2025

The University of Scranton and Widener University Commonwealth Law School signed a new 3+3 dual admissions agreement, providing an expedited and cost-effective route for students to earn both their bachelor’s degree and juris doctor in just six years. This innovative program allows students to bypass the traditional seven-year timeline, cutting down on tuition expenses and speeding up their entry into the legal field.

The agreement will allow Scranton students who meet program requirements to be eligible for admission to the prestigious law school after three years. The accelerated academic program allows highly qualified and motivated students to earn both a bachelor’s degree from Scranton and juris doctor degree from Widener Law Commonwealth.

“The University of Scranton has long been a source of many of our most outstanding students – individuals who go on to lead impactful legal careers,” said andré douglas pond cummings, J.D., dean of Widener Law Commonwealth. “This 3+3 agreement formalizes that bond, allowing motivated Scranton students to begin their legal education in what would traditionally be their senior year of college. It saves time and resources while aligning beautifully with Scranton’s Jesuit mission of service – an ethos that mirrors our own commitment to access to justice and producing attorneys dedicated to serving the public good.”

“This 3+3 with Widener Commonwealth Law builds upon several existing such partnerships to provide our students with yet another excellent option. Our Scranton students can benefit from our strong liberal arts undergraduate education, which we know will serve them well to become ethical critical thinkers who can write and speak effectively. Then they take our transformative education as they study the law at Widener and in turn live out the Catholic, Jesuit mission in the promotion of social justice as an attorney,” said Carolyn McNamara Barry, Ph.D., dean of Scranton’s College of Arts and Sciences.

“The University of Scranton students are always impressive, and their contributions to the law school and the legal profession make a positive impact on their communities,” said Matthew Kerns, associate dean of admissions at Widener Law Commonwealth. “This agreement saves Scranton students valuable time and money when completing their degrees so that they can quickly progress into their professional careers.”

Located in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Widener Law Commonwealth offers a unique advantage through its proximity to state government agencies, courts and a robust network of legal professionals. A strong focus on mentorship and applied learning prepares students for the rigors of legal practice in a dynamic and supportive environment.

“I was particularly impressed by Widener Law Commonwealth’s noteworthy track record in providing access to a wide range of students to pursue law school, as well as sending so many of their graduates onto successful careers as public servants in the state of Pennsylvania,” said Dean Barry.

To be eligible for the program, students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA while at Scranton and must have completed at least 90 credits overall (a minimum of 63 at Scranton) before enrolling at Widener. The program is open to all Scranton students considering attending law school. Additional information can be found on Scranton’s pre-law webpage.

The agreement is effective beginning with students whose anticipated matriculation date to Widener Commonwealth is August 2026.

Back when he was a graduate student at Boston College, Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, took a course, “Great Themes of the Bible,” instructed by Rev. Richard J. Clifford, S.J., and the late Rev. Thomas D. Stegman, S.J.

It was captivating, creative and so inspiring, Father Marina said, that he still has his notebook from the class and occasionally returns to it.

“Instead of studying sections, like wisdom literature and the prophets and the gospels, they looked at particular themes running through,” Father Marina recalled. “We studied, for example, creation through the lens of both testaments. We studied redemption. We studied mercy. It was a great way to become more familiar with the Bible.”

Father Marina, now the president of The University of Scranton, welcomed Father Clifford to campus on April 10. Father Clifford was the guest of honor, receiving the University’s Arrupe Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignatian Mission and Ministry.

But for all the scholarly wisdom and critical thought Father Clifford instilled in Father Marina, the University president says his fondest memory happened outside the classroom.

“One day we were cooking and it was the middle of the afternoon,” Father Marina told the crowd assembled for a luncheon at Leahy Hall. “I said to you, ‘I still haven’t been to Mass yet.’ He said to me, ‘Would you like to celebrate together?’ And it was just the two of us in our house chapel; me on the one side, he on the other.

“Just a beautiful memory … so personal to me.”

Father Clifford was introduced at the Arrupe Award luncheon by Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., vice president for mission and ministry at Scranton, who touted him as someone who’s lived a life “with faith, intellectual rigor and genuine kindness toward all.”

Father Clifford presented a lecture, “Jews and Catholics: Building a Peaceful Future,” in which he emphasized the ongoing need for understanding and compassion between the two faiths.

Father Clifford’s prolific career, spanning five decades, includes a 38-year run of teaching biblical studies from 1970 to 2008 at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge. He joined the Boston College Clough School of Theology and Ministry in 2008 and remains there. His past experience also includes serving as general editor of the Catholic Biblical Quarterly and being the former president of the Catholic Biblical Association.

The University of Scranton established the Arrupe Award in 1995 to recognize individuals who have furthered in a significant way the Ignatian mission. It is named for the late Very Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the 28th Superior General of the Society of Jesus and sometimes referred to as its “The Second Founder.”

The University of Scranton will celebrate its Class of 2025 with the awarding of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees to nearly 1,300 graduates on Sunday, May 18.

Sunday’s commencement ceremonies conclude a busy, fun-filled weekend of events.

Here is a chronological rundown of key events happening this weekend:

FRIDAY, MAY 16

4 p.m. Leahy College of Health Sciences Outstanding Graduate Awards Ceremony at the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.

5:30 p.m. Kania School of Management Reception on the fifth floor of Brennan Hall.

7:30 p.m. Class Night, recognizing undergraduates for academic achievement, leadership and service, in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.

SATURDAY, MAY 17

9 a.m. Pinning Ceremony for nursing graduates in the Byron Recreation Complex.

11:30 a.m. Multicultural Graduation Celebration in the Kane Forum of Leahy Hall.

1 p.m. ROTC Commissioning in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.

2:45 p.m. Class of 2025 Legacy Photo at the Loyola Science Center’s atrium.

4 p.m. Baccalaureate Mass in the Byron Recreation Complex.

• There will not be a procession of the graduates. Graduates will sit with and among their family and friends.

8 p.m. President’s Reception for graduates and parents in the Byron Recreation Complex.

SUNDAY, MAY 18

9:45 a.m. Doors open for Undergraduate Commencement at Mohegan Arena.

11 a.m. Undergraduate Commencement begins at Mohegan Arena.

12 p.m.: Doctor of Physical Therapy Graduation Awards Ceremony in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.

3:45 p.m.: Doors open for Graduate Commencement at Mohegan Arena.

4:30 p.m.: Graduate Commencement begins at Mohegan Arena.

Refer to our campus maps webpage for precise locations of school buildings. Mohegan Arena, the home of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins’ top minor league affiliate, is located at 255 Highland Park Blvd., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702. Visit the arena’s website to review its clear bag policy and security procedures.

The principal speaker at the Undergraduate Commencement is Nicole Young ’00, H’20, a 16-time Emmy Award-winning senior producer for “60 Minutes.”

Several of the weekend’s events will be recorded on video and livestreamed. Links will become available on the University’s website at the date and time of each event.

A photographer from GradImages will be at both commencement ceremonies, capturing photos of each graduate during their moment of recognition. Scroll down to the Photographs and Flowers section of the commencement page for more information on how to pre-register and access your photos.

Join the fun on social media by using #Royals2025 for a chance to be featured on the University’s commencement page.

Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director of Weill Cornell Music and Medicine, presented a concert lecture, “Schumann: Music, Mood Swings & Madness,” on April 10 at Geisinger School of Medicine (GSOM).

Dr. Kogan’s appearance in Scranton was a collaboration between the Schemel Forum, which is a community education and cultural enrichment program sponsored by The University of Scranton’s Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library, and GSOM. The Schemel Forum hosts numerous luncheon seminars, short academic courses and collaborative programs, such as this, during each semester.

Dr. Kogan discussed how creative artists are especially vulnerable to mental illness, highlighting German composer Robert Schumann, who blurred the lines between genius and insanity.

When Pope John Paul II died in April 2005, Daniel Cosacchi, Ph.D., was a curious college freshman. 

“I said to my friends, ‘What happens when a pope dies?’” Dr. Cosacchi recently recalled. “I went to the library, took out about 25 books …” 

And the rest was history. 

Dr. Cosacchi, The University of Scranton’s vice president of mission and ministry, has since become a scholar of the papacy and conclave. 

Since the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, Dr. Cosacchi has been in-demand, both on campus and in the public eye. 

Dr. Cosacchi’s work at the University in recent weeks has included a video presentation, open to the University community, about papal transition. 

Dr. Cosacchi also authored a University-wide email — a conclave primer — with numerous sources and links gathered to answer virtually any questions you may have about the conclave. 

Additionally, Dr. Cosacchi is contributing coverage for Spectrum News during the conclave and he was interviewed for the following articles in national media outlets: 

• “A Visual Guide on How the Next Pope Will Be Elected,” The Washington Post 

• “What’s at stake in conclave this week,” USA Today 

A graduate of Fordham University and Boston College, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, respectively, Dr. Cosacchi earned his doctorate from Loyola University of Chicago. Hired by Scranton in 2022, he previously held teaching positions at Marywood University and Fairfield University. 

Dr. Cosacchi is the author of “Great American Prophets: Pope Francis’s Models of Christian Life,” and the co-author of “The Berrigan Letters: Personal Correspondence Between Daniel and Philip Berrigan.” 

On Sunday, April 27 at the 11 a.m. Mass at Madonna della Strada Chapel, five University of Scranton students in the Order of Christian of Initiation of Adults, or OCIA, process completed their initiation into the sacramental life of the Catholic church. OCIA is the process through which adults become Catholic or complete their Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church. At this Mass, Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton was the principal celebrant and homilist, and Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton served as concelebrant. Bishop Bambera conferred the Sacraments of Initiation on the following students:

Cristiana M. Basile ‘27, Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist

Sophia Carranza ‘28, Confirmation

Jackson Conti ’27, Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist

Riley Nicole Struble ’28, Confirmation and Eucharist

Sara Tully ’27, Confirmation and Eucharist

The University of Scranton Jazz Band will take the stage Friday, May 9, with renowned vibraphone player and percussionist, Joel Ross, joining them as the evening’s guest soloist. Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Ross will also offer a free vibraphone masterclass for percussionists ranging from students (ages 16 and older) to professionals on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center. Percussionists wishing to attend should email music@scranton.edu or call (570) 941-7624 for more information. (Younger students may attend accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.)

At the concert, the University’s student jazz ensemble will perform a variety of works that prominently feature Ross on vibraphone/percussion. Performance Music Conductor and Co-Director Janelle Decker said, “I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Joel this past fall semester when he was a guest performer with Scranton Brass Orchestra. Joel is someone who has a really down-to-earth and cool ‘vibe,’ pun intended, and we are delighted to feature him on our program this spring.”

Chicago native Ross, a New York Coty-based Blue Note artist, has earned widespread renown as the most exciting new voice on his instrument, the vibraphone. More than a commanding improviser, he is a bracingly thoughtful composer and a bandleader. Ross auditioned for and won a spot in the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet where he studied under former SFJAZZ Collective vibraphonist, Stefon Harris, for two years. A graduate of Stockton’s University of the Pacific, Ross went on to study jazz at The New School where he formed his band Good Vibes. Ross has toured with the Marquis Hill Blacktet, in which his vibraphone was the primary comping instrument. Ross made his recording debut as a leader on his album “KingMaker” in December 2016 and it was released on Blue Note Records in 2019. That same year, Ross recorded his second album as a leader, “Who Are You?”

The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 21-member ensemble of big band style instrumentation, made up of University 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. The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. Because there is no music major at Scranton, all enrolled students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs, string ensembles, and steel drum band, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.

For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Ross, visit iplayvibes.com.

The University of Scranton’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service (CEEPS) recently interviewed Scranton City Council candidates, furthering its mission of developing knowledgeable, responsible and engaged community members.

JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., director of CEEPS and political science professor, and Brian Snee, Ph.D., communication and media professor, conducted the interviews. Questions focused on candidate plans and priorities, housing, infrastructure, zoning, changes in federal support and the rising cost of utilities.

Democrats Tom Schuster, Todd Pousley, Patrick Flynn, Sean McAndrew and Frankie Malacaria participated in the interviews, as did Republican Marc Pane. Each video interview can be accessed by clicking the links attached to each candidate’s name.

Earlier this month, CEEPS also held mayoral candidate debates for the Democratic and Republican parties.

CEEPS encourages the public to register to vote and to learn about candidates’ positions prior to the upcoming municipal primary elections on Tuesday, May 20.

The interviews, which were recorded by Electric City Television, will be aired in the coming days on ECTV.

The University of Scranton recently hosted its Judaic Studies Institute Lecture, welcoming a guest speaker from Ematai and the Jerusalem Post.

Rabbi Shlomo Brody, Ph.D., presented, “Jewish Ethical Perspectives on Civilian Casualties in War: A Tale of Two Sieges,” on April 24 at the Pearn Auditorium inside Brennan Hall.

Rabbi Brody is the executive director of Ematai, where he leads a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people navigate ethical dilemmas relating to end-of-life care, and a columnist at the Jerusalem Post, the oldest and largest English language daily newspaper in Israel. He was previously the founding director of the Tikvah Overseas Student Institute, a senior instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel rabbinic seminary and a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute.

The author of two books — A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates (which received a National Jewish Book Award) and Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality — Shlomo Brody is a summa cum laude graduate of Harvard University. He received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, a master’s degree in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University and a Ph.D. from Bar Ilan University Law School.

Additionally, Patrick Clark, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies at The University of Scranton, presented a Christian perspective at the event. Dr. Clark, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, master’s degree from Boston College and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame, has been at Scranton since 2010.

Founded in 1979 through an endowment funded by the local Jewish community, the Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute fosters appreciation and understanding of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports scholarly endeavors, as well as outside visits from Jewish scholars and writers, among other items. The Institute’s work was further enhanced in 1990 by a $1 million gift from Harry Weinberg.

Michael C. Munger, Ph.D., recently joined a long list of celebrated economic experts who have shared their research and findings with The University of Scranton’s community.

Dr. Munger, a professor at Duke University since 1997, was the principal speaker at the spring Henry George Seminar. Dr. Munger presented “Platforms, Giants and the Neo-Brandeisian Turn in Antitrust,” on April 10 in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The event was free and open to the public.

Neo-Brandeisianism, named after former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, is an approach that focuses less on consumer prices and more “on how large corporations can harm competition (particularly for small businesses) and stifle innovation,” according to The Lawverse.

Dr. Munger is the author of eight books, including “Tomorrow 3.0.,” “Choosing in Groups (coauthored with his son, Kevin)” and “The Thing Itself.” He has also published 200-plus articles and papers in professional journals and edited volumes. In addition to his work at Duke, where he’s won three university-wide teaching awards, Dr. Munger has held teaching positions at Dartmouth College, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Early in his career, he was a staff economist at the Federal Trade Commission.

The University’s Henry George Lecture Series holds events in the fall and spring and is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer. The 2024 fall speaker was Marc Melitz, Ph.D., of Harvard University. Past fall speakers include 12 winners of the Nobel Prize in economics. The series is supported financially by a grant from the Progress and Poverty Institute (formerly the Schalkenbach Foundation).

Competition and hands-on experience are not always part of the academic curriculum in high school.

That is partly why The University of Scranton’s Hayes Family Science Competition is such a big hit with the dozen high schools and nearly 200 potential engineers and scientists who participated in this year’s event at the Byron Center.

“This is a super cool experience for prospective students because it allows them to get a taste of what engineering looks like and see if this is really what they want to do,” said Evan Hromisin, Dallas, who is majoring in electrical engineering at the University. “Especially when I was in high school, I had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to do. Having opportunities to get your hands on some real-world engineering principles and test out your knowledge is a good way to get excited about going into engineering once you graduate high school.”

Hromisin was one of 30-plus University of Scranton students who helped instruct parts of the April 10 event, which included challenges related to concepts including energy, gravitation, kinematics and momentum. Among the day’s highlights was a Jeopardy-style trivia game — won by North Pocono High School’s Christian Segiel, who edged second- and third-place Sean Rossi and Luke Joseph, both of Crestwood High School — and an exercise in which Majid Mokhtari, senior laboratory engineer, engineered a mechanical arm to shoot a basketball through a hoop; Mokhtari’s robotic arms made all three shots it attempted.

Results from the day included Honesdale High School team two winning the overall team competition, aided by a pair of second-place finishes in the induction and collision competitions. Members of the winning team were: Jesse Balsam, Jonathan Cooley, Vera Downey, Zach Meagher, Liam Miller, Rylan Montgomery and Christian Sandman. Rebecca Kretschmer was their coach.

Berwick Gold, which won the buoyancy and media events, finished second overall. Members of the team placing second were: Christopher Bowman, Makayla Brown, Jack Kendron, Derek Moss and Nicholas Uram. Matthew Shrader was their coach.

North Pocono Red, which won the induction competition, placed third overall. Members of the third-place team were: Dillon Brace, Joe DiMattio, Justin Fontanella, Daniel Guglielmo, Kyle Mizenko, Allison Rocco and Christian Segiel. John Croom was their coach.

Additional media coverage of this year's Hayes Family Science Competition can be found on FOX 56 and WNEP.

The University of Scranton and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge (ALL IN) honored John R. Sinclair III '25 as part of the fourth annual ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll. The 2025 ALL IN Student Voting Honor Roll recognizes college students at participating campuses who have gone above and beyond to advance nonpartisan student voter registration, education and turnout efforts in their communities. Sinclair, a senior political science and public policy and service major with a minor in philosophy from Scranton, is one of 232 students who mobilized their fellow students to make their voices heard in a historic election cycle. 

“As the Royals Vote liaison, I can attest to how Johnny worked to advanced voter and civic engagement efforts across The University of Scranton. From coordinating voter registration table-drives to driving students to the community polling place, Johnny was an integral part of the Royals Vote coalition and well deserving of this national recognition. We are grateful for his leadership and commitment to voter and civic engagement efforts,” said Daysi Carreto ‘14, assistant director for community and civic engagement.  

“Whether they hosted nonpartisan voter registration drives or early voting celebrations, the students honored today made sure their peers did not sleep in on Election Day,” said Jen Domagal-Goldman, executive director of the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge. “With 100,000 local elections happening across the country in 2025, ALL IN students continue to ensure that everyone on their campuses has the information they need to cast their ballot. The 232 Student Voting Honor Roll honorees lead by example, making nonpartisan voter participation a lifelong habit for themselves and their peers.”  

A recent survey from CIRCLE found that 48% of under-35 youth who did not vote in 2024 heard little or nothing at all about how to vote, compared to the 15% of under-35 youth who cast their ballots. By integrating nonpartisan voter registration and education into campus life, colleges and universities can have a measurable impact in encouraging students to become active and engaged citizens. 

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge empowers colleges and universities to achieve excellence in nonpartisan student civic engagement. With the support of the ALL IN staff, campuses that join the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge complete a set of action items to institutionalize nonpartisan civic learning, voter participation and ongoing engagement in our democracy on their campus. The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge engages more than 1,000 institutions enrolling over 10 million students in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Campuses can join ALL IN at this link. 

To better understand the ethical challenges of today, two University of Scranton professors turned to the ancient past. And, it served them well.

Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A.'88, professor and chair of the Accounting Department and director of the University’s Ph.D. program, and Daniel P. Haggerty, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Philosophy Department and director of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program, recently co-authored a paper on philosophy and professional ethics that earned the prestigious 2025 Curt Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year. Selected by the Institute of Management Accountants’ Committee on Ethics and Strategic Finance, the article “Aristotle and Accounting: Building Virtue to Fight Fraud,” was written by Dr. Boyle, Dr. Haggerty, and Dana R. Hermanson, Ph.D., of Kennesaw State University.

This is the third time Dr. Boyle has won this prestigious national award, that annually recognizes one article “that focuses on the importance of ethics in business as a whole and finance and accounting in particular.” Dr. Boyle also won this coveted prize in 2020 and 2024.

The article draws “from the work of Aristotle and Plato, as well as research in psychology, to offer another approach to fighting fraud by developing employees and leaders with virtue,” seeking to “move anti-fraud tools beyond traditional approaches of punishment and internal controls.”

Referencing Aristotle, the article explains that “becoming virtuous requires practicing the virtues. … Practicing the virtue of courage, for example, is a matter of repeatedly aiming to hit the mark, … Such practices form character and consistent moral motivation. When you become proficient at hitting the bullseye, you can be counted on, and you can count on yourself to hit or come close to the mark reliably. Similarly, when you become habituated to the virtues, you can count on yourself and others can count on you to do the right thing, the honorable thing, consistently and reliably. Your moral motivation and discernment become habituated so that you do not even seriously entertain the idea of acting or living otherwise.”

The article includes comprehensive, practical guidance to promote virtue in organizations.

“Connecting philosophical reflection and insight, along with broader work in the humanities, to practical application and vocational purpose in service of the common good has been a hallmark of Jesuit education for nearly 500 years,” said Dr. Haggerty. He noted that the recognition this project received affirms that “the humanities are not removed from the practical interests and real-world concerns of business, individuals, and society today, but are, in fact, deeply relevant to them – as St. Ignatius said, to help souls and advance the greater glory of God.”

“Both in our undergraduate and graduate education at our Catholic, Jesuit institution, our faculty teach the importance of infusing our institutional values and commitment to the liberal arts into how our students are called to think, analyze, and conduct scholarship,” said Carolyn McNamara Barry, Ph.D., dean of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences. “ Drs. Haggerty’s and Boyle’s award-winning publication nicely illustrates their truly interdisciplinary and mission-filled commitment to the study of ethics, and in turn, practicing what they preach to our students.”

Dr. Haggerty has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, papers and book reviews. His research includes studies of classical theorists as well as contemporary thinkers in both the analytic and continental traditions. His publications in moral psychology, ethics and epistemology deal with such topics as emotions, affectivity, justification, virtue and reasons for acting. He has also received several grants to foster undergraduate research and publication in philosophy.

An award-winning teacher, Dr. Haggerty, Ph.D., was named Teacher of the Year by The University of Scranton’s Class of 2018. Dr. Haggerty received the University’s 2011 Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year Award (formally the Edward Gannon, S.J., Award for Teaching) and the Excellence in Adapting Classic Principles of Jesuit Pedagogy into the Curriculum: The Magis Award in 2016. Earlier in his teaching career, he received a Commendation for Outstanding Service and Dedication from St. Mary’s Seminary and University, among other awards and recognition.

Dr. Haggerty joined the faculty at Scranton in 2005 and has served as the director of the University’s Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program since 2010. He earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Saint Joseph’s University and his doctorate in philosophy from Syracuse University.

Dr. Boyle is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant with more than 30 years of industry executive experience. He has served in executive roles in startup, middle market, and Fortune 500 companies, where he has held the positions of board chair, chief executive officer, president, chief operations officer and chief financial officer. An award-winning teacher and prolific researcher, Dr. Boyle ranked No. 2 in the world for accounting education publication volume in the past six years, according to the 2024 Brigham Young University Accounting Rankings. He was selected as the IMA Research Foundation Distinguished Scholar in 2022, awarded the Outstanding Accounting Educator of the Year Award from the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants in 2015, and an Outstanding Lecturer Award from the Cultural Mission of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in 2012. At Scranton, Dr. Boyle earned Provost Excellence Awards for University Service and Leadership in 2021, the Scholarship of Teaching in 2014 and Scholarly Publication in 2012, and the Faculty Senate’s Excellence in Graduate Teaching Award in 2019. He was named the Kania School of Management’s (KSOM) Alperin Teaching Fellow for 2015 to 2018 and received the KSOM Advisory Board’s Award for Curriculum Innovation for 2017-2018. He received the KSOM Faculty Research Award for 2019 – 2020 and was twice recognized as the KSOM Teacher of the Year. He is the founder and director of the University’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program and recently worked with a team of alumni, colleagues and family members to open the West Scranton Youth Center, which provides free athletic and art programs for area children and teens.

Dr. Boyle earned a bachelor’s degree from The University of Scranton, an MBA from Columbia University and a doctorate from Kennesaw State University.

“Aristotle and Accounting: Building Virtue to Fight Fraud” was published in Strategic Finance in March of 2025.

University of Scranton alumni Jacquelyn Dionne, R.N. ’89 and Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, J.D., J.C.L. ’72 will receive honorary degrees from The University of Scranton at its undergraduate commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 18.

A native of Scranton, Dionne became a registered nurse upon graduating from Community Medical Center in 1986 and received a bachelor’s degree in health administration from The University of Scranton in 1989. During her career as an intensive care nurse, she earned several certifications at Mount Auburn, a Harvard University teaching hospital, and later at the New Hampshire Heart Institute.

After staying at home for several years to raise a family, Dionne returned to the medical setting seven years ago and is currently the Health and Wellness Coordinator for Brookdale Senior Living in Wilton, Connecticut.

Dionne and her husband, John ’86, H’10, are co-chairs of the largest capital campaign in the University’s 137-year history, “A Fire That Kindles Other Fires: The Campaign To Advance Mission, Access & Excellence.” She has led and supported this and other significant campaigns to raise funds to advance the mission of the University.

Dionne and her husband were co-recipients of the 2013 University President’s Medal, which recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others. They were the driving force behind creating the Kania School Business Leader Hall of Fame and have generously donated to two honors programs in the business school.

In 2008, the University named its newly-created green at the heart of its campus in honor of Dionne and her husband.

Dionne has served on the University’s Board of Trustees for 14 years. She has served as co-vice chair of the board, chaired its advancement committee, and has also served on the executive committee and presidential and provost search committees. She is active in numerous charitable organizations, having served as vice president for the National Charity League, Westport Chapter, as well as Horizons Organization, Bridgeport Connecticut.

The Dionnes reside in Westport, Connecticut. They are the parents of three children: current Scranton student Jonathan Dionne ’28, Scranton graduate Kristen Rajbanshi ’22 and Courtney Fodero, and the grandparents of Giancarlo Fodero.

Monsignor Quinn, a priest who has served the Diocese of Scranton for more than 40 years, was named pastor emeritus of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Clarks Summit upon his retirement in 2024.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University in 1972, he went on to earn a Doctorate in Jurisprudence from Seton Hall University School of Law. At the age of 25, he was appointed a Federal Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the youngest person in the country to serve in this position. 

After discerning his call to the priesthood, he entered the seminary in 1981, completing his studies at the North American College in Rome where he was awarded graduate degrees in theology from both the Gregorian University and the Angelicum University. Following his ordination, he was awarded dual degrees in canon law from the University of Ottawa and St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, Canada.  

Monsignor Quinn has served in key pastoral and administrative roles and special assignments in the Diocese of Scranton, including 16 years as rector of St. Peter’s Cathedral. He was dean of the Scranton Central Deanery of the Diocese, moderator of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal and chair of the Diocese’s 150^th Anniversary Committee. He served on the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission, was a member of both the Diocesan College of Consultors and the Diocesan Presbyteral Council, and was chairman of the Diocesan Communications Commission.

For six years, he served as vice president for Mission and Ministry at Fordham University, New York, the first non-Jesuit to serve in this role.

Active in the life and mission of The University of Scranton, Monsignor Quinn was a member of the University’s Board of Trustees for 15 years, during which time he chaired the presidential search and enrollment management committees. He has been involved in numerous campus and alumni events and is the recipient of the Alumni Association’s Frank O’Hara Award. In 2020, Monsignor Quinn was awarded the University President’s Medal, which recognizes individuals who have achieved excellence in their fields and demonstrated extraordinary compassion for others.

Monsignor Quinn has served as a member of the Board of Advisors of the North American College in Rome, as the founding chairman of the Scranton Preparatory School Board of Trustees, founding chairman of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority, and the first president of Scranton Tomorrow, in addition to service on numerous other boards.

His extensive work in the community has been acknowledged in many ways, including the Lackawanna Bar Association President’s Award, the B’nai B’rith Americanism Award, the Lackawanna Bar Association Chief Justice Michael J. Eagan Award and the Neighborhood Housing Services of Scranton Governor Robert P. Casey Medal for a Lifetime of Service Award. In 2018, he was awarded an honorary degree from Marywood University.

The University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony, including the awarding of the honorary degrees, will begin at 11 a.m. on May 18 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre.

On Friday, April 25, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a concert featuring the University’s String Orchestra. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis.

The concert will feature pieces by a variety of composers from different eras, according to Performance Music Conductor and Co-Director, Janelle Decker. Featured composers include J. S. Bach, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Vaclav Nelhybel, Soon Hee Newbold, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The University’s String Orchestra is a 40-plus member ensemble comprised of members of the university community from majors and departments spanning the curriculum – most of them undergraduate students – joined by a few graduate students, alumni and members of the faculty who are all brought together by their mutual love of music-making.

The primary focus of Performance Music at Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no major in music at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University Bands, University String Orchestra and Ensembles, University Performance Choirs and Steel Drum Ensemble. A few members of the faculty and staff and alumni from the region also perform with the groups. Each year, hundreds of students participate in the ensembles.

Interested in Attending the Free Concert?

For additional information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.

University of Scranton students majoring in criminal justice, cybercrime and homeland security or sociology will have the opportunity for internships at the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office through the new Crime Analysis and Investigation Program announced today. Guided by University faculty experts, the student interns will work alongside professionals in the District Attorney’s Office to investigate cybercrimes, analyze crime and related data, and offer evidence-based guidance for best practices.

“The broad scope of this program – providing students with experience in cybercrime investigation, crime analysis and evidence-based guidance – will give our students a unique learning experience that will set them apart,” said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D. '06, professor and chair of the University’s Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology, at the announcement.

“The partnership between the District Attorney’s Office and The University of Scranton represents a significant step forward in our efforts to combat cybercrime,” said Brian Gallagher, J.D., Lackawanna County district attorney, who is a 2008 graduate of The University of Scranton. “By teaming up with the University, we’re not only strengthening our ability to investigate and prosecute cybercrimes, but we’re also creating a talent pipeline of highly-trained professionals ready to take on the digital threats of tomorrow.”

“This collaboration ensures that we remain proactive in addressing emerging digital threats and underscores our shared commitment to public safety and community resilience,” said District Attorney Gallagher. “It’s a win for public safety, education, innovation and Lackawanna County.”

District Attorney Gallagher noted that the interns would be considered volunteers and would not be considered employees of the county, nor would they be paid by the county.

“This partnership with the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office solidifies our already strong relationship with the DA’s office and utilizes our greatest strengths: faculty expertise; mentoring of our students; and our mission of service – by providing a helping hand for the District Attorney’s office to do their work more effectively and expeditiously,” said Carolyn McNamara Barry, Ph.D., dean of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences, at the announcement.

Dr. Jenkins said this new internship program builds on previous work done with the District Attorney’s office through the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime. Since 2017, University students and faculty have worked on a number of projects with the DA’s Office, the Scranton Police Department, and other local groups, which have provided “students with the valuable opportunity to put into practice concepts and theories learned in their coursework,” noted Dr. Jenkins.

University student Zoe Honney ’25, a cybercrime and homeland security major from Scranton, who will pursue a master’s degree in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity at the University, will be among the first students to participate in the program.

“I am extremely excited to be given an opportunity to be a part of the first round of students to intern as part of the collaboration between The University of Scranton and Lackawanna County. As someone who came into college undecided on a major, one of the factors that solidified my decision to declare a Cybercrime and Homeland Security major was the professors,” said Honney at the announcement, who talked about the theoretical and practical skills learned through the program. “I am eager and looking forward to utilizing these skills, under the guidance of these same professors, while also working alongside experts from the DA's office to assist with the collection of digital evidence and the analysis of open-source data.”

The internship program will begin in the fall 2025 semester, with a planned capacity to serve up to 15 students at a time. Also, in the fall semester, the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology will relocate to Weiss Hall, now under construction. The new building will include classrooms and labs for crime analysis/research, cyber-attack simulation, cyber forensics and a mock crime scene for traditional investigations. The space will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology and can be used for additional training and workforce development of local practitioners.

Additional information about how students may apply for the internships will be provided later this semester by the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology.

All are invited for a program on “U.S. Policy toward the Middle East: Lebanon, Palestine, and Beyond” on Thursday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. The event will feature Dr. Jim Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute.

To commemorate Arab American Heritage Month, Dr. Zogby’s talk will cover a range of issues, from his own Jesuit education at Le Moyne College, advocacy on behalf of Arab Americans, to U.S. policy toward the Middle East.

Dr. Jim Zogby is president and co-founder of the Arab American Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community. He is also the director of Zogby Research Services, a firm that has conducted groundbreaking surveys across the Middle East and is featured frequently on national and international media as an expert on Middle East affairs.

Dr. Zogby was appointed by President Barack Obama to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, serving from 2013-2017. He received his doctorate from Temple University’s Department of Religion and his undergraduate degree from Le Moyne College. To register for this event, click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Zogby2025 

This event is co-sponsored by The University of Scranton’s Office of Community Relations, Ellacuria Initiative, Political Science Department, Peace and Justice Studies Program, and Theology and Religious Studies.

If you have any questions about this event, please do not hesitate to contact Julie Schumacher Cohen at julie.cohen@scranton.edu .

The Leahy College of Health Sciences building was buzzing on April 14 with students from Wallenpaupack Area High School on campus for Biomechanics Day.

As return visitors to the event, which celebrates the scientific study of the mechanics of biological and muscular activity, Wallenpaupack students toured the building and its programs.

The day's activities included visits to Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy, the latter of which featured a demonstration on a life-sized, lifelike medical manikin.

The students also practiced on various pieces of high-tech equipment in Leahy Hall's downstairs biomechanics laboratory, where their motion skills — such as jumping, lifting and stretching — were measured with motion cameras, muscle sensors, balance analyzers and strength testers.

As construction progresses on Weiss Hall, local and school media were on site last week to preview one of The University of Scranton’s most significant expansions to date.

On track to open at the start of the 2025-26 academic year, the four-story Robert S. and Marilyn A. Weiss Hall, under construction on the 300 block of Madison Avenue, will support strategic efforts in education, workforce development, innovation and community engagement.

“I think it’s really exciting,” said Michael Jenkins, Ph.D. ’06, professor and chair of the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology, as well as the faculty liaison for Weiss Hall. “Having been here, associated with the University for 23 years, seeing the growth of our programs and the growth of the other programs that are included in the building; and being able to move physically into a new space that honors the work of the faculty and the students that are going to be able to use this space is really exciting.”

One of Weiss Hall’s central features is a 10,000 square foot innovation hub on the first floor. This space is designed to foster collaboration among students and faculty, but it is also meant to bring regional partners in business, healthcare and manufacturing to campus.

Weiss Hall’s second floor will be the home of the University of Success and the University’s Small Business Development Center, which supports small businesses in eight counties. Space for the Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology includes offices, classrooms and labs for crime analysis/research, cyber-attack simulation, cyber forensics and a mock crime scene for traditional investigations.

The third and fourth floors will feature additional classrooms, offices and laboratory spaces with scenic views of the city and campus. The building also includes a rooftop garden, an interfaith prayer room and rooftop prayer garden, among other multipurpose spaces.

Weiss Hall will also house the Psychology Department, the Center for Health, Education and Wellness and Student Health Services Departments.

Designed with large glass walls and windows, steel and stone, Weiss Hall blends historic features of Scranton’s campus into a modern design. It is designed to meet silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification requirements. Its architect is Hemmler and Camayd and the construction manager is Quandel Construction.

For additional coverage of Weiss Hall’s first look, visit WNEP and The Times-Tribune.

A pair of clubs at The University of Scranton are teaming up on Thursday, April 24, to celebrate two national initiatives: Citizen Science Month and World Amateur Radio Day.

The events begin with a look at the citizen science collaboration of a network of ham radio enthusiasts established by Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., associate professor physics and engineering at The University of Scranton.

A visionary collaborator in the HamSCI network, Rob Robinett, AI6VN, will present, “Next-Generation HamSCI Receive System – Advancing Space Weather Monitoring,” from 12 to 1 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. Robinett is the founder of wsprdaemon.org, a powerful software application for ham radio enthusiasts.

Flying in from San Francisco for the occasion, Robinett’s lecture offers a rare chance to hear from a ham radio pioneer in revealing how radio enthusiasts are using advanced technology to track the atmosphere and space weather. Robinett was profiled with a Q&A in the first edition of the HamSCI newsletter, published in the fall of 2024. A graduate of Stanford University, Robinett detailed how he began using his software skills to develop the open-source Weak Signal Propagation Reporter system, which, he said, is “now used by most of the leading reporting WSPR stations in the world.”

Robinett’s lecture, offered free of charge, is jointly sponsored by the Amateur Radio Club W3USR and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) club.

From 4 to 9 p.m., the public is invited to a closer look at the University’s state-of-the-art Amateur Radio Club W3USR station on the fifth floor of the Loyola Science Center.

Clubs, including W3USR, will also be participating in the Evening of Environmental Science and Essay Awards, being held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Loyola Science Center Bell Lobby. The Evening of Environmental Science event is free to attend and for students in grades K-12. It will include hands-on educational environment displays and activities. The event will also include tours of the Loyola Science Center and the W3USR amateur radio station.

Last year, Dr. Frissell worked with Scranton students and an international network of ham radio operators to collect data and monitor changes in the ionosphere during the total solar eclipse on April 8. This project was one of just five Citizen Science Investigations selected by NASA for the study of the total solar eclipse.

Dr. Frissell recently appeared on the ARRL’s On the Air podcast to promote the push – by HamSCI, the National Association for Amateur Radio and SciStarter – to have amateur radio clubs nationwide hold amateur radio open houses.

The current Scranton Mayor and multiple challengers will be on The University of Scranton campus later this month for a pair of mayoral candidate debates.

Mayor Paige Cognetti will debate former Scranton School Board President Bob Sheridan in the Democratic primary candidate debate from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, at the PNC Auditorium. The Republican primary candidate debate between accounting executive Patricia Beynon and business owner Lynn Labrosky will follow from 7:15 to 8:15 p.m.

The debates are open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-served and subject to capacity limits. The PNC Auditorium is located inside the Loyola Science Center on the University’s Campus.

Both debates will be recorded by ECTV to be shown at a later date. The University’s Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service website will also post video of the debates.

Pennsylvania primary elections will occur Tuesday, May 20. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 4.

The Commuter Student Association (CSA) is sponsoring their annual "CSA Restaurant Fest" on May 1 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. For the event, the CSA is sponsoring meals for 100 University of Scranton students. Meals will include an appetizer, entrée and dessert, each from a different downtown Scranton restaurant.  

The goal of this event is to promote downtown restaurant businesses and encourage University students to explore the many diverse food options in downtown Scranton. The event includes six meal routes. Each route will offer University students a different appetizer, entrée and dessert from three different downtown Scranton restaurants. The routes will be assigned at random to participating University students, mindful of any dietary needs, and will offer students the chance to both try new  restaurant businesses while enjoying a walk around downtown Scranton.  

"For the past four years, Restaurant Fest has been a major event for CSA, giving students the opportunity to explore downtown Scranton, discover local restaurants and support small businesses. It’s, by far, my favorite event of the year," says Vito Rotell '26, CSA President and a business analytics and operations management double major.  

"Restaurant Fest is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore and support local small businesses while enjoying a full-course meal—appetizer, entrée and dessert—completely free. With options for vegan and vegetarian students, it’s an inclusive way to experience the best of our community’s food scene," said Olivia Lewis '25, CSA Vice President and neuroscience major.  

For more information about the CSA Restaurant Fest, please contact commuter@scranton.edu. To register for the event, visit Royal Sync at https://cglink.me/2rM/r382558 .  

Nicole Young ’00, H’20, 16-time Emmy Award-winning senior producer for “60 Minutes,” will be the principal speaker at The University of Scranton’s 2025 undergraduate commencement ceremony on May 18.

“We are honored to have the senior producer of America’s most-watched news program return to her alma matter to share her vast knowledge and insights with our graduating class,” said Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “Few television producers have achieved as much as Nicole Young. She has channeled her innate interest and skill of storytelling into compelling and acclaimed journalism with humanitarianism at its heart. Her concern for justice and passion for Jesuit education shine through in all that she does.”

Growing up in Hopatcong, New Jersey, Young was impacted by news stories of famine in Ethiopia. News from across the globe, combined with an interest in international events gleaned from summers spent in Jamaica with family, led Young to pursue a career in journalism as a way to effect positive change by creating awareness of the wrongs in the world.

After graduating from The University of Scranton in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in communication, Young earned a master’s degree in international journalism from City University of London.

She began her career at CBS News as an intern at 19, working in Washington, D.C., London and New York. She joined “60 Minutes” in 2004 as an assistant to correspondent Scott Pelley and became his producer a few years later. Over the years, Young has been the producer behind many of the major segments of the broadcast, which is now in its 57^th season. She has earned 16 News and Documentary Emmy Awards, three Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Awards, eight Writers Guild Awards, five Edward R. Murrow Awards, two Gerald Loeb Awards, two Sigma Delta Chi Awards, six National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Salute to Excellence Awards, a George Foster Peabody Award, a George Polk Award, an Investigative Reporters & Editors Award, a Gracie Award, a Media for Liberty Award, and a Wilbur Award.

Young’s most recent “60 Minutes” assignments have taken her to cover critical global events, such as the war in Ukraine, the fall of Syria’s dictator, the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, the deadly tornadoes in Kentucky, and the COVID-19 pandemic. She has also covered social injustice, President Donald Trump and high-profile interviews with celebrities, including Cillian Murphy. She has produced in-depth stories on Syria's front lines, the famines in South Sudan and Yemen, and toxic electronic waste in China.

Her fearless reporting includes investigations on civilian deaths due to air strikes in Afghanistan, the gold mining conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and being on the ground after the tsunami in Japan. However, some of her most pivotal stories have focused on issues closer to home, such as job loss, poverty, homelessness and child hunger in the United States.

In addition to producing stories for “60 Minutes,” Young leads special projects for the newsmagazine, including the development of the broadcast’s first free streaming channel. She also held a senior producer position at CBS Evening News, covering such major events as the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the historic election choice of Pope Francis in Rome.

Young is a member of the University’s Board of Trustees and was awarded an honorary degree from Scranton in 2020. She resides in the New York area with her family.

The University’s 2025 undergraduate commencement ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. on May 18 at the Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre.

By Amelia Farry '25, and Meghan Caffrey '25, student correspondents

The Rev. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J. Athletics Campus at The University of Scranton provides a key location for extracurricular athletics. It hosts many games and allows for a practice space for The University of Scranton’s sports teams including Magis Field (softball), Volpe Field (baseball) and Weiss Field (soccer, lacrosse, field hockey.) Sustainability practices play a significant role at the campus.

Sustainable materials, including those from recycled sources, were used in the construction; the project emphasized waste reduction and recycling. The athletics campus is a focal point for the University's commitment to sustainability, which incorporates energy-efficient systems, eco-friendly building materials and sustainable practices.

The sustainability practices are primarily driven by collaborations between the Facilities Management Department, Office of Sustainability, Athletics Department, faculty, staff and students. Key sustainable features include, but are not limited to, LED lighting, artificial turf fields and rain gardens.

Upon entering the Rev. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J. Athletics Campus, five signs detailing sustainable features are displayed on the exterior of the main building. Students in the Office of Sustainability designed and created the environmental signs to raise awareness and highlight the sustainable features of the modern facility.

Sustainable features include smart-phone-controlled LED sports lighting, LED parking lot lights and LED lighting for the building’s interior and exterior. Artificial field turf is composed of 80,000 previously used tires. Turf fields help conserve 1.2 million gallons of water per year. The turf also eliminates the need for applying 8,000 pounds of fertilizer annually.

As part of the sustainable features, multiple rain gardens collect stormwater runoff from the buildings and use it to water the plants. The system collects and filters rainwater, while reducing runoff and pollution. Rain gardens also require low maintenance. Also, the athletics campus is home to many native and drought-resistant plants.

The University of Scranton men's basketball team raised $630 for The Boy's and Girl's Club of Scranton with a three-point challenge during the 2024-25 season.

The challenge was sponsored by Catch 21, Sambuca's Italian Restaurant and Tequila Mexican Bar and Grill. Each three-point shot made during the season raised $5 for The Boy's and Girl's Club. The Royals hit 126 three-point field goals on the season.

The men's basketball program is looking forward to partnering with local organizations to continue to give back to the community for the 2025-26 season. If interested, please contact the men's basketball office.

Several of The University of Scranton’s graduate programs are prominently featured in new rankings by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to a part-time MBA program that is one of the nation’s fastest-rising offerings of its kind, the University has five graduate programs ranked in the nation’s top 50 and a handful of others ranked among the best in the country. 

According to the U.S. News “Best Graduate Schools” rankings, released April 8, the University’s part-time MBA program is tied for 80th nationally. Having jumped 30 spots from last year’s rankings, the University made the third-largest improvement among schools in the top 100. 

U.S. News placed five of Scranton’s graduate programs among the top 50 in the nation, ranking above such prestigious universities as Harvard, UCLA and Emory in some categories. In the rankings, Scranton’s programs in business analytics tied for 28th; finance, tied for 31st; and accounting, tied for 39th. Scranton is one of just 25 colleges and universities to have each of those three business graduate programs ranked in the top 40. The University’s graduate program in healthcare management tied for 46th and has remained in the top 50 for multiple years. The rehabilitation counseling graduate program tied for 49th.

Additionally, the University’s graduate program in occupational therapy tied for 79th, physical therapy tied for 105th and nursing-anesthesia tied for 111th. The University is also tied for No. 127 in Best Nursing Schools: Doctor of Nursing Practice. All rankings are national. 

For the graduate school rankings, U.S. News uses data gathered by surveys of college faculty and administrators, and for nursing programs, from professionals working in health care, to assess the quality of programs. U.S. News also uses statistical data such as faculty student ratios and student test scores. The U.S. News ranking of the Best Graduate Schools Ranking by MBA Specialties is based solely on ratings by business school deans and directors of AACSB-accredited MBA programs.

The University offers more than 40 graduate programs across the Kania School of Management, the Leahy College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The University’s graduate business programs include a Ph.D. in Accounting, Master of Accountancy (MAcc), Master of Science in Finance (MSF), Master of Science in Business Analytics (MS) and an MBA with specializations in accounting, business analytics, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resource management, international business, management information systems, marketing and supply chain management. The University also offers combined/accelerated bachelor’s and master’s level programs.

The University’s graduate programs include Healthcare Management, Occupational Therapy, Doctor of Physical Therapy; and in nursing: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Family Nurse Practitioner, MSN, and post-master’s certificate; Executive Nursing Leadership, MSN; and Nurse Anesthesia, DNP, and an accelerated MSN degree program. Beginning in the fall 2025 semester, the University will offer a new graduate degree program in Psychiatric Mental Health Practitioner, DNP, MSN, and post-master’s certificate. The University also awards graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, clinical mental health counseling and school counseling, along with clinical rehabilitation counseling.

In recent U.S. News rankings, The University of Scranton for the 31st consecutive year placed as one of its top 10 regional universities in the north. Scranton was ranked sixth. Scranton also earned a “Best Value” label for the 11th straight year by U.S. News, which ranked it 53rd on its list, “Best Value Universities in the North.”

The University’s first destination survey for the graduate Class of 2023 found a 100% success rate for advanced degree recipients with a mean salary of nearly $90,000. 

Visit The University of Scranton’s graduate admissions website for more information.

The University of Scranton will welcome two guest composers/conductors – trombone legends and internationally acclaimed musicians, composers and educators Wycliffe Gordon (H ’06) and Jennifer Krupa – at its 42nd annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert on Saturday, April 12. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis at the Houlihan-McLean Center on campus.

The concert will feature the University’s Concert Band and Concert Choir performing the world premieres of commissioned works by Gordon and Krupa, written specifically for the student ensembles. Gordon will compose and conduct compositions for the SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass) mixed choir and trombone soloist Krupa. Gordon and Krupa will reverse roles with Gordon as the soloist for the band piece she composed and will conduct.

“Wycliffe Gordon has been an inspiration to me for decades – not just as a mentor, but as a dear friend,” Krupa said. “He introduced me to so many styles of music and pushed me to go beyond studying jazz history to develop my own voice. This concert band piece reflects just a few of the many ways he has influenced me, from introducing me to the worlds of Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and gospel music, to encouraging me to write my own. The themes in this piece blend his influence with elements from my earliest compositions. I can’t wait to share the stage with Wycliffe and The University of Scranton Concert Band and Choir.”

Krupa’s “Cone Themes” for concert band and virtuosic trombonist will be premiered by the University’s Concert Band and soloist Gordon.

“There is no musician alive I am more in awe and amazement of than Wycliffe,” said Cheryl Y. Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music at the University.

Gordon’s three-piece choral cycle – “Blues Hymn,” “It is Spring” and “Ballad for Lena Mae” – will be premiered by the University’s Concert Choir, piano/bass/drums and soloist Krupa.

“Wycliffe and his music hold a very special place in the heart of the university and its students and alumni,” said Boga, who founded the World Premiere Composition Series in 1984. “Wycliffe’s impact musically and spiritually on every heart, ear and mind he touches is immeasurable. We are unbelievably fortunate to regularly benefit from his generosity and open-hearted and expressive musicality.”

Gordon is a regular guest at the University, where he was honored in 2006 with an honorary doctorate. An award-winning trombonist, composer, conductor, arranger and educator, Gordon has been a regular guest performer and teacher at the University for nearly 30 years. He has composed and premiered numerous compositions at Scranton through the University’s World Premiere Composition Series, as well as a piece composed and premiered for the celebration of the inauguration of University President Kevin Quinn, S.J. in 2016, and has performed as soloist with various student ensembles at Scranton.

Named the Jazz Journalists Association “Trombonist of the Year” for a record-breaking 15 times, Gordon has topped Downbeat Critics Poll for “Best Trombone” for an unprecedented six times (2020, 2018, 2016, 2014, 2013 and 2012). Recent awards include the “Louie Award,” the International Trombone Award and the Satchmo Award, among others. A prolific recording artist, Gordon can be heard on hundreds of recordings, soundtracks, live DVD’s and documentaries, and has an extensive catalog of original compositions that span the various timbres of jazz and chamber music.  His arrangement of the theme song to NPR’s “All Things Considered” is heard daily across the globe.  

Krupa is also a returning guest to the World Premiere and a regular guest artist at the University with student ensembles and her own quintet. An accomplished performer and educator, as well as a prolific arranger and composer who has contributed original works and arrangements to a wide variety of ensembles, Krupa’s extensive discography spans nearly 30 recordings with artists including Gordon. Renowned for her exceptional musicianship, transformative teaching, and dedicated service to the jazz community, her influence extends across generations of musicians and audiences worldwide.

Recently retired from a two-decade career with the United States Navy Jazz Commodores, where she served in a variety of roles, including lead trombonist and Music Director, Krupa is currently lead trombonist with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. Krupa is also a faculty member at The Juilliard School. She has led guest clinics, masterclasses and adjudications nationwide, guest-conducted the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra, and presented at the Jazz Educators Network, Midwest Clinic and the International Trombone Festival.

“I am enjoying preparing the band for Jen’s arrival and am very much looking forward to meeting her, working with her, and hearing the piece come together with the band and Wycliffe under Jen’s direction,” said Janelle Decker, conductor and co-director of Performance Music.

Performance Music at The University of Scranton has now commissioned 100-plus musical works in the 42 years since the series was created. The primary focus of Performance Music at the University is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles.

All University students (undergraduate and graduate) are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs, string ensembles and steel drum band. Hundreds of students, spanning the curriculum and bonded by a love of music, participate each year in the ensembles.

For more information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. Visit wycliffegordon.com for more information on Gordon and jenkrupa.com for more information on Krupa.

Rabbi Shlomo Brody, Ph.D., executive director of Ematai and columnist for the Jerusalem Post, will present “Jewish Ethical Perspectives on Civilian Casualties in War: A Tale of Two Sieges” at The University of Scranton’s Judaic Studies Institute lecture on April 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public. It will be followed by comments by Patrick Clark, Ph.D., professor of theology and religious studies at Scranton, who will be presenting a Christian perspective.

As executive director of Ematai, Rabbi Brody leads an organization dedicated to helping people navigate ethical dilemmas relating to end-of-life care. He previously served as the founding director of the Tikvah Overseas Student Institute, a senior instructor at Yeshivat Hakotel rabbinic seminary, and as research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. 

Rabbi Brody’s career has focused on making Jewish texts accessible to broader audiences while applying them to contemporary social and ethical dilemmas. His writings have been cited in Israeli Supreme Court decisions and have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Public Discourse, City Journal, First Things and a range of popular and scholarly journals. His first book, A Guide to the Complex: Contemporary Halakhic Debates, received a National Jewish Book Award. His second book, Ethics of Our Fighters: A Jewish View on War and Morality, was published in 2024. 

A summa cum laude graduate of Harvard College, he received rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, a master’s degree in Jewish philosophy at the Hebrew University, and Ph.D. from Bar Ilan University Law School. 

Dr. Clark joined the faculty at Scranton in 2010. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a master’s degree from Boston College and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute was created in 1979 through an endowment funded by the local Jewish community. The Institute fosters a better understanding and appreciation of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports visits to the University by Jewish scholars and writers and supports library acquisitions, publications, faculty research, travel and other scholarly endeavors. The work of the Institute was further enhanced by a $1 million gift from Harry Weinberg in 1990.

For further information, contact Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies and the Weinberg Chair of Judaic Studies at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.

Throughout the month of April, The University of Scranton will host multiple events focused on how students and community members can help the environment. From lectures to art shows to interactive events, there are many opportunities to learn about and celebrate Earth Day.

From Friday, April 4 to Wednesday, April 16, the Environmental Art Show themed “Engaging with the Natural World” will be displayed in the Weinberg Memorial Library’s Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room.

On Tuesday, April 15, the University will host an Earth Day Fair with interactive and research presentations by students, faculty and staff. The event, presented by the Office of Sustainability and open to the public free of charge, will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center.

On Thursday, April 24, the Earth Day Essay Contest winners will be announced at an Evening of Environment Science. Participants, families, teachers and community members are invited to the event, which includes a display of essays submitted in addition to engaging hands-on experiments and games related to the environment and sustainability. Also, there will be tours of the University’s nationally recognized Loyola Science Center. The Princeton Review has named the University among the 25 “Best Science Lab Facilities” in the nation for eight years. This year’s tour will include an open house for the W3USR ham radio studio.

For faculty and staff at Scranton, the University’s Laudato Si’ Community Engagement Subcommittee and the University’s Staff Senate will host a Lunch and Learn lecture titled “Using Tax Credits for Sustainable Home Improvements” on April 11. Featured speakers for the discussion include Blair Buselli, business owner at Buselli Solutions; Thomas Spall, president at T. E. Spall and Son, LLC, and Marc Seid, Ph.D., professor of biology. In answer to the call by Pope Francis to “Care for Our Common Home,” the University has begun an intensive seven-year journey to become designated as a Laudato Si’ University and is continuing to incorporate sustainability initiatives inspired by this call.

Earlier this semester, the University hosted several environmentally related events, such as collection exhibits at the Hope Horn Gallery, plant-based food events, World Water Day events and a Sustaining Democracy Teach-In.

By: Elizabeth Vander Neut, student correspondent

Students, faculty and staff are invited to reflect on the legacy of Saint Óscar Romero, whose martyrdom 45 years ago sparks inspiration in the name of faith and social justice today.

The University of Scranton's Jesuit Center and the Weinberg Memorial Library have partnered to host a special exhibit honoring Saint Romero's life, ministry and ultimate sacrifice. The exhibit will run until April 20 in the Heritage Room of the library, showcasing books, photographs and memorabilia that illuminate the profound impact of the Salvadoran archbishop.

To inaugurate the exhibit, a special reception took place on March 27, drawing attendees who engaged with the display.

"I was pleased to be able to speak with many of those in attendance, and they remarked on the great collection of Romero books from the library stacks," said Dan Cosacchi, the University’s vice president for Mission and Ministry,

"Also, they commented upon many of the Salvadoran memorabilia and images from our pilgrimage. A few attendees mentioned that they look forward to applying for the pilgrimage in the future after seeing such a lovely display," he added, referencing the University's El Salvador Educational Pilgrimage.

Bridget Conlogue, special collections and research services assistant at the University's Weinberg Memorial Library discussed the exhibit.

"We created this exhibit at the request of Dan Cosacchi to remember the life and martyrdom of St. Oscar Romero, who sacrificed his life for the Salvadoran people 45 years ago. He was a voice for the voiceless in his care for the poor and marginalized. Every year, the Jesuit Center sponsors a group of faculty, staff, and Administrators for a weeklong visit to El Salvador to learn more about the past and current struggles of the Salvadoran people. The exhibit highlights St. Oscar’s life among his people, with books from the library’s collection, photographs taken during the University pilgrimages, and small examples of beautiful Salvadoran handcrafts contributed by library staff and faculty who have gone on the pilgrimages," said Conlogue.

"The Jesuit Center sponsored the reception on March 27 in the library’s Heritage Room, which was attended by around 30-40 faculty, staff and administrators, many of whom have been to El Salvador with The Jesuit Center," she added.

The pilgrimage leads delegations of Scranton faculty and staff to learn from the people of El Salvador and to grow in faith and solidarity. The delegations visit historical sites from the Salvadoran Civil War, including the sacred sites where the church women, the Jesuit martyrs and Oscar Romero, the fourth archbishop of San Salvador, were killed in 1980. 

Cosacchi noted his eagerness to commemorate the 45^th anniversary of Saint Romero’s martyrdom after attending this year’s Jesuit Center Pilgrimage. Cosacchi played a key role in organizing the commemoration, alongside Professor Michael Knies, special collections librarian, Bridget Conlogue, special collections and research services assistant, Dr. David Dzurec, associate dean, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), and Bryn Schofield, coordinator for academic affairs, CAS and the Jesuit Center.

Several members of the University community, shown, traveled to El Salvador with the Jesuit Center in January. At a March 24 Spirituality Luncheon they discussed their experience. This date is of particular significance, as it is the 45th anniversary of St. Oscar Romero’s martyrdom. 

Another key component of the anniversary events was the Jesuit Center Spirituality Luncheon, which featured a panel of pilgrims who had traveled to El Salvador.

"I, personally, was moved to be brought back to our shared time in El Salvador," said Cosacchi. "But for the attendees of the luncheon who have not been to that beautiful country, the most powerful insights were describing the large-heartedness of the people of El Salvador. In many cases, those people opened their homes to us, and shared their food, their homes and their very lives, with us." 

Cosacchi said he hopes that those who participated in these events left with a deeper appreciation for the impact and connections built through the pilgrimage experience.

"Here at The University of Scranton, we take great pride in our relationship with the people of El Salvador, especially CRISPAZ (Christians for Peace in El Salvador). This is because our relationship exemplifies what it means to be in solidarity with a people who has suffered greatly. We do this because it is a core tenet of our Christian faith. The University looks forward to many more decades of these pilgrimages."

As a Jesuit institution, The University of Scranton is deeply committed to the values that Saint Romero embodied. His courage and compassion challenge all to live out their faith in service to others, advocate for the marginalized and foster a world rooted in peace and justice. These reflections on Saint Romero’s life provide an opportunity for University students to honor his legacy through action and continue his mission in  their daily lives.

Michael C. Munger, Ph.D., professor of economics, political science and public policy at Duke University, will be the principal speaker at the spring Henry George Seminar at The University of Scranton. Dr. Munger will present “Platforms, Giants and the Neo-Brandeisian Turn in Antitrust,” on Thursday, April 10, in the McIlhenny Ballroom of Scranton’s DeNaples Center. The event begins at 4 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Named after former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Neo-Brandeisianism is an approach that focuses less on consumer prices and more “on how large corporations can harm competition (particularly for small businesses) and stifle innovation,” according to The Lawverse.

A professor at Duke since 1997, Dr. Munger has won three university-wide teaching awards, the Howard Johnson Award, an NAACP Image Award for teaching about race and admission to the Bass Society of Teaching Fellows. He has also held teaching positions at Dartmouth College, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Early in his career, Dr. Munger was a staff economist at the Federal Trade Commission.

Much of Dr. Munger’s recent work has been in philosophy, examining the concept of truly voluntary exchange, a concept for which he coined the term “euvoluntary.”

Dr. Munger has written eight books, including “Tomorrow 3.0,” “Choosing in Groups” (coauthored with his son, Kevin) and “The Thing Itself.” He has also published more than 200 articles and papers in professional journals and edited volumes. He has been a member of the editorial boards of several professional journals, including the American Journal of Political Science (1998-2000), Constitutional Political Economy (2001-2003, 2005-present) and Public Choice (1994-1998, 1999-present).

Dr. Munger, who received his Ph.D. in economics at Washington University in St. Louis, is also a regular guest on the popular EconTalk podcast. Two of his episodes – “The Sharing Economy” in 2016 and “Slavery and the Origins of Racism” in 2018 – were the highest reader-rated EconTalk podcasts of their respective years.

The Henry George Lecture Series at Scranton is named in honor of the 19th century American economist and social reformer and is supported financially by a grant from the Progress and Poverty Institute (formerly the Schalkenbach Foundation). 

For more information about the Spring Henry George Seminar, call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.

On Friday, April 4, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital entitled “Rhapsody in Blue at 100” featuring the acclaimed Frederick Hohman, D.M.A., premiering the first full organ transcription of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

According to Cheryl Y. Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music, this will be Dr. Hohman’s 4^th visit to Houlihan McLean to perform on its fully restored and historic Austin Opus 301 Symphonic Organ. “Every visit by Fred is what I like to call an organ adventure – he doesn’t just perform a concert, he shares his passion and knowledge of the instrument at every opportunity during his visit.”

In addition to being a concert organist of stunning musicality and virtuosity, Dr. Hohman is an award-winning composer of organ and choral music, a creator of organ transcriptions, an online educator, a musical instrument designer and a classical music audio-video producer. Hohman earned his performer’s certificate, Mus.B., M.M. and D.M.A. in the organ studio of David Craighead at The Eastman School. In 1984, he won First Prize in both the prestigious Clarence Mader and Arthur Poister competitions. This was the first step leading to decades of organ concert tours, taking him throughout the world, appearing in concert and religious venues, including appearances before regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), The Organ Historical Society and The American Institute of Organbuilders.

Dr. Hohman founded the recording label Pro Organo in 1985 and has overseen the production and release of over 300 organ and choral music titles, including 16 releases, of which he is also the featured artist. Acclaimed by a critic with The Diapason magazine as “one of the symphonic organ's strongest exponents,” during the 1980s, Dr. Hohman championed a revival of the Symphonic School of organ-playing. His writings and recordings ignited a revival in symphonic organ literature and performance practices of the early 20th century, which led to his first organ transcription publications and several additional CD releases.

Dr. Hohman has served The American Guild of Organists (AGO) on its national committees focused upon education and was commissioned by them to appear as video instructor in a series of 30 AGO-produced videos entitled “Lessons for the New Organist,” which are free for all to view at AGO’s website. Hohman has also provided written guidance and encouragement to aspiring organists as an adjudicator in 20 national and international organ competitions.

The University of Scranton’s Houlihan-McLean Center Austin Opus 301 symphonic organ was built in 1910 by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford Connecticut for the Immanuel Baptist Church in Scranton and was restored and re-dedicated by the university in 2005 in a recital performed by Thomas Murray of Yale University. Since then, many renowned organists have performed on the instrument in solo-recitals, and it has accompanied the university’s student ensembles in the performance of many major works of the choral and instrumental repertoires. The instrument is one of the few rare surviving original examples of early 20th-century organ building, and the impressive instrument possesses a total of 3,178 pipes, 45 ranks and four manuals. The instrument is currently maintained by Clem, Cole, Dan, and Steve, technicians/artists from Emery Brothers/Dieffenbach organs.

For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Dr. Hohman, visit frederickhohman.net.

History, physics, writing, mathematics, world languages and neuroscience are among topics covered in academic competitions for area middle school and high school students offered at The University of Scranton during the spring semester. Upcoming competitions set for April include a state history competition, an Earth Day Essay Contest, the Hayes Family Science Competition for physics and engineering and the Integration Bee for mathematics.

Earlier this semester, the University hosted a regional history competition, the 2^nd Annual World Language Day and the Brain Bee for neuroscience.

Area students in grades five to 12 can participate in the University’s Earth Day Essay Contest. This year’s essay theme is “Students for a Sustainable World.” Submissions are due electronically by April 3. Visit the University’s Facilities Management webpage for the 2025 Earth Day Essay Contest Guidelines. 

Earth Day Essay Contest winners will be announced at an Evening of Environmental Science, which will take place on Thursday, April 24, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the Loyola Science Center. The event, which is open to contest participants, their families and the general public, will include University interactive science experiments and an exhibit of essay contest submissions. Tours of the University’s amateur radio station will also be conducted during the event as part of a day-long Amateur Radio Open House at W3USR. For additional information about the Earth Day Essay Contest, call 570-941-6267.

On Thursday, April 10, the University will host its annual Hayes Family Science Competition for high school physics and engineering students. The theme for this year’s contest is “Whatever Floats Your Boat: The Forces Edition.” The event will cover topics including kinematics, forces, torque/statics and rotational dynamics, gravitation, energy, rotational motion, sound, waves, Kepler’s Laws and momentum. The daylong contest tests high school students’ knowledge of physics through a series of hands-on games and challenges. Students compete individually and as part of a team. Pre-registration is required. For additional information, contact Salisa Brown, administrative assistant for the Physics Department, at salisa.brown@scranton.edu or 570-941-7509.

On Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13, the University will host the National History Day competition for Pennsylvania. The competition allows students to compete in the categories of historical essays, performances, documentaries, websites and exhibits on a historical theme. Winners in the state contest have the potential to compete in the national championship in Maryland on June 8 to 12. Earlier in March, the University hosted the Region 2 of the National History Day competition on campus. For additional information the National History Day competition, contact Sean Brennan, Ph.D., associate professor of history, at sean.brennan@scranton.edu.

On Wednesday, April 23, the annual Math Integration Bee for high school students will take place at 4:30 p.m. in the DeNaples Center Ballroom. The competition, which is hosted by the Mathematics Department, can help high school students improve their skills for AP mathematics tests. The Bee is offered free of charge, registration is required. For more information, contact Stacey Muir, Ph.D., associate professor of mathematics, at 570-941-6580 or stacey.muir@scranton.edu.

Earlier this semester, the University’s Neuroscience Program hosted the 24th annual Northeast PA Brain Bee Competition for high school students in grades nine through 12. The competition encouraged the study of the brain and how it relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, movements, aging and other factors. In addition, the University hosted the 2^nd annual World Language Day event, which included rapid-fire lessons in Italian, Mandarin, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Arabic and American Sign Language. Students learned about these languages and cultures through interactive activities and lessons from Fulbright visiting scholars and University of Scranton students and faculty.

Through April 11     Art Exhibit: “The Lackawanna River and Watershed: Art and Interpretation.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.

Through April 20    Art Exhibit: “Gems of Flourishing from The Zaner-Bloser Penmanship Collection.” Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@scranton.edu.

April 3      5 p.m. 28^th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “Leading Through Mergers and Acquisitions.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4527 or email spencer.owens@scranton.edu. 

April 4      7:30 p.m. Performance Music: Rhapsody in Blue at 100 featuring Dr. Frederick Hohman premiering the first full organ transcription of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.

April 5      9 a.m. Accepted Students Day for students and their families of The University of Scranton’s class of 2029. Meet representatives from academic departments, student activities/services, financial aid, athletics and tour campus. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.

April 7-17   Environmental Art Show: “Engaging with the Natural World.” Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.

April 9     5:30 p.m. Graduate Open House. DeNaples Center, 4^th floor. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email gradadmissions@scranton.edu.

April 10    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 10    4 p.m. Spring Henry George Seminar "Platforms, Giants, and the Neo-Brandeisian Turn in Antitrust" presented by Michael C. Munger, Ph.D., Director, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Program, Duke University.  McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu.

April 10    6 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Schumann: Music, Mood Swings and Madness” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Performance, lecture and reception. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, 525 Pine Street, Scranton. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.

April 10-12     8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Performance: “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” presented by The University of Scranton Liva Arts Company. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com for tickets or email livartscompany@gmail.com.

April 12-13     8 a.m. National History Day State Competition for qualifying students from Pennsylvania. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com.

April 12    7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “42^nd Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir premiering two new works by Dr. Wycliffe Gordon (H. ’06) and Jennifer Krupa, with the composers conducting. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.

April 15    11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentations and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.

April 23     3:45 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus-based high school math competition. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. See https://www.scranton.edu/academics/cas/math/bee.shtml for more details or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.  

April 24            noon Talk: “Next Generation HamSCI Receive System – Advancing Space Weather Monitoring” by HamSCI collaborator Rob Robinett as part of The University of Scranton’s participation in the national Amateur Radio Open House day. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-7509 or email w3usr@scranton.edu.

April 24            3 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Amateur Radio Open House at W3USR, The University of Scranton’s state-of-the-art student ham radio studio. Fifth Floor, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7509 or email w3usr@scranton.edu.

April 24   5:30 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” and Essay Award Presentation. 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. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.

April 24    7:30 p.m. Judaic Studies Institute Lecture: “Jewish Ethical Perspectives on Civilian Casualties in War: A Tale of Two Sieges” presented by Rabbi Shlomo Brody, Ph.D., executive director of Ematai and columnist for the Jerusalem Post, with a response focusing on Catholic perspectives by Patrick Clark, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies at Scranton. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall.  Free. 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.

April 24    5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email brandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu.

April 25    7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra and guest soloist TBA. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.

April 26-27     9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book Sale. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-6195 or e-mail melisa.gallo@scranton.edu.

April 28 through May 9     Hope Horn Gallery Art Exhibit: “The University of Scranton Student Show Online.” Visit https://www.scranton.edu/academics/hope-horn-gallery/index.shtml or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu. 

April 30     11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World” presented by Theresa MacPhail, Ph.D., medical anthropologist, writer, and associate professor of science and technology studies at Steven Institute of Technology. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.

April 30     noon. Celebration of Student Scholars. Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7653 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu.

The University of Scranton is offering a series of pysanka workshops in advance of the Easter holiday to teach the art of decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs with traditional folk designs using a wax-resist method. One hundred percent of the workshop fee will be donated to humanitarian aid in Ukraine. Participants will be taught how to write pysanky, or Ukrainian Easter eggs. All materials will be provided, and each participant will take home their own, blown-out pysanka. Anyone who attended a workshop last year is encouraged to return to develop their skills and learn more advanced folk designs.

This workshop series was first offered in spring 2022. This year, the University is  offering four workshops. Four pysanka workshops will be offered as follows: on Sunday, April 6 from 1-3 p.m.; on Sunday, April 6 from 3:30-5:30 p.m.; on Sunday, April 13 from 1-3 p.m.; and on Sunday, April 13 from 3:30-5:30 p.m.

All workshops will take place in the Smurfit Arts Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania, on the corners of Vine St. and Madison Ave. Each workshop is limited to 12 people and children must be accompanied by an adult. The workshop cost is $30, payable by cash or check. Registration is required at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094BA5A822A3F5CE9-55597296-pysanka#/ 

The workshops will be led by Dr. Amelia Randich, assistant professor of Biology at The University of Scranton. Dr. Randich is a fourth-generation Ukrainian-American, and this art has been passed down through the women in her family. She has been writing pysanky for over 30 years and teaches pysankarstvo (the art of writing pysanky) at various retreats in the U.S.

“While we hope the Russian aggression on Ukraine will end soon, the country will be in turmoil for a long time yet. Please join us in writing pysanky and donating to humanitarian aid in Ukraine,” said Dr. Randich.

Dr. Randich has a dedicated website, “Saving the World One Egg at Time,” to illustrate her work in pysanka along with the meaning and importance of their creation.

To learn more about Dr. Randich and her work creating and teaching the art of pysanka, please visit https://pysankypower.wordpress.com/  or read this profile in The Scranton Journal. 

View Dr. Randich’s work and follow her on social media on Facebook: @pysankypower and Instagram: @AmeliaRandich.

These workshops are offered by The University of Scranton and are cosponsored by the Hope Horn Gallery and the Office of Community and Government Relations. For questions, please contact community@scranton.edu .

Those considering graduate school and current undergraduate students can learn about the career advancement opportunities offered through The University of Scranton’s 40-plus advanced-degree programs at its Graduate Open House on Wednesday, April 9. Participants will meet with Scranton alumni, faculty, admissions representatives and current graduate students and learn about flexible on-campus and online program formats offered by the nationally recognized Jesuit university.

Scranton provides the highest-quality graduate education, with programs meeting the most rigorous state or national accreditations available within their professional fields. Graduate programs include physical therapy, occupational therapy, nurse anesthesia, health care management, clinical rehabilitation counseling, business analytics and MBAs in several concentrations and other business disciplines. In recent years, Scranton has added graduate programs in high in-demand fields, such as an online master’s degree program in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity, and a synchronous remote master’s degree in speech-language pathology. Scranton also offers a synchronous and asynchronous graduate program in psychiatric mental health nursing. Scranton’s graduate programs are offered in formats that include on-campus and online options.

The Graduate Open House begins on April 9 with registration at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of the DeNaples Center, followed by an alumni panel presentation at 6 p.m. Program-specific information sessions will run from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. Optional campus tours are available from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The event is offered free of charge.

For more information or to make reservations, visit the Graduate Open House webpage or email gradadmissions@scranton.edu.

The University of Scranton Political Dialogue Initiative will be hosting a political dialogue on March 25 from 7-9 p.m. The topic will be recent Executive Orders. This event will be held in the Kane Forum in Edward Leahy Hall (Room 235). Students will have the opportunity to share their perspectives and listen to learn from others in small group facilitated dialogue sessions that are interactive.

Students from a range of perspectives and backgrounds are invited to attend. Pre-registration is required for the dialogues here (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/execorders)

This event is co-sponsored by the Political Dialogues Working Group together with Student Government, College Democrats, College Republicans, the Philosophy Society and the Political Science Club.

These dialogues are part of an ongoing “Bursting Our Political Bubbles” Dialogue Initiative, which blends the reflective, structured dialogue methods of national non-profit Essential Partners with St. Ignatius of Loyola’s teachings of discernment and reflection. During the session, students will have a chance to engage and encounter each other's experiences and views - not debate or persuade - through structured dialogue to build understanding.

The University has organized similar discussions on campus since 2017. For further background and tips on how to engage in constructive dialogue that involves both sharing your views and listening to others’, click here.

If you have questions about this dialogue or the political dialogues initiative, email community@scranton.edu.

Nearly 120 area students from Valley View, Riverside, Western Wayne, Wallenpaupack, West Scranton and Scranton high schools were introduced to eight languages and cultures in rapid-fire lessons at a World Languages Day event at The University of Scranton. Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, German, French, Arabic and American Sign Language were taught in 15-minute interactive lessons led by University faculty and Fulbright teaching assistants.

“If you thought high school students would never sit through 15-minute lessons of eight different languages, just check out our event. It’s absolutely amazing and that’s a testament to our instructors and our mission to bring the world to people,” said Amy Kuiken, The University of Scranton Language Learning Center coordinator in the World Languages and Culture Department.

View the Fox 56 news story about the World Languages Day event at The University of Scranton reported by Samantha Durante, a 2024 graduate of the University.

We have eight different languages going on in the background today, and we wanted people to come with a sense that all of those languages can be really powerful,” said Kuiken in a WBRE News story about the event. WVIA News also covered the event.

Language lessons were led by Marzia Caporale, Ph.D., chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, for Italian; Professor Chih-Yi Wu, Taiwanese Government Chinese Language Instructor, for Mandarin Chinese; Professor Fabián Bizcocho, Spanish Language Fulbright Teaching Assistant from Spain, for Spanish; Professor Erii Unuma, ALLEX Foundation Japanese Language Instructor, for Japanese; Professor Oliwia Doroszko, German Language Fulbright Teaching Assistant from Germany, for German; Professor Emma Leclercq, French Language Fulbright Teaching Assistant from France, for French; Professor Rym Ben Rehouma, Arabic Language Fulbright Teaching Assistant from Tunisia, for Arabic; and Professor MaryAnn Stefko, University of Scranton ASL adjunct professor, for American Sign Language.

View Language Learning Center Coordinator Amy Kuiken, in a WBRE News story about the about the World Languages Day event at The University of Scranton

The high school students also learned about these cultures through interactive activities.

The 2^nd Annual World Language Day at Scranton was hosted by the Department of World Languages and Cultures with assistance from the Office of Admissions. This event was on March 4 in the Rose Room in Brennan Hall.

View photos and read more about The University of Scranton World Languages Day event at WVIA News. (Photo courtesy Aimee Dilger/WVIA News) 

By: Elizabeth Vander Neut, student correspondent

The University of Scranton celebrates this Women's History Month by recognizing the achievements of women throughout the institution's history. Continuing to promote the advancement of future generations of Royals, the Cultural Centers will host a series of events under the theme “Moving Forward Together."
 

A History of Progress
 

The University of Scranton’s commitment to gender equality has been marked by decades of milestones:

• 1971: Women were formally admitted to full-time undergraduate programs, sparking a notable increase in applications. The class of 1976 became the first to include female graduates who entered as full-time students.

• 1970s-1980s: Women's athletics gained momentum, with University teams excelling in competition within just a decade.

• 1980: Karen Pennington '76 became the first woman appointed as associate dean, paving the way for female leaders on campus.

• 1985: Women comprised 48 percent of the University's graduating class, reflecting the impact of increased female enrollment. It was also the largest graduating class of its time.

• 1991: The University approved a concentration in women’s studies, strengthening its academic focus on gender issues.

• 2001: The Women’s Center was renamed in honor of its founder, Jane Kopas, Ph.D., to recognize her influential work in advancing women's advocacy on campus.
  
  View a pictorial timeline recognizing women's contributions to the life of the University.
  
  

Looking Ahead

The Cultural Centers will host a series of events under the theme “Moving Forward Together” to honor these contributions and engage the University community.

Highlighting this observance is the upcoming event, “Rooted & Rising – An Intersectional Celebration of the Feminine,” scheduled for Wednesday, March 12 at 6 p.m. in the DeNaples Center, Room 407. This event will provide uplifting performances, dialogue and activities to foster empowerment among women on campus.

For more information on upcoming events and how to participate, contact the Cultural Centers at jkwc@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 and unscratched CDs and DVDs. A library staff member can assist with donation drop-offs, by appointment. For details, contact Melisa Gallo at 570-941-6195. Donations will be accepted until Friday, April 18.

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, library staff and volunteers.

The book sale is scheduled for Saturday, April. 26, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 27, 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 25, from 4 to 9 p.m. The sale will occur in the fifth-floor Heritage Room of the Weinberg Memorial Library.

For additional information or to volunteer, please contact Melisa Gallo, chair of the library book sale committee, at 570-941-6195. To check your Friends Membership status, please contact Kym Fetsko at 570-941-7816.

Jordan Levin, who attends Council Rock High School in Holland, came in first place in The University of Scranton’s 24th annual Northeast PA Brain Bee competition, held on campus in February. Rishi Shah, who attends Livingston High School in Livingston, New Jersey, came in second place, and Vaishnavi Kakani, who attends Chantilly High School in Herndon, Virginia, came in third place.

The academic competition for high school students in grades nine through 12 was offered free of charge. The event was sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at the University and the Scranton Neuroscience Society.

For more information about next year’s Northeast PA Brain Bee competition, contact Robert Waldeck, Ph.D., neuroscience program director and associate professor of biology, at 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.

On Saturday, March 8, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a recital by critically and popularly acclaimed pianist, Jeremy Ajani Jordan. Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

This will be Jordan’s second time at Scranton as a solo pianist, and he has appeared on two other occasions in trio and quartet performances. According to Cheryl Y. Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music at the University, “Jeremy possesses the rare combination of startling technical prowess and stunning musicality that is riveting for audiences. It is no surprise that his career has taken him to concert venues throughout the world performing music from across genres, ranging from classical and jazz to experimental.”

“A clear technical virtuoso,” “a rare talent,” and “a true Wunderkind,” Chicago-born Jordan burst onto the music scene at age nine playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in a live televised performance. Jordan was born into a musical family where his mother and father were his first instructors. They ensured that his burgeoning talent was nurtured by providing a strong foundation in classical training and also encouraged his study of improvised music and composition. Jordan went on to appear on the acclaimed radio program “From The Top” and “From The Top: Live from Carnegie Hall” performing Liszt. Since then, Jordan has made his solo Carnegie Hall debut performing Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, and Wagner.

After winning the 2006 Steinway Concerto Competition playing the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1, Jordan delivered acclaimed performances with the Ars Viva Symphony Orchestra and concerto performances and recordings with the Chicago Sinfonietta and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Following studies at The Juilliard School, Jordan received his undergraduate and graduate degrees on the Van Cliburn and Irene Diamond scholarships there. Acclaimed for his virtuosic deliveries of his Liszt/Horowitz, Wagner, and Saint-Saëns transcriptions, Jordan has also performed to thunderous applause in appearances at the United Nations Arts Council, the American Liszt Society, Concertgebouw, Tokyo Opera City, Prague’s Rudolfinum and Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. He has appeared as a chamber musician in tours throughout North America, Europe, and Japan.

Jordan continues to compose solo piano music, chamber music, orchestral music and electronic music. His compositions have debuted on National Public Radio and have received world premieres at Seattle’s Emerald City Music Festival, New York’s National Sawdust and Ireland’s Sounds From a Safe Harbour. His most recent album For Flint featured several original jazz compositions and raised money to purchase clean water for families affected by the Flint Water Crisis.

For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Jordan, visit jeremyajanijordan.com. 

By: Elizabeth Vander Neut, student correspondent

The University of Scranton will welcome accepted students and their families to campus for Accepted Students Day events on Saturday, March 29 and April 5. The activities, designed for the incoming Class of 2029, will begin at 9 a.m., with check-in starting at 8:15 a.m. Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president, will open the events with a President's Welcome Session. 

A Day to Experience Life as a Royal

Accepted Students Day is an exclusive opportunity for admitted students to explore the University’s academic programs, student life and campus community. This events allows future Royals to meet faculty members, connect with current students and discover the many resources available to them at Scranton.

"Accepted students can expect to leave the event with a deep understanding of what truly makes The University of Scranton special: a perfect blend of academic resources, faculty support and a wealth of extracurricular opportunities—both personal and professional," said Hugh J. Doyle Jr. '17, G'20, director of undergraduate admissions. "We hope attendees will feel the strength of our campus community and leave the event excited to be part of it."

A Full Schedule of Events 

Students and their families will have access to a variety of events, including campus tours, faculty meetings, and presentations on student life. The schedule includes:

• 9 - 9:45 a.m.: President’s welcome

• 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Meetings with the Admissions team

• 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Campus tours (departing every 10 minutes)

• 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.: Faculty and Academic Department visits

• 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.: "The Student Experience" presentations

• 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Residence Hall tours

One distinctive feature of the University of Scranton's Accepted Students Day is the opportunity for attendees to customize their experience. Whether students wish to focus on academic programs, residence life or extracurricular opportunities, there is something for everyone. Faculty and staff from all departments will be on hand to answer questions, ensuring that students and their families leave with a complete understanding of the University of Scranton experience.

Explore Campus and Get Involved

In addition to scheduled sessions, students can take time to explore the University’s vibrant campus and learn more about the opportunities available to them. Highlights of the March 29 and April 5 events will include:

• Discovering campus hotspots: From cozy study lounges to lively student spaces, visitors can explore the best places to meet friends, relax and focus on their studies.

• Sampling award-winning dining options: Students and families can enjoy brunch at the Fresh Food Company on the third floor of the DeNaples Center.

• Learning about student involvement: Sstudents can speak with representatives from more than 100 clubs and organizations, to find ways to get involved in campus life.

• Meeting with financial aid representatives: Families can schedule a 15-minute meeting with a Financial Aid representative to discuss tuition, scholarships and financial assistance. Appointments are limited to one per family.

A key component of the event is the involvement of current Scranton students, who serve as tour guides, panelists and informal mentors for the day.

"Our current students are absolutely crucial to the success of this event! Accepted students are eager to hear directly from them, as they provide authentic insight into what life at Scranton is really like," said Doyle. "Their perspective helps prospective students see themselves as part of our community, making the experience more relatable and personal."

The Takeaway: A Place to Belong

Beyond campus tours and information sessions, the most important message of the day is one of belonging.

“The main message we want accepted students to take away is this: ‘I can belong here!’” said Doyle. “We want both the accepted students and their families to feel eager to join our university community and excited about how a Scranton education will shape them into not just stronger students, but stronger individuals as well. Ultimately, we want them to feel confident that a Scranton education is a worthwhile investment in their future.”

How to Register

Students who have been accepted to The University of Scranton are encouraged to register as soon as possible to secure their spot at one of the two Accepted Students Day events.

Find additional details and register at this link: https://admissions.scranton.edu/visit/accepted-students-day/index.sthml 

Don't miss this opportunity to experience Scranton's welcoming community and take the next step toward becoming a Royal!

Bernard Schanzer, M.D., and Henry Schanzer, J.D., will present “A Twin Tale of Survival in the Holocaust” for The University of Scranton’s Judaic Studies Institute Lecture on Wednesday, March 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall. The Schanzers will tell their story of survival, which was made possible through the help of a righteous non-Jew.

Twin brothers, the Schanzers were born in 1935 in Belgium. Their family was forced to flee from the German invasion in 1940, eventually settling in St. Etienne, France. However, by 1942, the French government began participating in the arrest and transportation of Jews, and for their safety, their parents sent the twins to live with a Christian acquaintance and sent their older sister, Anna, to a boarding school in Lyon. Shortly after, their apartment in St. Etienne was seized, and their father, Bruno, was sent to a French detention camp and ultimately died in Auschwitz.

The twins shuffled from place to place until their mother found them an arrangement at the farm of Adolphine Dorel in St. Pal de Mons, whom they came to love. They remained there until the end of the war, after which they reunited with their mother and sister. Finally, in 1946, the family moved across an ocean to New York City. Bernard eventually became a neurologist, and Henry, a patent lawyer.

The Schanzers have lectured nationwide, sharing their story. They have spoken at Baylor College of Medicine, Yeshiva University, the New Jersey Holocaust Commemoration (Yom HaShoah) Program, Torah Links of Middlesex County and The University of Scranton.

The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute was created in 1979 through an endowment funded by the local Jewish community. The Institute fosters a better understanding and appreciation of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports visits to the University by Jewish scholars and writers and supports library acquisitions, publications, faculty research, travel and other scholarly endeavors. The work of the Institute was further enhanced by a $1 million gift from Harry Weinberg in 1990.

For further information, contact Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies and the Weinberg Chair of Judaic Studies at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.

On Wednesday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m., Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present a General Recital featuring vocal and instrumental small ensembles, including the Steel Drum Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, String Quartet, Sax Quintet, clarinet duo, tuba trio, and more, featuring students from the large ensembles of Performance Music. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. The concert is open to the public, and admission is free. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

The concert will feature a variety of songs in a wide array of small instrumentations. Small ensembles are made up of members from within the large ensembles, such as the Concert/Symphonic Band, Concert Choir/Singers, String Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble (big band format), and Steel Drum Ensemble. The small ensemble performing opportunities offered by Performance Music vary by semester, and often include groups such as String Quartets, Flute Ensemble, Saxophone Ensemble, Low Brass Sextet, Trumpet Choir, Clarinet Ensemble, Jazz Combo, Percussion Ensemble, and small vocal groups in various formats.

The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled Scranton students (undergraduate and graduate) from every major are eligible for membership in the University bands, choirs and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.

Other programs within the department, including guest artist concerts, World Premiere Composition Series, Nelhybel Collection, and Scranton Brass Orchestra, closely coordinate programming with the student ensembles and offer unique opportunities for student musicians in the ensembles to hear, observe, interact and perform with numerous world-class musicians and artist-teachers. High school juniors and seniors who are considering applying to Scranton are encouraged to contact Performance Music to arrange to sit in on a rehearsal, meet the staff, attend a concert or tour the building.   

For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music.

On Monday, Feb.17, more than 150 people gathered in downtown Scranton in solidarity with, and support of, Scranton's immigrant and refugee communities. The multi-faith Prayer Vigil for Immigrants and Refugees included participation from various community leaders as they shared prayers in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions, and excerpts from statements by U.S. Catholic leaders and Pope Francis.  

Community members also gathered in song and joined a procession to St. Luke's Church to hear stories of migration from three local Scrantonians: Wenceslao De la Cruz, P'26, '27, Bernie McGurl and Ushu Mukelo '22. Despite temperatures in the 20s, attendees gathered as a community. A banner stated, “Scranton has always been home to immigrants and refugees.”  

This event was co-sponsored by The University of Scranton, Marywood University, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton Area Multifaith Ministerium, Temple Hesed, Islamic Center of Scranton, Saint Theresa of Calcutta Parish, Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Scranton and St. Ann's Passionist Monastery.  

University of Scranton faculty, staff, students, alumni and parents participated in the vigil and were among those in attendance:

• The Rev. Jonathan Kuhar ‘06, pastor of St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish in South Scranton, read a statement issued by Most Reverend Bishop Joseph C. Bambera of the Diocese of Scranton: “Threats of mass deportations and allowing immigration officials to enter churches, schools and healthcare facilities to conduct arrests have only led to fear and anxiety for many of our brothers and sisters."
  
  
• Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs and Will Cohen, Ph.D, professor of theology and religious studies, read from Pope Francis’ recent letter to U.S. Bishops in which he exhorted “all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters.”  
  
  
• Ushu Mukelo '22, shared his story of becoming a U.S. citizen after fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo due to civil war and spending years in a refugee camp in Uganda. Quoting an Ethiopian proverb he shared: "They say ‘when the webs of a spider join, they can trap a lion.’ Tonight, we stand as a web woven together by love and justice, stronger than any policy that seeks to divide us."
  
  
• University parent Wenceslao De la Cruz P’26, '27 shared how he and his wife left the Dominican Republic to give their children, both currently studying at The University of Scranton, better opportunities. Reflecting on his work with the Hispanic Catholic community at St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish, he talked about fears and anxieties lowering church attendance: “This made me very sad…It is something that is harmful and shameful for our community."
  
  
• Current student Amanda Karpiak ‘27 spoke to WNEP and stressed the importance of the gathering: "It's really important to remember that all of us have a duty to each other, and everybody that showed up here at least believes that, and that's really hopeful.”
  
  
• Mary Ann Stefko, adjunct faculty member, and student members of the Royal Signers were also on hand to sign in American Sign Language "All Are Welcome" during the opening song of the multi-faith prayer vigil, and
  
  
• Michael O'Malley, director of liturgy and music, campus ministry, led the community in song.  

To read more about the Prayer Vigil for Immigrants and Refugees, please visit the following links: 

WNEP on Scranton rally uniting faiths in support of immigrants’ journey 

WVIA on prayers in Scranton 

Scranton Times Tribune on prayer vigil’s support for immigrants and refugees in Scranton 

On Friday, Feb. 28, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will host trumpeter Peter Evans with Ron Stabinsky (piano) in recital as part Performance Music’s spring 2025 schedule. The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

According to Cheryl Y. Boga, conductor and director of Performance Music at the University, “When my son tells me that Peter is not only a virtuoso but is without question the most creative trumpeter alive, I listen. And, of course, pair him with our Houlihan McLean hero, Ron Stabinsky, and we are all in.”

Evans is a composer, trumpet player, bandleader and educator based in New York City. For 20 years, he has been pushing the boundaries of creative music in formats as divergent as solo trumpet improvisation, symphony orchestras, jazz ensembles, noise/electronic music and through-composed works. He has received awards and commissions worldwide, including the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2022. Additionally, he has released 20 albums of original music, including the critically acclaimed Ghosts, Lifeblood and Being and Becoming.

A prolific composer and performer, Evans tours regularly with his groups Being and Becoming, SYMPHONY, and Forever 21, and as a soloist and collaborator with some of the leading lights of modern music. As an educator, Evans has given masterclasses and conducted workshops on improvisation, composition, instrumental practice, and creativity at The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, New School for Social Research, Cleveland Institute of Music, Oberlin Conservatory and many more.

Stabinsky is probably best known nationally as a member of the band “Mostly Other People Do The Killing,” the reunited rock band “Meat Puppets,” Relache Ensemble and The Peter Evans Ensemble. He has the distinction of performing as a classical solo and orchestral pianist, a straight-ahead jazz musician, occasionally a rock musician, and regularly as an accomplished free improviser. In addition to solo piano improvisation, he enjoys working on music in stylistically diverse situations throughout the United States and Europe with a variety of other musicians and ensembles. His first solo album Free for One received four stars in DownBeat and tied for number one debut of the year in the 2016 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll. His festival appearances include Newport Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival (Netherlands), Moers Festival (Germany), Jazzfestival Saalfelden (Austria), Outreach Festival (Austria) and Jazz and More Festival Sibiu (Romania).

For information on educational offerings related to this event for musicians ranging from students aged 16 and older through to professionals, contact music@scranton.edu or call (570) 941-7624. School groups are welcome.

For further information on the performance, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more on Evans, visit peterevanstrumpet.com.

Area students in grades five to 12 can participate in The University of Scranton’s Earth Day Essay Contest 2025. The contest is free of charge. This year’s essay theme is “Students for a Sustainable World.”

When considering the theme, Mark Murphy, the director of sustainability and energy management at the University, collaborated with work-study students in the University’s Office of Sustainability Amelia Farry, a senior from South Abington Township, and Samantha Kosmark, a junior from Old Tappan, New Jersey.

Farry said that through working at the Office of Sustainability and attending the annual essay contest events, she has seen “how vital it is to involve students in creating a sustainable world.”  

“By emphasizing that they are future leaders, we are empowering them to shape a world that values long-term ecological health, economic prosperity, and a better world for all,” said Farry about selecting this year’s essay contest theme. 

Topics students can address in their essays include conservation, recycling, access to healthy eating, factory farming, renewable energy, single use containers, public transportation, vertical planting, plant-based meals, composting, LEDs, gardening, biking and walking among other topics.  

Essays for students in grades five and six must be between 200 and 400 words. Essays for students in grades seven, eight and nine must be between 300 and 500 words. Essays for students in grades 10 and 12 must be between 500 and 700 words. Electronic submissions must be sent to susan.falbo@scranton.edu on or before April 4. Mail-in entries must be postmarked on or by April 3 to be considered and can be sent to: The University of Scranton, Office of Sustainability, Smurfit Arts Center, 445 Madison Avenue, Scranton, Pennsylvania 18510, Attn: Earth Day Essay Contest.  

Visit the University’s Facilities Management webpage for the 2025 Earth Day Essay Contest Guidelines. 

Winners of the Earth Day Essay Contest will be announced by the University’s Evening of Environmental Science event for participants and their families and teachers on Thursday, April 24. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Atrium of the Loyola Science Center on campus, and includes a display of the essays received.

The University of Scranton Jazz Band will take the stage Saturday, Feb. 22, with acclaimed saxophonist Ted Nash joining them as the evening’s featured guest. Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

Nash will also offer a free masterclass for participants ranging from students (ages 16 and older) to professionals the same day, beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Houlihan McLean Center. Those wishing to attend the masterclass should email music@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7624 for more information. (Younger students may attend accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.)

At the concert, the University’s student jazz ensemble will perform works featuring Nash. According to Performance Music Conductor and Co-Director Janelle Decker, “the program will showcase Ted’s versatility and outstanding mastery as a multi-instrumentalist through a variety of works performed by his own duo as well as together with the university’s jazz band.”

Nash is a two-time Grammy Award winner known for his uncanny ability to mix freedom with substance, blues with intellect, and risk-taking with clarity. His father, Dick Nash, and uncle, the late Ted Nash, were both well-known jazz and studio musicians. Nash recently retired from a long-standing career as a member of Wynton Marsalis’s Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He has become one of the most significant jazz composers of the 21st century, and his recordings have received wide critical acclaim, appearing on the “best-of” lists in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Village Voice and The Boston Globe. Portrait in Seven Shades, his first big band recording, garnered two Grammy nominations, and the JLCO recording of his composition Presidential Suite; Eight Variations on Freedom won a Grammy for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

Nash is co-founder of the New York-based Jazz Composers Collective, a musician-run, non-profit innovative entity dedicated to presenting the original works of composers pushing the boundaries of self-expression.

The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 24-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.

For further information on the concert, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Nash, visit tednash.com.

The Office of Community-Based Learning (CBL), in collaboration with campus partners, is pleased to offer a series of three "CBL Talks" in the Spring 2025 semester. The goal of these talks is to provide University students, as well as the surrounding community, with information and insights into some of the major challenges and opportunities facing the Scranton area and how they can be part of positive change. This spring semester’s "CBL Talks" are as follows: "Food Insecurity in Lackawanna County: Challenges and Community Solutions," "Mental Health in Scranton: Discussion with Community Organizations," and "Youth in Scranton: Hopes and Challenges."

Each of the CBL Talks will begin with a presentation from guest speakers, followed by Q and A. These sessions will also be recorded to serve as a resource for CBL courses and reflection questions will be provided to student attendees after each event. These events are a special collaboration of the Office of Community-Based Learning with the Leahy College of Health Sciences T.A.P.E.S.T.R.Y. program. The talks are also open to the broader University and Scranton communities.

The Spring 2025 CBL Talks

"Food Insecurity in Lackawanna County: Challenges and Community Solutions"

This CBL Talk, on Thursday, Feb. 20 at 11:30 a.m. in the DeNaples Ballroom (TDC 407), will highlight the state of food insecurity throughout the county and how community organizations are working to resolve this crisis. The talk will feature insights from Antonio Berardi, Food Program Manager of Friends of the Poor and Dani Ruhf, founder and CEO of CHOP Out Hunger. Both community partners in Lackawanna County address food insecurity all year through various initiatives and programming including access to food pantries and holiday food distribution initiatives for the most vulnerable populations. Challenges and opportunities for collaboration will be discussed. Lunch will be provided at this event. RSVP Here for Feb. 20 Food Insecurity CBL Talk https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FoodInsecurityCBLTalk 

"Mental Health in Scranton: Discussion with Community Organizations"

This CBL Talk, on Thursday, March 6 at 6 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium (LSC 133), will highlight the current state of mental health in Scranton and how community organizations are working to meet the mental health needs of the community. The talk will feature insights from Dr. Janice Mecca, director of assertive community treatment at Scranton Counseling Center, professor John Rosengrant, executive director at Katie’s Place Clubhouse and adjunct faculty in the Counseling and Human Services Department, and James Martin, vice president and COO of Friendship House. These three community organizations provide services that span across developmental stages and across the continuum of mental health care and human services. RSVP here for March 6 Mental Health CBL Talk: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MentalHealthCBLTalk

"Youth in Scranton: Hopes and Challenges"

This CBL Talk, on Thursday, April 10 at 6 p.m. in the PNC Auditorium (LSC 133), will highlight the current state of youth in Scranton and how community organizations are working to strengthen and empower this population. The talk will feature Maureen Maher-Gray, executive director and founder of the NEPA Youth Shelter and Jenny Gonzalez Monge, director of the S.T.A.R.S. after-school program for Latinx youth. They will share how their respective programs work to create supportive environments for youth, provide resources, and foster their future aspirations. Intersecting factors such as homelessness, immigration and identity will also be discussed. RSVP here for April 10 Youth in Scranton CBL Talk: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YouthScrantonCBLTalk 

The CBL talks are sponsored by the Office of Community-Based Learning, Office of Community Relations and additional campus and community partners. Questions? Contact Daysi Carreto, assistant director of Community and Civic Engagement, at daysi.carreto@scranton.edu or 570-941-4419.

For more information about Community-Based Learning, visit https://www.scranton.edu/cbl 

Adam Gregerman, Ph.D., an accomplished professor, author and scholar of Jewish-Christian studies, will present a Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute Lecture titled “How the State of Israel Became ‘the Jew’ Writ Large.”  The lecture will take place on Tuesday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pearn Auditorium of Brennan Hall and is free and open to the public.

Dr. Gregerman is a professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and associate director of the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

He studies and teaches courses on Jewish-Christian Relations and focuses on Christian theologies of Judaism in diverse settings, from antiquity to the present. He is the author of Building on the Ruins of the Temple: Apologetics and Polemics in Early Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism. His published works include recent chapters in the Encyclopedia of Jewish-Christian Relations and The Cambridge Companion to Law and the Hebrew Bible and articles in Modern Theology, Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Theological Studies and Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations.

Dr. Gregerman has also written on topics such as mission and conversion, theodicy, biblical interpretation and theologies of the land of Israel. He serves as chair of the Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations and is on the board of the National Council of Synagogues and the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultation. 

The Weinberg Judaic Studies Institute was created in 1979 through an endowment funded by the local Jewish community. The Institute fosters a better understanding and appreciation of Judaism, Israel and their histories. It supports visits to the University by Jewish scholars and writers and supports library acquisitions, publications, faculty research, travel and other scholarly endeavors. The work of the Institute was further enhanced by a $1 million gift from Harry Weinberg in 1990.

For further information, contact Marc Shapiro, Ph.D., professor of theology/religious studies and the Weinberg Chair of Judaic Studies at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-7956 or marc.shapiro@scranton.edu.

The University of Scranton’s Black History Month events included a lecture by Shannen Dee Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of history at the University of Dayton, who discussed “In the Shadow of the Cross: Excavating the Hidden History of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States.” Presented by the University’s Jesuit Center, the lecture explored the rich archival and visual history of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States. The lecture took place on Feb. 5.

During February, the University will host lectures, panel discussions, social events, film screenings and other events to celebrate Black History Month.

For more information about the University’s Black History Month events and lectures, contact the Multicultural Center at 570-941-5904 or mulicultural@scranton.edu.

The Office of Community-Based Learning (CBL) announces the first cohort of its pilot CBL Student Fellows Program. CBL is an academic experience which involves students working with community partners—individuals, groups, and organizations—in ways that meet community-defined needs. The purpose of the Student Fellowship Program is to support and foster the professional and personal growth of students who are pursuing a CBL project with a faculty mentor. Projects range from research-oriented projects aimed at initiating community change to direct-engagement projects in collaboration with community partners, aimed at improving or expanding the services that they provide. The fellowship program will run throughout the spring 2025 semester.

“The CBL Student Fellows program is an exciting new way for students to engage in the community through the lens of their academic discipline, to address community-identified needs and to be creative about how to connect these needs to social change. The first cohort’s projects cover a span of topics and community partners and the model allows for them to learn from each other and to connect their efforts to the Jesuit and Catholic mission of the University,” said Julie Schumacher Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs and chair of the CBL board.

The Spring 2025 CBL Student Fellows are listed below, including a description of their intended project.

Gabrielle Bingener '25

Gabrielle Bingener ‘25, from Barto, is a neuroscience major with minors in philosophy and biochemistry and a concentration in health humanities. She is a member of the University Honors program and the MAGIS Honors Program in STEM. Inspired by what the University has taught her about the importance of health humanities in providing compassionate healthcare, her project will focus on continuing the Health Humanities Community Series, in collaboration with the Wright Center for Community Health. This series will provide workshops to engage community members in health humanities educational workshops. While they will be open to all community members, the workshops will be aimed mostly at students in healthcare and pre-health disciplines within local colleges, as well as current medical providers. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Paul Sampson, an assistant professor in the history department.

Doujuan Jourden '25

Doujuan Jourden '25, a business analytics major with a minor in finance from the Bronx, New York, will partner with Northeast Pennsylvania Pan-African Coalition (NEPA PAC) and NuWave Studios, specifically focusing on improving their after-school program through direct involvement. His project will work on engaging with youth, with a particular emphasis on arranging community service activities, all with the aim of empowering the students served within the program. His faculty mentor is Dr. Will Cohen, a professor in the Theology/Religious Studies department.

Sarah Lyons '26

Sarah Lyons '26, a nursing major from Moosic, will engage in student leadership within the nursing department’s Period Poverty Project. She will collaborate with the Catherine McAuley Center as the main community partner, and hopes to expand the reach of the existing project both on campus and within the wider Scranton community.  Expansions that she intends on leading include an increase in period product donation drives, youth educational workshops, the creation of educational resources, and civic engagement, all with the aim of decreasing period poverty within the community and increasing health literacy. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Kelly Filchner, an assistant professor in the nursing department.

Faith Montagnino '26

Faith Montagnino '26, from Morganville, New Jersey, is an English major with minors in philosophy and writing. She is a member of the University Honors Program, the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the Faculty Student Research Program. She plans to research and review best practices to improve reading and writing instruction in order to address literacy gaps within Scranton area public schools. She intends to present her research to local public school administrators, so that it could improve student outcomes. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Madeline Ganges, an assistant professor in the English department.

Theresa Pham '25

Theresa Pham ‘25, from Philadelphia, is a biology and philosophy double major with a minor in biochemistry. She is a member of the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the MAGIS Honors Program in STEM. She will partner with the United Neighborhood Center (UNC) and their English as a Second Language (ESL) program to pursue oral history research about their client’s experiences with medical providers. She aims to understand the barriers that local English-learning immigrant communities face in accessing and utilizing healthcare services and gather potential solutions to these barriers. This research would help UNC both understand and address the needs of their ESL clients. Her faculty mentor is Dr. Jinqing Lu, an assistant professor in the Education department.

The Office of Community-Based Learning is excited to see how these programs develop, and to see the impact that they will have on the Scranton community. For more information on CBL at the University visit www.scranton.edu/cbl.

A $10,000 grant from the Frankford Radio Club will support the development of a contest dashboard by University of Scranton students and physics faculty members that will be used by students and amateur radio operators including some who have served as citizen scientists for space research projects led by Scranton physics professor Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D. Through the project, Dr. Frissell hopes the University’s W3USR Amateur Radio Club members, present and future, will become active radio contesters.

“The amateur radio contesters are one of the most enthusiastic subset of ham radio operators, and participants span a range of ages from teenagers to over 90,” said Ray Sokola, past president of the 100-plus-year-old Frankford Radio Club, which is centered near the Borough of Alburtis in Lehigh County and covers a radius that includes parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and other adjacent states. In addition to expanding interest in ham radio and radio contesting, Sokola hopes the grant will continue the tradition of scientific contributions made by amateur radio operators over the past century.

A lifelong ham radio operator now in his 70s, Sokola was among the first engineers to work on cellphone technology during his career at Motorola. He said ham radio operators have made numerous contributions to technology and science as they tried to understand and improve radio frequency communications, which is often relied on for crisis communications during natural disasters.

“Ham radio competitions actually grew out of ham radio operators trying to improve emergency communication and keep their skills sharp during non-emergency time periods,” said Sokola, who explained contests for amateur radio operators include challenges to contact as many stations as possible during a set period of time, as well as ‘DXing,’ or challenges to make contact with distant ham radio stations, or a combination of both.

Dr. Frissell sees radio contesting as a way of engaging more students on campus and people in the region - especially the next generation of amateur radio enthusiasts.

“There is a community educational component to this project, in addition to the academic research and development components,” said Dr. Frissell, principal researcher for this grant, who noted the University’s new state-of-the-art ham radio station in the Loyola Science Center is already open to Scranton area community members each Thursday, from 7 to 9 p.m. The grant will allow for further outreach with the Scranton-area community.

Sokola echoes that hope to expand interest in amateur radio and radio contesting, noting that the skillset developed through computer gaming transfers well to radio competitions.

Through the grant, a team of University students, faculty and Frankford Radio Club members, along HamSCI community members, will collaborate to develop a real-time Contesting/DXing Dashboard for the HamSCI Personal Space Weather Station (PSWS). The PSWS is a modular, ground-based system that measures space weather impacts on the Earth’s ionosphere. The system was distributed to a network of ham radio operators developed by Dr. Frissell through a 2019 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant and support from NASA, Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) and others. The Frankford Radio Club grant will fund a University student researcher, Owen Ruzanski of Shohola, a first-year computer engineering major, for the summer and fall 2025 semesters to help develop the contest dashboard.

“While the HamSCI PSWS network has and continues to enjoy great scientific success and support, relatively little work has been done to make this a valuable tool for real-time amateur radio applications, such as contesting, DXing and public service,” said Dr. Frissell. “Ideally, the PSWS network should equally benefit both the amateur radio and professional scientific communities, as this is a core objective of the HamSCI initiative.”

Dr. Frissell said the Contesting and DXing Dashboard would also aid amateur ham radio operators in understanding the high-frequency propagation happening at their local stations in real-time.

In addition to grant support, members of the Frankford Radio Club will meet with students in Dr. Frissell's advanced, 400-level Communications Systems course and with members of the University’s W3USR Amateur Radio Club to introduce them to contests and DXing.

The project will begin in the spring 2025 semester and is expected to conclude in the spring semester of 2026.

The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum will feature informative and energizing discussions on pressing global and cultural topics during the spring semester World Affairs Luncheon Seminars.

The series will feature six seminars in total. All will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be held on the University’s campus. In addition, a Zoom link will be provided for those who wish to attend remotely. The luncheon series is sponsored by Munley Law.

The series opens Thursday, Feb. 13, with “Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine: Humanitarian Responses and Challenges” presented by Richard Greene, former senior advisor and counselor to UNICEF Executive Director. The luncheon seminar will be held in Brennan Hall, Rose Room.

With a decades-long career in government and nonprofit service, Greene most recently worked supporting UNICEF’s emergency humanitarian response efforts worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, Africa and Central America. Greene will highlight realities in key places of conflict and crisis and discuss the challenges facing humanitarian responses today.

On Wednesday, Feb. 26, Steven D. Hales, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, will present “Values and Choices in Art Restoration.” The luncheon seminar will be held in the DeNaples Center, McIlhenny Ballroom.

Dr. Hales has published 13 books and several dozen articles, and was recently visiting senior professor at the University of Cambridge in England. A professional-level hand bookbinder and restorer, Dr. Hales developed an interest in the restoration of books while in graduate studies at Brown University. There, he met a rare book binder who taught him the age-old skill of hand-binding books from his private studio. That experience, said Dr. Hales, “got me thinking about issues in restoration of books … and the interplay among different values that restorers have to consider.”

During the luncheon presentation, Dr. Hales will engage the audience in discussion about three salient types of value to consider in the restoration of any type of art or artifacts: relic, aesthetic and practical. While these are all legitimate values, a restorer can’t maximize them all, said Dr. Hales. Typically, as you maximize one value, you devalue the others.

The restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral following its tragic fire demonstrates the careful balancing of restoration values, said Dr. Hales. The Cathedral has been restored back to the period in which it was built using construction techniques of that time, yet its restoration gives a nod to modern concerns such as fire prevention in building elements.

The spring luncheon series continues Wednesday, March 12, with the seminar “How Dogs Save Our Lives.” The seminar will be presented by Cynthia M. Otto, DVM, Ph.D., director, Penn Vet Working Dog Center and professor of Working Dog Sciences and Sports Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and will be held in Brennan Hall, Rose Room.

In her work as a veterinarian, Dr. Otto began working in emergency and critical care. This led to an interest in search and rescue dogs, which ultimately placed her at the site of the World Trade Center following 9/11 and “impacted my view of what dogs can do,” she said.

During the presentation, Dr. Otto will discuss how dogs use their sense of smell, how they communicate that to us, and how it helps us in a wide range of situations, from search and rescue to cancer diagnosis and conservation, among other areas.

“There are so many ways to partner with dogs to use their noses to give insight into a world we cannot see,” she said.

Dr. Otto will also discuss what dog owners can do to help with mental stimulation, fitness and health of pets to enhance their quality of life and longevity.

You don’t need to be a dog owner, or even a dog lover, to appreciate this seminar, said Dr. Otto. “If you’re curious about life and things around you, it’s going to be of interest to you.”

On Friday, March 28, Lauren Baillie, J.D., senior program officer, Atrocity Prevention, U.S. Institute of Peace, will present “The United States Institute of Peace: Strengthening U.S. Capacity to Prevent, Mitigate, and Resolve Violent Conflict.” The luncheon seminar will be held in Brennan Hall, Rose Room.

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical and essential for U.S. and global security. This lecture will introduce USIP’s efforts to prevent and respond to mass atrocities.

On Wednesday, April 30, the luncheon series will explore the topic “Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World,” presented by Theresa MacPhail, Ph.D., medical anthropologist, writer and associate professor of Science and Technology Studies at Stevens Institute of Technology. The luncheon seminar will be held in Brennan Hall, Rose Room.

In her new book, Dr. MacPhail sets out to unravel the mystery of why the number of people diagnosed with allergies has been steadily increasing over the last half-century, placing a growing medical burden on individuals, communities, families and our healthcare system. Through a holistic and historical examination of allergies, Dr. MacPhail will discuss allergies from their first medical description in 1819 to recent innovations. She will present surprising discoveries and connections among climate change, pollution and biologists, underscoring how interconnected our bodies are to our environments.

“I hope that attendees will take away a better understanding of the relationship between their immune cells and the invisible worlds around them, and marvel at how ancient and intricate our immune systems really are,” Dr. MacPhail said.

The spring luncheon series wraps up on Friday, May 9, with Jill Dougherty, Russia expert, former CNN Moscow Bureau Chief, and adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies. Dougherty will discuss “My Russia: What I Saw in the Kremlin” at the luncheon, which will be held in the DeNaples Center, McIlhenny Ballroom.

At the height of the Cold War, Dougherty and her twin sister began studying the Russian language. It launched her on a journalistic career that would span half a century, reporting on Russia for CNN from the White House, the U.S. State Department and Moscow. In her new book, My Russia: What I Saw in the Kremlin, Dougherty recounts her experiences in Russia, her reporting on Russia’s leaders, and her encounters with Vladimir Putin. During the luncheon, she will present her book and predictions for where Russia is headed.

Admission to the seminars is free for University of Scranton and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the seminars are $30 in-person (buffet lunch included) and $15 for remote access.

To register for the seminars, call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.