March 2023

In recognition of Pope Francis’s call toward environmental sustainability, The University of Scranton’s Sustainability Office has chosen the theme “The People’s Planet, Climate Justice” for this spring’s Earth Day celebration. The theme of climate justice focuses on the merging of civil rights and climate change to draw attention to the effects of environmental changes on different communities. Many of the University’s offices and departments have come together to offer numerous educational events in honor of Earth Day and Scranton’s ongoing sustainability efforts.

Events are open to the public, free of charge, unless otherwise indicated.

This year’s Environmental Essay Contest is open to all area students in grades 5-12. The essay will revolve around the theme “The People’s Planet, Climate Justice.” Submissions will be accepted until Apr. 3, and winners will be announced at the Evening of Environmental Science event on Apr. 20. For more details, visit the contest webpage.

World Water Day will be celebrated through an interactive event at the University’s DeNaples Center on Mar. 22. Informative activities and displays will help raise awareness of water usage and its importance. Mar. 22 will also start Plant Based Meals Week for University students, in which the positive impacts of eating green will be promoted at meals offered at the Fresh Food Company.

Tonyehn Verkitus, executive director at Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania, will discuss environmental factors and how disparities in communities jeopardize health and well-being at a Community-Based Learning talk on Mar. 23. The talk begins at 11:45 a.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.

On Mar. 30, the film “The Seeds of Vandana Shiva” will be screened at the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center at 7:30 p.m. The film shows many successful changes made through environmental activism and caring for all people. Vandana Shiva is a wonderful example of a woman’s lifelong leadership and activism that has improved the lives of millions of people around the world.  A very interesting, entertaining, and inspiring movie.

On Apr. 14, an Environmental Art Show address will be given by artist Stephanie Williams in the Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library, beginning at 4:30 p.m. William’s work includes pictures of nature, people, creatures, sounds and energies. The library will also host an Environmental Art Show featuring environmental art of members of the University community from Apr. 14 to Apr. 25 in the Heritage Room during library hours.

On Apr. 17, Nicole Negowetti, former clinical instructor at the Harvard Animal Law and Policy Clinic, will discuss her work concerning sustainable agricultural procedures. The talk, offered by the University’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities, begins at 5:30 p.m. at Brennan Hall, The Pearn Auditorium.

The Earth Day Fair will take place the following day, Apr. 18, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center. The event will host University student displays as well as, displays from university departments, local non-profits and governmental offices, which will provide information about sustainable practices and products.

The Evening of Environmental Science, set for Apr. 20, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the atrium of the Loyola Science Center, will feature a display of essays received for the Earth Day Essay Contest, as well interactive environmental displays and activities. Awards for the Essay Contest will be presented at the event.

Earth Day celebrations conclude with a three-hour kayaking trip on the Susquehanna River for students on May 6, hosted by the University’s Sustainability Office and the Society for Sustainability and Conservation.

Visit The University of Scranton’s sustainability webpage for information about the University’s sustainability efforts and Earth Day events, or call the Office of Sustainability at 570-941-6267.

Through April 14                    Art Exhibit: “Post COVID: Art by Students for the Scranton School District.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.

April 1       9 a.m. Regional National History Day Competition for junior and senior high school students. The DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.

April 1       8:30 a.m. Second annual Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service for public officials, leaders of nonprofit organizations and students. Brennan Hall. $15. Registration required. Email ceeps@scranton.edu.

April 2  7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mikaela Bennett, voice. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.

April 4  7 p.m. Performance: “From Music Score To Life On Stage” book by Gene Terruso, co-produced with the University Players and The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities. Royal Theater, McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.

April 14            4:30 p.m. Environmental Art Show opening event – Artist Talk with Stéphanie Williams. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-7482 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.

April 14-25       Environmental Art Show. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-7482 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.

April 15            7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band and Saxophone Ensemble with guest baritone/bass saxophonist Leigh Pilzer. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.

April 17            5:30 p.m. The Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities Lecture: “The Regeneration Revolution: Working at the Nexus of Food, Climate, and Culture” presented by Nicole Negowetti, managing director of the Plant Based Foods Institute and vice president of Policy & Food Systems at the Plant Based Foods Association. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.

April 18            11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentation and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7520 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.

April 20            8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email salisa.brown@scranton.edu.

April 20            4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “Where Does Wealth Come From?” presented by Sandra Black, Ph.D., Columbia University. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email john.ruddy@scranton.edu.

April 20            5:30 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” with University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Essay contest awards will be announced at the event. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.

April 20-22       8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Performance: “Curtains” presented by The University of Scranton Liva Arts Company. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.

April 23            7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.

April 24 through May 5                     Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Exhibition Online.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call. 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.

April 26            noon. Celebration of Student Scholars. Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6353 or email phillip.swank@scranton.edu.

April 27            4:15 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus-based high school math competition. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Registration required. Visit https://www.scranton.edu/academics/cas/math/bee.shtml or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.

April 27            5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email  brandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu. 

April 27            7 p.m. Schemel Forum with Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute at The University of Scranton Collaborative Program: “Only in America? Religion, State, and a Hasidic Town in Rural New York” presented by David N. Myers, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History and director of the Luskin Center for History and Policy, UCLA. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Registration required. $15 per person. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.

April 27-30       8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Theatrical performance of “Emilie: La Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight” by The University of Scranton’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the English and Theatre Department as part of the University’s year-long “Celebrating Women: 50^th Anniversary of Coeducation” series of events. Studio Theatre of the McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-6194 or email jkwc@scranton.edu.

April 28            noon. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The World after the Ukraine War” presented by Jill Dougherty, Russian expert, former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief, current CNN on-air contributor and professor, Georgetown University. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.

April 29-30        9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book and Plant Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-7816 or email kym.fetsko@scranton.edu.

The Scranton School District and The University of Scranton have partnered to give an outstanding opportunity for students to exhibit their art at the University’s Hope Horn Gallery from March 20 to April 14.

The exhibition tilted, “Post COVID,” challenged the high school students to reflect upon the last three years of their lives. Students were asked “What is it like to make art post-COVID from a teenager’s perspective? How are community connections reestablished after long periods of isolation?” A group exhibition explores these questions through work produced by high school students in the Scranton School District.

Self-expression shines in pieces by these young artists, who represent the future of arts and culture in northeastern Pennsylvania, according to Ryan Hnat, art educator at West Scranton High School.

A Curator’s Lecture is set for 5 p.m. on Friday, March 24, in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall, followed by a public reception at the Hope Horn Gallery on the fourth floor of Hyland Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. The lecture and reception, presented free of charge and open to the public, have been made possible by The University of Scranton and the following art educators of Scranton School District: Ryan Hnat, Anne McNally, Rosemary Robertson, Kerri Ruddy-Archer, Adam Ruane and David Schulte.

The exhibition can be seen, also free of charge, during gallery hours.

For more information regarding the exhibition, please visit The University of Scranton’s Hope Horn Gallery website.

The University of Scranton will host the second annual Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service for public officials, leaders of nonprofit organizations and students on Saturday, Apr. 1, in Brennan Hall. The half-day, in-person conference begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and refreshments.

Topics addressed in panel discussions include “Ethics in Hiring and Government Appointments,” “Ethical Contracting of Services,” “Data for Public Officials,” and the pros and cons of the consolidation of public services. The conference will conclude with a luncheon keynote address by University of Scranton alumna Mary Beth Schluckebier, J.D., an attorney with The Public Interest Law Center in Philadelphia, where she advocates for communities combatting uninhabitable housing, unresponsive landlords and evictions.

Before joining the Law Center, Atty. Schluckebier was a litigation associate at Saul Ewing Arnstein and Lehr, focusing on higher education practice while also representing immigrant clients, community groups and civil rights cases on pro bono basis. She earned her bachelor’s degree in counseling and human services from the University and graduated, cum laude, from Temple University Beasley School of Law. In law school, she served as an intern for the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the Sheller Center for Social Justice and the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Prior to law school, she worked for several years in community, social service and public policy work around immigration issues in both Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

The annual conference is a key initiative of the University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS) with the goal of helping to provide a foundation for ethical governance in Northeastern Pennsylvania by developing and nurturing a community of scholars, public officials and citizens dedicated to improving and protecting democracy at the state and local level.

A $15 registration fee includes all meals and materials for the day. Additional information and a schedule of speakers can be seen on the Conference on Ethics and Excellence in Public Service webpage.

Registration is required to attend. Please email ceeps@scranton.edu to register or for additional information about the conference.

The University of Scranton presented Women of Vision and Courage Awards to 65 students, faculty and staff at a ceremony on campus on International Women’s Day (March 8). The celebration, sponsored by the Jane Kopas Women’s Center and the Committee on Gender Equity, recognized women on campus for their hard work, dedication and commitment to the University and its mission.

Began as a biannual ceremony in 2016 by the Committee on Gender Equity as a way commemorate International Women's Day, this year’s ceremony was part of the University’s “Celebrating Women: 50^th Anniversary of Coeducation.”

Gretchen Van Dyke, associate professor of political science at the University, gave the principal address, prior to the award presentation by Brandice Ricciardi, assistant director of the Cultural Centers; and Cara A. Krieg, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology and chair of the Committee on Gender Equity.

University students Ariana Flores, who serve in the Jane Kopas Women’s Center, and Samantha Gurn, graduate assistant for the Jane Kopas Women’s Center, read portions of the nomination submission for each recipient as the awards were presented.

University of Scranton undergraduate and graduate students who received Women of Vision and Courage Awards were:

University of Scranton faculty and staff students who received Women of Vision and Courage Awards were:

The slide presentation for the Women of Vision and Courage Award presentation can be seen here.

Fox56 News interviewed students for a story about the event.

On Thursday, March 23 the Office of Community-Based Learning’s “CBL Talks” series will continue with “CBL Talks: Environmental Health.” This event will take place from 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. in The DeNaples Center Ballroom. Featured guest speaker Tonyehn Verkitus, Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility Pennsylvania will lead a discussion on environmental factors, such as air and water quality, as determinants of our health and well-being. These and other environmental factors can lead to disease and health disparities in the places where people live, work, learn and play. Registration for this event required at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CBL23EnvironmentalHealth 

“Environmental health is something that deserves far more discussion. It’s easy to think of pollution and climate change as dangerous mainly to the planet and animals, but humans suffer greatly at the hands of polluting industries. It’s hard to pinpoint where conditions like respiratory disease, heart disease, and cancer originate, but when there’s an influx in certain areas, it’s important to consider the common environmental factors.

"Scranton is disproportionately impacted by the diseases above, so I believe this talk will be very eye-opening to students who spend the better part of four years here, and to the local Scranton community,” said Karla Shaffer ‘24, Political Science major, Environmental Studies Concentration.  

This talk aims to help broaden the understanding of the environment’s impact on communities with a focus on the greater Scranton area. It will illustrate how existing environmental disparities in communities exposed to a combination of poor environmental quality and social inequities lead to more sickness and disease than seen in wealthier, less polluted communities.  

Sponsors include the University's Office of Community-Based Learning in collaboration with the Office of Community Relations, the Office of Sustainability, the Environmental Studies Concentration, and Panuska College of Professional Studies T.A.P.E.S.T.R.Y. program. This event is also a part of the University's 2023 Earth Month events. The CBL Talks are designed to provide University students, as well as the wider community, with information and insights into some of the major challenges and opportunities facing the Scranton area. The Talks illustrate how students and community can affect of positive change. Previously, a Feb. 9 CBL Talk discussed Black History and Housing in Scranton. 

Coming April 14: A CBL Talk event focused on the Living Wage Study 2022 Report. Register at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CBL23LivingWage

Each of the CBL Talks will feature a live session beginning with a presentation from guest speakers, followed by Q&A. Recordings of these sessions will serve as a resource for Community-Based Learning courses; reflection questions will be provided to student attendees after each event. CBL Talks can be used as a teaching resource for CBL faculty members. Attendees from the University and Scranton community are invited to attend.    

For more information on the CBL Talks program, please visit: www.scranton.edu/cbltalks or email cbl@scranton.edu.  

The University of Scranton’s Weinberg Memorial Library is seeking donations and volunteers for its annual book sale. The library will accept donations of clean, properly stored books, especially children’s and young adult books, as well as unscratched CDs and DVDs. A library staff person can assist you with donation drop-offs by making an appointment with Melisa Gallo at 570-941-6195.

All proceeds from the book sale will benefit the Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library Endowment, which supports library collections and services. The event is organized by The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library, the library staff and volunteers.

The book sale is scheduled for Saturday, April 29, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 30, from noon to 4 p.m. for the general public. A special preview sale for current members of the Friends of the Library will be held on Friday, April 28, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. The sale will take place in the fifth-floor Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

Unlike previous years, there will be no tag or plant sale.

For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Melisa Gallo at 570-941-6195. To check your Friends Membership status, please contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816.

The Weinberg Memorial Library Heritage Room exhibit celebrates the legacy of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. ’H15 (1959-2021), on the 20^th the anniversary of his appointment as the 24^th President of The University of Scranton in 2003. The exhibit focuses on the dramatic expansion of Scranton’s campus facilities spearheaded by Father Pilarz under his 2005-2010 Strategic Plan – Pride, Passion, Promise: Shaping Our Jesuit Tradition.

Transformational capital projects during his tenure as the 24^th President included the Patrick and Margaret DeNaples Center; the Christopher and Margaret Condron Hall; the John and Jacquelyn Dionne Campus Green; the expansion of the Retreat Center at Chapman Lake, Montrone Hall and the building named in his honor, Pilarz Hall, on Mulberry Street; and the Loyola Science Center. The University’s progress was supported by the Pride, Passion, Promise Campaign, which was the most ambitious capital campaign in the University’s history and surpassed its $125 million fundraising goal.

Father Pilarz, who passed away on Mar. 10, 2021, also served as the University’s 27^th President from 2018 to 2021.

The exhibit was curated by Special Collections Librarian and Professor Michael Knies with assistance from Digital Services Assistant David Hunisch, Special Collections Assistant Bridget Conlogue, Assistant to the Dean of the Library Kym Fetsko, and Digital Services Librarian and Assistant Professor Colleen Farry.

“Going Coeducational: Women on Campus, 1923-1972,” an exhibit documenting The University’s transition to a coeducational institution also continues in the Heritage Room.

The exhibits will run through April 23. For more information, please contact Michael Knies at Michael.Knies@Scranton.edu or 570-941-6341.

The University of Scranton hosted a discussion of “Title 42: Justice at the Border” in March on campus. Part of the University’s Ellacuría Initiative programming, the discussion included an introduction to Title 42, an overview of KINO Border Initiative and a presentation of Title 42’s impact at the U.S.-Mexico Border by Michael Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at the University. Julie Schumacher-Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at Scranton, and Jenny Gonzalez, director of Marywood University’s STARS Program, presented the “Historical Context of Migration in Scranton and Experiences of Migration.” The event concluded with a facilitated discussion led by graduate students from the University’s Department of Counseling and Human Services.

Two engaging Collaborative Programs are on tap for The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum this spring.

On Wednesday, Mar. 29, the Schemel Forum will partner with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine to present “Mozart: The Mind and Music of a Genius,” featuring Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director of the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. in WVIA Public Media Studios’ Sordoni Theater, with a reception to follow. Admission is $35 per person.

At the program, Dr. Kogan, a Julliard-trained pianist and Harvard-trained psychiatrist, will explore the mystery of creative genius through an examination of the life, mind and music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). To illustrate his points, Dr. Kogan will perform some of Mozart's most sublime musical compositions on the piano.

Then, on Thursday, Apr. 27, the Schemel Forum, the Theology and Religious Students Department and the Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute will co-present “Only in America? Religion, State, and a Hasidic Town in Rural New York,” featuring David N. Myers, Ph.D., distinguished professor of history, Sady and Ludwig Kahn Chair in Jewish History, and director of the Luskin Center for History and Policy at UCLA. The event will take place at 7 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. Admission is $15 per person.

At the program, Dr. Myers will discuss the remarkable case of Kiryas Joel, a town in New York state populated entirely by Satmar Hasidic Jews. What, Myers will ask, does this town of religiously observant Jews tell us about the "wall of separation" between religion and state of which Thomas Jefferson spoke? And, has that Jeffersonian ideal given way to a new vision of religious liberties as the paramount constitutional right?

To register for the programs, contact Brooke Leonard at 570-941-4740 or brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit the Schemel Forum’s webpage (scranton.edu/schemelforum)

Listen to a Sondra Myers, director of the Schemel Forum, discuss the spring season at a WVIA interview with Erika Funke.

The University of Scranton’s Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities hosted a lecture titled “Towards a Just Economy: Guaranteed Income and Human Potential” by Amy Beth Castro, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice and co-founder and director of its Center for Guaranteed Income Research. At the February talk, which took place in the Loyola Science Center, Dr. Castro’s discussed her research on economic mobility, guaranteed income and innovation.

The University of Scranton offered a Community-Based Learning Talk titled “Black History and Housing in Scranton,” by Glynis Johns, CEO and founder of the Black Scranton Project, in February. The talk highlighted downtown Scranton’s history and discussed themes of Blackness, housing, racial discrimination and more. The event was part of the University’s Black History Month programming and the “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story” project, which is a National Endowment for the Humanities funded initiative led by the University and various community organizations.

See the University’s 2023 Black History Month events here.