Class of 2022 - December Commencement Program by Gannon University

2022 COMMENCEMENT

SUNDAY, DECEMBER ELEVENTH | HAMMERMILL CENTER | ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA

Academic Regalia in American Universities

In 1895, the Intercollegiate Commission presented to American institutions of higher learning the Intercollegiate Code. Today, this code provides for three types of gowns. Those for bachelors are made of black material and have long, pointed sleeves. The master’s gown is made with an oblong sleeve, open at the wrist. The rear part of its oblong shape is a square cut and the front part has an arc cut-away. The doctor’s gown is made with bell-shaped sleeves and like the master’s gown, it is designed so that it can be worn open or closed.

The black oxford cap is worn for all degrees, but only the doctor’s cap may be made of velvet. Only doctors and presidents of colleges may wear a gold tassel on the cap.

It is the hood which is the most important and distinctive feature of the American code. The doctor’s hood, of black cloth, is four feet

Academic Honor

in length and made with a wide panel. The master’s and bachelor’s hoods are three-andone-half feet long and three feet wide.

The binding or trim of all hoods is of velvet, two, three and five inches wide for the bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s degrees, respectively.

The color of this velvet trim indicates the department or faculty to which the degree pertains, each department having been assigned a different color by the Intercollegiate Code. The lining of the hood reflects the official colors of the college/ university.

Students who participated in a semester, summer, or internship abroad are wearing stoles representing the countries in which they studied or interned.

Cum laude is Latin for “with praise” or “with honor” and represents an academic level of achievement. Such honors are divided into categories based on a student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA) and are designated throughout this program.

Academic honors are approximated for commencement and may not reflect each student’s final honor designation upon program completion. See the undergraduate academic catalog for requirements to obtain the following academic honors.

The Gannon University Seal

The Gannon seal symbolizes the institution’s rich history and its Mission.

The right side of the shield is proper to Gannon’s founder, Archbishop John Mark Gannon, who, as is customary, selected spiritual symbols for his Episcopal seal when he became a bishop. The three crosses in the upper right corner express faith in the Trinity.

The left side of the shield includes the traditional symbols of education: the lamp of learning, the book of knowledge and the sun as a symbol of enlightenment. The waves refer to Gannon’s campus location adjacent to Lake Erie. The sunburst in Gannon’s logo carries forward this tradition and symbolism of Gannon as a source of energy, optimism and enlightenment. This summer sun is also a reminder of how Gannon is blessed with the resources of this great lake.

Arts, Letters, Humanities - White Business - Drab Education - Light Blue Engineering - Orange Health Sciences - Sage Law - Purple Medical Sciences - Green Nursing - Apricot Philosophy - Royal Public Administration - Peacock Public Health - Salmon Science - Gold Social Work - Citron Theology - Red

Cum Laude (“with honor”) - GPA of at least 3.50

Magna cum Laude (“with great honor”) - GPA of at least 3.70

Summa cum Laude (“with highest honor”) - GPA of at least 3.90

With Academic HonorsAssociate Degree students with a GPA of at least 3.50

The shield in the seal is surrounded by three ribbons, each of which contains a Latin word: sanitas, which means soundness of mind; scientia, which means knowledge; and sanctitas, holiness of life. Gannon continues to embrace the spirit of these words through its focus on the holistic development of students.

Finally, Latin letters that circle the seal indicate that Gannon University is located in Erie, Pennsylvania and was founded in 1925.

2022 COMMENCEMENT

Graduates and members of the audience are asked to remain in their seats throughout the ceremony so that they do not interfere with the special moments of others. During the ceremony, please turn off all cell phones and mobile devices. Thank you.

COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM

Order of Procession

The Chief Marshals

The Faculty and Administration of the University

The Graduate Marshals The Graduates of the University The Dais Party

Dais Party

1. Walter Iwanenko, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Student Experience

2. Keith Taylor, Ph.D. President, Gannon University

3. The Most Reverend Lawrence T. Persico, J.C.L. Bishop, Diocese of Erie Chairperson, Board of Trustees

4. The Very Reverend Nicholas J. Rouch, S.T.D. ’83 Episcopal Vicar for Clergy, Catholic Diocese of Erie

5. Reverend Michael T. Kesicki University Chaplain

9 1

7 3

11 8 6 10 2 5

6. Joseph Pfleger President, Student Government Association

7. T. Andrew Caswell, Ph.D. President, Faculty Senate

8. Rebecca Erwin-Cohen, Ph.D. ’90 President, Gannon National Alumni Board

9. Karinna M. Vernaza, Ph.D. Dean, College of Engineering and Business

10. Lori D. Lindley, Ph.D. Dean, College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences

11. Sarah J. Ewing, Ph.D. Dean, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences

GANNON UNIVERSITY | COMMENCEMENT 2022 - 1 -

Order of Exercises

Processional* “Pomp and Circumstance: March No. 1” Sir Edward Elgar

Posting of Colors* Gannon University’s Army ROTC Pride of Pennsylvania Battalion

National Anthem* “The Star-Spangled Banner”

By: Francis Scott Key

Call to Commencement

Walter Iwanenko, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Student Experience

Invocation* Rev. Michael Kesicki University Chaplain

Welcome

Keith Taylor, Ph.D. President, Gannon University

Musical Interlude “The Wexford Carol”

Performed by: Ashleigh Lutz ’23 Brendan Cuddihy ’23 Accompanied by: Pamela Verity

Presentation of Honorary Degree Keith Taylor, Ph.D. President

Commencement Address

The Very Reverend Nicholas J. Rouch, S.T.D. ’83 Episcopal Vicar for Clergy, Catholic Diocese of Erie

Presentation of Degree Candidates

Lori D. Lindley, Ph.D., Dean College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences Doctor of Philosophy

Sarah J. Ewing, Ph.D., Dean Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences Doctor of Nursing Practice

Karinna M. Vernaza, Ph.D., Dean College of Engineering and Business Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Master of Business Administration Master of Science Master of Science in Computer and Information Science Master of Science in Electrical Engineering Master of Science in Embedded Software Master of Science in Engineering Management Master of Science in Environmental Science Health and Engineering Master of Healthcare Administration Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Lori D. Lindley, Ph.D., Dean College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences Associate of Arts Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of Science Master of Arts Master of Education Master of Public Administration Master of Science in Criminalisitcs

Sarah J. Ewing, Ph.D., Dean Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences Bachelor of Science Bachelor of Science in Nursing Master of Physician Assistant Science

Conferral of Degrees Walter Iwanenko, Ph.D. Provost and Vice President for Student Experience

Alumni Association Welcome Rebecca Erwin-Cohen, Ph.D. ’90 President, Gannon National Alumni Board

Benediction*

The Most Reverend Lawrence T. Persico, J.C.L. Bishop, Diocese of Erie Recessional

GANNON UNIVERSITY | COMMENCEMENT 2022 - 2 -

COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

The

Very Reverend Nicholas J. Rouch ’83

Gannon University is pleased to honor The Very Reverend Nicholas J. Rouch, S.T.D., Episcopal Vicar for Clergy, Catholic Diocese of Erie.

Rouch was ordained a Catholic priest in 1989 for the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, Father Rouch is currently the Episcopal Vicar for Clergy for the diocese and Parochial Administrator of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Erie. He previously served as the Vicar for Education for the diocese, the Vice Rector of St. Mark Seminary, the diocese’s college formation program, and co-chaplain to the Discalced Carmelite Sisters of Holy Family Monastery. He has taught regularly at Gannon University and at the Institute for Priestly Formation at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

He received his doctorate in spiritual theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas in Rome where his dissertation addressed the relationship of Christian dogma and spirituality in the writings of Cardinal John Henry Newman. He also holds a master’s in Christian Spirituality from Creighton University, and is a Gannon alumnus, having earned his bachelor’s in psychology in 1983.

Since ordination, his assignments have included high school theology teacher, Gannon University Chaplain, and Gannon University Vice President for Mission and Ministry, as well as sacramental assistance at various parishes. He has directed retreats and days of recollection for laypersons, married couples, priests and for seminarians. In 2016, he received a mandate from the Holy See to serve as a Missionary of Mercy.

In recent years, he has been significantly involved in Bishop Persico’s pastoral planning process for the Diocese of Erie, particularly in the areas of Catholic schools, parishes, and faith formation. He serves as a member of Gannon’s Board of Trustees, is Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, and is additionally affiliated with the Newman Association of America and STAR Foundation.

He is the son of the late Dr. John S. Rouch and the late Ann K. Rouch, as well as the son of his second mother, Sally Buseck Rouch. He and his five brothers all graduated from Gannon University, where their father taught for over 30 years in the English Department.

In recognition of his distinguished career and dedicated service, Gannon is proud to proclaim

The Very Reverend Nicholas J. Rouch ’83 Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa

GANNON UNIVERSITY | COMMENCEMENT 2022 - 3 -

CANDIDATES FOR DEGREES