March 31, 2017
March 2017
March 31, 2017
Scranton Students, Faculty and Alumna Present at Psychological Association Annual Meeting
March 31, 2017
Assessment Drives Transformation Across University Departments
March 28, 2017
The Late Rev. Joseph Allan Panuska, S.J., Remembered at The University of Scranton Saturday
March 27, 2017
University’s Nurse Anesthesia Program Receives Seven Seals Award
March 24, 2017
Education for Justice Schedules Free, Public Events for Spring Semester
March 24, 2017
East German Film Festival Celebrates 10th Anniversary with March 28-30 Screening
March 22, 2017
Q & A with University of Scranton President-elect Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.
March 29, 2017
Accepted Students to Scranton’s Class of 2021 Can Preview University on Saturday
March 22, 2017
Said About the Appointment of Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., as the Next President of The University of Scranton
March 21, 2017
Search Committee Members for The University of Scranton’s Next President
March 21, 2017
Reverend Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., to Serve Again as President of The University of Scranton
March 22, 2017
University of Scranton Jazz Concert to Celebrate the Life of Rev. J. A. Panuska, S.J.
March 22, 2017
The Schemel Forum’s Collaborative Programs Connects ‘The Odyssey’ with Modern Medicine and Anticipates Putin’s Next Move
March 20, 2017
Award-winning Metal Artist Bringing “Gratitude Map USA” to University of Scranton
March 14, 2017
U.S. News Ranks Several University of Scranton Graduate Programs among Nation’s Best
March 14, 2017
University of Scranton Students Participate in Service Trips During Spring Break
March 13, 2017
Trombonist David Whitwell to Perform at The University of Scranton March 24
March 1, 2017
Joining the Latin American Studies program this year is Aiala Levy, a visiting assistant professor in the History Department. Dr. Levy recently received her
Her current book project, Making the Metropolis: Theaters and the Urban Public in São Paulo, Brazil, 1854-1924, tells the story of how a backwater became a metropolis. The project tells that story not through the traditional narratives of economic or infrastructural development but rather through culture. For São Paulo’s hundreds of thousands of new residents, metropolis meant mass society, a public life among strangers and crowds. Dr. Levy’s manuscript explains how Paulistanos (residents of the city of São Paulo) used theaters to shape this new society. Examining the words and deeds of government officials,
At the University of Scranton, Dr. Levy has been sharing her expertise in Latin American history both inside and outside the classroom. In the fall, she taught two sections of HIST 125 Colonial Latin America, which offered students an overview of the region under Spanish, Portuguese, and French rule. The two centuries that followed colonialism are the subject of Dr. Levy’s current course, HIST 126 Modern Latin America. This semester she is additionally teaching the history of gender and sexuality in Latin America, curating the Latin American Film Festival, and organizing a talk by Dr. Brodwyn Fischer on the history of the right to the city in Brazil.
Read more from the Spring 2017 LA/W/S newsletter, here.
Welcome to Our New LAS Faculty Member!
Joining the Latin American Studies program this year is Aiala Levy, a visiting assistant professor in the History Department.
March 1, 2017
Diplomats, Dancer and Foods Highlight India for Visiting Scholar Lecture Series at Scranton
March 1, 2017
University Announces April Events
March 1, 2017
Plans for Grounds Near Estate Call for Restoration of Historic Elements
March 29, 2017
The original version of this article appeared in AJCU Connections.
The University of Scranton established the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts (SJLA) Honors Program in the 1970s as a response to the proliferation of majors and major course requirements that seemed to threaten a hallmark of Jesuit education, namely, a robust education in the humanities with an emphasis on philosophy. The guiding principle was that such an education, and the habits of mind acquired through it, would serve students well in all career paths, and distinguish them as products of Jesuit education. Based on the results of a comprehensive program review and assessment completed in 2016, the traits targeted are needed across a spectrum of professional fields. Moreover, the SJLA Honors Program successfully develops these traits.
SJLA was established as an alternate way of fulfilling general education requirements at Scranton, making it possible for students to pursue a variety of majors while still receiving the kind of focused education in the humanities characteristic of Jesuit education for nearly five centuries. Invited freshmen students in SJLA typically fall among the top five percent of a given incoming class, as these students tend to have the self-motivation, academic aptitude, and broad intellectual curiosity necessary to thrive in the program. Efforts are also made to identify students of exceptional potential who, though not originally invited, would benefit from, and make meaningful contributions to, SJLA.
Though there have been changes to the curriculum over the past 40 years, the SJLA Honors Program develops bespoke courses designed to meet the following objectives: (1) Comprehension of the history of and major texts in Western philosophy, theology, and literature; (2) Eloquentia perfecta in speech and writing, stemming from a mastery of the elements of critical thinking, reading, and listening; (3) Personal formation – a thoughtful sense of students’ relationship to themselves, to others, and to God – and of the role of cultivated community in personal growth, discernment, and lifelong learning; and (4) The
SJLA students take 13 required courses as a cohort over four years: eight in philosophy, two in theology, two in literature, and a course titled The Jesuit Magis, wherein juniors identify unmet needs in the local community, and then organize a Fall Revue to raise funds for a service project they develop, implement, and assess.
In Ethics, first-year students pursue a meaningful vision of happiness in the light of such thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Cicero, Augustine, Aquinas,
The SJLA Honors Program aspires to bring out the best in our students without raising unnecessary
One of the best aspects of the SJLA community is summarized in a senior’s comment made on a recent retreat: “When I started college, I would walk into a new classroom and think, ‘Who is my competition? Who do I have to do better than?’ That was my mentality through high school. I just assumed it was how I had to think to do well in school. I soon realized that I was surrounded by a number of very talented
As part of a comprehensive review and assessment of the SJLA Honors Program, surveys were sent to alumni going back to 1980. We had an astonishing 40 percent response rate, receiving 1,240 comments composed of 45,000 words. The result is a lot of useful data confirming the good work that the program does. When asked what beneficial career skills SJLA helped them to develop, 94 percent of respondents said writing; 94 percent said critical
A sample of comments from SJLA Honors Program graduates reinforces best what we had hoped the program would achieve:
“SJLA is one of the best parts of The University of Scranton. You’ll make incredible friends, have the best professors, have a learning community throughout college, and learn to live well.”
“I still think about my SJLA experience with many of my life decisions… I would not be where I am today without The University of Scranton, and more importantly, I wouldn’t be who I am today without SJLA.”
“The Program is about learning, seeking truth, and engaging with ideas that have shaped and continue to shape our world. I am truly grateful for having had the opportunity to be part of the SJLA community, and to learn from and with scholars. The standard of excellence of the faculty is quite remarkable.”
“The SJLA Program and the people in it made it possible for me to truly understand Ignatian values, and to get the very most out of my Jesuit education.
Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program Thrives
Professor Haggerty writes about the objectives and outcomes of the program
March 29, 2017
University of Scranton Hosts FIRST® Tech Challenge EAST Super-Regional Robotics Competition for the third year!
March 1, 2017
Imagine you are born with a life-threatening medical condition that requires you to undergo several surgeries from the time you are an infant. After 14 years of fighting for your life, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America pledges to send you anywhere you would like to go to meet anyone you would like to meet. Given such an opportunity, what would you do? For Tristan Searfoss, the son of Brian ’90 and Liisa (Duhigg) Searfoss ’90, the answer was simple: Go to Rome to meet Pope Francis.
As you might imagine, a request of that nature is far from typical, but, according to Liisa, everything about Tristan is far from typical.
Before he was born, Tristan was diagnosed with hypoplastic right heart syndrome and tricuspid atresia, a congenital heart condition a 2012 study cited by the Center for Disease Control estimates occurs in about 1 in 10,000 babies born in the United States. The condition is considered critical and can require several surgical procedures to treat.
As fate would have it, the
Tristan’s first few months were filled with many complications, including heart failure and an infection. He was moved to a special, isolated room along with five other babies in similar situations.
“It was
As Tristan grew older, Liisa said she began to notice things about him that struck her as unusual.
“He was always looking up and waving in the same direction,” she said. “Around (the age of) two, Tristan couldn’t really say much, but he would always be waving in the skylights and saying, ‘Hello up there. I see you.' I was sure he meant angels.”
Around the age of six, near the time of his final heart procedure, Liisa said Tristan began asking questions about God, saying things that baffled her and her husband, such as, “I understand that God is in my heart and I keep him there, but what am I going to do if the devil tries to get in?” Although Brian and Liisa, both originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania, had moved the family to South Carolina, they sought spiritual advice from the Rev. Cassian Yuhaus, C.P., at St. Ann’s Basilica and Monastery in West Scranton and began making yearly pilgrimages to St. Ann’s to receive his blessing.
At about the same time, the family learned that Tristan had qualified for a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. When Liisa asked him what he wanted, however, she was shocked by his answer.
“He said, ‘I know what I want. I want to go to Jesus,’” she said. “I told him, ‘You know you can’t go to
As the years passed, Liisa said Tristan’s faith continued to grow. When he turned 14, Liisa said she approached him again about the Make-A-Wish offer. Tristan was initially troubled by it, thinking of it as a sort of death sentence, but Liisa said she explained that it was a “life wish,” a reward for fighting as hard as he had his whole life. According to Liisa, Tristan only wanted one thing: to meet Pope Francis. Curiously, this coincided with the pope’s 2015 trip to Philadelphia, Pa., which Liisa assumed would please Tristan.
“We thought that was perfect, and then he said, ‘OK – do I get to see him? Does he get to bless me? Do we have lunch?’” she said. “That’s when we just smiled realizing he hadn't any idea of the enormity of this wish.”
After Tristan learned that none of those things would happen on the trip, he reconsidered his request and came up with a new wish: he wanted to go to Rome, receive a blessing from the pope and “see where he sleeps.” The representatives of Make-A-Wish said they could fly Liisa, Brian, Tristan and his two brothers to Rome for four days over 2016’s Thanksgiving holiday and arrange for the pope to bless Tristan, but that was the most they could hope for. Then, another amazing coincidence occurred: a few weeks before they were scheduled to depart for Rome, Pope Francis opened the Apostolic Palace at Castel Gandolfo, the summer residence and vacation home of the papacy since the 17th century, to the public, giving Tristan the chance to see where the pope sleeps in time for his trip.
“He decided to open his sleeping quarters (to the public),” Liisa said. “This was the most incredible piece of news, to learn of this announcement!”
On the morning of the blessing, the family traveled to the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, and Tristan and Liisa sat in the front row waiting to meet the pope. Tristan described the moment in a “thank you” letter he wrote to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“As he got closer and closer to me, I could feel my hands start to sweat more and more,” Tristan wrote. “I could feel my heart start to race until it was finally my turn to meet him. I extended my hand out and stood up. He read the title of the (Make-A-Wish) packet that said, ‘Wish to meet the pope – Tristan.’ Then, he blessed me and my holy water and said a prayer in Latin to me.
“For that moment, I was experiencing my own miracle.”
Liisa said Tristan has always acted as a spiritual beacon to the people around him.
“We saw such a spiritual side (of him) coming out
On Saturday, March 4, Tristan will turn 16, and Liisa said the blessing he received from the pope will continue to strengthen his faith and resolve.
“He is 100 percent sure nothing (bad) will happen to him,” she said. “Because Tristan has been so spiritual all his life, he has such strong faith that he is going to be fine.”
For more information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit wish.org.
Pope Francis blesses child of alumni couple
A young boy meets Pope Francis through Make-A-Wish America
March 8, 2017
The University of Scranton presented Sursum Corda (Lift Up Your Hearts) Awards to four staff members at its Spring Convocation held in February on campus.
Sursum Corda Awards recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technicalstaff and maintenance/public safety staff who have made outstanding contributions to the life and mission of the University.
This year’s recipients were: Frani Mancuso, director of conference and event services; Pauline Palko, office assistant to the associate vice provost and dean of students; Todd Perry, facilities operation; and Elizabeth Rozelle, assistant director, career development specialist.
Sursum Corda Awards recognize members of the University’s professional/paraprofessional staff, clerical/technical
This year’s recipients were: Frani Mancuso, director of conference and event services; Pauline Palko, office assistant to the associate vice provost and dean of students; Todd Perry, facilities operation; and Elizabeth Rozelle, assistant director, career development specialist.
Sursum Corda Awards
University Honors Employees with Sursum Corda Awards
March 7, 2017
The Scranton Journal talks to the director of Performance Music.
You’ve been at the University for 35 years. Why have you stayed?
Oh, because it’s where I belong.
How did it all begin?
Ultimately, it was John Gavigan and Father Bill Byron who hired me, with a little bit of involvement from Father Ed Gannon. My intention was to spend a year or two here doing just the band. Fr. Gannon came to the first band rehearsal and watched a little bit. He swung his coat on his way out with his cigarette in hand. I thought he was annoyed. The next day, I got the key to the cabinet with the choral music in it. His note said, “You’re doing the choir now, too.” I didn’t know him or where I could return the key, so I ended up doing the choir, too. It was fate.
Did you always feel supported here?
Yes. This was, from where I stood, never a patriarchy. At that time, women didn’t do university bands. None of these guys batted an eye. They said, “Yeah, you’re good at what you do. We want you. Go forth and build this.”
How did your vision match the University’s vision back then?
Looking back, the University and I were a perfect match at the perfect time because they wanted solid musical experiences for their students. They had no intention of it ever being a major. They knew that being able to make music was as important for musical kids as being able to make friends. We’ve always done it for the love of music.
Why are performances free?
Many years ago, Father Al Panuska said, “You will not charge.” Every president since has said the same thing. They say, “You put this out there and let the people in the community come and hear it.”
Our students are doing this not only for their own musical expression and
You direct instrumental and choral music. This is pretty uncommon. Why do you do both?
As it turned out — though I didn’t expect it — I love doing both. It’s really neat that I can do stuff like that here. I can do a concert piece that requires the band and choir performing together and not have a fight with the band director about it. Or the chorus director. Because if I do, I need a shrink.
Do you think of yourself as an educator or a musician?
Equal parts. It’s education through performance. To get to their end-performance result requires transformation. People say, “What do you do?” I say, “I do chaos. I create order from chaos. That’s what I do.”
Do you ever take a break?
I think I took off a week or two to have my daughter Maggie. I first brought my son Joseph to work at three days old. I had to take off three weeks for my cancer surgery . . . although, they apparently said three or more months,
I don’t see myself getting sick of this. I love these kids, and I love the music. I don’t see an endgame. Nor am I planning for one. I’ll probably drop in my boots here.
One-on-One with Cheryl Boga
The Scranton Journal talks to the director of Performance Music.
March 1, 2017
The purpose of the Staff Senate is to contribute to the success of the University. As the Senate enters it's tenth year, here are some of the recent ways in which the Senate has contributed toward it's purpose: the Christmas Luncheon, charitable community donations, monthly Staff Spirit awards, Communication Symposiums, roundtable meetings, assistance with the presidential search, input for campus smoking and dress policies, the ad hoc committee on donating leave time, the wellness participation time ad hoc committee, Meet and Greet Election luncheon, spring election, professional development events, Home Improvement BBQ, newsletter, website updates, University-wide committee representatives, and the End of the Year Celebration and Awards luncheon.
Thank you to all our senators, alternates, Ms. Patricia Tetreault, volunteers, and other supporters that have made it possible to accomplish all of these tasks. Also, thank you for accomplishing all of these tasks in a way that makes me very proud to work with each of you through-out the year. On every occasion in the past year, your work has exceeded my expectations. It is in your good work that the Staff Senate has a voice. Keep up the important work as we look forward to the great tasks we will accomplish next year.
Read the full newsletter, here:
Staff Senate President's Report
The purpose of the Staff Senate is to contribute to the success of the University. As the Senate enters it's tenth year, read about some of the recent ways in which the Senate has contributed toward it's purpose.
March 1, 2017
University of Success Now Accepting Applications
March 1, 2017
Academic Competitions Planned for Middle and High School Students
March 1, 2017
University of Scranton PRSSA Students Announce Happiness Week and the Five Signs of Emotional Suffering Education Summit
March 1, 2017
University Honors Employees with Sursum Corda Awards
March 1, 2017
These are challenging times.
Over the past weeks and
When we commit ourselves to equity, diversity, fairness, and dignity, we can hold one another accountable to the goals of a liberal education and a democratic society. We’ll continue to work hard to advance conversations about women’s health and access to affordable care; citizenship, law, and electoral politics; women entrepreneurs; and women’s vibrant creative contributions in the Americas.
I hope you will join us! Expand the conversation by bringing someone new along the next time you attend a LA/W/S event, or even when you stop by our office (LSC 221 C) to learn more about declaring a concentration or a major in Latin American or Women’s Studies.
Read more from the LA/W/S
LA/W/S Newsletter - Spring 2017
A note from Jamie Trnka, Ph.D., women's studies director
March 1, 2017
Since Spring 2016, I have been excited to be a project partner for a Jean Monnet grant to establish the We-Bind Network”, funded by the European Union Commission and currently housed at the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) in Washington, D.C. The grant is to study and publicize the importance of women leaders in foreign policy and international relations, utilizing seminars and conferences to highlight new research and to publish findings for academic and professional audiences. The array of specific research projects is focused on women engaged in foreign policy leadership and decision-making in global community. Most of our scholarship has at least some ties to European-related foreign policy questions or individuals connected directly or indirectly to the European foreign policy sphere.
An Italian colleague and friend, Federiga Bindi, spearheads this venture, which builds upon the Women’s Leadership in International Relations project that she and others began in 2013 in Brussels, Belgium. Federiga is the Jean Monnet Chair and Professor of Political Science at the University of Rome Tor Vergata; additionally, she has been a Senior Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations at SAIS Johns Hopkins University, and currently holds the Daniel German Distinguished Visiting Chair at Appalachian State University. I met Federiga in 2007 through the European Union Studies Association (EUSA), the foremost scholarly and professional association that focuses on the EU, its integration process, and transatlantic relations.
At the upcoming May 2017 Sixteenth Annual EUSA Biennial Conference, in Miami, FL. I will present a paper, titled "Samantha Power - A European Journalist turned U.S. Diplomat," as part of two conference panels organized under our grant’s auspices. Power, who was born in Ireland and whose mother migrated to the United States during Power’s childhood, recently stepped down as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, a position she held for three years. She is known for her passionate commitment to international human rights and her efforts to build coalitions, including with European partners, to address human rights challenges in the international community. We are at work on a new grant proposal to fund additional research on EU women leaders. For that new effort, I will initiate a new project on Margot Wallstrom, the current Swedish foreign minister, who served in the in the European Commission for two terms in addition to being the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG) on Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Read more from the Spring 2017 LA/W/S newsletter, here.
Women Leaders and Policy Makers in the Global Community
Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D., writes about her research focus on women leaders in the global community.
March 1, 2017
Congratulations to our newly elected Senators and Alternates!
Clerical - Erica Armstrong and Bryn Schofield
Maintenance, Trades, Technical, and Police - Christopher Harris, Dale Martin, Bill Pilger, Kevin Roginski,, Kevin Rude, Pete Sakowski, Kyle Thomas, and Peter (PJ) Worsnick
Professional/Para-professional - Rebekah Bernard, Renee Giovagnoli, Meg Hambrose, Marg Hynosky, and Richard Walsh
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2017 issue of the Staff Senate newsletter. Read more, here.
Staff Senate Election Results
Staff Senate Election Results - Congratulations to our newly elected Senators and Alternates!
March 1, 2017
The University of Scranton Breaks Ground on South Side Athletics Campus
March 1, 2017
Social Events & Community Building
The Senate aspires to be a good neighbor by supporting local causes that benefit our community. Kristi Klien, Kevin Roginski and the Social Events & Community Building Committee did a fabulous job in using the Annual Senate Christmas Luncheon as well as the Meet and Greet to collect donations. They raised $1,566.00 to help The Bethel AME Homeless Shelter stay funded through the winter and collected 2,000 pairs of socks to support the Aramark and University sponsored Community Christmas Breakfast. At this year’s Meet and Greet they raised $190 for The Community Intervention Center, and collected an immense amount of toiletry items, which were also donated to The Community Intervention Center.
Members: Kristi Klien (co-chair), Kevin Roginski (co-chair), Ann Barnoski, Tom Coleman, Kelly Cook, Lori Flynn, Steve Hallock, Caitlyn Hollingshead, Gerry Loveless, Janice Mecadon, Mary Ellen Pichiarello, Ryan Puksta, Bryn Schofield, Sue Shimsky, Kyle Thomas, and Cindy Tokash
Staff Recognition & Excellence Awards
The Staff Recognition and Excellence Committee has been eagerly planning the End of the Year Celebration and Awards Luncheon. It will take place on Wednesday, May 10th in the Rose Room in Brennan Hall. This gathering is focused on acknowledging the work Staff Senators have done on behalf of the campus community this past year and recognizes various staff accomplishments. Current Staff Senators, as well as, new elected Senators, Senate Committee chairs, Monthly Spirit Award winners, Senate Volunteers and community members who have completed an academic degree this year will all be honored and recognized! We are looking forward to an enjoyable event! Most importantly, we are appreciative of all of the efforts put forth campus-wide by all members of the University staff!
Members: Gina Butler (co-chair), Tamara Bautista (co-chair), Lisa Bealla, Lori Flynn, Caitlyn Hollingshead, Janice Mecadon, Eileen Notarianni (volunteer), Mary Ellen Pichiarello
This article originally appeared in the Spring 2017 Issue of the Staff Senate Spotlight. Read the full issue, here.
Staff Senate Committee Updates
Spring 2017 updates from the 'Social Events & Community Building' and 'Staff Recognition and Excellence' committees.
