview Day will also allow for personal appointments with staff from Financial Aid, Admissions, the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence and others on campus.
The virtual event will provide an opportunity for accepted students to take a closer look at the Jesuit university before making their final college decision. The event was changed to a virtual format due to COVID-19 concerns.
The University’s Admissions Office has cancelled all campus visits and tours as of Friday, Mar. 13. Visitors can take a self-guided campus walking tour using a brochure available at The Estate on campus. High school seniors who are already accepted or interested in applying can request a virtual appointment with an Admissions Counselor by emailing admissions@scranton.edu.
For additional information or to register for Virtual Preview Day, visit the Virtual Preview Day webpage or contact The University of Scranton Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON.
Preview Day Goes Virtual for Class of 2024
-
03/17/2020
With the closings of schools in Pennsylvania and other states and other measures put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19, the University of Scranton professor leading the third annual HamSCI Workshop 2020 changed the conference to a virtual format to give access to more individuals with an interest in science. All one needs to participate now is to register for the free Mar. 20-21 event.
The virtual format of the third annual HamSCI workshop provides an opportunity for a broad audience to hear scientific research and exploration in a series of short, 15-20-minitue presentations.
University of Scranton physics and electrical engineering professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., who is organizing the conference, encourages high school science students and teachers, as well as anyone interested in space weather or ham radios, to attend the conference.
Originally planned to take place at The University of Scranton, the annual conference brings together the amateur radio community and professional scientists. The theme of the workshop is “The Auroral Connection,” and will include a keynote address by Tim Duffy, K3LR, chief operating officer and general manager at DX Engineering, an active amateur radio operator and well-known contester.
The workshop will also include poster presentations and information about the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station project, which is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project awarded to Dr. Frissell.
Speakers at the workshop include Elizabeth MacDonald, Ph.D., the NASA researcher that founded and leads the Aurorasaurus project; James LaBelle, Ph.D., professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth University and auroral radio physicist; and David Hallidy, amateur radio call sign K2DH, a retired microwave engineer who is also a well-known amateur radio operator for his work in auroral mode propagation.
Additional information and registration can be found on the HamSCI Workshop 2020 website.
Science Workshop Available Virtually to Everyone
-
03/17/2020
On March 16, Governor Tom Wolf announced additional measures to stem the spread of COVID-19. Among these steps was the decision to close all non-essential businesses. We have received clarification from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that colleges and universities are included in this category
Effective at 4:30 p.m. on March 17, the University campus is closed until further notice. The University will continue operations remotely with classes online beginning on March 30 as previously announced.
Beginning Wednesday, March 18, only essential staff should report to campus as directed.
To read the entire notice of the campus closure and to get the most up-to-date information, please visit scranton.edu/covid-19.
Campus Closed as of March 17, Operations Continue
-
03/16/2020
The following University of Scranton events have been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. The University’s Preview Day for accepted students will now be conducted as a virtual event on Mar. 28.
Mar. 28 9 a.m. Virtual Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2024. Remote access. Visit Scranton.edu/previewday or call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Now through Apr. 19 Art Exhibit: “Lift High the Cross Remembering Passionist Compassion Worldwide 1720 to 2020 Historical Traditions and Ministries.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Mar. 23 through Apr. 24 Art Exhibit: “Women in Art: Selections from the Everhart Museum.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Mar. 24 12:05 p.m. Mass Celebrating St Oscar Romero to mark the 40th anniversary of his assassination in El Salvador, sponsored by the University’s Campus Ministries and Ellacuría Initiative. Madonna della Strada Chapel. Free. Call 570-941-7659 or email teresa.grettano@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Mar. 25 4:30 p.m. Schemel Forum Collaborative Program with the Jesuit Center, The University of Scranton: “A Schemel Legacy: The Engineer and the Monk” presented by Christopher F. Schemel, Ph.D., president Delta Q Consultants, Inc., and courtesy professor chemical engineering, University of South Florida, and Brother Mario Joseph, Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. $30 fee. Registration required. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Mar. 29 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Mannes School of Music Brass Orchestra and The University of Scranton Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Mar. 31 4 p.m. 25th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 201-669-0902 or email sarah.novak@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Apr. 1 6 p.m. Art Exhibit Lecture: “Our Modern Quest for Compassion of the Mind and Heart: Reflection on the Passionist Tradition, 1720 to 2020” presented by Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D., adjunct professor of history at The University of Scranton and Passionist historian. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Reception to follow. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Apr. 3 9 a.m. Computer Programming Contest for high school students. Loyola Science Center. Registration required. Call 570-941-7774 or email robert.mccloskey@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Apr. 3 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Women in Art: Selections from the Everhart Museum” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu
CANCELLED - Apr. 3 5 p.m. Lecture and book signing by New York Times best-selling author Colum McCann. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Apr. 3 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Alexander Pattavina, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Apr. 4 8 a.m. National History Day Regional Competition for middle and high school students. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
CANCELLED - Apr. 15 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Social Learning and the Evolution of Conventions of Behavior” presented by Andrew Schotter, Ph.D., professor of economics, New York University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email aram.balagyozyan@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Apr. 21 5 p.m. Jay Nathan Lecture “Iceland: History. Culture. Environment.” Panel discussion with a cultural performance and reception to follow. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Reservations encouraged. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED - Apr. 25 8 a.m. Project Management Competition. Project management business simulation competition for college and university student teams sponsored by the physics and electrical engineering department. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email wandrew.berger@scranton.edu.
CANCELLED and NO LONGER ACCEPTING BOOK DONATIONS - Apr. 25-26 9 a.m. Saturday; noon Sunday Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
University Events Cancelled Through Apr. 13
-
03/12/2020
REVISED MASS SCHEDULE FOR SPRING BREAK, ON-LINE INSTRUCTION PERIOD, HOLY WEEK, AND EASTER BREAK 2020
- Sunday, March 15: No Masses
- Monday, March 16 through Saturday, March 21: Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel at 12:05 p.m. (There will be no 4:40 pm Masses on these days.)
- Thursday, March 19: 7:30 p.m. Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel. (No Byzantine Divine Liturgy this day.)
- Sunday, March 22: No Masses
- Monday, March 23 through Saturday, March 28: Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel at 12:05 p.m. (There will be no 4:40 pm Masses on these days.)
- Thursday, March 26: 7:30 p.m. Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel. (No Byzantine Divine Liturgy this day.)
- Sunday, March 29: No Masses
- Monday, March 30 through Saturday, April 4: Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel at 12:05 p.m. (There will be no 4:40 pm Masses on these days.)
- Thursday, April 2: 7:30 p.m. Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel. (No Byzantine Divine Liturgy this day.)
- Sunday, April 5: No Masses
- HOLY WEEK, Monday through Wednesday, April 6-8, only: Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel at 12:05 p.m. (There will be no 4:40 pm Masses on these days.)
- Thursday, April 9 (Holy Thursday) through Monday, April 13 (Easter Monday): No Masses will be offered
- The regular Mass schedule resumes on Tuesday, April 14.
Individual copies of this schedule are available inside Sacred Heart Chapel.
For your information, the Cathedral of Saint Peter (Wyoming Avenue and Linden Street) has daily Masses at 6:30 am, 8:00 am and 12:10 pm and Sunday Masses at 6:30 am, 10 am, 12:15 pm and 5 pm and a 4 pm vigil Mass on Saturdays.
Revised Mass Schedule Until April 14
-
03/11/2020
COVID-19 Update Message from Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
Over the past several weeks, the University’s Incident Management Team and the President’s Cabinet have monitored carefully the worldwide spread of COVID-19.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, “For most people, the immediate risk of being exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 is thought to be low. …It’s likely that at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will occur.”
In Pennsylvania, for example, cases are now reported outside of Philadelphia and in nearby Monroe and Wayne counties. There are still no reported cases on campus or in Lackawanna County. While we don’t know how quickly the virus will spread in the coming weeks, additional cases in Northeastern Pennsylvania now seem likely.
The health and safety of our students, staff and faculty are our top priority. Benefitting from consultation with campus leaders and with input from the President’s Cabinet, I have decided the following:
- The University will cease face-to-face instruction and move classes remotely beginning on Monday, March 30, 2020. Classes will continue on campus as scheduled until March 13.
- This decision extends Spring Break by one week for students only to provide faculty time to complete preparations already under way.
- Remote instruction will continue at least until the conclusion of Easter Break, which begins on April 9. We hope to resume on-campus classes on April 14. We will continue to evaluate the situation and inform you should this date change.
- Current online graduate programs will continue as previously scheduled.
I know that students and families, in particular, will have important questions about the decisions we share today. These include academic questions such as how we will support clinical experiences, internships or research.
Please be patient as we work to address these and other questions. You will hear more from us during break next week.
View the full communication here.
For more information, please visit the University's COVID-19 website.
University Will Cease Face-to-Face Instruction
-
03/11/2020
The University of Scranton ranked No. 3 in the nation for “Best Online MBA Programs for Military” in a 2020 list published online by College Consensus. In other national rankings, College Consensus placed the University’s Online Masters in Human Resource Management at No. 3; Online Accounting MBA at No. 4; Online Finance MBA at No. 6 and Online Healthcare MBA at No. 9.
For all of these rankings, College Consensus picked the nation’s best programs based on their analysis of the program’s affordability, reputation and convenience. For reputation, College Consensus calculated an “average rating score” for colleges based on national guidebook rankings, which include U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and others. The University of Scranton is ranked in all of these publications, in addition to numerous other national “best college” rankings. For convenience, the programs had to be able to be completed 100 percent online, among other factors.
In addition to the 2020 online program rankings, College Consensus ranked The University of Scranton at No. 10 among the “Best Catholic Colleges and Universities” in America in a 2019 ranking that included some of the most prestigious Catholic universities in the nation.
Scranton Online Programs Rank Among Top 10 in US
-
03/10/2020
This performance has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
On Sunday, March 29, The University of Scranton’s Concert Choir will present a concert in collaboration with Scranton Brass Orchestra.
Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert will begin at 7:30 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, the concert will feature a short program by each group, followed by the performance of three pieces by the combined groups, with piano and organ accompaniment. Guest pianist/organist for the concert is John Vaida, who is organist and choir director at the First Presbyterian Church in Wilkes-Barre, and chair of the Fine and Performing Arts Department and choral director at Wyoming Seminary.
Formed well over half a century ago, the mixed-voice University of Scranton Concert Choir is a 50-member ensemble made up of students from majors spanning the University’s curriculum, brought together by their love of music. They are known for their eclectic and diverse styles of programming, and their selections on this concert range from Renaissance to calypso, traditional hymn to South African anthem. All enrolled Scranton students are eligible for membership in the Performance Music vocal and instrumental ensembles.
Now in its 10th season, Scranton Brass Orchestra is a fully professional 28-member ensemble comprised of brass and percussion players/teachers from across the region. Since its founding in June 2011, the group’s performances have been free and open to the public, and have featured nationally and internationally acclaimed guests, among them the most acclaimed brass players of our time.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Concert Choir and Scranton Brass Orchestra Perform
-
03/10/2020
All April events have been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Cancelled - Through Apr. 19 Art Exhibit: “Lift High the Cross Remembering Passionist Compassion Worldwide 1720 to 2020 Historical Traditions and Ministries.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Through Apr. 24 Art Exhibit: “Women in Art: Selections from the Everhart Museum.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 1 6 p.m. Art Exhibit Lecture: “Our Modern Quest for Compassion of the Mind and Heart: Reflection on the Passionist Tradition, 1720 to 2020” presented by Fr. Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D., adjunct professor of history at The University of Scranton and Passionist historian. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Reception to follow. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Canceled - Apr. 3 9 a.m. Computer Programming Contest for high school students. Loyola Science Center. Registration required. Call 570-941-7774 or email robert.mccloskey@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 3 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Women in Art: Selections from the Everhart Museum” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 3 5 p.m. Lecture and book signing by New York Times best-selling author Colum McCann. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 3 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Alexander Pattavina, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 4 8 a.m. National History Day Regional Competition for middle and high school students. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
Cancelled Apr. 15-22 Environmental Art Show. Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 15 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Social Learning and the Evolution of Conventions of Behavior” presented by Andrew Schotter, Ph.D., professor of economics, New York University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email aram.balagyozyan@scranton.edu
Cancelled - Apr. 16 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email laurie.mccoy@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 17 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Antisemitism Past, Present, and Future” presented by David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA, and president, New Israel Fund. Collegiate Hall, Redington Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 17 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Eddie Barbash, saxophone. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 18 1 p.m. Holi- Indian Festival of Colors. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-4160 or email multicultural@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 20 TBA Environmental Art Show Keynote Speaker Stephanie Williams “Bee-Noisy.” Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 21 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentations and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 21 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Code Red: How Progressives and Moderates Can Unite to Save the Country” presented by E.J. Dionne Jr., D. Phil., senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, syndicated columnist for the Washington Post, and university professor in the Foundations of Democracy and Culture at Georgetown University. McIlhenny Ballroon, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 21 5 p.m. Jay Nathan Lecture “Iceland: History. Culture. Environment.” Panel discussion with a cultural performance and reception to follow. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Reservations encouraged. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 21 7 p.m. Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope Lecture: “Deliver Us: Podcasting Stories from Despair to Hope” presented by Maggi Van Dorn, America Magazine, producer of the Deliver Us podcast. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4546 or email hrhtaskforce@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 22 6 p.m. Earth Day Evening of Environmental Science with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 23 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-7902 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 23-25 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Mamma Mia!” presented by The Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5 admission. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com or email bailey.mclaughlin@scranton.edu.
Cancellec - Apr. 24 noon “20th Annual Celebration of Student Scholars.” Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email tabbi.miller-scandle@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 25 7:30 a.m. Schemel Forum Bus Trip to Philadelphia. $165. Registration required by Mar. 31. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 25 8 a.m. Project Management Competition. Project management business simulation competition for college and university student teams sponsored by the physics and electrical engineering department. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email wandrew.berger@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 25-26 9 a.m. Saturday; noon Sunday Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Cancellec - Apr. 25 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “37th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring the premieres of two new works by guest composers/conductors Peter and Will Anderson, performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 27 6:30 p.m. “Bursting Our Political Bubbles: Climate Change” facilitated discussion. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Free. Registration Required. Call 570-941-7520 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Apr. 28 4:30 p.m. 13th Annual Math Integration Bee. Calculus based competition for both high school and college divisions. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-6580 or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
University Announces April Events
-
03/06/2020
Veronica Sophia Zhang, an 11th grade student from Hatboro-Horsham High School, Horsham, came in first place in The University of Scranton’s 20th annual Northeast PA Brain Bee competition. Julia Maslinski, an 11th grade student from Pocono Mountain East High School, came in second place, and Wafiza Julkipli, a 9th grade student from Downingtown STEM Academy came in third place.
The competition for high school students in grades nine through 12 was held in February on the University’s campus. It was offered free of charge and was sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at the University and the Scranton Neuroscience Society.
All questions for the competition were drawn from “Brain Facts,” a book about the brain and nervous system published by the Society for Neuroscience.
For more information about next year’s Northeast PA Brain Bee competition, contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., neuroscience program director and associate professor of biology, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Winners of Brain Bee 2020 Competition Announced
-
03/06/2020
The third annual HamSCI Workshop 2020 for amateur radio operators and professional scientists will be held Friday and Saturday, March 20-21, at The University of Scranton. The theme of the workshop is “The Auroral Connection,” and will include a keynote address by Tim Duffy, K3LR, chief operating officer and general manager at DX Engineering, an active amateur radio operator and well-known contester.
The workshop will also include poster presentations and demonstrations of relevant instrumentation and software and will also serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station project, which is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project awarded to University of Scranton physics and electrical engineering professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D.
Speakers at the workshop include Elizabeth MacDonald, Ph.D., the NASA researcher that founded and leads the Aurorasaurus project; James LaBelle, Ph.D., professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth University and auroral radio physicist; and David Hallidy, amateur radio call sign K2DH, a retired microwave engineer who is also a well-known amateur radio operator for his work in auroral mode propagation.
Additional information, attendance fees and registration can be found on the HamSCI Workshop 2020 website.
Workshop Planned for Amateur Radio Operators
-
03/04/2020
The University has established a COVID-19 information webpage that includes campus communications and links to information about COVID-19. The University’s Incident Management Team has met since the beginning of the semester to monitor the situation, and will continue to provide information and updates on this webpage as warranted by changing circumstances.
University Establishes COVID-19 Information Webpage
-
03/03/2020
Multiple online information websites for prospective college students have ranked several of The University of Scranton’s programs to be among the nation’s best in 2020.
Master’s Program Guide ranked the University’s online MBA program in accounting at No.4 in the nation. The ranking is based on affordability (25 percent); student satisfaction and support services (25 percent); online accessibility (25 percent); and accreditation and commendation from such respected sources as U.S. News (25 percent).
University HQ (headquarters) ranked the University’s undergraduate accounting program at No. 12 in the nation. The ranking referenced Scranton’s new four-year BS/MAcc accelerated program. The ranking is based on retention rate, four- and six-year graduation rates, admissions selectivity, percentage of students receiving financial aid, tuition, loan default rates and salary of graduates, among other factors.
Online College Plan ranked the University’s online master in healthcare administration degree at No. 12 in the nation. The ranking is based on assessment of the program’s reputation, cost, graduation rates and student-to-faculty ratio.
Intellegent.com ranked the following nine online programs among the nation’s best: master’s in accounting at No. 13; master’s in human resources at No. 15; human resources degree at No. 16; MBA in international business at No. 24; master’s in health informatics at No. 26; master’s in curriculum and instruction at No. 34; MBA in healthcare management at No. 37; MBA in human resources at No. 37; master’s in finance at No. 39. The ranking is based on an assessment of student engagement, potential return on investment and leading third-party evaluations of the programs.
GradReports ranked the University’s online master in healthcare administration degree at No. 19 in the nation; its online master in human resources degree at No. 21 in the nation; and its bachelor’s degree in public health at No. 13 in the nation. The ranking is based on media salaries and median debt, as well as statistical data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
College Rank placed the University’s online master in healthcare administration degree at No. 24 in the country. The ranking is based on metrics assessing the affordability, quality of education and support services provided.
Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked the University’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 51 and its MBA program at No. 118 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked the University at No. 64 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
Online Rankings Place Scranton Programs Among Best
-
03/03/2020
“My womanhood and the things I do as a woman are not going to slow me down or stop my story,” Emmy Award-winning producer of 60 Minutes, Nicole Young, said at a recent Schemel Forum luncheon on campus.
Young, a graduate of The University of Scranton, spoke about her harrowing experiences covering news in unique and dangerous situations as not only a woman, but also as a person of color.
In her talk, “Covering Crisis as a Woman,” Young gives her account of the harder stories that she has covered in her years working as a producer of 60 Minutes. She gave context to stories before playing different segments of her work that took place in areas such as South Sudan, Afghanistan, China, Haiti and Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Newtown, Connecticut.
“I will give you a warning: the stories I cover are hard,” Young said.
Young spoke about how during some points of her career she had to leave behind her determination to get the story herself and put the safety of her team before her.
For example, while doing a story about gold in the Democratic Republic of Congo, although Young meticulously planned the excursion into a militia-held goldmine, the night before it was to take place her 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley pulled her aside, urging her to realize that it was safer for herself and everyone involved if she stayed behind.
“It was a moment where I had to make a decision that was more about being smarter as a producer than it was about being a woman,” Young said.
Young explained that the appearance of her team and how they were traveling would signal that they had valuables. Young also explained how the militias in the area were known to use sexual violence as leverage and as the only woman in her team, it was not improbable that the militia would take her as a hostage.
“I was mad because something that I obviously can’t help – being a woman -– put the rest of my team in danger,” Young said.
Young closed the seminar thanking everyone for bearing witness to the stories she has covered.
“All of these stories, I feel, have been the greatest privilege of my life – to be able to cover regardless of the danger and how hard they are, how sad they are, how complex they are – because it has allowed me to be the best person, wife and mother I can be,” Young said. “I’ve been humbled by the women I’ve been able to meet. Every single woman who shared their story leaves me so honored. I hope I have another 20 years of being able to hear more.”
The seminar was part of the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars, which are sponsored by Munley Law. The next seminar in the series will take place at noon, on Mar. 6, in the Rose Room in Brennan Hall. The topic is “Navigating in an Uncertain World: Global Challenges, Populism and Brexit” with guest speaker David Donoghue, Ph.D., Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2013-2017).
Emmy-Award Winning Graduate Speaks at Scranton
-
03/03/2020
Ninety-nine percent of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 graduates, at both the undergraduate and graduate level, reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation. The “First Destination Survey” report by Scranton’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development is based on career success data obtained for 77 percent of the undergraduate class. This “knowledge rate,” or percentage of graduates for whom their career outcome is known, exceeds the National Association of College Employers recommended rate of 65 percent. The knowledge rate for members of the University’s graduate class of 2019 is 83 percent.
For members of University’s class of 2019 earning a bachelor’s degree, 97 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of full-time employment, and 100 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of attending graduate or professional school.
The average (mean) salary is $54,766, based on the bachelor’s degree graduates that provided salary information. The average salary varied by major. The highest average salaries reported are in computer science ($75,600), nursing ($74,398), economics ($67,500) and information technology ($67,380).
Geographically, of those employed, 83 percent reported working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
Additionally, the report for undergraduate success shows: 54 percent were seeking full-time positions; 43 were seeking additional education; 2 percent were seeking part-time positions or another intentional career path as defined by the graduate, with just less than 1 percent still seeking employment. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of the Class of 2019 completed at least one experiential learning opportunity during their education at Scranton.
For master’s degree graduates, the report shows success with 97 percent seeking full-time employment; 1 percent seeking additional education; 1 percent seeking part-time employment and just 1 percent still seeking employment. The average (mean) salary for 2019 master’s degree graduates is $69,494, based on the graduates that provided salary information. Salaries reported vary by degree programs. The highest average salaries reported are for graduates with master’s degrees in nurse anesthesia ($170,950), international business MBA ($132,500), healthcare management ($123,793) and family nurse practitioner ($94,674).
Of those employed, 73 percent are working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
For University’s class of 2018, 98 percent of its undergraduate class and 99 percent of its graduate class reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation.
Scranton 2019 Grads Log a 99 Percent Success Rate
-
03/02/2020
The University of Scranton received a $2,000 grant from The Scranton Area Community Foundation to support the Schemel Forum’s University for a Day program. The grant was funded in 2019.
The Schemel Forum’s University for a Day offers area residents the chance to attend four lectures presented by distinguished professors on a wide range of timely topics. The event allows ample time for mingling over morning coffee, lunch and a closing reception.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Scranton Area Foundation Supports Schemel Forum
-
02/25/2020
Colum McCann, the award-winning author of seven novels and three collections of short stories, will speak at The University of Scranton on Friday, April 3, at 5 p.m., in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. A book-signing will immediately follow the talk. The event, hosted by the University’s Political Dialogue initiative, is free of charge and open to the public.
McCann is the co-founder of Narrative 4, an international story exchange organization. He will speak about his most recent novel, “Apeirogon” (named for a shape with a countably infinite number of sides), which is a story rooted in the real-life friendship between two fathers – one Israeli and one Palestinian – united by loss of their daughters. Bassam Aramin is Palestinian. Rami Elhanan is Israeli. They inhabit a world of conflict that colors every aspect of their daily lives.
The New York Times book review described “Apeirogon” as a “powerful and prismatic new novel,” saying “McCann’s brilliant act of novel-making builds a wholly believable and infinitely faceted reality around Rami’s and Bassam’s first-person accounts, a rich and comprehensive context that allows us into the fathers’ experiences, their histories, their minds.” Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners acquired the film rights to the book.
McCann’s novel “TransAtlantic,” published in 2013, was a New York Times best-seller and his novel “Let the Great World Spin,” published in 2009, became a best-seller on four continents and won the 2009 National Book Award in the U.S., the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, a literary award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and several other major international literary prizes. In 2017, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts. McCann received the 2014 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. His work has been published in over 40 languages. A native of Ireland who now resides in New York, McCann also teaches in the MFA program at Hunter College.
The University’s Political Dialogue initiative, which includes student political dialogues, facilitation trainings and other civic engagement activities, blends the reflective, structured dialogue methods of national non-profit Essential Partners with St. Ignatius of Loyola’s teachings of discernment and reflection. On the afternoon of April 3rd, the University will host a facilitator training workshop with Narrative 4 on their story exchange model that will include University faculty and staff and colleagues from community organizations and colleges and universities.
The April 3rd talk and book signing is hosted by Narrative 4 and The University’s Scranton’s Political Dialogue Initiative. Co-sponsors include the University’s Schemel Forum and the Slattery Center for the Humanities. For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Community and Government Relations at 570-941-4419 or by email at community@scranton.edu.
Best-Selling Author to Speak at University April 3
-
02/25/2020
Sursum Corda Awards were presented to four staff members, and University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., delivered his State of the University address at the Spring Convocation, which took place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on Feb. 13. In addition, new staff members who joined the University between Feb. 1, 2019, and Jan. 31, 2020, were recognized.
Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technical staff and maintenance/public safety staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University. This year’s recipients were: John Harris, electrician; Andrea Mantione, D.N.P., director of the Leahy Community Health and Family Center; Bryn Schofield, administrative assistant to associate dean, College of Arts and Sciences; and Donna Simpson, consultant manager, Small Business Development Center.
In his remarks, Father Pilarz thanked the award recipients “for the real and sacred work” they do for the University, and he extends that thanks “to all those who are here today.”
He read the poem “To be of use” by Marge Piercy, which begins:
“The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows …”
In his address, Father Pilarz mentioned the ongoing progress made through the University’s Strategic Enrollment Plan, which he described as “an inclusive and broad-based effort,” and noted, “two new majors added as a direct result of this process – mechanical engineering and business analytics.”
Father Pilarz also discussed the ongoing planning process for the University’s strategic plan, which should be completed in May, and the progress made by the Slattery Center for the Humanities, for which he thanked faculty leaders, working with Center’s executive director, for moving the initiative forward.
In closing, Father Pilarz invited the University community to attend the St. Thomas Gateway celebration on Thursday, Feb. 20.
Scranton Honors Staff Who Serve the Jesuit Mission
-
02/21/2020
Three University of Scranton students won medals at the Pennsylvania Forensic Association Championship Tournament and the Wilkes University Harold Cox Invitational Forensics Tournament. Both tournaments took place at Wilkes University in February. The students competed as part of The University of Scranton Speech and Debate Team, a co-curricular student organization.
Caitlin Connallon, a first-year communication major from Cranston, Rhode Island, was awarded the second-place medal for Program of Interpretation at the Pennsylvania Forensic Association Championship Tournament. She also won a sixth-place Sweepstakes Award at the Harold Cox Invitational Forensics Tournament.
Kyra Krzywicki, a first-year journalism – electronic media major from Kingston, won the second-place medal for After Dinner Speaking at the Harold Cox Invitational Forensics Tournament.
Sarah Hazelrigg, a first-year advertising – public relations major from West Long Branch, New Jersey, won the third-place medal for After Dinner Speaking at the Harold Cox Invitational Forensics Tournament.
Three Students Medal at Forensics Tournaments
-
02/21/2020
“In 1888, the founder of the University, Bishop O’Hara, hoped that the University would quote ‘Light up this valley with the fires of learning.’ This gateway will literally light up the valley,” said University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., of the St. Thomas Gateway at the first lighting ceremony of the newly renovated façade.
Following a prayer and blessing of the Gateway façade, which features a lit glass wall etched with the University’s seal that spans the center of the four-story hall, Father Pilarz launched a demonstration that showcased some of the lighting capabilities the design.
Also speaking at the ceremony were: Fahad Ashraf, Clarks Summit, Student Government president, who is a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and its undergraduate Honors Program; and Casey Welby, Dunmore, Student Government chief-of-staff, who is a classical languages and history double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program. Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, assisted with the blessing.
The St. Thomas Gateway is key entry way to campus for many prospective students and their families and can be seen for blocks from downtown Scranton. The renovation of the facade layers the region’s distinctive West Mountain stone with granite quarried from the same site as the stone used in 1867 to construct the Scranton Estate on campus. The base of the Gateway includes a wood trellis, a wall carved with The University of Scranton’s name and a stone bench for seating. At the top of the Gateway, a cross rises above the left side of the building. The center glass wall will be lit in evenings to accentuate the image of the University’s seal.
Hemmler + Camayd designed the updated St. Thomas Gateway. A.J. Guzzi General Contractors, Inc., served as the construction manager for the project.
St. Thomas Gateway Lights-up Campus and City
-
02/20/2020
Lockheed Martin is committed to a program of philanthropy that supports the corporation’s strategic business goals and invests in the quality of life in the communities where our employees work and live. As part of that initiative, Lockheed Martin’s Archbald Operations presented a check to The University of Scranton in the amount of $3,000 to support their student Veterans’ Club.
Lockheed Martin’s 350,000-square-foot facility in Archbald has been in continuous operation since 1951. The site has received numerous awards throughout the years, including the 2015 Governor’s Export ImPAct award, the 2013 Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence and the 2013 Industry Week Best Plants Award.
Lockheed Martin Supports University’s Veterans
-
02/19/2020
The University of Scranton’s Ellacuría Initiative, formerly named Education for Justice, will host events on campus during the spring semester to inform and reflect on issues concerning migration, immigration and refugees and to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of St. Oscar Romero. The events are free of charge and open to the public.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, Benedictine Sister Makrina Finlay, O.S.B., from St. Scholastika Abbey in Dinklage, Germany, will discuss the current migrant crisis in Europe, with particular attention to church asylum. Students from theology professor Michael Azar’s travel course in Germany who visited Sr. Makrina will host a panel discussion with her at the talk. The event is sponsored by The Ellacuría Initiative and the Department of Theology and Religious Studies.
On Wednesday, Mar. 4, at 6:30 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center, the University will host a screening of the 2018 documentary “On Her Shoulders,” which tells the story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Nadia Murad, a survivor of the Yazidi genocide and ISIS sex slavery. The film will be introduced by Nafiya and Jamileh Naso, Iraqi Yazidis, who at an early age fled their home with their family and spent eight years in a Syrian refugee camp before immigrating to Winnipeg, Canada. The sisters co-founded the Canadian Yazidi Association and together they work to support the refugee community in Canada while advocating for government policy and support. University of Scranton occupational therapy graduate students Emma and Susannah Ilseman, of Naperville, Illinois, received an OED grant to organize the event, which is sponsored by the Office of Equity and Diversity and The Ellacuría Initiative.
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the assassination of St. Oscar Romero in El Salvador, the film “Romero” will be shown on Tuesday, Mar. 10, at 7 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. The film depicts Father Romero’s peaceful protest and advocacy for the people of El Salvador during the civil war in the 1970s and 1980s. Theology professor Will Cohen, Ph.D., will introduce the film and lead discussion immediately following the screening. The event is sponsored by The Ellacuría Initiative and the Department of Theology and Religious Studies.
On Mar. 24, the University will celebrate a Mass at 12:05 p.m. in Madonna della Strada Chapel to commemorate St. Romero’s death, celebrate his life, and contemplate how we may continue his work. The Mass is sponsored by Campus Ministries and The Ellacuría Initiative.
For further information, contact English and theatre professor Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., director of The Ellacuría Initiative, at 570-941-6480.
Ellacuría Initiative to Offer Multiple Events
-
02/19/2020
U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 51 and its MBA program at No. 118 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 64 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
This is the ninth consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years.
For the 2020 Best Online Programs ranking, which published in January, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category. The criteria used by U.S. News to rank online business and MBA programs included student engagement (30 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, among other factors. The ranking criteria also included peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (15 percent); admission selectivity (15 percent); and student services and technology (15 percent).
In addition to offering distance education programs that incorporate coursework that is predominantly online, colleges and universities making the “Best Online Program for Veterans” list must have ranked in top half of 2020 Best Online Program rankings; be regionally accredited; be certified for the GI Bill, which includes participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program; and enroll a “critical mass of veterans” as defined by U.S. News based on the size of the college.
Scranton offers online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, finance, health administration, health informatics and human resources and a dual MBA/MHA degree, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for the online programs.
In other rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 26 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 6 in the 2020 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 5 in its category in a ranking of the “Most Innovative Schools” and No. 12 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.” U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s programs in entrepreneurship at No. 33, finance at No. 43, and accounting at No. 52 in the country, among other rankings.
US News Ranks Scranton Online Programs Among Best
-
02/18/2020
The iconic Scranton Electric City sign will face new competition when The University of Scranton lights its new St. Thomas Gateway at a ceremony Thursday, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. The University completed renovations to the gateway façade of St. Thomas Hall facing Linden Street that features a lit glass wall etched with the seal of The University of Scranton that spans the center of the four-story building. University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., will launch the inaugural lighting at the event, which is free of charge and open to the public.
The modern design of the St. Thomas Gateway layers the region’s distinctive West Mountain stone with granite quarried from the same site as the stone used in 1867 to construct the Scranton Estate on campus. The base of the Gateway includes a wood trellis, a wall carved with The University of Scranton’s name and a stone bench for seating. At the top of the Gateway, a cross rises above the left side of the building. The center glass wall will be lit in evenings to accentuate the image of the University’s seal.
The ceremony will include hot chocolate, glow sticks, music and a display that will highlight the lighting capabilities of the new design.
Hemmler + Camayd designed the updated St. Thomas Gateway. A.J. Guzzi General Contractors, Inc., served as the construction manager for the project.
The ceremony will be live streamed at Scranton.edu/eventslive.
St. Thomas Gateway to Light-up Feb. 20
-
02/14/2020
Edward M. Scahill, Ph.D., associate professor of economics at The University of Scranton, has been named as a regular contributor on microeconomics to The Wall Street Journal’s Weekly Review, which is an academic resource for faculty to integrate into their courses current news articles from The Wall Street Journal in 16 disciples.
Dr. Scahill joined the University faculty in 1989 and served as the director of the University’s Center for Economic Education for decades. He has been actively involved in leading efforts to teach economics and finance to area elementary and high school students and received a grant from the National Science Foundation to train high school teachers to teach advanced placement economics courses.
Dr. Scahill has published articles in numerous journals, including: Journal of Economics Teaching, Journal of Economics and Economic Education, Journal of Finance and Economics and the International Review of Economics Education. He has made contributions to “Principles of Microeconomics and Macroeconomics” (all eight editions), “Intermediate Macroeconomics” and “Money and Banking,” co-authored by R. Glenn Hubbard and Anthony Patrick O’Brien.
An award-winning teacher, Dr. Scahill received the Alperin Teaching Fellowship, which is given by the Kania School of Management in recognition of achievement and exceptional teaching. He also received the Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education from the Freedoms Foundation for his program, “Teaching Economics by Teaching Baseball,” which was designed to show how examples from the world of professional baseball can be used to teach fundamental economics concepts.
Dr. Scahill earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Bonaventure University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in economics from The State University of New York at Binghamton.
Professor to Write for WSJ Weekly Review
-
02/14/2020
The IGNITE Student Leadership Conference, hosted by The University of Scranton’s Center for Student Engagement, is open to University students as well as students attending a college in Northeast Pennsylvania. Alex Weber, an award-winning performer, international speaker and competitor on NBC’s American Ninja Warrior, will present “Failing Forward to Success” as this year’s keynote address at the conference on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Focused on personal growth and development, the conference holds sessions about a broad range of leadership topics, including communication, problem solving, team building, having difficult conversations, communication across differences and identity development.
As a competitor in the World Championships of Lacrosse and American Ninja Warrior, Weber knows what it means to face fears, embrace challenges and overcome failures with passion, commitment, focus and perseverance. More so, he knows how you can use failures to propel forward and hit your goals. In his powerful, passionate and hilarious keynote, Weber will share his blueprint method, tangible tools and actionable strategies for facing fears, overcoming challenges and embracing failing forward to achieve success.
A 5x TEDx Speaker and one of the youngest coaches ever to be awarded U.S. Lacrosse Coach of the Year, Weber has worked with major companies, such as NBC, LinkedIn, University of Pennsylvania, Los Angeles Lakers, AirBnB and ESPN. He has also guest lectured at the Stanford's Graduate School of Business on the power of humor for leadership.
The conference will be held at the DeNaples Center and the Loyola Science Center from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost for non-University of Scranton students is $25.00.
For additional information, visit the IGNITE Student Leadership Conference website or contact the University’s Center for Student Engagement at leadership@scranton.edu.
Leadership Conference Set for College Students
-
02/14/2020
Four University of Scranton Players have recently earned recognition from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) as nominees to compete in a regional festival for their roles in the Players’ fall production of “Antigone.” The students are: April Sparks, a journalism-electronic media major from Archbald who was recognized for her role as Antigone; Andrew Vizzard, a chemistry major from Havertown who was recognized for his role as Kreon; Gillian Williams-Mayers, a sociology major from Scranton who was recognized for her work as a stage manager; and Emily Remenschneider, a nursing major from Wood Ridge, New Jersey who was recognized for her role as Ismene.
The University Players opened their 2019-2020 season with “Antigone,” which is a classic story of rebellion written by Sophocles almost 2,500 years ago. The University’s production was directed by Michael O’Steen.
KCACTF is a national theatre program involving 20,000 students from more than 600 colleges and universities nationwide. It gives students the opportunity to have their work critiqued, improve their dramatic skills and receive national recognition for excellence and also offers student artists individual recognition through awards and scholarships in playwriting, acting, criticism, directing and design.
University Players Recognized for “Antigone”
-
02/11/2020
Twenty-one University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the spring semester at 10 local schools in the following seven school districts: Dunmore, Lakeland, Mid Valley, Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, North Pocono, Old Forge and Valley View.
The following is a list of undergraduate and graduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the spring semester.
Victoria Binetti of Township of Washington, New Jersey, will teach at Dunmore Learning Campus;
Sarah Breen of Chappaqua, New York, will teach at Dunmore Learning Campus;
TaraRae Burns of Brooklyn, New York, will teach at Valley View Intermediate;
Siena Cardamone of Mayfield, will teach at Mayfield Elementary School;
Briana Cieszko of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Emily Crozier of Yardley, will teach at Valley View Middle School;
Jordan Delicato of Washington, New Jersey, will teach at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Timothy DiBisceglie of Mine Hill, New Jersey, will teach at Mid Valley Elementary Center;
Matthew Didelot of Stamford, Connecticut, will teach at North Pocono Middle School;
David Guelph of Bridgewater, New Jersey, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Kyle Kolcharno of Peckville, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Rebecca Loonstyn of Philadelphia, will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Claire McAllister of Plymouth Meeting, will teach at Valley View High School;
Kathleen O’Neill of Pleasantville, New York, will teach at Mayfield Elementary School;
Danielle Remy of Ramsey, New Jersey, will teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Lauren Seitz of Westwood, New Jersey, will teach at Mayfield Elementary School;
Taylor Septer of Langhorne, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Thomas Shaffern of Scranton, will teach at Valley View Middle School;
Julie Strain of Clarks Summit, will teach at Old Forge Junior/Senior High School;
Megan Turner of Rockville Center, New York, will teach at Dunmore Learning Campus;
Brianna Witt of Sloatsburg, New York, will teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
02/10/2020
Several March events have been cancelled due to concerns about COVID-19
Through Mar. 6 Art Exhibit: “Sharon Cosgrove: A Change of Vision.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 28-Mar. 1, Mar. 6-8 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Carrie: the musical” by Lawrence D. Cohen presented by the University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 4 6:30 p.m. Understanding Yazidi Refugees: Screening and Discussion of the Documentary “On Her Shoulders,” sponsored by the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity and Ellacuría Initiative. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6645 or email jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu.
Mar. 5 5 p.m. Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope Lecture: “Clergy Sexual Abuse: Lessons Learned in the Diocese of Scranton” presented by Monsignor Thomas Muldowney, vicar general and moderator of the Curia, Kathleen Bolinski, safe environment coordinator, and Mary Beth Pacuska, victim assistance coordinator, of the Diocese of Scranton. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4546 or email hrhtaskforce@scranton.edu.
Mar. 6 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Navigating in an Uncertain World: Global Challenges, Populism and Brexit” presented by David Donoghue, Ph.D., Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, 2013-2017. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 10 7 p.m. Film Screening: “Romero” to mark the 40th anniversary of the assassination of St. Oscar Romero in El Salvador. Introduction to film and discussion led by University of Scranton theology professor Will Cohen, Ph.D. Sponsored by the University’s Ellacuría Initiative and the Department of Theology and Religious Studies. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7659 or email teresa.grettano@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Mar. 11 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring University of Scranton Performance Music students. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Mar. 23 through Apr. 24 Art Exhibit: “Women in Art: Selections from the Everhart Museum.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Cancelled Mar. 24 12:05 p.m. Mass Celebrating St Oscar Romero to mark the 40th anniversary of his assassination in El Salvador, sponsored by the University’s Campus Ministries and Ellacuría Initiative. Madonna della Strada Chapel. Free. Call 570-941-7659 or email teresa.grettano@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Mar. 25 4:30 p.m. Schemel Forum Collaborative Program with the Jesuit Center, The University of Scranton: “A Schemel Legacy: The Engineer and the Monk” presented by Christopher F. Schemel, Ph.D., president Delta Q Consultants, Inc., and courtesy professor chemical engineering, University of South Florida, and Brother Mario Joseph, Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. $30 fee. Registration required. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2024. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Mar. 29 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring the Scranton Brass Orchestra and The University of Scranton Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Cancelled - Mar. 31 4 p.m. 25th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 201-669-0902 or email sarah.novak@scranton.edu.
University Announces March Events
-
02/07/2020
The performing talents of some of our region’s high school music teachers will be showcased at The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble’s upcoming “Teacher Feature” concert slated for Saturday, Feb. 22.
Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert will begin at 7:30 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.
The evening’s guest soloists will be four local high school music teachers who have taught, mentored and inspired members of the current University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble during their high school years.
The featured teachers are: Laurie Burdett of the Scranton School District; Mike Lesnesky of the Valley View School District; Ken Luckey of the Tunkhannock Area School District; and Elaine Ort of the Western Wayne School District.
“My students are really excited about it,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. “Each one of the teachers will solo on one or two pieces during the concert. And, of course, they’ll be sitting in with the band and playing right along with their former students.”
According to Boga, about eight of the Jazz Ensemble’s 24 current student performers are from regional high schools – the highest percentage ever.
“I said to the students in the group, ‘You know how grateful you should be to your high school band directors for the opportunities they provided for you?’ And then the local kids who were there had the idea to have a concert to feature their music teachers who went above and beyond for them,” Boga said. “I have an endless amount of admiration for these teachers. Every single one of the four has continued to make music as an example to their students. And the fact that they are practicing and performing in addition to their teaching duties makes them better teachers and inspirations to their students as a result.”
The big band-style Jazz Ensemble is made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum, with no music majors among them. They perform five or more times a year, and the majority of their concerts are open to the public and free of admission charge.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Area Music Teachers to Perform Feb. 22
-
02/06/2020
The University of Scranton and the Diocese of Scranton have signed a memorandum of understanding that will guarantee admission and minimum scholarships of $15,000 or more to the University for graduates of Catholic high schools in the Diocese who meet eligibility requirements.
The memorandum will grant admission to most majors at the University to graduates of Holy Cross High School, Holy Redeemer High School, Notre Dame Jr./Sr. High School and St. John Neumann Jr./Sr. High School, who have a minimum GPA 3.00 and either a 1080 SAT (EBRW and math) or a 21 ACT composite score, or higher, and meet other criteria. Students who meet the eligibility requirements will receive, at minimum, an annual $15,000 scholarship to the University with a total value of $60,000. The agreement will take effect for most majors beginning with the 2020-21 academic year.
Graduates of Diocese of Scranton high schools wishing to enroll in the University’s entry-level programs for occupational therapy (5-year master’s program), nursing (bachelor’s degree) and Doctor of Physical Therapy (guaranteed seat for 7-year program) must have a minimum GPA of 3.50 and either a 1270 SAT (EBRW and math) or a 27 ACT composite score, and meet other criteria. Students who meet the eligibility requirements will receive, at minimum, an annual $18,000 scholarship to the University with a total value of $72,000. The agreement for these majors will take effect beginning with the 2021-22 academic year.
“The Diocese of Scranton and The University of Scranton have a shared mission of educating young men and women in the Catholic tradition in an environment that is both academically excellent and grounded in service to others. This agreement is a tremendous opportunity for students in all four of our Diocesan high schools to seamlessly continue their education, becoming tomorrow’s faith-filled leaders,” said Jason W.S. Morrison, diocesan secretary of Catholic education and chief executive officer, Diocese of Scranton.
“The agreement we sign today guarantees admission into The University of Scranton for even our most competitive programs. In signing it, we honor and reward the sacrifice that families make to invest in a Catholic education and show our great respect for the preparation provided by the dedicated teachers, staff and administrators of the Diocese of Scranton,” said Gerry Zaboski, vice president for enrollment management and external affairs at the University. He added that the agreement “recognizes just how wonderful the students are, how hard they work and how consistently they thrive at the finest colleges in our nation, especially here at The University of Scranton.”
The University also has guaranteed admission agreements with Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg; Trinity High School, Camp Hill; York Catholic High School, York; and John S. Burke Catholic High School, Goshen, New York.
For more information about the memorandum of understanding, contact Diocese of Scranton Catholic Schools Office at 570-207-2251, or, at Rebekah.bernard@scranton.edu or 570-941-5918.
The Diocese of Scranton and The University of Scranton have signed a memorandum of understanding that guarantees admission and minimum scholarships to the University for graduates of the four Diocesan high schools who meet eligibility requirements. Gathered for the signing ceremony are, front row, from left: Jason W.S. Morrison, diocesan secretary of Catholic education and chief executive officer, Diocese of Scranton; Rebekah Bernard, information and technology specialist for admissions and enrollment, University of Scranton; Gerry Zaboski, vice president for enrollment management and external affairs, University of Scranton. Second row: Joseph Roback, associate vice provost for admissions and enrollment, University of Scranton; Benjamin Tolerico, principal, Holy Cross High School; Jeffrey Lyons, principal, Notre Dame Jr./Sr. High School; Alisia McNamee, principal, St. John Neumann Jr./Sr. High School; Kristen Donohue, superintendent of Catholic Schools, Diocese of Scranton; Doreen Dougherty, principal, Holy Redeemer High School; Mary Kay Aston, assistant vice provost for admissions and enrollment, University of Scranton.
Diocese of Scranton Admissions Agreement Signed
-
02/05/2020
The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) awarded University of Scranton Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) student Joy Chacko the Michael J. Barrett Doctoral Dissertation Award for his DBA program dissertation study entitled “The Effects of Internal Audit Management Training Ground and Reporting Relationships on Internal Auditors’ Judgments.”
The IIA’s dissertation award is typically given to one dissertation a year under the oversight of the Committee of Research and Education Advisors. This committee is comprised of both academicians and practitioners actively involved in the profession of internal auditing. The selection process is competitive and includes the following criteria: relevance of the topic to internal auditing; soundness of methodology; coherent organization and clarity of presentation; and quality of data (where applicable). With an international membership of more than 200,000 members, the IIA is among the largest and most respected professional organizations for accountants.
“It is an honor for me to receive this extremely competitive award. I am so excited and inspired. The IIA’s Doctoral Dissertation Award is considered the most prestigious award for a dissertation in the internal audit area,” said Chacko, who also thanked his DBA dissertation committee members for their guidance.
Members of Chacko’s dissertation committee include University of Scranton accounting professors James Boyle, DBA, dissertation committee chair, and Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, Accounting Department chair and DBA program director, as well as West Chester University accounting professor Anthony Cataldo, Ph.D.
While a DBA student at Scranton, Chacko, Chandler, Arizona, has co-authored a paper published in Internal Auditing entitled “Addressing the Talent Management Challenge in Internal Auditing” and a paper accepted into the American Accounting Association’s (AAA) Mid-Year Conference entitled “The Influence of Unethical Pro-Organizations Behavior on Internal Auditors’ Fraud Detection.”
“Scranton’s DBA program is well-structured and uniquely designed to blend academia and industry with the Ignatian element to transform students,” said Chacko. “The experienced faculty are recognized both in academia and in industry for their professional experience and knowledge and have outstanding records of publishing in top academic and professional journals. While in the program, many students have already published and continue to publish. Indeed, I chose the right program that adds value to the 21st-century calls and would recommend this program to others.”
Before enrolling in Scranton’s DBA program, Chacko earned four graduate degrees (including an MBA) and has over 16 years of senior management experience in various industries. His practice expertise includes operational improvement and business transformation. His research interests include internal auditing, internal controls and corporate governance.
Housed in the Kania School of Management, the University’s DBA program began in the fall semester of 2017. Last year, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) recognized the University’s DBA program for “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” The program was developed with a concentration in accounting, to provide experienced practitioners with a practical pathway to an academic career. The program offers participants flexibility, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic” – one who is qualified to teach at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by AACSB International.
DBA Student Earns National Award for Dissertation
-
02/05/2020
The second edition of “Nurses Making Policy: From Bedside to Boardroom,” edited by Margarete Lieb Zalon, Ph.D., R.N., A.C.N.S.-B.C., F.A.A.N., professor of nursing and director of the University’s online master of science in health informatics program, Rebecca M. Patton, D.N.P., R.N., C.N.O.R., F.A.A.N., and Ruth Ludwick, Ph.D., R.N.-B.C., A.P.R.N.-C.N.S., F.A.A.N., won second place in the History and Public Policy category of the 2019 American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards.
The American Journal of Nursing Book of the Year Awards is an esteemed and prestigious competition in which the best in nursing publishing are chosen by a panel of judges who are experienced and well-established in the healthcare community. Awards are given for first, second, and third places across 20 categories. 2019 marked the 50th year of the awards.
The second edition of “Nurses Making Policy” explores the nurse’s integral role in facilitating health policy change and advocating for the patient, both in the hospital and in the larger political system. The editors have donated all their royalties from both editions of the book to the Washington Fellowship Fund at the American Nurses Foundation, which is the philanthropic entity of American Nurses Association. The Washington Fellowships Fund is focused on getting nurses a seat at the highest-policy making tables and maximizing nurses’ participation on Capitol Hill committees.
Dr. Zalon, who has been a member of Scranton’s faculty since 1988, was inducted as an American Academy of Nursing Fellow in 2010 in part for her positive influence on health care policy and delivery. Her leadership legacy includes grassroots advocacy, progressive program design, execution and outcomes in state and national nursing organizations focused on establishing practice and education policy, and building research funding capacity.
Dr. Zalon has authored book chapters, as well as articles published in numerous scholarly journals and other professional publications. She has also made research and health policy presentations at the local, state, national and international levels. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Zalon serves on the American Academy of Nursing’s Acute and Critical Care Expert Panel, and is the president of the Nursing Foundation of Pennsylvania. She is a past chair of the American Nurses Foundation, a former board member of the American Nurses Association, past vice-president of the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and a past president of the Pennsylvania State Nurses Association.
Dr. Zalon is a recipient of the Duke University School of Nursing Distinguished Alumna Award, the PSNA Distinguished Nurse Award and a Leahy Fellowship at The University of Scranton. She also received the University’s Excellence in Graduate Teaching Faculty Senate Award in 2017.
Dr. Zalon received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s and Ph.D. in nursing from New York University.
Nursing Professor Wins Book of the Year Award
-
02/04/2020
During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at The University of Scranton will expose area residents to current global topics that profoundly impact the U.S.
On Friday, Feb. 14, “How to Save Foreign Aid in the Age of Populism” will be presented by Alex Thier, founder of Triple Helix, a strategic consulting and advisory firm, and senior associate at the Overseas Development Institute in London. The talk will trace how we got to this point and recommend a bold new agenda for a progressive foreign policy using foreign aid that focuses on economic justice at home and abroad; and a robust new agenda to support democracy, freedom and the rule of law – addressing climate change and supporting innovation. The seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Edward Leahy Hall.
Nicole Young, a 16-time Emmy Award-winning producer of 60 Minutes, will present “Covering Crisis as a Woman” on Tuesday, Feb. 18. The 2000 graduate of The University of Scranton will speak about the importance of covering the world’s atrocities and will share some of the unique challenges she’s faced as a woman reporting and working in disaster and conflict zones. Hired as an assistant to Scott Pelley on 60 Minutes II in 2004, Young went on to produce impactful segments on a variety of domestic and global issues. “Reporting from a dangerous, lawless region requires making wise choices that enable my team to tell the story in the most effective way while navigating safely – sometimes negotiating with militia and always ironing out the logistics of travel and communication,” said Young, who has earned three prestigious Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Awards. “As journalists, being visible in a war zone is highly undesirable, but in countries where aggressive behavior toward women is accepted, my presence at times adds another layer of danger. My focus is to stand out only with regard to how well I do my craft.” Young will show video clips from each of the stories she presents at the seminar, which will take place in the Kane Forum of Edward Leahy Hall.
On Friday, March 6, “Navigating in an Uncertain World: Global Challenges, Populism and Brexit” will be presented by David Donoghue, Ph.D., Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2013-2017). Ambassador Donoghue will discuss the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and the hope they provide for human and planetary development up to 2030 and beyond; the efforts being made at the global level to create more humane conditions for migrants and refugees; the threat posed by rising populism and nationalism in various parts of the world; and the particular challenges presented by Brexit, both for Ireland and the rest of the European Union. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History at UCLA and president of the New Israel Fund, will present “Antisemitism Past, Present and Future” on Friday, April 17. This lecture will explore the enduring history of antisemitism, which has been called the “longest hatred” in history. Recent years have seen a significant spike in antisemitic expression and action. Murderous attacks have been launched against Jews in Pittsburgh; Poway, California; and recently Jersey City, New Jersey. How do we explain this surge in antisemitism? Is it part of a long chain of uninterrupted hate? To what extent is it a product of the wider political ecosystem? And what role does the Internet play in disseminating hate and encouraging violence? Dr. Myers will address these questions at the seminar that will take place in the Collegiate Hall of Redington Hall.
On Monday, May 4, Christine Leuenberger, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the Department of Science and Technology Studies at Cornell University, will present “The Politics of Maps: Cartographic Constructions of Israel/Palestine.” Dr. Leuenberger asks, “How have maps become entangled with politics, territorial claim-making and nation-state building in Israel/Palestine?” Her presentation will focus on how various actors, institutions and governments engage in “map wars” in order to further different and often-incommensurable geopolitical visions of contested territories. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The series will conclude on Thursday, May 7, when Manisha Sinha, Ph.D., Draper Chair in American History at the University of Connecticut, will present “The Abolitionist International.” An acclaimed author, Dr. Sinha will talk about reimagining abolition as a radical international movement composed of ordinary men and women, whites and blacks. She will demonstrate how the fight to end slavery overlapped with contemporary social movements such as feminism, utopian socialism and pacifism, as well as struggles for the rights of labor, immigrants and Native Americans. The seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Edward Leahy Hall.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
All seminars include a buffet lunch and run from noon to 1:30 p.m. Participants can register to attend any one luncheon for $25 per person; Schemel Forum members may attend any or all seminars free.
To register or for more information, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Expert Speakers Set for Schemel Forum Luncheons
-
01/28/2020
More than 1,600 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2019 fall semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Dean’s List students, listed alphabetically, can be seen here.
University Announces Fall 2019 Dean’s List
-
01/28/2020
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the spring 2019 semester after publication of the list in June of 2019.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2019 spring semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit University’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the spring 2019 Dean’s List are:
Kayla AbcedeCaitlin AlvaradoAmanda BolandAngela CoenMary Virginia FarrellKevin GibbonsJohn McCaffreyMadison ZiobroStudents Added to Spring 2019 Dean’s List
-
01/28/2020
Feb. 1 1 p.m. 20th Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 8. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Feb. 7 through Mar. 6 Art Exhibit: “Sharon Cosgrove: A Change of Vision.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Jon-Erik Kellso, trumpet, and Rossano Sportiello, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 7 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “A Change of Vision” presented by Sharon Cosgrove, exhibiting artist. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 14 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “How to Save Foreign Aid in the Age of Populism” presented by Alex Thier, founder of Triple Helix, a strategic consulting and advisory firm and senior associate at Overseas Development Institute in London. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 18 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Covering Crisis as a Woman” presented by University of Scranton alumna Nicole Young, producer of 60 Minutes. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 22 10:30 a.m. “IGNITE Student Leadership Conference.” Leadership development program open to Northeast Pennsylvania college students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. $25 fee for non-University students includes program materials, refreshments and lunch. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-6233 or visit www.scranton.edu/leadership.
Feb 22 2 p.m. Society of Professional Journalists and Google News Initiative Training led by Frank Bi, editorial engineer for Vox Media’s SB Nation. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-6333 or email communication@scranton.edu.
Feb. 22 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble with special guest soloists – four high school music teachers who taught, mentored and inspired a number of members of the student jazz ensemble: Laurie Burdett (Scranton School District); Mike Lesnesky (Valley View School District); Ken Luckey (Tunkhannock School District); and Elaine Ort (Western Wayne School District). Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 28-March 1 & Mar. 6-8 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Carrie: the musical” by Lawrence D. Cohen presented by the University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 6 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Navigating in an Uncertain World: Global Challenges, Populism and Brexit” presented by David Donoghue, Ph.D., Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, 2013-2017. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 11 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music students. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 through Apr. 24 Art Exhibit: “Women in Art: Selections from the Everhart Museum.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 25 4:30 p.m. Schemel Forum Collaborative Program with the Jesuit Center, The University of Scranton: “A Schemel Legacy: The Engineer and the Monk” presented by Christopher F. Schemel, Ph.D., president Delta Q Consultants, Inc. and courtesy professor chemical engineering, University of South Florida, and Brother Mario Joseph, Monastery of the Holy Spirit. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. $30 fee. Registration required. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2024. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mar. 29 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring the Scranton Brass Orchestra and The University of Scranton Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 31 4 p.m. 25th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 201-669-0902 or email sarah.novak@scranton.edu.
Apr. 3 9 a.m. Computer Programming Contest for high school students. Loyola Science Center. Registration required. Call 570-941-7774 or email robert.mccloskey@scranton.edu.
Apr. 3 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Women in Art: Selections from the Everhart Museum” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 3 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Alexander Pattavina, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 4 8 a.m. National History Day Regional Competition for middle and high school students. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
Apr. 15 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Social Learning and the Evolution of Conventions of Behavior” presented by Andrew Schotter, Ph.D., professor of economics, New York University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email aram.balagyozyan@scranton.edu.
Apr. 16 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email laurie.mccoy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 17 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Antisemitism Past, Present, and Future” presented by David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA, and president, New Israel Fund. Collegiate Hall, Redington Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 17 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Eddie Barbash, saxophone. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 21 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentations and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
Apr. 22 6 p.m. Earth Day Evening of Environmental Science with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.
Apr. 23 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-7902 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Apr. 23-25 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Mamma Mia!” presented by The Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5 admission. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com or email bailey.mclaughlin@scranton.edu.
Apr. 24 noon “20th Annual Celebration of Student Scholars.” Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email tabbi.miller-scandle@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 7:30 a.m. Schemel Forum Bus Trip to Philadelphia. $165. Registration required by Mar. 31. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25-26 9 a.m. Saturday; noon Sunday Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “37th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring the premieres of two new works by guest composers/conductors Peter and Will Anderson, performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 28 4:30 p.m. 13th Annual Math Integration Bee. Calculus based competition for both high school and college divisions. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-6580 or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
May 1-8 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 1 6 p.m. Art Gallery Reception: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 1-3 & 8-10 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “The Actor’s Nightmare and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All to You” by Christopher Durang presented by the University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
May 4 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Politics of Maps: Cartographic Constructions of Israel/Palestine” presented by Christine Leuenberger, Ph.D., senior lecturer in the Department of Science & Technology Studies, Cornell University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Brass Attack.” A brass recital with appearances by Wycliffe Gordon. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 7 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Abolitionist International” presented by Manisha Sinha, Draper Chair in American History, University of Connecticut. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 8 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Jazz Band with guest soloist Wycliffe Gordon. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 9 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “12th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert” featuring David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band with Wycliffe Gordon and renowned Armstrong historian Ricky Riccardi. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 30 10:45 a.m. Graduate Degree Commencement. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 30 4 p.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 31 noon. Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Wednesdays: Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 & Mar. 4, 11 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Bob Dylan: From Rolling Stone to Nobel Laureate” presented by Catherine Johnson, senior student in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program majoring in English and philosophy and Editor-in-Chief of Esprit: the University’s review of arts and letters, and Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Thursdays: Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27 & Mar. 5, 12 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “States of Emergency: Lessons from Latin American History” presented by Aiala Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of Latin American history, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mondays: Feb. 10, 17, 24 & Mar. 2, 9, 23 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Frederick Douglass’s America” presented by Adam Pratt, Ph.D., associate professor of American history, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces Spring Events
-
01/27/2020
The third annual HamSCI Workshop 2020 for amateur radio operators and professional scientists will be held Friday and Saturday, March 20-21, at The University of Scranton. The theme of the workshop is “The Auroral Connection,” and will include addresses by guest speakers, poster presentations and demonstrations of relevant instrumentation and software.
The workshop will also serve as a team meeting for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station project, which is a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project awarded to University of Scranton physics and electrical engineering professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D. The project seeks to harness the power of a network of licensed amateur radio operators to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere.
Through the grant, Dr. Frissell, a space physicist, will lead a collaborative team that will develop modular, multi-instrument, ground-based space science observation equipment and data collection and analysis software. He will also recruit multiple universities and ham radio users to operate the network of “Personal Space Weather Stations” developed. In addition to Scranton, the Personal Space Weather Station project includes participation from TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) amateur radio engineering organization, Case Western Reserve University amateur radio club W8EDU, the University of Alabama, the New Jersey Institute of Technology Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research, MIT Haystack Observatory, Dartmouth College and the ham radio community at large.
The keynote address for the HamSCI Workshop 2020 will be given by Tim Duffy, K3LR, chief operating officer and general manager at DX Engineering, an active amateur radio operator and well-known contester. He serves as chairman of Contest University, the Dayton Contest Dinner and the Top Band Dinner, as well as coordinator of the Contest Super Suite. He is the founder and moderator of the popular RFI Reflector. Duffy serves on the board of directors of the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation and as chairman and president emeritus of the Radio Club of America. He was elected to the CQ Contest Hall of Fame in 2006 and was honored with the prestigious Barry Goldwater Amateur Radio service award by the Radio Club of America in 2010.
Speakers at the workshop include Elizabeth MacDonald, Ph.D., the NASA researcher that founded and leads the Aurorasaurus project. Dr. MacDonald will discuss fundamentals of auroral physics, its optical signatures, and the Aurorasaurus citizen science project. James LaBelle, Ph.D., professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth University and auroral radio physicist, will discuss radio signatures of the aurora, remote sensing using active and passive techniques, and ways the amateur radio/HamSCI community could contribute. Also, David Hallidy, amateur radio call sign K2DH, a retired microwave engineer who is also a well-known amateur radio operator for his work in auroral mode propagation, will discuss his practical experiences of using the aurora for radio communication purposes.
Additional information, attendance fees and registration can be found on the HamSCI Workshop 2020 website.
HamSCI Workshop Coming to Scranton in March
-
01/24/2020
On Friday, Feb. 7, trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso and pianist Rossano Sportiello will be the featured artists at Performance Music at The University of Scranton’s first concert of the Spring 2020 season.
The concert will begin at 7:30 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.
A Detroit native, Kellso is the leader of New York City jazz ensemble the EarRegulars, a member of the renowned authentic traditional jazz band Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, and has performed with many of the greatest jazz musicians of the modern age.
Kellso’s recent engagements include a week in Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola with Wynton Marsalis celebrating Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven, and leading the EarRegulars at the Detroit Jazz Fest and Moab Music Fest. He made various appearances on public radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” among them a live cinecast to movie theaters everywhere with Elvis Costello. In addition, he has performed with John Lithgow at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, toured the U.S. and Japan with Ken Peplowski’s Kingdom of Swing big band, made annual appearances in jazz clubs and festivals in New Orleans, and played jazz parties, festivals and concerts all over the world.
Kellso can be heard on several TV and movie soundtracks, including “Ghost World,” “The Aviator,” “The Good Shepherd,” “Bessie,” “Mildred Pierce,” “Revolutionary Road” and “Boardwalk Empire,” for which the Nighthawks won a Grammy. In addition, he has appeared on over 100 CDs, including several with the EarRegulars and three with his mentor Ruby Braff.
Sportiello has been an in-demand musician since moving to the U.S. from Italy in 2007. He has recorded four award-winning solo piano CDs, as well as numerous jazz ensemble CDs. He has performed at iconic venues like Lincoln Center, the Blue Note, Birdland, the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, the United Nations, Café Carlyle and Town Hall, as well as at the Chautauqua Jazz Festival, the Newport Beach Jazz Party and the Roswell Jazz Festival.
Sportiello has performed with a number of other jazz luminaries in addition to Kellso, including Slide Hampton, Clark Terry, Barry Harris, Dan Barrett, Kenny Davern, Bucky Pizzarelli, Bob Wilber, Warren Vache, Bob Cranshaw, Mickey Roker, Harry Allen, Howard Alden, Joe Wilder, Eddie Locke, Joe La Barbera, Scott Hamilton, Jake Hanna, Houston Person, Bill Charlap and Dick Hyman.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Kellso, visit kellsojazz.com. For more on Sportiello, visit rossanosportiello.com.
Acclaimed Trumpeter and Pianist to Perform Feb. 7
-
01/22/2020
Two prestigious academic journals have ranked the Accounting Department of The University of Scranton in the top six in the nation for its scholarship in the areas of teaching/learning and applied practice. A 2019 edition of The Accounting Educators’ Journal and a 2019 online preprint (to be published in 2020) edition of Issues in Accounting Education published articles on the scholarship productivity of faculty in accounting programs across the nation.
The article in The Accounting Educators’ Journal titled, “Accounting Programs Ranked by Accounting-Education Publications: Controlling for Journal Quality, Authors’ Doctoral Time and the Number of Ph.D./DBA Faculty,” ranked accounting programs based on their faculty members’ publications in top accounting education journals. This article ranked Scranton’s Accounting Program No. 6 in the nation for article counts for 25 years standardized by each journal’s quality rating, the time since each author received their Ph.D. or D.B.A. and the number of accounting-education authors on faculty.
The article in Issues in Accounting Education titled, “The Intersection of Academia and Practice: Publishing in Leading U.S. Accounting Organizations’ Journals,” ranked accounting programs and faculty based on the number of publications in the leading five accounting practitioner journals. This article ranked Scranton No. 1 in the nation. The article, authored by faculty at Kennesaw State University and The University of Scranton, noted “two institutions (The University of Scranton, 25 articles; DePaul University, 20 articles) lead the group by a substantial margin.”
With respect to authorships of individual accounting faculty across the nation, four Scranton faculty members were recognized: Douglas Boyle, D.B.A., chair of the Accounting Department at Scranton, director of the University’s internationally recognized DBA program and the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program; James Boyle, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting; Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., professor of accounting; and Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D., professor of accounting. The article noted, “Douglas Boyle at The University of Scranton is the overall leader with 19 articles, followed by Brian Carpenter, also at The University of Scranton with 13 articles. Other major contributors at the University of Scranton are Daniel Mahoney (11 articles) and James Boyle (seven articles). Overall, three of the top four authors are at The University of Scranton, and four of the top nine are University of Scranton faculty.” The article further identified Dr. Douglas Boyle and Dr. Carpenter as among only three authors in the nation for having a wide breath of publishing with articles in four of the five journals and among only seven authors in the nation for being ranked nationally for traditional all methods academic research, accounting education research, and practice research.
The University’s Kania School of Management, of which the Accounting Department is a part, is accredited by AACSB International, whose stated mission is “to foster engagement, accelerate innovation, and amplify impact in business education.” As part of its AACSB accreditation, the Kania School has identified teaching and learning scholarship and applied or integration/application scholarship (i.e., impact on practice) as high areas of emphasis for its AACSB accreditation Business Unit Research Activities, thus underscoring the significance of the two studies’ findings.
“Our accounting programs – bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral – have made incredible strides in recent years, and now both the quantity and quality of our scholarship are nationally recognized. I am proud to be part of this ever-growing landscape,” said Dr. Mahoney.
Articles by Drs. Douglas and James Boyle, Dr. Mahoney and Dr. Carpenter have received the Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Medals for “outstanding papers.”
Faculty Research Productivity Noted Nationally
-
01/22/2020
During the spring semester, University of Scranton professors, and a University student, will teach courses in their areas of expertise that examine a national treasure, a national hero and lessons to be learned from national emergencies.
Schemel Forum evening courses will meet in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in room 305 of the Weinberg Memorial Library on campus.
“Bob Dylan: From Rolling Stone to Nobel Laureate” will be taught by Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, and Catherine Johnson, a senior student in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program majoring in English and philosophy, and the editor-in-chief of Esprit: the University’s review of arts and letters. In celebration of our living Nobel Laureate in literature, the course will explore examples of Dylan’s work throughout his career, including his Nobel address. Via sound recordings, screen footage and participants’ live voices, the class will discuss musical traditions and influences on Dylan, his place among his contemporaries and meaning in the songs. “Participants will have some say in song selection and, if they like, can perform in what we hope will be a free-wheeling environment,” said Dr. Whittaker. The course will meet on the following Wednesdays: February 5, 12, 19 and 26; and March 4 and 11.
Aiala Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of Latin American history, will teach “States of Emergency: Lessons from Latin American History.” Dr. Levy said, “On February 15, 2019, President Trump declared a national emergency on the US-Mexican border. While national emergencies in the U.S. have generally been restricted to increasing the president’s financial flexibility, the expansion of executive power elsewhere has often had more dire results. Under what circumstances have national executives in Latin America issued similar declarations and what have been the consequences for democracy? We’ll explore this question through the histories of five different nations: Brazil and its 1937 “New State” coup under Getúlio Vargas; Columbia and its 1946-1964 civil war, commonly known as La Violencia; the so-called dirty wars of 1970s-1980s Chile and Argentina; and the event of a fifth country chosen by students. As we examine Latin American societies and political institutions, we’ll connect the past to present-day illiberal policies and protests.” The course will meet on the following Thursdays: February 6, 13, 20 and 27; and March 5 and 12.
“Frederick Douglass’s America” will be taught by Adam Pratt, Ph.D., associate professor of American history. The course will follow Frederick Douglass’s life from enslavement to political powerbroker in the middle of the 19th century. Each week participants will focus on an episode of Douglass’s life as a way to explore the larger cultural processes that fundamentally altered the United States. Topics include slavery, the Underground Railroad, the politics of emancipation during the Civil War, the reconstruction amendments and the coming of Jim Crow. At the heart of the course will be a focus on racism and its corruption of American ideals. The course will meet on the following Mondays: February 10, 17 and 24; and March 2, 19 and 23.
Local residents can attend any course for $75 per person or $125 per couple; Schemel Forum members may attend any or all courses free. Space is limited and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register or for more information, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Dylan, Douglas and Democracy to be Discussed
-
01/09/2020
Accounting students from The University of Scranton will assist local residents with filing their federal, state and local tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The students, joined by numerous professional volunteers organized by the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties with the support of several local organizations, will provide the free service to residents of Lackawanna and Wayne counties with household incomes of $56,000 or less for 2019.
Residents using the VITA service are asked to bring the following items: a valid photo ID; all W2 Forms; all 1099 forms (interest, dividends, pensions); unemployment paperwork; real estate tax receipts for rent/tax rebate; Form 8332 for non-custodial parents; Social Security cards for all taxpayers and dependents; W-7 forms if appropriate; information related to income and expenses (business, rental properties, sale of stocks); a personal banking account check if direct deposit is desired; and any documentation related to health insurance for themselves and anyone on the tax return, such as Form 1095-A, -B or -C. Last year’s tax returns are also requested.
Walk-in VITA service without an appointment is available in room 111 of Brennan Hall, Madison Avenue, on the University’s campus on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Monday, Feb. 10, to Wednesday, Mar. 11, and from Monday, Mar. 23, to Friday, Apr. 3. Hours of service will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays; and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. Service on campus will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and advance appointments cannot be scheduled. The University reserves the right to cap the number of walk-in residents they can serve within a single day
University students have participated in the VITA program for more than 30 years.
In addition to the University’s campus the VITA service is available by appointment only at the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties office at 615 Jefferson Avenue. Service for senior citizens only is also available at several locations in the area in March. Limited appointments are available at this time. Appointments can be made online at uwic.net/taxes or by calling 211. Residents may also call the University’s VITA Program at 570-941-4045.
Appointments can be made for service at The University of Scranton only for Sunday, Feb. 9, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Sunday, April 5, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
VITA program partners are The University of Scranton, The United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, Lackawanna College, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, the Lackawanna County Library System, Penn State Scranton and the IRS.
Free Income Tax Assistance Offered
-
01/09/2020
University of Scranton accounting professor Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., was recently re-elected to serve as chair of the Allied Services Foundation Board of Directors. Allied Services is the leading provider of post-acute healthcare and human services for northeastern and central Pennsylvanians with disabilities and chronic illness. Dr. Boyle has served on the Foundation Board since 2010 and also serves as chair of its Skilled Nursing Center, Personal Care, and Continuing Care Retirement Community Boards.
Dr. Boyle is chair of the University’s Accounting Department, director of the University’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Program and the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Boyle has more than 25 years of industry executive experience. He has served in executive roles in startup, middle market and Fortune 500 companies where he has held the positions of chief executive officer, president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer.
An award-winning researcher and teacher, Dr. Boyle was profiled in 2018 as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs. The professors, who teach at business schools in the Northeast with online MBA programs, were selected based on their professional experience and knowledge.
At Scranton, Dr. Boyle was awarded the Faculty Senate Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award for 2019. He was named the Kania School of Management’s (KSOM) Alperin Teaching Fellow for 2015 to 2018 and received the KSOM Advisory Board’s Award for Curriculum Innovation for 2017-2018. He has twice earned the KSOM Teacher of the Year award and earned the Provost Excellence Awards for the Scholarship of Teaching in 2014 and for Scholarly Publication in 2012. He was awarded the Outstanding Accounting Educator of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 2015. In addition, four research papers he has authored with fellow KSOM faculty members have received the Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Medals for “outstanding papers.”
Dr. Boyle earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, a MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Professor Named Chair of Allied Services Foundation Board
-
01/09/2020
Feb. 1 1 p.m. 20th Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 8. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Feb. 7 through Mar. 6 Art Exhibit: “Sharon Cosgrove: A Change of Vision.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 7 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “A Change of Vision” presented by Sharon Cosgrove, exhibiting artist. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Jon-Erik Kellso, trumpet, and Rossano Sportiello, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 14 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “How to Save Foreign Aid in the Age of Populism” presented by Alex Thier, founder of Triple Helix, a strategic consulting and advisory firm and senior associate at Overseas Development Institute in London. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 18 noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Covering Crisis as a Woman” presented by University of Scranton alumna Nicole Young, producer of 60 Minutes. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 22 10:30 a.m. “IGNITE Student Leadership Conference.” Leadership development program open to Northeast Pennsylvania college students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. $25 fee for non-University students includes program materials, refreshments and lunch. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-6233 or visit www.scranton.edu/leadership.
Feb. 22 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble with special guest soloists – four high school music teachers who taught, mentored and inspired a number of members of the student jazz ensemble: Laurie Burdett (Scranton School District); Mike Lesnesky (Valley View School District); Ken Luckey (Tunkhannock School District); and Elaine Ort (Western Wayne School District). Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 28-March 1 & Mar. 6-8 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Carrie: the musical” by Lawrence D. Cohen presented by the University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Wednesdays: Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 & Mar. 4, 11 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Bob Dylan: From Rolling Stone to Nobel Laureate” presented by Catherine Johnson, senior student in the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program majoring in English and philosophy and Editor-in-Chief of Esprit: the University’s review of arts and letters, and Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Thursdays: Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27 & Mar. 5, 12 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “States of Emergency: Lessons from Latin American History” presented by Aiala Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of Latin American history, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mondays: Feb. 10, 17, 24 & Mar. 2, 9, 23 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Frederick Douglass’s America” presented by Adam Pratt, Ph.D., associate professor of American history, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces February Events
-
01/08/2020
PPL contributed $10,000 through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program to support The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a multi-year, pre-college program for high school students designed to develop the skills needed to successfully gain entrance to college.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
PPL Supports the University of Success
-
01/08/2020
The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission (GSMLKC) will hold its annual celebration and community awards dinner at The University of Scranton, Sunday, Jan. 19, beginning at 2:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
Brandon Flood, secretary of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, will be the keynote speaker. Scranton High School’s The Knight Rhythms will also perform at the event.
In his position for the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons, Secretary Flood serves as the chief administrator for executive clemency in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Prior to this appointment, he spent nearly a decade working for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served in several professional capacities, including as executive director of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. He also served as legislative director for the Service Employees International Union State Council and as the policy and reporting specialist for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services’ Bureau of Diversity, Inclusion and Small Business Opportunities.
Secretary Flood is also a member of the Steelton Zoning Hearing Board.
Secretary Flood’s professional accomplishments include instituting a full-time Equal Opportunity Officer and Equal Opportunity Advisory Committee for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and successfully advancing legislation urging the City of Harrisburg, the House Democratic Caucus and the Wolf administration to institute a “ban the box” policy, also called Fair-Chance hiring policy, that removes the criminal conviction question from non-civil service employment applications under their respective jurisdictions. He also helped to successfully lobby the City of Harrisburg and the Borough of Steelton to adopt “marijuana decriminalization” ordinances.
Tickets for this event are $25 and can be reserved at www.safdn.org/mlk-event or by contacting Jennifer Pennington at The University of Scranton’s Office of Equity and Diversity by email at jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu or by phone at 570-903-9450.
MLK Celebration and Award Dinner Set for Jan. 19
-
01/07/2020
University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced the appointment of Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, Ph.D., as dean of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences effective July 1, 2020.
Since 2014, Dr. Maldonado has served as assistant provost of undergraduate education at the University of Miami, where she has also served since 2016 as the executive director of the Office of Academic Enhancement and as a professor of religious studies. She joined the faculty at the University of Miami in 2006.
“Dr. Maldonado’s leadership experience in working with academic deans, faculty, students and professional advisors, complemented by her dedication and care of historically underrepresented and first-generation college students, will make her a great asset at Scranton,” said Father Pilarz in an announcement sent to the University community. “Additionally, her education and career display a deep appreciation for the Catholic and Jesuit mission that is central to our work together.”
At Scranton, Dr. Maldonado will oversee the University’s academic departments in the sciences and mathematics, engineering and computing sciences, humanities, theology and social sciences, as well as the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, the Magis Honors Program in STEM and the University’s undergraduate Honors Program and the pre-med and pre-law programs.
As assistant provost of undergraduate education at Miami, Dr. Maldonado’s areas of responsibilities include managing an undergraduate advisor consortium of professional academic advisors representing Miami’s nine schools and colleges, as well as collaborating with the academic deans of each school and college. In that role, she also implemented substantial revisions to Miami’s general education requirements and worked with their Enrollment Management division on recruitment strategies with an emphasis on historically underrepresented and first-generation students, among other duties.
As executive director of the Office of Academic Enhancement, she supports underrepresented, first-generation and high-achieving students, a role that includes overseeing the Prestigious Award and Fellowship Division, The Foote Fellow Honors Program, the Programs of Academic Excellence and the Residential College Advising program. She also created the Division for First Generation Students.
In addition, she served on a number of committees at Miami, including the Curriculum Committee, the International Student Task Force, and the Civic Engagement Task Force, among others.
As a scholar of religious studies, Dr. Maldonado’s areas of specialization include Latino/a and Latin American theology; Afro-Caribbean and Latino/a studies; U.S. minority, Third World and feminist theologies; and constructive and cultural theologies. She is the editor, co-author or author of 10 books and has published more than 40 articles in academic journals and book chapters. She has also presented at 85 academic conferences and meetings and contributed more than a dozen book reviews. She has also written a number of articles for the National Catholic Reporter.
Dr. Maldonado has received multiple honors and awards during her career, including the Alumni of the Year award from the Graduate Theological Union, the 2008 Catholic Press Association Book Award for Second Place in Gender Issues for her book “Created in God’s Image,” and a 2004 Catholic Press Association Book Award and a 2004 Hispanic Theological Initiative Book Prize for her first book “Sor Juana: Beauty and Justice in the Americas.” At the University of Miami, she was named a Gabelli Scholar (2012-2014) and a Civic Engagement Fellow (2012-2013).
Dr. Maldonado is a member of the American Academy of Religion, where she currently serves on its American Lectures in the History of Religion Committee; the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians in the United States, where she served as president for 2009-2010; and the Catholic Theological Society of America.
Previously, Dr. Maldonado served as a theologian-in-residence at San Lucas Toliman Mission in Guatemala from 2004-2006, and as an assistant professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University from 2001-2005.
Dr. Maldonado earned her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University; her master’s degree from the Union Theology Seminary and her Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union.
University Names New Dean of CAS
-
01/07/2020
The University of Scranton awarded faculty development intersession grants for 2020 to seven faculty members.
Debra Fetherman, Ph.D., associate professor of exercise science and sport, will receive a grant to research a “Minor in Health Promotion.” Dr. Fetherman received her bachelor’s degree from Ohio University, her master’s degree from the University of Central Arkansas and her doctoral degree from Marywood University. She has worked for the University since 2005.
Nathan Lefler, Ph.D., associate professor of theology/religious studies, will receive a grant to study “Can Satan Cast Out Satan? Flannery O’Connor’s ‘The Displaced Person.’” Dr. Lefler received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago, his master’s degree from Yale Divinity School and his doctoral degree from Catholic University of America. He has worked for the University since 2008.
Aiala Levy, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, will receive a grant to research a “Sao Paulo’s Celso Garcia Hall and the Creation of a Laboring Public.” Dr. Levy received her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago. She has worked for the University since 2016.
Mohammad Maktoomi, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics/electrical engineering, will receive a grant to research “High Sensitivity Fully Linear Resistive Transducer Bridge Amplifier.” Dr. Maktoomi received his bachelor’s degree from Aligarh Muslim University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology. He began working for the University in 2018.
Sufyan Mohammed, Ph.D., associate professor of communication, will receive a grant for to study “Crisis Communication 2.0: Evaluating Corporate Crisis Communication strategies and Media Choices in the Digital Age.” Dr. Mohammed received his bachelor’s degree from Jai Hind College, his master’s degrees from Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research and Rochester Institute of Technology and his doctorate from Texas Tech University. He has worked for the University since 2008.
Susan Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history, will receive a grant to research a “Murder, Gender and the Insanity Defense after the Civil War.” Dr. Poulson received her bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University. She has worked for the University since 1990.
Ana Ugarte, Ph.D., instructor for world languages and cultures, will receive a grant to research a “Island Laboratories: Literary Monsters, Disease and Pharmacopeias in the Hispanic Caribbean.” Dr. Ugarte received her bachelor’s degree from Universate Stendhal Grenoble III, a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Universidad Complutense de Madrid and her doctoral degree from Duke University. She has worked for the University since 2018.
Faculty Members Receive 2020 Intersession Grants
-
01/02/2020
The University of Scranton’s first Path to Business Excellence Conference, held in November on campus, was attended by 119 top high school students with an interest in business. The students represented 86 high schools and six states. The conference included interactive experiences with members of the Kania School of Management’s faculty, alumni and current students. In addition to general and team-building sessions, the conference included tracks for students interested in accounting, business administration, business analytics, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, international business, operations management, marketing and management.
In previous years, the University offered a Future Accountants Leadership Conference. This year, the conference was expanded to include all business majors offered in the Kania School of Management.
Future Business Leaders Attend Scranton Conference
-
01/02/2020
Elementary and middle school students from Northeast Intermediate School and The Lutheran Academy attended a presentation about Mexico at The University of Scranton as part of its International Education Week programming. Fulbright Spanish Language Teaching Assistant Vianey Florentino Perez of Mexico gave the presentation about her home country in November in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on campus.
International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide,
The University’s International Education Week event was sponsored by its Office of Global Education. The University hosts international students and scholars from 22 different countries, including China, India, Ireland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, among others.
Local Students Learn about Mexico at University
-
12/20/2019
The University of Scranton recognized students and their high school teachers, who they credit for contributing to their success, with Rose Kelly Awards at a ceremony held recently on campus.
The Rose Kelly Award was established by University of Scranton alumnus Joseph Wineburgh, Ph.D., to link the efforts of educators to the achievements of college students. The award is presented jointly to a student in each of the University’s colleges who has completed two years at Scranton and to the teacher whom he or she recognizes as having a great impact in his or her life. Students are selected based on exemplary achievement in both academics and general campus involvement.
Charles Kulick, Pittston, received the Rose Kelly Award for the College of Arts and Sciences. He honored Patrick Clemens, his teacher from Scranton Preparatory School.
Jeffrey Colucci, Mahwah, New Jersey, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Kania School of Management. He honored Eileen Fay, his teacher from Mahwah High School.
Diana Valentina Mesa, Miami, Florida, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Panuska College of Professional Studies. She honored Miriam Smith, her teacher Mesa from Saint Brendan High School.
University Students/High School Teachers Awarded
-
12/19/2019
The Highmark Foundation recently awarded a grant of $100,000 to The University of Scranton’s Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured to support its efforts in chronic disease management among a vulnerable population. This grant will enhance the role of the nurse navigator to provide added care coordination, intervention, education and healthy life style support to Leahy Clinic patients.
“All too often, people who need health services do not routinely visit traditional sites of care, leaving them at risk for undiagnosed chronic diseases,” said Yvonne Cook, president, Highmark Foundation. “The services and resources that Leahy Clinic provides are an important point of access in connecting underserved and at risk communities with essential care and education.”
The Leahy Clinic, now in its 12th year of operation at the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, 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 Leahy Clinic has been able to offer free care that includes medical, counseling, physical therapy and low vision services, along with exercise and nutrition classes.
Highmark Foundation Awards Grant to Leahy Clinic
-
12/13/2019
Participants in the 22nd annual 2020 Leaves of Class Raffle, offered by The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton, have a chance to win more than $13,000 in prizes.
Raffle tickets are $25 and earn each participant twelve chances to win monthly prize drawings, which begin on Jan. 31 and continue through Dec. 18. The raffle helps support the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund.
This year’s prizes include: an iPad, Google Home Mini and Echo Dot; gift certificates to numerous area restaurants; cash prizes up to $250; tickets to local theater performances and concerts; fitness club memberships; golf, spa and resort gift certificates; jewelry and clothing boutique gift certificates; gift baskets; tickets to seasonal activities, including Reaper’s Revenge; and numerous other prizes.
To be eligible for the drawings, a completed entry form, along with $25, must be returned to the Dean’s Office of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Checks should be made payable to “Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library.”
Tickets may also be purchased online at www.scranton.edu/leaves.
For more information on the Leaves of Class drawing, contact the Weinberg Memorial Library at 570-941-7816.
Library Raffle Offers Chance at Monthly Prizes
-
12/12/2019
University of Scranton students, faculty and staff donated hundreds of presents to children in need through two Christmas gift drives organized by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. Community members donated gifts through the Giving Tree program which will be distributed to children by Friends of the Poor/Catholic Social Services. Gifts were also collected for the Adopt-a-Family Program with the Catherine McAuley Center.
Christmas Drives Bring Gifts to Area Children
-
12/12/2019
Rev. Bernard R. McIlhenny, S.J., H’98, dean of admissions emeritus at The University of Scranton, blessed the nearly 4,000 children’s books donated this year through the Panuska College of Professional Studies annual Blessing of the Books project. During the fall semester, Panuska College of Professional Studies first-year students collected books donated by members of the University community. In addition, this year Melissa Menagh, Long Valley, New Jersey, a sophomore exercise science major, and her mother spearheaded a drive in her hometown that brought in 1,200 books.
Through the program, Panuska College of Professional Studies first-year students add a hand-written note to the donated books, which are then blessed and distributed through area organizations and children’s programs to promote literacy. This year the books will be distributed through The Valley Santa Project, the Scranton School District, the Friendship House, the University’s Belize and other service trips, the Leahy Community Health and Family Center and the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence Executive Hub.
Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies began the Blessing of the Books project at the University in 2007. The annual book collection has distributed more than 35,000 books to children in need.
Thousands of Donated Books Blessed at Scranton
-
12/11/2019
Announced in May, the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities is completing its first semester with projects that have included the inauguration of the Humanities in Action Lecture Series. Renovations are set to begin this month to the Center’s home, a Victorian mansion on the corner of Mulberry Street and Clay Avenue.
Leading the Center’s efforts is its executive director, Gregory Jordan, J.D. A writer, teacher and film producer, Jordan has authored two books, “The Saints are Coming” and “Willie Mays Aikens: Safe at Home.” About the former, acclaimed writer Ron Hansen wrote: “In its psychological complexity, richness of detail, and discerning sympathy for its main characters, ‘The Saints Are Coming’ reads like a novel worthy of Graham Greene.” The latter recounts the life of the man who became the symbol of the racism inherent in America’s drug laws. Filming on “The Royal,” a movie based on his Aikens book and with the screenplay penned by Jordan, was completed in November in Augusta, Georgia. He has written several screenplays that have been optioned by producers in Spain and Los Angeles, collaborated on several books and penned articles for The New York Times, Vox Media and The Hill, among other publications.
“Our president and our provost, our board and our donors are doubling down on the humanities at the same time many universities are closing shop on them. We intend the Slattery Center to be not some high tower endeavor but a vital venue that will trade in the gritty stuff of personal and professional aspiration. The Slattery Center has certainly been created for the humanities departments and its students, but also for the entire University, for our larger community, for our students and for (their) parents as investors in (their) personhood and professional future,” said Jordan in his opening remarks at the launch of the Humanities in Action Lecture Series. The lecture series was launched in November with a talk by Denis McDonough, former chief of staff to President Obama and current senior principal at the Markle Foundation and chair of its Rework America Task Force.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Jordan received his bachelor’s degree at Williams College and a master’s degree in fine arts from the City University of New York, and a J.D. at Georgetown University. Upon graduating from college, Jordan was the special assistant to Thomas Krens, the director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, when Krens developed the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum by renowned architect Frank Gehry. Jordan recently moved to northeast Pennsylvania from Spain with his wife and children to direct the Center.
The Center is continuing plans for the hallmark speaker series, program development, fellowships and community outreach programs with special emphasis on students.
The Center will 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.
A Successful First Semester for Slattery Center
-
12/11/2019
Frank O’Hara medals were given University of Scranton students with the highest grade-point averages in their first-, second- and third-year in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies for the 2018-19 academic year. The awards, named in honor of the late Frank O’Hara who served the University for 53 years in various administrative positions, were presented at a ceremony held recently on campus.
College of Arts and Sciences
Nicolette George, Denville, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. A dean’s list student at Scranton, she is currently a sophomore majoring in physiology. She is a graduate of Morris Knolls High School.
Sarah White, Brooklyn, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a junior majoring in biology with a mathematics minor. She is also member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM. Additionally, White serves as a tutor in the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) and is currently involved in interdisciplinary research. She is also the community service chair of the Royal Signers, the secretary of the Irish Cultural Society, the chair of Relay for Life’s team development committee and a member of knitting club. She will lead a domestic service trip to the Appalachian Region of Kentucky in March.
Anna Maria Giblin, Berwyn, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. She is currently a senior majoring in history with a philosophy minor and legal studies concentration. She is a member of the Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society and the Pre-Law Society. She tutors in the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. She has also completed internships at Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman and Goggin. She plans to attend law school after graduation.
Kania School of Management
Philip Cocco, Pittston, received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. He is currently a sophomore majoring in finance and is also a member of the Kania School of Management Business Honors Program, where he serves as president of the Business Honors Club. He participates in the University’s Track and Field Team as a shot put thrower.
Nicole Cavanaugh, Dallas, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior majoring in accounting. A member of the Business Leadership Honors Program, Cavanaugh also serves as a tutor in CTLE, participates in clubs such as Kania Women in Business and the Society of Accounting Students and owns an art business. She plans to obtain her CPA license and earn a master’s in business administration.
Abbey Murphy, Mountain Top, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. She is currently a senior majoring in accounting with a minor in theology. A member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program and the undergraduate Honors Program, Murphy serves as a Resident Assistant in Condron Hall and has done internships with Guard Insurance and Snyder and Clemente. She is pursuing research with Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy.
Panuska College of Professional Studies
Alexandra Benadon, Hillsborough, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. She is currently a sophomore majoring in human resources with a double minor in business and finance. She received athletic honors in field hockey, including All Landmark Conference Second Team and ZAG Field Hockey/NFHCA Division III Scholar of Distinction. She participates in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and Society for Human Resource Management. She also volunteered this past summer as an Orientation Assistant at the University.
Emily Campo, Haddonfield, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior majoring in occupational therapy. Last year, she received an O’Hara award for her freshman academic year. She is a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association and the Helping Professions Residential Learning Community. She has volunteered with several organizations, including the Arc of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and currently serves as a teaching assistant in kinesiology. She is also a member of the Royal Signers and secretary of the Knitting Club.
Madison Heaton, Medford, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a senior occupational therapy major who is also pursuing minors in psychology and human services as well as a concentration in human development. She was the recipient of the O’Hara Award for her sophomore academic year. She served an orientation assistant and participated in the Scranton Emerging Leaders program. She is the president of Royal Signers and the Knitting Club, a member of Student Occupational Therapy Association and a certified yoga instructor. An active volunteer, she is also a member of Beading Hope and Autism Speaks U and is current a Resident Assistant in upperclassmen housing.
College of Arts and Sciences (above) From left: Brian Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and recipients of the Frank O’Hara medals from the College of Arts and Sciences: Anna Maria Giblin, Nicolette George and Sarah White.
Panuska College of Professional Studies (above) From left: Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., associate dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, and recipients of the Frank O’Hara medals from the Panuska College of Professional Studies: Emily Campo, Madison Heaton and Alexandra Benadon.
University Students Receive Frank O’Hara Awards
-
12/10/2019
The University of Scranton will purchase carbon-neutral electricity for 2020 in an effort to reduce the school’s carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emission generation.
Carbon-neutral electricity has its source in operations that generate power with considerable lower quantities of carbon dioxide emissions than is released from standard fossil fuel power generation. It includes low carbon power generation sources such as wind power, solar power, hydropower and nuclear power.
“At the University, we are always trying to initiate additional green initiatives on campus,” said Mark Murphy, director of the University’s Sustainability Office. “In our bid for 2020 electricity, we were able to purchase zero-carbon electricity at the same price as electricity which would have most likely been generated by burning fossil fuels like natural gas and coal.”
“Nuclear energy is carbon neutral and a good environmental step for the University,” Murphy said. “In the future, we plan on pursuing the purchase of 100 percent renewable energy, which is generated by the more traditional renewable sources such as solar, wind and water.”
For 2020, the University will use Carbon-Zero 24/7, a new, 100 percent emission-free product from Talen Energy, a privately-owned independent power producer based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Backed by Emission-Free Energy Certificates issued by PJM Environmental Information Services (EIS), Carbon-Zero 24/7 ensures that the electricity supplied to the University is from a source that does not directly emit any air pollution (sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide) which can help the university reduce emissions associated with its electricity usage.
Scranton Goes Carbon-neutral for 2020
-
12/10/2019
Jan. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Jan. 25 8 a.m. Campaign School 2020. Learn the essentials of running for local government office from the petition process to organizing your campaign to effective use of media. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County and co-sponsored by the Political Science Department. Brennan Hall, McShane Executive Center. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7431 or email jean.harris@scranton.edu.
University Announces January 2020 Events
-
12/05/2019
On Sunday, Dec. 15, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will be doing its part to put locals in the holiday spirit at its annual Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert.
Set for 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, the concert will feature a performance by popular local big band ensemble Ken McGraw with Brass and Ivory.
The event is open to the public, with attendees asked to bring either a new and unwrapped toy, new toiletry items (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, comb/brush, etc.) or a monetary donation. All donated items will benefit local children and families in need this holiday season, and will be distributed by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice.
This year’s event falls on a date that conflicts with the University’s academic calendar, so many student members of Performance Music ensembles will already be back in their hometowns on holiday break. Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga enlisted McGraw and Brass and Ivory to fill the void.
Fans of the concert can expect the usual assortment of classic Christmas tunes, as well as the traditional audience caroling session at the end of the evening.
“It’s going to be great, Kenny and the band are especially looking forward to the singalong portion of the program,” Boga said.
The concert’s origins go back to 1999, when Boga’s friend, Alan Drake, the former chairman of the music department at Georgia’s Augusta State University, told her about a benefit Christmas concert held there. When Boga asked Drake if he would mind if she brought the idea back to Scranton, he responded, “Absolutely not.”
For that inaugural year, she and Drake decided to wage a friendly competition to see which concert could raise the most money. The rest is history.
No doubt, the concert’s charitable mission lends it a special resonance, and Boga said it’s especially moving to see the donated items out on display the night of the concert.
And, of course, the concert never fails to produce yuletide cheer in rich abundance. By the end of the show, Boga said, “You can really see people starting to feel the Christmas spirit.”
For more information on the Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert Dec. 15
-
12/04/2019
Two majors at Scranton – criminal justice and history – have seen the number of incoming students triple in the past three years for the same reasons: cogent explanations of career employment opportunities following graduation; having an engaging faculty and providing appealing courses.
“Parents want to see routes to employment and they have heard about new technology-based programs in criminal justice,” said James Roberts, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology. “We are still just as good as we have always been with the traditional criminal justice career areas of police, courts and corrections. We have been blessed to build off what we already had into new areas of crime analysis. Police departments and private sector firms are recruiting for positions in cyber security and crime analysis and the salaries are quite good – some start in the range of $70,000 or $80,000.”
The number of incoming Scranton students declaring a major in criminal justice increased from 13 in 2017-18 to 39 in 2019-20.
The increase in history majors at Scranton is bucking the national trend. According to surveys by the American Historical Association, overall enrollments in history courses have declined by nearly 8 percent from 2013-14 to 2016-17, before stabilizing. Scranton has seen the number of incoming students declaring history as their first major rise from a low of 5 in 2017-18 to 16 in 2019-20. The total number of history majors, which includes those who have changed their major as well those who declare history as a second major, also increased from 48 to 62 during the same period.
David J. Dzurec III, Ph.D., professor and chair of the History Department at Scranton, said parents often ask what their son and daughter can do with a degree in history and are “dubious” when he tells them “anything they want.” However, he then provides them with examples of recent graduates who have gone onto to medical school, business and consulting firms in addition to all of the graduates who have gone to law school. The concrete examples of success in a wide range of fields win over many of the skeptical parents.
According to Dr. Dzurec, another factor contributing to the increase is the department’s enrollment is the “exceptional faculty” who he noted are accessible and “engaged with our students.” The University’s Jesuit education requires all students to take courses in the humanities, which “allows us access to students, and when we get them in the classroom they really begin to understand how much fun history can be,” said Dr. Dzurec. “So even if a student doesn’t come in as a history major, by the time that class graduates, the number of history majors has grown exponentially.”
Dr. Roberts also credits the faculty for the growth of the major. Their expertise allowed for the development of new content in the areas of cybercrime and crime analysis. The department opened in 2017 the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime, which provides a vehicle for developing partnerships with local and regional criminal justice and social service agencies to use faculty expertise and state-of-the-art technology and techniques for the sophisticated analysis of data to more efficiently utilize resources or to evaluate of the effectiveness of programming. The center also offers a Student Analyst Program, which allows students to work directly with criminal justice agencies and faculty on research, data collection and analysis.
“Our faculty are highly trained, professionally active, publishing and are at the top of their fields. All are doing research and taking students under their wings, giving them practical experience as undergraduates through the center,” said Dr. Roberts.
Dr. Dzurec and Dr. Roberts also credited new courses for an increase in interest in their fields. Criminal justice developed new courses crime analysis and cybercrime. Travel courses to Italy, Germany and England offered in history have been very popular, as has an “Indigenous Peoples of America” course that took students to the Navajo nation in Arizona. Also popular is a “Disney’s American History” course that examines the accuracy of Disney movie portrayals of historical figures and concludes with a trip to Disney World in Florida.
In addition, both say Scranton’s recent 3+3 programs with Boston College, Duquesne, Penn State and Villanova law schools have interested students who wish to pursue law degrees after graduation. They also credit the support their departments have received from the University as a contributing factor as well.
Two Majors Seeing Major Growth at Scranton
-
12/03/2019
In an Apostolic Letter signed on the first Sunday of Advent, Dec. 1, Pope Francis encouraged schools around the world to display images of the crèche, which is common practice at The University of Scranton during the Christmas season.
In the letter, titled Admirabile Signum (wonderful sign), Pope Francis wrote:
“The enchanting image of the Christmas crèche, so dear to the Christian people, never ceases to arouse amazement and wonder. The depiction of Jesus’ birth is itself a simple and joyful proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture. As we contemplate the Christmas story, we are invited to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman. We come to realize that so great is his love for us that he became one of us, so that we in turn might become one with him.
With this Letter, I wish to encourage the beautiful family tradition of preparing the nativity scene in the days before Christmas, but also the custom of setting it up in the workplace, in schools, hospitals, prisons and town squares.”
At Scranton, a Catholic and Jesuit university, manger scenes are on display at the DeNaples Center patio in the center of campus, at the Jesuit Center in St. Thomas Hall and in a prominent window facing Jefferson Avenue in McGurrin Hall, as well as in other locations on campus.
Wonderful Signs Abound at Scranton
-
12/02/2019
Just in time for the holiday season, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 52nd annual Noel Night concert on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Beginning at 8 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, the concert will feature The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles with organist/pianist Timothy Smith, D.M.A., and trumpeter Mark Gould serving as guest performers.
A prelude with performances by members of the Performance Music instrumental ensembles will begin at 7 p.m.
Admission to the concert is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night has become a beloved holiday tradition for many Scranton-area residents since its creation over a half-century ago.
“It’s always a wonderful evening,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
At the concert, the 50-plus voice student mixed choir will be joined by the guest musicians and leaders of the University community, who will offer greetings and readings of the Nativity Martyrology and St. Luke Nativity Narrative.
Since 2010, Dr. Smith has served as the director of music and organist at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Scranton. Prior to that, he served in the same position at New York City’s famed Riverside Church from 1992 to 2008. A graduate of Yale University with a doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music, he has performed with numerous orchestras throughout the New York City area and has served as university organist at Columbia University since 2000.
Dr. Smith has recorded for the Pro Organo, Philips Classic, JAV and Gothic labels, and has performed at a number of high-profile venues through the years, including the cathedrals of Chartres, Beauvais, Notre-Dame, and the Church of St. Germain-des-Prez in France, and the Lincoln and Wells cathedrals in Great Britain. His performances have received praise in such publications as The American Organist, The American Record Guide and Choir and Organ.
“He’s a world-class organist. I’m so happy and grateful that Covenant brought him to Scranton – he is an incredible addition to our community,” Boga said of Dr. Smith.
A longtime Performance Music collaborator and member of the brass and ensembles faculties at New York City’s Mannes School of Music, Gould served as the principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra from 1974-2003.
Gould has conducted and performed as a soloist with the Seattle Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Colorado Philharmonic, Buffalo Symphony, Juilliard Wind Ensemble, the Waterloo Festival, the Caramoor Festival and the Vermont Mozart Festival Orchestra. He’s recorded several albums as director of the New York Trumpet Ensemble, and has been a frequent guest with Speculum Musicae, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the MET Chamber Ensemble, Empire Brass, Canadian Brass, Summit Brass, the Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble and Extension Ensemble.
For further information on the Noel Night concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Noel Night Concert Set for Dec. 7
-
11/26/2019
University of Scranton students, faculty and staff donated food baskets for area families in need through its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive organized by the University’s Center for Service and Social Justice. More than 80 students, including 45 members of Scranton’s Lacrosse team, volunteered to prepare and distribute 200 food baskets to families at the Valley View Housing Development in South Scranton.
Other holiday programs organized by University’s Center for Service and Social Justice include Christmas gift drives and a Community Christmas Day Breakfast. The gift drives are currently underway for student, faculty and staff donations.
Local students, faculty and staff will also volunteer for the community breakfast, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 25 in the DeNaples Center. Reservations are not required to attend the free breakfast. For information call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
University Conducts Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive
-
11/26/2019
The Princeton Review listed The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management among the nation’s “Best Business Schools” for 2020, marking the 15th consecutive year that Scranton has been included in the listing of just 248 of the most elite business colleges in the nation. Scranton was included among the list of “Best On-Campus MBA Programs,” which was published online in November.
“We commend these schools for their outstanding MBA programs, each of which has stellar academic offerings as well as on-campus and off-campus experiential components,” said Rob Franek, The Princeton Review’s editor in chief, in a news release announcing the 2020 “Best Business Schools” lists.
The listing of business programs is compiled from an analysis of institutional data and survey data from students attending the business schools. The data incorporates career outcomes, academic rigor, admissions selectivity and other factors.
The profile of Scranton on the “Best Business Schools” website noted its “Jesuit values add an element of social responsibility to the work students do at the Kania School of Management (KSOM).” The profile also said Scranton is “focused on what will be required of an MBA graduate in today’s marketplace” and described the school as an “excellent learning atmosphere,” where “everyone is friendly and willing to help.” The Princeton Review also noted Scranton’s professors were accessible and “provide critical insight.”
The University’s Kania School of Management is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is widely considered the standard of excellence for business schools. Less than five percent of business colleges worldwide hold AACSB accreditation.
The Princeton Review also listed Scranton in its 2020 edition of the “Best 385 Colleges,” ranking Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 7), “Best Campus Food” (No. 10) and “Best Run Colleges” (No. 20). The Princeton Review also included Scranton in its 2019 “Guide to Green Colleges.”
In other national rankings, U.S. News and World Report included Scranton in a national ranking of the “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” (No. 224) and ranked Scranton’s entrepreneurship program at No. 33, its finance program at No. 43 and its accounting program at No. 52 in the country. In the overall ranking for colleges, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 6 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North,” marking the 26th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10 of its category.
Scranton Listed Among Best Business Schools
-
11/21/2019
The University of Scranton’s 11th annual Community Christmas Day Breakfast will take place Wednesday, Dec. 25, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the third-floor Fresh Food Company of the DeNaples Center on campus. The breakfast, organized by the Center for Service and Social Justice and Dining Services/ARAMARK, is offered free of charge to the elderly or those who are alone or in need as a gift to the community for the holiday season.
The University’s Dining Service/ARAMARK staff and volunteers from the University will prepare and serve the breakfast that will include eggs, sausage, pancakes, danish, juice and more.
Reservations are not needed to attend. Parking is available for the breakfast in the University’s parking pavilion on Mulberry Street. For additional information, call 570-941-7401.
Christmas Day Breakfast Planned at University
-
11/21/2019
The University of Scranton held an orientation for the incoming participants of the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program for 2019-2020. The program seeks to develop future executives to serve area nonprofit institutions.
Launched in 2017, the certificate program combines a rigorous academic component taught by Kania School of Management faculty with expertise in nonprofit organizations, a mentorship and experiential learning. The program includes capstone project that requires participants to form a comprehensive plan to solve a current issue faced by the nonprofit organization they represent.
Incoming members of the third cohort of Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and the organizations they represent are:
Michael Brown of Scranton, project manager, The Wright Center;
Chelsea Chopko of Scranton, executive assistant, The Wright Center;
Cathy Colangelo of West Hazleton, executive director, Partners in Education;
Ginny Crake of Pittston Township, executive director, Junior Achievement of NEPA;
Julianne Cucura of Scranton, development director, Boys & Girls Club of NEPA;
Anna Faramelli of Scranton, crisis and advocacy services director, Women’s Resource Center, Inc.;
Janine Fortney of Wilkes-Barre, program director, Family Service Association of NEPA;
Nicole Morristell of Scranton, executive director, Lackawanna Leadership;
Megan Mould of Scranton, associate vice president of college advancement, Johnson College;
Amber Loomis of Wilkes-Barre, chief advancement officer, Family Service Association of NEPA;
Ben Payavis of Pittston, chief content officer/executive producer, WVIA;
Jeremy Popiel of Carbondale, aquatic/program director, Greater Carbondale YMCA;
Ron Prislupski of Pittston, chief development officer, WVIA;
Helayna Szescila of Scranton, governance officer, The Wright Center;
Jessica Wallo of Throop, vice president of programs and services, United Neighborhood Centers;
Mary-Pat Ward of Scranton, executive director, City of Scranton OECD.
For additional information visit the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program webpage or call 570-941-4047.
Third Cohort Begins Nonprofit Leadership Program
-
11/20/2019
“We’ve told our story to our children and grandchildren. Tonight, with your permission, we’d like to include you into our family and share our story with you,” Bernard Schanzer, M.D., said. “Our story is a story of terror and survival told from a child’s perspective.”
The University’s PNC Auditorium in the Loyola Science Center was filled to capacity Nov. 12 for the Judaic Studies Institute Lecture presented by twin brothers Bernard Schanzer and Henry Schanzer, J.D.
Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies and the Weinberg Chair of Judaic Studies at The University of Scranton, gave a short introduction before the brothers took the stage.
The twin brother spoke about how they were only seven years old when they were first impacted by the Holocaust.
“Our ordeal began when the Germans invaded Belgium on May 10, 1940. Within a few days, 15 members of our extended family – including my ailing grandmother and my sister, who had just had her appendix removed – crammed into a small van. We fled ahead of the event of Germans taking over France,” Bernard said.
Their family, trying to get ahead of what was brewing, fled their home and moved south to St. Etienne. During this time, the brothers were able to escape the horror happening around them, but it would be short-lived.
Their father, Bruno Schanzner, was around 40 years old when their apartment in St. Etienne was seized, and he was deported to a French detention camp on August 26, 1942. He – like many other Jews – ended up in Nazi concentration camps such as Auschwitz.
They emphasized how the invasion of Nazi forces into France tore their family – and the country – apart. After their father was deported, their mother went into hiding and the brothers spent years away from her and any other relatives. At some points, they were in orphanages, and at other times they were in hiding on farms.
“At times, we were so hungry, we resorted to stealing food from the animals. We were malnourished. We had worms and we were very sick,” Henry said.
Eventually, their mother was able to arrange their stay at the farm of Adolphine Dorel in Saint-Pal-de-Mons, where they were kept safe until the end of the war.
In the summer of 1945, the war finally ended, and they were reunited with their mother. In April of 1946, they arrived in the United States and settled on the lower-east side.
“My mother was a 45-year-old widow. Somehow, against all odds, she overcame. We were poor; we didn’t have a pot to put a penny in. We struggled and progressed,” Henry said.
They mentioned how their story is a story of matriarchy.
“My mother really sacrificed her life. After the war, it was incredibly difficult for her, yet she managed somehow to raise us without bringing up all the terrible thoughts, memories, and disasters that she had gone through. She isolated us from the real difficulties that she faced when she came to the United States,” Bernard said.
They ended their lecture with a call-to-action for the community members and students in the audience.
“We must have the courage to stand-up to evil and to bigotry. You cannot be bystanders,” Bernard said. “We have to be vigilant. It [the holocaust] occurred once; it may occur again. What we have to do it make sure that that does not happen again.”
Twins Share Their Holocaust Story
-
11/19/2019
The former chief of staff to President Obama reminded students of the value – and responsibility – that comes with a four-year college degree at the inaugural Humanities in Action Lecture.
Denis McDonough, senior principal at the Markle Foundation and chair of its Rework America Task Force, told the audience that – in the future – technology will be used for more and more tasks currently performed by humans, and only 34 percent of the U.S. workforce has a college degree.
“Machines are really good at certain things,” said McDonough, explaining that machines can do somethings better than humans but not everything. He went on to say that humans are good at discernment, judgment and complexity. “So, the first and most important thing that you can do for your own career opportunities, and also for the national interest, is to invest in the things that humans do really well. And, you know who has a long tradition of understanding what humans do really well … the Jesuits.”
He told the students in the audience that “perhaps the most Ignatian of all, is that you have the responsibility, outfitted and armed with the armor that this place gives you, to take care of this country, to take care of the world and to take care of the most vulnerable.”
McDonough, who served as White House chief of staff for President Barack Obama from February 2013 to January 2017, also reminded students that “the principal responsibility of an American citizen is to vote.” He said that only 23 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds voted in the 2016 election. “That’s a travesty. The first responsibility you have as citizens of this great democracy is to vote,” said McDonough.
The conversation with McDonough, titled “From the White House to the Work Force,” launched the University’s Humanities in Action Lecture Series, which is sponsored by the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities. At the event, University of Scranton philosophy professor and pre-law advisor Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., faculty director for the Slattery Center for the Humanities, and Scranton Times-Tribune education reporter Sarah Hofius Hall led a question and answer session with McDonough in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, and Gregory Jordan, executive director of the University’s Slattery Center for Humanities, also spoke at the event.
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.
Responsibilities of a College Education Discussed
-
11/18/2019
Margaret C. Perez, Bethlehem, had known Edward R. Leahy, J.D. ’68, H’01, for more than 60 years. She knew his wife, Patricia, and their late son, Edward Jr. She also knew of the work of The University of Scranton’s Leahy Community Health and Family Center and Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured housed in the Panuska College of Professional Studies, and was so impressed by its mission that she bequeathed a portion of her estate to the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment at the University – a gift of nearly $1 million.
“Margaret, or Marge as we called her, was a good soul and a life-long friend. She never said an unkind word to anyone and went to church nearly every day,” said Edward Leahy. “She had no children or living relatives and when she passed away at the age of 88, she gave her entire estate to charities, including a portion to the Leahy Endowment at the University.”
Leahy said Perez visited the Leahy Community Health and Family Center years ago and was deeply moved by the compassionate service shown to people with disabilities. Shortly after her visit, she told Leahy of her intent to bequeath a portion of her estate to the endowment at the University.
The Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment was founded by Edward and Patricia Leahy to honor the life and memory of their son, Edward R. Leahy, Jr., whose personal disabilities were attended to with compassion and skill by many health professionals over the course of his life. The endowment provides financial resources to support theoretical and applied research, faculty development, and support for programs that advance the cause of disabled persons who need long-term assistance.
The Panuska College of Professional Studies houses occupational therapy, physical therapy, kinesiology, counseling and human services, health administration and human resources, nursing and education. Every graduate of PCPS completes a community-based learning requirement for service. In addition, PCPS houses the Leahy Community Health and Family Center with four clinics in medicine, physical therapy, counseling and low vision, and the Alice V. Leahy Food pantry, University of Success program and the new center of Autism.
Perez was born in 1930 in Allentown to the late Manuel and Terrsa (Yllanes-Lugris) Perez. She worked for 47 years with Western Electric, Bell Laboratories and Lucent, before retiring in 1995. She was a member of St. Simon and Jude Catholic Church, Bethlehem. She died in March of 2018.
Leahy Endowment Given Bequeath of Nearly $1 Million
-
11/18/2019
Numerous families in Lackawanna and Luzerne fall below official federal poverty measurements and there are also many others who work full time and are above the poverty line, but still fall short of a living wage that can adequately provide for themselves and their children, according to a new study that offers recommendations to close the gap and promote economic security.
In partnership with The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development, The University of Scranton’s Office of Community and Government Relations, Ellacuría Initiative and Political Science Department released a comprehensive report that details how conditions have changed three years after their groundbreaking “Living Wage Report 2016.” A living wage is a rate at which a worker can reach a standard of living that meets essential basic needs and enables the worker to live a modest but dignified life.
“This report includes the perspectives of community leaders who illuminate the challenges faced by our neighbors,” said Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “These voices, along with the data, put into perspective the difficulties so many in this region face in affording and accessing basic needs. The gaps between a minimum wage and a living wage are stark and the persistence of poverty troubling, and yet the report is in no way hopeless. As Pope Francis has said, ‘Poverty is not an inevitable misfortune: it has causes that must be recognized and removed, in order to honor the dignity of many brothers and sisters.’”
To understand better the extent of income issues beyond standard government poverty measures, The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development used a living wage calculator developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Institute and then analyzed federal, state and county economic and census data from 2017 and 2018.
Several resources are available to low- and moderate-income households that do not earn a living wage in NEPA. However, for many programs, some families can make too little to achieve family economic security but not enough to qualify for some assistance. “The ‘benefits-cliff’ effect is real as low-wage work can result in a difficult transition: benefits swiftly decline but economic stability is still out of reach. The availability of benefits are also a concern as many government programs are being cut or curtailed,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of the University’s Office of Community and Government Relations, “which puts more and more families in an economically unviable position. Northeastern Pennsylvania has made significant economic and community development progress in recent years and has a generous social service and charitable sector, but the study shows that serious challenges remain.”
“While some solutions to address earning a living wage may seem partisan to some, this study is not intended to be a partisan paper,” said Teri Ooms, director of The Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development. “It reflects the real-life situation here in NEPA, where income inequality has increased over the past decade and our own residents cannot meet basic needs. It is important for everyone to band together and work on solutions. Mitigating this problem will improve our regional economy and reduce the need for social service programs.”
“While not necessarily surprising, it is disheartening to see how difficult economic conditions remain for residents of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties following ten years of economic growth,” said Michael Allison, Ph.D., coordinator of the Ellacuría Initiative and chair of the University’s Political Science Department. “Our community is not prepared to weather a significant economic downturn.”
The study draws on the region’s network of social service agencies to shed additional light on the challenges and offers recommendations rooted in Catholic Social teaching. Leaders of the community agencies point to the fraying social safety net and the struggle to help families overcome financial shortfalls, even when they earn more than the state’s minimum wage.
The findings of the Living Wage Report Update include:
- In Lackawanna and Luzerne counties and across Pennsylvania, the living wage income need has increased for all family classifications from 2016 to 2018. For a family of two adults and two children in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties, the living wage income rose from $44,056 to $48,069, a 9.1 percent increase.
- The region as a whole has an above-average proportion of families living in poverty compared to the rest of the Commonwealth.
- The state’s minimum wage of $7.25 does not meet the living wage standard for any of the family compositions examined in the study. The gap between minimum wage income and living wage income has increased as of 2019.
- The cost of meeting some human needs increased dramatically since the 2016 report, including housing costs by 20.2 percent; medical expenses by 12.7 percent; transportation costs by 4.2 percent; and childcare expenses by 4.4 percent.
Achieving economic security requires a multi-pronged team approach that involves public policy changes, further economic and workforce development efforts, government social safety net programs, and private and individual charitable and service activities. “Underlying each of the following recommendations is an effort to identify how various sectors have a role to play in ensuring economic security for a greater share of our neighbors. Community partners can work together to connect families with opportunities and resources in their communities,” said Cohen.
The recommendations of the Living Wage Report Update include:
- Increase wages: To foster and maintain more family-sustaining jobs, raise the Pennsylvania and/or federal minimum wage, and further increase economic development and workforce activities, including strategic higher education and K-12 collaborations to ensure a match between regional skills and needs.
- Support tax credits for low-income families: Support federal tax credits, and potential expanded state tax credits, to assist with basic costs for low-income families, including populations experiencing special economic challenges, such as grandparents serving as caregivers in the wake of the opioid epidemic.
- Address housing affordability: Identify and implement a range of strategies aimed at providing affordable housing in ways that address both the necessity of continued economic development and the needs of low-income residents.
- Expand access to existing social safety net programs that address issues, such as food insecurity and early education, and ensure that federal and other poverty measures adequately address the realities of low-income Americans.
The study dovetails with the University’s commitment, as a Catholic and Jesuit institution, to an educational mission that includes the service of faith and the promotion of justice. The University draws on the efforts of Catholic and Jesuit partners to raise awareness of and advocate for public policies in keeping with emphases within Catholic Social Teaching on principles of human dignity, community and the common good, dignity of work and the rights of workers, solidarity, the option for the poor and vulnerable, and the role of government and subsidiarity.
The University released the report update at a State of Scranton seminar luncheon titled “Living Wage Study: Three Years On” on Nov. 15 on campus. In addition to presentations on the updated report, the more than 130 community leaders, business professionals, government officials and faculty members in attendance discussed and prioritized in small groups how we can collectively respond to issues of economic insecurity in our region.
The event also included a short video featuring interviews of individuals who have experienced economic insecurity in our community, including their recommendations for community action.
Update to Living Wage Report Presented
-
11/14/2019
Kevin M. Murphy, Ph.D., George J. Stigler Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, presented “Human Capital, Inequality and Growth” at The University of Scranton’s 34th Henry George Lecture held recently on campus.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are ten winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
University Hosts Annual Henry George Lecture
-
11/13/2019
An article about Scranton’s ROTC Program in AJCU’s Connections highlights the strength of Jesuit teaching found in Scranton’s ROTC Program. An expert from the article appears below with a link to the full article.
Contemplatives in action come to mind when Cadet Vincent Oliverio thinks of the way that Jesuit values are embedded in the ROTC Program at The University of Scranton. “When we see others being oppressed, we are taught to reflect, make decisions and take action when needed for the good of others,” says Oliverio, a senior computer engineering major.
Cadet Ryan Haley sees Jesuit values in the ROTC’s commitment to excellence and the challenge to develop fully the talents of each individual. “Our commitment to develop ourselves and our commitment to become excellent leaders goes back to our concern for the individual, because we want to make sure that we are doing right for the people we serve,” says Haley, a senior business administration major.
Lieutenant Colonel William White, professor of military science at Scranton, … goes on to describe the broader need for the key skills a Jesuit education provides. See full article here.
Scranton ROTC Program Featured in AJCU Connections
-
11/12/2019
The University of Scranton joined the National First-Generation College Celebration with an event on campus Nov. 8 to recognize the University’s first-generation students, faculty, staff and alumni. The celebration was organized by the University’s THR1VE Program, which launched in July 2019 to celebrate and support Scranton students whose parents have not completed a four-year college degree.
The event included an ongoing networking opportunity for first-generation students to connect with first-generation alumni mentors in various professions. The celebration also included trivia about famous first-gen students and the THR1VE program, a photo booth and social media campaign, a hot chocolate bar and a selection of fall foods.
“As the first member of the Pilarz family to graduate from college, I know firsthand the ways that graduation can be particularly life-changing for students, their families, and future generations,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president, in a letter to the University community about the celebration. “Since our founding as St. Thomas College, educating and forming those who are the first in their families to earn a college degree has been and will continue to be a special part of our mission.”
The National First-Generation College Celebration was established in 2017 to honor the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which helped students from minority and low-income backgrounds. For the last two years, institutions from across the nation have organized their own celebrations in support of their first-generation students.
The THR1VE program was developed from a needs assessment survey and other input from first-generation students attending the University. Based on this information, the THR1VE program has focused on three primary areas of support: financial wellness, academic planning and career development. At the University, 23 percent of the undergraduate population identifies as first-generation.
This marks the first year that the University has participated in the National First-Generation College Celebration.
University Celebrates First-Gen Students
-
11/12/2019
Mary Jane Hanson, Ph.D., professor of nursing and director of the Department of Nursing’s graduate and doctor of nursing practice (DNP) programs at The University of Scranton, was re-elected as chair of the board for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for 2020. This will be her second term.
CCNE is an autonomous accrediting agency that ensures the quality and integrity of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education programs and nurse residency and fellowship programs. The University’s nursing programs hold CCNE accreditation.
Dr. Hanson holds certifications as an Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist, Adult Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner and maintains a current part-time family nurse practitioner practice. She also maintains numerous professional memberships.
Dr. Hanson has published more than 30 papers in national and international peer-reviewed journals including Nursing Research, Western Journal of Nursing Research, The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Nursing Education Perspectives, Journal of Health Management and Public Health, The Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, American Journal of Critical Care, The American Journal for Nurse Practitioners, American Journal of Nursing, and Nursing Management. Her research interests include cigarette smoking, women’s health, cross-cultural study, adolescents’ risk behaviors and primary health care.
In addition, Dr. Hanson has been very successful at securing grant funding and has successfully authored federal grants for the graduate nursing program totaling more than three million dollars.
Dr. Hanson earned her bachelor’s degree from Cedar Crest College and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. She joined the faculty at University in 1996.
Nursing Faculty Member Re-elected as CCNE Chair
-
11/12/2019
Dec. 4 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Reckoning with Contested History as an Essential Part of Sustaining Democracy” presented by Liz Sevcenko, director of the Rutgers Newark Humanities Action Lab. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Dec. 7 8 p.m. (Prelude begins at 7 p.m.) Performance Music: “52nd Annual Noel Night” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert” featuring Ken McGraw with Brass and Ivory. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items or a monetary donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 25 8 a.m. Community Christmas Day Breakfast. Doors open at 8 a.m., Fresh Food Company, DeNaples Center. Free. No reservations necessary. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
University Announces December Events
-
11/07/2019
The rule of not discussing politics or religion will be broken at an event co-hosted by The University of Scranton together with several community partner organizations on Monday, Nov. 18. A facilitated dialogue called “Faith and Politics: A Conversation” will take place at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of Shopland Hall, Scranton Cultural Center. Reservations are required to attend the event, which is free of charge and open to the public and will include light dinner refreshments.
Participants will be asked how their faith or worldview shapes their political views. This program invites individuals from different backgrounds and political affiliations to share their experiences, stories and concerns through structured dialogue sessions to build better understanding among neighbors in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The University has organized similar discussions on campus since 2017 as part of an ongoing “Bursting Our Political Bubbles” Dialogue Initiative, which blends the reflective, structured dialogue methods of national non-profit Essential Partners with St. Ignatius of Loyola’s teachings of discernment and reflection.
“Faith and Politics: A Conversation” is sponsored by The University of Scranton, in partnership with the Greater Scranton MLK Commission, Lackawanna County Department of Arts and Culture, Marywood University, Penn State Scranton and the Scranton Area Ministerium.
Reservations can be made by calling 570-941-4419 or emailing community@scranton.edu.
Faith and Politics Conversation Encouraged Nov. 18
-
11/06/2019
The University of Scranton Players will present the Northeastern Pennsylvania premiere of Jaclyn Backhaus’ breakout play “Men on Boats” directed by Jennifer Rhoads. Backhaus’ play has quickly ascended to the status of essential theatre after its 2016 Off-Broadway run. University Players will present “Men on Boats” Nov.15-17 and 22-24. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8pm. Sunday’s shows are at 2pm. All shows in the Royal Theatre in the McDade Center for the Literary and Performing Arts on the University’s campus.
It’s 1869 and famed explorer John Wesley Powell leads a quartet of boats down the Grand Canyon to chart the course of the Colorado River. He takes with him 10 explorers, each with his own motivations, history and peculiarities. Jaclyn Backhaus’ “Men on Boats” takes Powell’s whitewater voyage and gives it a 21st century twist, with the male roles being performed by women. This gender swap creates hilarious and profound results – whose stories do we tell? What does it mean to “discover”? How is history created? And, who is it for?
The company of “Men on Boats” features Keidy Barrientos of Port Jervis, New York; Reilly Charles of Rockaway Park, New York; Bridget Fry of Hightstown, New Jersey; Natalie Gray of Glenside; Katie Karpiak of Scranton; Emmalee Lafean of Basking Ridge, New Jersey; Hannah Mackes of Tafton, Ellen O’Brien Sherry of Kingston, Shaye Santos of Wrightstown, New Jersey; Reagan White of Manahawkin, New Jersey; and Gillian Williams-Mayers of Scranton.
For tickets, contact the Players box office at 570-941-4318 or visit thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff. Performances during the second weekend are free for first-year students at the University.
For more information, contact players@scranton.edu or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
University Players to Perform Men on Boats
-
11/06/2019
The University of Scranton String Orchestra will perform in concert on Friday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue). The concert is free of admission charge and open to the public.
The program focuses on music for string orchestra written by late 20th and early 21st century composers. Selections include dance-based music from a variety of cultures, such as Mosier’s “Baltic Dances” and “American Reel,” Newbold’s “Fire Dance,” and Spata’s “Maharaja,” as well as Hofeldt’s “She Will Hang The Night With Stars,” Atwell’s “Drifen” and Balmages’ “30,000 and Forever,” and more.
The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 33-member ensemble comprised of members of the University community – mostly undergraduate students, joined by a few members of the faculty and staff – who are brought together by a mutual love of music-making.
For more information, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
String Orchestra to Perform Nov. 15
-
11/05/2019
A $1.3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to University of Scranton physics and electrical engineering professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., seeks to harness the power of a network of licensed amateur radio operators to better understand and measure the effects of weather in the upper levels of Earth’s atmosphere.
The highly-competitive grant awarded by NSF’s Aeronomy Program for the project titled Distributed Arrays of Small Instruments (DASI) will be implemented over a three-year period. As principal investigator, Dr. Frissell, a space physicist, will lead a collaborative team that will develop modular, multi-instrument, ground-based space science observation equipment and data collection and analysis software. He will also recruit multiple universities and ham radio users to operate the network of “Personal Space Weather Stations” developed.
The space weather equipment will be developed at two levels of sophistication: one at a low-cost, easy-to-use level for the ham radio operators; and one that is more complex for university partners that will allow for the collection of additional data.
“The equipment and network allows us to measure and characterize ionospheric and geomagnetic short-term, small scale variability on a large geographic scale in order to understand the response of the ionosphere to sources from above (space weather) and below (atmospheric forcing),” said Dr. Frissell in the grant project proposal. “By designing Personal Space Weather Stations variants at multiple price points, open sourcing the hardware and software, and directly engaging with the ham radio community, this project maximizes the chances of widespread adoption of this system.”
In the U.S., there are more than 730,000 licensed amateur radio operators and nearly 3 million worldwide. For this initiative, Dr. Frissell will target the ham radio community through the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation collective, which he leads, and the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet Radio) amateur radio engineering organization.
According to Dr. Frissell, measuring and better understanding modulations in the upper atmosphere – specifically the ionosphere – is important because these changes can affect radio transmissions as well as satellites, which then can affect the internet, cellphones, GPS systems and more. He also explained that radio remains a very important communication tool because it is a way of communicating worldwide that doesn’t rely on infrastructure. Radio communications can bounce (refract) off the ionosphere and return to earth. This process can repeat multiple times – for example, allowing people in the U.S. to communication with people in Australia – without the use of expensive satellites.
Already published research by Dr. Frissell using data collected by existing Ham radio users shows the sensitivity of the existing technology and the capacity of network of licensed radio enthusiasts to measure modulations produced in the ionosphere. In the study “Modeling Amateur Radio Soundings of the Ionospheric Response to the 2017 Great American Eclipse,” published in Geophysical Research Letters, Dr. Frissell measured changes in the ionosphere during the solar eclipse. The data he used was collected by hundreds of licensed ham radio operators in the U.S. who participated in a contest he ran that allowed him to collect the data he needed for the analysis. The new initiative expands this model and provides additional equipment to add to the data to be collected and analyzed.
Collaborators in the NSF funded DASI project with Dr. Frissell include: William Engelke and Travis Atkison, Ph.D., of the University of Alabama; David Kazdan, Ph.D., and Soumyajit Mandal, Ph.D., of Case Western University; Hyomin Kim, Ph.D., of the New Jersey Institute of Technology; Phil Erickson, Ph.D., of MIT’s Haystack Observatory; and Scotty Cowling of TAPR and Zephyr Engineering; among others.
Dr. Frissell joined the faculty at Scranton in the fall of 2019. He earned a doctorate and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, and a bachelor’s degree in physics and music education from Montclair State University in New Jersey. He is the founder and lead organizer of the international citizen science space physics research collective known as the Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI.org).
Professor Awarded $1.3 Million NSF Grant
-
11/05/2019
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will pay homage to the great composer Vaclav Nelhybel with a concert celebrating the centennial year of his birth.
The Vaclav Nelhybel Centennial Concert will take place Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:30 p.m. inside the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. The performance will feature The University of Scranton Symphonic Band and internationally acclaimed trumpeter Christian Jaudes. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
This concert carries a special resonance, given Nelhybel’s long and close relationship with the University. At the time of his death on March 22, 1996, he was the composer-in-residence at Scranton and a beloved mentor to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
The composer’s influence is still very much alive at the University, as it is throughout the world. For the past 20 years Scranton has served as the home of The Nelhybel Collection, which includes Nelhybel’s published and unpublished compositions, personal papers, manuscript scores and other valuable materials, all impeccably curated by the composer’s widow.
Among other highlights, the concert will include a performance of Nelhybel’s epic work, “De Profundis,” featuring Jaudes, a faculty member at The Juilliard School and trumpeter on numerous Grammy Award-winning Broadway and studio recordings.
The concert will also feature a poem written in Nelhybel’s honor by Louisiana poet/playwright John Doucet, and reminiscences from University alumni who worked with Nelhybel. Members of the composer’s family will be in attendance.
“This is the official Nelhybel centennial concert,” Boga said. “The concert band is very excited to do a program comprised almost completely of music by our favorite composer, in honor of his memory.”
It’s no overstatement to say Nelhybel was among the most acclaimed, respected and prolific composers of the second half of the 20th century.
Born in 1919 in Polanka, Czechoslovakia, the Jesuit-educated Nelhybel studied composition and conducting at the Conservatory of Music in Prague, and musicology at Prague University and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.
Nelhybel first made his name in the years following World War II, when he served as composer and conductor of Swiss National Radio and as a lecturer at the University of Fribourg. In 1950, he became the first musical director of Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany, a position he stayed in until moving to the United States in 1957. Nelhybel became an American citizen in 1962 and lived for many years in New York City and Newtown, Connecticut, before settling in Scranton during the last decade of his life.
A staggeringly prolific composer, Nelhybel left behind a rich body of concertos, operas, chamber music pieces and dozens of compositions for symphony orchestra, symphonic band, chorus and smaller ensembles. More than 400 of his works were published during his lifetime, while many of his over 200 unpublished compositions are in the process of being published.
While Nelhybel wrote most of his works for professional performers, he also enjoyed composing original, challenging pieces for student musicians, and took a special delight in collaborating with them.
The University of Scranton Symphonic Band is a 75-member ensemble comprised of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum. While none of the student players are music majors, they are united by their mutual love of making music.
For more information on the concert and The Nelhybel Collection, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Concert to Celebrate 100th Birthday of Composer
-
11/05/2019
The University of Scranton welcomed the third cohort of students into its doctor of business administration (DBA) program.
Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor, Accounting Department chair and DBA program director, faculty from the DBA program and DBA students from the first and second cohorts, joined together to welcome the new students into the program at an orientation session on campus.
Housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, the DBA program began in the fall semester of 2017.
The University’s DBA program, with a concentration in accounting, was developed to provide experienced practitioners with a practical pathway to an academic career. The program offers participants flexibility, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic” – one who is qualified to teach at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
The incoming DBA students are:
Andrew J. Gregorowicz of Jessup;
Marissa Hoffmann of Smithtown, New York;
Gregory Kogan of Brooklyn, New York;
Laura B. Lamb of Pennellville, New York;
Marie S. Lopes of Pawtucket, Rhode Island;
Stasia H. Morlino of Plymouth Meeting;
Thomas K. Parker of Rock Hill, South Carolina;
Nicole M. Piotrowski of New York, New York;
Elizabeth S. Quaye of Laurelton, New York;
Natalie A. Roberts of Rosedale, New York;
Nadine S. Samuels of West Orange, New Jersey;
Jessie C. Wright of Poland, Ohio.
New Students Begin DBA Program at Scranton
-
11/04/2019
The University of Scranton announced the establishment of a scholarship to honor David F. St. Ledger ’56, G’69. Established by the St. Ledger family, the David F. St. Ledger ’56 Scholarship will be awarded to undergraduate students graduating from Forest City Regional High School or Carbondale Area High School who enroll at the University as an education, history or political science major. The scholarship will be awarded starting in the fall semester of 2020.
Following graduation from Benjamin Franklin High School in Carbondale, St. Ledger served in the U.S. Navy. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University in 1956 and his master’s degree in history in 1969. He taught courses in American history and government in the Carbondale School District for seven years, then taught in the Forest City School District until his retirement in 1995.
St. Ledger lived in the Carbondale area for most of his life. An active member of St. Rose of Lima Church, he served on several parish committees and was a lector for more than twenty-five years. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Carbondale Public Library and the Carbondale YMCA, and coached Little League Baseball.
St. Ledger passed away in 2017. His obituary can be seen here.
University to Offer New Scholarship in Fall 2020
-
11/04/2019
The University hosted a day-long series of panel discussions titled “The Crisis of Democracy Today: What Can the Humanities, Law, and Civic Activism Do to Address the Challenge?” as part of the formal launch for the Sondra H’87 and Morey Myers H’12 Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement. The event took place on campus on Oct. 25.
The last of three-panel discussions on Oct. 25 focused on “How Can Law Address the Crisis of Democracy?” Panelists were: 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. Michael Fairbanks ’79 H’06, chairman of the board, Silver Creek Medicines and fellow at the Weatherhead Institute for International Affairs at Harvard University, provided the introduction, and Joel Kemp, J.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of theology and religious studies at The University of Scranton, served as moderator.
In his opening remarks, Fairbanks utilized the example of Rwanda as a new, upcoming legal paradigm from which the United States may learn a way to approach its own challenges. “They’ve built something new in the law, and it’s called ‘building modern institutions on traditional values,’” said Fairbanks. “We go over there with fancy notions about privatize and democratize and liberalize, and they’re so smart, they take a tiny bit of what those of us from the West said and then for the rest make up their own path.” Fairbanks also noted that Sondra Myers served an integral role in Rwanda, writing a handbook about their institutions in Rwanda’s official language, Kinyarwanda, so that children could learn about their country in their native tongue.
Following the opening remarks, the panelists introduced themselves with a comment on the state of the American democracy today. Judge Barrasse touched upon recent threats to the rule of law in the United States: “In Pennsylvania – in our city of brotherly love, Philadelphia – we now have a city that has declared itself a sanctuary city, essentially indicating laws that it’s not going to enforce or support.” Likewise, he added, some cities have asserted themselves as Second Amendment sanctuary cities, upholding the right to bear arms over federal law, all of which create a cause for concern. “If a citizen sees government officials choose not to follow law, then why should they?” he said. “Without the rule of law, we will have anarchy to follow.”
Meanwhile, Atty. Cole addressed the institution's autocratic leaders of democratic societies target: namely, the press, non-government organizations, universities and religious institutions. “Why? Because each of these are places where people can come together in pursuit of their views and in check of governmental abuse,” said Atty. Cole. In a democracy where the institutions of civil society are under attack, he continued, the First Amendment is critically important in protecting citizens’ ability to criticize governmental authority, and people have spoken out in response to the threat against it through protests and membership in the ACLU, which has swelled to 1.8 million members. “People recognized the importance of these institution,” Atty. Cole added. “Citizens will be our salvation.”
For Atty. Greenberger, justice cannot be achieved without activism. “As a public interest lawyer, much of my work was to link activism and law, and that remains more true now than ever. In the Me Too movement, which arose certainly after the election, after the Women’s March, women in Hollywood came forward. But what’s not so well-known is that farmworker women contacted those women in Hollywood and told them how proud they were because they understood how hard it was to step forward,” said Atty. Greenberger. “And these women in Hollywood were so blown away that they set up the Time’s Up effort and supported a legal fund that would be available to help women in non-traditional jobs, who were often facing multiple kinds of discrimination, to have access to the law. That’s how getting those stories out made a difference.”
Atty. Stolzenberg called attention to a grave threat to democracy: the war against secularism. “In the United States, we have a long tradition of religious war against secularism by Protestant and Evangelical Christian groups, as well as some conservative Catholic discourse,” she said, “but what’s new is that anti-secularists now occupy unprecedented levels of power.” Using Attorney General William Barr’s speech at the University of Notre Dame, Atty. Stolzenberg illustrated the ways in which anti-secularists attack secularism: “They say secularism destroys traditional morals, that it’s discrimination against their religious liberty. This is a discourse that is very dangerous to democracy.”
Following their opening remarks, the moderator asked the panelists questions as did audience members. The program concluded with brief closing remarks by Sondra and Morey Myers.
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.
Panelists Consider Law, Autocracy and Democracy
-
11/01/2019
Three Accounting Department faculty members at The University of Scranton, Amanda Marcy ’10, G’11, Ashley Stampone ’10, G’11, and David Salerno, Ph.D. ’97, G’06, and Economics and Finance Department faculty member, John Ruddy, D.P.S. ’91, recently had their research featured by a professional organization and cited in a Texas Supreme Court decisions. All are University of Scranton graduates.
Marcy and Stampone’s work, titled “Emerging Technologies Will Impact More Than Office Duties” and set to be published in the Pennsylvania CPA Journal this fall, was featured in an article by the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants concerning how technological advancements will bring changes to CPA licensing and the CPA Exam. Marcy, assistant professor of accounting, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton, where she is currently pursuing her D.B.A. She joined the accounting faculty at the University in 2015 and is a certified public accountant. Stampone, faculty specialist in accounting, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton. She is also pursuing her D.B.A. at the University. A certified public accountant, she has taught at Scranton since 2016.
Dr. Salerno and Dr. Ruddy’s work, titled “Defining and Quantifying Pension Liabilities of Government Entities in the United States” and published in the Journal of Corporate Accounting and Finance, was cited by the Supreme Court of Texas in rendering a government employee pension decision involving the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System. Dr. Salerno, associate professor of accounting received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton and his doctoral degree from Kent State University. A certified public accountant, he joined the University faculty full-time in 2007. Dr. Ruddy, assistant professor of economics and finance, received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, his master’s degree from George Washington University and his doctoral degree from Pace University. A certified public accountant and a chartered financial analyst, he joined the faculty at Scranton full-time in 2013.
KSOM Alumni Faculty Research Cited
-
10/29/2019
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).
Scranton Named Among Standouts for Sustainability
-
10/29/2019
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.
Inaugural Humanities in Action Lecture Announced
-
10/29/2019
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 14th secretary of the Smithsonian, and Rev. William J. Byron, S.J, the 21st 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 21st century.
Sondra and Morey Myers Fellowship Established
-
10/29/2019
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.
Jazz Ensemble Concert Set for Nov. 2
-
10/24/2019
Books by Oliver Morgan, Ph.D., professor of counseling and human services; Susan Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history; and Margarete Zalon, Ph.D., professor of nursing, were published recently. In addition, a chapter to a book was published by Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology.
Dr. Morgan authored “Addiction, Attachment, Trauma, and Recovery: The Power of Connection,” which suggests a new model of addiction that incorporates neurobiology, social relationships and ecological systems and calls for a change in the established ways we think and behave about addiction and recovery. Dr. Morgan received his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, his master’s degrees from Hahnemann Medical University and Weston School of Theology and his doctorate from Boston University. He has worked for the University since 1990.
Dr. Poulson authored “Suffrage: The Epic Struggle for Women’s Right to Vote,” a nuanced explanation of how women overcame resistance from traditionalists, religious leaders and the political establishment to earn suffrage. Dr. Poulson received her bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University. She has also worked for the University since 1990.
Dr. Zalon co-edited “Nurses Making Policy: From Bedside to Boardroom,” second edition. The book is a practical guide written to help advanced students and nurse leaders develop health policy competencies to advocate for patients from the bedside to the larger political arena. Dr. Zalon received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from New York University. She has worked for the University since 1988.
Dr. Jenkins authored the chapter “International Policing and Peacekeeping” in “The Handbook of Social Control,” which offers a comprehensive review of the concepts of social control in today’s environment and focuses on the most relevant theories associated with social control. Dr. Jenkins received his bachelor’s degree at The University of Scranton and his master’s and doctoral degrees at Rutgers University. He has worked for the University since 2013.
University Faculty Publish Books in Disciplines
-
10/23/2019
The University of Scranton will begin to enroll students in its new major in mechanical engineering in the fall 2020 semester. Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering disciplines and involves the design, production and operation of mechanical systems and thermal systems. Students graduating in this major will be prepared to work in a wide array of fields, including the automotive and aerospace industries, manufacturing, electronics, mechatronics and nanotechnologies.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow four percent from 2018 to 2028, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations. The median annual pay for mechanical engineers in 2018 was reported at $87,370.
The University of Scranton’s annual six-month post-graduation surveys often show engineering graduates earning the highest average starting salaries of any other undergraduate major. According to the University’s undergraduate class or 2018 six-month post-graduate survey, electrical engineering majors reported the highest average salary of $70,625. The average salary reported for all majors for the University’s class of 2018 was $51,282.
The curriculum for mechanical engineering at the University, which consists of 131 credits, combines rigorous academics, project-based learning and values-based education. The program will allow the students to specialize in several areas, such as biomechanics, energy conversion, laser-assisted materials processing, fracture mechanics, vibrations and combustion. During the next few years, the University will further develop its engineering facilities on campus for mechanical engineering majors to learn using the latest in laboratory, simulation and modeling techniques.
The curriculum for mechanical engineering, just as with other majors offered in engineering fields at Scranton, will include research and internship opportunities, as well as mentoring and individual advising to fully develop students’ aptitude and interests.
“Our mechanical engineering program was conceived and became a reality due to advice and help of our Industrial Advisory Board,” said W. Andrew Berger, Ph.D., professor and chair of the University’s Physics and Engineering Department. “Internship opportunities have been always strongly supported and strong characteristic of our programs. We expect the new mechanical engineering program will enhance the educational experience of our engineering students and further educate them in cutting-edge investigational techniques in technology and design that characterize modern-day engineering. It will also allow to us to form true multidisciplinary teams in capstone engineering design courses.”
Students graduating in mechanical engineering will have the ability to use the techniques, skills and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice; identify and solve engineering problems; design and conduct experiments and analyze and interpret data; design a system or process within budgetary, environmental, safety and other constraints; and understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context. In addition, Scranton graduates will be able to communicate effectively, function on multidisciplinary teams and understand the professional and ethical responsibility inherent in the field.
In addition to mechanical engineering, other majors offered at Scranton offered by the University’s Physics and Engineering Department include computer engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, biophysics and physics.
For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 888-727-2686 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mechanical Engineering to be Offered at Scranton
-
10/23/2019
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.
Holocaust Survivors to Speak at Nov. 12 Lecture
-
10/22/2019
The University of Scranton ranked among the nation’s “Best Colleges” in an online 2020 listing by College Factual of “colleges and universities that meet high standards and provide quality outcomes to students.” Scranton ranked No. 177 in the national ranking of 1,727 schools. In a listing of 123 “Best Colleges” in Pennsylvania, Scranton ranked No. 19.
College Factual also ranked Scranton at No. 22 the nation in its ranking of “Best Religiously Affiliated,” which listed just 182 schools in the country.
In other postings on the College Factual website, several Scranton programs ranked in the top 15 percent in the nation, including accounting, biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, business administration, criminal justice, international business, marketing, nursing and philosophy and religious studies.
College Factual, in rankings published online, considers retention and graduation rates, student loan default rates, overall average post-graduation earnings based on PayScale and College Scorecard data, among other factors.
In other national rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 6 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North,” No. 5 in its category for the nation’s “Most Innovative Schools,” and No. 12 in its category for “Best Undergraduate Teaching.” U.S. News has also ranked Scranton as a “Best Value” school for seven consecutive years. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list of “Best Colleges” and ranked Scranton No. 7 for the “Best Science Labs” in the nation and No. 19 for the “Best Campus Food” in the nation.
Scranton Ranked Among Best in Nation for Quality
-
10/22/2019
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 18th 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.
Annual Conference Focuses on Autism
-
10/17/2019
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.
Asian Moon Festival Interactive Concert Held
-
10/17/2019
On Saturday, Oct. 5, the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library came together in celebration of their 25th anniversary and the presentation of the 16th Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award. This year, The New York Times bestselling novelist and classicist Madeline Miller, author of “The Song of Achilles” and “Circe,” received the Distinguished Author Award.
“The importance of a story that stays with you is what I think about when I read your novels,” said Charles Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency, in his opening remarks. “I’m sure everyone in this room has had one of those moments when they’ve finished a reading and said, ‘That story’s going to stay with me forever.’”
For Miller, Greek mythology is the story that stayed with her forever. “I have libraries in my blood,” she said. When she was young, her librarian mother read her the Greek classics that would inspire her novels decades later. “They resonated with me because these stories felt like really human stories, and they were timeless stories.”
The character she always returned to was Circe, an anomaly in classic myth. Born a minor goddess on the lowest totem pole of the divine hierarchy, she obtains incredible power on her own through witchcraft. In a world where women were relegated either to merely names or to villains, Circe was neither, disobeying the hierarchical order of the gods without being punished for it and simultaneously enacting vengeance and kindness on Odysseus, the weary war hero who haphazardly lands on her magical island.
In Homer’s “The Odyssey,” Odysseus spends ten years struggling to return home from the Trojan War and stays for a year on Circe’s island to rest. His narrative is, to Miller, another fundamentally human story: “‘The Odyssey’ is really about this exhausted war veteran who’s desperate to get home to his family, but once he gets home, it’s much harder to reenter his old life than he thought it would be.”
These two complicated characters meet when Odysseus lands on Circe’s island, and Circe, in her most infamous episode, turns his men into pigs. “In eighth grade, when I was first reading the confrontation between Odysseus and Circe, I was on the edge of my seat,” Miller said. “I wanted to know what was going to happen next – he’s smart and complicated, she’s smart and complicated, so there’s going to be an exciting scene, right? But what actually happens is that Circe tries to turn him into a pig, it doesn’t work. He pulls his sword on her, and she screams and falls to her knees, begs him for mercy, and invites him into her bed all in one breath. And at the time, I was enraged. That’s all this interesting female character gets?”
Miller decided if the myth wouldn’t give Circe the story she deserved, she would have to write it herself.
“Homer calls her ‘the dread goddess who speaks like a human.’ And as a novelist, that implies for me that this is a character who is born a goddess, but has her foot in both worlds. Circe’s story is this very human story of someone who’s born into this family where they really don’t belong and who’s trying to get out – but what’s the cost of getting out? Is it possible to get out? And where are you going once you are out?”
These questions are why humans retell these stories we’ve known the endings to for millennia, said Miller. Questions of war and questions of family are ideas that resonate with us in perpetuity, and we retell myths to find new answers to the age-old problems mortality brings.
Human Stories: Madeline Miller on Her Novel Circe
-
10/16/2019
The University of Scranton’s President’s Business Council (PBC) presented JoAnne M. Kuehner H’01 and Carl J. Kuehner ’62, H’11 with the President’s Medal at its 18th Annual Award Dinner on Oct. 10, at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. Proceeds from the gala, which raised more than $1 million, support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Through its past 17 dinners, the PBC has generated more than $15 million for the scholarship fund.
“Of course, our presidential scholars are a University treasure. With tremendous talent, promise and potential, they provide academic leadership to their classmates,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton in his remarks. Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition scholarships awarded to incoming freshmen at Scranton with both outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement.
Class of 2020 Presidential Scholar Katherine Musto, Pittston, a biology major in the undergraduate Honors Program, who spoke at the award dinner on behalf of the Presidential Scholars, said the best part about the University is its caring community.
“The Jesuit quotes that are plastered all over various buildings are not just there for show. The faculty and staff truly embody them,” said Musto. “In my sophomore year, my brother Brian passed away after a long battle with cancer. I was in the middle of organic chemistry and a million different responsibilities, and I did not want to attend school anymore. My mom pushed me to go back to campus, and I was blown away by the kindness and support of my professors and peers. If I had gone to any other school, I probably wouldn’t be graduating on the traditional, four-year timeline.”
Father Pilarz referred to the recipients of this year’s President’s Medal as “special exemplars” of the best characteristics of a Catholic and Jesuit education.
“JoAnne and Carl Kuehner are a constant source of inspiration and are among the very best friends to the University and to me. For years, they have opened their homes and hearts to me and many other members of this community,” said Father Pilarz.
The President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others, representing lifetime achievements that reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service.
For more information on the PBC, contact Executive Director Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at 570-941-5837 or pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbc.
About the Kuehners
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, Florida, have four children, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Hear them speak here.
Annual PBC Dinner Celebrates Scranton at its Best
-
10/15/2019
Through Nov. 8 Art exhibit “John Willard Raught: Beauty Lies Close at Home.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Nov. 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 3 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 7 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Impeachment: Is it Still Available?” presented by Morey Myers, L.L.B., of counsel, Myers, Brier and Kelly. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9 7:45 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip to New York City. $150. Registration required by Oct. 12. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov 12 7:30 p.m. Judaic Studies Institute Lecture: “A Twin Tale of Survival in the Holocaust” by Bernard and Henry Schanzer. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7956.
Nov. 13 5:30 p.m. Humanities in Action Lecture by Denis McDonough, former Chief of Staff to President Obama, sponsored by the University’s Slattery Center for the Humanities. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15-17 & 22-24 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Men on Boats” by Jaclyn Backhaus presented by The University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Nov. 21-23 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” presented by Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email bailey.mclaughlin@scranton.edu.
Nov. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “The Vaclav Nelhybel Centennial Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band with special guests. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
University Announces November Events
-
10/10/2019
The University of Scranton’s biannual Career Expo and Health and Education Reception hosted 131 organizations this semester in the Byron Recreation Complex, including representatives of Big 4 accounting firms, businesses, healthcare providers, government agencies and graduate, medical and law schools.
Organized by the University’s Center for Career Development, the Career Expo helps students from all majors discover opportunities for jobs, internships, co-ops or graduate and professional education.
This semester’s attendees included Allied Services; AXA Advisors, LLC; Baker Tilly; Crayola; Deloitte; Edward Jones; Ernst and Young (EY LLP); KPMG LLP; McGrail Merkel Quinn and Associates, P.C.; Noble Biomaterials Inc.; PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC); the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections; Sanofi - Sanofi Pasteur; SEI; WithumSmith+Brown, P.C.; and the U.S. Census Bureau, among others. Graduate, medical and law schools also participating included Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law, Penn State Law - University Park, Seton Hall Law School, Temple University’s Beasley School of Law and Widener University Commonwealth Law School.
More than 400 University students participated in the fall semester Career Expo.
In addition to the spring and fall semester Career Expos, the Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development assists students in making career decisions that are consistent with their unique talents, aspirations and skills. Students can receive training in resume and cover letter writing as well as interview and job search techniques, among other services offered through the center.
According to the University’s six-month post-graduate survey of its undergraduate class of 2018, 98 percent of its graduates reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation. The “First Destination Survey” report is based on career success data obtained for 79 percent of the University’s undergraduate class. This “knowledge rate,” or percentage of graduates for whom their career outcome is known, far exceeds the National Association of College Employers recommended rate of 65 percent.
For members of University’s class of 2018 earning a bachelor’s degree, 97 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of full-time employment within six months, and 99 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of attending graduate or professional school.
Career Expo Hosts Record Number of Organizations
-
10/10/2019
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.
Open House Set for Oct. 20 and Nov. 3
-
10/09/2019
Oct. 24 5 p.m. Lecture for the Launch of The Sondra H’87 and Morey Myers H’12 Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement by Wayne Winborne, executive director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University-Newark. Moskovitz Theater, The DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Oct. 25 9:30 a.m. Festival of Ideas for the Launch of The Sondra H’87 and Morey Myers H’12 Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement. Day-long series of panel discussions by distinguished scholars and activists discussing the way in which law, humanities and civic engagement can address the crisis of democracy in the 21st century. Pearn Auditorium, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
University Announces Additional October Events
-
10/08/2019
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 21st 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.
New Fellowship Honors Sondra and Morey Myers
-
10/08/2019
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.
Series of Public Events Celebrate New Fellowship
-
10/08/2019
Seven projects that focus on supporting and improving the student experience received 2019-2020 Strategic Initiatives Funding awards from The University of Scranton. Projects funded range from initiatives to offer students multidisciplinary STEM research experience to resilience training to support for the use of Open Educational Resources as replacements for commercial textbooks. Projects also offer support for first generation students, diversity and inclusion training, academic support to students and training to facilitate discussions between those with different perspectives.
To date, more than $500,000 has been awarded through the University’s Strategic Initiatives Fund to support innovative projects that advance the goals of the Strategic Plan: Engaged, Integrated and Global Student Experience.
Funding is open to University students, faculty and staff, and collaborative projects are encouraged. For those projects that may span multiple years, awards provide “seed money” for the first year of the initiative. Several projects initially funded through the University’s Strategic Initiatives Fund have continued, including a Student Leadership Capstone Experience, the Humanities Initiative, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) Activities for School/Community Groups and a Community-Based Learning Office to support and develop academic experiences for students to work with individuals, groups or organizations in ways structured to meet community-defined needs.
Strategic Initiatives Funding for 2019-20 was awarded to the following projects:
“Thinking Outside the Academic Box: Student Focused, Multidisciplinary Research in Neuroscience,” Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, primary author;
“RISE Student Success Program,” Christina Lenway, reading specialists and Gonzaga Program director, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, primary author;
“Open Educational Resources Development,” George Aulisio, associate professor and research and scholarly services coordinator, Weinberg Memorial Library, primary author;
“First Generation Student Support Initiative,” Shannon Murphy Fennie, assistant dean of students, primary author;
“Inclusion and Diversity Pedagogy Initiative, “Christine Black, J.D., assistant director of the Office of Equity and Diversity and deputy Title IX coordinator, primary author;
“Resilience Training and Development Programming,” Lauren Rivera, J.D., assistant vice president for student life and dean of students, primary author;
“Dialogue Across Differences Initiative,” Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre; Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology; Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of community and government relations; and the Dialogue Across Differences Campus Working Group; primary authors.
2019-2020 Strategic Initiatives Funds Awarded
-
10/08/2019
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.
Baritone Wil Kellerman to Perform Oct. 20
-
10/07/2019
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.
Artist and Author to Deliver Keynote Presentation
-
10/07/2019
Writer Stephanie Soldaña, author of The Bread of Angels: A Journey to Love and Faith, and A Country Between: Making a Home Where Both Sides of Jerusalem Collide, spoke at The University of Scranton’s 8th annual Ignatian Values in Action Lecture in September.
Soldaña’s memoir, The Bread of Angels, was the Royal Read’s book for the University’s class of 2023.
“Tonight I’m gonna talk about falling in love,” Soldaña began, “Because what I hope is that your arrival here at The University of Scranton is the beginning of a love story that will continue for the rest of your lives.”
Soldaña’s love story with the Middle East began with a broken heart, “the kind that makes you move to Syria.” In her final year of college she applied for a fellowship that allowed her to spend the following year in the Middle East. A girl from Texas, Soldaña knew nothing more about the Middle East than that it was the place where the Bible took place. “We didn’t even have hummus at the grocery store,” she joked.
Once in the Middle East, Soldaña was overwhelmed with the culture of hospitality that welcomed her. As strangers opened their homes, beds, and hearts to her, she felt what she called a “holy envy” for their type of love.
In her travels, she visited a monastery outside Damascus where she met Rev. Paulo Dall’Oglio, S.J., who had founded a religious community dedicated to interreligious dialogue between Muslims and Christians. Fr. Paulo was the Ignatian Values in Action Lecture speaker in 2011.
Under Fr. Paulo’s guidance, Soldaña, embarked on the 30 day Ignatian Spiritual retreat in the desert. While contemplating the incarnation, Soldaña said, she realized that she didn’t believe that God became man and was terrified. She spoke to Fr. Paulo that night who reminded her that “the presence of God in our lives is scary,” but that Mary said yes to God, and so must we.
Soldaña said yes in the desert, and fell in love with Christ.
Soldaña also spoke of her relationship with a female sheikh, who taught her about Islam. She said her relationship with this muslim teacher made her love her own christianity more. The interactions between the women of different faiths, she said was like the Visitation from the Gospel of Luke. “Something in me leapt up and something in her leapt up.”
Soldaña also told about falling in love with her now husband, Frederik, who at the time was a novice monk.
About half-way through the lecture, the Soldaña’s tone and content changed. While The Bread of Angels, she said, was a story about how she fell in love, the Syrian civil war that followed the book’s publication was about staying in love. Fr. Paulo, she said, had stressed in his teaching the importance of fidelity after falling in love. After war broke out, Fr. Paulo and Soldaña’s sheikh were exiled from Syria. Fr. Paulo returned illegally in 2013, was kidnapped, and is presumed dead. In war, Jesuits “stayed in love.”
Soldaña continued to share stories of “hidden saints” who, in the spirit of Middle Eastern hospitality, continued to open their doors to strangers and were shot for it. She told of a family who opened a pharmacy in their garage where they became famous for sharing medicine for the soul as well medicine for the body. She told of people who looked around the destruction of war, and made new and beautiful things out of the rubble.
At the conclusion of the talk, Soldaña called the students from Scranton to be witnesses. “Learning to see,” she said “is probably the most important thing in your life.” She called listeners to notice beauty in a world that seems to have lost its way; to “look into the broken world with the eyes of creation;” to build, from the destruction we find, something better and to “fall in love every day.”
“Fall in love, stay in love, let all of your lives be love stories,” she said.
Author Speaks of Love at Ignatian Values Lecture
-
10/03/2019
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.
Annual PBC Dinner Set for Oct. 10
-
10/01/2019
The University of Scranton has awarded 18 students from its class of 2023 four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarships. The Presidential Scholarship recipients are Emily Amershek, Lauren Cawley, Matthew Earley, Michael Edwards, Jared Fernandez, Dominic Finan, Timothy Gallagher, Angela Hudock, Amanda Lamphere, James Lanning, Sarah Liskowicz, Molly Neeson, Michael Quinnan, Muhammad Shaaf Sarwar, Cameron Shedlock, Claire Sunday, Kathleen Wallace and Daniel Zych.
Presidential Scholarships are awarded to incoming first-year students with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. The scholarship covers four years of full tuition provided that the student maintains at least a 3.25 grade point average.
Emily Amershek, New Ringgold, graduated as valedictorian from Tamaqua Area High School. She was designated an AP Scholar and was awarded the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award. She was a member of the National Honor Society, Math National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and English National Honor Society. She was captain of the varsity volleyball team and a student leader of Raiders Step Up, a club which focused on improving mental health to prevent addiction. Amershek volunteered with Big Brother Big Sister and youth group, and she tutored English, math and chemistry. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Amershek will major in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology on the pre-med track. She is the daughter of Tom and Melissa Amershek.
Lauren Cawley, Duryea, graduated from Scranton Preparatory School. She was a member of the National Honor Society and a student government class representative. In high school, she was also captain of the varsity softball team and co-founded the Respect Life Service Club. Cawley volunteered as a program tutor at Nativity Miguel School, as well as participated in the University’s SPARK Summer Service Program at Chapman Lake and at Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre. Cawley will major in secondary education-mathematics. She is the daughter of Donna and Brian Cawley, who is a 1989 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Matthew Earley, Perkasie, graduated from La Salle College High School. A National Merit Scholar Semi-finalist, he was a Mathlete and was a member of the National Honor Society. He also was awarded the Harvard Book Award. He ran cross country, as well as indoor and outdoor track. Earley participated in community service trips to Appalachia and Philadelphia and engaged in homeless outreach. A member of the Business Honors Program, Earley will major in finance at the University. He is the son of Joanna and John Earley, who are 1992 and 1993 graduates of The University of Scranton.
Michael Edwards, Wadsworth, Ohio, graduated from Wadsworth High School. A National Merit Scholarship Semi-finalist, he received the National AP Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction awards. He was a member of the National Honor Society and participated in the varsity swim team and was a district qualifier for two years. Edwards volunteered at a homeless shelter and a food pantry. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Edwards will major in mathematics and theology. He is the son of Jon and Karen Edwards.
Jared Fernandez, Tunkhannock, graduated as salutatorian from Tunkhannock Area High School. He was a National Merit Commended Scholar and member of the National Honor Society. In high school, he was involved in the Ski Club. Fernandez also participated in food drives. He is a nursing major at the University. He is the son of Kim and Gus Fernandez, who earned his master’s degree in 2014 from The University of Scranton.
Dominic Finan, Malvern, graduated from Great Valley High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society and the National Latin Honor Society. He was student body treasurer and an active member of Model United Nations, Future Business Leaders of America and Junior Classical League. He also competed on the cross-country and track and field teams. Finan shadowed healthcare professionals at Paoli Hospital and served as a volunteer instructor in Tang Soo Do, in which he holds the rank of second-degree black belt. A member of The University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Finan will major in neuroscience on the pre-med track. He is the son of Don and Debbie Finan.
Timothy Gallagher, River Vale, New Jersey, graduated from Bergen County Academies. He was a National Merit Commended Scholar and also a member of the National Honor Society and the Tri-M Music Honor Society. He participated in concert and chamber choirs as well as the Generation Coders Club, which volunteered to teach middle-school students how to code. Gallagher was an altar-server and member of the church choir. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Magis Honors Program in STEM, Gallagher will major in computer science at Scranton. He is the son of Guy and Annette Gallagher.
Angela Hudock, Sayre, graduated as valedictorian from Athens Area High School. She was a National Merit Commended Scholar. She was actively involved in Future Business Leaders of America, Future Farmers of America and Scholarship Challenge and was the vice president of Red Cross and Students Against Destructive Decisions. She was also her class secretary. Hudock served as a certified volunteer EMT as a part of her local ambulance company’s Junior Program and also participated in her church’s weekly community meal program. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM, Hudock will major in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. She is the daughter of Dr. Michael and Diane Hudock.
Amanda Lamphere, Sellersville, graduated from Mount Saint Joseph Academy. She was a National Merit Commended Scholar and served as secretary of the National Honor Society. She was awarded the Fairfield University Book Award for outstanding academic success. Lamphere participated in theatre, choir, dance, the Gold Key Club and video marketing. She co-directed Broadway Wishes, a student-led fundraiser performance for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Other services included tutoring, teaching music at Southampton Music Company, music ministry, youth ministry and visiting patients at the Grand View Hospital. Lamphere is a secondary education-mathematics major at the University. She is the daughter of Thomas and Rose Lamphere.
James Lanning, Mountain Top, graduated from Crestwood High School. He was also a student in the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth Online. He was a member of the French National Honor Society and participated in French Club and theatre. He also was selected to attend county, district and regional chorus. Lanning is a physics major and the son of Bruce and Darlene Lanning, Ph.D.
Sarah Liskowicz, Laflin, graduated as valedictorian from Holy Redeemer High School. She was a National Merit Commended Scholar and received a gold medal in the National Spanish Exam. She was also awarded the Diocese of Scranton Bishop’s Youth Award. In high school, she was a cabinet member of the National Honor Society, president and founder of Baking Club and secretary of Investment Club. Additionally, she was captain of the volleyball team and participated in track and field, bell choir and the speech and debate team. She completed National Guild Auditions in piano for nine years. Liskowicz was an altar server, lector and extraordinary minister for her parish. She also coached high school volleyball camps for middle school students and was a Girl Scout for 11 years, earning a silver award. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Liskowicz will major in neuroscience at Scranton. She is the daughter of Susan and Robert Liskowicz, who was a 1989 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Molly Neeson, Pottstown, graduated as salutatorian from Pottsgrove High School. She was a member of the National Honors Society. She was also the vice president of Falcon Friends, a club that assists special needs students, captain of her varsity cross-country and track teams and a member of Quiz Bowl. Neeson volunteered with Special Olympics and worked with Green Allies, an environmental non-profit. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Neeson will major in environmental science. She is the daughter of Tom and Marisa Neeson.
Michael Quinnan, Shavertown, graduated from Dallas High School as a Gelso Scholar. He was a co-president of the National Honor Society and team captain of Science Olympiad. He was designated an AP Scholar with Distinction and was awarded a Science Olympiad Regional Medal nine times. He was a Model UN Outstanding Delegate and PennDOT Innovations Challenge State Finalist. He was also a member of the National Association for Music Education All-National Honor Ensemble Mixed Choir, Knowledge Bowl, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Environmental Forum and the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association Choir. Quinnan volunteered at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, SPCA of Luzerne County and the Luzerne County Fair. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM, Quinnan will major in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. He is the son of Harold and Patti Quinnan, who are 1993 and 1996 graduates of The University of Scranton.
Muhammad Shaaf Sarwar, Lahore, Pakistan, graduated from the Beaconhouse School System. He was a Science Olympiad head delegate and a member of the student council as class prefect. He also participated in volleyball, Model UN, and was president of the Literacy Club. He worked as an intern in several nonprofit organizations, including the Akhuwat Leadership and Youth Fellowship Program, the Care Foundation and the Parwah Foundation. He is a physics major at the University. He is the son of M. Sarwar Ehsan and Farkhanda Jabeen.
Cameron Shedlock, White Haven, graduated from Wyoming Seminary. He won a first award at state level for the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science at Penn State. He was a member of the cum laude society, the engineering club, leader of medical club and captain of the varsity cross-country team. Shedlock volunteered at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center and, for his Eagle Scout service project, built a handicap-accessible outdoor learning area at Fairview Elementary School. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Magis Honors Program in STEM, Shedlock will major in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology. He is the son of Mark and Rochelle Shedlock.
Claire Sunday, South Abington Township, graduated as valedictorian from Scranton Preparatory School. She was a member of the National Honor Society and Model United Nations and was a Scranton Times-Tribune Scholastic Superstar. She was also a varsity captain for basketball cheerleading. Sunday served as a Kairos leader for hospice workers, led Vacation Bible School and volunteered at Scranton Prep’s open house and scholastic bowl. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Sunday will major in political science. She is the daughter of Katie and Dr. Michael Sunday, a 1984 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Kathleen Wallace, Bowie, Maryland, graduated as salutatorian from Rockbridge Academy. A National Merit Commended Scholar, she was captain of the varsity cross-country team, coordinator of Young Engineers and Scientists and a participant in the Science Olympiad. She also passed the National Latin Exam magna cum laude. She participated in Maryland State Bar Association Mock Trial, undefeated, and received the John Jay Mock Trial Award. Wallace volunteered as a counselor at Camp Wabanna, as well as a childcare volunteer, charity runner, Rotary Interact Service Club member, and grammar school tutor. A member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Wallace is enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences. She has not yet declared a major. She is the daughter of Sean and Eileen Wallace.
Daniel Zych, Waverly, graduated as salutatorian from Scranton Preparatory School. He was a National Merit Commended Student and designated an AP Scholar with Distinction. He received two gold medals for the National Spanish Exam and three gold medals for the National Latin Exam, and he was a Scranton Times-Tribune Scholastic Superstar. He was a member of the Advanced Technology Club, captain of the boys’ tennis team and student council homeroom representative. Zych volunteered as a tutor and also participated in the University’s SPARK service program. A member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM, Zych will major in mathematics. He is the son of Dr. John and Janice Zych, a 1995 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Scranton Names Class of 2023 Presidential Scholars
-
10/01/2019
At the first Task Force for Healing, Reconciliation and Hope event of the fall 2019 academic semester, Massimo Faggioli, Ph.D., professor of theology at Villanova University, and Rita Ferrone, contributing writer at Commonweal magazine, presented “Insights from History and Theology,” a forum addressing questions surfaced by the crisis of Catholic clergy sexual abuse.
Dr. Faggioli’s lecture addressed what church history teaches the world about this crisis, and presented what he said were sensitive issues that spoke to changes the crisis is bringing in the church and in society.
Dr. Faggioli reported that 20-25 percent of clergy from the 16th and 17th centuries had a criminal record, yet the Holy Office burned archival records of priest investigations every 10 years or less until 1914, which Faggioli referred to as bonfires.
“Our problem is that we don’t know when they stopped burning records. So, Catholic institutions of higher education have been slow in reacting to this and doing something,” Dr. Faggioli said.
Dr. Faggioli identified five issues pressing the church and the world following the abuse crisis, including the statement that the church cannot heal entirely by itself. Faggioli said the church must address the crisis with the rest of the world yet still glean its own theological truth apart from judicial and journalistic views.
“The monster we see in the mirror as Catholics is not a picture that can be changed by a court. It is work that intellectuals and theologians have to do. I’m not accusing anyone. I’m part of the problem,” Dr. Faggioli said.
Ferrone’s presentation addressed whether prayer and liturgy can be a source of healing and courage for those affected by the church’s abuse. Ferrone said sometimes members of the Catholic church are tempted to feel helpless in terms of beating the crisis, due to its unprecedented nature, but Catholics can still see and embrace God’s work.
“I may have already tested your credulity by saying that God is at work in and through this crisis, but that’s the wager. That’s the bet,” Ferrone said.
Ferrone discussed Luke 17:2, which states “It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.” Ferrone said the passage makes her tremble at the thought of how many children have faced abuse from the Catholic church.
Ferrone spoke about what Pope Francis calls the Jonah Syndrome, which is the false solution of finding a scapegoat on which to pin a problem. Ferrone named several scapegoats blamed for the sex abuse crisis, but said members of the Catholic church should listen to the hard truths not as cynics, but with an open heart.
“Francis told (Archbishop of Grenada, Francisco Javier Martínez Fernández) to ‘come down from the cross and face up to the problems in [his] dioceses,’” Ferrone said.
Ferrone said that the only adequate response to the church’s crisis is a Paschal Response, involving the death of an old model of insularity and arrogance.
“Instead, we turn to an organic, sacramental relationship of sharing in the one mission of the church for which we must all hold one another accountable, and which is worked out in all our various roles and relationships,” Ferrone said.
Dr. Faggioli and Ferrone then responded to questions from audience members following their presentations in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall on Sept. 16.
Historical and Theological View of Church Crisis
-
10/01/2019
“Human Capital, Inequality and Growth” will be discussed at The University of Scranton’s 34th Henry George Lecture on Friday, Oct. 18. The lecture, presented by Kevin M. Murphy, Ph.D., George J. Stigler Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Murphy is the first professor at a business school to be chosen as a MacArthur Fellow for “revealing economic forces shaping vital social phenomena such as wage inequality, unemployment, addiction, medical research, and economic growth.” The MacArthur Foundation stated that his work “challenges preconceived notions and attacks seemingly intractable economic questions, placing them on a sound empirical and theoretical footing.” In addition to his position at the University of Chicago, Dr. Murphy works as a faculty research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research. He primarily studies the empirical analysis of inequality, unemployment and relative wages as well as the economics of growth and development and the economic value of improvements in health and longevity.
A fellow of the Econometric Society and an elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Dr. Murphy was a John Bates Clark Medalist in 1997. He has received fellowships from the Earhart Foundation, the Sloan Foundation and the Friedman Fund.
Dr. Murphy is the author of two books and many academic articles. His writing also has been published in numerous mainstream publications including The Boston Globe, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and two Wall Street Journal articles coauthored by Nobel laureate Gary Becker.
Dr. Murphy earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago after graduating from the University of California at Los Angeles with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He joined the Chicago Booth faculty in 1984.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are ten winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information about the Henry George Lecture, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Wage Inequality Discussed at Henry George Lecture
-
09/30/2019
University of Scranton Names Five New Trustees
The University of Scranton has named five individuals to its Board of Trustees: Rachele Mackin Browning ’84; Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ’93, G’93, H’19; Rev. Ryan J. Maher, S.J; John R. Mariotti, D.M.D. ’75; and Steve Sandherr ’80.
As managing director of SEI’s institutional group, Browning is responsible for new client outreach and business development in the U.S. for health care, nonprofit and the corporate markets. Prior to working for SEI, a global provider of asset management, investment processing and investment operation solutions that she joined in 1995, Browning was a commercial lender at CoreStates Bank responsible for business development in the United Kingdom and their U.S. subsidiaries. She later was responsible for the sales and marketing of the derivatives desk in CoreStates Capital Markets Group, hedging corporate client portfolios.
Browning earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and received the University’s Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award in 2019. She currently serves on the Board of Mindfulness through Movement, a Philadelphia organization committed to nurturing the wellness of children in underserved areas through mindful breathing and movement. A resident of Villanova, she and her husband, Tom, have two sons, Curran and Colin.
Dr. Cummings is the William W. and Anna Jean Cushwa Director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame and the Rev. John A. O'Brien Professor of American studies and history. In addition to directing the Cushwa Center, Dr. Cummings presently oversees the History of Women Religious, an academic organization devoted to the historical study of Catholic sisters. Her teaching and research interests center on the history of Catholicism in the United States, the study of American women and the relationship between religion and American society.
Dr. Cummings is the author of the books “A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American” and “New Women of the Old Faith: Gender and American Catholicism in the Progressive Era,” which won three 2009 Catholic Press Association Awards. She often serves as a media commentator on contemporary events in the Church and appeared on NBC’s live coverage of the canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII, and Pope Francis’ visit to the United States in 2015. She is frequently quoted in the New York Times and other media outlets on Catholic subjects.
Dr. Cummings earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton, and a second master’s degree and her doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Cummings received the University’s Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award for religion and spirituality in 2013 and, earlier this year, received the University’s Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignatian Mission and Ministry and an honorary degree from the University. A resident of South Bend, Indiana, Cumming and her husband Thomas have three children.
A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Father Maher has served as the president of Scranton Preparatory School since 2015. Previously, he served as executive director of The University of Scranton’s Jesuit Center, a resource center he founded to help faculty and staff understand and engage more fully in the Catholic and Jesuit mission of the University. During his career, Father Maher has taught in Jesuit high schools in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., and served for 11 years as an associate dean and professor at Georgetown University. He also worked for three years on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant in the United States Senate.
A former trustee of the University, Father Maher entered the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1986 and was ordained a priest in 1997. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. He holds a master’s degree in philosophy from St. Louis University and a master’s degree in divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. He earned his doctorate from the University of San Francisco.
Dr. Mariotti has worked as an orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics practitioner for 35 years. He is certified by the American Board of Orthodontics in the specialty of orthodontics. In the past few years, he has been chosen to be a fellow of the International College of Dentists and to the Pierre Fauchard Academy. Both societies honor doctors throughout the world who aspire to excellence.
Dr. Mariotti earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and his Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Temple University. After graduating, he joined the U. S. Army and was commissioned as an officer with the rank of captain in the Army Dental Corps. After completing his tour of duty, Dr. Mariotti returned to New York where he pursued his post-graduate degree in orthodontics at the Eastman Dental Center at the University of Rochester. While studying at Eastman, one of the top dental training centers in the U.S., Dr. Mariotti did research in growth and development and TMJ disorders. Recognized as an outstanding student, he was invited to join one of the faculty practices prior to his graduation.
Since returning to Scranton, Dr. Mariotti has served as president and chair of the Board of the Scranton District Dental Society, and was a board member of the Middle Atlantic Society of Orthodontists, having served as its president in 2005. He has also served as an active member of the Medical Alumni Board at The University of Scranton.
Since 1997, Sandherr has served as chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, the nation’s largest commercial construction trade association with more than 27,000 member firms across the country. In that capacity, he leads efforts to protect and promote the construction industry in Congress, federal agencies and the courts. For the past 12 years, the newspaper The Hill has named Sandherr as a top association lobbyist. He has also served as labor and small business counsel for the National Association of Home Builders and practiced law with the firm of Thompson, Mann and Hutson.
Sandherr earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and his J.D. degree from the Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America. He is a member of the Bar of the District of Columbia. He is an honorary trustee of the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and was elected to the National Academy of Construction. He resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Cynthia.
University of Scranton Names Five New Trustees
-
09/25/2019
The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranked The University of Scranton No. 232 among the 801 “Top U.S. Colleges” included in its 2020 listing. Scranton’s highest scores were in the area of student engagement, where it placed at No. 104 in the nation. Scranton also ranked at No. 195 for student outcomes, scoring well for salaries of graduates, adjusted for student, location and other characteristics, and graduation rates.
The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education ranking is based on an analysis of 15 performance metrics in the categories of resources, student engagement, outcomes and campus environment. The student engagement portion of their analysis is based on The U.S. Student Survey, which queried more than 170,000 current college and university students on a range of issues relating directly to their college experience, such as interaction with faculty and other students, and whether they would recommend their schools to others. Student engagement represented 20 percent of the overall ranking score.
Outcomes, which represented 40 percent of the overall ranking score, looked at graduation rate, academic reputation, “value added” to graduate salary and “value added” to the loan repayment rate. The “value added” portions of the analysis applied statistical modeling to adjust for student, location and other characteristics in order to measure the impact the school has on the salary and loan repayment rates of its graduates.
The ranking also measured resources invested in instruction and student services (30 percent of the overall ranking), which included the finance cost per student, faculty/student ratio and research papers published per faculty member, and the learning environment (10 percent of the overall ranking), which includes student and staff diversity, among other factors.
The ranking was published by The Wall Street Journal Sept. 4.
Scranton Ranked for Student Engagement, Outcomes
-
09/24/2019
The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library will honor The New York Times best-selling author Madeline Miller with the 2019 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. The library will present the award at a dinner reception on Saturday, Oct. 5, in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. Reservations and tickets are required for the dinner and award presentation. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.
Prior to the dinner reception, a book signing open to the public will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. on the second floor of DeNaples Center.
Miller’ latest book, “Circe,” inspired by the mythological witch in Homer’s “Odyssey,” became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller and is currently short-listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Her first book, “Song of Achilles,” inspired by characters in Homer’s “Illiad,” was also a New York Times bestseller. It was awarded the 2012 Orange Prize for Fiction, among other awards, and has been translated into over 25 languages.
Miller’s essays have appeared in numerous publications including the Guardian, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Telegraph and NPR.org.
Named in honor of the late Rev. Royden B. Davis, S.J., who served in many roles at the University and as rector of the Jesuit Community, the Distinguished Author Award was established in 1997. The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library envisioned the series as a way to honor notable fiction and non-fiction authors, and to give them the opportunity to share their literary pursuits and impressions with Northeastern Pennsylvanians. Past recipients of the award have included numerous best-selling authors.
For more information and to purchase tickets for the Distinguished Author Award reception and presentation, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu. For more on Miller, visit madelinemiller.com. Miller’s books will be available for sale at the event.
Author Madeline Miller to Receive Award
-
09/24/2019
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center swarmed with students. Though their backpacks were heavy, and their schedules were tight, nearly 600 students sought to donate their time to the participating nonprofits at The University of Scranton’s annual Volunteer Fair. Organized by The University’s Center for Service and Social Justice, this year they connected 44 organizations with a veritable horde of would-be volunteers. Nonprofit organizations participating included the Scranton Cultural Center, Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House, Clarks Summit State Hospital and American Red Cross.
One of these organizations was the Everhart Museum of Natural History. Located in Scranton’s Nay Aug Park, the Everhart Museum is dedicated to the education of its visitors in the disciplines of science, history, culture and art, and they have attended the Volunteer Fair for over half a decade. “Every person at the museum wears a lot of hats,” said Stefanie Colarusso, director of programs and events. “We depend on our volunteers quite a bit. We have a very small staff, so our volunteers do a lot.”
The Everhart Museum offers volunteer positions in research, collections, education and events, which give students the opportunity to brush up on their analytical, interpretive and leadership skills. “Working with the Everhart Museum is very fulfilling,” said Sarah Sutton, manager of educational programs. “You learn a lot about the community.”
Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.
Hundreds of Students Participate in Volunteer Fair
-
09/24/2019
Sixteen University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the fall semester at seven local schools in the following six school districts: Dunmore, Lackawanna Trail, Pittston Area, Riverside, Abington Heights and Valley View.
The following is a list of undergraduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the fall semester.
Gabriella Allegra of Nutley, New Jersey, will student teach at Pittston Area Intermediate Center.
Nadine Brosnan of Goshen, New York, will student teach at Riverside Elementary West.
Haileigh Finnerty of Scranton, Pennsylvania, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center.
Courtney Gwizdz of White House Station, New Jersey, will student teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center.
Grace Hambrose of South Abington Township, Pennsylvania, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center.
Grace McAllister of Horsham, Pennsylvania, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center.
Katherine Melilli of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, will student teach at Valley View Intermediate School.
Haley Mulroy of Sea Girt, New Jersey, will student teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center.
Lauren Ottomanelli of East Northport, New York, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center.
Nicole Rutman of Monmouth Junction, New Jersey, will student teach at South Abington Elementary School.
Danielle Sauro of Armonk, New York, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center.
Hannah Schmid of Floral Park, New York, will student teach at Dunmore Elementary Center.
Caleigh Snead of Kings Park, New York, will student teach at Valley View Intermediate School.
Allison Steitz of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, will student teach at Pittston Area Intermediate Center.
Sophia Tremont of Sussex, New Jersey, will student teach at Dunmore Elementary Center.
Megan Zinn of Bridgewater, New Jersey, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
09/24/2019
The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery will host a reception featuring its current exhibit, “John Willard Raught: Beauty Lies Close at Home,” as part of downtown Scranton’s First Fridays on Oct. 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. The reception is free of charge and open to the public. The gallery is located on the fourth floor of Hyland Hall on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Linden Street.
The exhibit, which opened earlier this month, features the work of local impressioninst landscape artist John Willard Raught. Born in Scranton, Raught studied and traveled in New York City and Paris before returning in his later years to live and work in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The work includes many landscape paintings of areas in NEPA from private collections, including works from the private collection of Scranton native Richard Stanislaus, guest curator for the exhibit.
The exhibit runs through Nov. 8 and can be seen, free of charge, during regular Gallery hours, which are Sunday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Hope Horn Gallery also has available for sale a three-volume catalogue of Raught’s work.
For more information about the gallery exhibit and catalog, contact Dr. Miller-Lanning at 570-941-4214 or darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu, or visit the Hope Horn Gallery website at scranton.edu/gallery.
Hope Horn Gallery Hosts First Fridays Reception
-
09/24/2019
The University of Scranton Players are pleased to announce their first show of 2019-20 season, “Antigone” by Sophocles directed by Michael O’Steen. This classic story of rebellion is as startlingly relevant today as it was when it was written, almost 2,500 years ago. The play will run Sept. 27-29 and Oct. 4-6 in the Royal Theatre in the McDade Center for the Literary and Performing Arts on the University’s campus. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and the Sunday performances begin at 2 p.m.
In the aftermath of a civil war, King Creon decrees that Polynices, the slain leader of the rebellion against Thebes, shall go unburied. Judging this against the law of the gods, Antigone, the fiancée of Creon’s son, buries her brother Polynices, setting up a showdown within the family and over the power of the state. Sophocles’ timeless tale of rebellion, power and higher purposes still crackles with vitality some 2,500 years after its first performance. Which is the most just, and what should we follow, the law of the gods or the laws of men?
The cast features: Nick Baranosky, Stevensville, Maryland; Bridget Fry, Hightstown, New Jersey; Hunter Krieg, Clarks Summit; Emily Remenschneider, Wood Ridge, New Jersey; Kate Ryan, Verona, New Jersey; April Sparks, Archbald; Myles Spencer, Brooklyn, New York; Meg Sweeney, Scranton; Andrew Vizzard, Havertown; and Adam Hill, Middletown, New Jersey. Gillian Williams-Mayers, Scranton, is the production’s stage manager.
For tickets, contact the Players box office at 570-941-4318 or visit us at thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff. Second weekend is free for first-year students at the University. Season tickets are $30 for general admission and $21 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff.
For more information, contact players@scranton.edu or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Players Open 2019-20 Season with Antigone
-
09/20/2019
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by renowned pianist Carlos Avila on Sunday, Sept. 29. The recital will take place at 7:30 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.
When Avila last performed at the University last fall as part of a trio with violinist Andrew Gonzalez and clarinetist Bixby Kennedy, he deeply impressed Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
“His technique was so sparklingly clean,” Boga said. “And there was a passion and an ‘all-in’ness to his playing, that all the while was shaped by his technique. I was flattened, and I really wanted him to come back and do a solo piano recital for us.”
Lauded by the San Francisco Chronicle for his “beautiful command of tone and mood…and unruffleable savoir-faire,” the Juilliard-trained Avila has become one of the most in-demand pianists on the classical music scene in recent years. Among other far-flung places, the New York City resident’s concerts have taken him across North and South America, Europe and Asia.
Avila has performed in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s All-Access Chamber series and the New York Philharmonic’s Leonard Bernstein Salon series. He was part of a nationwide 29-city tour with award-winning baritone Leon Williams, and was showcased on New York’s WQXR as part of an all-transcription recital broadcast.
Avila has been a guest at a number of prestigious festivals, including Schleswig-Holstein, Tanglewood, Sarasota, Aspen, Banff, Music Academy of the West, Pianofest, Holland, ChamberFest Dubuque, Atlantic Music Festival, Lake George and the Carnegie Hall Workshops. Through those experiences, he’s had the opportunity to collaborate with such music luminaries as Isaac Stern, Daniel Barenboim, Michael Tilson Thomas, Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode and members of the St. Lawrence, Tokyo, Guarneri, Juilliard, Ying and Borodin string quartets.
In addition, Avila is a member of the Boreal Trio, part of the Collaborative Piano Faculty at the Heifetz Institute, and a studio pianist for Joel Krosnick at The Juilliard School.
For more information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Avila, visit artsglobal.org.
Pianist Carlos Avila to Perform Sept. 29
-
09/20/2019
The opioid crisis and the controversy over harm reduction will be the focus of a lecture by Bernard Prusak, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at King’s College, at The University of Scranton on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 4:30 p.m. The lecture, presented free of charge and open to the public, will take place at the Moskovitz Theater, the DeNaples Center.
Dr. Prusak, whose research focuses on moral and political philosophy, serves as director of the McGowan Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre. He received his bachelor’s degree at Williams College, his master’s degree at Exeter College and Oxford University and his doctorate from Boston University.
The lecture is co-sponsored by the University’s Humanities Initiative, the Jesuit Center and the departments of philosophy and theology/religious studies. For more information, contact Cyprus P. Olsen III, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies, at cyrus.olsen@scranton.edu or call 570-941-6309.
Opioid Crisis Discussed at Sept. 26 Lecture
-
09/18/2019
By recognizing the fundamental value of each person, an inclusive community offers the same activities to everyone, while providing support and services to accommodate people’s differences. “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities” will be the focus of The University of Scranton’s 18th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility on Thursday, Oct. 10, at the DeNaples Center.
Examining the subject will be: 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.
The conference will include a disability-related legislation update and highlight the continued work being accomplished through the area’s Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (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. The conference will provide opportunities for participants to network with representatives of the five ACCE hubs, as well as service providers. The University serves as the executive hub for ACCE.
Dr. Progar, who will deliver the conference’s opening keynote address, has served as the executive director of the Princeton Child Development Institute and as vice president for academic affairs at Caldwell College in New Jersey. An adjunct faculty member at Rider University, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship in developmental disabilities and applied behavior analysis at Children’s Seashore House of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
The morning keynote address will be delivered by the Velasco family of Austin, Texas. For more than 25 years, Deya Velasco has advocated for families with disabilities and of low socio-economic means in the educational system and the judicial system. A computer science student at Austin Community College, Jose Velasco Jr. has been a panelist at the 2016 Autism Society National Convention, as well as a motivational speaker. In 2013, he won the Austin Independent School District’s Hispanic Academic Achievement award for Community Service.
Dr. Magro is CEO and president of KFM Making A Difference, a nonprofit organization that hosts inclusion events and has provided college scholarships for 60 students with autism. He has appeared on several national TV shows and online media outlets, and he hosts “A Special Community,” a Facebook page with 160,000 followers and 25 million visits, which features on-camera interviews highlighting people impacted by a diagnosis. Dr. Magro will give interested self-advocates in the audience a platform to spotlight their stories, and he will be available to sign copies of his books, which are on Amazon best-seller lists for special-needs parenting.
The conference will close with the evening keynote presentation, “Greatly I Dream...The Journey Towards A Colorful Life with Autism,” by Sicile-Kira. Overcoming significant communication obstacles, he graduated from high school at age 21 and co-authored a book, “A Full Life with Autism,” to help others transitioning to adult life. In 2012, Sicile-Kira, motivated by his dreams that he was painting the emotions of people, began to create colorful abstract portraits. Four years later, his first curated solo show, which was covered by local and national media, sold out and led to many private commissions.
The daylong conference is free of charge to the general public. There is a $25 fee for those wishing to earn continuing education unit (CEU) credit hours. Up to seven CEU hours can be earned at the conference. Registration is required to attend the day-long conference. The evening presentation is also open to the public, free of charge, but does not require reservations to attend.
The annual Conference on disAbility brings together national, state and regional experts to discuss a multifaceted approach to improving employment, independent living and transition for all people with disabilities. The conference 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 ACCE. Edward R. and Patricia Leahy serve as honorary conference co-chairs.
Additional information about the 18th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility 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.
Autism Focus of Conference
-
09/17/2019
The Moses Taylor Foundation recently awarded a $88,000 grant to The University of Scranton’s Nursing Department for the purchase new simulator equipment for its laboratory.
Through the support, the University acquired Newborn Tory S2210, an advanced newborn patient simulator; Pediatric Hal S3005, a five-year-old pediatric simulator; and a Simcart Rx, a simulation medication dispensing system. “Tory” looks and feels like a real infant, with supple skin, lifelike vitals and realistic sounds. “Hal” can track students’ actions in response to life-threatening situations and even speaks, thanks to an extensive library of voice responses.
These simulators allow nursing students to practice emergency protocol safely and in a controlled environment. Additionally, the new equipment permits students to make life-or-death decisions that they may be required to make in the field without the risk to a real patient in clinical rotation, resulting in more confident, successful professionals.
The University offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing, as well as a doctor of nursing practice. The University’s nursing programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
The mission of Moses Taylor Foundation is to improve the health of the people in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
New Lifelike Simulators Used by Student Nurses
-
09/17/2019
David Black, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, received the John L. Earl III Award for service to The University of Scranton, the faculty and the wider community.
The award is given annually to a member of the University community who demonstrates the spirit of generosity and dedication that the late Dr. John Earl, a distinguished professor of history, exemplified during his years at Scranton from 1964 to 1996.
In his remarks at the award presentation, previous Earl award recipient Rev. Ronald McKinney, S.J., professor of philosophy, said that although Dr. Black was an “unapologetic individualist,” the “inner music he hears has drawn him steadily to the work and the pressures of service to the students, the University, and especially to his faculty colleagues.”
Dr. Black joined the faculty of the University in 1984. During his tenure at Scranton, he served for 15 years as an officer of the University’s faculty union, including eight years as its chair. He serves as a member of the University’s Fulbright Committee and has served on the University’s Handbook Committee, as well as other committees.
Dr. Black, who also teaches in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, received the Edward Gannon, S.J., Award for Teaching in 2003. The annual award, presented by the University’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu honor society, recognizes outstanding teaching among faculty.
During his distinguished career, Dr. Black has published a book, “Vico and Moral Perception,” as well as articles in the fields of aesthetics, ethics and the philosophy of culture. His philosophical interests include: philosophy of culture, Vico, Chinese philosophy, philosophy of rhetoric and theories of conscience.
Dr. Black earned his bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University and master’s and Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.
Philosophy Professor Receives Earl Award
-
09/16/2019
Acclaimed pianist Aaron Diehl will be the featured artist when the Aaron Diehl Trio performs at The University of Scranton’s annual Family Weekend Concert scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 21.
The concert, which will also include an appearance by The University of Scranton Concert Choir, will begin at 7:30 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, and the concert is open to the public.
This will mark yet another return visit to the University for the 33-year-old Diehl, a Grammy-winning classical and jazz trained pianist and composer who The New York Times has praised for his “melodic precision, harmonic erudition and elegant restraint.”
Diehl has collaborated with living masters like Philip Glass and Benny Golson, and has established himself as one of the preeminent interpreters of the Great American Songbook through his namesake trio and partnership with renowned vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. An established performer of jazz and mid-20th century “third-stream” music, Diehl has increasingly tackled modern classical works. Recently, he performed works by George Gershwin as soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
“Diehl has been here a number of times since his late teens. It is so exciting to be able to bring in some of our guest performers as emerging artists and then get to see them blossom and develop over time and return as seasoned and highly-regarded international artists,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga. “Aaron is really remarkable, and his career has just zoomed in the last three, four years. He’s one of my very favorite pianists.”
A native of Columbus, Ohio, Diehl began his career trajectory at the age of 17, when he was a finalist in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington competition. There, he was noticed by none other than jazz icon Wynton Marsalis, who invited Diehl to tour Europe with his septet. Nicknamed “The Real Diehl” by Marsalis, Diehl went on to attend The Juilliard School, where he studied with jazz pianists Kenny Barron and Eric Reed and classical pianist Oxana Yablonskaya. In 2011, he was named the winner of the American Pianists Association’s Cole Porter Fellowship.
Besides Marsalis and Salvant, Diehl has toured or recorded with Wycliffe Gordon, Warren Wolf, Lew Tabackin, Matt Wilson and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. This November, he will release his latest album, “The Vagabond.”
For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Diehl, visit aarondiehl.com.
Aaron Diehl Trio to Perform Sept. 21
-
09/11/2019
Through Nov. 8 Art exhibit “John Willard Raught: Beauty Lies Close at Home.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 3 7 p.m. Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope Lecture: Prevention, Healing and Reconciliation “What structural reforms might help to end the crisis of clergy sexual abuse? How should the Church respond to survivors of abuse?” presented by Michael Vanderburgh, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Dayton, Ohio, and Fr. Thomas Berg, vice rector and professor of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, New York. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4546 or email hrhtaskforce@scranton.edu.
Oct. 4 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Transcendentalism, Politics and the Civil War” presented by Leonard Gougeon, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of American Literature, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu
Oct. 4 6 p.m. Art Gallery Reception for exhibit: “John Willard Raught: Beauty Lies Close at Home.” Held in conjunction with downtown Scranton’s First Fridays event. Free. Hope Horn Gallery, fourth floor Hyland Hall. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 4-6 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Antigone” by Sophocles presented by the University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 9 a.m. Scranton’s Ready to Run Northeastern Pennsylvania Program: “Wanted: More Women Like You in Government.” 5th Floor, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 5 p.m. Distinguished Author Award Dinner honoring Madeline Miller, who will receive the 2019 Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Reservation required. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Dan Levinson’s Palomar Jazz Band with vocalist Molly Ryan. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 10 8:30 a.m. 18th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free for general public with a fee for registrants interested in CEU credit. Call 570-941-7819 or visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference.
Oct. 10 4:30 p.m. Evening Keynote Presentation by Jeremy Sicile-Kira in conjunction with the 18th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7819 or visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference.
Oct. 10 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Music and Medicine: Chopin and the Power of Resilience” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple. Reservation required. $30. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 10 6:30 p.m. President’s Business Council 18th Annual Award Dinner honoring JoAnne M. Kuehner H’01, founder, Hope for Haiti, and Carl J. Kuehner ’62, H’11, president, Real Estate Technology Corp., at The Pierre, New York City. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Tickets required. Call 570-941-5837 or email PBC@scranton.edu.
Oct. 17 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar in collaboration with the Jesuit Center, The University of Scranton: “Religion in the Public Sphere: a Contribution to the Common Good?” presented by Ignacio Sepúlveda del Río, humanities and philosophy faculty member, Loyola Andalucía University, Seville, Spain. The Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 18 7:30 p.m. 34th Henry George Lecture: “Human Capital, Inequality and Growth” presented by Kevin M. Murphy, Ph.D., George J. Stigler Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Oct. 20 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 20 3 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Wil Kellerman, baritone voice. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music student musicians. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 29 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Russian Spring?” presented by Jill Dougherty, Global Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Washington, D.C., and CNN contributor. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces October Events
-
09/11/2019
Travel and environmental writer Ken Ilgunas, author of the award-winning memoir “Trespassing across America,” will present “Trespassing across America: One Man’s Epic, Never-Done-Before (and sort of Illegal) Hike along the Keystone XL Pipeline” at The University of Scranton on Monday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. The lecture is presented in collaboration with the environmental studies concentration and the Student Sustainability and Conservation Club. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
In his presentation, Ilgunas will explore the individual’s role against climate change, the reasons behind climate change denial, the evolution of the “fossil fuel v. renewable” landscape and the significance of the Keystone XL, all in a provocative story about the world’s first modern journey across private property.
Ilgunas has also published the memoir “Walden on Wheels” and an advocacy book, “This Land Is Our Land.” He has written for the New York Times, Time, Backpacker, Smithsonian Magazine and The Chronicle of Higher Education and has given talks at universities across the country, including Harvard, Duke and New York University. He has hitchhiked 10,000 miles across North America, paddled 1,000 miles across Ontario in a birchbark canoe and walked 1,700 miles across the Great Plains, following the proposed route of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Ilgunas earned his bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his master’s degree from Duke University.
For information about the lecture call 570-941-4270 or email Jessica.nolan@scranton.edu.
Travel Writer Calls for Right to Roam
-
09/11/2019
The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery recently hosted a talk by Richard Stanislaus G’98, guest curator for the exhibit “John Willard Raught: Beauty Lies Close at Home,” that opened at the gallery Sept. 6 along with the release of a three volume catalogue of Raught’s work. The lecture, entitled “John Willard Raught: Scranton’s Beloved Artist,” was also presented on Sept. 6.
The former curator of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum, Stanislaus lovingly and humorously explored the life and work of this local artist and shared his own journey as an admirer and collector of Raught’s work.
Raught (1857-1931) was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He traveled and studied art in New York City and Paris for seven years before returning to study and paint in his hometown. Although Stanislaus stressed Raught’s skill in many areas, the painter’s most notable works are impressionist landscapes. Described as a man of “modest means, but rich anyway,” Raught celebrated, in his work, the natural beauty of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Subjects of his paintings include a view of Ridge Row, which now part of The University of Scranton’s campus where Loyola Science Center now sits, Roaring Brook, and areas of Moscow, Scranton and Dunmore.
A “scholar painter” Raught was also a writer, who regularly published essays in both the Scranton Times and the Scranton Republican. His writings combined with his surviving paintings, Stanislaus stressed, show a thoughtful, talented man who was “happy with life.” Examples of his published articles can be found in the catalogue, for sale at the Hope Horn Gallery.
The lecture, which was open to the public, was attended by a number of Raught’s descendants, local admirers and University students, faculty and staff. The lecture was followed by a reception at the Hope Horn Gallery in Hyland Hall, which was part of Scranton’s First Fridays.
The exhibit will run through November 8th. The Hope Horn Gallery will host another gallery reception for the exhibit as part of October’s First Fridays event from 6 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 4
Local Artist Remembered in Art Exhibit/Lecture
-
09/10/2019
The University of Scranton dedicated a freshman residence hall in honor of the late Brendan J. Giblin of the class of 2006, who died in a hit-and-run accident while on spring break during his senior year, and the late William H. Kelly Jr. of the class of 1993, who perished in the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
“Your families had suffered the unthinkable, the unexpected death of a child – of a brother,” said University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., at the dedication ceremony. “Yet, somehow, you were able to find the strength to turn these tragedies into a way to help others. Through your efforts, more than $1 million has been raised to support Giblin and Kelly scholarships that have been awarded to dozens of students at Scranton.”
To date, the University has awarded six Giblin Scholarships and 27 Kelly Scholarships to students at Scranton.
Kim Baxter, a senior from Philadelphia who is majoring in political science and criminal justice, spoke at the dedication on behalf of the recipients of Kelly and Giblin scholarships. Baxter is the recipient of a Giblin Scholarship.
“I have loved attending the University for the past four years because I have had the opportunity to serve in different leadership positions, to serve others through different services trips, and to gain experience through different internships, such as my past internship at the Lackawanna County Court House with Judge Barrasse,” said Baxter. “I would not have been able to attended the University without receiving the Brendan J. Giblin Scholarship.”
Also speaking at the dedication ceremony, which was attended by members of the Giblin and Kelly families, were Robert Davis Jr., Ed.D., vice president for student life, and Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., vice president for mission and ministry, who offered a prayer and blessed the hall.
Giblin-Kelly Hall, formerly called Hannan Hall, is a residence facility built in 1960 that accommodates 74 students. The hall is one of the University’s first-year Living-Learning Communities, which are residence halls in which students who share a common interest experience unique learning opportunities together, such as taking the same courses or engaging in special events.
One of the communities in Giblin-Kelly Hall is dedicated to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, and challenges participants to develop their leadership potential, to focus on academic success, and to achieve personal excellence. The second community housed in Giblin-Kelly Hall focuses on 8 dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, spiritual, occupational, environmental and multicultural. First-year students in this community are encouraged to explore these themes as they apply them to their life.
Giblin-Kelly Hall Dedicated at University
-
09/10/2019
Ten incoming University of Scranton students began the Magis Honors Program in STEM, which combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society.
The Magis Honors Program in STEM, which began as a pilot program in the fall of 2017 and was officially approved as Scranton’s fifth honors program this year, offers talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
The Magis Honors Program’s courses, which students will take over their four years at Scranton, combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students will develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
In addition, students entering the program participate in a multi-day STEM field experience at a local research site in conjunction with a service project at the site the week before the start of fall semester classes. Members of the class of 2023 researched the effects the deer population has had on trees at the Lacawac Sanctuary.
The following members of Scranton’s class of 2023 began the Magis Honors Program in STEM.
Tim Gallagher of River Vale, New Jersey, is a computer science major. He is a graduate of Bergen County Academies.
Angela Hudock of Sayre, is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major. She is a graduate of Athens Area High School.
Ryan Jones of Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, is a biology major. He is a graduate of Cedar Crest High School.
Sarah Liskowicz of Wilkes-Barre, is a neuroscience major. She is a graduate of Holy Redeemer High School.
Taylor Moglia of New Milford, is a forensic chemistry major. She is a graduate of Delaware Valley High School.
Michael Quinnan of Shavertown, is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major. He is a graduate of Dallas High School.
Cameron Shedlock of White Haven, is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major. He is a graduate of Wyoming Seminary.
Danica Sinson of Floral Park, New York, is a biology major. She is a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy.
Nathaniel Smith of Wilkes-Barre, is a neuroscience major. He is a graduate of Pittston Area High School.
Julia Turnak of Hingham, Massachusetts, is a biology major. She is a graduate of Hingham High School.
Daniel Zych of Waverly, is a mathematics major. He is a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School.
Students Begin Magis Honors Program at Scranton
-
09/09/2019
U.S. News & World Report has ranked The University of Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for the 26th consecutive year. U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 6 in the 2020 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook, which became available online today.
U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 5 in its category in a listing, based on peer assessment recommendations, of the nation’s “Most Innovative Schools,” which recognizes colleges that are making “innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology and facilities.” In addition, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 12 in its category in its “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.”
In national rankings, as opposed to listings by category, U.S. News included Scranton among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” ranking Scranton at No. 224 in the U.S., and among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs,” ranking Scranton No. 143 among schools where a doctorate is not offered. Also, in national rankings of all business programs in America, U.S. News ranked Scranton’s entrepreneurship program at No. 33, its finance program at No. 43 and its accounting program at No. 52 in the country.
In addition, Scranton was ranked No. 38 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” which compares academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the seventh consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was also listed among the “top ranked” colleges where students do well based on “spirit and hard work.”
U.S. News slightly changed the methodology used in its rankings this year to include a first-generation student graduation variable among the data used to determine a school’s “outcomes” assessment, which represents 35 percent of the overall score. Other factors in the “outcomes” assessment include a social mobility score, freshman retention, graduation rates and graduation performance rates, which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class.
In addition, U.S. News considers a range of quality indicators for its ranking that includes peer assessment of academic excellence (20 percent); faculty resources (20 percent), which now includes regional cost-of-living adjustments to faculty pay and benefits; student selectivity (10 percent); financial resources (10 percent); and alumni giving (5 percent).
U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.
The 2020 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 9.
U.S. News Ranks Scranton No. 6 in 2020 Guidebook
-
09/06/2019
Daniel J. West, Ph.D., professor and chair the Health Administration and Human Resources Department at The University of Scranton, was recently awarded an honorary doctorate degree (Dr.h.c.) from Trnava University, Slovakia.
Dr. West currently holds a professor in public health appointment at Trnava University, as well as a visiting professor appointment at the University of Matej Bel, Slovakia and affiliated faculty at Tbilisi State Medical University, Georgia. Dr. West joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990.
Additionally, Dr. West is a certified healthcare consultant with the American Association of Healthcare Consultants and possesses certification in healthcare management by the American College of Healthcare Executives. He is also president and chief executive officer of HTC Consulting Group, Inc., and maintains a fellowship with the American College of Healthcare Executives, American College of Medical Practice Executives, American Academy of Medical Administrators, American College of Health Care Administrators, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine and Association of Behavioral Healthcare Management.
A resident of Covington Township, Dr. West received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the Pennsylvania State University.
University Professor Awarded Honorary Doctorate
-
09/05/2019
The Asian Moon Festival is one of the major festivals in Asia honoring family, friends, and the community.
On Monday, Sept. 9, the Asian Studies Program in conjunction with Asia Club and Asian Studies Honor Society at The University of Scranton, will celebrate the 2019 festival with the renowned New Asia Chamber Music Society, while tasting tea/coffee and sampling Asian moon cake. This interactive concert featuring East-West music and an educational workshop will take place in the fifth-floor Rose Room of Brennan Hall from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Hailed by New York Concert Reviews as “an impressively organized and professional group… comprised of many young and gifted players”, the New Asia Chamber Music Society was founded in 2010 by an entrepreneurial group of young Asian-American virtuosi. Propelled by a shared passion for classical chamber music performance, the members are prize winners of world-renowned international competitions, graduates from America’s most prestigious music schools, including The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute, and appear regularly on major stages across the globe. Based in New York City, New Asia Chamber Music Society is committed to bringing audiences exciting chamber music performances of the highest caliber and innovation. By delving into the giants of traditional chamber music repertoire, cultivating new voices of contemporary composers that meld elements of Western and Eastern cultures, and collaborating with a broad network of art organizations – the New Asia Chamber Music Society is creating a trifecta of innovation to enable new concert-going experiences for the audience. This exciting young collective also seeks to engage its technologically wired peers around the world with its lively social media presence, fostering a more interactive and social environment for chamber music performance and presentation.
The New Asia Chamber Music Society gave their sold out inaugural performance at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in 2011, and have since performed in New York City’s major concert venues including Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall, Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, Kaufman Center’s Merkin Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the 2015-2016 season, the ensemble toured Taiwan, performing at venues across the country including Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, and teaching masterclasses at the National Taiwan Normal University and Tainan National University of Arts.
The New Asia Chamber Music Society was the recipient of the 2016 Huang-Yu-Ting Memorial Award and New Music USA’s project grant.
In an effort to broaden the chamber music going community, New Asia Chamber Music Society has launched two new series, the House Salon Concerts and the Between The Bars Series. These events offer the audience a more intimate, intellectually stimulating and social experience. Ranging from informal and interactive workshop style talks given by musicians on the intricacies and beauty of chamber music informed by decades of experience – to behind-the-scenes perspectives of the chamber music life in performance and preparation. In 2018, they continued presenting monthly installations of the House Salon Concerts and Between The Bars Series, as well as making its debut appearance at the Hudson River Performing Arts Center in Houston.
Partnering with other arts organizations to create innovative new works and concert experiences, New Asia Chamber Music Society recently collaborated with the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company to premiere Igal Perry’s ballet, Dia-Mono-Logues. They collaborated with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company performing Huang Ro’s string quartet Crosscurrent at New Jersey Performing Arts Center. They also collaborated in multiple appearances with tango bandoneonist/composer JP Jofre, as well as partnering with Flushing Town Hall for its Chinese New Year Temple Bazzar and annual fundraiser.
For more information or questions about the Moon Festival Interactive Concert, contact Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., director of Asian Studies and professor of philosophy at the University, at ann.pang-white@scranton.edu or 570-941-6312.
Asian Moon Festival Interactive Concert Sept. 9
-
09/04/2019
The University of Scranton launched a new program to celebrate and support students who are the first generation from their families to attend a four-year college.
The THR1VE program, launched this summer at Scranton, was developed from need assessment surveys and other input from first-generation students attending the University.
According to Robert McGowan, coordinator of the THR1VE program, many first-generation students expressed similar concerns about their college experience, namely: “what am I studying; what am I going to do with it after I graduate; and how am I going to pay for it.”
Based on this information, the THR1VE program will focus on three primary areas of support: financial wellness, academic planning and career development. Sessions planned for the fall include financial workshops on budgeting and financial planning, student loans and consumer debt, and savings and investment, as well as programming focusing on developing study skills. In addition to the special programming, THR1VE will assist first-generation students in navigating the vast array resources available to them at the University.
The program also seeks to build awareness of and celebrate first-generation students. At Scranton, 23 percent of its undergraduate population identifies as first-generation students, as does 30.6 percent of its incoming class of 2023. A luncheon was held for first-generation members of the class of 2023 during Fall Welcome.
The THR1VE program, housed in the University’s Center for Student Engagement, is supported by a Strategic Initiatives Fund grant awarded through the Provost’s Office.
For more information about the THR1VE program, email thr1ve@scranton.edu or call 570-941-6233.
New Program Champions First-generation Students
-
09/04/2019
Scranton ranked No. 18 among the “Best Catholic Colleges in America” in a 2020 Niche.com list published recently online. Niche.com also placed Scranton No. 223 among the “Best Colleges in America” in its ranking of 1,626 four-year colleges.
Niche.com ranked Scranton in the top 10 percent of schools in the country in a number of other national rankings, including: “Best Colleges with No Application Fee in America” (No. 35); “Best College Food in America” (No. 69); “Best College Dorms in America” (No. 74); “Best College Campuses in America” (No. 142); and “Best Value Colleges in America” (No. 144).
In state lists, also published on the website, Scranton ranked No. 1 in “Best Colleges with No Application Fee in Pennsylvania;” No. 2 in “Best Catholic Colleges in Pennsylvania;” No. 4 in both “Best College Campuses in Pennsylvania” and “Best College Food in Pennsylvania;” and No. 5 in “Best College Dorms in Pennsylvania;” among other rankings.
Niche.com based its rankings on its analysis of academic, admissions, financial and student life data reported by the U.S. Department of Education and reviews of academic and campus life by students and alumni made on its website. The company analyzes dozens of public data sets and millions of reviews to produce comprehensive rankings, report cards and profiles for K-12 schools, colleges and neighborhoods in the U.S. The website includes more than 200,000 profiles of schools, companies and neighborhoods.
Earlier this year, College Consensus ranked Scranton No. 10 among the “Best Catholic Colleges and Universities” in the nation. The Princeton Review also ranked Scranton among “The Best 385 Colleges” in the country and among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 7), “Best Campus Food” (No. 10) and “Best-Run Colleges (No. 20) in the 2020 edition of its annual guidebook published in August.
Scranton Among America’s Best Catholic Colleges
-
09/04/2019
The University of Scranton’s Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope will host two public lectures this fall, one exploring “Insights from History and Theology” and the other discussing “Prevention, Healing and Reconciliation.” Both lectures are free of charge and open to the public.
On Sept. 16, award-winning authors Massimo Faggioli, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies at Villanova University, and Rita Ferrone, a writer and frequent speaker on issues of liturgy and church renewal, will discuss lessons that can be gleaned from history about the clergy sexual abuse crisis and how prayer and liturgy can be a source of healing and courage. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the second-floor Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
A lecture on Oct. 3 will examine structural reforms might help to end the crisis of clergy sexual abuse and the Church’s response to survivors of abuse. Michael Vanderburgh, a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and current executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Dayton, Ohio, and Rev. Thomas Berg, author and vice rector and professor of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, New York, will present the lecture that will begin at 7 p.m., also in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
A church historian, Dr. Faggioli has written numerous articles and books during his career. His book “Catholicism and Citizenship” received a 2018 award for Faithful Citizenship/Religious Freedom from the Catholic Press Association. He is a columnist for La Croix International, a contributing writer for Commonweal magazine. He was awarded the 2019 Barry University Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence, which recognizes the contributions of contemporary theologians in working, writing, and teaching in light of the Catholic tradition while moving that tradition forward to meet the challenges of today.
A contributing writer for Commonweal magazine, Ferrone has also published numerous articles in scholarly journals and Catholic magazines. Her books include “Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium” and “Sourcebook for Sundays and Seasons.” She co-authored the eighteen-volume series “Foundations in Faith” and the parish renewal program “Living the Eucharist.” She received the 2007 Yale Divinity School Alumni Achievement Award for Distinction in Congregational Ministry.
Prior to his work at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Vanderburgh served as chief development officer for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, where he led a capital campaign that raised more than $166 million. Since 2006, he has served on the committee that reviews the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s handling of sexual abuse cases. He also wrote a chapter entitled “The Suffering Church” for the book “Abuse of Trust Healing from Clergy Sexual Abuse.”
Father Berg is author of “Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward for Wounded Catholics.” He has commented extensively on the clergy sexual abuse crisis in several media outlets, including the Washington Post, First Things and the global Catholic television network EWTN.
Convened in October of 2018, the Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope was established by University President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., and is supported by endowed funds approved by the University’s Board of Trustees. The Task Force is co-chaired by and Christian Krokus, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Theology/Religious Studies Department, and Patricia Tetreault, vice president for human resources.
For additional information, visit the Task Force’s website or email hrhtaskforce@scranton.edu.
Lectures Explore Response to Clergy Sexual Abuse
-
09/03/2019
University of Scranton seniors Jack Aversa, a biology and biomathematics double major from Gouldsboro; Mili Patel, a neuroscience major from Scranton; and Robert Rade, a biology major from Scranton; were awarded Royal Scholar Summer Fellowships.
The summer fellowship is part of the University’s Royal Scholars Program, which was funded through a $645,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to the University last year. The grant funds scholarships and provides additional academic support during a five-year period to 25 undergraduate students at the University majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The grant also supports student and faculty mentorships, internship and research opportunities for the students, as well as additional enrichment component such as peer- and faculty-mentoring programs.
Through the scholarship, Aversa studied variances in bat echolocation for two months in Panama. His faculty mentor is Gary Kwiecinski, Ph.D., professor of biology. He is a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and is a graduate of North Pocono High School.
Patel said during the summer she “worked on a project that applied logistic regression and neural network analyses to compare the facial landmarks of public figures self-identified as having bipolar disorder or borderline personality disorder with control public figures who have not publicly expressed such conditions.” J. Timothy Cannon, Ph.D. professor of psychology, serves as her faculty mentor. She is a graduate of Scranton High School.
Over the summer, Rade studied the effects of temperature and acidity on bleaching in sea anemones. His faculty mentor is Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology. He is a member of the University’s Magis Honors Program in STEM and is a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School.
Dr. Voltzow is the principal investigator for the competitive federal NSF grant. She works with her colleagues Stacey Muir, Ph.D., professor of mathematics; Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of physics/electrical engineering; Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology; and Brian Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, to support the Royal Scholars Program at Scranton.
For additional information about the Royal Scholars Program, contact Dr. Voltzow at 570-941-4378 or janice.voltzow@scranton.edu.
Students Awarded Royal Scholar Summer Fellowships
-
08/30/2019
The University of Scranton granted promotions and/or tenure to 15 faculty members effective at the start of the 2019-20 academic year.
Six faculty members have been promoted to professor: Marzia Caporale, Ph.D., world languages and cultures; David Dzurec, Ph.D., history; Meghan Rich, Ph.D., sociology, criminal justice and criminology; Susan Méndez, Ph.D., English and theatre; Darryl DeMarzio, Ph.D., education; and Rebecca Dalgin, Ph.D., counseling and human services.
Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., chemistry, was named associate professor.
Five faculty members were named associate professor and granted tenure: Adam Pratt, Ph.D., history; Julie Cerrito, Ph.D., counseling and human services; Arthur Catino, Ph.D., chemistry; Duane Armitage, Ph.D., philosophy; and James Boyle, Ph.D., accounting.
Three faculty members were granted tenure: Benjamin Willis, Ph.D., counseling and human services; Michael Azar, Ph.D., theology and religious studies; and Yibai Li, Ph.D., operations and information management.
Dr. Caporale received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has worked for the University since 2007.
Dr. Dzurec received his bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University, his master’s degree from the University of Connecticut and his doctorate from the Ohio State University. He has worked for the University since 2008.
Dr. Rich received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and her doctorate from the University of Delaware. She has worked for the University since 2007.
Dr. Méndez received her bachelor’s degree from Pace University, her master’s degree from Fordham University and her doctorate from the University of California. She has worked for the University since 2008.
Dr. DeMarzio received his bachelor’s degree from Drew University, his master’s degree from Montclair State University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Columbia University. He has worked for the University since 2007.
Dr. Dalgin received her bachelor’s degree from Quinnipiac University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Syracuse University. She has worked for the University since 2005.
Dr. Stumpo received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and her doctorate from Texas A and M University. She has worked for the University since 2015.
Dr. Pratt received his bachelor’s degree from Clemson University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Georgetown University. He has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Cerrito received her bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University, her master’s degree from The University of Scranton and her doctorate from the Pennsylvania State University. She has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Catino received his bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College and his doctorate from the University of Arizona and the University of Maryland. He has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Armitage received his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, his master’s degree from Boston College and his doctorate from the New School for Social Research. He has worked for the University since 2015.
Dr. Boyle received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton and his doctorate from Kennesaw State University. He began working at the University in 1999 as an internal auditor. He has taught part-time at the University since 2009 and full-time since 2012.
Dr. Willis received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina. He has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Azar received his bachelor’s degree from Colorado Christian University, his master’s degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Fordham University. He has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Li received his bachelor’s degree from Jilin University in China, his master’s degree from Oklahoma State University and his doctorate from Washington State University. He has worked for the University since 2013.
University Announces Faculty Promotions
-
08/30/2019
Wells Fargo contributed $15,000 to support The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a multi-year, pre-college program for high school students designed to develop the skills needed to successfully gain entrance to college.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Wells Fargo has provided continuous support of this program since 2011.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Wells Fargo Supports University of Success
-
08/28/2019
The Princeton Review, Money magazine and Forbes ranked Scranton among the best colleges in the nation in August.
The Princeton Review selected The University of Scranton among “The Best 385 Colleges” in the country and also ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 7), “Best Campus Food” (No. 10) and “Best-Run Colleges (No. 20). The 2020 edition of the annual guidebook published Aug. 6.
The University was also recognized as a “best value” in higher education by Forbes in its 2019 listing of “America’s Top Colleges.” Forbes ranked the University No. 251 in its listing of just 650 schools, which published online Aug. 12.
Money magazine ranked the University of No. 296 among its selection of the 744 “Best Colleges in America” in its 2019 listing published online Aug. 15. Money based its ranking of the nation’s best values for a college education on its analysis of 26 data factors to determine the schools’ educational quality, affordability and alumni success.
Scranton Ranked Among Best Colleges in America
-
08/27/2019
Acclaimed organist and composer Daniel Ficarri will be the featured performer as Performance Music at The University of Scranton kicks off its fall concert season Friday, Sept. 6. The recital will begin at 7:30 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.
Ficarri is returning to the University for the second time, having made his Performance Music debut in the fall of 2017. He will be performing on the Houlihan-McLean Center’s completely restored Austin Opus 301 symphonic organ, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
“The programs Dan brings us are always interestingly crafted, excitingly varied, and virtuosically performed,” says Boga. “I’m a fan.”
A native of Pittsburgh, Ficarri is a graduate of The Juilliard School, where he is now pursuing his master’s degree under the tutelage of Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs.
Ficarri has spent the past few years making a name for himself as a soloist and ensemble performer in New York City. His performance of John Cage’s “Souvenir” for organ was lauded as one of the “Week’s 8 Best Classical Music Moments” by The New York Times. Meanwhile, he has appeared at the WQXR Bach Organ Marathon, and has given recitals throughout the United States, including with The Florida Orchestra and at the Oregon Bach Festival.
In addition, he has performed with orchestras at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, and has given solo performances at New York’s Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine and St. Thomas Episcopal Church.
Ficarri’s composition, “Exultation,” was commissioned by Choir & Organ magazine for the dedication of the pipe organ at St. Thomas Episcopal Church. This year, he will have compositions and arrangements premiered at The Juilliard School, Queens College, Marble Collegiate Church and St. Paul the Apostle Church in Los Angeles.
Currently the organ scholar at Manhattan’s Church of St. Paul the Apostle, Ficarri spearheaded the church’s organ restoration project and founded the “Sacred Sounds at St. Paul’s” concert series, which provides performance opportunities to young artists.
For more information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Ficarri, visit danielficarri.com.
Acclaimed Organist to Perform Sept. 6
-
08/27/2019
Sept. 6 through Nov. 8 Art exhibit “John Willard Raught: Beauty Lies Close at Home.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu
Sept. 6 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “John Willard Raught: Scranton’s Beloved Artist” presented by Richard Stanislaus, guest curator. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at 6 p.m. at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Dan Ficarri, organist. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 9 5:30 p.m. Asian Studies and the Asian Studies Honor Society present “Asian Moon Festival Celebration Concert” with the renowned New Asia Chamber Music Society based in New York City. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Sept. 10 11 a.m. Volunteer Fair for area nonprofit agencies offering volunteer opportunities for students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-7429 or email ellen.judge@scranton.edu.
Sept. 14 8:45 a.m. Schemel Forum “University for a Day.” Topics discussed: “Why Environmentalists Should be Republicans, not Liberals;” “Climate Change: What We Can and Must Do About It;” “Sustainability and the Delaware Highlands Conservancy;” and “Endangered Species: An Artist Confronts Climate Change.” Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. $30. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Sept. 16 7 p.m. Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope Lecture: Insights from History and Theology “What does church history teach us about the crisis of clergy sexual abuse? Can prayer and liturgy be a source of healing and courage?” presented by Massimo Faggioli, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies, Villanova University, and Rita Ferrone, M.Div., contributing writer for Commonweal magazine. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4546 or email hrhtaskforce@scranton.edu.
Sept. 17 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar in collaboration with the Women’s and Gender Studies Program, The University of Scranton: “Constitution Day 2019: Let’s Act Like the Majority We Are” presented by Lynn Yeakel, director of Drexel University College of Medicine’s Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Sept. 19 7:30 p.m. Ignatian Values in Action Lecture. Keynote speaker: Stephanie Saldana. Byron Recreational Complex. Free. Call 570-941-4399 or email julee.meketa@scranton.edu.
Sept. 20-22 The University of Scranton Family Weekend 2019. Various campus locations. Call 570-941-4222 or email familyweekend@scranton.edu.
Sept. 21 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Family Weekend Concert” featuring The Aaron Diehl Trio with an appearance by The University of Scranton Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 25 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Tsars, Commissars and President Putin: Why Russian History is the Key to Understanding Russia Today” presented by Lynne Hartnett, Ph.D., professor of Russian history, Villanova University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu
Sept. 27-29 & Oct. 4-6 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Antigone” by Sophocles presented by the University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Sept. 29 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Carlos Avila, pianist. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 3 7 p.m. Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope Lecture: Prevention, Healing and Reconciliation “What structural reforms might help to end the crisis of clergy sexual abuse? How should the Church respond to survivors of abuse?” presented by Michael Vanderburgh, executive director of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Dayton, Ohio, and Fr. Thomas Berg, vice rector and professor of moral theology at St. Joseph’s Seminary (Dunwoodie) in Yonkers, New York. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4546 or email hrhtaskforce@scranton.edu.
Oct. 4 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Transcendentalism, Politics and the Civil War” presented by Leonard Gougeon, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of American Literature, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 9 a.m. Scranton’s Ready to Run Northeastern Pennsylvania Program: “Wanted: More Women Like You in Government.” 5th Floor, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 5 p.m. Distinguished Author Award Dinner honoring Madeline Miller, who will receive the 2019 Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Reservation required. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 5 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Dan Levinson’s Palomar Jazz Band with vocalist Molly Ryan. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 10 8:30 a.m. 18th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free for general public with a fee for registrants interested in CEU credit. Call 570-941-7819 or visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference.
Oct. 10 4:30 p.m. Evening Keynote Presentation by Jeremy Sicile-Kira in conjunction with the 18th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7819 or visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference.
Oct. 10 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Music and Medicine: Chopin and the Power of Resilience” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple. Reservation required. $30. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 10 6:30 p.m. President’s Business Council 18th Annual Award Dinner honoring JoAnne M. Kuehner H’01, founder, Hope for Haiti, and Carl J. Kuehner ’62, H’11, president, Real Estate Technology Corp., at The Pierre, New York City. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Tickets required. Call 570-941-5837 or email PBC@scranton.edu.
Oct. 17 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar in collaboration with the Jesuit Center, The University of Scranton: “Religion in the Public Sphere: a Contribution to the Common Good?” presented by Ignacio Sepúlveda del Río, humanities and philosophy faculty member, Loyola Andalucía University, Seville, Spain. Location TBA. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 18 7:30 p.m. 34th Henry George Lecture: “Human Capital, Inequality and Growth” presented by Kevin M. Murphy, Ph.D., George J. Stigler Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu
Oct. 20 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 20 3 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Wil Kellerman, baritone voice. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music student musicians. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 29 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Russian Spring?” presented by Jill Dougherty, Global Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Washington, D.C., and CNN contributor. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 2 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 3 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 7 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Impeachment: Is it Still Available?” presented by Morey Myers, L.L.B., of counsel, Myers, Brier and Kelly. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9 7:45 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip to New York City. $150. Registration required by Oct. 12. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15-17 & 22-24 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Men on Boats” by Jaclyn Backhaus presented by The University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Nov. 21-23 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” presented by Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email bailey.mclaughlin@scranton.edu.
Nov. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “The Vaclav Nelhybel Centennial Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band with special guests. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 4 Noon. Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Reckoning with Contested History as an Essential Part of Sustaining Democracy” presented by Liz Sevcenko, director of the Rutgers Newark Humanities Action Lab. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Dec. 7 8 p.m. (Prelude begins at 7 p.m.) Performance Music: “52nd Annual Noel Night” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert” featuring Ken McGraw with Brass and Ivory. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items or a monetary donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Mondays: Sept. 16, 23, 30 and Oct. 7, 21, 28 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Dwight David Eisenhower and the American Century” presented by Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Tuesdays: Sept. 17, 24 and Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Threats to Democracy in Our Time” presented by Harold W. Baillie, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Thursdays: Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Paleolithic Cave Painting in Europe: The Origin of Human Consciousness” presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D., Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces 2019 Fall Semester Events
-
08/27/2019
The University of Scranton granted 11 undergraduate students President’s Fellowships for Summer Research in 2019. The fellowships, administered by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, offer each student the chance to partner with a faculty mentor to complete a research project during the summer. Each project was proposed and designed by the student and their faculty mentor.
The following is a list of the students who were awarded 2019 summer research fellowships, their projects and faculty mentors.
Tate Ackerman of Endicott, New York, researched “A population study of the bats present in Lackawanna State Park using acoustic monitoring techniques” with Gary Kwiecinski, Ph.D., professor of biology.
Michael Diana of Somerset, New Jersey, researched “Exploring the cognitive ripple effect” with Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology.
Joseph Fose of Tonawanda, New York, researched “Copper Catalyzed Heterocycle Synthesis” with Michael Fennie, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry.
Amy Kaiser, Downingtown, researched “Investigating the lived experience of caregivers of children with chronic diseases: Implications for holistic nursing care” with Catherine Lovecchio, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Nursing Department.
Hailey Kindt, Easton, researched “The Effect of Phenoloxidase During an Immune Challenge After Endosymbiont-Depletion in Camponotus floridanus” with Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
Abbey Murphy, Mountain Top, researched “Edit Stein, Medieval Philosophy, and the Self” with Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy.
Kristina Reid, Robbinsville, New Jersey, researched “Protein Thiol Redox in Human Pancreatic Cancer” with Tim Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry.
Minahil Sami, Jessup, researched “Immunological Priming for Bacterial Strain Specific Effects in Ants” with Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
Nicole Schaeffer, Easton, researched “A Family Story of AIDS: Putting a Face on a Modern Pandemic in America” with David Dzurec, Ph.D., professor and chair of the History Department.
Maaz Siddiqui, South Abington Township, researched “The evolutionary effect of stamen dimorphism in pollination in Raphanus raphanistrum (wild radish) flowers” with Anne Royer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology.
Jake Ziede, Massapequa Park, New York, researched “Perception of Major/Minor Keys Moderated by Directionality of Pitch” with Bryan Burnham, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology.
Students Receive Summer Research Fellowships
-
08/27/2019
This fall’s Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at The University of Scranton promises an array of fascinating lectures examining how history informs contemporary American and global politics.
The series will present seven speakers, with all seminars taking place from noon to 1:30 p.m. and featuring a luncheon buffet. With the exception of the first seminar, all events will take place in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room.
The series begins Tuesday, Sept. 17, with Constitution Day 2019: “Let’s Act Like the Majority We Are,” presented by Lynn Yeakel, director of Drexel University College of Medicine’s Institute for Women’s Health and Leadership. During the talk, which is being presented in collaboration with the University’s Women’s and Gender Studies program, Yeakel will explore what women could accomplish by casting aside the differences in race, religion and other aspects of their identities that have historically taken precedence over their gender. The seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Lynne Hartnett, Ph.D., professor of Russian history at Villanova University, will present “Tsars, Commissars and President Putin: Why Russian History is the Key to Understanding Russia Today.” Her talk will look at the Russian people’s history of seeking to understand what it means to be Russian and finding unity, stability and legitimacy via a shared identity, history and culture.
On Friday, Oct. 4, Leonard Gougeon, Ph.D., distinguished professor of American literature at the University, will give the talk, “Transcendentalism, Politics and the Civil War,” an examination of New England Transcendentalism’s effect on the liberal, abolitionist policies of President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, and how it forever changed American democracy.
Next, on Thursday, Oct. 17, Ignacio Sepúlveda del Río, humanities and philosophy faculty member at Loyola Andalucía University in Seville, Spain, will present “Religion in the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Common Good?” During the talk, presented in collaboration with the University’s Jesuit Center, del Río will discuss how for much of the 20th century, religion was considered a hindrance to developing democratic societies and should exist entirely in the private sphere.
On Tuesday, Oct. 29, renowned journalist and Scranton native Jill Dougherty, currently a CNN contributor and a global fellow at Washington, D.C.’s Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, will present “Russian Spring?” An expert on Russian politics and society, Dougherty will discuss how, via volunteerism, charitable causes and environmental protests, Russian citizens are methodically building a civil society.
“For months, Russian citizens have taken to the streets to protest everything from a smelly dump in their neighborhood to the exclusion of opposition candidates in local elections. The Kremlin is worried and, in some cases, has used brutal force to crack down on protesters,” she said. “No one is sure where this is leading. Will it remain a big-city, middle-class phenomenon? Could it turn into a nationwide political movement? Or will it be crushed? I’ll explain why some Russians are willing to risk years in prison to make their voices heard – and how much of a threat it is to President Vladimir Putin.”
On Thursday, Nov. 7, Scranton attorney Morey Myers, of the firm Counsel, Myers, Brier and Kelly, will present, “Impeachment: Is It Still Available?” Myers will discuss how impeachment was devised by the nation’s founders as a non-criminal method to remove a president from office, and was patterned after a four centuries-old British practice.
“We will consider the impeachments of Presidents Andrew Johnson and William Clinton, and the near-impeachment of Richard Nixon,” Myers said. “Finally, we will discuss its current relevance and likelihood.”
The series will conclude Wednesday, Dec. 4, with Liz Sevcenko, director of the Rutgers Newark Humanities Action Lab, presenting “Reckoning with Contested History as an Essential Part of Sustaining Democracy.” In her lecture, Sevcenko will examine how people will understand evidence and narratives of historic sites in a “post-truth” era, using the past, present and future of the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay as a way to frame the issue.
Admission is free for University students, faculty and staff and Schemel Forum members, and $25 for non-members.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
To register for the seminars, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. And, for more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Luncheon Seminars Begin Sept. 17
-
08/24/2019
The University of Scranton welcomed more than 1,450 incoming students for the fall semester, including more than 1,010 members of its undergraduate class of 2023, 40 transfer students and more than 400 graduate students, both on-campus and online.
The University’s undergraduate class of 2023, selected from a pool of nearly 9,500 applicants, has an average SAT score of 1,217. Incoming students represent 13 states including California, Florida, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, New Jersey and Virginia. Members of the class are also from Ireland, Pakistan and Vietnam. Approximately 25 percent of the class is from Northeast Pennsylvania. The most common majors chosen by members of the incoming class are nursing, occupational therapy and biology.
The class of 2023 also includes 93 legacy children whose parents and/or grandparents are University of Scranton alumni.
Saturday’s Fall Welcome events included a Mass, a class photo, residence hall and commuter meetings, an alumni legacy reception and a luncheon for first-generation students and their parents as part of the THR1VE Program at Scranton. The fall welcome also included a community service event where members of the incoming class helped area children and their families prepare for the upcoming school year by volunteering at the Back to School Bonanza, which took place on Sunday, Aug. 25, at The Marketplace at Steamtown.
In addition to the undergraduate class of 2023, the University’s incoming graduate students represent several states and foreign countries, including China, Ghana, India, Malawi and Saudi Arabia.
Fall semester classes began Monday, Aug. 26, at the University’s campus.
Scranton Welcomes Class of 2023
-
08/23/2019
For the second time in a week, The University of Scranton was nationally recognized as a “best value” in higher education. Forbes ranked the University No. 251 among “America’s Top Colleges” for value in the 2019 listing of just 650 schools, which published on Aug. 15. This is the 12th consecutive year that Forbes has included Scranton in its national ranking.
Just three days earlier, Money magazine ranked Scranton at No. 296 among its selection of the 744 “best performing colleges” in America.
Only 40 colleges in Pennsylvania were included in Forbes list of “America’s Top Colleges.” Scranton and King’s College were the only two colleges in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Northeast to be listed.
The ranking by Forbes analyzed “outputs” of a college education, such as alumni salaries, student satisfaction surveys, student debt and other data, to determine the best values in college education. Factors used in the ranking included four- and six-year graduation rates, average federal student loan debt, student loan default rates and “post-graduate success” as measured by salaries reported in PayScale and the U.S. Department of Education’s “College Scorecard.” Forbes also considered rankings published by Niche.com to evaluate the “student experience,” the percentage of graduates earning doctoral degrees, and the number of prestigious fellowships won by students, including Fulbright and Goldwater scholarships, among other factors.
Earlier in August, The Princeton Review also selected the University among “The Best 385 Colleges” in the country and ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 7) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 10).
Scranton among Top Colleges in America
-
08/21/2019
The Center for Service and Social Justice at The University of Scranton will hold its annual Volunteer Fair for local nonprofits from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, on campus.
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.
To register a nonprofit organization for the event, email ellen.judge@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7429. The deadline to register for the fair is Sept. 3.
Fair for Nonprofit Agencies Seeking Volunteers
-
08/20/2019
Aubrianna Rice, a senior physiology major at Scranton, and Maria R. Marinucci, director of the Cross Cultural Centers at the University, co-presented about healthy relationship programming at Scranton at the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference. The conference, attended by more than 200 students attending Jesuit colleges from across the country, took place at the University of Detroit Mercy during the summer.
The presentation focused primarily on Scranton’s programming about healthy relationships for new students, which was developed and continues to be facilitated by the University’s Jane Kopas Women’s Center and Counselor Training Center. The program, called PACT – Promoting Awareness of the College Transition – involves student-led interactive sessions with small groups of new students. The sessions, which also include a University staff or faculty member, occur during the third and fourth weeks of the fall and spring semesters. All incoming students participate, including transfer students.
Rice, who participated in the conference last year, proposed and developed the presentation which she then co-presented with Marinucci at this year’s conference. Rice, Apalachin, New York, also has a concentration in women’s and gender studies at Scranton. She is a PACT presenter at the University.
Scranton’s PACT programming covers discussions about transitioning to college, developing healthy relationships and the importance of communication in relationships, as well as discussions about consent, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, and resources.
Marinucci said the sessions explore the aspects of a healthy relationship, such as respect, honesty and trust. They discuss consent and the role drugs or alcohol can play in sexual misconduct. The session also includes a discussion of indicators of potential unhealthy or even violent relationships, such as a lack of respect, displaying hypersensitivity, controlling behavior or sudden mood swings, verbal abuse and other warning signs.
The sessions also provide information about University expectations for a safe community and resources available for support and for reporting experiences of sexual harassment or misconduct.
According to Marinucci, 98.5 percent of incoming students completed the PACT program for the 2018-2019 academic year. She credits the participation success to the strong support the program receives from partners throughput campus, including Athletics and Residence Life. Other indicators of the effectiveness of the PACT program include self-assessment surveys completed by 96.9 percent of participants which indicate that – after participating in the PACT sessions – 92.1 percent students say they can identify, and differentiate between, aspects of healthy and unhealthy relationships. The surveys also show that 92.9 percent of participants have a better understanding of what is meant by “consent,” and 93.1 percent understand the University’s expectations of student behavior as it relates to sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.
Marinucci said this is an important conversation to have with students as they transition to college and begin to develop new relationships.
Rice said her intention in presenting Scranton’s PACT programming at the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference was “to share our program with other schools so they could be inspired to create programming like it on their campuses.”
Fourteen Scranton students, including Rice, participated in this year’s conference.
Student Presents at National Leadership Conference
-
08/19/2019
Fourteen University of Scranton students participated in the National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference held at the University of Detroit Mercy this summer.
The national conference, held at a different Jesuit University each summer, entails group discussions, a day of service and various workshops focused on furthering the development of students’ leadership from a Jesuit perspective.
Maria R. Marinucci, director of the Cross Cultural Centers at the University, and Ozzie Brown, track and field coach at Scranton, served as chaperones for the conference. Marinucci and Aubrianna Rice, a senior physiology major at Scranton with a concentration in women’s and gender studies, presented about healthy relationship programming at Scranton at a leadership session at the conference.
Scranton students who participated in the leadership conference and the University department they represented are:
Kevin Ambicki of Middlesex, New Jersey, who represented University Police;
Fahad Ashraf of Clarks Summit, who represented Student Government;
Mollie Boyd of Old Forge, who represented Off Campus and Commuter Student Life;
Jeffrey Colucci of Mahwak, New Jersey, who represented Student Government;
Erin Doran of Branchburg, New Jersey, who represented Campus Ministries;
Megan Fabian of West Seneca, New York, who represented Campus Ministries;
Corinne Freivald of Huntington Station, New York, who represented the Center for Health Education and Wellness;
Joseph Fullam of Coatesville, who represented Student Government;
Abril Lopez of Scranton, who represented Campus Ministries;
Conor Nealon of Duryea, who represented Athletics;
Bridget Pynn of Brooklyn, New York, who represented the Center for Student Engagement;
Rice of Apalachin, New York, who represented the Cross Cultural Centers and also presented at the conference;
Julia Romanovich of Peckville, who represented Off Campus and Commuter Student Life;
Simone van der Lee of Mount Joy, who represented University Police.
Students Attend Jesuit Leadership Conference
-
08/19/2019
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will offer three separate evening courses during the fall months: one that will examine the legacy of President Dwight Eisenhower; one that will look at the current threats to global democracy; and one that will study Europe’s fabled Paleolithic cave paintings.
Each course will be taught in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library.
Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Scranton, will present the first course, “Dwight David Eisenhower and the American Century,” on Sept. 16, 23 and 30 and Oct. 7, 21 and 28.
In the course, Dr. Brennan will take a close look at President Eisenhower, from his childhood in Abilene, Kansas, to his legendary military career during World War II, to becoming the first Republican president in more than 20 years during the 1950s.
“Few American figures in the 20th century had a larger impact on both the history of their own country and that of the world than Dwight Eisenhower. … One cannot understand American history in the 20th century without understanding Eisenhower,” Dr. Brennan said. “My hope is the course will help us understand Ike as a husband, father, general, university president and as, finally, one of America's great presidents, as opposed to the distant commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force who gave the green light to D-Day, the sole impression many Americans have of him.”
Harold W. Baillie, Ph.D., professor of philosophy at the University, will present the second course, “Threats to Democracy in Our Time,” Sept. 17 and 24, and Oct. 1, 8, 15 and 22.
Dr. Baillie will look at the current threats facing modern democracy, including authoritarianism, populism and various forms of meritocracy. He will examine claims of democracy’s supposed triumph, then discuss why democracy might be transitory, with insights from Plato’s “Republic,” Marx’s “Economic Manuscripts” and Levitsky and Ziblatt’s “How Democracies Die.”
Finally, Harmar Brereton, M.D., a retired radiation oncologist, will present “Paleolithic Cave Painting in Europe: The Origin of Human Consciousness,” Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31. The course will review and contrast art found in the caves of Altamira, Tuc d’Albert, Trois Freres, Lascaux and Chauvet and explore why the art was created and what it might have meant to its creators.
“I’ve had a lifelong interest in the cave paintings of Western Europe and was lucky enough to visit many of them almost 20 years ago before the most famous caves were closed to visitors. The artwork is some 35,000 to 40,000 years old; and very beautiful, but also mysterious,” Dr. Brereton said. “The appearance of this art coincides with a remarkable advance in human behavior that reflects a change in consciousness, so in the course we’ll be looking at not only the art but also the emergence of modern humans.”
The courses are free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members, while for non-members the fee is $75 per individual and $125 per couple. Space is limited and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register for the courses, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Announces Fall Courses
-
08/16/2019
The University of Scranton and community partners will host a free “Back to School Bonanza” for children from 3 to 12 years of age and their families Sunday, Aug. 25, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at The Marketplace at Steamtown. Registration will be at s at the Lackawanna Avenue entrance to The Marketplace at Steamtown.
The event will include hands-on educational activities, music, games, face-painting, crafts, refreshments and prizes. Twenty family-oriented activities will be provided by community organizations and University faculty, staff and students, including several with a STEM theme, such as Neuroscience for Kids and Microscopic Exploration.
The Back to School Bonanza is one of the University’s Fall Welcome activities for its Class of 2023. It is hosted by the University’s Center for Student Engagement, Office of Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice and the Office of Community Relations in partnership with community partners: The Marketplace at Steamtown, Lackawanna County, the Scranton School District, and other community organizations.
For additional information, call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Back to School Bonanza Set for August 25
-
08/16/2019
The University of Scranton ranked among the nation’s best values for a college education based on educational quality, affordability and alumni success, according to a 2019 ranking by Money magazine published in August. Money ranked Scranton at No. 296 among its selection if the 744 “best performing colleges” in America. Money based its ranking on its analysis of 26 data factors.
The factors Money analyzed to determine a colleges’ “academic quality” included the six-year graduation rate, the standardized test scores of incoming freshmen, the student-faculty ratio and the graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients, among other factors. The analysis also included “value” assessments that looked at a school’s predicted graduation rates based on the academic and economic profile of its student body versus its actual graduation rates.
The criteria used to assess “affordability” included an estimate of the “net price of a degree,” which assessed tuition, the time it takes for students to graduate, and the school’s average need- and merit-based financial aid offered to students. The “affordability” criteria also looked at student debt, student loan default rates, the affordability for low-income students and student loan default rates adjusted for the economic and academic profile of a school’s student body, in addition to other factors.
The factors Money used to assess “outcomes” included the average salaries of alumni reported in PayScale early- and mid-career, their reported earnings at these points adjusted by major. In addition to other factors, the “outcomes” criteria also looked at socio-economic mobility index that uses data from the Equality of Opportunity Project, a study that examines the percentage of students that move from low-income backgrounds to upper-middle-class jobs before the age of 34.
Colleges with graduation rates below the national median, that were in financial difficulty, or that had fewer than 500 undergraduates, were not included in Money’s ranking.
Scranton has been recognized for its value in other national rankings such as U.S. News, Forbes, Niche.com and The Economist.
Scranton Among Best Values in Higher Education
-
08/16/2019
Sazia Nowshin, a senior political science major at The University of Scranton, was awarded a 2019 Lackawanna County Federation of Democratic Women Scholarship. Nowshin, Moosic, also participates in University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
A dean’s list student at Scranton, Nowshin was inducted into Omega Beta Sigma, the women’s business honor society, in the spring semester. She is pursuing a minor in operations and information management.
Political Science Major Awarded Scholarship
-
08/14/2019
The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will present its annual University for a Day program on Saturday, Sept. 14. This year’s program theme is “An Environmental Immersion,” and includes four lectures by distinguished professors examining environmentalism and climate change from diverse perspectives. The event allows ample time for discussion.
The day-long event begins with registration and coffee from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. in the Pearn Auditorium lobby of Brennan Hall and also includes a lunch and a closing reception that will take place from 4:30 to 5 p.m.
Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy at the University, will present the first lecture, “Why Environmentalists Should be Republicans, Not Liberals,” from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Meyer will make the rather contrarian argument that environmentalism would be better served by conservative rather than liberal political theory.
Next, Timothy D. Searchinger, research scholar at Princeton University and senior fellow at the World Resources Institute, will present “Climate Change: What We Can and Must Do About It,” from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. He will discuss the basic science, sources and key policies needed to effectively combat climate change in timely fashion.
From 1:45 to 3 p.m., Michael C. Cann, Ph.D., distinguished professor of chemistry emeritus at the University and director of the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, will present “Sustainability and the Delaware Highlands Conservancy.” According to Dr. Cann, population, affluenza and unfettered technological advances have created a “perfect environmental storm” that has caused significant damage to the natural landscape. He notes that groups like the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, now in its 25th year of conserving the natural lands of the upper Delaware River, are committed to providing a bulwark to these forces.
From 3:15 to 4:30 p.m., Philadelphia-based artist Diane Burko will present the lecture, “Confronting Climate Change as an Artist.” In 2006, Burko refocused her work on the intersection of art, science and the environment.
“I hope to share my journey from being a landscape painter to becoming an environmental artist and activist and to explain that all the arts – film, drama, music, literature – are vehicles for communicating issues of climate change to the public,” Burko said.
Seating is limited for University for a Day and reservations are required to attend the program. Admission is free for Scranton faculty, staff and students and Schemel Forum members, and $30 for non-members. To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
University for a Day Set for Sept. 14
-
08/14/2019
The Royal Experience Summer Internship Program provided 12 University of Scranton students, selected from a competitive pool, a stipend of up to $4,000 to support their participation in a meaningful unpaid internship for the summer of 2019. The program is funded by the philanthropy of the University’s Parents’ Executive Council and the donations of alumni and friends of the University.
Students receiving support are writing about their internship experiences in a blog published on The University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development webpage.
The following is a list of students who participated in the 2019 Royal Experience Summer Internship program.
Michelle D’Alessandro, a biology major from Colonia, New Jersey, was a wildlife sanctuary intern at the Antler Ridge Wildlife Sanctuary, Newton, New Jersey.
Abbey Donaldson, a history major from Scranton, was an intern at the Everhart Museum.
Virginia Farrell, a history major from Scranton, was an education intern at the Everhart Museum.
William Blake Hammert, an exercise science major from Archbald, was a strength and conditioning intern at The University of Connecticut Athletic Department in Storrs, Connecticut.
Maria Hickey, a business administration major from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, was a marketing and management assistant at Our Lady of the Fields Camp and Retreat Center, Brighton, Michigan.
Claire Jarvis, an occupational therapy major from Annandale, New Jersey, was a therapy intern at Island Dolphin Care, Key Largo, Florida.
Elizabeth Kenny, a biology major from Kendall Park, New Jersey, was a pollination ecology summer intern at the University of California, Riverside, California.
Nolan McLaughlin, a neuroscience major from Moscow, was a research intern at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire.
Tara O’Hagan, a biology major from Rockville Centre, New York, was a student researcher at Columbia University Irving Medical Center Department of Pediatrics, New York, New York.
Jordan Oakey, a liberal studies major from South Abington Township, was a museum registrar at the Everhart Museum.
Mili Patel, a neuroscience major from Scranton, was an intern for the Partial Hospitalization Program at Scranton Counseling Center.
Colin Sommers, a history and political science major from Manlius, New York, was a summer intern at Nichols Law Offices, PLLC, Syracuse, New York.
Royal Experience Program Supports Summer Interns
-
08/14/2019
Sixteen University of Scranton students were accepted into the Kania School of Management Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s five programs of excellence.
This highly-selective program accepts approximately 15 sophomores from all majors each year. During their junior and senior year, students will explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring. In the mentorship phase, students work with community business leaders on the application of theory to real-world problems.
The following students were accepted into the Business Leadership Honors Program for the fall of 2019:
Ann Amentler, a finance and economics major from Drums;
Nicole Cavanaugh, an accounting major from Dallas;
Jenna Cyr, an accounting major from Coopersburg;
Matthew DeBenedetto, an operations management major from Westfield, New Jersey;
Michael Diehl, a forensic accounting major from Hopewell Junction, New York;
Andrew Ferrier, an economics major from Bayonne, New Jersey;
Grace Gallagher, an accounting major from Dalton;
Livia Kelly, an accounting major from Rockville Centre, New York;
Benjamin Koshinski, a business administration major from Mountain Top;
Elena Loeffler, a business communication major from Matawan, New Jersey;
Matthew Marcotte, an accounting major from Monroe, New York;
Ngoc Nguyen, an accounting and finance major from New Tripoli;
Dagny Rippon, an international business major from South Abington Township;
Robert Scholly, a marketing major from Glenside;
Kyle Shaffer, a finance major from Mahwah, New Jersey;
David Vergaray Ramirez, a finance major from Harrison, New Jersey.
New Members of Business Leadership Honors Program
-
08/12/2019
Twenty-two rising high school students entered The University of Scranton’s University of Success program. The four-year, pre-college mentorship program began for the new participants with a two-week summer institute, which took place on the University’s campus in July.
During the summer institute, students participated in “hands-on” physics classes where they learned how physics is applied to harness wind energy. During the two-week summer institute they also visited the University’s Loyola Science Center for a lesson that included live turtles, tortoises and a snake. The students participated in service projects and went on excursions to the Pocono Environmental Education Center and Dorney Park.
Following the summer institute, the students will return to the University’s campus one Saturday every month throughout their four years in high school.
The University of Success is designed for students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. Students enter the program at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Dime Bank, Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank, Kuehner Family Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, Prudential Foundation, Scranton Area Foundation, Waste Management, Weis Markets and Wells Fargo.
The students who completed the University of Success’ summer institute are as follows:
Elias Adame, Old Forge, who attended Old Forge Junior Senior High School;
Ignacia Ang, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Briana Brijmohan, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Ying Jie Chen, Forest City, who attended Forest City Regional High School;
Alyvianna Cooper, Moscow, who attended North Pocono Middle School;
Kevin Cordero, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Emily DeOliviera, Olyphant, who attended Mid Valley Middle School;
Jaydene Edwards, Tobyhanna, who attended Monsignor McHugh School;
Zaniyah Galloway, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Nicholas Garcia, Scranton, who attended Northeast Intermediate School;
Kiana Guy, Matamoras, who attended Delaware Valley Middle School;
Dylan Guzman, Gouldsboro, who attended North Pocono Middle School;
Oscar Hernandez, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Jonathan Juarez, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Rosa Martinez, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Jesus Nunez-Pazos, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Andy Perez, Scranton, who attended South Scranton Intermediate School;
Jaidan Perez, Jefferson Township, who attended North Pocono Middle School;
Anaclara Quintilliano, Clarks Summit, who attended Abington Heights Middle School;
Hannia Ramierez, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School;
Elizabeth Wasylyk, Moscow, who attended North Pocono Middle School;
Anderson Zou, Scranton, who attended West Scranton Intermediate School.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.Area Students Begin University of Success
-
08/09/2019
University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced the reinstatement of the vice president for mission and ministry position and division at Scranton and named Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J. H’06, to serve in that role. Father Keller serves as rector of the Scranton Jesuit Community. He also served as interim president at the University from June 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, and most recently as the University’s special assistant to the president.
“The University’s mission and our pastoral care of students, faculty and staff are a central and shared responsibility for everyone on campus. I have long believed that it is critical for the composition of the leadership team of the University to reflect that importance,” Father Pilarz said in an announcement to the University community regarding the reinstatement of the position and division.
In the same announcement, Father Pilarz said that Father Keller, in his new role as vice president, “will be an important voice for mission-related issues and concerns, working with divisions across campus. He will be an advisor to me in my work as a member of the President’s Cabinet, will serve as the liaison for a newly established Mission committee of the Board of Trustees, and when needed, will represent me at events on- or off-campus.”
The University’s Jesuit Center, Campus Ministries, the Center for Service and Social Justice, the University Chaplain and Liturgical Music will fall under the division.
Father Keller has served as the rector of the Scranton Jesuit Community since September 2015. Prior to that, he served for 18 years as president of Scranton Preparatory School and is the longest-serving president in the Jesuit school’s history.
Father Keller entered the Jesuit novitiate in Wernersville in 1969. In 1975, he received a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Fordham University. He earned a master’s degree with distinction from Weston School of Theology in Boston and a professional diploma in secondary school administration from Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education. He was ordained a priest in 1981 and has served in Jesuit secondary education for more than 35 years.
Father Keller was named principal of Scranton Prep in 1983 and served in that capacity for eight years. From 1991 to 1997, he served as principal at his alma mater, Saint Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia. During his tenure there, Father Keller was appointed as rector of the Jesuit community at Saint Joseph’s Prep. In 1997, he was named president of Scranton Preparatory School.
In 2016, Father Keller served as a delegate from the Maryland Province for the Society of Jesus' General Congregation 36. In 2006, he received an honorary doctoral degree from The University of Scranton.
Vice President for Mission and Ministry Named
-
08/08/2019
For the 18th consecutive year, The Princeton Review included Scranton among the nation’s “Best 385 Colleges” in its annual guidebook that published Aug. 6. In addition, The Princeton Review ranked Scranton for the fifth consecutive year among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 7) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 10). The Princeton Review also ranked Scranton at No. 20 in the nation for “Best-Run Colleges.”
For the annual guidebook, The Princeton Review selects schools it “believes are the best in the nation, academically.” Just 13 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and universities are included. The book also includes The Princeton Review’s much publicized “Best of” lists of the “Top 20” colleges in 62 categories. The “Best of” lists are based entirely on surveys of students at colleges selected by The Princeton Review for inclusion in its guidebook.
The 2020 edition of the guidebook includes detailed profiles of each of “The Best 385 Colleges.” Scranton’s profile stated that students praised its “awesome,” “caring” and “really supportive” professors, saying the professors “want their students to excel” and “care about their ... success.” Students also praised the “new improvements constantly being made to update campus including residence halls and academic buildings.”
Scranton’s major capital improvements to academic facilities include the $85 million, 200,000-square-foot Loyola Science Center, which is one of the most innovative science buildings in the country, and the $47.5 million Edward R. Leahy Jr. Hall, which puts the best simulation environments, applied-science laboratories, equipment and technology directly in the hands of students and faculty.
In addition to The Princeton Review, U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 25 consecutive years, placing the University No. 6 in its 2019 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 3 in its category in a listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “A Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” and No. 11 in its category in a ranking of the “Most Innovative Schools” in America. U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s entrepreneurship program at No. 31, its finance program at No. 36 and its accounting program at No. 37 in the country.
Scranton Among Elite Best Colleges in Nation
-
08/07/2019
The University of Scranton has added a new honors program to its programs of excellence, this one focused on offering talented students a more intense, interdisciplinary experience of research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
“The goal of the program is to give the opportunity for students who are really excited about STEM to be able to get involved right away,” said Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, one of the founders of the program at Scranton.
The Magis Honors Program, which began as a pilot program in the fall of 2017 and was officially approved as Scranton’s fifth honors program this year, combines the development of STEM knowledge and research techniques with programing to further the students’ understanding of the impact science has on society.
The Magis Honors Program’s courses, which students will take over their four years at Scranton, combine a series of seminars on STEM and society with humanities courses that include a philosophy class in ethics, a history course on America’s environment, and a theology course on science and the common good, as well as a first-year Writing Science in Literature course. With guidance by faculty mentors, the students will develop, present and defend a thesis based on their individual research projects. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs.
According to Dr. Voltzow, all four cohorts of students (first-year, sophomore, junior and senior cohorts) meet weekly to discuss projects and other topics of interest during the semester. Students entering the program participate in a multi-day STEM field experience at a local research site in conjunction with a service project at the site the week before the start of fall semester classes. During the academic year, students participate in teaching STEM related activities with fourth grade students at McNichols Plaza Elementary School in Scranton, as well as with STEM afterschool programs for middle school and high school students offered through the United Neighborhood Centers.
Qualified applicants to the University are invited to apply to the program. A cohort of approximately 10 students are accepted to begin their freshman year. Students who excel in their STEM courses at Scranton may also apply for admission to the program in the spring semester of their first year. To remain in the program, students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 and develop an independent project.
The Magis Honors Program is the fifth honors program offered at the University and the third open to freshman. The other four honors programs are the four-year Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and Business Honors Program; the three-year undergraduate Honors Program and two-year Business Leadership Honors Program.
Scranton Launches Magis Honors Program in STEM
-
07/30/2019
The University of Scranton and Penn State Law in University Park have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will allow Scranton students who meet program requirements to be eligible for admission to the law school after just three years at Scranton.
The “3-3 Accelerated Bachelor/JD Program” will allow Scranton students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Scranton and a juris doctor (JD) degree from Penn State Law in six rather than seven years. After completion of their junior year at Scranton, the program offers eligible students who are accepted to Penn State Law the ability to apply course credits earned in their first year of law school to their bachelor’s degree requirements at Scranton.
To be eligible for the 3-3 program with Penn State Law, students must have earned a minimum of 66 credits at Scranton prior to applying and have completed 75 percent of their 120-credit bachelor’s degree coursework by the time they begin law school. Students must also remain in good academic and discipline standing through matriculation at Scranton and meet other program requirements. Students must meet the eligibility criteria of Penn State Law in order to apply for the program and admission to the law school. Penn State Law will review applications and make the final determination regarding admittance into its JD degree program.
The memorandum took effect at its signing.
Scranton has a Pre-Law Advisory Program that helps students navigate the law school application process throughout their undergraduate years. The program also offers assistance to Scranton alumni who wish to apply to law school. The University offers a concentration in legal studies. Scranton also has 3-3 program agreements with Boston College, Villanova School of Law and Duquesne University School of Law.
In the past four years, more than 130 Scranton graduates have received acceptance into more than 50 law schools throughout the United States, including to some of the country’s most prestigious law schools.
For more information, visit Scranton’s pre-law webpage, or contact Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., pre-law advisor and associate professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-5814 or matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.
Accelerated JD Program with Penn State Law Started
-
07/30/2019
An article by University of Scranton accounting professors has won a prestigious Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Gold Medal as the “outstanding article of the year” for 2019, marking the fourth medal, and second gold medal, to be awarded to professors at Scranton in just six years. The manuscript recognized was “Beyond Internal Controls: The Need for Behavioral Assessment and Modification in Fraud Mitigation Efforts,” by professors Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., James Boyle, D.B.A., and Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D., which was published in the fall 2018 edition of Management Accounting Quarterly.
The Lybrand Competition considers for awards all manuscripts published during the year in the Institute of Management Accountants’ (IMA) Strategic Finance and Management Accounting Quarterly journals, both of which are rated among the top five practitioner journals.
In 2016, the article “The Continuing Saga of Goodwill Accounting,” by Dr. Douglas Boyle, Dr. Mahoney and Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., received IMA’s Lybrand Gold Medal. In 2014, the article “New Rules for Lessee Accounting: A Summary of the Lessee Provisions of Accounting Standards Update” by the three professors received IMA’s Lybrand Bronze Medal, and in 2015, the manuscript “Operation Broken Gate: The SEC Holding Gatekeepers Accountable” by Drs. Douglas and James Boyle, Dr. Carpenter and Dr. Mahoney received the IMA’s Lybrand Silver Medal.
In addition to the medals, manuscripts entitled “The SEC Whistleblower Program Expands Focus: Retaliatory Behavior, Confidentiality Agreements, and Compliance Personnel” by Drs. Douglas and James Boyle and Dr. Carpenter and “Goodwill Impairment Adequacy: Perspectives of Accounting Professionals” by Dr. Douglas Boyle, Dr. Carpenter, and Dr. Daniel Mahoney received 2016 Lybrand Certificates of Merit. Finally, manuscripts titled “Avoiding the Fraud Mind-set” by Drs. Douglas Boyle and James Boyle and Dr. Mahoney and “Goodwill Accounting: A Closer Examination of the Matter of Nonimpairments” by Dr. Douglas Boyle, Dr. Carpenter and Dr. Mahoney received Lybrand Certificates in 2015 and 2012, respectively.
Dr. Douglas Boyle currently serves as chair of the Accounting Department at Scranton, director of the University’s internationally recognized DBA program and the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program. In addition, he, along with Dr. James Boyle and Dr. Mahoney, led the University’s effort to establish a Business High School Scholars Program.
A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Boyle has more than 25 years of industry executive experience. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Boyle was profiled in 2019 as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs. Dr. Boyle earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Dr. Boyle’s research has been published in numerous academic and practitioner journals, such as The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy (JAPP), Accounting Horizons, Current Issues in Auditing, The Journal of Accounting Education, The Accounting Educators’ Journal, The Journal of Accountancy, Strategic Finance, Fraud Magazine, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly, The CPA Journal, Internal Auditing, The Journal of Applied Business Research and The Journal of Business and Behavioral Sciences.
An award-winning teacher and scholar, Dr. Mahoney earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from The University of Scranton as well as a doctorate in accounting from Syracuse University. A Certified Public Accountant, he was named Kania School of Management’s Professor of the Year five times and has won numerous other awards for teaching.
Dr. Mahoney’s research has been published in numerous professional journals, such as The CPA Journal, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly and Journal of Business and Economics Research, Accounting and Financial Management.
Dr. James Boyle holds a bachelor’s and MBA from The University of Scranton and a DBA from Kennesaw State University. He has taught part-time at the University since 2009 and full-time since 2012 and also served as an internal auditor for the University for more than a decade. He has published articles in multiple academic journals, including The CPA Journal, Strategic Finance, The Journal of Forensic and Investigative Accounting and Internal Auditing.
Article by Accounting Professors Wins Gold Medal
-
07/25/2019
Four University of Scranton students are among the five area college students gaining clinical exposure and an inside look at medical school thanks to a new program at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM). The Abigail Geisinger Pre-Medical Clinical Experiences Program was designed to be another way to increase the chances for talented local students to gain acceptance to medical school and to remain in the region to care for their neighbors.
University of Scranton alumnus Joseph Bannon, MD, a surgeon and clinical faculty member at GCSOM created the program with Michelle Schmude, Ed.D., GCSOM’s associate dean for admissions, enrollment management and financial aid and associate professor.
“Geisinger is very much committed to our community and an important part of our mission is education,” Dr. Bannon said. “This program allows us to provide some of the best and brightest local college students and aspiring physicians a valuable clinical experience. At the same time, it enables us to showcase to our future physicians at an early age, the latest in medical innovation and technology and some of what the Geisinger Health System has to offer right here at home.”
Clinical experiences, including shadowing, are an essential element to a successful medical school application.
“To be competitive, a medical school applicant has to demonstrate a sincere interest in medicine, which typically means direct and indirect exposure to medicine. It’s very difficult for students to cold call physicians in the hopes one will agree to provide that experience. Physician shadowing is just one of the things our program will provide, along with structured sessions on topics like financial aid for medical school, the business of medicine and the intricacies of AMCAS, the American Medical College Application Service,” Dr. Schmude said.
The five-week program began July 8. Students attend the program daily and are assigned attending physicians at Geisinger Community Medical Center for shadowing and mentoring. The intent is to expose participants to a wide range of medical specialties. The students will also have the opportunity to attend regular conferences like Tumor Board, where physicians discuss interesting medical cases. Prior to accessing clinical areas, the students received rigorous training in HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding personal medical information.
Selection to the program is competitive. The students chosen must live in the counties within Geisinger’s footprint, be enrolled at one of three participating universities (King’s College, Wilkes University or The University of Scranton) and be academically qualified. “The most important qualification in choosing participants, however, is how well the student aligns with Geisinger’s mission, so we really look for a commitment to service, particularly a desire to serve our local communities,” Dr. Schmude said.
The four University students chosen to be among the first participants in the Abigail Geisinger Pre-Medical Clinical Experiences Program are listed below.
Parita Ray of Scranton is a junior biology major at the University. She agreed that the program’s mission resonates with her and said, “It’s also an amazing chance to shadow different specialties within medicine. I was having difficulty finding shadowing experiences just by calling myself, so I am very excited to take part in this program.”
Christina Carachilo of Carbondale is a sophomore neuroscience major at the University and, as an emergency medical technician (EMT), she already has some clinical experience. “I am with a patient until we drop them off at the Emergency Department,” she said. “I am really eager to see what happens after our patients go through those doors. I want to see the next step.”
Katherine (Kate) Musto of Pittston, is a senior biology major and full-tuition Presidential Scholar at the University. She has strong ties to GCSOM, having one brother now attending the school and another who graduated from GCSOM and is now a practicing primary care physician in West Wyoming. “I want to be a doctor practicing in my own community,” she said. “That’s why this program was such a draw for me.”
Mahad Muhammad of Mountain Top is a biology major at Scranton. “I’ve worked as a volunteer at Ultra Urgent and Family Care in Kingston, but mostly I only see the business side of medicine. I am looking forward to witnessing patient interactions and to be in room when medicine is practiced,” he said.
New Program Gives Students Clinical Experience
-
07/25/2019
Through engagement in the national Stop the Bleed program, Geisinger trauma services has trained more than 10,000 people on how to battle blood loss. Now, The University of Scranton is the most recent recipient in Geisinger’s initiative to provide more than 2,300 bleeding-control kits to first responders and residents in northeast and central Pennsylvania.
Kathryn Bommer is trauma education outreach coordinator at Geisinger Community Medical Center (GCMC) in Scranton, and she met with members of The University of Scranton Police Department recently to deliver 10 Stop the Bleed kits to the University’s campus.
Containing plastic gloves, gauze, tourniquets and easy-to-follow instructions, the bleeding-control kits are designed to be used by anyone to help control bleeding during a traumatic incident. According to the National Trauma Institute, 35 percent of fatalities occur due to blood loss before victims arrive at a hospital.
Bommer, an experienced trauma nurse and pre-hospital registered nurse, stressed the value of having a bleeding-control program in place at an academic institution.
“We’re preparing for the ‘what-if’ moments,” Bommer said. “We want to keep students, visitors, staff and faculty as safe as possible with ongoing training we offer to police. We’ve done Stop the Bleed for three years, and now we’re providing the tools to supplement the education they’ve received at other venues.”
Launched as a collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security, the White House and other agencies, Stop the Bleed trains ordinary citizens – and potential bystanders – to help during a severe-bleeding incident before medical and emergency professionals arrive on scene.
“We are grateful for Geisinger’s support for this initiative. The program will provide a good opportunity for students to learn more about safety and emergency response training,” said University of Scranton Chief of Police Don Bergmann. The bleeding-control kits will be placed near automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at locations throughout the campus. The university will offer training sessions for students, faculty and staff on the use of the kits later this summer and in the fall semester.
Geisinger trauma services offers free Stop the Bleed classes to organizations throughout the year. Geisinger’s Stop the Bleed program is a joint effort of Geisinger emergency medicine, trauma services, trauma outreach, Life Flight and Geisinger EMS.
To learn more about Stop the Bleed, contact Geisinger at stopthebleed@geisinger.edu.
Geisinger Gives Stop the Bleed Kits to University
-
07/25/2019
Beginning in the fall 2019 semester, The University of Scranton will offer a new major in business analytics, which was developed based on feedback from practitioners, business executives and companies regarding the skills they search for when recruiting recent graduates in this field.
According to research by PwC, more than 300,000 job postings in business analytics are expected by 2020. Salary estimates of business analysts range between $65,000 to $130,000 based on postings listed by indeed.com.
Students pursing a major in business analytics will develop hands-on skills in using advance analytical techniques such as data mining, predictive analytics and statistics to evaluate large amounts of data collected from e-commerce transactions and social media to help inform business decisions. Courses for the program include data mining, introduction to Big Data, business forecasting models, database management systems and customer relations management analytics.
The University began to offer a minor and concentration in business analytics in 2017. The University also offers a specialization in business analytics in its MBA program. Currently, just over a dozen colleges in the U.S. offer a bachelor’s degree in business analytics.
The program will be housed in the University’s Operations and Information Management Department of the Kania School of Management. Business programs offered at Scranton are accredited by the rigorous standards of AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). Less than 5 percent of business colleges worldwide hold AACSB International accreditation, which is widely considered the gold standard mark of excellence for business schools.
For additional information, contact the University’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 888-727-2686 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
New Major Offered in Business Analytics
-
07/23/2019
Two University of Scranton first-year students were awarded scholarships from the FealGood Foundation for their essay submissions following a fall-semester campus visit by 9/11 first responders.
The Ellacuria Initiative, as part of its 2017-19 theme of health, sponsored a campus visit by Rich Palmer, a first responder and a corrections officer on 9/11; Tom Wilson, a first responder and member of the New York Police Department on 9/11; and John Feal, a first responder and a construction demolition expert at Ground Zero on 9/11 and founder/president of the FealGood Foundation. They spoke to students in a first-year seminar “Making Meaning of 9/11,” taught by Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre, and in a counseling and human services course on “Crisis Management,” taught by professor Gerry Barber, director of the University’s Counseling Training Center. They also lunched with students majoring in criminal justice and delivered an evening lecture to University students and faculty.
In response to his visit, Feal ran an essay contest in which students were asked to reflect on 9/11 and what they had learned from it. On behalf of Palmer and Wilson, the FealGood Foundation awarded two $500 scholarships to first-year students Gianna Costanzo, Bensalem, and Makaela Dionne, Newton, New Jersey, both of whom were enrolled in Dr. Grettano’s first-year seminar.
Students Awarded Scholarship for 9/11 Essays
-
07/23/2019
The University of Scranton community health education students made it to the final round of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) 2019 National Student Case Competition. The competition, which took place at the society’s annual conference in Salt Lake City in the spring, provided undergraduate and graduate students of health education the opportunity to display their developing expertise.
Scranton students who participated, all of whom were community health and education majors, were Kelly Reilly, Hicksville, New York; Sinead O’Brien of Hillsdale, New Jersey; and Hazel Skarbek of Glenside.
For the competition, teams of two to three students were challenged to solve a real-world health issue using the competencies required for a school or community health educator. Case scenarios were provided to teams two weeks before the competition. Students presented their response to the scenario to judges in a 25-minute closed forum without the aid of technology. The Scranton students advanced to the final round of the competition, but did not win a first-, second- or third-place prize.
University of Scranton professor Debra Fetherman, Ph.D., program director for community health education, also presented at the conference.
This was the first time Scranton students participated in the national competition.
Students Make Final Round of National Competition
-
07/23/2019
Charles E. Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency at The University of Scranton, awarded the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Upper-level category to Elizabeth McManus from Brookfield, Connecticut, a senior biochemistry, cell and molecular biology (BCMB) major with a minor in computer science; the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Foundational category to Isaiah Livelsberger from New Oxford, a first-year international studies and philosophy major; and the 2019 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Graduate category to occupational therapy students Kerry Ann Randall from Unionville, Connecticut, and Megan Schane from Cresco.
The Weinberg Memorial Library inaugurated the prize in 2011 to recognize excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge of the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools, and services. In 2017, the prize was named for Professor Emerita Bonnie W. Oldham, who founded the prize at the University. Winning projects in each of the three categories receive a $500 prize.
McManus, winner in the Undergraduate Upper-level category, submitted to the competition her project “Preventative and Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines,” completed in her capstone course BCMB 490. For her research, she used the library’s curation of disciplinary resources to research and prepare a project culminating in a 35-minute presentation on the topic of vaccines to prevent and therapeutically treat cancer. At first reporting she was “overwhelmed” by the amount of information out there on this topic, she realized she needed to adapt her research strategy by using the database MEDLINE/PubMed to seek out review articles; her goal in doing this was to develop “a more substantial understanding of the topic” by filling in “the gaps in [her] knowledge.” McManus said, “By first establishing a wide breadth of knowledge on the topic, I prepared myself for the depth of research that followed.”
Honorable Mention awards in the Undergraduate Upper-level category were presented to Anna Maria Giblin, a junior history major with a philosophy minor and a legal studies concentration from Berwyn, who submitted her paper, “The Jungle,” completed in the course HIST 350: An Environmental History of the United States; and to senior occupational therapy majors Catherine Moloney from Hockessin, Deleware; Gabriela Lins from Ocean, New Jersey; and Kaitlin Kenyon, Centerport, New York; who submitted their group paper “The Efficacy of Virtual Reality in Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Post-Stroke,” completed in the course OT 494: Evidence Based Research.
Livelsberger, winner in the Undergraduate Foundational category, submitted to the competition his paper “Empty Aid,” completed his WRTG 107: Composition course. To complete his research, Livelsberger relied on initial instruction in brainstorming topical keywords, database searching and information evaluation provided by both his professor and a faculty librarian who visited his class, as well as support at the Research Services desk. What set his research apart, however, is the way his initial position on his topic changed through the research process, developing a more critical stance on the topic of the effects of humanitarian aid on recipient countries as a result of the new information he found. Through researching and writing this paper, Livelsberger “learned that research is a dynamic, intense process” and “discovered the seemingly unlimited information [he] can use as a university student through the library to develop educated opinions.”
An Honorable Mention award in the Undergraduate Foundational category was presented to first-year biology major Justine Duva from Glenmoore for her essay “An Investigation into the Effects of Skin to Skin Contact with Newborns” completed in her WRTG 107: Composition course.
Randall and Schane, winners in the Graduate category, submitted to the competition their project “Adaptive Equipment Through the Ages: A Historical Review of Occupational Therapy,” completed in the course OT 501: Leadership in Occupational Therapy. For this project, Randall and Schane made heavy use of library resources which they accessed through the online library research guide for this course. Resources used include the library’s databases including ProQuest Health and Medical Complete, CINAHL, and PubMed; books including those that were held on print reserve and at the Research Services desk, books from the circulating collection, and ebooks; journals both in print and online; and periodical literature only available in microfilm. They also took advantage of support from the faculty librarians both in class and at the Research Services desk, as well as Interlibrary Loan services. In their description of research, Randall and Schane conclude, “We could not have completed our paper without the library, the online and physical data, and the space to use its computers, scanners, printers, and quiet spaces. The library is an irreplaceable resource on campus with wonderful staff which has shaped us into better students and researchers as we prepare for our professional careers.”
Honorable Mention awards in the Graduate category were presented to occupational therapy graduate students Jenna Gulics from Hopelawn, New Jersey, and Lisa Crivelli, Avon, Connecticut, respectively, who submitted their project, “A Historical Review on Early Intervention in Occupational Therapy,” completed in the course OT 501: Leadership in Occupational Therapy; and to Lindsey Hayde from Center Valley, a graduate student in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, who submitted her project, “Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist to Post-Anesthesia Care Unit Registered Nurse Handoff Using a Standardized Screen,” completed in the course NURS 790: DNP Scholarly Project II.
Prize winners were honored at a reception held in the spring semester in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
For more information about the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize, contact Donna Witek, information literacy coordinator at The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library, at 570-941-4000 or donna.witek@scranton.edu.
Library Research Prize Winners Recognized
-
07/22/2019
Eleven University of Scranton faculty members were honored recently with Provost Faculty Enhancement awards for excellence in teaching, scholarship or service. The Office of the Provost and the Provost Advisory Group selected the recipients from a pool of candidates nominated by academic deans and department chairs.
Michael Allison, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum Award. This award honors a faculty members whose special efforts ensure that students have a keen understanding and appreciation of the realities of the world, including pressing justice issues in a local, national and global context. Dr. Allison, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2006. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the Florida State University.
Douglas Boyle, D.B.A., received the Faculty Senate Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates dedication to teaching graduate students in a manner that creates an encouraging and intellectually stimulating environment that promotes critical thinking and learning. Dr. Boyle, associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department, joined the faculty at the University in 2009. He earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, his master’s degree from Columbia University and his D.B.A. from Kennesaw State University.
Marian Farrell, Ph.D., received the Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award, which recognizes faculty members who have contributed service to the University community, particularly those who demonstrate academic leadership by effectively mentoring their junior colleagues. Dr. Farrell, professor of nursing, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from College Misericordia, a second master’s degree from Syracuse University and her Ph.D. from Adelphia University.
Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Advancing Interdisciplinary Study Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates noteworthy academic leadership in promoting and strengthening cross-disciplinary or interdepartmental teaching and learning endeavors. Dr. Grettano, associate professor of English and theatre, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2009. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of South Alabama and her Ph.D. from Illinois State University.
Christie Pugh Karpiak, Ph.D., received the Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, presented to faculty members who enhance student learning. Dr. Karpiak, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2001. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from the University of Utah.
Lawrence W. Kennedy, Ph.D., and Yibai Li, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Scholarly Publication Award, presented to faculty members who have attained distinction in scholarship or creative activity. Dr. Kennedy, professor of history, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1992. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from Boston College. Dr. Li, associate professor of operations and information management, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2013. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Jilin University, his master’s degree from Oklahoma State University and his Ph.D. from Washington State University.
Oliver Morgan, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum: Magis Award. Dr. Morgan, professor of counseling and human services, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, his master’s degree from Hahnemann Medical University and his Master of Divinity degree from Weston School of Theology, and his Ph.D. from Boston University.
Charles Pinches, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Advancing Global Learning Award, presented to faculty members who integrate international issues and perspectives into the curriculum. Dr. Pinches, professor of theology/religious studies, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
El-Habib Zanzana, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Integrating Diversity in Learning Award, which recognizes a faculty member whose efforts to integrate diversity in the curriculum have enriched the students’ learning experiences. Dr. Zanzana, associate professor of world languages and cultures, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1995. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from Indiana University.
In addition, Jahan Tabatabai, adjunct professor in the Economics and Finance Department, was honored with the Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Professor Tabatabai earned his bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and his master’s degree from Columbia University.
University Faculty Recognized for Excellence
-
07/19/2019
Fifty years ago, University of Scranton alumnus Glynn S. Lunney served as a NASA flight director for the historic Apollo 11 mission that placed the first man on the moon. Lunney, a native of Old Forge, completed his pre-engineering studies at the University in 1955 and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Detroit in 1958.
“It amazes me to know that 50 years ago, a Scranton alumnus played a pivotal role in placing a man on the moon,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “We are very proud of contributions our alumni have made, and will continue to make in the future, for mankind and for the greater glory of God.”
During his distinguished career, Lunney served as a flight director for Apollo 5, 8, 11, 12, 13 and 14, and as lead flight director for Apollo 1, 4, 7 and 10.
The University bestowed an honorary degree upon Lunney in 1971. Read the news release announcing the honorary degree in the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library’s digital archive.
Scranton’s Apollo 11 Connection
-
07/19/2019
The Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) recognized The University of Scranton’s student chapter as one of just five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the 2018-2019 academic year. Officers of the University’s IMA student chapter for 2018-2019 were: Kyle Hayes of East Norwich, New York, president; Kyle Ascher of Garden City, New York, vice president; Nicole D’Alessandro of Warminster, secretary; and Nicholas Constantinou of Amherst, New York, treasurer.
The University’s IMA student chapter, formed in 2017, had 22 members for the 2018-2019 academic year. Through the chapter, University students participated in IMA’s national student case competition and its national student manuscript competition. Students also participated in IMA’s student leadership conference. The organization ran multiple events during the academic year that included meetings facilitated by faculty and professionals about ethics, careers and interpersonal and negotiation skills, among other topics. The chapter participated in two community charity events and went on off-campus site visits to IMA headquarters in Montvale, New Jersey, and Gertrude Hawk Chocolates.
Students also participated in a Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exam information session. IMA’s Endorsement of Higher Education initiative recognizes programs that meet rigorous educational standards, enabling students to pursue and earn the CMA credential. The University’s undergraduate accounting program was endorsed by IMA in 2017.
IMA will formally recognize Scranton’s student chapter at its national Student Leadership Conference in November is Charlotte, South Carolina.
Student Group Garners National Recognition
-
07/19/2019
A series of short (15-second) recruitment videos for The University of Scranton won a 2019 Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Circle of Excellence Bronze Award.
More than 600 member institutions submitted more than 2,850 entries for the national competition that awards gold, silver and bronze medals in 100 categories. According to CASE, winning entries are selected based on a number of factors, including overall quality, innovation, use of resources and the impact on the institution or its external and internal communities, such as alumni, parents, students, faculty and staff. More than 500 judges volunteered to evaluate the entries.
Scranton won a 2019 CASE Circle of Excellence Bronze Award in the “short recruitment video” category for its series of 15-second videos. The judges called the videos a “great series of five well-written professional ads for minimal cost” that “expertly promotes the key features that The University of Scranton has to offer … in an integrated, well-planned strategic approach.” The judges also said the 15-second videos were a “great use of time and a great combo of visuals and words on the screen; a perfect balance of both.” The University produced the videos with Awesome Films, Pittsburgh.
The University has won numerous national awards for its marketing materials and campaigns, including videos, commercials, publications and social media. In the past five years, the University has won multiple bronze, silver and gold honors from the Higher Education Marketing Report Educational Advertising Awards, as well as Telly Awards, a national competition that honors excellence in video and television. Scranton’s most recent awards include a 2018 Silver Telly Award for “The Humanities at Scranton” and a 2018 Gold Higher Education Marketing Award for social media and a 2019 Silver Telly Award for “Your Next Four Years Could be Here,” which was also one of the videos in the series that won the CASE Award. These videos were also produced with Awesome Films.
This is the first CASE Award the University won for a marketing video.
University Marketing Videos Win CASE Award
-
07/19/2019
At a ceremony on campus, The University of Scranton celebrated the second cohort to complete its Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program, which seeks to develop future executives to serve area nonprofit institutions.
Launched in 2017, the certificate program combines a rigorous academic component taught by Kania School of Management faculty with expertise in nonprofit organizations, a mentorship and experiential learning. The program includes capstone project that requires participants to form a comprehensive plan to solve a current issue faced by the nonprofit organization they represent.
Members of the second cohort who completed Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and the organizations they represent are:
Athena Aardweg, community services specialist, NEPA Alliance;
Angeline Abraham, assistant director, Employment Opportunity Center;
Eloise Butovich, leadership gift officer, University of Scranton;
Diane Dutko, chief operations officer, The Luzerne Foundation;
David Falchek, executive director, American Wine Society;
Kristen N. Follert, director of quality assurance, NEPA Community Health Care;
Katlyn J. Gardner, development and human resource director, NEPA Community Health Care;
Shannon Hayward, director WIC administration, Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc.;
Elizabeth Hughes, director of communications, Earth Conservancy;
Gretchen Hunt Greaves, director, nutrition programs and resource development, Commission on Economic Opportunity;
April Kemp, program director, Marley's Mission;
Teddy Michel, regional director, Ignatian Volunteer Corps of NEPA;
Lauren Pluskey McLain, director of development, The Kirby Center;
Todd Pousley, community revitalization manager, NeighborWorks NEPA;
Joseph Salva, president/founder, Individual Abilities in Motion;
Janine Tomaszewski, associate vice president of college relations, Johnson College;
Tonyehn Verkitus, executive director, Luzerne and Lackawanna Medical Societies;
Alison Woody, director of competitive grants/donor stewardship, Geisinger Health Foundation.
Local organizations sponsoring the program are: AllOne Foundation and Charities, Geisinger Health System Foundation, The Luzerne Foundation, Moses Taylor Foundation, The University of Scranton and the Weinberg Foundation.
For additional information visit the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program webpage or call 570-941-4047.Second Cohort Completes Nonprofit Leadership Program
-
07/16/2019
Ashley L. Stampone, faculty specialist in the Accounting Department at The University of Scranton, received the 2019 Faculty Leadership Award from the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA). IMA selects one faculty member in the nation to receive the annual award, which recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated significant leadership activities at the national, regional, and/or local levels of IMA and has made additional contributions to IMA.
Professor Stampone joined the faculty at Scranton in 2016. She serves as the moderator of the University’s IMA student chapter, through which University students participated in IMA’s student case competition and its student manuscript competition, as well as IMA’s student leadership conference. IMA selected Scranton’s student chapter as one of just five Outstanding Student Chapters in the nation for the 2018-2019 academic year. IMA will formally recognize Scranton’s student chapter at its national Student Leadership Conference in November is Charlotte, South Carolina.
Professor Stampone previously worked as an internal auditor for QVC, Inc. and as a senior financial systems analyst for Bridon American Corporation. Prior to that, she was an inventory accountant for International Salt Company and a staff accountant for ParenteBeard, LLC.
A resident of Old Forge, professor Stampone received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA from The University of Scranton. She is currently pursuing a DBA at the University.
In 2017, the University’s undergraduate accounting program joined an elite group of schools endorsed by IMA, one of the largest and most-respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. IMA’s Endorsement of Higher Education initiative recognizes programs that meet rigorous educational standards, enabling students to pursue and earn the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®) credential.
Professor Wins National Leadership Award
-
07/12/2019
Aug 2-4 9 a.m. Diocese of Scranton Catholic Charismatic Conference. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Call 570-983-6251 or email ccrconference@comcast.net.
Aug. 8 5 p.m. Business High School Scholars Celebration Reception. Proceeds to benefit The University of Scranton’s Business High School Scholars Program. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. $50. R.S.V.P. required to attend. Call 570-941-4047 or email laura.talerico@scranton.edu.
University Announces August Events
-
07/09/2019
The façade of St. Thomas Hall facing Linden Street will have a new modern design that incorporates locally quarried stone with a lit glass wall that spans the center of the four-story building and features the seal of The University of Scranton. The new design keeps the iconic cross that rises above the left side of the building.
The orange brick used when St. Thomas Hall was constructed in 1962 will be replaced with the pattern of locally quarried stone used in the Loyola Science Center, which connects to the Harper McGinnis Wing of St. Thomas Hall. The design blends the region’s distinctive West Mountain stone with granite quarried from the same site as the stone used in 1867 to construct the Scranton Estate on campus. West Mountain stone is closely identified with northeastern Pennsylvania and is seen in many historic buildings in downtown Scranton, such as the Lackawanna County Courthouse, Elm Park Church and City Hall. The University of Scranton’s name will be carved on the lower wall of stone.
Spanning the center of the facade is a glass wall etched with the seal of the University. The wall will be lit in evenings to highlight the image.
Hemmler + Camayd designed the updated façade. A.J. Guzzi General Contractors, Inc., is the construction manager for the project, which began in July and is expected to be completed in six months.
New Facade to Feature University Seal
-
07/08/2019
The University of Scranton awarded six professors 2019 Faculty Development Summer Grants, which are intended to promote scholarship and curriculum development efforts by faculty members.
Shuhua Fan, Ph.D., professor of history, will research “The Knight Brothers in Newchwang: Foreign Life in Mid-19th Century Chinese Treaty Ports.” Dr. Fan joined the faculty at Scranton in 2009. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China, a master’s degree from Jilin University, Changchun, China, and a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Irene Goll, Ph.D., associate professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, will research “National Culture, Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Performance.” Dr. Goll joined the faculty at Scranton in 1988. She earned a bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. from Temple University.
Jason Graham, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics, will research “Pattern Formation and Decision Making in Slime Mold.” Dr. Graham joined Scranton’s faculty in 2012. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston, a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa.
Robert Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology, will research “Using Autonomous Recording Units to Survey Lackawanna State Park for Northern Saw-whet Owls and Spring Migrating Landbirds.” Dr. Smith joined the faculty at Scranton in 2003. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Alma College, a master’s degree from Central Michigan University and a Ph.D. from The University of Southern Mississippi.
Katherine Stumpo, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, will work on “Development: Conference Presentation and Compilation of Analyzed Data into Two Separate Manuscripts.” Dr. Stumpo joined the faculty at Scranton in 2015. She earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a Ph.D. from Texas A and M University.
Argyrios Varonides, Ph.D., professor of physics and electrical engineering, will research “New Modeling for Improved Performance of Graphene/Oxide/Semiconductor Schottky Barrier Solar Cells.” Dr. Varonides joined the faculty at Scranton in 1989. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Thessalonika, Greece, a master’s degree from Temple University and a Ph.D. from Drexel University.
Faculty Awarded Summer Development Grants
-
07/01/2019
The University of Scranton placed at No. 10 among the “Best Catholic Colleges and Universities” in America in a 2019 ranking that combines an average score from respected national publication rankings with an average score based on student reviews posted online. The ranking, published recently online by College Consensus, includes some of the most prestigious Catholic universities in America.
Scranton was the highest ranked Catholic university in Pennsylvania.
For the ranking, College Consensus calculated an “average rating score” for colleges based on national guidebook rankings, which include U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and others. College Consensus also calculated an “overall score” for colleges based on student reviews posted on multiple sites, including Niche.com. The “consensus ranking” combined both these scores.
This is the second consecutive year College Consensus ranked Scranton in the top 10 Catholic Colleges in the nation.
Niche.com also ranked Scranton among “Best Catholic Colleges in America,” placing Scranton at No. 14 in its 2019 national ranking. College Factual ranked Scranton No. 33 in its national 2019 “Best Roman Catholic Colleges” list and No. 2 in Pennsylvania for its state rankings of Catholic colleges.
The University of Scranton is ranked in all the above-mentioned publications, in addition to numerous other national “best college” rankings. U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 25 consecutive years.
Scranton No. 10 Best Catholic College in U.S.
-
06/27/2019
The Vera Institute of Justice announced The University of Scranton Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime was among the 16 organizations in the nation to be awarded an In Our Backyards Community Grant to provide data analysis and public information around the need to reduce incarceration in Lackawanna County. As part of this project, analysts from the University will set up a data-sharing, analysis and dissemination plan with the Lackawanna County Prison and other community partners.
“Incarceration is just one way society can deal with offending,” said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., executive director of the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime. “Unfortunately, our system has relied too much on prison as a crime prevention tool. We’ve learned a lot about the devastating social and economic effects of incarceration, and, as a result, people from all different backgrounds and ideologies recognize the need to reduce our reliance on it.”
Over the past 25 years, Lackawanna County’s incarceration rate has increased substantially, despite levels of crime remaining relatively low. Recent numbers suggest the rate of incarceration in Lackawanna County is nearly two times the national average and among the highest of any county in the northeastern United States.
“It’s important for the criminal justice system to be aware of the factors involved when making determinations regarding a decision on whether or not to incarcerate a person … factors such as the safety of the community and the effects of incarceration on the person and on that person’s family and loved ones,” said Timothy M. Betti, warden, Lackawanna County Prison. “It is my belief that there is a way to reduce the incarceration rates in Lackawanna County in a safe way. I am hopeful that this project will provide us with valuable information that will result in a more well informed process for those with the authority to make incarceration decisions. The Lackawanna County Prison staff and I look forward to this project and partnering with the University of Scranton and the Vera Institute of Justice.”
The 8-month project with the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime and Lackawanna County prison will include the set up and initial analysis of prison data to better understand Lackawanna County prison’s daily and admission populations. The Center’s goal is to institutionalize data analysis and evidence-based practice in the region, as part of its portfolio of projects. The project also intends to draw attention to the issues of justice related to incarceration through a public information strategy aimed at the Scranton community and the Center’s criminal justice partnerships.
This grant was made available through Vera’s In Our Backyards initiative, which has been at the forefront of research and analysis around rising incarceration in small cities and rural communities. This changing geography means that while campaigns in cities like New York, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Philadelphia have secured powerful commitments from elected leaders to close jails, hundreds of smaller communities are grappling with a quiet jail boom. The In Our Backyards Community Grants are meant to sustain and scale vital work already underway outside of major cities to end mass incarceration where it begins – at the local level.
In Our Backyards Community Grants represent the latest facet of Vera’s work to build national momentum to end mass incarceration. In total, Vera is investing $160,000 in 16 community organizations in 7 states, working on 11 diverse projects crafted to meet specific local challenges and issues related to incarceration and criminal justice reform. The 16 winning organizations will receive data and research support from Vera throughout the implementation of their projects.
University Receives Grant from Vera Institute
-
06/26/2019
Sixteen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 graduated from its Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this highly-selective program explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
The following is a list of the class of 2019 Business Leadership Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Filippo Durante, Nazareth, a biology major;
Claire Michele Fitzpatrick, Verona, New Jersey, a business administration major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Sydney R. Garofolo, Freehold, New Jersey, an operations management major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Molly M. Hampsey, Tunkhannock a finance major and member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, who graduated cum laude;
Grant V. Hellings, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, an economics major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Patrick Allen Keehan, Danville, a finance major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Angela Michelle McGovern, Yardley, a marketing major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Katherine Elizabeth McVeagh, Flourtown, a strategic communication major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Mark Robert Miller, Archbald, a marketing and business administration major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Daniel T. Muenkel, Fishkill, New York, an accounting and finance major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Nhu N. Nguyen, New Tripoli, an international business and accounting major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Logan A. Pisciotti, East Stroudsburg, a management major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Brian James Price, Glenside, an accounting and finance major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Jordan T. Reis, Glen Head, New York, a finance major;
Alexandra Rae Turner, West Chester, an accounting major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Caitlin Rose Waters, Bronxville, New York, a health administration major, who graduated magna cum laude.
Business Leadership Honors Program Graduates
-
06/26/2019
Twenty-eight members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.
The following is a list of the class of 2019 Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.
Kelsey Andrews, Lehighton, who graduated summa cum laude as a political science and criminal justice major, worked with faculty mentor Loreen Wolfer, Ph.D., professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, on a thesis titled “Student Perceptions of Miscarriages of Justice in the United States Criminal Justice System;”
Matthew Barrett, Clarks Summit, who graduated magna cum laude as a neuroscience major, worked with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Isolation of callow worker ants: How colony separation affects a developing social organism;”
Kerry Buckhaults, East Meadow, New York, who graduated magna cum laude as a psychology and neuroscience major, worked with faculty mentor Patrick Orr, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Effects of Endogenous and Exogenous Factors on Food Consumption and Perception;”
Emily Carr, Elmhurst Township, who graduated magna cum laude as a secondary education – English and English major, worked with faculty mentor Joseph Kraus, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, on a thesis titled “Disrupting the Canon: Finding Marginal Voices in Contemporary;”
Patrick Chapman, Morrisville, who graduated summa cum laude as a psychology and counseling and human services major, worked with faculty mentor Meghan Rich, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, on a thesis titled “Assessing University Students’ Knowledge of Scranton;”
Matthew Coughlin, Jenkintown, who graduated summa cum laude as a political science and philosophy major and also as a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program, worked with faculty mentor Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science, on a thesis titled “The Right to Be Let Alone;”
Isabella DeFalcis, Orefield, who graduated summa cum laude as a nursing major, worked with faculty mentor Barbara Buxton, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “Self-Care: An Analysis of Senior Nursing Students at The University of Scranton;”
Joseph Delmar, Flourtown, who graduated summa cum laude as a biophysics and philosophy major and also as a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program and as Presidential Scholar at the University, worked with faculty mentor Juan Serna, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics/electrical engineering, on a thesis titled “Numerical Solutions to the Time-Independent and Time-Dependent Schrödinger Equation;”
Thomas DeMarco, Malvern, who graduated cum laude as a criminal justice and psychology major, worked with faculty mentor James Roberts, Ph.D., professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, on a thesis titled “How Graham v. Connor’s ‘Objective Reasonableness’ Standard Applies to Psychological Factors and Law Enforcement Procedures in Police-Citizen Interactions;”
Marlene Geerinck, Rivervale, New Jersey, who graduated cum laude as an international studies major, worked with faculty mentor Rev. Daniel Sweeney, S.J., assistant professor of political science, on a thesis titled “Critical Mass Theory and its Applications in the Dáil Éireann;”
Stanley Gongliewski, Olyphant, who graduated magna cum laude as a biology major, worked with faculty mentor Rev. Timothy Cadigan, S.J., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Incorporation of Antibacterial Herbal Extracts into Cosmetic Products to Treat, Prevent, and Conceal Acne Vulgaris;”
Cecilia Horchos, West Chester, who graduated magna cum laude as a neuroscience major, worked with faculty mentor Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Involvement of Caffeine and Phosphodiesterase Inhibition in regards to Neural Activity and Donimance Hierarchy Formation in Crayfish, Procambarus clarkia,”
Courtney Loughlin, Old Tappan, New Jersey, who graduated magna cum laude as a counseling and human services major, worked with faculty mentor Paul Datti, Ph.D., associate professor of counseling and human services, on a thesis titled “How Counselors Address Food Insecurity: A Local Study;”
Christina Mecca, Moosic, neuroscience and biology major, worked with faculty mentor Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Contribution of Taurine to Aggressive and Escape Behaviors in the Female Crayfish, Procambarus clarkia;”
Nicole Nardella, Spring Brook Township, who graduated magna cum laude as a mathematics major, worked with faculty mentor Jason Graham, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics, on a thesis titled “Data-driven Modeling of Complex Systems: A Comparison of Two Methods;”
Michael O’Brien, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, who graduated magna cum laude as a economics major, worked with faculty mentor Christos Pargianas, Ph.D., associate professor of economics/finance, on a thesis titled “Wealth Inequality's Effect on Investors' Demand for Earnings;”
Elizabeth Pattara, South Abington Township, who graduated summa cum laude as a biology major, worked with faculty mentor Matthew Socha, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Effects of a Single High Fat Feeding on Endothelial-dependent Vasodilation in the Superior Epigastric Artery of C57BI/6 Mice;”
Sarah Ricupero, Newfoundland, who graduated magna cum laude as a neuroscience and biomathematics major, worked with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Implementation of the Kalman Filter in Ant Tracking;”
Kara Romanowski, Kingston, who graduated magna cum laude as a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and biology major, worked with faculty mentor Kathleen Dwyer, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Design and Preparation of a CRISPR Construct Targeting the Arabidopsis thaliana Receptor Like Kinase (RKL) At4g21380 ARK3 Gene;”
Emily Schramm, Mountain Top, who graduated summa cum laude as a biology major, worked with faculty mentor Andrew Venezia, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “The Impact of Acute Exercise and Sex on Short-term and Long-term Memory;”
Elyse Smilnak, Hollidaysburg, who graduated magna cum laude as a neuroscience and Hispanic studies major, worked with faculty mentor Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Effects of Increased Temperature as an Environmental Stressor on Octopamine, Dopamine, and Serotonin Levels in the Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus Impatiens) Brain;”
Megan Steinmetz, Vestal, New York, who graduated summa cum laude as a nursing major and as Presidential Scholar at the University, worked with faculty mentor Barbara Buxton, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “Undergraduate BSN Nursing Student Attitudes Toward Mental Illness;”
Adam Sunday, South Abington Township, who graduated summa cum laude as a biology major, worked with faculty mentor David Dzurec, Ph.D., associate professor of history, on a thesis titled “An In-depth Analysis into the Life of Benedict Arnold Calling into Question Whether Benedict Arnold Should be Regarded as Patriot or a Traitor;”
Madalyne Sunday, South Abington Township, who graduated summa cum laude as a biology major, worked with faculty mentor Terrence Sweeney, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Examining the Metastatic Model: A Study on the Proliferation and Differentiation of Neuroblastoma Cells Plated on Various Substrates;”
Brittany Thomas, Exeter, who graduated summa cum laude as a neuroscience and biology major, worked with faculty mentor Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Retinal Regeneration in Larval Zebrafish after Cadmium-induced deformities of the Eye;”
Sara Wierbowski, Owego, New York, who graduated summa cum laude as a neuroscience and philosophy major and also as a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program and as a Presidential Scholar at the University, worked with faculty mentor Patrick Orr, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Prenatal Exposure to Acetaminophen May Upregulate CB1 Receptors in C57BI/69 Mouse Pups;”
Brandon Zaffuto, Pittston, who graduated magna cum laude as an English and philosophy major and also as a member of the University's Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program, worked with faculty mentor Jones DeRitter, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, on a thesis titled “‘And How Had It Ever Happened Here?’ Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49 and Vineland: The Decline of Possibility, Diversity, and Opposition in American Society;”
Tara Zukosky, Wyoming, who graduated cum laude as a biology major, worked with faculty mentor Maria Squire, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effects of the Absence of Neuromedin U (NMU) or Neuromedin U Receptor 1 (NMUR1) on Murine Bone Quantity and Morphology.”
Class of 2019 Honors Program Graduates
-
06/26/2019
Thirty-eight members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 graduated from its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA), which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in SJLA pursue a rigorous education designed to develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills through specially designed courses in philosophy, theology and literature.
The following is a list of class of 2019 SJLA Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Kimberly S. Barr, Nazareth, a biology and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Ali N. Basalyga, Scranton, a strategic communication major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Caitlin Buch, Great Meadows, New Jersey, a neuroscience and philosophy major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Alexa N. Casablanca, Oxford, Connecticut, a biology and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Cara M. Charles, Yardley, an English and philosophy major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Matthew J. Coughlin, Jenkintown, a political science and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude, and was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Nicholas J. D'Alonzo, Port Washington, New York, a neuroscience and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Joseph M. Delmar, Flourtown, a biophysics and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude, and was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program, as well as a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Anna C. DiGiovine, Lafayette Hill, an English, accounting and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Caelin A. Docalovich, Roaring Brook Township, a biology and philosophy major;
Robert J. Dougherty, Shavertown, a biochemistry and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Sela A. Fine, Sweet Valley, a biology and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Marissa N. Galardi, Archbald, a neuroscience and philosophy major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Michael H. Gatusky, Dallas, a neuroscience and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Laura B. Goodman, Ridgefield, Connecticut, a journalism and electronic media and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Molly M. Hampsey, Tunkhannock, a finance major, who graduated cum laude, and was also a member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program;
Meighan R. Hannon, Hanover Township, a counseling and human services and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Emilia C. Jakubek, Honesdale, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology and philosophy major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Benjamin P. Kelly, Glen, New Hampshire, a biochemistry and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Sarah A. Laga, Westbury, New York, an international studies and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude, and was also a Presidential Scholar at the University.
Katelyn E. Langford, Temple, a biology and philosophy major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Shauna C. Leahy, Hunlock Creek, a sociology major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Erica D. Licari, Saint James, New York, a biology and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Robert C. McGowan, Scranton, a psychology and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude, and was also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Laura K. McLaren, Langhorne, a biology and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Juliana R. Melara, Liverpool, New York, a psychology and philosophy major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Sarah N. Mithani, Cresco, a biology and philosophy major;
Michael D. Moran, Toms River, New Jersey, a neuroscience and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude, and was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Salvatore J. Nunziata, Farmingdale, New York, a biology and philosophy major;
Rebecca L. Petlansky, Auburn, a biology and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Jacob F. Ratowski, Hunlock Creek, a biomathematics and philosophy major;
Derek A. Rhodes, Upperco, Maryland, a biology and philosophy major, who graduated magna cum laude;
Danielle F. Saranchak, Pennsauken, New Jersey, a mathematics and philosophy major, who graduated cum laude;
Catherine A. Stapf, Warrington, a neuroscience and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude;
Katherine E. Talerico, Old Forge, a neuroscience and philosophy major;
Kassaundra M. Thiel, Moscow, a biochemistry major;
Sara N. Wierbowski, Owego, New York, a neuroscience and philosophy major, who graduated summa cum laude, and was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program, as well as a Presidential Scholar at the University.
Brandon M. Zaffuto, Pittston, an English and philosophy major, who graduated magna cum laude, and was also a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program.
Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program Graduates
-
06/17/2019
Orientation sessions for The University of Scranton’s class of 2023 began on campus this week. The two-day sessions for students, parents and guardians will continue June 20-21, 24-25 and 27-28. Members of Scranton’s incoming class of more than 1,000 students represent 15 states, including California, Florida, Texas and Virginia, three foreign countries and one U.S. Territory.
Scranton’s summer orientation is designed to introduce new students and their families to the University’s procedures, facilities and support services, and to provide them with the opportunity to meet with faculty, administrators and staff, as well as each other.
Student orientation leaders Jenny Kim, a senior occupational therapy major from Horsham; Nathalie Cespedes, a junior counseling and human services major from New Hyde Park, New York; and Bridget Pynn, a junior occupational therapy major from Brooklyn, New York; along with a team of University administrators, staff, faculty and nearly 50 student orientation assistants, acquaint the incoming class to the University community and region.
Orientation includes chemistry, mathematics and composition placement tests for incoming students. They also meet academic advisors, attend presentations on support services and extracurricular activities, and participate in recreational and social events.
The program also includes sessions for parents and guardians, such as “Mission Matters,” presented by Robert Davis, Ed.D., vice president for student life, which helps prepare parents for the new role they will play in supporting their child at a Jesuit college. Parents also learn about the resources and programs offered by Campus Ministries, Financial Aid, the Center for Career Development and other departments at the University.
The summer reading assignment for the class of 2023 Royal Reads Program is “The Bread of Angels: A Journey to Love and Faith,” by Stephanie Saldana. Members of the incoming class are required to read the book and attend the lecture in the fall semester about the book. The purpose of the Royal Reads Program is to create a shared experience for Scranton’s newest students through the reading of a carefully selected book, which introduces them to the Ignatian values.
The entire class of 2023 will assemble on campus for the first time at Fall Welcome Weekend Aug. 24-25.Orientation Begins for Class of 2023
-
06/17/2019
More than 1,650 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2019 spring semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Dean’s List students can be seen here.
University Announces Spring 2019 Dean’s List
-
06/17/2019
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the fall 2018 semester after publication of the list in January of 2019.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2018 fall semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the fall 2018 Dean’s List are:
Brianna Baran-Doyle
Kimberly Barr
Sean Batzel
Andrea Chernick
Michael Diehl
Daniel Doolan
Megan Fabian
Sela Fine
Makenna Fredericks
Nicholas Gangone
Michelle Garvey
Emily Kale
Julia Khalil
Robert Lastowski
Meghan Loomie
Sarah McCormick
Mahad Muhammad
Nicole Nardella
Christabel Newman
Dalyn Nicoletti
Michael O’Brien
Faith Punch
Mary Purcell
Sarah Ricupero
Tori Rosenthal
Ashley Spencer
Shannon Treharne
Students Added to Fall 2018 Dean’s List
-
06/13/2019
Nineteen high school students completed The University of Scranton’s University of Success program, a multi-year, pre-college program that is designed for high school students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. All the graduates have been admitted to post-secondary schools or chose to enlist in military service.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Dime Bank, Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank, Kuehner Family Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, Prudential Foundation, Scranton Area Foundation, Waste Management, Weis Markets and Wells Fargo.
The following is a list of 2019 University of Success graduates, the high school they attended, and their post-high school plans.
Daniel Aguilar of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend King’s College;
Madison Bufalino of Forty Fort, Wyoming Valley West High School, plans to attend Luzerne County Community College;
Alexandria Chippa of Gouldsboro, North Pocono High School, plans to attend Arcadia University;
Brittney Cooper of Tunkhannock, Tunkhannock High School, plans to attend Ithaca University;
Daisy Dominguez of Scranton, Scranton High School, enlisted in the U.S. Marines entering its nursing program;
Guillermo Gomez of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Samuel Goncalves of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Tika Kadariya of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Noah McDonald of Old Forge, Old Forge High School, plans to attend Bloomsburg University;
Rory Misko of Carbondale, Carbondale Area High School, plans to attend Kutztown University;
Shania Nelson of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Marywood University;
Robert Orr of Factoryville, Commonwealth Connections Academy, plans to attend Keystone College;
Carmine Perry of Old Forge, Old Forge High School, plans to attend Colgate University;
Richard Rodriguez of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Kaylee Sanko of Scott Township, Lakeland High School, plans to attend Keystone College;
Kyla Sheerer of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Stephanie Vasquez of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Sasha Vorozilchak of Blakely, Valley View High School, plans to attend East Stroudsburg University;
Alexus Wilber of Hop Bottom, Mountain View High School, plans to attend Arcadia University.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Seniors Graduate from University of Success
-
06/05/2019
Members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony held on Scranton’s campus in May. In addition, members of Scranton’s class of 2019 committed to post-graduation long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations throughout the country and internationally.
Graduates Commit to Military and Long-term Service
-
06/04/2019
The University of Scranton hosted several academic competitions for area middle school and high school students on campus in April and May including: a Computer Science Programming Contest; an Earth Day essay contest; the Hayes Competition for physics and engineering; the Integration Bee for mathematics and a business scholars competition.
In addition to the academic competitions, educational programs are offered through the University’s theatre program, art gallery and performance music program, as well as educational tours of the Loyola Science Center and other enrichment programs.
For more information about the University’s educational program for elementary, middle and high school students, visit the Community Relations website.
Winners of High School Academic Competition Named
-
06/04/2019
University of Scranton class of 2019 graduate Thomas Gerald McGinley considers nature the “ultimate playground” and is concerned about sustaining it for future generations. The scholar with a love of extreme sports will have the opportunity to do something about it as a Fulbright student scholar.
McGinley won a competitive Fulbright-Lappeeranta University of Technology Graduate Award to Finland through the 2019-2020 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. As a Fulbright student he will examine the extent to which Europe’s small- and medium-sized business models promote social and economic sustainability.
McGinley, who earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing, summa cum laude, credits his love for nature with his life-long passion for cycling, running and hiking. His focus on sustainability and business were heightened in courses taken at Scranton. He took a Sustainable Marketing course during his senior year and focused his final research paper for his European Business course on the European Union’s goal of a carbon neutral transportation sector by 2050.
His professor for European Business was Susan Trussler, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance and the University’s Fulbright Program Advisor.
“I wouldn’t be where I am at today had it not been for Dr. Trussler, and that is a cold, hard fact. She is the University’s secret weapon in regard to the Fulbright program,” said McGinley.
Widely considered to be the premier international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government, the Fulbright program awards grants based on the recipients’ records of academic achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields, according to Dr. Trussler. The 2019 award continues Scranton’s decades of success with the Fulbright program. Since 1972, a total of 125 University students have been awarded Fulbrights.
Through Dr. Trussler’s encouragement to explore the Fulbright program, McGinley found a master’s program in international marketing management focused on sustainability at the Lappeeranta University of Technology in Finland.
“I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect fit. I knew I just had to take a shot at this program,” said McGinley.
As a Fulbright student, McGinley will work under the supervision of research professors Dr. Olli Kuivalainen and Dr. Lasse Torkkeli at the Lappeeranta University of Technology’s School of Business and Management, where he will pursue a two-year Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration.
McGinley is one of more than 1,900 U.S. citizens who will study, conduct research, or teach English abroad for the 2019-2020 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.
A Dean’s List student the University, McGinley was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma, the business honor society recognized by AACSB-International, and Mu Kappa Tau, the international marketing honor society. As a member of the University’s varsity men’s cross country and track and field teams, he was named to the Landmark Conference Honor Roll. He was also a member of the Scranton’s chapter of the American Advertising Federation and the Marketing Society.
In the summer of 2018, McGinley received a University-funded Royal Experience Award to pursue an internship at IRONMAN in Tampa, Florida. He also served as a marketing and social media intern at Injury Boss, Old Forge, in 2018-19, and as a search engine optimization intern for LSEO Digital Marketing Agency, Wilkes-Barre, during the spring semester of 2018.
A graduate of Bishop McNamara High School, McGinley resides in Glenn Dale, Maryland, with his parents, both of whom also graduated from Scranton, Anne Marie, J.D. ’84, and Robert McGinley, J.D. ’84. His older sister, Kathleen, resides in Australia.
After his Fulbright year, McGinley will complete the second year of the master’s program at Lappeeranta University. He then plans to pursue a career in international sports marketing.
“I don’t see it out of the realm of possibility of working in Europe, but I would also be happy to bring back new ideas and approaches to sustainability to U.S. businesses as well. Ultimately, I would love to sponsor extreme athletes who raise awareness for green initiatives.”
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections and mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide.
University 2019 Graduate Wins Fulbright
-
06/01/2019
Nearly 250 area students participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. The academic competition tested the high school students’ knowledge of physics and engineering through a series of quizzes and hands-on challenges. Students competed individually and in teams.
Dallas Schedheterly from Berwick High School came in first place in the individual competition. Kaleb Garringer, also from Berwick High School, came in second place. Keegan Napolitano from North Pocono High School came in third place. James Docolovitch from North Pocono High School won the Kane Scholarship of $1,500 to The University of Scranton for holding the highest quiz score of a participant who will attend the University in fall of 2019.
In the team competition, Berwick High School Team One placed first. Members of that team were: Hanako Ferro, Kaleb Garringer, Hannah Gizinski, Jarret Groshek, Griffin Keller, Ryan Kishbaugh, Henry Novicki and Jake Yacuboski. Delaware Valley High School came in second-place. Members of the team that placed second were: Richard Albanese, Michael Chapman, Nicholas Drago, Blake Gearhart, Nash Hamill, Noah Irgang and Christian Secular. Berwick High School team three placed third. Members of the third-place finishing team were: Mia Doll, Luis Donyre, Sydney Kimbell, Sydney Lloyd, Colt McAntich, Tim Moran, Gi Popko and Dallas Schedheterly. The coach of the Berwick teams was Matt Shrader and the coach of the Delaware Valley Team was Steve Rhule.
The competition was organized by the University’s Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering with the purpose of encouraging more students to pursue careers in physics and engineering.
Delaware Valley High School came in second place in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, team coach Steve Rhule and Christian Secular. Second row: Richard Albanese, Nicholas Drago, Michael Chapman, Nash Hamill, Blake Gearhart and Noah Irgang.
Berwick High School team three placed third in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, team coach Matt Shrader and Dallas Schedheterly (first place in individual competition). Second row: Mia Doll, Sydney Lloyd, Sydney Kimbell and Gi Popko. Third row: Colt McAntich, Tim Moran and Luis Donyre.
Participating Teams:
Berwick High School team two participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Matt Shrader and Aubree Strachko. Standing: Kayla McCreary, Kyler Hower, Karlea Allen, Mark McCracken, Megan Dalo and Jason Lin.
Berwick High School team four participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Matt Shrader and Maryanna Betterly. Second row: Emily Novicki, Marina Ferro and Emily Getty. Third row: Renny Murphy, Abi Calvert, Logan Witner and Jordan Kopac.
Berwick High School team four participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Mike Rochford and Gianna Miller. Second row: Hegan Caroll, Logan Noroski, Beni Contges, Dustin Peters, Mason Huntington, Dakota Welsh and Levi Seigfreid.
Carbondale Area High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Joseph Borosky and Stone Wormuth. Second row: Kristina Gorel, Dylan Rowland, Jonathon Pugliese, Estelle Fuller, Patrick Durkin, Annaliese Allen and Nicholas Vadella.
Dunmore High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Anthony Rennekamp and Kayleigh Carey. Second row: Gia Occhipinti, Greg McDade, Megan Pavlowski, Lee Weidow and Antoinette Cantarella. Third row: Kaylie Levinsky and Anthony Santarsiero.
Forest City Regional High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Dan Nebzydoski and Cameron Brucher. Second row: Elizabeth Mayers, Katie Nguyen, Riley O’Neill, Maggie Kowalewski and Katie Nebzydoski. Third row: Matthew Giles, Joshua Loysch and Blaise Albright.
Holy Cross High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Margaret Loughney and Olivia Zehel. Standing: Jacob Rasimovich, Matthew Herne, Declan Tokash, Eric Rine, Gianna Calciano, Joshua Walker and Carl Schuester.
Holy Cross High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Margaret Loughney and Ericka Pica. Standing: Hannah Carr, Kalley Kovaleski, Kaylee Magda, Ally Carter, Grace Okrepkie, Kiearra Saldi, Mia Sandy and Heather Bailey.
Honesdale High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Rebecca Kretschmer and Nate Mansfield. Second row: Jackie Burke, Brandon Lawson, Liam Carmody, Connor Eisele, Andrew LaTourette, Jacob Adams and Andrew DeFazio.
Mid Valley Secondary Center participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Richard Therkorn and Jacob Vituszynski. Second row: Mike Ly, Nick Ferretti, Sean MacCallum, John Piorkowski, Caleb Taber and Joshua Vituszynski.
North Pocono High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach John Croom and Mark Caputo. Second row: Kelsey Kline, Timothy Pickarski, Catherine Clancy, Ashley Santaniello, Nikhil Patel and James Docalovich (who won the Kane Scholarship of $1,500 to attend The University of Scranton).
North Pocono High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach John Croom and Stephen McNulty. Second row: Emily Rouse, Greg Duggan, Tobias Chalk, Ryan Deom, Petyon Roberts and Nicholas DeScipio.
North Pocono High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach John Croom and Connor Aversa. Second row: James Bianchi, Kelley Troutman, Dustin Moss, Keegan Napolitano (who came in third place in the individual competition) and Kathryn Purcell.
North Pocono High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach John Croom and Lia Fontanella. Second row: Kate Yanik, Anna Bajor, Peyton Sievers, Katana Evans, Shane Lamparter and Alexandra Matyjevich.
Scranton Preparatory School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach coach Paul Pearson and Sophia Dipaolo. Second row: Alana Simrell, Connor Chernesky, Cuong Nguyen and Daniel Zych. Third row: Ethan Tost, Brendan Braatz and Ryan Chan.
Scranton Preparatory School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Paul Pearson and Norman Kanavy. Standing: Katherine Dzwonczyk, Maureen Nole, Alex Strubek, Molly Harrison, Allen Papp, Maggie Martin, Amanda Kornutiak and Mia Gianello.
Scranton High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Lorraine Babarsky and Dan Acosta. Standing: Birendra Dhungel, Harsh Patel, Joseph Guido, Viraj Patel, Dan Aguliar, Diego Romero and Maulin Patel.
Scranton High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Lorraine Babarsky and Claire Dunleavy. Standing: Richard Rodriguez, Brandon Karp, Steven Paszek, Jacob Campbell and Aidan Jones.
Scranton High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Lorraine Babarsky and Hemil Ray. In row 2, from left are: Jeremiah Oakes, Alex Baress, Jonathan Yudhistira, Humphrey Mende and Neel Patel.
Sullivan High School South participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Michael Vogt and Anastasia Miller. Second row: Kirk Kleinsasser, Aaron Kinsey, Colton Ammerman and Cameron Fiester.
Susquehanna High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach John Salinkas and Kaylee Landry. In row 2, from left are: Eric Hall, Anakin Major, Rhiannon Potter, Michael Braun, Devon Dubanowitz and Emily Fremberg.
Wallenpaupak High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Ryan Neenan and Chris Higgins. Second row: Anthony Delvillar, Angela Hussung, Wes Conklin, Luqi Zhao, Tom Lane and Tyler Wirth.
West Scranton High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Scott Dustman and Joe Rutkowski. Second row: Adam Mehall, Ryan Corser, Samuel Goncalves, Isaiah Jolly, Evan Krysko and Brenda Sodani.
West Scranton High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Scott Dustman and Adam Sprague. Second row: Jake Butka, Milagros Cervantes, Bailey Loureiro, Austin Sowka, John Bugiada and Emilia Doda.
Wyoming Area High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach David Pizano and Bayli Grossi. Second row: Michael Remley, Nicholas Perry, Aleah Kranson, Michael Abromovage and Jacob Butwin.
Wyoming Area High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach David Pizano and Jeremy Harman. Second row: Katherine Pepe, Ryan Gatto, Stephanie Palovchak, Abigail Kolessar and William Fauntleroy.
Wyoming Area High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach David Pizano and Joshua Cheetham. Second row: Nicholas Katulka, Noah Gresh, Roberta Papa, Kenneth Remus and Tyler Martin.
Wyoming Valley West High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Edward Groth and Donjeta Ahmetaj. Second row: Andrea Shaw, Zach Brandreth, Gabe Stiles, Matt Nogin, Eric Lawson and Jake Shusta.
Wyoming Valley West High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Edward Groth and Emily Latoski. Second row: Brooke Taylor, Ian Cavalari, Alexis Dubois, Andrew Fuller and Molly Thornton. Third row: Matt Stoodley and Chris Stoodley.
Wyoming Valley West High School participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist of physics and electrical engineering at the University; coach Edward Groth and Rina Tsioles. Second row: Sydney Rusneck, Amerah Laban and Michala Dennis. Third row: Brendan Woods, Chloe Pisack, Brandon Richie and Anthony Berrini.
Competition Tests Students’ Knowledge of Physics
-
05/31/2019
Six members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 and one graduate from Marywood University were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony held on Scranton’s campus in May.
The University of Scranton ROTC graduates who were commissioned at the ceremony are:
2nd Lt. Owen David Drozd of Easton;
2nd Lt. Derek Fisher of Nanticoke;
2nd Lt. Taylor Anne Nehlig of Princeton, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Jason R. Palauskas of Scranton;
2nd Lt. Logan A. Pisciotti of East Stroudsburg;
2nd Lt. Jibrael A. Robertson of Montclair, New Jersey.
In addition to The University of Scranton graduates, also commissioned at the ceremony was Marywood University graduate 2nd Lt. Craig Serfass, Lehighton.
Graduates Commissioned as Second Lieutenants
-
05/31/2019
Seven members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2019 committed to post-graduation long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations throughout the country and internationally. Their service begins this summer and includes programs run by the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Members of the University’s class of 2019 who committed to long-term service projects and their places of service are:
Marjorie Jasmine Sales Carl, Chuuk, Micronesia, Xavier High School as a teacher, Chuuk, Micronesia;
Belen Fresno Caturla, Horsham, Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a clinet advocate as a community food bank, Tucson, Arizona;
Angela Coen, Garden City, New York, Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest as a children's program specialist at Monika's House (a domestic violence shelter), Aloha, Oregon;
Jennifer Anne-Marie Gold, Somers, New York, Christ the King Service Corps as a teacher, Detroit, Michigan;
Erik S. Ridley, Allentown, Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a emergency services outreach worker, Syracuse, New York;
Danielle Frances Saranchak, Pennsauken, New Jersey, St. Joseph's University Alliance for Catholic Education as a mathematics teacher at Father Judge High School, Philadelphia;
Caitlin S. Torrico, Cranford, New Jersey, Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Nationally recognized for its commitment to service, The University of Scranton was among just 361 colleges in the nation to earn the highly-respected Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification and was among the higher education institutions named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.
Graduates Commit to Long Term Service Positions
-
05/31/2019
The University of Scranton’s Business High School Scholars Club held a case competition for area high school students in May in Brennan Hall. The competition provided area high school students with the opportunity to analyze a business, formulate strategic recommendations, and make a formal presentation to a team of executive judges and faculty.
The idea for the competition came from the officers of the Business High School Scholars Club, who are high school students taking college courses at the University through the Business High School Scholars Program. Club officers include: Emma Boyle of Peckville, president, Commonwealth Charter Academy; Kylie Seyler of Wilkes-Barre, vice president, Wyoming Seminary; Marisol Olivares Hernandez of Covington Township, secretary, North Pocono High School; Alyssa Moore of Dickson City, treasurer, Mid Valley Secondary Center; and Madison Green of Archbald, historian, Valley View High School.
“Our club includes students from 12 area high schools who enjoy working together to network, learn and earn college credit,” said Emma Boyle, a senior at Commonwealth Charter Academy and incoming accounting major at The University of Scranton. “This competition provided yet another outstanding opportunity for our club to work closely with supportive faculty, generous executive alumni and area high school students interested in business to learn and network.”
Based on the judging at the competition, the top four teams were recognized. First place honors were awarded to two teams, each receiving $500 and individual plaques. The first-place team members were: Conor Adams and Russell Booth, both from Abington Heights High School, Jose Santiago de los Rios, Wyoming Seminary; and Justin Williams, Abington Heights High School. Members of the second team earning first place honors were: Brooke M. Weiss and Sarah Zaleppa, both from Crestwood High School. Second place honors were awarded to two teams, each receiving $250 and individual plaques. The second-place team members were: Randall L. Bonitz, Jr. and Joseph Kologe, both from West Scranton High School, and Claudia Pitts, Scranton High School. Members of the second team earning second-place honors were: Abigail Kush and Zi Xuan Weng, both from Coughlin High School.
The judges and financial supporters for the competition included Peter Butera, senior vice president, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, William Conaboy, Esq., president and CEO, Allied Services Integrated Health System; Chris Kane, trustee of The University of Scranton; Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D., accounting professor at The University of Scranton; Pedro Olivares Hernandez, area business owner; and Harry Zike, CFO, Chinook Sciences.
“It is an honor to serve as a judge in this competition. These high school students are brave, bright and articulate, and they give us a sense of confidence in our future business professionals,” said Dr. Mahoney.
The officers of the Business High School Scholars Club worked with the University’s Rebekah Bernard, information and technology specialist for admissions and enrollment, Laura Talerico, Accounting Department administrative assistant, and Douglas Boyle, DBA, associate professor and Accounting Department chair, to make the event a success.
The Business High School Scholars Program at the University allows local high school students to take business and other courses at a reduced tuition rate. Students who apply should be entering junior and senior year with at least a 3.3 GPA. The students can apply credits earned toward a University degree, leading toward a path for an accelerated bachelor’s or even a master’s degree in a business area, saving them valuable time and money. Students may also apply for financial assistance with tuition and books, available through grants and the generosity of faculty, staff and alumni.
For more information about the Business High School Scholars Program, visit scranton.edu/bhsscholars or contact Rebekah Bernard in the Admissions Office at 570-941-5918 or by email at rebekah.bernard@scranton.edu.
High School Business Case Competition Held
-
05/29/2019
Vishnu Dasari from Central Columbia High School won The University of Scranton’s 2019 Math Integration Bee for high school students. He also won the competition in 2018.
In addition to Dasari, the four other finalists in the competition were: Jefferson Casado, Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences; Alexander Lindenbaum, Pocono Mountain East High School; Haylee Merloa, Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences; and Andy Yin, Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School.
The University’s Mathematics Department hosted the Integration Bee during the spring semester on campus. The format for the Integration Bee is similar to a spelling bee, however, participants find antiderivatives of functions of a single real variable. The competition can help high school students improve their skills for Advanced Placement mathematics tests.
Math Integration Bee Finalists Announced
-
05/28/2019
The University of Scranton honored 64 members of its undergraduate class of 2019 for academic excellence, service or both. The awards were presented at Class Night on May 24 on campus.
Students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges were presented Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence, a memorial to the late administrator who served the University for 53 years.
This year’s O’Hara Award recipients were: Laura Elizabeth Freedman, West Milford, New Jersey, and Samuel John Morano, Clarks Summit, for the College of Arts and Sciences; Daniel T. Muenkel, Fishkill, New York, for the Kania School of Management; and Kellie Rebecca Smigel, Blairstown, New Jersey, for the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Also recognized was prestigious scholarship award recipient Thomas G. McGinley, Glenn Dale, Maryland, who received Fulbright Award to Finland.
In addition, students were honored for outstanding academic achievement in their fields of study and leadership and service.
The students honored, and the awards received are as follows:
Nicole Alexis Angiuoli, Glen Gardner, New Jersey, Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Award;
Hanna Elizabeth Basilii, Lansdale, Excellence in Electronic Commerce Award;
Michael Nicholas Boland, Dallas, Excellence in Economics Award;
Rachel Elizabeth Brophy, Philadelphia, Excellence in Environmental Science Award;
Julianne E. Burrill, Vly Cottage, New York, Excellence in Exercise Science and Sport Award;
Katie Alice Butler, Mahwah, New Jersey, Excellence in Management Award;
Gabriella Cacciola, Tuckahoe, New York, Edward J. Spitzer Scholarship Award;
Emily Catherine Carr, Elmhurst Township, Mary E Quinn Award for Excellence in Secondary Education;
Patrick A. Chapman, Morrisville, Jesuit Community Award;
Angela Coen, Garden City, New York, Excellence in Women’s Studies Award;
Julia A. Consiglio, Oceanside, New York, Excellence in Theatre Award;
Matthew J. Coughlin, Jenkintown, Prof. Timothy H. Scully Award for Excellence in Political Science;
Kristin Brianne Curry, Doylestown, Excellence in Computer Science Award;
Julia G. Decker, Bethel, Connecticut, Excellence in Counseling and Human Services Award;
Joseph Michael Delmar, Flourtown, Professor Joseph P. Harper Award for Excellence in Physics;
Gianna Marie Dollard, Southampton, Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award;
Anne Patricia Ferketic, West Hartford, Connecticut, Excellence in Health Administration Award;
Mark J. Ferraro, Jr., Peckville, Excellence in Chemistry Award;
Gabriela Claire Ferroni, Bryn Mawr, Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing Award;
Laura Elizabeth Freedman, West Milford, New Jersey, Professor Bernard J. McGurl Award for Excellence in Communication and the J. Harold Brislin Memorial Award for Excellence in Journalism;
Sydney R. Garofolo, Freehold, New Jersey, Excellence in Operations Management Award;
Marlene J. Geerinck, Rivervale, New Jersey, Alumni Loyalty and Service Award;
Anna Krystyna Giannantonio, New Milford, New Jersey, Excellence in Theology and Religious Studies Award;
Sergey M. Gnilopyat, Harding, Excellence in Biomathematics;
Jennifer Anne-Marie Gold, Somers, New York, Excellence in Early and Primary Education Award;
Rama N. Karadsheh, Allentown, Excellence in Biochemistry Award and American Chemical Society Award;
Patrick Allen Keehan, Danville, Excellence in Finance Award;
Emily Pearl Koerner, Toms River, New Jersey, Excellence in Occupational Therapy Award;
Michelle Rose Krzemieniecki, Honesdale, Prof. Frank C. Brown Award for Excellence in History;
Peter M. Kulick, Pittston, Dr. A.J. Cawley Award for Excellence in Electrical Engineering;
Sarah A. Laga, Westbury, New York, Excellence in International Studies Award;
Shauna Christine Leahy, Hunlock Creek, Excellence in Sociology Award;
Samantha LoForte, East Islip, New York, Lawrence Lennon Award for Outstanding Service and Achievement in Psychology;
Karen A. Loftus, Archbald, Excellence in Nursing RN to BSN Award;
Thomas G. McGinley, Glenn Dale, Maryland, Fulbright Award to Finland;
Angela Michelle McGovern, Yardley, Excellence in Marketing Award;
Robert Christopher McGowan, Scranton, Excellence in Psychology Award, ex aequo, and the Student Life Award;
Elizabeth A. McManus, Brookfield, Connecticut, Excellence in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Award;
Juliana Rose Melara, Liverpool, New York, Excellence in Philosophy Award;
Mark Robert Miller, Archbald, Excellence in Business Administration Award;
Madison A. Montalbano, Rockaway Park, New York, Excellence in Psychology Award, ex aequo;
Richard M. Motter, Jr., Moscow, Excellence in Mathematics Award, ex aequo;
Daniel T. Muenkel, Fishkill, New York, Excellence in Accounting Award;
Nicole Lynn Nardella, Sprng Brook Township, Excellence in Mathematics Award, ex aequo;
Sinead Eileen O'Brien, Hillsdale, New Jersey, Excellence in Health Advocacy Award;
Jason R. Palauskas, Scranton, he Military Science Leadership Award;
Danielle A. Polanco, Otisville, New York, Excellence in Human Resources Award;
David Lee Rakauskas, Scranton, Excellence in Criminal Justice Award;
Kelly Ann Reilly, Hicksville, New York, Excellence in Community Health Education Award;
Sarah Lynn Ricupero, Newfoundland, Excellence in Neuroscience Award, ex aequo;
Kelsey Lauren Rosa, Bethlehem, Prof. Joseph G. Brunner Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages;
Allison N. Rosengarden, Flemington, New Jersey, Excellence in Forensic Chemistry Award;
Ryan A. Sebastianelli, Archbald, Prof. Frank C. Brown Award for Excellence in History;
Kimberly P. Sheehan, Rockville Centre, New York, Excellence in Applied Mathematics Award;
Catherine Ann Stapf, Warrington, Excellence in Neuroscience Award, ex aequo;
Megan Jane Steinmetz, Vestal, New York, Academic Excellence in Nursing Award;
Madalyne A. Sunday, South Abington Township, Kathryn and Bernard Hyland Memorial Award for Excellence in Biology; and the Lawrence A. Mann Award.
Nicholas Michael Tofani, Deptford, New Jersey, Excellence in Computer Information Systems Award;
Elizabeth A. Tolley, Brookside, New Jersey, Excellence in Middle Level Education Award;
Sara Nicole Wierbowski, Owego, New York, The J.J. Quinn, S.J., Achievement Award for Demonstration of Excellence in English Studies;
Peter Zabiegala, Scranton, Excellence in International Business Award;
Brandon M. Zaffuto, Pittston, Prof. Joseph B. Cullather Award for Excellence in English.
Outstanding Graduates Recognized at Class Night
-
05/26/2019
The University of Scranton conferred more than 850 bachelor’s and associate’s degrees at its undergraduate commencement on May 26 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre. Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ’93, G’93, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame, served as principal speaker and received an honorary degree from the University. Honorary degrees were also presented to David and Ann Hawk of Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and the Hawk Family Foundation; Rev. Matthew Ruhl, S.J., pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Belize; and Rev. Brendan Lally, S.J. ’70, rector of the Jesuit Community and chaplain at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Graduates receiving degrees at the ceremony include those who completed their program requirements in August and December of 2018, as well as January and May of 2019.
Members of the University’s class of 2019 represent 14 states including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C. The class includes the recipient a Fulbright scholarship, which is the U.S. government’s premier scholarship program for overseas graduate study, research and teaching.
Undergraduate majors with the most graduates are nursing, biology, accounting, exercise science and occupational therapy.
In her address to the graduates, Dr. Cummings said “My prayer is that you, as Scranton graduates, will always seek to do more. My prediction is that your most profound encounters with the human and the divine await you in the places that feel the least familiar. My promise is that our church, our nation, our world and our planet are going to need every ounce of your passion, your talents, your creativity in the years to come. My plea is for you to take what you learned while studying in these mountains, and go forth determined to move metaphorical ones. The best is yet to come.”
Also at the ceremony, Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of the University, addressed the graduates and their guests. In addition, Kara Ann Romanowski ’19, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major from Kingston, provided student remarks for her class. Also speaking at the ceremony were Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Charles Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency; Michael K. Short ’99, Alumni Society president; Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Murli Rajan, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management; and Brian P. Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, provided the Invocation.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen at www.scranton.edu/eventslive.
Scranton Holds Undergraduate Commencement
-
05/25/2019
The University of Scranton conferred more than 625 master’s and doctoral degrees at its graduate commencement ceremony on May 25 in the Byron Recreation Complex. Graduates recognized at the ceremony include those who completed their degree requirements in August and December of 2018, as well as January and May of 2019.
The University conferred three doctor of nursing practice degrees, 38 doctor of physical therapy degrees and more than 585 master’s degrees in various disciplines. Graduates represented several foreign countries and 39 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington, among others. The programs with the most graduates at Scranton were the master of business administration, master of accountancy, master of health administration, occupational therapy and educational administration.
University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., addressed the graduates and their guests. Degrees were conferred by Father Pilarz upon candidates presented by Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Murli Rajan, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management; and Brian P. Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Also speaking at the ceremony were Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Julie Ann Nastasi, Sc.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy; Michael K. Short ’99, Alumni Society president; and Rev. John Sivalon, Ph.D., director of international learning programs.
Graduate students were honored for academic achievement in their specific academic area. Outstanding Academic Awards were presented to Lindsey H. Hayde, Center Valley, Doctor of Nursing Practice; and Lauren Elizabeth Bonitz, Endicott, New York, Doctor of Physical Therapy. Outstanding Academic Awards for master’s level programs were presented to the following graduates in the programs as listed: Christine Emily Ahrens, Reading, health informatics; Jacqueline Rose Bailey, Waverly Township, school counseling; Courtney L. Boag, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, special education; Hannah Bobrowski, Drums, general business administration; Amy Lynn Coppola, Lambertville, New Jersey, human resources; Malak Daas, Scranton, marketing; Matthew A. Fava, New Carrollton, Maryland, chemistry; Louis J. Finnerty, Old Forge, health administration; Emily E. Gardner, Huguenot, New York, occupational therapy; Lauren Michelle Jurbala, Avoca, family nurse practitioner; Kari S. Koval, Leola, clinical chemistry; Amanda C. Lara, Hazleton, clinical mental health counseling; Erika V. Maxson, Greentown, secondary education; Ethan Chad Moser, Boyertown, finance; Daniel R. Muthersbaugh, Boyertown, operations management; Kayleen Elizabeth Notchick, Bellefonte, curriculum and instruction; Viren J. Patel, Scranton, biochemistry; Lindsay M. Pine, Vestal, New York, nurse anesthesia; Bobbi Lou Pino-y-Torres, Marquette, Michigan, healthcare management; Kyle James Potter, Mahopac, New York, finance; Sara T. Rizzo, Danbury, Connecticut, accounting; Pierre Richard Seche, Sunrise, Florida, human resources; Stephen Michael Skierski, Scott Township, theology; Jennifer Ann Whigham, Owego, New York, enterprise resource planning; Mara Catherine Wolfe, Ringtown, rehabilitation counseling; Donna Ann Yoder, Eagle, Colorado, accountancy; and Kurt Eric Zimmermann, Rockaway, New Jersey, educational administration.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen at www.scranton.edu/eventslive.University Confers Master’s and Doctoral Degrees
-
05/24/2019
Undergraduate Commencement: Sunday, May 26 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre
Principal Speaker & Honorary Degree Recipient: Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ’93, G’93, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame.Honorary Degree Recipients: David and Ann Hawk of Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and the Hawk Family Foundation; Rev. Matthew Ruhl, S.J., pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Belize; and Rev. Brendan Lally, S.J. ’70, rector of the Jesuit Community and chaplain at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.
Master’s and Doctoral Degree Commencement: Saturday, May 25 - Byron Recreation Complex
Total graduates: more than 1,480
Total doctoral degrees: 41 (DPT, DNP)
Total master’s degrees: more than 585Total bachelor’s degrees: more than 850Total associate’s degrees: 1Prestigious scholarships won by class of 2019 graduates: Fulbright scholarship, which is the U.S. government’s premier scholarship program for overseas graduate study, research and teaching.
States represented by undergraduates: 14, including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.
States represented by post-baccalaureate graduates: 39, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington.
Top undergraduate programs of study: nursing, biology, accounting, exercise science and occupational therapy.
Top graduate programs of study: master of business administration, master of accountancy, master of health administration, occupational therapy and educational administration.
Quick Facts: Commencement 2019
-
05/22/2019
The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) recognized The University of Scranton’s Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program for “Innovations and Best Practices in Canada, Latin America and the United States.” Just 43 colleges from the two continents were included in the just-released publication that recognizes the “impactful ways” AACSB member schools are redefining business education.
AACSB recognized Scranton for providing a non-traditional research DBA in accounting that “promotes diversity and practice relevance by providing a flexible path for experienced practitioners to gain the knowledge and credentials required to succeed in tenure-track positions at AACSB-accredited institutions.”
The University developed its DBA program in accounting in response to the pending shortage of accounting faculty and The Pathways Commission on Accounting Higher Education of the American Accounting Association (AAA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) call to develop more flexible, non-traditional tracks to an accounting doctorate for experienced practitioners. AACSB also has recognized this need.
Several Scranton accounting faculty members researched and published several manuscripts in top-tier journals examining the national challenge as part of their research to develop the DBA program at the University.
The University’s DBA program in accounting, launched in the fall of 2017, was developed specifically to provide experienced practitioners with a practical, flexible pathway to an academic career, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic,” that is one who is most qualified to serve in a tenure-track position at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by AACSB International.
Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor, accounting department chair, and DBA program director at Scranton said the innovative doctorate program provides a flexible structure and practice relevance, in addition to training for teaching excellence.
“First, the program has a single concentration in accounting. This innovation enables the program participants to engage earlier and more deeply in research in the accounting discipline, thus better preparing them to publish in quality journals,” said Dr. Boyle. “Second, the program follows a cohort model and is delivered in a flexible manner through monthly on campus residencies, allowing participants to retain their professional positions and practice relevance. Third, the program includes faculty from Scranton and nationally recognized scholars from other AACSB institutions, serving as program advisors in the dissertation process. In addition to extensive coursework in business literature, theory and methods, the program also includes courses in the academic governance, teaching excellence, Jesuit pedagogy and applied research to address practice relevance.”
According to Dr. Boyle the DBA’s first three cohorts of 35 doctoral candidates represent a very diverse group of professionals with extensive practice experience. The majority of the candidates are female and over 20 percent represent individuals of color.
“This diversity far exceeds that of population of tenured faculty and senior accounting leaders in practice,” said Dr. Boyle. He also said the initial scholarly outcomes for the DBA students have included numerous conference presentations, proceeding and peer-reviewed publications, with several candidates already having published manuscripts in the top five practice journals.
05-22-19
AACSB Named DBA Program Among Best Practices
-
05/21/2019
Julie A. Nastasi, Sc.D., O.T.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy at The University of Scranton, was named the 2019 Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year.
The award, formally known as the Gannon Award for Teaching in honor of Edward Gannon, S.J., is the oldest teaching award at the University. Established in 1969 by the University’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities, the award recognizes outstanding teaching among faculty. Student members of Alpha Sigma Nu select the professor to be honored.
Dr. Nastasi, who specializes in low vision rehabilitation, serves as director of low vision therapy for the University’s Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured. Through a program she helped to establish, Dr. Nastasi, along with her occupational therapy students, offer services through the free clinic that are designed to help those with low vision remain independent. She earned a graduate certificate in low vision rehabilitation from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and specialty certification in low vision from the American Occupational Therapy Association.
In 2014, Dr. Nastasi was named to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Roster of Fellows for her contributions to low vision rehabilitation and the field of occupational therapy. In 2017, the Lion’s Club Low Vision Centers of Fairfield and New Haven counties in Connecticut recognized Dr. Nastasi, as an Ambassador of Sight, which is the highest award bestowed by the center and recognizes honorees for contributions made that encourage the long-term availability of low vision services.
Dr. Nastasi has published multiple articles in peer-reviewed journals and has contributed eight chapters for occupational therapy text books. She has presented at the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference, the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference, the New York State Occupational Therapy Association’s Annual Conference, and the sixth International Symposium on Gait and Balance in Multiple Sclerosis Sensory Contributions, among others.
Dr. Nastasi serves as the representative assembly rep. for Pennsylvania for the American Occupational Therapy Association, where she also serves as a reviewer for the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, a reviewer for specialty certification in low vision, and as monitor for the low vision forum. Dr. Nastasi previously served as the Commissioner on Education for the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association and as the local conference co-chair for the 2015 state conference.
In addition to the University, Dr. Nastasi has also taught at Ithaca College and Mercy College, and has worked as an occupational therapist in hospitals and rehabilitation centers in Connecticut and New York. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton and was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu as an undergraduate at Scranton. She earned a master’s degree from Tufts University and holds doctorates from Boston University and Towson University.
The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students at the University who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Named
-
05/21/2019
The University will host numerous events honoring its graduating class of 2019 on Friday, May 24, Saturday, May 25, and Sunday, May 26.
Friday evening events include a graduate award ceremony and reception for Panuska College of Professional Studies master and doctoral level candidates receiving outstanding graduate student awards. The ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall. At 5 p.m., the Kania School of Management will host a graduation reception for both undergraduate and graduate members of its class or 2019 in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
Also on Friday evening, undergraduates will be recognized for academic achievement, leadership and service at Class Night, which begins at 8 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
On Saturday at 8 a.m., the Physical Therapy Department will hold a graduation awards ceremony in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
At 9:30 a.m., the University will conduct a pinning ceremony for nursing graduates in the Long Center. A reception for families and friends will follow.
At 10:45 a.m., the commencement ceremony for master’s and doctoral degree candidates will take place in the Byron Recreation Complex. Immediately following the ceremony, a reception for master’s and doctoral degree recipients and their guests will be held on the Alumni Memorial Green.
At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, ROTC Army cadets will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony in the Houlihan McLean Center. A reception will follow.
Saturday afternoon, a reception for Alumni Legacy graduates and their families will take place at 2 p.m. in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center. A photo of the Legacy graduates with their alumni parents and grandparents will take place at 2:45 p.m. The University will also host a reception for members of the Class of 2019 who have made long-term service commitments following graduation at 2:15 p.m. in the McDonnell Room of the DeNaples Center.
At 4 p.m., the Baccalaureate Mass will be held in the Byron Recreation Complex.
Also on Saturday, at 8 p.m., a President’s Reception for graduates and parents will be held in the Byron Recreation Complex. Tickets are required to attend.
On Sunday, the University will confer bachelor’s and associate’s degrees during its noon commencement ceremony at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre. Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ’93, G’93, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame, will serve as the principal speaker and receive an honorary degree at the ceremony. David and Ann Hawk of Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and the Hawk Family Foundation; Rev. Matthew Ruhl, S.J., pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Belize; and Rev. Brendan Lally, S.J. ’70, rector of the Jesuit Community and chaplain at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, will also receive honorary degrees at the ceremony.
The Mohegan Sun Arena has implemented a clear bag policy for brining items into the area. To assist with alleviating the time required to go through security checkpoints, please utilize the information Mohegan Sun has posted regarding this policy.
The University will live video stream several of the commencement events. For additional information about the University’s 2019 commencement events, including live stream of events, visit scranton.edu/commencement.
Commencement Events Celebrate Class of 2019
-
05/16/2019
The University of Scranton’s 2019 student advertising team competed against students from colleges in Pennsylvania, New York and Washington, D.C., in the District 2 National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC). The team placed sixth in the district competition that took place in April at Pace University in New York City.
The national competition is administered by the American Advertising Federation and was sponsored by hot dog food chain Wienerschnitzel this year. The competition required teams to perform research, create, write and present an integrated advertising campaign in response to a real-world advertising challenge currently faced by Wienerschnitzel.
Teams from more than 150 colleges and universities participate nationally each year. The winning teams from 15 district competitions advance to the final round of the national contest, which will be held in Hollywood, Florida, in June. District 2, considered a mega district advanced two teams to the national competition: Ithaca University and Syracuse University.
The University’s 2019 Advertising Competition Team members are: Nina Abate, East Meadow, New York; Emily Benton, Madison, New Jersey; Anthony Manno, Wayne, New Jersey; Kaitlyn Murphy, Somers, New York; Brian Nieto, Port Chester, New York; Allison Northrop, Newville; and Sabrina Talarico, Old Forge. Communication Professor Stacy Smulowitz, Ph.D., serves as the team’s faculty advisor.
Students Participate in Advertising Competition
-
05/16/2019
Nearly 50 students, representing nine area high schools competed in the annual Computer Programming Contest hosted by The University of Scranton’s Computing Sciences Department this spring. During the competition, 15 teams of three students each used their programming language to solve computer-programming problems.
A team of students from Emmaus High School won the completion. The students on the team that placed first were Geoffrey Kleinberg, Aidan Levinson and Mitch Machulsky. Emmaus students Cameron Fanning, Austin Moudy and Arti Schmidt were on the team that placed second. Carlen Blackstone coached the Emmaus teams. Cameron Brucher, Joshua Loysch and Riley O’Neill, coached by Jeff Earle, from Forest City Regional High School placed third.
High School Students Compete in Programming Contest
-
05/15/2019
At its undergraduate commencement ceremony, The University of Scranton will bestow honorary degrees upon: Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ’93, G’93, director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame; David and Ann Hawk of Gertrude Hawk Chocolates and the Hawk Family Foundation; Rev. Matthew Ruhl, S.J., pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Belize; and Rev. Brendan Lally, S.J. ’70, rector of the Jesuit Community and chaplain at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Dr. Cummings also will serve as the ceremony’s principal speaker.
As director of the Cushwa Center at Notre Dame, Dr. Cummings oversees numerous projects exploring Catholicism’s role in United States history. She is the author of the books “A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American,” “New Women of the Old Faith: Gender and American Catholicism in the Progressive Era,” which won three 2009 Catholic Press Association Awards, and “Citizen Saints: Catholics and Canonization in American Culture.”
An expert on women’s roles within the Catholic Church, Dr. Cummings regularly appears as a commentator on television, and took part in NBC’s live coverage of the canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII, and Pope Francis’ visit to the United States. Last year, she wrote a widely read opinion column in The New York Times about the release of the grand jury report detailing sexual abuse by Catholic clergy members throughout Pennsylvania.
A full-tuition Presidential Scholar while a student at Scranton, Dr. Cummings received bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University, and a second master’s degree and her doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Cummings received the University’s Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award for religion and spirituality in 2013 and, earlier this year, received the University’s Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignatian Mission and Ministry.
The Hawks are well-known in the Scranton area for their family’s namesake chocolate company and their many philanthropic endeavors. Married for 46 years, the couple met at the Scranton campus of Penn State University, where Mr. Hawk received his bachelor’s degree in business and Mrs. Hawk earned her degree in human development.
David Hawk is the longtime owner of Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, which was founded by his grandmother and expanded by his father. The company has 275 full-time and 75 seasonal employees at their plant, and 400 full- and part-time retail shop employees. Through its fundraising division, Gertrude Hawk sells its extensive line of chocolates to more than 3,000 groups and organizations. The company also makes the Frango line of chocolates for Macy’s department stores.
Ann Hawk, who received her master’s degree in counseling from Marywood University, is a private-practice Rosen Method body work practitioner and Rosen Method movement teacher.
They co-founded and permanently endowed the Hawk Family Foundation, which distributes grants and charitable contributions of more than $1 million a year to worthy causes within a 50-mile radius of Scranton. The foundation’s primary causes include STEM education, the underprivileged (particularly children and the elderly) and prison ministries. They also helped to establish The Nativity Miguel School in Scranton, a tuition-free school for fifth to eighth grade students from low- income families.
The Hawks have received numerous awards, including Scranton Preparatory School’s Ignatian Award. Residents of Dunmore, the couple has four children and 12 grandchildren.
A Missouri native and Jesuit priest for more than 25 years, Father Ruhl has served as the pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish in Belize since 2011. There, he has built a thriving parish despite rampant gang and drug violence. Previously, he taught at St. John’s College in Belize.
Known as “The Paddling Padre” and “The Peddling Padre,” Father Ruhl has kayaked the length of the Mississippi River and cycled 5,000 miles in 99 days to raise awareness and funding for the underprivileged. Inspired by Catholic Charities USA’s goal of cutting poverty in half by 2020, Father Ruhl raised money for the cause by cycling more than 5,000 miles from Washington to Florida, stopping along the way to volunteer at food banks and meet with the homeless.
Father Ruhl also has served in urban parishes in the St. Louis area, where he established the Belize Association of St. Louis for Belizeans in need of assistance.
Father Ruhl served as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees from 2004 to 2010.
Father Lally has served as St. Joseph University’s chaplain and rector of its Jesuit Community since 2013. He also is a member of its Board of Trustees and director of its annual Holy Land Pilgrimage. Since 2017, he served as director of Scranton’s annual Alumni Retreat. And, since 2010, he has provided spiritual direction for the clergy of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
A former chaplain and teacher at Scranton Prep, Father Lally’s relationship with the University goes back to his undergraduate years. From 1986 to 2003, he served in a number of positions at Scranton, among them campus minister, dormitory resident counselor and acting director of campus ministry. From 1997 to 2003, he served as rector of the Scranton Jesuit Community and as a member of the Board of Trustees of both the University and Scranton Prep.
Father Lally established the The Bridges to El Salvador Program at the University in 1999, which took faculty, staff and alumni to war-torn El Salvador to better understand the impact the devastation was having on the Salvadorian people. In 2002, Father Lally and other University alumni co-founded the SCOPE Foundation, which sponsors children from the Santa Luisa School in San Salvador. In addition, from 2003 to 2010, he served as spiritual director for the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
Father Lally entered the Society of Jesus on Sept. 6, 1969, was ordained to the priesthood on June 4, 1977, and received his final vows to the Society of Jesus on March 11, 1984. He received a bachelor’s degree in English education from the University, and master’s degrees from the Weston School of Theology and Loyola University of Chicago.
The University of Scranton’s undergraduate commencement ceremony will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, on Sunday, May 26, at noon.
Five to Receive Honorary Degrees at Commencement
-
05/15/2019
His Excellency Rolandas Kriščiūnas, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States of America and to the United Mexican States, spoke at The University of Scranton’s sixth annual Jay Nathan Lecture Series titled “Lithuania: Traditional and Modern Nation.”
“In general I’d say Lithuanian’s are humble people, but we do believe in our hearts that we need to make the world a better place for everybody,” Ambassador Kriščiūnas said.
The lecture began with a welcome from Charles E. Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency, and a short video on Lithuania, covering the history of the country and geographical features.
After World War I, Lithuania’s Act of Independence was signed in February 1918, but during the World War II the country was occupied by the Soviet Union then Nazi Germany. When Nazi Germany fell, the Soviets reoccupied Lithuania until of March 1990, when Lithuania declared independence from the Soviet Union as the first Baltic state.
“If you look at Lithuania today, last year we celebrated our centennial, the restoration of independence in Lithuania back in 1918,” Ambassador Kriščiūnas said. “We spent quite a substantial part of that centennial fighting for our freedom.”
Soviet troops stayed in Lithuania until 1993, causing altercations with its citizens. Now Lithuania remains a peaceful nation, part of the United Nations, with the country joining NATO and the European Union in 2004.
Ambassador Kriščiūnas discussed Lithuania’s rapidly increasing tech industry at the lecture. Fintech, a technology used to improve finance, has 117 firms across Lithuania employing more than 2,000 people, according to the Lithuania Fintech Report 2017.
“Today we do believe and always believe that we love freedom and we love peace. Lithuania is not a threat to anyone and it will never be,” Ambassador Kriščiūnas said. “We would like to see our neighbors living in peace, cherishing freedom and building a future.”
The lecture featured a musical performance by soprano Kristina Malinauskaitė, a participant in the Martina Arroyo Foundation’s Opera Education Program and dell Arte Opera Ensemble; and a reading by poet Carol Lasata Gargan, Ph.D.
A reception followed the lecture in the McIlhenny Ballroom in the DeNaples Center.
The Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series invites international scholars from emerging democracies and countries in political and economic transition to visit the University to address issues that will enlighten and benefit students, faculty and the community at large. While visiting the campus, scholars deliver presentations on topics of interest to the academic community and meet informally with attendees, students and faculty.
Lithuania’s Transformation After Soviet Union
-
05/15/2019
Students have been inducted into national honor societies represented at The University of Scranton throughout the 2019 spring semester. Lists of students inducted into some of the University’s honor societies can be seen below.
Alpha Kappa DeltaAlpha Lambda DeltaAlpha Mu GammaAlpha Sigma LambdaKappa Delta PiNu Rho PsiPhi Alpha ThetaPhi Delta KappaPhi Sigma TauPsi ChiSigma Pi SigmaSigma Theta TauSigma XiTau Upsilon AlphaTheta Alpha KappaUpsilon Phi DeltaStudents Inducted into National Honor Societies
-
05/14/2019
Fifty-eight University of Scranton students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities, at a ceremony held recently on campus during the spring semester. The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students, including students in doctoral level degree programs, who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
Also at the ceremony, six community members were given honorary inductions into the honor society. Honorary inductees were Peggy Burke., administrative assistant to the provost; Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry; Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Ryan Sheehan, J.D., assistant director of The Jesuit Center; Rev. Daniel Sweeney, S.J., assistant professor of political science, and University alumna Julianne K. Zaleski, J.D. ’07.
In addition, Julie Ann Nastasi, Sc.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy at the University, was presented with the Edward Gannon, S.J. Teacher of the Year Award.
The following undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students at Scranton were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu:
Sarah B. Aberasturi,Briana M. Abrams,Marie N. Acker,Gabriella M. Allegra,Erica L. Armstrong,Karlie L. Ashcroft,Alyssa K. Azzato,Lauren E. Bonitz,Daniel R. Buzzerio,Isabella G. DeFalcis,Kimberly A. Deery,Danielle R. Desseyn,Matthew P. Didelot,Kathryn A. Donnelly,Megan E. Dowd,Brittany R. DuMont,Megan E. Fabian,Sela A. Fine,Dawn Fisher,Jennifer A. Gold,Zoe R. Haggerty,Lindsey H. Hayde,Kristin R. Hextall,Madison V. Heaton,Lauren E. Hughes,Patrick A. Keehan,Hailey M. Kindt,Emily P. Koerner,Sarah E. Kosik,Taylor M. Limone,Emily M. Loftus,Molly Loftus,Emily G. Lundeen,Jake N. MacDonald,Corinne G. Mackenzie,Gena Maize,Megan J. Manzo,Brian A. Martin,Elizabeth A. McManus,Katey D. Merenyi,Andrew J. Milisits,Reilly R. Mullin,Katherine Musto,Rebecca L. Petlansky,Anna R. Price,Meaghan I. Reeder,Lauren A. Roote,Emily L. Schramm,Elizabeth M. Shaffern,Maaz Siddiqui,Catherine A. Stapf,Brianna E. Stein,Brianna N. Strassle,Emily M. Suchocki,Emily L. Thompson,Casey E. Welby,Christopher R. Whalen,Mia R. Woloszyn.Students Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society
-
05/13/2019
The University of Scranton received a $10,000 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation to support its STEAM (Science, Technology, Art, Engineering and Math) Activities for School and Community Groups. The grant was funded in 2018.
The University’s STEAM Activities is an ongoing initiative that connects University resources in the science and arts areas with area children and teens through local school districts, with a focus on the Scranton School District (SSD), and community partner agencies, with a focus on United Neighborhood Centers. The University’s SSD partner school is McNichols Plaza Elementary School in South Scranton.
Through the initiative, University faculty, staff and students offer STEAM related activities to area children and community groups. Activities take place off-campus, as well as on-campus at the University’s facilities such as The Hope Horn Gallery and Loyola Science Center.
University Receives Spitz Foundation Grant
-
05/09/2019
University of Scranton President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced the establishment of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities, which will be housed in a grand Victorian home on the corner of Mulberry Street and Clay Avenue. The Center will 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 will serve as a national model for humanities in action.
“From the very beginning, Jesuit education has been – and continues to be – firmly grounded in the humanities. The earliest Jesuit schools developed their pedagogy based on adapting Italian Renaissance humanism, which used literature to understand the essence of what it meant to be a human being,” said Father Pilarz. “Nearly 500 years later, this tradition of education rooted in the humanities continues today at Jesuit colleges throughout the world and at The University of Scranton.”
The Center is named after the parents of benefactor and current University Trustee James M. Slattery ’86 and his wife, Betsy, of Peach Tree City, Georgia.
“It struck Betsy and I that places like Scranton are special because they are Jesuit and as such, the humanities need to be lived and promoted and not merely viewed as a check box on a curriculum. Because in reality, as a working-class undergrad, my experience in these classes opened up ideas, worlds and possibilities to me that I had not before imagined,” said James Slattery. “Our commitment to Catholic education comes from a lifetime of gratitude to our parents. For me, it comes from Gail and Frank Slattery.”
Betsy Slattery is an active community volunteer. James Slattery, chief operating officer of North America for Melrose PLC, earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University. He has been active with the University’s President’s Business Council (PBC) and served as chair of the PBC Annual Award Dinner in 2013. The $1 million gift from the Slatterys to support the Humanities Center was announced by Father Pilarz at his Inauguration Ceremony in Sept. of 2018.
“I wish to thank Jim and Betsy for all they do to support the transformative education we provide at Scranton: for their leadership and guidance; for their service with the President’s Business Council; and for their generous support of the Humanities Center at the University. Because of your vision, generations of students to come will have reason to thank you both as well,” said Father Pilarz.
The Center will create a Humanities Scholars program for students to provide scholarship support to a select group of humanities majors, who will participate in a series of special seminars and classes, in addition to learning about career opportunities in the corporate, non-profit and government sectors. The Center will also establish: a Humanities Forum to sponsor lectures from prominent speakers and related events; a digital humanities laboratory; Artist-in-Residence and Scholar-in-Residence programs; and support faculty scholarships in the humanities. Through its 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 Center will be developed from a foundation established by the Humanities Initiative, a group of faculty in the humanities working closely with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences who have already established a variety of important activities to encourage increased recognition of the humanities on campus.
Also speaking at the ceremony were Thomas MacKinnon, vice president for university advancement, Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; and Yamile Silva, Ph.D., chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures.
The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities will open in the fall 2019 semester in the residence hall currently named The McGowan House. Blair House, located next to the Center, will be renamed The McGowan House in honor of the late Msgr. Andrew McGowan H’82. Programmatic activity for the Center for Humanities will primarily take place in a renovated area of St. Thomas Hall.
Betsy and James Slattery
Betsy Slattery is an active community volunteer and stay-at-home mother of their three sons. She attended Miami University of Ohio and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Costa Rica. With a background in marketing, she has worked in international sales for DAP Products, Inc. and in development for CollegeBound Foundation in Baltimore. She volunteers at her sons’ schools and church, and enjoys painting and playing tennis.
James M. Slattery is the chief operating officer of North America for Melrose, PLC, a London-based company that buys, improves and sells companies that manufacture highly engineered products. Melrose is traded on the London stock exchange. Previously, he was chief financial officer for McKechnie Aerospace. He was also chief financial officer for 180s, Struever Bros. Eccles and Rouse, and DAP Products, Inc. He was also a controller for Wassall, PLC. He began his career with Coopers and Lybrand. He holds a bachelor of science in accounting from the University, where he is a member of the President’s Business Council and one of the founding group of alumni that started the Scranton Club of New York Scholarship in the early 1990’s. In 2013, he served as dinner chairman for the President’s Business Council’s annual award dinner. He joined the University’s Board of Trustees in 2015.
University Establishes Humanities Center on Campus
-
05/07/2019
A project by Ana Ugarte, Ph.D., assistant professor of world languages and cultures, was among the just 233 humanities projects from across the country to be awarded National Endowment for the Humanities grants. Her proposal is among just 16 projects in Pennsylvania to receive funding.
Dr, Ugarte received a NEH Humanities Connections Planning Grant of $34,958 for her project to “support for academic programs that integrate multiple disciplines.”
Dr. Ugarte joined the faculty at Scranton in the fall of 2018. She previously taught at Duke University, where she completed her doctorate in romance studies and Spanish. Her dissertation entitled “Island Laboratories: Literary Monsters, Diseases, and Pharmacopeias in the Hispanic Caribbean,” focused on how contemporary fiction intervenes in discourses on illness and medicine in Cuba and Puerto Rico. Her scholarship centers on twentieth- and twenty-first century Latin American literature with a primary focus on Hispanic Caribbean fiction, Indigenous cultures and languages from Mexico, and medical humanities. Her research interests include bio-political theory, disability studies, postcolonial studies and indigenous languages.
Dr. Ugarte earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish philology and a master’s in Spanish American literature from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, as well as a bachelor’s in French from Universite Stendhal Grenoble III.
New Faculty Member Awarded NEH Grant
-
05/07/2019
The University of Scranton hosted high school students and regional business professionals for the inaugural University of Scranton Social and Digital Media Conference (USSDMC) held in the DeNaples Center April 30. This innovative conference successfully brought together more than 110 students and industry professionals to learn from leading experts in the social media industry about the importance of social media and how it can best be used to bolster both personal and professional brands.
The conference featured five specialized panels, including advocacy, nonprofit and ethics, social media marketing, sports and entertainment, empowerment lunch (building your own brand), and a college student panel. The college student panel was led by current juniors and seniors at the University and focused on how students use social media to interact with each other on campus, as well as how they can utilize it as they enter the professional world. All other panels were led by social media experts and influencers from some of the world’s leading organizations like Golin, Tierney, Barneys New York, The Door, etc. Speakers shared personal stories about campaigns they have executed for national brands such as Mountain Dew, TD Bank, Disney, Olive Garden and more.
The conference was organized by fifteen students in the Events Management course offered through the Department of Communication. The class is part of the College of Arts & Sciences’ focus on creating experiential learning classes to better prepare students for the careers of tomorrow. Students designed each panel to address specific topics of interest and hand-picked speakers that would be most knowledgeable on those subjects.
Speakers included Ryan Leckey, WNEP; Dorien Russell, Barneys New York; Jon Silver, Golin; Henry Grant, Tierney; Eddie Ravert, Tierney; Christina Hitchcock, It Is a Keeper Blog; Peter McManus, The Door; and Kevin Teel, Pocono Raceways. Student speakers included, Kelly Ross o Wayne, New Jersey; Mark Miller of Archbald, Brian Lavin of Babylon, New York, and Amanda Tirador of Bloomfield, New Jersey. McManus and Ravert are alumni of the university.
The University of Scranton is leading the charge in cutting-edge education regarding communication in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The University’s Communication Department of Communication and Media offers six majors, including the new social media strategies major and business communication major, as well as an array of concentrations and minors including public relations, advertising, broadcast, journalism, sports communication and more.
For more information about USSDMC, email at ussdmc@scranton.edu or visit Facebook, Instagram or www.ussdmc.com.
University Students Run Social Media Conference
-
05/03/2019
Continuing a time-honored tradition, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 11th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert on Friday, May 10. Beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, the concert will feature a performance by David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band combined with a presentation by internationally renowned Armstrong historian Ricky Riccardi. Also, appearing at the show will be the University’s Jazz Band.
Admission to the concert is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Since its establishment just over a decade ago, the Yevich Memorial Concert has been sponsored by former Scranton Mayor David Wenzel and his wife, Janet, as a celebration of the life of former Scranton Fire Chief Gene Yevich, the late father of Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Yevich Boga.
In addition to his long career as a Scranton fireman, Yevich, who passed away in 2005, was an accomplished local musician. A multi-instrumentalist known best for his virtuosity on the accordion, he was a longtime member of the band The Novelaires. He also played with The Mediterranean Sounds, who regularly played Italian festivals in the Scranton area and New York City.
Yevich was married for almost 50 years to the former Julia Pucher, with whom he had three children, Boga and University graduates Michael Yevich and Cynthia Yevich. His grandchildren are Joseph Boga, a 2014 graduate of The Juilliard School and a professional musician who performs, records and teaches clinics and masterclasses throughout the world, and Magdalyn Boga, who earned a master’s degree from the University and is a member of the History Department faculty and Performance Music staff.
As it happens, Yevich was a big fan of Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band (aka the Gully Low Jazz Band), who have performed at the University on a number of occasions. And there’s now a family connection – Joseph Boga currently plays trumpet in the band. In addition, Yevich’s favorite trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, H. ’06 will also be performing with the band that evening.
At the concert, Ostwald and his band will be joined by Riccardi for a unique multimedia presentation geared around the life and work of one of the 20th century’s greatest artists. Riccardi currently serves as director of research collections at the Louis Armstrong House in Queens, New York, and is the author of the acclaimed book, “What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years.”
“I like to call it an ‘informance,’” Cheryl Boga said of the show. “It’s primarily a concert, but will also incorporate video and still photos and commentary. I’m very excited about it.”
Inspired by Armstrong and fellow jazz pioneers Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton and others, Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band have been performing traditional jazz since 1980. The many prestigious venues in which the band has performed include Lincoln Center’s Midsummer’s Night Swing, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the 92nd Street Y and fabled New York City club Birdland, where they have had a weekly Wednesday night gig since 2000.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Ostwald and the Louis Armstrong Eternity Band, visit ostwaldjazz.com. For more on Riccardi and the Louis Armstrong House, visit louisarmstronghouse.org.
May 10 Concert Features Tribute to Louis Armstrong
-
05/01/2019
The University of Scranton announced that Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D. ’93, ’G93, the director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame, will be the principal speaker at its undergraduate commencement on Sunday, May 26. She will also receive an honorary degree from the University at the ceremony.
“We are proud to be able to call Dr. Cummings one of the University’s own – and one of our best. She has dedicated her life to the scholarly inquiry of many of the influences that have shaped the historical legacy of the American Catholic Church and, in doing so, has continually called upon the Church, in a loving, caring manner, to do better,” said Rev. Scott. R. Pilarz, S.J., president of the University. “She will no doubt have an inspired message for our graduates as well.”
As director of the William and Anna Jean Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at Notre Dame, Dr. Cummings leads research projects, seminars, conferences and publications with the nation’s top scholars as they explore Catholicism’s role in United States history. Her books include the recently published “A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American,” “New Women of the Old Faith: Gender and American Catholicism in the Progressive Era,” which won three 2009 Catholic Press Association Awards, and “Citizen Saints: Catholics and Canonization in American Culture.” Her research for the books has taken her to Rome several times, where she worked in the Vatican Secret Archives and in other religious archives in the city.
An expert on gender in Catholicism, Dr. Cummings is often a guest on CNN and NBC and has been a source for articles in the New York Daily News, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Boston Globe. She has served as a media commentator on contemporary events in the Church, including NBC’s live coverage of the canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII, and Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States.
Dr. Cummings has also written several opinion pieces for The New York Times, including one reacting to the public release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing sexual abuse by Catholic priests in the Commonwealth. Father Pilarz referred to that piece as a “masterful opinion article” that “captured so well what I and so many other Catholics were feeling in that moment,” and said that column was among the inspirations for the University’s formation of the Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope.
A full-tuition Presidential Scholar when a student at Scranton, Dr. Cummings graduated, magna cum laude, in 1993, earning bachelor’s degrees in both history and philosophy as a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program, as well as a master’s degree in history. She went on to earn a second master’s degree and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Dr. Cummings received the University’s Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award for religion and spirituality in 2013 and, earlier this year, received the University’s Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignatian Mission and Ministry Award. The citation of Dr. Cumming’s Arrupe Award reads in part: “Dr. Cummings has dedicated her life to deepening our understanding of what it means to be Catholic and has provided us with an example of how to live up to our responsibility as a Catholic university dedicated to the pursuit of faith and justice and the search for truth.”
The University of Scranton’s undergraduate commencement ceremony will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, on Sunday, May 26, at noon
Undergraduate Commencement Speaker Announced
-
05/01/2019
A provocative proposal by biochemistry professor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., based on an extensive review of existing research and results from his own lab, questions a broadly-accepted theory that neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are caused by “oxidative stress” and, more specifically, by “free radical”-induced brain damage.
In an article published in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, in which he references 158 research studies, Dr. Foley puts forth a new hypothesis. Specifically, he postulates that over-activation of pathways likely designed to protect against oxidative stress may generate an overlooked “reductive stress” – the opposite of oxidative stress – especially in the extracellular spaces of synapses which mediate communication between neurons. Dr. Foley proposes that the increased reduction, or addition of electrons, to regulatory sulfur-containing groups on synaptic membrane proteins, can promote aberrant changes in synaptic activity. He has termed this view the “reductive reprogramming” hypothesis of neurodegeneration.
“The biochemical pathways or reactions that begin to derail healthy brain aging and set the course for neurodegenerative disease remain unknown and, for the last 30 years, the research has focused on reactions that are relevant to advanced stages of the disease,” said Dr. Foley. “One longstanding and dominate theory of neurodegenerative disorders has been that neuron dysfunction and degeneration results from aberrant nutrient and oxygen metabolism resulting in what is called oxidative stress.”
“Oxidation refers to the removal of electrons from form molecules, a process that can potentially damage cells and impair tissue functions,” Dr. Foley said, who theorizes that the oxidative stress may be a secondary phenomenon or a response to another reaction driving the degenerative disease and is insufficient to cause functional impairment.
According to Dr. Foley, the commonly accepted oxidative stress theories of neurodegenerative disorders are “ill-defined and focused primarily on a particular type of oxidant known as “free radicals,” which are substances containing one or more unpaired electrons. Hydrogen peroxide, the most abundant oxidant in cells, is not a free radical and can act as a physiologically-important messenger molecule. He also explained that cells have a high capacity to adapt to elevated levels of oxidants by increasing reducing, or antioxidant, activities.
“Remarkably, oxidative stress theories of neurodegenerative disorders are generally accepted by the scientific and medical communities despite the fact that antioxidant supplements, such as vitamins E and C, neither lower the incidence nor slow the progression of these disorders,” said Dr. Foley noting that one study reported the use of an “antioxidant cocktail” that actually accelerated cognitive decline.
Dr. Foley said new hypotheses of neurodegenerative disorders are needed and, in the article, puts forth his own theory based on research regarding the central role played by protein sulfur atoms as sensors of cellular oxidants and reductants in vivo, a theory that he said is supported by research completed at Scranton, as well as by studies completed elsewhere.
“The reductive reprogramming hypothesis I put forth theorizes that irregular increases in compensatory antioxidant activities in neural tissues may, in principle, promote the aberrant reduction of oxidized protein sulfur on the cell surface of neurons. Oxidized sulfur on certain neuronal cell surface proteins may prevent excessive activity in the extracellular synaptic space which connects the neurons. Reversal of this oxidation by cellular antioxidants can promote synaptic dysfunction and neural cell death by a process called “excitotoxicity” – or over activation of receptors.” said Dr. Foley. “Ironically, increases in cellular reducing activities have been cited as further support for oxidative stress theories of neurodegeneration without considering the possibility that too much reduction of oxidized protein sulfur can be a bad thing.”
The paper, titled “Reductive Reprogramming: A Not-So-Radical Hypothesis of Neurodegeneration Linking Redox Perturbations to Neuroinflammation and Excitotoxicity,” was published online March 23 by Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology.
Dr. Foley’s research, some of which includes University undergraduate and master's students as co-authors, has been published in a number of academic journals, including Neurochemical Research, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology and Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. He has served as a faculty mentor for numerous students. Several students who conducted research with him have won Goldwater Scholarships, which are the premier undergraduate scholarships for the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering.
Provocative Proposal by Professor Published
-
05/01/2019
One hundred sixty-two students mentored by 50 faculty members presented 78 projects at the Celebration of Student Scholars, held on campus April 26.
Presentations included: “The Self-Verification of Prejudice and Support for Donald Trump” by psychology majors Patrick Chapman, a senior from Morrisville, Nicole DiSanto, a junior from Tuckahoe, New York, Robert McGowan, a senior from Scranton, Julianna Melara, a senior from Liverpool, New York, and Heena Tolani from Duryea, with psychology professor Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., faculty mentor; “School Spirit and Athletic Event Attendance: Can We Incentivize Athletic Event Attendance Among Students?” by MBA student Olivia Adams from Ossining, New York, with marketing professor Satya P. Chattopadhyay, Ph.D., faculty mentor; and “Effect of Ambient Light at Night on Metabolic Rates” by biology major Michelle D’Alessandro, a junior from Colonia, New Jersey, with biology professor Christopher A.F. Howey, Ph.D., faculty mentor.
The annual event, held in the Loyola Science Center, provides a forum for students to present their work conducted in collaboration with faculty using poster presentations, as well as oral presentations.
Fields of research presented at the Celebration of Student Scholars included biology, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, chemistry, communication, computing sciences, English, exercise science, health administration, marketing management, neuroscience, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology and physics and electrical engineering, among others.
The event is hosted by the University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
Scranton Celebrates Student Scholars
-
04/30/2019
Patricia Roberts-Miller, Ph.D., professor of rhetoric and writing at the University of Texas, Austin, discussed “Democracy and the Rhetoric of Demagoguery” at a recent Schemel Forum collaborative program with the Political Dialogues Campus Working Group.
“The demagogue is what scholars regularly call a devil term. It’s something we use for people we don’t like,” Dr. Roberts-Miller said. “I want to consider what it would mean to think about demagoguery in a way that would enable us to identify demagoguery in our leaders, in our way of thinking about politics and how we argue.”
She outlined issues concerning thinking and argumentation first by discussing in-group and out-group thinking when engaging with others.
“In social psychology, the in-group is not the group in power. It’s the group you’re in,” Dr. Roberts-Miller said. “If being vegan is an important part of your identity, and it’s something you tell others when you introduce yourself, then vegan is one of your groups.”
She continued, explaining that if being a vegan is your in-group, “then you probably have some group or groups that you think of as opposed to you as not like you. Your identify is partially defined as not being them.”
According to Dr. Roberts-Miller, this in-group and out-group thinking style fuels this concept of us versus them.
“We attribute far too much importance to in-group and out-group identities,” Dr. Roberts-Miller said. “We’re more likely to trust someone we perceive as in-group even if the issue at hand has nothing to do with that group construction.”
“Also, what happens with demagoguery is that policy issues get depoliticized and are no longer about policy argumentation, instead they are about forming loyalty with your in-group,” Dr. Roberts-Miller said.
There are two parts of policy argumentation, the affirmative case, where there is an argument for a plan for change and the negative case, going against the plan. The affirmative case also has two parts, according to Dr. Roberts-Miller, the need, where one shows there is a need for a solution, and the plan that will try to introduce a solution.
“Policy argumentation can and probably should happen anytime people are deliberating a new course of action,” Dr. Roberts-Miller said.
Dr. Roberts-Miller explained policy argumentation and demagoguery by using the Mytilenean Debate in ancient Greece.
In 428 BCE, Athens was at war with Sparta and the city state of Mytilene that sided with Athens, had a pro-Spartan revolt. The leader of the revolt was executed and the remainder of the rebels were sent back to Athens. Two Athenians, Cleon and Diodotus, suggested two opposing sides on how to deal with Mytilene.
Dr. Roberts-Miller said that Cleon positioned his argument as obviously right that the only explanation for people arguing against it is that they are “secretly in the pay of enemies of Athens,”
According to Dr. Roberts-Miller, Cleon wanted the people listening to him to follow him without question. Cleon used demagoguery to make Diodotus’ argument invalid.
Dr. Roberts-Miller applied this idea of us versus them from ancient Greece to how we should seek common ground today instead of focusing on left versus right.
“Once you articulate these things you can see that very different political parties might find a common ground in terms of something like prison reform, where you can get people from all sorts of different directions,” Dr. Roberts-Miller said. “You’re never going to see that if you think all issues are left versus right.”
Dr. Roberts-Miller ended her lecture with a response by Diodotus in how we should debate in our era.
“Diodotus said, the good citizen ought to triumph not by frightening his opponent but beating him fairly in logical argument,” Dr. Roberts-Miller said.
Schemel Forum Addresses Demagoguery in Politics
-
04/26/2019
The University’s Clinical Liaison Nurse Academic Practice Partnership and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine hosted an interdisciplinary lecture by Paul Feuerstadt, M.D., attending gastroenterologist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Yale University. He discussed “Ischemic Bowel Disorders” with nurses, nursing students and medical students at the talk held in the spring semester at the medical school.
The lecture was supported through the University’s Scranton Strategic Initiatives Funding, which supports innovative projects – particularly those that that will have substantial, positive impact on the student experience – that advance the goals of its “Strategic Plan: an Engaged, Integrated and Global Student Experience.” Sixteen projects received more than $188,000 in support for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Clinical Liaison Nurse Partnership Hosts Lecture
-
04/26/2019
The University of Scranton Players will close their 2018-19 season with the innovative, site-specific show “The Porches Project,” created by Jennifer Rhoads and University of Scranton Theater Program Director Hank Willenbrink. The show, directed by Rhoads, runs May 3-5 on porches of homes in the Historic Hill Section of Scranton. The performances begin at 6 p.m. Friday’s performance corresponds with First Friday.
Audiences will meet at Immaculate Conception Church at 6 p.m., and tour guides will lead the audience through the show’s planned route. Admission is free, but attendance is limited to 50 people per performance.
Much like a theatrical house tour, “The Porches Project” will take the audience on a series of guided paths through the Hill, stopping at residences to see a series of six original short plays written by University of Scranton students and alumni. The plays address a variety of subjects that have shaped the lives of past and present hill section residents, including the 1970s flushing of the mines, young sisters affected by the drug epidemic in the 2000s, the resettling of Nepali-Bhutanese refugees, and much more. Rhoads and Willenbrink spoke with Hill Section residents through community story gathering sessions and interviews to gather these true stories that the playwrights then used for the foundation of their plays.
This project was inspired by Jane Jacobs, a Scranton native and urban theorist, who emphasized the value of being engaged in your community. Jacobs originated the term “eyes on the street” and believed that the life of a community is dependent on having residents who are engaged and paying attention. “Porches” aims to do just that by connecting University members with its community roots through bringing audiences on a tour of the community while educating them about the community.
The production features Minori Koga of Scranton; James Pennington ’16 of West Wyoming, Catherine Karpiak of Scranton; Kayla Oberholtzer of Stevens; Ali Basalyga of Scranton; Cara Charles of Yardley; Ben McFadden of Mount Carmel; Emily DeMouth of Hillsborough, New Jersey; Samantha Gurn of Brackney; Myles Spencer of Brooklyn, New York; Julia Consiglio of Oceanside, New York; Hannah Mackes of Tafton; and Po-d Davidson, a resident of Scranton. Basalyga is a graduate of West Scranton High School, Pennington is a graduate of Wyoming Area Secondary Center, Karpiak is a graduate of Wyoming Seminary, and Gurn is a graduate of Montrose High School.
Playwrights include Koga; Meg Sweeney of Scranton; Alex Wasalinko ’17 of Scranton; Christine Wasylenko of Lansdale; Jade Williams ’17 of Scranton; and Nick Yanni of Scranton. Sweeney and Yanni are graduates of Scranton Preparatory School, and Wasalinko and Williams are graduates of The University of Scranton.
For more information about “The Porches Project,” contact the Players box office at 570-941-4318 or visit at www.thescrantonplayers.com. For physical disability accommodations, please call the box office or email uofsplayersboxoffice@gmail.com.
For more information about the University Players, contact players@scranton.edu or visit the Players on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Scranton Players Present ‘The Porches Project,’ Collaborative Theater Experience
-
04/23/2019
Beth Elias, Ph.D., an adjunct faculty member in The University of Scranton’s online health informatics program, was invited to speak at the 2019 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conference, which convened in Orlando, Florida, earlier this year and brought together 40,000 health information and technology professionals from more than 90 countries to discuss, debate and co-invent the future of health information management.
Dr. Elias spoke as part of the prestigious “Views from the Top” sessions at HIMSS, a collection of educational sessions from those considered high-level leaders in the field. Dr. Elias became a HIMSS Fellow in 2018, but has been involved with the organization for many years.
“It is such an honor to be recognized for my contributions to the organization and to Health Informatics,” Dr. Elias said. “HIMSS is truly an inter-professional and interdisciplinary organization that welcomes everyone."
In her role with the University, Elias shares her healthcare technology expertise with students in the online Master of Science in Health Informatics program, but at HIMSS19, Dr. Elias spoke of an international effort to set high and consistent standards for the education of health informaticians across international borders.
“We must ensure we are preparing students who will be able to serve as effective health informaticians when they graduate,” said Dr. Elias, who alongside co-presenter Ursula Hübner, Ph.D., professor at the University of Applied Sciences Osnabrueck, shared results of their work.
The project, known as the TIGER (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform) International Competency Synthesis Project, began in 2015 when the organizers started collecting case studies and survey input from around the world, as part of an effort to understand the current state of educational competency standards.
After two years as a committee member on the project, Dr. Elias’s role expanded in 2017 to serve as national co-chair, where she worked with a team of representatives from 21 countries to standardize education. The end result: a robust framework that offers a structure for high-quality, consistent international standards while taking into differences across borders and cultures.
For Dr. Elias, her interest in this work comes from a desire to make the field stronger for everyone – including her students at Scranton.
“Any work we do to understand how to better prepare students to be effective health informaticians helps our students stand out from others,” Dr. Elias said. “Projects like the International Competency Synthesis Project allow us to learn not only what we need to teach, but also informs us in the best methods.”
Scranton offers an online Master’s of Science in Health Informatics.
Health Informatics Professor Presents at Conference
-
04/23/2019
The work of five University of Scranton students was presented at the Sigma Tau Delta International Convention in St. Louis, Missouri in March, with senior Cara Charles, an English major from Yardley, winning first place for Critical Essays on the Common Reader for her individual paper presentation “Tess Taylor’s Work and Days: Response to Theology and Science.”
Seniors David Rakauskas, a criminal justice major from Scranton; Phyllida Whittaker, an English major from Dimock; and Charles also presented together at the conference during a round table, “Peck Small Tracks – A Jesuit Reading of Work and Days,” through which they offered a close reading of the 2019 Sigma Tau Delta Common Reader (Tess Taylor’s ecopoetic text Work and Days) through the lens of Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on the environment. Seniors Emily Carr, a secondary education – English major from Elmhurst Township, and Matthew Criscione, a secondary education – English major from Elmwood Park, New Jersey, were also a part of this project, but were unable to attend the conference.
At the conference, Rakauskas also served as a panel chair for a session entitled “Creative Non-Fiction: Families Are Not as They Appear.”
All of the student projects were supported by the University’s Humanities Initiative Undergraduate Awards for Humanistic Inquiry.
Sigma Tau Delta is the national honor society in English. The honor society recognizes students who major or minor in English, theatre or secondary education/English and maintain a grade point average of 3.4 or better in English, theatre and writing courses and an overall grade point average of 3.4 or higher. English professors Rebecca Beal, Ph.D., and Billie Tadros, Ph.D., serve as co-moderators of Scranton’s chapter of the honor society.
The five students will also present their work at the Celebration of Student Scholars at the University on April 26.
Students Speak at English Honor Society Convention
-
04/23/2019
Ambassador Daniel C. Kurtzer, the S. Daniel Abraham Professor of Middle East Policy Studies at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, will present “The Ultimate Deal or the End of the Line? The Trump Administration and the Middle East Peace Process” at The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute lecture on Tuesday, May 7. The lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of the Brennan Hall.
Following a 29-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, Ambassador Kurtzer retired in 2005 with the rank of Career-Minister. From 2001-2005 he served as the United States Ambassador to Israel and from 1997-2001 as the United States Ambassador to Egypt. Throughout his career, Ambassador Kurtzer was instrumental in formulating and executing U.S. policy toward the Middle East peace process. He remains active in Track II diplomacy related to the Middle East. He was appointed by Secretary of State John Kerry to serve on the Secretary’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. Governor Chris Christie has appointed him to serve on the New Jersey-Israel State Commission.
Ambassador Kurtzer served as a political officer at the American embassies in Cairo and Tel Aviv, deputy director of the Office of Egyptian Affairs, speechwriter on the Policy Planning Staff, deputy assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and principal deputy assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research. Previously, he served as an advisor to the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, and as a member of the Advisory Council of the American Bar Association’s Middle East Rule of Law Initiative. In 2007, he was named as the first commissioner of the professional Israel Baseball League.
Ambassador Kurtzer is the co-author of the books “Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: American Leadership in the Middle East” and “The Peace Puzzle: America’s Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace, 1989-2011.” He is the editor of “Pathways to Peace: America and the Arab-Israeli Conflict.”
His numerous awards include the Presidential Distinguished Service Award (2005) and the State Department Distinguished Service Award (2005), among others.
Ambassador Kurtzer earned his bachelor’s degree from Yeshiva University, and two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.
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 at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
Trump and Middle East Peace Process Discussed
-
04/23/2019
The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery hosted a lecture entitled “Altered States: Important Prints From The Maslow Collection,” by Ryan Ward, curator of The Maslow Collection, which is currently housed at Marywood University. The Maslow Collection was the featured exhibit in the Hope Horn Gallery until April 12.
Ward spoke about the history of the collection, saying that in the 1980s, Marilyn and Richard Maslow began collecting American contemporary art, mainly from artists in New York. Artists featured in the collection include, but are not limited to, Francesco Clemente, Julian Schnabel, Robert Rauschenberg, Jane Hammond, Sol LeWitt and Andy Warhol. The collection moved from the Sordoni Art Gallery at Wilkes University in Wilkes Barre, to the Everhart Museum in Scranton in the late 1990s. More recently, in 2008, The Maslow Collection moved to Marywood University.
Ward also presented a video Andy Warhol’s process for making art pieces, many of which are now well-known.
The exhibition itself shows the history of the printmaking technique and its changes over time.
“Is printmaking going to stick around? My guess is yes. You can express so many ideas, formally and conceptually. You name it. Everyone should try it,” Ward said.
Techniques represented in the exhibit by different artists include woodcut, woodblock, intaglio, etching, lithography, screen printing, collage and mixed media.
The lecture was followed by a public reception at the Hope Horn Gallery.
Art Gallery Lecture Features Maslow Collection
-
04/23/2019
On Saturday, May 4, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome guest composer/conductor Alex Nguyen for its 36th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert.
The concert, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, will feature two new works written by Nguyen to be performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir. Nguyen’s band work – River Sông – is inspired by a Vietnamese folk song. His choir work is a setting of the Suscipe Prayer of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus.
Admission to the concert is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
At the concert, Nguyen will conduct University student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. The World Premiere Composition Series at Scranton is unique in that it is one of the country’s only programs – possibly the only program – comprised entirely of non-music majors to commission works for both band and chorus by established and nationally active composers for 36 consecutive years.
Critically and popularly acclaimed composer, conductor, commentator and author Robert Kapilow, H’09, a frequent Performance Music collaborator and a guest composer/conductor in the early years of the series, has called the series “a remarkable event.”
“Commissioning on an ongoing basis anywhere in the country is rare at best. To see this type of project at the university level, and at a school without a conservatory orientation, is truly incredible,” Kapilow said. “The series gives student musicians the extremely unusual opportunity of working with a living composer and gives the audience the unique chance to witness firsthand the evolution of a piece of music and the interpretation by the composer of the very first performance of his work. The opportunity for dialogue between composer, performer and audience is truly great."
“It’s really exciting for the kids because it gives them the chance to experience the process of a composer and be an integral part of bringing their work to life for the first time,” added Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
Nguyen came highly recommended to Boga by a few recent Composition Series composers.
“He’s very accomplished at writing across genres,” Boga said. “He is equally comfortable and experienced writing sacred music, classical music and jazz.”
A trumpeter, composer, arranger, music director and curator, Nguyen has performed throughout Europe, Asia and the United States. The Savannah, Georgia, native’s contributions as a composer and arranger span from choral music to big band, and he was composer/performer for residencies at Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead at the Kennedy Center and Ravinia’s Steans Music Institute. He has composed and arranged numerous works of sacred music, blended traditional hymns, spirituals, jazz and gospel in worship services.
Nguyen has performed with the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band, the Curtis Fuller Quintet and the Celebration of Lionel Hampton, and one of his compositions, “The First Year,” was featured on NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron’s album, “The Traveler.” A past winner of the International Trumpet Guild Jazz Competition and the Jamey Aebersold Award for Artistry at the National Trumpet Competition, Nguyen is a graduate of the University of North Florida’s Jazz Studies program, where he worked with legendary alto saxophonist Bunky Green. In addition, he has a master’s degree in jazz studies from SUNY Purchase, where he worked closely with trumpeters Jon Faddis and Jim Rotondi.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Nguyen, visit alexnguyenmusic.com.
New Compositions by Alex Nguyen to Premiere May 4
-
04/18/2019
The Weinberg Memorial Library’s annual Book, Plant and Tag Sale will take place Saturday, April 27, and Sunday, April 28. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services.
A large assortment of used hardcover and paperback books available for sale include children’s books, cookbooks, fiction and non-fiction, as well as compact discs, audiocassettes and tag sale items. Also on sale will be flowering plants, herbs and 50/50 raffle tickets.
The hours of the sale, which will be held in the fifth-floor Scranton Heritage Room of the library, are from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. on April 27 and from noon until 4 p.m. on April 28. A Friends of the Weinberg Library bag can be purchased for $5 and filled with books at Sunday’s sale.
A special preview sale will be held on Friday, April 26, for members of the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Schemel Forum.
For additional information, contact Barbara Evans at 570-941-4078.
Weinberg Memorial Library to Hold Book Sale
-
04/16/2019
“In order to keep government accountable, voters need information. In modern democracy, this information comes from media,” said Andrea Prat, Ph.D., professor of economics from Columbia University, at The University of Scranton’s Henry George Seminar on campus. He discussed “Media Power: Measuring the Influence of News Media on Politics,” and noted that media includes “traditional platforms like newspapers and television, and new platforms like social media and the internet.”
In his lecture, Dr. Prat said the founding fathers of the United States were aware of the role media played in a democracy.
“Thomas Jefferson had the idea that the media is at the center of the democratic system,” Dr. Prat said, noting “in the past decade people have lost faith in the media.”
“The percentage of adult Americans who say they have little or no faith in newspapers, and it has gone from below 20 percent to twice as much,” said Dr. Prat
Dr. Prat discussed four issues that can negatively impact media’s role with the first problem being fake news.
“News should be impartial and informative and people say we are getting bias news or even completely fabricated news,” Dr. Prat said.
The second issue mentioned is when the media and the government join together.
“The media and the government are supposed to be separate in Thomas Jefferson’s view. They are supposed to be even adversarial, so the media should not be nice to government,” Dr. Prat said. “One thing that can go wrong is if the media becomes too crucial to government or to the opposition.”
The third issue is how there is little variety in the news media.
“The third thing that can go wrong is concentration,” Dr. Prat said. “We need morality with many voices and one potential risk people see is excessive concentration.”
The fourth issue is a financial concern with media outlets, where many companies are losing money.
“I will argue the revenues for commercial media have been dried out,” Dr. Prat said. “It’s becoming harder and harder to sustain the journalistic model we’ve had so far.”
In order to measure how important a news source is and how much attention is drawn to it, Dr. Prat would research the percentage of a population that use a single news source for information. In the U.S., the media outlet with the most attention is News Corporation, who owns Fox News.
“Why does Fox News have so much attention? Because many people watching only tend to watch Fox News,” Dr. Prat.
Dr. Prat based how informed people in the U.S. are on how many sources of news were used. How likely we are to have numerous sources is influenced age, gender, income, education and political outlook according to Dr. Prat.
“All of these create information inequality,” Dr. Prat said. “In our society, some people have many more sources than others. They choose to have many more sources and this is probably related to income and education.”
According to Dr. Prat, there is a correlation between income inequality and information inequality.
“If we put countries on this scatter plot, we see a positive correlation with countries with a lot of income inequality also tend to have a lot of information inequality,” Dr. Prat said. “The United States is a particularly high income inequality and information inequality country.”
Dr. Prat discussed media capture, where the government and the media begin working together, using stories from Peru, Britain and Italy to demonstrate this concept. He focused mostly on Italy because he said that began his interest in mass media.
In the 1990s Silvio Berlusconi ran for prime minister and he was, at the time, the owner of the largest commercial TV network.
“He got elected and got systematic positive coverage, unsurprisingly, from the TV stations he owned,” Dr. Prat said. “Now it is interesting how that allowed him to keep power.”
While Berlusconi was in power Italy’s economy fell with its GDP dropping.
“It’s interesting if you control the media, you can get re-elected even when your country is clearing underperforming,” Dr. Prat said.
He concluded the lecture with his revenue model, with how revenue is dropping with journalists due to a loss of advertising. According to Dr. Prat, media outlets with a subscription service are doing very well, for example The New York Times.
“But this goes back to the information inequality we were talking about and the majority of people don’t use those sources because they’re behind a pay wall,” Dr. Prat said.
The spring Henry George Seminar is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. It was named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer. The lecture series is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
Henry George Lecture Discusses Issues with Media
-
04/16/2019
The University of Scranton and Boston College Law School have signed an early admissions agreement that will allow Scranton students who meet program requirements to be eligible for admission to the prestigious Jesuit law school after three years at Scranton. The agreement will take effect beginning with the 2019-20 academic year.
The agreement, commonly referred to as a “3-3 program,” will allow Scranton students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Scranton and a juris doctor (JD) degree from Boston College in six, rather than seven years. After completion of their junior year at Scranton, the agreement allows eligible students to earn up to 30 credits for their bachelor’s degree requirements during the first year at Boston College Law School. First-year law courses would count toward both the student’s law degree and his or her bachelor’s degree at Scranton.
To be eligible for the 3-3 program with Boston College Law School, students must have completed three years of coursework and earned a minimum of 63 credits at Scranton. Student must also have earned a cumulative G.P.A. at the time of matriculation to law school that is equal to or above the median G.P.A. of the prior year’s entering class at Boston College Law School, and have scored at or above the median LSAT score for third-year students of its previous year’s class, in addition to meeting other interview, character and fitness requirements, and remaining in good academic and discipline standing through matriculation at Scranton.
Scranton has a Pre-Law Advisory Program that helps students navigate the law school application process throughout their undergraduate years. The program also offers assistance to Scranton alumni who wish to apply to law school. The University offers a concentration in legal studies. Scranton also has 3-3 program agreements with Villanova School of Law and Duquesne University School of Law.
In the past four years, more than 130 Scranton graduates have received acceptance into more than 50 law schools throughout the United States, including to some of the country’s most prestigious law schools.
For more information, visit Scranton’s pre-law webpage, or contact Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., pre-law advisor and associate professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-5814 or matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.
Boston College Law Degree Affiliation Established
-
04/16/2019
Three days after the public release of the Pennsylvania grand jury report detailing sexual abuse by Catholic priests in the Commonwealth, The New York Times published an opinion column about the findings by University alumna Kathleen Sprows Cummings, Ph.D., ’93, ’G93, the director of the Cushwa Center for the Study of American Catholicism at the University of Notre Dame.
The “masterful opinion article captured so well what I and so many other Catholics were feeling in that moment,” said University of Scranton President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., who presented Dr. Cummings with the University’s Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignatian Mission and Ministry Award at a ceremony on campus April 11.
“(B)eyond the righteous anger channeled in your words you did something more. You spoke to the holiness that yet abides in the church and always will … You also offered words of example for how the church could speak to the shaken faithful and to souls shattered by the sins of abuse and complicity,” said Father Pilarz at the ceremony. He said that her New York Times column was among the inspirations for the University’s formation of the Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope.
“We are proud today to shine the light on the magnificent work you have done throughout your scholarly career and, most recently, for the voice you give to us all in a dark hour,” said Father Pilarz.
A well-respected scholar who has written extensively on gender and the ways in which women have shaped American Catholic history, Dr. Cummings also frequently appears as a media commentator on contemporary events in the Church, such as NBC’s live coverage of the canonization of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII, and Pope Francis’ historic visit to the United States. Her books include the recently published “A Saint of Our Own: How the Quest for a Holy Hero Helped Catholics Become American” and “New Women of the Old Faith: Gender and American Catholicism in the Progressive Era,” which won three 2009 Catholic Press Association Awards.
At the ceremony, Dr. Cummings spoke fondly of her years at Scranton, of the friendships made and of the “transformative” influence of her professors and mentors, such as Susan Poulson, Ph.D.; Rev. Ronald McKinney, S.J.; E. Springs Steele, Ph.D., Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D.; and William Parente, Ph.D. Dr. Cummings also spoke of Rev. Bernard McIlhenny, who admitted her to the University and encouraged her to enroll in its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. She thanked him for seeing “something in a 17-year-old girl that she could not see in herself and for guiding her to a place that would teach her again and again how to pay careful attention to the moments when God might be calling her to seek more.”
“Jesuits, and those who boast about having been educated by them, are not placeholders. We’re not wardens of established norms, but those who continue to ask difficult questions about our world, about justice and peace, and about what it means to be a human being. It was the principles I internalized during my four years here more than anything else that transformed me from a person who hid behind books into a person who writes them; from a girl who struggled to find her voice into a woman who tries to use that voice to amplify the voices silenced in the past and the present by sexism, misogyny and by injustice,” said Dr. Cummings.
The Arrupe Award is named in honor of the late Very Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983, and is intended to further his vision by recognizing men and women for outstanding contributions in a wide variety of Ignatian-inspired ministries. The University instituted the annual Arrupe Award in 1995.
The citation of Dr. Cumming’s Arrupe Award reads in part: “Dr. Cummings has dedicated her life to deepening our understanding of what it means to be Catholic and has provided us with an example of how to live up to our responsibility as a Catholic university dedicated to the pursuit of faith and justice and the search for truth.”
Scranton Alumna Receives Arrupe Award
-
04/16/2019
“When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.”“When Death Comes” by Mary Oliver
The work of well-known, Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet Mary Oliver, who passed away in January, 2019, will be celebrated at an “open reading” Tuesday, April 23, at 5:15 p.m. at the flag pole terrace on The University of Scranton’s Commons.
At the event, University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., will read selections of poems by Oliver, as will Joe Kraus, Ph.D., professor and chair of the English and Theatre Department at the University. The event will include an open microphone portion of the program to allow members of the University community and the general public to read a selection of her poems that are meaningful to them.
The popularity of Oliver’s poems extended beyond English academics to the general masses because of their universal themes, astute perception and simple, lyrical style, according to Dr. Kraus.
An example of the profound meaning expressed in her uncomplicated style and can be found in her poem “Sometimes:”
“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”Another example is from her poem “Lead:”
“I tell you this
to break your heart,
by which I mean only
that it break open and never close again
to the rest of the world.”A prolific writer, Oliver published a new collection of poems nearly every year following her 1963 book “No Voyage and Other Poems.” She received the Pulitzer Prize for her 1983 collection “American Primitive” and the National Book Award for poetry for her 1992 work “New and Selected Poems.” She received an honorary degree from Marquette University in 2012 during Father Pilarz’s tenure as president of the Jesuit school.
Books of her poems are available at the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library, and her poetry is well represented on-line. The organizers of the event invite the public and university community members to explore her work and bring poems or excerpts of poems to read aloud.
Ice cream will also be served at the event, which is offered free of charge and open to the public. For additional information, contact the University’s English and Theatre Department at 570-931-6331 or email bianca.sabia@scranton.edu.
University Remembers Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
-
04/12/2019
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will once again play host to popularly and critically acclaimed violinist Kako Miura the weekend of April 26-27.
On Friday, April 26, Miura will perform a recital at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Then, on Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m., Miura will return to Houlihan-McLean to perform as guest soloist at a concert by The University of Scranton String Orchestra.
Admission to both shows is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
In addition, Miura will offer a strings masterclass that weekend. The class is open to local amateur and professional strings musicians, ages 16 and up. Those interested in taking part should email music@scranton.edu for more information.
This will mark the fourth time Miura has performed at the University. Miura’s programs are always “exciting, eclectic, inspiring,” according to Cheryl Y. Boga, Performance Music conductor and director. The program she will perform in Scranton will be the same one she will perform in Los Angeles one week earlier.
“Our student string players love her,” Boga said. “Every semester they say, ‘Bring Kako.’ They love the way she teaches. Even though she’s this world-class violinist, the students feel like she treats them like she’s one of them. They love playing with her, they love listening to her, they love hanging out with her.”
A 2017 graduate of The Juilliard School, Miura is currently completing her master’s degree in violin performance on a full scholarship to the prestigious Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, where she is a student of the renowned Robert Lipsett, who holds the Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair. As an undergraduate at Juilliard, she was a student of Masao Kawasaki.
A recipient of numerous prestigious awards in both Australia and the United States, Miura has had solo and chamber music performances at such distinguished venues as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall, the Sydney Opera House and the Aspen Music Festival. In addition, she is a member of the classical contemporary music ensembles Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra and Kontrapunktus Baroque.
Miura has participated in the National Arts Centre’s Young Artists Program in Ottawa and the Aspen Music Festival. She also took part in the Heifetz International Music Institute Ashkenasi Kirshbaum Chamber Music Seminar in 2016 and the Taos School of Music chamber music program in 2017.
The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-member ensemble comprised of members of the University community – mostly undergraduate students, with a few members of the faculty and staff – who play violin, viola, cello or string bass and are brought together by a mutual love of making music. The ensemble performs four or five times per academic year, with most performances open to the public and free of charge.
For further information on the concerts, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Violinist Kako Miura to Perform April 26-27
-
04/11/2019
On April 30, The University of Scranton will host its inaugural Social and Digital Media Conference. This innovative conference aims to educate regional high school students and professionals about developments in digital and social media. Interactive discussions will be led by experts, influencers and industry leaders. The conference will teach participants about strategic management of social media platforms, artificial intelligence and analytics, content creation and marketing, the role of influencers, video creation for businesses, LinkedIn for professionals, upcoming technologies, user engagement and crowdsourcing, non-profit and advocacy, and more.
Seating is limited. High school students and communication professionals are encouraged to reserve their spot. This free conference will be held in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on the University’s campus from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Campus tours and lunch will be included.
The conference is offered by the Department of Communication and Media of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences. The University offers both a major and minor in social media strategies.
For more information and to register for this event, visit ussdmc.com. Contact ussdmc@scranton.edu with any questions.
Inaugural Social and Digital Media Conference Set
-
04/10/2019
Through May 3 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call. 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 2 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Weinberg Memorial Library Collaborative Program: “While Reason Slept” presented by Thomas Brier, Jr., J.D., attorney at Blank Rome LLP in Philadelphia. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 3 3 p.m. 11th Annual Festival of Nations. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-4160 or email jose.sanchez@scranton.edu.
May 3 6 p.m. Hope Horn Gallery Reception for “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “36th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring the premieres of two new works by guest composer/conductor Alex Nguyen, performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 7 7:30 p.m. Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute lecture by Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, Princeton University, entitled “The Ultimate Deal or the End of the Line? The Trump Administration and the Middle East Peace Process.” Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7956 or email marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
May 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “11th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert” featuring David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band and renowned Armstrong historian Ricky Riccardi (sponsored by Dave and Janet Wenzel), with an appearance by The University of Scranton Jazz Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 25 10:45 a.m. Graduate Degree Commencement. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 25 4 p.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 26 noon. Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
University Announces May Events
-
04/10/2019
The University of Scranton will host the sixth annual Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series on Tuesday, April 30, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center.
His Excellency Rolandas Kriščiūnas, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States of America and to the United Mexican States, will serve as the Weinberg Memorial Library’s distinguished guest speaker and Visiting Nathan Scholar. He will join Dr. Nathan and Tadas Kubilius, congressional liaison officer at the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States, for the panel discussion titled “Lithuania: Traditional and Modern Nation.” The talk will be followed by a reception.
The event is free of charge and open to the public, and made possible through the generosity of Dr. Nathan, benefactor and former professor in Scranton’s Kania School of Management.
His Excellency Kriščiūnas’ first United States assignment came in 1998, when he was stationed in Washington, D.C.’s Lithuanian Embassy as First Secretary. He returned to his country in 2001 to serve Lithuania’s Finance Ministry as the director of the European Union Program Management Department. In 2004, he was named an undersecretary of finance. In 2008, toward the end of his tenure at that post, he completed a management studies program at the Swedish Institute in Stockholm. The following year, he was named vice minister at the Finance Ministry. He returned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2012 as a vice minister, and remained in that job until being posted to Washington as the Ambassador.
Kubilius served as a desk office of the United States at NATO, USA and Canada Division of Transatlantic Cooperation and Security Policy Department at Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also served as a consul at Lithuanian Embassy in Dublin and as an assistant to the consul general of Lithuania in Chicago. He earned a bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and a master’s degree from Vilnius University, Lithuania.
A recipient of the Fulbright Travel Scholar Grant to Romania, and the Fulbright Senior Scholar Awards to Thailand, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, Dr. Nathan is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fulbright Association and a lifetime member of the Fulbright Alumni Association. He was past president of the Global Awareness Society International and is the author of recently published books on Kazakhstan and India. Dr. Nathan received a grant from the United Nations Development Program to teach graduate courses in management theory and logistics for the International Business School at Vilnius University in Lithuania.
The Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series invites international scholars from emerging democracies and countries in political and economic transition to visit the University to address issues that will enlighten and benefit students, faculty and the community at large. While visiting the campus, scholars deliver presentations on topics of interest to the academic community and meet informally with attendees, students and faculty.
Reservations are suggested for the lecture, and can be made at scranton.edu/JayNathanLecture, or by calling 570-941-7816.
Lithuania Focus of Nathan Lecture
-
04/10/2019
Once again, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome back Mark Gould and the Mannes School of Music Brass Orchestra for a Sunday, April 14, concert with the University of Scranton Singers.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. The brass ensemble and choir will each perform one third of the program and present combined performances together for the final third of the evening.
According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, this will mark the ninth time Performance Music has collaborated with a brass conservatory ensemble directed by Gould, who served as the principal trumpeter for the Metropolitan Opera from 1974 to 2003.
According to Boga, the concert is a natural outgrowth of a successful string of other musical collaborations between the two music directors.
“Maestro Gould has done a lot for and with our programs here. He was the inspiration for and co-founder of the Scranton Brass Orchestra and Scranton Brass Seminar,” Boga said of Gould.
Through the years, Gould has brought brass conservatory players from The Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music to the University. This will mark the second consecutive Scranton visit for students from Mannes, where Gould has directed the brass ensembles, made up of select undergraduate and graduate brass students, since 2017.
Part of New York City’s The New School, Mannes has been in existence for more than a century and is among the country’s premier music conservatories, with programs at the pre-college, undergraduate and graduate level.
The Mannes players will be collaborating for the second time with the 50-member University Singers, a mixed choir founded more than a half-century ago and made up of students from majors spanning the curriculum. All enrolled Scranton students are eligible for membership in the Performance Music ensembles, which include both vocal and instrumental groups.
A highly in-demand musician, conductor and teacher, Gould has conducted and performed as a soloist with orchestras throughout the world. He has recorded several albums as director of The New York Trumpet Ensemble, and has been a frequent guest with Speculum Musicae, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the MET Chamber Ensemble, Empire Brass, Canadian Brass, Summit Brass, the Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble and Extension Ensemble.
Gould’s students play in many of the major orchestras and chamber ensembles of the world, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Seattle Symphony, New York Brass Quintet, Canadian Brass, Empire Brass, Boston Brass, Meridian Arts Ensemble and many others. He is a much sought after teacher throughout the world and has spent considerable time in Japan and Europe as a teacher and clinician.
As principal trumpet of the Met, Gould performed on more than 40 “Live from Lincoln Center” performances on PBS, as well as numerous audio recordings of operas and symphonic works, including the Grammy Award-winning recordings of “The Ring of the Nibelung” and “Parsifal” for Deutsche Grammophon.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on the Mannes School of Music, visit newschool.edu/mannes.
Mannes School Brass Orchestra to Perform April 14
-
04/09/2019
At the University’s Spring Community Breakfast, Emmy Award-winning producer of “60 Minutes,” Nicole Young, told the story of seeing starving children on a television commercial for the first time when she was 13 years old. Young said she knew that poverty existed but never to the extent she witnessed that day on television.
“If it’s real, it shouldn’t be. And what can I do?” Young said she thought to herself.
Young told the audience composed of Scranton area residents, faculty, staff and students that she decided to become either a humanitarian or a journalist in order to have a platform to get the world talking about global issues.
When The University of Scranton accepted Young as a communication major, she began building her experience as a broadcast journalist in her sophomore year by accepting an internship with the Scranton affiliate for CBS News. Her internship started at 5 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday.
“I raised my hand, and I said ‘I’ll do it for free!’” Young said, laughing.
Young went on to snag two subsequent internships, one in New York City and one in Washington, D.C., with CBS News before graduating from Scranton in 2000. After Young earned a master’s degree in international journalism from City, University of London, CBS News hired her to work as an assistant to Scott Pelley of “60 Minutes.”
Sixteen years later, Young has won 13 Emmy Awards for her work with “60 Minutes.”
At the Community Breakfast, Young played a compilation of several of her shows from “60 Minutes,” including “Fighting Famine,” which focuses on a rare famine emergency in South Sudan, and “War and Hunger,” a report on 10,000 people journeying 22 hours through the desert to escape ISIS and starvation by crossing the Jordanian border.
“I’ve never seen desperation like that in my life,” Young said.
Young said her experiences as a producer for “60 Minutes,” investigating starvation and poverty are overwhelming, yet very strangely addicting.
“The tool to being a successful journalist,” Young said, “is being curious, wanting to go. Maybe if there were 100 of me, one child wouldn’t die today.”
Young received a standing ovation at the end of her talk and said she was choked up about returning to Scranton after nearly 20 years.
“The Jesuit education [at Scranton] gave me the power and strength to do the work I do,” Young said in closing.
The breakfast was hosted by the University’s Office of Community and Government Relations and Schemel Forum.
60 Minutes Producer and Alumna Speaks on Campus
-
04/09/2019
University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced the appointment of Sam Beldona, Ph.D., as dean of the Kania School of Management effective July 1, 2019. Dr. Beldona has served as dean of the Barowsky School of Business at Dominican University of California, since 2013.
“Dr. Beldona has great respect for the tradition of excellence in the Kania School and brings an innovative vision for its future,” said Father Pilarz in an announcement sent to the University community. “During his more than 20 years of experience as a professor and senior academic administrator, Dr. Beldona has developed a track record of working collaboratively with faculty, administrators, alumni, benefactors and business leaders to develop innovative curriculum and programs with a global emphasis.”
At Dominican University, Dr. Beldona launched a three-day MBA Bootcamp experience and implemented a required Global Consulting Practicum for MBA students. Also, working with faculty and staff, he led an effort that resulted in the appointment of a placement director, significantly increasing the percentage of students who completed internships within the school of business.
At Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island, Dr. Beldona served as associate dean and tenured associate professor at the Graduate School of Business from 2011 to 2013, and as chair of the Management Department in the College of Business from 2007 to 2011. At Bryant he helped the faculty to introduce new courses, such as Global Human Resource Management, International Business Practicum and Managing Diversity in a Global Environment. In addition, with faculty support, he introduced highly-interactive modules in each of the required courses for undergraduate students that included service learning, internships and case competitions. At the graduate level, he introduced specializations in global supply chain management, international business and global finance.
Previously, Dr. Beldona served as the Larry Jones Fellow of Corporate Governance at Wichita State University from 2001-2007, where he also served as the entrepreneurship research associate for the Center for Entrepreneurship. Dr. Beldona was an associate professor of international business at the International University of Japan from 2000-2001. He was an assistant professor of international business at Rutgers University from 1994-2000.
In addition, Dr. Beldona has extensive experience with AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation, having been a member of school’s AACSB’s Accreditation Steering Committee, Strategic Management Committee and Faculty Qualifications Committee, among others. The University’s Kania School of Management holds AACSB International accreditation.
Dr. Beldona has lectured, consulted, studied and taught in the Americas, Asia and Europe, and since 2003 has served as a visiting professor of corporate strategy at Temple University Japan, in Tokyo, Japan.
Dr. Beldona earned his bachelor’s degree and MBA from Karnatak University in Dharwad, India, and his master’s and Ph.D. from Temple University.
University Names New Dean of KSOM
-
04/04/2019
The University of Scranton opened the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence Executive Hub on campus as part of a multi-year, multi-million regional initiative led by the AllOne Foundation intended to significantly enhance the service delivery system for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families living in 13 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania. The initiative, announced by AllOne Foundation in September of 2018, formed five, family-friendly Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE) to deliver a full array of services and supports for individuals with ASD, from early intervention to adult services.
“AllOne Foundation had a vision to develop a sustainable framework to address existing service gaps in care for those with ASD. Through the execution of this initiative and the research data we will be collecting, we are seeking to create a national model for scientifically-sound innovation for providing ASD care,” said John P. Moses, Esq., chair of the Board of AllOne Foundation, who also acknowledged the support of The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Margaret Briggs Foundation, Northeast PA Health Care Foundation, Highmark Foundation, Geisinger Foundation and Moses Taylor Foundation that made this initiative possible. With their support “AllOne was able to make the largest private philanthropic investment in a single health issue in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania,” said Atty. Moses.
“On behalf of The University of Scranton, I want to express our gratitude to AllOne Foundation for listening to our neighbors dealing with Autism – for hearing their concerns and their frustrations – and for envisioning a sustainable, collaborative response to their needs,” said University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. at the opening ceremony of the facility at 811-813 Mulberry Street. “We thank you for your support and offer our pledge to also listen carefully and serve faithfully our neighbors touched by ASD.”
The University will serve as the executive hub of the five centers, which also include Misericordia University, Hope Enterprises (Williamsport), Children’s Service Center/Hazleton and Geisinger Autism and Developmental Medicine Institute (ADMI). The counties served by centers are: Bradford, Carbon, Clinton, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Pike, Sullivan Susquehanna, Tioga, Wyoming and Wayne counties.
In addition to providing a coordinated, comprehensive approach to the identification and treatment of ASD for children, adults, and families, The Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence will: establish a coordinated network of qualified ASD providers to facilitate regional access to evidence-based care; ensure a consistent, seamless approach that allows for tracking service delivery transitions across multiple agencies; implement an ongoing process for data collection, analysis, and the reporting of outcomes and recommendations from the coordinated network of qualified ASD providers to enhance the delivery of evidence-based care; and enhance undergraduate and graduate training opportunities in ASD-related fields to create a highly skilled talent pool for the region, among other goals.
“For the initiative to be sustained, it is imperative we develop a highly-trained workforce to provide the best services available to individuals with ASD and their families in our region, said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Beginning in the fall 2019, the University will offer an 18-credit Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study for professionals working in psychology, education, child care, speech and language disorders, and counseling and human services. At the opening, University faculty discussed aspects of the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) in the center’s state-of-the-art assessment labs that will be taught as part of this post-graduate program, which will be housed in the University’s Department of Counseling and Human Services. Each lad is also equipped with recording devices to aide in education and training of the students and assessment purposes. Currently, applications are being accepted for the program.
“Based on research of the combined county census data and a presumed ASD prevalence of 1 in 68, the estimated number of individuals in the region living with ASD is more than 17,500. This is a high-impact initiative,” said Dean Pellegrino.
For more information about the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence, visit the Center’s website or call 570-941-7000.
Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence Open
-
04/02/2019
Beginning in the fall 2019 semester, The University of Scranton will offer a post-graduate Applied Behavior Analysis Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study. Applications are currently being accepted for the 18-credit program for professionals working in psychology, education, child care, occupational therapy, speech and language disorders, and counseling. The program will prepare students to meet the requirements needed to take the Behavior Analysis Certification Board examination. The course work is currently under review by the Association of Applied Behavioral Analysis International (ABAI).
According to the CDC, the estimated prevalence of children who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is one in fifty-nine. In response to this increased need, a multi-year, multi-million regional initiative, announced by AllOne Foundation in 2018, intends to enhance the service delivery system for individuals with ASD and their families living in 13 counties in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania. The University will serve as the executive hub of five Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence.
The University’s hub will be a family friendly place for information and referral. The hub also has three state-of-the-art assessment labs to aide in education and training of the graduate students, as well as for evaluation purposes.
“The University is committed to working with the AllOne Foundation and community partners in building a community of care for children with ASD and their families by offering family friendly hubs for information and referral, identifying gaps in services, and increasing the number of skilled professionals through the Applied Behavior Analysis certificate program who can offer proven evidence-based interventions,” said Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Applicants to the post-graduate program must meet master degree, G.P.A. and other requirements for admittance. For additional information, contact Lori Bruch, Ed.D., chair of the Department of Counseling and Human Services, at Lori.Bruch@scranton.edu, or Caitlyn Hollingshead, director of graduate and international admissions, at Caitlyn.Hollingshead@scranton.edu or 570-941-6202.
New Post-Graduate Certificate Offered at Scranton
-
04/02/2019
Seventeen University of Scranton students, eight faculty members, and six alumni presented research projects at the Eastern Psychological Association annual meeting held in March in New York City.
The students who presented were: Caitlin Alvarado, Linden, New Jersey; Kerry Buckhaults, East Meadow, New York; Patrick Chapman, Yardley; Rachel Clark, Factoryville; Michael Diana, Somerset, New Jersey; Kerri Dillon, Blauvelt, New York; Nicole Disanto, Tuckahoe, New York; Megan Fabian, West Seneca, New York; Daniel Garvey, Marlton, New Jersey; Hannah Hayford, Vestal, New York; Caitlyn Kollar, Cinnaminson, New Jersey; Emma Long, Honesdale; Joseph Marushin, Sugarloaf; Robert McGowan, Scranton; Juliana Melara, Liverpool, New York; Madison Montalbano, Rockaway Park, New York; and Jake Ziede, Massapequa Park, New York.
The alumni who presented were: Gwenny Go, Class of 2016, Scranton; Elaine House, Class of 2018, New Providence, New Jersey; Michael Leitner, Class of 2016, Philadelphia; Melissa Lopez, Class of 2017, Tobyhanna; Alexandra Mueller, Class of 2018, Norwalk, Connecticut; and Henna Tolani, Class of 2017, Duryea.
Clark; Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology; Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of community and government relations; Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre; and Cyrus Olsen, Ph.D., associate professor of theology/religious studies, presented “Dialogue across Political Differences on a College Campus.”
Buckhaults, Dillon, Hayford and Patrick Orr, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, presented “Environmental Factors and Dietary Behaviors Relate to Self-Reported Hyperpalatable Food Satisfaction.”
Fabian, House and Dr. Nolan presented “Evaluating the Impact of the Film 'Food Evolution' on Attitudes towards GMO's.”
Chapman, Montalbano and Dr. Nolan presented “Motivating Support for Environmental Organizations by Combining Information about Descriptive Norms.”
Long, Ziede and Bryan Burnham, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, presented “Perception of Major/Minor Keys by Ascending vs. Descending Pitch.”
Garvey, Lopez and Dr. Nolan presented “Predicting Race IAT Feedback Acceptance.”
Chapman, Disanto, McGowan, Melara, Tolani and Dr. Nolan presented “Self-Verification of Prejudice and Support for Donald Trump.”
Diana and Dr. Nolan presented “The Boundaries of Cognitive Spillover from Normative Anchors.”
Go, Kollar, Leitner and Jill Warker, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, presented “The Effect of Mood and Emotion on Memory for Tweets.”
Alvarado, Marushin, Mueller and Dr. Warker presented “The Effect of Working Memory Load on Joke Comprehension.”
Dillon and John Norcross, Ph.D., distinguished professor of psychology, presented “What Makes a Good Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship?”
The Eastern Psychological Association (EPA) was founded in 1896 and is the oldest of the regional psychological associations in the United States. Its sole purpose is to advance the science and profession through the dissemination of professional information about the field of psychology, according to its website. EPA achieves this goal by conducting its annual meeting where its members present the latest advances in professional and scientific work to their colleagues.
Research Presented at Psychological Assoc. Meeting
-
04/01/2019
On March 28th, students gathered in a conference room on the fourth floor of the DeNaples Center to not only learn skills that could help with salary negotiation in the future, but also to learn how to better advocate for themselves.
The Jane Kopas Women’s Center hosted the two-hour salary negotiation workshop, which featured the curriculum of a “Start Smart” salary workshop, a program created by the American Association of University Women (AAUW).
According to the Women’s Center, the AAUW’s Start Smart and Work Smart programs are “designed to empower women with the skills and confidence to successfully negotiate their salary and benefits packages. By learning strategies and practicing effective language, participants gain valuable skills they can use throughout their lives – well beyond their next negotiation.”
The workshop was facilitated by Maria Marinucci, director of the Cross Cultural Center, and Lori Moran, career development coordinator.
The workshop included information regarding the gender pay gap and taught the attendees how to: expand the market value of their education, skills and experience; conduct market research and decide a fair salary; create a good pitch; and respond to salary offers.
“We want you to come out of college ready to negotiate your first salary,” Marinucci said.
The attendees included both men and women and ranged from seniors to first-year students. Participants received a workbook that included pertinent information about the workshop and its learning objectives and it also included exercises to help guide the learning experience.
“The very first step,” Moran said, “is knowing your own value.”
The mission of the Jane Kopas Women’s Center is to offer educational programs on topics related to women, gender and feminist theories; to develop women as lifelong learners and confident leaders through skill training, educational opportunities, advocacy training, and a women’s leadership program; and to encourage service through collaborative projects between the campus and Scranton communities.
In correlation with Women’s History Month, throughout March the University, its departments and organizations have hosted events that focus on displaying the University’s commitment to diversity, gender equity and cultural understanding.
University Students Learn to “Start Smart”
-
03/27/2019
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome back some multitalented alumni for its Saturday, April 6, concert.
That evening, The University of Scranton Jazz Band will be joined on stage by The Alumni Blues Doctors, made up of Scranton graduates and Performance Music alumni Drs. Christian Adonizio ’92, Bernard J. Costello ’91, Christopher Newman ’94 and Matthew Stopper ’99.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The concert is being sponsored by the family of the late Michael Zaboski Sr., in celebration of his life and love of music. The late Zaboski’s son is University Vice Provost for Enrollment Management and External Affairs Gerald C. Zaboski ’87, G ’95, one of several Zaboski family members who have performed in the University’s choirs and bands. The late Mr. Zaboski’s grandson Gared is a 2018 graduate student who plays saxophone in the University’s jazz band, and Gared’s brother Kyle is a sophomore at Scranton.
Though the University has no music major, countless talented student musicians have played for Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga during her 38-plus years at Scranton. And it just so happens that many of those alumni happen to be physicians, she said.
All four Alumni Blues Doctors will have featured solos at the concert, according to Boga.
“They all were and remain excellent musicians. And Chris Newman continues to play professionally all over the place with orchestras and bands,” Boga said. “These are like my kids coming home. I’m so excited about this, I can’t even tell you.”
Dr. Adonizio is a board-certified hematologist/oncologist who practices at Geisinger Medical Center. He serves as the medical director for oncology innovation and analytics and the director for cancer care delivery research, as well as a clinical professor of medicine, at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.
Dr. Costello is a board-certified surgeon who serves as dean and professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, chief of pediatric oral and maxillofacial surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC and a surgeon with the Cleft and Craniofacial Center.
Dr. Newman is a board-certified internal medicine specialist who is the chief medical officer and vice president of medical affairs at Penn State Health/St. Joseph’s, and the executive director of St. Joseph’s Medical Group. A professional musician, he performs with numerous bands, orchestras and chamber music ensembles throughout the Northeast.
Dr. Stopper is a cardiologist and electrophysiologist at Great Valley Cardiology, specializing in the comprehensive treatment of cardiac arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation. He is board certified in clinical cardiac electrophysiology, cardiovascular diseases, internal medicine, nuclear cardiology and adult echocardiography.
The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 25-member ensemble of big band instrumentation, made up of University student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. The band performs four or more times per year, with the majority of its performances free of charge and open to the public.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Alumni Blues Doctors to Perform with Jazz Band
-
03/27/2019
Castles built in stone will surely last longer than those made of sand. The same can be true of relationships. Those built on a solid foundation, such as a shared mission, would surely be best suited to stand the test of time.
For nearly 30 years, The University of Scranton has enjoyed just such a relationship with St. Elizabeth University of Health and Social Work, a Catholic college in Bratislava, Slovak Republic, and Trnava University, Trnava, Slovak Republic.
A recent visit to Scranton by Most Reverend Viliam Judak, Bishop of the Diocese of Nitra, Slovak Republic, and Monsignor Martin Stofko, Diocese of Nitra, Slovak Republic, highlights the common foundation and strong bonds shared by Scranton and St. Elizabeth University and Catholic church in the former communist state.
“St. Elizabeth University was created as a private Catholic university so that they could serve the poor both in Slovakia and also communities external to Slovakia,” said Daniel J. West Jr., Ph.D., professor and chair of Scranton’s Department of Health Administration and Human Resources.
St. Elizabeth University offers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level education in numerous health related fields and has more than 40 science-pedagogical facilities in more than 20 countries. The partnership between the Panuska College of Professional Studies’ Health Administration Program and the Catholic institution has brought numerous faculty and student exchanges that have benefited both the education of health care providers and the care of patients across the globe.
In addition to its educational mission, St. Elizabeth University actively serves the sick and poor irrespective of the race, nationality and religious orientation, in the Slovak Republic, as well as through its health, humanitarian, social, charitable and missionary facilities in Ukraine, Cambodia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan, Nairobi, Haiti and a dozen other countries.
Scranton – with a commitment to provide a transformational educational experience to our students that is engaged, integrated and global – has partnered with St. Elizabeth’s to provide experiences abroad for our Master in Health Administration (MHA) students.
“When I first started at Scranton a few decades ago, less than 1 percent of our students traveled abroad,” said Dr. West. “Now about 25 percent of students do. We need to have the relationships to allow this to happen with partners we trust. It’s the human element that is so important.”
Dr. West said the relationship with St. Elizabeth has developed “block by block” over time, recalling that the University though its numerous efforts in Haiti, introduced St. Elizabeth University to the many needs of the poor of the that nation. Subsequently, St. Elizabeth’s has started two health care projects in Haiti, one in the north and one in the south.
“I went to Haiti to help with the children,” said Monsignor Stofko. “I also went to Kenya and Uganda. This is the way we continued to work with the University and work with the students.”
Dr. West said the University has worked “hand-in-hand” with St. Elizabeth’s and the Church in Slovakia. This relationship extends to publishing, research and international presentations. Faculty from Slovakia contributed to four chapters of Dr. West’s most recent book “The Global Healthcare Manager: Competencies, Concepts and Skills.”
But, Dr. West said it is the students that ultimately benefit the most from the relationship.
“Each time our MHA students visit St. Elizabeth’s in Bratislava, we also visit some area around the city. One area we always visit is Nitra and when we visit, the Bishop invites us to his table, which is really in a very large castle. He allows us to tour a museum that not everyone has the chance to see,” said Dr. West.
This year, two groups of MHA students will travel to St. Elizabeth’s in the spring semester.
Students will see first-hand the lasting strength of castles built of stone – and of partnerships formed on a solid foundation.
Common Mission Builds Lasting Relationship
-
03/27/2019
The University of Scranton’s Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope will host a presentation titled “Clergy Sexual Abuse and Betrayal Trauma: Facing the Harm and Facilitating Healing” by Christine A. Courtois, Ph.D., a board-certified counseling psychologist and specialist in the treatment of adults who have suffered childhood sexual trauma. She will be joined by David Nolan, director of New Beginnings Ministry at St. Anthony Shrine in Boston, who serves as a peer counselor to survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their families. Their presentation, which is open to the public, free of charge, will be held Wednesday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
Through campus surveys and feedback forums conducted in the fall semester, the “effects of sexual trauma on survivors” was identified as one of the topics that would be addressed by the Task Force.
The presentation by Dr. Courtois is intended to help those in attendance to identify dynamics of clergy abuse that compound trauma and to understand the key aspects of the complex trauma response specifically concerning the capacity for trust, attachment, intimacy and spirituality.
Dr. Courtois is the author and co-editor of several books on trauma-related topics. including “Treating Complex Traumatic Stress Disorders: Scientific Foundations and Therapeutic Models” (Guilford, 2013). She was chair of the recently released Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of PTSD in Adults for the American Psychological Association (APA) and for guidelines on the treatment of complex trauma for several professional organizations. Recently retired from private practice and now serving as a consultant and trainer on topics on trauma psychology and treatment, Dr. Courtois co-founded and previously served as clinical and training director of The CENTER: Posttraumatic Disorders Program, in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Courtois is past president of APA Division 56 (trauma psychology) and past founding associate editor of the Division’s journal, Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy. Her awards include the APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Professional Practice and the American Board of Professional Psychology 2016 Distinguished Service Award to the Profession of Psychology.
Convened in October of 2018, the Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope was established by University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., and is supported by endowed funds approved by the University’s Board of Trustees. The Task Force is co-chaired by Patricia Tetreault, vice president for human resources, and Christian Krokus, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Theology and Religious Studies Department.
For additional information, visit the Task Force’s website or email hrhtaskforce@scranton.edu.Leading Trauma Psychologist to Speak April 10
-
03/26/2019
The University of Scranton celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Jane Kopas Women’s Center at a luncheon held on campus on March 2nd. The program included the presentation of the center’s inaugural Legacy Award to Gerianne Barber ’84, G’88, director of the Counselor Training Center at the University.
The Women’s Center at the University was established in 1994 to provide a forum on campus for exploring women’s issues and to address concerns of gender equality and justice. In 2001, the Campus Women’s Center was renamed after theology and religious studies professor M. Jane Kopas, Ph.D., to recognize her numerous and diverse contributions to improving the status of women on campus and in the greater Scranton community. Dr. Kopas, who served as the first director of the Campus Women’s Center, was among the first faculty members appointed to the University’s Committee on the Status of Women and was a key member of the group that developed the women’s studies concentration. She was also instrumental in developing the “Empty Place at the Table” memorial to women, children, and men who have lost their lives as a result of relationship violence. The Center continues to focus on advancing gender equity through education, awareness, and advocacy.
Jean Wahl Harris, Ph. D., professor of political science and director of the University’s women’s and gender studies program, served as the keynote speaker for the 25th anniversary celebration. University President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., provided the invocation. Also speaking at the celebration were: Maria R. Marinucci, director of the University’s Cross Cultural Centers; Robert W. Davis Jr., Ed.D., vice president for student life, University graduates Amy McKiernan ’07 and Megan Barr ‘18, G’19, and Lauren S. Rivera, J.D., assistant vice president for student life and dean of students, who presented the Legacy Award to Barber.
Barber joined the staff at the University in 2004. She has supervised graduate students in counseling in several programs, including a shoplifting intervention program for first-time offenders, and Peacemakers, a free after school program for area children offered through the Leahy Community Health and Family Center. She has also served on the University’s Presidential Search Committee in 2017-2018 and is currently a member of the University’s Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope. Barber received the University’s Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Award in 2012. The award recognizes staff members who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton.
Jane Kopas Women’s Center’s 25th Anniversary
-
03/26/2019
Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C., and David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History at UCLA and president of the New Israel Fund, contextualized the Israel-Palestine conflict at a Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar. The presentation took place on campus March 1, less than a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s indictments made international news.
Dr. Myer and Dr. Ibish took turns explaining the past, present and future of Israel and Palestine’s conflicts, with Dr. Myers focusing on Israel and Dr. Ibish focusing on Palestine.
Issues Israel faces today include, Dr. Myer said, the corruption of Netanyahu. For example, the prime minister spent government money on cases of very expensive cigars. Though Netanyahu had called for an early election, the announcement of his indictments 39 days before the early election caused the political Right in Israel’s government to accuse the Left of subverting the election. Other political parties are now poised to take Netanyahu’s spot, if he loses the election or resigns.
Palestine does not face issues such as these, Dr. Ibish said, because its leaders generally rule by force. While controlling of its citizens’ freedom and other aspects of their lives, the Palestine government does not take much responsibility for the safety and health of their citizen, such as providing access to clean drinking water.
“There is zero accountability,” Dr. Ibish said. “In the West Bank, what you have is a polity which began with some promise in the 90s, but that has been worn down. Worn down by unaccountability, worn down by corruption, worn down by the manipulation by the government of the legal system.”
Like Israel, Dr. Ibish said, Palestine faces conflicts both internal and external. Many people are concerned about Palestine going forward, seeing it as a ticking time bomb. Since the fall of Aleppo, the Arab world has changed, and Israel fixates on whatever the Arab world fixates on. For Israel, the future is murky but now has more room for change than ever, due to a potential shift in dominant political party.
“Perhaps the sole constant in history is the persistence of change,” Dr. Myer said. “Just when we thought change was impossible on the Israeli front, the past 24 hours […] have delivered very ample doses of change.”
The Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
For more information on the Schemel Forum, please contact Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum, at 570-941-4089, or at Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Seminar Explores Israel-Palestine Conflict
-
03/21/2019
Two University of Scranton students won medals at the Southern-Northern Atlantic Forensics Union tournament, which was held recently at West Chester University. The students competed as part of The University of Scranton Speech Team, a newly formed co-curricular student organization.
Fred Mukelo, a sophomore international studies major from Scranton, won a third-place medal for International Public Debate.
Andrew Franklin, a first-year counseling and human services major from West Pittston, won a seventh-place medal for Prose Interpretation at the tournament.
Two Students Medal at Forensics Competition
-
03/21/2019
The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library will hold its annual Book, Plant and Tag Sale on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 28, from noon until 4 p.m. in the Scranton Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the library. Book prices begin at 50 cents and the large assortment of used hardcover and paperback books available for sale include children’s books, cookbooks, fiction and non-fiction, as well as compact discs, audiocassettes and tag sale items. Also on sale will be flowering plants, herbs and 50/50 raffle tickets. A Friends of the Weinberg Library bag can be purchased for $5 and filled with books at Sunday’s sale.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services.
A special preview sale will be held on Friday, April 26, for Friends’ members and Schemel Forum members.
For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Barbara Evans at 570-941-4078.
Library Book Sale Set for April 27-28
-
03/20/2019
Fifty-one University of Scranton students built homes, served at-risk youth and prepared meals for the homeless during their participation in six domestic service trips, organized by Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, over spring break. Students volunteered at the following service organizations: Homeboy Industries/ Dolores Mission in Los Angeles, California; St. Michael’s Association for Special Education in St. Michael, Arizona; Christian Appalachian Projects in Kentucky; St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia, The McKenna Center in Washington, D.C.; and Experience Missions in Puerto Rico.
The following students served at-risk youth and adults at the gang intervention and rehabilitation program at Homeboy Industries:
Gabriella Allegra;
Julia Betti;
Kayla Collins;
Jenna Cyr;
Joseph Dittmar;
Lauren Hughes;
Mark Miller;
Taylor Roman;
Heather Sanwald;
Domonique Thompson.
The following students served Navajo children and adults with developmental disabilities at St. Michael’s:
Marino Angeloni;
Grace Donnelly;
Anne Gormley;
Jillian Gray;
Meghan Rohr;
Colleen Tressel;
Anna Wengyn;
Sarah White;
Cali Wingate;
Michaela Yennella.
The following students repaired substandard housing and build new homes for low-income families at the Christian Appalachian Project:
Briana Abrams;
Avianna Carilli;
Veronica Darno;
Emily Foster;
Megan Maloney;
Caelyn McGowan;
Josh Romero;
Brianna Tucciarone;
Christiana Wood.
The following students served the homeless by preparing daily meals, cleaning and sorting clothing and food donations at St. Francis Inn:
Nadine Brosnan;
Zoe Haggerty;
Cianna Kisailus;
Hollyann Serp.
The following students served the homeless at a daytime drop-in center for homeless men at The McKenna Center:
Alaina Ciorra;
Kelly Cooney;
Kathryn Donnelly;
Grace Gallagher;
Abril Lopez;
Hallie Mallozzi;
Katherine Musto;
Kelly Neville.
The following students rebuild homes for families in need impacted by Hurricane Maria at Experience Missions:
Abigail Allen;
Sarah Brown;
Jeffrey Colucci;
Matthew Gorman;
Bridget Gras;
Isaiah Livelsberger;
Krista Longobardi;
Justin Reagan;
Lauren Schulz;
Caitlin Torrico.
Students Participate in Spring Break Service Trips
-
03/20/2019
Waste Management contributed $8,000 to support The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a multi-year, pre-college program for high school students designed to develop the skills needed to successfully gain entrance to college.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Waste Management has provided continuous support for this program since 2012.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Waste Management Supports University of Success
-
03/20/2019
The University of Scranton will host a Preview Day for high school students accepted to its Class of 2023 and their families on Saturday, March 23. The event provides an opportunity for students to take a closer look at the Jesuit university before making their final college decision.
Preview Day begins at 9 a.m. and will include presentations and panel discussions throughout the day that allow students and their parents to meet with faculty and administrators concerning academic programs and majors, as well as programs of excellence and career development. Scranton’s undergraduate class of 2018 reported a 98 percent success rate in achieving their goals of employment, continued education or service six months after graduation.
Representatives from financial aid representatives and representatives of student programs and services such as clubs and athletics will also be available. Tours of the University’s classrooms, laboratories and residential and recreational facilities will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m., with the last tour departing at approximately 1:30 p.m.
For additional information, see the full program for Preview Day or contact The University of Scranton Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON.
Preview Day for Class of 2023 Set for March 23
-
03/19/2019
The next Global Tastes of Scranton event, planned for Sunday, April 7, will feature the cuisine and culture of Bhutan and Nepal. The ‘pop-up restaurant’ event will begin at 5 p.m. at The Scranton Cultural Center.
Authentic Bhutanese-Nepali foods planned for the evening will include momos, chawmin, samosas and traditional datshi curry. The event will also highlight Bhutanese- Nepali culture with special music and performances. Information about the refugee crisis will also be provided. Proceeds from the event will benefit refuge support activities of Catholic Social Services.
Partners for the Global Tastes of Scranton event are The University of Scranton Office of Community and Government Relations, The Scranton Cultural Center, The Lackawanna County Department of Arts and Culture, Momo King, Terra Preta Prime Restaurant, Namaste Grocery and Nepali Kitchen, The Greenhouse Project and Catholic Social Services of The Diocese of Scranton.
Tickets are $35. For more information, or to register, visit www.scranton.edu/globaltastes, call 570-941-4419, or email jessica.durkin@scranton.edu. The registration deadline is April 1.
Global Tastes of Scranton Event Set for April 7
-
03/18/2019
The University of Scranton Asian Studies Program began a three-part spring lecture series exploring Women in Asia with presentations by Shuhua Fan, Ph.D., professor of history, and Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and director of Asian Studies. The professors discussed the historical and philosophical portrayal of women in mainland China and Taiwan, with a focus on inequality and obstacles faced by Chinese women and the possible means of redemption offered through Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism.
In her presentation “Women in Mainland China and Taiwan,” Dr. Fan said “to Confucius, family was very important because family was the basic unit of society and also for the practice of marriage. In Chinese culture, before the 1980s, single-life was abnormal, except for widows, monks and nuns, so everyone had to be married.”
Dr. Fan also discussed the role of a concubine, a woman who lives with a man in a household but has a lower societal status than his wife or wives. A concubine was seen to fulfill the man’s sexual desires and bear children.
“Concubines mainly functioned as a symbol of power and wealth, because families needed to have sons,” Dr. Fan said, who noted that having a son was seen as much more valuable than having a daughter at the time. The people of power ranged from military leaders to political leaders in China.
“Most of the concubines were from poorer families because they could not afford to give them a good marriage,” Dr. Fan said. “Many were purchased from tea houses, suitors or brothels.”
It wasn’t until 1971 that a ban on concubines began with the Marriage Reform Ordinance in Hong Kong. Since the 1980s, however, Dr. Fan said there has been resurgence of concubine culture in China with the trend of wealthy business men having mistresses.
“The central government, the provisional government and private organizations have launched campaigns on anti-mistress and anti-corruption,” Dr. Fan said.
Following Dr. Fan’s remarks, Dr. Pang-White presented “Beyond Gender: Buddhism and Women in Contemporary Taiwan.”
Dr. Pang-White began her lecture with a poem on Buddhism and how gender is not a factor when someone ascends to enlightenment.
“An enlightened being is both male, female and man, women because they are not tied to a gender,” Dr. Pang-White said. “It does not matter which final form this enlightened being is, when he or she ascends to Buddhahood.”
Even though there is no gender discrimination when trying to achieve enlightenment through worship, Dr. Pang-White said “early text originally only allows men to become monks. Women were not allowed to go outside of the household to become nuns.”
Dr. Pang-White said that women were eventually allowed to form their own nunnery, not to be governed by men. There were still rules, the “8 Heavy Rules,” that nuns have to follow.
“It is forbidden for a nun to accuse a monk of a transgression, but monks can admonish nuns for their transgressions,” Dr. Pang-White said. “It’s not equitable.”
This discrimination started to dissipate with a folklore tale from the book “Lotus Sutra.” In the book, the Dragon King’s Daughter sought to achieve enlightenment from the Buddha. She was rejected at first for not being a man then became enlightened after offering a pearl to the Buddha.
“This is a daughter not a son, an 8-year-old daughter attaining Buddhahood not an 8-year-old prince. It reverses the paradigm,” Dr. Pang-White said. “This really opened the gate for female Buddhas in tradition it became a hugely popular concept in Japan, China and Taiwan.”
In 1949 when the communist party took power in China, Buddhist monks fled to Taiwan and were in need of students, so they took female students.
“They integrated women’s status as legitimate students in Buddhism,” said Dr. Pang-White.
Women in Buddhism continued to grow until the point where women were allowed to own their own monasteries and work with the male monks in Taiwan.
“We see now that Buddhist nuns take leadership roles in providing alternative venues for women who don’t want to get married – that want spiritual progress and not to be bound by household duties,” Dr. Pang-White said. “They want to seek more education.”
Lecture Series Focuses on Women in Asia
-
03/15/2019
Area students in grades seven to 12 can participate in The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest. The contest is offered free of charge and this year’s essay theme is “Caring for the Earth’s Critters.”
Essay submissions must be postmarked on or before April 1 and can be mailed to The University of Scranton, Provost Office, 800 Linden Street, Scranton, PA 18510, Attn: Earth Day Essay Contest. Electronic submissions must be sent to linda.walsh@scranton.edu on or before April 3.
Visit the University’s website for submission rules and details, or call 570-941-7520.
Essay submissions will be showcased and contest winners announced at the Earth Day Evening of Environmental Science event on Thursday, April 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center. The event, which is free of charge and open to the public, will include refreshments and interactive science experiments and displays presented by University students.
Area Students Can Compete in Essay Contest
-
03/12/2019
The University of Scranton online master’s in accountancy program (MAcc) ranked No. 1, No. 3, No. 4 (twice) and No. 7 in five separate 2019 “Best Online Programs in Accounting” lists.
Best Colleges ranked the University’s program No. 1 in the nation in its ranking of the “Top 25 Programs for a Master’s in Accounting Online for 2019.” The list by Best Colleges, an independent college information website, equally weighted information on a school’s admissions rate, student loan default rate, retention rate, graduation rate and the percent of students enrolled in online classes, to determine its ranking.
Best College Reviews, an online college review journal, ranked Scranton No. 3 in the nation in its list of the “40 Best Online Master’s Degrees in Accounting.” Best College Reviews ranked the schools according to points awarded for “relevant accounting courses that apply well in the accounting job market (1-5 point range), awards or other noted recognition in the field (1-4 point range), faculty expertise with terminal degrees in the field (1-4 points), flexibility of degree track (1-3 points), quality of online interface and resources (1-3 points) and an additional point was awarded for features of particular distinction.”
Master’s Program Guide ranked Scranton No. 4 list of the “50 Best Online Master of Accounting Degrees.” The methodology used by the online college information source first looked at top programs recognized in sources such as U.S. News and World Report, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The publication then ranked the schools based on affordability (25 percent), accreditation and commendation (25 percent), student satisfaction and support services (25 percent) and online accessibility (25 percent).
Accounting Degree Review ranked Scranton No. 4 in the nation in its list of the “Top 50 Online Master’s Degrees in Accounting.” According to the online information source for prospective accounting and finance students, the 2019 ranking is based on publicly available information regarding reputation, prestige, student satisfaction, affordability and value.
College Choice ranked Scranton No. 7 in its “Best Online Master’s in Accounting” list. The ranking by online college search source only included accredited institutions. The University’s Kania School of Management holds accreditation by the rigorous standards of AACSB International. Schools were then ranked based on quality factors (20 percent), such as graduation rate and faculty credentials; reputation (20 percent), based on the school’s ranking in US News, Financial Times and other sources; affordability (20 percent), based on net price calculation and average student loan size; value (20 percent) based on a return on investment (ROI) score; and satisfaction (20 percent), based on retention and reviews logged on Rate My Professor, Niche and other online sources.
In addition, Online Schools Center, an online college information source, listed Scranton among the “Top 15 Online Master’s of Management Accounting.” Schools were not ranked in the listing of just the top online accounting programs in the nation. The list was determined based on program criteria (50 percent), such as the percentage of the program that can be completed online and retention rates; ancillary services (30 percent), such as career services and post-graduate career placement; and school criteria (20 percent), such as accreditation and other recognition.
Scranton offers online master’s degrees in accountancy, finance, health administration, health informatics and human resources, as well as online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management; and a dual MBA/MHA degree, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for the online programs.
Online Master of Accounting Tops Best Lists
-
03/08/2019
Through Apr. 12 Art Exhibit: “Altered States: Important Prints from The Maslow Collection.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through Apr. 24 Exhibit “Life, Death, and Memory: Art and Artifacts from the Passionist China Collection,” which honors the martyred men as well as the service of the many other Passionist priests and Sisters of Charity who worked in the region from 1921 to 1955. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Apr. 1 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Media Power: Measuring the Influence of News Media on Politics” presented by Andrea Prat, Ph.D., Columbia University. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email aram.balagyozyan@scranton.edu.
Apr. 4 5 p.m. 24th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-702-5734 or email elizabeth.steele@scranton.edu.
Apr. 4 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Political Dialogues Campus Working Group at The University of Scranton Collaborative Program: “Democracy and the Rhetoric of Demagoguery” presented by Patricia Roberts-Miller, Ph.D., professor of rhetoric and writing and director of the university writing center at the University of Texas at Austin. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 5 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Altered States: Important Prints from The Maslow Collection” presented by Ryan Ward, curator, The Maslow Collection, Marywood University. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 6 9 a.m. National History Day Competition for junior and senior high school students. Byron Complex. Pre-registration required beginning on Feb. 1. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
Apr. 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with special guests The Alumni Blues Doctors featuring Drs. Adonizio, Costello, Newman, and Stopper. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 7 5 p.m. Global Tastes of Scranton event featuring the Bhutanese-Nepali community. Co-sponsors include The University of Scranton, Catholic Social Services, Lackawanna County Department of Arts and Culture, Scranton Cultural Center and Terra Preta Restaurant. Scranton Cultural Center. $35. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Apr. 8 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Empathy in Politics: Does it Matter? If So, Why?” presented by Fred Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of history. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 8 6 p.m. Schemel Forum with The Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections at the Weinberg Memorial Library and Friends of the Weinberg Library Collaborative Program: “American Passionist Priest Martyrs in China, 90th Anniversary 1929-2019: Remembering their Witness of Faith; Remembering the Chinese Catholic Witness of Faith” presented by Father Rob Carbonneau, Ph.D., passionist historian/adjunct professor of history, The University of Scranton. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 10 7 p.m. Presentation by Christine Courtois, Ph.D., author and psychologist specializing in the treatment of trauma, regarding sexual abuse trauma and healing, sponsored by the University’s Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email hrhtaskforce@scranton.edu
Apr. 10-24 Environmental Art Show. Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Apr. 11 6 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7669 or email stan.zygmunt@scranton.edu.
Apr. 11-13 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” presented by The Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5 admission. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Apr. 13 1 p.m. Holi-Festival of Colors. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-4160 or email jose.sanchez@scranton.edu.
Apr. 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Mannes School of Music Brass Orchestra and The University of Scranton Singers. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 15 6:30 p.m. Political Dialogue Discussion facilitated by The University of Scranton. Albright Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-348-3000, ext. 3023, or visit www.albright.org
Apr. 16 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentations and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Apr. 16 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email laurie.mccoy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 23 4:30 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus based competition for both high school and college divisions. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-6580 or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-7902 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 1 p.m. “19th Annual Celebration of Student Scholars.” Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email tabbi.miller-scandle@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Kako Miura, violin. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27 7:30 a.m. Schemel Forum Bus Trip to New York City. $100. Registration required by Mar. 30. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Kako Miura. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27-28 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Apr. 28 through May 3 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call. 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 30 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The Holocaust: Confronting Evil, Assuming Responsibility” presented by Yehudit Shendar, content director/chief curator of the British Holocaust Memorial. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 30 5 p.m. Jay Nathan Lecture “Lithuania-Traditional and Modern Nation” presented by Rolandas Kriščiūnas, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States of America and to the United Mexican States. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Tuesdays, Apr. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 & May 7 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Ben Franklin as a Marketing Pioneer” presented by Abhijit Roy, D.B.A., professor of marketing, Kania School of Management, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces April Events
-
03/08/2019
“Media Power: Measuring the Influence of News Media on Politics” will be discussed at The University of Scranton’s Henry George Seminar on Monday, April 1. The lecture, presented by Andrea Prat, Ph.D., professor of economics at Columbia University, will begin at 4 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Prat, the Richard Paul Richman Professor of Business at Columbia Business School, is a principal investigator of the Executive Time Use Project. His current research in political economy attempts to define and measure the influence of the media industry on the democratic process.
He is the author of numerous articles in leading journals in economics and finance including the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Journal of Finance, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, the Review of Economic Studies, and the Review of Financial Studies. He served as chair and managing editor of the Review of Economic Studies. He is an associate editor of Theoretical Economics and a director of the industrial organization program of the Center for Economic Policy Research in London. Dr. Prat was elected a fellow of the British Academy in 2011 and a fellow of the Econometric Society in 2013.
The spring Henry George Seminar is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. It was named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer. The lecture series is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information on the lecture, call 570-941-4048 or email john.ruddy@scranton.edu.Media Power Discussed at Henry George Seminar
-
03/06/2019
This April marks the 90th anniversary of the deaths of three Passionist Catholic priests at the hands of bandits in China. The priests had come as missionaries to Hunan province, and their murders shocked American Catholics, U.S. diplomats and the Holy See.
A new exhibit in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton, titled “Life, Death, and Memory: Art and Artifacts from the Passionist China Collection,” honors the martyred men as well as the service of the many other Passionist priests and Sisters of Charity who worked in the region from 1921 to 1955, when the last missionary was expelled from Communist China. They served through famine, flood and war, and witnessed both incredible suffering and hope. Ultimately, they left a legacy that continues to the present day, inspiring a new generation of Chinese Passionist priests.
The exhibit will be on display through April 24 and can be seen, free of charge, during library hours.
On Monday, April 8, in collaboration with the Schemel Forum, The Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections at the Weinberg Memorial Library and the Friends of the Library, there will be a reception and lecture by Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D,, Passionist historian and adjunct professor of history at Scranton. Father Carbonneau will present “American Passionist Priest Martyrs in China, 90th Anniversary 1929-2019: Remembering the Chinese Catholic Witness of Faith.” The lecture will focus on remembering the witness of faith of the martyred priests, and the larger story of the Chinese Catholic witness of faith.
Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room, with a book signing and reception to follow. To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
For further information about the exhibit, contact Special Collections Librarian Michael Knies at 570-941-6341.
Passionist China Art and Artifacts Exhibited
-
03/06/2019
For its Saturday, March 23, concert, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will host the highly versatile New York City-based big band Kyle Athayde Dance Party. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
In addition, a free masterclass will be offered earlier that day. The class is open to local amateur and professional musicians, ages 16 and older. Those interested in participating should email music@scranton.edu for more information.
Athayde has been a past featured composer for Performance Music’s World Premiere Composition Series Concert and has given several clinics and masterclasses at the University in recent years. He is also well known for his impressive skills as a gamer. He and the other members of Kyle Athayde Dance Party have previously performed at the University as the band for Rob Kapilow’s “What Makes It Great?” program on Duke Ellington, and at swing dances at the DeNaples Center.
“They’re spectacular,” said Cheryl Y. Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music at the University. “Some of the music they do is video game inspired, but in a big band style. They do swing, they do Latin. Originals, covers, you name it. It’s a real mix of everything. They’re some of the greatest young players in America right now. Every member of the band is a little bit of a rising star in their own right.”
Athayde’s music draws inspiration from a number of disparate sources, from video games and internet memes to jazz and classical masterworks.
“Kyle has one of the top five ears of anyone I’ve ever met,” Boga said. “He’s crazy talented.”
A fan of J. S. Bach, Duke Ellington, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Eric Dolphy, Dmitri Shostakovich, Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker, Athayde has composed and arranged music within a number of genres, with an emphasis on jazz, classical, salsa and electronic.
His recent commissioned compositions and premieres include a double concerto for the New York Sinfonietta, a tone poem for Bobby Sanabria and The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra, and music for the ending credits of the film, “Diller, Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line.” In addition, he’s arranged music for the University of California at Berkeley Marching Band’s halftime show and is a visiting faculty member at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, where he developed and taught a class on video game music history and composition.
The Kyle Athayde Dance Party has performed at a wide range of venues throughout the United States, including clubs, schools, concert halls and even Super Smash Con. The band has performed at a number of high-profile spaces, including Boston’s Jordan Hall; New York City’s Merkin Hall and Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center; SmashCon conventions at the Dulles Convention Center near Washington, D.C.; and a variety of smaller jazz clubs, venues and schools on both the east and west coasts. They recently headlined the Sitka Jazz Festival in Sitka Alaska.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Kyle Athayde Dance Party, visit kyleathaydedanceparty.com.
New York City-based Big Band to Perform March 23
-
03/05/2019
For the second year in a row, a University of Scranton student was selected for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Student Leadership Experience. This highly-selective program included only five students from the around the world.
Nhu Nguyen of New Tripoli, a double-major in accounting and international business at Scranton, attended the IMA’s Student Leadership Experience in Orlando, Florida, in February.
The annual event provides students with the unique experience to actively participate in the organization’s governance process. In addition to attending in the IMA’s Global Board of Directors Meeting, Nguyen participated in meetings for the Committee on Ethics and the Volunteer Leadership Committee. She also watched a presentation on “Big Data and Analytics” and toured the Rosen Shingle Creek facilities.
“I not only had an opportunity to learn more about the IMA, but I also got to experience how passionate and dedicated the members are to the accounting profession and student development. There was a great amount of support and friendship between members, and I am glad that I was able to connect with these professionals,” said Nguyen.
In addition to pursing a double major at Scranton, Nguyen has a triple-minor in finance, Chinese and business leadership. A Dean’s List student at Scranton, Nguyen is also a member of the University’s IMA Honor Society and Omega Beta Sigma, the women’s business honor society. On campus, she serves as a mathematics tutor for the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, as president of the International Business Club and as vice president of the International Club. She is a graduate of Allentown Central Catholic High School and her family resides in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
This is the second consecutive year a University of Scranton student has attended the Student Leadership Experience. Last year, Nicholas Varriano, class of ’17, ‘G18, was selected.
The IMA Selection Committee only selects students from IMA Higher Education Endorsement Program member schools to attend this experience. Scranton received its endorsement in November 2017. Just 42 colleges in the U.S. are currently endorsed by the IMA, and 30 colleges internationally.
Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 100,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters.
Student Attends Highly-Selective Leadership Program
-
03/05/2019
Thirty-Four University of Scranton Doctor of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) students presented research at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sectors Meeting in Washington, D.C., in January and four D.P.T. students will present their research at the Novel Physiotherapies and Physical Rehabilitation Conference in London in August. The students conducted the research and made the poster presentations with seven physical therapy faculty members, who served as their advisors.
At the January conference, D.P.T. students Omar Amer, Scotch Plains, New Jersey; Berta Carmo, Parsippany, New Jersey; Dannylyn Manabat, Long Beach, California; and Jonathan Mayes, Dublin (PA) presented “The Effects of Blood Flow Restriction Therapy on Physical Performance in Adults as Compared to Standard Physical Exercise and Control Groups: A Systematic Review.” Their research was conducted with faculty advisor Peter Leininger, Ph.D.
D.P.T. students Megan J. Manzo ’16, Shelton, Connecticut; Colleen E. Smith ’16, Moscow; Emily M. Suchocki ’16, West Wyoming; and Gianna M. Vitolo ’16, Denville, New Jersey; and faculty advisor Dr. Leininger, presented “Effects of Combined Skilled Aquatic and Land Based Therapy Compared to Land Therapy Alone on Balance and Gait in Adults after a Stroke: A Systematic Review.”
D.P.T. students Stephanie Klug ’16, Morresville, North Carolina; Molly Loftus ’16, Mount Carmel; and Stephanie Zaccaria ’16, Oradell, New Jersey; and faculty advisors Dana Maida, D.P.T., and Janette Scardillo, D.P.T., presented their study “The Effects of Early Mobility in Reducing Length of Stay for Adult Patients in the Intensive Care Unit Due to Trauma: A Systematic Review.”
D.P.T. students Kevin Whelan ’16, Bronx, New York; William Wilcox, Exton; and Alissa Zajac ’16, Oxford, New Jersey, presented “How Is Graded Exercise Testing Being Used in the Clinical Management of Individuals Following a Concussion: A Systematic Review.” Their research was conducted with faculty advisor Dr. Scardillo.
D.P.T. students Danielle Frank ’16, Scranton; Sarah Kosik ’16, Pittston; Courtney Jo James Medfield ’16, Massachusetts; and Krista Ziegler ’16, Scranton, presented their study “The Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Balance and Mobility in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review.” Their research was conducted with faculty advisors Nicholas Rodino, D.P.T., and Renee Hakim, Ph.D.
D.P.T. students William Cavanaugh, Plains; John Huller ’16, Hicksville, New York; Nicholas Mullery ’16, Clark, New Jersey; and Joseph Pichiarello ’16, Dumnore, presented “The Impact of Home Health Care on Cost Effectiveness Compared to Other Post-Acute Settings in Individuals Status Post Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review” Their research was conducted with faculty advisor Tracey Collins, Ph.D.
D.P.T. students Lauren Bonitz ’16, Endicott, New York; Megan Fasano ’16, Blue Bell; Meghan Goyden, Endwell, New York; and Caroline Segota ’16, Floral Park, New York, presented their study “Effectiveness of Gait Interventions in Improving Gait in Adults with Ataxia: A Systematic Review.” Their research was conducted with faculty advisor Jennifer Schwartz, D.P.T.
D.P.T. students Maria Gentile ’16, Jefferson Township; Cassandra Lucke ’16, Archbald; Shannon McSherry ’16, Carmel, New York; and Devin Ryan, Blackwood, New Jersey, presented “The Effect of Equine Related Therapy on Physical and Psychological Well-Being of Older Adults: A Systematic Review.” Their research was conducted with faculty advisors Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Maida.
D.P.T. students Levi Haldeman, Lehighton; Lisa Jackowitz ’16, Moosic; Aaron Oquendo ’16, Wanaque, New Jersey; and Matthew Wells ’16, Hillsborough, New Jersey and faculty advisor Dr. Hakim, presented “The Effects of Intramuscular FES on Objective Gait Measures in Adult Patients with Chronic Stroke: A Systematic Review.”
In addition, Dr. Hakim and University graduates Cassandra Fitzgerald ’15, D.P.T.’18, Fairfield, Connecticut; Elizabeth Palladino ’15, D.P.T.’18, Howell, New Jersey; andSean Scully ’15, D.P.T.’18, Sewell, New Jersey, presented their study “Functional Outcomes of Patients with Orthopedic Diagnoses Receiving Pro Bono Physical Therapy Services in a Student-Run Clinic: A Retrospective Study.”
Poster presentations of research studies were also made at the Washington, D.C., conference by faculty members, including Dr. Maida and Barbara Wagner, D.P.T., faculty emerita, and Heidi Bockelkamp, D.P.T., market director of rehabilitation services at Regional Hospital of Scranton, presented their studies “Determining AM-PAC ‘6-Clicks’ Cutoff Scores based on Type of Joint Replacement to Predict Discharge Destination” and “Determining AM-PAC ‘6-Clicks’ Cutoff Scores based on Patient Age to Predict Discharge Destination Following Elective Joint Replacement.”
The American Physical Therapy Association’s more than 100,000 members include physical therapists, physical therapist assistants and students of physical therapy.
In addition, D.P.T. students Jamie Christensen, Branchville, New Jersey; Maura McGowan ’16, Scranton; Lindsay McGraw ’16, Lakewood; and Cory Piening, Horsham, will present “The Effect of Virtual Reality Training on Balance and Mobility in Adults with Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: A Systematic Review” at the Novel Physiotherapies & Physical Rehabilitation Conference in August in London. Their research was conducted with faculty advisor Dr. Hakim.
Students Present Research at National Conference
-
03/05/2019
Area residents and students can attend multiple events organized by The University of Scranton’s Sustainability Office to “celebrate earth day every day.” The events are free of charge and will be held throughout April on – or near – the University’s campus.
The programming includes an Earth Day Essay Contest for students grades seven through 12. This year’s essay theme is “Caring for the Earth’s Critters,” and electronic submissions must be submitted by April 3. Additional rules and guidelines can be found on the University’s Sustainability website (LINK).
A lecture titled “Food, Health, Planet, Our Future as a Species” will be given by J. Morris Hicks, author of “Healthy Eating, Healthy World,” at 6 p.m. April 4 in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. A $5 healthy snack donation is suggested. The talk is sponsored by the Greenhouse Project and the University’s Environmental Studies Concentration.
On April 5, BikeScranton will host a kick-off bike share event from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. during First Friday at Courthouse Square in Scranton. The event is open to anyone age 16 or older with a valid driver’s license or state-issued photo identification. An adult must accompany participants under 18.
The artwork of University students, staff and faculty will be on display at the 9th Annual Environmental Art Show, which takes place from April 10 to April 24 in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. The exhibit, which showcases the natural beauty of our environment and the ideal practice of living sustainably, can be seen during library hours.
The winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced at an Evening of Environmental Science, which will be held in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 11. The event will include interactive exhibits and activities for all ages, and a display of submissions from the Earth Day Essay Contest. Arbor Day trees will also be available free of charge while supplies last.
Research projects from students and faculty will be on display at the Earth Day Fair on Tuesday, April 16, that will highlight sustainable practices. Local businesses will also participate in the interactive event that runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center.
An information tent and activities will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at the DeNaples Center Patio to raise awareness and highlight the importance of Earth Day.
Lastly, the Weinberg Memorial Library’s annual Book, Plant and Tag Sale will take place on Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 28, from noon until 4 p.m. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services.
For additional information about the University’s Earth Day events, visit the University’s Office of Sustainability website or call 570-941-7520.
Earth Day Events Encourage ‘Caring for Critters’
-
03/05/2019
Brent Glass, Ph.D., director emeritus of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, has advised many museums around the world. Now he wants to explore Sing Sing prison’s rich history and put it on display so the world can learn more about the famous prison, and through this, learn more about ourselves.
“History is a resource that helps us understand our own times,” Dr. Glass said at the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar in February. “[Sing-Sing prison] is a topic both timely and timeless.”
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum-security prison located in Ossining, New York, just over an hour’s drive from New York City. Its location, “up the river” from New York City, inspired the development of the same phrase, said Dr. Glass. Its first cell block was built by convicts in 1825, using stone from a large nearby quarry. The construction of Sing Sing marked a turn in our nation’s criminal justice philosophy, as convicts were kept from the public eye in prisons more and more, instead of facing justice in the public eye via stockades or similar displays. Auburn Prison was initially chosen to house most of New York City’s prisoners, but Sing Sing took its place because it is closer.
According to Dr. Glass, the original living conditions for inmates at Sing Sing were cramped, violent, and inhumane. Cells were often just big enough to fit an adult man, and no larger. Warden Elam Lynds, with a background in naval corporal punishment, made Sing Sing famous for corporal punishment during his tenure from 1825-1830.
“There’s something very haunting about being in this place, knowing its history, knowing how 1200 men […] lived in very Spartan conditions,” Dr. Glass said of the original cellblock.
The conditions at Sing Sing were so sensational that the New York Times assigned a reporter to cover stories of violence and drama at Sing Sing each day, said Dr. Glass. Newspapers and the era’s “yellow journalism” contributed to much of the prison’s notoriety.
In 1891, the prison began executing convicts in electric chairs, which continued until 1963. The decision to start executing people caused so much controversy that the town of Sing Sing changed its name to Ossining, so as not to be identified with the practice.
Dr. Glass said several prison directors have tried to implement change over the institution’s history, such as Lucretia Mott’s descendant Thomas Mott Osborne. Change has often been met with resistance by prison employees and authorities, but reforms over the years have done away with such practices as wearing stripes and walking in lockstep, while also adding more recreation and rehabilitation programs.
Dr. Glass hopes that the museum will contribute to a conversation on change in modern prisons, and the New York State Department of Corrections approves. Of course, Dr. Glass reminded the audience, they still have a prison to run.
“They have said to us, remember, we’re not in the hospitality business the way you are,” Dr. Glass said, to laughter.
Today, Sing Sing utilizes rehabilitation programs designed to reduce convicts’ recidivism, by empowering them with skills they can use to strengthen relationships and succeed in careers after being released.
While Sing Sing’s reputation over the years has gained some notoriety and fed into sensationalism, Dr. Glass said his goal for the museum is to take Sing Sing and its history seriously. With plans to improve the local economy and revitalize the town of Ossining, the museum will make a positive impact on the lives of prisoners, victims, employees, and families. Using interactive exhibits, virtual reality, and more, the museum will examine the experiences of the prisoners, staff, and the prison’s historical significance without trivializing or sensationalizing those stories.
“All of us know someone who has been convicted or accused of a crime, and we may not realize it,” Dr. Glass said. “The prison’s mission statement is: we want to prepare the people who live here,” so that they do not come back.”
The Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law. For more information about the Sing Sing Prison Museum, visit www.singsingprisonmuseum.org. For more information on the Schemel Forum, please contact Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum, at 570-941-4089, or at Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Plans for Museum at Sing-Sing Prison Discussed
-
02/26/2019
The University of Scranton will host several academic competitions for area middle school and high school students during the spring semester including: a Computer Science Programming Contest; a history competition; an Earth Day essay contest; the Hayes Competition for physics and engineering; the Integration Bee for mathematics and a business scholars competition, as well as the Brain Bee for neuroscience which took place on campus earlier this month. The University also host academic programming events for biomechanics and for digital and social media.
On Friday, March 29, the annual Computer Programming Contest will be held in the Loyola Science Center. Hosted by the Computing Sciences Department, the competition for high school students will involve using programming languages to solve six computer-programming problems. Immediately following the competition, an awards banquet will recognize the first-, second- and third-place teams.
For additional information about the Computer Programming Contest, contact Robert McCloskey, Ph.D., assistant professor of computing sciences, at 570-941-7774 or robert.mccloskey@scranton.edu.
On Saturday, April 6, The University will host Region 2 of the National History Day competition for the state of Pennsylvania. The competition allows junior and senior high school students from northeastern Pennsylvania to compete in the categories of historical essays, performances, documentaries, websites and exhibits on a historical theme. Contest winners will move on to the Pennsylvania state competition, with the potential to compete in the national championship in Washington, D.C., in the summer.
For additional information about the Region 2 of the National History Day competition, contact Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history, at sean.brennan@scranton.edu.
The University of Scranton will sponsor an Earth Day Essay Contest for area students in grades seven to 12 with submissions due electronically by Wednesday, April 3.
Essay contest winners will be announced at an Evening of Environmental Science, which will take place on Thursday, April 11, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Loyola Science Center. The event, which is open to contest participants and their families as well as the general public, will include University student-run interactive science experiments and displays, as well as the exhibit of essay contest submissions.
For additional information about the Earth Day Essay Contest, call 570-941-7520.
On Tuesday, April 16, the University will host its annual Hayes Competition for physics and engineering. The daylong contest tests high school students’ knowledge of physics through a series of hands-on games and challenges. Students compete individually and as part of a team. The competition can help participants prepare for Advanced Placement (AP) tests. Pre-registration is required.
For additional information, contact the competition administrator Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist for physics and electrical engineering, at nicholas.truncale@scranton.edu.
On Tuesday, April 23, the annual Math Integration Bee for high school students will take place at 4:30 p.m. The competition, which is hosted by the Mathematics Department, can help high school students improve their skills for AP mathematics tests. The Bee is offered free of charge.
For more information, contact Stacey Muir, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics, at 570-941-6580 or stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
Business Scholars competition, hosted by University faculty and the High School Business Club, is planned for Saturday, May 4. A business case and instructions will be provided to the teams of one to four students prior to the event, and students will be judged by faculty and area business leaders on their presentations. The top teams are awarded plaques and cash prizes.
For more information, call 570-941-4047 or email laura.talerico@scranton.edu.
The University’s Neuroscience Program hosted the 19th annual Northeast PA Brain Bee for high school students in grades nine through 12 on Feb. 2. The competition encourages the study of the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, movements, aging and other factors. The winner of the Northeast PA Brain Bee was Auden Gu from Hanover Park High School. Tommy Shen from Wissahickon High School came in second place and Jeremy Harman from Wyoming Area High School came in third place.
For more information about the Brain Bee, contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., program director and associate professor of biology, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
In addition to the competitions, the University will host National Biomechanics Day programming on Wednesday, April 10, for middle and high school students in the University’s state-of-the-art exercise science labs. Area students will participate in hands-on activities including motion capture analysis, posturography, force plate activities, electromyography and other activities designed to introduce them to biomechanics.
For more information, contact Bryon Applequist, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science, at bryon.applequist@scranton.edu.
The University is also planning a social and digital media conference for high school sophomore and junior students on Tuesday April, 30. For more information, contact Sufyan Mohammed, Ph.D., associate professor of communication, at sufyan.mohammed@scranton.edu.
In addition, educational programs are offered through the University’s theatre program, art gallery and performance music program, as well as educational tours of the Loyola Science Center and other enrichment programs.
For more information about the University’s educational program for elementary, middle and high school students, visit the Community Relations website.
Let the Academic Games Begin at Scranton
-
02/26/2019
The University of Scranton’s ongoing Clinical Liaison Nurse Academic Practice Partnership was among the 16 projects that received support through the University’s Strategic Initiatives Funding Program for the 2018-19 academic year.
The Clinical Liaison Nurse Model, a community-based, academic-practice partnership the University began in 2009, pairs expert staff nurses with academic faculty to create an improved learning environment for undergraduate student nurses and an added level of safety for patients.
According to Sharon Hudacek, Ed.D., professor of nursing at the University, documented research indicates the clinical environment created by the model fosters the development of high-level critical thinking skills, moving the student nurses from novice to expert. With the assistance of highly qualified expert staff nurses, the clinical faculty members enhance the ability to challenge student nurses and to offer insight from additional clinical experience.
The University’s ongoing Clinical Liaison Nurse Model partners include Regional Hospital of Scranton, as well as Moses Taylor Hospital and Geisinger Community Medical Center.
The Strategic Initiatives Funding award will also support the upcoming Clinical Liaison Nurse Academic Practice Partnership lecture by Paul Feuerstadt, M.D., attending gastroenterologist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Yale University. He will discuss “Ischemic Bowel Disorders” at lecture at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine on Thursday, April 11, at 4:30 p.m.
The University’s Strategic Initiatives Funding supports innovative projects, particularly those that that will have substantial, positive impact on the student experience, that advance the goals of its “Strategic Plan: an Engaged, Integrated and Global Student Experience.” The 16 projects supported for the current academic year received a total of more than $188,000.
Clinical Liaison Nurse Partnership at Regional
-
02/26/2019
The University of Scranton’s mock trial team has secured a bid to the opening round of the championship series of the American Mock Trial Association for the first time after competing in the Association’s regional qualifier at Pennsylvania State University in February.
The American Mock Trial Association serves as the governing body for the intercollegiate mock trial competition and hosts 25 regional tournaments, followed by eight opening round championship tournaments and a national championship tournament. Each year, approximately 600 teams from more than 350 universities and colleges compete in the tournaments.
Scranton’s team, in just its fourth year of existence, was one of just seven teams to advance at the regional competition that included 21 teams from 15 colleges in Pennsylvania and New York.
The members of the team are: co-captains Kimberly Shaw of Hampstead, North Carolina, and Alexis Mergus of Closter, New Jersey; Megan Bertrand of East Windsor, New Jersey; Leticia Demps of Bronx, New York; Ryan Paolilli of Poughkeepsie, New York; Zoe Rodriguez of Fanwood, New Jersey; Veronica Sansone of North Wales; Nicholas Velez of Bronx, New York; Margaret Westerman of Massapequa, New York.
In addition to the team advancing, Bertrand and Demps received awards for Best Witness for their performance at the regional qualifier.
Jason A. Shrive, Esq., assistant professor in the sociology, criminal justice and criminology department, serves as the team’s faculty advisor. Sidney Prejean, Esq., is the team’s coach.
Scranton’s team will compete in the opening round of the championship series at the Suffolk County Courthouse in Central Islip, New York, on March 9 and 10.
Mock Trial Team Advances in National Competition
-
02/26/2019
Trained in stand-up comedy and author of the book “Leading Imperfectly: The Value of Being Authentic for Leaders, Professionals, and Human Beings,” James T. Robilotta was this year’s Keynote Speaker at the ninth annual IGNITE Leadership Conference hosted at The University of Scranton.
An internationally recognized speaker, Robilotta began by encouraging student leaders to embrace what makes them unique: “It’s fun when we talk about our weirds,” he said. After sharing some of his own strange eating habits, he called on others to share their own odd food rituals.
Robilotta introduced the topic of the session: Authentic Leadership and discussed the five attributes of authentic leaders. “They are purposeful, they empower, they own who they are, they’re real and they follow their morals.”
“Revisit your purpose and let it serve as a bulldozer that pushes you through the unfortunate parts of leadership,” he said, stressing the importance of having clear, honest intent when in leadership.
The key to leadership, he told students, is not being perfect, or seeming perfect; it is in sharing who you actually are. This type of leadership, he admitted, is not easy, because it involves being vulnerable in front of others. He challenged the audience to think of lies they tell themselves every day, and to think of what version of themselves they show to others.
“You can’t be everything to everyone,” he concluded, “But you can be something to someone. Be something to someone.”
Following the keynote speech, students participated in a number of breakout sessions about being authentic leaders.
IGNITE, organized by the University’s Center for Student Engagement, is the premier leadership conference open to all college students in Northeast Pennsylvania. Focused on personal growth and development, the conference holds sessions about a broad range of leadership topics, including communication, problem solving, team building, having difficult conversations, communication across difference and identity development.
Authentic Leadership Discussed
-
02/20/2019
F. Dennis Dawgert, M.D., explained that an important study shows Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are the root of many seemingly unrelated issues that children with such negative experiences may face later in life. The talk, “ACE Study and Resiliency,” was presented at a Schemel Forum collaborative program with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine earlier this month on campus. Dr. Dawgert, a former pediatrician, teaches at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine.
$content.getChild('content').textValueTypes of ACEs include verbal, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, witnessing of a parent’s abuse by another, or separation from a parent. ACEs are common, but the more ACEs are sustained, the more a child’s risk of future diseases or negative health events increase. These diseases and health issues include mental illness, addictions, severe obesity, high number of sex partners, stroke, hepatitis, ischemic heart disease and more. Children with ACEs are also less likely to graduate high school and college.
For Dr. Dawgert, understanding ACEs and preventative medicine go hand in hand. According to a large study by the CDC and Kaiser-Permanente on people who had experienced ACEs, those negatively impacted children grow into adults who are much more likely to suffer from disease, commit crimes, and even die decades earlier than their peers. People on death row, Dr. Dawgert pointed out, have very high ACE scores.
In society today, “we have many institutes that look at smoking, look at obesity, look at type 2 diabetes, look at cancers and other diseases, look at suicide,” Dr. Dawgert said. “And yet, we haven’t made the trip back upstream to figure out where this all comes from.”
The reason ACEs cause so much pain even after they have been inflicted lies in neurology. The brain can deal with different levels of stress, Dr. Dawgert said. Yet if sustained stress is severe enough or inflicted chronically while a child’s brain is still forming, the severe stressors can change how the brain forms, impacting a child’s thoughts and behaviors for the rest of their lives.
However, all is not lost for children with ACEs. Preventing ACEs from occurring, or treating them earlier on, could significantly improve the lives of children by helping their brains heal from psychological trauma earlier on, thus avoiding a slew of future health problems. The study of ACEs, Dr. Dawgert emphasized, extends into not just the topic of public health but also legal and educational issues across the globe, and should inform our consideration of current events such as the child separations at the U.S. Mexico border.
“We have to become aware of it and what the effects of adverse childhood experiences are so that we can look at this not as a medical problem, or social work problem, or psychiatric problem,” Dr. Dawgert said, viewing ACEs as a community responsibility, and a problem to solve together.
“There are things that can happen that help people who have ACEs,” Dr. Dawgert said. Doctors have found that children who can employ resilient mindsets can undo some of the negative effects of ACEs, and increase their life expectancy as well as decrease their risk of disease.
Supportive family, peers, teachers and coaches can all contribute to a child’s development of a healthy sense of self, and teach healthy behaviors.
“Resiliency is … positive adaptation, despite adversities,” Dr. Dawgert said. He showed the audience a picture of flowers pushing up through a crack in a road, blooming. “If you have some sort of supportive person, or supportive factor in your life,” it can make all the difference. “I can’t say you can get rid of ACEs, but you can obviate them to some extent.”
For more information on the Schemel Forum, please contact Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum, at 570-941-4089, or at Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Adverse Childhood Experiences Study Discussed
-
02/19/2019
Several information websites for prospective college students have ranked The University of Scranton online programs among the nation’s best.
Successful Student ranked the University’s online master in healthcare administration degree No. 7 in the nation. The ranking is based on the quality of the program, the types of courses available and healthcare administration degree program faculty, as well as other “awards, rankings, reputation and the online education process.”
Online Masters ranked the University’s online MBA in human resources No. 8 in the nation. The ranking is based a “data set comprised of interviews and surveys from current students and alumni,” as well as recent data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and statistical data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
The Online MBA Report ranked Scranton’s online MBA program at No. 6 among faith-based colleges in the nation and No. 23 among private colleges in the nation. The ranking criteria used for the U.S. based online programs listed includes the academic reputation of online and campus-based MBA programs, MBA enrollment and admissions selectivity, among other factors.
Earlier this year, U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 76 and its MBA program at No. 109 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 52 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
Scranton offers online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, finance, health administration, health informatics and human resources and a dual MBA/MHA degree, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for the online programs.
Online Programs Ranked Among the Best
-
02/13/2019
The University of Scranton Players will present the regional premiere of “Bright Star” directed by Michael O’Steen with music, book and story by Steve Martin, and music, lyrics and story by Edie Brickell. The show runs Feb. 22-24 and March 1-3 in the Royal Theatre of the Joseph M. McDade Center for the Literary and Performing Arts. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and Sunday performances begin at 2 p.m.
“Bright Star” is a musical about love, perseverance and fate set in 1920s and 1940s North Carolina. It follows the story of Alice Murphy, a successful newspaper editor in Asheville, North Carolina in the 1940s. She is approached by Billy, a young aspiring writer hoping to get published in the Asheville Southern Journal. Alice feels strangely connected to Billy and finds herself having flashbacks to growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the 1920s as a wild and free 16-year-old girl.
Martin and Brickell’s musical received many accolades including five Tony nominations, five Drama Desk Award nominations and a Grammy nomination. The musical won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and the Theater World Award for Carmen Cusack’s portrayal of Alice Murphy. “Bright Star” opened at Cort Theatre in New York in March 2016.
The production features University students Reilly Charles, Rockaway Park, New York, as Alice Murphy; Zac Rosencrans, Kingston, as Jimmy Ray; Kayla Oberholtzer, Stevens, as Margo; Zachary Richard, Flanders, New Jersey, as Billy; Ali Basalyga, Scranton, as Lucy; Hannah Mackes, Tafton, as Didi/3 Spirits; Werner Christensen, Branchville, New Jersey, as Daddy Murphy; Victoria Pennington, West Wyoming, as Florence/Government Clerk/3 Spirits; Meg Sweeney, Scranton, as Edna/3 Spirits; and Jason Galarza, Massapequa Park, New York, as Max/Stanford/Dr. Norquist; as well as University community members Amy Black, secretary in the philosophy department, as Mama Murphy; and Michael Friedman, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, as Daddy Cane/Mayor. Local students include Basalyga, a graduate of West Scranton High School; Sweeney, a graduate of Scranton Preparatory School; Pennington, a graduate of Wyoming Area Secondary Center; Rosencrans, a graduate of Wyoming Valley West High School; and Mackes, a graduate of Wallenpaupack Area High School.
For tickets, contact the Players box office at 570-941-4318 or visit us at thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff. Second weekend is free for first-year students at the University.
For more information, contact players@scranton.edu or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
University Players Present "Bright Star"
-
02/13/2019
The University of Scranton’s Loyola Science Center was among “The 50 Most Impressive Environmentally Friendly University Buildings” in the world recognized by Best Master's Degrees, an education and career website for prospective graduate students.
The Loyola Science Center, ranked at No. 19, is listed with academic buildings in Seoul, South Korea, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, and Beruit, Lebanon, as well as facilities from campuses across the United States.
According to the website, the buildings selected “reflect leadership in sustainability and also have significant visual impact.”
The 200,000-square-foot, $85 million Loyola Science Center, dedicated in the fall of 2012, is the largest capital project in University’s history. The facility, designed by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering (EYP), earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, gold status certification in 2014.
Among the center’s many “green features” are energy-efficient lighting and controls, water conserving plumbing fixtures, high-efficiency boilers and chillers, rain garden features, greenhouse, observation deck
and a computerized building control system that operates the ventilation, heating, and air conditioning systems. Materials for the center were supplied from within a 500-mile radius, including a blend of locally quarried West Mountain stone. All laboratories and spaces are designed to maximize energy efficiency. The building’s massive heating, ventilationand air-conditioning systememploys a heat-exchange wheel to recirculate already conditioned heated or cooled air.The building is visually recognizable for its synthesis of locally quarried stone with the extensive use of glass that admits natural light into laboratories and teaching spaces. The design makes use of high-efficiency glazing to reduce energy consumption, enhance visibility and views and puts science on grand display.
In October of 2018, The Princeton Review recognized Scranton among the most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation through its inclusion in the 2018 edition of “The Princeton Review Guide to 399 Green Colleges.” In addition, The Princeton Review has listed Scranton in its “Best Colleges” guidebooks among the nation’s top 20 “Best Science Labs” for the past four consecutive years, ranking Scranton’s science labs at No. 16 in the country its 2019 edition.
Science Center Recognized for Environmental Design
-
02/12/2019
Nineteen University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the spring semester at eight local schools in the following seven school districts: Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit, Mid Valley, Forest City Regional, North Pocono, Bear Creek Charter, Valley View and Dunmore
The following is a list of undergraduate and graduate students who are serving as student teachers and the schools to which they have been assigned during the spring semester.
Courtney Boag of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, will student teach at Dunmore Learning Center;
Emily Carr of Elmhurst Township will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Briana Cieszko of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, will student teach at Forest City Regional Elementary;
Matthew Criscione of Elmwood Park, New Jersey, will student teach at North Pocono Middle School;
Thomas Doyle of Florham Park, New Jersey, will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Kaitlin Fivek of Newtown will student teach at Bear Creek Community Charter School;
Nate Goberdon of Scranton will student teach at Forest City Regional Elementary;
Jennifer Gold of Somers, New York, will student teach at Bear Creek Community Charter School;
Richard Hembury of Rocky Point, New York, will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Amanda Iacono of East Stroudsburg will student teach at Valley View Middle School;
Erika Maxson of Greentown will student teach at Valley View Middle School;
Caitlin Nicosia of Breezy Point, New York, will student teach at Dunmore Elementary;
Brian O’Connor of Great Bend will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Devan Pecoraro of Clinton, New Jersey, will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Emma Percival of Granby, Connecticut, will student teach at Dunmore Elementary;
Cyan Scarduzio of Ossining, New York, will student teach at Valley View Intermediate;
Rebecca Silverman of Westbury, New York, will student teach at Dunmore Learning Center;
Elizabeth Tolley of Brookside, New Jersey, will student teach at North Pocono Middle School;
Emilie Tronoski of Morgantown will student teach at Valley View Middle School.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
02/12/2019
Books by Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., philosophy professor and director of Asian Studies Program, and Daniel J. West Jr., Ph.D., professor and chair professor and the Department of Health Administration and Human Resources, were published recently.
“The Confucian Four Books for Women,” published by Oxford University Press and translated with introductions, annotations, and notes by Dr. Pang-White, is the first complete English translation of the Nü Shishu and the commentary of Wang Xiang. The 16th century book is a female counterpart to the Sishu (Four Books) compiled by Zhu Xi. It includes four books by five women authors over a span of 1,600 years and provides a look at the history and evolution of Chinese women’s writing, education, identity, and philosophical discourse.
This is Dr. Pang-White’s second book. Her first book, “The Bloomsbury Research Handbook of Chinese Philosophy and Gender,” was published in 2016. She has published numerous articles in scholarly journals related to her research interests in interdisciplinary aspects of Chinese philosophy and Western theories on metaphysics, ethics, political philosophy, and women. She serves as the deputy director of the International Society for Chinese Philosophy.
Dr. Pang-White joined the faculty at Scranton in 1997. She was awarded the University’s 2010 and 2017 Provost Award for Excellence in Advancing Global Learning. In 2011, she guided the Asian Studies Program in receiving the Bringing the World to Pennsylvania: K-16 Collaborative Award from the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Council for International Education.
Dr. Pang-White earned her bachelor’s degree from Tung-Hai University in Taiwan, her master’s degree from the University of South Carolina–Columbia and her doctorate from Marquette University.
“The Global Healthcare Manager: Competencies, Concepts and Skills,” published by Health Administration Press, was edited by Dr. West and his colleagues Michael Counte, Ph.D., professor of health management and policy at St. Louis University; Bernardo Ramierez, M.D., associate professor of health management and informatics at the University of Central Florida; and William Aaronson, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Health Services Administration and Policy at Temple University. The book provides a comprehensive overview of healthcare management and leadership in a global context, with real-world perspectives from a broad range of countries, cultures, and delivery settings. Chapters highlight health services management concepts, leadership and organizational design and managing the organizational environment, as well as future directions, issues and challenges in global healthcare management. Dr. West authored the chapter on “Principles of Effective Leadership.”
During his distinguished career that extends over more than 30 years, Dr. West has served as a CEO for a hospital, medical practice and several healthcare businesses. He is board-certified in healthcare management and a certified healthcare consultant. He is president and chief executive officer of HTC Consulting Group, Inc. Dr. West is a fellow of numerous prestigious academies including the American College of Healthcare Executives, American College of Medical Practice Executives and American College of Healthcare Administrators. He also serves on numerous local and national boards. He is the past chair for the Accreditation Council, Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME). He is a board member at Moses Taylor Hospital.
An International Fellow at Scranton, Dr. West joined the faculty in 1990. He also holds a professor in public health appointment at Trnava University, Slovak Republic and a visiting professor appointment at St. Elizabeth University in the Slovak Republic. In 2007, Dr. West received an honorary doctorate from St. Elizabeth University in health and social sciences for his international leadership and research.
Dr. West earned his bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the Pennsylvania State University.
Professors Publish Books in Disciplines
-
02/08/2019
Through Mar. 1 Art Exhibit: “I’m in the Wrong Film: Photographs by Hans Gindlesberger.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 1 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The History of Israel-Palestine: Peering into the Future” presented by Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., senior resident scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute, Washington, D.C., and David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA, and president, New Israel Fund. Collegiate Hall, Redington Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 1-3 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “Bright Star” book and music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, lyrics by Edie Brickell, directed by Michael O’Steen presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 3 3 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music students. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 6 4:30 p.m. Asian Studies Spring Lecture Series: Women in Asia, Part I “Women in Mainland China and Taiwan” presented by Professors Shuhua Fan and Ann Pang-White. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Mar. 20 4:30 p.m. Asian Studies Spring Lecture Series: Women in Asia, Part II “Women in Japan” presented by Professor Minori Koga. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Mar. 21 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The State of Religious Freedom in the US and Across the Globe” presented Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein, director emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and senior advisor for strategy, policy for the Union for Reform Judaism and senior fellow at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service’s Center for Jewish Civilization. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2023. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Kyle Athayde Dance Party. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 through Apr. 12 Art Exhibit: “Altered States: Important Prints from The Maslow Collection.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 27 4:30 p.m. Asian Studies Spring Lecture Series: Women in Asia, Part III “Women in India” presented by Professor Sujata Nair-Mulloth. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Humanities Initiative at The University of Scranton Collaborative Program: “Can Democracy Work? A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World” presented by James Miller, Ph.D., professor of politics and liberal studies and faculty director of creative publishing and critical journalism, The New School for Social Research. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 6:30 p.m. The American Creed Documentary Screening and Discussion facilitated by University of Scranton history professor Adam Pratt, Ph.D., sponsored by the Albright Memorial Library and The University of Scranton. Albright Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-348-3000, ext. 3023 or visit www.albright.org.
Mar. 29 9 a.m. Computer Programming Contest for high school students. Loyola Science Center. Registration required. Call 570-941-7774 or email robert.mccloskey@scranton.edu.
Schemel Courses
Wednesdays: Mar. 20, 27 & Apr. 3, 10, 17, 24 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Color: Perceptions in Science, Art and Society” presented by Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, The University of Scranton and colleagues from across The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces March Events
-
02/08/2019
The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library is requesting book and tag sale donations for its annual spring sale, which is planned for the last weekend of April. The library is also seeking volunteers to help with preparation and staffing for the event.
All proceeds from the book sale will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services. The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the library staff and volunteers will conduct the event.
The library will accept any hardcover or paperback books in good condition, including children’s books, cookbooks, fiction and non-fiction. In addition, the library is collecting media and tag sale items.
Donations may be placed in the boxes on the Monroe Avenue side of the library. Donations will be accepted now through Wednesday, April 24.
This year’s book sale is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 28, from noon until 4 p.m., in the fifth floor Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. A special preview sale will be held on Friday, April 26, for Friends members and Schemel Forum members.
For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Barbara Evans at 570-941-4078.
Library Seeks Book Donations and Volunteers
-
02/08/2019
On Friday, Feb. 22, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will host a concert by the innovative jazz ensemble Mostly Other People Do The Killing (MOPDTK).
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga said the concert will include jazz, classical and a variety of forms of improvisational music.
“These guys are some of the most versatile musicians on the scene,” said Boga. “It’s sure to be an excitingly varied and interesting program.”
The core trio of the ensemble is made up of Ron Stabinsky (piano), Moppa (Matthew Thomas) Elliott (bass), and Kevin Shea (drums). MOPDTK have been colorfully described as a “bebop terrorist band.” The ensemble was founded on the principle that jazz shouldn’t just be alive and vibrant, but also fun, engaging and thoroughly contemporary. As Elliott puts it, “Rather than settling into one style or historical period, MOPDTK fuses the entire spectrum of jazz and the various forms of improvised music it has spawned into a single, seamless mélange of uber-jass.”
MOPDTK has released several critically acclaimed albums, including the 2017 releases “Loafer’s Hollow” and “Paint,” which have explored a number of jazz styles, from avant-garde to post-bop to mainstream to traditional.
Both Stabinsky and Elliott are Northeastern Pennsylvania natives. Elliott began playing bass as a teenager, studying with Pocono bassist Tony Marino. He later enrolled in Oberlin College and the Oberlin Conservatory of Music majoring in biology and jazz bass performance in Oberlin’s double-degree program, and taught at the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts for four summers.
Now a resident of New York City, Elliott performs and records regularly with a variety of renowned musicians and ensembles, and also teaches at St. Mary’s High School.
In recent years, Stabinsky has become one of the most sought-after pianists in the Northeastern United States. He performs as a solo, ensemble and collaborative pianist throughout the world in concerts and events spanning a wide variety of genres. In 2016, he released his debut solo album, “Free for One,” which received four stars in DownBeat magazine and tied for the No. 1 debut of the year in the 2016 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. The album was released by MOPDTK’s record label, Hot Cup Records. Stabinsky is no stranger to Performance Music audiences - most recently, he performed at the University’s 51st Annual Noel Night Concert with the University of Scranton Singers, harpist Marg Davis and trumpeter Mark Gould.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on MOPDTK, visit hotcuprecords.com.
Jazz Ensemble to Perform Feb. 22
-
02/07/2019
The University of Scranton’s Center for Health Education and Wellness (CHEW) will offer its annual Fitness Challenge from Feb. 10 to March 10 this semester.
“The great thing about the fitness challenge is it’s open to the entire campus community, so students, faculty and staff are able to register through noon on Friday, Feb. 8,” Stephanie Adamec, director of CHEW said.
The challenge encourages students, faculty and staff to complete a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise per week for at least three out of the four weeks.
“The reason why it’s 150 minutes is because the CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate activity as a guideline for exercise,” Adamec said.
Students like Taylor Septer of Langhorne, a senior secondary education – general science major at Scranton, finds the exercise challenge to be mentally relaxing.
“It’s a nice break from my schoolwork and a little reprieve I have a couple times a week,” Septer said. “Even during my busy weeks, it pushes me to get down here to the gym and give myself a mental break.”
Last spring semester, CHEW had more than 850 students, faculty and staff signed up for the challenge, logging over 6,550 hours of exercise. This semester, more than 800 members of the University community have signed up.
“I would classify this a Scranton tradition, we have more than 500 people register every year,” Adamec said.
Students, faculty and staff can complete the challenge individually or with a team of up to five members. Kristen Gensinger of Seaford, New York, a junior strategic communication major at the University, is on a team with her friends.
“I like that it’s something I can do with my friends,” Gensinger said. “All my friends are on a team and we motivate each other, stay active and have fun.”
This year, there are all new optional “Wellness Challenges” to complete for people who signed up. One of the new challenges is called “POUND – Rockout Workout.” The event takes place on Feb. 14 and Feb. 21 and lets students, faculty and staff unwind while playing music.
“We’ve added two ‘POUND’ workout classes, where you use drumsticks and music, and we have a faculty member that is teaching it,” Adamec said. “It’s a class just designed to pound your stress away using music and movement.”
Adamec recommends bringing a friend along while doing the challenge to get into the routine of staying fit.
“You motivate each other and inspire each other to go on days that aren’t great,” Adamec said. “It’s all about habit forming that’s why we have it for 30 days, it’s designed intentionally because we know we need over 21 days to form a habit so we have it be four weeks so your forming that habit of regular exercise.”
The Fitness Challenge begins Sunday, Feb. 10. Once the challenge is completed on Sunday, March 10, students, faculty and staff who submitted three out of four fitness logs can qualify for a raffle and a free t-shirt.
University Community Challenged to Get Fit
-
02/06/2019
Feb. 10 7 p.m. Mass with Father Mario Powell, S.J. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Call 570-941-5904 or email jose.sanchez@scranton.edu.
Feb. 19 7 p.m. “Young Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement” performed by Key Arts Production. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-5904 or email jose.sanchez@scranton.edu.
Feb. 24 1 p.m. The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission Dinner: “The March Continues: A New Era in Peaceful Activism.” $25 fee. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-6645 or email jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu.
University Announces Additional February Events
-
02/05/2019
Student, faculty and staff voluntary service, community-based learning projects imbedded in academic courses, job creation, academic competitions for local students, free concerts and lectures, athletic competitions and investment in campus improvements are among the numerous ways in which The University of Scranton impacts the region. These ways and others are highlighted in the 2018 Economic and Community Impact Report, published in January by the University’s Office of Community and Government Relations.
According to the report, more than 100 community-based learning classes were conducted at the University during the 2017-2018 academic year alone. The community-related service project components imbedded in academic courses resulted in more than 2,400 students engaging in more than 33,000 hours of service. More than 60 faculty from 16 different academic departments engaged students in these courses in a variety of activities related to their academic study and in collaboration with community partners, which included United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Allied Services, St. Joseph’s Center, Neighborworks Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Friends of the Poor, among others.
“As part of its Catholic, Jesuit tradition, The University of Scranton aims to foster a spirit of caring and to help students, faculty and staff members to engage fully in their surroundings through their action and ideas,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of the University, in a message included in the report. “We continue to be committed to working alongside the residents of the City of Scranton, partnering with area businesses, serving in its hospitals, schools and community organizations, and coming together to analyze issues close to home and on a global scale.”
In addition to the community-based academic learning service projects that are part of a course, student volunteers assisted community agencies and participated in special projects. Service projects included those completed by members of the University’s 85 student clubs which are required to complete at least three service events each academic year. Altogether, more than 3,500 students contributed a total of 170,000 hours of service, much of it in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The report also highlighted some of the services provided by the University’s Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured, which served 1,023 patients, dispensed 538 prescriptions, and provided 111 immunizations in 2017.
In addition to student volunteer service, 84 percent of staff and 81 percent of faculty at Scranton reported being engaged in community volunteer activities in a recent survey.
The report also highlights some of the other ways the University enriches the region, such as offering more than 100 free events annually that are open to the public, including exhibits and artist lectures at the Hope Horn Gallery, Performance Music concerts and masterclasses featuring University students and renowned guest artists, as well as a variety of public lectures and athletic events. In the 2017-2018 academic year, 403 high school students also participated in academic competitions and activities offered at the University and another 360 elementary, middle and high school students were served through after-school and mentoring programs as well as a special Scranton School District Community Partnership program. In addition, the University’s Small Business Development Center provide 908 consulting hours to 139 clients in the City of Scranton in 2017 for a total of more than 12,000 hours in the past 38 years.
The report showed the University’s overall economic impact on Northeastern Pennsylvania at a total of $319.6 million, according to a study conducted by the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development in 2018, which is based on data from the 2016-2017 academic year. University’s expenditures in goods and services were $142,282,831 and its total value added was $152,060,712. In addition, operations generated over $24.2 million in federal taxes and over $12.8 million in state and local taxes. This is in addition to the University student spending, which averages $1.2 million off-campus spending each month, according to a 2017 survey of students.
Although the University meets or exceeds all of requirements for tax exemption in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the University has been the most consistent nonprofit in the City to provide an unrestricted, voluntary contribution to the City. In 2017, the University increased and targeted its annual contribution to $200,000 to the City of Scranton, with $150,000 aimed at downtown revitalization efforts by Scranton Tomorrow and $50,000 targeted for public safety. Since 1983, the University’s contribution to the City has totaled more than $3.6 million and over $1.5 million to Lackawanna County.
The report also noted that the University pays property tax in cases where the property has not yet been converted to educational use. In the 2017-2018 academic year, the University paid property taxes totaling $300,396 to the City of Scranton, Scranton School District, Lackawanna County and other municipalities. In addition, the University’s business partners (e.g. ARAMARK and Follett) pay various taxes, including a $30,065.21 mercantile tax paid to the City & School District.
The University’s 2018 Economic and Community Impact Report can be seen on the Community Relations webpage.
Report Shows University’s Impact on Region
-
02/05/2019
This semester, The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management will join select business schools in the country participating in the Barron’s In Education program from Dow Jones. The program, which Barron’s Group launched in early 2018, provides business students and faculty digital access to Barron’s and additional educational resources made available exclusively to partner schools.
The University’s participation in Barron’s In Education was sponsored by Scranton alumnus Peter Butera ’83, senior vice president wealth management, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
“As a Jesuit business school, we are committed to preparing our students with the professional, ethical and critical-thinking skills needed to become leaders in their fields. The assets made available through the Barron’s In Education program will allow us to further enhance the experiential learning experience we are privileged to provide to our students,” said Murli Rajan, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management (KSOM). “We are thankful also for the generous support of Mr. Butera to make this partnership with Barron’s possible.”
In addition to access to Barron’s digital content, the program provides access to guest speakers available from Dow Jones and Butera Jordan Bender Group/Merrill Lynch, tours of Dow Jones headquarters in Manhattan for students, and opportunities to connect with Dow Jones recruitment teams for possible internships and fulltime positions. KSOM faculty members will have access to Barron’s Weekly Review, a weekly summary prepared for faculty to bring real world events into the classroom. The KSOM Dean’s Office can also nominate up to three students for enhanced training to serve as Dow Jones/Barron’s Student Ambassadors.
“The partnership with Barron’s, America’s premier financial magazine, gives the students access to real-world resources that will help them to hone their skills and understanding of global markets and the analysis tools used by investors,” said Butera. “I have used Barron’s throughout my 32 years with Merrill Lynch.”
“The Barron’s In Education program helps to better connect business with academia in aiding financial literacy and proficiency for future business leaders,” said Joe Lanza, Director of Financial Education at Dow Jones. “We are very pleased to have the University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management partnering with Barron’s on this important initiative.”
KSOM students and faculty can access Barron’s In Education through a portal on MyScranton.com beginning Feb. 15.
About Barron’s in Education
The Barron’s in Education program partners with academia and engages students to join business leaders, top market professionals, C-level executives, business school faculty and highly successful investors across the Barron’s community. For more information go to: http://go.dowjones.com/barronsineducation.
KSOM Joins Barron’s In Education Program
-
02/05/2019
University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. encouraged faculty and staff to be “attentive to the grace and goodness that surrounds us” in his State of the University address at the Spring Convocation, which took place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on Jan. 31. Also at the convocation, Sursum Corda Awards were presented to staff members. In addition, new staff members who joined the University between Feb. 1, 2018, and Jan. 31, 2019, were recognized.
Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technical staff and maintenance/public safety staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University. This year’s recipients were: Maureen Castaldi, manager of database management services; Jane Johnson, associate director of intramurals and recreational sports; Kevin Rude, University Police investigator; and Tara Seely, administrative assistant to the Board of Trustees.
“The pace of our lives in general, and especially here at the University, can sometimes preclude us from appreciating the many ways in which we are so blessed with incomparable colleagues and the work we are blessed to do together. Of course, we celebrate four such colleagues today – our Sursum Corda Award winners” said Father Pilarz.
In his address, Father Pilarz also said the University is blessed with a “Spirit of Innovation” on campus that will serve us well as we look toward our future.
“We do not have the luxury of resting on our endowment, but must instead do the hard work of providing a truly exceptional education within limited means,” said Father Pilarz.
In addition to new programs introduced, Father Pilarz mentioned the “innovative work” of the faculty-led humanities initiative and the evolution of the Humanities Center that he announced in September. Father Pilarz said the “work of the faculty is nothing short of inspiring. With limited resources, they have planned and executed programs and events that have already reminded us of the centrality of the liberal arts in Catholic and Jesuit education.”
Referencing the delicate balance between stewarding resources and delivering a transformational education experience to our students, Father Pilarz said, “Here at Scranton we walk that tightrope with good grace and the confidence that we are building a University where God’s will can be discovered and done.”
President Delivers State of the University Address
-
02/05/2019
Hans Gindlesberger discussed his exhibit “I’m in the Wrong Film: Photographs by Hans Gindlesberger,” at a gallery lecture at the University on Feb. 1. The exhibit is on display at the Hope Horn Gallery through March 1.
Gindlesberger began his work as a photographer in college taking stray, isolated images without a narrative context. He said the images “blended in with what everybody else was doing at the time. Anything that I was doing wasn’t especially distinct or provocative,”
During his sophomore year at Bowling Green State University, his photography professor Lou Krueger taught him how to tell a story with photographs.
“He was a huge influence because he was the first photographer I encountered person-to-person that was working not with the world but with constructed imagery,” Gindlesberger said. “He was fabricating these things to be photographed rather than wandering around and trying to happen upon something.”
These fabricated photographs became the start of Gindlesberger’s storytelling through art.
“I made a lot of disconnected scenes – sort of one frame films – that didn’t tie together in any way, that didn’t tell any big arching story, but were each their own self-contained little narrative,” Gindlesberger said.
The pieces Gindlesberger presents in the exhibit contain images of real places, including some from his hometown in Northern Ohio. The images are also constructed in Photoshop to create his narratives by using technology.
“Photography is a medium that’s interesting, particularly because it has had so many different iterations,” Gindlesberger said. “Technology in the early days changed every three years, but now even more so in a radical and dynamic way.”
The art exhibit will be on display through March 1 in the Hope Horn Gallery, located on the fourth floor of Hyland Hall.
Artist Captures America Through Photography
-
01/29/2019
U.S. News & World Report’s 2019 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 76 and its MBA program at No. 109 in the nation. U.S. News also ranked Scranton at No. 52 in the country for “Best Online MBA Programs for Veterans.”
This is the eighth consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years.
For the 2019 Best Online Programs ranking, which published Jan. 15, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category. The criteria used by U.S. News to rank online business and MBA programs included student engagement (28 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, collaborative coursework requirements, course evaluation requirements and other factors. The ranking criteria also included admission selectivity (25 percent); peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (11 percent); and student services and technology (11 percent).
In addition to offering distance education programs that incorporate coursework that is predominantly online, colleges and universities making the “Best Online Program for Veterans” list must have ranked in top half of 2019 Best Online Program rankings; be certified for the GI Bill, which includes participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program; and enroll a “critical mass of veterans” as defined by U.S. News based on the size of the college.
Scranton offers online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, finance, health administration, health informatics and human resources and a dual MBA/MHA degree, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for the online programs.
In other rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 25 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 6 in the 2019 edition of the guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 3 in its category in a listing of just 168 colleges in the nation expressing “A Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” and No. 11 in its category in a ranking of the “Most Innovative Schools.” U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s programs in entrepreneurship at No. 31, finance at No. 36, and accounting at No. 37 in the country, among other rankings.
The 2019 Best Online Programs listing can be viewed at usnews.com.
Online Programs Among Best for Business, Veterans
-
01/28/2019
Accounting students from The University of Scranton will assist local residents with filing their federal, state and local tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The students, joined by numerous professional volunteers organized by the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties with the support of several local organizations, will provide the free service to residents of Lackawanna and Wayne counties with household incomes of $54,000 or less for 2018.
Walk-in VITA service without an appointment is available in room 111 of Brennan Hall, Madison Avenue, on the University’s campus on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Monday, Feb. 4, to Wednesday, Mar. 6, and from Monday, Mar. 18, to Wednesday, Apr. 3. Hours of service will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays; and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. Service on campus will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and advance appointments cannot be scheduled. The University reserves the right to cap the number of walk-in residents they can serve within a single day.
Residents using the VITA service are asked to bring the following items: a valid photo ID; all W2 Forms; all 1099 forms (interest, dividends, pensions); unemployment paperwork; real estate tax receipts for rent/tax rebate; Form 8332 for non-custodial parents; Social Security cards for all taxpayers and dependents; W-7 forms if appropriate; information related to income and expenses (business, rental properties, sale of stocks); a personal banking account check if direct deposit is desired; and any documentation related to health insurance for themselves and anyone on the tax return, such as Form 1095-A, -B or -C. Last year’s tax returns are also requested.
University students have participated in the VITA program for more than 30 years.
In addition to the University’s campus the VITA service is available by appointment only at the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties office at 615 Jefferson Avenue. Service for senior citizens only is also available at several locations in the area in March. Limited appointments are available at this time. Appointments can be made online at uwic.net/taxes.
VITA program partners are The University of Scranton, The United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, Lackawanna College, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, the Lackawanna County Library System, Telespond Senior Services and the IRS.
Free Income Tax Assistance VITA Offered
-
01/28/2019
Feb. 1 through Mar. 1 Art Exhibit: “I’m in the Wrong Film: Photographs by Hans Gindlesberger.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 1 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “I’m in the Wrong Film: Photographs by Hans Gindlesberger” presented by Hans Gindlesberger, exhibiting artist. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb 1 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Jay Rattman, woodwinds, and Janet Sora Chung, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 2 1 p.m. 19th Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 9. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Feb. 4 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “What to Expect from Trump’s Foreign Policy in 2019” presented by Trudy Rubin, worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Collegiate Hall, Redington Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 13 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resiliency: The Long Term Health, Legal and Societal Consequences” presented by Dennis Dawgert, M.D. McDonnell Room, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 20 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Sing Sing Prison and the History of Criminal Justice: An Illustrated Presentation about One of America’s Iconic Institutions” presented by Brent D. Glass, Ph.D., director emeritus, Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 22-24 and Mar. 1-3 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “Bright Star” book and music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, lyrics by Edie Brickell, directed by Michael O’Steen presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Feb 22 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Ron Stabinsky and “Mostly Other People Do The Killing.” Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 23 11 a.m. “Ignite Student Leadership Conference.” Leadership development program open to Northeast Pennsylvania college students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. $25 fee for non-University students includes program materials, refreshments and lunch. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-6233 or visit www.scranton.edu/leadership.
Mar. 1 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The History of Israel-Palestine: Peering into the Future” presented by Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., senior resident scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute, Washington, D.C., and David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA, and president, New Israel Fund. Collegiate Hall, Redington Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 3 3 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music students. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 6 4:30 p.m. Asian Studies Spring Lecture Series: Women in Asia, Part I “Women in Mainland China and Taiwan” presented by Professors Shuhua Fan, Ph.D., and Ann Pang-White, Ph.D. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Mar. 20 4:30 p.m. Asian Studies Spring Lecture Series: Women in Asia, Part II “Women in Japan” presented by Professor Minori Koga. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Mar. 21 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The State of Religious Freedom in the US and Across the Globe” presented Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein, director emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and senior advisor for strategy, policy for the Union for Reform Judaism and senior fellow at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service’s Center for Jewish Civilization. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2023. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Kyle Athayde Dance Party. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 through Apr. 12 Art Exhibit: “Altered States: Important Prints from The Maslow Collection.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 27 4:30 p.m. Asian Studies Spring Lecture Series: Women in Asia, Part III “Women in India” presented by Professor Sujata Nair-Mulloth. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Humanities Initiative at The University of Scranton Collaborative Program: “Can Democracy Work? A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World” presented by James Miller, Ph.D., professor of politics and liberal studies and faculty director of creative publishing and critical journalism, The New School for Social Research. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 28 6:30 p.m. The American Creed Documentary Screening and Discussion facilitated by University of Scranton history professor Adam Pratt, Ph.D., sponsored by the Albright Memorial Library and The University of Scranton. Albright Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-348-3000, ext. 3023 or visit www.albright.org.
Mar. 29 9 a.m. Computer Programming Contest for high school students. Loyola Science Center. Registration required. Call 570-941-7774 or email robert.mccloskey@scranton.edu.
Apr. 1 TBA. Henry George Lecture: “Media Power: Measuring the Influence of News Media on Politics” presented by Andrea Prat, Ph.D., Columbia University. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email aram.balagyozyan@scranton.edu.
Apr. 2 8 a.m. Community Breakfast featuring Emmy-award winning journalist and Scranton alumna Nicole Young. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Invitation only with reservations required. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Apr. 4 5 p.m. 24th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-702-5734 or email elizabeth.steele@scranton.edu.
Apr. 4 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Political Dialogues Campus Working Group at The University of Scranton Collaborative Program: “Democracy and the Rhetoric of Demagoguery” presented by Patricia Roberts-Miller, Ph.D., professor of rhetoric and writing and director of the university writing center at the University of Texas at Austin. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 5 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Altered States: Important Prints from The Maslow Collection” presented by Ryan Ward, curator, The Maslow Collection, Marywood University. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 6 9 a.m. National History Day Competition for junior and senior high school students. Byron Complex. Pre-registration required beginning on Feb. 1. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.
Apr. 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with special guests The Alumni Blues Doctors featuring Drs. Adonizio, Costello, Newman, and Stopper. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 7 5 p.m. Global Tastes of Scranton event featuring the Bhutanese-Nepali community. Co-sponsors include The University of Scranton, Catholic Social Services, Lackawanna County Department of Arts and Culture, Scranton Cultural Center and Terra Preta Restaurant. Scranton Cultural Center. $35. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Apr. 8 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Empathy in Politics: Does it Matter? If So, Why?” presented by Fred Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of history. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 8 6 p.m. Schemel Forum with The Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections at the Weinberg Memorial Library and Friends of the Weinberg Library Collaborative Program: “American Passionist Priest Martyrs in China, 90th Anniversary 1929-2019: Remembering their Witness of Faith; Remembering the Chinese Catholic Witness of Faith” presented by Father Rob Carbonneau, Ph.D., passionist historian/adjunct professor of history, The University of Scranton. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 10-24 Environmental Art Show. Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Apr. 11 6 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7669 or email stan.zygmunt@scranton.edu.
Apr. 11-13 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” presented by The Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5 admission. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Apr. 13 1 p.m. Holi-Festival of Colors. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-4160 or email jose.sanchez@scranton.edu.
Apr. 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Mannes School of Music Brass Orchestra and The University of Scranton Singers. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 15 6:30 p.m. Political Dialogue Discussion facilitated by The University of Scranton. Albright Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-348-3000, ext. 3023, or visit www.albright.org
Apr. 16 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentations and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Apr. 16 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email laurie.mccoy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 23 4:30 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus based competition for both high school and college divisions. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-6580 or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-7902 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 1 p.m. “19th Annual Celebration of Student Scholars.” Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email tabbi.miller-scandle@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Kako Miura, violin. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27 7:30 a.m. Schemel Forum Bus Trip to New York City. $100. Registration required by Mar. 30. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Kako Miura. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 27-28 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Apr. 28 through May 3 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call. 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 30 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The Holocaust: Confronting Evil, Assuming Responsibility” presented by Yehudit Shendar, content director/chief curator of the British Holocaust Memorial. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 30 TBA. Jay Nathan Lecture presented by Rolandas Kriščiūnas, ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to the United States of America and to the United Mexican States. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
May 2 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Weinberg Memorial Library Collaborative Program: “While Reason Slept” presented by Thomas Brier, Jr., J.D., attorney at Blank Rome LLP in Philadelphia. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 3 3 p.m. 11th Annual Festival of Nations. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-4160 or email jose.sanchez@scranton.edu.
May 3 6 p.m. Hope Horn Gallery Reception for “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “36th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring the premieres of two new works by guest composer/conductor Alex Nguyen, performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “11th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert” featuring David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band and renowned Armstrong historian Ricky Riccardi (sponsored by Dave and Janet Wenzel), with an appearance by The University of Scranton Jazz Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 25 10:45 a.m. Graduate Degree Commencement. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 25 4 p.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 26 noon. Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Tuesdays: Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 & Mar. 5, 19 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Kurt Vonnegut & the Narrative of Trauma” presented by Joe Kraus, chair and professor, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Wednesdays: Mar. 20, 27 & Apr. 3, 10, 17, 24 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Color: Perceptions in Science, Art and Society” presented by Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, The University of Scranton and colleagues from across The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Tuesdays, Apr. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 & May 7 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Ben Franklin as a Marketing Pioneer” presented by Abhijit Roy, D.B.A., professor of marketing, Kania School of Management, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces Spring Events
-
01/28/2019
On Friday, Feb. 1, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by the talented husband and wife team of saxophonist Jay Rattman and organist Janet Sora-Chung.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
In addition, Rattman will also offer a free woodwind masterclass the same day at 4:30 p.m. for student, amateur and professional musicians, age 16 and older. For masterclass registration, please email music@scranton.edu.
Committed to showcasing works for saxophone and organ and transcriptions of other chamber pieces, the duo also creates and instigates the creation of new music for the combination. The evening’s program will include music by Kloppers, Couperin, Laurin, Hilse, Wheeler, Debussy, Bedard, and Rattman.
A native of the Stroudsburg area, Rattman is a freelance improvisor, composer and woodwind multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. With a discography of more than 25 records that includes “Urbanus” by Stefon Harris, nominated for the 2010 Best Contemporary Jazz Album Grammy, and “New Celebration,” the last big band album by NEA Jazz Master Phil Woods, Jay’s musical sensitivity and spontaneity have placed him in demand in a wide range of settings from contemporary classical chamber music to early jazz, klezmer, creative improvised music, straight ahead jazz and everything in between. His film work includes the recently released second season of the award-winning TV series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” He has also performed at most of the major jazz clubs in New York in addition to the MoMA, the Coachella Festival, Red Rocks Amphitheater, the Late Show and the Tonight Show.
Originally from Edmonton, Alberta, Dr. Chung is director of music at St. John’s Lutheran Church, New York City, and a frequent organ recitalist here and abroad. Dr. Chung earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Manhattan School of Music where she was recipient of the President’s Award and the Bronson Ragan award for most outstanding ability in organ performance. Her performance teachers include McNeil Robinson, Walter Hilse, Marnie Giesbrecht and Jacobus Kloppers, and pedagogy teacher Carol Ann Aicher. As an organ soloist and accompanist, Dr. Chung has performed at St. Mary the Virgin, St. Ignatius of Loyola Church, Riverside Church, SUNY Purchase Performing Arts Center and the Winspear Centre in Edmonton. Dr. Chung has a passion for performing the works of Messiaen, Bach and Rachel Laurin.
For further information on the recital or masterclass, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Rattman and Chung, visit jayrattman.com and janetsorachung.com.
Organ Saxophone Duo Perform at University Feb. 1
-
01/24/2019
The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a four-year pre-college mentorship program, is now accepting applications for the upcoming 2019 academic year that begins this summer. Applicants must be currently enrolled in the eighth grade and possess a strong desire to attend college in the future.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is designed to provide academic, social and cultural enrichment to area high school students. The program’s ultimate goal is to assist first-generation, college-bound students to successfully gain entrance into a college or university. The program is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants.
The program begins with a two-week summer institute, which is held on the campus of The University of Scranton, from Sunday, July 7, to Friday, July 19. Upon completion of the summer program, the students will continue to meet for enrichment sessions through their high school career.
The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, April 1, 2019.
Applications may be obtained by calling the University of Success Office at 570-941-4377 or by emailing Margaret Loughney, University of Success program director, at margaret.loughney@scranton.edu. Applications may also be obtained online the University of Success web site.
University of Success Accepting Applications
-
01/23/2019
Ninety-eight percent of The University of Scranton’s undergraduate class of 2018 and 99 percent of its graduate class reported being successful in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation. The “First Destination Survey” report by Scranton’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development is based on career success data obtained about 79 percent of the undergraduate class. This “knowledge rate,” or percentage of graduates for whom their career outcome is known, far exceeds the National Association of College Employers recommended rate of 65 percent. The knowledge rate for members of the University’s graduate class of 2018 is 68 percent.
For members of University’s class of 2018 earning a bachelor’s degree, 97 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of full-time employment, and 99 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of attending graduate or professional school.
The average (mean) salary is $51,282, based on the bachelor’s degree graduates that provided salary information. The average salary varied by major. The highest average salaries reported are in electrical engineering ($70,625), strategic communications ($63,000) and nursing ($61,529).
Geographically, of those employed, 81 percent reported working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
Additionally, the report for undergraduates shows: 48 percent are employed in full-time positions; 47 percent are pursuing additional education; 3 percent were employed in part-time positions or pursing another intentional career path as defined by the graduate. Seventy-nine percent (79%) of the Class of 2018 completed at least one experiential learning opportunity during their education at Scranton.
For the master’s degree graduates, 98 percent are employed full-time; 2 percent are pursuing additional education. The average (mean) salary for 2018 master’s degree graduates is $62,571, based on the graduates that provided salary information. Salaries reported vary by degree programs. The highest average salaries reported are for graduates with master’s degrees in educational administration ($86,625), operation’s management (MBA) ($84,843) and general business administration (MBA) ($83,629)
Of those employed, 71 percent are working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
Successful Outcomes Reported for Class of 2018
-
01/22/2019
Nearly 1,600 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2018 fall semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Dean’s List students, listed alphabetically by college, can be seen here, as well as on Merit.
University Announces Fall 2018 Dean’s List
-
01/22/2019
The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with The University of Scranton’s Small Business Development Center, has launched the Small Business Internship Fund, which seeks to place the area’s best and brightest students in Chamber member businesses. The fund will offer up to $500 in matching support to eligible Chamber member businesses to provide internships to area college students who meet the program criteria.
This program, announced Jan. 18, was funded by the business community through the sponsorship of the Chamber’s 150th Anniversary Celebration.
“Quality, paid internships are a win-win for students and employers,” said Bob Durkin, president, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. “The students gain valuable experience and learn about professional opportunities right here in our region, and our businesses benefit from the unique skills of talented young scholars who will be the foundation of our future workforce.”
Those wishing to participate in the program must be for-profit business members in good standing of The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and meet the United States Small Business Administration Size standards. Students participating in the program must be residents of Lackawanna County or enrolled at a Chamber member college or university.
“We are delighted that the Chamber is being proactive in establishing this fund to help connect small businesses with college students in our region,” said Lisa Hall Zielinski, director, The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC). “Through our Small Business Internship Initiative, the SBDC will offer step-by step guidance, information and tools so these entrepreneurs can grow their businesses with the help of student interns.”
“Northeastern Pennsylvania is home to some of the best and brightest young minds in the country. I am pleased to see The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is working with The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center investing in these future leaders with the hope that we can continue to grow and retain talent in the region,” said U.S. Senator Bob Casey.
For more information about the Small Business Internship Fund, visit www.scrantonchamber.com/internship.
About The Small Business Internship Initiative
Established by The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in 2013, the Small Business Internship Initiative offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to grow their businesses with the help of local student interns, while providing students access to experiential learning close to campus. The SBDC provides confidential guidance to help clients determine whether hosting an intern is the right option along with assistance in preparing internship descriptions, guidance with conducting interviews and supervisory skills, and more. Internship opportunities are shared with Career Development partners and students at 11 regional colleges & universities and posted on smallbusinessinternships.com. Founding Partners include The University of Scranton Office of Community Relations, Lackawanna County Commissioners, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, The City of Scranton, Scranton Tomorrow and the Career Development Departments at Clarks Summit University, Johnson College, Keystone College, Lackawanna College, Marywood University, Penn State Scranton and The University of Scranton.About The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce is a not-for-profit organization that works to improve the area’s economic environment and quality of life by providing programs and services which stimulate economic growth, promote business prosperity and nurture educational opportunities. For more information about the Chamber, visit www.scrantonchamber.com.Internship Fund a Win for Students and Businesses
-
01/22/2019
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the spring 2018 semester after publication of the list in June of 2018.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2018 spring semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the spring 2018 Dean’s List are:
Sarah FlanaganKatherine PeccerilloBrandon Zaffuto.Students Added to Spring 2018 Dean’s List
-
01/22/2019
During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton, in partnership with diverse groups within and outside the University community, will offer participants insights into threats to our children’s health and development, three perspectives on democracy’s future, and the historical context behind a campus art exhibit.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, in collaboration with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, the University will present “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resiliency: The Long Term Health, Legal and Societal Consequences.” Dennis Dawgert, M.D., a local pediatrician, will discuss the effects of ACE, which were described in a groundbreaking study in 1999 conducted by Vincent Felitti, M.D., and Robert Anda, M.D. The ACE study showed long-term effects of many common health problems and a shortening of life expectancy. Subsequent studies have shown increases in learning disabilities, incarceration and other psychosocial issues. The traumatic events that cause ACE include physical and sexual abuse, familial dysfunction and the separation of a child from the caregiver. Reservations are required to attend this free event, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom on the fourth floor of the DeNaples Center, with a reception to follow.
On Thursday, March 28, in collaboration with its Humanities Initiative at The University of Scranton, the Schemel Forum will present James Miller, Ph.D., professor of politics and liberal studies and faculty director of the Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism Program at The New School for Social Research in New York City. Dr. Miller will present “Can Democracy Work? A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World.” He will offer a short reading from his book, “Can Democracy Work?” Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, with a book signing and reception to follow.
On Thursday, April 4, in collaboration with The University of Scranton’s Political Dialogues Campus Working Group, Patricia Roberts-Miller, Ph.D., professor of rhetoric and writing and director of the University Writing Center at the University of Texas at Austin, will present “Democracy and the Rhetoric of Demagoguery.” Dr. Roberts-Miller will discuss her recent books on demagoguery discuss its history, review its predictable patterns and suggesting ways we may combat it in our current contexts. Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, with a book signing and reception to follow.
On Monday, April 8, in collaboration with The Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections at the Weinberg Memorial Library, The University of Scranton and the Friends of the Weinberg Library, the University will welcome Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D., Passionist historian and adjunct professor of history at Scranton. Father Carbonneau will present “American Passionist Priest Martyrs in China, 90th Anniversary 1929-2019: Remembering the Chinese Catholic Witness of Faith.” He will explore what the death of three Passionists in 1929 continues to teach us about contemporary Catholics in China. The event is presented in conjunction with the exhibit “Life, Death and Memory: Art and Artifacts from the Passionist China Collection.” Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, with a book signing and reception to follow.
On Thursday, May 2, in collaboration with the Weinberg Memorial Library, Thomas Brier, Jr., J.D., attorney at Blank Rome LLP in Philadelphia, will discuss his book “While Reason Slept,” which examines the relationship between democratic erosion and the declining belief in the power of reason. Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, with a book signing and reception to follow.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Spring Schemel Forum Collaborative Programs
-
01/18/2019
Due to an expected snow storm, The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission (GSMLKC) will not hold its annual celebration and community awards dinner on Sunday, Jan. 20. Instead the annual dinner will take place on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. in McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center at The University of Scranton.
The theme of this year’s dinner is “The MARCH Continues: A New Era in Peaceful Activism,” which highlights Dr. King’s philosophy of facilitating cultural and legislative change using non-violent means. Award winning author Andrew Aydin, who co-wrote the MARCH trilogy graphic novels with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, will be the keynote speaker. University of Scranton theology professor Joel B. Kemp, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker.
Award winning author Andrew Aydin, who co-wrote the MARCH trilogy graphic novels with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, will be the keynote speaker. University of Scranton theology professor Joel B. Kemp, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker.
The MARCH trilogy is a series of graphic novels about the Civil Rights Movement as told through the perspective of Congressman Lewis. The books are illustrated by Nate Powell. The Best- Selling books have won numerous awards, including the National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2016), Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Winner (2017) and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award Special Recognition (2014).
Aydin, who serves as digital director and policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Lewis is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford and Georgetown University. His master’s thesis is about the history and impact of Martin Luther King and the Montgomery story. He also serves as a national project advisor to the National Endowment for the Humanities for “The Great Stories Club: Reading and Discussion for At-Risk Youth.”
Dr. Kemp joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017 as assistant professor of theology/religious studies. He previously taught at Boston College, where he completed a doctorate in theology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and American history from Harvard College, a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School. In addition to teaching theology, Dr. Kemp was also a practicing attorney for more than a decade. His areas of scholarly interest include African American appropriations of scripture, the relationship between race, religion and law within American society, and the use of the Bible in popular culture.
Tickets for this event are $25 and can be reserved at www.safdn.org/mlk-event, or by contacting Jennifer Pennington at the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity by email at jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu or by phone at 570-941-6645.
MLK Award Dinner to be Held Feb. 24
-
01/14/2019
Feb. 1 through Mar. 1 Art Exhibit: “I’m in the Wrong Film: Photographs by Hans Gindlesberger.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 1 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “I’m in the Wrong Film: Photographs by Hans Gindlesberger” presented by Hans Gindlesberger, exhibiting artist. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb 1 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Jay Rattman, woodwinds, and Janet Sora Chung, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 2 1 p.m. 19th Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 9. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Feb. 4 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “What to Expect from Trump’s Foreign Policy in 2019” presented by Trudy Rubin, worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Collegiate Hall, Redington Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 13 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resiliency: The Long Term Health, Legal and Societal Consequences” presented by Dennis Dawgert, M.D. McDonnell Room, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 20 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Sing Sing Prison and the History of Criminal Justice: An Illustrated Presentation about One of America’s Iconic Institutions” presented by Brent D. Glass, Ph.D., director emeritus, Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 22-24 and Mar. 1-3 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “Bright Star” book and music by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, lyrics by Edie Brickell, directed by Michael O’Steen presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Feb 22 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Ron Stabinsky and “Mostly Other People Do The Killing.” Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 23 11 a.m. “Ignite Student Leadership Conference.” Leadership development program open to Northeast Pennsylvania college students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. $25 fee for non-University students includes program materials, refreshments and lunch. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-6233 or visit www.scranton.edu/leadership.
Schemel Forum Courses
Tuesdays: Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 & Mar. 5, 19 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Kurt Vonnegut & the Narrative of Trauma” presented by Joe Kraus, chair and professor, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces February Events
-
01/11/2019
UPDATED RELEASE: Due to a pending storm, The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission annual dinner, originally planned for Jan. 20, has been postponed until Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. The information below has been updated to reflect this change.
The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission (GSMLKC) will hold its annual celebration and community awards dinner at The University of Scranton, Sunday, Feb. 24, beginning at 1 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The theme of this year’s dinner is “The MARCH Continues: A New Era in Peaceful Activism,” which highlights Dr. King’s philosophy of facilitating cultural and legislative change using non-violent means.
Award winning author Andrew Aydin, who co-wrote the MARCH trilogy graphic novels with U.S. Rep. John Lewis, will be the keynote speaker. University of Scranton theology professor Joel B. Kemp, Ph.D., will be the featured speaker.
The MARCH trilogy is a series of graphic novels about the Civil Rights Movement as told through the perspective of Congressman Lewis. The books are illustrated by Nate Powell. The Best- Selling books have won numerous awards, including the National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2016), Coretta Scott King Book Award Author Winner (2017) and the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award Special Recognition (2014).
Aydin, who serves as digital director and policy advisor to U.S. Rep. Lewis is a graduate of Trinity College in Hartford and Georgetown University. His master’s thesis is about the history and impact of Martin Luther King and the Montgomery story. He also serves as a national project advisor to the National Endowment for the Humanities for “The Great Stories Club: Reading and Discussion for At-Risk Youth.”
Dr. Kemp joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017 as assistant professor of theology/religious studies. He previously taught at Boston College, where he completed a doctorate in theology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and American history from Harvard College, a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School. In addition to teaching theology, Dr. Kemp was also a practicing attorney for more than a decade. His areas of scholarly interest include African American appropriations of scripture, the relationship between race, religion and law within American society, and the use of the Bible in popular culture.
Tickets for this event are $25 and can be reserved at www.safdn.org/mlk-event, or by contacting Jennifer Pennington at the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity by email at jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu or by phone at 570-941-6645.
MLK Award Dinner Set
-
01/11/2019
During the spring semester, University of Scranton professors will teach courses in their areas of expertise that have broader societal implications. These Schemel Forum evening courses will meet in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in the Weinberg Memorial Library on campus.
“Kurt Vonnegut and the Narrative of Trauma” will be taught by Joe Kraus, Ph.D., chair and professor of the Department of English and Theatre, and president of MELUS (Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States).
“It sounds like an oxymoron but Kurt Vonnegut established himself as one of the leading novelists of the second half of the 20th century by finding a way to write humorously about pessimism, despair and trauma,” said Dr. Kraus. “In this class we will examine some of the methods he employs to those ends, in particular how he departs from the model of trauma narrative that Ernest Hemingway established a generation earlier.”
Texts include “Mother Night,” “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater,” “Cat’s Cradle” and “Slaughterhouse Five” and Hemingway’s “In Our Time.” The course will meet on the following Tuesdays: February 5, 12, 19 and 26, and March 5 and 19.
Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, will be the lead teacher “Color: Perceptions in Science, Art, and Society.” This course will explore the concept of color from many different perspectives, both literal and metaphoric. The course will use a hands-on, multidisciplinary approach and collaborate with University faculty specializing in art, biology, history, physics and psychology. “We will begin with the science of color, including how physicists define and identify the spectrum of light and how humans use their vision to perceive that spectrum,” said Dr. Voltzow. “Next, the course will explore sources of color in nature and experiment with color in art. Our focus will then turn to how color influences our perception of each other, including an overview of the genetic basis of human skin color and how that continuum has been artificially divided to create the construct of races. With this background we will evaluate the psychological and sociological impact of this construct.” The course will meet on the following Wednesdays: March 20 and 27, and April 3, 10, 17 and 24.
“Ben Franklin as a Marketing Pioneer” will be taught by Abhijit Roy, Ph.D., DBA, professor of marketing in the Kania School of Management. The course will present an overview of the various facets of marketing and illustrate how Ben Franklin pioneered much of what we know about modern marketing, entrepreneurship and business. Participants will be asked to read sections of Franklin’s autobiography and his short book, “The Way to Wealth.” No prior knowledge of marketing is required for the course, which will meet on the following Tuesdays: April 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, and May 7.
Local residents can attend any course for $60 per person or $100 per couple; Schemel Forum members may attend any or all courses free. Space is limited and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or Sondra.myers@scranton.edu
Spring Semester Schemel Forum Courses Set
-
01/11/2019
The University of Scranton will host the 19th annual Northeast PA Brain Bee for high school students in grades 9 through 12 on Saturday, Feb. 2. The competition begins at 1 p.m. in the Loyola Science Center on the University’s campus.
Sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at the University and the Scranton Neuroscience Society, the Brain Bee is offered free of charge, however, registration is required to participate. The registration deadline is Wednesday, January 31.
Snow date for the Brain Bee is Saturday, Feb. 9.
The competition encourages high school students to study the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movements, stress, aging, sleep and brain disorders. All questions for the competition will be drawn from “Brain Facts,” a book about the brain and nervous system published by the Society for Neuroscience.
In previous years, students competing represented schools from throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, including: Abington Heights High School, Lackawanna Trail High School, MMI Preparatory School, Parkland High School, Pittston Area High School, Pocono Mountain East High School, Riverside Junior/Senior High School, Stroudsburg Area High School, Wallenpaupack Area High School, Western Wayne High School, Wyoming Area High School and Valley View High School, among others.
For more information or to register online, visit https://sites.google.com/site/nepabrainbee/ or contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., neuroscience program director and associate professor of biology at the University, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Brain Bee Competition for High School Students
-
01/11/2019
The University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., blessed “A Place of Solitude” at a private ceremony in the fall semester. Located on the second floor of McGurrin Hall, this enclosed space features a running fountain and a living wall and provides a quiet, welcoming area for students, faculty and staff to reflect, pray and discern. The space is dedicated in loving memory to Carl and AnnaBell Kuehner, Joseph and Angeline Castrogiovanni, and John and Eva Pellegrino.
Place of Solitude Blessed on Campus
-
01/09/2019
Participants in the 21st annual 2019 Leaves of Class Raffle, offered by The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton, have a chance to win more than $13,000 in prizes.
Raffle tickets are $25 and earn each participant twelve chances to win monthly prize drawings, which begin on Jan. 31 and continue through Dec. 20. The raffle helps support the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund.
This year’s prizes include: an iPad, gift certificates to numerous area restaurants; ski tickets; cash prizes up to $250; tickets to local theater performances, concerts; fitness club memberships; golf and spa gift certificates; jewelry and clothing boutique gift certificates; gift baskets; and numerous other prizes.
To be eligible for the drawings, a completed entry form, along with $25, must be returned to the Dean’s Office of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Checks should be made payable to “Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library.”
Tickets may also be purchased online at www.scranton.edu/leaves.
For more information on the Leaves of Class drawing, contact the Weinberg Memorial Library at 570-941-7816.
Library Raffle Offers Chance at Monthly Prizes
-
01/08/2019
University of Scranton students were recognized recently for several academic awards and scholarships.
Michael Spadavecchia, a senior majoring in entrepreneurship, was awarded a 2018 scholarship from Sigma Nu Tau, the national honor society for entrepreneurship. He was among just four students in the country selected to receive a $1,250 scholarship awarded by the honor society in 2018.
Juliet Baldassarri, a sophomore occupational therapy major from Baldwin, New York, Kasidy Leggin, a sophomore physiology major from Archbald, and Morgan Fetsock, a sophomore criminal justice major from Scranton, won medals at the Southern-Northern Atlantic Forensics Union tournament, which was held at Seton Hall University during the fall semester.
In addition, the University celebrated its 16 current Maguire Scholars at a gathering on campus recently, and recognized students and their high school teachers, who they credit for contributing to their success, with Rose Kelly Awards. Students also received O’Hara Awards for academic achievement.
Scranton Students Recognized
-
01/08/2019
During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at The University of Scranton will expose area residents to timely topics and provide a historical perspective.
On Monday, Feb. 4, Trudy Rubin, Worldview Columnist with The Philadelphia Inquirer, will present “What to Expect from Trump’s Foreign Policy in 2019.” According to Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum, Rubin’s presentation will address two important questions: Can this new leadership make a difference? And what developments should we watch for in U.S. relations with Beijing, Moscow, Pyongyang and Middle East hot spots this year? “Trudy is a field reporter and global commentator who works ‘in the trenches,’ in the world’s most troubled areas.,” said Myers. The seminar will take place in Redington Hall in Collegiate Hall.
Brent D. Glass, Ph.D., director emeritus at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, will present “Sing Sing Prison and the History of Criminal Justice: An Illustrated Presentation about One of America’s Iconic Institutions.” Sing Sing is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Corrections. Dr. Glass said his talk “will review Sing Sing’s extraordinary and largely unknown history, present plans for a new museum there and connect its history to contemporary issues in criminal justice – including sentencing guidelines, prison conditions for men and women, re-entry programs, capital punishment, and parole.”
“The image of prisons in popular culture was shaped by the films made at Sing Sing in the 1930s. The history of prison reform at Sing Sing is relevant to understanding the national conversation about various criminal justice reform initiatives today,” said Dr. Glass. “Telling the story of Sing Sing Prison will pull the curtain back on these issues and engage the audience in a lively discussion about crime and punishment yesterday and today.” The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 20.
On Friday, March 1, “The History of Israel-Palestine: Peering into the Future” will be presented by Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C., and David N. Myers, Ph.D., Sady and Ludwig Kahn professor of Jewish History at UCLA , and president of the New Israel Fund. This fourth in a series of lectures by Dr. Ibish and Dr. Myers will move from an analysis of the history of the conflict to a discussion of future directions. They will lay out a variety of possible scenarios in light of today’s profound crisis of democracy in the world and the region. The seminar will take place in Redington Hall in Collegiate Hall.
On Thursday, March 21, the World Affairs Luncheon series will welcome Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein, director emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; senior advisor for strategy and policy for the Union for Reform Judaism; and senior fellow at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service’s Center for Jewish Civilization. Rabbi Saperstein’s talk, “The State of Religious Freedom in the U.S. and Across the Globe,” will address religious freedom disputes at home and abroad. The seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Edward Leahy Hall.
Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School and professor of history, will present “Empathy in Politics: Does it Matter? If So, Why?” on Monday, April 8. Dr. Logevall, who will point to some leaders in American history who had the capacity for empathy and used it effectively. He will ask us to reflect on how we should think about empathy in today’s politics. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The series will conclude on Tuesday, April 30, when Yehudit Shendar, content director and chief curator of the British Holocaust Memorial, will present “The Holocaust: Confronting Evil, Assuming Responsibility.” The United Kingdom’s Holocaust Memorial, under construction, aims both to remember and to encourage reflection on the lessons of the past among British citizens and visitors of all nationalities. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
All seminars include a buffet lunch and run from noon to 1:30 p.m. Participants can register to attend one luncheon for $20 per person or $30 per couple, or for the entire series of six luncheons for $110 per person or $160 per couple. Schemel Forum members may attend any or all seminars free.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Luncheon Seminars Explore World Affairs
-
01/08/2019
The University of Scranton celebrated its 16 current Maguire Scholars at a gathering on campus recently.
Maguire scholarships are funded by The Maguire Foundation, founded by philanthropists James J. and Frances Maguire. The scholarship program provides graduates selected from 41 Philadelphia-area high schools (many of which are Catholic schools) with “last-dollar” financial support for four years of college at one of 28 partner institutions. Scranton has been a partner school since 2015.
Maguire Scholars, selected by their respective institutions, must maintain a G.P.A. above 3.0, be an active participant in school and/or community volunteer extra-curricular activities, and meet other requirements of the program.
The following students are current Maguire Scholars at Scranton (listed alphabetically by academic year):
Christiana Cruz-Council, Philadelphia, a senior communication major;
Daniel McNulty, Havertown, a senior marketing major;
Brian Price, Glenside, a senior accounting major;
Catherine Stapf, Warrington, a senior neuroscience major;
Kimberly Baxter, Philadelphia, a junior political science major;
Sonni Rose Mazzone, Philadelphia, a junior counseling and human services major;
Stas Postowski, Philadelphia, a junior marketing major;
Zachary Thomas, Philadelphia, a junior journalism - electronic media major;
Braden Francis Hood, Abington, a sophomore physics major;
Cianna Noelle Kisailus, Wyndmoor, a sophomore nursing major;
Sothea Nari Grace MacBain, Philadelphia, a sophomore health administration major;
Alex Sebastian Vallejo, Upper Darby, a sophomore criminal justice major;
Patrick Joyce, Glenside, a freshman undeclared major in the College of Arts and Sciences;
Jakob Hodlofski, West Chester, a freshman business administration major;
Madison Nord, Bryn Mawr, a freshman finance major;
Andrew Wisniewski, Southampton, a freshman nursing major.
Scranton Celebrates its Maguire Scholars
-
01/08/2019
Three University of Scranton students won medals at the Southern-Northern Atlantic Forensics Union tournament, which was held at Seton Hall University during the fall semester.
Juliet Baldassarri, a sophomore occupational therapy major from Baldwin, New York, won a third-place medal for Poetry Interpretation at the tournament. In addition, she and Kasidy Leggin, a sophomore physiology major from Archbald, won fourth-place medals for their Dramatic Duo Interpretation.
Morgan Fetsock, a sophomore criminal justice major from Scranton, won a sixth-place medal for Novice Impromptu Speaking.
Students Medal at Forensics Competition
-
01/07/2019
University of Scranton accounting professor Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., was profiled as one of just six “Professors to Know in Business Programs Based in the Northeast” selected by Bschools.org, an online resource for entrepreneurs. The professors, who teach at business schools in the Northeast with online MBA programs, were selected based on their professional experience and knowledge.
An award-winning researcher and teacher, Dr. Boyle is chair of the University’s Accounting Department, director of the University’s DBA program and the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program.
A Certified Public Accountant as well as a Certified Management Accountant, Dr. Boyle has more than 25 years of industry executive experience. He has served in executive roles in startup, middle market and Fortune 500 companies where he has held the positions of chief executive officer, president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer. He currently serves as chair of Allied Services Foundation’s Board of Directors.
At Scranton, Dr. Boyle was named the Kania School of Management’s (KSOM) Alperin Teaching Fellow for 2015 to 2018 and received the KSOM Advisory Board’s Award for Curriculum Innovation for 2017-2018. He has twice earned the KSOM Teacher of the Year award and earned the Provost Excellence Awards for the Scholarship of Teaching in 2014 and for Scholarly Publication in 2012. He was awarded the Outstanding Accounting Educator of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 2015. In addition, three research papers he has authored with fellow KSOM faculty members have received the Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand Medals for “outstanding papers.”
Dr. Boyle earned his bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, a MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.
Professor Recognized for Professional Experience
-
01/07/2019
Lockheed Martin is committed to a program of philanthropy that supports the corporation’s strategic business goals and invests in the quality of life in the communities where our employees work and live. As part of that initiative, Lockheed Martin’s Archbald Operations presented a check to The University of Scranton in the amount of $2,500 to support their Veterans Advocacy Committee and veterans’ student club.
Lockheed Martin’s 350,000-square-foot facility in Archbald has been in continuous operation since 1951. The site has received numerous awards throughout the years, including the 2015 Governor’s Export ImPAct award, the 2013 Governor’s Award for Safety Excellence and the 2013 Industry Week Best Plants Award.
Lockheed Martin Supports University’s Veterans
-
01/03/2019
Michael Spadavecchia, a senior majoring in entrepreneurship at The University of Scranton, was awarded a 2018 scholarship from Sigma Nu Tau, the national honor society for entrepreneurship. He was among just four students in the country selected to receive a $1,250 scholarship awarded by the honor society in 2018.
In addition to academic requirements, Sigma Nu Tau scholars, each of whom were nominated by their colleges and universities, were selected based on their demonstration of entrepreneurship, community involvement and involvement with each school’s chapter of the honor society.
A dean’s list student at Scranton and a member of the Sigma Nu Tau honor society, Spadavecchia serves as president of the entrepreneurship club at Scranton and as president of the University’s business incubator located on campus.
Spadavecchia is also co-owner and creative director of Smooth Rhythm Productions, a digital media production company, and is working on a business plan for an environmentally sustainable paper product. He has volunteered with Nextgen Climate and the Bergan County Technical Center.
Al Brower, an adjunct faculty member in the University’s Marketing, Management and Entrepreneurship Department, has served as Spadavecchia’s mentor.
A resident of Moonachie, New Jersey, Spadavecchia, is a graduate of Bergen County Technical High School, Teterboro, New Jersey.
Student Awarded Entrepreneurship Scholarship
-
01/03/2019
The Scranton Brass Orchestra will perform on Sunday, Jan. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center at The University of Scranton. Admission is free, and the performance is open to the public. Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The diverse program for the concert features a variety of arrangements and transcriptions for brass band and brass orchestra, including Reed’s Russian Christmas Music, Langford’s Russian Fantasy, Gliere’s Russian Sailors Dance, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bare Mountain and Gates’ Sleep Little Jesus, as well as popular songs by Gershwin, Kern, Lennon and McCartney, and others.
The Scranton Brass Orchestra is under the direction of co-founder Cheryl Y. Boga and is presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton. Now in its eighth season, it is a fully professional 26-member ensemble comprised of brass and percussion players/teachers from the region. The group’s performances are free of charge and open to the public, and have often featured nationally and internationally acclaimed guests, including many of the most respected brass players of our time. The group made its debut before hundreds of appreciative audience members in June 2011, and has since garnered acclaim from both audiences and musicians alike.
For additional information, visit scranton.edu/music or email music@scranton.edu.
Scranton Brass Orchestra to Perform Jan. 6
-
01/02/2019
University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., talked about “The Boss” – Bruce Springsteen – for a Sirius XM E Street Radio – Be the Boss segment that aired Thursday, Jan. 3, at 5 p.m. on the Sirius XM channel. Excerpts below.
The segment was rebroadcast on Sirius XM E Street Radio on Friday, Jan. 4, at 9 a.m. and Saturday, Jan. 5, at 6 p.m.
Father Pilarz, a medieval and Renaissance literature scholar, is a proud native of New Jersey and a fan of Springsteen.
Excerpts from Be The Boss
One of the themes of Bruce’s music near and dear to me is faith. Faith in God, faith in one another and faith that there is something out there bigger than ourselves.
I want to start the show with my favorite Bruce song, Rosalita. This is a song that spanned my whole life. I danced to it with old friends, new friends and on my grandmother’s coffee table.”
If I could say anything to Bruce -- there are so many things I'd want to say -- maybe the most important thing would be, ‘Hey Bruce, I'm the president of The University of Scranton. How about if you come give the commencement address this year?
University President Speaks about Springsteen
-
12/21/2018
The University of Scranton’s 10th annual Community Christmas Day Breakfast will take place Tuesday, Dec. 25, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the third-floor Fresh Food Company of the DeNaples Center on campus. The breakfast, organized by Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice and Dining Services/ARAMARK, is offered free of charge to the elderly or those who are alone or in need as a gift to the community for the holiday season.
The breakfast is organized by the Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice and Dining Services/ARAMARK.
Reservations are not needed to attend. Parking is available for the breakfast in the University’s parking pavilion on Mulberry Street. For additional information, call 570-941-7401.
Christmas Day Breakfast Planned for Community
-
12/19/2018
University of Scranton students, faculty and staff donated hundreds of presents to children in need through two Christmas gift drives organized by the University’s Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice. Community members donated gifts through the Giving Tree program which were then distributed to children by Friends of the Poor/Catholic Social Services. Gifts were also collected for the Adopt-a-Family Program with the Catherine McAuley Center.
University Holds Christmas Gift Drives
-
12/18/2018
The University of Scranton recognized students and their high school teachers, who they credit for contributing to their success, with Rose Kelly Awards at a ceremony held recently on campus.
The Rose Kelly Award was established by University of Scranton alumnus Joseph Wineburgh, Ph.D., to link the efforts of educators to the achievements of college students. The award is presented jointly to a student in each of the University’s colleges who has completed two years at Scranton and to the teacher whom he or she recognizes as having a great impact in his or her life. Students are selected based on exemplary achievement in both academics and general campus involvement.
(above photo) Abbey Murphy, Mountain Top, received the Rose Kelly Award for the Kania School of Management. From left: Christy Laubach, the teacher Murphy honored from Crestwood High School; Murphy; and Murli Rajan, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management.
From left: Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, and Kayla Collins, Prince Frederick, Maryland, who received the Rose Kelly Award for the Panuska College of Professional Studies. The teacher she honored, Selva Kumar, from Saint Mary’s Ryken High School, was absent from the photo.
University Students/High School Teachers Awarded
-
12/17/2018
Frank O’Hara medals were given University of Scranton students with the highest grade-point averages in their first-, second- and third-year in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies for the 2017-18 academic year. The awards, named in honor of the late Frank O’Hara who served the University for 53 years in various administrative positions, were presented at a ceremony held recently on campus.
From left: Brian Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and recipients of the Frank O’Hara medals from the College of Arts and Sciences: Anna Maria Giblin, Samuel Morano and Zackary Rieker.
College of Arts and Sciences
Zackary Rieker, Pottstown, received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. He is currently a sophomore biology and biomathematics double-major on a pre-medicine track. He plans to pursue a career as a pediatrician.
Anna Maria Giblin, Berwyn, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior majoring in history. She serves as a tutor for several subjects through the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE). She plans on attending law school after graduation. During this past summer, she completed a paid internship at the law firm Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin in Philadelphia.
Samuel Morano, Clarks Summit, received a medal for academic achievement for his junior year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, he is currently a senior biology major on a pre-medicine track, and is also pursuing minors in psychology and biochemistry. He is a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national Jesuit honor society, Beta Beta Beta, the national honor society for biology, and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national health professional honor society. He has served as a tutor, a teaching assistant and a team leader for the University’s FIRST program. He volunteers with Big Friends Little Friends and the Leahy Clinic and participated in a domestic outreach program to St. Michaels Association for Special Education in Navajo Nation. Last year, he received the Frank O’Hara award for his sophomore year.
From left: recipients of the Frank O’Hara medals from the Kania School of Management: Tarquin McGurrin, Daniel Muenkel and Daniel Buzzerio; and Murli Rajan, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management.
Kania School of Management
Tarquin McGurrin, Clarks Summit, received a medal for academic achievement for his freshman year. He is currently a sophomore majoring in accounting, who plans to earn his bachelor’s degree and MBA from the University in four years. He is a member of Scranton’s tennis team and had received first-team honors for both singles and doubles in the Landmark Conference for his freshman year. McGurrin plans to pursue a law degree after graduation.
Daniel Buzzerio, River Edge, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for his sophomore year. He is currently a junior majoring in accounting, who is also a member of the undergraduate Honors Program and the Business Leadership Honors Program. He is treasurer of the Italian Society and the Business Club. He is s resident assistant and has helped lead the Connections retreat. He is pursing research with Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor, Accounting Department chair and DBA program director.
Daniel Muenkel, Fishkill, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for his junior year. He is currently a senior accounting and finance double-major with a minor in Mandarin Chinese and concentration in Asian studies. He is also a member of the Business Leadership Honors Program. He is captain on the Men’s Swim team and a lector on campus. Last year, he received the Critical Language Scholarship from U.S. State Department, and spent two months in China studying Mandarin Chinese. Muenkel interned for PwC as an assurance intern and will begin working with them in Manhattan full-time after graduation.
Panuska College of Professional Studies
Emily Campo, Haddonfield, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. She is currently a sophomore majoring in occupational therapy. She is a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association and the Helping Professions Residential Learning Community. She has volunteered with several organizations, including the Arc of Northeastern Pennsylvania. She is also a member of the Royal Signers.
Madison Heaton, Medford, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. A recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship, she is currently a junior occupational therapy major, who is also pursuing minors in psychology and human services as well as a concentration in human development. She served an orientation assistant and participated in the Scranton Emerging Leaders program. She is the president of the Sophomore Helping Professions Living Learning Community, secretary of the Royal Signers, a member of Student Occupational Therapy Association and a certified yoga instructor. An active volunteer, she is also a member of Beading Hope and Autism Speaks U.
Melissa Busch, Yardley, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. She is currently a senior occupational therapy major, and is pursuing minors in psychology and counseling and human services, as well as a human development concentration. She has served as a teaching assistant and tutor on campus. This is the third O’Hara award Busch has received, having also earned O’Hara Awards for her sophomore and freshman years at Scranton. She went on the spring break service trip with Habitat for Humanity in Cumberland County, New Jersey, and a summer international service program trip to Jamaica. She is an orientation assistant and has volunteered with Big Friends Little Friends, and SMART, a mentoring program for high school students from Scranton High School.
Students Receive Frank O’Hara Awards
-
12/13/2018
The University of Scranton’s 10th annual Community Christmas Day Breakfast will take place Tuesday, Dec. 25, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the third-floor Fresh Food Company of the DeNaples Center on campus. The breakfast, organized by Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice and Dining Services/ARAMARK, is offered free of charge to the elderly or those who are alone or in need as a gift to the community for the holiday season.
The University’s Dining Service/ARAMARK staff and volunteers from the University will prepare and serve the breakfast that will include eggs, sausage, pancakes, danish, juice and other foods.
Reservations are not needed to attend. Parking is available for the breakfast in the University’s parking pavilion on Mulberry Street. For additional information, call 570-941-7401.
Tenth Year for Community Christmas Day Breakfast
-
12/12/2018
During the fall semester, first-year students in The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS) have been collecting book donations from the University community. The more than 5,000 books collected were blessed Thursday, Dec. 6.
Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of PCPS, who began the Blessing of the Books project at the University in 2007, hopes that her students have come to see the power behind the gift of books as they help fight illiteracy in Northeastern Pennsylvania. She also included the Blessing of the Books as a special service project for the first-year seminar she taught.
As part of the project, students were assigned a building on campus. They placed pink and purple buckets in trafficked areas, made colorful posters, and collected the donated books as the buckets filled.
Students also added thoughtful hand-written notes in the books they collected. Claire Carrera, a psychology major from North Bergen, New Jersey, explained that the notes were more than little formalities. “I try to connect with whoever will be reading the book,” she said. This means more than writing “I hope you enjoy” and signing her name. For example, on an illustrated Star Wars book, Carrera had written a note explaining how the Star Wars films were her parents favorites, and that the universe had been a very important part of her childhood. That personal touch, for Dean Pellegrino and her students, makes this more than just a service project.
The idea of a Blessing of the Books came to Dean Pellegrino during her time working in Kansas City. She said on a drive she noticed a sign advertising “Free Suds.” When she found out that it was offering free soapsuds for laundry, she realized that if the poor don’t have money for laundry detergent, they certainly can’t buy books for children.
Dean Pellagrino also recognized the effects of poverty are an important element of the project to introduce to the students.
“It’s humbling,” Fiona McCaul, an occupational therapy major from Bellerose, New York, said, “it helps you see your own privilege and be really grateful.”
As students in the class noted, children’s books act as weapons in the fight against illiteracy. In a paper for the class, Talia Green, a nursing major from Stroudsburg, noted, “the Blessing of the Books project helps to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty because it gives kids the opportunity to practice literacy, which is the path to freedom and democracy.”
One student in particular took the project to a next level. “It’s as simple as a book,” Melissa Menagh said, “but it’s a gateway too.” Menagh, an exercise science major, proved that not only does the project act as a gateway to literacy, but as a bridge between communities when she reached to her hometown of Long-Valley, New Jersey, knowing that her community loved coming together for service work. The community has collected over 700 books.
Blessed Books: More Than Just Stories
-
12/12/2018
The University of Scranton joined the Magna Charta Universitatum Observatory of Fundamental University Values and Rights, an alliance of more than 800 universities worldwide committed to serve as guardians for the fundamental values of independence, academic freedom and integrity.
Universities from 85 countries have signed the statement of fundamental values outlined in the Magna Charta Universitatum, which was first ratified in 1988 by rectors of European universities who assembled at University of Bologna, which was founded in 1088 and is the oldest university in continuous operation. The fundamental principles agreed upon include the recognition of the autonomy of a university and the role it plays “at the heart of societies,” as it produces, examines appraises and hands down culture by research and teaching.” The document attests that in order for universities to fulfill its purpose, “research and teaching must be morally and intellectually independent of all political and economic power.”
“Joining the observatory expresses the inherent mission of Scranton as a Jesuit university, fully committed to seeking truth and providing our students with a global perspective in their discipline and in their understanding of the diverse needs confronted by the people of the world today,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton.
The observatory “gathers information, expresses opinions and prepares documents relating to the respect for, and the protection of, the fundamental values and rights” of universities.
In order to accomplish these goals, universities joining the alliance commit to preserve freedom in research and teaching, as well as to ensure student academic freedom of their students, among other principles. Universities, especially those in Europe, also commit to the mutual exchange of information to advance knowledge.
“The Observatory Magna Charta Universitatum will further open doors for collaboration with new institutions and further enhance the international collaborations already in place,” said Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, who noted the University has already established a number of international partnerships as part of its strategic plan.
By 2020 the Observatory plans to be the leading global organization to support fundamental values for higher education. The organization hosts international conferences and workshops and support publications to promote these values, and plans to increase signatories to the Universitatum to 1,000 by 2020.
Effort to Safeguard University Independence Expands
-
12/12/2018
The University of Scranton ranked in the top 10 percent of colleges in America for “overall quality” in a 2019 ranking by College Factual. Scranton ranked No. 161 in the national ranking of 1,779 schools.
College Factual also ranked Scranton in the top 10 percent in the nation in its ranking of “Best Religiously Affiliated” schools, placing Scranton at No. 16 in a list of 185 schools.
In other postings on the College Factual website, several Scranton programs ranked in the top 15 percent in the nation, including criminal justice, nursing, accounting, business administration, marketing and international business.
College Factual, in rankings published online, considers retention and graduation rates, student loan default rates, overall average post- graduation earnings based on College Scorecard data, among other factors.
In other national rankings, U.S. News and World Report included Scranton in a national ranking of the “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” (No. 199) and ranked Scranton’s entrepreneurship program at No. 31, its finance program at No. 36 and its accounting program at No. 37 in the country. In the overall ranking for colleges, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 6 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North,” marking the 25th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10 of its category. The Princeton Review also listed Scranton in its 2019 edition of “The Best 384 Colleges,” ranking Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 16) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 15).
Scranton Makes Another National Ranking
-
12/12/2018
Jan. 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Jan. 26 8 a.m. Campaign School 2019. Learn the essentials of running for local government office from the petition process to organizing your campaign to effective use of media. Sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County and co-sponsored by the Political Science Department with media sponsor WNEP. Brennan Hall, McShane Executive Center. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7431 or email jean.harris@scranton.edu.
University of Scranton Announces January Events
-
12/05/2018
Chris Whitney, director of the Center for Career Development at The University of Scranton, offers advice on what students can do during the winter break to prepare for their future careers.
Job Searches Peak in January
According to Chris Whitney, January is a
peek time to look for jobs, as many employers will be posting new positions after the new year. If you haven’t already, winter break is a great time to make use of Handshake.com. You can log on by visiting scranton.edu/careers and clicking on the link provided. Currently, Handshake lists more than 8,000 postings, including nearly 2,000 internships.Build and Refresh your Network
Intersession is a great time to get in touch with people, especially alumni, whom you have met during your time at Scranton. Send them an email and ask if they would be available to talk or meet with you. This is a chance for you to learn about what successful men and women in your field have done to get where they are. Whitney suggests asking them about their journey and their career, as well as for advice as you start to think about your future. This will show intellectual curiosity and is a great way to practice communication skills without the stress of interviewing.
If you feel awkward reaching out to alumni you barely know, Whitney says don’t. Talking with alumni about your career is a safe place to start and alumni want to help Scranton students succeed. Most will feel flattered that you want to hear their stories and listen to their advice.
Revamp your Resume
A break from coursework offers an ideal time to focus on your resume, one of the most important documents needed in your career search. Whitney offers a few things to keep in mind when revamping your resume:
Organization: keep the most relevant experiences and skills at the top of your resume. (Many employers will stop reading if the first item does impress them);
Research: once you have decided the positions you want to apply for, look at the job descriptions and make sure your resume exhibits the skills and experience the employer mentions in the job listing. Again, Handshake is a great tool for this. Be sure to include industry terms mentioned in your resume and cover letter. Usually, everything you need to mention is included in the job description.
Use your network: ask alumni to look at your resume and take their advice to heart;
Customize your resume: some students think that a resume should be a one size fits all deal. It is not. If you are applying to slightly different positions at different companies or organizations, your resume might have to be different too depending on the skills and experiences needed for each position. Each resume should be tailored to the position you want.
Practice your Interview Skills
Don’t have any interview experience? Whitney suggests getting some practice during the break by using Big Interview, an online mock interview program. All you need is a computer with a webcam and the website will provide sample interviews based on
industry with three difficulty levels from which to choose. The website will record your responses for your review. You can also share your responses with career counselors at the University or members of your network for feedback. To get started, just visit scranton.edu/careers and scroll down for the link.Winter Break Career Prep Tips
-
12/05/2018
Professor Peter Leininger, Ph.D., of the Physical Therapy Department at The University of Scranton, said there are amazing new technologies in exercise science that are revolutionizing the field, shortening the time from surgery to full recovery.
Among the most exciting is blood flow restriction (BFR) therapy. Essentially, a tourniquet is wrapped around the upper or lower extremity, with controlled and monitored blood flow restriction to the muscles and joints of the knee, hip, ankle, shoulder, elbow or wrist, which greatly hastens the rehabilitation process.
Dr. Leininger, the only physical therapist in the Scranton area currently certified in BFR, explained that the method started in the military, then spread to professional sports and is now being used by major universities, clinics and hospitals to treat their injured athletes.
In January, Dr. Leininger and his students will present their BFR research (a systematic review) at the annual American Physical Therapy Association’s national conference in Washington, D.C. They are also completing a second systematic review studying the effect of BFR training with the older adult population.
Several research studies are planned at the University utilizing the BFR Delphi unit (currently the only FDA approved blood flow restriction device). The BFR device is being used on campus with several patients following ACL reconstruction to their knees.
“What is clear is that light-load exercise with a tourniquet that is used properly is safe and effective,” said Dr. Leininger, whose department owns the aforementioned Delfi device. “It’s a very good way to do light-weight resistance exercise where you don’t damage what was repaired, and recovery is demonstrably faster, decreasing the time necessary to develop increased muscle mass and strength of the injured or surgically repaired region of the body.”
He says this latest therapy modality is being used more widely following knee surgery, including anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, as well as rotator cuff, hip and ankle surgical procedures.
University Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) graduate students who will be presenting their research at the upcoming conference in January are Matthew Aitken ’17, Edison, New Jersey; Omar Amer, Scotch Plains, New Jersey; Berta Carmo, Parsippany, New Jersey; Sophia DiCamillo ’17, Abington; Christine Kiefer ’17, Wantagh, New York; Dannylyn Manabat, Long Beach, California; and Jonathan Mayes, Dublin (PA).
PT Students Research Effectiveness of BFR Therapy
-
12/04/2018
The University of Scranton awarded faculty development intersession grants for 2019 to 11 faculty members from eight departments.
Maureen Carroll, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, will receive a grant to study “Geometry in Motion.” Dr. Carroll received her bachelor’s degree from
LaSelle University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Lehigh University. She has worked for the University since 1995.Will Cohen, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies, will receive a grant to study “Aarhus 1964 and the Dialogue between Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians.” Dr. Cohen received his bachelor’s degree from Brown University, his master’s degree from St.
Vladmir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and his doctorate from The Catholic University of America. He has worked for the University since 2009.Eleni Gousgounis, Ph.D., associate professor of economics and finance, will receive a grant to study “Why do new futures contracts succeed or fail? The case of the FTSE Emerging Index Futures (EMF) contract.” Dr. Gousgounis received her bachelor’s degree from Athens University of Economics and Business and her master’s and doctoral degrees from The City University of New York. She began working for the University in 2018.
Christopher Haw, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology and religious studies, will receive a grant to work on “The Development of an Institutional Memorandum Toward Proposing a Prison Education Initiative entailing an Associate’s and eventual Bachelor’s Degree, through The University of Scranton.” Dr. Haw received his bachelor’s degree from Eastern University, his master’s degree from Villanova University and his doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. He began working for the University in 2018.
Hengameh Hosseini, Ph.D., assistant professor of health administration and human resources, will receive a grant to study “Misinformation in Youtube Videos about Sarcopenia and Frailty in Older Americans: Content and Network Analysis.”Dr. Hosseini received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Tehran, her master’s degree at King’s College and her doctorate from Marywood University. She began working for the University in 2018.
Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, LaZella will receive a grant to study “Status-Nominalism and The Problem of Universals.” Dr. LaZella received his bachelor’s degree from Hamline University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from DePaul University. He has worked for the University since 2010.
Mohammad Maktoomi, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics/electrical engineering, will receive a grant to study “Dual-Band RF Energy Harvesting Circuit for IOTs.” Dr. Maktoomi received his bachelor’s degree from Aligarh Muslim University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology. He began working for the University in 2018.
Sufyan Mohammed, Ph.D., associate professor of communication, will receive a grant to study “The Evolution of Social Media Use by Corporate India over the Past Decade: How the Top 500 Companies in India Utilize Digital and Social Media for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Media Relations.” Dr. Mohammed received his bachelor’s degree from Jai Hind College, his master’s degrees from Rizvi Institute of Management Studies and Research and Rochester Institute of Technology and his doctorate from Texas Tech University. He has worked for the University since 2008.
Masood Otarod, Sc.D., professor of mathematics, will receive a grant to study “Factorization Model: Dimensionally reduced dispersion model for the performance assessment of packed catalytic reactors.” Dr. Otarod received his bachelor’s degree from Pahlavi University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from Columbia University. He has worked for the University since 1988.
Ann Pang-White, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, will receive a grant to study “Knowledge, Virtue
and Akrasia in Early Confucian Ethics.” Dr. Pang-White received her bachelor’s degree from Tung-Hai University, her master’s degree from the University of South Carolina – Columbia and her doctorate from Marquette University. She has worked for the University since 1997.Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, will receive a grant to study the “Structure and Function of Abalone, Delicious
and Beautiful Snails.” Dr. Voltzow received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and her doctorate from Duke University. She has worked for the University since 1996.Faculty Members Receive 2019 Intersession Grants
-
11/30/2018
On Sunday, Dec. 9, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will be encouraging area residents to join them in the holiday spirit of giving and music-making at its annual Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert.
Set for 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, the concert will feature the Scranton Brass Orchestra and University Singers, under the direction of Cheryl Y. Boga, and the Scranton Prep Cavalyrics, under the direction of Daniel Marx.
The event is open to the public, with attendees asked to bring either a new and unwrapped toy or book, new toiletry items (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, comb/brush, etc.), or a cash donation. The donated items will benefit local children and families in need this holiday season.
As always, the concert will include a variety of Christmas classics performed by the ensembles. At the end of the evening, the groups will collaborate with the audience for a lively Christmas caroling session that’s sure to lift the spirits.
“Everyone really gets into that. Because how many chances do you get these days to be part of a good sing-along?” said Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music at the University.
Empty Stocking’s origins go back to 1999, when Boga’s friend, Alan Drake, the former band director at Georgia’s Augusta College (now Augusta University), told her about a benefit Christmas concert held there. When Boga asked Drake if he would mind if she brought the idea back to Scranton, he responded, “Absolutely not.”
For that inaugural year, she and Drake decided to wage a friendly competition to see which concert could raise the most money, and a new tradition was born.
No doubt, the concert’s charitable mission lends it a special resonance, and Boga noted it’s always moving to see the donated items put on display the night of the concert.
And then there’s the warm yuletide vibes produced at the concert. By the time it ends, Boga said, “You can really see people starting to feel the Christmas spirit.”
For more information on the Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Empty Stocking Fund Concert Set for Dec. 9
-
11/27/2018
The Princeton Review listed The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management among the nation’s “Best Business Schools” for 2019, marking the 14th consecutive year that Scranton has been included in the listing of just 252 of the nation’s most elite business colleges. Scranton was included among the list of “Best On-Campus MBA Programs,” which was published online in November.
The listing of business programs is compiled from an analysis of institutional data and survey data from students attending the business schools. The data incorporates career outcomes, academic rigor, admissions selectivity and other factors. The University received high marks for professor accessibility and interest. In addition to praising Jesuit ideals imbedded in the curriculum, students quoted in Scranton’s profile section said the business school provided “an environment which is collaborative, values different ideas, encourages discussion, and lets the students think about phenomena in a very creative manner.”
The University’s Kania School of Management is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), which is widely considered the standard of excellence for business schools. Less than five percent of business colleges worldwide hold AACSB accreditation.
The Princeton Review also listed Scranton in its 2019 edition of “The Best 384 Colleges,” ranking Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 16) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 15). The Princeton Review also included Scranton in its “Guide to 399 Green Colleges.”
In other national rankings, U.S. News and World Report included Scranton in a national ranking of the “Best Undergraduate Business Programs” (No. 199) and ranked Scranton’s entrepreneurship program at No. 31, its finance program at No. 36 and its accounting program at No. 37 in the country. In the overall ranking for colleges, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 6 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North,” marking the 25th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10 of its category.
Princeton Review Lists Best Business Schools
-
11/26/2018
The University of Scranton’s fourth annual Future Accountants Leadership Conference, held Nov. 17 on campus, was attended by 78 top high school students with an interest in business or accounting. The students represented 68 high schools and four states. The conference included an interactive experience with members of the Kania School of Management’s faculty, the Accounting Department Professional Alumni Council and students from the Business Leadership Honors Program and Beta Alpha Psi, the accounting honor society.
University Hosts Conference for Future Accountants
-
11/21/2018
The University of Scranton will host a talk by Keith Edwards, Ph.D., a nationally recognized speaker and educator on sexual violence prevention, men’s identity and social justice education, on Wednesday, Nov. 28. The presentation, which will focus on preventing sexual assault, consent and being an active bystander, will begin at 6 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center on campus. The presentation, titled “Stepping In and Stepping Up: Becoming Men and Women for Others,” is free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Edwards has spoken and consulted at more than 150 colleges and universities, presented more than 150 programs at national conferences, and has written more than 15 articles or book chapters on sexual violence prevention, men’s identity, social justice education, curricular approaches and leadership. His research, writing and speaking have received national awards and recognition.
Dr. Edwards recently co-chaired the American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA) Presidential Task Force on Sexual Violence Prevention in Higher Education and co-edited the group’s publication, “Beyond Compliance: Addressing Sexual Violence in Higher Education.”
His scholarship interests include diversity and social justice education and college men’s issues from a feminist and social justice perspective. A national leader in social justice education, Dr. Edwards founded and served as chair for ACPA’s Commission for Social Justice Educators, and has chaired and regularly served as a faculty member for ACPA’s Residential Curriculum Institute. In addition, he consults with campuses implementing an intentional student learning focused approach in student affairs. He was recognized by ACPA as a Diamond Honoree for his outstanding and sustained contributions to higher education and to student affairs in 2013.
Dr. Edwards received his bachelor’s degree from Hamline University (St. Paul, Minnesota), his master’s degree from Colorado State University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. His dissertation, “Putting my man face on: A grounded theory of college men’s gender identity development,” was recognized as Dissertation of the Year by ACPA College Student Educators International in 2008.
The presentation is sponsored by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education “It’s On US PA” and is hosted by the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity and Cross Cultural Centers. For additional information, call 570-941-6645 or email Jennifer Pennington at jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu.
Talk on Sexual Assault Prevention Set for Nov. 28
-
11/21/2018
Whether feeding a family in need or freeing cars stuck in the snow, University of Scranton students were ready, willing and able to help this past weekend.
More than 100 students volunteered Nov. 18 to prepare and distribute 200 Thanksgiving food baskets to families at the Valley View Housing Development in South Scranton. Students, faculty and staff donated food baskets for area families in need through the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive organized by the University’s Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice.
In addition, the Scranton Times-Tribune reported on University student “heroes” who pushed out dozens of cars stuck in the snow on Mulberry Street near campus during the Nor’easter that hit Northeast Pennsylvania on Nov. 15. University Chaplain Rev. Richard Malloy, S.J., tweeted about the students’ spontaneous acts of kindness.
The spirit of giving will continue this season with several holiday programs organized by University’s Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, including Christmas gift drives and a Community Christmas Day Breakfast, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 25 in the DeNaples Center.
$content.getChild('content').textValueUniversity Students Offer Helping Hand
-
11/21/2018
Eighty elementary and middle school students and their teachers from Howard Gardner MI Charter School and the Lutheran Academy attended “Presenting El Salvador” at The University of Scranton as part of its International Education Week programming. International graduate MBA student Ingrid Maria Serrano Bran of El Salvador gave the presentation about her home country on Nov. 12 in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
After introductory remarks given by event organizer Huey Shi Chew, director of international student and scholar services, and Sunil Ahuja, Ph.D., associate provost for academic affairs, Serrano Bran asked the school children to guess at trivia facts such as El Salvador’s national bird, currency and the continent on which it is located. She handed out small prizes to students who could provide the correct answer.
After sharing photos of beaches, mountains and volcanoes in El Salvador, Serrano Bran then gave a brief overview of the nation’s history, beginning with a description of the indigenous populations, covering independence through to modern times. When discussing the current political and economic situation of El Salvador she mentioned high poverty and low literacy rates in the country, saying the average educational level in the country is sixth grade due to “the violence and environment,” which affects “especially the poorer class.”
Serrano Bran also discussed cultural aspects of her homeland, sharing colorful photographs of dancers, food, soccer teams and traditional arts of El Salvador. She also explained the special connection between the Jesuit university of El Salvador and The University of Scranton since 1999. She shared a photo of a Scranton sweater that was made in El Salvador.
Serrano Bran urged the children to sympathize with those who want to leave El Salvador for better opportunities. She shared a photo of a young boy who was fleeing to Mexico even though he knew he could die in the process. “The kids just want to play and have a good future,” she said. “When we understand each other’s problems, we can open our minds and hearts to solve them together.”
Following the presentation, the students were invited to taste El Salvador’s most popular food: Pupusas (a thick corn tortilla stuffed with a savory filling).
Local Children Learn about El Salvador
-
11/20/2018
Wells Fargo contributed $15,000 to support The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a multi-year, pre-college program for high school students designed to develop the skills needed to successfully gain entrance to college.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Wells Fargo has provided continuous support of this program since 2011.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Wells Fargo Supports University of Success
-
11/19/2018
Continuing a time-honored holiday tradition, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 51st annual Noel Night concert on Saturday, Dec. 1.
Beginning at 8 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, the concert will feature The University of Scranton Singers with guest harpist Marg Davis and pianist Ron Stabinsky.
Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and the prelude, which begins at 7 p.m., will include performances by the String Orchestra and Flute Ensemble.
Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Noel Night is now more than a half-century into its existence as the University’s Christmas gift to the community. “It’s always a deeply meaningful musical evening,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
The 50-plus voice, student-mixed choir is comprised of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making. They will be joined by guest accompanists Davis, harp, and Stabinsky, piano, and leaders of the University community offering greetings and readings of the Nativity Martyrology and St. Luke Nativity Narrative. The program will include works by Franz Biebl, Benjamin Britten, Rollo Dilworth, Jester Hairston, Morten Lauridsen, Boris Ord, Stephen Paulus and Ralph Vaughan Williams.
Davis, guest harpist, is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Yale University School of Music, who has also studied and performed at many high-profile summer music festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival and Chautauqua Music Festival. She has performed at Scranton before as an accompanist, soloist and chamber musician.
Stabinsky is among the most sought-after freelance pianists in the Northeast. He performs as a solo, ensemble and collaborative pianist throughout the world in concerts and events spanning a wide variety of genres. His recently released his debut album, “Free for One,” which received four stars in DownBeat magazine and tied for the No. 1 debut of the year in the 2016 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll.
For further information on the Noel Night concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Noel Night Concert Set for Dec. 1
-
11/15/2018
“The Peacemaker,” a documentary film by James Demo, will be shown on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 5:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall.
“The Peacemaker” follows international negotiator Padraig O’Malley, who helps make peace for others but struggles to find it for himself. The film takes us from O’Malley’s isolated life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to some of the most dangerous crisis zones on Earth, including Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Nigeria and Iraq, as he works a peacemaking model based on his recovery from addiction. In Demo’s documentary, we meet O’Malley in the third act of his life in a race against time to find some kind of salvation for both the world and himself.
Reservations are required to attend this free event that is presented by the University’s Schemel Forum in collaboration with the Department of Political Science.
To make a reservation or for more information, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Film The Peacemaker Shown at University
-
11/13/2018
Data collected through an American College Health Assessment (ACHA) administered survey of Scranton’s undergraduate population have been used to inform services and health promotion offerings, as well as related Student Life planning and programming.
The survey of University students, organized by the University’s Center for Health Education and Wellness (CHEW), in collaboration with Student Health Services and the Counseling Center, was given in the fall of 2016. The data has not only helped to inform daily operations, but has also assisted Student Life practitioners in understanding the current needs, perceptions and behaviors of the University’s student population, according to an article by Stephanie Adamac, director of CHEW, and Jeffrey Kegolis, Ph.D., director of student conduct and assessment, published in the fall 2018 newsletter of the Office of Educational Assessment.
Key findings of the survey showed: 87.2 percent of students described their health as good, very good, or excellent; stress (39 percent) and anxiety (31 percent) were the top two health factors that students reported negatively impacted their academic success; and health information students reported wanting to receive in the future included stress reduction (81 percent), how to help others in distress (78 percent), nutrition (75 percent), depression and anxiety (72 percent) and sleep difficulties (71 percent).
In response to the survey, for the past three semesters, CHEW has prioritized proactive mental health education and services and alcohol education with an increased emphasis on bystander engagement and the promotion of the University’s Amnesty/Good Samaritan policy. In addition, CHEW has prioritized improving, increasing and promoting programs and services related to stress management, health coping skills and resiliency.
Among the stress reduction programs offered by CHEW is a biannual Stress Less Week prior to finals each semester. This semester’s Stress Less Week is planned for the week of Dec. 3 through Dec. 7 and includes daily stress relief events.
Data Drives Student Mental Health Response
-
11/13/2018
A University of Scranton alumnus and long-time benefactor also renowned for his rare-book collection has donated a one-of-a-kind book to the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Edward Leahy ’68, H’01, the former international business lawyer and litigator, who now works in international finance as managing partner of Solsuus LLC in Washington, D.C., has always had collecting preferences, including important 15th-century books, especially Bibles, first-edition English literature, fine bindings, illuminated manuscripts dating to 1260, children’s books, Gothic horror and science fiction. But recently, he was invited by a reputable rare book dealer to take a look at an odd manuscript volume of “Nursing Notes.”
Although he was a bit skeptical, he asked the dealer to send the book to him for review.
Leahy was, to say the least, very impressed.
“Nursing Notes” is exactly as billed, i.e., a highly detailed complete set of classroom notes taken by nursing student Ella V. Wilderson during her course of study at Boston City Hospital School of Nursing from 1894 through 1897. The notes, Leahy said, are meticulous – “neat, precise and careful” – and handwritten using the Palmer Method, developed in the late 1800s.
The notes contain the date and topic of each lecture and the name of the professor who gave it and were taken in the type of ledger book common to that day.
With the content nothing short of fascinating and covering everything from pregnancy and pediatrics to wound care, surgery and anesthesia, Leahy knew he had something special and the perfect place to receive it. He purchased the book immediately, recalling how when he taught law at Oxford University from 1998 until 2016 he became aware of a master’s program at Oxford called The History of Medicine. He recommended the program to undergraduates who were considering applying to medical school, he said, reasoning there can be no better preparation for a medical career than to understand medicine’s history.
“That same thought ran through my mind when I received this book,” he said. “I thought, ‘If I give this book to Scranton, I would want it on the Intranet so all nursing students can see it and read it.’”
“If I were a nursing student,” Leahy said, “I would not pass up an opportunity to read every single one of these lessons. The notes will captivate readers.”
The University accepted the gift with extreme gratitude, said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, where Leahy sits on the Board of Visitors, and indeed will place the book on the Intranet before donating it to the Weinberg Memorial Library with Leahy’s blessing.
“It’s like a piece of history, like going back in time,” Dr. Pellegrino said. “If you would see the penmanship, my goodness, there used to be a time when everyone would write like that.”
Any who see the book in its final library home are likely to marvel not only at the Palmer penmanship but at the careful restoration Leahy commissioned. He took the book to Donald Rash, a Wilkes-Barre bookbinder, who refurbished its leather spine, replaced its leather corners, reinserted the fly leaves and generally tightened the volume. He also constructed a special clamshell case to house the book, in beautiful Scranton purple, Leahy said.
“They are amazingly comprehensive notes,” Leahy said, adding he did some further research on Ella Wilderson and learned that, by 1906, a mere nine years after graduating from nursing school, she was the principal of nursing training at the Woman’s Hospital in New York City.
“She was obviously very bright,” said Leahy, whose own background in books goes back to his days as a Scranton student, when he spent a good part of his four years working in the basement of what was then Alumni Memorial Library repairing old, damaged books.
“My job was to save as many books as I could,” he recalled, noting his continuing passion for the importance of the craft, especially in the case of “Nursing Notes” for today’s nursing students.
“If you know where a subject was,” he said, “you might have a better insight into where it might go.”
One-of-a-kind Book Donated to University
-
11/13/2018
Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science at The University of Scranton, was selected as a 2018-19 Resident Scholar at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in Collegeville, Minnesota.
Dr. Van Dyke joins just nine other scholars from across the nation who will spend a semester or academic year at the institute that supports “scholarly research that would nurture the best Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox theology.” Through the program, resident scholars will pursue independent research within a context of inquiry and prayer “rooted in the Benedictine rhythm of Saint John’s Abbey.” Dr. Van Dyke will research an edited collection project titled “Teaching Mission as a Vocation in the Jesuit Tradition.”
“Utilizing case studies, (the collection) will present how faculty in Jesuit colleges and universities practice their disciplinary expertise in classroom settings while also engaging students in fundamental principles of Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit education,” said Dr. Van Dyke, who noted the project will build upon her nearly 25 years of experience as a faculty member at the University and her 20 years of involvement in the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts, which is an initiative that seeks to strengthen the quality and shape the character of church-related institutions of learning.
Dr. Van Dyke, has served as the University’s faculty representative to the Lilly Fellows Program since 2000. She also serves as a mentor for the Lilly’s Graduate Fellows Program and has previously served as a national board member for the program.
Dr. Van Dyke joined the political science faculty at Scranton in 1994. In addition to teaching a number of courses related to international relations and American government, she has also taught and developed courses that address contemporary questions of social justice and humanitarianism.
In 2011, Dr. Van Dyke completed the Ignatian Colleagues Program (ICP), an 18-month formation program in Ignatian spirituality and Jesuit education offered by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. ICP provided the foundation for her first-year seminar course, Ignatian Citizenship and Contemporary Political Issues, which she first offered in 2012. In addition, she and her students have participated in the Mid-Atlantic European Union Simulation program since 1996. She received the University’s 2013 Excellence in Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum Award.
Dr. Van Dyke earned her bachelor’s degree from Trinity College, and her master’s degree and Ph.D. in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia.
Professor Named Collegeville Institute Scholar
-
11/12/2018Through Dec. 14 Library Exhibit: “The World’s Best Penman-The Artistic and Business Career of Charles Paxton Zaner, 1864-1918.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Dec. 1 8 p.m. (Prelude begins at 7 p.m.) Performance Music: “51st Annual Noel Night” concert featuring The University of Scranton Singers with guest harpist Marg Davis. Prelude by String Orchestra and Chamber Ensembles. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 6 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and The University of Scranton Political Science Department Collaborative Program for showing of the film “The Peacemaker” by James Demo. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. RSVP required. Free event. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Dec. 9 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert” featuring The Scranton Brass Orchestra, The University of Scranton Singers and the Scranton Prep Cavalyrics. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items or a cash donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.University of Scranton Announces December Events
-
11/12/2018
Niko Kallianiotis, the photographer of the exhibition “America in a Trance” now on display in the Hope Horn Gallery, was joined by photographer Luke Wynn, documentary and street photographer Parker Reinecker and award-winning author and journalist Seamus McGraw in a panel discussion about the exhibit and on capturing the cultural identity of small towns in Pennsylvania in images. The three panelists also wrote short essays on Kallianoitis’ work.
Kallianiotis, originally from Athens, Greece, first visited the United States by going to New York City in the late 1980s, but wanted to truly experience the country by seeing its small towns.
“I wanted to explore small town industrial America as a way to find myself and assimilate myself with the country and the state,” Kallianiotis said. “One of the difficulties of having two countries and loving two countries is to try to find yourself and find your identity through the place you live.”
Kallianiotis’ “America in a Trance,” involves photographs from across Pennsylvania capturing scenes of deindustrialization.
“If you have read the essays it’s almost like they’re expressing their own life histories through the essays, and I’m expressing my life histories and concerns through the photographs,” Kallianiotis said.
McGraw commented on how Kallianiotis captured the essence of Pennsylvania and put it on display.
“The towns he takes pictures of, they were never meant to be forever, they’re named after guys who came here to take what they could take and left as soon as they got it. They left fossils behind,” McGraw said. “Niko catches that when you freeze the last moment of life that last moment of hope, and that is the inspiring thing about all of these pictures.”
Wynn then asked Niko on his process of taking photos in this area and what inspired him to do it.
“I don’t have a process, the process and inspiration was, for this project and is for many projects that I do, my own life experiences,” Kallianiotis said.
Even though Niko’s project attempts to capture the idea of industrialization he still encourages people to go out and explore small town America.
“This project has been and still is an education for me, and I recommend visiting all of these places, getting in your car, driving there and coming to your own conclusions,” Kallianiotis said.
Reinecker concluded the discussion by describing the feeling of taking photographs in these small-town areas.
“It isn’t even about getting the picture, it’s about being there and watching that moment unfold,” Reinecker said.
The panel discussion ended with a question and answer, followed up by a public reception at the Hope Horn Gallery.
Artists Discuss America in a Trance Exhibit
-
11/09/2018
The weekend of Nov. 16-17, 2018 Performance Music at The University of Scranton will host two programs featuring acclaimed violist Andrew Gonzalez.
On Friday, Nov. 16, the Andrew Gonzalez Trio will perform a recital beginning at 7:30 p.m. Then, on Saturday, Nov. 17, Gonzalez will return to serve as guest soloist at a 7:30 p.m. concert featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra (who will also perform one piece with Gonzalez at the Friday concert.)
Both performances will take place in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
In addition, at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 17, Gonzalez will give a free strings masterclass. The class is open to local amateur and professional strings players ages 16 and up. Those interested in taking part should email music@scranton.edu to pre-register and receive further information on the masterclass.
Praised by The Strad magazine for his “warmhearted playing and mellow tone,” the Juilliard-trained Gonzalez has toured the world as a soloist, chamber musician, teacher and entrepreneur, and has collaborated with such music icons as Itzhak Perlman, Gil Shaham and Shmuel Ashkenasi.
Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga said Gonzalez and the other members of his trio, clarinetist Bixby Kennedy and pianist Carlos Avila, are all highly respected world-class musicians.
“Andrew has been here a number of times over the years,” Boga said. “He’s collaborated with a number of the top players in the world and has performed all over the globe.”
As part of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, Gonzalez has given multiple chamber music performances at Carnegie Hall, done two residencies at Skidmore College, and participated in their inaugural Paris and Colorado winter and spring residencies.
Gonzalez has performed at numerous venues around the country, including Barge Music in New York, the Clark Arts Center recital series at the Perlman Music Program, the Sundays at Four series in Smithfield, Virginia, and the Beckler Museum recital series in North Carolina.
Clarinetist Bixby Kennedy is also a member of Ensemble Connect and has performed as a soloist with orchestras throughout the U.S. He has played solo recitals, chamber music and orchestral concerts around the world. Avila is one of the most in-demand pianists on the international classical music scene, and also is the pianist in the Boreal Trio.
The Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-member ensemble consisting of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum. With no music majors among them, the orchestra has been brought together entirely by their mutual love of performing.
For further information on the shows, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Gonzalez, visit www.andrewgonzalezviolist.com.
Viola Virtuoso Gonzalez to Perform Nov. 16 and 17
-
11/09/2018
The University of Scranton Players will present “The Beyoncé” by Eliza Bent, directed by José Zayas, Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 15-18, in the Studio Theatre of the Joseph M. McDade Center for the Literary and Performing Arts. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and the Sunday performance begins at 2 p.m. Seating is limited.
“The Beyoncé” is a contemporary comedy based on Anton Chekhov’s short story “The Fiancé.” Bent puts a modern spin on Chekov’s classic story about Nadia, a young woman who is engaged, and finds herself struggling with finding her place in the world. Nadia is content with settling into marriage and motherhood until her lifelong friend Sasha arrives in town for the wedding and inspires her to confront her aspirations for a bigger life.
Bent is the inaugural, 2018-19 Humanities Initiative Artist-in-Residence. A prolific theatre artist, she has collaborated with renowned New York theatre groups and artists as well as worked for American Theatre magazine. Her play “The Hotel Colors” premiered at Bushwick Star, and she has most recently been featured at Abrons Arts Center in her solo show, “Aloha, aloha, or when I was queen.” Bent was the recipient of the 2014 Payne Award for Outstanding Theatrical Event.
The production of “The Beyoncé” features: Nia Moore of Temple Hills, Maryland, as Nadia; Nicolas Gangone of Howard Beach, New York, as Sasha; Ali Basalyga of Scranton as Nina; Zachary Pavlocak of Middlesex, New Jersey, as Andre Andre; Victoria Pennington of West Wyoming as Gran Marfs; Ellie Rosentel of Kingston as Pops; and Julia Consiglio of Oceanside, New York, as Consuelo. Basalyga is a graduate of West Scranton High School, Pennington is a graduate of Wyoming Area Secondary Center and Rosentel is a graduate of Wyoming Seminary.
Tickets may be purchased by calling the box office inside the McDade Center, 570-941-4318, or online at thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff.
For more information, contact players@scranton.edu or follow the University Players on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
University Players Present ‘The Beyonce'
-
11/05/2018
The University of Scranton is among the most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation, according to The Princeton Review. Scranton was listed in the 2018 edition of “The Princeton Review Guide to 399 Green Colleges,” which was published in October.
The guide profiles selected schools based on their “Green Rating” scores assessing the “sustainability-related policies, practices and programs” at colleges as complied from data from the Princeton Review’s survey of school administrators. The Princeton Review weighted analysis of more than 25 data points to assign a college’s Green Rating score, which was done on a scale of 60 to 99. Colleges with Green Rating scores of 80 or higher made it into this guide.
According to The Princeton Review’s Editor-in-Chief Robert Franek, college applicants and their parents are increasingly concerned about the environment and sustainability issues. Among nearly 11,000 teen-aged students and their parents The Princeton Review surveyed earlier this year for its 2018 “College Hopes and Worries Survey,” 63 percent overall said having information about a college’s commitment to the environment would “influence 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.
University’s community garden, which now occupies nearly three quarters of a city block, was used by nearly thirty families, staff, faculty, clubs and neighbors in the 2017-18 academic year. Biology professor Anne M. Royer, Ph.D., also used an area of the garden for research this summer. Fresh vegetables grown through-out the summer were donated to the University’s Leahy Center food pantry.
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 399 Green Colleges,” The Princeton Review has listed Scranton in its “Best Colleges” guidebooks for 17 consecutive years, also ranking Scranton in its 2019 edition among the nation’s “Best Campus Food” (No. 15) and “Best Science Labs” (No. 16).
Scranton Nationally Recognized for ‘Being Green’
-
11/02/2018
The University of Scranton welcomed the second cohort of students into its doctor of business administration (DBA) program.
Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor, Accounting Department chair and DBA program director, faculty from the DBA program, University Trustees and DBA students who entered the program in the fall of last year, joined together to help orient the new students into the program at a welcome session on campus.
Housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, the DBA program began in the fall semester of 2017.
The University’s DBA program, with a concentration in accounting, was developed to provide experienced practitioners with a practical pathway to an academic career. The program offers participants flexibility, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic” – one who is qualified to teach at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
The incoming DBA students are:
Shea N. Burden of Athens, Ohio;
Felisha N. Fret of Great Neck, New York;
Anuradha (Anu) C. Ghai of Allentown;
Jessica L. Hildebrand of Mountain Top;
Hugh Lambert of Rochester, New York;
Ran Li of Potsdam, New York;
Alexis C. Montelone of Bensalem;
Afia A. Oppong of New City, New York;
Linette Rayeski of West New York, New Jersey;
Savas Saymaz of Whitehall;
Charles Speicher of North Attleboro, Massachusetts;
Ashley L. Stampone of Old Forge;
James W. Sunday of Scranton.
New Students Begin DBA Program at Scranton
-
11/01/2018
The University of Scranton Symphonic Band will offer a free concert on Saturday, Nov. 10. The concert, presented by Performance Music at the University, will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The program will include works by composers Andrew Boysen Jr., Larry Daehn, Elliot del Borgo, W. Frances McBeth, Vincent Persichetti and Alfred Reed, and arrangements for band of works by Dmitri Kabalevsky, Pascual Marquina and J.S. Bach.
The University of Scranton Symphonic Band is a 65+ member ensemble comprised of members of the University community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – the vast majority of them undergraduate students, joined by a few graduate students and members of the faculty and staff – none of whom are music majors, who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu. For more information on Performance Music at The University of Scranton, please visit scranton.edu/music.
Symphonic Band to Perform on Nov. 10
-
11/01/2018
Women in northeastern and central Pennsylvania who want to become more involved in government can attend Ready to Run NEPA Program at The University of Scranton on Saturday, Nov. 17. The nonpartisan training session, open to women in Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties, is titled “Wanted: More Women Like You in Government.” The daylong program will begin at 9 a.m. at the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall on the University’s campus.
The Ready to Run program, first developed by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, trains women to run for office, work on campaigns and get more politically engaged in their community. Participants will learn from elected and appointed women leaders, campaign consultants and scholars with expertise on government and politics. They will also receive insight on the different perceptions voters have of the credibility of women and men candidates, advice for becoming a credible and viable candidate, fundraising and media skills, campaign planning and the inspiration to launch a political campaign.
The League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County is co-sponsor for the program. WNEP is the media partner.
Registration is $50 for the general public or $15 for students with ID. A limited number of partial scholarships are also available. Registration is required to attend and includes continental breakfast, lunch and an information binder.
For additional information visit Scranton.edu/readytorun, call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Seeking Women Considering Government Service
-
11/01/2018
Most Reverend Bernardito C. Auza, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, discussed “Global Migration: Shared Responsibility and Solidarity” at The University of Scranton.
“On the 30th of July this year, delegations to the United Nations conference on migration informally adopted what is now called the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration,” said Archbishop Auza, who has served at the United Nations since 2014.
The Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) seeks to improve governance and attempts to address the challenges associated with migration today. In 2017, 250 million people migrated to different countries and 68.5 million of the people migrating were forced from their homes, according to Archbishop Auza.
“Refugees in 2017 grew to almost 27 million from around 11 million in 2010, an increase of more than 60 percent in only seven years,” Archbishop Auza said. “These are just some of the figures that tell us why the international community has come together and decided to come up with a compact.”
The GCM acts as a framework for dealing with massive movements of migrating people around the world and seeks to lower death rates when migrating.
“In September 2018 – that is just last month – one fifth – that’s 20 percent – of the migrants and refugees who tried to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy or Greece perished, they drowned or simply disappeared,” Archbishop Auza said.
In addressing the question of why people leave their homes, Archbishop Auza said there are “many factors that drive migration.” He continued saying “you can generally divide them into two: the so called push factors that are the factors that drive people to leave their homelands to go somewhere else; and the so called pull factor, those are the factors that make people move to a particular country.”
“The number one push factor now is war and conflict,” Archbishop Auza said. “The pull factors that attract people to go somewhere else like the search for better opportunities and changes in labor markets.”
The top three nationalities who crossed the Mediterranean from January 2015 to March 2016 were Syrians at 47 percent, Afghans at 21 percent and Iraqis at nine percent, according to Archbishop Auza.
“What is the common denominator of these three countries? War and conflict,” Archbishop Auza said.
The General Assembly for the UN will hold an intergovernmental conference on international migration in December of this year, with the idea of adopting the GCM. The GCM has several principles that seek to help ease migration, an example of a principle is the “recognition that migration is a natural positive phenomenon,” according to Archbishop Auza.
“The global compact is now the international framework for global and shared responsibility toward migrants,” Archbishop Auza said. “This Global Compact on Migration is the first ever – there has never been a global compact or international document on migration. This is historic.”
The lecture ended in a panel discussion with members from the University and closing remarks from Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of the University.
A New Compact on Migration
-
10/31/2018
Even rain couldn’t stop the army of dinosaurs, vampires, fairies and ghosts who came to celebrate the Halloween spirit at The University of Scranton’s annual Safe Trick or Treat in the Residence Halls hosted by Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice.
More than 600 students volunteered for Saturday’s event which included leading more than 200 area children and their families through 22 residential hall floors where students opened their doors and treated the children to buckets of candy.
Following the visit to the residence halls, volunteers representing 40 student clubs and organizations arranged for games and crafts for the participants in the Byron Recreation Complex. A free lunch was also provided.
The University’s annual Safe Trick or Treat, gives children from local communities such as Friends of the Poor and United Neighborhood Center the chance to experience the traditions of Halloween in a safe and fun environment. It also gives University students the chance to interact with the Scranton community.
Nyssa Thompson, from Waldorf Maryland, has volunteered at the event for three years.
“I love seeing the children get so excited about the candy and crafts,” said Thompson, a junior neuroscience and philosophy double major. “Plus, they are so cute when they shyly say thank you when you compliment their costumes.”
University Hosts Safe Trick or Treat Event
-
10/30/2018
Statement from Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president, on social media channel following the attack at the synagogue in Pittsburgh.
In the days since the horrific attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, national attention has focused on the hateful words of the attacker amplified through Gab, a social media channel founded by a Scranton graduate. As a Catholic and Jesuit university, we condemn hate and violence. We encourage all to use their gifts to build the human family as we address
the challenges of a world crying out to be made more gentle and just. As I said on Sunday, we should continue to pray for all of the victims of this tragic incident and dedicate ourselves as a community of faith grounded in love to answering acts of hate and violence with acts of love.together Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
A message from Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president, to the University community on the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh.
October 29, 2018Dear Members of the University Community,
With a heavy heart, I share our sympathy and solidarity with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, in Scranton and across the globe. The full horror of yesterday’s mass shooting is only now beginning to be understood as we learn the stories of 11 individuals, one 97 years old, who lost their lives during worship services at the Tree of Life Synagogue.
Some may say that prayers are inadequate in the face of such hate-fueled violence. Watching yesterday’s coverage and reflecting on the other troubling news this week, I understand the feeling. We must not, however, allow evil to shake our faith and our love.
As Catholics, we revere the Jewish tradition in which our own faith is rooted. As St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Romans, “Theirs is the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises; theirs are the fathers and from them is the Christ according to the flesh.”
For this reason, the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate or “Our Times” famously made clear that we must condemn and oppose anti-Semitism in all its forms:
“…in her rejection of every persecution against any [person], the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel's spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.”
I ask us all to dedicate ourselves as a community of faith grounded in love to answering acts of hate and violence with acts of love.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
PresidentStatements Following Pittsburgh Attack
-
10/29/2018
Dear Members of the University Community,
With a heavy heart, I share our sympathy and solidarity with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, in Scranton and across the globe. The full horror of yesterday’s mass shooting is only now beginning to be understood as we learn the stories of 11 individuals, one 97 years old, who lost their lives during worship services at the Tree of Life Synagogue.
Some may say that prayers are inadequate in the face of such hate-fueled violence. Watching yesterday’s coverage and reflecting on the other troubling news this week, I understand the feeling. We must not, however, allow evil to shake our faith and our love.
As Catholics, we revere the Jewish tradition in which our own faith is rooted. As St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Romans, “Theirs is the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises; theirs are the fathers and from them is the Christ according to the flesh.”
For this reason, the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate or “Our Times” famously made clear that we must condemn and oppose anti-Semitism in all its forms:
“…in her rejection of every persecution against any [person], the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel's spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.”
I ask us all to dedicate ourselves as a community of faith grounded in love to answering acts of hate and violence with acts of love.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
Message on the Synagogue Shooting in Pittsburgh
-
10/26/2018
The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library presented writer Lorene Cary with The Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award at a dinner reception Oct. 13 in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
Cary is the author of the best-selling memoir, “Black Ice,” and novels such as, “If Sons, Then Heirs,” “The Price of a Child,” “Pride,” and “FREE! Great Escapes on the Underground Railroad.” Cary founded Art Sanctuary, which creates unique programs for African-American artists, performers and writers in Philadelphia. Such programs have garnered up to 1,500 participants a year. She has also been a senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania.
The program began with a toast by Cathy Ann Hardaway, director of domestic relations for Lackawanna County, and an invocation by Rev. Ronald McKinney, S.J., professor of philosophy at the University. Jeffrey Gingerich, Ph.D., senior provost and vice president of academic affairs at Scranton, welcomed all attendees to the event. Charles Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency, and Gretchen Welby, Ph.D., Distinguished Author Award committee chair and vice-president of the Friends of the Library, also spoke at the event.
“Lorene, tonight, we celebrate the stories that you tell in such searing, exuberant and poignant ways,” Dean Kratz said. “And how eloquently you weave together your roots and your imagination.”
The Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award series, according to The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, is a way to honor notable fiction and non-fiction authors and to give them the opportunity to share their literary pursuits and impressions with Northeastern Pennsylvanians. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.
“Thank you, thank you so very much. I’m grateful, really grateful to be here,” Cary said upon formally receiving the award. “I’ve been so moved by the Friends of the Library.”
Previous Distinguished Author Award recipients include Stephen Karam, Colum McCann, Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Jay Parini, among others.
Distinguished Author Award Given to Lorene Cary
-
10/26/2018
The University of Scranton has appointed Richard A. Walsh as assistant provost for operations and data analytics officer. Walsh, who served as assistant provost for operations at Scranton since 2014, will now have additional responsibilities through a restructuring of the University’s Office of Institutional Research, which he will now oversee. The office, now named the Office of Institutional Reporting and Data Analytics, will focus on data analytics and other sophisticated data mining approaches, in addition to its other research and reporting functions.
Walsh joined the University staff in 1998 as a software/database development and computer programming instructor at the University’s Center for Professional Training and Development. During his 20 years of service at the University, he also worked in the University’s Registrar’s Office and, most recently, in the Office of the Provost.
Walsh earned his bachelor’s degree from Marywood University and his M.B.A. from The University of Scranton.
New Title, Responsibilities for Assistant Provost
-
10/26/2018
The Asian Studies Program at The University of Scranton will present an authentic Asian shadow puppetry performance by the Yung Shing Le Theatre Troupe from Taiwan featuring live music, a question and answer session and a backstage visit, on Thursday, Nov. 15, at 7 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
The performance will include three different shadow plays: “The Sandbag Trilogy;” “The Mountain of Flames;” and “The Peach Boy.” With an emphasis on preserving the traditional art form, this century-old family theatre group has handed down traditional practices and stories through five generations, while also infusing modern techniques and original stories to keep this art form relevant to today’s audiences.
“The Sandbag Trilogy” is a modern mime play in which the enchantment of puppeteering comes alive as a Monkey, Wrestler and Panda. Each encounter a sandbag that blocks its path. The play illustrates how each of them tackles the problem and how shadow theatre uses creative techniques to tell the story.
“The Mountain of Flames” features scenes from the classic Chinese novel, “Journey to the West,” which has provided countless stories of fantasy and magic retold in opera and theatre repertoires. Monkey, a roguish hero full of mischief, goes on a hazardous quest to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures accompanied by the saintly monk, Tripitaka, and disciples Pigsy, Sandy and their endearing Horse. Along the way, the troupe encounters demons and monsters, fairies and gods, in a fantastic story of adventure and allegory.
Adopted from a popular Japanese folklore, The Peach Boy is about a child inside a giant peach floating down a river that was found by an old, childless woman. Years later, the peach boy left his parents to fight a band of demons on a distant island. In his journey, he befriended a talking dog, a monkey and a pheasant, who agreed to help him in his quest. The adventure then begins.
The performance is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Program at the University and the Taipei Cultural Office in New York.
For additional information, call 570-941-7643 or email asianstudies@scranton.edu.
Asian Shadow Puppetry Performance Set for Nov. 15
-
10/26/2018
“Should We Embrace Protectionism? The Evidence Behind the Case for Free Trade” will be discussed at The University of Scranton’s 33rd Henry George Lecture on Friday, Nov. 2. The lecture, presented by Dave Donaldson, Ph.D., professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Donaldson’s research examines the welfare and other effects of market integration, the impact of improvements in transportation infrastructure, how trade might mediate the effects of climate change, and how trade affects food security and famine. He received the 2017 John Bates Clark Medal, which is given by the American Economic Association to the U.S.-based economist “under the age of forty who is judged to have made the most significant contribution to economic thought and knowledge.”
His publications include: “Nonparametric Counterfactual Predictions in Neoclassical Models of International Trade” in the American Economic Review; “The View from Above: Applications of Satellite Data in Economics” in the Journal of Economic Perspectives; and “Evolving Comparative Advantage and the Impact of Climate Change in Agricultural Markets: Evidence from 1.7 Million Fields Around the World” in the Journal of Political Economy. His research has been supported by an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and several grants from the National Science Foundation.
Dr. Donaldson serves as a co-editor at the American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, as an editorial board member of the Journal of Economic Literature and the Journal of International Economics, and as a program director for trade at the International Growth Centre.
Dr. Donaldson earned his undergraduate degree in physics from Oxford University and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in economics from the London School of Economics.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are 10 winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Paul Romer (2018), Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information about the Henry George Lecture, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Protectionism Discussed at Henry George Lecture
-
10/24/2018
The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery will feature the work of photographer Niko J. Kallianiotis in the exhibit “America in a Trance,” which explores American values and hope in post-industrial regions of Pennsylvania. The exhibit runs through Friday, Nov. 16.
A panel discussion about the exhibit with Kallianiotis and two essayists will be held on Friday, Nov 2, in the Pearn Auditorium in Brennan Hall at 5 p.m. The discussion, which will be followed by a reception in the Hope Horn Gallery on the 4th floor of Hyland Hall, is part of Scranton’s First Friday events. Both the exhibit and lecture are free and open to the public.
Kallianiotis, who is teaching a photography course at the University during the fall semester, will be joined by essayists Luke Wynne and Seamus McGraw for the November panel discussion.
The photography collection attempts to capture American values and struggles in regions of Pennsylvania facing economic and industrial decline. Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the Hope Horn Gallery, said the exhibit explores “scenes of communities where economies have shifted, maybe where a factory has moved out, and what comes after that shift.” The photographs have no titles, and each acts as a study of Pennsylvania and of America as a whole.
Kallianiotis writes on his website, “I search for images that reflect, question, and interpret life in the towns and cities across the Keystone State, and the yearning for survival.”
Although the collection focuses on economic decline, the prevailing emotion in the collection is hope. In many photographs, the American flag is celebrated while other shots suggest the flag in the scene’s colors. Small town-values captured in the shots reflect on how American values survive in a changing economy.
For Scranton locals, Kallianiotis’ work will present familiar places in a new light. Mansour’s Market and Mesko Glass Co. are among the Scranton buildings captured in the collection. “I am not interested in how things look,” Kallianiotis writes, “but mostly on how things feel, with the hues and light playing the role of a constituent of hope.”
Regular Gallery hours are: Sunday through Friday, noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesdays, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information on Kallianiotis’s work, visit www.nikokallianiotis.com. Copies of Kallianiotis’ book “America in a Trance” are also available online.
For more information about the gallery exhibit and discussion, contact Dr. Miller-Lanning at 570-941-4214 or darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu, or visit the Hope Horn Gallery website at scranton.edu/gallery.
Pennsylvania Studied in Photography Exhibit
-
10/24/2018
The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute will present a lecture by Rabbi Chaim Rapoport on “Homosexuality: A New, Yet Traditional, Perspective.” The lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 6, in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center on campus. The lecture will be followed by comments by Charles Pinches, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies at Scranton, who will be presenting a Christian perspective.
Rabbi Rapoport attended the Yeshivot of Manchester, Gateshead, Torat Emet, Jerusalem, and the central Lubavitch Yeshivah, New York. After receiving his rabbinic diploma, he joined the Kollel community in Melbourne, Australia, where he pursued post-graduate studies, officiated and lectured. In 1989, Rabbi Rapoport returned to England, where he held several posts, including head of the Leeds Kollel, minister in Birmingham and head of the Birmingham Rabbinic Board. Rabbi Rapoport was appointed as a member of the Chief Rabbi’s Cabinet and Advisor to the Chief Rabbi on matters of Jewish Medical Ethics in 1998.
Dr. Pinches joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and his master’s and doctorate from the University of Notre Dame.
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 Char of Judaic Studies at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
Judaic Studies Lecture Set for Nov. 6
-
10/24/2018
Hundreds of University students volunteered to clean-up streets near campus, downtown, at Nay Aug Park and at two community gardens during the fall Street Sweep on Oct. 14. Student Government officers who helped to organize the Street Sweep are: Matthew Coughlin, president, a political science and philosophy double major from Jenkintown; Fahad Ashraf, vice president, a biology and philosophy double major from Clarks Summit;Paige Nonnenmacher, executive treasurer, an exercise science major from Avenel, New Jersey; Marlene Geerinck, executive secretary, an international studies major from Riverdale, New Jersey; John (Jack) Prendergast, director of technology, a computer science major from Malvern; Madalyne Sunday, director of communications, a biology major from South Abington Township; and Kimberly Barr, chief of staff, a biology and philosophy double major from Nazareth.
University Students Organize Street Sweep
-
10/23/2018
“I do not think it is an overstatement to claim that the role of the humanities and liberal arts in the contemporary university is the most pressing issue facing the president of any University, especially a Catholic and Jesuit University,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton at a talk presented by the Schemel Forum in collaboration with the Office of the President. Father Pilarz presented “The Humanities: Now More Than Ever” at the lecture held on Oct. 18 on campus.
“It is obvious, as it has been for some time, that humanities and liberal arts are on the run across the landscape of American higher education and, in fact, American culture at large,” Father Pilarz said.
Humanities and liberal arts classes have been decreasing in most colleges and universities across America, according to Father Pilarz. He made a case for
important role the humanities and liberal arts play in higher education by first referencing the history of St. Ignatius Loyola.“Ignatius returned to school in his 30s to learn Latin. Subsequently, he studied at several European universities but found the model of education at those universities wanting,” Father Pilarz said. “Instinctively, Ignatius wanted a more
engaged educational experience, rounded especially in classical literature and philosophy.”Ignatius found this rounded education at the University of Paris and lived in Paris for seven years.
“Throughout his years in Paris, Ignatius and his companions encountered a radically new educational paradigm,” Father Pilarz said. “The paradigm understood education as a dynamic process and that the study of fundamental disciples, the liberal arts and humanities, would lead ultimately to greater focus on more sophisticated subjects.”
Father Pilarz discussed the two educational institutions the Jesuits used: the college and the university.
“The first was the college, which humane letters, languages and a little bit of Christian doctrine formed the curriculum,” Father Pilarz said. “The second was the university, where the higher disciplines taught logic, metaphysics, ethics, some rudimentary sciences, mathematics
and theology.”This was the basis for the first Jesuit schools that allowed students to engage more in their classes, according to Father Pilarz.
“This gave to the Jesuits an organized plan for the progress of students through increasingly complex materials and a codification of pedagogical techniques designed to solicit
active response from the learner,” Father Pilarz said. “In the end, the first Jesuits with their emphasis on humanities and liberal arts sought to move students to an interior appropriation of ethical values.”This gave Jesuit students, who went to these schools, a desire to take part in their community after education.
“Out of the schools, Jesuits came to understand themselves to have a role the shaping of culture,” said Father Pilarz.
Humanities Place in Higher Education Discussed
-
10/18/2018
The University of Scranton named a residence plaza in honor of St. Oscar Romero, the martyred Archbishop of San Salvador who was canonized by Pope Francis on Oct. 14. St. Romero, who was murdered in 1980 while saying Mass in San Salvador, is well known for his commitment to social justice and service to the marginalized and oppressed.
The University’s connection to El Salvador and the work of St. Romero through international service trips and pilgrimages dates back nearly two decades. In 1999, the University began the Bridges to El Salvador program for students, faculty and staff to foster a greater commitment to justice issues. This effort continues through experiences led by the University’s Jesuit Center to El Salvador and other countries.
Speaking at the naming ceremony, University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., said his life and understanding of the work of this University “were never the same” after his pilgrimage to El Salvador with Scranton students.
“I remember visiting the church where St. Oscar Romero was assassinated and being profoundly moved by the witness of his life,” said Father Pilarz. “I wrote in the journal I kept at that time after that visit this quote from Ernest Hemingway, ‘The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong in the broken places.’ The government of El Salvador thought they broke Oscar Romero, but they did not at all. They gave us, all of us – the Church and especially the people of El Salvador – tremendous strength to continue to work for justice, to work for solidarity, to work for reconciliation.”
Also speaking at the ceremony were Rev. Richard Malloy, S.J., University chaplain; Karla Rodriguez ’20, a biology major at the University from Franklin Square, New York, who participated in a summer study-abroad trip to El Salvador; and Marie Karam, former director of the University’s Language Learning Center, who also served as chaperone for student international service trips to El Salvador.
The University’s Romero Plaza, formerly called Mulberry Plaza, is a residence facility constructed in 2000 that consists of four townhouse units, accommodating 141 junior and senior students. Each three-story, 1,000-square-foot townhouse provides a mix of duplex and flat-style apartments with from one to six bedrooms. The plaza is located on the corner of Mulberry Street and Madison Avenue on the University’s campus.
Plaza Named in Honor of Saint
-
10/18/2018
Acclaimed trumpeter Joseph Boga will serve as guest soloist at The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble’s upcoming concert set for Saturday, Oct. 27.
The concert, presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Boga will also lead a free brass masterclass at 4 p.m. that afternoon. The class is open to local amateur and professional brass players, ages 16 and older. Those interested in participating should email music@scranton.edu to pre-register and obtain more information.
Boga, the son of Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, is a longtime Performance Music collaborator, both as a performer and a teacher.
“It’s been a number of years since he’s been here as a featured soloist with our jazz band and the kids are excited about it; they love him,” Cheryl Boga said.
A 2014 graduate of The Juilliard School, Joseph Boga is equally comfortable in both jazz and classical settings and has performed on four continents with a diverse array of musicians. His trumpet teachers include greats like Mark Gould, Wynton Marsalis, Chris Gekker, Joe Magnarelli and Chris Jaudes.
On the jazz side, Boga leads his own quintet and nonet, and regularly performs with James Langton and the New York All-Star Big Band, Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, Ron Wasserman's NYJazzharmonic Trad Jazz Sextet and the Kyle Athayde Dance Party. He has also performed with Wycliffe Gordon, Loren Schoenberg, Gordon Webster, Chris Norton, Danny Lipsitz, Tatiana Eva-Marie, Phil Woods, Michael Feinstein and many others.
In the classical realm, Boga has soloed with numerous ensembles, including locally with The Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Bucknell University Wind Ensemble and The Scranton Brass Orchestra. He is also a member of the legendary New York Trumpet Ensemble led by Mark Gould.
His versatility has been recognized in other genres, leading to collaborations with rock, pop, avant-garde and experimental music groups and performers.
A talented composer and arranger who also plays piano and bass, Boga has written for brass orchestra, big band, string orchestra, choir and various sized jazz ensembles. He has given masterclasses and clinics in seven states, and has served on the faculty of the Scranton Brass Seminar, the Juilliard Jazz Camp in Atlanta, the Sitka Jazz Festival in Alaska, and the Generations in Jazz Lafayette Summer Music Camp. Additionally, he maintains a small private trumpet studio enrollment.
The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble is a 25-member big band-style collective, made up of student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. The band performs five or more times per year, with the majority of its performances free and open to the public. Often, those concerts feature a nationally or internationally known guest soloist.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Boga, visit josephboga.com.
Trumpeter Joseph Boga to Perform on Oct. 27
-
10/18/2018
If you can’t be perfect, 99.9 percent will just have to do.
The University of Scranton’s undergraduate class of 2017 are 99.9 percent successful in achieving their post-graduation plans according to survey data compiled by the University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development.
Chris Whitney, director of the University’s Center for Career Development, said that while the success rate is outstanding, the “knowledge rate,” or percentage of graduates for whom their outcome is known, is 90 percent, far exceeding the national average knowledge rate of 63 percent (as reported by the National Association of Colleges and Employers).
“We are proud to be able to report the success of our undergraduate students. We believe that students are meeting their career goals because of their hard work and The University of Scranton community is committed to working together in the best interest of our students,” said Whitney. “Collaborations with faculty, advising, student life, and alumni ensure that our graduates are prepared and confident in their plans.”
One-year after graduation, 99.9 percent of Scranton’s undergraduate class reported being successful in their choice of career path of employment, pursuing additional education or other career path within one year of graduation, based on career success data obtained on 90 percent of the undergraduate class. Of these graduates, 52 percent reported being employed full time, 43 percent report being enrolled in graduate school and 4.9 percent report success in their choice of a different career path, such as volunteer or military service or part-time employment.
The average (mean) salary reported was $51,116, based on the bachelor’s degree graduates that provided salary information.
The full First Destination Survey reports can be viewed on the Center for Career Development webpage.
Class of 2017 Career Success Nearly Perfect
-
10/17/2018
Niche.com ranked Scranton No. 206 among the “Best Colleges in America” in its list of 1,647 four-year colleges in a 2018 listing published recently online.
Niche.com also ranked Scranton in the top 10 percent of schools in the country in a number of other national rankings, including: “Best Catholic Colleges in America” (No. 14); “Best Colleges with No Application Fee in America” (No. 34); “Best College Dorms in America” (No. 52); “Best College Food in America” (No. 58); “Best College Campuses in America” (No. 94); and “Best Value Colleges in America” (No. 130).
In state lists, also published on the website, Scranton ranked No. 1 in “Best Colleges with No Application Fee in Pennsylvania;” No. 2 in both “Best Catholic Colleges in Pennsylvania” and “Best College Campuses in Pennsylvania;” No. 4 in “Best College Food in Pennsylvania;” and No. 5 in “Best College Dorms in Pennsylvania.”
Niche.com based its rankings on its analysis of academic, admissions, financial and student life data reported by the U.S. Department of Education and reviews of academic and campus life by students and alumni made on its website. The company analyzes dozens of public data sets and millions of reviews to produce comprehensive rankings, report cards and profiles for K-12 schools, colleges and neighborhoods in the U.S. The website includes more than 200,000 profiles of schools, companies and neighborhoods.
Also in September, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 6 among “Best Regional Universities in North” in the 2019 edition of its “Best Colleges” guidebook, as well as No. 3 for “A Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” and No. 11 among “Most Innovative Schools.” U.S. News also ranked the University as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was also ranked in a 2018 listing by Washington Monthly that seeks to rate colleges based on their contribution to the public good, and in a The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranking of the “Top U.S. Colleges.”
Online Reviews Rank Scranton Among the Best
-
10/16/2018
The University of Scranton will host two Open House events for prospective students and their families on Sunday, Oct. 21, and Sunday, Nov. 4.
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, 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 25 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 four consecutive years. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list “Best Colleges” for 17 consecutive years and in its ranking of the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 16) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 15) for four consecutive years, among other rankings.
For additional information, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit www.scranton.edu/admissions.
Open House Set for Oct. 21 and Nov. 4
-
10/16/2018
Bern Gavlick, an eighth-grade guidance counselor at FDR Middle School in Bristol Township, has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and used assistive technology for the first time when he was in the first grade.
Bill Zeigler, an assistive technology consultant with Bucks County Intermediate Unit 22 in Doylestown and an Apple Distinguished Educator, introduced Gavlick to a device called the “Unicorn board,” which acted as a giant pad that had all of the letters of the alphabet on it so Gavlick could spell out words by touching it.
Together, they spoke about how assistive technology helped Gavlick throughout his life in “Working Through the System,” the keynote presentation at The University of Scranton’s 17th annual U.S. Conference on disAbility, which was held Oct. 11 on campus.
Later, when Apple released one of their first desktop computers, Zeigler upgraded Gavlick’s technology, attaching a joy stick (mainly used in flight simulators) to the Mac. Gavlick was able to easily navigate and spell out words without using a mouse and keyboard.
Gavlick’s cerebral palsy worsened when he was 11 and he was unable to use his hands. Zeigler turned to voice navigation, but unfortunately, the technology was not advanced enough to fully implement word use. Gavlick had to spell out each letter using the military phonetic alphabet to spell one word.
Because this process was tedious, Gavlick came up with his own idea on how to spell words faster. He put a pencil in his mouth one day and used it to type on a keyboard.
As technology advanced, Gavlick was able to return to voice navigation to make sentences type out on the computer faster.
During his time working with assistive technology, Gavlick attended K-12 school and Ursinas College in Collegeville. He only used the assistive technology at home and not while he was at school, saying he would “do things kids would do at his age,” such as ski, swim and help out at his school’s “Gym Night” by bringing out gear for his fellow students to use.
Currently, Gavlick works as a special education guidance counselor and helps students with their disabilities as they move into middle school. He said the students he teaches have a “smooth transition into middle school.”
The presentation ended with Gavlick and Zeigler showing videos of Gavlick throughout his life, including climbing a rock wall in his high school gym and skiing at Jack Frost Ski Resort.
The presentation ended with a Question and Answer session with Gavlick, Zeigler and Gavlick’s parents.
The annual U.S. Conference on disAbility brings together national, state, and regional experts to discuss a multifaceted approach to improving employment, independent living and transition for all people with disabilities. The conference is hosted by the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies with the support of the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment and Honorary Conference Co-Chairs Edward R. and Patricia Leahy.
Working through disABILITY
-
10/15/2018
The University of Scranton has established a Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope to lead the University’s response “together with the people of the Diocese and Catholics everywhere to address the difficult but necessary questions that arise from the grand jury report,” which was released to the public in August and details sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Pennsylvania.
“As they begin their task, I charge them to chart the path toward healing and hope, ever mindful of the gifts of the Holy Spirit – Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety and Fear the Lord. Each of these gifts will be essential to the success of our collective efforts to address the sensitive, complex and daunting challenge that lies ahead,” wrote University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., in an announcement to the University community about the establishment of the task force.
“The task force will help us harness the full range of resources that The University of Scranton, as a Catholic and Jesuit university can offer the church in this painful but pivotal moment,” wrote Father Pilarz. “Their work will imagine and plan how we can respond, in ways both simple and sophisticated, to the needs of God’s people.”
The efforts of the task force will be supported by endowed funds which were approved by the University’s Board of Trustees in August. In addition to the funding support, the University’s Board of Trustees also approved the renaming various campus buildings and revoking honorary degrees in response to the report.
The University’s Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope will be co-chaired by Patricia Tetreault, vice president for human resources, and Christian Krokus, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Theology and Religious Studies Department, and includes faculty, administrators, staff and students. Members of the task force are: Gerianne Barber, director of the Counseling Training Center; Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of community and government relations; Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D, dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Lauren Rivera, J.D., assistant vice president for Student Life and dean of students; James Roberts, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology; Rev. Patrick Rogers, S.J., executive director of the Jesuit Center; Rose Sebastianelli, Ph.D, professor of operations and information management; Patrick Tully, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Philosophy; Helen Wolf, Ph.D., executive director of Campus Ministries; Steven Browning ’18, graduate student representative who is in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program; and Julia Betti ’21, undergraduate student representative who is majoring in marketing.
“There is good work to be done today and together, and the work undertaken by this Task Force will remind us all never to be distracted from the fear and pain of our sisters and brothers who suffered because of the church and its leaders,” wrote Father Pilarz in the University community announcement.University Response to Grand Jury Report Continues
-
10/15/2018
On Friday, Oct. 19, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by pianist Jeremy Ajani Jordan and clarinetist Mark Dover.
The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
There will be a free woodwind masterclass at 4:30 that afternoon. The class is open to local amateur and professional woodwind players, ages 16 and up. Those interested in taking part should email music@scranton.edu to pre-register and receive further information.
Recital attendees can expect a unique program from these talented young musicians, said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
“Jeremy is one of the most amazing young pianists in the United States,” Boga said. “He played here a few years ago, and we had pianists come in from New York and Philadelphia to hear him perform. Not only is he incredibly good, but he’s also kind of outside of the box in his approach. While he is a classical concert pianist who is extremely well trained and has performed everywhere to great acclaim, he also works hard to fuse his classical training with gospel, jazz and other music, and improvises brilliantly.”
Jordan has appeared as soloist and chamber musician at notable venues throughout the United States and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Orchestra Hall in Chicago, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Rudolfinum in Prague. He has won several prestigious piano competitions, including the Steinway Competition, and received awards from the National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc., and the Gluck Community Service Fellowship.
Jordan received his master’s degree from The Juilliard School, where he received the Van Cliburn and Irene Diamond scholarships and studied with Matti Raekallio, Regina Syrkin, Andre Watts, Yoshie Akimoto, Jerome Lowenthal and Eteri Andjaparidze.
Dover, meanwhile, brings his own significant credentials to the recital.
Lauded by Opera News for his “exemplary clarinet playing,” Dover has been a member of Grammy-nominated wind quintet Imani Winds since 2016, and his playing with the acclaimed American funk band Vulfpeck can be heard on the album, “Thrill of the Arts.” He has also collaborated with pianists Gil Kalish, Fabio Bidini and Jon Nakamatsu, violinists Caroline Goulding and Francesca de Pasquale, and cellist Brook Speltz of the Escher String Quartet.
Dover has conducted masterclasses at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance, as well as the Manhattan School of Music and Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts. He’s performed with the Detroit Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra and the New World Symphony.
In 2015, Dover performed the world premiere of Michael Thurber’s “Quadruple Concerto, Three Musketeers,” on NPR with the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra and soloists Kris Bowers, Charles Yang and Michael Thurber. Last year, Dover and Jordan gave the world premiere performance of Jonathan Ragonese’s “Non-Poem 4” live on Chicago’s WFMT and New York City’s WKCR as part of the “Live at National Sawdust” series.
“Together,” Boga said, “these two guys share an unusual passion for innovative music that crosses genres.”
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Jordan and Dover, visit www.jeremyajanijordan.com and markdovermusic.com.
Piano-clarinet Duo to Perform on Oct. 19
-
10/12/2018
Through Nov. 16 Art Exhibit: “America in a Trance: Photographs by Niko J. Kallianiotis.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through Dec. 14 Library Exhibit: “The World’s Best Penman-The Artistic and Business Career of Charles Paxton Zaner, 1864-1918.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Nov. 2 5 p.m. Gallery Lecture: “America in a Trance: Panel Discussion” presented by Niko J. Kallianiotis, exhibiting artist, Luke Wynne, essayist, and Seamus McGraw, essayist. Pearn Auditorium Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Nov. 2 7:30 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Should We Embrace Protectionism? The Evidence Behind the Case for Free Trade” presented by Dave Donaldson, Ph.D., professor of economics, MIT. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email Janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Nov. 4 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 6 7:30 p.m. The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute Lecture: “Homosexuality: A New, Yet Traditional, Perspective” by Rabbi Chaim Rapoport, author, educator and Judaic scholar, with University of Scranton theology professor Charles Pinches, Ph.D., providing commentary on the Christian perspective. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7956 or email marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
Nov. 7 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Going to War: Who Calls the Shots?” presented by Morey Myers, L.L.B., of counsel, Myers, Brier and Kelly. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 13 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Cybercrime: A Global Weapon of Mass Destruction” presented by Michael Greenberger, J. D., founder and director, University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15 7 p.m. Asian Studies presents “Live Asian Shadow Puppet Show” with live music, a Q & A and a backstage visit. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15-17 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” presented by Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email Allison.northrop@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15-18 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “The Beyoncé” by Eliza Bent presented by The University of Scranton Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Nov. 16 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring The Andrew Gonzalez Trio with Andrew Gonzalez, viola; Bixby Kennedy, clarinet; Carlos Avila, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 17 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Andrew Gonzalez. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
University Announces November Events
-
10/12/2018
The University of Scranton named A.J. Guzzi General Contractors, Inc., South Abington Township, as its 2018 Business Partner of the Year. The award, presented at the annual Business Partner Appreciation Dinner held recently on campus, recognizes an organization for contributing outstanding service and value to the University’s Jesuit mission.
A.J. Guzzi has worked on a number of projects for the University, including multiple phases of the Commons restoration and improvements, renovations to the University’s television studio and, most recently, the Estate landscaping project. Their work on the Commons restoration and Estate landscaping standout as quality exterior masonry work that will last at the University for decades to come.
The annual event recognizes the top 100 companies that make outstanding contributions to the University’s ability to deliver a superior educational experience its students.
This is the 13th year the University has recognized a Business Partner of the Year.
University Names Business Partner of the Year
-
10/11/2018
The Weinberg Memorial Library at The University of Scranton will host an exhibit on the career of Charles Paxton Zaner, penman extraordinaire and founder of the Zaner-Bloser Penmanship Co. The exhibit, titled “The World’s Best Penman: The Artistic and Business Career of 1864-1918,” will be on display in the fifth floor of the Heritage Room through to Friday, Dec. 14, during normal library hours.
The library will also host a reception and lecture by Special Collections Librarian Michael Knies on Zaner’s career and the profession of penmanship during his lifetime on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room. The reception is free and open to the public.
The Weinberg Memorial Library has been the home of the Zaner-Bloser Collection since 2010, and the collection has been used in a number of exhibits. Zaner-Bloser, which is still in business, has been a leading publisher of penmanship instruction materials since 1888. However, 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of C. P. Zaner's tragic death in an automobile collision with a train at the age of 54.
The exhibit will focus on Zaner's career and feature calligraphic alphabets, flourished birds, other artistic work and penmanship exercises. Zaner was more than a penman. He was a businessman, a publisher, an essayist and author of penmanship manuals. The exhibit will also display manuscript copies of his essays, copies of manuals he authored, accompanied at times by the original penwork and printing blocks, and material from the company he created.
For further information, call the University’s special collections librarian at 570-941-6341.
Zaner-Bloser Penmanship Exhibit Lecture Oct. 24
-
10/11/2018
University of Scranton President, Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., will present “The Humanities: Now More Than Ever” on Thursday, Oct. 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. Reservations are required to attend the free event. A reception will follow the presentation.
Father Pilarz will discuss the importance of broadening our understanding of others in today’s globalized world in order to better know the history and culture of those we will encounter in our personal and professional lives, as well as the role the humanities play gaining this understanding.
The talk is presented by the University’s Schemel Forum in collaboration with the Office of the President.To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University President Discusses Role of Humanities
-
10/10/2018
The University of Scranton’s President’s Business Council (PBC) 17th Annual Award Dinner honored Linda S. McGowan ’80, partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr. P’08,’08, president of JLS Cost Management Systems Inc.
Each was presented with the University’s President’s Medal by University President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., and Patricia A. Byrnes Clarke ’86, P’17, ’19, chief talent officer of Havas and a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and chair of the PBC. More than 500 guests attended the dinner at The Pierre Hotel in New York City on Oct. 4. Proceeds from the black-tie gala, which raised more than $1 million, support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund.
Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition scholarships awarded to incoming freshmen at Scranton with both outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. Through its past 16 dinners, the PBC has generated $14 million for the scholarship fund.
The President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others, representing lifetime achievements that reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service.
Father Pilarz referred to both honorees as “good friends” of the University in his remarks.
“Linda, you are an amazing mentor and friend to so many Scranton students. You have helped to shape their aspirations and helped them realize their dreams,” said Father Pilarz, referring to the many students she has mentored during the past decades and her work in strengthening the connection between PwC and Scranton. There are more than 110 Scranton alumni currently working at PwC. At the Oct. 4 event, the PBC announced the creation of The Linda S. McGowan/PricewaterhouseCooper Scholarship, endowed scholarship for an incoming student majoring in accounting at Scranton.
“Joe, you are the quintessential Scranton parent and were an exemplary member of our Board of Trustees,” said Father Pilarz. “The University, and I very personally, have benefited from your wisdom and the depth of your commitment to Catholic and Jesuit education. You also truly understand what makes Scranton so special.”
Honoree Sorbera’s description of the University, spoken to Father Pilarz when his children were students at Scranton, is etched on the third-floor wall of the University’s DeNaples Center. It reads, “Scranton is the kind of place where if anybody trips, everybody stops to help them up again.”
Sara Wierbowski, Owego, New York, of the University’s class of 2019, also spoke at the gala on behalf of the Presidential Scholars.
“We are a group of prospective M.D.s, D.O.s, attorneys, scientists, nurses, Ph.D.s, PTs, engineers and business professionals, and we all have one thing in common, we are truly nerdy students who love to take in as much knowledge as we can so we can give back to those around us. We wouldn’t be as effective at that without the generosity of people like you. Thank you,” said Wierbowski, a neuroscience and philosophy double major. She is a member of both the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the undergraduate Honors Program.
About Linda S. McGowan
McGowan has more than 30 years of experience as a member of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Banking and Capital Markets Group. She is a member of the national office of the firm and provides technical advice on regulatory and industry-specific auditing matters. She is the author of the firm’s technical guidance and the firm’s letters on proposed rule changes. The list of industry clients which McGowan has served during her career includes Goldman Sachs; Merrill Lynch; Barclays; W.P. Stewart & Co.; Angelo, Gordon & Co.; MarketAxess; Knight Trading Group; Commerzbank; Cantor Fitzgerald; Janney Montgomery Scott; and ICAP.
McGowan has helped develop capital savings systems and interacted with the regulators for her clients on a no-name basis. Her client work involves diverse products such as commodity funds, venture capital investments, and collateralized mortgage obligations and includes such diverse projects as development of principal and interest collection and reconciliation procedures; special reviews of procedures with regard to possession or control, net capital, the reserve formula, and the treasury auction and primary dealer reporting process; development of an integrated haircut system; review of branch office practices, procedures, and operational reviews for both large and mid-size broker-dealers; and implementation and evaluation of new clearing systems and evaluation of cross-border margin and credit alternatives. She has been involved in numerous control reviews utilizing the COSO framework including such areas as equity and fixed income trading; treasury, stock lending and repurchase transactions; and investment banking. She has assisted in the establishment and registration process for several broker-dealers in the Internet environment with both foreign- and domestic-based ownership.
A native of Apalachin, New York., McGowan received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University in 1980. Since graduation, she has been actively involved in mentoring and recruiting current students, as well as mentoring the young Scranton alumni at PricewaterhouseCoopers. McGowan is a founding member of the PBC Executive Committee, a member and founding chair of the Kania School of Management Dean’s Advisory Board and serves on the Accounting Department Professional Council. McGowan and her husband, Michael ’81, reside in Bucks County, and have four children.
About Joseph L. Sorbera Jr.
Sorbera is responsible for growing and reshaping his family’s construction management business, which started in 1977, into an industry-leading project management and cost-management organization whose client list includes global financial, banking, educational and media firms. The firm specializes in large-scale capital projects, ensuring they are completed expertly as planned and on budget. The company motto, “deliver more than expected,” is indicative of the reason behind the loyalty they have earned from clients, colleagues and employees alike. The evolution of so many clients and colleagues into dear friends throughout 40-plus years of being in business is Sorbera’s greatest source of professional pride.
In addition to serving multiple terms on the Board of Trustees of Loyola School in Manhattan, Sorbera is a former member of the University’s Board of Trustees. A former executive-in-residence at the University, he was also a member of the executive committee of the Pride Passion Promise campaign. In 2017, he was the honoree at the 97th annual Italian Welfare League gala in New York City. A current member of the President’s Business Council, Sorbera also serves as chair of the Board of the 115-year-old animal rescue organization, Bideawee.
Sorbera was born and raised in the tenements of Little Italy in New York, where the formation of family values, love of Sicilian traditions and strong sense of community were deeply ingrained into his persona. He earned his bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix. Now a resident of Staten Island, New York, he and his wife, Diane, are the parents of three children: Christina, Diana ’08 and Joseph III ’08.
For more information on the PBC, contact PBC Executive Director Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at 570-941-5837 or at pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbc.
PBC Dinner Raises More Than $1 Million
-
10/10/2018
The University of Scranton has appointed 22 new full-time faculty members for the 2018-2019 academic year.
Gunjan Bansal
Gunjan Bansal (photo above) of Dunmore was named a faculty specialist in the health administration/human resources department. She earned a doctorate in medicine from Mysore Medical College of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in India and a master’s in healthcare administration from The University of Scranton. She is pursuing a Ph.D. in international psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She previously worked as a nursing home administrator and has taught as an online associate faculty member of Ashford University Online.
Anthony F. Carusotto, D.P.T.
Anthony F. Carusotto, D.P.T., of Dallas was named an instructor in the physical therapy department. He earned his bachelor’s degree in health sciences and his master’s and doctorate in physical therapy from Misericordia University. Dr. Carusotto previously worked as a physical therapist specializing in both orthopedic and lymphatic therapy. He has also been an adjunct instructor in kinesiology at the University and at Johnson College.
Bryan R. Crable, Ph.D.
Bryan R. Crable, Ph.D., of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, was named assistant professor of biology. He previously worked as a research scientist at the Air Force Research Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio, and as a postdoctoral fellow at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Dr. Crable was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship by the Institute for International Education to conduct research at the University of Wageningen in The Netherlands from 2010-2011. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Saint Vincent College and a master’s in biology from Duquesne University. He completed a doctorate in microbiology at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Crable is active in research with a program that focuses on the physiology of anaerobic bacteria. He is an author or co-author of twelve scholarly publications and, together with his collaborators, he has received nearly 500 citations.
Rita DiLeo, D.Sc.
Rita DiLeo, D.Sc., of Factoryville was named assistant professor in the health administration and human resources department. She has worked in the department as a faculty specialist and field coordinator since 2008. Dr. DiLeo recently completed her doctorate in health services administration at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. She earned a master’s degree in public administration at Marywood University, and a bachelor’s in health administration at the University of Scranton. Dr. DiLeo is trained as a special procedures and interventional radiology technologist and is a Certified Radiology Administrator (CRA) and Balanced Scorecard Professional (BSP).
Christopher P. Gillett, Ph.D., was named assistant professor of history. He completed a doctorate in history at Brown University, where he also earned a master’s in history and served as a teaching assistant and visiting assistant professor. Professor Gillett’s bachelor’s degree, from Rutgers University, is in history, journalism and media studies, and political science. His doctoral dissertation is titled “Catholicism and the Making of Revolutionary Ideologies in the British Atlantic, 1630-1673.”
Eleni Gousgounis, Ph.D.
Eleni Gousgounis, Ph.D., was named associate professor in the economics and finance department. She previously taught finance for several years at the Stevens Institute of Technology. She has also conducted research for the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Dr. Gousgounis received both her doctorate and master’s degrees in finance from Baruch College. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance at Athens University of Economics and Business in Athens, Greece.
Andrew J. Gregorowicz
Andrew J. Gregorowicz of Jessup was named faculty specialist in the accounting department. He has worked for the University as a financial analyst since 2001 and has also served as an adjunct accounting instructor since 2005. Prior to that, he was the international controller for Harcourt Learning Direct, Scranton. Professor Gregorowicz earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from The University of Scranton and an MBA in financial management from Pace University.
Christopher Haw, Ph.D.
Christopher Haw, Ph.D., South Bend, Indiana, was named as assistant professor in the theology department. He completed a doctorate in theology and peace studies at the University of Notre Dame. An author of two books, for more than 15 years he has served as an independently contracted lecturer at universities and seminaries around the United States. Professor Haw earned a master’s in theology and religious studies from Villanova University and a bachelor’s in theology and sociology from Eastern University.
Emily J. Hopkins, Ph.D.
Emily J. Hopkins, Ph.D., of Scranton was named assistant professor of psychology. Most recently she was a post-doctoral fellow at Temple University for two years, and before that, at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hopkins earned a bachelor’s degree in cognitive neuroscience at Brown University. She completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology at the University of Virginia, where she received a presidential fellowship. She has published numerous articles in scholarly journals.
Hengameh Hosseini, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the health administration and human resources department. She comes to Scranton from the Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, where she was an assistant professor of public health sciences. Prior to that, she was a health administration professor at Penn State University and Seton Hall University. Dr. Hosseini holds a doctorate in health promotion from Marywood University, a master’s in accounting and finance from Kings College, and a bachelor’s degree in management from the University of Tehran.
Gail N. Kemp, Ph.D.
Gail N. Kemp, Ph.D., of Scranton was named visiting assistant professor of psychology. She has been an adjunct instructor at the University and a teaching fellow at Boston University. Dr. Kemp earned a bachelor’s degree in African-American studies at Harvard College. She earned master’s degrees in public health and clinical psychology from Boston University, as well as a doctorate in clinical psychology.
Cara A. Krieg, Ph.D.
Cara A. Krieg, Ph.D., was named assistant professor of biology. She earned a doctorate in zoology, ecology, evolution biology and behavior from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Grinnell College. She was previously a postdoctoral research associate and graduate researcher at Michigan State. She has published several articles in academic journals.
Aiala Levy, Ph.D., was named assistant professor of history. She was previously a visiting assistant professor. Dr. Levy received a bachelor’s degree in Latin American history from Princeton University, and master’s and doctoral degrees in Latin American history from the University of Chicago. She has presented her research at conferences in Portugal, Great Britain, Brazil, and Argentina and throughout the United States.
Mohammad A. Maktoomi, Ph.D.
Mohammad A. Maktoomi, Ph.D., of Muzaffarpur, India, was named assistant professor in the physics and electrical engineering department. He comes to Scranton from the University of Calgary, Canada, where he was a postdoctoral scholar. Dr. Maktoomi holds both doctoral and master’s degrees in electronics and communications engineering from the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, in New Delhi, India. He received a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from Aligarh Muslim University in Aligarh, India.
Amanda Sue Marcy of Clifford Township was named assistant professor of accounting. She was previously a faculty specialist in the department and worked prior as an accountant for Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP. Professor Marcy earned both a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA specialized in accounting from The University of Scranton, and she is currently pursuing her doctorate of business administration in accounting at The University of Scranton. She is a certified public accountant in the state of Pennsylvania and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Accounting Association and the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
John C. O’Bell of Scranton was appointed as a faculty specialist in the counseling and human services department. A licensed professional counselor, O’Bell earned his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in community counseling from The University of Scranton. He also earned a Master of Divinity from Christ the King Seminary. A former a member of the Diocese of Scranton clergy, O’Bell has worked as a self-employed counselor for nearly a decade and has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Scranton.
Nicholas Rodio, D.P.T.
Nicholas Rodio, D.P.T., of Jessup was appointed as an instructor in the physical therapy department. He comes to the University from ProCare Physical Therapy, where he worked as a staff physical therapist, program director, and facility director for the past eight years. He earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a doctorate of physical therapy from The University of Scranton.
Oleksandr (Alex) Rudniy, Ph.D.
Oleksandr (Alex) Rudniy, Ph.D., of Greentown was named assistant professor of computer science. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in applied mathematics, both from Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics, Ukraine. He earned a doctorate in computer science from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Dr. Rudniy was previously an assistant professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University and completed research with the National Science Foundation and National Security Agency.
Jason A. Shrive, Esq.
Jason A. Shrive, Esq., of Scranton, was named assistant professor in the sociology, criminal justice and criminology department. Atty. Shrive was most recently the executive director and solicitor of the Scranton Sewer Authority, subsequent to serving as the Scranton City Solicitor and Deputy Mayor of Scranton. He maintains a private law practice, Shrive Law, LLC, where he focuses primarily on Criminal Defense and Family Law. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from The University of Scranton and a Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law. Prior to being appointed as an assistant professor, Atty. Shrive taught as an adjunct professor at The University of Scranton from 2016-2018.
Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D.
Billie R. Tadros, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the English and theatre department. She received a doctorate in English and creative writing from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. For the past year, she was a lecturer at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Dr. Tadros earned bachelor’s degrees in creative writing and music from Susquehanna University, and a master’s in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence College. She has published poetry in numerous periodicals and anthologies.
Mary L. Troy, Ph.D.
Mary L. Troy, Ph.D., of Dunmore was named assistant professor in the counseling and human services department. She is a licensed professional counselor and previously worked in private practice with Resilience Counseling Associates. She also taught as an adjunct at the University for 18 years. Dr. Troy earned a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s in community counseling from The University of Scranton. She earned a doctorate in counselor education and supervision from Regent University.
Ana Ugarte Fernandez, Ph.D.
Ana Ugarte Fernandez, Ph.D., of Scranton, formerly of Spain, was named assistant professor in the world languages and cultures department. She previously taught at Duke University, where she completed her doctorate in romance studies and Spanish. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Spanish philology and a master’s in Spanish American literature from Universidad Complutense de Madrid, as well as a bachelor’s in French from Universite Stendhal Grenoble III.
University of Scranton New Faculty Members
-
10/09/2018
“There was a little boy who caught my eye. He reminded me very much of my son, Paul, when he was an infant. This little one was strapped to his crib with an IV in one arm, and he was crying his heart out. Unfortunately, his body was so dehydrated, he couldn’t shed a single tear. I went to unstrap him to pick him up, but the nurse waved me away. She was afraid that I would dislodge the needle,” writes JoAnne Kuehner of her first impressions of Haiti as a volunteer at the general hospital in Port-Au-Prince.
“… I no sooner turned around that I noticed several children over in the corner stacked up on the cold floor under a sink, so I ran over to see if I could comfort them. But the same nurse said, ‘Don’t worry about them. They’re dead,’” Kuehner continues. Later that day “… as I walked a short distance from where the bus parked to the hotel, a young girl about twelve tugged on my skirt, and, through a translator, said that she would like to go to school and asked if I would pay the fee so she could attend. With a flashback to the baby in the crib and the dead children on the hospital floor, I quickly answered ‘yes.’ … What I didn’t know at the time was that this was the beginning of a love affair for me with a country I hardly knew.”
Kuehner writes about her experiences during her 30-years of service to “the poorest of the poor” in her book “Oh, for the Love of Haiti.” She will read excerpts from her book at a “Meet the Author and Book Signing” reception hosted by The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies. The event, which is free of charge and open to the public, will take place Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall on Jefferson Avenue.
Kuehner is founder of “Hope for Haiti,” an international charity that provides assistance to Haitians, particularly the children, in the areas of education, nutrition and healthcare. She is a Dame of the Order of Malta, one of the oldest Catholic lay orders, whose mission is to care for the poor and sick of the world.
A resident of Lake Ariel and Naples, Florida, Kuehner received an honorary degree from The University of Scranton in 2001 and the University’s Kuehner Hall of the Loyola Science Center is named in honor of her and her husband, Carl Kuehner ’62, a former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.
Copies of Kuehner’s book, “Oh, for the Love of Haiti,” will be available for purchase at the reception. Proceeds from the sale benefit Hope for Haiti.
For additional information, call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
During a visit to a clinic operated by the Brothers of the Missionaries of Charities, JoAnne Kuehner, who had no medical experience, was asked to hook up I.V.s to an overflowing crowd of dehydrated patients. After watching another volunteer hook up I.V.s a few times, Kuehner writes “I decided that I didn’t have any time to waste, as these men needed fluid in their bodies. I double-gloved my hands
(as most of these men have HIV) and got to work. I didn’t have any oranges to practice on; just men in dire need. They were so dehydrated it was difficult to find their vein … The Lord had pity on them, knowing I had no experience, and allowed me to find the veins on my first try. It was like a production line, putting in I.V.s until everyone received one.”
The University of Scranton will host a Meet the Author and Book Signing reception with JoAnne Kuehner, author of “Oh, for the Love of Haiti” on Wednesday, Oct. 24, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall. The reception is free of charge and open to the public. Copies of Kuehner’s book will be available for sale at the reception. Proceeds from the book sale benefit Hope for Haiti.
Love of Haiti Inspires 30 Years of Service
-
10/09/2018
A lecture on “Global Migration: Shared Responsibility and Solidarity” by the Most Reverend Bernardito C. Auza, Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Organization of American States and Titular Archbishop of Suacia, will be held at The University of Scranton Tuesday, Oct. 23. The lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on the University’s campus.
Archbishop Auza’s talk will draw on the United Nation’s work on behalf of migrants through the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, which is expected to be the first, intergovernmental negotiated agreement, prepared under the auspices of the United Nations, to cover all dimensions of international migration in a holistic and comprehensive manner.
“Pope Francis encapsulates these shared responsibilities and solidarity in four verbs: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate” said Archbishop Auza in statement at the concluding session of the United Nation’s intergovernmental negotiations on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration. “My Delegation firmly believes there has been an honest effort on the part of all to build the edifice of the Global Compact on the firm foundations of these principles that guarantee respect for the human dignity of all migrants.”
The 2018 concluding session of intergovernmental negotiations on migration was the culmination of a nearly two-year process. The agreement details 23 international objectives, including the eradication of human trafficking and “use of migration detention only as a measure of last resort.”
In his statement, Archbishop Auza also said the Global Compact is the “first-ever comprehensive framework on migration will serve as the international reference point for best practices and international cooperation in the global management of migration, not only for Governments, but also for non-governmental entities among which are the faith-based organizations, who are truly the hands and feet on the ground to assist migrants in difficulty. This Global Compact will make it more difficult for anyone – states, civil society or anyone of us – to be unaware of the challenges that people on the move face and to fail to meet our shared responsibilities towards them, in particular toward those most in need of our solidarity.”
Born in the Republic of the Philippines, Archbishop Auza was ordained a priest in 1985. He earned a doctorate in theology and entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1990. He served at the Apostolic Nunciature in Madagascar, Bulgaria and Albania, and in the Secretariat of State in the Vatican. In 2008, he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti and that same year was ordained Titular Archbishop of Suacia. He was appointed Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations in New York and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Organization of American States in 2014.
The Holy See holds the status of Permanent Observer at the United Nations, rather than of a full member status due primarily to the desire of the Holy See to maintain absolute neutrality in specific political problems, according to the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations website.
For more information about the lecture at the University, contact the University’s Office of Government and Community Relations at 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Shared Responsibility of Global Migration Discussed
-
10/03/2018
On Friday, Oct. 12, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by acclaimed organist Greg Zelek. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The recital was originally to be performed by Australian organist Alessandro Pittorino, but international travel complications interfered with his scheduled appearance.
Zelek will perform on the University’s fully restored Austin Opus 301 organ. Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga said she’s very impressed with the 27-year-old organist, who played at Scranton a few years ago as a student of Paul Jacobs at The Juilliard School.
“We’re very fortunate to have him return,” said Boga, noting she first met Zelek through her friendship with acclaimed organist David Ball. “Greg is one of the most accomplished young organists around.”
Praised as “extraordinary in the classical music world” (Jon Hornbacher, PBS Wisconsin Life), Zelek is the principal organist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and curator of the Overture Concert Organ Series. Since September 2017, he has held the Wayne Curtis and Maybelle Slavens Hall and Francis Vincent and Lettie von Kalweit Dunnebacke Curatorship, which is endowed by anonymous friends of the Symphony.
Zelek concertizes with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and throughout the United States. In addition, he regularly performs with orchestras as both a soloist and professional ensemble member. Highlights of the upcoming 2018–2019 season include recitals at the Abingdon Arts Series in Virginia and Wingate University in North Carolina, as well as performances at venues in Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, Houston, and New York City. Zelek will also be the featured organist with the Jacksonville Symphony in October. In 2017, he performed with the Florida Orchestra and was the featured guest soloist with the Ridgewood Symphony in 2016. He was the organist in the Metropolitan Opera’s 2014 production of Faust. He also performed twice that year with the New World Symphony, including in a performance of Lukas Foss’s Phorion conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. In 2012, Zelek played Strauss’s Alpine Symphony with the MET Orchestra in Carnegie Hall conducted by Semyon Bychkov and performed Poulenc’s Organ Concerto with the Miami Symphony Orchestra in 2011.
In 2016, Zelek was chosen by The Diapason magazine as one of the top “20 Under 30” organists, a feature which selects the most successful young artists in the field. He was the First Prize winner in the 2012 Rodgers North American Classical Organ Competition, the 2012 West Chester University Organ Competition and the 2010 East Carolina University Organ Competition (where he was also awarded the “Bach Prize”). He was selected as a 2010 NFAA YoungArts Silver Medal Winner and was a prize winner in the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival. Most recently, he was the Audience Prize winner and finalist in the 2016 Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition.
A recipient of the inaugural Kovner Fellowship, Zelek received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as an artist diploma, from the Juilliard School as a student of Paul Jacobs. Before moving to Madison, Zelek was most recently the music director and organist at the Episcopal Church of St. Matthew and St. Timothy in New York City. A Cuban-American and native Spanish speaker from Miami, Florida, Zelek became the music director and organist of Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Miami at age 15, and has served as the summer organist for San Pedro Apostol Church in Ramales de la Victoria, Spain.
Built in 1910, the University’s 3,178-pipe Austin Opus 301 organ is one of very few authentic examples of a fully restored early 20th-century American symphonic organ. Since the organ's restoration and re-dedication in 2006, Performance Music has hosted numerous recitals by internationally renowned organists, student ensemble performances of significant instrumental and choral works with organ accompaniment, and even a national radio broadcast featuring the instrument.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Zelek, visit gregzelek.com.
Organ Virtuoso to Perform Oct. 12 Recital
-
10/03/2018
The University of Scranton Players will present “The Laramie Project” by Moises Kaufman and members of the Tectonic Theater Project, directed by Bob E. Gasper, on Fridays through Sundays, Oct. 12-14 and 19-21. Performances will take place in the Royal Theatre in the Joseph M. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and Sunday shows begin at 2 p.m.
“The Laramie Project” recalls the aftermath of the brutal murder of 21-year-old college student Matthew Shepard through interviews of the residents of Laramie, Wyoming, conducted by the Tectonic Theatre Project. Shepard was beaten to death for being gay in the outskirts of Laramie. His death sparked outrage in communities across the nation and led to landmark hate crime legislation named in his honor.
This year marks twenty years since Shepard’s murder. The Players plan to honor his memory by opening their production on the day of his death. Additionally, the Players will host post-show discussions after both Saturday performances to offer an open space where people can explore and process Shepard’s story.
Kaufman’s play premiered at the Ricketson Theatre in Denver in February 2000. The play was later turned into an Emmy-nominated HBO film. “The Laramie Project” remains a groundbreaking piece of theatre that continually invites us to interrogate who we are as a community.
The production features Ali Basalyga of Scranton; Shaye Santos of Wrightstown, New Jersey; Holly Ferrence of Harding; Samantha Gurn of Brackney; Catherine Karpiak of Scranton; Jim Shygelski of Scranton; Peter Sims of Yardley; Nicholas Yanni of Scranton; Matthew Valunas of Dunmore; and Dalton Gorden of Taylor. The cast features graduates from local schools including West Scranton High School, Scranton Preparatory School, Wyoming Area Secondary Center, Dunmore High School, Montrose High School, and Wyoming Seminary. Director Bob Gasper is also a graduate of West Scranton High School.
Tickets may be purchased or reserved by calling the box office inside the McDade Center, 570-941-4318, or online at thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff. Second weekend performances are free for first-year University students.
For more information, contact players@scranton.edu or follow the University Players on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
University Players Present ‘The Laramie Project’
-
10/02/2018
The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education ranked The University of Scranton among “Top U.S. Colleges” in a 2019 listing that analyzes student outcomes after graduation, as well as their engagement while on campus to determine “how well a college will prepare students for life after graduation.”
Scranton’s highest rank was at No. 126 for student engagement, placing it in the top 15 percent of the ranking of nearly 1,000 colleges listed. Scranton also ranked at No. 182 for student outcomes; No. 260 for resources and No. 217 for an “overall” ranking based on analysis of 15 individual performance indicators.
The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education based the student engagement portion of their analysis on The U.S. Student Survey, which queried more than 189,000 current college and university students on a range of issues relating directly to their college experience, such as interaction with faculty and other students, and whether they would recommend their schools to others. Student engagement represented 20 percent of the overall ranking score. Outcomes, which represented 40 percent of the overall ranking score, looked at graduation rate, academic reputation, “value added” to graduate salary and “value added” to the loan repayment rate. The “value added” portions of the analysis applied statistical modeling to adjust for student, location and other characteristics in order to measure the impact the school has on the salary and loan repayment rates of its graduates. The ranking also measured resources invested in instruction and student services (30 percent), which included the finance cost per student, faculty/student ratio and research papers published per faculty member, and the learning environment (10 percent), which includes student and staff diversity, among other factors.
The ranking was published by The Wall Street Journal in September.
Scranton on 2019 National Ranking for Outcomes
-
10/02/2018
Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., discussed the impact of neoliberalism on democracy at his Schemel Forum “University for a Day” talk, “The Real Road to Serfdom?” in September. He is an associate professor of Philosophy at the University, and oversees the Pre-Law concentration.
Neoliberalism, a system of political beliefs most prominent during the Reagan administration, calls for freedom of private property and from governmental control, Dr. Meyer explained. The problem, Meyer said, is that sometimes Neoliberalism places more value on the importance of such freedoms than it places on democracy.
“Neoliberalism understands freedom as the ability to do what one wants,” Dr. Meyer said.
“The Road to Serfdom,” a book by famed economist and philosopher F. A. Hayek, hypothesizes that democratic nations will become enslaved socialists if their people embrace too much democracy. Hayek believes neoliberalism is the answer to too much democracy: Democratic nations should not favor their democracy more than individual rights. Neoliberalism is a reaction, Hayek argues, to socialism.
One way in which societies become too democratic, according to Hayek, is that they see all citizens as “created equal” when they should be seen only as equals before the law.
“Nowhere is the difference between the reasoning of the older liberalism and that of neoliberalism clearer and easier to demonstrate than in their treatment of the problem of equality. The liberals of the eighteenth century, guided by the idea of natural law and of the Enlightenment, demanded for everyone equality of political and civil rights because they assumed that all men are created equal,” Dr. Meyer quoted famed neoliberal Ludwig von Mises. “Nothing, however, is as ill-founded as the assertion of the alleged equality of all members of the human race.”
Dr. Meyer named his talk “The Real Road to Serfdom?” because he questions Hayek’s hypothesis of what leads nations into serfdom.
“Does Hayek’s thinking represent the real road to serfdom?” Dr. Meyer asked. “Hayek is a father of one of the key proponents of neoliberal thinking […] Does the spread of neoliberalism, or neoliberal ideas, prepare the way for the conditions of authoritarian rule?”
Yes, Dr. Meyer believes, neoliberalism does pave the way for authoritarianism. In “The Road to Serfdom,” Dr. Meyer pointed out, Hayek even writes wistfully of authoritarian governments.
“Democracy is essentially a means, a utilitarian device for safeguarding internal peace and individual freedom, we must not forget that there has been much more cultural and spiritual freedom under autocratic rule than under some democracies,” Dr. Meyer quoted Hayek. “In other words, if democracy starts getting into your business, it would be a lot better to live under authoritarian rule.” He added that the quote shocked him when he first read it.
Dr. Meyer’s biggest concern about neoliberalism is that it gives citizens a lot of rights without much responsibility. “It strips away, therefore, the demands upon us […] from having any deep commitments […] to the common good and the project called democracy,” said Dr. Meyer. The differences between the economic winners and losers created by neoliberalism are so extreme that they lead to oligarchy, which makes citizens angry and tired enough to elect a strongman. Once a strongman is in power, serfdom ensues.
“I simply don’t think that we can have a democratic society without a robust sense of, [and] a significant number of people who are committed to, notions of the common good,” Dr. Meyer said.
Other speakers at the University for a Day were James Campbell, Ph.D., Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. history at Stanford University; Mark C. Alexander, J.D., Arthur J. Kania Dean and professor of law at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law; and Josephine Dunn, Ph.D., professor of art history, oral history and European cultural history at Scranton.
For more information on the Schemel Forum, please contact Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum, at 570-941-4089, or at Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
‘Real Road to Serfdom’ Discussed
-
10/02/2018
The University of Scranton has awarded 14 students from its class of 2022 four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarships. The Presidential Scholarship recipients are Shannon Broderick, Colleen Chan, Sean Connolly, Patrick Dawid, Eric Dittmar, Jessica Goldschlager, Erin Horan, Charles Kulick, Robert Maloney, Ashley Mullan, Meghan Rohr, Elias Shomali, Anna Wengyn and Sarah White.
Presidential Scholarships are awarded to incoming first-year students with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. The scholarship covers four years of full tuition provided that the student maintains at least a 3.25 grade point average.
Shannon Broderick, New Fairfield, Connecticut, graduated from New Fairfield High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the National Math Honor Society and the Italian Honor Society. She was class secretary, president of a peer-mentoring program, president of the Italian club, a National Honor Society tutor and a member of the New Fairfield High School Rebel Senate. She participated in lacrosse and indoor track and was captain of the field hockey team. Broderick volunteered as a camp counselor and an elementary school classroom assistant and volunteered for Relay for Life and the American Red Cross. Broderick will major in nursing at Scranton. She is the daughter of Geraldine and Michael Broderick.
Colleen R. Chan, East Brunswick, New Jersey, graduated from Bishop George Ahr High School. She was a National Merit Scholarship Finalist and the Herff Jones Journalism Award recipient. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the National Math Honor Society, the National Science Honor Society and the National Hispanic Honor Society. An active leader in many high school clubs and organizations, Chan was captain of the club and varsity swim teams, a student ambassador, yearbook editor-in-chief and a Teen Action Group executive board member. A volunteer with over 300 hours of logged service, she served as an EMT and volunteered at her local library in addition to other service projects. Chan is a nursing major. She is the daughter of Carol Rusin and Donald Chan.
Sean P. Connolly, Danbury, Connecticut, graduated from Immaculate High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society and Key Club. Connolly was captain of the varsity cross-country and track and field teams at his high school. He has volunteered with the United Way of Western Connecticut and the Special Olympics of Danbury. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Connolly is an undeclared major in Scranton’s College of Arts and Sciences. He is the son of Andrea and Patrick Connolly.
Patrick Dawid, Dupont, graduated from Scranton Preparatory School. Dawid earned gold medals in national German and Latin exams. He was an involved member of his school’s Business Club and Astronomy Club and played on the football team for three years. He served his community through school programs and volunteered at a summer program with the ARC of Scranton. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Dawid will major in biochemistry as Scranton. He is the son of Ewa and Zbigniew Dawid.
Eric Dittmar, Stroudsburg, graduated as salutatorian from Pocono Mountain East High School. He was an AP Scholar with Distinction. He was the president of his school’s marching band and a member of Odyssey of the Mind. He volunteered his time at the Animal Welfare Society of Monroe County and the Lehigh Valley Hospital Pocono. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Dittmar will major in computer science on the pre-med track. He is the son of Susan and Matthew Dittmar.
Jessica R. Goldschlager, Magnolia, Delaware, graduated as valedictorian from Caesar Rodney High School. She is a National AP Scholar. She competed in the cross-country and speech and debate teems in her school and participated in the Delaware Congressional Delegation Youth Conference. She was also involved in martial arts, Olympic weightlifting and marathons. She served many hours as a volunteer occupational therapist’s assistant at Bayhealth Medical Center, as a teacher as Camp Hola, and as a children’s health educator and peer-teacher the John S. Charlton School. Goldschlager will major in occupational therapy at Scranton. She is the daughter of Margaret Bell and Steve Goldschlager.
Erin B. Horan, Massapequa, New York, graduated from Holy Trinity Diocesan High School. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the Math Honor Society, the Thespian Honor Society and the Music Honor Society. A Science Olympiad, she was a member of Math Fax and the senior leadership group L.I.G.H.T.S. She was captain of the volleyball team and a member of the varsity winter track team and varsity badminton team. She was also involved in the select choir, school musicals and music ministry. Horan volunteered as a religious education teacher as St. Ignatius of Loyola Parish. Horan will major in occupational therapy at Scranton. She is the daughter of Elizabeth and Daniel Horan.
Charles Kulick, Pittston Township, graduated as valedictorian from Scranton Preparatory School. He was a National Merit Scholar Finalist. A Science Olympiad member and Mathlete, he was president of the Advanced Technology Club and president of the Creating Writing Club at Prep. He participated in a service trip with the South Carolina Habitat for Humanity and was involved as a volunteer with the Seasons of Love Soup Kitchen. Kulick will double major in mathematics and computer science at Scranton. He is the son of Sharon and Mark Kulick.
Robert Maloney, Staten Island, New York, graduated from Xaverian High School. He was a member of the National Honor Society. He was a student ambassador and as president of the Clipper Society at his school, he assisted in open houses and reunions. He was a member of the varsity swim team, the ultimate Frisbee club team and of concert band. Maloney volunteered his time as a National Honor Society tutor, a counselor at Candlewood Knolls Children’s Camp, a server and cleaner at Chips Soup Kitchen and a volunteer at the New York City Marathon. Maloney will major in accounting at Scranton. He is the son of Mary Ann and Robert Maloney.
Ashley E. Mullan, Huntington, New York, graduated from St. Anthony’s High School. She was a National Merit Commended Scholar, a National Hispanic Scholar and an AP Scholar with Distinction. She was a member of the National Honor Society, the National Foreign Language Honor Society, the National English Honor Society, the National Math Honor Society and the Music Honor Society. A member and leader of many clubs, Mullan was president of the Critical Review Board, publicity director of a peer mentoring program and a retreat leader. She is a second-degree black belt and certified instructor in jiu jitsu. She was also a member of the honors orchestra and jazz band in high school and a volunteer piano accompanist. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Mullan will major in applied mathematics at Scranton. She is the daughter of Dina and John Mullan, who is a 1988 graduate of The University of Scranton.
Meghan Rohr, Audubon, graduated from Villa Maria Academy. She was a member of the National Honor Society and a Math Honor Society officer. She was on the Student Integrity Committee, a Speak Up representative, a Respect Life Club officer and a member of the Pennsylvania Math League. She was a member of her high school’s cross country and field hockey teams. An active volunteer, she served at the Phoenixville Hospital, the Brandywine Valley S.P.C.A. animal shelter and Visitation B.V.M. Parish among others. She also helped organize food and clothes drives and the annual Giving Tree. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Rohr will major in nursing at Scranton. She is the daughter of Terri and Jay Rohr.
Jacob Shomali, Ellicott City, Maryland, graduated from Loyola Blakefield High School. He was an AP Scholar with Distinction. A trombone player in school’s jazz band and the Jazz Academy Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and active member of musical theater programs, Shomali won the Louis Armstrong Award. He was a senior captain of the forensics team, captain for club travel soccer, a retreat volunteer and a student ambassador. He spent much of his summer volunteering at hospitals and clinics in Baltimore City, Maryland, and he has volunteered at food banks and homeless shelters. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Shomali will major in neuroscience in Scranton on the pre-med track. He is the son of Margret and Mansur Shomali.
Anna E. Wengyn, Chalfont, graduated as salutatorian from Lansdale Catholic High School. She was an AP Scholar with Distinction and a member of the National Honor Society and the World Language Honor Society for Spanish. She was president of her high school’s drama club, a student government representative, a student ambassador and an orientation leader. She was a member of the choir and played on the field hockey team. A member of her school’s Community Service Corps and her parish’s youth group, Wengyn volunteered many hours serving her community. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, Wengyn will major in biochemistry, cell and molecular biology at Scranton. She is the daughter of Tammy and Joe Wengyn.
Sarah V. White, Brooklyn, New York, graduated as salutatorian from Marymount School of New York. She was a National Merit Commended Scholar, a member of the National Honor Society and she earned a gold medal in the National French Competition. She was captain of the softball team, co-president of the Women in Our World club, co-chair of the club's gender equality summit, co-president of Book Club, school retreat leader and a student ambassador. She served as an intern in the New York University’s Langone Department of Cell Biology. Her numerous service projects include serving as a lector at St. Anselm R.C. Church and editing a fundraising journal for St. Anselm’s Catholic Academy. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, White will major in biology at Scranton. She is the daughter of Eileen and Andrew White.
Scranton Names Class of 2022 Presidential Scholars
-
10/02/2018
The University of Scranton has named Robert W. Davis Jr., Ed.D., as vice president for student life.
“I have great confidence that Dr. Davis’ education and experience, including years of service spanning several University divisions, leaves him uniquely qualified to lead this new division successfully,” said Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of the University, in an announcement to the University community of Dr. Davis’ appointment and restructuring that formed a new Student Life Division.
Functional areas and departments of the Student Life Division are Athletics, Campus Ministries, University Chaplain, University Police, the Center for Career Development, the Center for Health Education and Wellness, the Center for Student Engagement, the Counseling Center, the Cross Cultural Centers, Residence Life, Recreational and Club Sports, Student Conduct and Assessment, Student Health Services, Student Government, Dining Services and the University Bookstore.
Dr. Davis, who earned his bachelor’s, master’s and MBA degrees from the University, has served as chief of staff at Scranton since 2011. In that role, he also oversaw the University’s Department of Athletics and managed the essential administrative functions of the Office of the President.
Dr. Davis joined the staff at Scranton in 2006 and has served in several capacities, including as area coordinator and assistant director for housing operations in the Office of Residence Life; director of the University’s historic Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign, which raised more than $129 million to support the University’s mission, endowment and development; and as interim vice president for development and alumni relations. Prior to his service at the University, he was a volunteer in the Alumni Service Corps at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia.
He currently serves as a member of the NCAA Division III Management Council and on the Board of Trustees at Scranton Preparatory School.
In addition to his degrees from Scranton, he earned his Ed.D. in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.
Vice President for Student Life Named
-
10/02/2018
Technology that is accessible to everyone can provide individuals with disabilities greater opportunities throughout their communities. “Everyday Tools: Technology for Accessing Education, Employment and Life” will be the focus of The University of Scranton’s 17th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility on Thursday, Oct. 11.
Presenters will include Brett Humphrey, senior test lead at Microsoft, who has been working to develop software that is usable for those who are blind and have low vision, and Mike Marotta, president, Inclusive Technology Solutions, L.L.C., who has been providing direct services to individuals with disabilities for nearly 30 years and was named the 2017 International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Inclusive Learning Network Outstanding Educator. Also, Susan Tachau, co-founder and chief executive officer of the non-profit, Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation, will present “Possible Solutions for Funding Assistive Technology.”
Nationally known for her innovative strategies for creating practical solutions in minutes to help individuals with disabilities, Therese Willkomm, Ph.D., director of New Hampshire’s State Assistive Technology Program with the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire will present “Rapid Assistive Technology Solutions for Employment.” The author of “Assistive Technology Solutions in Minutes – Book 2 – Ordinary Items, Extraordinary Solutions,” Dr. Willcomm has designed and fabricated more than two thousand solutions for individuals with disabilities including her patented A.T. Pad Stand, a multiuse assistive technology mounting device.
The daylong conference is free of charge to the general public. There is a $25 fee for those wishing to earn continuing education unit (CEU) credit hours. Up to seven CEU hours can be earned at the conference. Registration is required to attend the day-long conference.
The conference will close with the evening keynote presentation “Working Through the System” by Bern Gavlick, an eighth-grade guidance counselor at F.D.R. Middle School in Bristol Township, and Bill Ziegler, assistive technology consultant with Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 in Doylestown and an Apple Distinguished Educator. The evening presentation is also open to the public, free of charge, but does not require reservations to attend. Allied Services is the corporate sponsor of this year’s Evening Keynote Presentation.
The annual Conference on disAbility brings together national, state, and regional experts to discuss a multifaceted approach to improving employment, independent living and transition for all people with disabilities. The conference is hosted by the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies with the support of the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment and Honorary Conference Co-Chairs Edward R. and Patricia Leahy.
Additional information about the 17th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility 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.
Adaptive Technology Focus of Conference
-
09/28/2018
The leadership of AllOne Foundation, along with The University of Scranton and representatives of numerous health care, education and philanthropic entities, today announced a major, regional initiative to significantly enhance the service delivery system and minimize the service gaps for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families living in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania.
The Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE) was formed to deliver a full array of services and supports for individuals with ASD, from early intervention to adult services. The University will serve as the executive hub of the five family-friendly centers.
“The Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence represents an opportunity for our region to develop a sustainable framework to address existing service gaps,” saidJohn P. Moses, Esq., chairman of the Board at AllOne Foundation, at the announcement. “Working collaboratively, we seek to create a national model for scientifically-sound innovation at the cutting edge of ASD care.”
ACCE includes regional leaders and ASD experts from Geisinger Autism & Developmental Medicine Institute (ADMI), Misericordia University, The University of Scranton, Friendship House, Children’s Service Center, Wyoming Valley Children’s Association (WVCA), Allied Services, Goodwill Industries of NEPA, Hope Enterprises, Inc., Luzerne County ARC and NEPA Center for Independent Living.
ACCE will directly benefit preschool children through adults with ASD in the 13-county area of Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania. Specific services will vary by age but will be available to families regardless of gender, race, or socioeconomic status. Based on combined county census data and a presumed ASD prevalence of 1 in 68, the estimated number of individuals in the region living with ASD is over 17,500, making this a high-impact initiative.
ASD is a behaviorally-defined condition with diagnosable genetic disorders being the most common known causes. Developmental behavioral evaluation and genetic testing are recommended as part of the comprehensive diagnostic work-up of individuals with ASD. Because of long waiting lists for evaluation and a lack of adequately-trained clinicians, many with ASD in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania experience delayed or inaccurate diagnosis, and relatively few undergo recommended medical and genetic testing.
“ACCE represents a sustainable framework to address existing service gaps, while creating a national model for scientifically-sound innovation at the cutting edge of ADS care,” Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, said at the announcement.
The Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE) will:
* Create Family-Friendly ASD Community Hubs to assist individuals and families in identifying and navigating services throughout the region.
* Establish a coordinated network of qualified ASD providers to facilitate regional access to evidence-based care.
* Deliver a full array of services and supports for individuals with ASD, from Early Intervention to Adult Services.
* Provide a coordinated, comprehensive approach to the identification and treatment of ASD for children, adults, and families.
* Promote evidence-based practices as the standard for ASD treatment in the region.
* Enhance undergraduate and graduate training opportunities in ASD-related fields to create a highly skilled talent pool for the region.
* Expand opportunities for respite care for families.
* Ensure a consistent, seamless approach that allows for tracking service delivery transitions across multiple agencies.
* Implement an ongoing process for data collection, analysis, and the reporting of outcomes and recommendations from the coordinated network of qualified ASD providers to enhance the delivery of evidence-based care across Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania for individuals with ASD and their families.
ACCE is supported by AllOne Foundation, The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Margaret Briggs Foundation, Northeast PA Health Care Foundation, Highmark Foundation, Geisinger Foundation and Moses Taylor Foundation. This multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment represents the largest private philanthropic investment in a single health issue in Northeastern and North Central Pennsylvania.
Those interested in more information about the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence may call 570-208-1200 or visit AllOneforAutism.org.
Regional Autism Services Collaborative Announced
-
09/25/2018
Rev. Ronald McKinney, S.J., Ph.D., professor of philosophy, received the John L. Earl III Award for service to The University of Scranton, the faculty and the wider community.
“I am glad today that we honor his tireless work in the service of so many generations of Scranton students,” said University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., of Father McKinney receiving the Earl Award, adding that he often hears alumni speak of Father McKinney “with tremendous admiration, affection and respect.”
The award is given annually to a member of the University community who demonstrates the spirit of generosity and dedication that the late Dr. John Earl, a distinguished professor of history, exemplified during his years at Scranton from 1964 to 1996.
In his remarks at the award presentation, previous Earl award recipient Michael Friedman, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre at Scranton, said Father McKinney has made a “remarkable impact on the personal lives of the members of the faculty as well as the University community at large,” calling him a “man for all of us.”
“Whether he is directing Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, teaching rigorous, innovative courses or writing prize-winning original plays, he unfailingly pursues the aim of Jesuit education and Jesuit life: to nurture men and women for others,” said Dr. Friedman.
Father McKinney joined the faculty of the University in 1984 and served as director of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program from 1986 to 2010. In addition to teaching philosophy courses, Father McKinney also leads faculty seminars and workshops in Ignatian vision and pedagogy. During his more than 30 years at Scranton, Father McKinney has also served on several committees and initiatives, including currently as member of the Middle States Self-Study Working Group and the Health Professions Evaluation Committee.
An award-winning playwright, Father McKinney earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and master’s degrees from Weston School of Theology and Fordham University. He also earned his doctorate from Fordham University.
Philosophy Professor Receives Earl Award
-
09/24/2018
The University of Scranton has named three individuals to its Board of Trustees: Jacquelyn Rasieleski Dionne ’89, Westport, Connecticut; Liz Murphy '83, Southport, North Carolina; and Vincent R. Reilly, Esq., ’80, P’05, ’08, ’11, ’14, Philadelphia.
A native of Scranton and University of Scranton alumna, Dionne became a registered nurse upon graduating from Community Medical Center in 1986. She received a bachelor’s degree in health administration from the University in 1989. She began her career as a trauma intensive care nurse in Scranton and continued as a cardiothoracic nurse in Boston and the New Hampshire Heart Institute. She recently returned to a medical setting, working as an RN with elderly and Alzheimer’s patients.
She is active in numerous charitable organizations, including having served as a vice president for the National Charity League, Westport Chapter, as well as Horizons Organization of Bridgeport Connecticut, Meals on Wheels and several other nonprofit organizations. Dionne previously served on the University’s board from 2011 through 2017. During that time, she chaired the advancement committee, served on the executive committee, and on both the presidential and provost search committees. In 2015, she was instrumental in the creation of the Kania School of Management’s Business Wall of Fame. In 2013, she and her husband, John D. Dionne ’86, were co-recipients of the University’s President’s Medal, an honor presented by the President’s Business Council. In 2008, the University named its newly created green at the heart of its campus in honor of her and her husband.
Murphy, who graduated in 1983, is chair of the board and chief evangelist for CampusWorks, Inc., a higher education professional services company. She has more than 35 years of experience in higher education, having first served as an institutional fundraiser for both a university and a community college foundation. For more than 21 years she worked at Datatel, an enterprise software provider to higher education, serving in marketing and professional services leadership roles, before advancing to the position of chief client officer there. She then served as chief executive officer of CampusWorks for more than six years.
Murphy serves on the boards of Oohlala, Quality Matters and the Alliance for Innovation and Transformation. She also served as director and chair of the board of the Lupus Foundation of America, D.C., Maryland and Virginia Chapter.
She is married to University of Scranton alumnus and former University Trustee Justin Murphy ’76.
Reilly, who graduated from The University of Scranton in 1980 and Villanova University School of Law in 1983, has been active in civil litigation in the state and federal courts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. On Jan. 1, 2000, along with Tracey McDevitt ’93, he founded the law firm of Reilly, McDevitt and Henrich, where he serves as managing partner of the firm with offices in Philadelphia, New Jersey and Delaware. Reilly serves on the advisory board of the Friends of St. Malachy Inc., a nonprofit corporation assisting St. Malachy Parish in North Philadelphia. He previously served as a University trustee from 2011 to 2017 He is married to Eileen O’Neil, who graduated from the University in 1982. Four of their five children, Brigid ’05, Peggy ’08, Brendan ’11 and Colin ’14, graduated from The University of Scranton. Their son Tim graduated from the University of Delaware in 2009.
University of Scranton Names New Trustees
-
09/24/2018
The University of Scranton celebrated the Inauguration of our 27th president, Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., the morning of Sept. 21 in the Byron Center. Father Pilarz, who also served as the University’s 24th president, was welcomed by a University community elated for his return.
More than 1,000 members of the University and local communities filled the Byron Recreation Center to watch the academic procession usher Father Pilarz onto the stage. Following the procession, Father Pilarz and the audience were treated to a surprise. Wycliffe Gordon H’06, award winning trombonist, played his original composition “Me, We.”
Next, everyone viewed a short video welcoming Father Pilarz back, which featured Scranton students, faculty, staff, Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. The video highlighted the University’s anticipation of Father Pilarz’s Inauguration, calling it “the return of a great leader.”
Joshua Rosenblum conducted the world premiere of his original piece “Don’t Waste Love,” commissioned specially for Father Pilarz’s Inauguration and performed by The University of Scranton Band and Choir. Rosenblum’s inspiration for the lyrics, which included the past speeches of Father Pilarz, other prominent Jesuits, and Pope Francis, set the tone for an Inauguration focused on love.
When Father Pilarz began his remarks, he said he only had one thing to say.
“I love this place and I am blessed to be back here with you.”
Of course, he joked, the Board of Trustees might be disappointed if he only said one thing, so he went on to call on the University community to act out of love more than ever now.
“We cannot be complacent,” he said. “Communities everywhere are under stress … We must be a source of hope for the local community going forward.”
The way forward, he said, is clear. To lead the way, and to ease the stresses and division of communities both great and small, The University of Scranton must further commit itself to liberal arts and humanities, Father Pilarz said. Members of the University community must be agents for positive change in the world.
“The humanities teach us not to waste love,” Father Pilarz said.
Even those students, faculty and staff who do not primarily work within the humanities benefit from their liberal arts courses, he said.
“What sets aside a good doctor or nurse?” Father Pilarz asked. “A deep understanding of the human condition.”
To better enable its students to be men and women for others, Father Pilarz announced a $1 million commitment to a new center for the humanities from Betsy and James Slattery ’86, who is co-vice chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.
Also at the Inauguration, Father Pilarz received important symbols of his presidency. Judee Bavaria G’72, co-vice chair on the Board of Trustees, entrusted Father Pilarz with the Charter. Slattery gave Father Pilarz the Presidential Medallion. Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., H’06, the 26th President of the University, presented Father Pilarz with the Mace.
A reception on the Dionne Campus Green immediately followed.
University’s 27th President Inaugurated
-
09/21/2018
“I love this place, and I am blessed to be here with you” was the message Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., delivered in his Inauguration Address as the 27th President at The University of Scranton.
In his remarks, Father Pilarz discussed “our community, our core
and our shared commitments” to an audience of nearly 1,500 in the Byron Recreation Complex on campus Sept. 21, emphasizing the sacred role played by teachers and the blessed atmosphere of a university as a place to search for and discovertruth . He recommitted to dedicate University resources to the key role humanities play in a Jesuit education, announcing the establishment of a center for the humanities at Scranton, as well as the first leadership gift of $1 million from University Trustee James Slattery and his wife, Betsy, in support of this effort.“The humanities and liberal arts are home to the great stories, and Jesuit educators have always believed that reading the great stories is the best preparation for a life lived generously in service of others and God,” said Father Pilarz. “In addition, they knew that the great stories teach you that time is a finger snap and a blink of an
eye, and that you should not allow a moment to pass you by without taking joyous, ecstatic note of it. In other words, the humanities teach us, don’t waste love.”Father Pilarz also promised to raise funds to support endowments for scholarships and financial aid to students, as well as support for life-changing service and service trips.
“Our devotion to community, our passion for the liberal arts, and all of our commitments constitute a call to action, a call to think beyond ourselves in service of our mission for the greater Glory of God and world’s wellbeing. Ultimately, they are a call to love,” said Father Pilarz. “I pray today and every day that all of us at Scranton will be preoccupied with love for our students and for one another.”
The Inauguration included video greetings from faculty, students, alumni
and staff, as well as elected officials and college presidents.“This is day of great promise for The University of Scranton. We have chosen you to lead this University community and to embrace, strengthen and further our mission. As you undertake the presidency, the Board of Trustees and the entire University community pledge our support and collaboration to work with you to enlighten the minds and lift the hearts of our campus, our community and our world,” said Joseph M. Vaszily ’95, chair of the University’s Board of Trustees.
The ceremony also included a surprise performance by acclaimed trombonist Wycliffe A. Gordon H’06 and the world premiere performance of “Don’t Waste Love,” which was composed by Joshua Rosenblum and commissioned especially for Father Pilarz’s Inauguration as the University’s 27th president. Rosenblum conducted the piece, which was performed by the University’s Concert Band and Concert Choir. The piece will also be performed at the University’s Family Weekend Inauguration concert at 7:30 p.m. the evening of Sept. 22 in the Houlihan-McLean Center.
Father Pilarz served as Scranton’s 24th president from 2003 to 2011, becoming the fifth longest-serving president at Scranton and third longest-serving Jesuit president. During his first tenure as president, the University earned national recognition for academic quality, community engagement
and student success, achievingthen record admissions and undertaking the largest construction projects in its history. He expanded international mission and service opportunities and programs to enhance its Catholic and Jesuit identity. Transformational capital projects included the 180,000-square-foot Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center; the 108,000-square-foot Christopher and Margaret Condron Hall; the John and Jacquelyn Dionne Campus Green; the expansion of the Retreat Center at Chapman Lake, the 189,000-square-foot apartment and fitness complex on Mulberry Street; and the 200,000-square-foot Loyola Science Center.Other accomplishments included dedicated support for research by new faculty, the President’s Colloquy for Presidential Scholars, and five endowed chairs to attract top scholars. The University’s progress was supported by the Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign, the most ambitious capital campaign in the University’s history, surpassing its $125 million fundraising goal.
As a scholar, Father Pilarz has delivered numerous papers at scholarly conferences on various aspects of medieval and Renaissance literature. He has also lectured and published on topics related to Jesuit education. His book, Robert Southwell, S.J., and the Mission of Literature 1561-1595: Writing Reconciliation, was published by Ashgate Press. A quote of St. Southwell’s, “Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live,” is engraved above a prominent entrance to the DeNaples Center. These words were also incorporated into the theme of Father Pilarz’s Inauguration as well: “Where I Love, I Live.”
President Shares Vision for University
-
09/21/2018My fellow Trustees, Bishop Bambera, Father Provincial, honored guests, my brother Jesuits, members of
faculty , staff and administration and most importantly, University of Scranton students.
First and foremost, thanks to all who made this great day in the life of the University possible – this wonderful celebration of community. In all honesty, there is only one thing I want to say today:
I love this place, and I am blessed to be back here with you.
However, my bosses, the Trustees, are sitting behind me, and I don’t think I can get away with a single sentence. They hired me, and they are going to want to hear more.
There are actually three aspects of the University that I wish to address today: Our Community, Our Coreand Our Shared Commitments.
Our Community
Speaking tocommunity , let me start by thanking Father Herb Keller for the groundwork he laid last year as Interim President. I’m delighted that he is the rector of the Scranton Jesuit community and also special assistant to the president. This is one of those rare instances where my boss is also my special assistant. Herb’s good work built upon the legacy ofcommunity that generations of women and men serving the University have made our hallmark including our former president, Father Joseph McShane, who we are happy to welcome back today.
One of the primary reasons I am so happy to be back is because of the special, unique nature of this community that has once again so warmly welcomed me and my family.
Two years ago, I was happily serving as the president of Georgetown Prep, the oldest Jesuit high school in the United States, complete with my own golf course (if only I golfed). I was blessed with remarkable comrades and collaborators, some of whom have joined us here today. People who are devoted to serving Prep’s exceptional students.
I can assure you that there was no other place on the planet that I would have considered leaving Prep, except for The University of Scranton. When Scranton friends first suggested that I consider coming back, my respect for and devotion to this place led me to discern the pursuit of this opportunity. And throughout thatdiscernment I was haunted by some words that somebody etched on the front of the DeNaples Center:
Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live.
Whilecommunity is a key strength, we can never be complacent here at Scranton. As you know,community both here and everywhere is under stress. Some of these stresses are not new. In 2011, Father General Adolfo Nicholás in Mexico City said:
“When one is overwhelmed with such a dizzying pluralism of choices and values and beliefs and visions of life, then one can so easily slip into the lazy superficiality of relativism or mere tolerance of others and their views, rather than engaging in the hard work of forming communities of dialogue in the search of truth and understanding.”
We have never been afraid of this kind of hard work at The University of Scranton. In our current context, this work requires a focus on reconciliation. As our current Father General recent wrote:
The university is …a privileged space for exercising human freedom. Freedom to search and find the paths of social transformation through research and teaching. It is a space in which the message of liberation of the Good News of the Gospel can contribute to finding better ways to generate life in the midst of difficulties and uncertainty, which seem to overwhelm the daily lives of most men and women, opening a space for hope to enter.
What better place for hope to enter than here at The University of Scranton. We must ensure that hope always abides here and more that we are the source for hope in our local community, the communities in which our graduates live and work, in the Church, and in the world.
Our Core
How do we go about equipping our students to live lives that are sources for hope? For me, the answer is clear and central to my own education and life’s work. We have always given pride of place to the liberal arts and the humanities, and our commitment to these academic disciplines is rooted and grounded in our mission and identity. The earliest Jesuit educators believed and developed a curriculum out of the conviction that the study of literature, history, language, theologyand philosophy, transform students to be agents for positive change in a world always waiting to be made more gentle and just. At Scranton, the humanities and liberal arts are the heart of the matter and must always remain so.
This is not to say that as a comprehensive university we are not committed to an array of outstanding undergraduate and graduate, professional and pre-professional programs. But what sets apart a Scranton doctor, nurse, accountant, teacher, scientist or executive is a deep appreciation for and understanding of the human condition. Humanities and the liberal arts offer opportunities to gain wisdom by engaging and embracing life’s greatest mysteries. Those of you that know me well, know that at heart, I am an English teacher. At the conclusion of every English class I have ever taught, I share with my students these words from the New Jersey novelist Philip Roth:
“I love teaching literature. I am rarely ever so contented as when I am here with my pages of notes and my marked up texts and with people like yourselves. To my mind, there is nothing quite like the classroom in all of life. Sometimes when we are in the midst of talking, when one of you has pierced with a single phrase right to the heart of the book at hand, I want to cry out: Dear friends, cherish this. Why? Because once you have left here people are rarely if ever going to talk to you or listen to you the way you talk or listen to one another and to me in this bright and barren little room. …I doubt that you know how very affecting it is to hear you speak thoughtfully and in all earnestness about solitude, illness, longing, loss, suffering, delusion, hope, passion and love. …To put it as straight as I can, what the church is to a true believer; a classroom is to me. Some kneel at Sunday prayer, and I appear three times each week to teach the great stories to you.”
The humanities and liberal arts are home to the great stories, and Jesuit educators have always believed that reading the great stories is the best preparation for a life lived generously in service of others and God. In addition, they knew that the great stories teach you that time is a finger snap and a blink of aneye, and that you should not allow a moment to pass you by without taking joyous, ecstatic note of it. In other words, the humanities teach us don’t waste love.
Even before I arrived, faculty and administrators were talking about how Scranton can best be positioned as a leader in humanities education. Inspired by their good work and by my own deep convictions, I have already made finding resources to support this dream a priority. We must explicitly re-dedicate our community to Ignatian intellectual rigor, curiosityand personal and professional growth.
As a start to accomplishing this, we will create a center for the humanities that will provide every part of our academic community – business and nursing, the arts and political science, communications and chemistry – with an empowering and coherent basis for these Ignatian ideals.
While you will hear much more about our plans in the coming weeks, I wish today to let you know that we have already received the first of what I hope will be many leadership gifts in support of it. I know I am putting him on the spot, but I want to acknowledge the generous commitment of one million dollars from Mr. James Slattery and his wife, Betsy. Jim…. thank you and Betsy for helping to launch this dream.
Our Commitments
While the liberal arts central to our mission, we have over the decades defined a Scranton education in much more comprehensive ways. We are proud of all of our academic programs and the ways in which they too transform the lives of our students. As we look to the future, we are committed to strengthen strategically our existing programs and to add appropriate new ones. While our past provides a compass, we always need to be aware of opportunities and potential directions. I encourage all of us, especially our new provost, the deansand the faculty, to be innovative, entrepreneurial and collaborative. Ultimately, all of the programs that we offer now and will offer in the future to our students must develop organically and authentically in accord with our mission and identity.
In addition to finding financial support for the liberal arts and humanities, I am committed to doing the same for student-faculty research and faculty development. Our students tell us again and again how such research has helped them discern their passion in life. These opportunities obviously require a level of generosity from our faculty who give so freely of their time and who remain excited to create knowledge. We can all be grateful, as I am, for the Scranton faculty who are so selflessly committed to student success.
In order that future generations may have access to the Scranton experience, we are committed to redoubling our efforts to supportendowment for the sake of affordability. Scholarships and financial aid are the difference makers for students and their families. To this end, we must invite our alumni, parentsand friends to help our students to realize their dreams here.
We have a strong tradition here in Scranton of service and service programs both international and domestic. I have to admit that during my first tenure, I had to be strong-armed into accompanying a group of students to El Salvador. They had earlier in the semester talked me into offering a reader on liberation theology. At the end of the semester, they asked a question: “What are we going to do with what we have learned? Let us go to Central America and put theory into practice.” Their example was an inspiration for me and my shared experience with them convinced me more than ever of the importance of exposing our students to the gritty reality of the world. While we didn’t change El Salvador in 10 days. That experience of service forever changed all of us. We must be committed to seeing such programs flourish, and a dream of mine is to see them fully endowed.
While our current strategic plan rightly encourages us to embrace the world, we just as enthusiastically embrace our city and the region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. We are committed to the University remaining an engine of opportunity, a voice for social justice and a hub of cultural, intellectual and spiritual life.
As a University founded by the first Bishop of Scranton and sustained by the Society of Jesus since 1942, we uniquely manifest our Catholic and Jesuit identity. For example, and withdeference to my fellow Jesuit presidents with us today, Scranton stands out among our sister Jesuit institutions in our practice of cura personalis.
Based on the Saint Ignatius’ experience during his conversion of God drawing close to him as an individual with his own hopes, aspirations, dreams, our paradigm for relating to Scranton students embodies the “reverent familiarity” practiced by the earliest Jesuit educators. We have learned that caring for students in this way is the heart of our transformational education.
This qualifies our University community to address with care, issues facing the Church both local and universal. Recently our Board of Trustees dedicated endowed funds to launch an effort both scholarly and pastorally to harness our gifts attime when the need for transformation is so apparent. We commit ourselves to this effort with a sense of humility, but also with a sense of urgency.
As I conclude, let me draw upon the words of Father Timothy Healy, a mentor, friend and late president of Georgetown. Father Healy once spoke of the work of a University as an “act of love,” and Ignatius reminds us that “Love is shown in deeds, not in words.” Our devotion to community, our passion for the liberal arts, and all of our commitments constitute a call to action, a call to think beyond ourselves in service of our mission for the greater Glory of God and world’s wellbeing. Ultimately, they are a call to love.
To again paraphrase Father Healy: while universities are great at assessment, planningand accreditation, in our heart of hearts they don’t really matter to us. What does matter is the individual contact, the teacher in the classroom…, the arc across which our learning bangs into the energy of the young. That interchange is more important to us than all the statistics, rules or regulations issued by the office of the dean or provost, all the fulminations of the president and the Board of Trustees or anyone else on the good ground on which we serve. “Only individuals grow and that growth, in mind and heart, is the university’s preoccupation.”
I pray today and every day that all of us at Scranton will be preoccupied with love for our students and for one another. I love this place, and I am so blessed to be back here with all of you.
God bless you, God bless Catholic and Jesuit education, and God bless The University of Scranton.Inauguration Address
-
09/21/2018
A Celebration of Community: The Inauguration of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as The University of Scranton’s 27th President
Inauguration Date: Sept. 21, 2018
Attendance:
Total for all events: 3,100 (estimate)
Inauguration Ceremony: 1,500
Inauguration Mass: 1,000 (estimate)
Inauguration Concert: 600 (estimate)
Number of Colleges and Universities Represented: 54
Oldest College Represented: Harvard University (established 1636)
Newest College Represented: The Commonwealth Medical College (established 2008)
Number of School Presidents in Attendance: 11
Former University of Scranton Presidents in Attendance: 3 (including Father Pilarz as No. 24)
Quotable: “Where I Love, I Live” Inauguration theme, inspired by the words of Jesuit martyr St. Robert Southwell: “Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live.”
World Premiere at Inauguration: Joshua Rosenblum’s original composition “Don’t Waste Love,” based on text drawn from inspirational words from Father Pilarz’s addresses to the University community made during his first tenure at Scranton, combined with phrases from poems and writings by other members of the Society of Jesus, including St. Robert Southwell, Gerard Manley Hopkins, St. Ignatius of Loyola and Pope Francis.
Quick Facts
-
09/19/2018
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, community leaders and area residents are invited to attend “A Celebration of Community: The Inauguration of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as The University of Scranton’s 27th President” on Friday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. University classes have been canceled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday and offices will be closed during that time to allow attendance at the ceremony, which will take place in the Byron Recreation Complex. A luncheon will immediately follow the ceremony on the Dionne Campus Green.
In addition to the ceremony, a Mass in Celebration of the Inauguration of Father Pilarz will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 4 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex.
Both events will be live streamed at scranton.edu/eventslive. An archived video will be available immediately following each event and will remain available for viewing on this site for 30 days.
The University’s Inauguration events will conclude with the “Family Weekend President’s Concert: Celebrating the Inauguration of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th President” Saturday, Sept. 22, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. The concert will feature The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir with special guest Wycliffe A. Gordon H’06.
The Inauguration will include the world premiere performance of “Don’t Waste Love,” which was composed by Joshua Rosenblum and commissioned especially for Father Pilarz’s Inauguration as the University’s 27th president. The piece will be performed by the University’s Concert Band and Concert Choir and will be conducted by the composer. The text of “Don’t Waste Love” is drawn from inspirational words from Father Pilarz’s addresses to the University community made during his first tenure at Scranton, combined with phrases from poems and writings by other members of the Society of Jesus, including St. Robert Southwell, Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., St. Ignatius of Loyola and Pope Francis. The piece will also be performed at the concert Saturday evening.
All three Inauguration events are free of charge and open to the public.
Inauguration Planned for September 21
-
09/18/2018
The University of Scranton ranked No. 107 among the 695 master’s universities in the nation included in a 2018 listing by Washington Monthly that seeks to rate colleges based on their contribution to the public good. Published in the September/October issue of the magazine and online, Washington Monthly analyzed numerous data sets to determine an overall rank, as well as a score and rank of colleges for “research,” “social mobility” and “community and national service.” Scranton ranked No. 55, No. 201 and No. 207, respectively, in these categories among master’s universities.
In addition, Washington Monthly also ranked schools in multiple data points. Scranton’s highest rankings in its category were: No. 17 for graduation rate; No. 31 for its student loan repayment; No. 43 for ROTC; and No. 52 for graduates earning Ph.D.s.
Washington Monthly weighted equally the colleges’ scores for research, social mobility and service to calculate the overall ranking. The research score is based on each school’s research expenditure and the number of alumni earning Ph.D.s, relative to the size of the college. The social mobility score is based on actual and predicted graduation rates; student loan repayment rates; actual verses predicted median earnings of graduates 10 years after enrollment; and the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants and the percentage of first generation college students, among other factors. The service score, also adjusted for the size of the school, is based on the size of the ROTC program; the number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps; and the percentage of federal work study grant money spent on community service projects.
Earlier this month, U.S. News and World Report ranked the University No. 6 for the “Best Regional Universities in the North,” marking the 25th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10 in its category. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 3 in its category in a listing of the top 168 colleges in the nation expressing “A Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” and No. 11 in its category in a ranking of the “Most Innovative Schools” that recognized just 159 colleges in America, among other rankings.
Scranton among Colleges Ranked by Washington Monthly
-
09/18/2018
More than 60 non-profit organizations met with more than 600 University students at The University of Scranton’s annual Volunteer Fair held on campus Sept. 11.
The fair allows students and student-led clubs interested in service projects and community-based learning sites a chance to meet representatives form nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers. American Red Cross, Big Brother Big Sister, the Lackawanna Blind Association, the Ronald McDonald House, the Scranton Cultural Center and the Gino Merli Veterans Center were among the participating organizations.
The annual fair is organized by Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice at the University.
Students Find Volunteer Opportunities at Fair
-
09/18/2018
The new C-SPAN bus will visit The University of Scranton as part of its 50 Capitals Tour on Friday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon. The C-SPAN bus is an interactive multi-media learning center focused on bringing election coverage to communities nationwide. This year C-SPAN is celebrating its 25th year of nationwide tours.
The new C-SPAN bus features interactive political quizzes, HD-TVs, an onboard studio, touch screen computers and a vast video library to educate the public about elections, public affairs and the political process. There is also a new selfie station and 360° video station.
The C-SPAN bus will be at the base of the University’s Commons, near the Commons Flag Terrace on corner of Linden Street and Monroe Avenue.
The event is open to the public, free of charge. For more information, contact The University of Scranton at 570-941-7669 or info@scranton.edu.
C-SPAN 50 Capitals Tour Bus to Visit Scranton
-
09/18/2018
An author and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical school spoke about his work with the homeless at The University of Scranton’s Ignatian Values in Action Lecture.
James O’Connell M.D., is the founding physician of the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program and author of “Stories from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor.” The book follows his experiences taking care of the homeless on the streets in Boston, Massachusetts. He began his work with the homeless after transferring from an intensive care unit to a homeless shelter clinic in Boston.
“All I could do for two months was soak feet,” Dr. O’Connell said. “I was shocked because I went from ICU, high-tech, knowing the most complicated stuff I could imagine to two months of soaking feet.”
The nurses at the shelter clinic were teaching Dr. O’Connell how to specifically treat homeless people.
“What the nurses were trying to tell me was, look you’ve been trained all wrong, you know medicine, how to prescribe it and how to diagnose it but, you have no idea how to take care of a homeless person who is struggling to survive each day,” Dr. O’Connell said. “Those were challenges I had no idea how to overcome.”
The nurses had Dr. O’Connell start at the patient’s feet so they could get used to having him around.
“What the foot soak does is change the power structure,” Dr. O’Connell said. “As doctors, we end up with our faces in your face or listening to your heart and lungs, but we really invade personal space. That doesn’t work when you see someone whose really been scarred by bad experiences on the streets.”
Dr. O’Connell continued.
“The nurses really flipped that power structure and put you at the feet of the person and then way away from their personal space,” Dr. O’Connell said. “It was brilliant because you were out of their personal space and your doing something that is very comforting to them, and we did it night after night just so they can get used to the fact I was there.”
The feet soaking helping Dr. O’Connell take his first steps into learning how treat homeless people.
“It taught me a huge lesson and that’s that you have to slow down, you have to be present, you have to listen and you can’t offer ideas until you’ve heard everybody through,” Dr. O’Connell said.
Dr. O’Connell’s dedication to caring for the homeless grew even more and he reached out to people living on the streets.
“In Boston we have a shelter bed or matt for anyone that wants one,” Dr. O’Connell said. “There’s a really small core of homeless people that can’t handle the shelters and will stay outside all year long. They are a particular sub-group of the world’s population that I’ve grown to know really well, love dearly and feel very frustrated on what we should do for them.”
The book was part of the Royal Reads program through which first-year students read the book over the summer. During the fall semester, first-year students will attend first-year seminar classes where themes of the book will be discussed.
Dr. O’Connell next took his work from the exam room and applied it to his work on the streets by giving treatments to the homeless living on the street.
“When you start doing street medicine, you realize you have to break those rules and break out of those usual ways of thinking,” Dr. O’Connell said. “As we parsed it back, we found 80 or 90 percent of what gets done in an exam room could actually be done in a McDonald’s booth or on a bench near a train station.”
This thinking led to more medical work being done for the homeless on the streets, including giving flu shots.
“One week in the fall, we all just get out and give everybody who lives on the street a flu shot,” Dr. O’Connell said. “We started to see all sorts of possibilities for what you can do to take care of people who never come into the clinic or hospital.”
Dr. O’Connell then gave his take on how to combat homelessness.
“A solution to homelessness though is not simply good healthcare or good housing,” Dr. O’Connell said. “The solution, I think we have to understand comes from focusing on the poverty and trauma that causes it back when they were kids. So if we’re going to fix the problem we need to fix our schools, our welfare system, our work system, our justice system, our public health and mental health system, our agriculture, business and law.”
A book signing followed the lecture.
Physician to the Homeless Speaks at Scranton
-
09/17/2018
Owing to tremendous positive reviews by participants of “The Asian Art of Tea: Zen and Tea” two years ago, the Asian Studies Program at The University of Scranton will host “Sound and Tea Meditation” on Oct. 2, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The meditation event will be guided by Buddhist teachers from the Dharma Drum Retreat Center located in Pine Bush, New York.
A reception will follow immediately to provide opportunity for participants to converse with the two teachers. The event is free and open to the public, however reservations are required to attend due to seating limitations. Reservations can be made on line or by calling 570-941-7643.
The Dharma Drum Retreat Center (DDRC) was founded by the renowned scholar and teacher of Chan/Zen Buddhism, Master Sheng Yen. Born in China in 1930 to a farming family in a village near Shanghai, China, he entered the Guang Jiao Monastery at age thirteen. In 1969, he was admitted to Rissho University, Japan, and earned a doctorate in Buddhist literature in 1975. Master Sheng Yen received Dharma transmission in two major branches of Chan Buddhism, the Linji (Japanese: Rinzai), and the Caodong (Japanese: Soto).
Chan is the school of Chinese Buddhism popularly known as “Zen” in Japanese. Ultimately, Chan means direct awakening to both interconnectedness and impermanence, and the consequent arising of wisdom and compassion. This awakening experience is inexpressible in words and inaccessible to the dualism of language and concepts. It is a state of awareness and mindfulness free of the ego-self. We can cultivate peace and clarity of mind through Chan/Zen practice.
Abbot Venerable Guo Yuan, one of Chan Master Sheng Yen’s Dharma heirs and a Buddhist monk, will guide the sound meditation. For more than 20 years, he accompanied and became translator to Master Sheng Yen in various Chan meditation retreats in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Russia and Mexico. He studied Theravada Buddhism for a year in Thailand in 1991. Upon returning from Thailand, venerable Guo Yuan was elected abbot of both the Chan Meditation Center in Queens and the DDRC. His responsibilities included attending interfaith services, teaching meditation, and giving lectures on Buddhism. Fluent in Mandarin, Vietnamese and English, he leads Chan retreat in many countries around the world.
Venerable Chang-Hu, acting director of DDRC, ordained in 2006, will guide the tea meditation. Since 2006, venerable Chang Hu has been involved in over 160 intensive Chan retreats, conducting individual interviews and amassing rich experience in overall retreat organization. He has studied and taught meditation in Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, Singapore and Malaysia. Venerable Chang Hu has a deep interest in areas such as incense-meditation, tea-meditation, Buddhist arts, photography, botany and contemplation of artistic renditions based on Buddhist scriptures.
For further information, contact Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., director of the Asian Studies program at the University at 570-941-6312 or by email at ann.pang-white@scranton.edu
Sound and Tea Meditation Planned at University
-
09/17/2018
The University of Scranton will host a lecture, book signing and reception to mark the debut of volume III of a new six-volume edition of The Annotated Works of Henry George. The event, offered free of charge and open to the public, will take place at 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 28 in the Ballroom of The DeNaples Center. The Annotated Works assembles Henry George’s major works for the first-time with new introductions, critical annotations, extensive bibliographical material, and comprehensive indexing. George (1839-1897) was an advocate for economic and social reform and the author of the best-selling classic book, Progress and Poverty.
The Sept. 28 event will begin with an overview of The Annotated Works by Brendan Hennigan, program director of the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation and will be followed by a presentation by Fred Foldvary, Ph.D., a Henry George scholar and a lecturer in economics at San Jose State University, California. Dr. Foldvary’s presentation “How to Eliminate Economic Deprivation and Generate Economic Sustainability with Land Value Taxation” is based on his introductory essay to a chapter from The Annotated Works that includes three of George’s religious speeches: Moses, Thy Kingdom Come, and Thou Shalt Not Steal.
Since 1986 the Department of Economics and Finance at the University has hosted the annual Henry George Lecture and Seminar series funded by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation awarded to the University’s Kania School of Management. Ten Nobel Laureates are among the speakers in the series.
The Robert Schalkenbach Foundation was organized in 1925 as an operating foundation to promote public awareness of the social philosophy and economic reforms advocated by George, who rose to fame as a social reformer and economist amid the industrial and intellectual turbulence of the late nineteenth century.
A book signing and reception will follow Dr. Foldvary’s presentation.
For additional information, contact Edward Scahill, Ph.D., associate professor of economics, at edward.scahill@scranton.edu.
Debut of Annotated Works of Henry George, Vol. III
-
09/13/2018
Through Oct. 5 Art Exhibit: “Liquid Earth: Contemporary Cast Iron Sculpture.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through Dec. 14 Library Exhibit: “The World’s Best Penman-The Artistic and Business Career of Charles Paxton Zaner, 1864-1918.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Oct. 1 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Democracy Dies in Darkness” presented by Elzbieta Matynia, Ph.D., professor of sociology and liberal studies and director of the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies at the New School for Social Research. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 2 5:30 p.m. Asian Studies presents “Sound and Tea Meditation” with Buddhist Venerables from the Dharma Drum Retreat Center, New York, and reception following. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Oct. 4 6:30 p.m. President’s Business Council 17th Annual Award Dinner honoring Scranton alumni Linda McGowan, partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr., president, JLS Cost Management Systems Inc., at The Pierre, New York City. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Tickets required. Call 570-941-5837 or email PBC@scranton.edu.
Oct. 11 8:30 a.m. 17th Annual Northeastern U.S. Conference on disAbility “Everyday Tools: Technology for Accessing Education, Employment and Life.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free for general public with $25 fee for registrants interested in CEU credit. Call 570-941-7819 or email rebecca.dalgin@scranton.edu.
Oct. 11 4:30 p.m. Keynote Address by Bern Gavlick and Bill Ziegler titled “Working Through the System” in conjunction with the 17th Annual Northeastern U.S. Conference on disAbility. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7819 or email rebecca.dalgin@scranton.edu.
Oct. 12-14 and 19-21 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “The Laramie Project” by Moisés Kaufman and The Members of the Tectonic Theatre Project presented by The University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary Performing and Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Oct. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Juilliard graduate Alexander Pittorino, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 13 4 p.m. Book signing by author Lorene Cary, who will receive the 2018 Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 13 5 p.m. Distinguished Author Award Dinner honoring Lorene Cary, who will receive the 2018 Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Reservation required. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 17 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Translating The Odyssey: How and Why” presented by Emily Wilson, Ph.D., professor, Department of Classical Studies, and chair, Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, University of Pennsylvania. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 18 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and The University of Scranton Office of the President Collaborative Program: “The Humanities: Now More Than Ever” presented by Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president, The University of Scranton. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. RSVP required. Free event. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 18 6:30 p.m. Reading Series: Department of English and Theatre presents novelist Angie Cruz. McDonnell Room, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7619 or email susan.mendez@scranton.edu.
Oct. 19 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Jeremy Ajani Jordan, piano, and Mark Dover, clarinet. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 21 through Nov. 16 Art Exhibit: “America in a Trance: Photographs by Niko J. Kallianiotis.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 21 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 24 6 p.m. Library Lecture: “The World’s Best Penman-The Artistic and Business Career of Charles Paxton Zaner, 1864-1918” presented by Michael Knies, University of Scranton special collection librarian. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Reception following. Free. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.
Oct. 25 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “You Can Do Anything” presented by Eric Schnurer, president, Public Works, LLC. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 27 7 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip to Baltimore, Maryland. $85. Registration required by Sept. 29. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 27 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble with guest soloist Joseph Boga, trumpet/piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Thursdays: Oct. 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, 8, 15 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “A Reconsideration of the Politics of the Founding Generation in the Age of Donald Trump” presented by David Dzurec, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the History Department, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Tuesdays: Oct. 23, 30 and Nov. 6, 13, 27 and Dec. 4 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Homer’s The Illiad and The Odyssey” presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University of Scranton Announces October Events
-
09/13/2018
The University of Scranton granted promotions and/or tenure to 15 faculty members effective at the start of the 2018-19 academic year.
Five faculty members have been promoted to professor: Mary Jane DiMattio, Ph.D., nursing; Shuhua Fan, Ph.D., history; Steven Szydlowski, D.H.A., health administration and human resources and Jennifer Vasquez, Ph.D., mathematics; and Patricia Wright, Ph.D., nursing.
Seven faculty members were named associate professor: Michael Azar, Ph.D., theology/religious studies; Jessica Bachman, Ph.D., exercise science and sport; Ann Feeney, Ph.D., nursing; Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., English and theatre; Joan Grossman, Ph.D., exercise science and sport; Yibai Li, Ph.D., operations and information management; and Benjamin Willis, Ph.D., counseling and human services.
Michael Fennie, Ph.D., chemistry, was named associate professor and granted tenure.
Two faculty members were granted tenure: Robert Giambatista, Ph.D., management, marketing and entrepreneurship; and Jason Graham, Ph.D., mathematics.
Dr. DiMattio received her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, her master’s degree from Villanova University and her doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked for the University since 1993.
Dr. Fan received her bachelor’s degree from Sichuan Normal University, her master’s degree from Jilin University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has worked for the University since 2009.
Dr. Szydlowski received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton and his doctorate from Medical University of South Carolina. He has worked for the University since 2004.
Dr. Vasquez received her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Indiana University. She has worked for the University since 2007.
Dr. Wright received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from College Misericordia and her doctorate from Loyola University Chicago. She has worked for the University since 2007.
Dr. Azar received his bachelor’s degree from Colorado Christian University, his master’s degree from St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and he received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Fordham University. He has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Bachman received her bachelor’s degree from the Pennsylvania State University and received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Tennessee. She has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Feeney received her bachelor’s degree from Marywood University, her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her doctorate from Binghamton University. She has worked for the University since 2008.
Dr. Grettano received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of South Alabama and her doctorate from Illinois State University. She has worked for the University since 2009.
Dr. Grossman received her bachelor’s degree from King’s College, her master’s degree from Colorado State University and received her doctorate from Marywood University. She has worked for the University since 2010.
Dr. Li received his bachelor’s degree from Jilin University, his master’s degree from Oklahoma State University and his doctorate from Washington State University. He has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Willis received his bachelor’s, masters and doctoral degrees from the University of North Carolina. He has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Fennie received his bachelor’s degree from the Canisius University and his doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. He has worked for the University since 2012.
Dr. Giambatista received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Pennsylvania State University and received his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has worked for the University since 2013.
Dr. Graham received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston, his master’s degrees from Southern Methodist University and the University of Iowa and received his doctorate from the University of Iowa. He has worked for the University since 2012.
University Announces Faculty Promotions
-
09/13/2018
The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library will honor acclaimed writer Lorene Cary with the 2018 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award on Saturday, Oct. 13. Cary’s books include her best-selling memoir “Black Ice,” “If Sons, Then Heirs,” “The Price of a Child,” “Pride” and “FREE! Great Escapes on the Underground Railroad.” Also, her essays have appeared in publications like Newsweek, Time, Essence and O Magazine. In 1998, Cary founded Art Sanctuary to create unique programs for African-American artists, performers and writers in Philadelphia.
The evening event will take place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center and includes a cocktail reception, dinner and award presentation. Tickets are $60 per person, $55 for Friends of the Library and Schemel Forum members, $25 for students and $20 for student Friends members. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.
In addition, there will be a book signing open to the public from 4 to 5 p.m. in the DeNaples Center.
Named in honor of the late Rev. Royden B. Davis, S.J., who served in many roles at the University and as rector of the Jesuit Community, the Distinguished Author Award was established in 1997 as a way to honor notable fiction and non-fiction authors, and to give them the opportunity to share their literary pursuits and impressions with Northeastern Pennsylvanians.
For more information or to reserve a ticket for the dinner, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu. For more on Cary, visit lorenecary.org.
Distinguished Author Award to be Presented Oct. 13
-
09/11/2018
Twenty-one University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the fall semester at 10 different local schools from the following nine school districts: Lackawanna Trail, Dunmore, Forest City Regional, Mid Valley, Valley View, Blue Ridge, Wayne Highlands, Western Wayne and Wyalusing Area.
Following is a list of the student teachers and the schools at which they are serving during the fall semester.
Victoria Binetti of Washington Township, New Jersey, will student teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Sarah Breen of Chappaqua, New York, will student teach at Evergreen Elementary School;
Hannah Buckenmaier of Annapolis, Maryland, will student teach at Lackawanna Trail Elementary Center;
Jasmin Colon of Dunmore will student teach at Valley View Intermediate School;
Emily Crozier of Yardly will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
Jordan Delicato of Washington, New Jersey, will student teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Marc Habel of Scranton will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Celine Hermann of Downingtown will student teach at Blue Ridge Elementary School;
Olivia Heyser of Haddon Township, New Jersey, will student teach at Valley View Intermediate School;
Samantha Kellar of Wilkes-Barre will student teach at Valley View Intermediate School;
Rebecca Loonstyn of Philadelphia will student teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Samantha Marchesano of Glen Ridge, New Jersey, will student teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Samantha Milite of Perkasie will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
Brianne Niewinski of Mullica Hill, New Jersey, will student teach at Evergreen Elementary School;
Kathleen O’Neill of Pleasantville, New York, will student teach at Forest City Elementary School;
Gabrielle Pranzo of Lake Ariel will student teach at Stourbridge Elementary School;
Danielle Remy of Ramsey, New Jersey, will student teach at Evergreen Elementary School;
Lauren Seitz of Westwood, New Jersey, will student teach at Blue Ridge Elementary School;
Taylor Septer of Langhorne will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Megan Turner of Rockville Center, New York, will student teach at Forest City Elementary School;Jamie (Kintner) Weaver of South Abington Township will student teach at Wyalusing Valley Elementary School.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
09/11/2018
On the first Friday of September, the Hope Horn Gallery held a lecture, entitled “Liquid Earth: Contemporary Cast Iron Sculpture,” that invited students and community members to learn about what goes into creating cast iron art, and, in particular, about creation of the pieces that are featured in the current gallery exhibit.
According to Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the Hope Horn Gallery, some of the inspiration for the exhibit came from a week-long event that happened in May and early June of 2018 in Scranton, The International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art (I.C.C.C.I.A).
Dr. Miller-Lanning first explained that Scranton’s history with iron casting existed long before conference. In the 19th century iron casting was a daily occurrence in Scranton and, at one point, Scranton had the third largest iron manufacturing plant in the United States. Situated near the University’s Fitzpatrick field at 159 Cedar Avenue, are the remains of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company furnaces, which is now a historical site.
Today, iron casting is becoming a lost art, according to Dr. Miller-Lanning. She said one of the goals of the I.C.C.C.I.A. is to promote iron casting as an art medium.
“For artists who are using [iron casting] in a creative way, to pass down that knowledge and transform that into a vision is important to them. It also – on a really broad level – provides an international platform that fosters innovation and creative practice and sustains relevancy in the context of the contemporary art scene,” Dr. Miller-Lanning said.
The spring conference was attended by nearly 300 people from all over the world who had one thing in common: their interest in iron casting. Dr. Miller-Lanning said that this medium of art has a way of bringing people together.
During the lecture, Dr. Miller-Lanning showed images of many of the art pieces that are featured in the Hope Horn Gallery exhibit “Liquid Earth: Contemporary Cast Iron Sculpture,” which is on display through Oct. 5. Gallery hours are Sunday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. and Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Following the lecture, reception was held in the Hope Horn Gallery in conjunction with downtown Scranton’s First Fridays. The reception included live music and refreshments.
Gallery Lecture Highlights Cast Iron Art
-
09/10/2018
For the 25th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked The University of Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North.” Scranton ranked No. 6 in the 2019 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook, which became available online today. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 3 in its category in a listing of the top 168 colleges in the nation expressing “A Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” and No. 11 in its category in a ranking of the “Most Innovative Schools” that recognized just 159 colleges in America.
“We are honored to have been counted among the top ten universities in the north by U.S. News for a quarter of a century,” said Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “The consistent recognition we have received through national rankings from U.S. News and others acknowledges the significant work done by our faculty and staff at this Catholic and Jesuit university that is centered on student learning and outcomes. That is why I am most proud that U.S. News has also selected Scranton once again for its short list of colleges with ‘A Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching.’”
U.S. News rankings of “Strong Commitment to Undergraduate Teaching” colleges and “Most Innovative Schools” are based on the highest scores received through peer assessment surveys. The lists respectively recognize the nation’s top schools “where faculty have an usually strong commitment to undergraduate teaching” and schools that “are making the most innovative improvements in terms of curriculum, faculty, students, campus life, technology or facilities,” according to U.S. News.
In national rankings, as opposed to listings by category, U.S. News included Scranton among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” ranking Scranton at No. 199 in the U.S., and among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs,” ranking Scranton No. 134 among schools where a doctorate is not offered. Also, in national rankings of all business programs in America, U.S. News ranked several of Scranton’s entrepreneurship program at No. 31, its finance program at No. 36 and its accounting program at No. 37 in the country.
In addition, Scranton was also ranked No. 27 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” which compares
academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the sixth consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was also listed among the “top ranked” colleges where students do wellbased on “spirit and hard work.”U.S. News changed the methodology used in its rankings this year, increasing the weight given data used to assess “outcomes” to 35 percent of the overall score. U.S. News added a “social mobility assessment” (5 percent) to the outcomes data this year, based on
graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients and other factors. In addition, U.S. News considers a range of quality indicators for its ranking that includes peer assessment of academic excellence (20 percent); graduation and freshman retention (22 percent); faculty resources (20 percent); student selectivity (10 percent); financial resources (10 percent); alumni giving (5 percent); and graduation performance rates (8 percent), which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class. U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.The 2019 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 10.
Scranton Hits Quarter Century Mark in Top 10
-
09/07/2018
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., with a special gift to mark his return to the campus community.
On Friday, Sept. 21, The University’s Concert Band and Concert Choir will perform the world premiere of composer/conductor Joshua Rosenblum’s “Don’t Waste Love” at Father Pilarz’s Inauguration as the University’s 27th president. The piece was specially commissioned for the event.
Then, on Saturday, Sept. 22, the band and choir will perform the piece again with Rosenblum and internationally acclaimed trombonist and composer Dr. Wycliffe A. Gordon at the Family Weekend President’s Concert.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga said concertgoers can also expect a few surprise guests at the concert, which should take on a special resonance, given the occasion.
“Our sense of community here on the University campus is one of the things that I think really makes us unique,” Boga said during a recent interview with the Scranton Times-Tribune.
This isn’t the first time Rosenblum has worked on behalf of the University. In 1998, he composed “The Just Man” for the Inauguration of the Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
Boga came up with the text for the Father Pilarz piece.
“I took some phrases from some of Father Pilarz’s more inspirational speeches from the first time he was president, and then I combined them with some quotes from other Jesuit writings and poems,” Boga said.
Father Pilarz’s phrases proved a great source of inspiration to Rosenblum as he composed the music. In particular, the phrase “Don’t waste love” provided the melodic framework for the piece, he told the Times-Tribune.
Rosenblum boasts an impressive array of composing credits, including the Off-Broadway hits “Fermat’s Last Tango” and “Bush is Bad.” In addition, he’s conducted the orchestras for 13 Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, among them “Miss Saigon,” “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
“He’s a big deal,” Boga said.
Meanwhile, Gordon, considered one of the greatest jazz trombonists of all time, will perform a community-focused call-and-response piece with the student musicians. A longtime friend of Performance Music, Gordon has performed and taught extensively at the University, which awarded him with an honorary doctorate in 2006.
The 70-plus-member Concert Band and 60-plus-member Concert Choir consist mostly of students, with some faculty and staff members. Because there is no music major at the University, all members have been brought together by their mutual love of making music.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Gordon, visit wycliffegordon.com. For more on Rosenblum, visit rosenblummusic.com.
Premiere Performance of Original Composition Set
-
08/31/2018
University of Scranton professors Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D. ’81, G’85, accounting, and Rose Sebastianelli, Ph.D., operations and information management, were awarded the three-year William and Elizabeth Burkavage Fellowship in Business Ethics and Social Responsibility for 2018-21. The endowed fellowship was established in 2009 by William J. and Judith G. Burkavage in memory of (his parents) William and Elizabeth Burkavage, and provides support to assist University faculty in new research on issues of sustainability, social responsibility and business ethics.
Drs. Mahoney and Sebastianelli are award-winning professors who have focused much of their teaching and scholarship in areas related ethics and social responsibility.
Dr. Mahoney was named the Kania School of Management Professor of the Year five times, receiving the honor most recently earlier this year. In 2001, he was selected Teacher of the Year by the University’s graduating class. He was also named the University’s CASE Professor of the Year, and received the University’s Alpha Sigma Nu University Award for Teaching Excellence and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Outstanding Educator Award. Dr. Mahoney also held a three-year position as the business school’s Alperin Teaching Fellow.
A Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Fraud Examiner, Dr. Mahoney’s research has been published in numerous professional and academic journals, including The CPA Journal, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly and Journal of Business and Economics Research, Accounting and Financial Management. Three manuscripts co-authored by Dr. Mahoney and his Scranton colleagues Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., professor of accounting, and Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department, received an award medal from Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand competition, including the Lydrand Gold Medal as the “outstanding article of the year” in 2016.
A resident of Clarks Summit, Dr. Mahoney joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. He earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from The University of Scranton and a doctorate in accounting from Syracuse University.
Dr. Sebastianelli holds the Alperin Endowed Chair in Business Administration at the University. She was named the Kania School of Management Professor of the Year three times and, in 2013, was named the University’s CASE Professor of the Year. She also received the University’s Alpha Sigma Nu University Award for Teaching Excellence, the Provost’s Award for Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, and held a three-year position as the business school’s Alperin Teaching Fellow.
During her distinguished career, Dr. Sebastianelli has published more than 30 articles on her research in the areas of quality and e-commerce in academic journals such as Decision Sciences, Quality Management Journal, Internet Research, Management Decision and Online Information Review. In recent years, she has applied her research expertise to the areas of sustainability and social justice. The article entitled “Improving the quality of environmental management: impact on shareholder value,” that appeared in the International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, by Dr. Sebastianelli and fellow Scranton professor Nabil Tamimi, Ph.D., operations and information management, was selected as an Outstanding Paper in the 2016 Emerald Literati Awards for Excellence.
Through her participation in the Ignatian Colleagues Program, Dr. Sebastianelli developed the Business Education for Justice Seminar for Kania School of Management faculty at Scranton, which encourages other faculty to integrate social responsibility and ethics into their teaching and research.
Dr. Sebastianelli joined the University in 1988. During her three decades of service at Scranton, she also served as interim dean of the Kania School of Management for one year and as interim dean of the Graduate School for two years.
A resident of Clarks Summit, Dr. Sebastianelli earned a bachelor of science degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a Ph.D. in management science from the Pennsylvania State University Smeal College of Business Administration.
Previous Burkavage fellows were marketing, management and entrepreneurship professors Irene Goll, Ph.D., and Abhijit Roy, D.B.A.
Two Professors Awarded Burkavage Fellowships
-
08/31/2018
The University of Scranton granted seven undergraduate students President’s Fellowships for Summer Research in 2018. The fellowships, administered by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, offer each student the chance to partner with a faculty mentor to complete a research project during the summer. Each project was proposed and designed by the student and their faculty mentor.
The following is a list of the students who were awarded 2018 summer research fellowships, their projects and faculty mentors.
Kimberly Barr of Nazareth, researched “The effects of Nano Molar Concentrations of Retinoic Acids on Differentiation and Migration of SK-N-SH Neuroblastoma Cells” with George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
Natania Feliciano of Haldon, New Jersey, researched a “Spanish Translation of the Public Understanding of Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS) Questionnaire” with Kimberly Subasic, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing.
Marissa Galardi of Archbald, researched “Control of Neuron Growth Using Synthetic Extracellular Matrix Molecules” with George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
Julia McKinney of Perkasie, researched “Neurochemical and Learning Effects of Sleep Deprivation in Ants” with Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
Michael Moran of Toms River, New Jersey, researched “Self-administration of Morphine in Bombus Terrestris” with Marc Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
Nicole Nardella of Spring Brook Township, researched “Data-driven Modeling of Complex Systems with Applications to Cardiac Physiology” with Jason Graham, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics.
Madalyne Sunday of South Abington Township, researched “The effect of Glycosaminoglycans on Neuroblastoma Cells” with George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology.
President’s Fellowships for Summer Research
-
08/31/2018
For many, the summer is a time for “vacation and relaxation.” However, for Jordan Oakey, a liberal studies major at Scranton, this summer was a chance to “gain as much knowledge about the art world as possible.”
Oakey, an intern at the Everhart Museum of Natural History and Art in Scranton was among the 11 University of Scranton students awarded a stipend through The Royal Experience Summer Internship Program. The program seeks to reduce the financial barriers that could prevent students from gaining important knowledge and experience through unpaid summer internships.
“Working in a museum has so greatly expanded my knowledge about local art and what goes on behind the scenes; that is, what happens behind those white gallery walls in order to create an exhibition that would catch the interest of the public, no matter their age,” Oakey wrote in his blog post.
As an intern, Oakey transferred information about the museum’s art collection from notecards to a computer database called Past Perfect. The collection reached more than 6,000 items, with information recorded not only on notecards, but also in email correspondences, handwritten letters and typed thank you cards for pieces donated.
“This experience, so far, has given much more insight as to what happens in a museum when its doors are closed to the public,” Oakey wrote.
Tate Ackerman, a biology, Spanish and philosophy triple major, also participated in The Royal Experience Program. She accepted the intern position in the University’s Biology Department, where she surveyed bats and learned about advancements in echolocation technology.
“I have always enjoyed working with animals, but I never thought that I would have the opportunity to gain the specific and unique skill set required for tracking down and recording the echolocation calls of such small and evasive animals,” Ackerman wrote in her blog post.
Through The Royal Experience Summer Internship Program, students are able to get ahead in their career paths without falling behind financially.
“The cultivation of my bat-finding techniques will be invaluable for me in the future, as I plan to pursue a career in animal research. The Royal Experience Internship Program has provided me with an opportunity to diversify my skills and gain practical, hands-on experience for my future career goals,” Ackerman wrote.
The other participants were encouraged to write about their experiences over the summer on the career development blog as well.
Students Get Royal Internship Experience
-
08/31/2018
For the 11th consecutive year, Forbes has ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Top Colleges” for value. In the 2018 list of just 650 colleges, Forbes ranked Scranton No. 254 in the nation.
Just 40 colleges in Pennsylvania were ranked in the listing published online Aug. 21. Scranton and King’s College were the only two local colleges listed. Twenty-six of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the U.S. were ranked.
The ranking analyzed “outputs” of a college education, such as “alumni salaries and signs of individual success including academic and career accolades” to determine the best values in college education. Factors used in the ranking included retention and graduation rates, average federal student loan debt, student loan default rates and “post-graduate success” as measured by salaries reported in PayScale, the U.S. Department of Education’s “College Scorecard.” Forbes also considered rankings published by Niche.com to evaluate the “student experience,” the percentage of graduates earn doctoral degrees, and the number of prestigious fellowships won by students, including Fulbright and Goldwater scholarships, among other factors.
Scranton also ranked No. 174 among private colleges and No. 104 among colleges in the northeast in lists also published by Forbes.
Earlier in August, Money magazine ranked Scranton No. 191 among the “727 Best Colleges in America.” The Princeton Review also selected the University among “The Best 384 Colleges” in the country and ranked Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 16) and “Best Campus Food” (No. 15).
Scranton on Forbes ‘America’s Top Colleges’ List
-
08/30/2018On Friday, Sept. 7, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by acclaimed jazz guitarist Matt Munisteri.
The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, downtown Scranton. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
At 4:30 that afternoon, Munisteri will offer a guitar masterclass. The class is open to local amateur and professional guitar players, ages 16 and up, free of charge. Those interested in attending the masterclass should email music@scranton.edu for more information.
Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga first met Munisteri when he performed with Jon-Erik Kellso and the Earregulars at a previous Performance Music concert.
“Matt came here as a colleague of Kellso, and we really enjoyed hearing him and talking to him, so we decided to bring him back,” said Boga, noting Munisteri will be accompanied by a bassist at the recital. “His takes on standards are great, and he brings fresh ears to everything he does. He’s virtuosic.”
In addition to being an exceptional guitarist, Munisteri is a talented singer, songwriter, arranger and banjo player, as well as an in-demand session musician and sideman.
After ending his stint as the guitarist and principal songwriter for the Flying Neutrinos in the late 1990s, Munisteri self-released his 2003 debut album, “Love Story,” which made several “Best Of” lists, including placing second on Amazon’s Top Ten Jazz CDs of the year.
A gifted lyricist, Munisteri’s literate songs have drawn comparisons to the work of Randy Newman, Mose Allison and Bob Dorough. He has been profiled in Downbeat magazine and has been the subject of several NPR broadcasts. He also was the recipient of Acoustic Guitar magazine’s Editor’s Choice award.
As a sideman, Munisteri has performed with Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing and Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra. He has served as the music director for singer Catherine Russell, and produced friend Julian Lage’s acclaimed solo guitar debut, “Worlds Fair.”
Munisteri also has collaborated with Holly Cole, Madeline Peyroux, Liz Wright, “Little” Jimmy Scott, Geoff Muldaur, Sasha Dobson and Kat Edmondson. Outside the jazz world, he performed on and contributed arrangements to Loudon Wainwright‘s 2010 Grammy-winning CD, “High Wide and Handsome – The Charlie Poole Project.”
All told, Munisteri is credited on more than 70 CDs, among them recent releases by trombonist Wycliffe Gordon and guitarist Howard Alden. And, he has played in concert with Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Kenny Davern, Andy Stein, Matt Glaser, Tim Kliphuis, Aaron Weinstein, Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, Frank Vignola, Evan Christopher, Duke Heitger, Bob Wilbur, Bucky Pizzarelli and Dick Hyman.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Munisteri, visit mattmunisteri.com.Guitar Virtuoso Munisteri to Perform Sept. 7
-
08/30/2018
A ceremony at The University of Scranton celebrated the first cohort to complete its Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and the incoming second cohort of the new program that seeks to develop future executives to serve area nonprofit institutions.
Launched in 2017, the certificate program combines a rigorous academic component taught by Kania School of Management faculty with expertise in nonprofit organizations, a mentorship and experiential learning. The program includes capstone project that requires participants to form a comprehensive plan to solve a current issue faced by the nonprofit organization they represent.
According to Patrick Quinn, director of residential and adult services, ARC of NEPA, who spoke at the ceremony as a member of the first cohort, the program helped him to “refine knowledge and define direction” for his career and for the nonprofit organization he serves. The program also provided him with the opportunity to collaborate with representatives of other area nonprofits.
“The program provided the tools necessary to be a better leader by combining the strength of your nonprofit organization with the strength of the infrastructure of nonprofits in the region,” said Quinn.
Also speaking at the ceremony were Douglas Boyle, D.B.A., director of the Nonprofit Leadership Program, director Doctor of Business Administration Program and associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department at Scranton; and Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program faculty members Kurt Bauman, executive director, Northeast Pennsylvania Nonprofit Community Assistance Center; Jesse Ergott, president and CEO, NeighborWorks of Northeastern Pennsylvania, and Robert Kelly, Jr. Esquire, partner, Myerys, Brier & Kelly.
In addition to Quinn, other members of the University’s first cohort to earn the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate and the organizations they represent are:
Linda Armstrong, founder and executive director, Dress for Success;
Angel Atell, director community youth, United Neighborhood Centers;
George Brown, executive director, Highlights Foundation;
Travis Davis, director of business development, Allied Services;
Gus Fahey, director of community education and revitalization, United Neighborhood Centers;
Michael Ferguson, assistant vice president of risk management/finance, Allied Services;
Dorothy Grill, lecturer, Marywood University and Lackawanna College;
Mary Ann Iezzi, executive director, Dress for Success;
Ryanne Jennings, executive director, The Cooperage Project;
Kristen Kosin, executive director, Meals on Wheels;
Maureen Maher-Gray, acting executive director, NEPA Youth Shelter;
Michele Minor Wolf, executive director, Victims’ Intervention Program;
Daniel Nowakowski, campaign manager, United Way/Lackawanna/Wayne;
Janet Sweeney, vice president, Pennsylvania Environmental Council.
Incoming members of the second cohort and the organizations they represent are:
Athena Aardweg, community services specialist, NEPA Alliance;
Angeline Abraham, assistant director, Employment Opportunity Center;
Eloise Butovich, leadership gift officer, University of Scranton;
Diane Dutko, chief operations officer, The Luzerne Foundation;
David Falchek, executive director, American Wine Society;
Kristen N. Follert, director of quality assurance, NEPA Community Health Care;
Katlyn J. Gardner, development and human resource director, NEPA Community Health Care;
Shannon Hayward, director WIC administration, Maternal and Family Health Services, Inc.;
Elizabeth Hughes, director of communications, Earth Conservancy;
Gretchen Hunt Greaves, director, nutrition programs and resource development, Commission on Economic Opportunity;
April Kemp, program director, Marley's Mission;
Teddy Michel, regional director, Ignatian Volunteer Corps of NEPA;
Lauren Pluskey McLain, director of development, The Kirby Center;
Todd Pousley, community revitalization manager, NeighborWorks NEPA;
Joseph Salva, president/founder, Individual Abilities in Motion;
Janine Tomaszewski, associate vice president of college relations, Johnson College;
Tonyehn Verkitus, executive director, Luzerne and Lackawanna Medical Societies;
Alison Woody, director of competitive grants/donor stewardship, Geisinger Health Foundation.
Local organizations sponsoring the program are: AllOne Foundation and Charities, Geisinger Health System Foundation, The Luzerne Foundation, Moses Taylor Foundation, The University of Scranton and the Weinberg Foundation.
For additional information visit the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program webpage or call 570-941-4047.
Several members of the first cohort to earn the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate at The University of Scranton helped orient new students entering the program at a recent ceremony on campus. From left: George Brown, Highlights Foundation; Ryanne Jennings, The Cooperage Project; Travis Davis, Allied Services; Michael Ferguson, Allied Services; and Patrick Quinn, ARC of NEPA.
Second Cohort Begins Nonprofit Leadership Program
-
08/28/2018
For just over 950 young adults, this fall will mark the beginning of their college experience at The University of Scranton. The new students are stepping into a different chapter of their lives and whether they want to admit it or not, they’re likely nervous or even a little scared.
Current Residential Assistants (R.A.s) at the University understand just how the students in the class of 2022 feel. At one point, they had the same experience. When rising senior Angela Coen, a double major in women and gender studies and sociology, first arrived at the University, she was shy and nervous.
“I came in as a very introverted person. I was very nervous about meeting people, and more importantly, meeting people that I fit in with and connected with. But gradually, after conversations with my R.A., she was able to facilitate a lot of friendships with the girls on my floor,” Coen said.
Although the perspective of being a new college student might seem daunting, the University offers many resources so that the students never have to deal with the stress alone.
Rising senior Jannell Jeffers, a biochemistry major, will be entering her third year as an R.A. and has seen how helpful the resources are to students.
“There are so many resources here at the University. We have the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (C.T.L.E.) and they’re able to set you up with a tutor. … Don’t be afraid to take advantage. They’re there to help,” Jeffers said.
Not only are students able to work with a tutor through the CTLE, they also offer help and guidance with academic papers through the Writing Center. The University’s center works with faculty and students to help create an environment that encourages and supports student learning, faculty enrichment, instructional design, and the use of technology, as their webpage says.
The University also has more than 80 active clubs and organizations where students can get involved, meet new people and try new things that they’ve never done before.
“Have an open mind and appreciate that you’re going to meet people that are like no one you’ve ever met before. Then you’ll be able to understand their uniqueness and their diversity and what they can add to your life,” Thomas DeMarco, a rising senior and double major in criminal justice and psychology, said.
Most of the R.A.s agreed that it is important to explore the new opportunities available, but to also be able to set limits.
“Definitely do get involved, but don’t overwhelm yourself. It’s really important to manage your time coming into college, considering that it’s a new environment and you’re doing a lot of new things,” Carolina Chazez, a sophomore strategic communications major, said.
“Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. This is a great community. They want to embrace you, but they can’t if you don’t take the first step. So don’t be afraid to say ‘Hi’ to different people or be too afraid to join that club,” Jeffers said. “Align yourself with people in your life who will help you be successful and stay true to yourself and I think things will line up. At the end of the day, you’ll find your place here.”
Sage Advice for Incoming Students
-
08/28/2018
Sept. 1 6:30 p.m. Performance Music: Pre-concert MusicTalk; 7:30 p.m. “In Concert” with Loren Schoenberg and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem All-Stars present “Tribute to Prez: The Life and Music of Lester Young,” featuring The Michael Kanan Quartet, with saxophonist Larry McKenna. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 6 11:30 a.m. Celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit for members of the University community. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu
Sept. 7 through Oct. 5 Art Exhibit: “Liquid Earth: Contemporary Cast Iron Sculpture.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 7 5 p.m. Gallery Lecture: “Liquid Earth: Contemporary Cast Iron Sculpture” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director, Hope Horn Gallery, The University of Scranton. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Held in conjunction with Scranton’s First Fridays. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring guitarist Matt Munisteri. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 11 11 a.m. Volunteer Fair for area nonprofit agencies offering volunteer opportunities for students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-7429 or email ellen.judge@scranton.edu.
Sept. 12 5:30 p.m. Interdependence Day Lecture: “Interdependence and Civic Activism” with panel discussion and reception. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free with registration. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Sept. 13 7 p.m. Ignatian Values in Action Lecture. Keynote speaker: James O’Connell, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and founding leader of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Byron Recreational Complex. Free. Call 570-941-7659 or email teresa.grettano@scranton.edu.
Sept. 14 11 a.m. Town Hall. Keynote speaker: James O’Connell, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and founding leader of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Loyola Science Center, room 133. Call 570-941-7659 or email teresa.grettano@scranton.edu.
Sept. 15 8:45 a.m. Schemel Forum “University for a Day.” Topics discussed: “The Real Road to Serfdom;” “Monumental Questions: Race, Memory, and Monument in America Today;” “The Supreme Court at the Intersection of Law and Politics;” and “An American Art Story: 1880s to 1920s.” Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. $25. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Sept. 18 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Why College?” presented by William M. Sullivan, Ph.D., senior scholar at New American Colleges and Universities and visiting professor at the Center for the Study of Professions at Oslo Akerskhus Universities in Norway. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Sept. 21-23 The University of Scranton Family Weekend 2018. Various campus locations. Call 570-941-4222 or email familyweekend@scranton.edu.
Sept. 21 11 a.m. Inauguration Ceremony of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th President of The University of Scranton. Byron Recreation Complex. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 22 4 p.m. Family Weekend Mass celebrating the Inauguration of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th President of The University of Scranton. Byron Recreation Complex. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 22 7:30 p.m. Performance Music presents Family Weekend President’s Concert: Celebrating the Inauguration of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th President featuring The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir with special guest Wycliffe A. Gordon, H. ’06. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 27 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Music and Medicine: Leonard Bernstein” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple. Reservation required. $25. Call 570-344-1111 or 888-669-8966 for tickets.
Oct. 1 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Democracy Dies in Darkness” presented by Elzbieta Matynia, Ph.D., professor of sociology and liberal studies and director of the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies at the New School for Social Research. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 2 5:30 p.m. Asian Studies presents “Sound and Tea Meditation” with Buddhist Venerables from the Dharma Drum Retreat Center, New York, and reception following. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Oct. 4 6:30 p.m. President’s Business Council 17th Annual Award Dinner honoring Scranton alumni Linda McGowan, partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, and Joseph L. Sorbera Jr., president, JLS Cost Management Systems Inc., at The Pierre, New York City. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Tickets required. Call 570-941-5837 or email PBC@scranton.edu.
Oct. 11 8:30 a.m. 17th Annual Northeastern U.S. Conference on disAbility “Everyday Tools: Technology for Accessing Education, Employment and Life.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free for general public with $25 fee for registrants interested in CEU credit. Call 570-941-7819 or email rebecca.dalgin@scranton.edu.
Oct. 11 4:30 p.m. Keynote Address by Bern Gavlick and Bill Ziegler titled “Working Through the System” in conjunction with the 17th Annual Northeastern U.S. Conference on disAbility. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7819 or email rebecca.dalgin@scranton.edu.
Oct. 12-14 & 19-21 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 pm. Sunday. “The Laramie Project” by Moisés Kaufman and The Members of the Tectonic Theatre Project presented by The University Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4353 or email players@scranton.edu.
Oct. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Juilliard graduate Alexander Pittorino, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 13 5 p.m. Distinguished Author Award Dinner honoring Lorene Cary, who will receive the 2018 Royden B. Davis, S.J. Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Reservation required. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 17 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Translating The Odyssey: How and Why” presented by Emily Wilson, Ph.D., professor, Department of Classical Studies, and chair, Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, University of Pennsylvania. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 18 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and The University of Scranton Office of the President Collaborative Program: “The Humanities: Now More Than Ever” presented by Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president, The University of Scranton. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. RSVP required. Free event. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 18 6:30 p.m. Reading Series: Department of English and Theatre presents novelist Angie Cruz. McDonnell Room, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7619 or email susan.mendez@scranton.edu.
Oct. 19 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Jeremy Ajani Jordan, piano, and Mark Dover, clarinet. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 21 through Nov. 16 Art Exhibit: “America in a Trance: Photographs by Niko J. Kallianiotis.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 21 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 25 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “You Can Do Anything” presented by Eric Schnurer, president, Public Works, LLC. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 27 7 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip to Baltimore, Maryland. $85. Registration required by Sept. 29. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Oct. 27 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble with guest soloist Joseph Boga, trumpet/piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu
Nov. 2 5 p.m. Gallery Lecture: “America in a Trance: Panel Discussion” presented by Niko J. Kallianiotis, exhibiting artist, Luke Wynne, essayist, and Seamus McGraw, essayist. Pearn Auditorium Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Nov. 2 7:30 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Should We Embrace Protectionism? The Evidence Behind the Case for Free Trade” presented by Dave Donaldson, Ph.D., professor of economics, MIT. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email Janice.mecadon@scranton.edu
Nov. 4 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 6 7:30 p.m. The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute Lecture: “Homosexuality: A New, Yet Traditional, Perspective” by Rabbi Chaim Rapoport, author, educator and Judaic scholar, with University of Scranton theology professor Charles Pinches, Ph.D., providing commentary on the Christian perspective. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7956 or email marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
Nov. 7 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Going to War: Who Calls the Shots?” presented by Morey Myers, L.L.B., of counsel, Myers, Brier and Kelly. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu
Nov. 13 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Cybercrime: A Global Weapon of Mass Destruction” presented by Michael Greenberger, J. D., founder and director, University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15 7 p.m. Asian Studies presents “Live Asian Shadow Puppet Show” with live music, a Q & A and a backstage visit. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pangwhite@scranton.edu.
Nov. 15-17 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” presented by Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5. Call 570-941-7401 or email Allison.northrop@scranton.edu.
Nov. 16 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring The Andrew Gonzalez Trio (with Andrew Gonzalez, viola; Bixby Kennedy, clarinet; Carlos Avila, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 17 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Andrew Gonzalez. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 1 8 p.m. (Prelude begins at 7 p.m.) Performance Music: “51st Annual Noel Night” concert featuring The University of Scranton Singers with guest harpist Marg Davis. Prelude by String Orchestra and Chamber Ensembles. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 6 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and The University of Scranton Political Science Department Collaborative Program for showing of the film “The Peacemaker” by James Demo. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. RSVP required. Free event. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Dec. 9 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert” featuring The Scranton Brass Orchestra, The University of Scranton Singers and the Scranton Prep Cavalyrics. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new unwrapped toy, new toiletry items or a cash donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Jan. 6 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Wednesdays: Sept. 12, 19, 26 and Oct. 3, 10, 17 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “The Ambivalent Muse: Woody Allen and his Women” presented by Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, The University of Scranton. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Thursdays: Oct. 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, 8, 15 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “A Reconsideration of the Politics of the Founding Generation in the Age of Donald Trump” presented by David Dzurec, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the History Department, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Tuesdays: Oct. 23, 30 and Nov. 6, 13, 27 and Dec. 4 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Homer’s The Illiad and The Odyssey” presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces Fall Semester Events
-
08/27/2018
In an era marked by feelings of confusion and powerlessness, The Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at The University of Scranton offer local residents understanding and hope. During the fall semester, experts in their fields will explore the value of a liberal arts education, the true meaning and power of citizenship, insights into the constitutional powers of our three branches of government, and the impact of cybercrime and what can be done about it.
The series begins on Tuesday, Sept. 18, with “Why College?,” presented by William M. Sullivan, Ph.D., senior scholar at New American Colleges and Universities and visiting professor at the Center for the Study of Professions at Oslo and Akerskhus Universities in Norway. “The uncertainties of our times demand a widening of perspective and a stronger sense of social responsibility, which are traditional goals of liberal learning,” said Dr. Sullivan, who will discuss why a strong liberal arts/professional studies education equips students for a successful and meaningful life. “Against the threat of contracting awareness and the shrinkage of solidarity, value-centered higher education can provide a source of hope.” The seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Edward Leahy Hall.
On Monday, Oct. 1, Elzbieta Matynia, Ph.D., professor of sociology and liberal studies and director of the Transregional Center for Democratic Studies at the New School for Social Research, will present “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” She will discuss why the performative dimension of democracy – being and acting like a citizen – is a local project trying to free itself from dogmatism and vertical power pressures. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
Emily Wilson, Ph.D., professor of classical studies and chair of the Program in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory at the University of Pennsylvania, will present “Translating The Odyssey: How and Why” on Wednesday, October 17. She will discuss her process in creating a new verse translation of Homer’s The Odyssey and explain how her translation differs from others currently available in English. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
On Thursday, Oct. 25, Eric Schnurer, president of Public Works, LLC, a national public policy consulting firm advising state and local governments, will present “You Can Do Anything.” He will discuss the many ways that citizens can effect change. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
On Wednesday, Nov. 7, Morey Myers, Of Counsel, Myers, Brier and Kelly, will present “Going to War: Who Calls the Shots?” The U.S. Constitution authorizes Congress to declare war, yet in our history of hundreds of military encounters, it has happened rarely. He will discuss the role of Congress, the President and the Supreme Court throughout our history in the decision to go to war. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The fall series will conclude on Tuesday, Nov. 13, when Michael Greenberger, J.D., law professor and founder and director of the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security, will present “Cybercrime: A Global Weapon of Mass Destruction.”
Especially when sponsored by Russia, China, North Korea and Iran, these “acts of war” against the U.S. are potentially more dangerous than the 9/11 attacks or the attack on Pearl Harbor. However, our government’s response to threatened cyber-attacks on our national security has been weak.
“This discussion will focus on specific actions that must be taken immediately by the U.S. and its allies, our state and local governments, our private and non-profit sectors, and, perhaps even more importantly, by you and me,” said Dr. Greenberger, who will provide attendees an opportunity to ask questions and give their own insights. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
All seminars include a buffet lunch and run from noon to 1:30 p.m. Participants can register to attend one luncheon for $20 per person or $30 per couple, or for the entire series of six luncheons for $110 per person or $160 per couple (Schemel Forum members attend free).
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Luncheon Seminars Provide Timely Knowledge
-
08/25/2018
The University of Scranton welcomed more than 1,300 incoming students this weekend, including more than 950 members of its undergraduate class of 2022, more than 300 graduate students and nearly 50 transfer students.
The University’s undergraduate class of 2022, selected from a pool of nearly 10,000 applicants, has an average SAT score of 1,200. Incoming students represent 12 states and the Federated States of Micronesia. Approximately 20 percent of the class is from Northeast Pennsylvania. The most common majors chosen by members of the incoming class are biology, business administration, exercise science, occupational therapy (five-year master’s program) and psychology.
The class of 2022 also includes 83 legacy children whose parents and/or grandparents are University of Scranton alumni.
Saturday’s Fall Welcome events included a New Student Convocation, Mass, a class photo, residence hall and commuter meetings and an alumni legacy reception.
Members of the incoming class will also help area children and their families prepare for the upcoming school year by volunteering at the Back to School Bonanza on Sunday, Aug. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. at The Marketplace at Steamtown.
In addition to the undergraduate class of 2022, the University’s incoming graduate students represent several states and foreign countries, including Bangladesh, China, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines and Saudi Arabia.
Fall semester classes begin Monday, Aug. 27, at the University.
Incoming Students Welcomed at Scranton
-
08/24/2018
The University of Scranton will hold “A Celebration of Community: The Inauguration of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as The University of Scranton’s 27th President” Friday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. The ceremony, which is open to the public, will take place in the Byron Recreation Complex on campus. A luncheon will immediately follow the ceremony on the Dionne Campus Green.
“I am looking forward to being part of an incredibly strong, committed community – committed especially to the Catholic and Jesuit mission of the University,” said Father Pilarz in a video announcing his return to Scranton. Saying the University is “a place I love and deeply believe in,” he also referred to students as a “reminder of God’s Grace on this campus.”
In addition to the ceremony, a Mass in Celebration of the Inauguration of Father Pilarz will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22, at 4 p.m. in the Byron Recreation Complex.
The University’s Inauguration events will conclude with the “Family Weekend President’s Concert: Celebrating the Inauguration of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th President” at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. The concert, which is free of charge and open to the public, will feature The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir with special guest Wycliffe A. Gordon, H. ’06.
The Inauguration will include the world premiere performance of “Don’t Waste Love,” which was composed by Joshua Rosenblum and commissioned especially for Father Pilarz’s Inauguration as the University’s 27th president. The piece will be performed by the University’s Concert Band and Concert Choir and will be conducted by the composer. The text of “Don’t Waste Love” is drawn from inspirational words from Father Pilarz’s addresses to the University community made during his first tenure at Scranton, combined with phrases from poems and writings by other members of the Society of Jesus, including St. Robert Southwell, Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J., St. Ignatius of Loyola and Pope Francis. The piece will also be performed at the concert Saturday evening.
A medieval and Renaissance literature scholar, Father Pilarz has published a book about St. Robert Southwell and a quote of his, “Not where I breathe, but where I love, I live,” is engraved above a prominent entrance to the DeNaples Center.
These words are incorporated into the theme of Father Pilarz’s Inauguration as well: “Where I Love, I Live.”Community to be Celebrated at Inauguration
-
08/22/2018
The University of Scranton ranked among the nation’s best values for a college education based on educational quality, affordability and alumni success, according to a 2018 ranking by Money magazine published in August. The multifaceted methodology analyzed data on 26 factors in order to rank the 727 “best performing colleges” in America.
Scranton, at No.191 in the nation, had the 7th highest ranking of the 25 Jesuit colleges listed. Scranton is the highest ranked school in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The factors Money analyzed to determine a colleges’ “academic quality” included the six-year graduation rate, the standardized test scores of incoming freshmen and the student-faculty ratio, among other factors. The analysis also included “value” assessments that looked at a school’s predicted graduation rates based on the academic and economic profile of its student body versus its actual graduation rates.
The criteria used to assess “affordability” included an estimate of the “net price of a degree,” which assessed tuition, the time it takes for students to graduate, and the school’s average need- and merit-based financial aid offered to students. The “affordability” criteria also looked at student debt, student loan default rates, student loan default rates adjusted for the economic and academic profile of a school’s student body and the affordability for low-income students, among other factors.
The factors Money used to assess “outcomes” included the average salaries of alumni reported in PayScale early- and mid-career, their reported earnings at these points adjusted by major, and “job meaning” based on average score of alumni responding to Payscale’s survey question of whether your work “makes the world a better place.” In addition to other factors, the “outcomes” criteria also looked at socio-economic mobility index that uses data from the Equality of Opportunity Project, a study that examines the percentage of students that move from low-income backgrounds to upper-middle-class jobs before the age of 34.
Colleges with graduation rates below the national median, that were in financial difficulty, or that had fewer than 500 undergraduates, were not included in Money’s ranking.
Scranton has been recognized for its value in other national rankings such as U.S. News, which ranked Scranton No. 18 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North” in its 2018 edition. Rankings by Forbes, Niche.com and The Economist, among others, have also recognized Scranton for its value.
Scranton Among America’s ‘Best Values’
-
08/22/2018
During the fall semester, The University of Scranton will offer area residents three evening courses: one that explores female characters in Woody Allen films; one connecting the turbulence of the Trump administration to the Early American Republic; and one on Homer’s life and epic tales and their relevance to day. Sponsored by the Schemel Forum, each course will be taught in six weekly sessions on campus, with beverages and light snacks being served.
Stephen E. Whittaker, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre at The University of Scranton, will teach “The Ambivalent Muse: Woody Allen and his Women.” The class will screen and discuss a half dozen of Allen’s greatest female creations as seen in his films dating from Annie Hall and Interiors to Hannah and Her Sisters and Another Woman. The course will meet in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall from 6 to 9 p.m. on the following Wednesdays: Sept. 12, 19 and 26; and Oct. 3, 10 and 17.
“A Reconsideration of the Politics of the Founding Generation in the Age of Donald Trump” will be taught by David Dzurec, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of history at The University of Scranton. This class will examine the conflicts that shaped the political scene in the Early American Republic, including the Alien and Sedition Acts and the Sally Hemings scandal, and explore what lessons that past holds for us today. The course will meet in room 305 of the Weinberg Memorial Library from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on the following Thursdays: Oct. 11, 19 and 26; and Nov. 1, 8 and 15.
The third course, “Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey,” will be presented by Harmar Brereton, M.D., who was one of the early supporters of the Schemel Forum and its mission to offer area residents a means to satisfy their hunger for personal fulfillment through holistic education.
“We will review both The Iliad and The Odyssey (Robert Fagles’ translations, both available at Amazon or on YouTube), and in the last class, discuss Homer’s impact up to today with an emphasis on Carl Jung’s psychology,” said Dr. Brereton. “Homer has influenced every writer since, and his influence comes from his understanding of human nature validated in modern psychological thinking.” The course will meet in room 305 of the Weinberg Memorial Library from 6 to 7:15 p.m. on the following Tuesdays: Oct. 23 and 30; Nov. 6, 13 and 27; and Dec. 4.
Area residents can attend any course for $60 per person or $100 per couple; Schemel Forum members attend free. Space is limited and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses Set for Fall
-
08/22/2018
The University of Scranton will offer a new major and minor in business communication starting in the fall 2018 semester.
“The Business Communication major has been crafted to respond to the growing emergence of positions within Fortune 500 firms requiring communication specialists that are tasked with coordinating internal and external strategy to promote the goals and objectives of the organization,” said Howard Fisher, Ph.D., assistant professor and chair of the Department of Communication at the University. “Communication specialists work on behalf of Chief Communication Officers to implement the complex strategies for a myriad of communication situations. Whether the scenario is a crisis management moment or an internal policy implementation, effective communication planning is essential to the success of these endeavors.”
Scranton will be among the few universities in the world to offer a major and minor in business communication, according to Dr. Fisher.
Students pursing this major will develop strong oral presentation and written communication skills that focus on both techniques of persuasion as well as how to use effectively graphics, visual presentation software and current media and technology tools. Students will also develop interpersonal skills and learn a broad range of communication strategies and theories to develop enhanced team-building and leadership skills.
Graduates may go on to pursue careers ranging from corporate communication managers and corporate narrative executives to chief communication officers. Employment in media and communication occupations is projected to grow six percent between 2016 and 2026.
This is the second new major added in communication that will begin in the fall semester. A new major and minor in social media strategies was announced earlier this month.
According to Dr. Fisher, all the communication majors offered at the University, including the two new majors, develop effective writing and critical thinking skills of students through a curriculum that combines theory and strategy with hands-on practical experience. He noted that in recent years, 100 percent of the University’s recent communication graduates have had one internship, with more than 50 percent of graduates having had two internships.
For additional information, contact Dr. Fisher at howard.fisher@scranton.edu or by telephone at 570-941-6333.
New Major Offered in Business Communication
-
08/20/2018
Dear Members of the University Community,
The recent release of more than 1,300 pages of grand jury proceedings detailing sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Pennsylvania and failures by Church leaders in responding to these situations is justifiably generating international attention and outrage. Since the report’s release last week, the University has considered how best to respond to the deeply disturbing report and to past honors and recognition it has bestowed upon individuals named in it.
Earlier today, I consulted with a group of administrators, faculty, alumni and student leaders to recommend a course of action to the Board of Trustees. This afternoon, the Board met in special session and unanimously approved our recommendations.
With sympathy for and in solidarity with victims of sexual abuse in the Diocese of Scranton, The University of Scranton will rescind honorary degrees and rename campus buildings recognizing Bishops Jerome D. Hannan, J. Carroll McCormick, and James C. Timlin. As documented in the report, these Bishops covered up the crimes and misdeeds of men who were under their jurisdiction and placed children in harm’s way.
Buildings previously named for these three Bishops will be renamed as follows:McCormick Hall will be renamed MacKillop Hall in honor of Saint Mary of the Cross MacKillop, an Australian nun who founded the Sisters of Saint Joseph of the Sacred Heart and who publicly exposed the sexual abuse of children by a priest. In her life, she faced persecution and excommunication, during which she was assisted by the Jesuits until later being absolved. Pope Benedict XVI named Sr. Mary Australia’s first saint in 2010.
The name on Timlin House will be removed and Mulberry Plaza, the complex in which the building is located, will be renamed Romero Plaza in honor of the late Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador, who will be canonized by Pope Francis on October 14. Murdered in 1980 while saying mass in San Salvador, Archbishop Romero remains an inspiration to millions, including many on the University’s campus who have made the moving pilgrimage to El Salvador.
Hannan Hall will be renamed Giblin-Kelly Hall in honor of the late Brendan J. Giblin ’06 and William H. Kelly Jr. ’93. Brendan was a graduating senior at Scranton and co-captain of the swim team when he was tragically killed while on Spring Break in Panama City. Bill worked for Bloomberg, LP in Princeton, N.J. and their affiliate, Bloomberg Tradebook LLC, in New York City. On September 11, 2001, Bill attended a conference at Windows on the World at the World Trade Center, Tower One, and was killed in the attack that destroyed those buildings. Since Bill and Brendan died, their families and friends have devotedly kept their memory alive, transforming tragedy into good in support of future students at Scranton.
In choosing to honor St. MacKillop, Archbishop Romero, Brendan and Bill, we hold up the example of their lives as a reminder always to be a voice against abuse and violence no matter the cost, to champion the poor and oppressed, and to treasure the bonds of friendship and community that are at the heart of The University of Scranton.
These actions are important, but the gravity of the information we now know demands even more of us. As a Catholic and Jesuit university founded by the Diocese of Scranton, The University of Scranton will strive together with the people of the Diocese and Catholics everywhere to address the difficult but necessary questions that arise from the grand jury report. As a university community, we look forward to working with the people of the Diocese to assist in facilitating discussions and reflection in the long but hopeful process to rebuild trust and find peace. In support of this initiative, the University is devoting resources to advance the programs and projects that emerge from our collaboration.
Additionally, I recognize that stories from the past two weeks can trigger painful memories for members of our campus community who themselves are living with the lifelong scars of sexual abuse. Please be assured that the staff of the Counseling Center and Campus Ministries are available to help students and that the University’s employee assistance program is always available for faculty and staff.
On this journey, I ask that you pray for the healing of all victims of sexual abuse and their families and that you pray also for the people of the Diocese of Scranton and the Universal Church.
Sincerely,
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
Response to Grand Jury Report
-
08/20/2018
On Saturday, Sept. 1, Loren Schoenberg and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem All-Stars will kick off Performance Music at The University of Scranton’s 2018 Fall schedule with the concert, “Tribute to Prez: The Life and Music of Lester Young.”
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center. At 6:30 p.m. , Schoenberg will give a pre-concert talk on the life and music of Lester Young.
Admission to the concert and talk is free, as it is for nearly all Performance Music programming.
At the concert, Schoenberg will lead the National Jazz Museum in Harlem All-Stars in a program celebrating the musical legacy of Young, the legendary tenor saxophonist (and occasional clarinetist) known for his work with the Count Basie Orchestra and Billie Holiday, among other artists. Nicknamed the “President of Jazz,” or “Prez” for short, Young influenced greats like Charlie Parker and Sonny Rollins, and remains revered for his individual sound, style and phrasing.
According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, the “Prez” tribute makes perfect sense, given the University is welcoming back the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., for his second tenure as president.
One of the most respected musicians, bandleaders, music educators and historians in the contemporary jazz world, Schoenberg himself is making another return to the University, having performed on campus several times through the years. Boga puts the tenor saxophonist and pianist in the same rarefied company as fellow Performance Music regulars Wycliffe Gordon and Mark Gould.
“He’s one of our very favorites. It just feels like he belongs here all the time,” Boga said. “The kids love him. He makes them laugh, and they learn so much from him.”
Beyond that, she added, “Loren is an icon, a living legend of American music. His entire career has been spent making and preserving and celebrating great American music.”
The founding director and senior scholar at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Schoenberg has performed with a long list of jazz legends, among them Benny Carter, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Heath, John Lewis, Christian McBride and Buck Clayton. From 1997 to 2005, he served as musical director for Bobby Short. In addition, he has conducted the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and the American Jazz Orchestra.
A two-time Grammy winner, Schoenberg oversaw the Benny Goodman Archives at Yale University, where he produced a 10-CD release of previously unissued Goodman recordings. He has been a faculty member at The Juilliard School, The New School, Manhattan School of Music, William Paterson University, Long Island University and The Hartt School at the University of Hartford. Also, he has lectured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the White House, the New York Philharmonic and the Aspen Institute, where he is a fellow. A widely-published writer, his books include “The NPR Guide to Jazz.”
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Schoenberg, visit www.lorenschoenberg.com.
Performance Music Fall Season Begins Sept. 1
-
08/20/2018
The University of Scranton’s Master in Health Administration (MHA) program joined an elite group of programs representing just 14 colleges in the nation that have earned The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) Mentorship Circle status.
CAHME is an interdisciplinary group of educational, professional, clinical and other health sector organizations devoted to quality improvement of education for health care management and administration professionals. CAHME is the only organization recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation to grant accreditation to individual academic programs offering a professional master’s degree in healthcare management education.
In addition to achieving the high standards of CAHME accreditation, the CAHME Mentorship Circle designation recognizes programs that engage in a variety of activities that help to extend CAHME’s mission of advancing the quality of graduate health care management education by providing opportunities to other students and other programs to advance their own experiences and skills for the good of the entire health care field. Scranton’s MHA program was recognized for its participation as a mentor for global programs as part of CAHME’s Global Accreditation Initiative.
“We think about our community globally, not just locally. That’s why we have projects in several countries around the world and why we partner with other universities,” said Daniel West, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Health Administration and Human Resources at The University of Scranton.
The University’s Health Administration program has worked with numerous educational and health care institutions across the globe including The University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia; Trnava University, Slovak Republic; and St. Elizabeth College of Health and Social Work in Bratislava, Slovakia, in addition to offering service opportunities for students in Mexico and Kenya.
Earlier this year, the University won the CAHME/Canon Solutions America Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice, which recognizes universities that are committed to pushing public health forward through diverse sustainability-driven activities with proven results. The University’s MHA curriculum includes a “Fit for the Profession” component to ensure readiness for profession, in addition to projects that cover global, environmental, financial and social sustainable issues and involve developing and implementing a sustainability project in an applied health care setting.
MHA Program Named to CAHME Mentorship Circle
-
08/20/2018
Nonprofit groups seeking eager volunteers will have an opportunity to find some like-minded helpers at a fair scheduled for next month.
The University of Scranton’s Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice office will hold its annual fair for local nonprofits from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, on campus.
The fair offers students and student-led clubs interested in service projects and community-based learning sites a chance to meet representatives form nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers.
To register a nonprofit organization for the event, email ellen.judge@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7429.
Fair Planned for Nonprofit Organizations
-
08/16/2018
Sept. 1 6:30 p.m. Performance Music: Pre-concert MusicTalk; 7:30 p.m. “In Concert” with Loren Schoenberg and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem All-Stars present “Tribute to Prez: The Life and Music of Lester Young,” featuring The Michael Kanan Quartet, with saxophonist Larry McKenna. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 6 11:30 a.m. Celebration of the Mass of the Holy Spirit for members of the University community. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 7 through Oct. 5 Art Exhibit: “Liquid Earth: Contemporary Cast Iron Sculpture.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 7 5 p.m. Gallery Lecture: “Liquid Earth: Contemporary Cast Iron Sculpture” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director, Hope Horn Gallery, The University of Scranton. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Held in conjunction with Scranton’s First Fridays. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Sept. 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring guitarist Matt Munisteri. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 11 11 a.m. Volunteer Fair for area nonprofit agencies offering volunteer opportunities for students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-7429 or email ellen.judge@scranton.edu.
Sept. 12 5:30 p.m. Interdependence Day Lecture: “Interdependence and Civic Activism” with panel discussion and reception. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Free with registration. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Sept. 13 7 p.m. Ignatian Values in Action Lecture. Keynote speaker: James O’Connell, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and founding leader of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Byron Recreational Complex. Free. Call 570-941-7659 or email teresa.grettano@scranton.edu.
Sept. 14 11 a.m. Town Hall. Keynote speaker: James O’Connell, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and founding leader of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Loyola Science Center, room 133. Call 570-941-7659 or email teresa.grettano@scranton.edu.
Sept. 15 8:45 a.m. Schemel Forum “University for a Day.” Topics discussed: “The Real Road to Serfdom;” “Monumental Questions: Race, Memory, and Monument in America Today;” “The Supreme Court at the Intersection of Law and Politics;” and “An American Art Story: 1880s to 1920s.” Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. $25. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Sept. 18 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Why College?” presented by William M. Sullivan, Ph.D., senior scholar at New American Colleges and Universities and visiting professor at the Center for the Study of Professions at Oslo Akerskhus Universities in Norway. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Sept. 21-23 The University of Scranton Family Weekend 2018. Various campus locations. Call 570-941-4222 or email familyweekend@scranton.edu.
Sept. 21 11 a.m. Inauguration Ceremony of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th President of The University of Scranton. Byron Recreation Complex. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 22 4 p.m. Family Weekend Mass in celebration of the Inauguration of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th President of The University of Scranton. Byron Recreation Complex. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Sept. 22 7:30 p.m. Performance Music presents Family Weekend President’s Concert: Celebrating the Inauguration of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the 27th President featuring The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir with special guest Wycliffe A. Gordon, H. ’06. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Sept. 27 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Music and Medicine: Leonard Bernstein” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple. Reservation required. $25. Call 570-344-1111 or 888-669-8966 for tickets.
Schemel Forum Courses
Wednesdays: Sept. 12, 19, 26 and Oct. 3, 10, 17 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “The Ambivalent Muse: Woody Allen and his Women” presented by Stephen Whittaker, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre, The University of Scranton. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces September Events
-
08/14/2018
The inaugural cohort of 19 high school students completed their first college course in business this summer as participants in Business High School Scholars Program, which began as a pilot program this summer.
University alumnus Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A. ’88, associate professor, director of the Doctor of Business Administration Program and Accounting Department chair, taught the students in the 200-level accounting course, “Fraud Behavior.”
“I was very impressed by the students. The class discussion was most engaging and at a college freshman level, as were their presentations,” said Dr. Boyle. The course included three presentations, weekly quizzes and multiple reflection papers and used a text book in addition to supplemental reading assignments.
Similar to the University’s established High School Scholars Program, the pilot program is intended to allow high school students meeting academic requirements to take college courses at a reduced rate of $175 per credit, or $525 for a three-credit class. In addition, the Business High School Scholars Program seeks to group sophomore and junior high school students interested in pursuing a business degree at Scranton into a cohort and provides additional financial support to participants from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dr. Boyle is leading the new program with support of fellow area natives who are also Scranton alumni now teaching at the University, including accounting professors James Boyle, D.B.A. ’86, and Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D. ’81. They will teach additional classes specifically for the high school students and donate their compensation from these courses to provide scholarship support to participating students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Courses outside of business will be taught by Rev. Patrick D. Francis Rogers, S.J., executive director of The Jesuit Center, and Rev. Rick Malloy, S.J., Ph.D., University Chaplain.
Additional support is being provided by the University’s Jesuit Center, University Advancement, Finance, Administration and alumni donors who have started the Boyle-Mahoney Scholarship Fund. A Business High School Scholars Alumni Advisory Board was also formed in support of the program. University alumni Harry W. Zike ’76, chief financial officer of Chinook Sciences, Edward J. Steinmetz, Jr. ’81, senior vice president for finance and administration at The University of Scranton, Peter Butera ’83, senior vice president wealth management, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and Tracy Bannon ’84, assistant director of development at St. Joseph’s Center and University Trustee, are serving as board members.
“Local alumni are grateful for the education they received at the University and are motivated to pass that opportunity along to the next generation,” said Bannon. “Local students add so much to University community. They are hard-working, smart and appreciative of what they have been given. This program gives local students the opportunity to experience the unique attributes of a Jesuit education while they are still in high school and just beginning the college search process.”
Marisol Olivares Hernandez, a rising sophomore at North Pocono High School from Covington Township, was among the first cohort of Business High School Scholar Program participants. A bilingual, high-honor student at North Pocono, who is active in several high school clubs, Olivares Hernandez was initially intimidated at the prospect of taking a college class, but said that she has overcome her fears and gained confidence in her abilities. Olivares Hernandez, who was the first in her family to complete a college course, is looking forward to taking a second course with her classmates in the fall semester. Her older sister, Erika Olivares, will begin her studies at The University of Scranton in the fall.
Other students who completed Dr. Boyle’s course as members of the first cohort of Business High School Scholar pilot program are:
Randall Bonitz, Scranton, who attends West Scranton High School;
Emma Boyle, Peckville, who attends Commonwealth Charter Academy;
Martin Cryan, Forty-Fort, who attends Holy Redeemer High School;
Mallory deQuevedo, Olyphant, who attends Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Tabitha Getz, Dunmore, who attends Dunmore High School;
Madison Green, Archbald, who attends Valley View High School;
Emily Herron, Nicholson, who attends Lackawanna Trail Junior-Senior High School;
Joseph Kologe, Scranton, who attends West Scranton High School;
Charles Leo, Shavertown, who attends Wyoming Seminary;
Mackenzie McHale, Archbald, who attends Valley View High School;
Alyssa Moore, Dickson City, who attends Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Madison Munley, Greenfield Township, who attends Lakeland High School;
Christopher Newell, North Abington Township, who attends Abington Heights High School;
Autumn Savitski, Shavertown, who attends Lake Lehman High School;
Kylie Seyler, Wilkes-Barre, who attends Wyoming Seminary;
Lauramarie Strage, Mountain Top, who attends Crestwood High School;
Trinity Veaudry, Taylor, who attends Riverside Junior-Senior High School;
Zi Xuan Weng, Plains, who attends James M Coughlin High School.
For additional information about the Business High School Scholars visit Scranton.edu/bhsscholars, email Rebekah.bernard@scranton.edu or call 570-941-5918.
First Business High School Scholars at Scranton
-
08/13/2018
The University of Scranton and community partners will host a free “Back to School Bonanza” for children from 3 to 12 years of age and their families Sunday, Aug. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. at The Marketplace at Steamtown.
The event will include hands-on educational activities, music, games, face-painting, crafts, refreshments and prizes. Twenty family-oriented activities will be provided by community organizations and University faculty, staff and students, including several with a STEM theme, such as Neuroscience for Kids and Microscopic Exploration.
The Back to School Bonanza is one of the University’s Fall Welcome activities for its Class of 2022. It is hosted by the University’s Center for Student Engagement, Office of Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, the Jesuit Center and the Office of Community Relations in partnership with community partners: The Marketplace at Steamtown, Lackawanna County, the Scranton School District, and other community organizations.
For additional information, call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Back to School Bonanza Set for August 26
-
08/13/2018
Twenty-two rising high school students entered The University of Scranton’s University of Success program. The four-year, pre-college mentorship program began for the new participants with a two-week summer institute, which took place on the University’s campus in July.
During the summer institute, students participated in “hands-on” physics classes where they learned how physics is applied to harness wind energy, as well as for amusement rides that included a day of roller coaster riding at Dorney Park. They learned about exercise physiology and visited the University’s Loyola Science Center for a lesson that included live turtles, tortoises and a snake. The students participated in service projects at the St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen and the Children’s Advocacy Center. They also visited the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour at McDade Park and the Pocono Environmental Education Center.
The students from 12 area high schools will return to the University’s campus one Saturday every month throughout their four years in high school.
The University of Success is designed for students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. Students enter the program at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Dime Bank, Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank, Kuehner Family Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, Prudential Foundation, Scranton Area Foundation, Waste Management, Weis Markets and Wells Fargo.
The students who completed the University of Success’ summer institute are as follows:
Rebecca Coldwell of Taylor, who will attend Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
Elisha De Souza of Blakely, who will attend Valley View High School;
Anthony Diaz of Scranton, who will attend West Scranton High School;
Shane Frank of Taylor, who will attend Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
Adriana Gentle of Tunhkannock, who will attend Tunkhannock Area High School;
Caillou Kaneski of Tunhkannock, who will attend Tunkhannock Area High School;
Emily Kogan of Moscow, who will attend North Pocono High School;
Samuel Anthony Loukopoulos of Scranton, who will attend Scranton High School;
Logan Matone of Throop, who will attend Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Quiyan McClain of Scranton, who will attend Scranton High School;
Mikayla Mendez of Taylor, who will attend Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
Liam Misko of Carbondale, who will attend Carbondale Area Junior Senior High School;
Andrea Murphy of Milford, who will attend Delaware Valley High School;
Corey Ortiz of Bushkill, who will attend Norte Dame High School;
Yeraiza Pena of Scranton, who will attend Scranton High School;
Ritu Regmi of Scranton, who will attend Scranton High School;
Mahnoor Sami of Jessup, who will attend Valley View High School;
Victoria Scarpati of Lake Ariel, who will attend Western Wayne High School;
Jordan Traver of Friendville, who will attend Montrose Area Junior Senior High School;
Mayra Suely Varela of Taylor, who will attend Riverside Junior/Senior High School;
John Edgardo Velazguez of Scranton, who will attend West Scranton High School;
Pavel Vorozilchak of Blakely, who will attend Valley View High School.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
First row, from left: Margaret Loughney, University of Success program director; Brianna Lawrence, head counselor; Krystine Jimenez, counselor; Erin Shumbres, lead teacher; Kelly Judge, assistant teacher, and Andrea Mantione, D.N.P., director of the Leahy Community Health and Family Center.. Back row: Patrick Chapman, counselor; Joseph Stella, counselor, and Jacob McDonnell, assistant counselor.
Students Begin University of Success
-
08/13/2018
“We need you,” one mentor said to a boy sitting out, “and your dancing!”
With “The Spark” by musical artist Afrojack playing in the background, kids danced around during a game of musical chairs at The University of Scranton’s Retreat Center at Chapman Lake.
For one week in the summer, children from diverse backgrounds are brought together by SPARK, a program in which every participant feels needed.
Started in 2011 by Daniel Marx, a University of Scranton graduate and mathematics teacher at Scranton Preparatory School, and Patricia Vaccaro, director of the University’s Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, the SPARK program has always been a place to foster inclusivity.
Even during a competitive game of musical chairs, the children ranging in age from 12 to 16 are encouraged to support each other and have fun.
“We wanted to have a positive impact on community kids and the other thing was to offer it as an opportunity to our students as a growing experience,” Vaccaro said.
Students from the University and Scranton Prep volunteer to mentor and lead lessons in the summer to children who are too young to work, but are also too old for summer camp.
Five groups, each with two University students and three Scranton Prep students, help serve breakfast, offer companionship, teach and encourage the children who come to participate in the SPARK program.
“[Here] they can learn to be themselves. We just tell them to be OK with who they are and try not to be someone they’re not. That also comes across in all of the topics they discuss this year,” Vaccaro said.
Each day a group presents a different topic to the children, such as bullying, individuality, social media, relationships and personal wellness.
“It’s really the University students and the Scranton Prep students that are the heart of this and we’re just here to critique and make their programs the best they can be,” said Lauren Roote, a mathematics teacher at Scranton Prep whose been part of the SPARK program for two years.
It isn’t only the children who grow from the SPARK experience; it affects the mentors as well. After the game of musical chairs, a group of five mentors from both the University and Scranton Prep gave a presentation tackling the issue of bullying.
As she swayed back and forth and held a notebook in her shaking hands,
one mentor shared her powerful story on how bullying had continued to affect her life, even at that very moment. As she finished, everyone applauded her bravery and a few children wiped their tears away.
“Our students have to dig deep and work hard … They really are transformed by this,” Vaccaro said.
While the children go home at the end of the day, the mentors stay over night at the Retreat Center, where they’re able to further bond and connect with their peers.
“It’s important that they do stay because they form this bond as a team and as a group. I don’t think it would have the same effect if they were leaving and coming back everyday,” Roote said.
Shy and timid children break out of their shells and brighten up, according to Vaccaro. The SPARK program leaves no one forgotten or left in the dark because as Afrojack says, “We all got the spark!”
“Really, our goal is to just help some of the kids feel better about themselves” Vaccaro said.
SPARK Program Leaves No Room for Exclusion
-
08/08/2018
Discovering a vocational path as a faculty member in faith-based higher education is not an exploration that must be done alone. Others making the same journey can offer companionship, support and direction.
Started in 1991 and housed in Christ College of Valparaiso University in Indiana, the Lilly Fellows Program in Humanities and the Arts is a national initiative that “seeks to strengthen the quality and shape the character of church related institutions of higher learning,” offering the strength of a network of 101 church-related colleges and universities from across the country, a Post-Doctoral Fellows Program and the Graduate Fellows Program.
The University of Scranton has been a member of the Lilly Fellows Program since 1997 and political science professor Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., has served as the University’s faculty representative to the program since 2000. She also serves as a mentor for the Lilly’s Graduate Fellows Program and has previously served as a national board member for the program.
Scranton hosted a summer conference for the Lilly Fellows Program’s ninth cohort of graduate fellows in July, which included its first alumna member – Sarah Neitz, a graduate of the University’s class of 2012. A national Truman Scholar, Neitz graduated, summa cum laude, as a triple major in international studies, Hispanic studies and philosophy and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. The Gettysburg native, who was a full-tuition Presidential Scholar at Scranton, earned her master’s degree from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Notre Dame.
The Lilly Graduate Fellows Program accepts just 10 members annually into a cohort that will meet for three years. Candidates must be nominated by their undergraduate institutions and be enrolled in a Ph.D., M.F.A., Th.D. or equivalent program and meet other criteria. The fellows intend to pursue careers in church-related higher education upon completion of their studies.
During the academic year, the cohort meets for a colloquium every other week, which is built around a theme and accompanying readings. In alternate weeks, the fellows participate in individual sessions with mentors. Each summer, the cohort gathers for a conference.
“Our theme this summer was ‘Marked by the Sign of the Cross: Living Blessed Lives in the Midst of Faith and Doubt,’ which helped us think about the realities of Christian life – personal and professional – knowing that a companion of faith is the inevitability of doubt. This theme seemed to fit where our graduate fellows found themselves as they completed year two and look ahead to year three of their respective Ph.D. programs,” said Dr. Van Dyke. “Despite the time it takes to do all the work associated with mentoring this talented group of young Christian scholars, it has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career – and so unexpected.”
The University also hosted the Lilly Fellows Program National Conference in 2013.
Scranton Hosts Lilly Fellows Program Cohort
-
08/07/2018
University of Scranton students conduct research in some of the country’s “Best Science Lab Facilities,” and dine on the “Best Campus Food” in the nation, according The Princeton Review.
For the 17th consecutive year The Princeton Review included Scranton in its annual “Best 384 Colleges” guidebook, which published Aug. 7. In addition, for the fourth consecutive year, The Princeton Review ranked the University’s science labs among top 20 in the country, coming in at No. 16 in 2019 edition, and ranked Scranton No. 15 in its list of the “Best Campus Food.”
The Princeton Review’s “Best of” lists, which rank the “Top 20” colleges in 62 categories, are based “entirely” on surveys of students at colleges selected by The Princeton Review for inclusion in its guidebook, which includes just 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and universities.
The guidebook includes detailed profiles of each of “The Best 384 Colleges.” Scranton’s profile stated that students appreciate the emphasis placed on “doing service for others” and the liberal arts courses required in “the humanities, philosophy and theology.” The guidebook also noted Scranton’s strength in science programs, “which result in a high rate of students getting acceptance to medical schools.” Students also praised the genuine care and support they receive from faculty.
In addition to The Princeton Review, U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 24 consecutive years, placing the University No. 6 in its 2018 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s programs in finance at No. 17, accounting at No. 17 and entrepreneurship at No. 22 in the country, and ranked Scranton No. 18 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North.”
Princeton Review Ranks Scranton Among Best in Nation
-
08/06/2018
Beginning in the fall 2018 semester, The University of Scranton will offer a new major and minor in social media strategies.
“The new major addresses opportunities presented in the communication field of today’s market. Social media is one of the fastest growing industries,” said Howard Fisher, Ph.D., assistant professor and chair of the Department of Communication at the University, who noted employment in media and communication occupations is projected to grow six percent between 2016 and 2026. “As of 2016, there were more than 2.3 billion active social media users worldwide, and 91 percent of all retail brands use two or more social media platforms. Almost one million new users are added to social media each day.”
Students pursing a major in social media strategies will learn to use social media marketing strategies effectively to help organizations achieve their communications, marketing and branding goals. They will learn to conceptualize, manage and create written and digital social media content, as well as how to integrate social media campaigns across platforms and with strategic marketing communication campaigns. Students will also learn to use analytics, platform-dependent language, video production and editing to develop effective communications to targeted audiences.
Students graduating with this major can work as social media marketing strategists, search engine optimization (SEO) specialists, online community managers or social media copywriters, among other positions. The average salary of a social media manager is $77,000, according to Dr. Fisher.
In addition, Dr. Fisher said the curriculum is structured to provide theory and strategy with hands-on practical experience in order for students to develop effective writing and critical thinking skills. He said this is true for all majors offered through the Communication Department. He noted that in recent years, 100 percent of the University’s recent communication graduates have had one internship, with more than 50 percent of graduates having had two internships.
For additional information, contact Dr. Fisher at howard.fisher@scranton.edu or by calling 570-941-6333.New Communication Major Offered at Scranton
-
08/06/2018
On Saturday, Sept. 15, The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will present its annual University for a Day, which is offered every fall semester. Area residents will be exposed to presentations that examine individualism vs. the common good; how America “remembers” its racial history; the inherent political consciousness of the U.S. Supreme Court; and how Scranton reflected the national art scene from the 1880s to the 1920s.
University for a Day, sponsored by the Frieder Foundation, features four lectures, with ample time for discussion, as well as morning coffee, lunch and a closing reception. The event will run from 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in Brennan Hall on campus.
The first lecture begins at 9:30 a.m. with “The Real Road to Serfdom,” presented by Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and director of the Pre-Law Advisory Program at Scranton. In The Road to Serfdom (1944), Friedrich Hayek, an Austrian economist, argued that using government to realize ideals of social justice and the common good leads to serfdom. Instead, Hayek defended an individualism that rejects the common good, restricts government activity and paves the way for market-based solutions to social problems. Dr. Meyer will ask whether or not the implementation of Hayek's ideas puts us on the real road to serfdom.
Next, at 11 a.m., historian James Campbell, Ph.D., Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. history at Stanford University, will present “Monumental Questions: Race, Memory, and Monument in America Today.” He will explore how Americans remember and represent the country’s racial past, a history that manifestly contradicts the “self- evident” propositions of liberty and equality enshrined in the founding documents.
Mark C. Alexander, J.D., Arthur J. Kania Dean and professor of law at Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law, will present “The Supreme Court at the Intersection of Law and Politics.” In theory, the Justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are supposed to be removed from political pressure due to their lifetime tenure. But this protection does not mean that they do not understand politics and do not act in ways that can be described as political. Dean Alexander will explore some examples, trends and ramifications.
The final presentation, “An American Art Story: 1880s to 1920s,” will be delivered at 3:15 p.m. by Josephine Dunn, Ph.D., professor of art history, oral history and European cultural history at Scranton. Dr. Dunn will discuss art as created, exhibited, collected and purchased in America, using Scranton as a microcosm of the national art scene. She will explore Scranton’s early efforts to build an art culture.
Dr. Dunn said, “Post-Civil War America witnessed widespread industrialization; the growth of fast fortunes made by enterprising men and women; and the national map redrawn with a peppering of new cities – including Scranton. The late 19th and early 20th century also generated a remarkable flowering of art, artists, patrons and collectors in thriving older cities like New York, Philadelphia and Boston – and in young, ambitious Scranton.”
Seating is limited and reservations are required to attend the Schemel Forum’s University for a Day program. The participation fee is $25 for non-Schemel Forum members.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
See video here: The Highs & Lows of Crime and Justice in the US: Reforming the Practice of Criminal Justice
$content.getChild('content').textValue‘University for a Day’ On Sept. 15
-
07/30/2018The University of Scranton will offer a new honors program for talented students interested in pursuing a rigorous, Jesuit-inspired business education that encourages service for and with others.
This fall, a cohort of 19 incoming students will begin as the first members of the four-year Business Honors Program at Scranton.
“The program includes an academic curriculum designed to promote and develop the business acumen and interpersonal skills needed for successful careers of leadership in business, in addition to components that focus on the professional development of the individual through a series of extracurricular activities in the areas of service and career building,” said Murli Rajan, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management.
Dr. Rajan expects the honors program will appeal to highly-motivated students with exceptional academic abilities, who are interested in pursuing a challenging and academically rigorous degree in business.
Students in the Business Honors Program will take 12 honors-level business courses over four years in the fields of economics, entrepreneurship, operations management, accounting, finance, international business, marketing and management. Students will also complete an honors thesis, which they will prepare with the guidance of a faculty research mentor, and two of the following three options: an internship, study abroad or a journal publication. In addition, the program requires participation in annual community service projects as well as professional development programs and other requirements. Membership in the program also requires that student G.P.A.s not fall below 3.5 for two consecutive semesters.
The students enrolled in the program for the fall 2018 semester were invited into the program based on their high school academic performance and involvement in extracurricular activities, in addition to their potential for scholarship and expectation of the contributions they can make to the program. Although most will enter the program in the fall semester of their freshman year, students with a GPA of 3.5 or higher can apply for admission to the program in the spring semester of their first year as well.
The Business Honors Program is the fourth honors program offered at the University and the second open to freshman. The other three honors programs are the four-year Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, the three-year undergraduate Honors Program and two-year Business Leadership Honors Program.Scranton Launches Business Honors Program
-
07/30/2018
The University of Scranton awarded seven professors 2018 Faculty Development Summer Grants, which are intended to promote scholarship and curriculum development efforts by faculty members.
Patrick Clark, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies, will research “Heroism and Sanctity: Theological Paradigms of Moral Exemplarity.” Dr. Clark joined Scranton’s faculty in 2010. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Duke University, his master’s degree from Boston College and his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Michael Fennie, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, will research “Rapid Synthesis of Cyanate-Tagged Amino Acid.” Dr. Fennie joined Scranton’s faculty in 2012. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Canisius College and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Taewan Kim, Ph.D., associate professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, will research “Knowledge Search Strategies for Innovation by SMEs.” Dr. Kim joined Scranton’s faculty in 2011. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Hannan University, South Korea, and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.Susan Méndez, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theatre, will research “Theorizing Love: Love and Justice in Latinx Literature.” Dr. Mendez joined Scranton’s faculty in 2006. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Pace University, her master’s degree from Fordham University and her Ph.D. from the University of California.
Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, will research “Social Norms Marketing: A Wise Intervention for Solving Social and Environmental Problems.” Dr. Nolan joined Scranton’s faculty in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, her master’s degree from California State University and her Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas.
Meghan Rich, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, will research “The New Company Town: Port Covington Development and the Reimagining of Baltimore.” Dr. Rich joined Scranton’s faculty in 2007. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware.
Jamie Trnka, Ph.D., professor of world languages and cultures, will research “Performing Europe.” Dr. Trnka joined Scranton’s faculty in 2006. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and her master’s degree and Ph.D. from Cornell University.Faculty Awarded Summer Development Grants
-
07/25/2018
Projects supported through the University’s Strategic Initiatives Funding have brought students into the Scranton community and into communities across the globe.
The Strategic Initiatives Funding, which was made possible by cost savings and revenue generation realized through the Comprehensive Resource Review process, spearheaded by the Office of Finance and Administration, supports innovative projects – particularly those that that will have a substantial, positive impact on the student experience – that advance the goals of the Strategic Plan: an Engaged, Integrated and Global Student Experience.
“The diversity of programs funded through the Strategic Initiatives process was impressive, but even more compelling is the breadth of their impact to our campus community and indeed to so many others in the local region and beyond. These projects truly exemplify the spirit of our University’s Strategic Plan,” said Kate Yerkes, assistant vice provost for planning and institutional effectiveness.
STEAM (Science, Technology, Art, Engineering and Math) Activities for School/Community Groups was among the 14 projects that received support during the 2017-18 academic year. Through the project, University faculty, staff and students offered STEAM related activities to students within the Scranton School District, as well as other area schools and community groups. During the 2017-18 academic year, activities included several Art Workshops; two in-school Science Assemblies; three STEAM-related field trips to campus for more than 120 students from the University’s Scranton School District partner school, McNichols Plaza Elementary; and four workshops provided by College of Arts Sciences faculty and students for United Neighborhood Center’s Leaders in Training students. George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of physics/electrical engineering, Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, and Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the Hope Horn Gallery, in addition to other staff and faculty partners, provided content for the program during the academic year.
Through another project, students facilitated group discussions at libraries throughout Lackawanna County about the book Pulitzer Prize-winning book Gilead as part of the city’s Scranton Reads program. The project was part of the first-year seminar course “Latest and Greatest. Prize-winning Fiction, Poetry and Theatre” taught by English and theatre professor Rebecca Beal, Ph.D.
The funding also supported the growth of an existing academic practice partnership between University of Scranton Nursing and three local community hospitals. The Clinical Liaison Nurse (CLN) model pairs undergraduate nursing students and University faculty with hospital staff nurses to develop clinical skills at the bedside. This year, 42 clinical liaison nurses were involved and 434 student rotations were facilitated with the hospitals. The CLN partnership hosted a spring lecture by Paul Feuerstadt, M.D., attending gastroenterologist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Yale University, at which he discussed “C. difficile Infection: Epidemiology, Risk Factors, Diagnosis, Standard Treatment and New Remedies” to CLN Model partners at Regional Hospital of Scranton. In May, faculty conducted assessment of students’ perceptions across four domains of their clinical learning environment and found high scores, as well as evidence of structural empowerment. In addition, faculty had an article regarding research in this area accepted by the Journal of Nursing Measurement. Sharon Hudacek, Ed.D., professor of nursing, Mary Jane DiMattio, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, and Catherine Lovecchio, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Nursing Department, supported this project.
Uganda Conference and Intersession Courses, an international and interdisciplinary initiative, was another project that received support during the 2017-18 academic year. The project included a visit to Uganda by 17 students and faculty at which several faculty members in the sciences and healthcare lectured at Bwindi Community Hospital, which has a Memorandum of Understanding with the University. The project also supported site visits by faculty to develop international internships and a cross-disciplinary conference on campus that featured speakers from Uganda, who addressed topics such as counseling, nursing and health care. Charles Pinches, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies, Dr. Lovecchio and Cyrus Olsen, Ph.D., associate professor of theology/religious studies, collaborated for this initiative.
In total, 14 projects during the 2017-18 academic year received more than $250,000 in support from the University’s 2016-17 Strategic Initiatives Fund.
The University is currently reviewing proposals for the 2018-2019 strategic initiatives funding cycle. Awardees will be announced later this summer.
$content.getChild('content').textValueStrategic Initiative Projects Gain Traction
-
07/25/2018
Julie Ferguson, registrar at The University of Scranton, served as chair of the committee of the American Association of Collegiate Registrar’s and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) responsible for updating the organization’s Professional Development Guide for Registrars: A Self-Assessment. The self-assessment guide, which has been published by AACRAO for the past 40 years and last updated in 2012 prior to the 2018 edition, is routinely used by registrars across the world to identify areas where improvement is needed, set goals for the future, and as a reference for principles of good practice.
AACRAO serves 11,000 higher education professionals who represent 2,600 institutions in more than 40 countries. Its mission is to provide professional development, guidelines and voluntary standards that can be used by higher education officials.
Ferguson also serves on the editorial board of College and University, an educational policy and research journal published four times a year by AACRAO. Over the course of her career, she has served as a member in registrar-related national associations, including the American Association of Medical Colleges Committee on Student Records (AAMC COSR) and AACRAO, where she was a contributing editor on four of their publications.
Ferguson joined the University in 2016 as registrar. Prior to her position at Scranton, she served as the director of the Registrar’s Office, assistant dean for student affairs and director of clinical electives over the course of 15 years at Rutgers University – Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.
Ferguson earned her bachelor’s degree in public administration from the State University of New York - Geneseo, and her master’s degree in public administration from the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany.
Leading Professional Development for Registrars
-
07/25/2018
International students at The University of Scranton represented their native cultures through a mix of meals, native dress, artifacts and music at a Festival of Nations held on campus in the spring semester. Dozens of nations were represented at the event. Students who studied abroad also participated in the event organized by the University’s United Colors Organization and the Cross Cultural Center.
At the University’s Festival of Nation are, from left, representing Columbia is University political science major Karolina Gomez and Richard Abril, Ecuador, a junior majoring in economics.
University Celebrates Festival of Nations
-
07/20/2018
The Royal Experience Summer Internship Program provided 11 University of Scranton students, selected from a competitive pool, a stipend of up to $4,000 to support their participation in a meaningful unpaid internship for the summer of 2018. The program is funded by the philanthropy of the University’s Parents’ Executive Council and the donations of alumni and friends of the University.
Students receiving support are writing about their internship experiences in a blog published on The University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development webpage.
Students who participated in the 2018 Royal Experience Summer Internship program are:
Tate Ackerman of Endicott, New York, a biology, Spanish and philosophy triple major, who is an intern at The University of Scranton’s Biology Department;
Thomas McGinley of Glenn Dale, Maryland, a marketing major, who is an intern at Ironman, Tampa, Florida;
Robert McGowan of Scranton, a philosophy and psychology double major, who is an intern at McLean Hospital, Middleborough, Massachusetts;
Andrew Milisits of Northampton, a philosophy major, who is an intern at Rudas Law, Bethlehem;
Mark Miller of Archbald, a marketing and business administration double major, who is an intern at Wasserman, a sports marketing agency in Raleigh, North Carolina;
Sarah Novak of Scranton, a health administration major, who is an intern at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia;
Jordan Oakey of South Abington Township, a liberal studies major, who is an intern at the Everhart Museum;
Stefan Olsen of Kingston, a biochemistry major, who is an intern at The University of Scranton Chemistry Department;
Amanda Spiteri of Astoria, New York, a finance major, who is an intern at Cannataro Park Avenue Financial, New York, New York;
Catherine Stapf of Warrington, a neuroscience and philosophy double major, who is an intern at The University of Scranton biopsychology laboratory;
Jillian Wall of Oxford, New Jersey, a strategic communication major, who is an intern at Sussex County Miners, Augusta, New Jersey.
Program Supports Summer Internships for Students
-
07/16/2018
The University of Scranton has named Patricia Tetreault as vice president for human resources.
A graduate of the University, Tetreault joined the staff at Scranton in 2009 as director for compensation and benefits in the Office of Human Resources. She has served as the University’s associate vice president for human resources since 2014.
“The University is fortunate to have someone with Patti’s knowledge, skills and approach,” said Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president of the University, in an announcement to the campus community. He also noted that during her time as associate vice president at Scranton, Tetreault “championed the Staff Compensation Study, implemented new systems to support employee recruiting and hiring, and worked successfully to manage increases in annual health care costs.”
Tetreault holds national certifications from the Society for Human Resource Management as a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and Senior Professional Human Resources (SPHR). She has more than 25 years of human resources/employee benefits experience in a variety of industries.
Tetreault currently serves as president of the St. Joseph’s Center Board of Directors.
Tetreault earned her bachelor’s degree and MBA from The University of Scranton.
Vice President for Human Resources Named
-
07/16/2018
Nine University of Scranton faculty members were honored recently with Provost Faculty Enhancement awards for excellence in teaching, scholarship or service. The Office of the Provost and the Provost Advisory Group selected the recipients from a pool of candidates nominated by academic deans and department chairs.
Bryan Burnham, Ph.D. , received the Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award, presented to faculty members who enhance student learning. Dr. Burnham, associate professor of psychology, has been a University faculty member since 2007. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Utica College of Syracuse University, and his master’s degree and doctorate from the State University of New York at Albany.
David Dzurec III, Ph.D., received the Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award, which recognizes faculty members who have contributed service to the University community, particularly those who demonstrate academic leadership by effectively mentoring their junior colleagues. Dr. Dzurec, associate professor and chair of the History Department, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2008. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University, his master’s degree from the University of Connecticut and his Ph.D. from the Ohio State University.
Rita Fleming-Castaldy, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Scholarly Publication Award, presented to faculty members who have attained distinction in scholarship or creative activity. Dr. Fleming-Castaldy, professor of occupational therapy, received her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate from New York University. She joined Scranton’s faculty in 2002.
Renee Hakim, Ph.D., Peter Leininger, Ph.D., and Jennifer Schwartz, DPT., received the Excellence in Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum Award. This award honors a faculty members whose special efforts ensure that students have a keen understanding and appreciation of the realities of the world, including pressing justice issues in a local, national and global context. Dr. Hakim, professor of physical therapy, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2011. She earned her bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, her master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and her doctorate from Temple University. Dr. Leininger, assistant professor and chair of the Physical Therapy Department, joined the faculty at Scranton in 1999. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, his master’s degree from Boston University and his doctorate from Temple University. Dr. Schwartz, faculty specialist, physical therapy, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2014. She earned her bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and doctorate from The University of Scranton.
Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum Award. This award is given to a faculty member who strives for excellence in teaching about sustainability and makes extraordinary efforts to introduce concepts of sustainability into the curriculum. Dr. Nolan, associate professor of psychology, joined the faculty at Scranton in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University, her master’s degree at California State University and her Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas.
Steven Szydlowski, DHA, received the Excellence In Advancing Global Learning Award, presented to faculty members who integrate international issues and perspectives into the curriculum. Dr. Szydlowski, associate professor of health administration and human resources, joined the faculty at the University in 2004. He earned his bachelor’s degree, MBA and MHA from The University of Scranton and his doctorate from the Medical University of South Carolina.
Kevin Wilkerson, Ph.D., received the Excellence in Graduate Teaching Faculty Senate Award, which recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates dedication to teaching graduate students in a manner that creates an encouraging and intellectually stimulating environment that promotes critical thinking and learning. A member of Scranton’s faculty since 2004, Dr. Wilkerson, professor of counseling and human services, earned his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University, his master’s degree from the University of Vermont and his Ph.D. from Syracuse University.
Faculty Recognized for Excellence
-
07/10/2018
The University of Scranton biology professor Marc Seid, Ph.D., was awarded $200,703 from a National Science Foundation (NSF) collaborative research grant to study “Social brains and solitary bees: A phylogenetic test of the effect of social behavior on brain evolution across multiple gains and losses of sociality.” The grant will largely be used to support summer stipends for undergraduate student researchers.
The collaborative research project will examine if social interactions influence brain size by studying closely related species of social and solitary bees. The study will also measure levels of neurotransmitters and hormones in bee brains that are associated with aggression and reproduction.
Researchers will use a phylogenetic comparative approach, confocal microscopy measurements of brain volume, HPLC measurements of amine titers and antibody staining of amine-reactive neurons to test how evolutionary gains and losses of social cooperation affect the brain.
The total NSF grant awarded for the collaborative project was for $551,969. Adam Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology at George Washington University, is the lead collaborator. In addition to Scranton, other collaborating institutions include Princeton University, Utah State University and The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute.
The University of Scranton works with The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on a joint internship project that allows students to participate in research during the summer in Panama. Internships for this prestigious program are awarded to students from across the U.S. based on merit and matching the research interest of the students with ongoing research projects at the institute. Dr. Seid is among Scranton’s biology faculty members that support the joint internship program. Throughout the academic year, Dr. Seid often serves as a faculty mentor for student/faculty research projects.
Dr. Seid’s area of research interest includes behavioral neurobiology and brain morphology in ants. He has published numerous articles in scholarly journals on the subject. His research entitled “Morphine addiction in ants: a new model for self-administration and neurochemical analysis,” published in the Journal of Experimental Biology in 2016, was the first of its kind that proved non-mammals, in this case ants, can become addicted to morphine much like humans do and express similar changes in behavior and brain chemistry. The study also generated stories in The New York Times and the Smithsonian.
Dr. Seid joined the faculty at Scranton in 2010. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. from Boston University.
Scranton Awarded NSF Collaborative Research Grant
-
07/02/2018
A one-night-only exhibit on the August 3 First Friday will feature works created by participants of “Re-Memory: An Exploration in Visual Art and Story Telling.” The work, which will be shown at the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall at The University of Scranton, was created as part of a three-year research project at the Wesley Village campus of United Methodist Homes that examines the process of creating art as a means to better understand and possibly transform or slow the degeneration that occurs from Alzheimer’s and related cognitive disorders.
The ongoing research is being conducted by The Everhart Museum, Wesley Village and the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies. Lead researcher is Catherine Richmond-Cullen, Ed.D., assistant professor of education at the University.
Through the project, residents of Wesley Village with early stages of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia and their caregivers participated in a 10-day artist-in-resident program. Artwork from the Everhart Museum was used for inspiration for the participants. Dr. Richmond-Cullen is examining the effects of the program on the cognitive function of participants. Additional facilitated workshops will be conducted in years two and three of the project. Wesley Village and the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts are providing funding support for the project.
The artwork created in the first workshop will be displayed in the Kane Forum at a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, August 3. The event, offered free of charge and open to the public, will include light refreshments. The exhibit is part of downtown Scranton’s First Fridays event.
For additional information, contact Amy Everetts, director of development and marketing at the Everhart Museum, at 570-346-7186, ext. 521, or by email at development@everhart-museum.org.
First Friday Exhibit Features ‘Re-Memory’ Project Art
-
07/02/2018
University President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., began his second tenure at Scranton on July 1, 2018. Upon his return, he wrote this note to the University community.
Dear Members of the University Community,
There are times when God’s love is palpable in our lives. For me, today is one such time. As I begin my second tenure as President of The University of Scranton, I return to
graced ground and am filled with gratitude and humility.I want once again to thank Father Herbert Keller, S.J., for his exemplary work this past year as Interim President. He won a place in the hearts of students, faculty
and staff, and I’m delighted that he will be continuing his service as Special Assistant to the President.At times throughout the year and more intensely these past few weeks, I started to get reacquainted with the campus community, learning how things have changed and beginning to get a sense of both concerns and aspirations for the future. Two recent highlights of note were the largest alumni reunion in our history and four outstanding orientation sessions for the Class of 2022. Engaging proud graduates as they celebrate treasured friendships and greeting students and parents eager to begin their own Scranton journey were perfect reminders of why this place is so special.
Also in June, Cathy Lovecchio, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair of Nursing, and Thomas MacKinnon, Vice President for University Advancement, agreed to co-chair an inauguration committee that will soon be assembled. I have asked Cathy and Tom to ensure that the festivities are focused appropriately on the University and the people who are at its heart. For this reason, you will all be invited to take part in “A Celebration of Community” on September 21. Fittingly, the theme of our inauguration Celebration is the quote from St. Robert Southwell, S.J., engraved on the DeNaples Center – “Not where I breathe but where I love, I live.”
Nothing is more distinctly Scranton than our community. Students, faculty, staff, parents
and alumni are forever bound to The University of Scranton and to the deep love and devotion that this work of God inspires. Considering the invitation from the Board of Trustees to return as President, I reflected on this love and on how blessed we are to have the opportunity to work together to advance a mission that is needed now more than ever.I have much more listening to do in the coming months so feel free to share your ideas and dreams with me. More than anything else, please keep the University and me in your prayers.
God bless you, God bless Catholic and Jesuit education and God bless The University of Scranton.
Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
President
Fr. Pilarz Begins Second Tenure
-
06/28/2018Sondra Myers, senior fellow for international, civic and cultural projects and director of the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton, has edited a new collection of essays exploring public education’s critical role in shaping American democratic values.
Titled “The People’s Choice: Public Education and American Democracy,” the handbook was published by the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies and features essays by a wide assortment of past and present writers.
Myers dedicated the book to “the nine out of 10 American students who are educated in public schools.” She actually began work on the book nearly two decades ago, but only recently decided to revisit it on account of what she views as an urgent need to remind people of why public education matters.
“The erosion of public education as an institution is one of the most profound and potentially tragic problems that we face today,” Myers writes in the introduction. “It presents a danger not only to the institution, but to American democracy itself.”
Considering the importance of information to the American electorate, public schools serve a deep, fundamental value that must be preserved, according to Myers. As she eloquently puts it, they provide “an entry point into the public sphere, the free and open space, uniquely characteristic of democracy, where all are citizens-not consumers and not subjects – but rather people who are empowered to take responsibility not only for their own personal destinies but for the well-being of their society – for the public good.”
“Given its unique role in American democratic society, opening that first door to our lives as citizens, high quality public education is not a special interest, a lost cause, or a utopian dream – it is an existential imperative,” Myers writes.
Scranton native and renowned developmental psychologist Howard Gardner, Ph.D., makes his own strong case for the benefits of a quality public education in the book’s preface. He laments that education in the United States has become too much of a “private good.”
“This sensitively-curated collection reminds us of the original excitement surrounding the idea of public education, the key components of such an education, the public goods that it serves, and the reasons why it needs to be maintained and strengthened,” writes Gardner, the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education.
The book includes essays by iconic American thinkers like Thomas Jefferson, Horace Mann and John Dewey, as well as contemporary voices like Bill Moyers, Nikole Hannah-Jones, Yohuru Williams and Amy Gutmann. The book also has contributions from Scranton High School teacher Edward Dougherty, University of Scranton education professor Catherine Richmond-Cullen, Ed.D., and former Scranton High School student Alison Barrett.
In the book’s foreword, Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, counts herself as a supporter of Myers’ thesis.
“Primarily, (the book) reminds us to strengthen our public schools rather than privatize them or search for alternatives to them,” Pellegrino writes. “The educational system needs to be valued as a platform where ideas expressed by all individuals will someday change society, making our democracy more inclusive and just.”
This is Myers’ ninth book. Her others include “The Interdependence Handbook” and “The New Rwanda: Prosperity and the Public Good.”New Book by Sondra Myers Published
-
06/28/2018
Fifteen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2018 committed to post-graduation long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations throughout the country and internationally. Their service begins this summer and includes programs run by the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Members of the University’s class of 2018 who committed to long-term service projects and their places of service are:
Samantha Austin of Bethany, Connecticut, Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a case worker at Women Against Abuse & Amaya’s Place, Philadelphia;
Catherine Bruno of Westfield, New Jersey, Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Tacna, Peru;
Kathryn Cantafio of Scranton, Americorps at Keep Houston Housed, Houston, Texas;
Timothy Dodds of Suffield, Connecticut, Jesuit Volunteer Corps;
William Giuliano of Verona, New Jersey, Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at St. Joseph’s University as a teacher at Bonner-Prendergast High School, Philadelphia;
Harry Helbock of Cohasset, Massachusetts, Amate House, Chicago, Illinois;
Adrian Laudani of Valley Stream, New York, Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a refugee settlement specialist in Atlanta, Georgia
Luis Melgar of Simpson, Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a pastoral minister, Andahualillas, Peru;
Aileen Moore of Yonkers, New York, Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia;
Monica O’Malley of Scranton, Operation TEACH, as a middle school language arts teacher, Baltimore, Maryland;
Amy O’Neill of Wilmington, Delaware, Maggie’s Place, Phoenix, Arizona;
Daniel O’Reilly of Flushing, New York, Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) Notre Dame University as a history teacher at Bonner-Prendy High School, Fort Worth, Texas;
Emily Paparazzo of Paupack, Jesuit Volunteer Corps as a physical education teacher at Delores Mission School, Los Angeles, California;
Natalie Rossi of Canton, Massachusetts, St. Joseph Worker Program as an assistant case manager at Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, California;
Raquel Wasserman of Pound Ridge, New York, Covenant House, St. Louis, Missouri.
Nationally recognized for its commitment to service, The University of Scranton was among just 361 colleges in the nation to earn the highly-respected Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification and was among the higher education institutions named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Each year, more than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours of service.
Graduates Commit to Long Term Service Positions
-
06/27/2018
More than 1,650 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2018 spring semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Dean’s List students, listed alphabetically by college, can be seen (here), as well as on Merit.
University Announces Spring 2018 Dean’s List
-
06/26/2018
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the fall 2017 semester after publication of the list in January of 2018.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2017 fall semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the fall 2017 Dean’s List are:
James BlauPaige K. BoneskiCesar A. BramonTimothy J. CodyColette R. DaibesJordan M. FriedrichMaxwell L. GreeneRyan J. HaleyKarly A. JohnsHyojung JooJohanna M. LevineElena M. LoefflerEric M. MosleyErin E. PfailRebekah E. RecchioPeter ZabiegalaBrandon M. ZaffutoStudents Added to Fall 2017 Dean’s List
-
06/26/2018
Nineteen high school students completed The University of Scranton’s University of Success program, a multi-year, pre-college program that is designed for high school students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. All the graduates have been admitted to post-secondary schools or chose to enlist in military service.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Dime Bank, Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank, Kuehner Family Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, Prudential Foundation, Scranton Area Foundation, Waste Management, Weis Markets and Wells Fargo.
The following is a list of 2018 University of Success graduates, the high school they attended, and their post-high school plans.
Nestor Ayala of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University;
Jennifer Bach of Simpson, Carbondale Area Junior Senior High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University;
Delgis Isabel Belliard of South Sterling, Wallenpaupack Area High School, plans to attend The University of Albany;
Sergio Benavides of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to enlist with the US Navy;
Kadyn Brown of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend Lackawanna College;
Noemi Carreto of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Laxmi Dahal of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Wilkes University;
Vincent Gigliotti of Carbondale, Carbondale Area Junior Senior High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University;
Izabell Hearst of Wilkes-Barre, Meyers Junior Senior High School, plans to attend The University of the Sciences;
Ximena Jimenez of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Navruz Kadyrov of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to enroll in freight training classes in Jacksonville, Florida;
Jacob McDonnell of Swoyersville, Wyoming Valley West Senior High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Taahairah Muhammad of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend Clarion University;
Kaiona Nelson of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Keystone College;
Jenna O’Malley of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Erika Olivares of Covington Township, North Pocono High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Kerilyn Pon of Taylor, Riverside Junior Senior High School, plans to attend The University of Scranton;
Marissa Mae Tripus of Pocono Township, North Pocono High School, plans to attend Millersville University;
Anthony Voglino of Carbondale, Carbondale Area Junior Senior High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
University of Success Seniors Graduate
-
06/26/2018
Charles E. Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency at The University of Scranton, awarded the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Upper-level Category to Maura C. Burns of Jessup, a senior history major with minors in biology and biochemistry; the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Foundational Category to first-year accounting major Nicole Cavanaugh of Dallas; and the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Graduate Category to occupational therapy student Emily Dineen of Bethel, Connecticut.
The Weinberg Memorial Library at the University inaugurated the prize in 2011 to recognize excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge of the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools and services. In 2017, the prize was named for Professor Emerita Bonnie W. Oldham, who founded the prize at the University in 2011.
Burns won in the Undergraduate Upper-level Category for the winning project completed in a 200- to 400-level course. She submitted to the competition her paper “Medicine in the American Revolution,” completed in the course Senior Seminar on the American Revolution (HIST 490) taught by David Dzurec III, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the History Department. Researching and writing on a topic that combined her love for medicine and her passion for history, Burns utilized many of the Library’s resources and services to complete the research for this project, including the databases, the Library catalog and print collection, the eBook collection, EBSCOhost’s digital archives, the online research guide for History, the Circulation Services desk and the printing and scanning stations throughout the Library. Through the websites curated on the Library’s History research guide, she discovered digital archival resources relevant to her inquiry that are housed outside of the University. In her application essay, she stated, “I learned that The University of Scranton website connects to a network of libraries and resources that helped me form the backbone of my paper.” Burns also noted that “just like history, research is unpredictable” and that “research is a learning experience in and of itself.”
Honorable Mention awards in the Undergraduate Upper-level Category were presented to Catherine McManus of Brookfield, Connecticut, a junior biology major with a minor in political science, who submitted her paper “Exploring the Interaction of Climate Change and Rapid Evolution Through the Expansion of Invasive Weed Ranges” that was completed in the course Evolution (BIOL 375); and to group partners Luis Melgar of Simpson, a senior exercise science major with minors in Spanish and theology, and Julianne Burrill of New City, New York, a junior exercise science major, for their project “The Effects of Dynamic and Static Stretching on Acute Lower Extremity Flexibility,” completed in the course Research Methods (EXSC 448).
Cavanaugh, winner in the Undergraduate Foundational Category for projects completed at the 100-level, submitted to the competition her paper “There’s No Gain in the Globalization Game,” completed in the Composition course (WRTG 107), taught by Dawn D’Aries Zera, adjunct professor of English and theatre. To complete her research, Cavanaugh took advantage of the Library’s Research Services, made available to students at the Research Services desk on the second floor of the Library. By visiting the Research Services desk and consulting with the faculty Librarian working there, she learned the vast amount of information available to students through the University’s Library resources. As Cavanaugh states in her application essay, “A few clicks from the university homepage and I was connected to thousands of media sources, books, magazines, articles, journals and more.” She also describes as part of her research process the importance of organizing the information she found into the main points of her paper’s outline through the combined use of a research log, the citation generators in the Library’s databases and folders on her computer, all of which she used to organize and cite the sources she found.
Honorable Mention awards in the Undergraduate Foundational Category were presented to group partners James P. McKane Jr. of Archbald, a history major, and Alana Siock of Jefferson Township, a French major, for their Digital History (HIST 190) course project “The Jesuit Takeover of the University of Scranton;” and to physiology major Sydney Vanvourellis of Hillsborough, New Jersey, for her essay “Is Stress just in your Head?,” completed in her Composition course (WRTG 107).
Dineen, winner in the Graduate Category, submitted to the competition her project “Historical Analysis,” completed in the course Leadership in Occupational Therapy (OT 501), taught by Marlene Joy Morgan, Ed.D., associate professor of occupational therapy. In this project students were asked to research a topic by reading the occupational therapy literature dating back to 1917 when the field was founded. Dineen researched sensory integration intervention in pediatric occupational therapy. She accessed the occupational therapy literature through use of the Library’s resources including microfilm, indexes, databases and print journals. Dineen shared in her description of research that her process included both “careful planning” to locate articles relevant to her topic, as well as “serendipitous” discovery of articles that contributed to her understanding, and that she “learned not to be afraid to ask for help.” Of her research process for the project she said, “I was able to literally see the progression of the sensory integration approach and of the profession itself,” calling it a “historical immersive experience.”
Prize winners were honored at reception in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
For more information about the Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize, contact Donna Witek, information literacy coordinator at the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library, at 570-941-4000 or donna.witek@scranton.edu.
(Above photo) From left: Donna Witek, information literacy coordinator; Brian Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Nicole Cavanaugh, recipient of the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Undergraduate Foundational Category; and Charles Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency.
(Above photo) From left: Donna Witek, information literacy coordinator; Emily Dineen, recipient of the 2018 Bonnie W. Oldham Library Research Prize in the Graduate Category; Charles Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency; Marlene Joy Morgan, Ed.D., associate professor of occupational therapy; and Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., associate dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Library Research Prize Winners Recognized
-
06/25/2018
William Latshaw, personal banker, Wells Fargo, and Michael Pany, community relations senior consultant, Wells Fargo, spoke about saving for college to high school students participating in The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a multi-year, pre-college program that is designed for high school students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Wells Fargo has provided continuous support of this program since 2011.
For additional information, visit the University of Success web site.
Wells Fargo Representatives Visit University of Success
-
06/19/2018Orientation for The University of Scranton’s class of 2022 began on campus this week. The two-day sessions for students, parents and guardians will continue June 21-22, 25-26 and 28-29.
At the opening program, University of Scranton President-elect Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., welcomed the class to Scranton. Student orientation leaders Grace Donnelly, a junior occupational therapy major from Haddon Heights, New Jersey, and Corinne Mackenzie, a junior biology major from Glen Mills, along with a team of University administrators, staff, faculty and more than 50 student orientation assistants, helped to acquaint the incoming class to the University community and region.
Scranton’s summer orientation is designed to introduce new students and their families to the University’s procedures, facilities and support services, and to provide them with the opportunity to meet with faculty, administrators and staff, as well as each other.
The program includes chemistry, mathematics, foreign language and composition placement tests for incoming students. They also meet academic advisors, attend presentations on support services and extracurricular activities, and participate in recreational and social events.
Orientation also includes sessions for parents and guardians, such as “Family Partnerships: Preparing for the Transition,” presented by Anitra Yusinski-McShea, Ph.D., vice provost for Student Formation and Campus Life, which helps prepare parents for the new role they will play. Parents also learn about the resources and programs offered by Campus Ministries, Financial Aid, the Center for Career Development and other departments at the University.
The summer reading assignment for the class of 2022 Royal Reads Program is “Stories from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor” by James J. O’Connell, M.D. Members of the incoming class are required to read the book and attend the lecture in the fall semester about the book. The purpose of the Royal Reads Program is to create a shared experience for Scranton’s newest students through the reading of a carefully selected book, which introduces them to the Ignatian values.
Members of Scranton’s incoming class of approximately 978 students represent 14 states, including Alaska, Texas, Georgia and Virginia.
The entire class of 2022 will assemble on campus for the first time at Fall Welcome Weekend Aug. 25-26.Orientation Begins for Class of 2022
-
06/18/2018
A new affiliation between The University of Scranton and Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, gives Scranton students the option of automatic admission to the law school after completion of three years at Scranton and a minimum scholarship of $25,000 per year while at Duquesne for students who meet program requirements.
The agreement, which will take effect beginning with the 2018-19 academic year, will allow Scranton students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Scranton and juris doctor (JD) degree from Duquesne in six, rather than seven years. Through what is commonly referred to as a “3-3 program,” the agreement allows eligible Scranton students to complete their senior year bachelor’s degree requirements during the first year of law school at Duquesne. Approved courses would count toward both the student’s law degree at Duquesne and his or her bachelor’s degree at Scranton. The program is not compatible with all undergraduate majors at Scranton.
To be eligible for guaranteed admission through this program, students must have completed three-years of required coursework for a bachelor’s degree program with a minimum of 63 credits completed at Scranton. Eligible students must also have a grade-point-average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher and a LSAT score of 154 or higher, in addition to meeting other character and fitness requirements.
Scranton has a similar agreement with Villanova School of Law.
Beginning in the fall semester, the University will offer a new concentration in legal studies for students preparing for law school, as well as those interested in studying law at the undergraduate level. The flexible curriculum allows students to both advance their understanding of the law and develop skills necessary for success in law school.
In addition, Scranton has a Pre-Law Advisory Program that helps students navigate the law school application process throughout their undergraduate years. The program also offers assistance to Scranton alumni who wish to apply to law school.
In the past four years, more than 130 Scranton graduates have received acceptance into more than 50 law schools throughout the United States, including to some of the country’s most prestigious law schools.
For more information, visit scranton.edu/academics/cas/pre-law/, or contact Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., pre-law advisor and associate professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-5814 or matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.
Duquesne Law Degree Affiliation Established
-
06/12/2018
The University of Scranton will offer a new concentration in legal studies beginning in the fall semester of 2018 that will be available to both incoming and current students. The interdisciplinary concentration provides students preparing for law school, as well as those interested in studying law at the undergraduate level only, with a flexible curriculum that can both advance understanding of the law and develop skills necessary for success in law school.
Housed in the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, the legal studies concentration is intended to further develop and formalize the curriculum associated with the currently existing Pre-Law Advisory Program, which is a non-curricular advisory program that assists students interested in attending law school after graduation.
“The Pre-Law Advisory Program focuses on helping pre-law students choose a major, prepare for the LSAT, write personal statements, get letters of recommendation and submit applications. Although the advisory program has a recommended curriculum for pre-law students, there are no courses that pre-law students are required to take,” said Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., pre-law advisor and associate professor of philosophy at the University. “The legal studies concentration would develop and formalize this aspect of the program by transforming and expanding the list of recommended courses into a curricular program in which students could enroll.”
According to Dr. Meyer, the courses in the concentration follow the recommendation of the American Bar Association for pre-law students and focus on improving students’ writing, problem solving and critical reading skills, in addition to advancing understanding of the law and developing a commitment to justice and the common good. The legal studies concentration will work in tandem with the Pre-Law Advisory Program to place pre-law students in the best possible law schools with the best possible financial packages.
The concentration requires participants to take one three-credit course (Legal Studies Fundamentals, INTD 115) and four additional three-credit courses selected from a variety of courses approved for the concentration for a total of 15 credits (five courses).
The approved courses are offered in several disciplines, including political science, communication, history, philosophy, criminal justice and sociology, among others.
“The legal studies concentration will also encourage faculty from multiple disciplines to develop new courses pertaining to law and will also allow for more pre-law related programming beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Meyer.
Scranton already enjoys great success with its law school placements. In the past four years, 100 percent of graduating seniors were accepted into law school and more than 130 Scranton graduates received acceptance into more than 50 law schools throughout the United States, including to some of the country’s most prestigious law schools. Scranton’s Pre-Law Advisory Program also offers assistance to Scranton alumni who wish to apply to law school.
The University also entered into an affiliation with Villanova University School of Law that gives Scranton students the option of automatic admission to the law school and a minimum scholarship of $25,000 per year while at Villanova for students who meet program requirements. Similar affiliations with other law schools are expected to be announced in the near future.
For more information, visit scranton.edu/academics/cas/pre-law/, or contact Dr. Meyer at 570-941-5814 or matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.
New Legal Studies Concentration Offered
-
06/11/2018
Philadelphia native and acclaimed writer Lorene Cary will receive the 2018 Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award from The University of Scranton’s Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library on Saturday, Oct. 13, in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
The event will begin with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by dinner and the award presentation. Tickets are $60 per person, $55 for Friends of the Library and Schemel Forum members, $25 for students and $20 for student Friends members. In addition, there will be a book signing open to the public from 4 to 5 p.m. in the DeNaples Center.
Cary’s books are well known for their thoughtful and intelligent examination of the African-American experience, beginning with her best-selling memoir, “Black Ice,” an American Library Association Book for 1991 that continues to be taught in high schools and colleges today. Her 2011 novel, “If Sons, Then Heirs,” is a contemporary love story that also explores the corrosive racial history that haunts its main characters. The book was called “an absorbing and moving tale” by Publishers Weekly and “a powerful take on family, history” by The Philadelphia Tribune.
Cary’s other books include: “The Price of a Child,” a 1995 novel chosen as the first One Book, One Philadelphia selection; “Pride,” a contemporary novel; and “FREE! Great Escapes on the Underground Railroad,” a collection of true-life stories for young readers. Meanwhile, Cary’s essays have appeared in publications like Newsweek, Time, Essence and O Magazine.
In 1998, Cary founded Art Sanctuary to create unique programs for African-American artists, performers and writers in Philadelphia. The programs have drawn up to 1,500 participants a year. In addition, she served on Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission from October 2011 to January 2013.
A longtime senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, Cary received the prestigious Philadelphia Award in 2003. She is also the recipient of six honorary doctorates.
Named in honor of the late Rev. Royden B. Davis, S.J., who served in many roles at the University and as rector of the Jesuit Community, the Distinguished Author Award was established in 1997. The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library envisioned the series as a way to honor notable fiction and non-fiction authors, and to give them the opportunity to share their literary pursuits and impressions with Northeastern Pennsylvanians. Proceeds from the event benefit the Friends of the Library Endowment Fund, which supports special gifts for the Weinberg Library collections and services.
Past recipients of the award have included best-selling author Colum McCann, Jack Palance, Malachy McCourt, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, Lisa Scottoline, Linda Fairstein, James Grippando, Phillip Margolin, Mary Gordon, William Bernhardt, Steve Berry, Jay Parini and Susan Campbell Bartoletti. The 2016 winner was Scranton native Stephen Karam, known best for his Broadway play, “The Humans,” a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
For more information or to reserve a ticket for the dinner, contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816 or kym.fetsko@scranton.edu. For more on Cary, visit lorenecary.org.
Lorene Cary to Receive Distinguished Author Award
-
06/11/2018
The Scranton Brass Orchestra will perform on Sunday, June 17, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center at The University of Scranton. Admission is free, and the performance is open to the public. (Doors open at 6:45 p.m. and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.)
The program for the concert includes arrangements for brass of a variety of American music, including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and music from American in Paris, Bernstein’s Candide Overture, a medley of music popularized by Disney films, and selections from “The Great American Songbook” including You’ll Never Walk Alone, A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square, and Here’s That Rainy Day. The concert will also feature the American premiere of Thomas Gansch’s Ljubliana Fanfare.
The Scranton Brass Orchestra is under the direction of co-founder and director Cheryl Y. Boga and is presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton. Now beginning its seventh season, the fully professional 28-member ensemble is comprised of brass and percussion players/teachers from the region. The group’s performances are free of charge and open to the public, and sometimes feature nationally and internationally acclaimed guests, including many of the most respected brass players of our time. The group made its debut before hundreds of appreciative audience members in June 2011, and has since garnered acclaim from both audiences and musicians alike.
Scranton Brass Orchestra members for this concert and the instrument they play are as follows: Eb Trumpet/Cornet and Piccolo Trumpet: Jon Shadle; Bb Trumpet/Cornet: Carl Achhammer, John Carey, Joe Devizia, Ken Luckey, Sean Mason, Jamie Orfanella, Miles Orfanella, Morganne Piestrak, Jonathan Searfoss, Matthew Wren; Flugelhorn: Jeff Leas; Horns: Justin Ambrozia, Rena Hummel, Kristen Yarmey; Trombones: Malcolm Viney, Chuck Smith; Bass Trombone: Don Williams; Baritone/Euphonium: Ryan Berry, Conor Flynn, Wayne Smith, Chris Wilski; Tuba: Steve Lakawicz, Ryan Lamoreux, James Vasky; Percussion: Janelle Decker, Adam Gresko, Frank Torquato.
For additional information, visit scranton.edu/music or email music@scranton.edu.
Scranton Brass Orchestra to Perform June 17
-
06/11/2018The University of Scranton hosted the fifth annual Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series recently on campus.
George Cristian Maior, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the United States, joined Dr. Nathan for the panel discussion, “The Rise of Romania: History. Culture. Economy.” A performance of traditional Romanian music and dance and a reception followed the discussion.
The event was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Nathan, a former professor in Scranton’s Kania School of Management who is now a tenured professor of management at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
The Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series invites international scholars from emerging democracies and countries in political and economic transition to visit the University to address issues that will enlighten and benefit students, faculty and the community at large. While visiting the campus, scholars deliver presentations on topics of interest to the academic community and meet informally with attendees, students and faculty.University Hosts Nathan Visiting Scholar Lecture
-
06/08/2018The University of Scranton joins with sister Jesuit universities from across the world in condemning the acts of violence perpetrated against peaceful protesters in Nicaragua in recent weeks. We add our voice to those joining with Father José Alberto Idiáquez S.J., Rector of the Central American University (UCA) of Nicaragua, in a call for peaceful negotiations to end this conflict. We call upon the Nicaraguan government to honor the constitutional rights of its citizens, starting with freedom of expression and peaceful protest.
News reports chronicling the violence and more than 100 deaths associated with this crisis have been alarming, as have the death threats issued against Father Idiáquez for advocating for peaceful negotiations between anti-government protestors and the regime of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega. Yet Father Idiáquez’s courage has been unwavering in his efforts to expose injustice and to care for students and the people of Nicaragua.
As a Jesuit and Catholic university, UCA of Nicaragua has the mission to inspire in students a commitment to justice. At Scranton, we too share this mission and pray for a peaceful solution to end this crisis that recognizes, respects and protects the rights of Nicaraguan citizens.
Sincerely,
Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S. J.
Interim PresidentStatement on Violence in Nicaragua
-
06/06/2018
Since last fall, a cross functional team has been working on developing a new version of the Scranton mobile app, built upon the foundation of the Ellucian Mobile platform.
Used by more than 900 colleges and universities around the globe, Ellucian Mobile is the most widely adopted mobile solution for higher education.
The new app will be rolled out as an update to existing users, starting on Monday, June 11, and will also be available for download from the App and Google Play stores.
For the full list of features visit Scranton.edu/mobile.
New Scranton Mobile App to Launch Next Week!!
-
06/05/2018Ten members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2018 and one graduate from Pennsylvania State University Scranton were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony held on Scranton’s campus in May.
The University of Scranton ROTC graduates who were commissioned at the ceremony are:
2nd Lt. William C. Beck of Bear, Delaware;
2nd Lt. Lindsay Clifford of Monroe, New York;
2nd Lt. David Augusto de Leon II of Greenwich, Connecticut;
2nd Lt. Ryan J. Feeney of Morris Plains, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. John Paul Filipczyk of Benton,
2nd Lt. Stephen Thomas Fitch of Villanova,
2nd Lt. Noel B. Hanson of Prospect Park,
2nd Lt. Paul J. Piekarz of Brooklyn, New York;
2nd Lt. Mohammed Aji Notonegoro Truitt of Whiting, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Robert J. Turlip, Jr. of Archbald.
In addition to The University of Scranton graduates, also commissioned at the ceremony was Pennsylvania State University Scranton graduate 2nd Lt. Michael Kolcharno of Dunmore.Graduates Commissioned as Second Lieutenants
-
06/04/2018
For University of Scranton Fulbright Student Lauren Coggins the case is clear: Mother knows best.
When Coggins was an eighth-grade student at Abington Heights Middle School, her mother Patricia told her to take Spanish for her foreign language choice of the classes offered at her school “because it’s the second most commonly-spoken language in the United States and it will help you in your future.”
Coggins earned her bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from the University in May as a double major in secondary education and Hispanic studies with a concentration in Latin American studies. She was awarded the University’s Prof. Joseph G. Brunner Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages (Hispanic Studies). She also won an award from what is widely considered to be the premier international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. She was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico. She will be teaching English as a Second Language at a university in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico.
“I’m delighted to see an exceptional local student chosen for this highly-selective national program,” said Susan Trussler, Ph.D., the University’s Fulbright Program Advisor and associate professor of economics and finance. “Lauren maintains a GPA above 3.9, is passionate about teaching and possesses a keen ability for language. She also holds a deep admiration for Hispanic culture. She embodies the qualities the Fulbright program was designed to cultivate.”
Coggins is one of over 1,900 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English, and provide expertise abroad for the 2018-2019 academic year through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Recipients of Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as record of service and leadership potential in their respective fields.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
The 2018 award also continues Scranton’s decades of success with the Fulbright program. Since 1972, a total of 124 University students have been awarded Fulbrights.
Coggins began her studies at Scranton as a biology major, but her experience as a tutor in the University’s Language Learning Center and the encouragement from the center’s former director, Marie Karam, and faculty members “redirected” her to teaching.
Coggins now refers to her career choice as a calling. “For me, teaching is something that comes from the heart,” she said.
She considers the Fulbright a “gift” that she intends to put to use in helping her future students.
“Being in Mexico, I will learn more about the culture by experiencing it firsthand. Because learning the language also involves learning the culture, I can bring that deeper understanding back to the United States to share with English speakers here who want to learn Spanish,” said Coggins.
As a community engagement project for the Fulbright, she intends to organize an afterschool program for young children to learn English along with their mothers prior to their starting to study the language in school.
“I think learning a language can be a bonding experience for the mothers and their children,” said Coggins.
During the Spring 2017 semester, Coggins studied abroad at Universidad Iberoamericana in Puebla, Mexico. In the spring 2018 semester, she completed her student teaching assignment at Mid Valley Secondary Center, where she taught Spanish I.
At the University, Coggins served as a Spanish and English as a Second Language (ESL) tutor at the Language Learning Center and as a mentor for the University of Success program. She was a member of the Spanish Club. She also volunteered with the University’s ESL Native Speaker Conversation Partners Program and as a Spanish tutor at various local high schools. A Dean’s List student, she was inducted into Alpha Mu Gamma, the national foreign language honor society, and participated in the University’s Faculty Student Teaching Mentorship Program.
Coggins is a cantor for Our Lady of Snows Parish in Clarks Summit. She also plays the violin and even taught a University professor to play the instrument – with some strings attached.
“I had to provide instruction in Spanish,” said Coggins.
Coggins resides in Clarks Summit with her parents, Patricia and John Coggins and her brother Matthew.
Upon completion of her Fulbright, Coggins plans to be a high school Spanish teacher and pursue a master’s degree in Hispanic literature or ESL education.
University of Scranton Student Wins Fulbright
-
06/04/2018
Daniel Haggerty, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and director of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, has been named Teacher of the Year by The University of Scranton’s class of 2018.
The award honors a faculty member who maintains high standards of academic excellence and fairness, and through enthusiasm and dedication, inspires the interest of students in a field of education. The University’s Faculty Senate Academic Support Committee instituted the award in 1996.
Dr. Haggerty joined the faculty at Scranton in 2005 and has served as the director of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program since 2010. At Scranton, he developed and teaches a mission-based travel course to Spain and Rome that follows in the footsteps of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
The author of “The Unholy Alliance of Science and Analytic Epistemology: A Turn to Virtue in Contemporary Analytic Philosophy” (Nova Science Publishers, 2011), Dr. Haggerty has written many peer-reviewed articles, papers and book reviews. His research includes studies of classical theorists as well as contemporary thinkers in both the analytic and continental traditions. His publications in moral psychology, ethics and epistemology deal with such topics as emotions, affectivity, justification, virtue and reasons for acting.
Dr. Haggerty received the University’s 2011 Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award (formally the Edward Gannon, S.J., Award for Teaching) and the Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum: The Magis Award in 2016. Earlier in his teaching career, he received a Commendation for Outstanding Service and Dedication from St. Mary’s Seminary and University, among other awards and recognition.
Dr. Haggerty earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Saint Joseph’s University and his doctorate in philosophy from Syracuse University.
Graduating Class Names Teacher of the Year
-
06/01/2018
Thirty-four members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2018 graduated from its undergraduate Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.
The following is a list of the class of 2018 Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.
Erin F. Alexander, Linden, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Thomas P. Hogan, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Psychology, on a thesis titled “Mathematics Achievement-Attitude Relations in TIMSS 2015: The Effect of Regional Grouping;”
Lea A. Barny, Linden, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentors David A. Rusak, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, and Patrick T. Orr, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Quantification of Intraperitoneally Injected Silver Nanoparticles in Regionally Dissected Brains and Secondary Organs of Mice using Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy;”
Erika L. Beyrent, Clarks Summit, worked with faculty mentor George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Oxidative Stress Induces in the Tau Protein in Cultured Chick Embryonic Neurons;”
Tyler M. Bielinski, Dunmore, worked with faculty mentor J. Timothy Cannon, Ph.D., professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “The Face and Bipolar Disease: Exploration of Facial Differences in Bipolar Populations;”
Catherine O. Bruno, Westfield, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, on a thesis titled “The Effect of the European Union’s Dublin Regulations on the Migrant Crisis;”
Nicholas Chaump, West Pittston, worked with faculty mentor Christine A. Zakzewski, Ph.D., associate professor of physics and electrical engineering, on a thesis titled “Medical Devices: Methods and Applications;”
Nicole A. DiTolla, Mount Vernon, New York, worked with faculty mentor Matthew M. Reavy, Ph.D., associate professor of communication, on a thesis titled “Current Events Knowledge Among Different Demographics;”
Bridget S. Duffy, Danbury, Connecticut, worked with faculty mentor Byron C. Applequist, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “Biomechanical Analysis of the Effects of an Ankle Brace on the Landing Phase of a Countermovement Jump;”
Regina M. Fasano, Downingtown, worked with faculty mentor Christie P. Karpiak, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Psychology Department, on a thesis titled “Cognitive Patterns Associated with Autism Spectrum and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Non-Clinical Young Adults;”
Brendon A. Feliciano, New York, New York, worked with faculty mentor Satya P. Chattopadhyay, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Department, on a thesis titled “The Impact of Environmental Deregulation on Business Stakeholders;”
Breanna L. Forgione, Hockessin, Delaware, worked with faculty mentor Hyuk-Jun Cheong, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication, on a thesis titled “Millennials and Social Media Usage: The Perception of Digital Natives as Communicators;”
Jordan M. Friedrich, Cinnaminson, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, on a thesis titled “Terrorists Find the Vacuum;”
Alexander R. Haber, Tresckow, worked with faculty mentor George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effects of Oxidative Stress on the Subcellular Localization of Amyloid Precursor Protein in HTB-11 Neuroblastomas;”
Mary K. Halligan, Gambrills, Maryland, worked with faculty mentor Michael J. Landram, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “Factors Affecting Female Knee Stability;”
Kathleen M. Healey, Scranton, worked with faculty mentor Harold W. Ballie, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, on a thesis titled “Defining Professionalism in Medicine: The Ethics of Refugee Health Care;”
Margaret E. Hemphill, Scranton, worked with faculty mentor Maria Squire, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Prenatal Exposure to Acetaminophen and Bone Microarchitecture in Adult Male C57BL/6 Mice;”
Kathleen P. Heslin, Smithtown, New York, worked with faculty mentor Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Taurine on Locomotion: A Model for Treating Depression-Like Behavior in Zebrafish;”
Anne I. Kennedy, Conshohocken, worked with faculty mentor George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Activity-Dependent Modulation of Neuronal Proliferation and Differentiation in Cultured Chick Olfactory Neurons;”
Alexandra S. Koutsoubis, Monroe Township, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Matthew J. Socha, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Acute Oxidative Stress Attenuates Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Mouse Superior Epigastric Arteries;”
Haleigh N. McBride, Oak Ridge, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Oxidative Stress Induced Changes on Endothelial and Vascular Structure in Embryonic Chicks;”
Catherine E. Murray, Maple Glen, worked with faculty mentor Michael A. Sulzinski, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Frequency of Natural Infesction of Burkholderia in Different Species of Onions;”
Sara Myers, Kennett Square, worked with faculty mentor Steven T. Dougherty, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, on a thesis titled “Orthogonality from Group Characters;”
Jonathan P. Nicklas, Northampton, worked with faculty mentor Robert J. Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “An Examination of Male and Female Gray Catbird (Dumetella Carolinensis) Feather Reflectance in the Visible and Ultraviolet Spectrum;”
Patrick Park, Havertown, worked with faculty mentor Joan M. Wasilewski, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Chemistry Department, on a thesis titled “Effect on N-9 Monounsaturated fatty Acids on Growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae;”
Anthony M. Puglisi, PasadenaMaryland, worked with faculty mentor Vanessa A. Ferrance, Ed.D., associate professor of education, on a thesis titled “The Impact of Resistance Training Exercise Program on Verbally Repetitive Behavior, Muscular Strength, and Muscular Endurance for an Adult Male with Autism Spectrum Disorder;”
Matthew J. Reynolds, Apalachin, New York, worked with faculty mentor George Gomez, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Developmental Process of the Growing Motile Ciliary Tip Region;”
Dina L. Roche, Millis, Massachusetts, worked with faculty mentor Matthew J. Socha, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “High Glucose Treatment Attenuates Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Mouse Superior Epigastric Arteries;”
Laura A. Romanovich, Peckville, worked with faculty mentor Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effects of Elevated Temperature and Enhanced Carbon Dioxide on Bleaching of the Symbiotic Sea Anemone Exaiptasia pallida;”
Peter P. Shaver, Shavertown, worked with faculty mentor John Meredith Hill, Ph.D. cand., professor of English and theatre, on a thesis titled “Shavertown and Two Essays;”
David C. Standen, Newtown Square, worked with faculty mentor Abhijit Roy, Ph.D., professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, on a thesis titled “Global Water Sustainability: The Roll of Business, the Government, and NGOs in achieving Sustainable Development Goals Pertaining to Water by 2030;”
Robert A. Staubach, Flemington, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Arthur J. Catino, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Progress towards the Directed Ortho-Metalation of Boronic Acids;”
Theresa K. Webster, New Britain, worked with faculty mentor Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Post-concussion Case Study with a focus on Aerobic and Vestibular Eye Therapy;”
Devin P. Wood, Newton, worked with faculty mentor Patrick T. Orr, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Intermittent Fasting Displays No Neuroprotective Effects against Predictable Chronic stress Insults at the Behavioral Level and Appears to Display Potential Alterations in the Cellular Redox System Favoring a Reductive Stress Environment;”
Ling Yi, Palmyra, worked with faculty mentor Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, on a thesis titled “Evolution of the Pericardium Meridian: How the Meridian Theory of Chinese Medicine is Evolving with Modern Illnesses.”
Class of 2018 Honors Program Graduates
-
06/01/2018
Fifteen members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2018 graduated from its Business Leadership Honors Program, which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in this highly-selective program explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring.
The following is a list of the class of 2018 Business Leadership Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Frank Argenti, East Islip, New York, a finance major;
Andrew Bamundo, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, an accounting major;
Louis Belardi, Harleysville, an accounting major;
Jessica Campbell, Norristown, an accounting major;
Francesco Luigi Campese, Havertown, a finance and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program;
Rebecca Clark, Newark, Delaware, a finance and accounting double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, who is also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Gavin Coutts, Mendham, New Jersey, a finance major and a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program;
Evan Evanish, Moscow, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major;
Alexis Hormovitis, Albany, New York, a mathematics and finance double major;
Kayla Johnson, Allentown, a strategic communication major;
Nicholas Piscopo, Freehold, New Jersey, a finance major;
Sara Rizzo, Danbury, Connecticut, an accounting and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program;
Madeline Russell, Newton, New Jersey, an accounting major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program;
Drew Schankweiler, Harrisburg, a business administration major;
Patrick Tuzzo, Bayville, New Jersey, a finance and accounting double major.
Business Leadership Honors Program Graduates
-
06/01/2018
Thirty-five members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2018 graduated from its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA), which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in SJLA pursue a rigorous education designed to develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills through specially designed courses in philosophy, theology and literature.
The following is a list of class of 2018 SJLA Honors Program graduates and their majors
Erin Alexander, Linden, New Jersey, a psychology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program, who is also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Cara Anzulewicz, Scranton, a neuroscience major;
Erika Beyrent, Clarks Summit, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and biomathematics double major and a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Kaylee Burns, Brooklyn, New York, an accounting and philosophy double major;
Francesco Campese, Havertown, a finance and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program;
Rebecca Clark, Newark, Delaware, an accounting and finance double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Business Leadership Honors Program, who is also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Gavin Coutts, Mendham, New Jersey, a finance major and member of the University’s undergraduate Business Leadership Honors Program;
Scott Curan, North Abington Township, a biology major;
Timothy Dodds, Suffield, Connecticut, a psychology and philosophy double major;
Bridget Fasciani, Malverne, New York, a philosophy major;
Emily Garner, Bensalem, a health administration and philosophy double major;
Erica Gleason, Wyomissing, a biology and philosophy double major;
Alexander Haber, Tresckow, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Kathleen Healey, Scranton, a philosophy major and a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Kathleen Heslin, Smithtown, New York, a biology and philosophy double major and a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program, who is also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Anne Kennedy, Conshohocken, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program, who is also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Alexandra Koutsoubis, Monroe Township, New Jersey, a biology and philosophy double major and a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Elizabeth Loftus, Phoenixville, a marketing major;
Jonathan Nicklas, Northampton, a biology and philosophy double major and a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Daniel O’Reilly, Flushing, New York, an English, theology and religious studies, and philosophy triple major, who is also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Rachel Poirier, Windsor, Connecticut, a psychology and philosophy double major;
Michael Powell, Conklin, New York, a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and philosophy double major, who is also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Liam Reeves, Upper Gwynedd, a biochemistry and philosophy double major;
Sara Rizzo, Danbury, Connecticut, an accounting and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Business Leadership Honors Program;
Laura Romanovich, Peckville, a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program, who is also a Presidential Scholar at the University;
Madeline Russell, Newton, New Jersey, an accounting major and member of the University’s undergraduate Business Leadership Honors Program;
Noel Saharig, Bloomfield, New Jersey, a chemistry and biophysics double major;
Lauren Tomasic, Reisterstown, Maryland, an exercise science and philosophy double major;
Michelle Uminski, Raritan, New Jersey, a biology and philosophy double major;
Erica Westlake, West Chester, a biology and philosophy double major;
Mackenzie Wilson, Mount Pocono, a political science and philosophy double major;
Devin Wood, Newton Township, a neuroscience, biochemistry and philosophy triple major and a member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Ling Yi, Palmyra, a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Gared Zaboski, West Wyoming, a criminal science, political science and philosophy triple major.
Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program Graduates
-
05/30/2018
The University of Scranton honored 57 members of its undergraduate class of 2018 for academic excellence, service or both. The awards were presented at Class Night on May 25 on campus.
Students with the highest GPA in each of the University’s three undergraduate colleges were presented Frank J. O’Hara Awards for General Academic Excellence, a memorial to the late administrator who served the University for 53 years.
This year’s O’Hara Award recipients were: Sarah N. Jones of Palmer, Massachusetts, for Panuska College of Professional Studies; Patrick A. Tuzzo of Bayville, New Jersey, for Kania School of Management; and Zachary P. Fiscus of Scranton for the College of Arts and Sciences.
Also recognized were prestigious national scholarship award recipients Lauren Coggins of Clarks Summit, who received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico, and Matthew John Reynolds of Apalachin, New York, who received a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.
In addition, students were honored for outstanding academic achievement in their fields of study. The students honored, and the awards received are as follows:
Erin Fitz Alexander, Linden, New Jersey, Lawrence Lennon Award for Outstanding Service and Achievement in Psychology;
Chloe-Symone Alvarado, Carson, California, Excellence in Women’s Studies Award;
Samantha R. Austin, Bethany, Connecticut, Excellence in Health Administration Award;
Lea Amy Barny, Linden, New Jersey, Excellence in Neuroscience Award;
Erika Lynn Beyrent, Clarks Summit, Excellence in Biomathematics Award;
Breann Boyarsky, Scott Township, Sigma Theta Tau, International Honor Society of Nursing Award;
Steven Andrew Browning, Stamford, Connecticut, Excellence in Exercise Science and Sport Award and the Student Life Award;
Maura Catherine Burns, Archbald, Prof. Frank C. Brown Award for Excellence in History;
Andre L. Camayd, Clarks Green, Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award;
Jessica Lynn Campbell, Norristown, Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Award;
Jaclyn Nicole Campson, Massapequa, New York, Excellence in Occupational Therapy Award;
Nicholas Chaump, West Pittston, Dr. A.J. Cawley Award for Excellence in Electrical Engineering, and the Excellence in Mathematics Award (B.A.);
Lindsay Clifford, Monroe, New York, Military Science Leadership Award;
Ryan J. Coonahan, Oreland, Excellence in Operations Management Award;
Rachel L. DiBisceglie, River Edge, New Jersey, Excellence in International Business Award;
Regina Marie Fasano, Downingtown, Excellence in Psychology Award;
Bridget Grace Fasciani, Malverne, New York, Lawrence A. Mann Award;
Brendon A. Feliciano, New York, New York, Excellence in Business Administration Award;
Zachary Paul Fiscus, Scranton, Excellence in Applied Mathematics Award;
Kathleen Marie Healey, Scranton, Alumni Loyalty and Service Award;
Monica A. Holden, Northport, New York, Excellence in Health Advocacy Award;
Adam C. Horger, Elmhurst Township, Excellence in Media Information Technology Award;
Josef W. Kampfe, Blairstown, New Jersey, Excellence in Nursing Award;
Brianna Simone Kelly, Floral Park, New York, Excellence in Community Health Education Award;
Gloria Lynn LaBarca, Tuckahoe, New York, Excellence in Forensic Chemistry Award;
Sean P. Lam, Olyphant, Excellence in Finance Award;
Sirui Li, Scranton, Excellence in Electronic Commerce Award;
Luis M. Melgar, Simpson, Jesuit Community Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service;
Kylie Frances Mignat, Canadensis, Prof. Joseph G. Brunner Award for Excellence in Foreign Languages (German Cultural Studies) and the Excellence in International Studies Award;
Sara E. Myers, Kennett Square, Excellence in Mathematics Award (B.S.);
Andrew Joseph Nardone, Dallas, Excellence in Biochemistry Award;
Emma M. Percival, Granby, Connecticut, Excellence in Early and Primary Education Award;
Michael James Powell, Conklin, New York, Excellence in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology Award and the Excellence in Philosophy Award;
Jessica M. Principi, Sandy Hook, Connecticut, Excellence in Management Award;
William Francis Rennekamp, Lake Ariel, Excellence in Chemistry-Business Award;
Matthew John Reynolds, Apalachin, New York, Kathryn and Bernard Hyland Memorial Award for Excellence in Biology;
Jennifer Leslie Riccardi, Little Ferry, New Jersey, Excellence in Counseling and Human Services Award;
Sara T. Rizzo, Danbury, Connecticut, Edward J. Spitzer Scholarship Award;
Lauren Kate Roberto, Princeton, New Jersey, Excellence in Marketing Award;
Peter Paul Shaver, Shavertown, Prof. Joseph B. Cullather Award for Excellence in English;
Samuel Julio Colmanetti Soares, Scranton, Excellence in Computer Science Award;
Nicolette Katherine Sorensen, Harrisburg, Student Life Award;
Kevin Michael Steinke, Scranton, Mary E. Quinn Award for Excellence in Secondary Education;
Mikaela Joy Surace, Scott Township, Excellence in Chemistry Award and the American Chemical Society Award;
Michael C. Thiel, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Award;
Patrick Alexander Tuzzo, Bayville, New Jersey, Excellence in Accounting Award;
Paul Matthew Vervlied, Ambler, Excellence in Criminal Justice Award;
Rebecca Lee Wagner, Maspeth, New York, Professor Bernard J. McGurl Award for Excellence in Communication;
Erica Ann Westlake, West Chester, The J.J. Quinn, S.J., Achievement Award for Demonstration of Excellence in English Studies;
Caleigh Elise Wildenstein, Forest City, Excellence in Environmental Science Award;
Mackenzie Elizabeth Wilson, Mount Pocono, Prof. Timothy H. Scully Award for Excellence in Political Science;
Alexander N. Wolan, Succasunna, New Jersey, Excellence in Economics Award;
Aden Walter Wolfe, Ringtown, Excellence in Human Resources Award;
Joshua T. Zadoyko, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, Professor Joseph P. Harper Award for Excellence in Physics;
Timothy J. Zinna, Tappan, New York, Excellence in Theology and Religious Studies Award.
A video of Class Night can be viewed here.
Class Night Recognizes Graduates
-
05/29/2018
The University of Scranton
2018 Commencement Speech
Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Bishop of YoungstownAbout Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J.,
Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, received an honorary degree from The University of Scranton at its 2018 undergraduate commencement ceremony.
As member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Murry served as chair of its Committee Against Racism, which was formed in August 2017 “… to focus on addressing the sin of racism in our society, and even in our Church, and the urgent need to come together as a society to find solutions.”
Prior to his service as Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, which began in 2007, Bishop Murry served as Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago. For 20 years previously, he worked as a teacher and administrator in Catholic education.
A native of Camden, New Jersey, and graduate of Camden Catholic High School, Bishop Murry attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia; St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut; and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1972 and was ordained for the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus on June 9, 1979. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and a doctorate in American cultural history from George Washington University.
Delivered by Very Reverend Timothy P. Kesicki, S.J., Jesuit Conference
May 27, 2018
Dear Class of 2018. Some find it challenging enough to listen to a speaker who has been invited from the outside to your commencement. I suppose that some of you may be thinking thinking, “Now we have to listen to somebody else read his speech? What’s next, are they going to text us our diplomas?”
I am honored to deliver the address of Bishop George Vance Murry, S.J., the Bishop of Youngstown. You will hear the words of a distinguished U.S. Churchman. He chairs the U.S. Bishops Committee on Higher Education and was recently appointed chair of the ad-hoc committee on racism. He has traveled the world on behalf of Catholic Relief Services, International Commissions, but even more than these — he is kind, generous and an overall great man.
Two weeks ago I visited him in his hospital room at the Cleveland Clinic where he is being treated for acute leukemia. He’s doing well, but doctors won’t release him for at least a few more weeks while he regains his strength. As soon as I saw him he handed me the text of this speech and said, “I hope you’ve seen the movie Black Panther. Thank God I had, but I wondered, why? I playfully asked him, “Should I like . . . dress like T’Challa or something?” He rolled his eyes and said, “Unless you’re from the nation of Wakanda, I don’t see how. Just know what you’re reading.” I beg your attention now as I humbly deliver Bishop Murry’s address to the graduates.
“Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis, the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” This isn’t Aristotle or Shakespeare, it’s Marvel Comics, whose blockbuster film, “Black Panther,” did make its way to the third-highest-grossing film in the US. Even if you haven’t seen this movie, its message can inspire.
As I sit in the confines of my hospital room, fighting a much smaller enemy than the world faced in “Black Panther,” I know that we are all fighting something inside of us. But regardless of our predicament, regardless of what might tear us apart, more connects than divides us, and I would like to focus on three things that connect all of us today:
1. Young people will lead us
2. We must overcome divisions
3. The life and ministry of Jesus shows us the way.
Let me begin with you our graduates and how you will lead us.
Your generation is the most racially diverse in U.S. history. I see young people living into that reality everyday. I see you reaching across differences and building inclusive community, while previous generations, like mine, struggled immensely to do so.
I don’t like to say, “Young people are our future,” because you are our present. Young people are making great things happen right now. For example, the March for Our Lives rally this spring was created and led by passionate students articulating a vision of life without gun violence. Young people came from diverse places and perspectives, from suburban Parkland, Florida, to small-town Newton, Connecticut, to urban Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Young people have sparked change throughout history. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was assassinated 50 years ago this spring, gave his first sermon at the age of 18 and became a leader of the Montgomery Bus boycott at 26. Jesus’ disciples were in their teens and early 20’s, according to scholars, and they went on to build the Church and bring Christianity to the world.
Young people lead us. Young people change the world. You do it with your courage and you do it with your fresh eyes that envision new possibilities.
Now, to my second point, we need that courage and vision to overcome divisions.
What is the change, the new vision we crave right now? I think that we are looking for a way out of our divisions and separateness. The Black Panther, T’Challa, says in his speech to the UN, “Now more than ever the illusions of division threaten our very existence.” We older folks have mostly accepted our divisions as fact. Too often we have distanced ourselves from one another by race, by political beliefs, by religion, by education, and more. Politicians and media operations prey on our separateness and sow discord, gathering support by appealing to one group over and against another.
Do not believe in these divisions. Become, as Dr. King said, maladjusted to injustice and maladjusted to division. Listen to his words:
“Modern psychology has a word that is probably used more than any other. It is the word ‘maladjusted.’ I say to you there are certain things in our nation and in our world which I am proud to be maladjusted and which I hope all men of good-will be maladjusted. I never intend to become adjusted to segregation and discrimination. I never intend to become adjusted to religious bigotry. I never intend to adjust myself to economic conditions that will take necessities from the many to give luxuries to the few. I never intend to adjust myself to the madness of militarism, to self-defeating effects of physical violence.”
The future belongs to those who are maladjusted. Mother Theresa said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” You young people, though you have shorter memories, can make us all remember what is important, remember that we are in this together, remember that we live as one human family on this earth.
And now my third point, how does the life and ministry of Jesus show us the way?
You will always encounter people who have almost given up on the truth that we could actually belong to one another. I say, ‘almost given up’ because there is always hope. Know that the truth of our mutual belonging is not just articulated by wise people like Dr. King and Mother Theresa, but by Jesus — the Divine Christ himself.
The life and ministry of Jesus gives us Christians a great deal with which to reckon. Jesus says, “Love your neighbor,” and he clearly intends our neighbor to include the outcast and the despised. Love your Samaritan neighbor — the most despised people of all to the Jews. Love your leper neighbor. Love your immigrant neighbor. Jesus’ emphasis on the poor and the outcast sends an incredibly radical message. It always has. But I want to point to something else in Jesus’ life and ministry that may be even more radical for us today, and that is Jesus insistence on inviting and including everyone. And I mean everyone. He brought together the destitute and the wealthy, the prostitute and the pious religious observer. Somehow he brought together Matthew the tax collector — an ally of the Roman occupiers — and Simon the zealot — a freedom fighter for the Jewish resistance to the Romans.
Before I close, I want to take a look at Jesus’ Parable of the Great Banquet. In the Bible, the banquet is an important symbol of God’s reign on earth and in heaven. In Jesus’ parable, the original invitees to a spectacular feast decline the invitation at the last minute. The master, representing God, then says to his servant, “Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.” Here again we have the priority for the poor that God exhibits throughout the Bible with which we have a very tough time. Imagine your graduation dinners last night and tonight and then inviting every homeless person and every person with severe disabilities that you could find.
And then Jesus takes it a step further. The servant comes back, and says, “Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.” The master replies, “Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.” The poor and disadvantaged get first priority, and then it’s “here comes everybody.”Imagine pulling people in from every neighborhood, from every walk of life, compelling them to sit down and share a meal together. You would have black and white and brown all together, rich and poor, gay and straight, progressive and conservative. Everyone’s mind would be blown when a vegan found a way to share a meal with a carnivore rancher, when a Black Lives Matter activist chuckled at the joke told by a Confederate flag-wearing Harley rider, and when a Trump enthusiast asked an undocumented immigrant to pass the tortillas.
Somewhere in all of the mixing and relating, the Holy Spirit moves! God’s blessed community looks like a smorgasbord of humanity, in heaven and on earth. That’s not to say that it is OK to hold onto our biases, even our moral failings, but we grow past them together. In relationship with one another, we live into what connects us while learning a great deal about one another’s life and individuality.
In closing, I see young people moving all of us toward a more blessed and diverse community. You have always sparked change and been leaders when we needed it. The task of ending racism and poverty is not over, and we need you. The struggle to protect the environment, the unborn, and the immigrant continues and we need you. We need you in order to make progress on these issues. Perhaps most importantly, we need you to see beyond what appears to separate us and hold onto what connects us — belonging together in one human family. Congratulations class of 2018. Lead me!2018 Commencement Principal Address
-
05/27/2018
The University of Scranton conferred more than 890 bachelor’s and associate’s degrees at its undergraduate commencement on May 27 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre. Very Reverend Timothy P. Kesicki, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, read the remarks of the principal speaker Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, who was unable to attend the ceremony in person because he is undergoing treatment for a form of acute leukemia. Both Father Kesicki and Bishop Murry, in absentia, received honorary degrees from the University. Honorary degrees were also presented to Sister Ann Walsh, I.H.M., former CEO and current assistant director of Friends of the Poor; William Whitaker, founding president of the Washington Jesuit Academy, Washington. D.C.; and Cecelia Lynett Haggerty, Times-Shamrock Communications and former University trustee.
Graduates receiving degrees at the ceremony include those who completed their program requirements in August and December of 2017, as well as January and May of 2018.
Reading the remarks of Bishop Murry, Father Kesicki advised graduates that “‘(y)oung people lead us. Young people change the world. You do it with your courage and you do it with your fresh eyes that envision new possibilities,’” said Father Kesicki. “‘We older folks have mostly accepted our divisions as fact. Too often we have distanced ourselves from one another by race, by political beliefs, by religion, by education, and more. Politicians and media operations prey on our separateness and sow discord, gathering support by appealing to one group over and against another. Do not believe in these divisions.’”
Bishop Murry concluded his remarks, as read by Father Kesicki, by saying “‘I see young people moving all of us toward a more blessed and diverse community. You have always sparked change and been leaders when we needed it. The task of ending racism and poverty is not over, and we need you. The struggle to protect the environment, the unborn and the immigrant continues, and we need you. We need you in order to make progress on these issues. Perhaps most importantly, we need you to see beyond what appears to separate us and hold onto what connects us – belonging together in one human family.’”
Members of the University’s class of 2018 represent 10 states including California, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. The class includes the recipient of a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the premier undergraduate scholarship for the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering, and a Fulbright scholarship, which is the U.S. government’s premier scholarship program for overseas graduate study, research and teaching. Matthew Reynolds, Apalachin, New York, received the Goldwater Scholarship and Lauren Coggins, Clarks Summit, received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico.
Undergraduate majors with the most graduates are nursing, exercise science, occupational therapy, biology and accounting.
Also at the ceremony, Interim President Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., addressed the graduates and their guests.
In addition, Erin F. Alexander ’18, a psychology major from Linden, New Jersey, provided student remarks for her class. Also speaking at the ceremony were Joseph H. Dreisbach, Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Teresa A. Grettano, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre; Michael K. Short ’99, Alumni Society president; Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Michael O. Mensah, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management; and Brian P. Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, provided the Invocation.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen at www.scranton.edu/eventslive.
University Holds Undergraduate Commencement
-
05/26/2018
The University of Scranton conferred nearly 600 master’s and doctoral degrees at its graduate commencement ceremony on May 26 in the Byron Recreation Complex. Graduates recognized at the ceremony include those who completed their degree requirements in August and December of 2017, as well as January and May of 2018.
The University conferred five doctor of nursing practice degrees, 46 doctor of physical therapy degrees and more than 540 master’s degrees in various disciplines. Graduates represented several foreign countries and 30 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and Washington, among others. The programs with the most graduates at Scranton were the master of business administration, master of accountancy, master of health administration, educational administration and occupational therapy.
Peter J. Danchak ’84, regional president, PNC Bank, Northeast Pennsylvania, served as principal speaker and received an honorary degree at the ceremony.
In his address, Danchak discussed the chances people took on him that helped him attend and graduate from The University of Scranton and become successful in his career. He told graduates to “never underestimate the power you have every day to make a difference in someone’s life.”
“Today is an important milestone for you,” said Danchak. “You earned your master’s degree. You most likely will manage a department, a division or even your own company someday. You will be looked up to as a leader – someone with great responsibility. Please keep at the forefront of your life the Jesuit values that brought you here today.”
University of Scranton Interim President Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., also addressed the graduates and their guests. Degrees were conferred by Father Keller upon candidates presented by Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Michael O. Mensah, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management; and Brian P. Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Also speaking at the ceremony were Joseph H. Dreisbach, Ph.D., interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs; Christina Whitney, director of the University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development; Michael K. Short ’99, Alumni Society president; and David J. Dzurec III, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the History Department.
Graduate students were honored for academic achievement in their specific academic area. Outstanding Academic Awards were presented to Aida Milcetic, Manhasset, New York, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Amanda Elizabeth Kuptsow, Huntington Valley, Doctor of Physical Therapy. Outstanding Academic Awards for master’s level programs were presented to the following graduates in the programs as listed: Caitlin A. Brosnan, New City, New York, occupational therapy; Nicholas J. Bunts, Endwell, New York, healthcare management; Christopher M. Cambria, Edmond, Oklahoma, accounting/human resources; Kaley Crebs, Orlando, Florida, international business; Natalie Rheta Davison, Bayonne, New Jersey, rehabilitation counseling; Jason James DeStefano, Wayne, New Jersey, enterprise resources planning; Syed Muhammad Hurr Hussain Shah Hamdani, Scranton, finance; Paul J. Griffin, Blairstown, New Jersey, chemistry; Gabriel Gerard Gross, Exeter, clinical mental health counseling; Lynne J. Keenan, Doylestown, human resources; Kiel James Kelly, Bethlehem, nurse anesthesia; Celine A. Langlard, Scranton, secondary education; Craig Schuler Lind, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, software engineering; Michael Ellsworth Newell, White Bear Township, Minnesota, general business administration; Timothy M. Poole, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, theology; Marco Mario Richione IV, South Abington Township, finance/management information systems; Samantha Saylock, Moscow, biochemistry; Erik Stanley Schab, Taylor, health administration; Christopher George Scott, Oceanside, California, accounting/operations management; Louis A. Solomon, Hamilton, New Jersey, educational administration; Stephanie Lynn Tantum-Conserette, Yardley, marketing; Thomas Francis Walsh, Westwood, New Jersey, curriculum and instruction; Zachary W. Watters, Olyphant, school counseling; Patrick N. Wende, Easton, health informatics; and Samantha Wojcik, Brooklyn, New York, special education.
An archived recording of the ceremony can be seen at www.scranton.edu/eventslive.
University Confers Master’s and Doctoral Degrees
-
05/25/2018
Undergraduate Commencement: Sunday, May 27 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre
Principal Speaker & Honorary Degree Recipient: Very Reverend Timothy P. Kesicki, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, will read the remarks of the principal speaker Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, who was unable to attend the ceremony in person because he is undergoing treatment for a form of acute leukemia.Honorary Degree Recipients: Bishop Murry, in absentia; Sister Ann Walsh, I.H.M., former CEO and current assistant director of Friends of the Poor; William Whitaker, founding president of the Washington Jesuit Academy, Washington. D.C.; and Cecelia Lynett Haggerty, Times-Shamrock Communications and former University trustee.
Master’s and Doctoral Degree Commencement: Saturday, May 26 - Byron Recreation Complex
Principal Speaker & Honorary Degree Recipient: Peter J. Danchak ’84, regional president, PNC Bank, Northeast Pennsylvania.Total graduates: 1,481
Total doctoral degrees: 46 (DPT, DNP)
Total master’s degrees: 544
Total bachelor’s degrees: 890
Total associate degrees: 1
Prestigious scholarships won by class of 2018 graduates: Goldwater Scholarship Matthew Reynolds, Apalachin, New York; Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Mexico Lauren Coggins, Clarks Summit.
States represented by undergraduates: 10 states including California, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas
and Virginia.States represented by post-baccalaureate graduates: 30 states, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin
and Washington, among others.Top undergraduate programs of study: nursing, exercise science, occupational therapy, biology
and accounting.Top graduate programs of study: master of business administration, master of accountancy, master of health administration, educational administration and occupational therapy.
Quick Facts: Commencement 2018
-
05/23/2018
Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at The University of Scranton, was named the 2018 Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year.
The award, formally known as the Gannon Award in honor of Edward Gannon, S.J., is the oldest teaching award at the University. Established in 1969 by the University’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities, the award recognizes outstanding teaching among faculty. Student members of Alpha Sigma Nu select the professor to be honored.
Dr. Foley’s research centers on the chemistry of protein sulfur as it relates to normal cellular regulation as well as to diseases ranging from neurodegenerative disorders to cancer. His research has been published in numerous professional and academic journals, including Neurochemical Research, Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology and BioChemical and Biophysical Research Communications. In 2003, he received a six-figure grant from the National Institutes of Health to fund “PP2A-Like Constitutive ERK/MAPK Phosphatase in Brain,” which supported a three-year study examining the basic chemical conditions of the brain that are implicated in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Foley often involves University students in his research projects. He has served as a faculty mentor for multiple students who earned the President’s Fellowships for Summer Research, which are presented annually by the University. Several students who conducted research with him have won Goldwater Scholarships, which is the premier undergraduate scholarship for the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering.
Dr. Foley joined the faculty of Scranton in 1999. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Providence College and his Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island.
The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students at the University who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Named
-
05/23/2018
Pennsylvania State Senator John Blake and University of Scranton Interim President Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., spoke at a ceremony held on campus to celebrate pedestrian improvement projects on the University’s Commons and Estate grounds carried out during the summer and fall semester.
“We gather today to celebrate grounds steeped in history – that were purposed for the future.
We celebrate pathways that showcase our past – but lead to the future. We celebrate grounds that serve as an important gateway that leads prospective students to the University and to their future,” said Fr. Keller.The University completed work on the Commons Monroe Avenue Area Pedestrian Circulation Improvement Project, which is a key gateway on campus for prospective students and visitors and extends from the University’s parking pavilion to the Commons Flag Terrace at the entrance to the Weinberg Memorial Library. The project included a new walkway surface of bluestone and granite pavers, consistent with the design used throughout the campus, including on the Commons Flag Terrace. The project also included landscaping of native shrubs and trees.
“The project, which will certainly improve visitor and student experience, was funded in part by a $404,086 state grant through our Multimodal Transportation Fund,” said Senator Blake. “The recent improvements on the University’s campus in Scranton, which are part of an overall investment of over $240 million, are providing state of the art academic facilities; improvements in public safety; health and wellness recreational opportunities for students; and they are ensuring an aesthetically pleasing environment for students and faculty alike.”
“We are always glad to have Senator Blake on campus and appreciate all the work he does in support of our community,” said Fr. Keller.
At the ceremony, the University also celebrated improvements made to the grounds of The Estate on campus, which include a new bluestone terrace in the area immediately in front of the historic building and stone entrance steps inspired by its original design. The enhancements also added contemplation walkways of bluestone and granite to the grounds. Contemplation walkways were common when The Estate was designed in 1864, although the original design did not include one.
The University collaborated with landscape architects Derck and Edson, Lititz, to design the projects.
Julie Schumacher Cohen, director of community and government relations at the University, also spoke at the ceremony. Fr. Keller blessed the grounds at the conclusion of the ceremony. University students Elisa Palmieri, Northford, Connecticut, and Marissa Lang, East Brunswick, New Jersey, assisted with the blessing.
University Celebrates Improvement Projects
-
05/23/2018
The University of Scranton placed at No. 7 among the “Best Catholic Colleges and Universities” in the nation in a new ranking that combines an average score from respected national publication rankings with an average score based on student reviews posted online. The 2018 ranking, published online by College Consensus, includes some of the most prestigious Catholic universities in America.
Scranton was the highest ranked Catholic university in Pennsylvania.
For the ranking, College Consensus calculated an “average rating score” for colleges based on national guidebook rankings, which include U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and others. College Consensus also calculated an “overall score” for colleges based on student reviews posted on multiple sites, including Niche.com. The “consensus ranking” combined both these scores.
The University of Scranton is ranked in all the above-mentioned publications, in addition to numerous other national “best college” rankings. U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 24 consecutive years.
$content.getChild('content').textValueScranton No. 7 Best Catholic College in US
-
05/22/2018
“Anti-Semitism is defined as a religiously-based complex of irrational, mythical and stereotypical beliefs about the diabolical, malevolent and all-powerful Jew infused in its modern secular form with racism and the belief that there is a Jewish conspiracy against mankind,” said Mark Cohen, Ph.D., the Khedouri A. Zilkha professor of Jewish Civilization in the Near East, Emeritus, and professor of Near Eastern Studies, Emeritus, at Princeton University. He spoke at the Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute lecture at The University of Scranton recently.
Dr. Cohen presented his views on the past and present state of Muslim-Jewish relations by addressing Islamic views of the Jewish community in the middle ages at the lecture titled “Modern Myths of Muslim Anti-Semitism.”
“I can say with a great deal of confidence, in agreement with other seasoned scholars, that such anti-Semitism did not exist in the Islamic world in the middle ages,” Dr. Cohen said. “Of course, we should not make the mistake of thinking Jews lived in the middle ages as equals of Muslims.”
According to Dr. Cohen, Jewish people in the Islamic world were treated as second class subjects because they did not recognize the prophet Mohammad and the Quran.
“This kind of unbelief was not as threatening to Islam as Jewish unbelief was to Christians,” Dr. Cohen said. “For unbelief in Christianity means rejection of Jesus as messiah and as God.”
Even though Jews were treated this way, along with Christians, if they obeyed the laws in the Islamic nations they were offered benefits from the rulers, according to Dr. Cohen.
“As respected people of the book, the Jews and Christians enjoyed the status of a protected people,” Dr. Cohen said. “Who were entitled to security of life and property, freedom from forced conversion, communal autonomy and equality in the market. In return for the payment of an annual poll tax and recognizing the superiority of Islam by maintaining a low profile.”
Dr. Cohen then moved onto the rise of Muslim anti-Semitism in the modern age and provided reasons for this rise.
“The first is colonialism, which disrupted the traditional Muslim society,” Dr. Cohen said. “It engendered resentment against those Jews who identified with the European colonizers and the civilizing mission that seemed to be a path to modernization.”
This path towards modernizations from the Christian European colonizers seemed to separate Jews and Muslims in Dr. Cohen’s eyes.
“Colonialism drove a wedge between Arab Jews and Arab Muslims, who resisted colonialism,” Dr. Cohen said.
“Another factor is nationalism, influenced by European secular nationalism and imported into the middle east in the 19th century, where it undermined some of the pluralism and relative tolerance that marked Muslim society in early centuries,” Dr. Cohen said. “In the case of Zionism, nationalism pitted Arab against Jew as rival claimants to the same land.”
“Muslim anti-Semitism took off later in the 19th century, during the colonialism period, when European Christian Missionaries came to promote Christianity, at the expense of any other religion, fostered western style Anti-Semitic Jew hatred,” Dr. Cohen said.
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.
Anti-Semitism, Past and Present
-
05/21/2018
Nearly 200 area students participated in The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. The academic competition tested the high school students’ knowledge of physics and engineering through a series of quizzes and hands-on challenges. Students competed individually and in teams.
Aidan Cunningham from Wallenpaupack Area High School came in first place in the individual competition and received the $250 cash award. Charles Kulick from Scranton Preparatory School came in second place and won both the $150 cash award and the $1,500 scholarship to The University of Scranton for holding the highest quiz score of a participant who will attend the University in fall of 2018. Charles Brinsfield from Wallenpaupack Area High School came in third place and won the $100 cash award.
In the team competition, Wallenpaupack Area High School Team One placed first. Members of that team were: Cunningham, Brinsfield, Wes Conklin, Chris Higgins, Thomas Johnson, Kyle Landolfi and Tyler Wirth. Berwick High School team one came in second-place. Members of the team that placed second were: Hanako Ferro, Kaleb Gearinger, Hannah Gizenski, Jarret Groshek, Griffin Keller, Olivia Lombardi and Henry Noviki. Scranton Preparatory School team one placed third. Members of the third-place finishing team were: Kulick, Patrick David, Jack Habeeb, Ryan Sauter and Dean Sweeney.
The competition was organized by the University’s Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering with the purpose of encouraging more students to pursue careers in physics and engineering. The Joseph Kane Estate, the University’s Financial Aid Office, the Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering and students in the University’s physics and electrical engineering program support the annual academic competition.
Berwick Team 1 (photo above)
Berwick High School team one came in second place in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Matt Shrader and Henry Noviki. Standing, from left: Jarret Groshek, Griffin Keller, Kaleb Gearinger, Hanako Ferro, Hannah Gizenski and Olivia Lombardi.
Scranton Prep Team 1 (photo above)
Scranton Preparatory School team one came in third place in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Paul Pearson and Dean Sweeney. Standing, from left: Charles Kulick (Second Place in individual competition and winner of $1,500 Joseph Kane Scholarship to The University of Scranton), Ryan Sauter, Patrick David and Jack Habeeb.
Berwick Team 2 (photo above)
Berwick High School team two participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Matt Shrader and Aubree Stratchko. Standing, from left: Teagan Kavafinski, Kayla McCreary, Mati McEntyre, Megan Dalo, Corinne Lindsey, Liz Plyler and Cecilia Huntington.
Berwick Team 3 (photo above)
Berwick High School team three participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Matt Shrader and Noah Craig. Standing, from left: Long Le, Kyler Hower, Ralph Norce, Noah Wygant, Ryan Kishbaugh, Benjamin Wojciechowski and Jason Lin.
Carbondale (photo above)
Carbondale High School participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Joe Borosky and Cordell Siggins. Standing, from left: Shawn Connolly, Matthew McCaffrey, Kaitlyn Savage, Isobel Turonis and Christina Carachilo.
Delaware Valley (photo above)
Delaware Valley High School participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Steve Rhule and Samantha Platt. Standing, from left: Matthew Schaefer, Jared Wilson, Nicholas McBride, Cody Dailey, Harlan Muttee and Grace Riexinger.
Holy Cross Team 1 (photo above)
Holy Cross High School team one participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Marge Loughney and Tommy Niemic. Standing, from left: Jillian Warabak, Elisabeth Johnson, Matthew Cerep, Harleigh Davis and Ally McGee.
Holy Cross Team 2 (photo above)
Holy Cross High School team two participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Marge Loughney and Neena Beggin. Standing, from left: Madi Neville, Emma Connolly, Nate Talbot, Lexi Walsh and Mollie Burda.
Holy Cross Team 3 (photo above)
Holy Cross High School team three participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Marge Loughney and Ronnie James. Standing, from left: Charlie Pettinato, Jason Kopf, Patrick Galvin, Christian Bloom and Conor Nealon.
North Pocono Team 1 (photo above)
North Pocono High School team one participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach John Croom and John Slater. Standing, from left: Ashley Santariello, Evan Bowers, Gabe Ramos, Mark Caputo, Tim Pickarski and Faith Alunni.
North Pocono Team 2 (photo above)
North Pocono High School team two participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach John Croom and Clara Cicco. Standing, from left: James Docalovich, Kaili Brooks, Pat Luptak, Macenzie Powell and Amanda Brundage.
North Pocono Team 3 (photo above)
North Pocono High School team three participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach John Croom and Matt Caputo. Standing, from left: Sam Chindemi, Kolby Tonkin, Nick Descipio, Emily Leggiero, Emily Rouse and Peyton Roberts.
North Pocono Team 4 (photo above)
North Pocono High School team four participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach John Croom and Joe Forconi. Standing, from left: Kelsey Kline, Ryan Deom, Ryan Dommes, Nikhil Patel and Catherine Clancy.
Midvalley (photo above)
Midvalley High School participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Rich Therkorn and David Moss. Standing, from left: Donald Hartman III, Madelaine Pegula, Sarah Johnson, Shaun King, Nick Borgacci, Rich Chowanec and Frank Tanana.
Riverside Team1 (photo above)
Riverside High School team one participated in the team competition The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Cris Toraldo and Huner Talipski. Standing, from left: Jacob Fried, Sierra Santariero, Jason Holman, Kala Deininger, Madline Evans, Norah Zippitelli and Anthony DeFrancesco.
Riverside Team 2 (photo above)
Riverside High School team two participated in the team competition The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Cris Toraldo and Tyler Pawlikowski. Standing, from left: Kevin Kearney, Natalie Sottile, Kerilyn Pon, Natalie Schield, Drew Caliano, Kyle Creedon and Charles Ponas.
Scranton High School Team 1 (photo above)
Scranton High School team one participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Lorraine Babarsky and Neiva Fortes. Standing, from left: Kuntal Patel, Ritun Patel, Nabin Rai, Alex McCarthy, Kesha Patel, Alex Inirio and Jason Lee.
Scranton Prep Team 2 (photo above)
Scranton Preparatory School team two participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Paul Pearson and Michael Kaffka. Standing, from left: Nicholas Warhola, Alyssa Zehner, Megan Dillon and Alexis Blackburn.
Scranton Prep Team 3 (photo above)
Scranton Preparatory School team three participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Aaron Holzman and Cuong Nguyen. Standing, from left: Allen Papp, Maxwell Kneeream, Benjamin Worrel, Adwitya Singh and John Nasevich.
Susquehanna (photo above)
Susquehanna High School participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach John Salinkas and Elizabeth Delaney. Standing, from left: Bridget Iveson, Kayline Trynoski, Tristan Megivern, Jorge Bautista, William Dixon, Stephen Vivona and Emily Lawrenson.
West Scranton Team 1 (photo above)
West Scranton High School team one participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Scott Dustman and Gillian Williams-Mayers. Standing, from left: James Greenfield, Michael Laabs, Lejdina Lluga and Mantanapom Chinskul.
West Scranton Team 2 (photo above)
West Scranton High School team two participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Scott Dustman and Krysten Belles. Standing, from left: Alex Sophabmixay, Julia Montevechi, Jack Fendrick, Zhi Xin Zou and Larry Kendricks.
Wyoming Area Team 1 (photo above)
Wyoming Area High School team one participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach David Pizano and Skylar Santacroce. Standing, from left: Marc Minichello, Gwen Glatz, Alex Ambruso, Ben Klaproth, Aaron Zezza, Dylan Melberger and Kristi Skok.
Wyoming Area Team 2 (photo above)
Wyoming Area High School team two participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach David Pizano and Jessica Parente. Standing, from left: Matt Wright, Michael Dench, Matt Silinskie, Zeb Chisdock, Justine Buczynski and Caleigh Anderson.
Wyoming Valley West Team 1 (photo above)
Wyoming Valley West High School team one participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Ed Groth and Jerry Wiernusz. Standing, from left: Eric Yanales, Jake Shusta, Mike Stuart, Colin Kultys, Liz Trojan and Foto Tsioles.
Wyoming Valley West Team 2 (photo above)
Wyoming Valley West High School team two participated in the team competition of The University of Scranton’s annual Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. Seated, from left: University of Scranton Physics Instructor Nicholas Truncale, coach Ed Groth and Andrea Shaw. Standing, from left: Brooke Taylor, Lexie DuBois, Donneta Ahmetaj, Zach Brandreth, Matt Nogin and Andrew Fuller.
Students' Competition Knowledge of Physics
-
05/18/2018
Students from Wyoming Valley West High School participated in hands-on demonstrations of sophisticated biomechanical measurement equipment as part of National Biomechanics Day at The University of Scranton.
Equipment used in demonstrations included: three-dimensional motion analysis using a 12-camera kestrel motion analysis system; electromyography using an eight-channel
NORAXON system and dynamometry using a Biodex System: and computerized dynamic posturography with a NeuroCom EquiTest.Demonstrations were led by University of Scranton Exercise Science and Sport Professor Bryon Applequist, Ph.D., Exercise Science Lab Coordinator Cheryil Demkosky and University exercise science students: Dominick Algeri, a junior from Massapequa, New York; Michael Chiapperino, a junior from Blauvelt, New York; Cristina Cacoilo, a junior from Edison Valley, New Jersey; Bridget Duffy, a senior from Danbury, Connecticut; Cesar Garcia, a senior from Ronkonkoma, New York; Dylan Kane, a junior from Blauvelt, New York; Haley Miller, a junior from Hawley; and Nicole Sanchirico, a senior from Marlton, New Jersey.
Scranton was among the colleges across the nation that participated in the event intended to demonstrate biomechanics in various forms to high school students and teachers.
Wyoming Valley West students participating were Jessica Almanzar, Emily Banik, Jillian Bonczewsi, Madison Bonnerwith, Nicole Boutanos, Rayn Bozek, Megan Brody, Hailey Cruikshank, Ciara Curry, Cameryn Forgash, Jared Grossman, Gladynette Hernandez, Zephany Houston-Lett, Emily Latoski, Mollie McFarland, Scott Nilson, Andrew Novrocki, Jesse Poluske, Anthony Severens, Jessica Shaver, Aiden Shymanski, Alima Tikhtova and Emilee Tripp. Teachers Rob Bonczewsi and Pat Heffron accompanied the students.
University of Scranton Exercise Science and
Sport Professor Bryon Applequist, Ph.D., and University exercise science students demonstrated state-of-the-art biomechanical engineering equipment to high school students as part of National Biomechanics Day.High School Students Participate in National Biomechanics Day
-
05/18/2018
The Veterans Advocacy Committee at The University of Scranton in cooperation with Student Veterans of America (SVA), Washington, D.C., recently hosted a Veterans Educational Representative Conference on campus attended by more than 60 campus representatives of veterans in the northeast.
Jared S. Lyon, Washington, D.C., president and CEO of Student Veterans of America (SVA), provided the keynote address. Representatives serving student veterans from colleges and universities throughout northeast Pennsylvania also participated.
The conference was sponsored through a grant from Lockheed Martin.
Scranton Hosts Representatives of Veterans
-
05/18/2018
The University of Scranton held a reception and presentation for the exhibit “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P. W. Costello, 1905-1930,” which was on display during the spring semester in Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Speaking at the lecture were Thomas W. Costello, P. W. Costello’s great-grandson, and University of Scranton English and Theatre Professor Michael Friedman, Ph.D.
The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Images of the portraits are also available online through the library’s digital collections website.
Lecture Discusses Scranton Master Penman
-
05/15/2018
The University will host numerous events honoring its graduating Class of 2018 on Friday, May 25, Saturday, May 26, and Sunday, May 27.
Friday evening events include a graduate award ceremony and reception for Panuska College of Professional Studies master and doctoral level candidates receiving outstanding graduate student awards. The ceremony will take place at 4 p.m. in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall. At 5 p.m., a graduate award reception for Kania School of Management master and doctoral level candidates receiving outstanding graduate student awards will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
Also on Friday evening, undergraduates will be recognized for academic achievement, leadership and service at Class Night, which begins at 8 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
On Saturday at 8 a.m., the Physical Therapy Department will hold a graduation awards ceremony in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
At 9:30 a.m., the University will conduct a pinning ceremony for nursing graduates in the Long Center. A reception for families and friends will follow.
At 10:45 a.m., the commencement ceremony for master’s and doctoral degree candidates will take place in the Byron Recreation Complex. Peter J. Danchak ’84, regional president, PNC Bank, Northeast Pennsylvania, will serve as the principal speaker and receive an honorary degree at the ceremony. Immediately following the ceremony, a reception for master’s and doctoral degree recipients and their guests will be held on the Alumni Memorial Green.
At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, ROTC Army cadets will be commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony in the Houlihan McLean Center. A reception will follow.
Saturday afternoon, the University will also host a reception for members of the Class of 2018 who have made long-term service commitments following graduation at 2 p.m. in the McDonnell Room of the DeNaples Center. Also at 2 p.m., a reception for Alumni Legacy graduates and their families in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center. A photo of the Legacy graduates with their alumni parents and grandparents will take place at 2:45 p.m.
At 4 p.m., the Baccalaureate Mass will be held in the Byron Recreation Complex. University of Scranton Interim President Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., will serve as main celebrant and homilist.
Also on Saturday, at 8 p.m., a President’s Reception for graduates and parents will be held in the Byron Recreation Complex. Tickets are required to attend.
On Sunday, at 8 a.m., the Occupational Therapy Department will hold a graduation awards ceremony in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
Also on Sunday, the University will confer bachelor’s and associate’s degrees during its noon commencement ceremony at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre. Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, will serve as the principal speaker and receive an honorary degree at the ceremony. Sister Ann Walsh, I.H.M., former CEO and current assistant director of Friends of the Poor; William Whitaker, founding president of the Washington Jesuit Academy, Washington. D.C.; and Cecelia Lynett Haggerty, Times-Shamrock Communications and former University Trustee, will also receive honorary degrees at the ceremony.
The University will live video stream several of the commencement events that can be seen at www.scranton.edu/eventslive. An archived video will be available immediately following each live streamed event and will remain available for viewing on this site for 30 days.
For additional information about the University’s 2018 commencement events, visit www.scranton.edu/commencement.
Commencement Events Celebrate Class of 2018
-
05/15/2018
Students have been inducted into national honor societies represented at The University of Scranton throughout the 2018 spring semester. Lists of students inducted into some of the University’s honor societies can be seen below.
Sigma Tau Delta (Fall)
Alpha Kappa Delta
Alpha Lambda Delta
Alpha Mu Gamma
Alpha Sigma Lambda
Eta Sigma Gamma
Nu Rho Psi
Phi Alpha Theta
Phi Delta Kappa
Phi Epsilon Kappa
Phi Lambda Upsilon
Pi Sigma Alpha
Sigma Pi Sigma
Sigma Xi
Theta Alpha Kappa
Upsilon Phi Delta
Students Inducted into National Honor Societies
-
05/15/2018
It’s probably safe to say many people have wished for a robot at one point or another, especially if that robot could, say, clean the house or do the grocery shopping.
In the medical world, however, robots have been all the rage for decades now, as have healing devices enhanced by virtual reality. For at least 20 years, exciting strides have been made in the field for patients with neurologic disorders, for example.
Call it “the other VR,” or virtual rehabilitation.
Enter physical therapist Renée Hakim, Ph.D., and Benjamin Bishop, Ph.D., two University of Scranton professors collaborating on pioneering research to determine if the specialized devices that have aided recovery in stroke patients can similarly aid those who have or had orthopedic injuries such as fractures, carpal tunnel syndrome or any type of nerve injury.
Their research is titled “Haptic Devices To Improve Hand-Arm Function: An Interdisciplinary Approach.”
Dr. Bishop, a professor in the Department of Computing Sciences, said haptic devices simulate physical sensation, the touch sensation you would have if interacting with an object. This research focuses on assistive and resistive devices, he noted.
Dr. Hakim, professor of physical therapy at the University, explained the difference between the two. Assistive devices provide some degree of help in moving a body part either completely (as the user is passive) or partially, as the user tries to help with the motion. A resistive device pushes back against the user and may be used to strengthen, as in lifting a weight.
Dr. Bishop, whose expertise is in graphics and computer hardware, said his part of the joint research is on the technical and implementation side – “How do we go about building it?” – while Dr. Hakim’s expertise is on the domain side.
“It,” in this case, is a haptic system purchased from a third-party manufacturer (OR3D Ltd.) This end-effector device is hooked up to a portable computer with software that he, with the help of his graduate students, customized according to Dr. Hakim’s specifications.
In this case, Dr. Hakim specified that the software should aid in the seemingly simple task of handwriting: cursive and printed.
Handwriting and plenty of other fine motor skills necessary to daily life can become nearly impossible tasks for those who’ve suffered orthopedic injuries, which was what prompted Dr. Hakim to choose the particular skill for the pilot of phase of this study.
“We tried to come up with something functional and meaningful,” she said, explaining the concept of experience-dependent neuroplasticity, which, in simple terms, refers to the brain’s capacity to change in response to environmental stimuli and learning.
Handwriting, in the virtual rehab world, is accomplished using what Dr. Hakim describes as a fat pen that acts as a stylus. A certain level of ability, such as the capacity to physically hold the pen, is necessary to take advantage of the technology.
“We really wanted to pick something that is an actual physical task that someone would have to do on a daily basis,” Dr. Hakim said.
So far, she and Dr. Bishop have had subjects merely trying out the experimental technology, as the customized program they have co-created is still in the feasibility stage.
“It’s more exploratory right now,” Dr. Hakim said, nonetheless anticipating advancement to the next stage, which is a four-week protocol to measure such factors as strength and motion in real subjects, may be just weeks away.
Part of the challenge, she said, is getting people to come to campus who meet the study criteria. The program is free, she said, but subjects must fit certain specifications, so Dr. Hakim, who also has her own batch of graduate students involved in the research, has put the word out to fellow professors and others that potential candidates are needed.
Part of the mission is to spread the news about how this research could rewrite futures for those with orthopedic injuries.
Orthopedic recovery tends to focus on impairments but not always task-specificity, she said.
Most people, Dr. Hakim said, are used to traditional therapies involving, for example, stretching, icing and reduction of pain.
“This is really going beyond that with an emphasis on high-intensity functional training,” she said. “This is really a paradigm shift for people with orthopedic problems following the acute stage of recovery.”
Dr. Bishop agrees. Still, he stresses that the research, which for him is all about the algorithms, is still in its infancy, even a little “rough around the edges.”
But that could be the most exciting time for the venture, which he said began as a master’s thesis project from a student, Bret Oplinger, and has been evolving since.
“In terms of the future, it’s dependent on the results of this work,” he said. “If it turns out this is very effective therapy, it would be well worth investing in.”
Game-changing Virtual Rehabilitation Exploration
-
05/15/2018
More than 60 University of Scranton students were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the national honor society for students in Jesuit colleges and universities, at a ceremony held recently on campus during the spring semester. The Scranton chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu was founded in 1943 and is the oldest honor society at the University. Juniors, seniors and graduate students, including students in doctoral level degree programs, who have distinguished themselves in scholarship, loyalty and service are eligible for membership.
Also at the ceremony, two community members were given honorary inductions into the honor society. Honorary inductees were Robert B. Farrell, Esq., University general council, and Albert F. Giallorenzi, D.M.D., a retired dentist and oral surgeon who also served as keynote speaker.
In addition, Timothy D. Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at the University, was presented with the Edward Gannon, S.J. Teacher of the Year Award.
The following undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students at Scranton were inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu:
Kelsey Andrews
Kimberly Barr
Anna Beekman
Hannah Bobrowski
Melissa Busch
Francesco Campese
Patrick Chapman
Rebecca Clark
Leah Colussi
Lisa Crivelli
Kristin Curry
Julia Decker
Joseph Delmar
Janet DeRocco-Pasternick
Maeve Dooley
Angelika Dzieza
Emily Edwards
Evan Evanish
Louis Finnerty
Krista Flanagan
Laura Freedman
Lucy Fulton
Ashley Genello
Nicole Gervasi
Jenna Gulics
Mariah Hawley
Grant Hellings
Brian Kilner
Alexandra Koutsoubis
Amanda Kuptsow
Sarah Laga
Jessica Laurenzo
Erica Licari
Courtney Loughlin
Brittany Lynch
Nicholas Lynch
Angela McGovern
Robert McGowan
Aida Milcetic
Catherine Moloney
Samuel Morano
Michael O'Brien
Monica O'Malley
Elizabeth Palladino
Danielle Polanco
Bailey Potter
Michael Powell
Kara Romanowski
Sridhar Sampath-Kumar
Megan Schane
Kellie Smigel
Kevin Steinke
Megan Steinmetz
Raymond Stemrich
Colleen Sullivan
Erin Sullivan
Geena Wasiak
Caitlin Waters
Theresa Webster
Sara Wierbowski
Carolyn Yoos
Students Inducted into Jesuit Honor Society
-
05/15/2018
Jun 8-10 University of Scranton Alumni Weekend 2018, honoring classes ending in a “3” and “8”. Registration required. Various events throughout campus. Call 1-800-SCRANTON or visit www.scranton.edu/alumniweekend.
Jun 17 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert: The Scranton Brass Orchestra.” Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Jun 18-19; 21-22; 25-26; 28-29 Two-day Summer Orientation session for incoming students of the University’s Class of 2022 and their parents/guardians. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Call 570-941-6233 or email orientation@scranton.edu.
Jun 18 9 a.m. Carlesimo Golf Tournament and Award dinner honoring Mike Strong with the 2018 Peter A. Carlesimo Award. One of the most successful coaches in NCAA history, Coach Strong is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division III with 815 wins over his 34 seasons as head coach of the Lady Royals. Saucon Valley Country Club, Bethlehem. Tickets required. Call 570-941-7719 or email eric.eckenrode@scranton.edu.
Jun 22 (Also August 3) 9 a.m. Men’s Soccer ID Clinic for experienced boys soccer players in grades 9-12 who are interested in playing collegiate soccer. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletic Campus, University of Scranton. Pre-registration required. $110 fee. Call 570-941-4843 or email matthew.pivirotto@scranton.edu.
Jun 23 8 a.m. Catholic Women’s Conference sponsored by the Diocese of Scranton and Altus for Women. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-872-8630 or visit www.altusforwomen.com.
Jun 24 (Also June 29) 9 a.m. Women’s Soccer ID Clinic for female soccer players grades 9-12 and college-bound freshmen. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletic Campus, University of Scranton. Pre-registration required. $110 fee. Call 570-941-6191 or email colleen.pivirotto@scranton.edu.
Jun 29 9 a.m. Women’s Soccer ID Clinic for female soccer players grades 9-12 and college-bound freshmen. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletic Campus, University of Scranton. Pre-registration required. $110 fee. Call 570-941-6191 or email colleen.pivirotto@scranton.edu.
Jul 6-8 Performance Music: “The Scranton Brass Seminar.” Intensive program of workshops, masterclasses, clinics and coaching for brass players. Houlihan-McLean Center. Registration required. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Jul 8-20 University of Success Summer Institute. Pre-college program designed to assist participating students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university. Pre-registration required. Contact Margaret Loughney, program director at 570-941-4377 or email margaret.loughney@scranton.edu.
Jul 14 (Also July 21) 8:30 a.m. Women’s Volleyball ID Clinic for prospective student athletes to showcase their skills for recruitment onto The University of Scranton volleyball team. John Long Center. Pre-registration required. $100 fee. Call 570-941-6058 or email james.spangler@scranton.edu.
Jul 21 8:30 a.m. Women’s Volleyball ID Clinic for prospective student athletes to showcase their skills for recruitment onto The University of Scranton volleyball team. John Long Center. Pre-registration required. $100 fee. Call 570-941-6058 or email james.spangler@scranton.edu.
Aug 3 9 a.m. Men’s Soccer ID Clinic for experienced boys soccer players in grades 9-12 who are interested in playing collegiate soccer. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletic Campus, University of Scranton. Pre-registration required. $110 fee. Call 570-941-4843 or email matthew.pivirotto@scranton.edu.
Aug 3-5 9 a.m. Diocese of Scranton Catholic Charismatic Conference. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Call 570-983-6251 or email ccrconference@comcast.net.
University Announces Summer Events
-
05/15/2018
A Romanian diplomat discussed the views Romanian people have of the United States and the impact Brexit will have on the European Union at the University’s fifth annual Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series, which was held on campus in April. The lecture by George Cristian Maior, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the United States, was part of the presentation entitled “The Rise of Romania: History. Culture. Economy.”
After the second world war Romania was under occupation by the Soviet Union and was under a communist regime. In 1989, the Romanian Revolution released Romania from a communist government.
“Even under communist rule over the Romanian population, there was an inspiration and admiration for the American way of life, for the idea of freedom even though we were under a dictatorship,” Ambassador Maior said.
Romania was the first communist country to host a visit by a president of the United States.
“He was surprised to be so well received in a communist country,” Ambassador Maior said about President Nixon’s visit. “He even said to Henry Kissinger, who joined him in the visit, ‘I’m better received in a communist country than in my own country.’”
Currently, Ambassador Maior said that most Romanians view the United States as an important ally.
“Constantly, 70 to 80 percent of Romanians consider the United States their best ally and their best friend,” Ambassador Maior said. “This says a lot about the fact that practically we are the most pro-American country – I would say, in central and eastern Europe, perhaps even all of Europe.”
When the conversation moved onto Brexit, Ambassador Maior expressed his concern.
“It is a negative development for the European Union and Europe,” Ambassador Maior said. “We are very disappointed with Brexit, but the reality of the realm is there was a referendum and the vote was as such.”
Brexit is a merging of the two words “Britain” and “exit,” symbolizing the United Kingdom’s vote in June of 2016 to leave the European Union.
“It will impact in a negative manner the economy of Europe and its strategic relevance because we are losing a country with very strategic knowledge and vision about the world,” Ambassador Maior said. “We still hope we will reach an agreement that is satisfactory to both Europe and Britain, because both parts will lose in my opinion. We’ll see what the future brings.”
At the conclusion of the lecture, performers from Philadelphia presented traditional dance and music from Romania. A reception immediately followed the performance.
The Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series invites international scholars from emerging democracies and countries in political and economic transition to visit the University to address issues that will enlighten and benefit students, faculty and the community at large. While visiting the campus, scholars deliver presentations on topics of interest to the academic community and meet informally with attendees, students and faculty.
The event, which was presented free of charge to the public, was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Nathan, a former professor in Scranton’s Kania School of Management who is now a tenured professor of management at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
Nathan Lecture Focuses on Romania
-
05/09/2018
The University of Scranton dedicated its new $14 million athletics campus in honor of Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., who served as of the 25th president of the Jesuit university from July 2011 through May 2017.
“Today is the culmination of much dreaming, planning
and building. Today is the beginning of a new chapter in the history of The University of Scranton,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president of the University. “It was Father Quinn’s strong unshaken resolve to build this campus that has led us to this day. It is so appropriate that this athletics campus bears his name – for it was he who envisioned this field of dreams, and he knew – if we build it, they would come.”The 11-acre Rev. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletics Campus, located along Broadway Street in Scranton, will be home for the University’s soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, baseball
and softball Division III NCAA teams. The campus includes NCAA regulation baseball and softball fields and a multipurpose field that meets NCAA standards for soccer, lacrosseand field hockey. The campus also includes bleacher seating at each field, a field house with team locker rooms and a training room, parking, a community basketball court and a children’s play area.“In my opinion, athletics brings a vitality and energy to a college campus that benefits the entire university community. It is important that we invest in this experience not only for our current students but for future generations of Royals,” said Father Quinn at the dedication. “My friends, we have fulfilled our long-held dream of developing this place into an athletic campus appropriate and worthy for our University.”
The speakers, which included Robert W. Davis Jr., Ed.D., chief of staff, and David Martin, director of athletics, thanked the many University benefactors, former and current trustees, government officials and community leaders, staff and faculty members for their support of the project.
Martin referred to the new facilities, which he called “second to none,” as a “game changer” for athletics and the University, as well as “a game changer for the entire community of Scranton. We are so blessed and so fortunate to have it here.”
Scranton Mayor Bill Courtright agreed.
“For
me I think about the fact that not only will the University (student-athletes) get to play their games right here in the city of Scranton, but I think of all the people who will come in from the outlying areas and from out of town. They get to play here and they also get to see all that Scranton has to offer, and I am very grateful for that. This facility is second to none,” said Mayor Courtright.Morgan Rentzheimer, a senior exercise science major and member of the University’s softball team, has played in the first games on Magis Field. She has already noticed area residents stopping to watch games as they walked along the Lackawanna River Heritage
Trial that runs adjacent to the athletics campus.The three fields on the athletics campus, which were named in recognition of the support of prominent Scranton alumni and their families, were also blessed as part of the dedication ceremony, as were the basketball court and the playground.
The 75 by 120 yard, synthetic-turf,
multi-purpose field is named Robert and Marilyn Weiss Field in honor of University Trustee Robert Weiss ’68 and his wife, Marilyn. The synthetic-turf baseball field is named Charles J. Volpe Family Field, a name chosen by Charles (Chuck) Volpe Jr., Esq. ’82 and his wife, Ellen, in honor of the late Charles J. Volpe Sr. ’61, his children, and grandchildren who are graduates of the University. The synthetic-turf softball field is named Magis Field, a name chosen by former University Trustee Dennis J. McGonigle ’82 and his wife, Rachel. Magis, the Latin word meaning “more,” refers to the relentless desire to do more, grounded in gratitude for all of God’s gifts, which is a core Jesuit value and a key component of a Jesuit education.The dedication ceremony can be viewed here.
University’s New Athletics Campus Dedicated
-
05/08/2018
“Factorial Structure of Attitudes toward Mathematics for USA Students,” “Participation in Sports for Children with Down Syndrome,” “Surfing Intervention for Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder” and “Application of Polymerase Chain Reaction to Detect Burkholderia gladioli DNA,” were among the 80 plus projects presented by more than 175 students at The University of Scranton’s Celebration of Student Scholars. The annual event, held May 2 in the Loyola Science Center, provided a forum for students to present their work conducted in collaboration with faculty using poster presentations, as well as oral presentations.
University senior Kylie Mignat presented “Framing Undocumented Immigrants in the Media: Effects on Public Support for Immigration Policies,” a study she conducted with faculty mentor Michael Allison, Ph.D., associate professor of political science. For the project, she reviewed the prevalence of use in media outlets of the terms “illegal immigrants” or “undocumented immigrants” as compared to the public support for immigration policies that favor a path toward citizenship. Her project, which examined data from 2011 though 2016, illustrated a correlation between “positive framing and a positive attitude toward immigration policy.” Mignat is a triple major in international studies, German cultural studies and Hispanic studies from Canadensis.
For University sophomore Amanda Horner, “Assessing Health Acquisition Preparedness in College Students” started as a class project for a community health education course. She continued the research project with sophomore exercise science major Brendan Gregory, Princeton Junction, New Jersey, and senior community health education major Miranda Colburn, Tunkhannock, and faculty mentor Rachel Francis, Ph.D., adjunct professor of community health education. Based on student surveys, their research found, undergraduate students’ comfort about their knowledge of health coverage decreases as they approach their graduation year. Horner hopes to use this project and additional research eventually to develop an educational intervention program to address the findings of the study. Horner, Buffalo, New York, is a community health education major and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program.
Fields of research presented at the Celebration of Student Scholars included biology, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, chemistry, communication, computing sciences, English, exercise science, health administration, marketing management, neuroscience, nursing, occupational therapy, psychology and physics and electrical engineering, among others. The event is hosted by the University’s Office of Research and Sponsored Programs.
University Celebrates Student Scholars
-
05/08/2018
The University of Scranton will bestow honorary degrees upon Sister Ann Walsh, I.H.M., former CEO and current assistant director of Friends of the Poor; William Whitaker, founding president of the Washington Jesuit Academy, Washington. D.C.; Cecelia Lynett Haggerty, former University trustee and Times-Shamrock Communications; and Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, at its undergraduate commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 27. Bishop Murry also will serve as principal speaker at the ceremony.
At its graduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 26, the University will bestow an honorary degree upon Peter J. Danchak ’84, regional president, PNC Bank, Northeast Pennsylvania, who will serve as the principal speaker at that ceremony.
Sister Walsh has dedicated more than 50 years of her life to service in Northeast Pennsylvania. From 2010 to 2017, she served as CEO of Friends of the Poor, a nonprofit, charitable organization that provides members of the community with basic human needs such as food, clothing and emergency assistance. She continues to work for that organization as assistant director
Prior to joining Friends of the Poor, Sister Walsh directed the Mother-Infant Program at St. Joseph’s Center for nearly a decade. She has also served as health/wellness coordinator at IHM Center in Scranton, as vice president for planning at Maxis Health System in Carbondale and as vice president of operations at Marian Community Hospital in Carbondale. Previously, she served as director of physical therapy at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Carbondale, and Marian Convent, Scranton and was a staff physical therapist at Divine Providence Hospital, Williamsport. Sister Walsh was also an elementary school teacher at St. Matthew School, East Stroudsburg,
Among numerous awards and honors, Sister Walsh recently received the 2017 Distinguished Honor Award from the Greater Scranton MLK Commission. In 2016, she was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Honor Society, and received the Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignatian Mission and Ministry from The University of Scranton on behalf of her work with the Friends of the Poor. Keystone College honored her service with the Margaretta Belin Chamberlin Award in 2015 and an honorary degree in 2017.
Sister Walsh received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Marywood University and a certification in physical therapy from the School of Allied Medical Professions at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2002, Whitaker began to serve as the founding president of the new Washington Jesuit Academy, a tuition-free, Catholic middle school for boys in grades five to eight from low-income communities throughout the Washington, D.C. region. Guided by Jesuit principles, the school provides “a high quality and comprehensive education” in a “safe, rigorous academic setting and advancing their spiritual, intellectual, emotional and physical growth,” as stated on the academy’s website. The Washington Jesuit Academy operates on an extended school year with longer school days and provides its students with meals, tutoring by local professionals and additional support. Nearly all of its graduates gain admittance to the area’s most highly-regarded private high schools and top boarding schools.
In recognition of his success, Whitaker was named a 2016 Washingtonian of the Year by the Washingtonian magazine. Prior to his work at Washington Jesuit Academy, Whitaker was the basketball coach and director of admissions and assistant dean of students at Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C.
Whitaker earned his bachelor’s degree from Acadia University. He served as chair for the board of the Nativity/Miguel Network of Schools in addition to having served on the board of Ignatian Volunteer Corps. He currently serves on the boards of three schools in Maryland: the St. Ignatius Loyola Academy, Connelly School of the Holy Child and Mater Dei School.
For decades, the Lynett-Haggerty family, owners of Times-Shamrock Communications, has generously supported the University. Cecelia Haggerty served as a University Trustee, as did her husband, the late James J. Haggerty, J.D., who was also board chair. Their son, Matthew E. Haggerty, Esq., currently serves as a University Trustee. She served as a chair for the University’s Annual Fund. The Haggerty-Lynett family also created The Times-Shamrock Communications Scholarship at the University. In 2012, she and other members of the Lynett- Haggerty Family received the University’s President’s Medal at the President’s Business Council Eleventh Annual Award Dinner in recognition of the family’s steadfast support.
Haggerty is a graduate of Marywood Seminary and Trinity College, Washington, D.C., where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. She was employed as a staff writer for Associated Press in Philadelphia and the Scranton Times.
A member of St. Paul’s Parish, Green Ridge, Haggerty has served as a teacher for the parish Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. She has been active in the United Way of Lackawanna County, and she has held memberships in the Sant’ Andrea Society, Lackawanna and Pennsylvania Association of Lawyers’ Wives and St. Joseph’s Children and Maternity Hospital’s Auxiliary. She also served on the board of trustees of the College of the Holy Cross.
Bishop Murry is a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and currently serves as chair of its Committee Against Racism. Prior to his service as Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, which began in 2007, Bishop Murry served as Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago. For 20 years previously, he worked as a teacher and administrator in Catholic education, serving as associate vice president for academic affairs at the University of Detroit-Mercy, president of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., assistant professor of American studies at Georgetown University and as a faculty member and dean of student activities at Gonzaga College High School, Washington, D.C.
Bishop Murry has served on numerous boards including of Catholic Relief Services, Saint Joseph’s University, the University of Detroit, Fairfield University and Mount Saint Mary’s College. As a member of the USCCB, he also served as secretary of the Conference, chairman of the Committee on Priorities and Plans.
A native of Camden, New Jersey, Bishop Murry attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia; St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut; and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1972 and was ordained for the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus on June 9, 1979. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and a doctorate in American cultural history from George Washington University.
The University of Scranton’s undergraduate commencement ceremony will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, on Sunday, May 27, at noon.
Four to Receive Honorary Degrees at May 27 Ceremony
-
05/07/2018
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will close out its 2018 spring semester schedule Sunday, May 13, with a recital by organist and composer Alexander Pattavina. The recital will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
At the recital, Pattavina will perform on the Houlihan-McLean Center’s completely restored Austin Opus 301 Symphonic Organ. Since restoring the organ, Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga has made it a point to bring world-class organists to the University.
Boga hasn’t met Pattavina yet, but he came highly recommended by Daniel Ficarri and David Ball, both of whom recently gave organ recitals at the University. All three musicians studied together at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs.
“We have developed these amazing relationships with Paul Jacobs’ students. He’s doing amazing things with these young organists,” Boga said. “His students have this unique gift for not just being great organists and musicians, but also for putting together incredible programs. They know how to program in a way that completely engages the audience.”
“And they are great at talking with audiences,” she continued. “They manage to talk about the piece they’re going to play in a way that doesn’t wreck it or condescend to the audience. They communicate the reasons for their interest in the piece and why they are excited about performing it.”
Meanwhile, Boga said, the organ has been sounding particularly great since Allentown-based Emery Brothers Inc. took over its maintenance.
“They do an amazing job. It’s just sparklingly clear,” she said. “Following up a great re-build by Pat Murphy with the exceptional tuning and maintenance being provided by Adam and Steve and their crew at Emery is helping this instrument to really show its stuff.”
Pattavina, of Stoughton, Massachusetts, is currently completing his bachelor’s degree in organ performance at Juilliard. He took first prize at the 2014 L. Cameron Johnson Memorial Organ Competition, and is a past recipient of the Ruth and Paul Manz Scholarship from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
His composition for choir and organ, “All in a Stable Cold and Bare,” will be published in an upcoming release by Hal Leonard. Meanwhile, Pattavina recently performed recitals at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City, Old West Church in Boston, and Hampton Congregational Church in Hampton, Connecticut.
Pattavina was among the performers at an 18-hour marathon performance of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan. He has also worked at St. Michael’s Church in New York, as organ scholar at The Parish of St. Paul in Harvard Square and Christ Church in Bronxville, New York, and as assistant organist at St. Joseph Parish in Needham, Massachusetts.
For more information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Performance Music Concludes Season with May 13 Recital
-
05/07/2018
The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Fair, held recently in the Loyola Science Center atrium, featured student research projects and giveaways.
“It’s a lot of fun to have everyone out here, and have a chance to take a break from school and still be doing something productive,” said Anne Ferketic ’19, health administration. Ferketic presented research she completed as part of a psychology class for professor Jessica Nolan, Ph.D. “I focused on the production cycle of cotton,” Ferketic said, and on how it impacts water and the environment.
Student researchers found simple but powerful ways to make positive changes for the Earth. Elena DiLorenzo, Psychology, ’19, persuaded students to commit to using fewer plastic straws each week.
“It is pretty normal to get a straw when you go to Starbucks or a restaurant,” DiLorenzo said. “If you do sign the pledge, you will be agreeing to reduce the amount of straws you use by five straws a week for the rest of the semester, which can make a huge impact.” Reducing plastic waste, DiLorenzo said, would help save marine animals such as sea turtles from consuming it.
Not every participant in the fair was a student. John Hambrose, Communications Manager for the Waste Management® Greater Mid-Atlantic Area, hoped to inspire students to envision how they will keep making an impact on the Earth in the future. Waste Management is North America’s largest residential recycler.
“The fair is a great opportunity to talk to people on a college campus, future decision-makers, about the environment,” said Hambrose. “We have some information about a product we’ve developed in NYC and in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where we’re taking food waste and we’re processing it … to make a slurry, that we then feed into a biodigester which makes natural gas.”
Some stands offered coffee, travel mugs or other items to take home.
Visitors were also allowed to pet the University’s milk snake, Zorro. Milk snakes are native to Pennsylvania.
The Earth Day Fair was among nearly a dozen events organized by the University’s Office of Sustainability.
Earth Day Fair Plants Seeds of Change
-
05/07/2018
Vishnu Dasari from Central Columbia High School won The University of Scranton’s 2018 Math Integration Bee for high school students. In addition to Dasari, the four other finalists in the competition were: Kaitlyn Beiler, Hazleton Area High School; Mateen Kasim, Abington Heights High School; Andy Liz, Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School; and Haylee Merola, Hazleton Area Academy of Sciences.
The University’s Mathematics Department hosted the Integration Bee during the spring semester on campus. The format for the Integration Bee is similar to a spelling bee, however, participants find antiderivatives of functions of a single real variable. The competition can help high school students improve their skills for Advanced Placement mathematics tests.
Math Integration Bee Winners Announced
-
05/07/2018
The winners of The University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest were announced at the Evening of Environmental Science event, which was held in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center in April. Nearly 70 students competed in the contest that addressed this year’s essay theme of “The Impact of Climate Change.”
Winners in the ninth to 12th grade category were Rebecca Cruciani from Scranton High School; and Alexandra Tomaine, Kathryn Walsh and Amanda Yanul from Holy Cross High School. Gavin Ross from Abington Heights Middle School, won for the eighth-grade category. Josephine Krokus from the Howard Gardner MI Charter School won for the seventh-grade category. Lola Pulatova from the Bay Academy in Brooklyn, New York, won a medal for the sixth-grade category. In addition, Molly O’Bolye received a special medal for submissions received for grades 3 and 4 from a class from the Howard Gardner MI Charter School taught by Megan Wolfe.
The Evening of Environmental Science featured interactive, hands-on activities for students and demonstrations run by University students, as well as a display of essays submitted for the contest.
The event was hosted by the University’s student Sustainability Club.
University of Scranton students spoke about the Evening of Environmental Science on WBRE-TV’s early morning news program with reporter Lauren Hensley on April 18.
The event was one of nearly a dozen events organized by the University’s Office of Sustainability in April to celebrate Earth Day.
Information about next year’s essay contest will be posted to the University’s Sustainability webpage in January 2019.
Earth Day Essay Contest Winners Announced
-
05/04/2018
Nearly 50 students, representing eight area high schools competed in the annual Computer Programming Contest hosted by The University of Scranton’s Computing Sciences Department this spring. During the competition, 17 teams of two or three students each used their programming language to solve computer-programming problems.
A team of students from Scranton Preparatory School won the completion. The students on the team that placed first were Kailey Bridgeman, Charles Kulick and Colin Pierce. Zach Hercher and Will Thomas from North Pocono High School placed second. Cuong Nguyen and Ryan Chan from Scranton Preparatory School placed third.
High School Students Compete in Programming Contest
-
05/02/2018Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D. ’81, G’85, professor of accounting at The University of Scranton, was selected by the University’s Business Club as the Kania School of Management Professor of the Year, marking the fifth-time he has received this honor.
An award-winning teacher and scholar, Dr. Mahoney joined the faculty at Scranton in 1990. He was named Kania School of Management’s Professor of the Year in 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2014. He was also named The University of Scranton CASE Professor of the Year, and received the University’s Alpha Sigma Nu University Award for Teaching Excellence and the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Outstanding Educator Award. Dr. Mahoney also held a three-year position as the business school’s Alperin Teaching Fellow.
Dr. Mahoney’s research has been published in numerous professional and academic journals, including The CPA Journal, Internal Auditor, Management Accounting Quarterly and Journal of Business and Economics Research, Accounting and Financial Management. Three manuscripts co-authored by Dr. Mahoney and his Scranton colleagues Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., professor of accounting, and Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., associate professor and chair of the Accounting Department, received an award medal from Institute of Management Accountants’ Lybrand competition, including the Lydrand Gold Medal as the “outstanding article of the year” in 2016.
A resident of Clarks Summit, Dr. Mahoney is a Certified Public Accountant. He devotes much of his spare time to working with the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter. Previously, he worked as an internal auditor for the Prudential Insurance Company.
Dr. Mahoney earned a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from The University of Scranton and a doctorate in accounting from Syracuse University.KSOM Professor of the Year Named
-
05/01/2018
Although Brian Musto ‘12 lost a four-year struggle with cancer this past January, his family and friends will gather together May 5 at The University of Scranton’s 5.06 K Run/Walk to ensure that his legacy lives on through a fund for Scranton students battling illness.
“Education was very important to Brian,” said Alice Egan Musto ‘84, Brian’s mother. “He used to wonder why he got sick at a time when he was so close to getting started with his life that he could see the starting line. We know he’d like to help other students going through similar struggles achieve their goals.”
A native of Pittston, Brian was the son of Alice and Gerard Jr. Musto. Brian was an outstanding student, graduating as valedictorian of Pittston Area High School in 2008. He graduated summa cum laude from The University of Scranton with a double major in management and history. He was a Presidential Scholar at the University and a member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program. Brian went on to Cornell Law School soon after but was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 24. Despite his illness, he graduated from Cornell Law with honors in 2016. A member of Our Lady of the Eucharist Parish in Pittston, Brian married Maria Kristina Melgarejo ‘12 in September 2017, just a few short months before his passing.
A Royal ConnectionBrian was not the first member of his family to attend The University of Scranton; his mother, Alice, graduated from Scranton in 1984, and his older brother, Kevin, graduated from the University in 2010. Both of Brian’s younger siblings also chose to study at Scranton; Chris graduated from the University in 2016, while Kate is currently a sophomore scheduled to graduate in 2020.
Because of the Musto family’s affinity for the University, they decided to memorialize Brian by establishing The Brian Musto ’12 Memorial Fund, which will help offset the education expenses of undergraduate and graduate students battling illness.
“We were fortunate to be able to support Brian during his battle, but we know not all patients can say the same,” said Alice. “That is why we are establishing this fund in Brian’s name at his alma mater, The University of Scranton.”
“Patients in this age bracket are often too old to receive help from pediatric organizations and too young to be completely financially independent. Our goal is to help students with expenses from travel for treatments to books for the semester. These costs add up quickly, and patients often cannot work while fighting health issues,” said Alice.
In order to endow the fund, the family needs to raise $40,000. They recently launched a fundraising campaign through the University’s 5.06 Day of Giving celebration, and they have already raised nearly $30,000 of their goal as of press time. As part of the campaign, the family is sponsoring a team that will participate in the University’s 5.06 K Run/
Walk at the Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletics Campus in south Scranton Saturday, May 5 at 9 a.m. Members of the public can register for the event for a fee of $20 by visiting scranton.edu/506K. Interested parties who won’t physically be in Scranton that weekend but wish to support the fund can do so by visiting scranton.edu/506K and signing up for the University’s Virtual 5.06 K Run/Walk May 4-6. Community members can also support the fund through a text to give campaign by texting BRIANMUSTOFUND to 71777.More information can be found here for The Brian Musto ’12 Memorial Fund, and here for The University of Scranton’s 5.06 Weekend.
Alumni Family Memorializes Loved One
-
05/01/2018
A professor of economics from the University of Chicago presented “Crony Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics” at The University of Scranton’s Henry George Seminar, held in April on campus. Chang-Tai Hsieh, Ph.D., spoke at the seminar, presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon.
“In terms of the overall ease of starting a business, China ranks 151 in the world,” Dr. Hseih said. “In 2013 there were 185 countries, so that’s very near the bottom in terms of the overall ease of starting a business.”
Dr. Hsieh provided an example of what it takes to expand a small business in a small city in China.
“Think about a small noodle shop. What you need to do is pay 95 taxes and get 192 official chops (referred to as a seal or stamp) of approval. Those are the official signatures,” Dr. Hsieh said. “There is an official list of rules and regulations that on the face of it looks like it is going to kill any business.”
Paying the 95 taxes and getting the 192 chops is required by all business in China unless a business can strike a deal with the local government.
“What you quickly find out is that every single branch of the government, at the local level, is focused on business,” Dr. Hsieh said. “A big part of what that means is basically carving out special deals, or exceptions, to the 95 taxes and 192 official chops.”
The members of the local government can essentially wave past these requirements for businesses if they deem them important enough.
The Henry George Seminar is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
Perspective Given on Running a Business in China
-
04/27/2018
Continuing a longstanding tradition, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 10th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert sponsored by Dave and Janet Wenzel on Friday, May 4, in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., the concert will feature a performance by acclaimed young violinist Kako Miura, with an appearance by The University of Scranton String Orchestra.
Also that weekend, the 25-member String Orchestra will perform its spring concert with Miura as guest soloist on Saturday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. The orchestra is made up of members of the university community – primarily undergraduate students, but also a few members of the faculty and staff – who play violin, viola, cello or string bass.
Admission for both concerts is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. In addition, Miura will conduct a strings masterclass prior to the May 5 concert. The class is open to local amateur and professional musicians, ages 16 and up. Those interested in taking part should email music@scranton.edu for more information.
Since its establishment a decade ago, the Yevich Memorial Concert has been sponsored by former Scranton Mayor David Wenzel and his wife, Janet, as a celebration of the life of former Scranton Fire Chief Gene Yevich, the late father of Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Yevich Boga.
In addition to his long career as a Scranton fireman, Yevich, who passed away in 2005, was an accomplished local musician. A multi-instrumentalist known best for his virtuosity on the accordion, he was a longtime member of the band The Novelaires. He also played with The Mediterranean Sounds, who regularly played Italian festivals in the Scranton area and New York City.
Yevich was married for almost 50 years to the former Julia Pucher, with whom he had three children, Boga and University graduates Michael Yevich and Cynthia Yevich. His grandchildren are Joseph Boga, a 2014 graduate of The Juilliard School and a professional musician who often performs and leads clinics and masterclasses at the University, and Magdalyn Boga, who earned a master’s degree from the University and is a member of the History Department faculty and Performance Music staff.
“It’s become quite a tradition,” Cheryl Boga said of the concert, which is always well attended by her father’s musician and fire department friends, among them current Scranton Fire Chief Pat DeSarno. Typically, the concert includes a guest performer who is in some way connected to the family. Miura is close friends with Joseph Boga, and this will be her third time performing at the University.
“Her programs are always exciting, eclectic, inspiring,” Cheryl Boga said. “I’ve never seen my strings students react to someone like they do to her. They say, ‘She’s this great artist, but she treats us like colleagues.’”
Miura is an active member of the classical contemporary music ensembles Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra and Aeon Ensemble. She participated in the National Arts Centre’s Young Artists Program in Ottawa and the Aspen Music Festival. In addition, she took part in the Heifetz International Music Institute Ashkenasi Kirshbaum Chamber Music Seminar in 2016, and the Taos School of Music chamber music program in 2017.
Currently, Miura is pursuing her master’s degree in violin performance on a full scholarship to the prestigious Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, where she is a student of Robert Lipsett, the conservatory’s Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair. As an undergraduate at The Juilliard School, she was a student of Masao Kawasaki. She has received numerous awards in Australia and the United States, and has been a solo and chamber music performer at such esteemed venues as Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall, and the Sydney Opera House.
For further information on the concerts, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.
Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert Set for May 4
-
04/24/2018
The Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured at The University of Scranton was among only 49 recipients in the nation, and one of just three in Pennsylvania, to be awarded a grant from the CVS Health Foundation, a private charitable organization created by CVS Health, in support of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC). According to the CVS Health Foundation, grants funded this year focus on improving health outcomes for patients managing chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
“The rising cost of health care can make finding quality and affordable care harder to come by for many Americans,” said Eileen Howard Boone, president of the CVS Health Foundation. “Through our support of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, we’re able to increase access to quality care, improve chronic disease management and care coordination to help improve health outcomes for the most vulnerable patients and reduce health care costs in the communities we serve.”
This year’s funding, which bring the Foundation’s total contribution to NAFC to more than $4.5 million since 2015, will support increased access to quality care, as well as chronic disease management and prevention services. Grants, ranging from $10,000 to $20,000, were awarded to free and charitable clinics in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
The University’s Leahy Clinic received a $20,000 grant to support a diabetes education program tailored to Hispanic patients and meant to promote prevention, self-care skills, healthy eating habits and routine physical activity.
The Panuska College of Professional Studies, which houses the clinic at the University, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Leahy Clinic this year. Dedicated Feb. 19, 2008, the clinic was first established to provide non-emergency health care to uninsured Lackawanna county residents. The clinic has since expanded services through the innovative use of undergraduate and graduate student volunteers, staff and faculty members, as well as other University resources, to include low vision therapy, physical therapy and counseling services. Since its opening, a total of 6,000 patients generated 13,617 visits through the Leahy Clinic.
The Leahy Clinic has been a member of the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics since 2009.
“The NAFC and our network of charitable health care providers are beyond grateful for the continued support and unwavering commitment we receive from the CVS Health Foundation,” said Nicole Lamoureux, NAFC CEO. “Diabetes and hypertension are the top two diagnoses found among our patient population. This year’s funding will allow our Free and Charitable Clinics to focus on improving their patients’ health outcomes for these chronic conditions, and in turn improving the health of communities across the country.”
About the CVS Health Foundation
The CVS Health Foundation is a private charitable organization created by CVS Health that works to build healthier communities, enabling people of all ages to lead healthy, productive lives. The Foundation provides strategic investments to nonprofit partners throughout the U.S. who help increase community- based access to health care for underserved populations, create innovative approaches to chronic disease management and provide tobacco cessation and youth prevention programming. We also invest in scholarship programs that open the pathways to careers in pharmacy to support the academic aspirations of the best and brightest talent in the industry. Our philanthropy also extends to supporting our colleagues' spirit of volunteerism through Volunteer Challenge grants to nonprofits where they donate their time and fundraising efforts. To learn more about the CVS Health Foundation and its giving, visit www.cvshealth.com/social-responsibility.
For more information on how the Free and Charitable Clinics will be utilizing their grants to improve community health, please visit www.cvshealth.com/NAFC.
About the National Association of Free & Charitable Clinics
The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) is the only nonprofit 501c(3) organization whose mission is solely focused on the issues and needs of the medically underserved throughout the nation and the more than 1,200 Free and Charitable Clinics that serve them. Founded in 2001 and headquartered near Washington, D.C., the NAFC is working to ensure that the medically underserved have access to affordable quality health care and strives to be a national voice promoting quality health care for all. The NAFC has earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar and a Four Star Ranking with Charity Navigator.
For more information about the NAFC, please visit www.nafcclinics.org.
CVS Health Foundation Awards Grant to Leahy Clinic
-
04/20/2018
Ever wonder why you notice one advertisement over another; why you pay attention to a siren; or how you manage to find your car in a crowded parking lot? Psychology Professor Bryan Burnham, Ph.D., does and he focuses his research on understanding the cognitive complexities involved in “selective attention.”
“I look at how phenomena draw attention, and if then we can manipulate that. Our understanding of these mechanisms can eventually lead to developing ways to help you focus more and ways to become less distracted,” said Dr. Burnham, whose research focuses on the understanding component rather than the application. In more scientific terms, his research involves “the mechanisms and processes underlying selective attention, implicit learning and the connection between working memory and executive attention.”
His experiments, many of which are conducted with the aid of undergraduate students, carefully control and manipulate stimuli to better comprehend the cognitive functions of the brain regarding working memory. These functions guide our attention in a given environment.
Working memory is “what is brought into an active state from long-term memory,” explained Dr. Burnham. “To use a simple example, to find your car in a parking lot full of vehicles, you would pull information into your active memory about your car, such as its color, shape or other physical attributes.”
Dr. Burnham’s experiments involve introducing objects into a subject’s working memory, then measuring the subject’s involuntary responses to focus on certain stimuli while ignoring other stimuli. Much of his research focuses on “pop out” perceptual phenomena, which is a stimulus that is very distinctive from the background, involving an “abrupt change that would be noticed, usually from physical features such as color,” said Dr. Burnham.
“The research focuses on trying to understand exactly how attention and memory interact and what are the different mechanisms involved in the involuntary shifting of attention. Also, is the shifting truly involuntary or is there possibly some conscious intent involved?” said Dr. Burnham, who joined the faculty at Scranton in 2007 after earning his master’s and Ph.D. in experimental-cognitive psychology from the University of Albany.
Dr. Burnham’s earlier research involved a comprehensive review of existing studies regarding involuntary response and attention. His review showed “empirically there has not been a clear demonstration that attention shifts to novel things completely automatically. I’m not saying the involuntary response is not there. I actually think it is just based on an evolutionary, common sense standpoint. I am just saying, based on existing data, it hasn’t been proven.”
So far, Dr. Burnham’s studies have found two cognitive mechanisms in the brain causing attention, but notes more may exist. The first is selection bias or attentional bias, that is “once a stimulus is introduced, then there is a bias in favor of it.” The second is a memory retrieval mechanism, that is “when you process something, you retrieve a memory of something. You retrieve previous examples, such as pulling a color or shape into working memory.”
Dr. Burnham’s research, some of which includes University undergraduate students as co-authors, has been published in more than a dozen academic journals, including The Journal of Experimental Psychology; Human Perception and Performance; Psychonomic Bulletin and Review; Attention, Perception; and Psychophysics, Brain and Cognition. His research has also been presented through poster and paper presentations at more than 25 professional conferences. He also works with undergraduate students in psychology laboratory courses to replicate studies recently published in academic journals. The students’ results are then added to the published national archive PsychFileDrawer.org.
Attention Gets Faculty Member’s Research Attention
-
04/20/2018
A highly-respected scholar and author will present his views on the history and current state of Muslim-Jewish relations at The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute lecture on Thursday, May 3. Mark R. Cohen, Ph.D., Khedouri A. Zilkha Professor of Jewish Civilization in the Near East, Emeritus, and professor of Near Eastern Studies, Emeritus, at Princeton University, will discuss “Modern Myths of Muslim Anti-Semitism.” The lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of the Brennan Hall.
Dr. Cohen will examine several questions to determine the root of contemporary Muslim anti-Semitism: Does it stem from the Qur’an and other foundational Islamic texts? Is it endemic to Islam and, therefore, ineradicable? Or is this anti-Semitism new, originating in Western (Christian) Jew-hatred that arrived in the Middle East on the heels of colonialism, and later became clothed in Islamic garb? And, if so, has this Muslim anti-Semitism somehow been enflamed by the rise of Zionism and the conflict with Israel?
Dr. Cohen’s publications include “Jewish Self-Government in Medieval Egypt”; “Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages”; “Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt;” and, most recently, “Maimonides and the Merchants: Jewish Law and Society in the Medieval Islamic World.” Until his retirement from Princeton in 2013, he was director of the Princeton Geniza Project, an online database of transcriptions of documents from the Cairo Geniza.
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 Mark Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
‘Modern Myths of Muslim Anti-Semitism’ Discussed
-
04/20/2018
“Veterans, especially educated veterans, it is my honest belief, will be the generation that leads during the hard times that are in front of us. They are the ones that will solve the complex problems of our country,” said Jared Lyon, president and CEO of Student Veterans of America (SVA), during his keynote address at The University of Scranton’s College/University Regional Veterans Education Representative Conference in Leahy Hall. The conference was sponsored through a grant from Lockheed Martin.
Lyon discussed the history of the GI Bill and its initial unpopularity with some of this country’s university presidents, who, in 1944, could not envision veterans in higher education.
“There were op-eds written by university presidents … begging Congress not to add a provision for education, and quite literally, calling for the President of the United States to veto the bill,” Lyon said. “‘These [veterans] maybe weren’t smart enough to get into college. I mean otherwise, how did they end up fighting the war?’”
Negative assumptions about student veterans have always existed, Lyon said, but veterans have always proved stereotypes wrong.
Veterans “not only defended the world, freedom, and democracy,” Lyon said, “but then came home and were quite literally the most successful students in higher education, with their top three majors of business, STEM and health-related fields.” Lyon explained student veterans today are the most educated subset of the population, and have some of the highest GPAs and success rates of any other group after international students.
The GI Bill paved the way for other once-nontraditional students to pursue education rights, including women, minorities, people with disabilities and people of lower socioeconomic status.
“The happy accident of history is that the original GI Bill made education available for a generation of warriors,” Lyon said. “It democratized higher education for not just veterans, but for all Americans.”
Recognizing veterans’ right to education enables them to become leaders and continue serving their country, said Lyon. The SVA, which assists over 500,000 veterans in the US, advocates for them on their path to success.
“We are yesterday’s warriors, becoming today’s scholars, who will most assuredly be tomorrow’s leaders,” said Lyon.
Yesterday’s Warriors Becoming Tomorrow’s Leaders
-
04/18/2018
The University of Scranton’s Master in Health Administration (MHA) program received the prestigious Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME)/Canon Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice. The national award from CAHME and Canon Solutions America, presented at the CAHME Congress in Chicago, recognized Scranton’s MHA program for its sustainability initiatives in the context of corporate responsibility and Jesuit pedagogy.
The University’s MHA program links sustainability with social justice, public health and health disparities through alumni engagement, international experiences and community project work. Scranton’s MHA program was highlighted in this video shown at the award ceremony.
Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, which houses the health administration program at Scranton; Steven Szydlowski, D.H.A., program director of the University’s MHA program; and MHA student Louis Finnerty of Old Forge, who earned his bachelor’s degree in health administration from Scranton in 2017, are interviewed in the video.
Each year, CAHME recognizes excellence in graduate healthcare management education with CAHME- accredited programs and in partnership with leading healthcare organizations. These valued programs are recognized for driving innovation, improving the student experience, and expanding the presence of graduate healthcare management education. Now in its second year, the CAHME/Canon Solutions America Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice focuses on recognizing universities that are committed to pushing public health forward through dynamic and diverse sustainability-driven activities with proven results.
According to CAHME, the mission of the University’s master in health administration program helped to secure the award. The program’s mission is to provide local, regional and international students a comprehensive and interdisciplinary set of core competencies and values for health administration jobs in a variety of healthcare organizations. Additionally, the program contributes scholarship to its disciplines, especially applied research, publications and presentations.
The innovative curriculum of the University’s MHA program includes a “Fit for the Profession” component to ensure readiness for profession, said Dr. Szydlowski. In addition, sustainability components imbedded in the curriculum include administrative residency project for sustainability in healthcare as part of the program’s 8-credit Administrative Residency course (HAD 581), which is required course for all MHA students. Dr. Szydlowski said projects cover global, environmental, financial, social sustainable issues and involve developing and implementing a sustainability project in an applied healthcare setting. Elements of sustainability are also addressed in other elective courses, as well as through other initiatives such as study abroad experiences.
CAHME is an interdisciplinary group of educational, professional, clinical and other health sector organizations devoted to quality improvement of education for healthcare management and administration professionals. Additionally, CAHME accreditation establishes the standard of measurement of graduate healthcare management education for the world community.
To learn more about Canon Solutions America’s partnership with CAHME, visit here.
About CAHME:
CAHME serves the public interest by advancing the quality of graduate healthcare management education in the United States and Canada. CAHME is the only organization recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation to grant accreditation to individual academic programs offering a professional master’s degree in healthcare management education. CAHME Accreditation is the benchmark for students and employers that ensure the integrity of healthcare management education. For more information, visit Cahme.org.About Canon Solutions America, Inc.
Canon Solutions America provides industry leading enterprise, production, and large format printing solutions, supported by exceptional professional service offerings. With the technology offerings of the Canon and Océ brands, Canon Solutions America helps companies of all sizes improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs through high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., Canon Solutions America is headquartered in Melville, N.Y. and has sales and service locations across the U.S. For more information on Canon Solutions America, please visit csa.canon.com.
University Nationally Awarded for Sustainability
-
04/18/2018
A $645,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will fund scholarships and provide additional academic support to 25 undergraduate students at The University of Scranton majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields over the next five years. The competitive federal grant was awarded to the University for “Transforming STEM in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” now named the Royal Scholars Program. University biology professor Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., is the principal investigator for the grant.
The Royal Scholars Program provides scholarships to University students who have demonstrated academic achievement and a need for financial assistance. The grant also supports student and faculty mentorships, internship and research opportunities for the students, as well as additional enrichment programs such as a week-long summer workshop. The scholars will also participate in a common first-year seminar on science and society and in common sections of STEM introductory classes for those in
same major.According to Dr. Voltzow, the extracurricular activities and course structure are intended to build a community within the cohort, as well as to assist students in developing as STEM professionals, to explore careers in STEM fields, and to initiate pathways to these careers in order to improve the STEM workforce in the future. The program also includes a peer mentoring component in addition to faculty mentors.
Working in conjunction with Dr. Voltzow to support the Royal Scholars Program are Stacey Muir, Ph.D., professor of mathematics; Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of physics/electrical engineering; Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology; and Brian Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Funding from NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) for the program will begin in the 2018-19 academic year and will run for five years. The scholarships to be awarded to students majoring in STEM disciplines offered through the departments of biology, chemistry, computing science, mathematics, and physics/electrical engineering range from $4,000 for the first year to $5,500 for years three and four.
Dr. Voltzow joined the faculty at Scranton in 1996. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Yale University and her Ph.D. from Duke University. She was among five faculty members at Jesuit institutions participating in another five-year program funded in 2012 by a $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), which supported the development of peer networking to promote professional development for STEM women faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions.
For additional information about the Royal Scholars Program, contact Dr. Voltzow at 570-941-4378 or janice.voltzow@scranton.edu.
Janice Voltzow, Ph.D., professor of biology, is the principal investigator for the $645,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to the University.
Six-figure Grant Funds Student STEM Scholarships
-
04/18/2018
“The Cold War and its influence lasted, as you know, for decades. The majority of the fighters for freedom and democracy didn’t live to see the fall of the Iron Curtain in the fall of 1989. Therefore, we historians need to catalog their efforts and make sure that their work will not be forgotten,” said Martin Nekola, Ph.D., of Prague, at The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum collaborative program with the History Department, held recently on campus.
Dr. Nekola, a Czech political scientist, historian and scholar from Charles University, presented “For the Freedom of Captive Nations: Eastern European Exiles in Postwar America,” which explored the formation and development of organizations of political exiles during the Cold War.
“Each time we have the opportunity to hear a scholar or a journalist from abroad, I believe we make this institution a better place,” said Sondra Meyers, Schemel Forum director. “I am especially pleased to welcome a Czech scholar from Charles University, Martin Nekola. While we are in one of those eras in America where immigration is under scrutiny and discouraged, there is no doubt that immigrants have enriched the intellectual and cultural climate of our nation.”
Dr. Nekola examined the general conditions leading up to the anti-communist exile movements in the countries of east-central and south-east Europe in the West.
“In the 1920s and 1930s, there were about two million first- and second- generation Poles in this country, in America, almost one million Czechs and Slovaks, 300,000 Hungarians, 260,000 Yugoslavs and 150,000 Romanians,” said Dr. Nekola.
Dr. Nekola also discussed the internal crises and conflicts surrounding anti-communist exiles, which included the lack of proper leadership and the surfacing of propaganda.
“There were fears that World War II and the years preceding had exposed many reasons for distrust and bitterness. Nevertheless, the complicated relations between the Poles, Czechs, Hungarians and Romanians did not prevent a common bond against the communist enemy,” said Dr. Nekola.
The Czech scholar addressed the varying viewpoints of what liberation meant to different parts of each exile community, as well as the impact those viewpoints had on society as a whole.
“Naturally, there were different views and disagreements about what would constitute an effective liberation. The conservative and extremist parts of the exile communities claimed that only a complete eradication of communism would suffice. The majority, however, said that many of the economic and social changes introduced under the communists would have to stay because they had become a part of each nation’s life,” said Dr. Nekola.
Dr. Nekola is a researcher on the Faculty of Social Sciences at Charles University in Prague. His research has mostly focused on non-democratic regimes, the Communism era, and the East-European anti-communist exiles in the United States throughout the Cold War. Moreover, Dr. Nekola has conducted research regarding political refugees from Eastern Europe in the aftermath of World War II and their migration to different parts of the world, at both the Hoover Institution and Stanford University.
Lecture Examines Freedom in Postwar America
-
04/17/2018
The University of Scranton will host the fifth annual Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series on Thursday, April 19, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center.
At the event, George Cristian Maior, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the United States, will join Dr. Nathan for the panel discussion, “The Rise of Romania: History. Culture. Economy.” The talk will be followed by a performance of traditional Romanian music and dance and a reception.
The event is free of charge and open to the public, and made possible through the generosity of Dr. Nathan, a former professor in Scranton’s Kania School of Management who is now a tenured professor of management at St. John’s University in Queens, New York.
A recipient of the Fulbright Travel Scholar Grant to Romania, and the Fulbright Senior Scholar Awards to Thailand, Poland, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia, Dr. Nathan is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fulbright Association. He serves as editor of the Journal of Global Awareness, and was past president of the Global Awareness Society International. In addition, he is the author of recently published books on Kazakhstan and India.
Ambassador Maior has been in his current position since 2015, and prior to that he held a number of prominent positions within the Romanian government.
Between 1992 and 1997, he was a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2000 and 2004, he was state secretary and head of the Department for Euro-Atlantic Integration and Defense Policy within the Ministry of National Defense. In that role, he was responsible for coordinating the strategic and military dimension of Romania’s NATO accession process. In November 2004, he won a senate seat in the Romanian Parliament.
In October 2006, Ambassador Maior was appointed director of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI). During the eight years he led the SRI, it went through an extensive reform process, allowing it to strengthen bilateral and multilateral partnerships with the most important intelligence services throughout the democratic world.
A university professor and Ph.D. coordinator at the Department of International Relations and European Integration within the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest, Ambassador Maior has been a keynote speaker at many prestigious universities, organizations and think tanks, including Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, George Washington University, American University, Atlantic Council, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Center for European Policy Analysis. In 2017, the CIA awarded him with the Earl Warren Medallion for his leadership during his tenure as director of the SRI.
The Jay Nathan, Ph.D., Visiting Scholar Lecture Series invites international scholars from emerging democracies and countries in political and economic transition to visit the University to address issues that will enlighten and benefit students, faculty and the community at large. While visiting the campus, scholars deliver presentations on topics of interest to the academic community and meet informally with attendees, students and faculty.
Reservations are suggested for the lecture, and can be made at scranton.edu/JayNathanLecture, or by calling 570-941-7816.
Nathan Visiting Scholar Lecture Set for April 19
-
04/16/2018
Critically acclaimed guitar virtuoso Frank Vignola will take the stage with The University of Scranton Jazz Band on Saturday, April 21. The concert, presented by Performance Music at the University, will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Earlier that day, Vignola will give a free guitar masterclass. The class is open to local student, amateur and professional guitar players, aged 16 or older. Those interested in taking part in the masterclass should email music@scranton.edu for more information.
According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, the concert will feature Vignola performing both as a soloist and with the 25-member Jazz Band, an ensemble of big band instrumentation comprised of University student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum.
Boga said the band is in for “the thrill of a lifetime,” given Vignola’s virtuosity. After all, no less a guitar authority than Les Paul named Vignola one of his “Five Most Admired Guitarists” in a piece for The Wall Street Journal.
Vignola is also a renowned guitar teacher who has made good use of technology in order to reach the widest possible audience, said Boga, noting the University Jazz Band currently boasts a very talented student guitarist, as well as a very accomplished alumni guitarist who resides in the area. Both will be featured with Vignola during the concert.
“There are performers who teach and teachers who perform, but there are only a handful of people at the top of both fields. I like to call them artist-teachers,” she said. “They are as committed to one as they are the other, and as accomplished in one as they are the other. Frank is definitely one of those people. He’s known all over the world as a performer, and his commitment to teaching is unparalleled.”
Vignola, who The New York Times once called “one of the brightest stars of the guitar,” has collaborated with a staggering list of music heavyweights, among them Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, the Boston Pops and the New York Pops. He’s played thousands of engagements, and his genre-spanning music has taken him to 15 countries and three continents.
A familiar presence on NPR and public television, Vignola hosted his own PBS special, “Four Generations of Guitar,” with Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Craven and Tommy Emmanuel. He has recorded more than 30 CDs and seven DVDs, and has been a guest performer on hundreds of recordings.
As an educator, he has written and produced numerous books, CDs and videos. He maintains a rigorous private teaching schedule, and conducts clinics, masterclasses and workshops at conservatories and music schools throughout the world. Recently, he coached the guitar ensembles at The Juilliard School.
Vignola last visited the University in 1996 when he served as one of the composers and guest performer for Scranton’s 13th Annual World Premiere Composition Series.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Vignola, visit frankvignola.com.
Acclaimed Guitarist Frank Vignola to Perform
-
04/13/2018
The University of Scranton Players will present “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” directed by Michael O’Steen, with music and lyrics by William Finn, a book by Rachel Sheinkin, conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss. The show will run Friday through Sunday, April 20-22 and 27-29, in the Royal Theatre of the Joseph M. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and Sunday shows begin at 2 p.m.
“Putnam” is a musical comedy that tells the story of six middle school students competing in their county spelling bee while navigating the hardships of complicated family dynamics and puberty. It won two Tony Awards including Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor in a Musical, as well as three Drama Desk Awards including Outstanding Book of a Musical, Outstanding Director of a Musical, and Outstanding Ensemble Performance.
The University Players production features Nicolas Gangone of Howard Beach, New York, as William Barfee; Emily DeMouth of Hillsborough, New Jersey, as Olive Ostrovsky; Jacob Feeney of Chatham, New Jersey, as Trip Barrington; Ali Basalyga of Scranton as Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre; Reilly Charles of Rockaway Park, New York, as Leaf Coneybear; Colleen Boyle of Bryn Mawr as Marcy Park; Victoria Pennington of West Wyoming as Rona Lisa Peretti; Conor Hurley of Woodside, New York, as Vice Principal Douglas Panch; and Zachary Richard of Flanders, New Jersey, as Mitch Mahoney. Basalyga is a graduate of West Scranton High School and Pennington is a graduate of Wyoming Area Secondary Center.
Tickets may be purchased or reserved by calling the box office inside the McDade Center, 570-941-4318, or online at thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff.
This production corresponds with the 25th anniversary of the McDade Center for the Literary and Performing Arts on the University’s campus. Prior to the performance on April 28, the Players will host a reception for alumni to celebrate 25 years in the Royal Theatre. The reception will begin at 7 p.m. For information about the reception, contact Robert Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., theatre program director, at players@scranton.edu or 570-941-4353.
For more information about the performance, contact players@scranton.edu or follow the University Players on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
University Players Present Musical Comedy
-
04/12/2018
Through May 4 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
May 1 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library: “Bricklayer Bill: The Untold Story of the Workingman’s Boston Marathon” presented by Lawrence W. Kennedy, Ph.D., professor of history, The University of Scranton. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6202 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 2 1 p.m. “17th Annual Celebration of Student Scholars.” Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and other creative efforts. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email tabbi.miller-scandle@scranton.edu.
May 3 7:30 p.m. Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute Lecture: “Modern Myths of Muslim Anti-Semitism” presented by Professor Mark R. Cohen, Khedouri A. Zilkha Professor of Jewish Civilization in the Near East, emeritus, and professor of Near Eastern studies, emeritus, at Princeton University. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7956 or email marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
May 4 3 p.m. Festival of Nations. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-4160 or email jose.sanchez@scranton.edu.
May 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “10th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert” featuring Kako Miura, violin, with an appearance by The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 5 7:45 a.m. Schemel Forum Bus Trip to Newark, New Jersey. $95. Registration required by Apr. 7. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 5 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Kako Miura, violin. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Pre-Commencement Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band and Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 13 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Alexander Pattavina, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 26 10:45 a.m. Graduate Degree Commencement. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 26 4 p.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 27 noon. Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
University Announces May Calendar of Events
-
04/11/2018
The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library will hold its annual Book, Plant and Tag Sale on Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 29, from noon until 4 p.m. in the Scranton Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the library. Book prices begin at $1 and the large assortment of used hardcover and paperback books available for sale include children’s books, cookbooks, fiction and non-fiction, as well as vinyl records, compact discs, audiocassettes and tag sale items. Also on sale will be flowering plants, herbs and 50/50 raffle tickets.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services.
A special preview sale will be held on Friday, April 27, for Friends’ members and Schemel Forum members.
For additional information, please contact Barbara Evans at 570-941-4078.
Library Plans for Annual Book, Plant and Tag Sale
-
04/11/2018
Noting the interwoven paths of The University of Scranton and the Diocese of Scranton, Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, accepted the University’s Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignatian Mission and Ministry on behalf of the more than “250,000 Roman Catholics from 120 parishes in eleven counties of northeastern and north central Pennsylvania.”
The University honored the Diocese of Scranton, which is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding, with the Arrupe Award at a ceremony on campus April 4.
In his remarks, Bishop Bambera thanked students, faculty, staff and alumni for their continued service to the shared mission of the Diocese and the University.
“My gratitude, then, is for your commitment to live the gospel of Jesus. . . . My gratitude is for your generous embrace the mission of the Church in service of the neediest in our midst. . . . My gratitude is for your willingness to take the faith that was given to you and to pass it on to others who are searching for meaning, purpose and peace in their lives,” said Bishop Bambera.
The Arrupe Award is named in honor of the late Very Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983, and is intended to further his vision by recognizing men and women for outstanding contributions in a wide variety of Ignatian-inspired ministries.
“Father Arrupe challenged his Jesuit brothers, and their works, to be in solidarity with the poor and to make our world a better, more merciful place. The challenge for the people of God and the mission of this Diocese and this University is to carry on that legacy and continue to be agents of change in a world that needs to know and experience God’s merciful love,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president of The University of Scranton.
“Today we celebrate the work of the Diocese of Scranton. And today we celebrate the faith-filled leadership of its shepherd, Bishop Bambera,” Father Keller said at the ceremony. “Bishop, your presence among us in this diocese is an inspiration to us and a gift that we cherish. Your support and friendship to this University and to the Society of Jesus is appreciated more than words can say. You honor us today by accepting this honor in the name of the Diocese.”
The University instituted the annual Arrupe Award in 1995.
Award Honors Diocese in 150th Anniversary Year
-
04/10/2018
The University of Scranton ranked among the top 12 percent of colleges in the nation for alumni earnings, according to “Best Universities and Colleges by Salary Potential” 2017-2018 College Salary Report published online by PayScale. The report ranked U.S. colleges based on the median salary reported of alumni early in their careers (from zero to five years of work experience) and at mid-career (ten or more years of work experience).
The salary information used for the analysis was drawn from data reported by the million-plus participants of PayScale’s salary survey. Only U.S. colleges with a statistically significant sample size of respondents were included in the rankings.
Scranton ranked No. 179 among the 1,531 colleges in the nation ranked (top 12 percent) based on median salary reported of all alumni, which includes alumni who earned a bachelor’s degree at the University as well as alumni who continued their education to earn a graduate degree at the University or another school. PayScale reported a median salary for Scranton alumni early in their career of $53,400 and $106,300 at mid-career.
Scranton ranked No. 198 among the 1,509 colleges ranked (top 13 percent) based on median salary reported of alumni who earned only a bachelor’s degree. In this category, Scranton alumni reported a median salary of $52,000 early in their career and $101,400 at mid-career.
The ranking also included the percentage of alumni who said “their work makes the world a better place” (44 percent reported for Scranton alumni) and the percentage of degrees awarded in the science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) fields (13 percent reported for Scranton alumni).
Scranton Among Nation’s Best for Salary Potential
-
04/10/2018
The University of Scranton announced Peter J. Danchak ’84, regional president, PNC Bank, Northeast Pennsylvania, will serve as the principal speaker at its 2018 graduate commencement. He also will receive an honorary degree from the University at the ceremony, which will take place on Saturday, May 26, at 10:45 a.m. at the Byron Recreation Complex.
“Pete Danchak is a community leader who cares greatly for this area and is deeply committed to improving the lives of those in this region. We are proud to count him as one of our alumni and pleased to have him serve as principal speaker at our graduate commencement,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president of The University of Scranton.
Danchak earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University in 1984, the same year in which he joined PNC Bank. He held numerous positions with PNC bank, advancing in 1996 to senior vice president, division manager for the corporate banking line of business for the Northeast Pennsylvania market. He was named regional president of the Northeast Pennsylvania market of PNC Bank in January 2001.
Active in the community, Danchak currently serves as co-chair of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Council Boy Scouts of America 2018 Annual Dinner, co-chair of the Scranton Plan and co-chair of the Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission, to which he was appointed in 2008. He is a member of the executive leadership council of Pre-K Counts in Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the board of directors of AllOne Health Foundation, the ARC of Northeastern Pennsylvania Foundation and the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry.
Danchak previously served as a trustee or member of the board of directors of numerous organization, including Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Luzerne Foundation, the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, King’s College, Keystone College, Johnson College, Junior Achievement of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Bankers Association, the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Scranton Chamber Board of Commerce, Scranton Lackawanna Industrial Building Company and Marywood University. He also served on the advisory board of the University’s Kania School of Management and on the president’s advisory council for Keystone College. He was chairman of the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties 2013/2014 Campaign.
Danchak received the University’s O’Hara Award for Community Service in 2004. O’Hara Awards are the highest honor bestowed jointly by the University and its Alumni Society and recognize alumni and others who have achieved distinction in their professions or personal endeavors.
2018 Graduate Commencement Speaker Announced
-
04/09/2018
“Almost exactly 50 years ago, March 31, 1968, when Lyndon Johnson stepped before the television cameras and part way through the speech he said, ‘I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination from my party for another term as your president,’” said Pulitzer Prize-winning author Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D.
The mystery behind former President Johnson’s reason for not seeking another term as president was discussed a University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum luncheon seminar, titled “JFK, LBJ and the Paradox of Vietnam” and presented by Dr. Logevall recently on campus.
“I think he withdrew because of the war and because of the divisions that the war had created,” said Dr. Logevall, who won the 2013 Pulizer Prize in history for his book “Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam.”
The United States had been involved in Vietnam beforehand in the 1950s with former President Dwight D. Eisenhower sending over military advisory groups to Vietnam to help the Republic of Vietnam fight the North Vietnamese communists said Dr. Logevall. In the early 1960s, however, former President John F. Kennedy increased United States presence in Vietnam significantly.
“He also authorized a coup in his final month against the south Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem, a fellow catholic, somebody who had been president of south Vietnam for a long time and American officials concluded the war could not be won with Diem,” Dr. Logewall said.
The coup was successful and Diem was assassinated along with his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu on November 1, 1963.
“JFK dictates into a machine (recording device), on the fourth of November, his thoughts on the Diem coup and he says this, ‘I feel we must bear a good deal of responsibility for what’s happened,’” Dr. Logevall said. “It’s testimony to how much he struggled with this coup.”
Three weeks later former President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
“Then Lyndon Johnson takes power and of course now is dealt a difficult hand in part because of the coup,” Dr. Logevall said.
In March of 1965 former President Johnson officially sent United States combat forces into Vietnam.
“Publically Johnson would project optimism about the war but the truth is he was always a bleak skeptic on Vietnam,” Dr. Logevall said. “In May of 1964, he says to McGeorge Bundy, who is the national security advisor, ‘I don’t think it is worth fighting for and I don’t think we can get out, it’s just the biggest damn mess.’ That is almost a full year before the first United States ground troops are dispatched into the war.”
Dr. Logevall said the mystery still remains of why former President Johnson pursued a path of war in Vietnam when he had his own doubts.
“Surely part of the answer to the question is that Johnson felt if he did this gradually without putting the nation on full war footing he could take the path of least resistance,” Dr. Logevall said. “Especially in domestic political terms it was an easier proposition for Johnson to hope that these new measures would succeed.”
Former President Johnson would continue his hope that his path of least resistance would succeed, until the end of his one term presidency and he left the White House with the nation still involved in Vietnam. It would take until April of 1975 for the United States to officially leave Vietnam.
“I would say that from day one until the end Lyndon Johnson was a hawk on Vietnam, this proves that even doubting warriors can be committed warriors,” Dr. Logevall said.
A reception and book signing at the Lackawanna Historical Society’s Catlin House followed the lecture.
The Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
Schemel Forum Peeks at Vietnam Behind Closed Doors
-
04/09/2018
Erica Benner, Ph.D., fellow at Yale University and at the Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary, will present “Resisting Threats to Democracy: Lessons from Machiavelli” at the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar at The University of Scranton on Wednesday, April 11. The seminar will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The luncheon is $20 per person, or $30 per couple. Attendance is free to Schemel Forum Members.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Threats to Democracy Discussed at Schemel Forum
-
04/09/2018
Area residents and students can attend multiple events organized by The University of Scranton’s Sustainability Office to “celebrate earth day every day.” The events, which are free of charge, will be held throughout April on – or near – the University’s campus.
The artwork of University student, staff and faculty will be on display at the 8th Annual Environmental Art Show, which takes place from April 16 to April 24 in the Weinberg Memorial Library Heritage Room. The exhibit showcases the beauty found in nature. Submissions are due by Friday, April 13, and can be made at the library’s Circulation or Research Services desks.
Research projects from students and faculty will be on display at the Earth Day Fair on Tuesday, April 17. Local Businesses will also participate, and showcase their sustainable products and services alongside the research projects, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the DeNaples Center Patio.
The University will host a presentation by environmental photographer Joe Josephs on Wednesday, April 18, at 4:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
An Evening of Environmental Science will be held in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center on Thursday, April 19, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will include interactive exhibits and a display of submissions from the Earth Day Essay Contest for local students. Winners of the essay contest will be announced at the event. This year’s essay theme is “The Impact of Climate Change.”
The Weinberg Memorial Library’s its annual Book, Plant and Tag Sale will take place on Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 29, from noon until 4 p.m. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services.
Lastly, University students, staff and faculty can participate in a 3-hour kayak trip on the Susquehanna River on Saturday, April 28. Transportation to and from the school will be provided, and experienced guides are available to help kayakers of all experience levels.
For additional information about the University’s Earth Day events, visit the University’s Office if Sustainability website or call 570-941-7520.
Earth Day Events Offer ‘Green’ Fun and Learning
-
04/04/2018
The University of Scranton announced the names of three NCAA regulation athletic fields at the soon-to-open Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletics Campus in recognition of the support of prominent alumni and their families.
The 75 by 120 yard, synthetic-turf, multi-purpose field will be named Robert and Marilyn Weiss Field in honor of University Trustee Robert Weiss ’68 and his wife, Marilyn. The synthetic-turf baseball field will be named Charles J. Volpe Family Field, a name chosen by Charles (Chuck) Volpe Jr., Esq. ’82 and his wife, Ellen, in honor of the late Charles J. Volpe Sr. ’61, his children, and grandchildren who are graduates of the University. The synthetic-turf softball field will be named Magis Field, a name chosen by former University Trustee Dennis J. McGonigle ’82 and his wife, Rachel. Magis, the Latin word meaning “more,” refers to the relentless desire to do more – or greater – for the glory of God, which is a core Jesuit value and a key component of a Jesuit education.
The Quinn Athletics Campus is a $14 million initiative that will be dedicated this spring in honor of the University’s 25th president. The University’s soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, baseball and softball Division III NCAA teams will play at the 11-acre athletics campus located along Broadway Street in Scranton. The campus also includes bleacher seating, a field house with team locker rooms and a training room, parking, a community basketball court and a children’s play area.
“The University has benefited greatly from the decades of generous support received from the benefactors whom we are pleased to honor through the naming of these fields,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president of The University of Scranton. “Their efforts have strengthened the Jesuit mission of the University by helping us to improve the student-athlete experience.”
A native of Lake Ariel, Weiss is president and CEO of The Cooper Companies (NYSE:COO) Pleasanton, California, a multinational manufacturer and marketer of specialty health care products that operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. During his distinguished 39-year career with The Cooper Companies, he has served as chief operating officer, chief financial officer, corporate controller and treasurer at Cooper, as well as president of CooperVision and a member of the company’s board of directors. On April 30, 2018, he will retire as CEO and president of Cooper but remain on the Cooper Board of Directors. He is also a member of the board of directors for Accuray Incorporated, a global radiosurgery leader. He was recognized in CEO Magazine for 40 Best Companies for Leaders for four years (2011-2014).
A former U.S. Army Captain who was awarded two Bronze Stars and the Army Commendation Medal during his service in Vietnam, Weiss is a certified public accountant and earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting at the University. In 2008, he received the University’s Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award. He is also a member of the University’s President’s Circle and Estate Society.
A native of Scranton, Marilyn Weiss, the former Marilyn Chesick, studied at the University through the Scranton State General Hospital School of Nursing. She served as head nurse at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York and as a pediatric nurse at Bayside Pediatrics in Pleasanton. She is now active with the Tri Valley Repertory Theatre in Pleasanton.
A resident of Chester Springs Pennsylvania, McGonigle is chief financial officer and executive vice president at SEI Investments, responsible for guiding the efforts of a number of teams within the company, including finance and accounting, corporate enterprise risk management, workforce development and the SEI Private Wealth Management unit. He is also integrally involved in the setting of SEI’s broader corporate strategy.
Prior to his appointment as CFO in 2002, McGonigle ran one of SEI’s operating segments. Previously, he served as head of product management, overseeing the product development and maintenance of products and services related to SEI’'s investment management offering, as well as SEI’s fund services area. He is also co-owner of Kimberton Whole Foods, a regional chain of organic and natural food markets. Dennis and his wife Rachel have three daughters, who all competed at the Division 1 level of college athletics. This led to their interest in supporting the University of Scranton athletics program and the new campus.
McGonigle was a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts (SJLA) Honors Program and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He also competed for the University as a member of the men’s golf and ice hockey teams. A member of the University’s President’s Business Council, he was recognized by the University in 2007 with the Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award and the University’s President’s Medal at the President’s Business Council’ Annual Award Dinner in 2017.
Charles J. Volpe Sr., who passed away in 1988, played baseball for the University as a student in the 1950s and early 1960s. A well-respected Scranton businessman and insurance entrepreneur, who founded Foxco Insurance Management Services, he was also an active political leader. He held local and county positions, including serving as deputy mayor of the city of Scranton and as a member of the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. His wife Eleanor, who passed away in 2017, and his son, Chuck Volpe Jr., started the Charles J. Volpe Sr. Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University, which provides assistance for a student who is majoring in history, political science or international studies; has achieved academic excellence; and aspires to pursue a career in public service.
Chuck Volpe Jr. was a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts (SJLA) Honors Program and earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration. While at Scranton, he was president of the College Democrats and class vice president of Student Government. He earned his juris doctor degree from Duquesne University in 1985 and practiced law as a bond counsel and a trial lawyer before joining the family business. Like his father, he too ran for political office and currently hosts The Volpe Report, a political television show currently airing on FOX56 WOLF. He received the University’s Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017.
A formal dedication ceremony for The Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletics Campus will take place Tuesday, May 8, at 10 a.m.
Fields Named at Quinn Athletics Campus
-
04/04/2018
The University of Scranton announced that Most Reverend George V. Murry, S.J., Ph.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, will be the principal speaker at its undergraduate commencement on Sunday, May 27. He will also receive an honorary degree from the University at the ceremony.
A member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Murry currently serves as chair of its Committee Against Racism, which was formed in August 2017 “… to focus on addressing the sin of racism in our society, and even in our Church, and the urgent need to come together as a society to find solutions.”
“Bishop Murry’s leadership in the Church, his Jesuit roots, his experience in Jesuit higher education, and his important work in combating racism in our society, all combine, I believe, to make him a wonderful choice for this honor. He is someone who has the ability to deliver a timely and important message for our students, their families and guests,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president of The University of Scranton.
Prior to his service as Bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown, which began in 2007, Bishop Murry served as Bishop of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands and Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago. For 20 years previously, he worked as a teacher and administrator in Catholic education, serving as associate vice president for academic affairs at the University of Detroit-Mercy, president of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., assistant professor of American studies at Georgetown University and as a faculty member and dean of student activities at Gonzaga College High School, Washington, D.C.
Bishop Murry has served on numerous boards including of Catholic Relief Services, Saint Joseph’s University, the University of Detroit, Fairfield University, and Mount Saint Mary’s College. As a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he also served as secretary of the Conference, chairman of the Committee on Priorities and Plans.
A native of Camden, New Jersey, Bishop Murry attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia; St. Thomas Seminary in Bloomfield, Connecticut; and St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland, where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1972 and was ordained for the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus on June 9, 1979. He earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley and a doctorate in American cultural history from George Washington University.
The University of Scranton’s undergraduate commencement ceremony will be held at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre, on Sunday, May 27, at noon.
Undergraduate Commencement Speaker Announced
-
04/03/2018
“In the 1900s, a huge shift in attitude toward the performance of Shakespeare on the stage was taking shape. The latter part of the 19th century saw the conclusion of what we might call actor’s theater, while the start of the 20th century featured what we term author’s theater,” said Michael Friedman, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre at The University of Scranton, in his lecture “Shakespeare on the Stage in 1900: From Actor’s Theater to Author’s Theater.”
Dr. Friedman’s talk was one of two lectures presented at an art exhibit reception for P.W. Costello’s theatrical portraits, which are currently on display in the Heritage Room of Weinberg Memorial Library.
Dr. Friedman described the transition between these two types of theatrical performances and discussed specific Shakespearian examples with attendees.
“The main difference between these two attitudes is that in actor’s theater, the work of performers and designers are the main focus. In author’s theater, the actors and designers exist to serve the play by presenting the author’s intentions,” said Dr. Friedman.
Also at the reception, Thomas Costello spoke about master penman P.W. Costello’s career as well as his great grandfather’s collection, “Distinguished for Their Talents,” which is comprised of pen and ink portraits of theatrical personalities drawn between 1905 and 1930.
“There is a good cross-sampling of his work across all genres – drama, tragedy, Shakespearian, comedy, histories, music – it’s all represented here. And it’s all unique. There’s different styles, colors, subject matter, poses,” said Thomas Costello.
“His reading, his interest in literature, his proximity to the heart of the theater district were all developing at a time where economic, industrial and cultural growth were growing in the 1900s – leading to an interest in the arts. And that’s why theaters thrived. And he loved theater,” said Thomas Costello of his great grandfather.
Thomas Costello spoke to community members, faculty and students about specific portraits in the collection and P.W. Costello’s self-taught artistic practices that defined him as one of the best engrossers and illustrators in the country.
Following the presentations of the two speakers, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions and explore Costello’s exhibit on the fifth floor of the library.
The exhibit will be on display through April 23 during normal library hours. Images of the portraits are also available online through the library’s digital collections website. For more information, email archives@scranton.edu or call 570-941-6341.
Theatrical Talent Thrives at Turn of 20th Century
-
03/29/2018
Members of The University of Scranton alumni community will volunteer their time on Saturday, April 14, as part of the University’s ninth annual “Day of Service.” Alumni will serve meals, sort donations, paint and perform farm work through nearly a dozen Scranton Clubs at 15 locations in six states and the District of Columbia.
The Scranton Club of Lehigh Valley will prepare and serve meals to men at the Allentown Rescue Mission in Allentown. Volunteers will also stock shelves in the Mission’s pantry. The Allentown Rescue Mission helps feed, rehabilitate and serve homeless men of the Lehigh Valley.
The Scranton Club of New England will inspect, sort and package donations at Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory Warehouse in Brighton, Massachusetts. Cradles to Crayons collects, processes and distributes children’s items to local children in need. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a gently-used item for donation.
The Scranton Club of New York will host volunteer opportunities at two locations. Volunteers will greet market-goers and distribute produce at City Harvest: St. Mary’s Mobile Market in Bronx. City Harvest collects excess food in the New York City area and redistributes it to those in need. Volunteers also will serve meals and clean up at Meatloaf Kitchen at the Cardinal Spellman Center, in New York City. The Meatloaf Kitchen also serves food to those in need.
The Scranton Club of Northeast Pennsylvania will pack and sort food items at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Food Bank in Pittston. The Weinberg Food Bank collects and donates food to charitable organizations in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Volunteers are encouraged to bring a canned good for donation.
The Scranton Club of Philadelphia will volunteer at three locations in Philadelphia. Volunteers at Project HOME’s James Widener Ray Homes will serve dinner to residents. Project HOME helps homeless individuals and families get the shelter and care they need, while addressing the causes of poverty and homelessness. Volunteers at Project HOME’s St. Elizabeth’s Recovery Residence will serve lunch to residents. Volunteers at The Drueding Center will paint and clean the childcare center and playground. The Drueding Center serves homeless women and their children, providing housing, meals and social services.
The Scranton Club of Washington, D.C., will volunteer at the Capital Area Food Bank in Washington and the Arlington Food Assistance Center, Arlington, Virginia. Volunteers at Capital Area Food Bank will sort and pack donations. The Capital Area Food Bank collects and distributes food to people of all ages in the Washington Metro Area. Volunteers at the Arlington Food Assistance Center will bag produce. The Arlington Food Assistance Center provides nutritious groceries for those in need in Arlington.
The Scranton Club of New Jersey will volunteer at The Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside and Greater Goods Thrift Store in Hightstown. Volunteers at The Community Food Bank of New Jersey will sort food, stock shelves with food and school supplies, assemble fundraising mailings, work in the thrift shop, and sort new clothes for children. The Community Food Bank of New Jersey provides relief for those affected by hunger and poverty, and asks volunteers to bring a $1 donation. Volunteers at Greater Goods Thrift Store will sort, tag and organize items. Greater Goods provides recyclable clothing and household items to those in need.
The Scranton Club of South Central Pennsylvania will volunteer at Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in Harrisburg. Volunteers will help sort and repackage food for distribution. The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank distributes food to soup kitchens, shelters and food pantries throughout Central Pennsylvania.
Also, alumni near Atlanta will inspect, sort and package grocery donations at the Atlanta Community Food Bank in Georgia. The Atlanta Community Food Bank provides nutritious food to low-income Georgians of all ages. Alumni residing in North Carolina will work at Corral Riding, a farm in Cary, North Carolina. Corral Riding brings rescued horses and at-risk girls together.
For more information or to register online, please visit Alumni Events “Day of Service.”
Alumni Can Volunteer for Day of Service
-
03/27/2018
The University of Scranton was among just 39 colleges and universities in Pennsylvania to be awarded 2018 “It’s On Us PA” grants to fund campus initiatives to combat sexual assault. The grants support programs ranging from campus-wide training for students, faculty and staff to institutional campaigns to raise awareness and understanding of the reporting process and resources available to and rights of survivors of sexual violence.
The University received $30,000 to fund educational programming and training initiatives, which will be directed by the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity. The grant will support training for staff members in departments that work directly with potential victims of sexual misconduct, such as the University’s student health services, counseling center and University Police. The grant will also fund initiatives to provide better access for students, faculty and staff to resources concerning sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, as well as support for guest lecturers, workshops and educational materials, some of which will focus on bystander engagement.
This is the second “It’s On Us PA” grant the University received. In 2017, the University was among 36 colleges in Pennsylvania to receive the initial awards given. Scranton received $16,000 to support an outreach and awareness campaign.
“Since launching two years ago, “It’s On Us PA” has helped dozens of Pennsylvania colleges and universities to develop programs to prevent sexual assault and establish campus cultures where sexual assault and harassment are not tolerated,” Governor Tom Wolf said at the March announcement of the more than $950,000 in grants awarded for 2018.
In January 2015 Pennsylvania became the first state to launch an “It’s On Us” campaign, building on the national campaign launched in 2014 by then President Barack Obama.
University Receives It’s On Us PA Grant
-
03/27/2018
Chang-Tai Hsieh, Ph.D., a widely-respected scholar and economist, will deliver The University of Scranton’s spring Henry George Seminar on Monday, April 9, at 4 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center.
Dr. Hsieh, Phyllis and Irwin Winkelried Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, will present “Crony Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics.” The lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, will examine China’s version of capitalism as the catalyst for the nation’s fast-growing economy over the past two decades.
Dr. Hsieh, who conducts research on growth and development, has published several papers in top economic journals, including “The Life-Cycle of Plants in India and Mexico,” in the Quarterly Journal of Economics; “Misallocation and Manufacturing TFP in China and India,” in the Quarterly Journal of Economics; “Relative Prices and Relative Prosperity,” in the American Economic Review; “Can Free Entry be Inefficient? Fixed Commissions and Social Waste in the Real Estate Industry,” in the Journal of Political Economy; and “What Explains the Industrial Revolution in East Asia? Evidence from the Factor Markets,” in the American Economic Review.
He has been a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Banks of San Francisco, New York and Minneapolis; as well as the World Bank’s Development Economics Group and the Economic Planning Agency in Japan. He is a research associate for the National Bureau of Economic Research, a senior fellow at the Bureau for Research in Economic Analysis of Development and a member of the Steering Group of the International Growth Center in London.
Dr. Hsieh, an elected member of Academia Sinica, is the recipient of an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship and the Sun Ye-Fang award for research on the Chinese economy.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of California, Berkeley.
The spring Henry George Seminar is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. It was named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer. The lecture series is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information on the lecture, contact the University’s Economics Department at 570-941-4048 or by email at janice.mecadon@scranton.edu
Spring Henry George Seminar Set for April 9
-
03/27/2018
University of Scranton psychology professor Danielle Arigo, Ph.D., was awarded a competitive National Institute of Health (NIH) grant for research to identify influences on physical activity that are unique to midlife women. The five-year, $800,000 grant is a K23 Award, which is a career development award for patient-oriented research. She is the first Scranton professor to receive this type of NIH grant. The award supports training and mentored research experiences for junior researchers with promise to develop as independent investigators.
“My research for this grant focuses on reducing midlife women’s risk for cardiovascular disease by using tailored digital health tools to promote physical activity in this population,” said Dr. Arigo. “Midlife women experience unique psychosocial barriers to physical activity. The first aim of the grant is to better understand these barriers, and the second is to use this information to design a mobile health app tailored to address these specific barriers.”
Dr. Arigo, a licensed clinical psychologist with a specialty in health psychology and behavioral medicine, has already published multiple studies on how wearable technology and online social contact affect health and wellness behavior, particularly among women. Her studies generally show that wearable devices provide motivation for exercise and weight loss, and that particular features are beneficial for certain individuals.
The NIH grant, given through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, will support training at Scranton, Pennsylvania State University and Drexel University. Dr. Arigo’s mentoring team includes University of Scranton professors John Norcross, Ph.D., psychology (career mentor); Terrence Sweeney, Ph.D., biology (scientific adviser); and Yaodong Bi, Ph.D., computer science (scientific adviser); Penn State University professors Joshua Smyth, Ph.D., biobehavioral health and medicine (scientific mentor); and Danielle Symons Downs, Ph.D., kinesiology (scientific collaborator); and Drexel University professor Meghan Butryn, Ph.D., psychology (career collaborator).
The grant began in March and extends for a five-year period.
Dr. Arigo, who joined the faculty at Scranton in 2014 as an assistant professor of psychology, also serves as an associate faculty member of women’s and gender studies. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Drexel University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Syracuse University. She also completed health-focused training during her clinical internship at the Syracuse VA Medical Center and a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Drexel University.
Dr. Arigo was among just 12 faculty members in the nation to participate in 2015 National Institutes of Health’s esteemed Program to Increase Diversity Among Individuals Engaged in Cardiovascular Health-Related Research (PRIDE) summer institute, which is a training and mentoring program for junior faculty members. Her participation in this program led directly to the development of her K23 proposal.
Psychology Professor Awarded $800,000 NIH Grant
-
03/26/2018
“If we use children’s literature to contextualize the complexity of our world for young people, we can grow the next generation of world leaders while also developing their reading, writing, listening and speaking skills,” said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of The Panuska College of Professional Studies at The University of Scranton, who recently gave a lecture titled “Using Children’s Literature to Teach Social Justice” to Northeastern Reading Association members.
The Northeastern Pennsylvania Reading Association is a professional organization serving more than 30 school districts, colleges, libraries and child care providers in Lackawanna, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties. The association is dedicated to improving and promoting literacy in the area schools and communities served, and is a local council of the Keystone State Reading Association and the International Literacy Association.
A former elementary school teacher and professor of literacy and elementary education, Dean Pellegrino has decades of academic and practical experience teaching literacy. In addition to numerous scholarly papers on teaching, literacy and Jesuit education, she is the author of a chapter entitled “Social Justice and the Ignatian Tradition” in Jesuit Education and Social Justice: the Pedagogy of Educating the Educators.
Dean Pellegrino is also a lover of literacy who strives to make a difference in the Scranton community and beyond.
“You can make a difference. Show children how they can contribute make the world fairer. Give children examples of when social justice is at work and when it’s not. Help children understand better a variety of cultures, types of people and situations,” said Dean Pellegrino as she discussed the
importance of utilizing children’s literature to provide an opportunity for children to explore and learn about new people, places and ideas.
“Using books for social justice issues tells untold stories, and assures that there are multiple ways to look at something – a person, story or history,” said Dean Pellegrino.
Dean Pellegrino also emphasized the power of writing journals and the benefits of students regularly recording their observations to be more aware of the world around them and how they can make a difference.
“I don’t think you can understand literacy without understanding the connection between reading and writing. To me, a writer’s notebook can be many things. It’s a place to make mistakes, to experiment, to record overheard conversations or family stories, to remember an inspiring quotation, to ask questions, to record language, to tell the truth or to lie, to remember things, or to describe a picture or a person or an image you can’t get out of your head,” said Dean Pellegrino.
The lecture contained interactive elements in working directly with children’s literature and breaking it down through content brainstorming and picture walks. Each attendee received a copy of Listen to the Wind, a children’s story written by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth.
Using Literature to Inspire Children
-
03/26/2018
The University of Scranton will hold a reception and presentation for the exhibit “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P. W. Costello, 1905-1930” on Tuesday, March 27, at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Thomas W. Costello, P. W. Costello’s great-grandson, will discuss Costello’s career as an artist and master penman, who became a national figure in the late 1800s for his work in engrossing. Joining him will be University of Scranton English and Theatre Professor Michael Friedman, Ph.D., who will present “Shakespeare on the Stage in 1900: From Actor’s Theater to Author’s Theater.”
The event, which is free of charge and open to the public, is sponsored by the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library.
The exhibit is on display in the Heritage Room through April 23 during normal library hours.
For more information, call 570-941-6341 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Exhibit Discussion and Reception Set for March 27
-
03/21/2018
University of Scranton graduate student, Nicholas Varriano of Staten Island, New York, attended the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA®) Student Leadership Experience in San Diego, California, earlier this semester. This highly-selective experience included only six students from around the world.
This annual event provides students with a unique and exclusive experience focused around governance and leadership, and it provides students the opportunity to network with several top, senior executives. Over the course of three days, students attended several networking events and IMA Committee meetings, as well as a IMA Global Board Meeting. According to Varriano, it was an “unforgettable experience.”
“It was an honor and a privilege to have been selected for the IMA’s Student Leadership Experience,” said Varriano, who earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting from Scranton in 2017. “It was invaluable to network with professionals, learn more about the accounting field, and gain further insight into this rapidly changing industry.”
During the application process, students were required to obtain a nomination from a professor. Not only did Varriano receive the required one nomination for his application, he received many.
“Nicholas is an exemplary student and individual,” said Faculty Specialist Ashley Stampone, who is the faculty advisor for the University’s IMA Student Chapter. “It was no surprise that the IMA’s Student Leadership Experience Selection Committee chose him. Nicholas is not only a student leader, he is a role model to his fellow classmates. He continuously helps his peers to improve professionally and personally.”
The IMA’s Student Leadership Experience Selection Committee comprised of a CFO and former chair of the IMA, a senior manager from Deloitte, the dean of the University of Massachusetts Lowell Business School, and professors from various universities and colleges.
Only students from IMA Higher Education Endorsement Program member schools could attend this experience. The University of Scranton received its endorsement in November 2017. Currently, just 36 colleges in the U.S. are endorsed by IMA.
Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 80,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters.
Varriano is a graduate of Monsignor Farrell High School and was a dean’s list student as an undergraduate at Scranton.
After earning his graduate degree from the University, Varriano will start with Ernst and Young (EY) as an audit associate in the fall of 2018.
Student Attends the IMA Leadership Experience
-
03/20/2018
The University of Scranton graduate programs are once again ranked among America’s best by U.S. News & World Report in its 2019 edition of “Best Graduate Schools” that published online March 20. Scranton’s part-time MBA program ranked No. 74 in the nation and its graduate program in nursing ranked No. 98.
Several of Scranton’s master’s degree programs were among additional graduate program rankings published on the U.S. News website, including rehabilitation counseling (No. 24); healthcare management (No. 42); physical therapy (No. 53); occupational therapy (No. 58); and nurse anesthesia (No. 65). U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s MBA program specialties in production operations (No. 15); information systems (No. 20); finance (No. 23); and accounting (No. 28).
For the rankings, U.S. News uses data gathered by surveys of university faculty and administrators, and for some programs, professionals who hire recent graduates, to assess the quality of programs. U.S. News also uses statistical data such as faculty student ratios and student test scores in its ranking of the “Best Graduate Schools.”
The University’s graduate-level business programs include a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Science in Finance (MSF) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in general management or with a specialization in accounting, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, international business, management information systems, marketing and operations management. The University also offers combined/accelerated bachelor’s and master’s level programs including accounting BS/MBA, operations management BS/MBA, finance BS/MBA, management BS/MBA, and College of Arts and Sciences Bachelor’s/MBA.
Graduate nursing degrees offered by Scranton include Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist, MSN; Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN and post-master’s certificate; Certified Advanced Practice Nurses, MSN; and Nurse Anesthesia, MSN and post-master’s certificate. Scranton also offers a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), which was listed as unranked by U.S. News.
All of the University’s graduate programs hold the highest national accreditation within each discipline, including accreditation by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) for business and accreditation by The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for nursing.
Earlier this year, U.S. News’ “Best Online Programs” publication ranked the University’s online graduate degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 83; graduate education programs at No. 101 and MBA at No. 108. in the nation.
In undergraduate rankings published online and in print by U.S. News, Scranton has been among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 24 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 6 in the 2018 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s programs in finance at No. 17, accounting at No. 17 and entrepreneurship at No. 22 in the country. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 18 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North.”
U.S. News Ranks Scranton’s MBA and Nursing Program
-
03/20/2018
With ever-increasing pressure on faculty and researchers to publish or perish, most focus on new breakthroughs, leaving a void in replicative research that provides the important scientific step of verifying results.
Step in the capability of University of Scranton students and the need of these students to learn how to conduct research for courses with a research lab component.
Bryan Burnham, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Scranton, married the two “needs” into win-win situation for undergraduate students in his Research Methods in Behavioral Sciences Laboratory course. Students working in small groups replicate recently published studies.
The “real world” experience not only introduces students to the most recent research in the field, but they also gain a better understanding of the scientific method, and how to plan and execute a study. Their results are then added to the published national archive PsychFileDrawer.org, which equates to an impressive line on an undergraduate’s resume.
And science – in the midst of a replication crisis – has one less unverified study in its case file.
According to Dr. Burnham, University students also enjoy the research projects, become more engaged and learn more through the process.
A second psychology professor at Scranton, Jill Warker, Ph.D., has added the replication research component to her course as well.
Maybe this situation is better described as a win-, win-, win-, win- …
Applying Student Course Research to a Greater Good
-
03/16/2018
The University of Scranton Office of Sustainability will host a Shrub and Tree Pruning Workshop, led by Penn State Master Gardeners, Thursday, March 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center. The workshop is free of charge and open to the public.
Pruning shrubs and trees enhances the beauty of landscapes, while encouraging growth and strength in plants. This skill can also protect people and homes from the dangers of falling branches. Attendees will learn how to make their homes safer and more attractive, all while caring for the Earth.
The Penn State Master Gardeners use their horticultural expertise to volunteer and host educational workshops across Pennsylvania.
The Shrub and Tree Pruning Workshop is one of a series Earth Day events organized by the University’s Office of Sustainability that include fairs, films, an environmental art exhibit and an essay contest for middle and high school students.
To make a reservation to attend the workshop, call 877-345-0691. For information about Earth Day events, visit the University’s website.
Master Gardeners to Teach Tree and Shrub Pruning
-
03/16/2018
The University of Scranton’s University of Success Program, a four-year pre-college mentorship program, is now accepting applications for the academic year that begins this summer. Applicants must be currently enrolled in the eighth grade and possess a strong desire to attend college in the future.
The University of Success is designed to provide academic, social and cultural enrichment to area high school students. The program’s ultimate goal is to assist first-generation college bound students to successfully gain entrance into a college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants.
The program begins with a two-week summer institute, which is held on the campus of The University of Scranton, from Sunday, July 8, to Friday, July 20. Upon completion of the summer program, the students will continue to meet for enrichment sessions through their high school career.
Applications may be obtained by calling the University of Success Office at 570-941-4377 or by emailing Margaret Loughney, University of Success program director, at margaret.loughney@scranton.edu. Applications may also be obtained online from the University of Success web site.
The deadline for submission of applications is Monday, April 2, 2018.
University of Success Now Accepting Applications
-
03/14/2018
The University of Scranton’s Opening Doors recruitment marketing campaign earned a national Merit Award at the 33rd Annual Education Advertising Awards competition sponsored by the Higher Education Marketing Report. The largest educational advertising award competition in the country, this year’s contest included more than 2,250 entries from more than 1,000 colleges, universities and secondary schools.
The University’s recruitment materials include various publications; direct mail pieces; print; online and outdoor advertising and total more than 40 pieces. The component pieces feature the Opening Doors marketing campaign, which highlights the campus culture of friendliness and support as well as the transformational educational opportunities afforded to students at Scranton.
“Inspiring and purposeful, rigorous and transformative, this is an education that will open doors for a lifetime,” states the welcome message for the University’s viewbook, which is one of the pieces of the award-winning campaign material. Other pieces of the campaign range from open house brochures and mailers, to inquiry reception materials, acceptance cards and academic program banners, to name a few.
The panel of judges for the Educational Advertising Awards is comprised of industry specialists, including higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals and the editorial board of Higher Education Marketing Report.
Opening Doors Campaign Wins Merit Award
-
03/12/2018
Through Apr. 23 Art Exhibit: “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P. W. Costello, 1905-1930.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Apr. 3 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “JFK, LBJ and the Paradox of Vietnam” presented by Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 5 5 p.m. 23rd Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-614-3705 or email louis.finnerty@scranton.edu.
Apr. 6 10:30 a.m. “College/University Veterans Educational Representative Conference” with keynote speaker, Jared Lyons, president and CEO, Student Veterans of America, Washington, DC. The Forum, Leahy Hall. $12. Call 570-941-4343 or email robert.zelno@scranton.edu.
Apr. 9 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Crony Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics” presented by Chang-Tai Hsieh, Ph.D., University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email aram.balagyozyan@scranton.edu.
Apr. 10 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email laurie.mccoy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 10 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and The University of Scranton Department of History Collaborative Program: “Czechoslovak Exile to the U.S. after 1948” presented by Martin Nekola, Ph.D., Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 11 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Resisting Threats to Democracy: Lessons from Machiavelli” presented by Erica Brenner, Ph.D., fellow in political philosophy, Yale University; and fellow, Institute for Advanced Study, Central European University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 12 11:30 a.m. Asian Studies Spring Lecture Series: “Designer Babies and the Ethics of Human Enhancement: A Confucian Perspective” co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Program, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, the Philosophy Department, and the Department of Latin American Studies and Women’s Studies. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7643 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu.
Apr. 12-14 8 p.m. Thursday through Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Legally Blonde” presented by The Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5 admission. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Apr. 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “35th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring composer/conductor Brandon Lee performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 16-24 Environmental Art Show. Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Apr. 17 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentations and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. DeNaples Center Patio. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Apr. 17 7 p.m. Latin American Film Festival: “Ixcanul” Guatemala 2016. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7778 or email yamile.silva@scranton.edu.
Apr. 19 5 p.m. Jay Nathan Lecture: “The Rise of Romania: History. Culture. Economy.” Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Apr. 19 6 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7669 or email stan.zygmunt@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 through May 4 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 6 p.m. Hope Horn Gallery Reception. Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20-22 and 27-29 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” by Rachel Sheinkin, directed by Michael O’Steen presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Apr. 21 2 p.m. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration “Holi: The Indian Festival of Color.” Dionne Green, Campus. Free. Call 570-941-7434 or email shuhua.fan@scranton.edu.
Apr. 21 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with special guest soloist Frank Vignola, guitar. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 4:30 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus based competition for both high school and college divisions. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-4493 or email thomas.shimkus@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Strengthening the Global Health System: Lessons Learned from Africa” presented by Felix C. Rwabukwisi, M.D., assistant professor, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night Pre-Rally. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 7 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night Speak Out. Alumni Memorial Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Apr. 28-29 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
University Announces April Events
-
03/12/2018
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome the Mark Gould-directed Mannes School of Music Brass Ensemble to the campus on Sunday, March 25.
The concert, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, downtown Scranton, will also feature The University of Scranton Singers and organist Timothy E. Smith. Admission to the concert is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, this will mark the eighth time Performance Music has collaborated with a conservatory brass ensemble directed by Gould, who served as principal trumpet for the Metropolitan Opera from 1974 to 2003.
“He’s here at least once or twice a semester. He founded the Scranton Brass Orchestra and Brass Seminar with me, and has performed with us every Noel Night for the last 7 years” Boga said of Gould, who also serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School.
Over the years, Gould has brought brass conservatory players from Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music to the University. This will mark the first Scranton visit for students from Mannes, where Gould has directed the Brass Ensembles since last year.
Part of The New School in New York City, Mannes has been in existence for more than a century and is among the country’s premier music conservatories, with programs at the pre-college, undergraduate and graduate level.
The Mannes players will be collaborating for the first time with the 40-plus-member University Singers, a mixed choir founded more than half a century ago and made up of students from majors spanning the curriculum. All enrolled Scranton students are eligible for membership in the Performance Music ensembles, which include both vocal and instrumental groups.
Tim Smith, meanwhile, serves as the organist and director of music at Scranton’s Covenant Presbyterian Church, and is the university organist at Columbia University.
“He’s a world-class organist,” Boga said. “It’s so great that Covenant brought him to our area.”
The program, Boga said, will be broken up into thirds.
“They’ll do a third of the concert with just brass, which is particularly impressive in the acoustics of this hall. Then, we’ll do a third of the concert with just choir,” she said. “Then, we’ll do the final third of the concert combined, with the choir accompanied by brass orchestra, and the great Tim Smith on organ. Because there’s nothing like choir, organ and brass. … It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Boga loves the fact that her choir members have the opportunity to collaborate with the high-caliber conservatory players from Mannes, because in the long run it will only make them more committed patrons of the arts.
“You want this kind of interaction between these brilliant young artists and the people who will someday be their consumers and patrons,” Boga said.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on the Mannes School of Music, visit www.newschool.edu/mannes.
Mannes School Brass Ensembles Perform March 25
-
03/09/2018
The University of Scranton Veterans Club will host the College/University Regional Veterans Education Representative Conference on Friday, April 6, in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall. The day-long conference, which includes presentations by notable speakers, workshops and breakout group sessions, targets both student veteran leaders and those in higher education who serve student veterans. The conference is supported through a grant from Lockheed Martin Corp.
Jared S. Lyon, Washington, D.C., president and CEO of Student Veterans of America (SVA), will provide the keynote address. A former a U.S. Navy submariner and diver, Lyon also served as SVA’s chief development officer and executive vice president of operations. His previous work experience includes managing the Florida operations for Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals and serving as the national program manager for the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities at the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University.
Lyon is vice chair for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran’s Advisory Committee on Education, a commissioner for the American Council on Education, and member of the Florida State University Veteran Advisory Board. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and his master’s degree from Syracuse University, where he is an adjunct professor for the Whitman School of Management.
Additional speakers slated for the conference include Mark McKenna, director of the Chapter Support and Ambassador Program for SVA, and James L. Fogerty, consultant, college liaison, recruiter and marketing executive at James L. Fogerty Consulting in New York City. Representatives serving student veterans from colleges and universities will also participate.
Registration for the conference begins at 9:45 a.m., followed at 10:15 a.m. by a welcome and keynote address. A nonrefundable registration fee of $12, and a completed registration form received online or via mail by March 26 is required to attend the conference.
For additional information or to register, visit the conference website or contact Robert Zelno at 570-941-4334 or by email at veteransclub@scranton.edu.
Completed registration forms and checks made payable to the Veterans Office at The University of Scranton can also be mailed to The University of Scranton, Hyland Hall Suite 100, 800 Linden Street, Scranton, PA 18510.
Conference for Representatives of Veterans Planned
-
03/09/2018
David N. Myers, Ph.D., and Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., will present “Shared Past, Divergent Courses: Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism, Part 3, The Israel-Palestinian Conflict, 1979-Present” at the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar at The University of Scranton. The luncheon will begin at noon on Monday, March 19, in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
Dr. Myers president/CEO of the Center for Jewish History and Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History at UCLA, and Dr. Ibish, senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, will discuss the ways religious differences now cause more conflicts than national differences. The speakers will weigh the influence of new global forces, and illuminate reasons for the stall in peace negotiations.
This presentation is the third and final of a series exploring the history and future of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
The luncheon is $20 per person, or $30 per couple. Attendance is free to Schemel Forum Members.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Professors Weigh in on Israel-Palestine Conflict
-
03/06/2018
“It is a great time to be a feminist. Feminism is experiencing a comeback. It is swift wind sweeping the country. And it’s great to be the wind – the wind is powerful. The wind is unpredictable. The wind has the ability to mess things up. So today, I am going to share with you how, as part of the Guerrilla Girls on Tour, I messed things up,” said Donna Kaz aka Aphra Behn, Guerrilla Girls on Tour! member, who recently gave a lecture on “PUSH/PUSHBACK: Nine steps to make a difference with art and activism” at The University of Scranton.
Kaz, a leading feminist voice in the nation on how to combine art and activism, has led the touring activist troupe, Guerrilla Girls on Tour!, for nearly twenty years.
“Sexism and discrimination are everywhere. The arts are probably more discriminatory than huge corporations because they don’t have to follow the laws of equal opportunity. Where there’s more money, there’s more discrimination,” said Kaz.
Kaz discussed the evident lack of equality between men and women, especially in the theater world, and addressed some solutions to the issues of inequality that are plaguing the nation.
“I’m not here to say that the work of white men should go away. I’m not talking about eliminating work that is already here. I’m not talking about that Shakespeare should go away. I’m talking about equality. And there has to be a place at the table for everyone. We have just been fed one narrative for a long time, and it’s time for other narratives to come forward. Because we are not a rich country without the diversity of those narratives,” said Kaz.
The activist also mentioned how her experiences in surviving domestic violence shaped her career path as a feminist in the arts.
“I was just really embarrassed by the whole thing, and it took me twelve years to finally open up about it. And it hit me: I’m a survivor. And that was twelve years after the incident. I really became involved in the domestic violence movement and started writing about it,” said Kaz. Her memoir, “UN/MASKED, Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl On Tour” was published in 2016. She speaks regularly at conferences, universities and festivals and has won numerous awards.
The lecture concluded with a question and answer session with attendees, where Kaz offered advice on the future of equality and the steps individuals can take to make a difference.
The Guerrilla Girls on Tour presentation was co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program, the Jane Kopas Women’s Center, the Multicultural Center, the Schemel Forum, the Art and Music Program and the Hope Horn Gallery at The University of Scranton.
Guerrilla Girls on Tour Makes a Stop at Scranton
-
03/06/2018
Fifty-five University of Scranton students will participate in six domestic service trips, organized by Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, over spring break. Students will help the following service organizations: Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, California; Maggie’s Place in Phoenix, Arizona; Hurricane Harvey Relief in Houston, Texas; St. Michael’s School in St. Michael, Arizona; Christian Appalachian Projects in Kentucky; and the St. Bernard Project in New Jersey.
The following students will serve at Homeboy Industries:
Kimberly Deery;
Grace Dickson;
Erin Doran;
Michelle Furman;
John Garvey;
Anna Giannantonio;
Harry Helbock;
Katherine Melilli;
Germaine Mendonca;
Caitlin Mollahan.
The following students will serve at Maggie’s Place:
Elizabeth Aberant;
Angela Coen;
Emily Errickson;
Courtney Hayashi;
Danielle Howe;
Elizabeth Kugler;
Victoria McCormack;
Angela McGovern;
Madison Negast;
Amy O'Neill.
The following students will serve at Hurricane Harvey Relief:
Julia Betti;
Sarah Brown;
Justyn Choc;
Michael DeCarli;
Daniel Garvey;
Colleen Gaskin;
Victoria Gazzillo;
Hallie Mallozzi;
Kelly Stamer;
Matthew Turley.
The following students will serve at St. Michael’s School:
Julia Decker;
Colleen Faede;
Maire Garvey;
Elizabeth Loftus;
Samuel Morano;
Alyssa Olcott;
Emily Orr;
Meghan Pratt;
Syed Qadri;
Kara Truskolawski.
The following students will serve at Christian Appalachian Project:
Alexa Cardella;
Maryellen Crain;
Megan Fabian;
Stefanie Geslak;
Stephanie Loughlin;
Daniel McNulty;
Alexander Pinarreta;
Alexandra Turner.
The following students will serve at St. Bernard Project:
Uzoma Agbasionye;
Melanie Lambert;
Mary Musinski;
Sara Myers;
Paige Nonnenmacher;
Maaz Siddiqui;
Shannon Treharne.
Students to Serve Nation’s Needy over Spring Break
-
03/05/2018
University of Scranton Director of Athletics Dave Martin has been named a 2017-18 recipient of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year Award.
The Under Armour AD of the Year Awards program was created to honor intercollegiate directors of athletics for their commitment and administrative excellence within a campus and/or college community environment over the course of the last year.
“Dave is an outstanding choice for this honor,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president of the University. “His commitment to our mission as a Catholic and Jesuit university is reflected in the transformation of the Athletics Department that he has spearheaded during his tenure. Dave’s tireless work to help our student-athletes be successful in sports and in life has improved both the quality of our athletics teams and the University as a whole.”
Martin is one of 28 directors from across the country to receive the award for 2017-18, including four at the NCAA Division III level. He is the first recipient of the award from The University of Scranton and the second from the Landmark Conference, joining former Drew University Director of Athletics Jason Fein, who was honored in 2015-16.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to receive this award,” Martin said. “This award is a reflection of the hard work of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and the University community as a whole to improve the student-athlete experience. Our successes both inside and outside the competitive arena wouldn’t be possible without a dedicated team effort. I truly appreciate NACDA’s recognition of the excellent work that has taken place here at the University over the past year.”
Martin became the eighth director of athletics in University of Scranton history in August 2015 after an 11-year tenure as director of athletics at Misericordia University.
Since arriving at Scranton, Martin has overseen many major initiatives within the Athletics Department. He helped to lead the fundraising efforts for and the construction of the Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletics Campus, a $14 million campus that includes synthetic turf baseball and softball stadiums, a multipurpose stadium, and fieldhouse. The campus is set to open this spring.
Since 2015, Martin managed the process of starting women’s golf, as well as men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field. He is the inaugural chair of the Landmark Conference Golf Committee, which is a new sport in the conference. In addition, he is responsible for coordinating the Landmark Championships for both men’s golf and baseball in 2018.
Most importantly during Martin’s tenure at Scranton, he led the development The Royal Way, a mission-based project that aims to ensure that Scranton student-athletes have a championship experience both on and off the playing field. The Royal Way directly supports Scranton’s mission as a Catholic and Jesuit school and it focuses on improving the student-athlete experience through evidence-based programing efforts.
Since Martin’s arrival in 2015, Scranton has had unprecedented success in competition, winning nine conference championships, and earning 10 trips to the NCAA tournament.
Martin, who holds an undergraduate degree from Wilkes University and a master of education degree from Misericordia, and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Dunmore with their three daughters: Samantha, Maddie
and Paige.For more information on the NACDA/Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year Award, visit http://www.nacda.com/nacda/nacda-awards-nacdaadoy.html.
Martin Given Athletic Director of the Year Award
-
03/02/2018The University of Scranton has named Thomas MacKinnon as vice president for university advancement, effective March 19. MacKinnon currently serves as vice president for university advancement at Wilkes University, overseeing their development, alumni and marketing communications efforts. Previously, he served as chief of staff to the president and as executive director of the capital campaign at Scranton.
“Tom brings a keen understanding and deep commitment to the University’s Catholic and Jesuit mission to this important leadership position at Scranton. Through his education, work and volunteer service, he has more than 20 years of experience with Jesuit institutions, as well as decades of leadership experience in fundraising. We are grateful to have him back on board at Scranton,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president at the University, in an announcement to the campus community.
During his service as one of four vice presidents at Wilkes, MacKinnon initiated the largest fundraising campaign effort in the school’s history, reorganized and developed a new fundraising team, and raised more than $40 million in gifts and commitments during the past two years. He also initiated their new branding effort.
While at Scranton, MacKinnon played a leadership role in the success of the largest capital campaign in the University’s history, which raised more than $129 million to support the University’s mission, endowment and development. The campaign helped to make possible such transformational improvement projects as the DeNaples Center, Loyola Science Center, Condron Hall, Montrone Hall, Pilarz Hall and the Dionne Campus Green. In addition to his work in development, he led multiple international service trips for students to El Salvador and Ecuador, and led the University’s senior leadership team on an immersion trip to El Salvador.
MacKinnon left Scranton in 2011 to serve at Marquette University as chief of staff to the president and as interim vice president for university advancement, managing a staff of more than 150 professionals. At Marquette, he was intricately involved in the development and implementation of a new seven-year strategic plan that was universally endorsed by the Marquette community and assisted in the effort to re-imagine procedures for managing their $400 million annual operational budget, among other duties. Also during his tenure, Marquette initiated the planning phase for its capital campaign.
From 2000 to 2008, MacKinnon was vice president for CCS, a strategic fundraising consulting firm. Prior to that, he served as director of alumni and public relations at his alma mater Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York. He also volunteered a year of service at the Jesuit-sponsored Working Boys Center in Ecuador, a project he continues to support today.
MacKinnon earned his bachelor’s degree in English literature from Fordham University and is pursuing a master of fine arts degree in creative writing at Wilkes University.Vice President for University Advancement Named
-
03/01/2018
“Understanding the Americans Who Joined ISIS” will be discussed at the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar at The University of Scranton on Monday, Mar. 5. The presentation by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Ph.D., research director for the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, will begin at noon in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
Dr. Meleagrou-Hitchens will discuss his research on the more than 200 Americans who have successfully joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq. He will explain their motivations for leaving America to join ISIS, and talk about the threat they may pose as terrorists.
The luncheon is $20 per person, or $30 per couple. Attendance is free to Schemel Forum Members.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Americans Who Join ISIS Discussed at Luncheon
-
02/28/2018
The University of Scranton’s marketing campaign promotes “opening doors” through the transformational Jesuit education students receive. Several alumni, who serve as professors at Scranton, wholeheartedly agree with the statement and have started a pilot program to “open doors” to local high school students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The Business High School Scholars Program, which will begin this summer as a pilot program, builds on the University’s successful High School Scholars Program that allows high school students meeting academic requirements to take college courses at a reduced rate of $175 per credit, or $525 for a three-credit class. The Business High School Scholars Program seeks to group sophomore and junior high school students interested in pursuing a business degree at Scranton into a cohort, and, most importantly, to provide financial support to participants from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I grew up
in the west side of Scranton, and the education I was granted at The University of Scranton changed my life. I want to be sure that the same opportunities are available for the kids living in my old neighborhood today,” said Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor and Accounting Department chair, who is spearheading this program.This sentiment is echoed by fellow area natives who are also Scranton alumni now teaching at the University. Together, they will teach additional classes specifically for the high school students and donate their compensation from these courses to provide scholarship support to participating students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Additional support will be offered by the University’s Jesuit Center.
The courses will be offered in the summer, early mornings or late afternoons in order to accommodate the schedule of high school students. The structure of the program will encourage students to progress through the curriculum as a
cohort, and includes planned courses in accounting, economicsand management, as well as in writing composition, philosophy and theology. The courses will place the students on a path toward an accelerated bachelor’s and/or master’s degree in business at the University. Faculty will also help mentor the students.“Any high school student afforded this opportunity will be challenged to become their deepest, truest selves – for that is the person God needs to build a world of peace and justice for all,” said Rev. Richard Malloy, S.J., University Chaplain, who will also teach a theology course as part of the program. “At the University, we want to serve youth from all sectors of society. We want to help form the future of Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
The program is open to local high school sophomores and juniors with a G.P.A. of 3.3 (B+) or higher and who meet other program requirements.
An information session for the Business High School Scholars Program will be held on Wednesday, March 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall on campus.
For additional information visit Scranton.edu/bhsscholars, email Rebekah.bernard@scranton.edu or call 570-941-5918.
New Program to ‘Open Doors’ to Local Students
-
02/28/2018
College students from across Northeast Pennsylvania gathered at The University of Scranton on Saturday to attend the annual Ignite Student Leadership Conference and hone their leadership skills.
Award-winning entrepreneur and author Justin Jones-Fosu provided the keynote address at the conference.
“For me this is about the totality of who you are and not just about what you do as a student or what you do as a leader – but who you are as a person,” said Jones-Fosu, who travels the world spoken and has given more than 450 presentations at 250-plus organizations.
Jones-Fosu discussed four traits that he feels make leaders successful. The traits are being humble, empowering, relational and optimistic. When it came to being relational, he wanted students to become people for others.
“Give your all, fight for those that you serve,” Jones-Fosu said.
Students from The University of Scranton, Bloomsburg University, Marywood University, Misericordia University, Luzerne County Community College, Northampton Community College and Lackawanna College attended the 26, 50-minute-long concurrent sessions on multiple leadership topics held throughout the day. The format allowed participants to choose the educational sessions they wanted to attend. The topics ranged from the importance of self-care to workshops about safe-zones.
Originally named the Royal Leadership Conference, the Ignite Student Leadership Conference started eight years ago, founded by the University’s Center for Student Engagement with the goal of engaging students to become future leaders.
College Students Learn to Lead at University
-
02/27/2018
The University of Scranton’s chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the international honor society in philosophy, will host the second annual undergraduate philosophy conference March 2 and 3 on campus. The Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Conference, which is presented free of charge and is open to the public, will feature a keynote presentation by Peter van Inwagen, Ph.D., the John Cardinal O’Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, as well as selected student presentations.
A highly-regarded philosopher of metaphysics and religion as well as the philosophy of action, Dr. van Inwagen will discuss “Does Ought Imply Can?” at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 2, in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Dr. van Inwagen is the author of numerous articles published in academic journals as well as nearly a dozen books. His latest book “Thinking about Free Will,” published in 2017 by Cambridge University Press, examines moral responsibility and free will in the context of causal determination. Students in the honor society read this book and invited him to provide the keynote address at the conference.
Students selected to present papers include three University of Scranton students and three students from other colleges. Scranton students presenting are: Michael Powell of Conklin, New York; Anne Kennedy of Conshohocken; and Erica Westlake of West Chester. The three other students presenting are: John Mayers, William Patterson University; Daniel Shussett, Gettysburg College; and Benjamin Slightom, Ball State University.
All conference presentations are free of charge and open to the public. For additional information, contact Andrew LaZellla, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and moderator of the Phi Sigma Tau honor society chapter at Scranton, at 570-941-7757 or email andrew.lazella@scranton.edu.
Students to Present at Philosophy Conference
-
02/27/2018
The Asian Studies program will host several events on campus during the spring semester to highlight Asian culture and raise awareness about Asian holidays. The first of these events, an Asian New Year Celebration Workshop, took place Feb. 21 and allowed students, staff, faculty and area residents to create their own New Year artwork. Activities, assisted by University students from both Chinese and Japanese classes and members of Asia Club and Asian Studies Honor Society, included calligraphy, Chinese painting and Japanese origami.
Asian Studies, Asian Studies Honor Society and Asia Club will host a Chinese Lantern Festival, where attendees can create and decorate their own lanterns, on Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m. on the second floor of The DeNaples Center. Participants can make a wish and take the lantern home after decorating it or leave the lanterns on display on the 2nd floor of The DeNaples Center through March 9. After March 9, the attendees are encouraged to take their lanterns home for a year of prosperity.
The Asian Studies Spring Lecture Series will feature presentations by Kathryn Hemmann, Ph.D., from George Mason University and Ori Tavor, Ph.D., from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Hemmann will discuss “Strong Female Characters: Gender, Gaming, and Digital Cultures in Japan” and Dr. Tavor will present “Designer Babies and the Ethics of Human Enhancement: A Confucian Perspective.” The event, co-sponsored by the Asian Studies Program, the Department of World Languages and Cultures, the Philosophy Department, and the Department of Latin American Studies and Women’s Studies, will take place on Thursday, April 12, at 11:30 a.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall.
Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, is planned for Saturday, April 21, at 1 p.m. on the Dionne Campus Green. The event will include authentic Indian cuisine and a variety of activities to celebrate the Hindu spring festival and the upcoming Asian Pacific American Heritage Month of May.
All events are free of charge and open to the public. For additional information, call 570-941-7643 or email asianstudies@scranton.edu.
Asian Studies Host Spring Events
-
02/23/2018
The University of Scranton Players will present Jen Silverman’s play “The Moors,” directed by Estefanía Fadul. The show will run Thursday through Sunday, March 1-4, in the Royal Theatre of the Joseph M. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m., and Sunday shows begin at 2 p.m.
“The Moors” follows two sisters and their dog living on the English moors as they wrestle with desires and expectations of love and power. This dark comedy premiered at Yale Repertory Theatre in 2016 and opened off-Broadway in New York City in February 2017 at The Playwrights Realm. Silverman is the recipient of the Yale Drama Series Award and the Helen Merrill Award.
The production features Sophia Cornejo of Hazleton as Agatha; Ali Basalyga of Scranton as Huldey; Shaye Santos of Wrightstown, New Jersey, as Emilie; Julia Consiglio of Oceanside, New York, as Marjory; Conor Hurley of Woodside, New York, as The Mastiff; and Reilly Charles of Rockaway Park, New York, as A Moor-hen. Basalyga is a graduate of West Scranton High School and Cornejo is a graduate of Hazleton Area High School.
Additionally, the production showcases design and direction from award-winning guest artists. The creative team for “The Moors” includes Heidi Hoffer, set designer; Janice Tellier, costume designer; Dave Yezefski, lighting designer; Sinan Refik Zafar, sound designer; and Estefanía Fadul, director. Hoffer is currently a Fulbright Specialist in Islamabad, Pakistan working at Theatre Wallay, and she has previously been awarded the 2010-2011 Fulbright Scholar Award to South Africa. Fadul is the recipient of the 2017 Bill Foeller Fellowship at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in addition to the 2017 O’Neill/NNPN National Directors Fellowship.
Tickets may be purchased or reserved by calling the box office inside the McDade Center, 570-941-4318, or online at thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff.
For more information, contact players@scranton.edu or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
University Players Present ‘The Moors’
-
02/23/2018
More than 40 University of Scranton faculty and staff members attended a Political Dialogue Facilitation Training Workshop on campus in January. The training, which included instruction in a reflective, structured dialogue method led by Essential Partners and principles of Ignatian dialogue led by the University’s Jesuit Center, is part of an ongoing “Bursting our Political Bubbles” civic engagement initiative aimed at addressing political polarization. The University will host student “Dialogue across Differences” sessions Mar. 26, Apr. 9 and Apr. 25. From left are: From left: Jessica Durkin, administrative assistant, Office of Community and Government Relations; Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology; Amy Simolo, faculty specialist, Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence; Rev. Patrick Rogers, S.J., executive director, the Jesuit Center; Jean Wahl Harris, Ph.D., professor of political science; Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre; Mary Jacksteit, Essential Partners; Jose Sanchez; assistant director, Cross Cultural Centers; Jennifer Laporta, J.D., executive director, Office of Equity and Diversity; Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science; Cyrus P. Olsen III, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies; and Julie Schumacher Cohen, director, Office of Community and Government Relations.
The political dialogue civic engagement initiative is sponsored by The Jesuit Center together with The Ellacuría Initiative, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Political Science Department, with additional support from the Office of Community and Government Relations, the Office of Equity and Diversity, the Provost’s Office, the Division of Student Formation and Campus Life and faculty from various academic departments.
University Conducts Political Dialogue Training
-
02/20/2018
Twenty-two University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the spring semester at nine local schools in the following seven school districts: Forest City Regional, Riverside, Mid Valley, Carbondale Area, Scranton, Valley View and Wayne Highlands.
The following is a list of undergraduate and graduate students who are serving as student teachers during the spring semester and the schools to which they have been assigned.
Micheal T. Ayres of Baltimore, Maryland will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Mary H. Brennan of Browndale will student teach at Honesdale High School;
Jessica T. Briante of Sleepy Hollow, New York, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
Siena M. Cardamone of Mayfield will student teach at Valley View Intermediate School;
Lauren Coggins of Clarks Summit will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Jesssica L. D’Aquila of Brookfield, Connecticut, will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Marissa DiBella of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, will student teach at Valley View Middle School;
Nicole M. DiVivo of Mahwah, New Jersey, will student teach at Carbondale Area Elementary School;
Jessica Earley of Milford will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
Emma Gilroy of Scranton will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
Sadie Guthrie-Kretsch of Scranton will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Colleen Lange of Lincoln Park, New Jersey, will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Céline A. Langlard of France will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Aileen Moore of Yonkers, New York, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
David W. Moss of Scranton will student teach at Mid Valley Secondary Center;
Jessica Muccigrosso of Brooklyn, New York, will student teach at Dunmore Elementary Center;
Monica E. O’Malley of Scranton will student teach at Riverside Junior Senior High School;
Briana M. Pugliese of Basking Ridge, New Jersey, will student teach at Forest City Regional High School;
Christy Rose of Montclair, New Jersey, will student teach at Valley View Middle School;
Kevin M. Steinke of Scranton will student teach at Valley View Middle School;
Katelyn M. Talty of Rockville Center, New York, will student teach at Valley View Middle School;
Samantha Wojcik of Brooklyn, New York, will student teach at Carbondale Area Elementary School.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
02/20/2018
Guerrilla Girls on Tour are internationally acclaimed feminists, activists and artists dedicated to the creation of collaborative art with the intention of educating, entertaining and transforming audiences. Donna Kaz, also known as Aphra Behn, of the Guerrilla Girls on Tour, will be at The University of Scranton on March 1 to present “PUSH/PUSHBACK – Nine Steps to Make a Difference with Art and Activism.”
The event, which is free of charge and open to the public, will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center. The program is co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program, the Jane Kopas Women’s Center, the Multicultural Center, the Schemel Forum, the Art and Music Program and the Hope Horn Gallery at The University of Scranton. It is free and open to the public. Copies of Kaz’s recent book “UN/MASKED: Memoirs of a Guerrilla Girl on Tour” will be available to purchase at the event.
The Guerrilla Girls on Tour formed in 2001 and mix a variety of comedic techniques such as parody, sketch, improvisation, song and dance into a distinct feminist theater style. Since the group’s formation, each member wears gorilla mask when at public events and takes on the pseudonym of a woman artist. The group has toured through 41 states and 17 countries, offering more than 200 performances and workshops in theaters, classrooms, art galleries, community centers and cafes.The group is not affiliated with the Guerrilla Girls.
For more information about “PUSH/PUSHBACK – Nine Steps to Make a Difference with Art and Activism,” contact Jamie Trnka, Ph.D., director of women’s studies and professor of world languages and cultures, at jamie.trnka@scranton.edu or by phone at 570-941-4370.
Making a Difference with Art and Activism
-
02/20/2018
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by harpist Marg Davis and trumpeter Jon Shadle on Saturday, March 3.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, downtown Scranton. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Davis is returning to the University just months after performing at Performance Music’s 50th Annual Noel Night concert in early December. There, Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga was deeply impressed with the young harpist’s down-to-earth professionalism.
“She’s a great artist, but also a great workman. She walks in and she’s just no fuss, no muss. Low maintenance, very high quality,” Boga said of Davis, whose brother, Michael Davis, recently brought his vintage jazz ensemble, the New Wonders, to the University.
When Boga told the harpist that she’d enjoy collaborating again, Davis mentioned that she and Shadle were about to undertake a spring tour. At the recital, the duo, who also are a couple, will feature unpublished, Hungarian compositions for trumpet and harp, plus transcriptions of classic European chamber pieces for piano and voice.
In addition, the recital will include Davis performing solo harp pieces written by 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century French, British and Dutch composers.
While harp and trumpet tend to be an underutilized combo, Boga promised audiences will be enchanted by the depth of skill and musicality that Davis and Shadle bring to the combination of the instruments.
“The different colors of the interplay of those instruments, particularly in this concert hall, which has really neat acoustics to it, is just gorgeous,” Boga said. “Harp in this hall has a magic, as does trumpet. Putting them together is pretty awesome, so we’re excited to have them here.”
Davis and Shadle first met while studying at The Juilliard School, then eventually formed a chamber music duo. Besides their undergraduate degrees from Juilliard and their graduate work at the Yale School of Music, they’ve studied and performed at many high-profile summer music festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival and Chautauqua Music Festival.
Besides regularly performing recitals and concerts along the East Coast as a duo, they each have performed throughout the United States and abroad as soloists and ensemble musicians. In addition, both Davis and Shadle teach masterclasses, workshops and private lessons.
Committed to spotlighting little-known works for trumpet and harp and transcriptions of other chamber pieces, the duo also composes original music for their contemporary band, Astoria Window, which will soon release its debut EP.
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Davis and Shadle, visit music.yale.edu and juilliard.edu.
Harp and Trumpet Duo Perform March 3
-
02/20/2018
P.W. Costello, Scranton artist and master penman, became a national figure in the early 1900s for his work in engrossing, the calligraphic embellishment of documents. An avid reader of Shakespeare, Costello loved theater and classic literature, which served as the backbone of his work with portraitures.
Through April 23, “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P.W. Costello, 1905-1930” is on display in the Heritage Room of Weinberg Memorial Library.
Thomas W. Costello, great-grandson of the artist, discussed the artist, the collection and its inspiration.
“He loved theater. And he loved classical literature. He was an avid reader. Many people in Scranton knew him as both an engrosser and a portrait artist, particularly if they were the subject of one of his engrossed documents that included a portrait. Those who frequented one or both of his restaurants, lined with framed drawings, knew him primarily as a portrait artist,” said Thomas Costello.
P.W. Costello was born in the Minooka section of Scranton in 1866, the son of poor Irish immigrants. He had no formal training or education as an artist, instead honing his skills by reading and studying art books. At the time Costello began his engrossing work, there were only about 200 engrossers in the country.
Using photographs of prominent stage figures for reference, Costello created hundreds of pen portraits in black ink and umber or rose-colored watercolor pigments. Cross-hatching, stippling and brushed, layered washes were trademark elements of his portrait work.
“It took him a couple decades to develop a style. The exhibit shows his refinement of a cross-hatching technique that he mastered by the early part of the century,” said Thomas Costello.
Costello’s peers in the profession considered him to be one of the best engrossers and illustrators in the country. He was a self-taught artist whose career in Scranton spanned a total of 45 years. Through correspondence courses and detailed, published art instructions, he dedicated himself to the education of young pen artists.
On Tuesday, March 27, at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library, Thomas Costello will speak on his great grandfather’s career, and Michael Friedman, Ph.D., professor of English and theatre at The University of Scranton, will speak on Shakespearean performance at the turn of the 20th century.
To learn more about Scranton’s master penman, visit scranton.edu/library/costello to read Thomas Costello’s biographical essay, “The Life and Art of P.W. Costello” and to view a digitized version of the exhibit.
For additional information, call 570-941-6341 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Penman on Display
-
02/14/2018
The University of Scranton’s Master in Health Administration (MHA) program will be nationally recognized by The Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME) and Canon Solutions America for its sustainability initiatives in the context of corporate responsibility and Jesuit pedagogy. The University’s MHA program will receive the prestigious CAHME/Canon Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice at the March 25th CACHE Congress in Chicago.
Each year, CAHME recognizes excellence in graduate healthcare management education with CAHME- accredited programs and in partnership with leading healthcare organizations. These valued programs are recognized for driving innovation, improving the student experience, and expanding the presence of graduate healthcare management education. Now in its second year, the CAHME/Canon Solutions America Award for Sustainability in Healthcare Management Education and Practice focuses on recognizing universities that are committed to pushing public health forward through dynamic and diverse sustainability-driven activities with proven results.
The University MHA program links sustainability with social justice, public health, and health disparities through alumni engagement, international experiences, and community project work.
“Global and environmental health issues are complex and universities teaching future leaders in healthcare, as well as corporations serving in this field, have a responsibility to ethically and effectively address health issues. As educators at a Jesuit university, we take this responsibility very seriously and are deliberate in our efforts to teach our students to be leaders in addressing issues of social justice and sustainability in order to better serve all people, and especially to care for those who are the most vulnerable,” said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, which houses the health administration program at Scranton. “We are grateful CAHME and Canon are taking the lead in recognizing sustainability in health administration programs with this award, which is so important for the future of healthcare, and we are honored that the University was selected to receive the 2018 award.”
“We are so grateful for Canon’s support of this award, as it recognizes programs that are advancing the quality of graduate healthcare management education,” said Anthony Stanowski, DHA, president and CEO of CAHME in a news release announcing the award. “Canon is an important partner in this work.”
“It’s an honor to announce The University of Scranton Master in Health Administration as our 2018 Sustainability in Healthcare award winner,” said Peter Kowalczuk, president of Canon Solutions America. “Together with CAHME, we are truly committed to helping improve the quality in academic healthcare management education and promoting continuous evolution in the preparation of future healthcare leaders. Canon Solutions America congratulates The University of Scranton on this great achievement and we look forward to their program pushing personal and professional growth for its students while embracing diversity in the health education community.”
According to CAHME, the mission of the University’s master in health administration program helped to secure the award. The program’s mission is to provide local, regional and international students a comprehensive and interdisciplinary set of core competencies and values for health administration jobs in a variety of healthcare organizations. Additionally, the program contributes scholarship to its disciplines, especially applied research, publications and presentations.
The innovative curriculum of the University’s MHA program includes a “Fit for the Profession” component to ensure readiness for profession, said Steven Szydlowski, D.H.A., program director of the University’s MHA program. In addition, sustainability components imbedded in the curriculum include administrative residency project for sustainability in healthcare as part of the program’s 8-credit Administrative Residency course (HAD 581), which is required course for all MHA students. Dr. Szydlowski said projects cover global, environmental, financial, social sustainable issues and involve developing and implementing a sustainability project in an applied healthcare setting. Elements of sustainability are also addressed in other elective courses, as well as through other initiatives such as study abroad experiences.
CAHME is an interdisciplinary group of educational, professional, clinical, and other health sector organizations devoted to quality improvement of education for healthcare management and administration professionals. Additionally, CAHME accreditation establishes the standard of measurement of graduate healthcare management education for the world community.
To learn more about Canon Solutions America’s partnership with CAHME, visit here.
About CAHME:
CAHME serves the public interest by advancing the quality of graduate healthcare management education in the United States and Canada. CAHME is the only organization recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation to grant accreditation to individual academic programs offering a professional master’s degree in healthcare management education. CAHME Accreditation is the benchmark for students and employers that ensure the integrity of healthcare management education. For more information, visit Cahme.org.About Canon Solutions America, Inc.
Canon Solutions America provides industry leading enterprise, production, and large format printing solutions, supported by exceptional professional service offerings. With the technology offerings of the Canon and Océ brands, Canon Solutions America helps companies of all sizes improve sustainability, increase efficiency, and control costs through high volume, continuous feed, digital and traditional printing, and document management solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., Canon Solutions America is headquartered in Melville, N.Y. and has sales and service locations across the U.S. For more information on Canon Solutions America, please visit csa.canon.com.
MHA Program Awarded for Sustainability Effort
-
02/14/2018
Barry X. Kuhle, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at The University of Scranton, proposed to his wife on Valentine’s Day, but his research shows despite all the romantic hype of the holiday, in reality many couples ironically break up on Valentine’s Day because there are so many pressures and expectations. The hype, he says, actually moves many to think of all the reasons they don’t want to remain in the relationship.
Men do most of the dumping, and his research on cues to commitment suggests that there are many reasons men end relationships on the day that most express their love:
- He’s not interested in a deep, committed relationship and doesn’t want to lead the woman on.
- He’s scared about the escalation of commitment that often comes with sharing Valentine's Day with a woman.
- He doesn’t want to waste time and/or money on a relationship he thinks won’t last.He’s dating several women simultaneously and the obligations of the day - dinner, date, etc. - force him to choose one woman and dump the other(s).
- He’s worried that publicly sharing Valentine’s Day with a woman will reduce his ability to play the field.
According to Dr. Kuhle people in their 20s may break up because they feel they have plenty of time to find better options. Thirty-somethings often have a goal in mind and cut their losses quickly if they don’t like their prospects. Those 40 and older may feel pressure to find the right mate. There are so many reasons to blame good old Cupid, it seems. Even teenagers feel the sting of his poor aim.
Dr. Kuhle’s research focuses on the evolved psychological mechanisms that underlie commitment and jealousy in romantic relationships. He is also interested in the evolution and development of menopause and sexual fluidity in women.
Cupid Can be Cruel on Valentine’s Day
-
02/13/2018
“Broad-based property ownership was necessary for a democratic republic to exist and sustain itself and not to fall apart,” said Joseph R. Blasi, Ed.D., the J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor at Rutgers University, at Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon held recently at The University of Scranton.
A former top policy advisor on employee share ownership and profit sharing to the Clinton presidential campaign, Dr. Blasi explored the concept of economic inequality in his lecture titled “The Citizen’s Share: Reducing Inequality in the 21st Century.”
“Dr. Blasi has built his stellar career on idealism. I would say a pragmatic idealism. His look to employee ownership is an important approach to arriving at economic fairness. He is widely considered the world’s leading expert on the subject of how workers and companies can share profits and ownership to strengthen the middle class. He has advised leaders in many parts of the world on that subject, working with both Republicans and Democrats all over the country,” said Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum.
Dr. Blasi provided brief background of his book, “The Citizen's Share: Putting Ownership Back Into Democracy,” published in 2013. He discussed the American history behind owning shares and reviewed companies that have gone global within the past few decades.
“You can create as many corporations as you want and as many shares as you want. Profit sharing is the way of the modern world. A number of American entrepreneurs have gone global, very quickly, and have started thinking of this idea of broad-based property ownership. One of the first was the Pillsbury family,” said Dr. Blasi.
The author also discussed the importance of what his ideals mean for each individual, as well as on a larger scale, specifically in Lackawanna County.
“The people who are able to have economic liberty now are people who own capital. They own stock, bonds and real estate, and they live off of the income from that capital. These are the members of the population that have economic liberty,” said Dr. Blasi. “The rest of us are not in that situation. And this impacts you because today 77 percent of all wealth and property in the hands of the richest 10 percent.”
Dr. Blasi teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on corporate governance at Rutgers University. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and has written a total of 13 books.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Luncheon Seminar Explores Reducing Inequality
-
02/12/2018
Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president at The University of Scranton, delivered the State of the University address and honored staff members with Sursum Corda Awards at the Spring Convocation, which took place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center on Feb. 1. New staff members who joined the University between Feb. 17, 2017 and Feb. 1, 2018, were also recognized at the convocation.
Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technical staff and maintenance/public safety staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University. This year’s recipients were: Tim Barrett, supervisor of electrician and mechanics trades; Margaret Hynosky, associate director of financial aid; Catherine Mascelli, assistant director of the Center for Health Education and Wellness; and Jennifer Pennington, administrative assistant for the Office of Equity and Diversity.
Father Keller thanked the recipients for the “significant contribution” each has made and continues to make “to the life of this Jesuit University.” He also said in his remarks that it was a “privilege” to work with faculty and staff of the University and noted many examples he observed of “both the big things and the little things” they do to “make the University the special place that it is.”
Father Keller said that with just 6.7 percent of the world’s population being able to obtain a college education, the work being done at the University is both “a blessing and a responsibility.”
Drawing from a recent Boston College publication, Father Keller said “those who are Jesuit educated are called to participate in the transformation of the world. A person cannot be considered whole without an educated solidarity with other human beings, in their fears and hopes and especially in their needs.”
Discussing the meaning of Jesuit education at “the deepest level,” Father Keller said “Jesuit education seems to inspire students to want more and to seek to live with enthusiasm. And, because we believe the world in infused with the grandeur of God, one will want to transcend oneself and get to our ultimate meaning and it’s there that one will find God. That is why this Jesuit University is here and, as servants of this mission, that is why we are here.”
Scranton Honors Staff Who Serve the Jesuit Mission
-
02/12/2018
Through Mar. 9 Art Exhibit: “Berenice D’Vorzon: Works on Paper.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through Apr. 23 Art Exhibit: “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P. W. Costello, 1905-1930.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Mar. 1 5:30 p.m. Art Presentation: PUSH/PUSHBACK: The Guerilla Girls on Tour! “Where Do Ideas Come From?” featuring The Guerilla Girls. Co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program; the Department of World Languages and Cultures; the Jane Kopas Women’s Center; the Multicultural Center; the Art and Music Program; Schemel Forum; and the Hope Horn Gallery at The University of Scranton. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 1-4 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “The Moors” presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 3 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Marg Davis, harp, and Jon Shadle, trumpet. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 5 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Understanding the Americans Who Joined ISIS” presented by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Ph.D., research director, program on extremism, George Washington University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music students. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 19 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Shared Past, Divergent Courses: Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism, Part 3, The Israel-Palestinian Conflict, 1979-Present” presented by: David N. Myers, Ph.D., president/CEO of the Center for Jewish History and Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA; and Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., senior resident scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute, Washington, D.C. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 20 7 p.m. Latin American Film Festival: “Orfeu Negro” Brazil 1959. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7778 or email yamile.silva@scranton.edu.
Mar. 22 6 p.m. Northeastern Pennsylvania Reading Association “Using Children’s Literature to Teach for Social Justice” presented by Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean, Panuska College of Professional Studies, The University of Scranton. Room 227, Leahy Hall. Call 570-941-6305 or email diane.muniz@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 9 a.m. Computer Programming Contest for high school students. Loyola Science Center. Registration required. Call 570-941-7774 or email robert.mccloskey@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2022. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mar. 25 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The Mannes School of Music Brass Ensembles, Mark Gould, director with The University of Scranton Singers and organist Timothy E. Smith. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 27 6 p.m. Art Exhibit Reception: “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P. W. Costello, 1905-1930.” Thomas Costello, P. W. Costello’s great-grandson, will speak on Costello’s career and Michael Friedman, Ph.D., professor of English, The University of Scranton, will speak on Shakespearean performance at the turn of the 20th century. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-6341 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Wednesdays: Mar. 7, 21, 28 & Apr. 4, 11, 18 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “The Sixties: Making Sense of a Formative Era” presented by David Friedrichs, distinguished professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, The University of Scranton, and faculty members from other academic disciplines. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mondays: Mar. 19, 26 & Apr. 9, 16, 23, 30 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “The Habsburg Monarchy 1519-1918” presented by Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces March Events
-
02/09/2018
Evan Qiang, a 10th grade student from Wissahickon High School, Ambler, came in first place in The University of Scranton’s 19th annual Northeast PA Brain Bee competition. Jeremy Harman, an 11th grade student from Wyoming Area High School, came in second place, and Matthew Trotter, a 12th grade student from Forest City Regional High School came in third place.
The competition for high school students in grades nine through 12 was held in February on the University’s campus. It was offered free of charge and was sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at the University and the Scranton Neuroscience Society.
All questions for the competition were drawn from “Brain Facts,” a book about the brain and nervous system published by the Society for Neuroscience.
For more information about next year’s Northeast PA Brain Bee competition, contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., neuroscience program director and associate professor of biology, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Visit the University’s Community Relations website for information about other academic competitions and K-12 programming offered at The University of Scranton.
Winners of Brain Bee Competition Announced
-
02/09/2018
The IGNITE Student Leadership Conference, hosted by The University of Scranton’s Center for Student Engagement, is open to University students as well as students attending a college in Northeast Pennsylvania. Justin Jones-Fosu, an award-winning entrepreneur and author, will be this year’s keynote speaker at the conference on Saturday, Feb. 24.
Focused on personal growth and development, the conference holds sessions about a broad range of leadership topics, including communication, problem solving, team building, having difficult conversations, communication across differences and identity development.
Jones-Fosu, who is also a motivational speaker, is the president/chief inspirational officer of Justin Inspires International, LLC. He has spoken in four countries and for more than 250 organizations which include colleges, businesses and youth groups. He is also the founder of Respectivity, a company that helps workplaces to develop better cultures of respect. Jones-Fosu is the author of “Inspiration for Life: Dream Bigger, Do More, Live Fuller” and “Finding Your Glasses: Revealing and Achieving Authentic Success,” which focuses on building a life of success based on each individual’s core values.
A graduate of Morgan State University and Towson University, where he earned a MBA with a specialization in leadership and organizational, Jones-Fosu was named as one of EBONY Magazine’s “30 Young Leaders on the Rise” in 2008.
The conference will be held at the DeNaples Center and the Loyola Science Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The registration deadline to attend is Feb. 20 and the cost for non-University of Scranton students is $25.00. For additional information, visit the IGNITE Student Leadership Conference website (http://www.scranton.edu/studentlife/studentaffairs/student-activities/Leadership/IGNITE%20Leadership%20Conference.shtml) or contact the University’s Center for Student Engagement at leadership@scranton.edu.
IGNITE Student Leadership Conference Planned for Students
-
02/09/2018
Multi-media artist and educator Bayeté Ross Smith and WBRE Eyewitness News investigative reporter Andy Mehalshick were the featured speakers at The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission (GSMLKC) annual celebration and community awards dinner, which took place in January at The University of Scranton. The theme of the event was a “higher destiny” and focused on raising awareness of the impact media portrayal has on the public’s beliefs about race, people, relationships and culture.
At the event, Carl Graziano, chief of the Scranton Police Department, received the Leader of the Year Award Winner and Scranton High School student Oscar Portorreal received the Young Leader of the Year Award.
University Hosts MLK Award Dinner
-
02/08/2018
The University of Scranton is marking the 15th anniversary of the Leahy Community Health and Family Center and the 10th anniversary of the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured by celebrating the success of the programming inspired by – and run through – these centers. The numerous initiatives made possible by generous donations and dedicated volunteers from throughout our region, as well as students, faculty, staff and alumni, have benefited greatly area residents many of whom are among our most vulnerable populations.
The center, established in 2003 and housed in the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, is designed to provide programming opportunities for faculty and students in the area of teaching research and service intended to meet the needs of the greater Scranton community.
“The center and clinic supports the University’s Jesuit and Catholic Mission by leveraging the University’s expertise and resources to serve the most vulnerable populations in the region,” said Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies. “Through the center, students in nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling and other allied health fields gain practical learning experience through programming that allows them to work with the community under the supervision of the Leahy staff, faculty and physicians. We are literally taking theory into practice while giving back to our community.”
On Feb. 19, 2008, at the dedication of the Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured, which is part of the programming offered through the Leahy Community Health and Family Center, University alumnus and benefactor Edward Leahy said “it is not enough today for a University merely to teach - to talk the talk. Rather, it is more important than ever to put our teaching to the practical test; to implement our learning within our community for the wellbeing of all - University and residents alike … A university today that does not engage with its community is like the plant that, no matter how beautiful, is in danger of withering. Its knowledge comes only from within and, therefore, tends to be secondhand, repetitive and usually one-dimensional.”
The clinic was first established with volunteer physician support offered through the Lackawanna County Medical Society to provide non-emergency health care to uninsured Lackawanna county residents who do not have, and cannot afford private health insurance and who do not qualify for public health insurance.
“As the U.S. health care system becomes increasingly complicated to navigate and more low income residents are seeking care in free and charitable clinics, it is the ideal place for physicians, nurses and other health care professionals to promote social justice and equity in the community where we live and work,” said Andrea Mantione, DNP, director of the University’s Leahy Community Health and Family Center said about the community members who generously support the center.
According to Dean Pellegrino, the clinic has expanded services through the innovative use of undergraduate and graduate student volunteers and faculty members, as well as other University resources. Volunteer community healthcare providers and the Leahy Center and Clinic staff mentor premed, health profession students and facilitate undergraduate and graduate-level nursing students. In addition, undergraduate students from various majors have an opportunity to work alongside staff performing patient intakes, filing charts, assisting clients with follow up care, and serving as medical translators for Spanish, Portuguese and a variety of Asian speaking clients.
In addition to the Clinic for the Uninsured, The Leahy Community Health and Family Center has several other initiatives, which include the University of Success, Alice V. Leahy Food and Clothing Pantry, the “Peacemakers After School” program, exercise and nutrition education programs and the annual disABILITY conference. Each program meets a unique need in the community. For instance, the Alice V. Leahy Food is a student-supported effort to provide low income and at-risk residents and families with healthy and fresh food options. The University of Success is a pre-college program designed to provide academic, social and cultural enrichment and experiences to high school students. The program is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants.
Since opening in 2007, a total of 6,000 patients generated 13,617 visits through the Leahy Clinic and more than 2,500 individuals have participated in programming offered through the Leahy Community Health and Family Center. In 2017, 700 hours were volunteered by community physicians, nurses, pharmacist, interpreters and care coordinators, with an additional provided by professional faculty and staff of The University of Scranton.
Read more about the programming offered through the center in the fall 2017 issue of Challenges in Theory and Practice. To learn more about volunteer opportunities for the medical clinic for physicians, nurses and community members, visit the Leahy Clinic website or call 570-941-6112.
Anniversary Year for Leahy Initiatives
-
02/06/2018
“When I first met Berenice D’Vorzon I was 17, a freshman art major at Wilkes College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and she was my adviser. I was terrified of her,” Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., said. “Her reputation preceded her. She was thought to be a very tough teacher, very passionate, and she would not let you get away with taking the easy way.”
Dr. Miller-Lanning, director of the University’s Hope Horn Gallery spoke at an art gallery lecture for “The Berenice D’Vorzon Collection at The University of Scranton.” A collection of D’Vorzon’s work is on display in the Hope Horn Gallery through Mar. 9.
“If you told me that I would be standing here tonight talking about her work – that would’ve been unimaginable,” Dr. Miller-Lanning said.
D’Vorzon was an abstract painter, whose works mainly portrays nature through her eyes.
“She painted many images that dealt with the idea of landscape,” Dr. Miller-Lanning said. “The idea that life, death, nature and creative energy are very dynamic – that whole cycle and process is very important – that is what she wanted to address in her own work.”
D’Vorzon’s love for nature allowed her to do a series of works that featured swamps in Alabama and Florida.
“She would talk a lot about the idea that everything is born and lives, grows and dies but sometimes that takes a very long time,” Dr. Miller-Lanning said. “Things changed very rapidly in the swamp, so that was very interesting to her.”
D’Vorzon travelled frequently and the places she visited impacted her work.
“She liked water, rivers, volcanos, glaciers, storms, hurricanes and downpours in the tropics, all of these things were subjects that attracted her attention,” said Dr. Miller-Lanning.
D’Vorzon died in 2014 and many of painting were donated to The University of Scranton. Her memory still lives on in her abstract paintings of nature, which are displayed throughout the Loyola Science Center.
The Beauty of Nature with Berenice D’Vorzon
-
02/05/2018
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by the renowned husband-and-wife duo of cellist Mark Kosower and pianist Jee-Won Oh on Sunday, Feb. 18. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Earlier that day, Kosower will give a free masterclass for strings, with a primary focus on cello. The class is open to local amateur and professional string players, ages 16 and older. Those interested in taking part should email music@scranton.edu for more information.
This will be Kosower and Oh’s third performance at the University, said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, who first met the couple over a decade ago through her friend, Grammy Award-winning classical music composer, producer and recording guru Michael Fine.
“It’s not really cello with piano accompaniment when these two perform together. This is really more of a cello and piano duo. Everything they play, they play as a duo, and it’s remarkable,” Boga said. “He’s one of the greatest cellists alive and she is equally amazing.”
Kosower is currently the principal cellist for the Cleveland Orchestra, and has been called “a virtuoso of staggering prowess” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Early in her career, the South Korean-born Oh served as the studio pianist and assistant to the famed cellist Janos Starker for five years, and taught piano at Indiana University. Today, she gives recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the world.
The couple have performed together in concert throughout the United States and the world, with recent and upcoming engagements at the Great Performers Series at Lincoln Center, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Barge Music in New York City, the Kronberg Academy in Germany, the Sala Cecília Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, South Korea, and many more.
In addition, Kosower and Oh have been frequent guests at numerous national and international chamber music festivals, and have recorded for the Ambitus, Delos, Naxos International and VAI labels.
Still, despite their very busy schedules, the couple has remained committed to teaching. Kosower is a member of the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Kent/Blossom Music Festival, as well as a visiting distinguished professor at the University of Oregon. Oh, meanwhile, teaches and coaches clinics, workshops and masterclasses for solo and collaborative pianists.
“They’re in high demand all over the world, as players and teachers,” Boga said. “But when they play together, there’s this magic that, even if you didn’t know they were husband and wife, you would still know there was something amazing and extraordinary in their collaboration.”
For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Kosower, visit colbertartists.com/mark-kosower. For more on Oh, visit pcmsconcerts.org/artist/jee-won-oh-piano.
Acclaimed Cello-Piano Duo Perform at University Feb. 18
-
02/05/2018
Accounting students from The University of Scranton will assist local residents with filing their federal, state and local tax returns as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The students, joined by numerous professional volunteers organized by the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties with the support of several local organizations, will provide the free service to residents of Lackawanna and Wayne counties with household incomes of less than 54,000 for 2017. University students have participated in the VITA program for more than 30 years.
Walk-in VITA service without an appointment is available in room 111 of Brennan Hall, Madison Avenue, on the University’s campus on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Feb. 5 to Mar. 7 and from Mar. 19 to Mar. 28. Service will also be offered on Tuesday, Apr. 3. Hours of service will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays; from noon to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays; and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Fridays. Service on campus will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis and advance appointments cannot be scheduled. The University reserves the right to cap the number of walk-in residents they can serve within a single day.
Residents using the VITA service are asked to bring the following items: a valid photo ID; all W2 Forms; all 1099 forms (interest, dividends, pensions); real estate tax receipts for rent/tax rebate; Form 8332 for non-custodial parents; Social Security numbers or Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) for all taxpayers and dependents; W-7 forms if appropriate; information related to income and expenses (business, rental properties, sale of stocks); a personal banking account check if direct deposit is desired; and any documentation related to health insurance for themselves and anyone on the tax return, such as Form 1095-A, -B or -C, and paperwork from the Healthcare Market Place. Last year’s tax returns are also requested.
In addition to the University’s campus the VITA service is available by appointment only at the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties office at 615 Jefferson Avenue, as well as at additional locations in the area from February through the beginning of April. Limited appointments are available at some locations at this time. Appointments can be made online at uwic.net/taxes.
VITA program partners are The University of Scranton, The United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties, Lackawanna College, United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, the Lackawanna County Library System, the Consumer Credit Counseling Service of NEPA and the IRS.
Free Income Tax Assistance Service Offered
-
01/30/2018
Undergraduate and graduate members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2017 had better wear shades because their future looks bright.
Ninety-six percent of The University of Scranton undergraduate class of 2017 and 98 percent of its graduate class reported being successful in their career path of employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation. The “First Destination Survey” report by Scranton’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development is based on career success data obtained about 89 percent of the undergraduate class. This “knowledge rate,” or percentage of graduates for whom their career outcome is known, far exceeds the National Association of College Employers recommended rate of 65 percent. The knowledge rate for members of the University’s graduate class of 2017 is 71 percent.
Overall, 96 percent of the University’s class of 2017 earning a bachelor’s degree were successful in obtaining their career goal within six months of graduation. Ninety-four percent were successful in obtaining their goal of full-time employment, and 98 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of attending graduate or professional school.
The average (mean) salary is $51,446, based on the bachelor’s degree graduates that provided salary information. The average salary varied by major. The highest average salaries reported are in computer science ($85,000), nursing ($73,088), economics ($64,667) and human resources ($64,167).
Geographically, of those employed, 89 percent reported working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
Additionally, the report for undergraduates shows: 48 percent are employed in full-time positions; 43 percent are pursuing additional education; 2 percent are employed in part-time positions; and 4 percent are seeking employment. Three percent are pursuing “other” career plans as defined by the graduate, such as traveling or taking a “gap year” prior to beginning additional education or employment.
For the master’s degree graduates of the class of 2017, the average (mean) salary for master’s degree graduates is $72,124, based on the graduates that provided salary information. Salaries reported vary by degree programs. The highest average salaries reported are for graduates with master’s degrees in health administration ($150,000) and family nurse practitioner ($88,480).
Of those employed, 72 percent are working in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
For the master’s degree graduates, 94 percent are employed full-time; 2 percent are pursuing additional education; 1 percent are employed part-time; 2 percent are seeking employment; and 1 percent are pursuing “other” career plans as defined by the graduate.
The full First Destination Survey reports can be viewed on the Center for Career Development webpage.
Class of 2017 Successful Within Six Months
-
01/30/2018
A number of University of Scranton undergraduates have gotten the chance to help tell the stories of Scranton residents, thanks to projects offered in several courses.
During the past few semesters, three University professors – Assistant Professor of Communication Kimberly Pavlick, Ph.D.; Associate Professor of Psychology Jessica M. Nolan, Ph.D.; and Visiting Assistant Professor of History Aiala Levy, Ph.D. – have integrated community-based oral history projects into their coursework. For the most part, the projects center on the city’s senior citizen and immigrant populations.
Given she’s molding future journalists, Dr. Pavlick has long seen the benefits of requiring her students to practice their interviewing skills in real-world scenarios.
“You can’t teach journalism in a bubble,” Dr. Pavlick said. “I try to take them out into the community and get them out of that bubble.”
So, in addition to having students in her 200-level Newswriting course report on the University community, she has her 300-level News Reporting students conduct oral history projects within different subsets of the Scranton community. Among other groups, students have interviewed Syrian refugees and senior residents of Webster Towers in the city’s Hill Section.
“By being able to get the student out in the community, they learn about the greater Scranton community, which is important, because they’re residents of Scranton for four years,” said Dr. Pavlick, who coordinates the projects with University’s Director of Community and Government Relations Julie Schumacher Cohen. Their community partners include United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
In one example involving Webster Towers residents, students were paired with one or two interview subjects. Then, as part of their preparation, they were required to comb through the archives of the Lackawanna Historical Society in search of any useful information about their subjects.
Dr. Pavlick required the students meet with their subjects twice. The first visit is an informal session where the two parties get to know each other. The second visit is the formal interview, which is recorded and videotaped.
The finished transcript goes into the Historical Society’s archive, making it a legitimate piece of oral history.
Last spring, senior Journalism and Electronic Media major Luke Kropp, Laurel Run, interviewed two Webster Towers residents.
“It went well. They have a lot to talk about – a lot of experiences. It was really interesting to hear about their lives, going back to before World War II,” said Kropp. “It was a really great experience, one of the most interesting experiences I’ve had at the University.”
In addition to the applied-learning experiences gained by students and the recordings’ value to the Historical Society, the interviews make terrific keepsakes for the subjects’ family members, Dr. Pavlick said.
“They have such a rich history to share,” she said. “And you wouldn’t believe how beautifully and organically the conversations happen. There’s never any awkwardness. It’s just been such a rich experience.”
Dr. Pavlick has also conducted guest lectures on interviewing for students involved in Dr. Nolan’s and Dr. Levy’s oral history projects.
In the fall of 2016, students in Dr. Nolan’s 300-level Psychology of Diversity course conducted interviews with local Congolese refugees, and University workers from immigrant families.
“Ultimately, we want to see people as individuals, not just as members of a certain group,” said Dr. Nolan, who was inspired by Misericordia University professor Alicia Nordstrom’s Voices Project. “The focus was on getting students to understand experiences from people different from them, and from groups typically being associated as marginalized.”
This past fall, they interviewed members of Scranton’s Islamic and Jewish communities. Following the model established by Dr. Pavlick for her students, Dr. Nolan’s students met twice with their subjects.
The interviews were recorded, then from there the students turned them into first-person “mini-memoirs,” for which their task was to “get into character and feel what it would be like to be in that person’s shoes,” said Dr. Nolan.
“The people are very gracious, and I’m very grateful to all who are willing to share their experiences,” Dr. Nolan said. “Service-based learning is incredibly beneficial for students. I definitely plan to keep the project going.”
For her 100-level Colonial Latin America history course this past fall, Dr. Levy had her students interview members of Scranton’s Latino community. The idea sprung from a conversation she had with Historical Society Executive Director Mary Ann Moran-Savakinus.
Dr. Levy recruited most of the interview subjects, with assistance from United Neighborhood Centers.
“One of the goals was for the students to find connections between the past and the present,” Dr. Levy said. “And, of course, another goal was for them to better understand the people and the community.”
Just like the other courses, Dr. Levy’s students met twice with their subjects, most of whom were middle-aged. In addition to writing a report and reflection about the interviews, they turned the audio recordings and transcripts over to the Historical Society archives.
“As a historian, I’m definitely excited about future scholars being able to incorporate that into the history of Scranton,” Dr. Levy said. “I think the students feel like they’ve learned more about the community. And I think they were more comfortable with it than they expected. They found people who they could connect with. It would be a great project to continue.”
These projects are examples of community-based learning (CBL) activities that provide hands-on learning to students and help address community-defined needs, in these cases by producing new oral history material, facilitating meaningful exchange opportunities for senior citizens, and by giving voice to members of our region from refugee, immigrant and other minority groups. The University launched a new Office of Community-Based Learning in the fall of 2017, headed by Meghan Ashlin Rich, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology/criminal justice and women’s studies, aimed at further supporting faculty conducting CBL courses and strengthening the ways in which the campus engages with the hopes, concerns, challenges and opportunities facing Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Students Engage in Community-based Course Projects
-
01/30/2018
Performance Music at the University of Scranton will kick off its spring 2018 concert series on Saturday, Feb. 10, with a concert by trumpet virtuoso Michael Davis and his traditional jazz septet, the New Wonders.
The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
The 22-member University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble, featuring student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum, will accompany Davis on a few of the evening’s selections.
“Our kids will only be back not even 10 days when we do the concert. So, we’re going to have them do three or four songs featuring Michael. And, members of his band will work with sections of our band,” said Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, who was introduced to Davis by her son, accomplished trumpeter Joseph Boga.
Just 27, Davis has been called an “eloquent trumpet prodigy” by The Wall Street Journal. He and the New Wonders are faithful practitioners of Prohibition Era-style jazz, the kind that provided the soundtrack to seismic changes in American culture. As it happens, the band is named for the model of cornet played by 1920s jazz icon Bix Beiderbecke, and their well-crafted songs sound like something off a 78 rpm record. The New York Times has called the band “an unexpected delight,” while DownBeat Magazine proclaimed that the nattily dressed Davis looks as if he’s “emerged from a time portal from the year 1927.”
“They look like the music they play. … It’s old-timey -- like speakeasies and ‘Great Gatsby’ stuff. There’s a certain glamour to it,” said Boga, adding that Davis’ sister, harpist Margaret Davis, will be performing a concert at the University with trumpeter Jonathan Shadle on March 3.
In addition to his work with the New Wonders, Davis regularly performs around New York City with several other traditional jazz and swing musicians, including Dandy Wellington and his band, Emily Asher’s Garden Party, Gelber and Manning, Glenn Crytzer, Terry Waldo, Baby Soda, and Dan Levinson.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more information on Davis, visit mike-davis-jazz.com.
Michael Davis and the New Wonders Perform Feb. 10
-
01/26/2018
During the spring semester, University of Scranton professors will trace a European dynasty that impacted world events for four centuries; a decade of lasting importance in America; and the potential of artificial intelligence to change life as we know it. These Schemel Forum evening courses will be taught in six weekly sessions from 6 to 7:15 p.m. in the Weinberg Memorial Library on campus. Beverages and light snacks will also be offered during the courses.
Andrew La Zella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, will present “Artificial Intelligence: Science Fiction or Science Fact?” The course will examine the theory and practice of artificial intelligence (AI) and ask the central question: Can human mental states (e.g. perceptions, beliefs, desires, fears, etc.) be replicated in non-biological systems?
Currently engaged in multidisciplinary research into AI, Dr. LaZella and class participants will attempt to determine whether AI has reached (or is reaching) firm scientific footing or remains stalled as mere science fiction. He will present the long-standing philosophical debate about what constitutes intelligence; trace the evolution of AI in the 20th and 21st centuries, when programmers went from giving machines rigid sets of rules to providing looser parameters that potentially could enable them to learn and adapt; and delve into AI’s ethical and legal aspects, with examples from literature and film. The course will meet on the following Tuesdays: February 13, 20 and 27; and March 6, 20 and 27.
“The Sixties: Making Sense of a Formative Era” will be taught by David Friedrichs, distinguished professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, and University faculty members from other academic disciplines. “A half-century after 1968, a dramatic year during the era of the Sixties, it seems worthwhile to revisit this era (1964-1974), which many Schemel Forum class members have lived through,” said professor Friedrichs. “Much that has since transpired is rooted in this era or represents a strong reaction against its core themes and developments.”
The course will explore the key political dimensions of the Sixties, from Kennedy’s New Frontier and assassination to Nixon’s Watergate and resignation; the Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and Gay Rights movements; the Vietnam War and the anti-war movement; core cultural and spiritual dimensions of the era, including the counterculture, the proliferation of illicit drugs, the sexual revolution and Woodstock; and urban riots and a rising crime rate. Concluding with the meaning of the Sixties in the Trump era, the course will meet on the following Wednesdays: March 7, 21 and 28; and April 4, 11 and 18.
Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history, will chronicle “The Habsburg Monarchy 1519-1918.” Dr. Brennan asserts that few dynasties had a greater impact on European history than the Habsburgs. They played a central role in the Reformation, the Thirty Years’ War, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution and World War I. This course will examine the dynasty’s pivotal monarchs: “the most powerful man in the world,” Charles V; the defender of Catholicism, Ferdinand II; the enlightened despots, Maria Theresa and Joseph II; the archenemy of revolution, Franz II; and the “eternal Kaiser,” Franz Joseph. Dr. Brennan will conclude by examining the end of Habsburg rule a century ago during the reign of Karl II and its afterlife under his son Otto. The course will meet on the following Mondays: March 19 and 26; and April 9, 16, 23 and 30.
Area residents can attend any course for $60 per person or $100 per couple; Schemel Forum members may attend any or all courses free. Space is limited and registrations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses Planned for Spring
-
01/26/2018
Feb. 2 through Mar. 9 Art Exhibit: “Berenice D’Vorzon: Works on Paper.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 2 5 p.m. Gallery Lecture: “The Berenice D’Vorzon Collection at The University of Scranton” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 3 1 p.m. 18th Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 10. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Feb. 5 through Apr. 23 Art Exhibit: “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P. W. Costello, 1905-1930.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Feb. 9 noon Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The Citizen’s Share” presented by Joseph Blasi, Ed.D., J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations and Rutgers Business School. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Michael Davis and the New Wonders, with an appearance by The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mark Kosower, cello, and Jee-Won Oh, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 20 7 p.m. Latin American Film Festival: “Cinco dias sin Nora” Mexico 2008. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7778 or email yamile.silva@scranton.edu.
Feb 21 5 p.m. University of Scranton Reading Series Presents Poet Martha Serpas, sponsored by the University’s Department of English and Theatre, with support from the Jesuit Center, the Ellacuria Initiative and the Department of Theology. Kane Forum of Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7619 or email Melissa.eckenrode@scranton.edu.
Feb. 24 10 a.m. “Ignite Student Leadership Conference.” Leadership development program open to Northeast Pennsylvania college students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. $25 fee for non-University students includes program materials, refreshments and lunch. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-6233 or visit www.scranton.edu/leadership.
Schemel Forum Courses
Tuesdays: Feb. 13, 20, 27 & Mar. 6, 20, 27 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Artificial Intelligence: Science Fiction or Science Fact?” presented by Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces February Events
-
01/23/2018
More than 1,600 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2017 fall semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Dean’s List students, listed alphabetically by college, can be seen here.
University Announces Fall 2017 Dean’s List
-
01/23/2018
Before the spring semester begins, dozens of University faculty members will attend workshops that address the facilitation of political dialogue and portfolio and capstone course assessment.
On Thursday, Jan. 25, more than 40 University faculty and staff members will attend a Political Dialogue Facilitation Training Workshop. The training is part of an ongoing “Bursting our Political Bubbles” civic engagement initiative, which began as a pilot program during the spring 2017 semester during which the University, along with area colleges, ran student political dialogue sessions aimed at addressing political polarization. This workshop is a follow-up to those events to provide training for use in upcoming University student “Dialogue across Differences” sessions, planned for Mar. 26, Apr. 9 and Apr. 25, as well as for courses and co-curricular offerings where dialogue around current public affairs or political issues would be relevant. The training will be facilitated by the nonprofit organization Essential Partners and will include training in the principles of Ignatian dialogue, which will be presented by The Jesuit Center.
The political dialogue civic engagement initiative is sponsored by The Jesuit Center together with The Ellacuría Initiative, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Political Science Department, with additional support from the Office of Community and Government Relations, the Office of Equity and Diversity, the Provost’s Office, the Division of Student Formation and Campus Life and faculty from various academic departments.
Faculty members may also attend the Portfolio and Capstone Assessment Workshop on Friday, Jan. 26. The daylong workshop, offered by the University’s Office of Educational Assessment and the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, will examine: best practices for incorporating portfolios and/or capstone work as a teaching-learning strategy; the identification of common competencies to be assessed across portfolios and/or capstone assignments in various disciplines; and the development of rubrics for scoring and grading a portfolio and/or capstone assignments, among other topics.
Faculty Attend Training Workshops
-
01/22/2018
The watercolors and drawings on display at the Hope Horn Gallery in February and early March will have a familiar look to many on campus. Gestural paintings by the exhibiting artist, Berenice D’Vorzon, a New York City artist whose career spans five decades, are on display throughout the Loyola Science Center.
The estate of D’Vorzon, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 82, donated to the University a collection of her large-scale paintings, which are now displayed on multiple floors of the science building.
According to Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the University’s Hope Horn Gallery, D’Vorzon’s style of painting was influenced by abstract expressionism, color field and postmodernism. She also admired American transcendental art and Asian zen art and her work contained many thematic elements, such as the environment and nature, feminism and women’s contributions to the arts, and culture and spirituality.
D’Vorzon’s work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums in the U.S. and abroad, including the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. She also taught studio art at Wilkes University for 20 years and was Dr. Miller-Lanning’s first-year advisor.
Dr. Miller-Lanning will present “The Berenice D’Vorzon Collection at The University of Scranton” gallery lecture Friday, Feb. 2, at 5 p.m. in Pearn Puditorium of Brennan Hall. A public reception for the opening of the “Berenice D’Vorzon: Works on Paper” exhibit will follow the lecture from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in The Hope Horn Gallery on the fourth floor of Hyland Hall.
Both events are free of charge and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display from Feb. 2 to March 9 during gallery hours: noon until 4 p.m. on Sunday through Friday; and 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays.
For more information, contact Dr. Miller-Lanning at 570-941-4214 or darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu, or visit the Hope Horn Gallery website at scranton.edu/gallery.
A collection of large-scale paintings by Berenice D’Vorzo, donated to The University of Scranton by her estate, are on display on multiple floors of the Loyola Science Center.
Berenice D’Vorzon’s Art Exhibit
-
01/22/2018
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the spring 2017 semester after publication of the list in June of 2017.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2017 spring semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the spring 2017 Dean’s List are:
Haley J. MulroyCyan J. ScarduzioCaitlin R. WatersJacob E. SadowskiJulia G. KitchenJonathan P. NicklasMegan J. SteinmetzStudents Added to Spring 2017 Dean’s List
-
01/22/2018
Feb. 2 through Mar. 9 Art Exhibit: “Berenice D’Vorzon: Works on Paper.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 2 5 p.m. Gallery Lecture: “The Berenice D’Vorzon Collection at The University of Scranton” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception follows at the Hope Horn Gallery. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Feb. 3 1 p.m. 18th Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 10. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Feb. 5 through Apr. 23 Art Exhibit: “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P. W. Costello, 1905-1930.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Feb. 9 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The Citizen’s Share” presented by Joseph Blasi, Ed.D., J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations and Rutgers Business School. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Feb. 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Michael Davis and The New Wonders with an appearance by The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mark Kosower, cello, and Jee-Won Oh, piano. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Feb. 20 7 p.m. Latin American Film Festival: “Cinco dias sin Nora” Mexico 2008. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7778 or email yamile.silva@scranton.edu.
Feb. 24 10 a.m. “Ignite Student Leadership Conference.” Leadership development program
open to Northeast Pennsylvania college students. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. $25 fee for non-University students includes program materials, refreshments and lunch. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-6233 or visit www.scranton.edu/leadership.
Mar. 1 5:30 p.m. Art Presentation: PUSH/PUSHBACK: The Guerilla Girls on Tour! “Where Do Ideas Come From?” featuring The Guerilla Girls. Co-sponsored by the Women’s Studies Program; the Department of World Languages and Cultures; the Jane Kopas Women’s Center; the Multicultural Center; the Art and Music Program; Schemel Forum; and the Hope Horn Gallery at The University of Scranton. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Mar. 1-4 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “The Moors” presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Mar. 3 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Marg Davis, harp, and Jon Shadle, trumpet. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 5 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Understanding the Americans Who Joined ISIS” presented by Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Ph.D., research director, program on extremism, George Washington University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 7 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “General Recital” featuring The University of Scranton Performance Music students. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 19 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Shared Past, Divergent Courses: Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism, Part 3, The Israel-Palestinian Conflict, 1979-Present” presented by: David N. Myers, Ph.D., president/CEO of the Center for Jewish History and Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History, UCLA; and Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., senior resident scholar, Arab Gulf States Institute, Washington, D.C. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mar. 20 7 p.m. Latin American Film Festival: “Orfeu Negro” Brazil 1959. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7778 or email yamile.silva@scranton.edu.
Mar. 22 6 p.m. Northeastern Pennsylvania Reading Association “Using Children’s Literature to Teach for Social Justice” presented by Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean, Panuska College of Professional Studies, The University of Scranton. Room 227, Leahy Hall. Call 570-941-6305 or email diane.muniz@scranton.edu.
Mar. 23 9 a.m. Computer Programming Contest for high school students. Loyola Science Center. Registration required. Call 570-941-7774 or email robert.mccloskey@scranton.edu.
Mar. 24 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2022. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Mar. 25 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The Mannes School of Music Brass Ensembles, Mark Gould, director with The University of Scranton Singers and organist Timothy E. Smith. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Mar. 27 6 p.m. Art Exhibit Reception: “Distinguished for Their Talents – Theatrical Portraits by Scranton Master Penman P. W. Costello, 1905-1930.” Thomas Costello, P. W. Costello’s great-grandson, will speak on Costello’s career and Michael Friedman, Ph.D., professor of English, The University of Scranton, will speak on Shakespearean performance at the turn of the 20th century. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-6341 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Apr. 3 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “JFK, LBJ and the Paradox of Vietnam” presented by Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 5 5 p.m. 23rd Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-614-3705 or email louis.finnerty@scranton.edu.
Apr. 6 10:30 a.m. “College/University Veterans Educational Representative Conference” with keynote speaker, Jared Lyons, president and CEO, Student Veterans of America, Washington, DC. The Forum, Leahy Hall. $12. Call 570-941-4343 or email robert.zelno@scranton.edu.
Apr. 9 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Crony Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics” presented by Chang-Tai Hsieh, Ph.D., University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email aram.balagyozyan@scranton.edu.
Apr. 10 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email laurie.mccoy@scranton.edu.
Apr. 10 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and The University of Scranton Department of History Collaborative Program: “Czechoslovak Exile to the U.S. after 1948” presented by Martin Nekola, Ph.D., Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 11 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Resisting Threats to Democracy: Lessons from Machiavelli” presented by Erica Brenner, Ph.D., fellow in political philosophy, Yale University; and fellow, Institute for Advanced Study, Central European University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 12-14 8 p.m. Thursday through Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Legally Blonde” presented by The Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $5 admission. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Apr. 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “35th Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring composer/conductor Brandon Lee performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 17 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentations and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. DeNaples Center Patio. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Apr. 17 7 p.m. Latin American Film Festival: “Ixcanul” Guatemala 2016. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7778 or email yamile.silva@scranton.edu.
Apr. 19 5 p.m. Jay Nathan Lecture: “The Rise of Romania: History. Culture. Economy.” Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Apr. 19 6 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7669 or email stan.zygmunt@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 through May 4 Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20 6 p.m. Hope Horn Gallery Reception. Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Apr. 20-22 and 27-29 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” by Rachel Sheinkin, directed by Michael O’Steen presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Apr. 21 2 p.m. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebration “Holi: The Indian Festival of Color.” Dionne Green, Campus. Free. Call 570-941-7434 or email shuhua.fan@scranton.edu.
Apr. 21 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with special guest soloist Frank Vignola, guitar. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Apr. 25 4:30 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus based competition for both high school and college divisions. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Call 570-941-4493 or email thomas.shimkus@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Strengthening the Global Health System: Lessons Learned from Africa” presented by Felix C. Rwabukwisi, M.D., assistant professor, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night Pre-Rally. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Apr. 26 7 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night Speak Out. Alumni Memorial Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email maria.marinucci@scranton.edu.
Apr. 28-29 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Apr. 28 3 p.m. Festival of Nations. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-4160 or email jose.sanchez@scranton.edu.
May 1 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library: “Bricklayer Bill: The Untold Story of the Workingman’s Boston Marathon” presented by Lawrence W. Kennedy, Ph.D., professor of history, The University of Scranton. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6202 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 2 1 p.m. “17th Annual Celebration of Student Scholars.” Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and other creative efforts. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email tabbi.miller-scandle@scranton.edu.
May 3 7:30 p.m. Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute Lecture: “Modern Myths of Muslim Anti-Semitism” presented by Professor Mark R. Cohen, Khedouri A. Zilkha Professor of Jewish Civilization in the Near East, emeritus, and professor of Near Eastern studies, emeritus, at Princeton University. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7956 or email marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
May 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “10th Annual Gene Yevich Memorial Concert” featuring Kako Miura, violin, with an appearance by The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 5 7:45 a.m. Schemel Forum Bus Trip to Newark, New Jersey. $95. Registration required by Apr. 7. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
May 5 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Kako Miura, violin. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Pre-Commencement Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band and Concert Choir. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 13 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Alexander Pattavina, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
May 26 10:45 a.m. Graduate Degree Commencement. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 26 4 p.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
May 27 noon. Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Tuesdays: Feb. 13, 20, 27 & Mar. 6, 20, 27 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Artificial Intelligence: Science Fiction or Science Fact?” presented by Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Wednesdays: Mar. 7, 21, 28 & Apr. 4, 11, 18 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “The Sixties: Making Sense of a Formative Era” presented by David Friedrichs, distinguished professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, The University of Scranton, and faculty members from other academic disciplines. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
Mondays: March 19, 26 & Apr. 9, 16, 23, 30 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “The Habsburg Monarchy 1519-1918” presented by Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
University Announces Spring Semester Events
-
01/19/2018
The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library is requesting book and tag sale donations for its annual spring sale, which is planned for the last weekend of April. The library is also seeking volunteers to help with preparation and staffing for the event.
All proceeds from the book sale will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services. The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the library staff and volunteers will conduct the event.
The library will accept any hardcover or paperback books in good condition, including children’s books, cookbooks, fiction and non-fiction. In addition, the library is collecting media and tag sale items.
Donations may be placed in the boxes on the Monroe Avenue side of the library. Donations will be accepted now through Wednesday, April 25.
This year’s book sale is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Sunday, April 29, from noon until 4 p.m., in the fifth floor Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library. A special preview sale will be held on Friday, April 27, for Friends members and Schemel Forum members.
For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Barbara Evans at 570-941-4078.
Library Requests Book Donations for Annual Sale
-
01/17/2018
During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at The University of Scranton will enable area residents to gain a deeper understanding of American society and the interdependence of all nations.
On Friday, Feb. 9, Joseph Blasi, Ed.D., J. Robert Beyster Distinguished Professor at the Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations and Rutgers Business School, will present “The Citizen’s Share.” Highly recognized for his work in economic justice, Dr. Blasi will talk about economic inequality and the concentration of wealth in the U.S. that is destroying America’s middle class – including the impact of current tax reform. He will describe the role that broad-based employee share ownership and profit sharing in companies can play in addressing these problems.
A Scranton native and Scranton Prep graduate, Dr. Blasi will offer perspectives on how small businesses in Lackawanna County can remain viable and retain their employees. He has been a frequent advisor to presidents, state legislatures, think tanks and philanthropic foundations, most recently as profit-sharing policy advisor with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Following the lecture, he will sign his new book, The Citizen’s Share: Reducing Inequality in the 21st Century, which chronicles the social history of wealth distribution in the U.S., beginning with our nation’s founders. The seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens, Ph.D., research director for the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, will present “Understanding the Americans Who Joined Isis” on Monday, Mar. 5. Since the start of the Syrian conflict over 200 Americans have successfully traveled to ISIS-held territory in Syria and Iraq. In his talk, Dr. Meleagrou-Hitchens will discuss his latest research on these individuals, explaining their motivations for joining ISIS, their experiences and the terrorist threat that they may pose in the future. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
On Monday, March 19, “Shared Past, Divergent Courses: Zionism and Palestinian Nationalism, Part 3, The Israel-Palestinian Conflict, 1979-Present” will be presented by David N. Myers, Ph.D., president/CEO of the Center for Jewish History and Sady and Ludwig Kahn Professor of Jewish History at UCLA; and Hussein Ibish, Ph.D., senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, D.C.
The third of three presentations exploring the history of the conflict, this session will focus on the end of a long phase of conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors and the growing tension between Israelis and Palestinians. In the face of new regional and global forces, as well as of the stalemate in negotiations, the speakers will consider whether the conflict has entered a new phase centered on religious rather than national differences, a potentially dangerous battle between Jews and Muslims over control of holy terrain. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at Harvard University, will present “JFK, LBJ and the Paradox of Vietnam” on Tuesday, Apr. 3. In the 1960s, U.S. presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson made Vietnam into an American war, despite both having deep misgivings about the struggle. Harvard historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Embers of War, Dr. Logevall considers anew one of the most consequential and trying chapters in American history. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
On Wednesday, Apr. 11, “Resisting Threats to Democracy: Lessons from Machiavelli” will be presented by Erica Benner, Ph.D., fellow in political philosophy at Yale University and fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study at Central European University in Budapest, Hungary. “I’d like to teach them the way to hell so they can steer clear of it,” maverick Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli wrote to a friend in 1526. “The hell he had in mind was a very earthly kind, one created by bad political choices and institutions that fail to check widespread corruption,” said Dr. Benner, who will offer her perspective on what advice Machiavelli might give to today’s citizens and leaders to help save their troubled democracies. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The spring series will conclude on Thursday, Apr. 26, when Felix C. Rwabukwisi, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Clinical Science at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, will present “Strengthening the Global Health System: Lessons Learned from Africa.” He will discuss his experience strengthening primary health care across five African countries and why public health is not only a local issue, but also a global issue.
Over the past eight years, Dr. Rwabukwisi has devoted his expertise to global health delivery leadership and social activism for healthcare equity. “Health crises result when public health initiatives are viewed from a cost-for-outcome standpoint, rather than a moral one,” he said. “The best way to strengthen and sustain health in Africa is twofold: engaging wealthy nations to share knowledge, implementation and funding on a long-term basis; and involving local communities for sustainable solutions.” The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
All seminars include a buffet lunch and run from noon to 1:30 p.m. Participants can register to attend one luncheon for $20 per person or $30 per couple, or for the entire series of six luncheons for $110 per person or $160 per couple. Schemel Forum members may attend any or all seminars free.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Luncheon Seminars Analyze America’s Place in the World
-
01/17/2018
Master’s Programs Guide, an online resource for graduate programs, ranked The University of Scranton’s online Master of Accountancy degree program No. 4 in the nation in its listing of the “50 Best Online Master of Accounting Degree Programs 2018.”
For the ranking, the guide analyzed publicly available resources to rate schools based on the following criteria: affordability (25 percent); student satisfaction and support services (25 percent); online accessibility (25 percent); and accreditation and commendation (25 percent), which includes accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB-International) and U.S. News and World Report rankings.
U.S. News just last week listed Scranton among the “Best Online Graduate Programs” in America for 2018. U.S. News has also ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 24 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 6 in the 2018 edition of the “Best Colleges,” which also ranked Scranton’s programs in finance at No. 17, accounting at No. 17 and entrepreneurship at No. 22 in the nation.
In 2017, Scranton’s online Master of Accountancy degree program was ranked No. 1 in the nation in listing published by Best Colleges, an independent online higher education resource.
Scranton’s Kania School of Management holds AACSB-International accreditation and offers online master’s degrees in accountancy and finance and, with Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies, offers online master’s degrees in health administration, health informatics and human resources, as well as online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley, a higher education consulting firm, for its online graduate business degree programs.
Scranton Online Master of Accountancy Ranked No.4
-
01/11/2018
The University of Scranton once again provided a voluntary contribution to the City of Scranton. For 2017, the University increased its contribution to $200,000 and directed it to support specific priorities in collaboration with city leaders.
The University has provided a voluntary contribution to the City of Scranton and Lackawanna County for more than 30 years, providing an contribution of $175,000 in recent years. Since 1983, the University’s voluntary contributions to the City total more than $3.6 million.
“Informed by conversations with city officials and economic and community development partners, the University has provided a $150,000 contribution to support economic development initiatives targeting downtown Scranton that are being undertaken by Scranton Tomorrow with the City’s endorsement and support, and a second contribution of $50,000 to support public safety, specifically the Scranton Police,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, interim president of The University of Scranton. “Taken together, these two contributions reflect a $25,000 increase in our voluntary contribution from past years.”
The voluntary contribution is among the many ways that the University gives to the community, which include the free health care services provided to uninsured patients through the Leahy Community Health and Family Center, numerous free performances, lectures and educational events, as well as the more than 175,000 hours of volunteer service given by students annually.
University Makes Voluntary Contribution to City
-
01/09/2018
U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 83; education at No. 101 and MBA at No. 108 in the nation.. U.S. News published on Jan. 9 its ranking of America’s “Best Online Graduate Programs” in the categories of business, MBA, education, engineering, nursing and other disciplines. U.S. News separated the online business program rankings from the online MBA program to “better serve students,” allowing them to make more accurate discipline-specific comparisons.
Scranton offers online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, healthcare management, human resources, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, finance, health administration, health informatics and human resources, as well as master’s degree programs in the education fields of curriculum and instruction and educational administration (K-12), in addition to a non-degree administration certification program.
This is the seventh consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years.
Scranton’s online business programs were among only three Jesuit colleges and 12 colleges in Pennsylvania ranked. Scranton’s online MBA program was among only four Jesuit colleges and 19 colleges in Pennsylvania ranked. Scranton’s online graduate program in education was among seven Jesuit universities and 19 colleges in Pennsylvania ranked by U.S. News.
For the 2018 Best Online Programs ranking, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category.
The criteria used by U.S. News to rank business programs included student engagement (33 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), collaborative coursework requirements, course evaluation requirements and other factors. The ranking criteria also included admission selectivity (20 percent); peer reputation score (20 percent); faculty credentials and training (13.5 percent); and student services and technology (13.5 percent).
The criteria used by U.S. News to rank MBA programs included student engagement (28 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, collaborative coursework requirements, course evaluation requirements and other factors. The ranking criteria also included admission selectivity (25 percent); peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (11 percent); and student services and technology (11 percent).
For online graduate programs in education, the ranking was based on student engagement (35 percent), which includes graduation rates, class size, retention rates and best practices such as accreditation from the Teacher Education Accreditation Council and collaborative coursework requirements, among other factors. Other criteria included: student services and technology (20 percent); admissions selectivity (15 percent); faculty credentials and training (15 percent); and peer reputation score (15 percent).
For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Bisk Education for online graduate education degree programs and Wiley for the online MBA degree programs and its master’s degrees in accountancy, health administration, health informatics and human resources.
In other rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, Scranton has been among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 24 consecutive years. Scranton is ranked No. 6 in the 2018 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook. U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s programs in finance at No. 17, accounting at No. 17 and entrepreneurship at No. 22 in the country. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 18 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North.”
The 2018 Best Online Programs can be viewed at usnews.com.
Scranton’s Online Programs Among Best in U.S.
-
01/09/2018
Jim Remsen, author of the book “Embattled Freedom,” spoke about the local history during the civil war era at The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum Collaborative Program with the Lackawanna Historical Society. The lecture was held at Weinberg Memorial Library in the fall semester.
Remsen said Waverly was one of the way stations of the Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania.
“The fugitive slaves escaping from the south were helped on their way through,” Remsen said. “As time went on, the support was such that some of the fugitives decided to actually stay, which is remarkable.”
Remsen then discussed the case of black farmer William Fogg, who was born a free man and owned property in what is now Scott Township. In 1835, Fogg tried vote and was rejected at the polls because of his race.
“When Fogg was turned away, he actually got his back up, and he took the bold step of filing a civil suit against the county board of elections,” Remsen said. “He accused them of quote, ‘fraudulently and maliciously intending to injure and damnify him’ end quote.”
Remsen stated the board of elections claimed Fogg was not a citizen because of his race and, therefore, he could not vote. Fogg’s lawyers argued that “free blacks in good standing, like Fogg, were entitled to vote by federal privilege in state elections,” Remsen said.
The case went to county court and the county judge at the time, David Scott, who is the namesake of Scott Township, ruled in favor of Fogg and held the election board liable for damages.
“This is a major case about black people’s rights to do basic things like vote. It was a seminal case and it came to a head right here in our backyard,” Remsen said.
The county appealed and the case went to the state supreme court, which at the time was under state chief justice John Bannister Gibson, who ruled that black people could not vote in Pennsylvania. This would come to change later with the installment of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870.
“From 1837 to 1870 no black person could vote in Pennsylvania because of this case,” Remsen said. “I don’t know if this pains you, but it is depressing stuff – this whole story – but it’s in our history and we can’t try to deny it.”
A reception and book signing at the Lackawanna Historical Society’s Catlin House followed the lecture.
Embattled Freedom and the Tale of William Fogg
-
01/09/2018
Ask any ninth-grade Brain Bee participant and she – or he – will tell you “the cerebrum is the largest part of the human brain and is associated with higher-order functioning that includes the control of voluntary behavior such as thinking, perceiving, planning and understanding language.” That is according to “Brain Facts,” a book about the brain and nervous system published by the Society for Neuroscience that is the source of questions for the annual competition open to students in grades 9 through 12.
The Brain Bee participant can also tell you that “infants sleep up to 18 hours per day, while older adults may sleep only six to seven hours.”
The University of Scranton will host the 19th annual Northeast PA Brain Bee on Saturday, Feb. 3. The competition will begin at 1 p.m. in the Loyola Science Center on the University’s campus.
Sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at the University and the Scranton Neuroscience Society, the Brain Bee is offered free of charge, however, registration is required to participate. The registration deadline is Wednesday, January 31.
The competition encourages high school students to study the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movements, stress, aging, sleep and brain disorders. All questions for the competition will be drawn from “Brain Facts.”
In previous years, students competing represented schools from throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, including: Abington Heights High School, Lackawanna Trail High School, MMI Preparatory School, Parkland High School, Pittston Area High School, Pocono Mountain East High School, Riverside Junior/Senior High School, Stroudsburg Area High School, Wallenpaupack Area High School, Western Wayne High School, Wyoming Area High School and Valley View High School, among others.
For more information or to register online, visit https://sites.google.com/site/nepabrainbee/ or contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., neuroscience program director and associate professor of biology at the University, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.
Snow date for the Brain Bee is Saturday, Feb. 10.
Although sleep appears to be a passive and restful time, it actually involves a highly active and well-scripted interplay of brain circuits, resulting in sleep’s various stages. These stages were discovered in the 1950s through experiments using electroencephalography (EEG) to examine human brain waves. Researchers also measured movements of the eyes and the limbs.
The results of these experiments were telling. Researchers found that each night, over the course of the first hour or so of sleep, the brain progresses through a series of stages during which brain waves slow down. This period of slow wave sleep is accompanied by relaxation of the muscles and the eyes. Heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature all fall. If awakened during this time, most people recall only fragmented thoughts, not active dreams.
Over the next half hour or so, brain activity alters drastically, from deep slow wave sleep to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, characterized by neocortical EEG waves similar to those observed during waking. Paradoxically, the fast, waking- like EEG activity is accompanied by atonia, or paralysis of the body’s muscles. Only the muscles that allow breathing and control eye movements remain active. During REM sleep, active dreaming takes place. Heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature become much more variable. Men often have erections during this stage. The rst REM period usually lasts 10 to 15 minutes.
During the night, these cycles of slow wave and REM sleep alternate, with the slow wave sleep becoming less deep and the REM periods more prolonged until waking occurs. Over the course of a lifetime, the pattern of sleep cycles changes. Infants sleep up to 18 hours per day, and they spend much more time in deep slow wave sleep. As children mature, they spend less time asleep and less time in deep slow wave sleep. Older adults may sleep only six to seven hours per night. What’s more, adults often complain of early waking that they cannot avoid and spend very little time in slow wave sleep.
Brain Bee Competition for High School Students
-
01/05/2018
The Scranton Brass Orchestra will perform on Sunday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center at The University of Scranton. Admission is free, and the performance is open to the public. (Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.)
The diverse program for the concert includes arrangements and transcriptions for brass band and brass orchestra of Malaguena, Guantanamera, Girl from Ipanema, Riverdance, Be Thou My Vision, Funiculi Funicula, Finlandia, Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances, Rimsky Korsakov’s Procession of the Nobles and Dvorak’s Song to The Moon (from “Rusalka”).
The Scranton Brass Orchestra is under the direction of co-founder Cheryl Y. Boga and is presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton. Now in its seventh season, it is a fully professional 26-member ensemble comprised of brass and percussion players/teachers from the region. The group’s performances are free of charge and open to the public, and have often featured nationally and internationally acclaimed guests, including many of the most respected brass players of our time. The group made its debut before hundreds of appreciative audience members in June 2011, and has since garnered acclaim from both audiences and musicians alike.
Scranton Brass Orchestra members for this concert, the instrument they play, and their towns are as follows: Eb Trumpet/Cornet & Piccolo Trumpet: Jesse Morvan, (Dalton); Bb Trumpet/Cornet: Carl Achhammer (Sugar Notch), John Carey (Wilkes- Barre), Joe Devizia (Larksville), Ken Luckey (Albrightsville), Sean Mason (Tunkhannock), Christopher Newman, M.D. (Breinigsville), William Rennekamp (Lake Ariel), Matthew Wren (Scranton); Flugelhorn: Jeff Leas (Shavertown); Horns: Justin Ambrozia (Scranton), Megan Wilski-Schneider (Forty-Fort), Kristen Yarmey (Scranton); Trombones: Malcolm Viney (Pocono Summit), Phil Ioanna (Nanticoke) and Geoff Speicher (Archbald); Baritone/Euphonium: Ryan Berry (Archbald), Conor Flynn (Dunmore), Wayne Smith (Elmhurst), Chris Wilski (Pringle); Tuba: Steve Lakawicz (Philadelphia), Ryan Lamoreux (Freeland), James Vasky (South Abington); Percussion: Magdalyn Boga (Scranton), and Frank Torquato (Scranton).For additional information, visit scranton.edu/music or email music@scranton.edu.
Scranton Brass Orchestra to Perform Sunday, Jan. 14
-
01/05/2018
The Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission (GSMLKC) will hold its annual celebration and community awards dinner at The University of Scranton, Sunday, Jan. 14. The theme of this year’s event, which will begin at 2:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center, is a “higher destiny” and focuses on raising awareness of the impact media portrayal has on the public’s beliefs about race, people, relationships and culture. Bayeté Ross Smith, a photographer, multi-media artist, filmmaker and educator from New York City, and Andy Mehalshick, an investigative reporter for WBRE Eyewitness News, Wilkes-Barre, will speak at the dinner.
The 2018 GSMLKC dinner theme is inspired by a quote from Dr. King: “Let us be those creative dissenters who will call our nation to A Higher Destiny. To a new plateau of compassion, to a more noble expression of humanness.”
A faculty member at the International Center of Photography and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Smith is a member of TED Residency class three and an inaugural POV New York Times embedded media maker. He is represented by beta pictoris gallery/Maus Contemporary. He also serves as the associate program director for the Kings Against Violence Initiative, a hospital-and school-based violence prevention organization in New York that partners with Kings County Hospital.
An internationally exhibited artist, Smith’s work has been shown in the collections of The Smithsonian Institution, the Oakland Museum of California, the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and The Brooklyn Museum. His collaborative projects “Along The Way” and “Question Bridge: Black Males” were shown at the 2008 and 2012 Sundance Film Festival, respectively.
Smith’s awards include an International Center of Photography Infinity Award for New Media, a TED Residency, a FSP/Jerome Fellowship, an Embedded Media Maker selection supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and fellowships and residencies at the McColl Center for Art and Innovation, the Kala Institute, and the Laundromat Project.
Smith has been involved in a variety of community and public art projects with organizations such as the Jerome Foundation, BRIC Arts Media, The Amistad Center and The Laundromat Project, among others. His work has also been published in numerous books and magazines.
An award-winning journalist, Mehalshick is the lead member of the Eyewitness News I-Team. After graduating from Wilkes University, he began his career as a reporter at the Hazleton Area Radio Station WQEQ-EXPX in 1982, where he worked his way up to the news director position, while also writing for an area newspaper. He began working for WBRE in 1985 and has performed duties in virtually all the positions in the newsroom including anchor, producer and as an investigative reporter.
During his distinguished career, Mehalshick has received Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasting awards and an Emmy Nomination for his coverage of the Penn State Child Sex Scandal.
Active in the local community, Mehalshick has taken part in numerous fund-raising events including serving as host for the American Cancer Society and Help Hand Telethons since 1985. One of his missions is to protect children and he has presented his award-winning “Stranger Danger Program” to thousands of children since 1994.
Tickets for this event are $25 and can be reserved at www.scranton.edu/equity-diversity/mlkcommission.shtml, or by contacting Jennifer Pennington at the University’s Office of Equity and Diversity by email at jennifer.pennington@scranton.edu or by phone at 570-941-6645.
Media Impact Highlighted at MLK Award Dinner
-
01/04/2018
University of Scranton Interim President Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., announced the appointment of Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs effective July 1, 2018.
The University’s President-elect, Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., endorsed the selection of Dr. Gingerich, which followed a national search conducted by a broadly representative search committee chaired by Matthew Haggerty, Esq., University trustee.
Dr. Gingerich currently serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cabrini University, a Catholic liberal arts institution in Radnor. In his current role, he serves as the chief academic officer overseeing four colleges and schools offering more than 35 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs.
In addition to serving as chief academic officer, Dr. Gingerich has held responsibility for many cross-divisional institutional priorities at Cabrini, including revision of the core curriculum, diversity initiatives and mission integration. He also led a successful Middle States self-study accreditation process, the development of a one-stop student services center, an evaluation of the faculty governance structure, and a campus-wide strategic planning effort on both leadership development and global studies. In 2016, he led Cabrini’s transition to University status and the academic reorganization to create four new schools.
During his tenure, Cabrini launched its first doctoral programs, new graduate programs and online modalities for student access. An avid believer in interdisciplinary learning, he co-led the establishment of the Nerney Leadership Institution in 2014 and, most recently, worked closely with deans and faculty to found four new mission-focused academic centers.
“Dr. Gingerich is an experienced and distinguished administrator, professor and scholar,” Fr. Keller said. “Fr. Pilarz and I are delighted that the University has identified a person whose innovative approach to higher education is matched only by his commitment to student success and social justice. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated well the very qualities we hope to instill in our students through Scranton’s distinctive Catholic and Jesuit education.”
The provost and senior vice president for academic affairs serves as the University’s chief academic officer and oversees all of Scranton’s academic programs, policies and priorities. The provost is also a key partner with the president in all major campus initiatives.
Dr. Gingerich earned master’s and doctoral degrees in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. He began his career at Bluffton University as an assistant and later associate professor of sociology from 2000 to 2004. He joined the faculty at Cabrini in 2005 as an associate professor of sociology and was named department chair in 2007. In 2009, he moved to administrative positions serving as dean for academic affairs and vice provost and dean for academic affairs before taking his current position in 2014.
Much of his life’s work prior to entering higher education was shaped by six years as a voluntary service worker in New Orleans, La., coordinating conflict resolution programming at the Twomey Center for Peace through Justice at Loyola University. These experiences inspired his research and teaching interests in race and ethnic relations, cultural analysis, prisoner reentry, and incarceration reform. During that time, he also taught courses in cultural awareness and conflict resolution for officers and trainees of the New Orleans Police Department. While pursuing his master’s and doctoral degrees, he was a facilitator in the Restorative Justice Program at Graterford State Prison, Philadelphia.
His scholarship is currently focused on the sociology of higher education with research exploring the changing role of the chief academic officer. He is also co-executive editor of the new journal, Praxis: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Faith and Justice, a scholarly journal founded to advance the intersection of theory and practice in the pursuit of social justice through Catholic social tradition and other religious traditions of social justice (first issue to be released Spring 2018).
He has led several successful grant projects at Cabrini including a Title III grant to strengthen undergraduate learning, a National Science Foundation Grant focused on science scholars and social justice, and a Department of Education grant to support the development of global competencies. In addition, at the request of the general superior of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC), Dr. Gingerich recently led the Cabrini Education Commission to plan for the oversight of the 28 MSC schools around the world.
Active in every community in which he has lived, Dr. Gingerich volunteers at the Norristown Hospitality Center and has held board positions with the Centre Theater of Norristown.
Dr. Gingerich, and his wife, Betsy, are the parents of five children.
University of Scranton Names New Provost
-
12/13/2017
The University of Scranton recognized students and their high school teachers, who they credit for contributing to their success, with Rose Kelly Awards at a ceremony held recently on campus.
The Rose Kelly Award was established by University of Scranton alumnus Joseph Wineburgh, Ph.D., to link the efforts of educators to the achievements of college students. The award is presented jointly to a student in each of the University’s colleges who has completed two years at Scranton and to the teacher whom he or she recognizes as having a great impact in his or her life. Students are selected based on exemplary achievement in both academics and general campus involvement.
(photo above)
From left: Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; Deidre Dzugay, Saddle Brook, New Jersey, who received the Rose Kelly Award for the Panuska College of Professional Studies; and Taylor Watters, Dzugay’s high school art teacher from Paramus Catholic High School, Paramus, New Jersey.
(photo above)
From left: Daniel Muenkel, Norwalk, Connecticut, who received the Rose Kelly Award for the Kania School of Management; Lisa Greco, Muenkel’s high school accounting teacher from Arlington High School, Lagrangeville, New York; and Murli Rajan, Ph.D., associate dean of the Kania School of Management.
University Students/High School Teachers Awarded
-
12/13/2017
The University of Scranton’s 9th annual Community Christmas Day Breakfast will take place Monday, Dec. 25, from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. in the third-floor Fresh Food Company of the DeNaples Center on campus. The breakfast, organized by Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice and Dining Services/ARAMARK, is offered free of charge to the elderly or those who are alone or in need as a gift to the community for the holiday season.
The University’s Dining Service/ARAMARK staff and volunteers from the University will prepare and serve the breakfast that will include eggs, sausage, pancakes, danish, juice and other foods.
Reservations are not needed to attend. Parking is available for the breakfast in the University’s parking pavilion on Mulberry Street. For additional information, call 570-941-7401.
Christmas Day Breakfast Planned Community
-
12/12/2017The University of Scranton awarded development intersession grants for January 2018 to eight faculty members.
Danielle Arigo, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, received a grant to research “Time-Sensitive Analysis of Relations between Women’s Social Perceptions and Physical Activity: Findings from Studies of College and Midlife Women.” Dr. Arigo joined the faculty at Scranton in 2014. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Drexel University and her master’s and doctoral degrees from Syracuse University.
Hyuk Jun Cheong, Ph.D., assistant professor of communication, received a grant to research “Spiral of Silence and Web 2.0? Revisiting a Theory in the Context of User Generated Content.” Dr. Cheong joined the faculty at Scranton in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Keimyung University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Tennessee.
Brigid Frein, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and religious studies, received a grant to research “Speaking of God: An Investigation into Jesus’ Teaching about God in the Gospel of Luke.” Dr. Frein joined the faculty at Scranton in 1988. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Gonzaga University and her doctorate from St. Louis University.
William Miller, Ph.D., faculty specialist for health administration and human resources, received a grant to research “MHA Population Health Specialization.” Dr. Miller joined the faculty at Scranton in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, his master’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University and his doctorate from Marywood University.
Krzysztof Plotka, Ph.D., professor of mathematics, received a grant to research “Groups and Vector Spaces within a Class of Functions with Infinite Preimage of Points.” Dr. Plotka joined the faculty at Scranton in 2001. He earned his master’s degree from the University of Gdansk and his doctorate from West Virginia University.
Anne Royer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, received a grant to research “Pollinators as Engines of Speciation: Testing for Genomic Asymmetry.” Dr. Royer joined the faculty at Scranton in 2017. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and her doctorate from Michigan State University.
Ileana Szymanski, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, received a grant to research “Medicinal Plants and Spices in Plato and Aristotle (Invited Chapter Book).” Dr. Ileana joined the faculty at Scranton in 2008. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Universidad Panamericana and her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Guelph.
Jennifer Vasquez, Ph.D., department chair of mathematics and associate professor of mathematics, received a grant to research “Is Fibonacci Entangling?” Dr. Vasquez joined the faculty at Scranton in 2007. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Indiana University.
Faculty Members Receive 2018 Intersession Grants
-
12/12/2017
Frank O’Hara medals were given to the first-, second- and third-year University of Scranton students with the highest grade-point averages in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies for the 2016-17 academic year. The awards, named in honor of the late Frank O’Hara who served the University for 53 years in various administrative positions, were presented at a ceremony held recently on campus.
Recipients of the Frank O’Hara medals from the Kania School of Management
Abbey Murphy, Mountain Top, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year at the University. She is currently a sophomore accounting and philosophy double major with minor in theology and participates in the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA). She serves as a peer health educator for the Center for Health Education and Wellness and as the co-chair for the Coffeehouse Committee for University of Scranton Programming Board. She was a member of the Kania Young Alumni Day Planning Committee. She is a student representative of the Business Club and works for the accounting firm, Snyder and Clemente.
Angela McGovern, Yardley, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior marketing major with minors in psychology and business leadership. McGovern serves as chief of staff for Student Government and previously served as a senator for the class of 2019. She works for Admissions at the University as a social media intern and tour guide. She is also involved in several clubs and activities on campus including Campus Ministries’ retreat program, the Marketing Society, the Praise and Worship Club, intramural volleyball and orientation. McGovern has been a leader for the SPARK service program for the past two summers and has taken part in a Habitat for Humanity service trip to Abington, Virginia.
Patrick Tuzzo, Bayville, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for his junior year. He is a senior accounting and finance double major with a business leadership minor and participates in the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program. This is the third O’Hara award Tuzzo received, having also earned O’Hara Awards for both his sophomore and freshman years at Scranton. Tuzzo is a member of the International Business Club, the Society of Accounting Students and PRISM, which is a select group of undergraduate students who have the responsibility of managing a portion of the University’s endowment fund. Tuzzo also served as a resident assistant for three years and as a member of the Kania Young Alumni Day Planning Committee.
Recipients of the Frank O’Hara medals from the College of Arts and Sciences
Michaela Farrell, Kirkwood, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year at the University. She is currently a sophomore biology major on the pre-medicine track with a minor in philosophy and concentration in environmental studies. Farrell is a member of the women’s soccer team as well as the newly established track and field team. She is also a member of Autism Speaks and the Health Professions Organization. She serves as a chemistry tutor on campus, and a teacher’s assistant for the general biology lab.
Sara Wierbowski, Owego, New York, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior neuroscience and philosophy double major with a minor in biochemistry. She graduated as valedictorian of her class at Owego Free Academy and is a full-tuition Presidential Scholar at the University, where she maintains a 4.0 grade point average. Wierbowski is a member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program (SJLA) and the Undergraduate Honors Program and has been inducted into the Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national health professional honor society; the Nu Rho Psi, the national honor society for neuroscience; and the Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology. She has also served as a teaching assistant for the general biology lab and behavioral science lab and lecture. Wierbowski volunteers as a student clinical scribe as well as one of the clinical scribe managers at the Leahy Center.
Samuel Morano, Clarks Summit, received a medal for academic achievement for his junior year. He is currently a senior biology major on a pre-medicine track with minors in psychology and biochemistry. He graduated as valedictorian from Abington Heights High School and is a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship. He volunteers with Big Friends Little Friends and also serves as a student scribe at the Leahy Clinic. Morano is also a member of the Health Professions Organization (HPO) and the Random Acts of Kindness club. He is a member of the Beta Beta Beta, national honor society for biology and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national health professional honor society. He has served as a teaching mentor for the Leadership and Civic Responsibility seminar and is a teaching assistant for the Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy lab.
Recipients of the Frank O’Hara Awards from the Panuska College of Professional Studies
Danielle Desseyn, York, received a medal for academic achievement for her freshman year. She is currently a sophomore occupational therapy and Hispanic studies double major. She serves as a class representative for the Student Occupational Therapy Association and is a teaching assistant for the general biology lab. Desseyn volunteers at St. Clare’s food pantry and as a Spanish translator in the Leahy Clinic. She also works part-time as an occupational therapy and physical therapy rehabilitation technician.
Kellie Smigel, Blairstown, New Jersey, received a medal for academic achievement for her sophomore year. She is currently a junior exercise science major with a minor in business. She is a recipient of the University’s full-tuition Presidential Scholarship. This is the second O’Hara award Busch received, having also earned an O’Hara Award for her freshman year at Scranton. Smigel is a peer tutor for general chemistry through the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence. She is a member of an intramural volleyball team and a lifeguard at the campus pool. She volunteers as a scribe for the Leahy Community Health and Family Center, and serves as the liaison between the scribe committee and the Leahy Board. Smigel is a member of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national health professional honor society. and Omega Beta Sigma, the women’s business honor society. She is also a member of the exercise science and physical therapy clubs.
Melissa Busch, Yardley, received a medal for academic achievement for her junior year. She is currently a senior occupational therapy major with a minor in psychology and counseling and human service with a concentration in human development. This is the third O’Hara award Busch has received, having also earned O’Hara Awards for her sophomore and freshman years at Scranton. Busch serves as a teaching assistant for the human anatomy/physiology lab class and for statistics in the behavior sciences course and as a tutor for the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE). She also volunteers with Big Friends Little Friends. She is the secretary of the Circle K Club and a member of the Student Occupational Therapy Association. Busch has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity and participated in a weeklong service trip in Jamaica through the International Service Program.
From left: recipients of the Frank O’Hara medals from the Kania School of Management Angela McGovern, Abbey Murphy and Patrick Tuzzo; and Murli Rajan, Ph.D., associate dean of the Kania School of Management.
From left: Brian Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and recipients of the Frank O’Hara medals from the College of Arts and Sciences: Michaela Farrell, Sara Wierbowski and Samuel Morano.
University Students Receive Frank O’Hara Awards
-
12/07/2017
“We are victims of our old history, our old narrative. But history is not in the past. It’s actually where we are now. We are the production of history, and this is where the forming of the individual happens,” said Sami Adwan, Ph.D., co-founder and co-director of the Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME), at The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum World Affairs Luncheon Seminar held recently on campus.
PRIME, an organization that Dr. Adwan has helped to develop, is a joint Palestinian and Israeli non-governmental organization established in 1998 consisting of teachers and researchers aiming to create school history curriculums that include historical narrative textbooks.
“It’s a personal pleasure and distinct honor to welcome our speaker to the podium. He has come the furthest distance for our speaker series – he resides in Bethlehem, and I don’t mean Pennsylvania. Sami Adwan is a professor of education and taught for many years at Bethlehem University. Last year, he spent his sabbatical year at a university in Sweden and is known internationally for his work with PRIME, an educational model igniting Palestinian and Israeli educators. Sami is a pioneer in his field and an inspiration to others who recognize our interdependence on this planet and find ways to engage across borders and boundaries,” said Sondra Myers, director of the University’s Schemel Forum.
Dr. Adwan discussed the relevance of history today, emphasizing the importance of history narratives over facts when it comes to teaching this subject.
“There is no end to history – it is a continual digging and remembering of the past and is filtered by subjective reality and interests. There are facts in history, but the narrative is what we consider to be important to remember from them. It’s a matter of selection and priority, highlighting the why and the how,” said Dr. Adwan.
The professor also examined the purposes of teaching history and how teachers should find a balance between personal desires versus political ones in the classroom.
“Mainly, the purposes of teaching history in times of open conflict are to sustain the conflict, justify self wrong-doings, support political actions, remain united, and guard interests and ideologies,” said Dr. Adwan.
Aside from his work as a professor and with PRIME, Dr. Adwan has published widely on Palestinian education and on the role of education in peace-building. He is also a co-author of Side by Side: Parallel Histories of Israel-Palestine.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
Professor Explains Why History Matters at Luncheon
-
12/07/2017
The Covenant Presbyterian Church Women’s Association, Scranton, donated a Welch Allen EKG machine to The University of Scranton’s Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured. The clinic provides free, “non-emergency” health care to uninsured residents of Lackawanna County and depends on the generous donations from corporations, foundations and community organizations who share a similar mission of strengthen our community through health and education.
From left: Kirsten McIntyre, nurse manager for the University’s Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured; Andrea Mantione D.N.P., director of the University’s Leahy Community Health and Family Center; and representing The Covenant Presbyterian Church Women’s Association Norma Gabriel, Patty Ollendyke, Elaine Young, Gemma Davis, Carol Winn, Alice Goodall, Kathy Kintzer (back), Joann Cortozar (front) and Norma Ciero.
Church Group Donates EKG Machine to Leahy Clinic
-
12/06/2017
Marking a milestone half-century of song, The University of Scranton Singers presented the 50th annual Noel Night on Saturday, Dec. 2, to a capacity crowd in the university’s Houlihan-McLean Center. Joining the performance were trumpeter Mark Gould, pianist Ron Stabinsky, harpist Marg Davis, and an additional choir made up of nearly 60 alumni.
Bands of students on street corners playing familiar carols welcomed audience members as they entered the building, and those inside the beautifully decorated concert hall were entertained by an hour-long instrumental prelude presented by the University’s String Orchestra and Flute Ensemble.
The main feature of the evening was an inspiring performance by the Singers as The University of Scranton’s annual Christmas gift to the community. The 50-voice mixed choir performed works chosen by alumni as past Noel Night favorites, including works by Britten, Handel, Rorem, Sirett, Tavener and others. Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president, welcomed the audience with a Christmas message and during the course of the performance, the Nativity Martyrology, Prologue to the Gospel of St. John, and St. Luke Nativity Narrative were read by Joseph H. Dreisbach, Ph.D., Harold W. Baillie, Ph.D. and Leonard G. Gougeon, respectively, Ph.D. The seasonal readings have beeb a time-honored concert tradition, just as the event itself is for the many members of the community who are in attendance every year.
“The annual concert, having reached its golden anniversary, now spans several generations and those who once came as children are now bringing their own children,” said Cheryl Boga, director of Performance Music at the University.
Following remarks by Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., president-elect, the program concluded with a spirited and inspiring finale in which the University Singers and chamber orchestra were joined by dozens of alumni from choirs throughout the decades to perform Vaclav Nelhybel’s “Estampie Natalis.”
“The evening was a true celebration of community and tradition, featuring performers and even composers who are part of the fabric of the life of the University,” said Boga, "Composer Vaclav Nelhybel, for example, was the composer-in-residence at the University for the last 10 years of his life."
The University of Scranton Singers, joined by trumpeter Mark Gould, pianist Ron Stabinsky, harpist Marg Davis, and an additional choir made up of alumni, presented the 50th annual Noel Night to a capacity crowd in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center.
Up Next
On Sunday, Dec. 10, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present The Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert, which features the Scranton Brass Orchestra, with special guests the Scranton Preparatory School Cavalyrics. Admission to the performance, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, is one new toy or piece of children’s clothing, or a cash donation.
Scranton Celebrates 50th Annual Noel Night Concert
-
12/06/2017
David Autor, Ph.D., professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-director of the School Effectiveness and Inequality Initiative, discussed the impact on the U.S. of China’s growth as a world-manufacturing exporter from 1980 to 2014, what he refers to as “The China Shock,” at The University of Scranton’s 32nd annual Henry George Lecture.
“China goes from essentially zero percent in 1980 to about 20 percent at present day and that is a remarkable achievement,” Dr. Autor said about the growth of the world-manufacturing exporter. “That is world historic.”
The United States’ world-manufacturing exports during the same period of time peaked at around the year 2000 and fell after that rapidly.
“These two things, it will turn out, are connected to one another,” Dr. Autor said.
According to Dr. Autor, China growth is due to efforts to modernize their country in the 1980s. China created special economic zones along their southern coast, freed the price and wage controls for manufacturing and production, and allowed foreign investment and Western technology into their country.
“This was a remarkable change, China’s productivity rose at a stellar rate, eventually a quarter of a billion people migrated from agricultural areas into these urban areas of production,” Dr. Autor said. “This created a growth of productivity and wealth unlike the world has previously seen.”
China’s growth in productivity and exporting resulted in the loss of manufacturing worker’s jobs in the U.S.
Dr. Autor also discussed how the “China Shock” affected voting patterns in the United States, “in particular, with the rise of populism, by populism I mean a specific type of politics that sort of tells a narrative of a good, hard-working people taken advantage of by an elite.”
Dr. Autor studied whether this “populist activity” was prevalent in areas where voters were exposed to the China trade shock and saw how voting patterns shifted in those locations. He observed in the House of Representatives from 2002 to 2010 that there was a movement of conservative Republicans being elected consistent with voters in the locations that were affected by the trade shock.
“This particular phenomenon contributed to a pretty epochal seat change in United States politics,” Dr. Autor said.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are nine winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
The University’s 32nd Henry George Lecture took place in the Grand Ballroom in the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel in November.
The China Shock and U.S. Election Discussed
-
12/05/2017
“There are people who will say you can’t, but there are more people who will show you how. There is always a path to your dreams.” Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS) student note written on “Flight School.”
The dean of The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS), Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., sees the season of giving as an opportunity to help eradicate illiteracy in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Through the “Blessing of the Books” project, which Dean Pellegrino began ten years ago, PCPS students collect books donated by members of the University community during the fall semester. PCPS freshmen students add a hand-written note to the books, which are then blessed and distributed at Christmas time through area organizations and children’s programs to promote literacy.
“Find your music and keep dancing.” PCPS student note written on “Giraffes Can’t Dance.”
Over the past decade, the college has distributed more than 30,000 children’s books.
According to Dean Pellegrino, whose academic expertise is in the area of literacy and elementary education, new books for children can make a difference for their success in reading.
“If we are going to make a difference in Pennsylvania, we need to prepare our children for life beyond school. All members of the community need to be committed to promote good literacy habits for our children. The “Blessing of the Books” project is only a small part of the greater puzzle to make a difference,” said Dean Pellegrino, who began the Blessing of the Books project at the University in 2007.
Recently, books were given to the Valley Santa project, which is a community organization staffed by 300 volunteers that provide Christmas gifts to children in need in Luzerne County. Books are also given to children for the “Reach out and Read” program, as well as various service projects throughout the region.
“Always follow your heart and you’ll end up achieving your dreams.” Panuska College of Professional Studies student note written on “In My Heart.”
Students in the University’s PCPS major in education, exercise science and sport, occupational therapy, physical therapy, nursing, counseling and human services, health administration or human resources.
Blessing of the Books Inspires Children to Read
-
12/04/2017
Julie Cerrito, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the school counseling program in the Department of Counseling and Human Services at The University of Scranton, was recognized as School Counselor Educator of the Year by the Pennsylvania School Counselors Association (PSCA). The professional recognition was presented at the PSCA’s 62nd Annual Conference Recognition Banquet Nov. 30.
PSCA works to expand the image and influence of professional school counselors, to promote professional and ethical practice, and to advocate for equity and access for all students. The organization aims to strengthen the image and influence of professional school counselors through advocacy, leadership, collaboration and systematic change.
Dr. Cerrito is a national certified counselor and school counselor. She also holds an approved clinical supervisor credential. At the University, she serves as the faculty advisor for the Chi Delta Rho Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, the international honor society for counseling.
Dr. Cerrito’s research and scholarship focuses on access, equity and advocacy in addressing the college and career readiness needs of underserved PK-12 youth in school systems. She has been part of former First Lady Michelle Obama’s National Reach Higher Initiative since its inception in 2014 by participating in the annual White House Convening as a representative for counselor educators and school counselors across the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, she currently serves as the co-chair for professional school counselors on the Pennsylvania College and Career Readiness Consortium.
Dr. Cerrito earned her bachelor’s degree from Bloomsburg University, her master’s degree from The University of Scranton and her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.
Professor Named Counselor Educator of the Year
-
11/29/2017
Students from local elementary and middle schools learned about Ghana’s culture and language during an
International Education Week event held at The University of Scranton.
Nearly 100 students from Prescott Elementary School, The Lutheran Academy and North Pocono Elementary and Middle School came to the University in November to hear international student Ekow Aikins, a MBA student at the University and a native of Ghana, talk about his country.
Aikins began the lecture by explaining the symbolism and meaning of the colors represented in Ghana’s flag. The red symbolizes the blood of those who died in Ghana’s struggle for independence from Great Britain; the gold represents the mineral wealth of the country; green represents the country’s lush fields and forests; and the black star is the symbol of African emancipation.
Aikins also talked about Ghana’s traditional dress, food, tribes and regions. He also showed images of places that signify Ghana’s independence in a slideshow. He told the elementary school students how most Ghanaian people name their children by the days of the week they were born. For example, Ghanaian male children born on Wednesday could possibly be named Kwaku and female children born on Friday could possibly be named Afua.
The lecture ended with a question and answer session. The local students then had the chance to taste a sampling of traditional Ghanaian food.
The lecture was sponsored by the University’s Office of International Programs and Services and was part of International Education Week, which is a joint operation by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education. Its purpose is to commend the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide.
$content.getChild('content').textValueBringing Ghana to Local Students at Scranton
-
11/29/2017
A committee established by The University of Scranton’s interim president Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., is pulling together the University’s efforts to help those affected by the string of natural disasters that occurred this semester.
“Given the breadth and depth of the needs … coupled with our community’s desire to help meet those needs, I have decided to establish a broadly representative Disaster Relief Steering Committee to help track, guide and channel our collective energies in the most impactful ways possible,” Fr. Keller wrote in a message to the University community in September just after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas and Louisiana. Fr. Keller said the committee will “serve as a hub for campus efforts” in response to Hurricane Harvey and natural disasters, which have impacted Texas, Louisiana, Florida, California, Puerto Rico and Mexico City during this semester. He said the committee “will assist those on campus who wish to take on relief projects, help coordinate efforts, and chronicle our success.”
Rev. Patrick Rogers, S.J., executive director of the Jesuit Center, and Patricia Vaccaro, director of Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, are serving as co-chairs of the committee, which has been active throughout the fall semester raising funds to help with relief efforts. To date, more than $4,000 has been raised through collections at weekly Masses and other fundraisers such as a University-wide community luncheon of soup and bread held earlier in November on campus.
In January, students will participate in a domestic service trip to volunteer with recovery efforts organized by the St. Bernard Project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. In March, students will also volunteer with the Sr. Bernard Project for a spring break trip to Houston, Texas, to help with ground relief efforts there.
Departments and organization on campus have also been encouraged to organize relief efforts. One example under way is the University’s international student organization which is selling specially designed t-shirts and other items with proceeds supporting the relief effort.
The University’s disaster relief efforts were the subject of a WBRE-TV news story earlier in November.
For additional information about, or to support the University’s disaster relief efforts, contact the Jesuit Center at 570-941-6480.
University Organizes Disaster Relief Efforts
-
11/28/2017
University of Scranton students presented research and placed second in a quiz bowl against other college teams at the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference for the American College of Sports Medicine, which took place in November in Harrisburg. Universities from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., participated in the annual conference.
Senior exercise science and sport major Abigail E. Wagner, Lebanon, who was a member of the quiz bowl team, presented a poster of her study titled “Comparisons of Body Consciousness and Expected Barriers and Outcomes for Women Performing Two Exercise Regimens.” Her faculty mentor was Jessica Bachman, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport.
Also at the conference, senior exercise science and sport major Michaela M. Hogg, Delmar, New York, presented a poster of the study “Exercise but Not Menstrual Cycle Phase Increases Hamstring Flexibility” and biology major and full-tuition Presidential Scholarship recipient Mary K. Halligan, Gambrills, Maryland, presented a poster of the study “Menstrual Cycle Phase Not Exercise Intensity Affects ACL Laxity in Women.” Co-authors for both research studies were senior exercise science and sport majors Kailyn Schaedel, Plano, Texas; Stephen R. Kalinoski, Middleton, New Jersey; Megan E. Shannon, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey; and Angelica R. Del Vecchio, East Hanover, New Jersey. Michael J. Landram, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, served as faculty mentor for both projects.
University students also placed second in a quiz bowl competition against student teams representing 11 other colleges. Scranton’s quiz bowl team members were exercise science and sport majors: Wagner; sophomore Patrick J. Barney, Archbald; and seniors Anthony Puglisi, Pasadena, Maryland; and Angela Hubert, Belvidere, New Jersey (alt.).Students Participate in Sports Medicine Conference
-
11/28/2017
The Princeton Review listed The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management among the nation’s “Best Business Schools” for 2018, marking the 13th consecutive year that Scranton has been included in the listing of the nation’s most elite business colleges.
The listing of business programs, which is published online, is based a school’s academic reputation and interviews of 23,000 MBA students attending the business schools profiled. The survey asks students to rate their schools in several areas including their professors, classmates, campus life and other factors.
The Princeton Review also listed Scranton in its 2018 edition of “The Best 382 Colleges,” ranking Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 9), “Best Campus Food” (No. 15), “Everyone Plays Intramural Sports” (No. 18) and “Most Religious Students” (No. 20). The Princeton Review also included Scranton in its “Guide to 375 Green Colleges.”
In other national rankings, U.S. News and World Report included Scranton in a national ranking of the top business schools (No. 183) and ranked Scranton’s accounting and finance programs each at No. 17 in the country, and its entrepreneurship program at No. 22 in the nation. In the overall ranking for colleges, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 6 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” in the 2018 edition of its “Best Colleges” guidebook.
Scranton Among Nation’s ‘Best Business Schools’
-
11/28/2017
Azzan Yadin-Israel, Ph.D., professor of Jewish studies and classics at Rutgers University, presented “The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen” at The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute, the lecture held on campus in November.
The author of three books that add depth to the understanding of midrash and the study of German as a foreign vocabulary, “Scripture as Logos: Rabbi Ishmael and the Origins of Midrash, Scripture and Tradition: Rabbi Akiva and the Triumph of Midrash” and “Intuitive Vocabulary: German,” Dr. Yaden-Israel spent two years mining Bruce Springsteen’s songs for research in his latest book, “The Grace of God and the Grace of Man: The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen.”
University Hosts Fall Judaic Studies Lecture
-
11/27/2017
Lockheed Martin is committed to a program of philanthropy that supports the corporation’s strategic business goals and invests in the quality of life in the communities where our employees work and live. As part of that initiative, Lockheed Martin’s Archbald Operations presented a check to The University of Scranton in the amount of $2,500 to support their Veterans Advocacy Committee and veterans’ student club.
From left: Peter Rosecrans, general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Archbald Operations (left) and Karen Buckley, human resources manager of Lockheed Martin’s Archbald Operations (right) meet with Margaret Hambrose, director of corporate and foundation relations at The University of Scranton.
Lockheed Martin Supports University’s Veterans
-
11/27/2017
One of the nation’s leading urban ethnographers and cultural theorists, Elijah Anderson, Ph.D., discussed “White Space and the Iconic Ghetto” to an audience of more than 100 students and faculty at the University.
An award-winning author, Dr. Anderson’s books include “The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life” and “A Place on the Corner: A Study of Black Street Corner Men.” He serves as the William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Sociology at Yale University and director of the Urban Ethnography Project.
The lecture, which took place on campus in November, was co-sponsored by the University’s Office of Diversity and Equity, The Jesuit Center and the departments of theology/religious studies, political science and sociology, criminal justice and criminology.
University Hosts Talk by Leading Cultural Theorist
-
11/21/2017
The University of Scranton’s undergraduate accounting program has earned endorsement by the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA ®), one of the largest and most-respected associations focused exclusively on advancing the management accounting profession. Currently, just 33 colleges in the U.S. are endorsed by IMA.
IMA’s Endorsement of Higher Education initiative recognizes programs that meet rigorous educational standards, enabling students to pursue and earn the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®) credential.
To qualify for endorsement by IMA, schools must meet the following criteria: the program must substantially cover the CMA exam content; the program must have adequate faculty resources to deliver this content; the program must be accredited by a recognized accreditation organization (e.g., AACSB, ACBSP, etc.); and a faculty member must be designated as an IMA campus advocate. The program offers two tiers of endorsement: full endorsement, for those university programs that meet all endorsement criteria; and provisional endorsement, for programs with some minor to moderate shortcomings in meeting all the criteria for full endorsement.
“Endorsement by IMA is a great achievement that will help our undergraduate accounting students better prepare for a rewarding career in management accounting,” said Ashley Regan, faculty specialist and the University’s IMA student chapter faculty advisor. “This is a testament to the quality of our nationally recognized curriculum that will benefit both the future careers of our students and their future employers.”
Scranton’s Kania School of Management is among less than five percent of business schools worldwide to hold accreditation by the rigorous standards of AACSB International (The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University’s programs in accounting and finance programs each at No. 17 in the country. In addition, Best Colleges named the University’s Online Master in Accountancy Program No. 1 in the country for Master’s in Accounting Online.
Globally, IMA supports the profession through research, the CMA® (Certified Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking, and advocacy of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more than 80,000 members in 140 countries and 300 professional and student chapters.
IMA’s globally-recognized CMA program is a relevant assessment of advanced accounting and financial management knowledge in four areas: financial planning, analysis, control and decision support – each of which is increasingly critical in meeting the changing needs of business, and therefore, essential learning for students of accounting and finance.
“IMA is pleased to welcome The University of Scranton to the growing list of schools that support the CMA exam program and have achieved a consistent standard of excellence,” said Raef Lawson, Ph.D., vice president of research and professor-in-residence for IMA . “High-quality, up-to-date educational programs that support the current needs of businesses will help future professional management accountants accomplish their career objectives and meet the competency expectations of employers.”
IMA Endorses Scranton’s Accounting Program
-
11/21/2017
“Culture – it has to do with certain paradigmatic things, what your relationship is to the Earth, building spontaneous sociable experiences – these are all cultural attributes. It turns out that people with certain cultures are more open to doing things in a way that promotes innovation,” said Michael C. Fairbanks ’79, H’06, chairman of the board at Silver Creek Medicines and fellow at the Weatherhead Institute for International Affairs at Harvard University. He spoke at a November Schemel Forum Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon at The University of Scranton.
Fairbanks, who has done extensive work in Africa’s economic development as well as biotechnology, explored the concept of citizenship and cultural change in his lecture titled “Scholarship, Service and Integrative Thinking.”
“On the one hand a dear friend, an alumnus of the University, and a person who in a way changed my life by encouraging me to pursue my life’s work in Africa, Mike is a pioneer in promoting entrepreneurship that believes in promoting the culture of citizenship to live in harmony. He has been advising the President of Rwanda, as well as a dozen other presidents and prime ministers from around the world,” said Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum.
Fairbanks discussed the five preconditions that are needed for a change in a country, a useful model that is the foundation for his book, “Plowing the Sea: Nurturing the Hidden Sources of Growth in the Developing World.”
“In order for a country to change, it needs a crisis. It’s a useful thing that can galvanize a response among people, and it’s critical for a transformation to take place. You also need a cultural receptivity for change – a heart and mind that are open to change,” said Fairbanks.
The author also discussed the need for new knowledge in developing countries, providing a moral purpose, and the necessity of adequate leaders.
“Entrepreneurs are born, not changed. We need people who are more generous, more concerned about the future than the past, and people who take more rational risks. These are the traits of an entrepreneur,” said Fairbanks.
Fairbanks has advised presidents in Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Asia on competitiveness and private sector development. Additionally, he has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, The Hill, Fox News and Huffington Post.
The lecture concluded with a question and answer session with the audience, where Fairbanks addressed lack of efficient leadership in our own country in addition to a need for philosophy.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
Ways to Promote Innovation Discussed at Scranton
-
11/21/2017I died todayBut it's ok
I help others learn
And in return
Others are saved.This excerpt from the poem “An Ode to Cadavers” by University of Scranton occupational therapy student Isabella Olimpo, Doylestown, was read during a Celebration of Remembrance Ceremony to honor those who donated their bodies to further the education of students in the health professions at The University of Scranton. Students joined with faculty and staff of the University’s Panuska College of Professional at the second annual ceremony held on campus in November.
During the summer and fall semesters at Scranton, undergraduate and graduate students studying in the fields of nurse anesthesia, physical therapy, occupational therapy and exercise science and sport learned firsthand the intricacies of the human body in the gross anatomy lab thanks to the gifts these individuals bestowed to science.
At the ceremony, reflections were read by Doctor of Physical Therapy Program students Natalia Ochalski, Hopewell, New Jersey, and Alexandra McGivern, Bethlehem, as well as occupational therapy undergraduates Sarah Flanagan, Northford, Connecticut, Courtney Hayashi, Lake Elmo, Minnisota, and Karlie Ashcroft, Highland Mills, New York.
$content.getChild('content').textValue“Upon death, they became teachers to our students,” said Cheryil Demkosky, director of the Panuska College of Professional Studies laboratories, who organized the service.
Also at the ceremony Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional studies, recognized students from Scranton Preparatory School for the corporal works of mercy they do through the Jesuit school’s St. Joseph of Arimathea Funeral Ministry Program. The high school students serve as pallbearers, offer scripture readings and prayers at funeral services for small families, indigent people or those who die alone.
Physical therapy professor Jennifer Schwartz, DPT, occupational therapy professor Chandra Dombroski, DPT, and Rev. Rick Malloy, S.J., University of Scranton Chaplain, also spoke at the ceremony.
Students from Scranton Preparatory School received an award from The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies for the corporal works of mercy they do through the St. Joseph of Arimathea Funeral Ministry Program at Prep. The award was presented at the Ceremony of Remembrance, which honors those who donated their bodies to further the education of students in the health professions at the college. Through Scranton Prep’s funeral ministry program, the high school students serve as pallbearers, offer scripture readings and prayers at funeral services for small families, indigent people or those who die alone. From left are, from Scranton Preparatory School: Donna Barrett, teacher; Corey Henfling, dean of students; seniors Genavieve Maloney, Clifford Township; Autumn Hendershot, Dalton; Avianna Carilli, Scott Township; Will McGregor, Scranton; Michael Welsh, Scranton; Peter Burke, Scranton; Max Kneeream, West Wyoming; Brianna Rivero, Clarks Summit; and Taylor Florey, Clarks Summit; and Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the University’s Panuska College of Professional studies.
PCPS Thanks Those Who Upon Death Became Teachers
-
11/21/2017
University of Scranton students, faculty and staff donated food baskets for area families in need through its annual Thanksgiving Food Drive organized by the University’s Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice. Dozens of students volunteered to prepare and distribute 225 baskets to families at the Valley View Housing Development in South Scranton.
Other holiday programs organized by University’s Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice include Christmas gift drives and a Community Christmas Day Breakfast.
The gift drives are currently underway for student, faculty and staff donations.
Faculty and staff will also volunteer for the community breakfast, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Dec. 25 in the DeNaples Center. Reservations are not required to attend the free breakfast. For information call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.
University Conducts Annual Holiday Drives
-
11/20/2017
Rev. Rick Malloy, S.J., University of Scranton chaplain, will lead a series of discussions this Advent season about finding God. The evening talks are presented free of charge and open to the public. A voluntary offering to support the Friends of the Poor will be collected at the sessions.
Fr. Malloy will discuss “Finding God in Catholicism’s Recent Controversies and Consolations” on Tuesday, Dec. 5. He will discuss “Finding God in Pope Francis’s Recent Teachings” on Wednesday, Dec. 6. At the final talk of the series on Thursday, Dec. 7, he will discuss “Finding God in Christmas Movies (Old and New).” All the discussions begin at 7:30 p.m. and will take place in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center on the University’s campus.
Fr. Malloy joined the University community in 2010 and became Chaplain in 2014. He is the author of three books: “A Faith That Frees” and “Being on Fire: Top Ten Essentials of Catholic Faith,” both of which won Catholic Press Association awards; and the recently published “Spiritual Direction: A Beginner’s Guide.”
For information on the discussions, email richard.malloy@scranton.edu or call the University’s Office of Campus Ministries at 570-941-7419.
University Chaplain Offers Talks About Finding God
-
11/20/2017
The University of Scranton hosted a lecture about “The North Korean Conundrum for the U.S. and Asia,” by Frank Plantan, Ph.D., co-director of International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania and honorary consul-general of Republic of Korea for Pennsylvania, on campus recently. The lecture was co-sponsored by the University’s Asian Studies Program and the history and political science departments.
At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Plantan also served 18 years as the director of the Penn-in-Seoul Study Abroad and Internship Program. He was a consultant to the World Bank as a member of the corporate restructuring team in Seoul during the Asian economic crisis in 1998-99. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Economic Planning Board of the Republic of Korea. He also does occasional consulting and is a partner in Gotham Orient Partners, an investment advisory firm.
Lecture Examines North Korea, U.S. and Asia
-
11/14/2017
“When you have a series of themes, illustrations and allusions, then we are justified to say that the singer, the lyricist, is trying to do something. Understanding the dimension of the song gives us an even deeper understanding of the artist on a personal level,” said Azzan Yadin-Israel, Ph.D., a professor of Jewish studies and classics at Rutgers University, at The University of Scranton Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute lecture titled “The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen.”
Dr. Yaden-Israel is the author of “The Grace of God and the Grace of Man: The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen,” for which he researched underlying biblical themes in Bruce Springsteen songs. He discussed the numerous Old Testament themes and interpretations of biblical passages from Springsteen songs, including “Thunder Road,” “Adam Raised a Cain,” and “Jesus Was an Only Son.”
“Springsteen is not a theologian in any sense, but over the course of his writing, he returns to these biblical themes over and over again. His early exposure to Catholicism is the pallet he used to create his work, his artistic work,” said Dr. Yaden-Israel.
The author also addressed how the Old Testament served as a rich source of inspiration to Springsteen’s work.
“The stories of Genesis that contain stories of relationships between fathers and sons really resonates with him. Springsteen recognized the centrality of religion later in life that eventually transcribed into certain songs open for the public’s interpretation,” said Dr. Yaden-Israel.
“Although his early writing is mostly of rabbinic literature and things of that nature, a couple of years ago, Dr. Yaden-Israel published a book. Trust me when I tell you, in addition to being an expert on Bruce Springsteen, he is also an expert on the theological ideas he talks about,” said Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., the Weinberg Chair of Judaic Studies at the University.
Dr. Yaden-Israel earned his bachelor’s degree from the Hebrew University, and his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley and Graduate Theological Union. Most of the courses Dr. Yaden-Israel teaches are on rabbinic literature, classical Jewish philosophy and Plato.
The lecture concluded with a question and answer session with attendees, where Dr. Yaden-Israel discussed some of the challenges he has faced with his research.
“The academic community doesn’t always know what to do with popular culture. I think that’s a shame. There can be good things that come from cross-pollination,” said Dr. Yaden-Israel.
Talk Explores Springsteen Songs
-
11/14/2017
A new study shows that, compared to endurance-based aerobic exercise like walking or swimming, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may be more effective in achieving meaningful weight loss among obese postmenopausal women.
The pilot study done by University of Scranton researchers is welcome news for busy mothers and other midlife women who cannot find the time to go to the gym. The workout studied was a 10-minute commercially available HIIT program.
The findings also are good news for this category of women, who are much more likely to suffer from chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
The study was published online in November in Menopause, The Journal of The North American Menopause Society, and will appear in print in the April 2018 issue (Volume 24.4). It was conducted by principal investigator Joan A. Grossman, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport; and her colleagues, Danielle Arigo, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology; and Jessica L. Bachman, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport.
All the women in the study followed a calorie-restricted diet between 1,200 and 1,500 calories, met monthly with the professors and logged their progress weekly via Fitbit. At the start, middle and end of the study, participants underwent an assessment of nine different measures, including waist, bicep, abdomen, and thighs.
The 16-week pilot study sample size was relatively small. Six women followed the HIIT exercise regimen, while five followed an endurance exercise program of their choice. Each group graduated from three to five days per week of exercise.
The difference between the groups was meaningful. Participants in the HIIT group lost twice as much weight as those in the endurance group, and lost an additional six inches of body mass.
The small, homogenous sample means the findings don’t necessarily generalize to women unlike those in the study, but they do hold promise for future studies.
“Our findings support the feasibility and potential effectiveness of HIIT for weight loss and body composition changes in obese postmenopausal women,” said Dr. Grossman. “And it indicates that additional investigation of this approach is warranted to reduce postmenopausal chronic disease risk.”
Faculty Pilot Study Published Online by Menopause
-
11/14/2017
The University of Scranton’s Sustainability Office received a Pennsylvania Environmental Council 2017 Partnership Award for its collaboration with area organizations on numerous community projects such as BikeScranton, as well as a food composting program and community garden. The award was presented at the 27th Annual Evening for Northeast Pennsylvania’s Environment, which took place in October at the Woodlands Inn and Resort in Wilkes-Barre.
The University’s community garden involves students, faculty, staff and a group of community partners that plant, maintain and harvest the garden. Through their effort, more than 600 pounds of food was donated to the on-campus Leahy Community Health and Family Center in 2016.
The University first started a community garden on its property in the 300 block of North Irving Avenue in the spring of 2005 with support from a grant from the Scranton Area Foundation and the Tomorrow's Leaders Today program. The garden was redeveloped and expanded by the University's Office of Sustainability in 2015 with help from the student led Sustainability Club on campus. Through cooperation with the Lackawanna County Sustainability Office, the Mulberry Bush Flower Shop, Penn State Outreach Master Gardeners and the University's Leahy Community Health and Family Center, Sustainability Club and gardeners, the community garden has continued to grow. The original garden of approximately 1,000 square feet of planting area was expanded to more than 7,500 square feet by 2017. Currently 15 groups use the garden, and 10 new gardeners have already signed up for 2018.
The Northeast Environmental Partners consist of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, PPL Corporation, Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, and Wilkes University.
Pennsylvania Environmental Council Awards University
-
11/13/2017
University of Scranton exercise science undergraduates took center stage for a series of interviews about scientific research regarding stretching techniques, which were broadcast on WNEP-TV’s Leckey Live morning show on Nov. 8. The news program gave the students of exercise science and
professor Jessica Bachman, Ph.D., the opportunity to demonstrate their academic training and knowledge within their discipline to a broad audience of viewers from more than a dozen counties in Northeast Pennsylvania.sport The future physical therapists, who are juniors and seniors majoring in exercise science and sport, discussed the benefits and limitations of static and dynamic stretching methods. The students also demonstrated several stretching techniques for a series of interviews with WNEP reporter Ryan Leckey broadcast live from the strength and conditioning laboratory of Leahy Hall on campus.
Students participating were: Kaitlyn Brogan of Oreland; Lauren Brogan of Oreland; Julianne Burrill of Valley Cottage, New York; Leah Colussi of Nazareth; Elizabeth Eichenlaub of Lancaster; Chris Howarth of Newtown Square; Claire Lacon of Blue Bell; Megan Shannon of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey; and Ryan Weathers of Willow Grove.
Participation by the students in the broadcast also illustrates the University’s strategic plan in action for an “Engaged, Integrated and Global Student Experience.”
Students Demonstrate Knowledge in TV Interviews
-
11/13/2017
Through Dec. 8 Exhibit: “Scranton and World War I.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7002 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Dec. 2 8 p.m. (prelude begins at 7 p.m.) Performance Music: “50th Annual Noel Night” featuring the University of Scranton Singers and Chamber Ensembles with special appearances by guest artists and alumni. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Empty Stocking Fund Benefit Concert” featuring The Scranton Brass Orchestra with special guests The Scranton Preparatory School Cavalyrics, Daniel Marx, director. Houlihan-McLean Center. Admission: one new toy or piece of children’s clothing or cash donation. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Dec. 25 8 a.m. Community Christmas Day Breakfast. Doors open at 8 a.m., Fresh Food Company, DeNaples Center. Free. No reservations necessary. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.University Announces December Events
-
11/10/2017
The Hilton Scranton and Conference Center will sponsor tournaments for The University of Scranton’s men’s and women’s basketball teams in November and December respectively.
The Hilton Scranton Invitational men’s basketball tournament will take place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 17 and 18, in the John Long Center. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford and York College will play at 5:30 p.m. and the Royals will play Penn State Berks at 7:30 p.m. The tournament will continue Nov. 18 with the third-place game at 2 p.m. and the championship game at 4 p.m.
The Hilton Scranton Poinsettia Classic women’s basketball tournament will begin Friday, Dec. 15, at 6 p.m. with Messiah College playing Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham, in the John Long Center, followed by the Lady Royals versus Hartwick College at 8 p.m. The tournament will continue the third-place game at 2 p.m. and the championship game at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16.
Tickets are available at the Long Center box office.
Hilton Scranton Sponsors Basketball Tournaments
-
11/10/2017
Nearly 80 foreign military officers, who are international fellows at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, visited The University of Scranton in October for a dinner and presentation by cadets in the ROTC program hosted at the University. The presentation provided information about military education in the United States at the cadet level through the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). Leading the presentation were cadets Jeremy Yeoman, Easton, Royal Battalion executive officer and a mechanical engineering major at Wilkes University; John Filipczyk, Benton, Royal Battalion operations officer and accounting major at The University of Scranton; and Michael Kolcharno, Dunmore, Royal Battalion commander and information sciences and technology major at Penn State Scranton.
The foreign officers are spending a year at the U.S. Army War College to advance their professional qualifications, to study and write on subjects related to the security interests of their own and allied nations, and to establish working relationships with U.S. military officers, as well as to learn about the United States and its institutions.
President Woodrow Wilson established the ROTC in the United States in 1916. Today, 48 percent of new active duty army officers are ROTC graduates with members of the U.S. military representing less than one percent of the total U.S. population.
The Army ROTC program at The University of Scranton was established in 1951
Currently there are 111 cadets in the program, and 1,222 second lieutenants have been commissioned since its creation at the Scranton campus.
International Fellows Meet Scranton ROTC Cadets
-
11/09/2017
One of the nation’s leading urban ethnographers and cultural theorists, Elijah Anderson, Ph.D., the William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Sociology at Yale University and director of the Urban Ethnography Project, will present “White Space and the Iconic Ghetto” on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall on The University of Scranton’s campus. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
An award-winning author of numerous books, articles and scholarly reports on race in American cities, Dr. Anderson’s books include “The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life,” “Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City,” “Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community” and “A Place on the Corner: A Study of Black Street Corner Men.”
The recipient of numerous awards, including the 2013 Cox-Johnson-Frazier Award of the American Sociological Association and the 2017 Merit Award of the Eastern Sociological Society, Dr. Anderson has served as a consultant to a variety of government agencies, including the White House, the United States Congress, the National Academy of Science and the National Science Foundation. Additionally, he was a member of the National Research Council’s Panel on the Understanding and Control of Violent Behavior.
Prior to joining the faculty at Yale University, Dr. Anderson served as the Charles and William L. Day Distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences and professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, with a secondary appointment in the Wharton School. In 2008, he was accorded the Charles and William L. Day Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the Social Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Anderson earned his bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, his master’s degree from the University of Chicago and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
The lecture is co-sponsored by the University’s Office of Diversity and Equity, The Jesuit Center and the departments of theology/religious studies and sociology, criminal justice and criminology.
For additional information about the lecture, call 570-941-4307 or email gretchen.vandyke@scranton.edu.
Lecture on ‘White Space and Iconic Ghetto’ Nov. 16
-
11/07/2017
The University of Scranton hosted a discussion about “Trust, Credibility and the News” led by professional journalists and student and faculty representatives of the University’s Department of Communication.
Panelists who participated in the event, which was held in the Forum of Leahy Hall in late October, were Larry Holeva, executive editor of The Times-Tribune, Citizens’ Voice and Standard Speaker; Dave Bohman, investigative reporter at WNEP-TV; Matthew Reavy, Ph.D., associate professor of communication at the University; and Steven DePrimo, managing editor of The Aquinas. Mark Cohen, president of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, moderated the discussion.
The discussion began by highlighting current challenges faced by the news media, including the transition of print sources into an online format. In the spring semester of 2017, The Aquinas changed from print to fully digital format.
“Social media is one of the most successful tools toward driving people to a website,” DePrimo said. “We started a new position this year called social media manager and they are in charge of all social media under the name Scranton Aquinas.”
Panelists also addressed the issue of news credibility.
“We make sure the information we provide goes through a real set of checks and balances,” Holeva said. “It’s really important that you make decisions based on information that has been vetted, that is accurate, that has been challenged, been pushed through an editing process and is not coming out of someone’s opinion.”
Bohman said WNEP-TV has a rigid scripting process.
“There have been some stories that never made air because one of the two people that do our script approval process in a major story will look at it and say that’s not good enough,” Bohman said.
When incorrect information is presented by a journalist, Bohman said was important to inform the public immediately of the error.
“People will respect you more when you make a mistake and you own it as soon as possible,” Bohman said.
“The two things everybody should be doing is accountability, which means stand up for what you’ve done, and transparency, which means show what you’ve done and ideally show why you’ve done something,” Dr. Reavy said. “If you have to make a tough ethical decision that you know a lot of your readers will disagree with, you should be transparent and say here’s why we made the choices that we made.”
Dr. Reavy discussed news media bias at the national level.
“On social issues you definitely see a left bias, whether it’s abortion, affirmative action, same-sex marriage, immigration or trans-gender issues right down the line journalists are going to be much more likely to be on the left side of those issues,” Dr. Reavy said. “On other issues, for example capitalism, journalists are going to have a right wing bias. They’re going to be pro-business because they work for corporations that have to make money.”
Dr. Reavy said the current political situation, with news focused on Republicans in control of the government, is not helping the media improve the public’s perception of their credibility.
“If only we had a Democrat as president that we could really investigate right now that would be great for media credibility,” Dr. Reavy said.
The discussion ended with panelists describing the passion they have for their profession.
“I love being out in the community, speaking with as many people as I can, digging through old files for number that may cause me to question my sources,” DePrimo said. “That’s what gets me up in the morning, gets me through my classes during the day and what puts me in the office until 2 a.m.”
The discussion was sponsored by the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, The Times-Tribune, and the Department of Communication at the University.
$content.getChild('content').textValue $content.getChild('content').textValueAddressing Trust in Today’s News Media
-
11/07/2017
“The China Shock: Economic and Political Consequences of China’s Rise for the United States” will be discussed at The University of Scranton’s 32nd Henry George Lecture on Friday, Nov. 17. The lecture, presented by David Autor, Ph.D., Ford Professor of Economics and associate department head of MIT’s Department of Economics, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the ballroom of the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.
Dr. Autor’s research with David Dorn, Ph.D., University of Zurich, and Gordon Hanson, Ph.D., University of California San Diego, as well as other research partners, focuses on the economic benefits and costs of trade integration. Their studies look at the global economic impact of the rise of China as an economic power, including its impact on U.S. workers, companies and markets. Studies and data on this subject is are presented on their website “The China Trade Shock.” A map on the website illustrates regions of the U.S. most impacted by China’s rise in global markets, including areas of Pennsylvania, which is “partly because those areas had lots of jobs in industries where imports surged the most,” according to their research. Their studies also indicate the demographics of those most affected as being “whiter, less educated, older and poorer than most of the rest of America.”
Studies by Drs. Autor, Dorn and Hanson related to this topic include “The China Shock: Learning from Labor Market Adjustment to Large Changes in Trade,” published in the October 2016 Annual Review of Economics, and “Untangling Trade and Technology: Evidence from Local Labor Markets,” published by The Economic Journal in May 2015.
Dr. Autor’s other areas of expertise include: human capital, skill supply and demand, and earnings inequality; and disability insurance and labor force participation. He serves as co-director of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) Labor Studies Program and as director of the NBER Disability Research Center. He is an elected member of the American Economic Association Executive Committee and the Society of Labor Economists Executive Committee.
Dr. Autor has received numerous awards for teaching and research, including the 2014 Faculty Appreciation Award from the MIT Technology and Public Policy Student Society, the 2013 James A. and Ruth Levitan Award for Excellence in Teaching from the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, the 2008 Sherwin Rosen Prize for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of Labor Economics from the Society of Labor Economists and the 2006 John T. Dunlop Outstanding Scholar Award from the Labor and Employment Relations Association, to name a few.
Dr. Autor earned his bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and his master’s and Ph.D. from Harvard University.
Considered the preeminent public lecture series on economics in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Henry George Lecture Series is presented by the University’s Economics and Finance Department and the campus chapter of Omicron Delta Epsilon, an international honor society for economics. Among the distinguished list of speakers who have spoken at previous lectures are nine winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics: Robert Shiller (2013), Tom Sargent (2011), Peter Diamond (2010), Paul Krugman (2008), Joseph Stiglitz (2001), George Akerlof (2001), Amartya Sen (1998), Robert Lucas (1995) and Robert Solow (1987). The lecture series is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Robert Schalkenbach Foundation.
For more information about the Henry George Lecture, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
$content.getChild('content').textValueImpact of China’s Economic Rise Discussed
-
11/06/2017
The first cohort of students began the new doctor of business administration (DBA) at The University of Scranton this fall semester.
The University’s DBA program, with a concentration in accounting, was developed to provide experienced practitioners with a practical pathway to an academic career. The program offers participants flexibility, while still providing for the development of the knowledge and skill set necessary to become a “scholarly academic” – one who is qualified to teach at a school of business that possesses or is seeking formal accreditation by Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International).
The DBA program is housed in the University’s Kania School of Management, which is accredited by AACSB International. It is the third doctorate-level program offered by the University, which also offers a doctor of physical therapy degree (DPT) and a doctor of nursing practice (DNP).
Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor, Accounting Department chair and DBA program director, spoke to the students when they arrived on campus.
The incoming DBA students are:
Marcus Burke of Poughkeepsie, New York;
Joy Chacko of Chandler, Arizona;
Anthony Fulmore of Killeen, Texas;
Craig Gallagher of South Abington Township;
Daniel Gaydon of Plains ;
Elena Isaacson of Glenville, New York;
Stephanie Lee of Chicago, Illinois;
Heather Losi of Liverpool, New York;
Amanda Marcy of Clifford Township;
Patrick O’Brien of North Merrick, New York;
Ronald Parker of Franklin, North Carolina;
Katheryn Zielinski of Bloomington, Minnesota.
Students Begin New DBA Program at Scranton
-
11/06/2017
The University of Scranton named Mulrooney and Sporer Electrical Contractors, Scranton, as its 2017 Business Partner of the Year. The award, presented at the annual Business Partner Appreciation Dinner held recently on campus, recognizes an organization for contributing outstanding service and value to the University’s Jesuit mission.
“I’d like to thank The University of Scranton for recognizing Mulrooney and Sporer as the 2017 Business Partner of the Year,” said Jim Egan, the company’s vice president who accepted the award. “I want to thank the whole University of Scranton community for letting us be part of their growth and expansion over the years, and we are looking forward to working together on new ventures and future projects.”
Mulrooney and Sporer Electrical Contractors first began working with the University in 1984. Since then, the company has worked on a variety of University projects, including the current renovation of the Estate grounds and the Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., Athletics Campus.
The annual event recognizes the top 100 companies that make outstanding contributions to the University’s ability to deliver a superior educational experience its students. Finalists for this year’s award include American Janitor and Paper Supply, Arley Wholesale Inc., Direct Energy, Ellucian Support Inc., Nelnet Campus Commerce, North End Electric, Payne Printery, Inc., Pella Products, Inc., and Virbitsky Masonry, Inc.
This is the 12th year the University has recognized a Business Partner of the Year.
University Recognizes Mulrooney and Sporer
-
11/03/2017
The University of Scranton’s Department of Communication and the Society of Professional Journalists hosted “Google News Lab Training with Vix Reitano” on campus in October.
Google launched News Lab to collaborate with journalists on improving the way news is produced and distributed. The Society of Professional Journalists partnered with News Lab in 2015 to provide training to journalists looking to apply Google’s tools in their reporting. Since the partnership began, more than 8,000 journalists have received training at 200 locations around the United States.
Reitano, the guest speaker at the University’s training session, is an international speaker, social media expert, content strategist and digital video producer. She is also the founder and CEO of CreatiVix Media, a digital agency based in Manhattan.
Scranton Hosts Google News Lab Training
-
11/03/2017
The University of Scranton has planned several public events on campus to celebrate Veterans Day on Friday, Nov. 10.
Events include an interfaith prayer service over a “Field of Flags” at the Commons Flag Terrace and Founders Green at 11 a.m.
Veterans Day events will conclude with a 7 p.m. lecture about “Mindfulness Training: Stress Reduction Workshop” in the Veterans Lounge on the first floor of Hyland Hall. The lecture is open to members of the University community and Veterans at large.
These Veterans Day events, presented free of charge, are sponsored by the University’s Veterans Club and the Veterans Advocacy Committee with a grant from Lockheed Martin, Inc.
In addition to the public events, A Veterans Luncheon featuring speaker Lt. Col. Richard H. Breen, class of 1977 and a member of the University’s Alumni Society, will take place at 11:30 a.m. in The DeNaples Center Ballroom for faculty, staff and students. An Open House from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. will give individuals an opportunity to meet the officers of the Veterans Club in the Veterans Lounge on the first floor of Hyland Hall.
University Plans Veterans Day Events
-
11/03/2017
On Thursday, Nov. 16, the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton in collaboration with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and WVIA, will present “Music and Medicine: George Gershwin.”
A Juilliard-trained pianist and Harvard Medical School graduate, Richard Kogan, M.D., is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. He will explore the role of music in the healing process and discuss the psychological and mental illnesses relevant to the creativity of Gershwin. He will also perform brief selections of Gershwin’s music.
The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. at WVIA, Pittston, followed by a reception. Reservations are required to attend and the recommended contribution is $20 per person. To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or by email at alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Music and Medicine Performed and Discussed Nov 16
-
10/31/2017
English and theatre professor Rebecca Beal, Ph.D., was awarded a grant from The University of Scranton’s Strategic Initiative Fund to enable students in her first-year seminar not only to read, discuss and study a Pulitzer Prize-winning book in class, but also to share their insights in a service initiative with residents of the city of Scranton. The fund supports innovative projects that will have a positive impact on the student experience and further the goals of the University’s Strategic Plan to engage, integrate and globalize the student experience.
Through the grant, students in Dr. Beal’s first-year seminar course “Latest and Greatest. Prize-winning Fiction, Poetry and Theatre” participated in the city’s Scranton Reads program by facilitating group discussions about the book Gilead at libraries throughout Lackawanna County during the month of October.
Freshmen Catherine O’Callaghan of Peapack, New Jersey, and Kathryn Antonawich of West Islip, New York, facilitated the book discussion at the Albright Memorial Library on Monday, Oct. 16.
“It’s going to be interesting to see the difference between what we think as freshmen at the University versus what the community thinks,” O’Callaghan said. “I think people will have different perspectives depending on their age, gender and background.”
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is a novel set in Gilead, Iowa, written as a memoir of Reverend John Ames, who was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Ames remembers the experiences of his father and grandfather so he can share them with his son. The book focuses on the dynamics of Ames’ family, his life in Gilead, Iowa, the struggle of coming to terms with death and missing out on his loved one’s lives. Gilead won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2005.
The students facilitated the discussion around four key themes seen throughout the book: faith, anger, family and death. The students used quotes from the book to prompt community members into a conversation about the book. Even though the students analyzed the book and crafted the discussion together, Antonawich valued the community’s views on the themes of the book.
“It’s easy for us to have the same opinion and it’s better to get other people’s opinions on it too,” Antonawich said.
When the conversation reached the theme of death, community members and students alike reflected on the idea that people can lose their life at any moment. They found importance on meditating on one’s own life at an old age and how Ames had time to think about his life before death due to the diagnosis of his heart condition.
Scranton Reads is an annual event that seeks to unite the community through reading and discussing a designated book. The program began in 2001 when the mayor of Scranton at the time, Christopher Doherty, discusses starting the program in Scranton with Jack Finnerty, director of the Albright Memorial Library. The program has run each October since 2001.
“The idea is to get as many people in the community of all walks of life, to read a single title, sit down and talk about whether they loved it, hated it or didn’t understand it at all,” Finnerty said.
$content.getChild('content').textValueRoyals Read with Scranton Area Residents
-
10/31/2017
The University of Scranton will begin to offer a Master of Science in Finance (MSF) online January 2018 and on campus beginning in the fall semester of 2018, with applications for the program currently being accepted.
Housed in the University’s AACSB-accredited Kania School of Management, the program is designed for individuals interested in careers in financial or investment management and can help prepare students for professional certifications, including the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program. The rigorous curriculum and flexible format are ideal for working professionals who wish to join the field or gain a competitive edge.
The growing global economy and the intricacies of today’s financial products are driving a need for financial professionals with the specialized knowledge to successfully manage complex portfolios. Employers are also seeking candidates who are able to introduce and implement an ethical organizational culture. Overall, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for financial analysts is expected to grow 11 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations, and the median annual wage for financial analysts as of 2016 was $81,760, with the top 10 percent earning more than $165,100. Professionals with ethics-focused training may also be in greater demand with clients who are concerned about honesty and responsibility from their financial services suppliers.
The frequency and scale of financial scandals in recent years have eroded the image of the finance industry and trust in financial professionals. To help the industry fulfill a vision of integrity and in line with the University’s Jesuit values, the MSF focuses on responsible and ethical strategies for financial and investment management. Graduates learn critical skills and knowledge in the field, including financial securities, risk metrics, hedging strategies, and investment criteria within a Jesuit framework of social responsibility, emphasizing concern for the well-being of both clients and the greater global society.
The program also incorporates the CFA Institute’s six areas of focus to promote a trustworthy industry working to support a better future: putting investors first, safeguarding the system, financial knowledge, regulation and enforcement, retirement security, and transparency and fairness.
The program requires 30 credits and may be completed in 12 months when taken on a full-time basis.
For online students, coursework is complemented by an optional three-day, on-campus residency involving an interactive experience in the state-of-the-art Alperin Financial Center. At the center, students engage in simulations on a trading floor that features an electronic ticker displaying data feeds directly from Wall Street, monitors displaying up-to-the-minute financial news, 12 Bloomberg terminals, and computing hardware and software that support complex evaluations of equities and currencies.
To apply or learn more about the on-campus MSF, contact the Office of Graduate Admissions at 570-941-4416 or email gradadmissions@scranton.edu. To apply or learn more about the online MSF, go to elearning.scranton.edu or call 866-373-9547.
University to Offer Master of Science in Finance
-
10/31/2017
The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management named professors Irene Goll, Ph.D., and Satyajit Ghosh, Ph.D., Alperin Teaching Fellows for 2017-20. Michael Mensah, Ph.D., dean of the Kania School of Management, made the announcement.
The three-year Alperin Teaching Fellow Award was established in 1999 to recognize outstanding teaching in the Kania School of Management. Funding is provided by an endowment established in 1980 through a gift from Irwin E. Alperin, Joel M. Alperin and Myer Alperin and their families.
An associate professor of management, marketing and entrepreneurship, Dr. Goll joined the University in 1988. She was the first recipient of the William and Elizabeth Burkavage Fellowship in Business Ethics and Social Responsibility, which was awarded by the University in 2011. The endowed fellowship was established in 2009 and provides support to assist University faculty in new research on issues of sustainability, social responsibility and business ethics.
Dr. Goll is the author of “The Moderating Effect of Environmental Munificence and Dynamism on the Relationship between Discretionary Social Responsibility and Firm Performance,” which appeared in the Journal of Business Ethics. She has also published articles that examine corporate social responsibility as an important component of a firm’s culture, philosophy or ideology in the prestigious management journals Organization Studies and Industrial Relations.
Dr. Goll received her bachelor’s degree from The Pennsylvania State University, her master’s degree from the University of Illinois and her doctorate degree from Temple University.
An associate professor of economics and finance, Dr. Ghosh joined the faculty at Scranton in 1986. During his more than 30 years of service, he served on numerous committees including the Committee on Program Evaluation, the Subcommittee on Assessment, the Middle States Accreditation Committee, the Institutional Learning Outcomes Working Group and the Middle States Monitoring Report Coordinating Committee, among others. Dr. Ghosh also served as a faculty assessor for KSOM Day and helped develop student learning goals for economics and finance majors. He also assisted to create a draft of the institutional learning outcomes, with the Institutional Outcomes Working Group, which became an integral part of the University’s assessment plan.
Dr. Ghosh is frequently quoted in news publications regarding a variety of regional economic subjects, appearing in as many as 24 separate news articles in one year. He participates annually in the Scranton Times-Tribune panel discussion for Outlook, which addresses a yearly economic forecast for the region.
Dr. Ghosh received his bachelor’s degree from Presidency College in India, his master’s degree from the University of Calcutta and the State University of New York at Buffalo and his doctorate degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
KSOM Professors Named Alperin Teaching Fellows
-
10/30/2017
Azzan Yadin-Israel, Ph.D., professor of Jewish studies and classics at Rutgers University, will present “The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen” at The University of Scranton on Thursday, Nov. 9. Sponsored by the University’s Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute, the lecture will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. The event is free and open to the public.
Dr. Yaden-Israel’s presentation will unearth Old Testament themes and reinterpretations of Bible passages from Springsteen’s song lyrics. He breaks down these common themes into four sections: early works, sin, grace and the struggle within, and Springsteen’s Midrash.
The author of three books that add depth to the understanding of midrash and the study of German as a foreign vocabulary, Scripture as Logos: Rabbi Ishmael and the Origins of Midrash, Scripture and Tradition: Rabbi Akiva and the Triumph of Midrash, and Intuitive Vocabulary: German, Dr. Yaden-Israel spent two years mining Bruce Springsteen’s songs for research in his latest book, The Grace of God and the Grace of Man: The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen.
Dr. Yaden-Israel earned his bachelor’s degree from the Hebrew University, and his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley and Graduate Theological Union. A professor of Jewish studies and classics at Rutgers, Dr. Yadin-Israel teaches courses on rabbinic literature, classical Jewish philosophy, the history of Jewish mysticism and Plato.
The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute, created in 1979 through an endowment funded by the local Jewish community, fosters a better understanding and appreciation of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports visits to the University by Jewish scholars and writers as well as library acquisitions, publications, faculty research travel and other scholarly endeavors. A $1 million gift from Harry Weinberg in 1990 further enhanced the institute’s work.
For more information, contact Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956.
Distinguished Professor Explores Springsteen Lyrics
-
10/27/2017
Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra will bring their 25th Anniversary Tour to The University of Scranton on Saturday, Nov. 4.
Presented by Performance Music at the University, the concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. inside the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga said the show is a huge get for Performance Music, given that is a part of their anniversary tour.
“The DIVA 25th anniversary tour is a big thing. We are really excited to be a part of it,” said Boga, who first met Maricle years ago at the COTA Jazz Festival in Delaware Water Gap.
“Sherrie’s a world-class drummer, percussionist, and musician,” said Boga, noting Maricle has previously conducted a rhythm clinic at the University as part of the Scranton Brass Seminar. “She’s so generous with her time and talent, and is a terrific teacher.”
In addition to Maricle, the all-female DIVA is composed of more than a dozen other virtuoso jazz musicians. The group has recorded over a dozen albums of modern big band music, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Playboy Jazz Festival, Tanglewood, the Montreal Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center’s “Women in Jazz” concert and Verizon Jazz at Lincoln Center.
Featured in the 2013 documentary, “The Girls in the Band,” the members of DIVA have played with numerous music luminaries, including Skitch Henderson, Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Diane Schuur, Carmen Bradford, Marlena Shaw, DeeDee Bridgewater, Rosemary Clooney, Jack Jones, Clark Terry, Dr. Billy Taylor, Terry Gibbs, Tommy Newsom and Randy Brecker. Recently, the group teamed up with tap dancer and vocalist Maurice Hines for the show, “Tappin’ Thru Life.”
In addition to the concert, Maricle and a few other members of DIVA will be teaching instrumental masterclasses at the University earlier that day. The masterclasses are free and open to local amateur and professional musicians, ages 16 and up. Those interested in taking part should email music@scranton.edu for further information.
For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on DIVA Jazz Orchestra, visit divajazz.com.
DIVA Jazz Orchestra to Perform Nov. 4
-
10/27/2017
The University of Scranton Players will present “Hannah & Martin” by Kate Fodor, directed by Jennifer Rhoads, Friday through Sundays Nov. 3-5 and Nov. 10-12. Performances begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Joseph M. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts on the University’s campus.
“Hannah & Martin” depicts the complicated relationship between two of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century, Martin Heidegger and Hannah Arendt. Fodor dramatizes the struggles of Arendt to justify the politics of Heidegger, her former professor and collaborator with the rise of the Nazis. Fodor’s play opened at the Manhattan Ensemble Theatre in 2004 and received the Kennedy Center’s Rodger L. Stevens Award and was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.
The production features Conor Hurley of Woodside, New Jersey, as Martin Heidegger; Ali Basalyga of Scranton as Hannah Arendt; Mitchell Demytrk of Bushkill as Baldur Von Schirach; Shaye Santos of Wrighstown, New Jersey, as Elfride Heidegger and Judge; Timothy Dodds of Suffield, Connecticut, as Gunther Stern; Julia Consiglio of Oceanside, New York, as Alice; Nicolas Gangone of Howard Beach, New York, as Karl Jaspers and Prosecutor; and Emily Paparazzo of Paupack as Gertrud Jaspers. Basalyga is a graduate of West Scranton High School and Paparazzo is a graduate of Wallenpaupack High School.
Tickets may be purchased or reserved by calling the box office at 570-941-4318 or online at thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students and University of Scranton faculty and staff. Performances during the second weekend are free for first-year students.
University Players Present ‘Hannah and Martin’
-
10/25/2017
Ten years ago, The University of Scranton hosted a live broadcast with Al Roker of NBC’s Today show to kick-off the three-day Office Convention that brought to the city 15 cast members from “The Office,” a dozen writers, producers and more than 150 journalists covering the events.
The Office Convention provided an opportunity for the University to showcase its campus to a national audience and allowed students the chance to participate in events throughout the city. Student government and student programming leaders played a role in planning the convention and dozens of students majoring in communication assisted public relations staff members with journalists and cast members at events on campus.
In addition to the Today show broadcast, which was attended by more than 3,000 people and featured the University’s cheerleaders, Urban Beats and nine cast members of The Office, other events included a Street Festival, Dunder Mifflin Infinity’s Office Olympics, food, local vendors selling Scranton-related merchandise and two open-air stages offering a wide assortment of live entertainment. There was also a Q&A panel with cast members, a Bloggers’ Breakfast and a Writers’ Block discussion. Many of the events were held on the campus.
The Convention was the brainchild of Scrantonians Michele Dempsey, Sara Hailstone and University of Scranton alumnus Tim Holmes, class of 1988, who collectively chaired the events, which were organized with the assistance of the City of Scranton, the Lackawanna County Convention & Visitors Bureau, WBRE-TV, Times Shamrock Newspapers, The University of Scranton, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce and Mohegan Sun.
Ten Year Anniversary of The Office Convention
-
10/24/2017
“I was hooked when I saw the first blade of grass. It requires stamina – you have to have it and a great, great tolerance,” said artist Helen Evanchik about en plein air painting. “You have to have great resilience and an undying love of nature.”
Evanchik is a New York City native whose exhibit called “Here and There, Now and Then” is being featured at The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery in Hyland Hall through Nov. 17. She discussed her work at a lecture prior to an opening reception for the exhibit on Oct. 20.
“Make yourself see the beauty all around you. It’s all there, and out there it’s moving very fast. If you do decide to go out there and paint, I can guarantee you, you’re going to have the greatest time. Just realize it’s not for you, but for anyone who can appreciate what it is that you’re trying to show,” said Evanchik.
The artist addressed the impact of impressionism on her work and what en plein air techniques she utilizes to capture the beauty she so often discovers working outdoors to create her landscape paintings.
“En plein air thinking derives from entering the age of discovery. Changes were taking place in the air, land and sea, and the world was alive with action. People were studying plants, animals and most importantly, humanity. Perspective, light and reflection all became essential components to the technique,” said Evanchik.
Evanchik also discussed the profound influence living in New York City had on her childhood as well as the implications it had on her art. She offered sage advice to attendees on what it truly means to fail.
“When you approach outside, your response may be overwhelming. You might try to succeed, and unfortunately it doesn’t always work. But failure is just practice. Practice, practice, practice,” said Evanchik. “That’s how you become an artist.”
Evanchik, who received her arts training at the Cooper Union, has participated in numerous regional and national exhibitions. She has produced a plethora of landscape paintings, specifically of Long Island and northeastern Pennsylvania. There are 37 oil paintings in the Hope Horn Gallery exhibit. A portion of any sales from this exhibition will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of Evanchik’s daughter, Merrie.
En Plein Air Artist Discusses Work Now on Display
-
10/23/2017
Kenny Rampton, a longtime trumpeter with Wynton Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, will serve as guest soloist when The University of Scranton Jazz Band performs an evening of big band music Saturday, Oct. 28.
Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga first met Rampton through her longtime friend Marsalis.
“Great guy, great teacher, great colleague,” said Boga, noting Rampton was originally slated to make his Performance Music debut last spring, but a last-minute illness forced him to cancel.
Boga said concertgoers can expect a varied affair when the 25-piece Jazz Band, made up of University students from all different majors, takes the stage with Rampton.
“We’ll perform ‘Portrait of Louis Armstrong,’ by Duke Ellington, because you kind of can’t have one of Wynton’s trumpeters here and not take the opportunity to feature that,” Boga said. “We’ll do one or two charts from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Library. We’ll do some big band arrangements of Ray Charles charts.”
Earlier that day, Rampton will give a free masterclass for local amateur and professional brass players, ages 16 and up. Those interested in taking part in the class should email music@scranton.edu for more information.
Marsalis and Charles are but two of many music icons that Rampton has collaborated with throughout his illustrious career.
Besides his longtime affiliation with Jazz at Lincoln Center, Rampton also provides the voice of the trumpet on “Sesame Street.” He has toured the world with Charles and the popular rock band Matchbox Twenty, and has performed as a sideman with Mingus Epitaph (under the direction of Gunther Schuller), Bebo Valdez’ Latin Jazz All-Stars, Maria Schneider, the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra, Dr. John, Lionel Hampton, Jon Hendricks, Illinois Jacquet, Geoff Keezer and Christian McBride.
In addition, Rampton leads his own quintet and performs with the Mingus Big Band, the Mingus Orchestra, the Mingus Dynasty, George Gruntz’ Concert Jazz Band and the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra (under the direction of Dave Matthews). He has numerous Broadway and commercial jingle credits, has played on hundreds of jazz, R&B, blues, pop and hip-hop recordings, and is an in-demand studio trumpeter.
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Rampton, visit kennyrampton.com.
Trumpeter Kenny Rampton to Perform Oct. 28
-
10/20/2017
A politically filled discussion addressing the most urgent constitutional issues making the headlines at the time occurred at The University of Scranton Schemel Forum’s annual University for a Day.
The lecture “The Constitution in the Headlines” was presented by Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, Akhil Amar, Ph.D., recently on campus during the daylong program. One of the issues he discussed was the division of the North and South during voting in the most recent election.
Dr. Amar began by stating that there is no “big state versus small state” in presidential elections, but instead it is a division between the North and the South in the U.S. He represented the division in America by showing a map of the U.S. after the election and how there was a clear divide in voters from the cities to the rural areas. This was always the case in America as Dr. Amar showed an election map of 1896, which he also compared to the election of 2008 and the only difference being that the parties had flipped.
In the 1896 election, people from the rural areas voted Democrat and people from the cities voted Republican, which is the complete opposite of today. Dr. Amar used this example to show America has always been deeply divided on politics, not just this past election.
Dr. Amar also compared the past election to the race between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. He compared Hillary Clinton to Adams and Donald Trump to Jackson. He used the similarities of Trump and Jackson both not being politicians before the elections, and being viewed as a voice of the common people. He also said how Jackson was tough on government leading up to the election, similar to Trump.
$content.getChild('content').textValueLecture Discusses ‘The Constitution in Headlines’
-
10/19/2017
The University of Scranton placed at No. 73 among some of the most elite colleges in the nation in a new ranking that combines an average score from national “best college” guidebooks with an average score based on student reviews posted online. The 2017-18 ranking, published online by College Consensus, a college ranking and review aggregator, also listed the top 10 schools in each state. Scranton ranked No. 7 in Pennsylvania.
For the ranking, College Consensus calculated an “average rating score” for colleges based on national guidebook rankings, which include U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, Times Higher Education, Washington Monthly and others. College Consensus also calculated an “overall score” for colleges based on student reviews posted on multiple sites, including Niche.com. The “consensus ranking” combined both these scores.
The University of Scranton is ranked in all the above-mentioned publications, in addition to numerous other national “best college” rankings. U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 24 consecutive years.
Consensus Ranking Places Scranton in Top 75 in USA
-
10/19/2017
The University of Scranton has awarded nine students from its class of 2021 four-year, full-tuition Presidential Scholarships. The Presidential Scholarship recipients are Molly Elkins, Hannah Graff, Madison Heaton, Christine Jiang, Jacob Myers, Megan Osborne, Gabriel Ragusa, Amanda Tolvaisa and Kate Wisner.
Presidential Scholarships are awarded to incoming freshmen with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. The scholarship covers four years of full tuition provided that the student maintains at least a 3.25 grade point average.
Molly Elkins, Owings, Maryland, graduated from Northern High School. A National Merit Commended Scholar and AP Scholar with Distinction, she was the recipient of numerous academic awards in high school, including the Superintendent Scholastic Recognition Award. She was president of the National Honor Society and a team captain of Mock Trial. She was also member of the Tri-M Music Honor Society, the women’s choir, the junior varsity girls’ soccer team and the theater department. She was a leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a secretary of the Parish Council, a leader at Youth Group and president of the Future Doctors of America. She served on a mission trip in Appalachia, and with several community organizations and projects. Elkins is a biochemistry, cell and molecular biology major and a member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. She is the daughter of Scott and Trisha Elkins.
Hannah Graff, Melville, New York, was valedictorian of her graduating class at St. Anthony’s High School. A National Merit Scholar Finalist, National AP Scholar and the AP Scholar with Distinction, Graff is a member of the English, math, French and national honor societies. In high school, she was vice president of honors orchestra, co-president of the book club and on the leadership boards of PB&J Gang (a club that made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for shelters) and SAVE. She was also a Eucharistic Minister, a member of the Kolbe Society and Caring Adolescents. She was also a member of Girls Who Code. She was in the Pit Orchestra, a participant in Independent Science Research, and member of Helping Hands and Clare Council. In her parish, St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Melville, she was a lector. A forensic accounting major with a philosophy and business analytics minor at Scranton, she is also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. She is the daughter of Scranton alumni Craig and Jennifer Graff, both class of 1995.
Madison Heaton, Medford Lakes, New Jersey, graduated magna cum laude from Shawnee High School. An AP Scholar with Distinction, she is the recipient of the AP Latin Academic Achievement Award and a four-time National Latin Exam Gold Medalist. She also received the New Jersey State Seal of Bi-literacy in Latin among other academic awards. In high school, she was the president of the Photography Club, secretary of the American Sign Language Club, and member of the Latin Club and National Honor Society. Heaton served as a volunteer at KinderCare, as well as at nursing homes and assisted living facilities and the Ronald McDonald House. At Scranton, she will pursue an occupational therapy major and a psychology and counseling and human services minor. She is the daughter of Craig and Stephanie Heaton.
Christine Jiang, Dickson City, graduated from Scranton Preparatory School. An AP Scholar Award recipient, she also earned a gold medal for the National Latin Exam, a silver medal for the National German Exam and a green ribbon for the National Greek Exam. In high school, she was a member of the National Honor Society, the Art Society, Cavalier Chronicles, Interactive Media Club and the Prep Players. She served in the Neighborhood Outreach program and the Boys and Girls Club. A sociology and philosophy double major with a minor in Japanese at Scranton, she is also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. She is the daughter of Fen Lam.
Jacob Myers, Ambler, graduated of Abington Friends School. Myers was a member of the Abington Friends School’s baseball team for three years and a captain of the Frisbee team, winning the Edward Thode Award. In high school, he served as a clerk for the Agenda Committee, which is the equivalent to being the president of student government at non-Quaker schools, and as a member of the acapella club. He served as a choral scholar at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Chestnut Hill. A biology major at Scranton with plans to double major in philosophy, he is also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and participant in a pilot STEM Honors Program. He is the son of Erica Nelson and Andrew Myers.
Megan Osborne, Mifflinville, graduated from Central Columbia High School. A National Merit Finalist and an AP Scholar with Honor, she was also a member of the National Honor Society and earned an honorable mention in the National Spanish Exam. In high school, she was a member of the Drama Club and participated in the Model United Nations. She was president of her school’s chorus and placed into the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association District Chorus, Regional Chorus and State Chorus. She also placed into District Vocal Jazz. Her volunteer work included serving as a teacher’s aide for a third-grade CCD class at St. Mary’s parish in Berwick. At Scranton, she will pursue a double major in secondary education and mathematics. She is the daughter of Jeff and Joanne Osborne.
Gabriel Ragusa, Garden City, New York, graduated from Garden City High School. An AP Scholar with Distinction and five-time medalist on the National Spanish Exam, he was a member of the National Spanish Honor Society. He was a 2016 American Legion Boys’ State Representative. In high school, he was a member of the Spanish Literary Magazine, Jazz Band, Hospital Explorers program, Chess Club, math team and captain of the swim team. He served as a junior volunteer at Winthrop University Hospital, a volunteer at St. Anne’s Church in Garden City, New York, and Hofstra University’s REACH program for children with disabilities. A biology major at Scranton, he is also member of the University’s Special Jesuits Liberal Arts Honors Program. He is the son of Debbie Ragusa.
Amanda Tolvaisa, Springfield, graduated from Sacred Heart Academy, Bryn Mawr. She was the recipient of numerous academic awards, including the Alumnae Essay Award, the Isabel Gallagher R.S.C.J. History Award and President’s Award for Educational Excellence. A member of the National Honor Society, she was also captain of the crew team and co-editor of her high school’s literary magazine, Chez Nous. An English major at Scranton, she is also a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program. She is the daughter of Albert and Patricia Tolvaisa.
Kate Wisner, Hanover, was valedictorian of her graduating class from South Western High School. A National Merit Scholar Finalist and AP Scholar with Distinction, she was a member of the National Honor Society and Tri-M Music Honor Society. She received the Rotary Student of the Month award and the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizen Award. She was a member of her high school’s choir, Key Club and the Future Business Leaders of America. A Church Group Leader at First United Methodist parish in Hanover, she served at Vacation Bible School, Homewood at Plum Creek and the Provide-a-Lunch Program. At Scranton, she will pursue a major in occupational therapy. She is the daughter of Wade and Elizabeth Wisner.
Scranton Names Class of 2021 Presidential Scholars
-
10/17/2017
The University of Scranton will host two Open House events for prospective students and their families on Sunday, Oct. 22, and Sunday, Nov. 5.
At the Open House events, participants can learn about Scranton’s 66 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 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 additional information, contact Scranton’s Admissions Office at 1-888-SCRANTON or visit www.scranton.edu/admissions.
Open House Set for Oct. 22 and Nov. 5 at Scranton
-
10/17/2017
A memorial service for the Hon. Joseph M. McDade, who served 18 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, at 10 a.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom on the fourth floor of the DeNaples Center on The University of Scranton’s campus. The service is open to the public.
Congressman McDade, who passed away Sept. 24 at the age of 85, represented Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 36 years. During his service, he was able to secure federal support for numerous projects, including the Steamtown National Historic Site. He was also influential with his support of the Tobyhanna Army Depot and other regional defense companies, as well as other institutions.
Congressman McDade was born on Sept. 29, 1931, in Scranton. He graduated from Scranton Preparatory School before earning degrees from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Named Trustee Emeritus at The University of Scranton, Congressman McDade first served as a member of Scranton’s Board of Trustees from 1977 to 1983. He received an honorary degree from the University in 1969. He chose the University’s Weinberg Memorial Library as the repository of the Joseph M. McDade Congressional Collection, which includes his Congressional papers and other items from his 36 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1993, the University dedicated The Joseph M. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts in his honor. The building houses the University’s Department of English and Theatre and its academic theatre programming and is the mainstage for the University Players.
The late congressman also has two endowed scholarships at the University: The Joseph M. McDade Scholarship and The Congressman and Mrs. McDade Program for Public Service Scholarship.
Scranton Memorial Service Set for Joseph M. McDade
-
10/17/2017
The University of Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies hosted the 16th Annual U.S. Conference on disAbility recently on campus. The conference included a public town hall presentation by actor R.J. Mitte, who played Walter “Flynn” White Jr. in the television series “Breaking Bad.” The presentation, which was attended by more than 650 people, was co-sponsored by Geisinger. From left: Rebecca Spirito Dalgin, Ph.D., conference co-chair and director of the rehabilitation counseling program at the University; Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies; Edward R. Leahy, honorary conference co-chair; Mitte; Ronald Beer, chief administrative officer for Geisinger Northeast; and Lori Bruch, Ed.D., conference co-chair and chair of the Counseling and Human Services Department at the University.
University Hosts Conference on disAbilty
-
10/17/2017
Abhijit Roy, D.B.A., professor of marketing, management and entrepreneurship in The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management, concluded his three-year William and Elizabeth Burkavage Fellowship in Business Ethics and Social Responsibility.
The endowed fellowship, established in 2009 by William J. and Judith G. Burkavage in memory of William’s parents, William and Elizabeth Burkavage, supports University faculty as they research sustainability, social responsibility and business ethics.
Dr. Roy, who earned his doctor of business administration degree from Boston University, two master’s degrees from the University of Arizona and an undergraduate degree from the University of Allahabad, India, expressed gratitude for the fellowship and outlined an extensive list of research activities he has been able to complete, including co-authoring a publication titled “Predictors of Various Facets of Sustainability of Nations” with the first recipient of the Burkavage Fellowship, Irene Goll, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Kania School of Management.
During his tenure as the Burkavage fellow, Dr. Roy also made distinctive contributions in teaching and service.
In the instructional arena, Dr. Roy designed the material for and volunteered to teach the University MBA program’s cornerstone course, “Responsibility, Sustainability and Justice,” and received a grant to teach “Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship” as a travel/hybrid course in 2018.
“I make sure that the other courses I teach have business ethics and social-responsibility issues infused in them,” he said, citing appropriateness of marketing to vulnerable populations, re-engineering a slum and the use/misuse of stealth-marketing strategies.
During his fellowship, Dr. Roy was published in two languages in six peer-reviewed journals: the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing; the International Journal of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Ecosistema; the International Journal of Sustainable Society; the International Business Review; and the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship.
Dr. Roy said his published research addresses “various facets of sustainability, responsibility, social entrepreneurship and business ethics” and noted that in his 11 years at the University he has co-authored 20 peer-reviewed journal articles and has several others in progress.
In the academic arena, Dr. Roy has served as an external reviewer for promotion, tenure or funding decisions for Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Xavier Institute of Social Service in Ranchi, India, and the University of Khartoum in Sudan, and he evaluated a sustainability application for the Icelandic Research Fund.
Additionally, Dr. Roy presented 10 papers at major national and international conferences during his fellowship, traveling to Boston, New York, Chicago, Florida and Quebec as well as Belgium, Italy, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates. He also wrote more than 30 encyclopedia articles as well as an award-winning case study titled “Modernizing Dharavi: If You Build, Will They Come?” and served as a book review editor for the Journal of International Consumer Marketing, completing four reviews during his tenure.
Service has also been a crucial element of Dr. Roy’s fellowship tenure. He has donated his time to the University’s annual Thanksgiving food drive, made cultural festival presentations at the Scranton Iron Furnaces and on campus and attended several faculty development initiatives, including making pilgrimage and service trips to Spain and Nicaragua. He also has assisted students with service-learning projects through his Consumer Behavior classes, completing projects for the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, downtown Scranton businesses and farmers market groups.
Dr. Roy said that he used the Burkavage support for diverse purposes, from purchasing software, traveling to India to research information not readily available in the United States and traveling to multiple conferences each year.
“I was very humbled to receive the Burkavage fellowship and thank the Burkavage family for funding it,” Dr. Roy said.
Fellowship Supports Social Responsibility Research
-
10/13/2017
Recent poll show “trust” and “confidence” in the media drifts below 50 percent. A poll by Reuters/Ipsos, released on Oct. 3, found 48 percent of adults surveyed said they had a “great deal” or “some” confidence in the press. A USA Today/Suffolk University poll, published June 29, found that 36 percent of respondents “said they approve of the mainstream media” with 50 percent saying they “disapprove of the press.” In a Gallup poll published April 5 of this year, 62 percent of U.S. adults surveyed said the media favors a political party (Of those who perceive political bias in the news, 64 percent believe the media favors the Democratic Party).
Unfortunately for the news media, these numbers are not new. Gallup polls going back to the 1990s show a perceived bias in the news media, however perception of media bias has become more pronounced in recent years.
Area journalists and editors will join with representatives from academia to discuss the state and perception of news coverage at a free, public Town Hall Panel Discussion on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m. in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
Panelists Larry Holeva, executive editor of The Times-Tribune, Citizens’ Voice and Standard-
Speaker; Dave Bohman, investigative reporter at WNEP-TV; Matthew Reavy, Ph.D., associate professor of communication at The University of Scranton; and Steven DePrimo, managing editor of the University’s student newspaper The Aquinas, will discuss “Trust, Credibility and the News.” Mark Cohen, president of the Pennsylvania News Media Association, the Pennsylvania News Media Association Foundation and MANSI Media, will moderate the discussion.The event is sponsored by the Pennsylvania News Media Association, The Times-Tribune and the Department of Communication at The University of Scranton.
Dr. Reavy joined the faculty at the University in 1998, having previously worked as a journalist for the Scranton Tribune, the Hometown Publications chain of weekly newspapers and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting. His areas of teaching and research include journalism and ethics. Dr. Reavy earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The University of Scranton, and his doctorate degree from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
DePrimo, Waldwick, New Jersey, is a senior journalism and electronic media major at The University of Scranton with a minor in political science. He is managing editor for the school's student newspaper, The Aquinas and was part of the editorial team that made the decision last year to end print publication of the newspaper and to solely publish online.
Holeva began his career as a copy boy at the now defunct Scrantonian-Tribune in 1983. He became managing editor of the Scranton Times-Tribune in 2004 and has overseen the three daily newsrooms of Times-Shamrock publications in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Hazleton since November of 2012. He is past president of the Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors and serves on the board of the state Associated Press Media Editors (APME) and the Pennsylvania Society of News Editors. A native of Dickson City, he majored in journalism at Penn State University and resides in Wilkes-Barre.
An Emmy award-winning correspondent, Bohman has specialized in reporting on public corruption, consumer rip-offs and crime at WNEP-TV since 2009. Bohman has reported on national news for CNN, CBS, ABC and the Weather Channel in Ohio, New York, Florida and other states. He graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism.
Most recently, Cohen, who will serve as moderator, was publisher and digital director of the Akron Beacon Journal and Ohio.com. While in Akron, Cohen served on the boards of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank, the Akron Roundtable, the United Way of Summit County and the Downtown Akron Partnership. He has also worked for Thompson Newspapers, GateHouse Newspapers and the Pioneer Newspaper Group.
Area residents can submit questions for the discussion prior to the Oct. 24 event at submissions@timesshamrock.com.
For additional information about the panel discussion, contact The University of Scranton at 570-941-7662 or email info@scranton.edu.
Panel to Address News Media Trust and Credibility
-
10/13/2017
With the abundance of digital media tools and social media platforms in society today, just about anyone can craft a story they want to tell the world. But it takes certain knowledge and skills to disseminate your story to the widest possible audience.
With that in mind, The University of Scranton’s Department of Communication and the Society of Professional Journalists will present “Google News Lab Training with Vix Reitano” on Saturday, Oct. 21. The training runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center.
Google launched News Lab to collaborate with journalists on improving the way news is produced and distributed. The Society of Professional Journalists partnered with News Lab in 2015 to provide training to journalists looking to apply Google’s tools in their reporting. Since the partnership began, more than 8,000 journalists have received training at 200 locations around the United States.
Reitano, the guest speaker at the University’s training session, is an international speaker, social media expert, content strategist and digital video producer. She is also the founder and CEO of CreatiVix Media, a digital agency based in Manhattan. CreatiVix specializes in creating digital content strategies, building and managing content syndication relationships and managing paid media strategies on Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. Reitano also works with journalists, businesses, students, authors and celebrities to assist them with media strategies and editorial content development.
The Google News Lab training session is free and open to the public. Registration is required. University students can sign up by visiting http://registration.uofscomm.org or emailing communication@scranton.edu. Members of the public can register by emailing communication@scranton.edu.
Google News Lab Training at Scranton Oct. 21
-
10/13/2017
The exhibit “Here and There, Now and Then: Paintings by Helen Evanchik” will show Friday, Oct. 20 to Friday, Nov. 17, at The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery.
Evanchik uses the en plein air, or “open air,” technique to craft landscape paintings of Long Island, New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania. For this technique, artists paint outdoors in order to capture the effects of natural light and movement, rather than creating pieces in a studio environment.
A native of New York City, Evanchik received her arts training at The Cooper Union. She has participated in numerous regional and national exhibitions. Evanchik works outdoors to accurately craft landscape paintings of Long Island, New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Evanchik will present a gallery lecture “Here and There, Now and Then” on Friday, Oct. 20, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Pearn auditorium in Brennan Hall. A public reception will immediately follow at The Hope Horn Gallery on the fourth floor in Hyland Hall from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The exhibit, lecture and reception are open to the public, free of charge.
For information contact Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the Hope Horn Gallery, at 570-941-4214.
Landscape Painter’s Works to be Exhibited
-
10/12/2017
Through Nov. 17 Art Exhibit: “Here and There, Now and Then” by Helen Evanchik, exhibiting artist Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through Dec. 8 Exhibit: “Scranton and World War I.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7002 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Nov. 1 6 p.m. Scranton City Council Candidates Debate; 7:30 p.m. Scranton School Board Candidates Debate co-sponsored by The University of Scranton’s Political Science Department and the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County. The Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7431 or email jean.harris@scranton.edu.
Nov. 3-5 & Nov. 10-12 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. “Hannah & Martin” by Kate Fodor presented by The University of Scranton Players. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. $10 for adults and $7 for faculty, staff, students, and senior citizens. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.
Nov. 4 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Sherrie Maricle and The DIVA Jazz Orchestra celebrating 25 Years of Swingin’ Around the World. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 5 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9 7:30 p.m. Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute Lecture: “The Theologies of Bruce Springsteen” presented by Professor Azzan Yadin-Israel, Rutgers University. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7401 or email marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.
Nov. 9-11 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “Little Shop of Horrors” presented by The Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $10 general admission; $7 elders; $5 University of Scranton students, faculty, staff and children. Call 570-041-7401 or email caroline.hickey@scranton.edu.
Nov. 10 11 a.m. Veterans Day inter-faith prayer service over a “Field of Flags.” Flag Pole Plaza and Founders Green. Free. Call 570-941-7669 or email info@scranton.edu.
Nov. 10 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Scholarship, Service and Integrative Thinking: My Work in Biotechnology and Africa’s Economic Development” presented by Michael C. Fairbanks, chairman of the board, Silver Creek Medicines and Fellow at the Weatherhead Institute for International Affairs at Harvard University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 10 7 p.m. Veterans Day presentation: “Mindfulness Training: Stress Reduction Workshop,” sponsored by the University’s Veterans Club and the Veterans Advocacy Committee with a grant from Lockheed Martin, Inc. Veterans Lounge, Hyland Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7669 or email info@scranton.edu.
Nov. 10 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 14 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump” presented by Trudy Rubin, worldview columnist, The Philadelphia Inquirer. Kane Forum, Edward Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 14 7 p.m. Latin American Film Festival: “Macario” Mexico 1960. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7778 or email jamile.silva@scranton.edu.
Nov. 16 4 p.m. Lecture: “White Space and the Iconic Ghetto” presented by Elijah Anderson, Ph.D., William K. Lanman Jr. Professor of Sociology, Yale University. Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity and Equity, departments of Theology/Religious Studies and Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology, and The Jesuit Center. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4307 or email gretchen.vandyke@scranton.edu.
Nov. 16 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and WVIA: “Music and Medicine: George Gershwin” presented by Richard Kogan, pianist and psychiatrist and Dr. Richard Kogan, clinical professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. WVIA, Pittston. Reservation required. $20. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 17 7:30 p.m. The 32nd Henry George Lecture: “The China Shock Economic and Political Consequences of China’s Rise for the United States” presented by David Autor, P.h.D., professor of economics, MIT. Ballroom, Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.
Nov. 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Concert Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Nov. 20 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “History Matters: The Road to Cross-Cultural Understanding and Reconciliation” presented by Sami Adwan, Ph.D., professor of education, Hebron University, West Bank. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Nov. 29 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and The Lackawanna Historical Society: “Embattled Freedom” presented by Jim Remsen, journalist and author. Reception and book signing follows. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
University Announces November Events
-
10/11/2017
The University of Scranton is counted among “Top U.S. Colleges” in a 2018 ranking based on analysis by The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.
Scranton placed at No. 138 for student engagement; No. 193 for student outcomes; and No. 214 for an “overall” ranking of more than 1,000 colleges based on analysis of 15 individual performance indicators. The ranking, published by The Wall Street Journal on Sept. 27, is intended to measure student engagement and outcomes as well as the resources provided in support of education.
The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education based the student engagement portion of their analysis on The U.S. Student Survey, which queried more than 200,000 current college and university students on a range of issues relating directly to their college experience. Student engagement represented 20 percent of the overall ranking score. Outcomes, which represented 40 percent of the overall ranking score, looked at graduation rate, academic reputation, value added to graduate salary and value added to the loan repayment rate. The “value added” portions of the analysis used research by the Brookings Institute, among others, to apply statistical modeling to adjust for student and other characteristics in order to measure the impact the school has on the salary and loan repayment rates of its graduates. The overall score also measured resources (30 percent), which included the finance cost per student, faculty/student ratio and research papers published per faculty member, and the learning environment (10 percent), which includes student and staff diversity, among other factors.
In other national rankings published recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 6 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” and No. 18 as a “Best Value Regional University” in its category. In national rankings, U.S. News placed Scranton’s programs in accounting No. 17, finance No. 17 and entrepreneurship No. 22 in the country, and its business school No. 183 in the U.S. MONEY magazine ranked Scranton No. 206 among the 711 included in its “Best Colleges For Your Money,” a national list of schools determined to deliver the “best value” and Forbes ranked Scranton at No. 249 in their list of “America’s Best Value Colleges” in the nation.
In addition, The Princeton Review listed Scranton in its 2018 edition of “The Best 381 Colleges,” ranking Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 9), “Best Campus Food” (No. 15), “Everyone Plays Intramural Sports” (No. 18) and “Most Religious Students” (No. 20).”
Scranton Makes National Ranking for Outcomes
-
10/10/2017
The President’s Business Council (PBC) honored Dennis J. McGonigle ’82, chief financial officer and executive vice president at SEI Investments, with The University of Scranton President’s Medal at its 16th Annual Award Dinner. Proceeds from the black-tie gala, which raised more than $1.2 million, support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. More than 500 guests attended the dinner at The Pierre Hotel in New York City on Oct. 5.
Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition scholarships awarded to incoming freshmen with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. Through its past 15 dinners, the PBC has generated $13 million for the scholarship fund.
The President’s Medal recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others, representing lifetime achievements that reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service.
University of Scranton Interim President Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., presented the medal to McGonigle with Patricia A. Byrnes Clarke ’86, P’17, ’19, chief talent officer, Havas, member of the University’s Board of Trustees and chair of the PBC.
“Dennis, I am truly grateful for your commitment to the University, which is always focused on our Catholic and Jesuit mission. It is our privilege to honor you tonight,” said Fr. Keller, during his remarks at the dinner. He also noted that the evening is about the University’s students.
“At the heart of The University of Scranton are more than 5,000 students, ready to go out and change the world for the better,” said Fr. Keller. “Domestic and international service trips, research, mentoring and networking, all provide students the exposure to learn things about themselves that they never would have discovered on their own. Students are able to embark on such opportunities because of the financial aid and scholarships we are able to provide them. This assistance allows them to embark on an educational journey with us, grounded in our Catholic and Jesuit identity. Thank you for investing in our students.”
Rebecca Clark, Newark, Delaware, member of the University’s class of 2018, spoke on behalf of the Presidential Scholars.
“I would not be here before you today, or done any of the things I have accomplished over the past three years, without the Presidential Scholarship,” said Clark.
In addition to the full-tuition support, Clark spoke about other learning opportunities offered to the cohort of Presidential Scholars, including a summer leadership program.
“We spent the summer researching problems in today’s world and met back on campus a week before sophomore year began,” said Clark. “It was an amazing way to start my time at Scranton, meeting with people I wouldn’t normally see in my business classes, debating ideas and opinions that don’t normally get a chance to come up in the classroom. It was my first experience like that, having lively debates and discussions about real world issues, but it would certainly not be my last at the University.”
Clark is a finance and accounting double major with minors in philosophy and business leadership. She is a member of both the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Business Leadership Honors Program. During her college years, she interned at AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in Delaware and PwC in Philadelphia and spent a semester studying abroad at King’s College in London. At Scranton, Clark was as captain of the crew team, a member of the Business Club and co-chair of the Kania School of Management’s Student Advisory Board. She is the daughter of Raymond and Jeanne Clark.
Also speaking at the event were dinner co-chairs Rachele Mackin Browning ’84, regional director of SEI Investment Company, and George Evans ’82, co-president of Convergence Inc. Past President Medal recipient Rev. Bernard R. McIlhenny, S.J., provided the invocation.
About Dennis J. McGonigle
In his remarks, McGonigle referred to The University of Scranton as the “blessing of a lifetime” for all it afforded him. A member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts (SJLA) Honors Program, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Soon after, he joined Arthur Andersen LLP and rose to the position of senior auditor. He moved to SEI in 1985 as a business manager and controller of the SEI mutual funds and SEI Financial Services, a subsidiary of SEI Investments. Over his 32-year career, he has worked across SEI in a number of leadership roles ranging from product and operations to market management, culminating in his appointment as CFO in 2002. He has been a member of SEI’s executive committee since 1995 and serves on the board of directors of a number of SEI’s subsidiaries.
In his current role as CFO, McGonigle is responsible for guiding the efforts of a number of teams within the company, including finance and accounting, corporate enterprise risk management, workforce development and the SEI Private Wealth Management unit. He is also integrally involved in the setting of SEI’s broader corporate strategy. Based in Oaks, Pa., and founded in 1968 as Simulated Environments Inc., SEI Investments is a leading global provider of asset management, investment processing and investment operations solutions for institutional and personal wealth management.
A member of the University’s board of trustees since 2008, McGonigle served as vice chair of the board until he completed his tenure in May. He is a member of the University’s President’s Business Council (PBC) and was recognized by the University in 2007 with the Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award. McGonigle is a member of the Wharton Fellows program, an executive education program, at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the co-owner of Kimberton Whole Foods, a growing, regional chain of organic and natural foods markets. He served on the board of trustees of the Kimberton Waldorf School and on the board of directors of Wisdom Technologies Corporation. He is currently involved in promoting vocations to the priesthood with the Vocation Office of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
A native of Pennsauken, New Jersey, McGonigle graduated from Camden Catholic High School, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 for outstanding achievements through scholarship, service and leadership. He and his wife, Rachel, reside in Chester Springs and have three daughters: Audrey, Alyson and Alena.
For more information on the PBC, contact PBC Executive Director Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at 570-941-5837 or at pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbc.
PBC Dinner Raises $1.2 Million
-
10/10/2017
Organist and composer Daniel Ficarri will be the featured performer at the next Performance Music at The University of Scranton event, an organ recital, on Sunday, Oct. 22. The concert will begin 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.
At the recital, Ficarri will be performing on the center’s completely restored Austin Opus 301 Symphonic Organ, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
“Since restoring this organ, I’ve been very careful about curating it. We try to do solo feature recitals at least once a semester with a world-class organist,” Boga said. “The performers love the organ. Word has gotten out on the instrument. There’s almost a cachet in coming to Scranton to play the organ.”
This will be Ficarri’s first performance at the University. Boga said she has yet to meet the young organist, unlike most of the musicians she invites to the campus.
That said, Ficarri came highly recommended by his friend David Ball, who played a few Ficarri compositions during his most recent Performance Music organ recital. Both Ficarri and Ball studied at Juilliard under the tutelage of Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs.
“David played these pieces by this composer I never heard of that just spun my head. I loved them,” Boga said. “He said, ‘They’re written by a student from the (Juilliard) studio, Dan Ficarri.’ And he just had the best things to say about him.”
Ficarri has been making a name for himself as a soloist and ensemble musician in New York City. Among other accolades, Ficarri’s recent performance of John Cage’s “Souvenir” for organ was touted as one of the “Week’s 8 Best Classical Music Moments” by The New York Times. In addition, he has appeared at the WQXR Bach Organ Marathon, and has performed at recitals throughout the United States.
Currently the Organ Scholar at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Manhattan, Ficarri spearheaded the church’s organ restoration project and founded the “Sacred Sounds at St. Paul’s” concert series.
“He does it all. He plays, he curates, he advocates and he composes,” Boga said. “I’m really excited to have him come. And he will be playing at least one of his own compositions.”
“It’s always good to bring new people into the Performance Music fold,” she continued. “And the most important thing is that it be a great experience for the kids. I’m really looking forward to this.”
For more information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Ficarri, visit danielficarri.com.
Organist Daniel Ficarri to Perform Oct. 22
-
10/10/2017
Students at The University of Scranton were able to help with hurricane relief, at animal shelters, mentoring at local schools and many other projects by volunteering through local non-profit organizations participating in the University’s annual Volunteer Fair.
One organization at the fair, The American Red Cross, had more opportunities for students beyond assisting with blood donations and included helping with hurricane relief services, a flu prevention checklist and a home fire prevention campaign targeting young children. Even though most University of Scranton students
know of the organization specifically for blood donations, American Red Cross representatives at the fair wanted student volunteers to recognize there is more they could do to help out.The Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice arranged the fair for students to learn about volunteer opportunities available at 65 different local non-profit organizations.
Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, another participant, provides care for homeless, unwanted and abused animals. Students were able to volunteer
any time they desired to work with directly with the animals or for other tasks needed at the shelter.for “Absolutely, we rely on students,” Griffin Pond representative Chris Mathewson said. “We get a lot of student volunteers who are not local and miss their dogs and cats, so they like the aspect we present of seeing the animals during the semester.”
Other agencies like Junior Achievement of NEPA had volunteers signing-up to work with younger students at local school districts.
Junior Achievement of NEPA serves to teach students in kindergarten
12th grade each year about entrepreneurship, financial literacy and work readiness. Volunteers teach directly in the classroom and work hands-on with the students. The newly student-founded business club, Kania Service Society, is working directly with Junior Achievement this year.to Many students who were active with Junior Achievement in high school are now returning to help out in college, according to Junior Achievement program manager Maria DeLucca of Pittston.
With so many different agencies represented at the fair, students like Joe Marushin of Hazelton, a sophomore at The University of Scranton, wanted to be able to find an agency to commit to for the long term.
“I honestly want to find just one organization to stick with – especially with my schedule,” Marushin said.
More than 650 students attended in the Volunteer Fair this year.
Eric Eiden ’19, Throop, is a journalism/electronic media major at The University of Scranton.
University Hosts Annual Volunteer Fair
-
10/05/2017
Two 2018 college rankings published online in September placed The University of Scranton among America’s top colleges. Niche.com ranked Scranton No. 189 among the “Best Colleges in America” in its list of 1,644 four-year colleges and No. 120 in its list of “Best Value Colleges in America.” Also, College Factual ranked Scranton No. 245 in its national ranking of 1,383 schools for “overall quality.”
In other national rankings published on its website, Niche.com ranked Scranton No. 14 among the “Best Catholic Colleges in America,” No. 38 among the “Best College Campuses in America,” No. 52 among the “Best College Dorms in America,” No. 187 for “Colleges with the Best Student Life in America” and No. 193 for “Colleges with the Best Professors in America.”
Niche.com also included Scranton in several national program listings, including ranking Scranton No. 61 among the “Best Colleges for Nursing in America,”No. 66 among the “Best Colleges for Criminal Justice in America” and No. 146 “Best Colleges of Accounting and Finance in America,” among other rankings.
In state lists, also published on the website, Scranton ranked No. 1 in “Best College Dorms in Pennsylvania” and “Best Colleges with No Application Fee in Pennsylvania,” and No. 2 in “Best Catholic Colleges in Pennsylvania” and “Best College Campuses in Pennsylvania,” among other rankings posted.
Niche.com bases its rankings on its analysis of academic, admissions, financial and student life data reported by the U.S. Department of Education and reviews of academic and campus life by students and alumni made on its website.
College Factual also ranked Scranton No. 33 among Roman Catholic Colleges in the nation in a religiously affiliated college listing. College Factual ranked several of Scranton’s programs among the top 10 percent in the nation in several rankings including programs in biological and biomedical sciences, philosophy and criminal justice and corrections. Scranton also ranked in the top 15 percent in the nation for business administration and management and health and medical administrative services program.
In other postings on the College Factual website, Scranton ranked above average for freshman retention rates, graduate rate and “expected graduation rate vs. actual graduation rate,” which is calculated based on an analysis of the characteristics of student students attending a college. Scranton students graduate at a rate that is 10.9 percent higher than expected based on student characteristics.
College Factual, in rankings published online and in collaboration with USA Today, considers retention and graduation rates, student loan default rates, overall average post- graduation earnings based on College Scorecard data, among other factors.
Also in September, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 6 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” in its 2018 “Best Colleges” guide. U.S. News also ranked Scranton’s business programs in accounting, finance and entrepreneurship among the top 25 programs in the nation.
Scranton Makes Two More National Rankings
-
10/05/2017
Scranton Recognized for Sustainable Initiatives
The University of Scranton is among most “green” colleges in the nation, according to The Princeton Review.
Scranton was listed in in the 2017 edition of Princeton Review’s “Guide to 375 Green Colleges,” which profiles colleges with the most exceptional commitments to sustainability based on their academic offerings and career preparation for students, campus policies, initiatives and activities.
The Princeton Review chose the colleges based on their “Green Rating” scores from their survey of school administrators for their “Best Colleges” guidebook. The survey asked schools to report on their “sustainability-related policies, practices and programs.”
Scranton’s long-established sustainability efforts include academics, physical plant 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 to its “Guide to 375 Green Colleges,” The Princeton Review listed Scranton in its “Best Colleges” guidebooks for 16 consecutive years, ranking Scranton in its 2018 edition among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 9), “Best Campus Food” (No. 15), “Everyone Plays Intramural Sports” (No. 18) and “Most Religious Students” (No. 20).
Scranton Recognized for Sustainable Initiatives
-
10/05/2017
More than 500 University of Scranton students participated in a career fair that offered them opportunities for internships, employment and advanced degrees in disciplines ranging from business and science to physical therapy, education and criminal justice. More that 100 companies, nonprofit organizations and graduate,
law and schools of medicine participated in the 2017 Fall Career Expo that was organized by the University’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development.Companies represented included AXA Advisors, Bank of America, Deloitte, Entercom, Enterprise, Havas Group, PwC, SEI, TJX Companies, Vanguard and Walmart Logistics, to name a few. The Pennsylvania State Police, Allied Services, Allstar Therapies, Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services, Guthrie, Geisinger Health
System and St. Luke’s University Health Network also participated.Several organizations offered students long-term service positions, including Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Cristo Rey high
and Mercy Volunteer Corps.schools Geisinger Commonwealth College of Medicine, Penn State Dickinson Law, Penn State Law, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Seton Hall Law School, Temple University Beasley School of Law and University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine were among the graduate schools that participated in the fair.
The University’s Center for Career Development organizes career fairs for students each semester.
University Hosts Career Expo
-
10/03/2017
This fall, the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton offers three Collaborative Programs with local partners that touch on film, music and art.
On Thursday, Oct. 26, in collaboration with the Office of Community and Government Relations, the University will present “Documentary Film, Citizen Jane.” The film delves into the life and work of Scranton native, Jane Jacobs, who saved Greenwich Village from skyscrapers and highways and created a new mindset on livable cities. RSVPs are required for the free event, which will take place in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, from 6 to 8:30 pm.
In collaboration with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine and WVIA, the University will present “Music & Medicine: George Gershwin” on Thursday, Nov. 16. Richard Kogan, MD, clinical professor of psychiatry at the Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program, will explore the connection and perform brief selections of George Gershwin’s music. The program will begin at 5:30 at WVIA, 100 WVIA Way in nearby Pittston, followed by a reception. RSVPs are required and the recommended contribution is $20 per person.
On Wednesday, Nov. 29, Jim Remsen will present “Embattled Freedom” in collaboration with The Lackawanna Historical Society. A journalist and author, Remsen will recount the history of a remarkable fugitive-slave settlement near Scranton and shed light on the complex race relations of the era. The program will take place in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library at 5:30. The lecture will be followed by a reception and book signing at the Lackawanna Historical Society, located at 232 Monroe Ave., just off campus. RSVPs are required for the free event.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or by email at alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Film, Music and History Covered in Fall Programs
-
10/03/2017
Prevention is one of the best medicines going, according to William Miller, Ph.D., faculty specialist in the Department of Health Administration and Human Resources at The University of Scranton. Yet the spiraling costs of traditional health care, coupled with long life expectancies, make it increasingly difficult to reach an aging population.
Enter TIPS – Telehealth Intervention Program for Seniors – a high touch/high tech project reaching almost 200 senior citizens in Northeastern Pennsylvania over a three-year period. As program director, Dr. Miller directs operations of this community telehealth program developed as a collaborative effort between The University of Scranton, the United Way, United Neighborhood Centers, and Jewish Community Center.
“There’s a lack of access to health care in certain populations and there are gaps in primary care,” said Dr. Miller. “If we can keep older adults healthier and catch some of the issues before they become major concerns that lead to hospitalization or emergency room visits, we can help to keep people healthier while reducing health care costs.”
The ideal program participant is the older adult aged 65 or older with two or more chronic health conditions. However, the program is available to anyone who utilizes other older adult services at any one of the six locations throughout the Scranton area in which the TIPS program is offered.
University of Scranton students from various disciplines are integral to the program. Twice per week, student technicians assist participants in taking certain meaningful vital signs (blood pressure, heart rate, pulse ox, and weight). Data is then transmitted securely to an internet-based system that will alert a trained nurse if any of the participant vital signs fall outside specific parameters. The nurse will review these alerts and reach out to the participant as necessary. The student technicians also work with the participants to identify any significant changes in their current health or treatment plans.
The six-month pilot of the TIPS Program revealed a healthy outcome: personalized preventative care led to a reduction in overall alerts. Examining the next full year of data, the pilot study findings were supported; the data exhibited that after six-months patient data were typically stabilized and patients begin to show improvements in overall health.
Results of the study were presented at the MBAA International Conference in Chicago by Dr. Miller, along with Maria Begliomini, Shickshinny, a student in the University’s Master of Health Administration and Human Resources program and Victor Dec, Clarks Summit, a 2017 graduate of the undergraduate nursing program. The students also discussed their study at the University’s 17th annual Celebration of Student Scholars on campus. Their presentation examined the study results in terms of health care quality improvement and explored the barriers to implementing this type of program on a larger scale.
Dr. Miller is also embarking on an interdisciplinary study to examine the relationships between student technicians and participants and how that relationship benefits both groups. Students have been known to engage in a level of care that shows compassion for the person beyond the medical situation at hand.
A third piece of research on the horizon involves a study about how collegiate health and wellness services prepares students to be advocates for themselves and better healthcare consumers.
Overall, admits Dr. Miller, “It’s a large and daunting health care system. Anything we can do to help people – both young and old – navigate the process can only help.”
Dr. Miller joined the University’s faculty in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree in health science at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, his master of health administration at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and his Ph.D. in health promotion at Marywood University.
Program ‘TIPS’ Access to Primary Care for Seniors
-
10/03/2017
The University of Scranton has named five new individuals to its Board of Trustees. The varied list of professionals, three of whom are alumni, have served in leadership positions in the pharmaceutical, finance, legal, investment banking and fundraising worlds, and have given their time to numerous volunteer causes.
The new Board members are: Anne Drucker; Timothy Kacani ’87; Kevin O’Brien, Esq. ’80; Anthony Simone ’90; and Maryla Scranton.
Anne Drucker
Drucker is the director of global program management at pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer. She has served on the University’s Parents’ Executive Council, and has been an active member of its Scholarship Committee. She has further supported the University’s philanthropic efforts with the Drucker-Dunstone Scholarship named in honor of her parents, William and Shirley Dunstone, and her husband, Steve Drucker. In addition, she and her family are supporters of the University’s President’s Business Council. Drucker received a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Sciences (now University of the Sciences), and her professional certifications include a PMP (Project Management Professional) from the Project Management Institute. She resides in Randolph, New Jersey, with sons Michael, Kevin ’14 and William ’16, and enjoys spending time at her Newton Lake home.
Timothy Kacani ’87
Kacani is the chief operating officer at Atlas Merchant Capital LLC, a global financial services investment firm based in New York and London. He is a member of Atlas’ investment committee and serves on the board of directors of several Atlas portfolio companies. Before joining Atlas, he served as CFO of Lightyear Capital LLC. Kacani is involved with the University’s President’s Business Council and Accounting Department Professional Council, and serves on the board of the Diocese of Metuchen’s Catholic Schools Commission. A CPA, he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Scranton. Kacani lives in Metuchen, New Jersey, with his wife, Karen ’88, and their three children Katherine, Brendan and Kelly.
Kevin O’Brien, Esq. ’80
A practicing attorney in the Philadelphia area since 1983, O’Brien is currently managing partner at Marks, O'Neill, O'Brien, Doherty & Kelly, P.C., a regional litigation firm with offices in five states in the Mid-Atlantic region. In addition to his involvement with the University, he serves on the board of St. Malachy School, and is a Hearing Committee member for the disciplinary board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. After receiving his bachelor’s degree at Scranton, O’Brien attended Seton Hall University School of Law. He is a longtime resident of Marlton, New Jersey, where he lives with his wife, Kathy Coleman O’Brien ’81. The couple has three children, Daniel, Colin and Erin.
Anthony Simone ’90
Simone is president of Renaissance Capital, a frontier and emerging markets investment bank based in Moscow, Russia. There, he focuses specifically on the bank’s international footprint and is responsible for client engagement, regulatory issues, governance and other matters. He also serves as chairman and CEO of its New York City-based RenCap Securities, Inc., CEO of London-based Renaissance Capital Limited, and chairman of Renaissance Capital Dubai. Prior to joining Renaissance Capital in 2008, Simone was CEO of Investec Securities in New York. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University and his MBA from Fordham University. He and wife Kelley '90, G'91 were the inaugural co-chairs of the University’s Parents’ Executive Council, and remain members of the organization. The couple has two children, Anna and Anthony ’17, who is currently pursuing an additional degree from the University.
Maryla Scranton
Scranton has had a long and successful career as a fundraising executive for non-profit organizations. She has planned and led annual and capital campaigns that have raised millions of dollars for non-profit organizations throughout the United States. She served as director of development for the University and as campaign director for their first national capital campaign, A Second Cornerstone. In addition, she has been development director at Lackawanna College, Allied Services Health System, Marywood University and The Langley School, in McLean, Virginia. She was vice president of community relations and development for The Mercy Health System, a division of Catholic Health Care Partners, Cincinnati, Ohio. There she established and administered The Mercy Foundation and The Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Institute for Community Health. In 2004, Scranton started MPS Consulting, which has done work for both profit and non-profit companies. She began as a consultant for Parente Randolph Inc., one of the largest accounting firms in the East. While there, she set up a fundraising business for the company. She has served on the several boards including The Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre, Friendship House and the Children’s Advocacy Center in Scranton, and Geisinger Health System’s insurance companies in Danville. She served as board chair of the Penn State Worthington Scranton Campus. Currently, she is a member of the Board of Governors of The Scranton Area Foundation. She has presented at local and national conferences and has been the recipient of several awards during her career.
Scranton is a graduate of Penn State. Her daughter, Brook Coyer ’04, ’G08, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at The University of Scranton.
Scranton is married to the former Lt. Governor of Pennsylvania, William W. Scranton III. They reside in North Abington Township.
University of Scranton Names New Trustees
-
10/03/2017
The University of Scranton held its annual Ignatian Values in Action Lecture for members of its incoming class of 2021 in September. “The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything” by Rev. James Martin, S.J. H’17, was the selected book for this year’s incoming class, who were required to read the book and attend the lecture. At the Ignatian Values in Action Lecture are, from left: Teresa Grettano, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre at the University; Brian P. Conniff, Ph.D., dean of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences; guest speaker Fr. Martin; Rev. Patrick Rogers, S.J., executive director of the University’s Jesuit Center; and Mary Ann Maslar, office manager for the Dean’s Office of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Scranton Holds Ignatian Values in Action Lecture
-
09/27/2017
The University of Scranton nursing faculty members updated its ongoing Clinical Liaison Nurse Model partners at Regional Hospital of Scranton, Moses Taylor Hospital and Geisinger Community Medical Center regarding research studies published by faculty members about the program. The Clinical Liaison Nurse Model, a community-based, academic-practice partnership the University began in 2009 pairs expert staff nurses with academic faculty to create an improved learning environment for undergraduate student nurses and an added level of safety for patients. According to Sharon Hudacek, Ed.D., professor of nursing at the University, documented research indicates that results of this model include exceptional preparation for clinical practice and higher levels of student and nurse satisfaction with the clinical learning environment in acute-care hospitals. The program also enhances opportunities for recruitment and retention of nurses for hospital practice partners.
(Regional photo above)
Pictured at The University of Scranton Clinical Liaison Nurse Model partner meeting at held at Regional Hospital of Scranton are, front row, from left: University of Scranton nursing students Shannon Schaeffer of Hopewell Junction, New Jersey; Robert Turlip of Archbald; and Victoria Patton of Staten Island, New York. Standing from left are: Sharon Hudecek, Ed.D., professor of nursing at the University; and representing Regional Hospital Warren Shotto, assistant chief nursing officer and 1981 and 2002 graduate of The University of Scranton; nurses Carmel Candelori; Cindy Stone, a 2004 graduate of The University of Scranton; Victoria Szumski, telemetry nurse manager; Laura Tompkins, a 2012 graduate of The University of Scranton; and Denise Loughney.
(Moses Taylor photo above)
Pictured at The University of Scranton Clinical Liaison Nurse Model partner meeting at held at Moses Taylor Hospital this summer are, seated, from left: Jessica Telencio, staff nurse; Andrea Kocker, nurse manager; and Corinne Mina, staff nurse, all from Moses Taylor. Standing: Colleen Heckman, assistant director of nursing laboratory at the University; and representing Moses Taylor Judy Ragukas, assistant chief nursing officer; Patricia Seliga, chief nursing officer; Michelle Binker, nurse educator; and Mindi Spear, director of women’s and children’s services.
(GCMC photo above)
Pictured at The University of Scranton Clinical Liaison Nurse Model partner meeting at held at Geisinger Community Medical Center (GCMC) this summer are, seated, from left: nurses Lindsey Ford, GCMC; Marian Farrell, Ph.D., professor of nursing at the University; and Colleen Heckman, assistant director of nursing laboratory at the University. Standing are nurses MaryAnn McAndrew, GCMC, Angelo Venditti, D.N.P., vice president of nursing and Chief Nursing Officer of GCMC; Mary Jane DiMattio, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing at the University; Linda Lewis, GCMC; and Mimi Kovaleski, GCMC.
University Updates Nurse Liaison Partners
-
09/27/2017
The University of Scranton’s Ice Hockey Team is hosting a match against Seton Hall University to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation.
The game will be held on Sunday, Oct. 1, at 5 p.m. at the Revolution Ice Centre on 12 Old Boston Road in Pittston.
Tickets will be $10 and all proceeds will benefit the Komen foundation.
For more information, call 570-941-7401.
University Ice Hockey Game to Support Koman
-
09/27/2017
During the fall semester, the Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars at The University of Scranton offer local residents insights into a wide range of timely topics. Experts in their fields will explore jazz as a socio-political barometer, recent secession and nullification movements, university-community partnerships, new ideas for Africa’s economic development, President Trump’s foreign policy, and the challenges of teaching history in times of conflict.
The series begins on Monday, Sept. 25, with “Jazz & Democracy in 2017: Does it Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got that Swing?” Wayne Winborne, executive director of the Institute for Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, asserts that, contrary to public perception, “Jazz is not dead.” Winborne will provide a brief history of jazz and its parallels with the socio-political landscape of the 20th century, today and into the future. He will address issues including the role of academia, the status of African-Americans, and the competition between art and commerce in our society.
“The connections between jazz and democracy are too evident to ignore,” said Winborne. “Individual players have the freedom to assert themselves and take liberties with form, and beautiful music is created when their collaboration is harmonious. Today’s jazz reflects the unpredictability of our society; grappling with individual expression in these complicated times, young musicians are leaning toward more instruments and orchestration. Great artists and movements reflect their times, and I have faith that they will continue to be an important voice in our communities and society at large.” The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
On Friday, Oct. 6, Morey Myers, Of Counsel, Myers, Brier and Kelly, will present “Secession & Nullification: Are They Dead or about to Erupt?” Secession and nullification didn’t begin or end with the Civil War. Today we find several U.S. states considering secession, and there is the United Kingdom and Brexit. Nullification occurs when states or municipalities defy national laws. States permitting the sale of marijuana and sanctuary cities are two cases in point. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
Ira Harkavy, associate president and director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania, will present “Universities & Communities, Partners for Change: A Global Movement” on Friday, Oct. 20. Since the 1990s, higher education institutions and communities in the U.S. have been forming partnerships to promote social change. In recent years, these partnerships have been developing in other countries as well — leading to the creation of international organizations dedicated to advancing the model. This talk will bring to light the value of these partnerships as catalysts for social justice, equity and democracy across the globe. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
On Friday, Nov. 10, Michael C. Fairbanks, chairman of the board of Silver Creek Medicines in San Francisco and fellow at the Weatherhead Institute for International Affairs at Harvard University, will present “Scholarship, Service & Integrative Thinking: My Work in Biotechnology and Africa’s Economic Development.” Fairbanks and his multidisciplinary team have been exploring the power of integrative thinking; that is, solving problems by applying the insights and tools of one domain onto another.
“By integrating principles of business, human biology, law and political science, we are stimulating economic development where it is needed most,” said Fairbanks. “For example, global pharmaceuticals have been using 75-year-old strategies to fight tuberculosis. Positive results using nontraditional approaches, including math, sociology and computer modeling, have led Rwanda to invest in its own biotech sector. Fairbanks has advised several world leaders, including Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who also has welcomed and endorsed the work of Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum. A Scranton native, he earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy at the University in 1979 and an honorary doctorate in 2007. The seminar will take place in the Rose Room of Brennan Hall.
On Tuesday, Nov. 14, Trudy Rubin, “Worldview” columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, will present “Foreign Policy in the Age of Trump.” Rubin will address how foreign policy is being made by the Trump administration and its impact on our relationships with the rest of the world. Presented in collaboration with the Scranton Times-Tribune, the seminar will take place in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.
The fall series will conclude on Monday, Nov. 20, when Sami Adwan, Ph.D., will present “History Matters: The Road to Cross-Cultural Understanding & Reconciliation.” Dr. Adwan, professor of education at Hebron University in the West Bank, will focus on the dual historical narrative approach to teaching history in times of conflict. He will present the Israeli and Palestinian case and discuss the inititative of the Peace Research Institute in the Middle East (PRIME) – a non-governmental, nonprofit organization established by Palestinian and Israeli researchers with the help of the Peace Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany. PRIME’s purpose is to pursue mutual coexistence and peace building through joint research and outreach activities. The lecture will take place in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.
The World Affairs Luncheon Seminar series is sponsored by Munley Law.
All seminars run from noon to 1:30 p.m. Participants can register to attend one luncheon for $20 per person or $30 per couple – or for the entire series of six luncheons for $110 per person or $160 per couple (Schemel Forum members attend free). To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or by email at alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
Six World Affairs Luncheon Seminars Set for Fall
-
09/27/2017
Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book Gilead was selected for the 2017 Scranton Reads: One City, One Book, a joint venture of the City of Scranton and the Albright Memorial Library. An annual event, Scranton Reads takes place each October, and seeks to encourage reading among people of all ages and to unite the community by means of discussions and activities featuring a specific book.
This year, first-year University of Scranton students will study the book and lead group discussions about it at the Albright Memorial Library as well as other venues throughout Lackawanna County. University of Scranton students are supported in this process by a 2016-17 University of Scranton Strategic Initiative Fund grant.
The University’s Strategic Initiatives Fund supports innovative projects – particularly those that will have a substantial, positive impact on the student experience – that advance the goals of the Strategic Plan: an Engaged, Integrated and Global Student Experience. English Professor Rebecca Beal, Ph.D., was awarded a grant from this fund to enable students in her first-year seminar not only to read, discuss and study the book, but also to apply their academic insights in service to the city of Scranton.
The students’ engagement with the city will begin in September, as they study Gilead. The book is a novel, written as part memoir, part letter by the fictional character Rev. John Ames, an older minister with a heart condition, writing to his young son about his life as a preacher in Gilead, Iowa. He writes about baseball, vocation, his family history (his grandfather, also a Rev. Ames, rode with John Brown in Kansas before the Civil War, for instance, and his own father, another Rev. Ames, was a pacifist.) This book draws its readers to explore such important themes as anger, family, love, and what matters as we face the end of life.
After studying the book, students will meet with members of the Scranton Reads Committee and then, in October, facilitate group book discussions about Gilead in locations from North Pocono to Dalton, including regular Monday evening discussions at the Albright Memorial Library on Vine Street beginning at 6 p.m. Other lectures and events are also planned in October, including a kick-off event for First Friday.
In addition to the University as a premier sponsor, reoccurring Scranton Reads sponsors include: the City of Scranton, Scranton Public Library, Times-Shamrock Communications, Marywood University, The Pennsylvania State University: Scranton Campus, The Lackawanna County Historical Society, The Dearly Departed Players, GAR Civil War Museum and Library of Scranton, and the Lackawanna County Library System.
Additional information about Scranton Reads and its month-long series of programs for all ages may be found on its website at www.scrantonreads.org, on the Albright Memorial Library website at www.albright.org, or by phone at 570-348-3000.
University Engages in Scranton Reads Program
-
09/26/2017
The President’s Business Council will honor Dennis J. McGonigle ’82, CFO and executive vice president at SEI Investments, with the University President’s Medal
The President’s Business Council will honor Dennis J. McGonigle ’82, chief financial officer and executive vice president at SEI Investments, with The University of Scranton President’s Medal at the PBC 16th Annual Award Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 5, at The Pierre in New York City.
McGonigle, a member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts (SJLA) Honors Program, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Soon after, he joined Arthur Andersen LLP and rose to the position of senior auditor. He moved to SEI in 1985 as a business manager and controller of the SEI mutual funds and SEI Financial Services, a subsidiary of SEI Investments. Over his 32-year career, he has worked across SEI in a number of leadership roles ranging from product and operations to market management, culminating in his appointment as CFO in 2002. He has been a member of SEI’s executive committee since 1995 and serves on the board of directors of a number of SEI’s subsidiaries.
In his current role as CFO, McGonigle is responsible for guiding the efforts of a number of teams within the company, including finance and accounting, corporate enterprise risk management, workforce development and the SEI Private Wealth Management unit. He is also integrally involved in the setting of SEI’s broader corporate strategy. Based in Oaks, Pa., and founded in 1968 as Simulated Environments Inc., SEI Investments is a leading global provider of asset management, investment processing and investment operations solutions for institutional and personal wealth management.
A member of the University’s board of trustees since 2008, McGonigle served as vice chair of the board until he completed his tenure in May. He is a member of the University’s President’s Business Council (PBC) and was recognized by the University in 2007 with the Frank J. O’Hara Distinguished Alumni Award. McGonigle is a member of the Wharton Fellows program, an executive education program, at the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the co-owner of Kimberton Whole Foods, a growing, regional chain of organic and natural foods markets. He served on the board of trustees of the Kimberton Waldorf School and on the board of directors of Wisdom Technologies Corporation. He is currently involved in promoting vocations to the priesthood with the Vocation Office of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
A native of Pennsauken, New Jersey, McGonigle graduated from Camden Catholic High School, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014 for outstanding achievements through scholarship, service and leadership. He and his wife, Rachel, reside in Chester Springs and have three daughters: Audrey, Alyson and Alena.
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 and to supporting PBC activities. Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition scholarships awarded to incoming freshmen with outstanding records in high school and notable community involvement. The black-tie gala is a celebration of Scranton and honorees whose lifetime achievements reflect the University’s mission of Catholic and Jesuit excellence and service. Through its 15 dinners, the PBC has generated $13 million for the scholarship fund.
To register for the 16th Annual Award Dinner, click here.
For more information on the PBC and additional ways to participate in this year’s dinner, contact PBC Executive Director Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at 570-941-5837 or at pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbc.
PBC Prepares for 16th Annual Award Dinner Oct. 5
-
09/26/2017
Eighteen University of Scranton education majors are serving as student teachers during the fall semester at 11 different local schools, which include the following six school districts: Forest City Regional, Lakeland, North Pocono, Scranton, Valley View and Wayne Highlands.
The following is a list of undergraduate students who are serving as student teachers during the fall semester at the schools to which they have been assigned.
Jade Bauer of Whippany, New Jersey, will student teach at John Adams Elementary School;
Courtney Boag of Whippany, New Jersey, will student teach at Neil Armstrong School;
Andrea Catalano of West Harrison, New York, will student teach at Mayfield Elementary School;
Tiffany Cecere of Morristown, New Jersey, will student teach at William Prescott School;
Colette Daibes of Englewood, New Jersey, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
Katie Doyle of Media, will student teach at Valley View Intermediate School;
Keely Flanagan of Morris Plains, New Jersey, will student teach at North Pocono Intermediate School;
Harlee Gogas of Scranton, will student teach at Isaac Tripp Elementary School;
Tess McCormick of Kings Park, New York, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
Caitlin Nicosia of Breezy Point, New York, will student teach at Forest City Regional Elementary School;
Kelly O’Donnell of South Amboy, New Jersey, will student teach at Mayfield Elementary School;
Shannon Peer of Huntington, New York, will student teach at Neil Armstrong School;
Emma Percival of Granby, Connecticut, will student teach at Stourbridge Elementary School;
Jackie Pesavento of Clarks Summit, will student teach at Moscow Elementary Center;
Alyssa Pizzi of Florham Park, New Jersey, will student teach at John Adams Elementary School;
Sarah Redick of Equinunk, will student teach at Forest City Regional Elementary School;
Rebecca Silverman of Westbury, New York, will student teach at Valley View Elementary Center;
Courtney Sobotka of Caldwell, New Jersey, will student teach at Stourbridge Elementary School.
University Student Teachers Begin at Area Schools
-
09/26/2017
The University of Scranton ranked among nation’s best for ‘social mobility, research and service’ of graduates by Washington Monthly in 2017 guidebook
The University of Scranton ranked No. 69 among the 632 master’s universities in the nation included in a 2017 listing that seeks to rate colleges based on their contribution to “social mobility, research and service” published in the September/October issue of Washington Monthly and online.
Scranton ranked even higher in the “research” index, at No. 38 the “Master’s University” category. The research score is based on each school’s research expenditure and the number of alumni earning Ph.D.s, relative to the size of the school.
Washington Monthly’s weighted equally the colleges’ research score along with its social mobility and service scores to calculate the overall ranking. The social mobility score is based on actual and predicted graduation rates: student loan repayment rates; actual verses predicted median earnings of graduates 10 years after enrollment; and the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants and the percentage of first generation college students, among other factors. The service score, also adjusted for the size of the school, is based on the size of the ROTC program; the number of alumni serving in the Peace Corps; and the percentage of federal work study grant money spent on community service projects.
In addition, Scranton ranked No. 152 among just 385 colleges in its category in the “Best Bang for the Buck” listing, also published by the magazine, that focused on the “social mobility” data used for the overall ranking.
Schools Ranked for Contribution to Public Good
-
09/26/2017
The University of Scranton has appointed 15 new full-time faculty members for the 2017-18 academic year.
Bryon C. Applequist, Ph.D.
Bryon C. Applequist, Ph.D., of Henderson, Nevada, was named assistant professor of exercise science and sport. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, both in kinesiology, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He is completing a doctorate in exercise science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was a graduate assistant at both universities and has published papers in a number of scholarly journals. Dr. Applequist currently resides in Clarks Summit.
Kelly M. Banyas
Kelly M. Banyas of Mountain Top, was named assistant professor in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library. She previously was a research and teaching fellow at the University of Maryland’s Teaching and Learning Services and has a decade of experience working in various library environments. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history and classical civilization from Boston University and a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Maryland.
Tiffany M. Bordonada
Tiffany M. Bordonada of Columbia, South Carolina, was named assistant professor in the counseling and human services department. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fairmont State University, and earned two master’s degrees from West Virginia University – one in rehabilitation counseling and one in public administration. She completed a doctorate in counselor education and supervision from the University of South Carolina. Professor Bordonada has worked as a clinical therapist in West Virginia and has presented her research at conferences throughout the United States.
Thomas G. Concannon, Ph.D., of Mountain Top, was named visiting assistant professor in the Physics and Electrical Engineering Department. He previously worked for 17 years as a software applications consultant and applications engineer instructor for Synopsys, Inc. He earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and physics from The Pennsylvania State University, a master’s degree in mathematics from Lehigh University and a doctorate in physics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has also taught math and physics at King’s College, Elon College, Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Francis T. Conserette
Francis T. Conserette of Dunmore, was named assistant professor in the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library. He previously worked as a library metadata specialist at The University of Scranton, as a property title analyst, as a document imaging specialist and as a curator assistant at the Eisenhower National Historic Site in Gettysburg. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Gettysburg College and a master’s degree in library and information science from Drexel University.
Christopher A.F. Howey, Ph.D.
Christopher A.F. Howey, Ph.D., was named assistant professor in the Biology Department. He previously was a post-doctoral research scholar at The Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Howey earned a bachelor’s degree in wildlife conservation from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in biology from the University of Central Arkansas. He earned a doctorate in biological sciences from Ohio University, where he also taught for several years. Dr. Howey has received numerous grants, including a $500,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to study “Effects of Prescribed Burning in Pennsylvania’s Mixed Oak Forest on Wildlife Taxa of Concern.”
Joel B. Kemp, Ph.D.
Joel B. Kemp, Ph.D., of Pittsburgh, was named assistant professor of theology. He previously taught at Boston College, where he completed a doctorate in theology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in religion and American history from Harvard College, a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School and a Master of Divinity degree from Andover Newton Theological School. In addition to teaching theology, Professor Kemp was also a practicing attorney for more than a decade. He is fluent in Biblical Hebrew and can read Greek, Akkadian, Aramaic, German and French.
John Kilker, was named assistant professor of communication. He served as a faculty specialist in television and video for the University’s Department of Communication for the 2016-17 academic year. He has worked in the film and television industry for more than 15 years as a producer, director, writer and editor. His work has been nominated or won awards at numerous film festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival. He has taught screenwriting, sound and directing at several universities. He holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from The University of Scranton, a master’s in industrial and organizational psychology from Fairfield University, and a master of fine arts in film production from the University of Southern California.
Linda C. Mlodzienski
Linda C. Mlodzienski of Moosic, was named faculty specialist in the Accounting Department. She earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA in finance, both from The University of Scranton. She has many years of industry experience, having worked for accounting firms, as director of finance for Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Scranton, as business manager for the Notre Dame Regional Schools, and as director of operations for the Lackawanna Heritage Valley National and State Heritage Area. She has also taught accounting previously at the University, Wilkes University and East Stroudsburg University.
Anne Royer, Ph.D.
Anne Royer, Ph.D., of Salem, Oregon, was named assistant professor of biology. She was previously a visiting assistant professor and postdoctoral scholar at Willamette University. Dr. Royer earned a bachelor’s degree in biology and German studies from Oberlin College. She received her doctorate in ecology, evolutionary biology and behavior from Michigan State University. Her research focuses on the evolutionary ecology of interspecific interactions, primarily plant-pollinator systems. She has presented her work at conferences around the nation and has been published in several academic journals.
Janette Scardillo, D.P.T.
Janette Scardillo, D.P.T., of Whiting, New Jersey, was named faculty specialist in the physical therapy department. Dr. Scardillo previously was an assistant professor and co-director of clinical education at Thomas Jefferson University. She earned a bachelor’s degree in health science as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in physical therapy from the University of Scranton. She worked as a physical therapist in New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Maryland before joining the faculty of Thomas Jefferson University.
Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D.
Jong-Hyun Son, Ph.D., of Salt Lake City, Utah, was named assistant professor of biology. He earned a bachelor’s degree in animal science from Dankook University, South Korea, a master’s degree in biological science from Western Illinois University, and a doctorate in neuroscience and experimental therapeutics from Texas A & M University of the Health Sciences. For the past eight years he has worked for the University of Utah, as a postdoctoral fellow in the department of pharmacology and toxicology and as a postdoctoral research associate in the School of Medicine.
Leona Sparaco, Ph.D.
Leona Sparaco, Ph.D., of Tallahassee, Florida, was named visiting instructor in the Mathematics Department. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Siena College and a doctorate in mathematics from Florida State University. Since 2012, she has taught a variety of calculus, trigonometry, college algebra and other math classes at Florida State.
Krista Stevens, Ph.D.
Krista Stevens, Ph.D., of Birmingham, Alabama, was named visiting assistant professor of theology. She earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and English from Spring Hill College, a Master of Divinity degree from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, and a doctorate in theology from Fordham University. She was also a teaching fellow and postdoctoral teaching fellow at Fordham and a visiting assistant professor at Marquette University. Her research has been published in several academic journals.
Laurie B. Valunas was named faculty specialist in the nursing department. Professor Valunas has more than 20 years of experience as a pediatric nurse practitioner. She previously worked for Physicians Health Alliance in Dickson City, Goldsboro Pediatrics and Duke University Medical Center. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from The University of Scranton and a master’s degree in nursing and her pediatric nurse practitioner certification from Duke University.
University of Scranton Announces New Faculty Members
-
09/26/2017
The University of Scranton Players will present Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie” Sept. 22-24 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1
The University of Scranton Players will present Tennessee Williams’ play “The Glass Menagerie,” directed by Gabriel Vega Weissman, Friday through Sundays Sept. 22-24 and Sept. 29-Oct. 1. Performances begin at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Joseph M. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts on the University’s campus.
One of the masterpieces of American modern drama, “The Glass Menagerie” is universally hailed as a poignant play about family and the persistence of memory. “The Glass Menagerie” tells the story of the Wingfield family through Tom’s memories of his mother, Amanda; his sister, Laura; and Laura’s gentleman caller. Recently, the work was revived on Broadway with Oscar winner Sally Field as Amanda.
The University of Scranton Players production features: Conor Hurley of Woodside, New Jersey, as Tom Wingfield; Ali Basalyga of Scranton as Amanda Wingfield; Victoria Pennington of West Wyoming as Laura Wingfield; and Nicolas Gangone of Howard Beach, New York, as the gentleman caller. Basalyga is a graduate of West Scranton High School and Pennington is a graduate of Wyoming Area Secondary Center.
Tickets may be purchased or reserved by calling the box office at the McDade Center at 570-941-4318, or online at thescrantonplayers.com. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for senior citizens, students, and University of Scranton faculty and staff. Performances during the second weekend are free for first-year students.
For additional information, contact the Players Box Office at 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu, or visit thescrantonplayers.com.
University Players Present ‘The Glass Menagerie’
-
09/26/2017The following is a list of University of Scranton events that are open to the public for the month of October 2017
Through Oct. 6 Art Exhibit: “Anthra-Sight: Sculpture by Denis Yanashot.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Through Dec. 8 Exhibit: “Scranton and World War I.” Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7002 or email archives@scranton.edu.
Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 6 p.m. Scranton Reads group discussions led by University of Scranton students. Albright Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-348-3000 or visit www.Scrantonreads.org.
Oct. 5 6:30 p.m. President’s Business Council 16th Annual Award Dinner honoring Dennis J. McGonigle ’82, chief financial officer and executive vice president, SEI Investments Company at The Pierre, New York City. Proceeds from the dinner support the University’s Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund. Tickets required. Call 570-941-5837 or email PBC@scranton.edu.
Oct. 6 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Secession and Nullification: Are They Dead or about to Erupt?” presented by Morey Myers, of counsel, Myers, Brier and Kelly. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 7 7:30 a.m. Schemel Forum Bus Trip: “Art and Horticulture in the Brandywine Valley.” Includes transportation and museum entrance fees and guided tours. $80. RSVP by September 9. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 14 9 a.m. Scranton’s Ready to Run Northeastern Pennsylvania Program: “Wanted: More Women in Government.” Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
Oct. 14 6:30 p.m. Global Tastes of Scranton. A pop-up restaurant featuring the cuisine of Syrian refugee guest chefs. Scranton Cultural Center. $35. Registration required. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Oct. 15 1:30 p.m. Lecture in conjunction with Scranton Reads program: “Exit Strategies: End of Life Care in the United States” by University of Scranton alumnus Christopher A. Jones, M.D., Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-348-3000 or visit www.Scrantonreads.org.
Oct. 18 6:30 p.m. Neighbor Night. Meet University of Scranton leadership in the areas of Community Relations, Student Affairs and University Police. The Estate. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-4419 or email community@scranton.edu.
Oct. 20 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Universities and Communities, Partners for Change: A Global Movement” presented by Ira Harkavy, associate president and director of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, University of Pennsylvania. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 20 through Nov. 17 Art Exhibit: “Here and There, Now and Then” by Helen Evanchik, exhibiting artist. Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 20 5 p.m. Gallery Lecture: “Here and There, Now and Then” presented by Helen Evanchik, exhibiting artist. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery. Call 570-941-7624 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.
Oct. 21 11 a.m. Google News Lab Training with Vix Reitano, founder and CEO of CreatiVix Media. Presented by the Department of Communication and the Society of Professional Journalist. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Registration required. Visit http://registration.uofscomm.org or email communication@scranton.edu.
Oct. 22 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. John Long Center. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu.
Oct. 22 3 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Daniel Ficarri, organist and the Houlihan McLean Austin Opus 301 Symphonic organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Oct. 24 7 p.m. Town Hall panel discussion: “Trust, Credibility and the News” sponsored by The Pennsylvania News Media Association, the Scranton Times-Tribune and the Department of Communication at The University of Scranton. Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7669 or email info@scranton.edu.
Oct. 24 7 p.m. Latin American Film Festival: “El Secreto De Sus Ojos” Argentina 2010. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7778 or email yamile.silva@scranton.edu.
Oct. 25 6 p.m. Scranton Mayor Candidates Debate; 7:30 p.m. Lackawanna County District Attorney Candidates Debate co-sponsored by The University of Scranton’s Political Science Department and the League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County. The Kane Forum, Leahy Hall. Free. Call 570-941-7431 or email jean.harris@scranton.edu.
Oct. 26 6 p.m. Schemel Forum and the Office of Community and Government Relations Collaborative Program: “Documentary Film, Citizen Jane,” a film on the life and work of Scranton native Jane Jacobs. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
Oct. 28 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Kenny Rampton. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
Schemel Forum Courses
Wednesdays: October 11, 18, 25 and Nov. 1, 8, 15 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Classics of German Cinema” presented by Jamie Trnka, Ph.D., associate professor of world languages and cultures, The University of Scranton. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.
University Announces October Events
-
09/26/2017
University of Scranton English and Theatre Professor Michael Friedman, Ph.D., received the John L. Earl III Award for service to the University, the faculty and the wider community. This award is given annually to a member of the University community who demonstrates the spirit of generosity and dedication that the late Dr. John Earl, a distinguished professor of history, exemplified during his years at Scranton from 1964 to 1996.
Previous Earl award recipient Leonard Champney, Ph.D. professor emeritus at Scranton, quoted William Shakespeare to describe Dr. Friedman as being “full of grace and fair regard” in his remarks at the award presentation at the ceremony.
As a distinguished Shakespeare scholar, Dr. Friedman has published more than two dozen scholarly articles and presented another two dozen scholarly papers. He is the author of “The World Must Be Peopled: Shakespeare’s Comedies of Forgiveness” (Fairleigh Dickinson Press, 2002) and the second edition of the volume dedicated to “Titus Andronicus” in the Shakespeare and Performance series published by Manchester University Press (2013). He serves on the editorial board of Shakespeare Bulletin and as a member of the International Committee of Correspondents of World Shakespeare Bibliography.
For 12 years Dr. Friedman has also served as chair of the Faculty Advisory Committee (FAC) “skillfully and selflessly,” said Dr. Champney in his remarks, “relying on his unwavering civility, his gift for realistic analysis and clear explanations.”
During his more than 25-year tenure at Scranton, Dr. Friedman has also served on numerous other committees and initiatives including the Handbook Committee, First-year Experience Task Force, the Jesuit Identity Task Force and as a Summer Orientation Academic Advisor, among others. He has also acted in seven University Players’ productions.
Dr. Friedman earned his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and his master’s and doctorate from Boston University.
Professor Michael Friedman Receives Earl Award
-
09/12/2017
Performance Music at The University of Scranton will welcome Jumaane Smith and Friends for a performance of “Louis, Louis, Louis!” Sept. 23. The concert, which will also include an appearance by The University of Scranton Singers, will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry
Street and Jefferson Avenue.Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.
Smith and his band recently performed “Louis, Louis, Louis!” at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center. The show is a tribute to the work of three iconic 20th-century musicians – Louis Armstrong, Louis
Jordan and Louis Prima.Meanwhile, the student choir will perform several pieces at the show in celebration of Family Weekend at the University, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.
Smith has a longtime association with Performance Music, going back to his local visits with Juilliard’s Jazz Orchestra.
“For all these years, I’ve taken advantage of my friends. With Jumaane, I kind of adopted him,” joked Boga, noting Smith served as an early mentor to her son, professional jazz and classical trumpeter Joseph Boga.
A highly talented trumpeter and vocalist, Smith is perhaps best known for being a member of both Michael Bublé band and the house band for Harry Connick Jr.’s daytime TV show. But, he is also a virtuosic jazz soloist who has played in venues around the world, recorded a solo album and performed for two sitting U.S. presidents.
“He has grown so much musically. He’s singing, he’s writing, he’s producing. And he’s working with a lot of big names,” Boga said of Smith, a protégé of jazz great Wynton Marsalis.
Smith has played on albums that have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide and won three Grammys. In addition to Bublé,
Marsalis and Connick, he has collaborated with an eclectic array of pop and jazz luminaries, including Quincy Jones, Wyclef Jean, Justin Bieber, Jackie Evancho, Diddy, Natalie Cole, James Ingram, Ravi Coltrane and Chris Botti.His other accomplishments include performing at the Grammy Awards with Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers, recording “As I Am” with Alicia Keys, appearing on the “American Idol” soundtrack, and scoring and performing the music for the film, “Handsome Harry.”
Boga said it’s always gratifying to see old friends like Smith continue their association with Performance Music.
“I still think of them as kids, but it’s really neat to see them as grown men,” she said. “I’m so proud of them when they come back here, and I see all that they’ve accomplished, and that they’re still being them and living their life in a way that gives back.”
For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Smith, visit jumaanesmith.com.
Trumpeter/vocalist Jumaane Smith to Perform
-
09/12/2017
For the 24th consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report has ranked The University of Scranton among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” in its well known “Best Colleges” guidebook. Scranton ranked No. 6 in the 2018 edition of the guidebook, which became available online today. U.S. News also included Scranton (No. 183) in a national ranking of all the business schools in country, as well as in a listing of “top ranked” colleges where students do well based on “spirit and hard work.”
In additional 2018 rankings appearing on the US News website, Scranton was also ranked No. 18 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” in a ranking that compares academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the fifth consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school.
In national rankings of all business programs in the United States, U.S. News ranked several of Scranton’s programs among the best in the country. US News ranked Scranton’s accounting and finance programs each at No. 17 in the country, and its entrepreneurship program at No. 22 in the nation. In addition, Scranton ranked No. 134 in the “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” where a doctorate is not offered.
U.S. News bases their rankings on a range of quality indicators that includes peer assessment of academic excellence (22.5 percent); graduation and freshman retention (22.5 percent); faculty resources (20 percent); student selectivity (12.5 percent); financial resources (10 percent); and alumni giving (5 percent); and graduation performance rates (7.5 percent), which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class. U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities.
In addition to U.S. News, The Princeton Review listed Scranton in its 2018 edition of “The Best 381 Colleges,” ranking Scranton among the nation’s “Best Science Labs” (No. 9), “Best Campus Food” (No. 15), “Everyone Plays Intramural Sports” (No. 18) and “Most Religious Students” (No. 20). Scranton was also ranked No. 69 in the nation among master’s universities in a listing, published by Washington Monthly, that seeks to rate colleges based on their contribution to “social mobility, research and service
The 2018 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 12.
Scranton Among U.S. News ‘Best Colleges’ Again
-
09/08/2017
Women in northeastern and central Pennsylvania who want to become more involved in government can attend Ready to Run NEPA Program at The University of Scranton Saturday, Oct. 14. The nonpartisan training session, open to women in Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming counties, is titled “Wanted: More Women in Government.” The daylong program will begin at 9 a.m. at the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall on the University’s campus.
The Ready to Run program, first developed by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, trains women to run for office, work on a campaign, get appointed to office or get more politically engaged in their community. Participants will learn from elected and appointed women leaders, campaign
consultants and scholars with expertiseon government and politics. They will also receive insighton the different perceptions voters haveof the credibility of women and men candidates, advice for becoming a credible and viable candidate, fundraising and media skills and the inspiration to launch a political campaign.Registration is required to attend and fees vary. A limited number of partial scholarships are also available. For additional information visit Scranton.edu/readytorun, call 570-941-7520 or email linda.walsh@scranton.edu.
$content.getChild('content').textValueReady to Run Seeks More Women in Government
-
09/08/2017
Rev. James Martin, S.J. H’17, the author of the New York Times best-selling book “The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything,” and editor-at-large of America magazine, will present the Ignatian Values in Action Lecture at The University of Scranton Thursday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. The lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, will take place in the Byron Recreational Complex.
“The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything,” which gives humorous stories and accounts of the lives of Jesuit saints, priests and brothers, was selected for this year’s Royal Reads Program at the University. Members of the incoming class of 2021 are required to read the book and attend the lecture. The purpose of the Royal Reads Program is to create a shared experience for Scranton’s newest students through the reading of a carefully selected book, which introduces them to the Ignatian values.
Fr. Martin also published award winning books such as “Jesus: A Pilgrimage,” “Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life,” “My Life with the Saints” and “A Jesuit Off-Broadway: Center Stage with Jesus, Judas and Life’s Big Questions.” Fr. Martin has commented on religion and spirituality on numerous national programs, including NPR’s “Fresh Air with Terry Gross” and “Weekend Edition,” Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor” and Vatican Radio. He served as a commentator for ABC News during the 2013 papal conclave and during Pope Francis’s visit to the United States in 2015.
Fr. Martin earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his master’s degree from Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was ordained a Catholic priest in June 1999. He recently received an honorary degree from The University of Scranton at the 2017 commencement.
For information call 570-941-7659 or email teresa.grettano@scranton.edu.
Best-Selling Author Speaks about Ignatian Values
-
09/08/2017Dear Members of the University Community,
As you may know, the Trump Administration announced its decision today to rescind the Department of Homeland Security’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program. Deeply troubled by this, I join with Catholic and Jesuit leaders nationwide to call for the protection of undocumented students brought to the United States as children.
DACA gave undocumented young people authorization to work and study free from the crushing fear of immediate deportation. DACA students, including University of Scranton students, dream and aspire to contribute in significant ways to their professions and communities in the same way as all students. Through no fault of their own, they are now being placed in legal limbo and could be forced back into the shadows of our society.
Our Catholic and Jesuit mission demands that we uphold the dignity of every person and stand in solidarity with those on the margins. As a statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops noted:
“The Catholic Church has long watched with pride and admiration as DACA youth live out their daily lives with hope and a determination to flourish and contribute to society…. Now, after months of anxiety and fear about their futures, these brave young people face deportation. This decision is unacceptable and does not reflect who we are as Americans.”
Please join me in prayer for those in our midst and around the country who today face renewed anxiety and uncertainty, and in taking action on their behalf by appealing to Congress in collaboration with partner Catholic and Jesuit organizations, through the University’s Advocacy Corner. As Fr. Timothy Kesicki, S.J., President, Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, has said, “We call upon Congress to act without delay in enacting a lasting solution, but more than ever, we commit ourselves to living out God’s law, which calls on us to love the stranger, remembering that our ancestors in faith were once strangers in a foreign land.”
For our part, I renew the promise made by Jesuit college and university presidents last November to protect to the fullest extent of the law undocumented students on our campus. The University of Scranton remains a place of welcome for all students.
Sincerely,
Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J.
Interim President
A Call for Support of Undocumented Students
-
09/08/2017
“Anthra-Sight: Sculpture by Denis Yanashot” will be on display at The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery Sept. 8 to Oct. 6
Scranton native Denis Yanashot uses the materials found near the Marvine Colliery, an abandoned processing plant for anthracite coal, to create pieces of art. His work will be on display at The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery from Friday, Sept. 8 to Friday, Oct. 6, in an exhibit entitled “Anthra-Sight.”
Yanashot, who grew up near the Marvine Colliery, uses coal silt, burnt ash and scrap metal to create visual narratives to help commemorate the region’s industrial history.
Yanashot will present a gallery lecture on the exhibit in the Pearn auditorium of Brennan Hall on Friday, Sept. 8, at 5 p.m. A public reception will immediately follow the lecture from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the University’s The Hope Horn Gallery on the fourth floor of Hyland Hall.
The exhibit, lecture and reception are open to the public, free of charge.
For information contact Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director of the Hope Horn Gallery, at 570-941-4214.
Exhibit Features Art Created from Coal Mine Debris
-
09/08/2017
The University of Scranton will present a public lecture entitled “The North Korean Conundrum for the U.S. and Asia” Sept. 19
Given the recent intensified conflict between North Korea and the U.S., The University of Scranton will present a public lecture entitled “The North Korean Conundrum for the U.S. and Asia,” by Frank Plantan, Ph.D., co-director of International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania and honorary consul-general of Republic of Korea for Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. Doors will open at 5 p.m. and light refreshments will be served. The lecture is co-sponsored by the University’s Asian Studies Program and the history and political science departments.
At the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Plantan also served 18 years as the director of the Penn-in-Seoul Study Abroad and Internship Program. He was a consultant to the World Bank as a member of the corporate restructuring team in Seoul during the Asian economic crisis in 1998-99. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Economic Planning Board of the Republic of Korea. He also does occasional consulting and is a partner in Gotham Orient Partners, an investment advisory firm.
As a member of the New York Hedge Fund Roundtable, he has spoken on investing in Korea and on corporate social responsibility and sustainability. He has consulted with Kyung Hee University, Korea, on the development of their new Global Academy and NGO Complex and the development of the 2008 World Civic Forum in conjunction with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. He served on the Planning Committee of the United Nations Department of Public Information-NGOs 61st Annual Conference.
His other international education and research experience includes serving for 10 years as executive secretary of the International Consortium for Higher Education, Civic Responsibility, and Democracy (a joint project of the Council of Europe and the University of Pennsylvania); and as the General Raporteur for the Council of Europe on a 17-nation comparative research project, Universities as Sites of Citizenship and Civic Responsibility. He is the national president of Sigma Iota Rho, the national honor society for international studies with chapters on more than 180 campuses in the U.S. and abroad.
Dr. Plantan earned bachelor’s degree is from Illinois State University, and his master’s and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
For more information or questions, please contact Ann A. Pang-White, Ph.D., director of Asian Studies at Scranton, at ann.pang-white@scranton.edu or 570-941-6312.
North Korea, U.S. and Asia Discussed at Lecture
-
09/08/2017
University, Scranton Prep partnership for Scranton Shakespeare Festival exemplifies centuries-old Jesuit tradition of support for the arts
Jesuit education has deep, entrenched roots tied closely to the humanistic revival of the Renaissance, which includes the influence William Shakespeare, who expertly used the English language in plays to convey the intensities of human emotions and to deepen the understanding of human nature.
It’s little wonder, then, that the Society of Jesus has such a robust connection to support of the arts – and to Shakespeare.
In fact, some modern-day scholars argue that Shakespeare’s language contains strong Jesuit messages. An article published in 2014 in The Catholic Herald referred to Shakespeare as “a man of Catholic tastes.” Writing for the publication out of the United Kingdom, Clare Asquith describes his “distinctively complex, multilayered blueprint” for the 16th-century play and proffers the possibility that this blueprint was conceived “not by Shakespeare himself … but by the acknowledged educators of Europe – the Jesuits.”
“Central to the revolutionary Jesuit system of education was drama,” she wrote, “and that drama had certain qualities,” among those “a high moral purpose.”
Asquith continued, “The Jesuit mission was not simply to entertain. It was to instill a ‘world-friendly spirituality’ into ordinary people as well as emperors, in pursuit of the common good and a better society.”
Fast-forward five centuries, and on modern stages everywhere, including in the Electric City, you’ll find history repeating itself as Jesuit educators continue to applaud and support the transformative quality of Shakespearean theater.
One case in point is the Scranton Shakespeare Festival, of which The University of Scranton has been a sponsor since its inception six years ago by its alumnus Michael Flynn, who now serves as artistic director for the festival. The University provided campus space for rehearsals and performances, as well as housing for the troupe that brings this high-quality, free theater to Scranton each summer.
This year, the University teamed up with fellow Jesuit institution Scranton Preparatory School to continue its support for the festival.
Colin Holmes, director of drama and musical theater at Scranton Prep and venue liaison for the festival this year, described the arrangement as the perfect partnership and a winning arrangement for all involved.
The University, he said, graciously agreed to house the actors in upperclassmen apartments, and Scranton Prep, meanwhile, offered rehearsal space and hosted performances of two plays in its Bellarmine Theater. It also assisted in staging a performance at Scranton’s PNC Field.
“The mission of the Shakespeare Festival is to provide free theater for the community. It’s natural for Prep and the University to open their doors to this,” said Holmes, a 2009 graduate of Scranton Prep and 2013 graduate of the University. “It just makes sense. The missions very much align.”
Holmes noted that the festival is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on loyal support of community and institutional benefactors to offer the gift of professional performances to the community.
Holmes also noted the partnership provides opportunities to theater students.
He said that several students, many of whom wish to write or direct, made meaningful connections with actors and had the chance to assist the directors.
Holmes and Flynn, who is also a graduate of Scranton Prep, are looking forward to continuing the partnership with their alma maters – and the continuation of the centuries old tradition of Jesuit support of the arts.
Jesuit Tradition of Support for the Arts Lives on
-
08/18/2017
For the 16th consecutive
year The Princeton Review included Scranton in its annual guidebook of select colleges that “are the best in the nation, academically.” This also marks the third consecutive year, The Princeton Review has ranked The University of Scranton’s science labs among the 10 best in the country, coming in at No. 9 in 2018 edition of the “Best 382 Colleges” guidebook, which published Aug. 1. Read the full article here.
About 90 percent of parents and students rated “preparing for a fulfilling career” as a very- or extremely-valuable benefit of a college education, according to a MONEY/Barnes and Noble college survey. MONEY magazine accounted for that statistic among the 27 factors evaluated for its 2017 ranking of the nation’s “Best Colleges For Your Money.” Scranton ranked No. 206 among the 711 U.S. colleges listed that MONEYdetermined to deliver the “best value.”
Scranton was among the 26 Jesuit universities, and was the highest ranked school in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in the list published online in July. Read the full article here.
The University of Scranton’s online Master of Accountancy degree program was ranked No.1 in the nation in a newly published list of top accounting programs by Best Colleges, an independent online higher education resource.
The Best Colleges website highlights Scranton’s innovative MAcc Bridge Program, which enables students who have a non-accounting bachelor’s degree to efficiently gain the necessary
prerequisites which provide the foundation needed for success in the master’s program. Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., professor of accounting and the Bridge Program’s founder, said that “there is a growing demand for highly qualified accountants that projects well into the future. Providing a path for the best and brightest candidates to gain entry to our program ensures that we are graduating highly qualified professionals who also bring a very diverse skill set to the market.” Read the full article here.
Forbes ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Best Value Colleges” in its 2017 list of just “300 schools that deliver the best bang for the tuition buck based on tuition costs, school quality, post-grad earnings, student debt and graduation success.” This is the 10th consecutive year that Forbes ranked Scranton among America’s “best values” in college education,
however the methodology used for the rankings over the decade has changed several times.Scranton, ranked No. 249, was among only 20 colleges in Pennsylvania and 19 Jesuit universities ranked. Scranton was the only college in Northeast Pennsylvania listed. Read the full article here.
Scranton Counted Among Best Colleges in America
-
08/18/2017
Autumn is a special time at The University of Scranton, a time that signals the beginning of a new academic year even as it heralds the coming end of the calendar year. While many Scranton students are thrilled to return to campus each fall, many alumni may not realize they, too, can participate in a variety of events designed to strengthen the Royal tie that binds the University community together.
On Friday, Sept. 15, Royals from around the country will gather both on campus and at regional receptions to celebrate Toast2Scranton, the University’s annual celebration of all things Scranton. On campus, alumni will have the opportunity to network with
current student while enjoying a veritable cornucopia of hors d’oeuvres.Off campus, alumni will gather at regional receptions throughout the month of September to celebrate their alma mater and officially welcome the newest crop of Scranton grads into the alumni family.
“For our alumni, especially recent graduates, Toast2Scranton gatherings are a great opportunity to catch up with friends and network with fellow Royals in the region,” said University of Scranton Alexandra Maier, assistant director of Annual Giving.
Throughout the evening, alumni at regional receptions will “toast” Scranton with the main celebration on campus via Facebook Live.
For more information, visit scranton.edu/toast2scranton, or contact Lynn Andres at lynn.andres@scranton.edu or 570-941-4142.
The President’s Business Council will also give alumni several opportunities to connect with their alma mater during the Autumn months. On Sept. 13, Royals in the Philadelphia area are invited to a Networking Reception with current University Students; this reception will also include the region’s Toast2Scranton celebration. On Oct. 19, Royals in the Washington, D.C.,
area will have the same opportunity as their Philadelphia counterparts at a Networking Reception with University Students. Locations and times for these receptions will be announced in Royal News.On Thursday, Oct. 5, the President’s Business Council 16th Annual Award Dinner will take place at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. The dinner supports the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund and will honor Dennis J. McGonigle ’82, chief financial officer and executive vice president at SEI Investments, with the President’s Medal. Since its inception, the annual black tie gala has generated $13 million for the scholarship fund and transformed the lives of scores of Presidential Scholars. For more information, contact Tim Pryle ’89, executive director, at 570-941-5837 or pbc@scranton.edu, or visit scranton.edu/pbcdinner.
On Saturday, Oct. 14, alumni working in
healthcare will have the opportunity to attend the 2017 Medical Alumni Symposium, hosted by the Medical Alumni Council and the Alumni Society in the PNC Auditorium of the Loyola Science Center.The symposium will feature presentations on a variety of topics by a variety of speakers, including “Precision Medicine in Pediatric Epilepsy: From Bedside to Bench to Back” by Mark P. Fitzgerald, M.D., Ph.D. '02, Epilepsy and Clinical Neurophysiology
fellow , Pediatric Regional Epilepsy Program, Division of Neurology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, “The Role of the Interventional Radiologist in a Tertiary Care Medical Center” by Paul V. Suhocki, M.D. '78, associate professor, Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, “Zika Virus: From the Road to Entebbe to Your Front Door” by Col. James Cummings, M.D., FACP, FIDSA '88, vice president of Clinical Development and Translational Medicine, Novavax, Inc., “Catching up on Sleep: Recognition, Evaluation and Management of Common Sleep Disorders” by Raymond J. Kovalski, M.D. '78, president, PMA Medical Specialists, and “Medical School & Graduate Medical Education: What Makes Applications Competitive?” by Jay Bannon, M.D. '83, physician, general surgeon, Geisinger Community Medical Center. Note: CME credits for the event are pending. Click here for more information.Also, on Friday, Oct. 13, alumni who have participated in the Medical Alumni Council’s annual medical mission to Haiti are invited to return to campus for a reunion. For more information, contact Lynn Andres at lynn.andres@scranton.edu.
If you would like to receive advance notice of events like these, please update your contact information at scranton.edu/beengaged, especially if you have not done so since you graduated. For more information on alumni events, visit scranton.edu/alumnievents.
Fall Alumni Preview
-
08/16/2017
Thirty-six members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2017 graduated from its Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program (SJLA), which is one of Scranton’s programs of excellence. Students in SJLA pursue a rigorous education designed to develop enhanced writing, oral and critical-thinking skills through specially designed courses in philosophy, theology and literature.
The following is a list of class of 2017 SJLA Honors Program graduates and their majors:
Matthew Andres, Tunkhannock, a neuroscience and philosophy double major;
Sean David Bassler, Horseheads, New York, a counseling and human services, philosophy and theology and religious studies triple major;
Megan A. Bershefsky, Factoryville, an international studies and philosophy double major;
Mackenzie M. Black, the Villages, Florida, an environmental science and philosophy double major;
Ryan Kristopher Burdick, Lexington, South Carolina, a chemistry and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Matthew Robert Busch, Mahwah, New Jersey, a neuroscience and biomathematics double major; Emily Blake Carpenter, Long Valley, New Jersey, a health administration and philosophy double major;
Kaitlyn Victoria Davis, South Abington Township, a biology and philosophy double major;
Alison Tara DePew, Moscow, a neuroscience and philosophy double major;
Michael Thomas Dombrowski, Cranford, New Jersey, an international studies and philosophy double major;
Alexander Charles Gardner, Moscow, a chemistry and philosophy double major;
Albena Ivova Gesheva, Scranton, a neuroscience and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Abigail Rose Hatch, Stroudsburg, an accounting and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program;
Kathryn Mary Hoffman, Jamison, a biology and philosophy double major;
Patricia Anne Hoffman, Jamison, a biology and philosophy double major;
Christa Marie Friend Howarth, Somerset, New Jersey, a theology and religious studies and philosophy double major;
Mary Ellen T. Kane, Springfield, a counseling and human services and philosophy double major;
Bridget Nicole Keehan, Danville, a neuroscience and philosophy double major;
Michael Philip LaBella, Collegeville, a strategic communications and philosophy double major;
Victoria Jean Malstrom, Phoenix, Maryland, a mathematics and philosophy double major;
Patrick Edward May, Lansdale, a biochemistry and philosophy double major;
Jordan Matthew McCauley, Farmingdale, New York, a philosophy major;
Greta Maria Niedermeyer, Buxton, Maine, a biology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Andrew R. Petroski, Malone, New York, a philosophy major;
Elizabeth Gloria Polishan, Clark Summit, an English and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Angela M. Raieski, Kingston, English, mathematics and philosophy triple major;
Kathleen H. Reilly, Wayne, a history and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Margarete B. Reilly, Wayne, an exercise science major;
Kyle J. Rodgers, Lancaster, a biochemistry and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Mark A. Schork, Tunkhannock, a philosophy major and member of the University’s Business Leadership Honors Program;
Mary M. Smith, Weston, Connecticut, a theology and religious studies and philosophy double major;
Kateri Ann Sternberg, Poughkeepsie, New York, a mathematics and philosophy;
Dillon S. Vita, Melville, New York, biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy
Juliana Catherine Vossenberg, Fredericksburg, Virginia, a theology and religious studies and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Alex Bridgette Wasalinko, Scranton, an English and philosophy double major and member of the University’s undergraduate Honors Program;
Catherine Yankowski, Plains, a biochemistry, cell, molecular biology and philosophy double major.
The University of Scranton’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program Celebrates its Class of 2017
-
08/16/2017
Thirty-five members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2017 graduated from its Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation,
presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.The following is a list of class of 2017 Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.
Lauren Armenti, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Julie Ann Nastasi, O.T.D., Sc.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy, on a thesis titled “Exploring the Meaning of Music in the Lives of Individuals with Visual Impairment: A Focus Group Study;”
Natalie Ann Bai, Rivervale, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Patrick Orr, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Sulforaphane and its Effects on cognitive Function and Memory;”
Brittany Benson, Taylor, worked with faculty mentor Paul Cutrufello, Ph.D., associate professor and chair, exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “The Effects of Self-Selected Music on Anaerobic Exercise Performance;”
Alexandra C. Brennan, Downingtown, worked with faculty mentor Jessica L. Bachman, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Various Dual-Task Activities and Task Prioritization on Gait Kinematics;”
Douglas A. Brown, Wyomissing, worked with faculty mentor Maria E. Squire, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effects of AFAP1 on the Quantity and Microarchitecture of the Axial Skeleton in a Murine Model;”
Mary Bruce, Conshohocken, worked with faculty mentor Patricia Moyle Wright, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “The Development of Cultural Competency in Undergraduate Nursing Students;”
Ryan K. Burdick, Lexington, South Carolina, worked with faculty mentor David E. Marx, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Electroless Silver-Plating of Kevlar® to Produce an Electrically Conductive Fabric;”
Max M. Cornell, Jermyn, worked with faculty mentor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Impair Cancer-like Growth in s. cerevisiae;”
Julien E. Cuny III, Spring Lake, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Michael E. Allison, Ph.D., associate professor and chair, political science, on a thesis titled “The Origins of Rising Violence in El Salvador and Potential United States Policy Solutions;”
Megan Elizabeth Fleming, Shavertown, worked with faculty mentor Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigations into the Stereochemical Effects of Ireland-Claisen Rearrangements;”
Albena Gesheva, Scranton, worked with faculty mentor Youngjin Cho, Ph.D., Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, on a thesis titled “Actin Filament Associated Protein 1 is a Novel Regulator of Bone Development;”
Caitlin Gilby, Hackettstown, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Christie P. Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Do Skepticism-Promoting Images Alter Fitspiration’s Impact On Body Esteem?;”
Janel Leigh Harach, Simpson, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Influence of Juvenile Hormone on the Development of Ovaries in Camponotus floridanus Worker of Queen-less Colonies;”
Kaitlyn S. Jones, Wayne, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Carol A. Coté, Ph.D., associate professor of occupational therapy, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Bilateral Hand Transplantation on Perceived Quality of Life in Two Combat Veterans;”
Bridget Moira McVeigh, Blakely, worked with faculty mentor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “The Effects of NO donors on Cancer-like Cell Growth and Metabolism in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae;”
Greta Niedermeyer, Buxton, Maine, worked with faculty mentor Erica Lasek-Nesselquist, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Host Association and Evolutionary Relationships of Avian Haemoproteus and Plasmodium Sampled from Northeastern Pennsylvania;”
Ashley N. Opalka, Carbondale, worked with faculty mentor Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Potential Dopaminergic Modulation Rescues Acoustic Startle Responses after Lesions of the Telencephalon in Goldfish;”
Matthew R. Owens, King of Prussia, worked with faculty mentor Yaodong Bi, Ph.D., professor of computing sciences, on a thesis titled “Real-Time Visualization of Java Synchronization Methods;”
Amanda Pacella, Stroudsburg, worked with faculty mentor Jessica L. Bachman, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “Effects of Psychological Stress on Gait Parameters;”
Kishan Patel, Wilkes-Barre, worked with faculty mentor Robert J. Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “An Examination of Sex-Difference in Spring Arrival Timing and Parasite Prevalence Among Birds at a Northeastern Pennsylvania Stop-Over Site;”
Elizabeth Polishan, Clarks Summit, worked with faculty mentor Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, on a thesis titled “Art as a Living Process: An Exploration of Platonic, Heideggerian and Kristevian Modes of Creation;”
Michael Scott Pottieger, Wyomissing, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Nicotine Addiction in Camponotus floridanus;”
Michael Vittorio Predi, King of Prussa, worked with faculty mentor Timothy Cadigan S.J., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effects of Rhodococcus rhodochrous on Aspergillus niger;”
Kathleen Reilly, Wayne, worked with faculty mentor Susan L. Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history, on a thesis titled “Girls at the ‘U:’ A History of Coeducation at The University of Scranton;”
Kyle Jack Rodgers, Lancaster, worked with faculty mentor Timothy D. Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigating the inhibitory effects of medium-chain fatty acids on yeast cell cultures;”
Mary Katherine Rohrbaugh, Newtown, worked with faculty mentor Patrick M. Clark, Ph.D., assoicate professor of theology/religious studies, on a thesis titled “Personal Dignity in the Context of Inducing Delivery of Anencephalic Infants;”
Natalie Grace Russo, Livingston, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Jinghan Cai, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics/finance, on a thesis titled “Sleepless in World Cup: Fatigue, Mood and Stock Market Performance;”
Mariah A. Ruther, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Barbara K. Buxton, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “Metabolic Syndrome in Women Who Take Second-Generation Antipsychotic Medications;”
Victoria Spagnolo, Long Beach, New York, worked with faculty mentor Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, on a thesis titled “Latino Immigrant and Native-born Perception of the American Criminal Justice System;”
Shannon Stricker, Morrisville, worked with faculty mentor Robert Spinelli, D.B.A., assistant professor of health administration and human resources, on a thesis titled “Benefits Packages for Millennials and the Potential Influence of the Affordable Care Act;”
Summer Jeanne Vaughan, Byram Township, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theare, on a thesis titled “The World From Here: An Original Play;”
Juliana Catherine Vossenberg, Fredericksburg, Virginia, worked with faculty mentor Daniel P. Haggerty, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, on a thesis titled “Misconceiving Desire: A Philosophical Analysis of Sexual Desire in the Hookup Culture;”
Alex Bridgette Wasalinko, Scranton, worked with faculty mentor Ellen Casey, Ph.D. H’17, professor emerita, on a thesis titled “The Whole Greater Than the Parts: Connecting Body and Soul within Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘Blessed Damozel’ and ‘The House of Life’ Double Works;”
Katherine R. Wroge, Allentown, worked with faculty mentor Patricia Moyle Wright, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “Promoting Resilience through Spiritual Care after an Adverse Childhood Event;”
David Yatsonsky II, Jefferson Township, worked with faculty mentor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Phenylarsine Oxide Inhibition of Growth via Selective Vicinal Thiol Crosss-Linking in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.”
Members of Class of 2017 Graduate from The University of Scranton’s Business Leadership Honors Program
-
08/16/2017
Members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2017 who volunteered for long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations gathered with University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., for a reception held recently on campus. Seated, from left: Margaret V. Blount, Shannon Marie Richardson, Father Quinn, Natalie L. Kern and Kaitlyn Victoria Davis. Standing: Emily R. Machado, Laura K. Bopp, Michael R. Kranick, Mariah A. Ruther, John T. Greubel, Kateri Ann Sternberg, Christa Marie Howarth, Dillon S. Vita and James G. Buckley, Jr. Absent from the photo were Erin Maureen Finnerty and Kyle J. Rodgers.
Eighteen graduates of The University of Scranton have committed to long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations throughout the country and internationally. Their service begins this summer and includes programs run by the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Members of the University’s class of 2017 who committed to long-term service projects and their places of service are:
Margaret V. Blount of Hanover, Maryland, will serve with Mercy Volunteer Corps at St. Michael’s Indian School, Arizona;
Laura K. Bopp of Wantagh, New York, will serve wtih Operation TEACH, Baltimore, Maryland;
James G. Buckley, Jr. of Belle Harbor, New York, will serve with Xavier High School Alumni Volunteer Program in New York City;
Kaitlyn Victoria Davis of South Abington Township will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps at the Mustard Seed School, Sacramento, California;
Erin Maureen Finnerty of Brigantine, New Jersey, will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps at Urban Compass, Los Angeles, California;
John T. Greubel of Massapequa, New York, will serve with Alliance for Catholic Education through St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia;
Christa Marie Howarth of Somerset, New Jersey, will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps at Catholic Charities, Boise, Idaho;
Natalie L. Kern of Newtown will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Anchorage, Alaska;
Michael R. Kranick of Dunmore will serve with Teach For America in Baltimore, Maryland;
Emily R. Machado of Fishkill, New York, will serve with Urban Catholic Teacher Corps through Boston College;
Shannon Marie Richardson of Lafayette Hills will serve with Yap Catholic High School in Yap, Micronesia;
Kyle J. Rodgers of Lancaster will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps;
Mariah A. Ruther of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps at a Native American Health Clinic in San Francisco, California;
Kateri Ann Sternberg of Poughkeepsie, New York, will serve with Alliance for Catholic Education through Notre Dame University, serving in Mission, Texas;
Dillon S. Vita of Melville, New York, will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
In addition, members of the University’s class of 2016 Ryan Brown, Scranton, will serve with Scranton Prep Alumni Service Corps in Scranton, and Glendys Orellana, Spring City, will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Managua, Nicaragua. Brian Dolan, Pearl River, New York, a member of the University’s class of 2015, will serve with Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Nationally recognized for its commitment to service, Scranton was among just 361 colleges in the nation to earn the highly-respected Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Community Engagement Classification and was among the higher education institutions named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. More than 2,800 Scranton students volunteer for more than 175,000 hours each year.
University of Scranton Graduates Commit to Long Term Service Positions
-
08/16/2017
Thirty-five members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2017 graduated from its Honors Program, which is one of the Jesuit university’s programs of excellence. Students in the Honors Program pursue a rigorous education that stresses independent work through close engagement with professors and other honors students, including the preparation, presentation and defense of a research or creative project during their senior year.
The following is a list of class of 2017 Honors Program graduates, their faculty mentors and their research projects.
Lauren Armenti, Basking Ridge, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Julie Ann Nastasi, O.T.D., Sc.D., assistant professor of occupational therapy, on a thesis titled “Exploring the Meaning of Music in the Lives of Individuals with Visual Impairment: A Focus Group Study;”
Natalie Ann Bai, Rivervale, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Patrick Orr, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Sulforaphane and its Effects on cognitive Function and Memory;”
Brittany Benson, Taylor, worked with faculty mentor Paul Cutrufello, Ph.D., associate professor and chair, exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “The Effects of Self-Selected Music on Anaerobic Exercise Performance;”
Alexandra C. Brennan, Downingtown, worked with faculty mentor Jessica L. Bachman, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Various Dual-Task Activities and Task Prioritization on Gait Kinematics;”
Douglas A. Brown, Wyomissing, worked with faculty mentor Maria E. Squire, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effects of AFAP1 on the Quantity and Microarchitecture of the Axial Skeleton in a Murine Model;”
Mary Bruce, Conshohocken, worked with faculty mentor Patricia Moyle Wright, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “The Development of Cultural Competency in Undergraduate Nursing Students;”
Ryan K. Burdick, Lexington, South Carolina, worked with faculty mentor David E. Marx, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Electroless Silver-Plating of Kevlar® to Produce an Electrically Conductive Fabric;”
Max M. Cornell, Jermyn, worked with faculty mentor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Medium-Chain Fatty Acids Impair Cancer-like Growth in s. cerevisiae;”
Julien E. Cuny III, Spring Lake, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Michael E. Allison, Ph.D., associate professor and chair, political science, on a thesis titled “The Origins of Rising Violence in El Salvador and Potential United States Policy Solutions;”
Megan Elizabeth Fleming, Shavertown, worked with faculty mentor Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigations into the Stereochemical Effects of Ireland-Claisen Rearrangements;”
Albena Gesheva, Scranton, worked with faculty mentor Youngjin Cho, Ph.D., Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, on a thesis titled “Actin Filament Associated Protein 1 is a Novel Regulator of Bone Development;”
Caitlin Gilby, Hackettstown, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Christie P. Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology, on a thesis titled “Do Skepticism-Promoting Images Alter Fitspiration’s Impact On Body Esteem?;”
Janel Leigh Harach, Simpson, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Influence of Juvenile Hormone on the Development of Ovaries in Camponotus floridanus Worker of Queen-less Colonies;”
Kaitlyn S. Jones, Wayne, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Carol A. Coté, Ph.D., associate professor of occupational therapy, on a thesis titled “The Effect of Bilateral Hand Transplantation on Perceived Quality of Life in Two Combat Veterans;”
Bridget Moira McVeigh, Blakely, worked with faculty mentor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “The Effects of NO donors on Cancer-like Cell Growth and Metabolism in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae;”
Greta Niedermeyer, Buxton, Maine, worked with faculty mentor Erica Lasek-Nesselquist, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Host Association and Evolutionary Relationships of Avian Haemoproteus and Plasmodium Sampled from Northeastern Pennsylvania;”
Ashley N. Opalka, Carbondale, worked with faculty mentor Robert F. Waldeck, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Potential Dopaminergic Modulation Rescues Acoustic Startle Responses after Lesions of the Telencephalon in Goldfish;”
Matthew R. Owens, King of Prussia, worked with faculty mentor Yaodong Bi, Ph.D., professor of computing sciences, on a thesis titled “Real-Time Visualization of Java Synchronization Methods;”
Amanda Pacella, Stroudsburg, worked with faculty mentor Jessica L. Bachman, Ph.D., assistant professor of exercise science and sport, on a thesis titled “Effects of Psychological Stress on Gait Parameters;”
Kishan Patel, Wilkes-Barre, worked with faculty mentor Robert J. Smith, Ph.D., professor of biology, on a thesis titled “An Examination of Sex-Difference in Spring Arrival Timing and Parasite Prevalence Among Birds at a Northeastern Pennsylvania Stop-Over Site;”
Elizabeth Polishan, Clarks Summit, worked with faculty mentor Andrew LaZella, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, on a thesis titled “Art as a Living Process: An Exploration of Platonic, Heideggerian and Kristevian Modes of Creation;”
Michael Scott Pottieger, Wyomissing, worked with faculty mentor Marc A. Seid, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, on a thesis titled “Nicotine Addiction in Camponotus floridanus;”
Michael Vittorio Predi, King of Prussa, worked with faculty mentor Timothy Cadigan S.J., assistant professor of biology, on a thesis titled “The Effects of Rhodococcus rhodochrous on Aspergillus niger;”
Kathleen Reilly, Wayne, worked with faculty mentor Susan L. Poulson, Ph.D., professor of history, on a thesis titled “Girls at the ‘U:’ A History of Coeducation at The University of Scranton;”
Kyle Jack Rodgers, Lancaster, worked with faculty mentor Timothy D. Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Investigating the inhibitory effects of medium-chain fatty acids on yeast cell cultures;”
Mary Katherine Rohrbaugh, Newtown, worked with faculty mentor Patrick M. Clark, Ph.D., assoicate professor of theology/religious studies, on a thesis titled “Personal Dignity in the Context of Inducing Delivery of Anencephalic Infants;”
Natalie Grace Russo, Livingston, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Jinghan Cai, Ph.D., assistant professor of economics/finance, on a thesis titled “Sleepless in World Cup: Fatigue, Mood and Stock Market Performance;”
Mariah A. Ruther, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Barbara K. Buxton, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “Metabolic Syndrome in Women Who Take Second-Generation Antipsychotic Medications;”
Victoria Spagnolo, Long Beach, New York, worked with faculty mentor Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, criminal justice and criminology, on a thesis titled “Latino Immigrant and Native-born Perception of the American Criminal Justice System;”
Shannon Stricker, Morrisville, worked with faculty mentor Robert Spinelli, D.B.A., assistant professor of health administration and human resources, on a thesis titled “Benefits Packages for Millennials and the Potential Influence of the Affordable Care Act;”
Summer Jeanne Vaughan, Byram Township, New Jersey, worked with faculty mentor Hank Willenbrink, Ph.D., associate professor of English and theare, on a thesis titled “The World From Here: An Original Play;”
Juliana Catherine Vossenberg, Fredericksburg, Virginia, worked with faculty mentor Daniel P. Haggerty, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, on a thesis titled “Misconceiving Desire: A Philosophical Analysis of Sexual Desire in the Hookup Culture;”
Alex Bridgette Wasalinko, Scranton, worked with faculty mentor Ellen Casey, Ph.D. H’17, professor emerita, on a thesis titled “The Whole Greater Than the Parts: Connecting Body and Soul within Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s ‘Blessed Damozel’ and ‘The House of Life’ Double Works;”
Katherine R. Wroge, Allentown, worked with faculty mentor Patricia Moyle Wright, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, on a thesis titled “Promoting Resilience through Spiritual Care after an Adverse Childhood Event;”
David Yatsonsky II, Jefferson Township, worked with faculty mentor Timothy Foley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry, on a thesis titled “Phenylarsine Oxide Inhibition of Growth via Selective Vicinal Thiol Crosss-Linking in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.”
Members of the Class of 2017 Graduate from the University’s Honors Program
-
08/16/2017
Six members of The University of Scranton’s class of 2017 and three members of graduating classes of nearby universities were commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army during a ceremony held on Scranton’s campus in May.
The University of Scranton ROTC graduates who were commissioned at the ceremony:
2nd Lt. Emily E. Carmody of Thompson;
2nd Lt. Carson Earl Clabeaux of New Woodstock, New York;
2nd Lt. Tara M. Demko of Kulpmont;
2nd Lt. James A. Samson of South Richmond Hill, New York;
2nd Lt. Sarah Ann Thomas of Hamilton Square, New Jersey;
2nd Lt. Ryan Patrick Walsh of Boonsboro, Maryland;
In addition to The University of Scranton graduates, also commissioned at the ceremony were Pennsylvania State University Worthington graduate 2nd Lt. Christi Bambach of Columbus, Mississippi; Marywood University graduate 2nd Lt. Daghan Hart of Babylon, New York; and East Stroudsburg University graduate 2nd Lt. Margaret Kuchinski of Moosic.
Nine ROTC Graduates Commissioned as Second Lieutenants
-
08/16/2017
A team from Emmaus High School won The University of Scranton’s annual Computer Programming Contest hosted by the Computing Sciences Department. Seated in
first row, from left: Emmaus High School students Bowen Yao, Jie Luo and Nate Walls (team A), who came in first place in the competition. Standing: Tyler Mulvihill, Wilkes-Barre, a senior at The University of Scranton majoring in computer science; Emmaus High School students Jon Vose, Emma Breitenstein, Phoenix Neas, Dalton Leight, Ethan Knode and Arti Schmidt; and coach Carlen Blackstone.More than 50 students, representing nine area high schools competed in the annual Computer Programming Contest hosted by The University of Scranton’s Computing Sciences Department this spring. During the competition, 18 teams of two or three students each used their programming language to solve computer-programming problems.
Three students from Emmaus High School, Jie Luo, Nate Walls and Bowen Yao (team A), won the competition. They successfully solved all eight of the problems posed
in the competition.High School Students Compete in Programming Contest
-
08/16/2017
The University of Scranton hosted a reception on campus for participants in the Mentoring Young Minds program this spring. Through the mentoring program coordinated by the Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice at Scranton, University students met weekly with children attending The Nativity Miguel School of Scranton. Seated in
first row, from left: Nativity Miguel School students Hailey Bittencourt, Wendy DeLaCruz, Ashley Vasquez Dominguez, Justice White, Lucia DeCarvalho, Sarika Mongar, Mandy Lahl, AayushaKefley , Destiny Tapia,Nirjhala Kadariya, Nikauri Fernandez and Nahisha Pokhrel. Second row: Nativity Miguel School students Christopher Martinez, Partik Khadka, Nischit Pokhrel, Jorge Ramirez, Aaron Weikel, Dhiraj Baniya, Emmanuel Ramirez, Bryan Pulla, Justin Delgado and Xzerean Tassey. Back row: University of Scranton students Samantha Fortino, Centereach, New York; Emily Ferrara, Morris Plains, New Jersey; Colleen Rohr, Audubon; EmilyErrickson , Hazlet, New Jersey; Alexander Pinarreta, New Bedford, Massachusetts; Owen Drozd, Easton; Alexandra Turner, West Chester; Patrick Chapman, Yardley; Victoria Mulhern, Worcester, Massachusetts; Megan Fabian, West Seneca, New York; Kaitlin Kenyon, Centerport, New York; and Marcella Guilfoyle, Rockville Centre, New York. Absent from photo were University students Emily Lang, Scranton, and Jordan McCauley, Farmingdale, New York.University of Scranton Students ‘Mentor Young Minds’ at Nativity Miguel School
-
08/16/2017
The University of Scranton has named George W. Krull, Jr., Ph.D., as a global strategic advisor for its new doctor of business administration (DBA) program. Dr. Krull served as a partner in the executive office of Grant Thornton LLP and was the firm’s chief learning officer. Since retiring, he has remained active with the academic and professional accounting communities. He has served as an executive-in-residence and professor of accounting at Bradley University where he was awarded emeritus status in 2011.
During his distinguished career, Dr. Krull has served with the American Accounting Association (AAA), the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Pathways Commission. He was a member of the AACSB International’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Accreditation Quality, has served four terms on the AACSB’s Accounting Accreditation Committee and continues doing business and accounting accreditation peer reviews.
In 2014, Dr. Krull was recognized as one of one hundred distinguished graduates of Spears School at Oklahoma State during its centennial anniversary celebration, and in 2015 he was inducted into the Spears School Hall of Fame. In 2016, he received the American Accounting Association Outstanding Service Award. For the past academic year, he served as the interim chair of the accounting department at Saint Louis University.
Dr. Krull received his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University, Oklahoma State University, and Michigan State University, respectively, and he received an honorary degree from Northern Illinois University.
“We are honored and excited to have someone with George’s credentials in both accounting practice and academia to provide us with strategic guidance to ensure our program meets the evolving needs of the profession, academia, and our accreditors, AACSB International. His knowledge,
innovation and passion for educational excellence in accounting are inspiring,” said Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor, accounting department chair, and DBA program director at Scranton. “His insights will prove invaluable to the success of our program and students as they transition into academic careers.”The University of Scranton is now accepting applications for the DBA program, which will begin in the fall 2017 semester and will be offered through its AACSB International accredited Kania School of Management. The program has been approved by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Scranton’s DBA program, which has a concentration in accounting, seeks to address a critical need for qualified accounting teachers at accredited universities in the U.S. AACSB International is among the organizations that recognize the shortage of accounting faculty and encourages the development of flexible practitioner-oriented doctoral programs that enable experienced practitioners to gain the scholarly training needed to be effective teachers and researchers at academic institutions. The Pathways Commission on Accounting Higher Education of the American Accounting Association (AAA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) also encourage the development of more flexible, non-traditional paths to an accounting doctorate for experienced practitioners.
For information about Scranton’s DBA program, visit scranton.edu/dbaprogram.
George W. Krull, Jr., Ph.D., named global strategic advisor for the new DBA program.
-
08/16/2017
More than 1,600 students were named to The University of Scranton’s Dean’s List for the 2017 spring semester. The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours during the semester to make
the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, Kania School of Management and Panuska College of Professional Studies.Dean’s List students, listed alphabetically by
college , can be seen by clicking here.University of Scranton Announces Spring 2017 Dean’s List
-
08/16/2017
The following students were added to The University of Scranton Dean’s List for the spring 2016 semester after publication of the list in June of 2016.
The Dean’s List recognizes students for academic excellence during the 2016 spring semester. A student must have a grade point average of 3.5 or better with a minimum number of credit hours to make the Dean’s List. The list includes students from the Jesuit university’s College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management and the Panuska College of Professional Studies.
Students added to the spring 2016 Dean’s List are:
Carly A. McNamara
Paula T. Awuku
Elizabeth G. Polishan
Kelly Erie
Students Added to Spring 2016 Dean’s List
-
08/16/2017
The University of Scranton hosted the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Annual Conference on campus this spring, which included the keynote address “Seeing Anew: How Advances in Microscopy are Changing the Life Sciences” by Matthew Farrar, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics, Messiah College.
University of Scranton Hosts American Association of Physics Teachers Annual Conference
-
08/16/2017
The University of Scranton awarded seven professors 2017 Faculty Development Summer Grants, which are intended to promote scholarship and curriculum development efforts by faculty members.
Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history, will research “Ike’s Man at the UN: Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. and the United Nations 1953-1961.” Dr. Brennan joined Scranton’s faculty in 2009. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Rockhurst University, a master’s degree from Villanova University and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.
Arthur Catino, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, will research “A New Method for the Preparation of Tetraarylmethanes.” Dr. Catino joined Scranton’s faculty in 2013. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Franklin and Marshall College and his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland. He was also a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University.
Daniel Haggerty, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, will study “Developing Philosophy Curriculum for the RN to BSN Program at The University of Scranton.” Dr. Haggerty, who joined Scranton’s faculty in 2005, earned his bachelor’s degree from St. Joseph’s University and his Ph.D. from Syracuse University.
Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology, criminal
justice and criminology, will research “International Police and Civil Society Organizations in Peacekeeping.” Dr. Jenkins, who joined Scranton’s faculty in 2013, earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton and his master’s degree and Ph.D. from Rutgers University.Barry Kuhle, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology, will study “On the Origin of the Evolution Revolution: Conversations with the Pioneers of Evolutionary Psychology, Biology, and Anthropology.” Dr. Kuhle joined Scranton’s faculty in 2009. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Binghamton University and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin.
Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy, will research “A Phenomenology of Nietzsche’s Free Spirit.” Dr. Meyer joined Scranton’s faculty in 2010. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of St. Thomas, his master’s degree from Harvard University and his Ph.D. from Boston University.
Patricia Wright, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, will study “Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (CHPN) Certification and Practice Review.” Dr. Wright joined Scranton’s faculty in 2007. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Misericordia University and her Ph.D. from
Loyola University of Chicago.University of Scranton Faculty Awarded Summer Scholarship Grants
-
08/16/2017
The University of Scranton’s two-day orientation sessions for students and parents of the class of 2021 are taking place June 19-20, 22-23, 26-27 and 29-30.
At the opening session, University of Scranton Interim President Herbert B. Keller, S.J., welcomed the incoming students to their “journey” at Scranton, one that he said will be “exciting, demanding and fulfilling.” A journey, he said that would be transformational in nature, inspiring selfless service to others. Father Keller also promised the incoming students will be supported with “personal care and attention” for which Scranton is noted.
Scranton’s summer orientation is designed to introduce new students and their families to the University’s procedures,
facilities and support services, and to provide them with the opportunity to meet with faculty, administrators and staff, as well as each other. Student orientation leaders Richard Motter, Moscow, and Robert McGowan, Scranton, along with a team of University administrators, faculty and more than 50 student orientation assistants, acquaint the incoming class to the University community and region.At the orientation sessions, incoming students complete chemistry, mathematics, foreign language and composition placement tests. They also meet academic advisors, attend presentations on support services and extracurricular activities, and participate in recreational and social events. Parents and guests learn about the new role they will play as they transition to becoming a parent of a college student and are briefed on the resources and programs offered by Campus Ministries, Financial Aid, the Center for Career Development and other departments at the University.
The members of the incoming class represent 16 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the Federated States of Micronesia. The entire class of 2021 will assemble on campus for the first time at Fall Welcome Weekend Aug. 19-20.
From left: Students Robert McGowan and Richard Motter serve as orientation team leaders for The University of Scranton’s class of 2021. Motter, a mathematics major, is a graduate of North Pocono High School. McGowan, a psychology and philosophy double major and member of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, graduated from Scranton High School. He is a recipient of the University’s full-tuition, Presidential Scholarship.
Class of 2021 Begins Journey at Scranton at Summer Orientation
-
08/16/2017
Eighteen high school students completed The University of Scranton’s University of Success program, a multi-year, pre-college program that is designed for high school students to develop the skills needed to successfully gain acceptance to college. All the graduates have been admitted to post-secondary schools or chose to enlist in military service. East Stroudsburg University, King’s College, Arcadia University, Pennsylvania State University and Rhode Island College are among the colleges University of Success graduates will attend.
Students enter the University of Success at the completion of the eighth grade and continue through their high school years. The program offers enrichment courses in study skills, SAT prep, public speaking, math, science, art and cultural activities, as well as financial aid and wellness seminars. The ultimate goal is for University of Success students to be accepted into a four-year college or university.
The University of Success, offered free of charge to participants, is funded almost entirely by corporate and foundation grants. Donors to the program include AT&T, Charles A. Frueauff Foundation, Dime Bank, Fidelity Bank, Kuehner Family Foundation, MetLife Foundation, Overlook Estate Foundation, Peoples Security Bank and Trust, PPL, Proctor and Gamble, Prudential Foundation, Waste Management and Wells Fargo.
The following is a list of 2017 University of Success graduates, the high school they attended, and their post-high school plans.
Eli Caminero of Clarks Summit, Abington Heights High School, plans to attend East Stroudsburg University;
Matthew Christofferson of Tunkhannock, Tunkhannock High School, plans to attend Johnson College;
Justin Cooper of Tunkhannock, Tunkhannock High School, plans to attend Mansfield State University;
Katie Cotton of Carbondale, Carbondale Area High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University;
Miranda Donovan of Tunkhannock, Tunkhannock High School, plans to attend Arcadia University;
Jesus Fernandez of Tobyhanna, Scranton High School, plans to attend Lackawanna College;
Keerthik Jangala of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend Millersville University;
Krystine Jimenez of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend Marywood University;
Sanam Kadyrova of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Jacksonville University;
Eric Manchego of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Johnson College;
Noah Molino of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University;
Colleen Needham of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend the University of Pittsburgh;
Victor Paiva of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend Marywood University;
Joshus Price of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Pennsylvania State University;
Bridgette Reed of Kingston, Mountain View High School, plans to attend Cairn University;
Paval Rodriguez of Scranton, West Scranton High School, plans to attend King’s College;
Tyson Saul of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Lenoir-Rhyne University;
Megan Strachan of Scranton, Scranton High School, plans to attend Rhode Island College.
University of Success Seniors Graduate
-
08/16/2017
Steven Simpkins from Hazleton Area High School won the high school division competition at The University of Scranton’s 2017 Math Integration Bee. University of Scranton student Danny Tartaglione of Pocono Summit won the Integration Bee’s college division. The University’s Mathematics Department hosted the Integration Bee during the spring semester on campus.
Five participants in both the high school and college divisions moved on to the final round of the competition. In addition to Simpkins, finalists in the high school division were: Maria Aliaga, Isai Martinez and Megan Reed from Hazleton Area High School; and Connor McGowan from Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School.
Other finalists in the college division were: University of Scranton students Zach Fiscus of Scranton; Sara Gleco of Shickshinny; Nicole Nardella of Spring Brook Township; and Nick Russoniello of Jefferson Township.
The format for the Integration Bee is similar to a spelling bee, however, participants find antiderivatives of functions of a single real variable. The competition can help high school students improve their skills for Advanced Placement mathematics tests.
Math Integration Bee Winners Announced
-
08/16/2017
The University of Scranton is among just a dozen colleges in the nation who will host a Girls Who Code day camp this summer. The two-week program, scheduled weekdays July 24 through Aug. 4 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., is open to girls in high school interested in computer science.
At the camp, which focuses on the introduction to web development, participants collaborate on projects designed to teach them the “GWC Core4” programming concepts: loops, variables,
conditionals and functions. In addition, they learn about different female role models in computing.Girls Who Code is a national initiative that encourages more young women to pursue careers in the field of computer science. The University currently hosts a Girls Who Code club that meets on campus during the academic year.
Each Girls Who Code summer camp program is open to just 25 students. All participants must
be: a high school (grades 9-12) female student; a U.S. resident; committed to attending the entire two-week program; and able to commute to and from the campus each day. The day camps run from Monday through Friday at selected universities. Registration is $2,000, and includes lunch. Need-based scholarships will be available to those who qualify.To register for the Girls Who Code camp at the University, or for more information on the program, visit girlswhocode.com, or contact Benjamin Bishop, Ph.D., professor of computing sciences at Scranton, at 570-941-7774 or benjamin.bishop@scranton.edu.
Camp for Girls Interested in Computer Programming
-
08/16/2017
Charles E. Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency at The University of Scranton, awarded the 2017 Library Research Prize for undergraduate students to Kathleen Reilly, Wayne, a history and philosophy double major with a women’s studies concentration, and the 2017 Library Research Prize for graduate students to Christina Gavalas, Franklin Square, New York, and Marjorie Toron, Marlboro, New Jersey, who are pursing master’s degrees in occupational therapy.
The University’s Weinberg Memorial Library inaugurated the research prizes in 2011 to recognize excellence in research projects that show evidence of significant knowledge of the methods of research and the information gathering process, and use of library resources, tools and services.
Reilly, a member of the Honors Program and the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, submitted her honors thesis, “Girls at the ‘U’: A History of Coeducation at The University of Scranton.” The idea for this project came from her duties as a work study student in the Library’s Digital Services Department, where she spent time scanning old newspaper clippings about the University. To complete her thesis, she spent “countless hours” researching primary documents in the Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections and University Archives, as well as on the computer gathering information from publications available via the Library’s Digital Collections website. In her application essay, she stated, “Because of the abundance of resources offered by the Weinberg Memorial Library and the support of the librarians, I was able to turn my idea sophomore year into a detailed, comprehensive history of an important part of the University’s past.”
Honorable Mention awards in the undergraduate category were presented to nursing major Mariah Ruther, Tinton Falls, New Jersey, who submitted her nursing honors thesis, “Metabolic Syndrome in Women Who Take Second-Generation Antipsychotic Medications;” occupational therapy major Kerry Ann Randall, Unionville, Connecticut, who submitted a literature review on “Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy;” and exercise science major Michael Ramsthaler, Florham Park, New Jersey, who submitted an informative essay titled, “Hazing: Breaking Laws and Breaking Teams.”
Gavalas and Toron submitted an “Historical Analysis of Low Vision in Occupational Therapy,” which they completed for the Leadership in Occupational Therapy course (OT 501). The assignment required them to find primary sources beginning with the founding of their profession in 1917. Their research gathering included locating items on microfilm and on databases far removed from occupational therapy. In their application essay, they said, “We can truly attest to the ‘golden gem’ of a library that we have access to, both on campus and online.” Coincidentally, the two also won the Library Research Prize in the undergraduate category last year. Gavalas serves as the graduate assistant for the University’s Leahy Community Health and Family Center. Toron, serves as the head resident assistant for the sophomore and junior region at the University.
An Honorable Mention in the graduate category was given to Katelyn Moyer, Allentown, Daniel Dolphin, Scranton, Robert Roncek, Barnsville, and Steven Roughton, Blandon, who are graduate students in the University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program. Their submission was a systematic review on “The Effect of Depression on Functional Mobility in Older Adults Following Hip Fracture Surgery,” which they presented as a poster at the Combined Sections Meeting for the American Physical Therapy Association in San Antonio, Texas in February.
For more information about the Library Research Prize, contact Bonnie Oldham, information literacy coordinator at The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library, at 570-941-4000 or bonnie.oldham@scranton.edu.
University of Scranton Weinberg Memorial Library Announces Research Prize Winners
-
08/16/2017
The University of Scranton's four-week summer biology course, which introduces students to many outdoor experiences available in Northeastern Pennsylvania as they learn about the physiology of human performance and sustainability, is open to area residents attending other colleges as well as area high school students through the High School Scholars Program.
The three-credit course, Extreme Physiology, NEPA Edition (BIOL 184), meets Mondays through Thursdays from July 10 to Aug. 7. The course is a natural science elective for non-science majors.
Through participatory learning experiences, students learn first-hand how aerobic training enhances human performance and health as they bike, hike and run though some of the region’s most beautiful and challenging environments. They also learn about human physiology and are introduced to sophisticated equipment used for fitness testing,
measurement and data analysis.
The course is made possible through a partnership between the University and the Pocono Forests and Waters Conservation Landscape.For additional information, contact Terrence Sweeney, Ph.D.,
professor and chair of the Biology Department at Scranton, at terrence.sweeney@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7623.Summer Course at Scranton Combines Outdoor Athletic Training with Science
-
08/16/2017
Beginning in the fall 2017 semester, The University of Scranton will offer a new major in physiology, which is a field of biology that focuses on the functions of organisms, ranging from the functions of single-cells to human functions to interactions of animals with their environment. Students graduating with this major may go on to pursue careers as a physician, physical therapist or physician’s assistant, or pursue additional study or research in the fields of pharmacology and toxicology, comparative and human physiology or exercise science, among other areas. In addition to graduate and medical degree programs, the physiology major will provide students with lab research proficiency and technical skills that can be applied to a variety of job settings.
“The physiology major provides the student with the flexibility to tailor his or her degree to a variety of specializations, while still providing a solid core foundation in anatomy and cellular and integrative physiology,” said Terrence Sweeney, Ph.D.,
professor and chair of the Biology Department at Scranton. “The curriculum also incorporates active-learning practices and environments that engage students both inside and outside the classroom.”Examples include the Extreme Physiology courses offered through the program, which
allow students to study the effects of aerobic training on human health and performance by applying laboratory fitness testing and human physiology concepts to themselves and classmates as they participate in outdoor aerobic activities thatincludes biking, running and hiking. A majors-level Extreme Physiology course is offered in alternate years as a January travel course to Arizona. A new local version, Extreme Physiology, NEPA Edition, a natural science elective for non-science majors, highlights the natural environment surrounding Scranton and introduces students to local opportunities for outdoor recreation and environmental stewardship.Other courses in this major include required classes and labs in general biology, chemistry, organic chemistry and advanced human anatomy and physiology, and electives such as Comparative Biomechanics, Pathophysiology, Cardiovascular Physiology and Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology, among others. Students can also pursue research projects related to physiology through the University’s
Student Faculty Research Program.Dr. Sweeney also noted that as part of the program, each student will be partnered with a faculty advisor beginning in their sophomore year, which will allow for one-to-one guidance for career, curriculum and research choices.
For additional information, contact Dr. Sweeney at terrence.sweeney@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7623.
University of Scranton Offers New Major in Physiology in Fall of 2017
-
08/16/2017
A successful mentoring program matching University of Scranton students with Scranton School District students will return from hiatus under a new name with support from a $11,000 grant from the Margaret Briggs Foundation.
The Meg Cullen-Brown SMART (Scranton Mentors Actively Reaching Teens) Mentoring program, an initiative of Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice at the University, will engage 20 high school freshmen who demonstrate high academic ability but also may have exposure to elements that could inhibit their future success.
The program was named after a beloved longtime University of Scranton administrator who died unexpectedly in May 2016. At the time of her death, Meg Cullen-Brown was the director of the Office of the Registrar and Academic Services at Scranton. She also was president of the staff senate and a member of 11 different University committees and was known for her devotion to non-traditional adult and high school student populations.
The program, which is free to the high school students, will match 30 University mentors to 20 mentees in teams of three mentors and two mentees. The mentors will train for 10 to 12 hours with professional staff members and graduate students before embarking on a series of eight interactive sessions that will cover topics such as studying skills, healthy relationships, career goals, social media, interpersonal and decision-making skills, adjusting to high school, building a support network and managing finances.
One program goal is to help the mentees establish a strong relationship with college students who can demonstrate the advantages of performing well in school and attending college. Studies have shown that students who make a positive connection with a mentor have a better chance at academic success.
Other goals of the program, which will celebrate ethnic, economic and other diversity, include increasing the capability of University students to serve as role models, familiarizing local high school students with a college atmosphere and inspiring them to maintain high grades, remain in school and aspire to higher education.
The program will re-launch this September with
selection of and training for the mentors, and sessions with the high school students will be conducted in February,March and April of 2018. A graduation ceremony will take place in early May for mentees and their families.The SMART mentoring program was implemented in 2014 and continued
successfully in 2015 as a collaboration between the University and the Scranton School District. The district identified a need to connect vulnerable 13- and 14-year-olds with an activity outside of school.In addition to the Margaret Briggs Foundation grant, the program is supported by individual, corporate and foundation contributions as well as the Meg Cullen-Brown Memorial Fund, established by her family and friends.
Pat Vaccaro, director of the Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice at the University, developed and continues to oversee the SMART Mentoring program. She has worked directly with students for more than 24 years.
Members of the family of the late Meg Cullen-Brown met with University of Scranton representatives to plan for the fall start of The Meg Cullen-Brown SMART (Scranton Mentors Actively Reaching Teens) Mentoring program, a mentoring program that matches University of Scranton students with Scranton School District students. From left: Michael Brown; Ryan Brown,’16; Pat Vaccaro, director of the Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice at the University, who will oversee the program; Michael Brown Jr. ’13 G’16; and Jake Brown ’21.
Mentoring Program Named After Meg Cullen-Brown
-
08/08/2017
The University of Scranton gave community leaders a preview of its new Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime, which combines faculty research expertise and criminal justice practitioner knowledge with state-of-the-art technology for extensive data analysis.
The center, housed in the University’s Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology, will provide: education, certification and professional development in the latest scientific criminal justice techniques; analysis of data using various sophisticated modeling techniques that can then be applied to more efficiently utilize resources; and evaluation of the effectiveness of programming.
“The main purpose of the center is to help criminal justice practitioners more effectively navigate the challenging criminal justice environment, while engaging students in a unique, experiential learning opportunity that also serves our greater community,” said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., associate professor of criminal justice and executive director of the Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime.
“By integrating this knowledge and expertise with real life cases by working with – and learning from – our local partners, we are providing our students with the chance to make a positive impact on people’s lives.,” said Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J., interim president at the University.
Through the center, University students will be able to minor in crime analysis or earn a certificate in crime analysis, crime prevention or criminal investigations. Students majoring in criminal justice who meet GPA and other requirements can apply for the University’s Student Analyst Program, which will allow students to work directly with criminal justice agencies and faculty on research, data collection and analysis.
“Actually getting into our partner agencies to gather data, learning about the field from the inside, and gaining expertise in the analysis of problems that face criminal justice practitioners will set our graduates apart from students in most undergraduate programs,” said Dr. Jenkins.
According to Dr. Jenkins, University faculty have already been working individually on initiatives with several nonprofit agencies, as well as the Scranton Police Department. The center will now provide a cohesive structure and additional resources to these efforts, as well as opportunities for new collaborations.
“What we have here in the city of Scranton and Northeast PA, is probably one of the best universities in the country and, on top of that, one of the best Criminal Justice Departments in the country,” said Carl Graziano, chief of the Scranton Police Department (SPD). “That is really something we have to embrace.”
Chief Graziano said the SPD is excited to partner with the University’s criminal justice department for the center. “You have a teaching facility that not only benefits the students, it’s going to benefit so much more,” he said.
The SPD and the center have submitted a proposal for federal funding for a new initiative that would offer treatment, without arrest, to low-level drug offenders. The center would collect data and evaluate effectiveness of program.
Criminal justice professor Ismail Onat, Ph.D., chief analyst for the center, provided a demonstration of some of the data analysis capability of the center, which applies the geographic and temporal elements from crime data to project the risk of specific crimes occurring within a neighborhood block.
In another example, Dr. Onat and Dr. Jenkins examined the overlap between crime victimization and socioeconomic disadvantage.
“Maps illustrate what we also find in our statistical analysis, when broken down by the census block group, hot spots of crime victimization overlap significantly with areas of concentrated disadvantage,” said Dr. Onat.
The center will also offer professional development training for those already working in policing, corrections, private security or other related fields. The first course officially offered through the center is July 26, on the principles and importance of using evidence-based practice. It is open to anyone working with those in or affected by the criminal justice system.The University offers a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and minors in criminal justice and criminology. Scranton’s criminal justice program is certified by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS), an international association that fosters professional and scholarly activities in the field of criminal justice. The certification is designed to evaluate evidence-based compliance that meets or exceeds all academic standards set by the ACJS executive board for associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s level criminal justice programs. The certification is based on outcome assessment of evidence of a program’s quality and effectiveness.
University of Scranton Opens Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime
-
08/08/2017
Forbes ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Best Value Colleges” in its 2017 list of just “300 schools that deliver the best bang for the tuition buck based on tuition costs, school quality, post-grad earnings, student debt and graduation success.” This is the 10th consecutive year that Forbes ranked Scranton among America’s “best values” in college education,
however the methodology used for the rankings over the decade has changed several times.Scranton, ranked No. 249, was among only 20 colleges in Pennsylvania and 19 Jesuit universities ranked. Scranton was the only college in Northeast Pennsylvania listed.
The 2017 methodology compared the colleges’ cost of attendance, as measured by gross tuition and fees, with its: quality, as measured by the Forbes (2016) “Top College Ranking;” alumni earnings 10 years after graduation, as measured by Payscale and College Scorecard; student debt; on-time graduation success; “drop-out risk” (retention and graduation rates); and the number of Pell Grant recipients.
Forbes published
its 2017 “America’s Best Value Colleges” ranking online this spring.In addition to the Forbes ranking, the University has received consistent recognition for its economic value, including in a ranking by the prestigious publication The Economist that placed Scranton No. 22 in the nation for the impact it has on the earnings of its graduates. Following the premise that a “good student” would do well at any college, The Economist used regression analysis to measure the effect of an array of variables in order to determine the actual impact the college has on the earnings of a graduate. The Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program also ranked Scranton among the top 100 colleges in the nation in two separate reports that intended to measure the impact a college has on the annual earnings of its graduates.
Scranton Counted Among America’s Best Values
-
08/08/2017
The University of Scranton’s next president, Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. ’H15, has joined Scranton’s Board of Trustees as of June 1.
Father Pilarz, who served as Scranton’s 24th president from 2003 to 2011, will return to Scranton after completing his term as president of Georgetown Preparatory School in Washington, D.C., at the end of the 2017-18 academic year. At Georgetown Prep, Father Pilarz led the community in a celebration of the 225th anniversary of its founding, guiding the development of a comprehensive strategic plan and working to secure the largest gift in the school’s history – a $20 million commitment to support building restorations and other strategic plan projects.
During his service as president of Marquette University, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 2011 to 2013, he spearheaded a strategic planning process and also guided the school into the newly configured Big East conference.
Father Pilarz was the fifth longest-serving president at Scranton and third longest-serving Jesuit president. During his previous tenure at Scranton, the University earned national recognition for academic quality, community
engagement and student success, achievingthen record admissions and undertaking the largest construction projects in its history. He also expanded international mission and service opportunities and programs to enhance its Catholic and Jesuit identity. Transformational capital projects during his tenure included: the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center; Christopher and Margaret Condron Hall; the John and Jacquelyn Dionne Campus Green; the expansion of the Retreat Center at Chapman Lake, the apartment and fitness complex on Mulberry Street; and the Loyola Science Center. The University’s progress was supported by the Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign, the most ambitious capital campaign in the University’s history, which surpassed its $125 million fundraising goal. Other accomplishments included dedicated support for research by new faculty and five endowed chairs to attract top scholars. He was among the 38 successful leaders profiled by Ronald Shapiro in The New York Times bestseller “Dare to Prepare: How to Win Before You Begin.”As a scholar, Father Pilarz has delivered numerous papers at scholarly conferences on various aspects of medieval and Renaissance literature. He has also lectured and published on topics related to Jesuit education. His book, Robert Southwell, S.J., and the Mission of Literature 1561-1595: Writing Reconciliation, was published by Ashgate Press.
He has received numerous awards for teaching,
service and scholarship, including the John Carroll Award from Georgetown University for lifetime achievement, the highest honor bestowed by the Georgetown University Alumni Association. He received the Ignatian Award from Scranton Preparatory School and was awarded honorary degrees from King’s College, Wilkes University, Marywood University and The University of Scranton.Father Pilarz earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Georgetown University; a master’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University; and a master’s degree in divinity from the Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned a Ph.D. in English at the City University of New York. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1981 and was ordained a priest in 1992.
Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Returns to University of Scranton Board of Trustees
-
08/08/2017
The University of Scranton’s online Master of Accountancy degree program was ranked No.1 in the nation in a newly published list of top accounting programs by Best Colleges, an independent online higher education resource.
According to Douglas M. Boyle, DBA, associate professor and chair of Scranton’s Accounting Department and the program’s founder, “Our initial vision for the master’s in
accountancy (MAcc) program was to provide a high-quality practice degree that meets the needs of the profession in both technical accounting topics and softer skills such as ethics and communications. This recognition provides strong evidence that we have fulfilled this vision.”James Boyle, D.B.A., assistant professor of accounting and the program’s director, credits alumni input, saying that “our successful alumni at Big 4 firms and major public and private companies continuously mentor our MAcc students and offer their real-world experience in helping to develop and refine our curriculum. As a result, our MAcc graduates are ready to excel and bring their careers to the next level in the marketplace.”
The Best Colleges website highlights Scranton’s innovative MAcc Bridge Program, which enables students who have a non-accounting bachelor’s degree to efficiently gain the necessary prerequisites which provide the foundation needed for success in the master’s program. Brian Carpenter, Ph.D., professor of accounting and the Bridge Program’s founder, said that “there is a growing demand for highly qualified accountants that projects well into the future. Providing a path for the best and brightest candidates to gain entry to our program ensures that we are graduating highly qualified professionals who also bring a very diverse skill set to the market.”
Best Colleges, according to its website, provides “independent evaluations of online colleges and degree programs based on publicly available data and research to highlight those schools that offer a high-quality, reputable education at a reasonable cost.” Best Colleges only ranks “four-year, bachelor’s degree-granting liberal arts college or university in the United States, with at least one top 50 ranking in another major ranking system in the last year.” Their Master’s in Accountancy Online ranking considered acceptance rates, retention rates, six-year graduation rate and loan default rates, among other factors.
Scranton’s Panuska College of Professional Studies offers online master's degrees in health administration, health
informatics and human resources, and Scranton's Kania School of Management offers online master’s degrees in accountancy as well as online MBA degrees in general business, accounting, enterprise resource planning, healthcare management, human resources, internationalbusiness and operations management. For technology,recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley, a higher education consulting firm, for its online graduate business degree programs.In January 2017, Best Choice Schools, an online resource for academic degree programs, ranked The University of Scranton No. 7 in the nation in its list of the “20 Best Online Schools for Accounting Master’s 2016-2017.” U.S. News and World Report also listed Scranton among the “Best Online Programs” in the nation in its 2017 publication.
Scranton’s Online Master’s in Accountancy Program Named Best in Nation
-
08/08/2017Survey finds money isn’t everything when it comes to a college education
About 90 percent of parents and students rated “preparing for a fulfilling career” as a very- or extremely-valuable benefit of a college education, according to a MONEY/Barnes and Noble college survey. MONEY magazine accounted for that statistic among the 27 factors evaluated for its 2017 ranking of the nation’s “Best Colleges For Your Money.” Scranton ranked No. 206 among the 711 U.S. colleges listed that MONEY determined to deliver the “best value.”
Scranton was among the 26 Jesuit universities, and was the highest ranked school in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in the list published online in July.
In addition to the widely-accepted measures used to assess “value,” such as graduation rates, affordability measures such as how much students and parents have to borrow, and measures of alumni success such as howmuch recent graduates earn, MONEY added a new factor to its ranking methodology this year – the percentage of a school’s graduates who consider themselves to be in “meaningful” jobs, as reported to PayScale.com.
MONEY’s ranking methodology also includes a “comparative value” score, which “assess howwell students at each school fare compared with those at other schools where the students who attend come from similar academic and economic backgrounds.” According to MONEY “by controlling for the types of students that colleges admit and seeing how well they do after graduation, the rankings judge how much of a contribution the college made to their success in the years in between.”
The methodology MONEY used to rank the colleges’ “academic quality” included the six-year graduation rate, the standardized test scores of incoming freshmen, the student-faculty ratio, among other factors.
The criteria used to assess “affordability” included an estimate of the “net price of a degree,” which assessed tuition, the time it takes for students to graduate, tuition inflation and the school’s average need, merit and athletic financial aid. The “affordability” criteria also looked at student debt, student loan default rates, student loan default rates adjusted for the economic and academic profile of a school’s student body and the affordability for low- and moderate- income students, among other factors.
The criteria MONEY used to assess “outcomes” included: salaries of alumni reported in PayScale early- and mid-career; their reported earnings at these points adjusted by major; and the “market value of alumni skills,” which is basedin the Brookings Institute’s calculation of the market value of skills commonly listed by alumni in their LinkedIn profiles. In addition to other factors, the “outcomes” criteria also looked at socio-economic mobility index that uses data from the Equality of Opportunity Project, a study that examines the percentage of students that move from low-income backgrounds to upper-middle-class jobs before the age of 34.
Colleges with graduation rates below the national median, that were in financial difficulty, or that had fewer than 500 undergraduates, were not included inMONEY’s ranking.
Scranton has been recognized for its value in other national rankings, which include U.S. News and World Report, Forbes, Niche.com and The Economist, among others.Multifaceted Ranking Places Scranton Among Nation’s ‘Best College Values’