January 2018

This Thursday, February 1, is National Call-In Day for students to support DACA students through the Dream Act. The University of Scranton is partnering with the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in a campain to help save DACA students. On Thursday, students are being encouraged to contact their hometown number of Congress and their two U.S.Senators in support of the DREAM Act and DACA. 

Community and Government Relations along with Campus Ministries, the Ellacuria Initiative and other campus offices will be holding a table-sit on the 2nd floor of the DeNaples Center on Feb. 1stfrom 11am-1pm to provide educational materials and advocacy tools. For more information on what you can do to help support DACA students, visit the University of Scranton's Advocacy Corner.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

 

 

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.

Coming Events

All events take place in The Houlihan-McLean Center (Mulberry Street at Jefferson Avenue) and are free of admission charge, unless otherwise noted

Sunday, January 14, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The Scranton Brass Orchestra
The diverse program for this concert includes arrangements and transcriptions for brass band and brass orchestra of Malaguena, Guantanamera, Girl from Ipanema, Riverdance, Funiculi Funicula Rhapsody, Finlandia, Rimsky Korsakov’s Procession of the Nobles, Borodin’s Polovetsian Dances, and Dvorak’s Song to The Moon (from “Rusalka”). Now in its seventh season, The Scranton Brass Orchestra is a fully professional 26 member ensemble comprised of brass & percussion players/teachers from the region. 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.

Saturday, February 10, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: Michael Davis and The New Wonders
(with an appearance by The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble)
At twenty-five years old, “eloquent trumpet prodigy” Mike Davis (Wall Street Journal) has a voice beyond his years on his instrument. The New York City based septet which he leads – “The New Wonders” - vividly invokes America’s Jazz Age during the 1920s, when jazz was the soundtrack for dramatic national changes and played a central part in people's dreams, adventures and romances. Exquisite attention to musical detail and the band's deep passion for the original recordings is evident in each performance. Named for the model of cornet played by the enigmatic genius Bix Beiderbecke, the New Wonders craft each song as if it were a 78 rpm record, and the result has been praised by Downbeat Magazine and the New York Times. Mike’s playing is imbued with the sounds of prohibition-era speakeasies, Hoovervilles of the depression, and glittering jazz palaces of the swing era, creating a timeless cocktail of American music. He appears regularly around New York City with Dandy Wellington and his band, Emily Asher’s Garden Party, Gelber and Manning, Glenn Crytzer, Terry Waldo, Baby Soda, Dan Levinson, and many other traditional jazz and swing bands. The 22 member University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum, will accompany Mr. Davis on a few of the evening’s selections.

Sunday, February 18, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN RECITAL: Mark Kosower, cello, and Jee-Won Oh, piano
Mark Kosower, principal cellist of The Cleveland Orchestra, is described as “a virtuoso of staggering prowess” by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A consummate artist equally at home nationally and internationally as a recital and concerto soloist, he regularly collaborates with his wife, acclaimed pianist Jee-Won Oh. Together they have appeared in concert throughout the U.S. and abroad. Recent and upcoming performances include return engagements on the Great Performers Series at Lincoln Center and at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, as well as performances at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, at Barge Music in New York, at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, at the Sala Cecí­lia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, and at Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, Korea. In recent years Kosower and Oh have together and separately performed solo engagements throughout the U.S. and the world; served as a frequent guests at numerous national and international chamber music festivals; and recorded for the Ambitus, Delos, Naxos International, and VAI labels (including the first recording of the complete music for solo cello of Alberto Ginastera, for Naxos). In spite of their busy performance schedules, they have maintained their commitment to excellence in teaching. Kosower is currently as a member of the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Kent/Blossom Music Festival, and is also serving as a visiting distinguished professor at the University of Oregon during the 2017-18 academic year. Oh was the studio pianist and assistant to the famed cellist Janos Starker for five years, taught piano at Indiana University from 1994-98, and currently teaches and coaches clinics, workshops and masterclasses for solo and collaborative pianists throughout their travels. Both have offered masterclasses around the world.

Saturday, March 3, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN RECITAL: Marg Davis, harp, and Jon Shadle, trumpet (music.yale.edu, juilliard.edu)
Harpist Margaret Davis and trumpeter Jonathan Shadle met while pursuing their undergraduate degrees at The Juilliard School and have since formed a chamber music duo to showcase this unique instrumentation. In addition to their undergraduate degrees from The Juilliard School and their graduate work at The Yale School of Music (M.M. 2018), they have studied and performed at numerous highly regarded summer music festivals, including The Aspen Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, and The Chautauqua Music Festival. As a duo, they have performed recitals and concerts on the East Coast, as soloists and ensemble musicians they have performed throughout the U.S., and each teaches masterclasses, workshops, and private lessons. Davis & Shadle are committed to premiering little-known works for trumpet and harp, as well as transcriptions of other chamber pieces, and they also compose original music for their contemporary band, “Astoria Window”, and will be releasing their debut EP with that ensemble this spring. Their performance in Scranton will feature unpublished, Hungarian compositions for trumpet and harp, as well as transcriptions of classic, European chamber pieces for piano and voice. The combination of harp and trumpet is a very underutilized instrumentation, and audience members often find themselves surprised by the depth of blend and range of tone color achievable between the instruments. The program will also include solo harp pieces performed by Margaret Davis by various French, British and Dutch composers ranging from the 18th to 20th centuries.

Wednesday, March 7, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
GENERAL RECITAL: University of Scranton Performance Music students
University of Scranton Performance Music student musicians present a program of vocal and instrumental selections in solo, duo, trio, quartet, and small ensemble performances. The student musicians represent majors spanning the curriculum, and are brought together by their love of making music and sharing it with their audiences.

Sunday, March 25, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The Mannes School of Music Brass Ensembles (Mark Gould, Director) with The University of Scranton Singers and organist Timothy E. Smith
The Mannes School of Music, in existence for more than a century, is one of the nation’s premier music conservatories, providing programs at the pre-college, undergraduate, and graduate level. Mannes’s brass ensembles have been under the direction of Maestro Gould since 2017, and are composed of select undergraduate and graduate brass students. The University of Scranton Singers is a 50+ voice mixed choir founded more than half a century ago, composed 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 ensembles. This is the premiere year of the collaboration between these two groups, and is a natural outgrowth of a successful string of other musical collaborations between the groups’ respective directors. Dr. Timothy Smith is Organist and Director of Music at Scranton’s Covenant Presbyterian Church, also serves as university organist at Columbia University.

Saturday, April 14, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
35th ANNUAL WORLD PREMIERE COMPOSITION SERIES CONCERT: featuring the premieres of two new works by guest composer/conductor Brandon Lee, performed by The University of Scranton Concert Band & Concert Choir
Brandon Lee is an acclaimed jazz trumpeter, arranger, composer, teacher, and bandleader who has made his mark on the music scene worldwide, performing and teaching masterclasses in many of the major concert halls and club venues of the world. He currently serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz Trumpet for the Miles Davis Jazz Studies Program at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In the fall of 2008, Brandon became the youngest to join the faculty at The Juilliard School. As jazz faculty, Brandon primarily worked as the assistant conductor and conductor of jazz orchestra, conducting The Juilliard Jazz Orchestra and showcasing the orchestra in many venues nationally and internationally, with a variety of legendary guest artist/teachers. In addition to his jazz faculty position, Brandon served on staff at The Juilliard School as the Artistic Coordinator of Educational Outreach from 2010-2012. Lee plays frequently with his own group and as a sideman in several other groups. He has taught masterclasses and performed in major concert halls throughout the world, and has performed and/or recorded with a plethora of jazz artists including Wynton Marsalis, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Eric Reed, Vincent Herring, Kirk Whalum, Jazz Conceptions Orchestra, The Birdland Big Band, The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Kenny Barron Quintet, Kurt Elling, Christian McBride Big Band, David Berger Big Band, Fat Cat Big Band, and many others. The premieres of the new works for Scranton will be performed by the university’s student ensembles, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum, with Mr. Lee conducting the premieres of his compositions.

Saturday, April 21, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The University of Scranton Jazz Band with special guest soloist Frank Vignola, guitar
Frank Vignola is one of the most extraordinary guitarists performing before the public today. His stunning virtuosity has made him the guitarist of choice for many of the world’s top musicians, including Ringo Starr, Madonna, Donald Fagen, Wynton Marsalis, Tommy Emmanuel, the Boston Pops, the New York Pops, and guitar legend Les Paul, who named Vignola to his “Five Most Admired Guitarists List: for the Wall Street Journal. Vignola’s jaw- dropping technique explains why the New York Times deemed him “one of the brightest stars of the guitar”. With over 1000 engagements in the last five years alone, his dynamic genre-spanning music has brought him to 15 countries on three continents, performing in some of the world’s most illustrious venues. Often featured on National Public Radio, Frank Vignola has also become a familiar figure on Public Television, including his own PBS special, “Four Generations of Guitar” with special guests, Bucky Pizzarelli, Joe Craven and Tommy Emmanuel. Vignola has recorded over 30 CD’s, 7 DVD’s and has been a guest performer on hundreds of recordings; written and produced scores of educational books, CDs and videos at all levels; maintains a vigorous private teaching schedule; and conducts clinics, masterclasses and workshops at conservatories and music schools across the globe, most recently coaching guitar ensembles at The Juilliard School of Music in New York City. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 25 member ensemble of big band instrumentation, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform five or more times per year,and the majority of their performances are open to the public, free of admission charge, and feature a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.

Friday, May 4, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
10th ANNUAL GENE YEVICH MEMORIAL CONCERT: featuring Kako Miura, violin (with an appearance by The University of Scranton String Orchestra)
This concert, in celebration of the memory of former Scranton Superintendent of Fires Gene Yevich and sponsored by Former Mayor Dave Wenzel and his wife Janet, features acclaimed young violinist Kako Miura. Miura is currently pursuing her Master of Music 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, Colburn’s Jascha Heifetz Distinguished Violin Chair. She is also an active member of the classical contemporary music ensembles Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra and Aeon Ensemble. Kako was invited to participate in the National Arts Centre’s Young Artists Program in Ottawa (where she studied with Pinchas Zuckerman and Patina Kopec) and The Aspen Music Festival, and was a 2016 participant in the Heifetz International Music Institute Ashkenasi Kirshbaum Chamber Music Seminar, and the Taos School of Music chamber music program in 2017. She earned her undergraduate degree from The Juilliard School as a student of Masao Kawasaki, has received numerous prestigious awards in both Australia and the United States, and has had both 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.

Saturday, May 5, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest soloist Kako Miura, violin
The University of Scranton String Orchestra plays music by Vivaldi, Bach. Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and more, with guest violinist Kako Miura. (Please see Miura bio above.) The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-member ensemble comprised of members of the university community - mostly undergraduate students, joined by 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 music-making. The ensemble performs four or five times per academic year, and most of their performances are open to the public and are free of admission charge.

Thursday, May 10, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
PRE-COMMENCEMENT CONCERT: The University of Scranton Symphonic Band and Concert Choir

Sunday, May 13, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN RECITAL: Alexander Pattavina, Organ
Alexander Pattavina, of Stoughton, MA, is currently completing his Bachelor’s degree in Organ Performance at The Juilliard School. A student of GRAMMY Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs, Alex received First Prize in the 2014 L. Cameron Johnson Memorial Organ Competition, and was awarded the Ruth and Paul Manz Scholarship from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. An avid composer, Alex’s composition for choir and organ, All in a Stable Cold and Bare, will be published in a forthcoming release by Hal Leonard. Recently, Alex has appeared in recital at The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in Manhattan, Old West Church in Boston, and Hampton Congregational Church in Hampton, CT. He was one of the performers in an historic, eighteen-hour marathon performance of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach held at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Manhattan, sponsored by WQXR-FM. Alex has also worked at St. Michael’s Church in New York City, as Organ Scholar at The Parish of St. Paul in Harvard Square and Christ Church in Bronxville, NY, and Assistant Organist at St. Joseph Parish in Needham MASS.

Sunday, June 17, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
IN CONCERT: The Scranton Brass Orchestra

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Events you may have missed earlier in the 2017/2018 school year:

SUN., SEPT. 10, 2017 - IN CONCERT: The Peter & Will Anderson Trio (with guitarist Alex Wintz) Clarinet and saxophone virtuosos Peter and Will Anderson are one of the most extraordinary set of brothers performing music today, known for their unique renditions of classic jazz songs and innovative original music. They have headlined at The Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, New Orleans Jazz Festival, Sarasota Florida Jazz Festival, South Carolina’s Jazz Corner, Seattle’s Triple Door, Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, DC’s Blues Alley, and Arizona Music Festival, and their ensemble has performed in over 40 U.S. States, toured Japan, and been featured four times in NYC’s famed “Highlights in Jazz” series. They have performed with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Village Vanguard Orchestra, Jimmy Heath Big Band, Wycliffe Gordon, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Paquito D’Rivera, Kenny Barron, Bob Wilber, Albert “Tootie” Heath, live on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion, and are featured on the 2014 Grammy Winning Soundtrack of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.
SAT., SEPT. 23, 2017 - IN CONCERT: Trumpeter/vocalist Jumaane Smith and Friends present “Louis, Louis, Louis!” (with an appearance by The University of Scranton Singers) Jumaane Smith, trumpet soloist and sideman, has traveled the world, played stages in historic clubs, in massive stadiums and at cultural landmarks, recorded a solo album, appeared on national television, and performed for two sitting U.S. presidents. The recordings he’s played on have sold more than 25 million copies worldwide, garnered four Grammy nominations, and earned three Grammy wins, and the TV shows he’s appeared on total an audience of more than 100 million viewers. A member of Michael Buble’s band and the band for the Harry Connick Jr. show, his collaborations range from pop idols to jazz legends. He’s worked with Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Michael Buble’, Jackie Evancho, Alicia Keys, The Jonas Brothers, Wyclef Jean, Justin Bieber, Diddy, Natalie Cole, James Ingram, Wynton Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane, Chris Botti and many more. From touring the world with Bublé, playing the Grammy Awards show with Stevie Wonder and the Jonas Brothers, appearing regularly on TV with Harry Connick Jr., and recording “As I Am” with Alicia Keys, to appearing on the “American Idol” soundtrack, performing with Jackie Evancho, and scoring and performing music for the film “Handsome Harry,” Jumaane’s varied accomplishments go on and on.
WED., SEPT. 27, 2017 - IN RECITAL: University of Scranton Performance Music Student Musicians University of Scranton student musicians perform in both vocal and instrumental solo, duo, trio and small ensemble performances. (More detailed program info TBA)
SUN., OCT. 22, 2017 - IN RECITAL: Daniel Ficarri, organist, performing on the Houlihan McLean Austin Opus 301 Symphonic Organ Daniel Ficarri, a rising young star as an organist and composer, is quickly making his mark as a versatile soloist and ensemble musician in New York City. His recent performance of John Cage’s “Souvenir” for organ was listed under the “Week’s 8 Best Classical Music Moments” in The New York Times. In addition, Ficarri appeared as part of the WQXR Bach Organ Marathon, and he has performed in recital throughout the U.S., including at many of New York City’s most impressive spaces. His music is performed across the country and internationally. Ficarri serves as Organ Scholar at The Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan, and founded Sacred Sounds at St. Paul’s, a concert series promoting organ music in the Lincoln Center area and providing performance opportunities for young artists; he also spearheaded the organ restoration project underway at St. Paul’s. Ficarri is a student of Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs.
SAT., OCT. 28, 2017 - IN CONCERT: University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Kenny Rampton Kenny Rampton, a member of Wynton Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the trumpet voice on “Sesame Street” since 2010, also 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 toured the world with groups as stylistically diverse as The Ray Charles Orchestra and the pop band Matchbox Twenty. As a sideman, Rampton has performed 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, Christian McBride, and a host of others. His Broadway credits are extensive, and his discography includes hundreds of jazz, R&B, Blues, Pop, and Hip Hop recordings. Also an in-demand studio trumpeter, Kenny has recorded jingles for dozens of commercials. The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 28 member ensemble of big band style instrumentation, made up of University of Scranton student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform five 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.
SAT., NOV. 4, 2017 - IN CONCERT: Sherrie Maricle & The DIVA Jazz Orchestra Celebrate 25 Years of Swingin' Around the World (part of Diva’s 25th Anniversary Tour) The DIVA Jazz Orchestra lights up the stage with their music and personalities, riveting audiences and commanding standing ovations. They have recorded more than 12 albums as a group, performed at Carnegie Hall with Skitch Henderson and the New York Pops, and raised the roof at the Playboy Jazz Festival, Tanglewood , the Montreal Jazz Festival, Kennedy Center’s “Women in Jazz”, and Verizon Jazz at Lincoln Center. DIVA has performed for appreciative crowds at many of the most renowned clubs and concert halls in the country, and was featured in the 2013 award-winning documentary The Girls in the Band. They have performed with Dave Brubeck, Nancy Wilson, Joe Williams, Diane Schuur, Carmen Bradford, Marlena Shaw, Dee Daniels, Maurice Hines, DeeDee Bridgewater, Rosemary Clooney, Jack Jones, Clark Terry, Dr. Billy Taylor, Terry Gibbs, Tommy Newsom, Randy Brecker, Ann Hampton Callaway, and many others.
FRI., NOV. 10, 2017 - IN CONCERT: The University of Scranton String Orchestra is a 30-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. This program includes music by a diverse group of composers spanning eras and styles.
SAT., NOV. 18, 2017 - IN CONCERT: The University of Scranton Concert Band is an 85-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. This program includes music by many of the most respected composers for band of the late 20th and early 21st century.
SAT., DEC. 2, 2017 - 50th ANNUAL NOEL NIGHT: The University of Scranton Singers & Chamber Ensembles with guest trumpeter Mark Gould and pianist Ron Stabinsky (with special appearances by U. of S. Singers alumni) This year marks the 50th anniversary of Noel Night, The University of Scranton's Christmas gift to the community. Seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis. Prelude music and instrumental accompaniment will be provided by members of the Performance Music instrumental ensembles. During the course of the performance, the 60 voice student mixed choir and representative choir alumni will be joined by: leaders of the university community offering greetings and readings of the Nativity Martyrology and St. Luke Nativity Narrative; Mark Gould, who served as principal trumpet of the Metropolitan Opera for more than thirty years, teaches at The Juilliard School, co-founded the Scranton Brass Orchestra and teaches in The Scranton Brass Seminar, and leads The New York Trumpet Ensemble; and Ron Stabinsky, who is one of the most sought after free-lance pianists in the northeast, is particularly well known for his versatility, and performs as a solo, ensemble, and collaborative pianist in concerts and events spanning a wide variety of genres throughout the world.
SUN., DEC. 10, 2017 - EMPTY STOCKING FUND BENEFIT CONCERT: The Scranton Brass Orchestra with special guests The Scranton Preparatory School Cavalyrics (Daniel Marx, Director) The event is open to the public, and all who attend the concert are asked to bring a new toy or article of children’s clothing, or a monetary donation. The collection will benefit children of local families in need this holiday season. The evening will include performances of a variety of holiday favorites and an audience Christmas caroling sing-along.

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.

 

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.

 

 

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.

Since the 2016-2017 school year, the University of Scranton has been participating in a community partnership initiative with the Scranton School District to connect Scranton-area students, teachers, and staff to the business community. The University's partner school is McNichols Plaza Elementary School in South Scranton and through this initiative have been able to engage many of the over 400 students who go to school there, ranging from preschool to fifth grade. Some of these activities include science demonstrations, art workshops, and even a field trip to campus.

The University wanted to show our thanks to the students and the school during the holiday season, and did so by providing McNichols Plaza with University of Scranton backpacks so that each child would receive a gift. We look forward to continuing this partnership in the coming year!

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.

 

 

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.

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.