Mercyhurst Magazine - March 2017

MAGAZINE

Making connections: Tom Hanchin ’85 P. 12 Inside this issue: RENEWAL THROUGH MERCY: THE NEXT 90 YEARS P. 2 MERCYHURST CONSIDERS NEW CAMPUS IN IRELAND P. 4 GRAD PROGRAMS GROW OUTSIDE THE GATES P. 6 SENIOR CLASSES SINCE ’89 HAVE LEFT THEIR MARKS ON CAMPUS P. 14 WRESTLING’S BAND OF BROTHERS P. 26

SPRING 2017

The Office of Marketing and Public Relations publishes Mercyhurst Magazine twice a year.

Magazine Editor Susan Hurley Corbran ’73 scorbran@mercyhurst.edu 814-824-2090 Design Jeremy C. Hewitt ’07 jhewitt@mercyhurst.edu 814-824-3022 Contributing Writers Susan Hurley Corbran ’73 Deborah W. Morton Allison Seib Jennifer Smith Contributing Photographers Jeremy C. Hewitt ’07 Angela Zanaglio ’16 Printing Leader Graphics, Erie, Pennsylvania Director of Alumni Engagement Lindsay Cox Frank ’12 ’14M lfrank@mercyhurst.edu 814-824-2330 Class Notes Editor Courtney Olevnik ’08 ’13M colevnik@mercyhurst.edu 814-824-2333 Send changes of address to: Alumni Relations Mercyhurst University 501 E. 38th St. Erie, PA 16546 alumni@mercyhurst.edu

If you haven’t been receiving the bi-monthly Alumni eNewsletter, Mercyhurst does not have an active email address for you. Visit hurstalumni.org/get-involved to update your information and reconnect.

We’d love to hear from you. Send your story ideas, suggestions and comments to scorbran@mercyhurst.edu.

Inside this issue 2 MICHAEL T. VICTOR INAUGURATED AS 12TH PRESIDENT 3 NEW RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED 3 STRATEGIC PLAN GETTING UPDATE 4 MERCYHURST EYES CAMPUS IN IRELAND 4 LEARNING DIFFERENCES PROGRAM CELEBRATES 30 YEARS 5 MERCYHURST TAKES LEAD ON DOWNTOWN ERIE INNOVATION DISTRICT 6 GRADUATE PROGRAMS AVAILABLE ONLINE 7 DINING HALL, ICE CENTER GET UPGRADES 8 STUDENTS EXPLORE MERCY SERVICE 9 DONORS FUND CAMPUS PROJECTS THROUGH CROWDFUNDING 10 LAID-OFF WORKERS TRAIN FOR NEW CAREERS AT NORTH EAST 12 TOM HANCHIN ’85 RECEIVES PRESIDENT’S AWARD 13 JOE LARGE ’01 FINDS DREAM JOB 14 SENIOR CLASS GIFTS FOUND ALL OVER CAMPUS 16 HOSPITALITY GRADUATES MAKING MARK ON INDUSTRY

PETER ZOHOS ‘97

D. FORD MENNEL ‘02

STEVE KACZERSKI ’13 AND LOAN VU ‘13

PAUL CAHILL ‘88

MARGARET WEIR MANCHIK ‘87

TONY TUPEK ‘05

DAN PORA ‘96

SHANE KRIGE ‘91

CHRIS WALKER ‘10 21 ELLEN RYAN ’64 SHARES HER TIME, TALENT, TREASURE 22 SCENES FROM A BUSY FALL AT MERCYHURST 24 SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS FROM ERIE AND NORTH EAST 26 MIZIA BROTHERS SHINE ON WRESTLING TEAM 27 CLASS NOTES 29 BRITTANY PARKER ADKINS ’07 PENS BOOK FOR BOY FACING PARALYSIS

A message from the president One of our senior staff members reminded me the other day that it wasn’t that long ago that gathering content for our alumni magazine was an easy task. We had room for just about everything.

significant opportunities for our students, and provide much-needed and well-paying jobs for our graduates and Today, preparing a magazine starts with what seems like a never-ending others. list of story ideas that has to be painstakingly edited and edited again.

Still, we are an institution that refuses to rest, to plateau, or to say we’re You’ll also see that one of our good enough. Because, as the old saying goes, good enough never is. partners in the innovation Instead, our faculty, administrators, staff and students, not to mention district, Erie’s only Fortune 500 our remarkable alumni, are known for upping their game, and this issue Company – Erie Insurance, of Mercyhurst Magazine will highlight that energy and inventiveness in is also partnering with us a grand way. on a new risk management program, arguably another win Our cover story, for instance, features alumnus Tom Hanchin, who took a for the university and for the hospitality degree and an entrepreneurial spirit from Erie’s Elephant Bar City of Erie. Mercyhurst alumna Betsy Hirt Vorsheck has made a $1.25 to Boulder, Colorado, where today he owns a $25 million tech company. million investment to launch the program.

Speaking of hospitality, this issue we check in with a number of hospitality graduates, who are parlaying their skills into impressive These meaningful and fruitful collaborations, I believe, are going to careers. take our university to the next level. I must give my colleague, Provost David Dausey, credit for his untiring commitment to managing these We also highlight one of our most generous alumni, Ellen Ryan, a 1964 projects and enlisting the support of our distinguished faculty and local home economics graduate and a member of our board of trustees. community leaders.

She is passionate about ensuring that today’s young people have the opportunity to experience the rewards of a Mercyhurst education just Finally, whether on campus or in our community, Mercyhurst continues like she did, and she has gone to great lengths to make it happen. to keep its Mercy mission top of mind. Within these pages, you’ll read about 20 of our students as they commit to service in the tradition of And please check out the latest in athletics, from a story about Catherine McAuley during our inaugural 4th Vow Retreat. You’ll also see wrestling’s three gifted Mizia brothers to the latest renovations at the how Mercyhurst North East is helping renew the lives of those affected Mercyhurst Ice Center. by recent layoffs at GE Transportation, 70 of whom are back in school retooling for the future.

In the 19 months since I became president, we have worked diligently to restore our collective spirit while making some tough but necessary It is most gratifying to see our students thrive, be it their first, or second, calls. I’m pleased to say that we have our house in order and are moving time around. I’d like to think the Sisters are smiling everywhere. forward with a strategic plan to guide us successfully into the future.

Until next time, Carpe Diem.

As much as Mercyhurst remains our primary focus, we would be naïve to think that our future is not inextricably linked to that of our city. As this once thriving manufacturing town looks to reinvent itself, we are stepping up to help. Thanks to a $4 million grant, which you’ll read about within these pages, Mercyhurst is leading the development Michael T. Victor, J.D., LL.D. of a Downtown Erie Innovation District, which we believe will create President, Mercyhurst University

ON THE COVER: Tom Hanchin ’85 in the Boulder plant of CCX (Cable and Connection Experts), the tech firm he co-founded and built into a $25 million business. Photo by Marla Rutherford.

Read more about his career on page 12.

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Renewal Through Mercy: The Next 90 Years Michael T. Victor, J.D., LL.D., was in a unique position when he was inaugurated as Mercyhurst University’s 12th president on Sept. 10, 2016 – looking to the future on the strength of a record-setting and transformative first year.

rely on their gut or intuition,” Victor said in his inaugural address. “The days of informal structures and casual leadership are gone.

Ours must be a thoughtful, strategic business model rooted in research-based problemsolving, analysis and best practice.”

Under his administration, Mercyhurst had enrolled the largest freshman class in its history, welcoming 728 new undergraduates.

It achieved a fundraising milestone, bringing in $6.5 million, the largest amount ever in a single year. The university streamlined its academic and administrative functions, restructured its liberal arts curriculum and revamped its academic calendar. It struck a chord for tradition by renewing an old custom – the hourly ringing of the carillon bells – and starting a new one, Hurst Day, a grand-scale celebration of student life.

With his background as a business school dean, college president (Lake Erie College 2006-2015), corporate CEO, lawyer and entrepreneur, business models have always been part of Victor’s world.

“Higher education leaders can no longer

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Having inspired a renewed spirit of collegiality on campus rooted in the Mercy mission, Victor said he looks forward to a bright future.

Going forward, Victor said the university will continue to establish niche fields of study and anchor them with a strong liberal arts curriculum. It will investigate new technologies for delivering that education. It

will build new local, regional and international collaborations that create the very best learning experiences for Mercyhurst students and generate opportunities for enlightenment and service to the greater good. Further, he said, the university must ensure that in these times of escalating college costs, it finds ways to draw its members from the widest range of socioeconomic groups and keep Mercyhurst accessible to talented students everywhere.

“I maintain an unwavering confidence in the purpose and potential of this university and its role in shaping human lives and, in turn, the future of our world,” said Victor in concluding his inaugural address. “As we gather here, at the intersection of our past and our future, of our mission and our vision, of lessons learned and challenges anticipated, let us appreciate this extraordinary moment and go forward with a spirit of Renewal through Mercy toward Our Next 90 Years.”

President Victor, right, welcomes Erie Insurance guests, from left, Dionne Wallace Oakley, Doug Smith and Sean Dugan to the Mercyhurst press conference. Top: Dionne Wallace Oakley, senior vice president, human resources, Erie Insurance.

Mercyhurst partners with Erie Insurance on new risk management program Two of Erie’s premier institutions – Mercyhurst University and Erie Insurance – announced last month that they are launching a new risk management program to educate a growing workforce, create new economic opportunities and advance the high-demand field.

Erie Insurance board member Betsy Hirt Vorsheck is investing $1.25 million to expand and develop academic programs in risk control, insurance underwriting and insurance claims through the university’s Walker College of Business, and programs in cybersecurity, data analytics and cyberintelligence in the insurance industry through the Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences.

Vorsheck, a 1977 graduate of Mercyhurst, is the granddaughter of Erie Insurance founder H.O. Hirt, and the daughter of F.W. Hirt, a longtime CEO of Erie Insurance and trustee of Mercyhurst University, and Audrey Sitter Hirt ’49, after whom the Audrey Hirt Academic Center at Mercyhurst is named.

Vorsheck is making the donation on behalf of the Fortune 500 Company for what will

be named the F.W. Hirt Erie Insurance Risk Management Program at Mercyhurst University after her father.

“I’m happy to make this investment with Mercyhurst University to prepare students on the changing needs of the insurance industry,” said Vorsheck. “This program is a great way we can honor my father’s legacy while looking toward the future.”

Erie Insurance has committed in-kind resources that will help guide the design of the risk management program.

In announcing the new initiative, Mercyhurst President Michael T. Victor said, “We are most grateful to Mrs. Vorsheck and Erie Insurance for their commitment to this partnership, which we believe will be transformative in nature, not only benefiting our two institutions, but creating new jobs and opportunities in the Erie region.” He also thanked David Dausey ’97, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and Cal Pifer, vice president for external relations and advancement, for helping bring the project to fruition, along with Ridge College

Dean Jim Breckenridge and Walker College Dean Missy Breckenridge for their support.

This is the second time in the past six months that Mercyhurst has been linked in projects identified as “transformative.” The first was Oct. 12, 2016, when Mercyhurst received a $4 million grant to create a Downtown Erie Innovation District focused on safety and security with corporate partners Erie Insurance, McManis and Monsalve Associates and Velocity Network, Inc. It was funded through the Erie Community Foundation, Susan Hirt Hagen Fund for Transformational Philanthropy and the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority. (See related story on innovation district on page 5.)

Strategic plan update underway A lot has changed since Mercyhurst’s latest strategic plan was developed in 2012, not only at Mercyhurst but in the higher education landscape in general.

So, though the plan was scheduled to guide operations through 2020, a new strategic planning initiative is now underway for the rest of the decade. The next strategic plan will then cover the period from 2020 to 2026 – when Mercyhurst will mark its centennial.

The plan will represent Victor’s pragmatic, business-minded approach.

“It’s important for the strategic plan to reflect President Victor’s way of doing business,” explains Jeanette Britt ’94, vice president and chief information officer, who is overseeing the planning process. “We’re working to create a succinct plan with clear-cut, measurable goals that can be achieved in a short period. It will include concrete objectives so we can track our progress and report on it annually.”

Discussions on the plan started with the president’s cabinet, along with Dr. Joanne McGurk, president of the Erie Faculty Senate,

and Joseph NeCastro ’78, vice chair of Mercyhurst’s Board of Trustees. Next, the planning team sought input during nine focus groups of faculty, staff and administrators, students and alumni from both the Erie and North East campuses. The talk was wideranging, from academic programs to campus facilities to diversity.

The university community will also be invited to read and offer comments on the draft plan before it’s presented the Board of Trustees for approval later this fall.

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Mercyhurst considers new campus in Ireland A decision is expected by October on whether Mercyhurst will expand its academic center in Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland, into a full-fledged international campus.

During a joint news conference (via Skype) on Nov. 14, 2016, President Michael T. Victor, Waterford City and County Chief Executive Michael Walsh and Mercyhurst College Ireland Chair Heidi K. Hosey signed a Memorandum of Understanding that launched a yearlong shared analysis of the project.

Mercyhurst’s longstanding relationship with Dungarvan, one of Erie’s Sister Cities, dates to the 1980s, when Mercyhurst began recruiting at St. Augustine College (high school). In 2010, the Mercyhurst Intelligence Studies Department began hosting its biennial Global Intelligence Forum in Dungarvan. Since 2012, small groups of Mercyhurst students and faculty have spent terms in Dungarvan at an academic center known as Mercyhurst College Ireland “This step represents a natural progression of what has been a highly productive and enriching relationship between our university and the people of Dungarvan,” said Victor. “With today’s increasingly global economy and the value of international study, we owe it to all concerned to do our due diligence in evaluating this unique opportunity.”

The invitation to expand Mercyhurst’s academic operations in Dungarvan was extended by Dungarvan officials with support from Mercyhurst alumnus John Deasy, a member of the Irish Parliament.

Besides increasing opportunities for Mercyhurst students to have international experiences, the project would reinforce the university’s Irish Catholic heritage by locating a branch in the country where its founders, the Sisters of Mercy, originated.

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Learning Differences marks 30 years Three former directors of Mercyhurst’s Learning Differences Program were honored during Homecoming 2016, as the pioneering program celebrated its 30th anniversary. About 100 people, including 50 current and former students, attended the reception.

The event also honored the late Sister Maura Smith, RSM, who first encouraged Mercyhurst to develop a program for students with learning disabilities in 1986, and the late Dr. Barbara Weigert, the education professor who served as its first director.

The new Sister Maura Smith Scholarship will be awarded to an academically qualified and financially deserving student in the Learning Differences Program; the first donation to the scholarship fund was made in memory of Dr. Weigert.

II Learning Differences Program, while more than 330 have received testing accommodations and other Level I services.

These students have earned baccalaureate degrees from every major on campus and have distinguished themselves as student ambassadors, student government officers, academic and athletic AllAmericans, Dean’s List honorees and more. Many have gone on to complete master’s and doctoral programs. AIM (the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst) grew out of the Learning Differences Program and is now a separate entity.

The program has earned frequent national recognition, too, including a No. 9 ranking on a recent list of “20 incredible small colleges for special needs students.”

More than 750 students have been part of the Level

Pictured at the celebration are Elaine Ruggiero, current director of the Learning Differences Program; Dianne Rogers, who led the program from 1998 until her retirement in 2014; and Tina King, who was responsible for day-to-day operation of the program in its early years.

Pictured, (front row, l-r) Joel Deuterman, president/CEO, Velocity Network, Inc.; Marco Monsalve, chief executive officer, McManis and Monsalve Associates; Mike Batchelor, president, Erie Community Foundation; Mercyhurst President Michael Victor; Cal Pifer, Mercyhurst vice president for external relations and advancement; (back row, l-r) Mercyhurst Trustee Chair Richard Lanzillo, Esq., and Perry Wood, executive director, Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority. The check represents “Shaping Tomorrow” grants totaling $10 million, including $4 million to Mercyhurst.

Mercyhurst takes lead in creating Downtown Erie Innovation District When Michael Victor said he was going to shake things up at Mercyhurst University, he wasn’t kidding. In just his first year as president, he brought in a record-setting freshman class and celebrated a milestone year in fundraising. Now, he’s turned his eye toward the challenges facing the City of Erie as it attempts to rechart its own path toward growth and prosperity.

create a powerful business alliance to catalyze economic growth.

Victor, who has touted achievement through partnership throughout his presidency, announced late last year that Mercyhurst would take the lead in creating a Downtown Erie Innovation District.

In awarding the grant, those donors noted that the Innovation District plan dovetails with the goals of Erie’s Comprehensive Plan and is designed to serve three critical community needs:

Mercyhurst’s plan is to drive a new knowledge-based economy, focused on safety and security, with three of the city’s most innovative corporate partners: Erie Insurance, McManis and Monsalve Associates and Velocity Network, Inc. The partners intend to execute joint projects related to safety and security, specifically in the high-demand fields of data science and cybersecurity, where their combined skills will

Fueling the project is a $4 million “Shaping Tomorrow” grant Mercyhurst received in October from the Erie Community Foundation with support from the Susan Hirt Hagen Fund for Transformational Philanthropy and the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority.

• • •

Stop brain drain and enhance brain gain.

Replace low-wage jobs with familysustaining jobs.

Revitalize downtown Erie.

Victor said Mercyhurst is uniquely positioned to drive the innovation district’s strategic focus of safety and security as home to the internationally renowned Tom Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences,

which prepares students for intelligence careers in national security, law enforcement and the private sector. More than 1,000 alumni work in every major industry sector and 17 agencies of the U.S. intelligence community. A new master’s degree in data science complements the intelligence studies program and many others at the university.

Presently, the Ridge College enrolls 600 students and administers $12 million in public and private sector grants and contracts.

Increasingly, these funded opportunities involve cyber and corporate security projects.

Provost Dr. David Dausey, project leader, noted, “Innovation districts have shown that both American and global corporations are interested in being centered in proximity to trained talent. By focusing heavily on the emerging fields of data science and cybersecurity, Erie will be well positioned as a hub for companies to make investments.”

Visit innovationdistricterie.com to keep up with the project as it unfolds.

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Grad programs grow outside the gates The year was 2004, and the reputation of Mercyhurst’s Research and Intelligence Analyst Program (RIAP) had spread far beyond Erie. Mercyhurst grads were in high demand at nearly every intelligence agency and firm in the D.C. Metro area. Looking to capitalize on RIAP’s reputation, the college’s leadership settled on an innovative method of program delivery: offer it online. Through corporate partnerships and word of mouth, online graduate courses in intelligence studies were filled, cohorts were educated in the RIAP way, and Mercyhurst online education was born.

Thirteen years later, graduate-level education and the credentials that come with it are more in demand than ever. For some students, it’s a springboard for a promotion. For others, it’s the key ingredient needed for a career change.

For everyone, it’s tough to fit grad studies into a life filled with family, work and community obligations.

Since the inception of the flagship intelligence studies program, Mercyhurst’s online graduate programs have grown to include organizational leadership and, most recently, 6

graduate offerings in autism, secondary education, and—new in fall 2017—criminal justice administration (CJA).

“The criminal justice graduate program is Mercyhurst’s oldest graduate program, and we have a vast network of alumni resources right here in our region,” said Maria Garase, Ph.D., CJA program director. “For us, the opportunity to take our program online opens it up to alumni across the country who want to further their education, or to the coworkers of our alumni, who are generally very impressed with how well Mercyhurst prepares its grads.”

Long known as an innovator in educating teachers of all grade levels, Mercyhurst recently seized the opportunity to offer a Master of Science in secondary education entirely online. In addition to a master’s, this program offers grads the opportunity to earn their Pennsylvania teaching certification.

“When you major in a science or humanities field, it can take some time to figure out exactly what you want to do with your degree.

There are so many potential careers to choose

from,” said Amy Burniston, director of the secondary education graduate program. “Not surprisingly, many students find inspiration in what drew them into their chosen major in the first place: their high school teachers. They realize they want to make that same impact on future generations, and our program gives them a quick and convenient way to achieve their goal.”

For Mercyhurst alumni interested in pursuing online graduate education, Mercyhurst’s online graduate programs reflect many of the same strengths of the undergraduate Laker experience.

“Without the engaged, caring faculty, these programs just would not work,” said Travis Lindahl, director of graduate and continuing education, and an organizational leadership alum. “Opportunity and convenience are what make these programs attractive, but it’s still ‘the Mercyhurst way’ that makes them stand out from our competitors.”

To learn more, visit mercyhurst.edu/graduate.

Brand-new Grotto Commons welcomes Class of 2020 Thanks to a combination of Mercyhurst capital funds and a $2 million contribution from its food service partner, Parkhurst Dining, Mercyhurst has completed an estimated $3 million overhaul to the former Egan Dining Hall.

Crews began renovations the day after graduation last May and worked right up to Aug. 19, when the dining hall—now known as Grotto Commons— reopened to serve dinner to the record incoming Class of 2020. More work over the holiday break further streamlined traffic flow and added 50 seats to the hall’s capacity. New paint and colorful photos of students also brightened the space.

The changes make ingress and egress more accessible, scatter food stations to enhance speed and efficiency, and provide seating that accommodates the gamut of diners, from the individual student who wants to sit at a hightop table and study, to groups who want to have lunch together. The dining hall is totally plugged in, from areas equipped with powerand-data backsplashes to Wi-Fi to high-definition televisions.

Also new is the Clean Plate, an allergen-free station devoted to preparing foods, such as gluten-free products, for students with allergies.

Hockey renovations revealed; men’s team founder remembered Were he here, you can bet Chris Cuzzola’s face would light up with glee upon viewing the half-million-dollar renovation of the Mercyhurst University Ice Center. Growing up, Cuzzola excelled as an ice hockey player in travel and club programs in Erie and Buffalo. One of Mercyhurst’s most devoted alums and a recipient of the Sister Carolyn Herrmann Service Award, he is credited as both a founder and captain of the university’s first men’s hockey team in 1986.

Sadly, Chris did not get a chance to see the upgrades to the ice arena, dying unexpectedly on Dec. 1, 2016, at the age of 50.

“A lot of people love Mercyhurst; I hear it all the time,” said men’s hockey coach Rick Gotkin. “But Chris Cuzzola took that love to a whole other stratosphere. He bled green and blue, and that kind of love and commitment you don’t soon forget.”

And Mercyhurst won’t. Just last month, the university announced a scholarship in his name, mounted a memorial plaque in the VIP section of the ice center, and dedicated the last men’s home game of

the regular season to him. A replica of Cuzzola’s #28 jersey was also presented to his family during a private reception for friends and donors who helped make the ice center renovation project a reality.

Renovations involved a total redesign of the men’s and women’s locker rooms marked by additions to each space, new custom-built wooden lockers in both the locker rooms and changing rooms, an upgraded ventilation system and an updated equipment room. There are even a few bells and whistles, key among them frosted glass insets between the locker tops and ceiling that house LED strip lighting, which can be set to different colors. Fresh paint within the center proper, the addition of new office space on the mezzanine and updates to the VIP area on the second floor completed the project.

All told, the renovations cost $500,000, which was funded entirely by private donations. The latest round of renovations focused on player facilities; future fundraising is planned for improvements designed to elevate the fan experience.

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The 4th vow: a call to service “A friend and I gave a granola bar and a $5 bill to a homeless woman sleeping on the sidewalk. It’s hard to explain, but in that moment, looking into her unexpectedly joyful face was like peering into the eyes of Jesus. It gave ‘community’ a new meaning.” – Catherine About 20 Mercyhurst students spent an October weekend following in the footsteps of Catherine McAuley during the first 4th Vow Retreat.

Since Catherine founded the Sisters of Mercy in 1831, women who join the order have taken not only the traditional vows of women religious— poverty, chastity and obedience—but also a fourth vow of service to the poor, the sick and the uneducated. The weekend challenged students to step out of their comfort zones and experience the power of Mercy service.

The retreat began at the Miller Estate on the Mercyhurst North East campus, temporarily dubbed the “Callahan Estate” for the wealthy family that adopted Catherine after her parents’ deaths.

Like Catherine, who used her inheritance from the Callahans to open the first House of Mercy in Dublin, retreat participants then moved out into the community. They ventured from their home base (the former St. Mary’s School in downtown Erie) to explore the city and encounter “the other.”

“You’re never going to understand the fourth 8

vow if you stay in a place of privilege all the time,” says Campus Ministry director Greg Baker, who developed the 4th Vow Retreat with Colin Hurley, director of community engagement. “Catherine inherited a great fortune. She could have simply donated money to help the poor but instead she went out among the people,” Baker adds.

On Sunday the group joined the congregation at Erie’s Community Missionary Baptist Church, enjoying its welcoming atmosphere, energetic singing and charismatic preaching. A refugee family shared their own story with the students.

Throughout the weekend, Mercyhurst employees worked behind the scenes, preparing meals and facilitating activities. Many of the volunteers were members of the Mercy Emissary group. Sister Lisa Mary McCartney, RSM, the only Sister of Mercy now working full time on campus, launched the Emissary program in 2015 to ensure that the Mercy heritage and tradition remain alive and vibrant at Mercyhurst.

The 4th Vow Retreat was funded through a successful campaign on a crowdfunding site developed last spring by the Mercyhurst advancement department.

Scott Koskoski ’00, past president of the Mercyhurst University National Alumni Association and current President’s Associate, was a major contributor.

More crowdfunding success

He explains, “One lasting lesson Mercyhurst instilled in me as a student is that our world is much smaller than we think. Humans are interconnected in many ways, and living the Mercyhurst mission means we recognize that every human has dignity, selfworth and is worthy of opportunity. Today's typical college student takes a lot for granted and in their insulated, provided-for world, likely assumes that everyone else feels worthy, dignified and provided for, too.

Besides supporting the 4th Vow Retreat, donors made targeted gifts last year to complete three other projects created by Mercyhurst faculty, staff and students.

“I saw the 4th Vow Retreat as a venue for students to be reminded of God's blessings in a very tangible way. I envisioned it as a real-time ‘working reflection’ of what Mercy means—not mercy as in sparing someone from harm, but Mercy as in a way of life. Hopefully, participants were able to realize that the line between ‘with’ and ‘without’ is actually thinner than they assumed, and feel what being the hands and feet of Jesus means in the real world. In that sense, it was a pleasure to support the project.”

MakerBot Mania: Graphic design students are using a new 3D printer thanks to 38 donors who contributed $4,500.

Give Up the Boat: Mercyhurst rowing coaches are using a new waveless launch, courtesy of 41 donors who gave $5,475, and matching corporate gifts from Howard & Associates and Our Own Candle Company, both of Findley Lake, New York.

Portal to the Past: Mercyhurst’s anthropology/archaeology department created a new interactive exhibit at the expERIEnce Children’s Museum to teach visitors all about prehistory. It was made possible by 67 donors who gave $4,420.

The advancement staff is in the planning stages for the next round of crowdfunding, set for September 2017.

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Laid-off workers begin next chapter, train for new careers at Mercyhurst North East

By Jennifer Smith Imagine working for years earning enough to comfortably support yourself and your family and then suddenly being notified your job was eliminated.

That’s just what happened in 2016 to nearly 1,500 employees at a local manufacturing company.

Thanks to a government-funded retraining program, many of those workers were able to turn the upheaval and uncertainty of a layoff into a new opportunity.

Because their jobs were lost as a result of foreign trade, they qualified to receive the full cost of tuition at an accredited two-year program through the Trade Adjustment Assistance program funded through the U.S. Department of Labor.

According to Linda Bremmer, who has been the government funding coordinator at Mercyhurst

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University since 1997, the university must apply with the Department of Labor to participate in the program. While Mercyhurst North East offers 24 associate degree programs, eight certificate programs and two bachelor’s degree programs, only certain programs that train students for high-demand jobs and are likely to result in employment qualify, she added.

That translated to more than 70 new students at the North East campus utilizing the TAA benefit this year. More than half are seeking health care jobs – enrolling in the registered nursing, practical nursing, occupational therapy assistant, physical therapist assistant, respiratory therapist and medical laboratory technician programs. Another 28 students are enrolled in business and computer systems support programs of study.

Returning to school after 30 years was a bit intimidating, admitted Kevin Williams, 49, who worked at GE for five years as a painter before getting laid off. Anthony Mazzone, 50, good-naturedly points out that most of his classmates, and even some of his professors, are younger than he is. But both were motivated to make the most of the situation.

“At first it was quite overwhelming,” agreed Ryan Irish, a 35-year-old father of two, who was laid off after nearly 10 years. “There was some worry of not being as successful as I was hoping to be. By week two that had passed and I found myself thoroughly enjoying my classes and learning.”

In fact, many are finding success.

In the nursing program alone, six TAA students received 4.0 grade point averages during the fall semester. According to the Office of Academic Affairs, of the 69

TAA students enrolled for the fall semester, 40 earned a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher with the vast remainder of the students earning a 3.0-3.5.

“Seeing and seizing the opportunity for a better future has been a part of Mercyhurst North East since its inception in 1991,” said Dr. Gary Brown, MNE’s chief operating officer who, like many long-time staff members, personally invests in students, sharing in their successes and struggles. “We’re proud to be a part of their next chapter.”

Non-traditional students also understand the value of the education they are getting, said Dr. David Hyland, associate vice president for academic affairs.

They weigh the opportunity cost – in terms of lost wages and time invested – against the overall cost and their future earnings potential.

Being able to invest two years

and come out with a new career that pays as much as they were earning after 10 or 20 years in manufacturing is a very appealing investment.

“I just wanted to get away from manufacturing altogether,” said James Tupper, 37, who was laid off twice in 10 years and is now studying to be a registered nurse, earning a 4.0 GPA in the fall semester.

He and his wife, Kirra, worked together, were laid off together and now are students together at Mercyhurst North East.

They were so impressed with the campus setting and surrounding North East community, they decided to relocate there with their children.

It’s exciting, said Kirra Tupper, who went to college at 18 but admits she is a much different student now at 34.

45, of Harborcreek. “There’s more time to access the teachers for questions or help and it’s easier to get to know fellow students.”

“At this point in my life I’m thrilled for the opportunity, and have much more desire and determination,” said Kirra Tupper, who is studying to be an occupational therapy assistant.

There’s also a feeling that the faculty and staff really care and want you to succeed, said Ben Custard, 31, who commutes from Meadville for classes in the medical laboratory technician program.

Michelle Hoover feels like losing her job wasn’t the end, but the beginning of a new path. She chose the business administration and accounting degree program to build on previous college credits and enhance management skills and employment experience she had already acquired.

“I like the fact that Mercyhurst North East is smaller,” said Hoover,

While the TAA students may not have known each other before arriving on campus, camaraderie and a support network have developed as they go through classes and the ongoing paperwork required to maintain their benefits.

“We’re all going through this together and provide each other

with support,” said Williams, who is also in the MLT program.

Top: Ryan Irish, left, Michelle Hoover and Anthony Mazzone found Mercyhurst North East’s small campus and accessible, caring faculty like Randy Rinke eased their transition back into the classroom.

Bottom Left: James and Kirra Tupper worked together, were laid off together and now are students together at Mercyhurst North East.

Here they are studying anatomy, a common course of their nursing and occupational therapy assistant programs.

Bottom Right: Kevin Williams, 49, of Harborcreek was laid off after five years at GE. He’s retraining at MNE through the TAA program to become a medical laboratory technician.

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Tom Hanchin ’85 An entrepreneur at heart

Tom Hanchin runs a $25 million technology business, and he says it was his Mercyhurst hospitality degree that jump-started his career. “The program prepares you to run a business of your own before you’re 25,” he says – which he did after graduating in 1985.

Within a year of joining Erie’s Elephant Bar restaurant, he became its general manager at just 24, running a $3 million business with more than 100 employees.

His work today is far removed from the hospitality industry, but he believes his Mercyhurst education prepared him well to grow his own company. “If you’re an entrepreneur at heart, hospitality is a great degree to begin with,” he explains.

After several jobs in the hotel-restaurant world, Tom moved to Colorado and decided to explore the growing technology field. Though he was brand-new to the field, he convinced a major company to give him a chance.

Fourteen months later he was the firm’s 12

number-one salesman. Just eight months after that, in 1995, Tom and co-worker David Videon ventured out on their own.

They didn’t want to compete against their former employer, so they carved out a different niche and began providing cables and other connection equipment to that employer and its customer base. Profits – and salaries – were small at first, but Cable and Connection Experts (CCX) grew steadily. The company soon began manufacturing its own cables and now has facilities in Boulder, Colorado, and Nogales, Mexico. It boasts $25 million in annual sales, more than 200 employees, and a solid reputation for honesty, integrity and service. Tom is the firm’s CEO and chairman of the board, while David handles day-to-day operations as its president.

Visit Cleveland’s First Energy Stadium or Heinz Field in Pittsburgh and you’ll see CCX products at work. CCX supplies cables to Daktronics, the scoreboard company that lights up a majority of NFL, NHL and NBA stadiums nationwide.

Big names in the data storage and computing world, including HP and Dell, are clients.

Among CCX partners are Uber, Facebook, eBay, PayPal, Pandora, Apple and Netflix. CCX cables are incorporated in everything from CAT scanners and blood monitoring systems to recreational vehicles and solar panels.

Tom proudly notes that many of his earliest hires are still with him today, and that he’s never had a lawsuit or a bad debt. He notes, “You don’t have to be a bad guy to succeed in business. You’ll do better if you have empathy, compassion and integrity.”

Tom and CCX are active sponsors of Boulder’s “I Have a Dream” program, which helps underprivileged children finish high school and attend college. He especially likes the opportunity to personally meet the kids he helps and follow them for as long as 10 years.

Tom’s now expanding that focus on education for disadvantaged kids, developing a scholarship that will help Erie students attend

Check out Joe’s work at josephlarge.com.

Shooting for a dream job Joe Large ’01 has found a dream job—quite literally.

Mercyhurst. He created the Hanchin-Wells Scholarship to honor the man he credits for changing the course of his life.

Coming out of high school, Tom expected to become a steelworker and went to work for his uncle, Tom Wells, at Erie Acoustical. But when it came time for Tom to join the union, Wells gave him a challenge instead: if Tom could get accepted to college, he’d cover the bills. Tom chose Mercyhurst and found his niche in the hospitality program with mentors John Wolper and Daryl Georger. And, though he didn’t play high school football, he walked on with the Lakers and played middle linebacker.

During Homecoming festivities last fall, President Michael T. Victor presented the first President’s Award to Tom (photo above left).

Tom told those attending he was grateful to Mercyhurst for giving him the opportunity to become both successful and significant.

“When you pass away, your success comes to an end,” he said. “But when you’re significant, you continue to help others become successful.”

Tom is pictured above with Christine, his wife of 22 years, and their twin 11-year-old daughters, Andie and Logan.

Learn more about his company at ccxcorp.com.

In June he’ll trek Peru’s famed Inca Trail to Machu Picchu and other historic sites. He won the chance on dreamjobbing.com, billed as “a global opportunity platform that broadcasts the coolest opportunities and experiences in the world.”

Adventure travel firm The Clymb invited photographers to compete to be chief instagrammer/photographer for several of its trips. His video application topped hundreds of other candidates in popular voting, and The Clymb tapped Joe to help document the culture, adventure, geography, natural landscape and history Peru has to offer.

His application, which clearly resonated with voters, credits his parents with inspiring his career.

and shot only for fun,” Joe explains.

That all changed when his mother died in 2010 after a long battle with cancer.

“When my mom passed away, it kind of flipped a switch in my head,” Joe says now. “I realized how short life is and knew I should be doing something I really loved.” He spent all his savings to buy his first DSLR camera and started calling himself a professional photographer and filmmaker.

His dad’s death in 2014 propelled him even further in this direction. “I realized that if you are doing what you love, if you’re passionate about it, the money will eventually come.

“Losing both of my parents in such a short period, at such a young age has propelled me to pursue my dreams more than anything else in my life. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the lesson they unintentionally taught me,” he says.

Joe majored in business at Mercyhurst, with a concentration in sports management, and took his first job in marketing at a Vermont resort. He’d always dabbled in photography, and soon found himself filming extreme sports and concerts in the area.

Joe primarily films action sports and motorsports—like the Dew Tour of skate and snow events sponsored by Mountain Dew—and music—like the Vans Warped Tour traveling concert series.

Eventually he moved to Breckenridge in the heart of Colorado’s ski country and started a film company. Then GoPros came out and everyone became a filmmaker. “I listened to the naysayers, quit filming, took a job in IT

He hopes the Peru adventure will open even more doors for him. He enjoys shooting landscapes and documenting cultures.

“Shooting for National Geographic has always been a bucket list item for me,” he notes, “so this might improve my odds.”

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Senior classes since ’89 have left their marks on campus Since 2001, graduates, brides and grooms, students and prospective students, and returning alumni have all gravitated to “The Rock” in front of Old Main. A gift from that year’s graduating class, The Rock engraved with the original Mercyhurst College seal has arguably been the most popular photo spot on campus.

It got some serious competition this year when members of the Class of 2016 donated a new campus landmark. Their six-foot bronze anchor, installed between the Audrey Hirt Academic Center and Zurn Hall, represents the strength and determination of Lakers everywhere.

Since 1989, each Mercyhurst graduating class has left behind a special gift to its alma mater, a tradition that seems to grow stronger each year.

Lindsay Cox Frank ’12 ’14M, director of alumni engagement, works with each class to choose a project, raise funds and leave a tangible reminder of their time here.

“Students today, more than ever, are flocking toward the committee, wanting to be involved, and wanting to support Mercyhurst,” she said. “We have developed a strong culture of giving among students and a sense of tradition in giving back.”

2007

Multi-purpose court

This year’s seniors plan to add an after-hours coffee bar to Hammermill Library’s 24/7 lounge – itself a gift from the Class of 2008.

2001

Welcome rock

Twenty-eight classes have now raised more than $600,000 to fund their gifts, and the impact can be seen all over campus.

•

•

•

Some classes memorialized people who were special during their time here, like the Class of 1997, which created Munson Plaza in honor of Robert “Mr. Help” Munson ’94, and the Class of 2005, which gave the Sr. Damien Spirit Bell to remember one of the Lakers’ most ardent fans.

Many classes added campus amenities, from a multipurpose court and park in the Briggs-Lewis residential area (2007) to the concession stand in the Mercyhurst Athletic Center (2015).

Some seniors added touches of Mercy spirit, like the stained glass window in the Mercy Heritage Room (1989) and the Mercy Cross in the lobby of the Hirt Academic Center (2002).

A few Senior Class Gifts are highlighted here. To view the complete list, visit hurstalumni.org/senior-class-gift.

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1992

Student Union gazebo

1989

Stained glass window in Mercy Heritage Room

2005

2016

Sr. Damien Spirit Bell

Bronze Anchor

1997

Munson Park plaza

2011

Outdoor classroom

2014

Spirit section at Tullio Field

2015

MAC concession stand

1995

Stained glass window in the MSG Chambers

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‘Hurst graduates making mark in hospitality industry There were fewer than 20 students when Mercyhurst launched its hospitality program in 1972. Today, the Statler Department of Hospitality Management enrolls more than 150 majors.

From the start, the program has recruited instructors with extensive experience in food service and hotel management. Also a hallmark of the program is its emphasis on hands-on experience for its students, on campus (in the Grotto Dining Room and more recently in the Marriott Café) and off-campus in internships and part-time jobs.

Over 45 years, Mercyhurst’s hospitality management program has earned a reputation for excellence and created an alumni network that spans the country and reaches around the world.

From Erie, where ‘Hurst alums run two of the most prominent hotels in the area, to Vietnam, where two recent grads have opened their own restaurant, Mercyhurst alumni can be found in every hospitality job imaginable. Read just a few of their stories in the pages that follow.

Did you know the pineapple is the international symbol for hospitality?

Peter Zohos ’97 Peter Zohos got his first taste of the hospitality industry in his teens, logging lots of hours at his uncle’s restaurant. He was good at it, but never planned to join the family business.

Instead he majored in nutrition. When he decided medical school wasn’t the best fit for him, he realized he could put his training to work in hospitality.

So he transferred to Mercyhurst where he was impressed by faculty members who brought their industry experience into the classroom and truly cared about their students.

He got lots of hands-on experience through internships and part-time jobs, leading to 13 job offers from big hotel companies when he graduated in 1997. He chose Hyatt Hotels, working as a management trainee at its flagship property, the 2,000-room Hyatt Regency Chicago.

After Mercyhurst, he worked as a senior food and beverage manager with Marriott International, which he calls a “roll-up-your-sleeves type of company.”

Mercyhurst produces managers who are not afraid to jump in, he says, adding proudly, “It’s very well respected in the industry.”

Over the next few years, Peter explored every aspect of the hospitality industry, first in New York City and later back in his hometown of Cleveland.

Today he’s doing sales, consulting and training for food distributor Maplevale Farms, where his experience as an operator makes him valuable both to the company and to his customers.

Throughout those jobs, he says, “I was always the manager who focused the most on training, on developing human resources. The people who work for you take care of your customers and you have to take care of them first before you can be successful.”

So it’s not surprising that, in 2003, he came back to join the ‘Hurst faculty. He stayed through 2012, teaching everything in the hospitality curriculum except engineering and law.

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Peter says he’s always had a second job within the hospitality industry. Today it’s Candlelight Desserts, his own business that creates custom Greek desserts.

Deeply proud of his Greek heritage, he’s active with Greek churches in both Erie and Cleveland and volunteers at both of their annual festivals.

Peter and his wife, Karen, have been married for 12 years and have three kids: Billy, 9; Toula, 6; and Gracie, 4.

D. Ford Mennel ’02 D. Ford Mennel works today on the periphery of the hospitality industry, but his career has been built solidly on the foundation he got from the Mercyhurst hospitality program.

He’s president of The Mennel Milling Company, which has been milling wheat into flour in Fostoria, Ohio, since 1886. Mennel flours are used in many foods, from cake mixes and cookies to gravies and soups. The company also sells to major mix manufacturers and bakeries that cater to the fast food and restaurant trades.

“My Mercyhurst education taught me teamwork and how to interact professionally with others,” Ford says. “I also learned to try and look at things differently and to not accept the first solution.”

He says he uses the skills in cost controls, budgeting and staffing that he developed here every day.

He’s especially grateful for the hands-on real-world experiences he was offered. “And I always cherished the time spent in The Grotto completing our foods labs and restaurant operations classes. We had wonderful professors including Daryl Georger, Brenda Moore, John and Brenda Wolper, and Mike Alleruzzo who identified with us as individuals and not just numbers.”

Ford had several job offers when he graduated, even though the travel and tourism industry was reeling after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He joined Tharaldson Property Management, which owned 300 hotels nationwide, including some near Erie’s Millcreek Mall where he had worked during his college years. (He had also done an internship with the Westin Hilton Head Resort and Spa.) As a property support manager, he traveled to hotel operations throughout the Great Lakes Region before settling into positions at company hotels in Toledo, Ohio, and Rio Rancho, New Mexico. He then left Tharaldson to take a management position at the Hilton Nashville Downtown, and probably would have stayed in Nashville had his father not encouraged him to join the family business.

The emphasis on community involvement that he learned at Mercyhurst has propelled Ford into service with a variety of community organizations. He’s chair of a nonprofit nursing home board, vice chair of a local economic development corporation, president of a startup nonprofit skilled trades educational center, and chair of an angel investment club. His hobbies are real estate investing and Michigan football, and he’s active on the Walker College of Business Advisory Board.

He and his wife, Kate, were married last summer.

Steve Kaczerski ’13 & Loan Vu ’13 One reviewer says S & L’s All-American Diner provides “the best American comfort food you will ever find in all of Vietnam.”

Another lists several “must-try” menu items, like chili fries, Philly cheesesteak and vanilla milkshakes.

Steve Kaczerski and Loan Vu, who met as hospitality management students at Mercyhurst and married in 2014, have carved out a unique niche in Hanoi’s crowded restaurant market with the diner they opened late in 2016.

It was a huge step, but both agree their Mercyhurst educations prepared them well, teaching them everything from menu planning and costing to restaurant design to training.

Loan is a native of Vietnam who always dreamed of studying abroad, but didn’t realize she was cut out for the hospitality industry until she took an intro course at Mercyhurst. Steve arrived already knowing he had a passion for restaurants and hospitality after years of part-time and summer jobs at a restaurant near his home outside Philadelphia.

Steve and Loan both point to their Wine and Spirits class as their favorite Mercyhurst memory, not only because of the enjoyable subject but because it’s where they met. Their first partnership was on their final class project. But Loan says she also loved Erie’s winters. “Coming from Vietnam, I had never seen snow in my life, and I couldn’t help falling in love with Mercyhurst’s winter wonderland.”

Both are grateful for their hands-on experiences in the Grotto Dining Room and Marriott Café and for the variety of internships that helped them explore their field. For Steve, a placement at the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel led to a job post-graduation in 2013. He relocated to Vietnam about two years later. Before deciding to open the diner, he managed a boutique hotel in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and then a fine dining French steak and wine restaurant in the city’s West Lake District.

Loan did a summer internship at Sheraton Erie as well, plus assignments at Springhill Suites by Marriott and back home at the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake Hotel.

After her 2013 graduation, she worked in retail at Macy’s for a while before returning to her homeland, a detour that she says taught her a lot about customer service.

She was a management trainee at Sofitel Metropole Hanoi until opening the diner.

Now they’re sharing responsibilities as owners and general managers of S & L’s All-American Diner, spending long hours every day training and supervising their staff, making sure food quality and presentation meet their standards, visiting with customers to get their feedback, and closely monitoring costs.

When they can get away from the diner, they enjoy traveling through Southeast Asia, including a trip to the Philippines during the recent Tet holiday; exercising and swimming. They’re expecting their first child, a daughter, in July.

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Margaret Weir Manchik ’87

Paul Cahill ’88 Paul Cahill has been with Marriott International ever since his 1988 Mercyhurst graduation. Through almost 30 years, he says his average stay in a position is probably not more than two years. “I kept broadening my horizons and learning new things,” he says.

“Marriott is a great company for that. If you’re doing well in your current role, you’ll be given the opportunity to try new things.”

He says the Marriott culture, with its emphasis on putting people first, is what attracted him during his first interview and has kept him there ever since.

For the first 20 years, he held increasingly responsible roles in the company’s West Coast operations. He met and married his wife, Diane, there; they welcomed triplets Christopher, Courtney and Chelsea, who are now 17; and he loved his work.

The challenge that finally lured him back east came about seven years ago, when he was asked to reposition the flagship Marriott Hotels brand and to develop a new JW Marriott brand, named for the company’s legendary founder, J. Willard Marriott.

He was based in Bethesda, Maryland, but traveled the world as he built a global brand that works with multiple cultures in 70 countries.

When Marriott took over Canada’s Delta Hotels chain about two years ago, Paul was called on again to develop the right positioning for a new Marriott brand. Since Jan. 1 this year, he’s been the area vice president for Marriott-managed hotels in Canada. He still lives in Bethesda, though, where he enjoys following his kids’ athletic teams and is a big mountain biker.

Paul said he felt well-prepared at each step in his career, thanks to Mercyhurst’s balance between academics and hands-on, real-life learning. His two internships at Marriott Hotels (in Marco Island, Florida, and Washington, D.C.) allowed him to apply what he learned in the classroom.

He credits faculty members John Wolper and Daryl Georger and their widespread connections in the hospitality world that helped make internships and then job interviews happen. Today, he and many fellow Lakers have risen to senior positions, further building a network that’s hugely valuable for today’s students.

When the Center for Academic Engagement was being designed a few years ago, Paul helped coordinate a gift from his company to sponsor the Marriott Café as a working laboratory for current students – and a recognition of the many Mercyhurst graduates working in management at Marriott.

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Margaret Weir Manchik started out as a marketing major, but found her true home when she joined the hospitality management department near the end of her junior year. Program director John Wolper helped her craft a contract major, carefully picking hospitality courses to complement her business background.

She couldn’t fit in internships, but trips to hotel shows in New York and Las Vegas engaged her with the field, and the department did a great job of arranging job interviews as she neared graduation in 1987.

Her first job was as a management trainee at the Hyatt Regency Buffalo. “You use everything you’ve learned in school in your first six weeks out in the real world,” she says. “After that, you’d better have developed good study habits, good wits, a sense of humor and a strong work ethic, because you’re on your own.”

Margaret says her Mercyhurst training prepared her for everything, from coordinating a sales blitz to less glamorous tasks. “Sometimes you find yourself sitting on the floor at 2 in the morning polishing brass in an elevator,” she laughs.

Positions with Hyatt took her to Columbus and Chicago, followed by a stint at California’s Renaissance Esmeralda Resort.

Then it was back to her hometown of Cleveland where she worked in hotels and later managed suite services for the Cleveland Cavaliers Gund Arena Company.

When Chicago beckoned her back, she handled sales there for the Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau and, since 2002, in National Sales for Disney.

Most people associate Disney with leisure and vacations. Her job is to promote the company’s commitment to meetings and conventions, and book group meetings and conventions into Disney-owned and operated properties in Anaheim, Orlando and Hawaii. “The products are unique and

the resources for our clients are limited only by their imagination.”

One of her favorite experiences is encountering current Mercyhurst students at national conferences. “Our students stand out head and shoulders above all the rest,” she says. “They’re prepared, professional, they look you in the eye, they’re ready. If I were a hiring manager...”

Margaret has a 10-year-old daughter, Maxine, who loves acting in plays, and a 7-year-old son, Michael, who’s a promising hockey player. The live in Northbrook, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.

Margaret’s sister, Laura, and Laura’s husband, Jeff Nicholson, both graduated from the Mercyhurst hospitality program in 1995. Laura worked in the restaurant business before switching to recruiting for EY. Today she’s director of executive recruitment and talent management for Capgemini. Jeff is senior vice president, resident sales director for Aon. They reside in Rocky River, Ohio; their son, Jake, is a senior at the Ohio State University, Fisher College of Business, and daughter Maxine is a senior at Rocky River High School.

Tony Tupek ’05 Two men who now both run prominent hotels in the Erie region share a number of connections, starting with their Mercyhurst hospitality degrees.

When Tony Tupek interned at the Griffin Gate Marriott in Lexington, Kentucky, his boss was fellow Mercyhurst grad Dan Pora (see profile below). Tony says Dan was a fantastic manager and mentor to him as he moved up through the ranks at Marriott. He also became a close friend and was a groomsman when Tony and his wife, Stacy, were married three years ago.

Today, Tony is the hotel general manager at Peek ‘n Peak resort in Clymer, New York; Dan manages the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel; and Stacy manages the Courtyard by Marriott Erie Bayfront next to the Sheraton.

An Erie native, Tony earned an associate degree from Mercyhurst

North East before heading to the Erie campus, drawn by both the hospitality program and the baseball team. He says he’s grateful to all the faculty, counselors and coaches he worked with. He especially credits Daryl Georger, noting “Without that constant excitement instilled in me to want to learn more about the art of taking care of people, I can say I wouldn’t be where I am today.” He’s also grateful to head baseball coach Joe Spano, who “set the precedent for hard work, practice and 100 percent dedication on what I’m doing to help me succeed not only on the diamond, but in the many challenges ahead in life.”

father fell ill in 2011, Tony returned to Erie, becoming guest service manager at Erie Courtyard by Marriott and later restaurant manager at Safari Bar and Grille.

He got his foot in the door with a job as bellman at the Griffin Gate Marriott and then, over about three years, worked in every facet of the resort’s operation.

Moving to a Marriott Key Center Cleveland hotel in 2008, he worked as front office manager and also as food and beverage supervisor. When his

Tony plays each summer in the wooden-bat Glenwood Baseball League. An avid collector of sports cards and memorabilia since childhood, he’s now able to display his collectibles in the Tupeks’ sportsthemed basement.

Today he’s hotel general manager at Peek ‘n Peak Resort in Clymer, New York, a four-star all-season resort owned by Scott Enterprises. With his wife also active in the industry, she understands the long hours he puts in each day as well as the unpredictable events he faces. “With 20-plus years of combined experience, we’ve got enough stories that we could write our own book together,” he says.

Bayfront Sheraton Hotel

Dan Pora ’96 Dan Pora was a cook at Erie’s Holland Dairy Queen all through high school, and knew he loved culinary work and restaurant management. So his boss, Mercyhurst alum Jack Holland Jr., wrote a letter of recommendation for him to the relatively young hospitality program at this alma mater. He enrolled in 1992.

The best things about the program, he says now, were the investment that teachers made in their students to make sure they were set up for success and how well career services worked with graduating seniors.

In his case, his internship at the Marriott Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage

Beach, Missouri, opened the door to his first job – as restaurant manager at the 1,400-room Philadelphia Downtown Convention Center Marriott. In 2000 he moved across the street to open a brand-new 500-room Marriott as food and beverage manager.

From 2001 to 2007, he worked at the Griffin Gate Resort and Spa, a Marriott golf resort in Kentucky, half the time as director of food and beverage, the other half as director of rooms. He also brought many Mercyhurst students to intern at Griffin Gate. “It felt good to give back to Mercyhurst and do for the students what others had done for me,” he explains. Several of those interns worked for him later, including Tony

Tupek (see profile above).

Dan’s next stop was in Cleveland, where he helped transition the Cleveland Airport Marriott from a franchise to a company-managed operation and became assistant general manager.

In 2013 he joined White Lodging Services, which named him general manager of the Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel. He oversees all aspects of the 200-room hotel adjoining the Erie Convention Center, from owner relations to brand integrity to sales, profits and service scores. He was White Lodging’s Rookie GM of the Year for 2014, the Sheraton was

named White Lodging Hotel of the Year in 2015, and customer service reviews ranked his hotel #1 among all Sheratons for the past two years. He still brings in interns from Mercyhurst, adding, “They’ve always been great.”

Dan’s wife, Deborah, is a nurse practitioner at UPMC Hamot. Their daughter Madeline is a freshman at West Virginia University, while Mackenzie’s in 10th grade and son Daniel in 7th.

Appropriately, his hobbies include traveling and cooking, and he serves on the board for tourism promotion agency VisitErie. He’s also active with the Wayside Presbyterian Church.

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Chris Walker ’10 Chris Walker always figured he’d wind up working in Las Vegas and its storied gaming industry. As a hospitality student at Mercyhurst, internships at Erie’s Presque Isle Downs & Casino and later at Caesars Palace confirmed he’d chosen the right specialty.

Shane Krige, right, congratulates Chef de Partie Mitch Eldridge, who was named employee of the month at the The Fairmont Washington DC, Georgetown. At left is Jason Rowley, senior banquet chef.

Shane Krige ’91 Shane Krige has been general manager of The Fairmont Washington DC, Georgetown, since 2014, back in the city where he started a career that has taken him around the country and the globe.

An internship with Marriott’s Conference Center Division led to his first job as executive steward at the Georgetown Conference Center.

He remained in the D.C. area until 2003, holding a variety of jobs with Marriott, then Hyatt Hotels and eventually the RitzCarlton, including helping to open the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Hotel and Residences.

Next came two years managing the Grosvenor House in London’s Park Lane and three more running the five-star Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas, before tackling a high-profile assignment: overseeing the $600 million renovation and reopening of The Plaza in New York City.

From there, it was off to Bangalore, where he opened and managed the first Ritz-Carlton in India from 2012 until he came back to the U.S. in 2014.

Shane left his native South Africa at 18 to study in America, living with an aunt during the four years until his parents were able to immigrate. He says his most lasting memory of Mercyhurst is

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the full engagement of the faculty and the genuine care to support and educate the students with passion.

Like so many hospitality graduates, he’s especially grateful for the real-life experiences he was offered, particularly his six-month internship at the Graylyn Conference Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He extended his stay there through the summer to work in the culinary department, eventually opening the banquet kitchens solo. “The entire internship supported by the school was a life-changing event for me and has helped shape my hospitality career,” he adds.

Mercyhurst, he says, also taught him how hard work, dedication and perseverance pay off in the long run.

Shane met his wife, Patricia (Tish), during his time in Washington.

Their son, JR, is 15, and daughter Maddie is 11. In what little free time he has, he’s a passionate photographer. “When I’m not spending time with my family or dreaming about hotels, I’m being creative with my camera,” he notes.

There are quite a few Mercyhurst alumni in Washington (like Mark Medrick, who is assistant director of catering at the Fairmont). Shane says the alumni meet occasionally as a group, “but not as much as I’d like.”

The Caesars Palace experience landed him his first job after graduation in 2010. As chief concierge, he oversaw concierge, telecommunications and guest services operations for the 4,000-room resort. Just a year later, he moved across town to the rival MGM Resorts International, where he’s been ever since in a variety of positions.

He started at the corporate level, where he led a company-wide initiative to enhance the company’s service culture and improve the guest experience. Then he spent three years at individual properties in Vegas, as director of front office operations at the MGM Grand, director of hotel operations for Luxor Hotel and Casino, and director of human resources at Mandalay Bay & Delano Las Vegas.

Now he’s back at the corporate level as director of strategic initiatives and change management, creating and executing change management plans for a range of initiatives focused on process improvement, divisional restructuring and organizational culture that impact the company’s 19 resorts and 71,000 employees.

He’s currently involved in centralizing MGM Resorts’ human resources functions. For example, a single MGM Resorts University will take the place of individual training departments within each facility.

As each program is rolled out, he says, “We have to make sure that changes have been effectively communicated, that the right people are involved, that solid training programs are in place and that everyone buys in to the overall goal.”

Like his fellow hospitality graduates, Chris credits the hands-on education he got at Mercyhurst for helping him to succeed. “The balance between theoretical and practical application was incredibly valuable,” he says.

“Classes like HR management and hospitality law, plus the breadth and depth of industry experience of the instructors contributed greatly to the overall experience.”

Chris, who served as president of Mercyhurst’s chapter of HMA (Hospitality Management Association), also says trips to HMA and PCMA (Professional Conference Management Association) events took him all over the country (including Seattle, Chicago, Dallas, New York and New Orleans) and helped him explore all facets of the hospitality industry.

Chris recently completed his Master of Business Administration at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, where he volunteers with the UNLV hospitality program and serves as a mentor for several students. In what little spare time he has, he enjoys travel and snowboarding.

To learn more about the programs offered by the Walker College of Business and the Statler Department of Hospitality Management, visit mercyhurst.edu/walker.

Trustee’s generosity reflects passion for Mercyhurst

By Deborah W. Morton Catch up with an old friend, go for a walk, read a good book … those are things that Ellen Ryan does for herself. Attend a board meeting, host a meet ‘n greet, make a donation … those are things she does for others.

“I try to do a little something for me, and a little something for someone else every day,” says the 1964 Mercyhurst University home economics alumna about her philosophy of life. “I’m a 15-year cancer survivor and that’s a way of living I adopted. We always need to think of others, but we have to take time for ourselves, too.”

Ryan is one of Mercyhurst’s more prolific donors and is a member of the university’s board of trustees.

“Ellen Ryan is one of the most generous people I have ever known,” said Mercyhurst President Michael Victor. “Not only has her philanthropy footprint been large, but as a member of our board, she is generous with her time, energy and commitment to the future of our university. We are most grateful to have her.”

Over the years, Ryan has given $1 million to the endowment, matched contributions given by her class members at their 40-year and 50year reunions, given a matching gift following an alumni golf trip to Ireland in 2012, and been a major contributor to the university’s annual fund. She’s also hosted alumni and donor events. For 40 years, she lived in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, David.

They raised two sons, Mark and Michael, who still live there, and they are grandparents to two boys and four girls.

Nowadays, Ellen and David can be found at their winter home in Naples. They spend summers in a longtime favorite vacation spot, Walloon Lake in Petoskey, Michigan.

The Ryans have a distinguished record of philanthropy. “We were brought up to be good stewards of time, talent and treasure, which, for me, is something the Sisters of

Mercy reinforced,” she said. “Then, during our 40 years in Columbus, we had access to so many beautiful facilities and opportunities, which, in many cases, were available because of someone’s generosity.”

Ryan said she and David gifted what they could early in their marriage, but their giving scaled substantially after they sold their company, Rimrock Corp., in 1999. “At that point, we sat down and made a list of all the places in the Columbus area that were important to us and could use our support; we focused on church, health care, the arts and education,” she said.

It doesn’t take long to find evidence of their philanthropy in Buckeye country, from the Ellen and David J. Ryan Pavilion at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center to the Ellen and David Ryan Lobby at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts.

“When we made the list, I knew I wanted to do something for Mercyhurst,” she said. “The friends I made and the education I got there were wonderful. I wanted to make sure others could have the same experience.”

Indeed, Ryan flourished as a home economics major on the Erie campus, later going on to

teach. She has fond memories, especially of a baby girl from St. Joseph Orphanage whom she and five classmates raised for six weeks while living together in the Home Economics Practice House on campus.

“We all took turns taking care of the baby, and doing laundry, shopping, cooking,” Ryan said.

“We had a lot of laughs. I often wonder about that baby; she’d be in her early 50s now.”

There were some sad moments, too. It was during that same practicum that Ryan walked into the home-ec house on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963, to witness the assassination of President John F. Kennedy being described on television.

“None of us will ever forget that,” she said.

Looking back, Ryan believes her liberal arts experience served her well. She taught for a year, served as vice president of a property management firm for 14 years, and volunteered often, but it was more her ability to transfer skills from one stage of life to another, be they organizational or philosophical in nature.

“Mercyhurst gave much to me,” she said. “I’m happy to give back.”

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Happenings on the Hill ‘Just Mercy’ author draws crowd

A theatrical icon vists President Michael T. Victor chats with Broadway legend Chita Rivera before her Sept. 16, 2016, solo concert at Mercyhurst. The Tony Award-winner recreated signature moments from her career, including numbers from West Side Story, Sweet Charity and Bye Bye Birdie. Her performance opened the 2016-17 Live Series of the Mercyhurst Institute for Arts & Culture; the whole season is celebrating the 20year history of the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

Visit miac.mercyhurst.edu to learn about upcoming events and watch for previews of the next season.

The Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center was packed on Sept. 13, 2016, when social activist Bryan Stevenson discussed his work with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). Stevenson has won major legal challenges eliminating excessive and unfair sentencing, exonerating innocent death row prisoners, confronting abuse of the incarcerated and the mentally ill, and aiding children prosecuted as adults. Stevenson, second from left, is pictured with President Michael T. Victor; Doris Cipolla, benefactor of the Charlene M. Tanner Speaker series, which brought Stevenson to Mercyhurst; and Provost Dr. David Dausey.

Lecture explores faith in today’s world The William C. Sennett Institute for Mercy and Catholic Studies brought essayist Richard Rodriguez to Mercyhurst for a lecture on Sept. 29. Described as one of the most eloquent and probing intellectuals in the country, he spoke on “Professing Faith in a Post-9/11 World.” He’s pictured between William C. Sennett, whose generosity helped create the institute, and Provost Dr. David Dausey.

An encore appearance Richard Lanzillo, J.D., chair of Mercyhurst’s Board of Trustees, welcomes Pulitzer Prize-winning author and presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin to Mercyhurst – for the second time. During his student days, Lanzillo convinced then-President William Garvey to invite Goodwin to speak at Mercyhurst just before the 1980 Carter-Reagan election. This time, Mercyhurst sponsored and hosted her Nov. 15, 2016, talk during the Jefferson Educational Society’s Global Summit VIII. 22

‘Play for Peace’ event honors Akyra Murray Hundreds gathered at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center on Dec. 1, 2016, to remember Akyra Murray, the youngest victim of the Pulse nightclub massacre. Murray, an outstanding student and 1,000-point scorer at Philadelphia’s West Catholic Preparatory School, had committed to play basketball at Mercyhurst North East this season. Mercyhurst presented the #20 jersey she would have worn to her parents, Albert and Natalie Murray.

AIM students explore Mt. Kilimanjaro

Community enjoys Hurst Day Hurst Day 2.0 was as much fun as the first annual event. Just two days after his inauguration, President Michael Victor canceled all classes for a day and invited students, faculty and staff to enjoy games, food and lots of fun. Bagpipers alerted students early in the morning and festivities kicked off with a scavenger hunt testing students’ Mercyhurst knowledge. The campus was filled with inflatable games and even a zipline, and outdoor food stations featured everything from burgers to barbeque.

Eight students and staff members from the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM) kicked off 2017 with a 12-day trek through Africa that included both an adventure hike in the shadows of the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro and a Tanzanian wildlife safari. Their trip continues the “Raise the Roof for Autism” initiative begun by AIM Director Brad McGarry. He said the trips provide unforgettable experiences for the students, but also increase awareness of the capabilities of students on the autism spectrum and of their need for meaningful employment opportunities.

He said his slogan for this trip was “Learning about the world, while the world learns about us.”

Frozen in time AIM hosts landmark conference on autism It was the first time ever that three of the world’s most prominent speakers on the subject of autism—Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Stephen Shore and Steve Silberman—were on the same program, and it was a Mercyhurst conference that brought them together. AIM (the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst) hosted its inaugural Conference on Autism in Higher Education Nov. 1-2, 2016, at Erie’s Bayfront Convention Center. Attendees came from all over the country to learn about college programs for students on the spectrum and initiatives to increase employment opportunities for those students after graduation.

President Michael T. Victor is pictured with speakers, from left, Dr. Robert Naseef, Dr. Stephen Shore, Dr. Temple Grandin and Steve Silberman.

The viral hit known as the #mannequinchallenge made its way to Mercyhurst in November, when the whole campus community was invited to pack the Athletic Center for a special challenge set against the backdrop of a men’s vs. women’s basketball scrimmage. When the word went out, everyone from President Victor to players to cheerleaders to referees to spectators froze in unison. Then they tried not to wobble, blink, sneeze, laugh or otherwise move as a camera wove through the scene frozen in time. You can watch the results at mercyhurst.edu/mannequin-challenge.

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Mercyhurst University Lakers Mercyhurst Lakers are earning college degrees at rates well above both national and conference averages. Academic Success Rate figures from the National Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA) show that 85 percent of student-athletes who entered Mercyhurst between 2006 and 2009 (the latest reporting period) have earned their degrees. That’s well above the average for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (79 percent) and for Division II across the nation (71 percent).

“We’re extremely proud of the success our Laker teams achieve in competition, but we’re even prouder to report that they are well-rounded students who also excel in the classroom,” said Mercyhurst President Michael T. Victor.

Here’s a look at how ‘Hurst sports teams fared in fall 2016:

Football

Redshirt-senior running back Richie Sanders led all of NCAA Division II with 2,220 allpurpose yards. He was named to both the AFCA and Don Hansen Gazette All-America Second Teams. Sanders was also an AllPSAC West First Team running back and Second Team return specialist. He will leave Mercyhurst as the program’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards and kickoff return yards.

Senior defensive lineman Ryan Carroll and senior punter Dylan Kondis were selected to the All-PSAC Second Team. Redshirt-junior Ryan Michaels, an offensive lineman, claimed his third straight Academic All-America honor.

As a team, the Lakers finished 3-8.

Cross Country

The Laker men placed seventh at the PSAC Championships – led by senior Jacob Eneix, who took 13th individually for All-PSAC honors.

The team then recorded its highest-ever Atlantic Regional finish at seventh place. Eneix led the way at Regionals, taking 22nd place.

The women’s team finished 10th at the PSAC Championships, while sophomore Anna Warner finished 30th individually to earn AllPSAC accolades. At the Atlantic Regional, Warner placed 40th and junior Mary Jaskowak 43rd as the team finished 13th.

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Tennis

Senior Joaquin Aguilera and junior Nenad Terzic teamed for the PSAC Men’s Doubles Championship, marking the second straight year that a Laker duo has won that title.

Aguilera was the top Mercyhurst performer in singles play, advancing to the semifinals.

During the ITA Atlantic Regional, Terzic reached the quarterfinals in singles play and teamed with Aguilera to reach the doubles semifinals.

Junior Saioa Gomez de Segura won her third consecutive PSAC Singles Championship and second straight ITA Atlantic Regional Championship. Gomez de Segura also teamed with senior Annie Baich for PSAC and ITA Atlantic Regional Doubles Championships. The PSAC doubles championship match featured two Mercyhurst teams – Baich and Gomez de Segura against junior Adrianna Jeffress and sophomore Kayla Frost. Baich and Gomez de Segura earned bids to the national ITA Oracle Cup, where Gomez de Segura placed third in singles and then teamed with Baich for eighth in doubles.

Field Hockey

Emily Burns represented Mercyhurst at the NFHCA Senior Game in Easton, Massachusetts.

Despite missing the PSAC Tournament, the Lakers claimed a victory against a conference tournament team with a 4-3 home victory over Indiana (Pa.).

Volleyball

Senior Lauren Kenny was selected to the All-PSAC Third Team as the Lakers finished 15-14. Despite missing the eight-team PSAC Tournament, the Lakers claimed victories over three of those tournament teams, including a thrilling 3-2 home win against Edinboro.

Soccer

Graduate student Lena Funke was named to the All-PSAC Third Team for the Laker women, who finished 8-8-2 for the second straight year. The Lakers recorded seven shutouts – the program’s highest total since 2009.

The Laker men won their fifth straight PSAC regular-season championship – and third PSAC Tournament crown in five years. The team fell to Urbana in the NCAA Tournament to finish with a 15-5-1 record. Graduate student Thom Derks was named PSAC Player of the Year, Jorge Gonzalez was PSAC Freshman of the Year and Nenad Vidakovic was selected as PSAC Coach of the Year. Derks and Gonzalez were also named to the All-PSAC First Team while graduate student Mark Roche, senior Michael DiRienzo, junior Kyle Johnson and freshman Connor Wilkinson were named to the Second Team. Derks was also named to the NSCAA All-America Third Team.

Golf

The Mercyhurst men won both the Mercyhurst Invitational and Gannon’s Bud Elwell Classic (where senior Chris Kupniewski medaled) in the fall. The Lakers also placed fourth at the PSAC Championships, where freshman Adrian Larsen tied for sixth. The women’s team placed fifth at the PSAC Championships, with freshman Bridget Merten placing 11th.

Water Polo

The men’s team won the CWPA Division II Championship as sophomore Connor Schmitz was named Tournament MVP. The team followed that up with a CWPA Mid-Atlantic Conference West Division championship in which senior Andrew Too-A-Foo was named Tournament MVP. The season culminated with a seventh-place finish at the CWPA Mid-Atlantic Conference Championships. Schmitz was named to the ACWPC AllAmerica Second Team.

Rowing

The Mercyhurst rowing program hosted its inaugural Autumn Classic at Findley Lake, New York, in October. The men’s lightweight rowing team won the Varsity Eights, Freshman/Novice Fours and Varsity Fours, while the women’s team captured the Varsity Eights, Freshman/Novice Eights and Varsity Four. The men’s and women’s Varsity Eights competed at the 52nd Head of the Charles in Boston, with the men finishing 13th among a group of premier lightweight programs, and the women placing ninth and securing an automatic bid to the event’s 53rd version. Over the summer, junior Jonas Weller won a silver medal with Germany’s U23 squad in the quadruple sculls at the 2016 World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and Jonathan Blazevic and Galen Bernick were named to the 2016 IRA All-Academic Team.

North East Saints The North East men’s and women’s soccer teams both finished as runnersup in Region III Division I in the fall. Jason Marczak, a freshman goalkeeper from Fort LeBoeuf High School, ended the season ranked No. 1 in saves in the country for NJCAA Division I. He was also chosen All-Region, along with Jaheed Loblack, Thomas Sedgewick, Trung Kitchener, Alex Simos, Anthony Martone, Sammi Weinheimer, Taylor Zachar, Raven Magrino, Morgan York, Nichole Ward and Emillie Shaffer.

The Saints volleyball team finished as runner-up in the Western New

York Athletic Conference, and Aren Schwab and Ashton Watts were both named to the all-conference team.

Wrestler Sam Colebert was ranked as high as No. 7 nationally in the 165-pound weight class.

The Saints welcomed several new coaches this fall/winter: Shannon Pullium (men’s basketball), Eric Miccio (men’s lacrosse) and Brandon Crum (baseball).

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Francis, August and Paul Mizia

Wrestling’s band of brothers

By Allison Seib The Mizia brothers — August, 24, Francis, 22, and Paul, 21, of Bentleyville, Pennsylvania — didn’t have to wrestle with their picks for college. Mercyhurst was an easy choice to pin down, they said.

After Mercyhurst wrestling head coach Mike Wehler recruited August `15, his brothers soon followed in his footsteps.

“It was easier on our parents,” Francis joked.

Francis, a redshirt senior and environmental science major, was also recruited for the wrestling program. He will graduate this May with August, who is completing his master’s in applied behavior analysis at Mercyhurst. Paul, who decided he was applying to Mercyhurst during three years of visits with his parents, said Mercyhurst was his one and only choice.

He will join his brothers as an alumnus in May 2018 with a graphic design degree.

“Gus, Fran and Pauly are all awesome people,” said coach Wehler. “They come from a great family that holds them accountable in all facets of life. I have a great amount of respect for the entire family. I love how close they all are and how they make no excuses. They are great role models; they give it their all, and if they fail, they reassess and get back to it. They are such a tremendous joy for me to be 26

around both as competitors and as people.”

After spending five years competing with the wrestling team, August said he was honored when coach Wehler asked him to be the team’s graduate assistant. During his wrestling career, August posted a 116-31 record, landing him second in all-time wins at Mercyhurst. His achievements include being a four-time PSAC place-winner and a four-time All-Conference selection. He is also a three-time NCAA Qualifier. At the 2015 DII NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, he recorded a 4-1 record, finishing third in the nation and earning All-America status.

As far as wrestling talent goes, August and Paul agree Francis has it. Francis has posted a 115-20 career record and finished fifth in the nation for his second straight All-America status. He has taken first and second place at the NCAA Super Region I Tournament; he placed at all four PSAC championships; he won the NCAA DII Award for Most Technical Falls in a season; and he was named Co-Rookie of the Year during his freshman year. Fran started this season with a 31-1 record, earning a No. 1 national ranking. He already has a win this year over the returning NCAA champion at his weight, and he leads the NCAA DII Most Dominant Wrestler category (regardless of weight class).

While Paul didn’t choose Mercyhurst primarily to wrestle, he joined the team and experienced his first collegiate victory as a sophomore, finishing third at the Jamestown Open.

“I came to Mercyhurst strictly for school,” said Paul. “I live vicariously through my brothers. I feel like I’ve taken on a responsibility to help them get better. It’s helped me get into and stay in shape, and I’ve made friends. It’s fun to be a part of something they are into.”

Paul has put his skills to good use — and gained some resumé-worthy experience along the way. “I have the most fun major in college,” said Paul, who has used his graphic design skills to create t-shirts, warm-up gear, posters and programs for the team.

While all good things must come to an end, the Mizia brothers won’t forget their Mercyhurst experience and the friends they made along the way.

“Overall, my college experience has been phenomenal,” August said.

His brothers agree. “It will be sad to leave.”

Class notes Maureen Aleci Gray ’65 was honored by the Women’s Initiative of Central Massachusetts with the Lois B. Green Award, recognizing her lifelong dedication to motivating young people to learn and achieve, her community service, and her financial empowerment for women and girls.

Robert Pettinelli ’74 wrote and published his first book titled “Fatherly Business Conversations.” The book is designed to help recent college graduates understand how to prosper in the business world.

Gregory Lindner ’85 has accepted a position as regional vice president of operations for McKibbon Hospitality and relocated to Tampa, Florida.

Donald “DJ” Fuhrmann ’87 retired from the City of Erie Police Department after 28 years of service and is the new chief of police at Mercyhurst University.

Christine Matha ’89 was chosen by the Sea Turtle Conservancy to design its 2016 holiday ornament after winning the group’s art contest in May. Matthew Konopka ’96 obtained an additional graduate degree from George Mason University (GMU) in emergency management-homeland security in December 2016. A federal manager for the DHS National Operations Center, he was selected as a member of the White House National Security Council in November 2016.

The West Wing detail is for a duration of two years.

Jennifer McElroy Pelaia ’96 was the award recipient for Health South Harmarville Rehabilitation Hospital at the Cameos of Caring Program and Awards Gala sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing.

Chandra Inglis-Smith ’97 accepted a position with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), West Virginia Division, as statewide and urban planner.

Sheila Stott Silman ’99 was named director of the Erie County Re-Entry Services and Support Alliance.

The new organization helps those

returning from prison or jail to access jobs, education, housing, transportation and mentoring/ counseling.

Cynthia Grygier McMillen ’01 was chosen as president of the Board of Advisors for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina.

James Alexander ’04 was named director at Buffamante Whipple Buttafaro, P.C. He performs and supervises audit engagements for not-for-profit and governmental organizations, manufacturing entities, school districts, employee benefit plans and rural electric cooperatives.

Jaime Rinne Mahoney ’04 coauthored “A Curious Collection of Dates: Through the Year with Sherlock Holmes,” published

by Wessex Press in January 2016.

The book is a compendium of historical facts and trivia relating to Sherlock Holmes organized by date.

Shaun Lux ’05 was promoted to manager of business analysis for Paylocity. Paylocity (NASDAQ: PCTY) develops cloud-based payroll and human capital management software systems for medium-sized organizations.

Jeffrey Haft ’07 returns to Mercyhurst as an assistant athletic trainer and adjunct faculty member in the Athletic Training Professional Program.

Lisa Bannister ’08 accepted a fulltime vocational teaching position at Lake Erie Correctional Institute in Conneaut, Ohio. She will attend classes in the spring term at Bowling Green University to receive her teaching certificate in K-12 vocational education.

Courtney Olevnik ’08 ’13M has moved to the advancement department at Mercyhurst University as director of donor relations.

Phyllis Roman ’08 has been named

partner at Giamanco & Ooink, a law firm in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Travis Jessick ’10 is now a territory sales manager for Altherm, Inc., a plumbing/HVAC company. He also teaches and coaches people to make money from a home-based business.

Bryan Melerski ’10 moved to Seattle to start a new career teaching K-5 general music in the Lake Washington School District after working for four years at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama, with the Department of Defense Education Activity.

Brenton Martin ’10M has been named executive director of the Jeffco Sheltered Workshop. He has a lengthy career serving the developmentally disabled and his current work involves about 128 adult individuals at the Jeffco Production and Training Centers.

Ryan Connors ’11 has joined Dannible & McKee, LLP as a digital marketing coordinator.

Jeremy Dickey ’13 joined the City of Takoma Park, Maryland, as a media specialist in January.

Lauren Moss ’12 and Veronica McCoy ’14 competed together in the Chicago Triathlon. Veronica is pursuing an M.A. in religious ethics at the University of Chicago and plans to apply to medical school after graduation in June 2017. Lauren received her M.Ed. in counseling from Loyola University of Chicago, is working in community mental health, and volunteers with Rape Victim Advocates. Both are happily unmarried.

BIRTHS AND ADOPTIONS Ryan Kennis ’99 and wife Kim had their third child, Charlotte Bobbee, on June 8, 2016. Charlotte joins brother Ty and sister Hannah.

Jennifer Smolinski Bouffard ’02 and Chris Bouffard ’02 had a son, Kevin Christopher, on Dec. 30, 2015. He joins sister Kathryn and brother Ryan.

Erin Anderson-Hickey ’02 and husband Courtland had their second daughter, Arwen Persephone Hickey, on July 29, 2016. Arwen joins big sister Freya.

Kelly Froelich McColgan ’02 and husband Michael had a daughter, Moira, in August 2016.

Kristen McCaskey Rice ’02 and husband Seth had their third child, Quinn Elyse, on Dec. 29, 2016.

She joins sister Jillian and brother Collin.

Ted Nagorsen ’05 and Marley McKenzie Nagorsen ’09 had their second daughter, Kinsale James, on June 10, 2016.

Gloria Emberger Oxford ’05 and husband Sean had a daughter, Mackenzie Joy, on May 26, 2016.

Mackenzie joins brother Noah and sister Marlee.

Hilary Frantz Jonczak ’07 and husband Chris had their third son, Rocco Joseph, on Sept. 19, 2016.

Jean-Paul Magermans ’07 and wife Mary had their second child, Paulette Amelie, on Sept. 9, 2016.

Deanna Fletcher Manbeck ’08 and husband Joe had their first child, Timothy Joseph, on Aug. 11, 2016, in Wilmington, Delaware.

Kathryn Kolker Miller ’09 and husband Christopher had a child, Blakely McKemie, on Jan. 6, 2016, in Rochester, New York.

Jennifer Palladino Noe ’09 and husband Patrick had their fourth child, Sydney Kathleen, on April 2, 2016.

Sydney joins brother Luke and twin sisters Avery and Grace.

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Class notes MARRIAGES AND ENGAGEMENTS Michael Clark ’85 married Lisa Capan on Jan. 9, 2016, in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

Michael is superintendent of the State Correctional Institution at Albion and Lisa is a senior customer success advocate for Blackboard, Inc. Robert Lawlor ’05 married Christina Yetter on Oct.1, 2016, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Groomsmen included Shaun Lux ’05, John Waldheim ’05 and Dr. Kevin Tidgewell ’03.

Sara Houston ’06 married Jamie Carracher on Nov. 5, 2016, at Immaculate Conception Church in Washington, D.C. Lucille Murphy ’07 married Shane Healy on June 18, 2016, in Dennis Port, Massachusetts. Lucille works as the school district treasurer in Saratoga Springs, New York, and Shane owns CrossFit Shatter in Albany, New York.

Sara Kuntz ’08 and Taylor Dutton eloped in Gibraltar on May 31, 2016. Sara works for the Town of Gull Lake as recreation director and Taylor is assistant plant manager at South West Terminal.

Sarah Blackwell ’10 and Michael Herhal ’12 were married in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Bridesmaids included maid of honor Hailey Glover ’11 and bridesmaids Mary Vuono Lamancusa ’10 and Colleen Gaffney ’10. The couple was married at Excelsior, where Sarah previously worked planning weddings and special events. Michael and Sarah live in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, with their daughter, Isabelle, and expect their second child in late April.

Bruno Didiano ’10 and Elizabeth McMullen ’10 were married in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 17, 2016. Amy Breininger ’10 was maid of honor.

Shannon Reed ’10 married Richard Grube on Aug. 13, 2016, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Kali Seech ’10 was a bridesmaid. Shannon and Richard reside in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

Lindsay Cox ’12 married Thomas Frank ’13 on Aug. 13, 2016, at St. James Roman Catholic Church in Erie.

The bridal party included bridesmaids April Clark Adamczyk ’06, Elizabeth Eidnier ’12, Alexa Dewey ’12 and Rhona Boyle ’13, groomsman Jeremy Dickey ’13, and mothers of the couple Denise Veshecco Cox ’93 and Betsy Herzog Frank ’81.

Bethany Coon ‘16M and Michael Reilly Jr. ‘12 were married at Mercyhurst’s Christ the King Chapel by Father Mike Allison on Oct. 8, 2016. Groomsmen included Shane McCabe ‘12, Thomas Hall ‘12, Aaron Ullman ‘12, Andrew Jaouen ‘12 and T.J. Reilly ‘14.

Jen Reilly ’09 was a bridesmaid.

Bethany is the granddaughter of Gloria H. Sullivan ‘44, daughter of Sheila S. Coon ‘72, and niece of Maureen S. Maus ‘73 and Mary Ann S. Hathaway ‘88.

Rachel Torgesen ’12 married Chris Duzen ’09 on Oct. 1, 2016, at the Ellicottville Brewing Company in Ellicottville, New York. They honeymooned in Italy, Germany and Austria. Victoria Scott ’12, Jordan Pirrone ’12 and Amy Deer ’12 were bridesmaids. Groomsmen included Nicholas Johnson ’09, Matthew Tolbert ’13 and Zach Pekor ’09. Chris and Rachel reside in Manassas, Virginia.

Samantha Strathearn ’15 married Ian Gayford ’15 on June 25, 2016, in Perry, New York. Kimberlyn Bloise ’14 and Dillon Shidemantle ’15 were in the bridal party. Samantha is a graduate student in art education at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, and works as a research assistant.

Ian works as an extended-day lead teacher in Richmond, Virginia.

ALUMNI DEATHS Lucille Heintz DeCarlo ’49 Agnes Nakich Olesky ’49 Carol Cairns Brabender ’50 Mary Jachimczyk Bankowski ’53 Donna Albrycht Hausman ’54 Mary Jane Odell ’55 Victoria Argana Rosato ’55 Mary Ann Bittner Simpson ’57 Elizabeth Bott Fitzgerald ’65 Sr. Janet Staab, OSB ’69 Katharine Duda Newman ’71 Diana Swain Chandley ’73 Margaret Hughes Muckinhaupt ’74 Frances Portka Woytek ’74 Louis Cucuzza ’75 Edward McGraw ’75

Celebrating the 4th of July Laker-style Every summer, a group of Mercyhurst alumni who’ve settled in South Florida gather for a big family picnic. Most of them met in Florida and happened to connect the dots back to Mercyhurst. Pictured during last year’s event are (front row) Kevin Schultz ’93, national senior director of lifestyle content at The Golf Channel, Windermere; Tom Craig ’94 and Erin Strucker Craig ’94, owner/operator and pharmacist at Gulfstream Pharmacy, Delray Beach; (back row) Elizabeth Strucker-Meador ’94, a dermatology nurse practitioner at ClearlyDerm Center for Dermatology, Boca Raton; Adam Morettin ‘05, national senior director for learning and development at DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc., Boca Raton; and Allison Strucker-Goodridge, who attended Mercyhurst for two years, also of Delray Beach.

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Class notes Karen Schaus Neal ’77 Maureen Saunders Atkinson ’80 Nola Weingard Lyons ’80 Janet Jelleson Kuhn ’84 Linda Lindberg ’86 Christopher Cuzzola ’88 Lynda Kelley ’90 Yvonne Galli Trettel ’92 Andrew Antolik ’95 Cynthia Aldrich Lechefsky ’00 Melissa Eiring ’07 Sandra McClane Orton ’07 Destiny Thornton ’07 Sharon Guthrie ’08 Aaron Manzer ’10 Briana Talty ’14 Grady Zimmer ’16 Husband of: Patricia Jack Fessler ’50 (Robert Fessler) Joyce White Caruso ’62 (Hank Caruso) Patricia Richards Ogilvie ’62 (William Ogilvie) Mary Lee Stadter Rinderle ’62 (Deacon Edward Rinderle) Maryce Jaeger Cunningham ’65 (James Cunningham) Patricia Lewandwoski Shookster ’90 (John Shookster) Michele McNiff Diele ’96 (Bill Diele) Father of: Louise Herbst Rosenfeld ’75 (John Herbst Jr.) Beth Koskoski ’98 (Russell Nagel) Mother of: Cathryn Bern-Smith ’77 (Betsy Bern) Lynn Falbo Graham ’01 (Susan Falbo) Kayla Larson ’16 (Maryann Larson) Sister of: Deborah Duda Gale ’77 and Cheryl Duda Donze ’80 (Katharine Duda Newman ’71) Friends of the University: Ann Cuzzola Peter Musacchio, instructional designer at the Ridge College Richard Ragan, former professor of mass media and communications Rev. Eldon Somers, retired academic counselor

Wheelchair adventures Young friend inspires alum’s book A gift Brittany Parker Adkins ’07 created for one special little boy is having a bigger impact than she ever expected.

In a matter of minutes last January, the world turned upside down for Brittany’s good friends, Jennifer and Eric Nachreiner. Their healthy 2-year-old son, Nolan, was suddenly unable to move.

Soon diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord, he’s been paralyzed from the neck down since that day. His prognosis is uncertain, but he’s undergoing intensive rehabilitation to regain some mobility.

Brittany says, “Jennifer and Eric were thrown by his physical limitations, of course, but even more they saw Nolan’s vibrant personality change. He was very full of life and adventurous before the illness. They were afraid they weren’t going to get their son back.”

Brittany saw an opportunity to help. As a school psychologist, she helps children process the world around them every day and she decided it would help to write stories for Nolan, with himself in the starring role. What started as a private gift was published in October as a children’s book that can help any child facing life with

limited mobility. It’s available through amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, and all proceeds are being devoted to spinal cord injury research.

"Look What We Can Do!" is a lighthearted tale about Nolan, a little boy, and Teddy, his best friend, as they cruise around on Nolan's new power wheelchair.

The two adventurers find joy and humor in the world around them, despite the obstacles they face.

“I tried to emphasize all he can experience through his senses, how he can see and hear and feel love,” Brittany says.

Few resources exist for young children with paralysis. “I’m hoping this can be a small but meaningful contribution to those who need it,” Brittany says. She thanks Kristen Bell (art director), Jordan Wiltanger (illustrator) and Shannon Vernier (publishing specialist) for helping create the book.

Brittany lives in Saegertown, Pennsylvania, with her husband Mill and their two sons, 4-year-old Parker and 2-year-old Millington Adkins V (called MAV). She earned a master’s degree from Duquesne University and is a school psychologist with the Penncrest School District.

To follow the story of Nolan and his family – including baby brother Henry, who was born just before Nolan came home from the hospital – visit facebook.com/getwellnolan.

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