July 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.

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.

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,

The Scranton Club of Philadelphia will hold a gathering Sept. 8 at Independence Beer Garden, 100 S Independence Mall W, Philadelphia, at 6 p.m. The $30 registration fee includes a drink ticket, appetizers and a Scranton giveaway. To register, visit this link. 

Join your fellow graduates of the last decade (G.O.L.D.) in the Hoboken area Aug. 4 at Pier 13, 1301 Sinatra Dr N, Hoboken, NJ, at 6:30 p.m. for a summer evening on the pier! The $10 registration fee includes a drink ticket and a Scranton giveaway. To register, visit this link. 

Join your fellow graduates of the last decade (G.O.L.D.) in the Philadelphia area July 21 at Morgan's Pier, 221 N Christopher Columbus Blvd., Philadelphia, at 6 p.m. for a summer evening to remember! The $20 admission fee includes a drink ticket, appetizers and a Scranton giveaway. To register, visit this link. 

The Scranton Club of New York will meet at Yankee Stadium Aug. 17 to watch the New York Yankees take on the Tampa Bay Rays.

The game will begin at 7:05 p.m., and gates will open at 5:30 p.m. The club will hold a pre-game reception on the Budweiser Party Deck featuring 90 minutes of food, draft beer, and non-alcoholic beverages, all of which will be included in the price of admission. Tickets will cost $75. 

To register, visit this link. 

The Scranton Club of New Jersey will host a Day At The Races at Monmouth Park Racetrack July 24. 

Alumni, parents and friends of the University are invited to enjoy a day at the track in the Reserved Picnic Area. In addition to betting on the horses, this family-friendly event will include a picnic barbecue, playground, live music and more. Gates will open at 11:30 a.m. Tickets for adults 13 and over will cost $26, tickets for children ages 6-12 will cost $13, and children under 6 will receive free admission. 

To register, visit this link. 

On June 27, the University honored Tony Rice, Notre Dame legend and quarterback of the 1988 National Championship Team, with the 2022 Peter A. Carlesimo Award at the annual Carlesimo Golf Tournament & Award Dinner at Canoe Brook Country Club in Summit, New Jersey.

The event raised more than $100,000 for Scranton Athletics. Quandel Construction Group served as the event’s title sponsor. To see photos from the event, visit this link.

“This is one of my favorite days of the year,” said Dave Martin, executive director of Athletics at the University and the event’s master of ceremonies, prior to the beginning of the meal. “Thanks to all the incredible support in this room, we once again were able to exceed our goals.”

Martin then introduced the evening’s speakers: Bridget Monaghan ’24, a three-year starter on the Lady Royals majoring in business administration; the Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., the twenty-ninth president of The University of Scranton; and basketball legend P.J. Carlesimo, the eldest son of the former University athletic director the award is named after. 

“My experience as a member of the Lady Royals will be something I will cherish forever,” Monaghan said. “Thank you for all that you do for Scranton Athletics.” 

Father Marina spoke next, sharing some of the 2021-2022 academic year’s athletic highlights. 

“We gather here to celebrate our players, our student-athletes and our wonderful staff who had another incredibly successful year in the Landmark Conference and the NCAA,” he said. “We captured three conference championships and saw four teams advance to the national tournament. Twenty-one out of 23 teams participated in post-season play. That’s amazing. We continued to strengthen and enhance the Royal Way program, which provides a glimpse into the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola from an athlete’s perspective.”

After dinner, Carlesimo said his father would have appreciated honoring Rice.

“Tony, he legitimately would be thrilled, more so for what you’ve done off the field,” he said. “You were a great, great player, but what you’ve done since graduation at Notre Dame (is) even more impressive.”

After receiving the award, Rice expressed his gratitude for a number of significant people in his life, including the grandmother who raised him, legendary Notre Dame Football Coach Lou Holtz, and Jim ’90 and Kerry ’90 Conmy, who serve with Rice on the Board of Directors of Patrick’s Pals Foundation, a nonprofit that provides children and young adults with multiple disabilities with equipment and therapies. The Conmys founded Patrick’s Pals in honor of their son, Patrick, a 19-year-old boy who was born with many special needs which left him unable to do many things for himself.

“For me to get this award, it’s not about me, it’s about someone that pointed me in the right direction,” Rice said. “They gave me an opportunity to do something with myself.”

Near the end of his remarks, Rice gestured to the purple Scranton baseball cap he had been wearing since he received the award and made a surprising admission.

“I’ve never worn any hat of another college, just Notre Dame,” he said. “Notre Dame will be there forever, Scranton will be there forever, too.

“Go Royals, go Irish, let’s go Scranton.”

About the honoree

Tony Rice made a name for himself on the gridiron while leading Notre Dame to the 1988 national championship and finishing his career a year later with a 31-4 record as the signal caller for the Fighting Irish. He was named an All-American and the recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation’s top upperclassmen quarterback following his senior season.

Rice piloted Notre Dame to a perfect 12-0 record and the school’s eighth national title in 1988, capped by the top-ranked Fighting Irish defeating third-ranked West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl with Rice passing for 213 yards and two touchdowns, and adding 75 rushing yards en route to sharing MVP honors with teammate Frank Stams.

A year later, Rice nearly led the Irish to a second straight national title, but a loss to Miami in late November was Notre Dame’s only blemish on the season. The Irish rebounded to knock off top-ranked Colorado, 21-6, in the Orange Bowl with Rice tallying 149 total yards in his final collegiate game. Notre Dame finished the season ranked second in the nation.

Playing for legendary head coach Lou Holtz, Rice finished his career with 3,273 yards and 13 touchdowns through the air, and 2,049 yards and 23 touchdowns as one of the best option quarterbacks in college football history.

After completing his college career, Rice played one season for the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, two seasons with the Barcelona Dragons of the World League and one season for Munich Thunder in the Football League of Europe in 1994.

Off the field, Rice has served on the board of the Patrick’s Pals Foundation for several years.  Since its founding, Patrick’s Pals has raised more than $1 million to help families in need.

A native of South Carolina who now lives in Chicago, Rice is also active in the D.A.R.E. program, working to keep kids off drugs and away from gangs and violent behavior. He works closely with Pop Warner youth football teams, making visits and speaking to young athletes. He’s also involved in the annual Walter Camp Weekend, where current and former stars gather to celebrate Walter Camp’s legacy and complete community service work, including virtual hospital visits.

Rice also remains active at Notre Dame and in the South Bend area, regularly participating in Notre Dame alumni events while also working with the Center for the Homeless in South Bend and South Bend LOGAN Community Resources, Inc., which serves adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

About the event

Since 2011, the Peter A. Carlesimo Award has been presented to someone who has made special contributions to athletics and Catholic education. The Golf Tournament & Award Dinner serves as a fundraising event to support and enhance the student-athlete experience at The University of Scranton. For more information, visit scranton.edu/carlesimoaward.

Hundreds of Royals returned to campus to make new memories with old friends at Reunion 2022 June 11-12. Visit this link to see photos from the celebration.

What's new with you? To submit a Class Note, visit the Class Notes Submission Page.

Marion Munley ’83, Moosic, recently presented at Northeast PA Trial Lawyers Association’s Personal Injury Seminar on “Auto Law Update and the Impact of New Joint and Several Liability Case Law PLUS Using Electronic Evidence to Prove your Case.”

Richard W. Peuser ’86, G’87, Brookeville, Maryland, became the director, Processing and Release Division, National Declassification Center, Archives II, College Park, Maryland, National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in September 2021. Peuser began his career at NARA in July 1988.

Jennifer Miller Koehl, VMD '04, State College, was appointed assistant teaching professor and program coordinator for the Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences undergraduate major at the Pennsylvania State University.

Erica Fischer-Cartlidge ’06, Springfield, New Jersey, was appointed to the role of chief clinical officer of the Oncology Nursing Society.

Lauren E. Lefevre ’10, Ewing, New Jersey, joined the firm Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor LLC in their Education Law and Municipal Law Practices Group. Lefevre assists school board and municipal clients in a wide range of matters including day-to-day legal issues, labor and employment, discipline and harassment, governance, OPRA, and public contracting,

Zachary R. Morano ’15, Wayne, has joined the firm Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell & Lupin as an associate in the firm’s Real Estate and Land Use Department.

Lorenzo Antonio Singotti ’17, Duryea, recently graduated from Marywood University with a Master of Social Work degree. Singotti recently accepted a position with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as a social worker in the Emergency Department at the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center.

MARRIAGES

Elizabeth McCabe ’14 to William Stallone ’14

BIRTHS

A daughter, Sofia Lucy, to William ’08 and Ashley Miller Colona ’09, Teaneck, New Jersey

DEATHS

John M. O’Connor ’51, Falmouth, Massachusetts
Joseph N. Demko, Sr., M.D. ’54, Scranton
Robert F. Duffy ’57, Rockville, Maryland
Robert T. Kelly ’58, H’93, Jessup
John F. Callahan, D.O.’60, Dallas
Timothy L. Curtin ’60, Scranton
John F. Lepkowski ’60, Liverpool, New York
Francis R. Zuleski ’62, West Chester
Joseph R. McDonald ’72, Clarks Summit
Thomas J. Egan, D.D.S. ’65, Silver Spring, Maryland
Karl Kempter ’65, Scranton
William G. Maile ’84, Carbondale
David R. Hudachek ’02, Eagleville