January 2025

The 2025 Black History Month theme, “African Americans and Labor,” highlights and celebrates the significant contributions of African Americans in all occupations and public service while acknowledging their past labor struggles.

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History wrote of this year’s theme: “Considering Black people’s work through the widest perspectives provides versatile and insightful platforms for examining Black life and culture through time and space. In this instance, the notion of work constitutes compensated labor in factories, the military, government agencies, office buildings, public service, and private homes. But it also includes the community building of social justice activists, voluntary workers serving others, and institution building in churches, community groups, and social clubs and organizations. In each of these instances, the work Black people do and have done has been instrumental in shaping the lives, cultures and histories of Black people and the societies in which they live.”

This year’s theme is reflected in many of the events that will take place throughout the month at The University of Scranton. Many of the events are open to the general public.

Events begin on Monday, Feb. 3, with a table sit titled “Black History Month 2025 Theme: African Americans and Labor” which will provide more information to faculty, staff, students and the public about this year’s theme. This event will be on the first floor of the DeNaples Center, near the Multicultural Center, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Shannen Dee Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of history of the University of Dayton will present “In the Shadow of the Cross: Excavating the Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States.” The lecture is open to the community and will take place in the Moskovitz Theater, in the DeNaples Center on Feb. 5, beginning at 5 p.m.

The Black History Month Film Series begins on Feb. 10 with “The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster” directed by Bomani J. Story. The film screening will include an introduction by University of Scranton Associate Professor of History Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.D., director of the University’s Black Studies Concentration. On Feb. 24, the film “Beauty Shop,” directed by Billie Woodruff, will be screened with an introductory talk by Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Scranton. Both movie events begin at 7 p.m. in Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall, and are open to the general public and the campus community.

Several events are also planned for University students, faculty and staff, including a Networking Social at 5 p.m. followed by an Alumni Panel Discussion at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19. The Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union will host its annual Freedom Fest in February; the event aims to share and celebrate Black culture. The event will feature informational tables, dance performances, an open mic, food and raffle prizes. The Jane Kopas Women’s Center will host a “Black Women Built That” table sit to discuss the many contributions of Black women’s work both compensated and uncompensated to our society on Feb. 25. The Center will also host an event in collaboration with the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union titled “Who Built That? The Impact of Black Innovators,” with interactive games for students to learn about the contributions of African Americans that impact lives today. This game night is planned for Feb. 26.

The Cultural Center, the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union, the Black Studies Concentration, the Jesuit Center, the Weinberg Memorial Library, the Office of Alumni Relations, the Roche Family Center for Career Development and the Jane Kopas Women’s Center are among those planning the University's Black History Month events.

For more information about the events and lectures, contact the Multicultural Center at 570-941-5904 or mulicultural@scranton.edu.

The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum spring courses feature three evening series examining the origins of science fiction and speculative narratives, the evolution of justice across Western thought, and Italy’s cultural transformation after World War II.  

The courses begin on a rolling basis beginning Monday, Feb. 3, and will be presented in six weekly sessions in the Weinberg Memorial Library.

Literature enthusiasts and casual readers alike will delight in discussions surrounding the topic “Short Science Fiction, Utopia and Dystopia: Origins and Innovations,” taught by Madeline Gangnes, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre at Scranton. Classes will be held Mondays, Feb. 3, 10, 17 and 24, and March 3 and 10 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.

The six-week course draws from an undergraduate literature class taught by Dr. Gangnes and explores what she describes as the “very broad” subject of science fiction.

Noting that science fiction is “not just about time travelers and aliens,” Dr. Gangnes said participants will be pleasantly surprised by a course that is both serious and fun as they explore wide-ranging themes that are applicable to our daily lives. A genre of literature that has been around since the 1800s science fiction intersects with themes of utopia, or ideal worlds, and dystopia, or tumultuous worlds. During the course, Dr. Gangnes will use a discussion-based format for participants to step a little bit out of their comfort zone to study the unrealistic nature of stories that can give rise to conversations about some of the most difficult topics in our society.

“These stories have a lot to offer if we just give them a chance,” she said, noting that science fiction isn’t just fun and fantasy. Rather, it is “inspired by circumstances in which the author is living” and is “more applicable to our lives than we might imagine.” Moving from the nineteenth century through to the present day, participants will examine how authors use speculative elements to express the conditions and concerns of their historical moments through a discussion-based class format.

Dr. Gangnes conducts research and teaches at the intersections of nineteenth-century British literature and culture, visual studies, digital humanities, and book history. She is the recipient of the Excellence in Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum Award at Scranton and has introduced a new course in Climate Fiction.

In the next offering of the spring semester, George Aulisio, Ph.D., dean and professor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, will teach a Schemel Forum course for the first time since becoming director of the Schemel Forum.

Dean Aulisio will present “Defining Justice: Western Perspectives from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Thought” on Wednesdays, March 26 and April 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Dean Aulisio, who has a Ph.D. in and teaches philosophy, said teaching a Schemel Forum course has been in the back of his mind for a while. During his first job at the University, he worked as an adjunct librarian and provided part-time clerical support to the Schemel Forum. Being able to attend evening Schemel courses allowed him to see firsthand “how fantastic these opportunities are for the community.” Today, Dean Aulisio oversees all aspects of the Weinberg Memorial Library and administers the Hope Horn Art Gallery and the Schemel Forum. He is an active scholar of philosophy and library and information science.

Dean Aulisio said justice is a timely topic for the Schemel Forum community because of its “practical interest to contemporary events and the Jesuit mission.

“The theme of justice is both timeless and timely,” he said. “It has interested people for millennia.”

During this course, participants will explore the concept of justice through foundational texts from ancient Greece and Rome to the modern period. Participants will examine justice through six key themes – order, harmony, virtue, responsibility, progress and love – to better understand the rich concept of justice and go beyond the idea that justice is defined only by the legal system. 

“We’ll explore what justice is and how it gets defined differently at different times,” said Dean Aulisio, noting that by the end of the course, participants will make informed decisions about which perspectives are most important to them.

The spring semester will wrap up with the course “Italy’s Dolce Vita in a Historical Framework” taught by Roy Domenico, Ph.D., professor of History at The University of Scranton. Classes will be held Tuesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 and May 6 from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

The Italian “dolce vita” is usually associated with Federico Fellini’s famous movie of the same name. While illustrating some of the peculiarly American connections, this series of talks will explore the “dolce vita” as part of a broad social and cultural transformation that overtook Italy in the decades after World War II.

A longtime faculty member at Scranton, Dr. Domenico’s research and teaching interests are in 19th- and 20th-century European politics and culture, with a focus on Italy. He has received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Catholic Historical Association and has been named executive secretary of the Society for Italian Historical Studies of the American Historical Association.

To register for the courses, or for more information on the Schemel Forum, call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. Registration is free for University of Scranton and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members; and $100 per person and $175 per couple for non-members. To pay for courses online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.

Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.

Student volunteers, free performances and lectures, academic engagement through community-based learning courses and partnerships, in addition to the economic impact of expenditures and building construction, are among the numerous qualitative and quantitative ways in which The University of Scranton makes a positive economic and community impact on the City of Scranton and Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The 2024 Community and Economic Impact Report, produced by the University’s Office of Community Relations, highlights the University’s substantial contributions to the community through many initiatives and outcomes, from service, community engagement and cultural enrichment to a multitude of community partnerships and the impact of the University’s economic engine.

“Within this report, we see the good works of students, faculty and staff together with community partners in a shared effort to improve this place that we all call home,” said University President Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J.

Commitment to the Community

Inspired by the words of St. Oscar Romero, members of the University community “Aspire not to have more, but to be more.”

Key among the contributions are the ways in which the University collaborates with the community in pursuit of the common good.

Community-Based Learning

The Office of Community-Based Learning (CBL) supports faculty teaching academic courses and running academic programs that involve students working with individuals, groups or organizations in ways structured to meet community-defined needs.

In 2023-2024, 87 community-based learning classes were conducted. In total, 2,362 students engaged in community-based learning, through these classes or in activities related to their academic program, for a total of 31,373 hours. This includes 2,129 students from the Leahy College of Health Sciences, which requires 80 service hours for graduation.

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Student Volunteer Programs

In 2023-2024, University students provided tens of thousands of hours of service, much of it in Northeastern Pennsylvania, including 94 student clubs, as of 2024, required to complete three community service activities per year.

The University’s Center for Service and Social Justice works regularly with more than 120 Scranton area non-profit organizations to engage students in addressing community needs through special programs including: spring and fall break service trips; food, clothing, holiday gift and blood drives; mentoring and summer camp programs for area youth and other special events for area children. Program highlights include The We Care Program, first begun in 2020 during the pandemic, involves preparing and packaging 50-100 meals weekly for community members in need.

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The Edward R. Leahy Jr. Center Clinic for the Uninsured

In the spring of 2024, in a groundbreaking initiative, teams from The University of Scranton and the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) joined forces to reimagine and revitalize the Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured medical clinic.

Since reopening, the Leahy Clinic provided care to 202 patients across 474 visits in the spring of 2024 alone, demonstrating the critical need for its service and the pivotal role in the region’s healthcare safety net. Specialized services include the Physical Therapy Clinic, Counseling and Behavioral Health Clinic and Low-Vision Occupational Therapy Clinic. Each of these clinics is run by University faculty and students.

An Economic Engine

According to a study conducted by the Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development in 2024 based on data from the 2022-2023 academic year, The University of Scranton's overall economic impact on Northeastern Pennsylvania totals $ 277,019,748. The University of Scranton's direct expenditures in goods and services were $162,853,514, and its total value added of indirect and induced impact was $114,166,233. In addition, operations and spending generated over $21.3 million in federal taxes and over $7.1 million in state and local taxes.

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The following are key highlights of the University’s economic impact on the community.

• The University invested $7.1 million dollars in campus construction projects in 2022-2023 and paid $107,381 in construction related permits and fees. The total economic impact of construction totaled $11.4 million and tax impact of construction amounted to $1.2 million.
• As part of the University’s economic impact, student spending impact amounted to an estimated $1.9 million and visitor spending impact amounted to $214,432.
• The University awarded $103 million in institutional student aid in the form of scholarships and grants in 2023-2024.The University of Scranton is the seventh-largest employer in Lackawanna County, according to a 2024 report by Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry. Through the University’s direct employment and its indirect and induced impact, 2,860 jobs are supported in the region in a variety of sectors.

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In addition, the report highlights many other ways the University engages locally, such as cultural events offered free to the public; activities to engage K-12 youth; a periodic Living Wage study that highlights the region’s socio-economic status; programs that support small businesses; projects in solidarity with local refugee and immigrant populations; a prison education program that recently graduated its second cohort; and the Scranton Stories oral histories initiative that shares the stories of 33 local residents.

Looking ahead, President Father Marina said, “I look forward to the ways in which the University and Scranton will continue to work together, with the help of God’s grace, to help our community flourish.”

The full 2024 Community and Economic Impact Report can be seen online.

For additional information, contact the Office of Community Relations at 570-941-4419.

U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 51 and its online MBA program at No. 128 in the nation.

In addition to an overall rank, U.S. News also ranked programs by the criteria categories used in its methodology. For online master’s degree programs in business, Scranton ranked No. 28 for the “student excellence” category, which looked at acceptance rates and the work experience and undergraduate GPA of students, and No. 33 for the “student engagement” category, which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, among other factors. For the MBA program, Scranton ranked No. 105 for “student excellence.”

This is the 14^th consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years.

For the 2025 Best Online Programs ranking, which published Jan. 21, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The criteria used by U.S. News to rank online business and MBA programs included student engagement (30 percent); peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (15 percent); student excellence (15 percent); and student services and technology (15 percent).

Scranton offers online MBA degrees in accounting, business analytics, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources management, international business and supply chain management; master’s degrees in accountancy, applied behavior analysis, business analytics, cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity, finance, health administration, health informatics, human resources management, dual MBA/MHA degree, nursing and speech-language pathology, in addition to graduate certificates.

In other U.S. News publications, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 31 consecutive years. U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 6 among regional universities in the north in its 2025 guidebook and No. 6 for “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” a selection of the top colleges in the nation that express a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.

Lackawanna and Wayne County residents whose households earned $67,000 or less in 2024 can receive free assistance in completing and filing their federal, state and local tax returns from University of Scranton accounting students through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

University students have assisted residents with low and moderate incomes who need help with their basic tax returns for more than 30 years.

Walk-in service in Brennan Hall on the University’s campus begins on Monday, Feb. 3. The VITA service is offered on a first-come, first-served basis during scheduled hours. Appointments are not available at the University.

Walk-in VITA service without an appointment is available in room 111 of Brennan Hall, Madison Avenue, on the University’s campus on Mondays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesdays, from noon to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

VITA service begins on Monday, Feb. 3, and continues to Friday, Apr. 4, except for the week of Mar. 17 to Mar. 21, when the University is closed for Spring Break.

The VITA office may also close due to inclement weather.

The University reserves the right to cap the number of walk-in residents they can serve within a single day.

Residents can schedule appointments at other locations by contacting the United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties by visiting www.uwlc.net or calling 570-602-3133, or 1-866-662-8887, 211. 

Residents who qualify for the free VITA service are asked to bring the following items: a valid photo ID; Social Security cards for all taxpayers and dependents; all W2 forms; last year’s tax returns; all 1099 forms (interest, dividends, pensions); unemployment paperwork; Form 8332 for non-custodial parents; information related to income and expenses (business, rental properties, sale of stocks); a personal banking account check if direct deposit is desired; documentation related to health insurance for themselves and anyone on the tax return, such as Form 1095-A, -B or –C; and real estate tax receipts if you qualify for the rent/tax rebate.

Residents with questions may call the University at 570-941-4045.

The University of Scranton’s University of Success, a four-year pre-college mentorship program, is now accepting applications for the upcoming 2025 academic year that begins this summer. Students who are currently in the eighth grade are eligible to apply.

The University of Success is an academic and enrichment program funded entirely by corporate and foundations grants, so there is no charge to students and their families. The program's goal is to assist first generation college-bound students to successfully complete high school and gain entrance into a college or university.

Accepted students will begin the program with a two-week residential summer academy which will be held on the campus of The University of Scranton from Sunday, July 6, to Friday, July 18. Upon completion of the summer program, the students will continue to meet for enrichment sessions during their high school career.

The deadline for submission of applications is Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Applications may be obtained by emailing Margaret Loughney, University of Success program director, at margaret.loughney@scranton.edu. Applications may also be obtained online on the University of Success website.

The University of Scranton will offer the 24th annual Northeast PA Brain Bee open to high school students aged 13 to 19 on Saturday, Feb. 22. The competition begins at 12:30 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium of 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. Registration is required to participate. The registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 21. The snow date for the competition is Sunday, Feb. 23.

The competition encourages high school students to study the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movements, stress, aging, sleep and brain disorders. All questions for the competition will be drawn from “Brain Facts,” a book about the brain and nervous system published by the Society for Neuroscience.

The winner of the Northeast PA Brain Bee will be invited to compete in the 2025 National Brain Bee.

The Northeast PA Brain Bee competition is dedicated to the memory of J. Timothy Cannon, Ph.D., founder of the University’s Neuroscience Program, who was the coordinator for Brain Bee for 11 years and served as a Brain Bee judge for 20 years.

For more information or to register online, visit the 24^th Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee website, 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.

University of Scranton graduate U.S. Rep. Robert P. Bresnahan Jr. ’12 was sworn in as a member of the 119^th U.S. Congress, becoming the second Scranton alumnus to serve in the House of Representatives. He represents Pennsylvania’s 8^th Congressional District.

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Rep. Bresnahan, Dallas Township, earned a degree in business administration from Scranton and was a four-year member of Scranton’s golf team.

“The University of Scranton was instrumental in shaping who I am today. I am incredibly grateful to the people I met along the way and my experiences at school. As The University of Scranton’s second Member of Congress, I am honored to represent the University and all of NEPA in Washington, D.C.,” said Rep. Bresnahan.

A native of Kingston, Rep. Bresnahan was CEO of Kuharchik Construction, a third-generation family-owned electrical contracting company, and founder of RPB Ventures, both located in Luzerne County.

He is the second Scranton alumnus to serve as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. U.S. Rep. Patrick Joseph Boland, who attended St. Thomas College (now The University of Scranton), served six terms as a United States Representative for Pennsylvania’s 11th District. Rep. Boland was elected to the House of Representatives in 1930 and served until his death in 1942.

According to a Scranton Times-Tribune article about “150 people who made Scranton great” by Chris Kelly, “in 1935, after just four years in Congress, Rep. Boland became the first Pennsylvanian to be appointed House Minority Whip. It was his job to line up votes for (President) Roosevelt’s programs. Fewer than four months later, the House voted 372 to 33 to adopt the Social Security Act of 1935. Rep. Boland had a hand in every New Deal bill that became law. He died of a heart attack in 1942 at age 62. His second wife, Veronica Grace, won a special election to serve out the rest of his term, becoming Pennsylvania’s first congresswoman.”

The University of Scranton welcomed a new cohort of students into its Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program. Classes for the 13-month program, which seeks to develop future executives to serve area nonprofit institutions. Classes began in January 2025.

The University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program, housed in the Kania School of Management, seeks to support and advance nonprofit organizations through a comprehensive and academically rigorous leadership program to develop future executives to serve at NEPA nonprofit institutions.

“The program was founded and has grown through a close collaboration between The University of Scranton’s faculty and community nonprofit leaders. This close connection to the community has resulted in significant and sustained positive outcomes,” said Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A., professor and chair of the Accounting Department at Scranton and director of the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and the University’s Ph.D. program.

Since the program’s inception in 2017, 68 nonprofit professionals from more than 50 regional organizations have graduated from the program.

“The program has created a network of high-performing individuals serving at nonprofit institutions, in addition to building an informal regional network of mentors and coaches for emerging nonprofit leaders,” said Kurt R. Bauman, co-director of the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and executive director of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Nonprofit and Community Assistance Center.

“Courses for the program, taught in person by Kania School of Management faculty with significant expertise in practice and nonprofit organizations, include experiential learning, peer group work and coaching and mentorship components,” said Jesse J. Ergott, chief advancement officer for AllOne Foundation and Charities.

Members of the 2025 cohort of Scranton’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and the organizations they represent are:

Pam Anslinger, director of homeownership services, NeighborWorks NEPA;

Jessica Baab, philanthropic services coordinator, The Luzerne Foundation;

Jessica Freyne, executive director, Providence Pregnancy Center;

Rossanna Gabriel, executive director, Hazleton Integration Project, Inc.;

Heather Greene, business manager, Jewish Family Services;

Nicole Guzenski, director of programs, The Catherine McAuley Center;

Jennifer Hayes Housel, executive director, Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers;

Eileen Howells, designated institutional administrator, The Wright Center;

Tara B. Jones, executive director, Lackawanna River Conservation Association;

Alyse Kerr, executive director, Integrative Mind and Body;

Marianne Linko, deputy chief operating officer, The Wright Center for Community Health;

Amanda Masters, youth program manager, The Cooperage;

Christine S. Pirillo, DHA, senior director laboratory medicine, Geisinger Health System;

Dani Ruhf, chief executive officer and founder, Child Hunger Outreach Partners (CHOP);

Helen Schmid, president and chief executive officer, Telespond Senior Services;

Connor Simon, grants and outreach manager, Wayne County Community Foundation;

Rachael Stark, NEPA program coordinator, Pennsylvania Environmental Council;

Jill Avery Stoss, chief operating officer, The Institute;

Gina Suydam, executive director, Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce.

For additional information, visit the Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program webpage or call 570-941-4047.

The University community is invited to the Annual MLK Community Celebration and Awards Dinner hosted by the Greater Scranton MLK Commission to honor the life, message and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The dinner will be held Sunday, Jan. 19, beginning at 2 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center 407.

The Office of Community Relations and Multicultural Center are sponsoring tables for faculty, staff and students to attend. Anyone interested in attending, please contact julie.cohen@scranton.edu or jose.sanchez@scranton.edu. Greater Scranton community members may purchase tickets to the event by visiting https://safdn.org/mlk-event/.

The theme for the 2025 event is Give Love! Spread Love! Be Love! "You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"This special evening will honor the enduring legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., celebrating his message of love, service, and unity," said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs at The University of Scranton. 

Featured keynote speaker is Dr. Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, vice provost for faculty development at Virginia Union University and professor of education and psychology. His presentation will focus on "insights on how love can spark meaningful change in our communities," said Cohen.

An academic at heart, he serves as professor, center director and principal investigator with an unapologetic commitment to conducting, marshalling and translating scientific research for the purposes of advancing equity, removing systemic injustices and improving the material conditions of our most vulnerable populations in society. He is president and CEO of Do Good Work Consulting Group, leading a team team of hundreds of colleges and universities, districts and agencies, in moving the needle on diversity equity and inclusion and belonging outcomes for staff and students.

Strayhorn has published 12 books and over 200+ book chapters journal articles and other scholarly publications. He believes strongly in connecting research findings to addressing broader social problems and putting research to practice. Thus, he frequently writes op-eds, letters to editors and blogs. He is a contributing writer for Entrepreneur, All Business, Thrive Global and Psychology Today.

"The evening will also include an awards ceremony to honor individuals and organizations that embody Dr. King's ideals of justice, equality, and compassion," said Cohen.