Mercyhurst Magazine - Fall 2013

MAGAZINE

Taking education beyond the gates.

Parntership with booker t. washington center offers new opportunities in Erie’s center city

Inside this issue: goggle glass on campus students study addictions estate gifted to MNE homecoming/Family weekend 2013

FALL 2013

from

Penal Cross Belonged to Sister Maria O’Connor, RSM

the president.

I became a grandfather not long ago. That’s the kind of milestone that prompts one to think about the future.

I don’t imagine I’ll be president of Mercyhurst when Paxton is ready for college, but I’m confident there will still be a strong, healthy, vibrant Mercyhurst University here on the hill that he can be proud to attend.

I want him to be able to see Mercyhurst as I see it – as a community of learners, of people dedicated to the growth and transmission of knowledge and culture; as a place where goodness and Mercy still matter; as a place of beauty and warm hospitality.

No university can afford to be complacent in these days of economic uncertainty and shrinking numbers of high school graduates. But Mercyhurst has never been complacent; Mercyhurst has been open to new ideas since its earliest days. After all this is what Carpe Diem means, right? Indeed, I often describe Mercyhurst as “an institution on the move,” and the stories in this issue explore just a few of the reasons.

Celtic Cross Donated by Heidi Hosey, Ph.D. Saint Bridgid’s Cross Donated by Sister Patricia Whalen, RSM

Four years ago we headed two miles north of our gates to launch a new campus in center-city Erie, a partnership with the Booker T. Washington Center that’s making college possible for more students every year.

Longtime benefactor Bob Miller generously donated his property to expand our North East campus.

The sustainable farming operation also moved to North East over the summer, opening up exciting new opportunities for our culinary students.

Our faculty are known for the strong relationships they develop with their students, but they’re scholars as well. You’ll read here about one who’s among the first in the nation to use Google Glass, and another who’s working with his students to investigate the mechanisms of addiction.

Mercy Cross Created and donated

by Thomas Hubert

We earned our highest ranking yet from U.S. News & World Report, reflecting our growing reputation for academic excellence. And we’re honored to be part of two partnerships that will bring exciting new resources to our campus and our students. Mercyhurst is now home to the Thomas J. and Michele Ridge Collection, an archive of historic material documenting their service to our region, the state and the nation.

Through the generosity of former Trustee John Boyle, his sister Mary and their family, Mercyhurst will also house the Helen Boyle Memorial Archives, named to honor former trustee and board officer Helen Boyle of Oil City. The Archives will honor Helen’s friend, Joan Chittister, OSB, one of our most prominent graduates as well as one of the most influential religious leaders today.

As we move forward, we always recall with gratitude the strong foundation laid for us by the Sisters of Mercy. We honored their legacy this fall by installing Mercy and Celtic crosses in the classrooms of Old Main, the building the Sisters constructed in 1926. The crosses (pictured at left) remind us daily how blessed we are to be the beneficiaries of their vision and hard work.

Mercy Rosary Cross Created and donated

by Daniel Barricklow

God bless you, and God bless Mercyhurst.

Thomas J. Gamble, Ph.D. President, Mercyhurst University 1

in

this issue: 1 From the president 3 Reaching for the Stars Sr. Mary Matthew Baltus 5 Honoring distinguished alumni 7 Exploring addictions Laboratory fosters student research 9 Alumni spotlights 11 Growing gardens and colleges The Miller Estate 13 Alumni SpotlightS 15 Sporting the colors Alumnus spreads Laker pride 16 Homecoming/FAMILY WEEKEND 2013 17 Breaking barriers Mercyhurst at the Booker T. Washington Center 19 Peering into the future MU prof gets Google Glass 21 Wrapping up the SPRING SPORTS season 23 Athletics hall of fame 25 Making headlines What’s happening at Mercyhurst 29 Alumni notes On the cover: Students Jaci Davis, Vivian McCullum and Natasha Stewart are pictured in front of Mercyhurst’s newest campus at the Booker T. Washington Center. See page 17 to learn how the initiative is making higher education an option for a very diverse group of students who might otherwise never have attempted college.

View this issue online! mercyhurst.edu/magazine

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

Editor Susan Hurley Corbran ’73 scorbran@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-2090 Contributing Writers Abby Badach Meghan Corbin ‘08 Susan Corbran ’73 Allison Seib Design/Photography Jennifer Cassano jcassano@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3022 Vice President for External Affairs Monsignor David Rubino, Ph.D. drubino@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3034 Assistant Vice President for Advancement Ryan Palm ’07 rpalm@mercyhurst.edu (800) 845-8568 (814) 824-3320 Director, Alumni Relations Tamara Walters twalters@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3350 Class Notes Editor Debra Tarasovitch dtarasovitch@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-2392 We’d love to hear from you.

Send your story ideas, suggestions and comments to scorbran@mercyhurst.edu.

Send changes of address to: Mercyhurst Magazine Mercyhurst University 501 E. 38th St. Erie, PA 16546 2

Reaching

for the stars.

Sr. Mary Matthew Baltus has been reaching for the stars all her life. And, during more than 40 years on the Mercyhurst faculty, she’s helped generations of students discover the beauty and mystery she sees in the skies.

Story by Sue Corbran

Sister Mary Matthew Baltus, RSM, helped design the observatory when Zurn Hall opened in 1968.

It was named in her honor in 1993.

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She absorbed her fascination with the skies from older brother George, first her partner in helping neighborhood kids craft airplanes out of balsa wood and rubber bands, and later her instructor as she learned to fly the real thing – a biplane George had refurbished. Nancie Baltus was 15 when she took her first flying lesson.

During World War II, she followed her brother’s lead again.

George, an aircraft designer with Curtiss-Wright, told her the government was training women to replace male engineers who were heading off to war. He convinced Nancie to interrupt her chemistry studies at Mercyhurst to pursue an associate degree in aeronautical engineering at Cornell University.

She also kept up her flying lessons, though. When the airport in Ithaca was closed, she hopped on a bicycle and pedaled to the nearest airfield – 26 miles away – to continue flying.

With her degree in hand, Nancie went to work at Curtiss-Wright, helping to prepare engineering drawings for the C-46 cargo planes and P-40 pursuit planes manufactured at its Buffalo plant. As her experience grew, she also found herself crawling inside planes on the assembly line to identify and solve problems. Though she came within a few hours of completing the required practice time, she never did get a pilot’s license.

EDITOR’S NOTE: At a recent fundraiser for Mercyhurst Prep, Sr. Mary Matthew bid on a flight in a fully restored 1943 opencockpit biplane. When the price quickly rose beyond her budget, a Mercyhurst University trustee who’d like to remain anonymous stepped in to match the winning bid and secured a flight for her.

This fall she’ll enjoy a 30-minute ride over Presque Isle with pilot Scott Allen in a plane much like the one in which she learned to fly.

Instead, in 1944, Nancie changed course dramatically, joining the Sisters of Mercy who had so impressed her during the year and a half she studied at Mercyhurst. “I considered them the greatest women I had ever met,” she says now. “All the time I was at Cornell and Buffalo, I kept in touch with the Sisters of Mercy. I had a strong desire to join them and to share my life with them in service to the church.” Soon Sr. Mary Matthew Baltus was teaching in Catholic grade schools, and returning to study at the Hurst each summer until she completed her degree in math in 1950.

Then came more teaching, this time math and science at the high school level, while earning two graduate degrees: a master’s in math from the University of Pittsburgh (1957) and, with help from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a second master’s from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). When she got that degree in physical science in 1961, she joined the Mercyhurst faculty.

Besides teaching her original specialty, math, she went on to found the school’s earth science department and astronomy program. An engaging teacher, she quickly turned astronomy into one of the most popular courses on campus and helped develop one of the school’s signature scientific facilities – the observatory atop Zurn Hall.

LAUNCHING AN ASTRONOMY PROGRAM

Sr. Mary Matthew recalls the early years of the astronomy program.

When the Russians jump-started the Space Age by launching Sputnik in 1957, the Erie Daily Times asked Sr. Mary Charles Weschler to help stage a photo. She set up the college’s small refractor telescope atop Preston Hall and gathered a few students to pose with it.

The publicity stunt prompted a scathing note from Dr. John Ruiz, an astronomer from Ossining, N.Y., pointing out the girls could not follow a satellite using that equipment. But it also led to a long-term relationship between Mercyhurst and Ruiz, who donated a better telescope and came to Erie to install it. He eventually moved to Erie, lectured at Mercyhurst often, and continued to donate equipment.

In 1967, when the college built Zurn Hall to house the arts and sciences, Dr. Ruiz worked with Sr. Mary Matthew to design the observatory. “In order to be vibration free, the pier for the telescope had to be anchored in solid earth rock,” she explains. “When the basement level of Zurn was poured, a pier extended 30 feet below the floor and extended above the fourth floor.” Sr. Mary Matthew tapped her engineering background to supervise installation of the observatory and its 16-foot rotating dome and Ruiz helped select a 10-inch reflector telescope with clock drive and solar filters.

When the 26-year-old observatory was renovated in 1993, Mercyhurst took the opportunity to rename it the Baltus Observatory in Sr. Mary Matthew’s honor.

SR. MATTHEW’S MANY ROLES

The observatory may be Sr. Mary Matthew’s most tangible legacy, but it’s only one facet of her contributions to Mercyhurst. Besides her long teaching career, Sr. Matthew’s roles ranged from dean of students to interim academic dean, from first president of the college senate to advisor of Mercyhurst Student Government, from founder of the earth science department to chair of the science and math division.

When Mercyhurst introduced the intersession in 1967, she teamed up with Dave Thomas and Sr. Eymard Poydock to organize annual trips to the Virgin Islands that allowed students to explore geology, astronomy and marine biology.

She was a lifelong student as well, earning NSF grants to study at major universities around the country, doing astronomical research at major observatories, traveling the world to observe solar eclipses, visiting Egypt and Greece on a Fulbright scholarship to study their cultures and landmarks, and taking Elderhostel courses. Though she worked part time in later years, Sr. Mary Matthew remained active on the faculty for some 40 years. Even after her retirement in 2001, she continued to tutor adult students in math, gathering them around the dining room table of her home.

Located on the hill south of Mercyhurst (next door to Mercyhurst Prep), the home’s décor features a number of Sr. Mary Mathew’s watercolors and the backyard boasts a thriving garden that she tends. She’s also an accomplished knitter and only recently gave up kayaking, another favorite hobby.

Even at 90, the sky’s still the limit for this remarkable woman.

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Honoring

our alumni.

Mercyhurst honors five outstanding alumni during Reunion Weekend festivities

Nicholas Potter, DPT ’01 Nick Potter, who was recognized with the Distinguished Young Alumni Award, earned a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Duke University in 2004 and completed several postdoctoral fellowships. He’s now assistant director of athletic rehabilitation at Duke, teaches in the DPT program and coordinates research for Duke Athletics.

He focuses on biomechanical analysis, identifying and correcting small deficits in normal, healthy athletes to prevent injury and enhance performance.

Cassandra Kuba, Ph.D. ’97 Cassandra Kuba received a pair of awards on June 1.

Mercyhurst presented her with the Distinguished Alumni Award for contributions to her chosen field – anthropology – while California University of Pennsylvania gave her its President’s Gala Award for Outstanding Service. She’s been chief forensic anthropologist and assistant professor of anthropology in the Department of Justice, Law & Society at Cal since 2007.

She earned a master’s degree in human biology at the University of Indianapolis, focusing on skeletal biology and DNA analysis, and a Ph.D. in anthropology from Arizona State University, where she focused on biological variations – the quirks that differentiate individuals within groups.

When Cassandra arrived at California, she helped develop a growth plan to save an anthropology program that faced elimination. It now enrolls 60 majors.

Outside the classroom, Cassandra devotes much of her energy to community outreach, spreading the word about what anthropology is and what it can do – especially to young people in local schools.

She and her students get involved in many pro-bono projects near their campus, from helping Historic York seek out a roadway leading to a Revolutionary War POW camp to locating a stockade house that once protected a farmhouse dating to 1805.

Nick shares his expertise at conferences of major athletic training organizations worldwide.

He was on the training staff for the U.S. men’s basketball teams for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. He was with USA Shooting as team physiotherapist at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and in London last year.

Nick does team consulting with the National Football League, English Premier Soccer League and the National Hockey League, as well as working with individual athletes, from Brazilian soccer star Alexandre Pato to Kyrie Irving, the #1 NBA draft pick in 2011.

More recently, Nick rehabbed premier quarterback Peyton Manning through his recovery after neck surgery. Manning came to Duke for several months, where Nick worked on restructuring his throwing motion and mechanics. Earlier this year, Nick ran what he calls an “NFL mini-camp” at Duke for Peyton and Eli Manning and their receivers.

Nick plans to marry Ciara Connolly in May 2014. An Irish student who graduated from Mercyhurst in 2002, Ciara has been managing events for five-star hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

She consults for many agencies and recently became a technical consultant for some of TV’s fictionalized forensic programs. It’s a perfect job for Cassandra, who enjoys creative writing in her limited spare time. She’s worked on episodes of “CSI,” “Bones” and “Rizzoli and Isles.”

Cassandra and her husband, Anthony Vincequerra, have a two-year-old son, Maximilian Xavier.

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Alexis Walker, PH.D. ’74

Pierre Priestley ’81

A Distinguished Alumni Award for contribution to one’s chosen field was presented posthumously to Alexis Walker, who died in 2012 of chronic lymphoma at the age of 60.

Pierre Priestley’s loyalty and service to his alma mater earned him the Distinguished Alumni Award for contributions to Mercyhurst.

As president of Mercyhurst student government, then known as the Representative Union of Students, Alexis became the first student to sit on Mercyhurst’s Board of Trustees.

She received the Carpe Diem Award at graduation.

A home economics and psychology major, Alexis went on to earn a master’s degree in child development and family life from Purdue University and a doctorate in human development and family studies from Penn State in 1979. After teaching for several years at the University of Oklahoma, she joined the faculty of Oregon State University in 1984.

Promoted to professor in 1992, she went on to serve as director of OSU’s Program on Gerontology; co-director of the Graduate Program in Human Development and Family Sciences; JoAnne L. Petersen Chair in Gerontology and Family Studies; and, since 2008, chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences.

Alexis was a gifted teacher and mentor of undergraduate and graduate students and a talented researcher of family relationships. Active in the National Council on Family Relations, she served as its president, edited the leading family studies journal and co-founded the Section on Feminism and Family Studies. She also published 44 scholarly articles in peer-reviewed journals, edited a book, and contributed 18 chapters to books edited by others.

Pierre studied accounting and political science at Mercyhurst, and then graduated from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. After a decade working in corporate tax management, he settled into the niche area of taxation known as “like kind exchanges.” In 2004 he joined Investment Property Exchange Services, Inc. (popularly known as IPX Ten-Thirty-One) in Chicago, where he serves as senior vice president and general counsel. He runs the firm’s personal property division.

A certified exchange specialist, he also earned an MBA from the University of Chicago in finance and business policy in 1993.

Pierre has remained firmly allied with Mercyhurst, regularly attending homecoming, serving as a class agent, returning to lecture during “Alumni on Campus” events, and representing the Hurst wherever he could.

He joined the board of the Alumni Association in 1994-95, beginning a commitment that would last until 2011. He served as the association’s president from 1996 to 2002, making numerous trips to Erie every year for meetings of the association board and the college’s Board of Trustees.

As an alumni leader, he worked to ensure that all alumni remained connected, encouraged diversity on the board and reached out to younger alumni through social media.

Pierre also serves as chair of the executive board for Phi Alpha Delta, a legal fraternity and service organization.

Bob Merski ’99 Mercyhurst honored Bob Merski with the Distinguished Alumni Award for service to his community, recognizing his work as a special education teacher, a neighborhood organizer, an Erie City Councilman and more.

Bob was the last student to complete the Cadet Teaching Program at Mercyhurst and through his early teaching jobs discovered the special rewards of working with “at risk” children.

For the past eight years, he’s taught for the Erie City School District, first providing support for children with learning differences at Wayne School, and now teaching special education math and English at East High School.

He’s been a mentor and role model to his students, from coaching sports to directing the CHAMPS after-school enrichment program.

A firm believer that we can improve our city one neighborhood at a time, Bob co-founded the South East Hills Neighborhood Watch Group in 2007 and helped create the South East Erie Farmer’s Market to promote local farm goods in Erie. . He meets regularly with other residents of his neighborhood near the Mercyhurst campus.

A lifelong Democrat, Bob became active in local politics during the 2008 Presidential campaign. He ran for office himself in 2011, becoming the youngest person ever to win a seat on Erie City Council.

Bob, who is completing a master’s degree in educational development and strategies at Wilkes University, is engaged to marry fellow Laker Emily Mosco, a 2004 graduate of Mercyhurst.

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Exploring

addictions.

Why do some people become addicted to tobacco, while others don’t? Why can some smokers quit and others can’t? Are there ways to predict if someone will become an addict?

Story by Allison Seib

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These are questions psychology professor Matthew T. Weaver, Ph.D., explored during several years as a postdoctoral associate at the University of Pittsburgh. That work opened the door for him to head Mercyhurst’s new Laboratory on Addiction and Impulsive Behavior.

Last spring, Weaver and student team leaders Jessica Braymiller ’14 and Jordan Kist ’15 launched the lab’s first two studies. One compared social and dependent smokers, while the second probed the connection between impulsive behavior and credit card debt.

“Students are highly involved with these studies,” explains Weaver, who received the B.F. Skinner Foundation’s Early Career Researcher Award in 2013. “I’ve been blown away by the students’ response in lab. Working in teams has been a collaborative and dynamic process.”

With an estimated 163,000 Americans dying each year from smoking-related illnesses (and another five million worldwide), Braymiller’s team questioned why adults continue to smoke despite widespread information about the negative health effects caused by tobacco products.

The student researchers started with the hypothesis that external “cues” – like a familiar environment or a pack of cigarettes – can cause smokers to subconsciously crave tobacco. They set out to determine whether social smokers react differently to those cues than dependent smokers do and whether smokers respond differently depending on how much nicotine is present in their systems.

The researchers first divided their 19 test subjects – smokers aged 19-58 – into social smokers and dependent smokers.

The researchers then compared participants’ heart rate, skin temperature and craving before and after the test.

During the test the researchers showed the smokers cues, in this case photos of popular outdoor smoking spots on the Erie campus. Models in some held cigarettes, while in others the same models held more neutral objects, like cell phones or car keys.

The subjects were tested once right after smoking a cigarette, and on another occasion when they hadn’t smoked for at least four hours.

The results surprised the students, who had figured that only the dependent smokers would crave cigarettes. They found that all smokers, regardless of dependence level, craved a cigarette after four hours of abstinence. Even more surprising, the dependent smokers reported craving cigarettes after they were exposed to the cues even when they had just smoked a cigarette. Thus, it appears that dependent smokers are more affected by the cues than non-dependent smokers. By characterizing the relationship between smoking cues and dependence level, the group hopes to help prevent social smokers from turning into dependent smokers, and help those who are already dependent smokers.

CREDIT CARD STUDY

In the credit card study, Weaver and team leader Kist looked specifically to college-aged students since credit companies often target 18- to 24-year-olds.

The team predicted that adolescents and young adults with higher credit card debt would be more impulsive than those with lower debt, and that credit cardholders in general would be more impulsive than their non-card-carrying counterparts.

They questioned about 30 students, many of them freshmen, about their history with credit cards and administered two personality questionnaires to measure impulsivity.

The final test – known as a “delay discounting test” – asked volunteers if they would prefer a small reward now or a larger reward later. Essentially, the test measures the participant’s ability to wait before finally receiving a reward.

The end results contradicted the team’s hypothesis: data indicated that students with credit cards were actually less impulsive than non-cardholding students. And, among the cardholding students, credit card debt was fairly low.

They now suspect that the cardholders – many of whom had credit cards before college – may have learned responsibility under the supervision of their parents.

Weaver and his team will also be continuing this study by including even younger subjects. Weaver points out that humans learn the most during the first stages of life, so studying younger people may help the team to distinguish when and why someone develops a habit or an addiction that continues into adulthood.

While he supervised the teams, Weaver notes that students researched, developed and followed through with these studies. He specifically credits Braymiller and Kist, both of whom presented their research at the Western Pennsylvania Undergraduate Psychology Conference in April and plan to present updated findings at the American Psychological Association’s annual convention this summer.

“My students are completely imaginative and hard working. Jessica and Jordan really drove the research home, while I guided them and provided a firm foundation,” says Weaver. “The insight and the dedication all started and ended with the team leaders and the assistants. While I was definitely present to help, mostly the students derived the interpretation and outcomes. Overall, it was a dynamic, creative experience for everyone.”

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Spotlighting our alumni.

Anchors tame blowing blankets The key to building a successful business is finding the right niche, a need that no one is filling. Dawn Adams ’92 thinks that she’s identified two such opportunities.

Dawn left Erie the day she graduated with her hospitality management degree, excited to start managing a Clevelandarea restaurant. Since then, a series of jobs has taken her all over the country and today she maintains residences in both Brooklyn and Florida.

The two businesses she created are the Blanket Anchor®, a patent-pending device she invented to keep blankets firmly anchored in the sand at the beach, and Christ Couture™, a casual Christian apparel line.

She and her new partner Errol Bailey spend 12 to 16 hours a day managing operations for the two product lines, but she’s extremely determined because she feels that “working for oneself makes a huge difference.”

The Florida location is perfect for her Blanket Anchor® business. “You have to have sand to launch a beach product, right?” she laughs. She says she first saw the need for the product in 2011 after enduring flying sand and blowing blankets during a trip to Bermuda. Her simple solution: a set of four plastic pegs with 6-inch coiled shafts that twist into sand or grass, topped with serrated clamps that hold a blanket or towel securely in place.

Blanket Anchors® can be customized and a Signature Flag line branded with a variety of national flags is already available. Dawn says she’ll be partnering with a sporting goods company and distributing Blanket Anchors® in conjunction with international soccer competitions in spring 2014. The line has expanded to include other branded “beachy” accessories such as blankets, towels and sarongs.

The two companies are based in both Brooklyn and Florida. “I feel it is imperative to keep an active New York footprint because it’s the epicenter of business,” she says. It’s also a good base for her Christ Couture™ clothing line, billed as “a brand worn by believers.”

She’s relaunching her website and promoting the line using entertainers and celebrities in New York City.

Dawn says she owned a plethora of t-shirts featuring nonsense and musical entertainers, and felt God should have a classy line that people would wear in public and not just on Sundays. “I thought, ‘God, why don’t you have a cool line? Why can’t I represent you on t-shirts that are cute?’” She quickly designed the Christ Couture™ logo with the “T” in “Couture” symbolizing the cross. The simple, yet subtle, logo is emblazoned on t-shirts, tanks, hoodies and other everyday items for both adults and children. “We just want to offer people the option to wear their faith on their sleeves, literally,” she explains.

On the Web: originalblanketanchor.com and christcouturemovement.com 9

Recent grad breaks into film world For some people, failure isn’t an option.

And smart ones like aspiring director Caitlin MacBride ’13 know you sometimes have to start at the bottom.

This summer, Caitlyn worked as a production assistant (PA) on the set of Captain America 2 in Cleveland, Ohio. For three weeks, the Ohio native was one of 50 assistants who helped with crowd control.

It wasn’t her first production experience. As a senior at Mercyhurst, Caitlyn wrote and directed her first movie, 100, which took first place in the Communication Department’s annual scriptwriting contest.

During summer 2012, she logged more than 600 hours as an intern for producer Tyler Davidson on the set of Kings of Summer, formerly named Toy’s House.

That connection helped Caitlyn land her behind-thescenes position for the Captain America sequel.

Despite exhausting 14-hour days in extreme weather conditions — including freezing temperatures in early June — she has only good things to say about her post-graduation temp job.

“I have had such positive experiences working on sets, despite pretty much doing the grunt work for anyone who needs it,” said Caitlyn, who credits her Mercyhurst education for her hard work ethic and production experience.

“My professors instilled in me that I can do anything.

You may have to work 10 times harder, because it’s not always about what you know but rather how professional you act.”

Did Caitlyn get to meet any of the stars of the anticipated box-office smash?

She didn’t get to meet Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson or Robert Redford, but she did get to see Captain America himself, Chris Evans, from afar.

Even better, she was able to help a very lucky fan, a young boy with Down Syndrome, and his mother and sister get an autograph and photo with Evans. She says it was her favorite moment on the set.

MacBride doesn’t know where her future will take her; however, she is willing to put in the hard work, as well as relocate to make her dreams come true.

Alum soars in treeclimbing contests If climbing trees gets you closer to heaven, as the old saying goes, Brian Krawczyk ’95 must be near paradise.

After a decade in the hospitality industry, Brian branched out into a new career as a certified arborist, a calling that combines his love of nature and the outdoors with his natural athletic ability.

The speed, skill and precision he’s developed in his job with Birchcrest Tree & Landscape, located in the Rochester, N.Y. area, have propelled him to the top in competitive tree climbing circles. In June, he won the New York State Tree Climbing Championship for the fourth time, each win sending him on to the International Tree Climbing Championship, sponsored by the International Society of Arboriculture. This year’s contest in Toronto in August brought together the best professional tree climbers from 19 countries. Brian placed 12th among 44 entries.

Competitors perform five events that test their ability to professionally and safely maneuver in a tree while efficiently performing work-related tree-care tasks. Brian says he entered primarily to learn more about his craft and to meet new friends, and was amazed when he captured his first two state titles.

Even a debilitating accident couldn’t keep Brian grounded for long. He was ice climbing atop frozen Angel Falls in upstate New York in March 2008 when he tumbled to the bottom of the gorge, breaking both ankles, his pelvis, two vertebrae and five ribs and suffering internal injuries. He was bedridden for three months and spent several more months in full-time rehab – but in 2009 he not only competed again, but also won his third state title.

That devastating free-fall was due to his own error, he concedes – he failed to do some routine safety checks that would have revealed the problem with his rigging. “Because of that, everything I do now is safer. I double and triple check everything,” he says.

With wife Colleen and kids Clare and Quinn waiting at home for him, that emphasis on safety is especially important.

These days he doesn’t do much climbing except in his beloved trees, but he says he never contemplated giving that up. Even when he feared he might lose his foot, he swore he’d find a way to climb again. “This is who I am.

Without it I’d be lost. I wouldn’t know who I was. Quitting just wasn’t an option,” he says.

Former Laker excels in inline hockey A nasty concussion took a year-and-a-half bite out of Jackie Jarrell’s ice hockey career at Mercyhurst, but she managed to find a silver lining in the disappointment.

While she was rehabbing, she launched a new career in inline hockey.

As a member of Team Canada, she’s medaled at seven world championships, starting with a silver in her first outing in 2006 and peaking with a gold in 2012 in Colombia (she was the top scorer in the entire tournament). In 2010, Jackie earned MVP honors and scored the only goal as Canada lost to the Czechs in the gold medal game.

Her team – which also includes former Laker teammates Michelle Bonello and Samantha Shirley – lost another close match to the United States in this year’s finals in California.

Inline hockey is a very challenging game but does not have as much physical contact as ice hockey, Jackie explains. “Inline hockey is more about puck control and puck possession, being a more spread-out game,” she says. “You don’t take the same pounding as you do in ice hockey.” Teams play 4-on-4 with no offsides or icings.

A forward from Belleville, Ontario, Jackie had a strong performance for the Lakers in her freshman season, 2003-04, and was leading the team in scoring 10 games into her sophomore campaign when she was sidelined by injury.

Told at first she might never be able to return to physical activity, she beat the odds thanks to her own determination, some amazing doctors and strong support from her family and from the Mercyhurst community. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to still play hockey,” she says. Inline hockey helped keep her in shape and she was cleared to return to the ice for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons. All told, she played 99 games for the Hurst, scoring 21 goals and 18 assists. She finished her degree in sports medicine in 2008.

Returning to Canada, she earned an education degree and taught high school for a few years, while also working as a personal trainer, working primarily with athletes, and helping with her family’s business, RJ Farms, a large dairy farm recognized for its excellence in breeding.

Last fall, Jackie came back to Mercyhurst to pursue a master’s degree in exercise science. That meant long commutes from Ontario to Erie to pack all her course requirements into a single year. During that year, she attended and assisted at the NHL Combine. Despite the heavy academic load, she also made time for strenuous workouts in preparation for this year’s world championships. The Canadian women play in men’s leagues in Toronto. “Playing against the men helps us become quicker and stronger,” she says.

While her goal is a career as a teacher and training high-level athletes, she also expects to skate for Team Canada for years to come. The team already has its sights set on another gold medal at the 2014 World Championships in France. And she hopes that one day her sport will find a home in the Summer Olympics or the PanAmerican Games.

Pictured with the silver medals they won at this year’s FIRS (Fédération Internationale de Roller Sports) World Championships are former Lakers Jackie Jarrell ‘08, Samantha Shirley-Harris ’06 and Michelle Bonello ‘07. Sam, who married Brad Harris on July 7, 2012, works as a sales manager for Adidas Group Canada; Michelle is training to become a firefighter. Both Sam and Michelle live in Mississauga, Ontario.

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Growing

gardens and colleges.

Miller gift creates new learning lab for culinary students at North East Story by Abby Badach

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Thanks to a generous gift from a university friend, trustee and philanthropist, Mercyhurst University – The North East Campus is growing once again.

The culinary and hospitality associate degree programs will have a new home at nearly nine acres of the Miller Estate, 1640 Freeport Rd. in North East, a gift of Robert and Janet Miller.

The estate’s location – across the street from campus, close to the newly relocated Mercyhurst Farm and next door to the North East public schools – will prove especially valuable, says Dr. Ken Zirkle, chief operating officer and associate provost at Mercyhurst North East.

“This picturesque property will help us develop culinary and hospitality programs that will receive national recognition,” Zirkle said. “Furthermore, it will allow us to expand partnerships with the North East school district – our neighbors, right next door.”

Miller noted that one of his main motivations for gifting the property was to increase collaboration between Mercyhurst and the North East community.

“The partnerships that will take root here will promote the growth and development of young people through hands-on learning opportunities,” he said. “That will, in turn, benefit the growth and development of the community.”

The Miller Estate, officially gifted to the university in 2012, has already been the setting for the university’s popular series of community cooking classes.

“Mr. Miller has always been so supportive,” said Beth Ann Sheldon, director of the hospitality management programs on the Erie and North East campuses and the Culinary and Wine Institute. “Not only is this an absolutely gorgeous piece of property, it’s in the perfect location to become a cornerstone and a bridge between the university and the community of North East.”

Transforming a home into a lab

For 25 years, the Millers and their seven children lived at the 12-acre residence.

The property, valued at more than $1 million, features a 5,600-square-foot home, gorgeous gardens, spacious garage and a rustic barn.

The Miller Estate will become an interactive culinary and hospitality learning lab with high-end, professional-grade equipment.

The plan will roll out in two phases.

First, thanks to a donation from Hilton Worldwide, the university will install a demo hotel room with real Hilton furniture, fixtures and equipment, as well as an industrial laundry lab. This unique handson learning opportunity will open many doors for Mercyhurst students, notes Daryl Georger, assistant professor of hospitality.

The housekeeping class won’t just memorize the most efficient way to clean a room – they’ll walk through one, based on timemotion studies that analyze efficiency in sanitation and cost savings in labor.

Hospitality engineering students will learn from the inside out how things are specified, delivered and set within a room – and what to do if something malfunctions.

“We’ve been really blessed to receive these kinds of donations,” Georger said. “Between this and the newly constructed Center for Academic Engagement on the Erie campus, our culinary and hospitality programs will continue to be world-class.”

The second phase of the plan, still in preliminary development, will modernize the barn into a state-of-the-art culinary instructional kitchen – think “Food Network” style. Initial plans include a demonstration kitchen and a conference room for classes, meetings or events. The conference room will also be outfitted with small sinks and faucets for wine tastings.

Sheldon notes that the proposed open floor plan of the new culinary hub will allow students to have a clear view of their instructors and fellow students.

“In the kitchens, students enhance their learning in lab by observing each other as well as their instructors,” she said.

“Chefs learn many tricks of the trade from each other.”

passion for growing

A cool breeze flutters the drooping limbs of weeping cherry and crabapple trees. Fat, fuzzy bumblebees linger on vibrant rhododendron blossoms. It’s a stunning array of flora – in fact, more than 1,000 specimens of plants and trees, impeccably planned so something will always be in bloom from May through September.

“You know, it would be nice if these trees could tell stories,” Miller says, strolling through the lush gardens.

If they did, they’d have a lot to say. When Miller and his family moved to the property from Westfield, N.Y., they brought with them two chest-high evergreen trees to transplant. When a large tree limb fell and hacked off the evergreens’ small branches, Miller gently tended them back to health, reshaping them with wire and strategically placed weights. Looking at the towering, sturdy evergreens now, one would have no idea of their traumatic past.

“I like to grow things,” Bob Miller says. “Gardens, kids, businesses, colleges.”

There were no gardens on the property when the family moved in, but Miller planted perennials – accented with annuals – each year, transforming the yard into a verdant retreat. Between the gardens and the five acres of Concord grapes, Mercyhurst students will experience hands-on opportunities in horticulture, landscaping and viticulture.

“It was a lot of fun creating it,” Miller said. “It will be exciting to see it continue to grow as a great asset for Mercyhurst.”

continuing A legacy

Miller’s generosity has been a key piece of the Mercyhurst North East story since it opened in 1991, thanks to his backing. Since then, Miller has continued to help propel the campus to new heights with two $1 million challenge grants through the Robert S. and Janet L. Miller Family Foundation, first to establish an endowment that has since surpassed $2 million, and then to open the Janet L. Miller Center for Growth and Academic Excellence (formerly the First National Bank building on Station Road).

Students at both the North East and Erie campuses will have access to the Miller Estate labs. Georger says this unique facility will give students hands-on opportunities unparalleled by any school in the region.

“Mr. Miller is one of the finest men I’ve ever met,” he said. “I’m not only excited because of the facilities that are being constructed, but also what’s already on this gorgeous piece of property. The Miller Estate can help us fulfill the mission of the university and give us the newest, brightest learning opportunities for our students.”

12

Spotlighting our alumni.

Remember when?

CEC Walk-a-thon, May 1975 The Mel Brooks classic Blazing Saddles came out in 1974. So when three Mercyhurst students set out on a really long walk the following spring, it was probably inevitable that the Merciad account would be titled “Blazing Feet.”

Teresa Fiumara Dubik ‘75 and Bob Dubik ‘78

The overheated feet belonged to Bob Dubik ‘78, Mike Carrig ‘79 and Joe Pacinelli ‘78, students in the Cadet Teaching Program and members of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). To help fill the club’s coffers and provide scholarships, the trio decided to walk from Erie to Meadville and back.

Others had already walked that walk, though, so they upped the ante and hiked to Ashtabula, Ohio – a roundtrip of well over 80 miles.

They headed west from Mercyhurst at about 5 a.m. on Friday, May 9, and reached Ashtabula that evening. According to the Merciad, they then called a cab to take them out to dinner.

The student paper reported, “Bob explained the situation. When they started out, they set a pace for themselves of 10 minutes of running and 10 minutes of walking.

The pace degenerated to 10 minutes of running and 20 minutes of walking. By the time they reached Ashtabula, they were walking steadily (?).” There’s no byline on the story, but Bob says the author was Teresa Fiumara ’75 – who’s now his wife.

Though Joe developed knee problems and couldn’t finish the walk, Bob and Mike left early the next morning to make the return trip. A cheering crowd met them at the Mercyhurst gates around 9 p.m.

“Having run a couple of marathons now, I know the whole thing was kind of foolish,” Bob laughs. “It was like running back-to-back marathons.” He also notes they ignored advice from some of their friends in ROTC and walked in sneakers instead of combat boots.

Pledges from students, faculty and neighboring businesses raised some $850, according to the Merciad. Bob says the money created the Brian McHugh Scholarship Fund to honor the CEC advisor and long-time special education professor at Mercyhurst. For several years, the fund provided $100 scholarships to help special ed majors pay for their books.

Bob, capping off a long career in teaching and administration, has been superintendent of the Cazenovia Central School District near Syracuse, N.Y., for the past decade. He plans to retire at the end of the 2013-2014 year. He and Teresa have two children: Coy and Cole. He serves on the board of directors of the Mercyhurst University Alumni Association.

13

Winning on the power play The Power Play Burger at the Ale ‘n’ Angus Pub proved a big hit with fans of the Syracuse Crunch hockey team – and an even bigger hit with judges when the New York Beef Industry Council sought out New York State’s Best Burger.

The burger, created by pub owner/manager Matt Beach ’03, just captured its second straight state title. Matt will return to Las Vegas in November to take another crack at the World Food Championships after finishing 12th out of 50 contestants in 2012.

When Matt finished the hospitality program at Mercyhurst and went to work for the Bob Evans Restaurant chain, he already knew he wanted to start his own business within five years. He opened his traditional American pub in downtown Syracuse (not far from the home arena of the American Hockey League Crunch) in 2005.

He wears a variety of hats at the pub, from human resources manager to food and beverage manager, to accountant, to cook. He says his Mercyhurst education prepared him for all those roles, providing solid background in business and management techniques, food and beverage pricing, labor and food costs, working with the public, and day-to-day running of the facility.

Matt launched the Power Play Burger – an 8-ounce Angus patty topped with 3 ounces of thinly sliced prime rib and American cheese – by giving away coupons at Crunch games. Fueled in part by the popular sandwich, Matt says he’s seen his sales soar. He also credits his use of high quality beef and fresh produce and bread from local suppliers, his large selection of beers, and his focus on friendly customer service for the restaurant’s continuing growth.

Matt and his wife, Amanda, have two sons, 4-year-old Eli and 3-year-old Seth, and a bulldog named Schmitty. In his spare time, he enjoys golf, snowmobiling and lacrosse.

On the Web: worldfoodchampionships.com and alenanguspub.com

Theater program takes ‘dis’ out of disability

Garden named for environmental pioneer

Mary Hoffman ’74 and Mary Ellen Lieb (wife of Mercyhurst finance director Jim Lieb ’74) were a bit uncomfortable stepping into the spotlight last spring to accept their Rave Award as Adult Volunteers of the Year from the Junior League of Erie.

A lot has changed on the environmental front in the more than four decades since Sr. Maura Smith, RSM ’48, was hired to teach biology at Mercyhurst College. Mercyhurst now has a Sustainability Office, a sustainable agriculture program at the North East campus, academic programs in sustainability studies, and an annual weeklong celebration of Earth Day (the first of which in 1970 was organized by Sister Maura herself). Now, a new garden on campus honors the Sister of Mercy who paved the way for all these thriving sustainability initiatives.

The two usually prefer to watch from the wings while their students – dozens of adults with special needs – take center stage in their annual musical productions.

This year’s Fiddler on the Roof was the 26th show in a series they call “Inspire.”

Mary and Mary Ellen, both now retired as special education teachers with the Millcreek Township School District, Mary Ellen Lieb and Mary Hoffman ’74 teamed up in the 1980s to make sure their students would have opportunities even after they graduated. The night school class they created soon morphed into a unique theater company.

It takes most of spring term to prepare each show. “We extract the songs from the plays and the kids – some as old as their 50s – act out the songs to the best of their ability,” Mary explains. “A narrator tells the rest of the story in between numbers.” Community gifts and many dedicated volunteers help provide costumes, props and simple backdrops.

For Fiddler, students performed all the popular songs from “Tradition” to “Sunrise, Sunset” to “If I Were a Rich Man,” but the narration downplayed darker aspects of the plot. “I have worked with people with special needs my entire life and their self-expression is simple, beautiful and enviable,” Mary says. “I enjoy their perspective on life – that everything is beautiful and that is the way it should be.”

By the time next year’s show rolls around (it may be Godspell), Mary will have been teaching several of the cast members for 40 years, since they were in her first elementary school class.

“It’s so cool to see these kids flourish as people,” she says.

“It takes the ‘dis’ out of disability and just shows off their abilities.” It’s a magical experience for the 800 or so people who pack the auditorium each year.

Mary downplays talk about her contributions. “This is the best thing I’ve ever done for me,” she insists.

The Sr. Maura Smith Peace Garden was created to celebrate the Mercyhurst Sustainability Award presented to Sr. Maura in 2009. It was an appropriate tribute to the Buffalo, N.Y., native whose upbringing on her family’s dairy farm cultivated her passion for farming and gardening.

Though she was honored by the award, Sr. Maura asked that any gift be given back to the university. “I’m just happy to be remembered for my part in the environmental movement,” said Sr. Maura. “I think the more we can do for the Earth, the better. The planet doesn’t owe us anything; we owe Mother Nature, and we must pay our dues.”

The Sr. Maura Smith Peace Garden is located behind Warde Hall on the Mercy Walkway, a path that leads both to Mercyhurst Preparatory School, where Sister Maura was principal from 1977 to 1987, and to the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse, where she now lives. The garden features many edible plantings, including a dwarf apple tree – a tribute to the nearby apple orchard that predated Mercyhurst on the property and Sr. Maura once helped tend. Also featured are a dwarf cherry tree, strawberries, blueberries, onion and oregano, as well as a colorful assortment of Sr. Maura’s favorite flowers, including violas, pussy willows, holly, hydrangeas, junipers, phlox, peonies, day lilies and hostas.

As a professor, Sr. Maura was passionate not only about the environment but also about social justice more broadly and the cause of world peace. As she taught about environmental issues, she helped students and colleagues grasp the connections between, for example, the degraded state of the environment and social injustice.

In 2000, Sr. Maura worked with new history professor Dr. Chris Magoc to launch the Mercyhurst Green Team. Now known as the Sustainability Committee, the group of students, faculty and administrators has produced impressive results, including dramatically increased recycling rates on campus; a 100 percent investment in wind energy; installation of a green roof on the ceramics lab in Zurn Hall; establishment of an organic and sustainable gardening program now housed at Mercyhurst North East; and the launch of on-campus composting in 2012.

Appointed to the university’s Board of Trustees in 1980, Sr. Maura still serves as a Trustee Emerita and continues to weigh in on matters that can positively impact the campus environment.

14

Sporting

the colors.

By Scott Koskoski, ‘00

Was I in the right place at the right time or is “Hurst Nation” really growing by leaps and bounds?

My office is two time zones away from home, and as a professional nonprofit administrator and consultant, it’s safe to say that I spend a lot of time on trains, planes and automobiles.

Throughout my travels over the summer of 2013, I saw Mercyhurst pride in a few places I’d never expect to: A bumper sticker on a car at a Knoxville, Tenn., WalMart. A group of three students wearing ‘Hurst t-shirts on a Garden City, S.C., beach. And on a duffel bag in the Denver airport (it looked lonely at baggage claim; I hope it found its rightful owner!).

Scott Koskoski with kids Olivia, Ben and Jack in their Mercyhurst gear.

None of that is exactly earth-shattering news, I know, and it’s the kind of thing many other (larger) universities take for granted, especially those with 80,000-seat football stadiums or iconic brands.

But my sightings, I hope, are a sign of much more spreading of ‘Hurst pride to come. As recently as last decade when I graduated and moved around the country often as a young professional, the typical question I received when wearing Mercyhurst apparel was either “What’s Mercyhurst?” or “Mercy-where?” And here I thought our cameo appearance - despite the unfortunate creative decision to dress Mercyhurst in the colors of dreaded crosstown rival Gannon University - in Tom Hanks’ hit That Thing You Do introduced us to the world back in 1997.

Mercyhurst is a known entity now, though - and the best is yet to come. Thanks to exploding successful academic programs with national and international presence, nationally ranked athletic teams boasting conference and national championships, and, of course, the change to university status, outsiders and perfect strangers are coming to know the Blue & Green and the Lakers who wear it.

This is really our time - so I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised to see the Mercyhurst brand pop up in places (and parking lots) I’d never guessed. In the evolution of every university of distinction you can name, there is that moment, or series of moments, where the true emergence happens. There’s a reason the waiter at my table in Dallas last night knew that Mercyhurst was “that good hockey school up in Pennsylvania” or that the government contractor I met at a networking conference heard me mention Mercyhurst and exclaim to others in the room, “It’s the best intelligence program in the country, if not the world.”

This grassroots marketing is up to us to continue, though!

Check out the Bookstore’s website and pick up a bumper sticker; dust off a t-shirt (it can be the wrong shades of color, and even say College), and download (for free!) the seasonal Mercyhurst screensavers inspired by your Alumni Board of Directors. If each of us - every alumnus out there - could do our “one thing” to show pride in our alma mater, imagine the collective marketing impact - which, of course, will have tangible and direct benefits on admissions, giving and more.

P.S. I didn’t see any Gannon colors on that South Carolina beach this summer - therefore, it was a great vacation!

15

Coming

home again.

LAKERS OF ALL AGES gathered to enjoy the festivities at Homecoming/FAMILY WEEKEND 2013.

16

Breaking

barriers.

‘Hurst partners with Booker T. Washington Center to bring college to Erie’s inner city Story by Sue Corbran

Natasha Stewart, 26, is close to completing her associate degree in business through Mercyhurst University at the Booker T. Washington Center (BTWC), but that’s just the first of many goals for this ambitious young woman.

After graduating with honors from East High in 2005, she worked to help her family, first as a housekeeper and later as a chef (a job where she discovered her passion for cooking). She also had four children; her determination to make a good life for them pushed her to finally start college in 2011.

She kept attending classes even when she lost her job and found herself homeless for several months. When he learned that she and her kids were sleeping in shelters, BTWC Executive Director Bill Jeffress offered her part-time work in the center’s kitchen as well as help in obtaining a home for her family.

Twaneshia Johnson and daughter Zhiya

Today the family’s living in that home, and Natasha also runs a small restaurant called Tasha’s Fabulous Flavors, the first step toward the restaurant/ ballroom she’d one day like to operate.

While still managing a full course load, Natasha also launched a second business. She already has several local professionals signed up as clients for Natasha’s Cooking and Cleaning Services.

Natasha hopes to eventually pursue more degrees, up to and including a doctorate. “You just have to keep pushing for your dreams,” she says simply.

Is Natasha a typical BTWC student? No – but then there really isn’t a typical student at Mercyhurst’s urban education initiative in Erie’s center city. It has made college an option for a very diverse group of students who might otherwise never have attempted it. Some students are totally unprepared for college and need extra help in reading and math before they can go further.

Others have strong academic backgrounds, but “life got in the way” before they reached a college campus.

Some are recent high school graduates not quite sure whether they’re ready for college; others have already been working for decades. Some never believed they had what it takes to succeed; others are looking for second chances to complete their degrees.

Mercyhurst’s three-year-old partnership with the Booker T. Washington Center takes education directly to all these underserved populations, breaking down barriers that kept these students out of college in the past. “They can get the same high-quality education we provide at Mercyhurst, but in a location close to home and at a cost that’s very affordable,” says President Dr. Thomas Gamble. It’s a mission the founding Sisters of Mercy would approve.

17

Natasha Stewart

Dr. John Parente, director of services for the venture, assures prospective students that cost doesn’t need to be an issue. Most lowincome students qualify for enough federal and state aid and Mercyhurst scholarships to cover tuition at BTWC. More problematic for many students is the confidence gap: many are intimidated by the prospect of tackling college-level work.

Staying within their comfort zone helps; so does individualized attention from faculty and staff. The location makes transportation easier, and a schedule packed with evening and weekend classes accommodates students with family and work obligations.

It’s a small community where children are welcomed, too.

MU faces at BTWC

When Vivian McCullum enrolled at BTWC in 2010, she says it was like coming home. That helped overcome her fears about starting college in her 40s.

While she says her family has been a huge help, the convenient location and caring staff at BTWC have made it possible to keep progressing toward her ultimate goal – a good life for her and her daughter.

Jaci Davis, 38, is finally completing the college education she began on Mercyhurst’s main campus after her graduation from East High in 1993.

Vivian McCullum

Shantel Hilliard, a 2002 Mercyhurst graduate who’s associate director of the BTWC, says the goal is to place students in situations where they can succeed and provide them with all the support they need to do so. The first step for many of them is his Contemporary Social Problems class, where students learn to research and think critically about complex issues and become confident in their ability to express opinions orally and in writing and to present in front of a group.

She was part of the center’s Youth Council in the late ‘70s. Later she and her four kids used center services from after-school and summer programs to medical and dental clinics.

At the start in 2010, 13 students enrolled at BTWC and just three courses were offered each term. This fall, more than 70 students are enrolled and they could choose from 16 courses, ranging from biology to microeconomics to music appreciation.

Once her kids started college, she laughs, she knew she couldn’t allow them to have higher education than she did.

This year, for the first time, students will be able to complete an associate degree in business right at BTWC. Other students hope to continue in allied health programs at Mercyhurst North East, or are taking liberal arts courses that will allow them to transfer to another Mercyhurst campus or elsewhere.

Parente, who holds a doctorate in higher education from Penn State University, came to Erie when his wife, Dr. Amy Parente, joined the chemistry faculty at Mercyhurst. He was quickly recruited to oversee the fledgling program at BTWC. “We get to witness some incredible transformations,” he reflects.

“Mercyhurst is a factor for their success, but it’s the drive of the students that pushes them toward their goals. I tell our students all the time to ‘use us,’ to take advantage of the opportunities that are before you.”

course load. In 2014, she says, she may tackle the nursing program at North East. Eventually she wants to earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing – and dreams of one day entering medical school.

She had finished her freshman year and was looking toward a career in education when a high-risk pregnancy threw her off course.

John Parente and Jaci Davis

After a divorce, as she raised the kids alone, a caseworker recognized Vivian’s potential and pointed her toward an office skills training program at GECAC. She’s worked full time at the Erie social service agency for nearly 20 years now, but she always wanted more.

By the end of this academic year, Vivian hopes to have her associate degree, and she’s looking ahead to a four-year degree and a career as a case manager. “Someone helped me,” she says. “There’s a young woman out there who needs to hear my story and realize that life doesn’t end just because you have children.”

Twaneshia Johnson, at 19, is a traditionalaged college student with some untraditional responsibilities.

She had planned to enter Mercyhurst North East for winter term 2012 until she learned that she was pregnant and that her baby was due the first day of classes. Parente found a way to let her start college on time, just at a different location.

Now she’s pursuing a business degree focusing on human resources, and she’s philosophical about that long gap in her studies. “I needed that 20 years off,” she says.

“When I went to college the first time, it was because it was expected. It’s totally different now. I’m my own investment and I’m going to make good on that investment.”

Jaci still works part-time as a nurse aide, but now she hopes for a more financially rewarding career to support her family. “I’m driven by that,” she says. “I want my children and grandchildren to be proud of Yaya.”

She worried that her age, her other responsibilities and her lack of computer skills would hold her back. Instead, she’s become part of a family at BTWC, in which the goal is for everyone to succeed.

When daughter Zhiya arrived, Twaneshia missed the first two weeks of classes. After that, understanding instructors helped her catch up and then complete her first two courses. Since then she’s carried a full-time 18

Peering

into the future. communication Prof among the first to experiment with Google Glass Story by Meghan Corbin

Students in Meghan Corbin’s communication classes are helping her evaluate the potential for using Google Glass in higher education.

19

Let me begin by saying I never win anything. Ever. That’s until March 28, 2013.

That evening I was sitting on my couch when my phone alerted me to a direct message tweet.

“You’re invited to join our #glassexplorers program. Woohoo! Make sure to follow us we’ll DM in the coming weeks.”

If the message was true, I had just become one of only 8,000 in the world to gain entry into the Google Glass Explorer program.

In February I noticed fellow tweeters posting with “#ifIhadglass.” To enter I needed to tweet 140 characters or less about what I would do if I had Glass. My first thought was “how cool would it be for my students to try?” – I teach communication after all. So I tweeted “Engage students in discovering its potential in a higher education classroom #ifIhadglass” and didn’t think about it again.

Now I was staring at a tweet that said I had won. Of course, I thought the message was a virus. Thankfully, I investigated and found out it was valid, and I really did win a chance to try the latest and greatest in Google technology – Google Glass.

Google Product Director Steve Lee explains Glass best: “We wondered, what if we brought technology closer to your senses?

Would that allow you to more quickly get information and connect with other people but do so in a way – with a design – that gets out of your way when you’re not interacting with technology?”

Glass rests on the bridge of your nose much like typical eyewear, but ironically there is no glass, no lenses. “Glass” refers to a small, plastic, clear visual display cube that has a V-shaped prism inside it. Thankfully for me – the ultimate klutz – it is not made of glass.

I’m assuming Google Plastic didn’t have quite the same traction with focus groups.

Glass functions much like your smart phone, providing you text messages (it works best with Android phones), phone calls, video chats, news, Google searches, Chrome cards, directions and much more.

The commands and “texting” are all verbally activated. The right arm of Glass acts like a mouse, allowing the user to tap to select and slide a finger along the arm to scroll forward or backward through a website,

texts or Google cards (my cards include things like my daily schedule, weather, sports scores and local restaurant specials).

I had won the opportunity to get Glass a year before it would become available to the general public. But (there’s always a “but”), it turns out there is no such thing as a free Glass. We “winners” got to cough up $1,500 for our new specs and had to travel – at our own expense – to one of two Google locations: Chelsea Market, N.Y., or Venice Beach, Calif. I chose Chelsea Market for its proximity to Erie. Doing a roundtrip flight from Buffalo to New York City in less than 12 hours was probably a little crazy, but I, of course, rationalized it by my motivation to get Glass. After a one-hour set-up and training in the Chelsea Market Google loft, I began my journey with Glass on June 22.

I’ve had Glass for a few months and can talk about its current ups and downs. However, the beauty of beta testing is that at the beginning of every month, Google pushes updates to all Explorers. For example, one of the first updates I saw was a new OS and then a browser. They are listening to the Explorers and making changes so when the public can purchase Glass (at about half the Explorer’s cost) in Spring 2014, it will be much more sophisticated than the current version.

The audio function is probably one of the most interesting features, but it is still a work in progress. The audio comes from the arm of Glass, but it doesn’t actually project outward; it uses vibrations to conduct sound to the bones in the back of the user’s head. I can hear it; others can’t.

Unfortunately, sometimes I can’t hear it either. I found ear buds help block out external noise so I can have a phone call.

However, my call recipients indicate it’s difficult to hear me or they hear echoes in calls, forcing me to give up Glass and retreat back to my mobile phone.

My favorite feature of Glass is Maps.

Navigating New York was a breeze. I simply said, “OK Glass, get directions to Penn Station” and voila! – a map with an arrow popped up, pointing my way to the train station. As I turned, so did the arrow. So I aligned the arrow with the route line and started walking. The directions poured into my ear as well just like your GPS or phone.

THE PLAN

As I write this, I’m preparing for another semester of class and wondering how I can try Glass in class. Lots of debate has been had over integration of technology in the classroom and, in fact, about Glass itself. I have always advocated utilizing technology in the higher ed classroom, rather than restricting it. Glass is the next thing, but it’s a big “next.” One of the tangible ways I plan to use Glass is by visually editing my students’ assignments. This will provide each student with not only an electronically edited copy, but also an accompanying video that will include a voiceover explaining why I made the edits. I will also be working on visual tours of campus and potential training videos on a variety of topics.

Mercyhurst students will also provide feedback to Glass’ utility. A few communication students will have the opportunity to try Glass in fall term as part of research on how students can use (and misuse) the new technology. You can read my blog to learn more about the research questions I’m focusing on, but I’ll be looking at technology integration in the classroom, ethical considerations, advantages and disadvantages to other existing technology, advertising and marketing potential for business, and generally how Glass will change a user’s life—the good, the bad and the ugly.

Though I don’t wear Glass every day, I have become used to the stares, mobbing, whispers and being referred to as “that guy from Star Trek.”

Many want to try them on, which I am happy to accommodate (that’s the point of testing them, right?!) And, I am used to answering the same three most frequently asked questions: Can you see through me? (Answer is “no.”) Does it have facial recognition? (Answer is also “no.”) Do you know my information by looking at me? (Answer is “no,” but if your name is on your bag, name tag, etc., I will respond with “Yes, [insert your name here].” I may or may not tell you that I’m perceptive, not using Glass.)

It has been energizing to be among the first to use Glass, and I’m excited Mercyhurst students once again have access to the latest in technology. They not only will be among the first to use it, but also very well may help pave new paths for its use. Hands-on opportunities, faculty-student research and access to typically unavailable technology may be just another typical day at the Hurst, but this time we can see it through Glass!

On the Web: glassinclass.blogspot.com 20

Wrapping up

the season.

Men’s lacrosse highlights spring sports season Men’s lacrosse had one of its most successful seasons ever – and the most dramatic in Laker lore. Mercyhurst went 18-1, advancing all the way to the NCAA Championship in Philadelphia.

Coach Chris Ryan’s squad posted a second consecutive undefeated regular season, joining the 2012 edition as the lone teams in school history in any sport to go unbeaten through a regular season. They won the inaugural Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) regular season and tournament championships. The Lakers set school records with six one-goal wins, including two overtime victories in the NCAA Tournament, and the most games won in a single season. They defeated six teams ranked in the top 12 of the final United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) poll.

The Lakers pulled out many close victories late in games, but saved their most thrilling finish for the final home match of the season. In one of the wildest games in NCAA Tournament history, Mercyhurst beat then-secondranked Limestone, 18-17, in overtime on May 18.

Coach Chris Ryan was named the 2013 CaptainU Division II Men’s Lacrosse College Coach of the Year.

Men’s rowing competes at Henley Royal Regatta OXFORDSHIRE, England - The Mercyhurst University men’s rowing team made its second appearance in the prestigious Henley Royal Regatta in July, falling to a composite crew of Taurus Boat Club & Star Club in its opening race. Since the regatta is a one-and-done competition, that concluded Mercyhurst’s quest for the Visitors’ Challenge Cup. Representing Mercyhurst on the four-man boat were Ivan Palikuca in the stroke position, David Cullmer in seat three, Xavier Alexander in seat two, and Kevon Bridges in the bow position. Jeff Murt also went with the team as an alternate.

Baseball program reaches goal for new facility With help from several large donations, Laker baseball raised the $60,000 it needed to begin construction of a new indoor facility on Mercyhurst’s main campus. The gifts, plus university matching funds, will build two batting cages, four pitching mounds, and 40 lockers.

“I am completely overwhelmed by the generosity of our alums, parents and friends of the Mercyhurst baseball program,” said head coach Joe Spano. “This indoor facility will greatly improve and enhance the Laker baseball experience and I am sincerely thankful for everyone who made this opportunity a reality.

I’ve never been more proud to call myself a Laker.”

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Individual athletes stand out Senior forward Christine Bestland and junior forward Shelby Bram participated in Canada’s National Women’s Development Team selection camp in August at Hockey Canada’s home arena in Calgary, Alberta. Mercyhurst assistant coach Delaney Collins, who played for Hockey Canada from 1998 through 2011, was named an assistant coach.

Two men’s hockey players took part in NHL Prospect Development Camps this summer, junior forward Ryan Misiak with the New Jersey Devils and senior forward Daniel O’Donoghue with the Calgary Flames.

Lisett Calderon of the women’s water polo team was named to the 2013 Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) All-American First Team. The senior capped her career with 99 points this season.

Field hockey players Kelsey Lovelace and Blair Pembleton visited Scotland in June to play in the 2013 Scottish Friendship Series. Selected to USA Athletes International, they played for Coach Lindsay Jackson, a 2006 Mercyhurst graduate who’s now the head coach at Limestone College.

Tennis coach Jerome Simon was named the 2013 Wilson/ITA Atlantic Region Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year. Simon led the women’s tennis team to a 15-5 overall record in 2012-13.

Andrew Wagner was named to the 2013 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-American First Team.

Brian Scheetz was selected to the second team and Zac Reid earned honorable mention.

Redshirt junior outfielder Ryan Siegel played with the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England, claiming the 2013 league batting title with a .373 average and helping the Sharks earn the regular season championship with a 35-18 record.

Scholastic honors pour in Athletes representing many Laker teams were honored for their outstanding academic achievements as well. A sampling: Seven Mercyhurst teams earned Top Team GPA Awards for 2012-13 to lead the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Mercyhurst also held the highest cumulative GPA among all of its student-athletes that compete in PSAC sports, combining for a 3.252 GPA. Two hundred sixty Laker student-athletes earned 2012-13 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Scholar-Athlete honors. Mercyhurst had the most student-athletes featured on the list, which recognizes studentathletes with a grade point average of 3.25 or higher. Forty-seven percent of Mercyhurst players were honored this year, the second-highest figure in the conference. Mercyhurst also recognized 356 Lakers as Mercyhurst scholar-athletes for achieving a GPA of at least 3.0. That represents 64 percent of our athletes.

Trevor Vargo of men’s lacrosse won the NCAA Elite 89 Award for having the highest GPA at the lacrosse national championship site. Jorn van der Veer of men’s tennis took the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champion-Scholar Athlete of the Year Award, given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at the conference championship site. (Jorn was also an All-PSAC selection in singles.)

Senior forwards Gina Buquet and Lauren Jones and freshman goaltender Julia DiTondo of women’s hockey were named College Hockey America StudentAthletes of the Year.

The women’s water polo team recorded the sixthhighest grade point average in the nation. The Lakers had nine student-athletes land Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) AllAcademic Awards and compiled a 3.36 GPA in the 2012-13 school year.

Men’s hockey placed 15 players on the Atlantic Hockey Association All-Academic Team.

Brian Scheetz and Zac Reid of men’s lacrosse were named to the 2013 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-America Team.

Both student-athletes were also recognized as USILA All-Americans.

The men’s lacrosse team landed 23 student-athletes on the 2013 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-Academic Team. The Lakers, who also advanced to the NCAA Championship, had the most players on the list.

The volleyball team earned an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2012-13 season.The awards honor teams that compile at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade point average throughout the school year.

The women’s lacrosse team was named a 2013 Academic Honor Squad by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA), and Lakers Sarah Stokes, Anna LeGrett and Kayla Minner earned spots on the Academic Honor Roll. The team achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.383.

Alumni updates Former women’s hockey player Jess Jones ’12 was selected in the first round of the 2013 Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) Draft, picked third overall by the Brampton Thunder. Jones will join four other former Lakers currently playing in the CWHL: forwards Meghan Agosta- Marciano (Montreal Stars), Kelley Steadman (Boston Blades), Vicki Bendus (Brampton Thunder) and Bailey Bram (Brampton Thunder).

The Idaho Steelheads of the East Coast Hockey League agreed to terms with former Mercyhurst forward Grant Blakey ‘13.

Former men’s hockey goaltender Ryan Zapolski ‘11 was named the 2012-13 Most Valuable Player in the CCM East Coast Hockey League. Zapolski is just the second player in ECHL history to win Rookie of the Year, Goaltender of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season. He’ll play for Raumann Lukko of Finland’s SM-liiga in 2013-14.

Former Laker outfielder David Lough ’07 had an impressive year with the Kansas City Royals in the American League’s Central Division. Lough finished the 2013 season with a batting average of .286, five home runs and 33 runs batted in.

Jamie Walczak ’09 is working his way up the minor league baseball ranks. He played this summer for Pensacola, the Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, and is now playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the Arizona Fall League.

Former Laker Jon Dziomba, who plays for the San Angelo Colts in the independent United League, has won the 2013 batting title. He hit a career-best .354 with two home runs and 39 RBIs in 79 games for the Colts.

Former Mercyhurst University men’s hockey standout Paul Chiasson has signed a professional contract with the East Coast Hockey League’s (ECHL) San Francisco Bulls, an affiliate of the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks.

North East The Saints softball team set a school record with 44 wins and just 12 losses. They advanced to the National Tournament and finished 9th in the nation.

Freshman Ronette Claar was named 1st team All Conference, 1st team All Region and 1st team All American, as well as female freshman Athlete of the Year in the conference. Another freshman, Alayna Carlson, was also named 1st team All Conference and 1st team All Region.

Softball coach Brian Dewey ’00 was named East Region Coach of the Year and finished 2nd in the National Coach of the Year voting.

Dylan Goodill, who competed in lacrosse and swimming, was awarded the Medal of Honor at graduation, given to the student with the highest GPA. Paula Harrison-Grubbs (basketball/ volleyball) was named Female Student Athlete of the Year, while Aaron Smith (wrestling/cross country) was named Male Student Athlete of the Year.

A dozen North East student athletes qualified for the Academic All Region team by completing a minimum of 45 credits and obtaining a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Former wide receiver/special teams’ star Trevor Kennedy ‘12 has signed a two-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League as he resumes his playing career. A former teammate, linebacker Ian Wild ‘12, followed suit and also signed a two-year deal with Winnipeg.

Former shortstop Zak Blair ‘13 is continuing his baseball career in the Chicago Cubs organization.

Blair became the 14th Mercyhurst player to be taken in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, when the Cubs took him in the 20th round (588th overall). Blair currently plays for the Arizona League Cubs.

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Inducting

Mark Fitzgerald ‘01

our athletes.

Hall of Fame inducts 5 student athletes – and the Lakers’ most colorful cheerleader Sister Damien Mlechick ‘56 Sister Damien Mlechick was 62 when she attended her first Lakers game and 83 when she attended her last – and she rarely missed one in between.

The petite nun with the Mary Daly ‘66 accepts Sister Damien’s award signature Dutch Boy bangs from Athletic Director Joe Kimball. was an iconic figure at those contests, carrying a holy water bottle in one hand and a cowbell in the other. The bell went silent when she died on Aug. 20, 2004, at the age of 83. A year later, the Class of 2005 dedicated the Sister Damien Spirit Bell, now a campus landmark, in her memory.

A 1956 Mercyhurst graduate, Sister Damien enjoyed a long teaching career.

After retirement, she served as Mercyhurst’s switchboard operator for nearly 20 years and was known as “the voice of Mercyhurst.” Her ardent support of Laker athletics became legendary.

Sister Damien was inducted into the Mercyhurst Athletic Hall of Fame in June along with five outstanding alumni, several of whom she had cheered on throughout their Mercyhurst careers.

Kim Kupniewski ‘78 Kupniewski was a member of the men’s golf team from 1973 to 1977. After leading the team with a 77.6 scoring average in his freshman season, he took the following year off, but returned to lead the Lakers in scoring average again in 1975 with a 75.9 average. He was a medalist twice in 1975 and led the team in scoring seven times. In 1976, he finished second on the team with a 77.0 scoring average and was a medalist three times.

Kim was inducted into the Erie District Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

He was the head golf pro at Erie’s Downing Golf Course for 25 years and now is a pro at Whispering Woods Golf Course and coaches the McDowell High School boys’ golf team. He and his wife, Kathy, have two sons.

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Mark was a standout defender for the men’s soccer program from 1997 to 2000, helping the Lakers to a 54-19-4 record.

He helped Mercyhurst lead the GLIAC in scoring defense as a senior and also scored a career-high 16 points from his defensive position in his final season.

Named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Year three times, he was also an AllGLIAC selection all four seasons, an All-Region honoree three times, and an NSCAA First Team All-American in 1998.

Mark now lives in his hometown of Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland, where he still plays soccer at a competitive level.

He also works for Ulster Bank, part of one of the largest financial institutions in the world.

He and his wife, Ciara, have two kids, Kelly (6) and Cian (3).

Nicole Esposito ‘98 Nicole was a standout defender for women’s soccer from 1994 to 1997 and helped lead the Lakers to a 49-15-2 record as well as NCAA playoff appearances in her first two seasons.

She was a two-time AllGLIAC selection, an NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region member in 1997, and an NSCAA/Adidas First Team All-American that same season.

Nicole met her husband, Michael Montazeri, while both were students at the University of Toledo College of Medicine and they were married in 2007. She did her residency in family medicine and psychiatry at the University of California San Diego and now practices psychiatry and serves as clinical director of behavioral health services at North County Health Services, a nonprofit community clinic serving the under-served, Medicaid patients and uninsured. Michael, an internist, is a hospitalist with UCSD. She says their boys, Cyrus (4) and Darius (almost 2) Montazeri, have been thoroughly brainwashed to love soccer and were kicking the ball before they could stand unassisted.

Nicole Bonvouloir ‘01 Nicole led the women’s lacrosse team to a 33-28 record during her four seasons – this after the team went 0-14 during the program’s first season in 1997. She was the National Goalkeeper of the Year in 2001 and was a 2001 Brine/IWLCA First Team All-American.

She started every game for the Lakers during her career and still ranks 15th in NCAA history with 590 career saves. She is the program’s all-time leader in saves (590) and save percentage (.572), and is second in program history with an 8.49 goals-against average. She holds the highest single-season save total in school history (220), the program’s top two goals-against average years, and the top three save-percentage years. She was also a member of the field hockey team for four years.

Following graduation, Nicole coached both field hockey and lacrosse for five years before returning to school to earn a nursing license. She now lives and works in Dayton, Ohio, with her husband, Trevor Zeiders, and son Elijah (3).

Their second child is due later this year.

Bruce Alexander ‘99 One of the pioneers of men’s lacrosse at Mercyhurst, Bruce led the Lakers to a 14-10 record in the program’s first two seasons. He finished in the top 20 scorers in the country during both of his seasons, ending his career with 118 points (4th all-time for the program) and 76 goals (7th all-time). His 42 assists rank him 5th in program history.

The first Mercyhurst men’s lacrosse player drafted professionally, he was selected 11th overall in the National Lacrosse League draft by the Syracuse Smash in 1998 and went on to play 11 seasons of professional lacrosse. He was the team captain for the Calgary Roughnecks in 2002 and assistant captain for Portland from 2006 to 2009. His teams won Canadian Mann Cup National Championships in 1997, 1999 and 2003.

Bruce lives in Victoria, B.C., where he worked in the auction business from 2000 to 2007. In 2009, he purchased Design Source Warehouse, which imports furniture, garden products and decorative iron gates and fencing. He now works in the store with no employees and takes yearly trips to mainland China to see new products and attend trade shows.

He and his wife, Robyn, a public health nurse, have three kids, daughters Aubrey (10) and Hayley (8) and son Jordan (5).

Since finishing his pro lacrosse career in 2010, Bruce has been playing men’s league hockey, as well as helping to coach his kids’ hockey and lacrosse teams.

The family enjoys camping and spending time at the many lakes in their area.

Remembering

‘a student’s pastor’ EDITOR’S NOTE: The Rev. Stephen A. Anderson, who served as chaplain at Mercyhurst from 1988 to 1998, died unexpectedly on March 25, 2013. Jeff Monreal ’96, a close friend who delivered his eulogy, pays tribute to Fr. Steve.

Fr. Steve Anderson with Vanessa and Jeff Monreal, Calista, now 5 and Bryson, now 7.

During Father Steve Anderson’s 10 years at Mercyhurst, he was a student’s pastor.

Father Steve once wrote that the most significant things his father, Albert Anderson, taught him were: Do what you must, and do it well. Love and laugh as much as you can. Owe all to God. Commit with no strings attached. Be honest and available. Live your life knowing all is a gift. Peacefully die assured of the love of God and an everlasting reward. Father Steve lived those principles on a daily basis. The students who knew him know how much he loved and laughed.

I met Father Steve more than 20 years ago when I started my freshman year. He taught me English and religious studies. He helped me prepare for confirmation at Mercyhurst. He prayed with me and the rest of the football team down at the grotto before home games. And he was always available to talk – and listen – when I needed his help.

Our friendship continued long after I graduated. We traveled to many places together, including Las Vegas, Florida and New York City. Our greatest adventure was a trip to Europe during the Jubilee Year in 2000. We saw the Passion Play in Oberammergau, rode a gondola in Venice, shared wine at the Trevi Fountain and prayed in the Sistine Chapel. We were blessed to be fewer than 50 yards from Pope John Paul after a Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square for the bishops of the world.

He was present for many milestones in my life, as he was for so many other Mercyhurst graduates. He celebrated my wedding to Vanessa and came to Ohio to baptize both our children.

If you heard him preach, you probably remember how he could captivate the congregation and make you relate to how he was feeling. He loved teaching the word of God, not only by his words, but by the way he lived his life. I will miss him, but I smile knowing he peacefully died assured of the love of God, knowing he is enjoying an everlasting reward with our savior.

Jeff Monreal is a funeral director in Mentor, Ohio. Besides handling funeral arrangements, he brought Fr. Steve’s family and friends together in June for a memorial Mass in the Mercyhurst grotto.

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Making headlines.

Glinsky commission celebrates Erie Phil’s 100th season Two years ago, the Erie Philharmonic commissioned music professor Dr. Albert Glinsky to write a piece to commemorate the orchestra’s 100th season.

People in the news Lev Kubiak ’88 named trustee Lev J. Kubiak ’88 has been elected a Mercyhurst trustee, the 14th alumnus now serving on the board.

Lev directs the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, which leads the U.S. government’s response to global intellectual property theft.

He’s held a variety of positions since joining government service in 1992, including roles with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security.

Audiences can experience the debut of his overture Sun Chanter at the Erie Phil’s centennial concert on Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Warner Theatre. A feel-good, upbeat showpiece, the piece will be enjoyed by classical and pops audiences alike.

After taking a year to write the initial Sun Chanter score for two pianos and percussion, Glinsky spent the better part of this summer orchestrating – or, as he puts it, “exploding it out to all the instruments.”

Dance Dept. to celebrate anniversaries Celebrating 40 years of dance at Mercyhurst University, The Mercyhurst Dancers honor Artistic Director Tauna Hunter and Production Manager/ Resident Designer Michael Gleason for their passionate commitment to dance.

He’s the son of retired history Professor Richard Kubiak (1962-1998) and Elizabeth A. Yonushonis Kubiak ’63, a graduate of the cadet teacher program.

Other alumni among Mercyhurst’s 31 voting trustees are Chair Marlene DiTullio Mosco ‘68, Vice Chairs Richard A. Lanzillo ‘83 and Sister JoAnne K. Courneen ‘64, Secretary Robert S. Miller ‘11 and Assistant Secretary Mary Ellen Dahlkemper ‘73.

Also serving are Sister Mary Ann Bader, RSM ’73, Rosemary D. Durkin ’77, Sister Mary Felice Duska, RSM ’64, Joseph G. NeCastro ’78, Matthew J. Robaszkiewicz ’88, Mary Ellen Hammond Ryan ’64, Frank B. Victor ’87 and Patrick J. Weschler ’78. Elizabeth Meehan Greenleaf ’52 and Sister Maura Smith, RSM ’48 have been named trustee emeriti.

Faculty members earn promotions, tenure Two veteran teachers at Mercyhurst have been named full professors.

Promoted were Tauna Hunter, chair of the dance department, and Brian Reed, Ph.D., a member of the English faculty who also now serves as dean of faculty.

Returning alumni will join current dancers May 2-4, 2014, in a program featuring a 20-year collection of choreography by Hunter and Gleason, including “For Loss of Renee,” “Quiet Chaos” and “Symphonie Italienne.” Alums of all eras are invited to attend this historic dance department event.

In other recent promotions, the Mercyhurst Board of Trustees granted tenure to R. Scott Tomlison, Ph.D., and promoted him to associate professor of music. Mary Gavacs, director of the associate degree program in occupational therapy, was named assistant professor.

Tauna Hunter

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Brian Reed, Ph.D.

R. Scott Tomlison, Ph.D.

Mary Gavacs

Ripley recognized for teaching excellence Professor Brian Ripley was honored with the 2013 Teaching Excellence Award, recognized as a master teacher with an extreme passion for his subject and an extraordinary drive to help both students and colleagues.

After earning his doctorate at The Ohio State University, he taught at the University of Pittsburgh and received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Award after just three years on the Pitt faculty. He also earned a 1994 Pew Faculty Fellowship in International Affairs from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He’s taught poli sci at Mercyhurst since 1996, except for a three-year term as dean of faculty.

Ripley’s primary teaching and research interests are international relations, Asian politics and foreign policy.

Walker Business School welcomes new dean Rajeev (Raj) Parikh, Ph.D., has been named dean of the Walker School of Business and Communication.

“The Walker School has a diverse array of programs, and I knew it would be a great opportunity to become involved with unique programs like hospitality management and fashion merchandising in addition to traditional business programs,” said Parikh.

Parikh comes to Mercyhurst from Southern Oregon University, where he was the dean of the school of business for four years and a tenured professor of accounting and finance. He also previously held leadership posts at Delaware State University, Wilmington University and St. Bonaventure University and worked in the corporate world for several years.

On the academic front School of Health Professions launches Nearly 30 percent of Mercyhurst students are interested in careers in the health sector, one of the fastest growing areas of the economy. So this fall the university integrated its health-related programs under one umbrella.

The new School of Health Professions and Public Health will incorporate programs in public health, sports medicine, physician assistant studies, exercise science, nursing and allied health. Public Health Department Chair David Dausey, Ph.D., is dean of the new school, the sixth at Mercyhurst; David Hyland, Ph.D., professor of biology, and Marion Monahan, director of health professional programs at North East, are associate deans.

Health is one of the few fields to escape job declines during the recession. Still, a large number of health jobs are going unfilled because of the limited number of people with the necessary skills. Dausey cited estimates that by 2020 there will be 250,000 unfilled jobs in public health.

In addition, the nation continues to experience shortages in nursing and other health professions.

Mercyhurst debuts new graduate programs Mercyhurst unveiled three new graduate programs in fall 2013. The College of Graduate Studies now offers master’s degree programs in Applied Behavior Analysis and in Organizational Leadership with a concentration in Sustainability Studies, as well as the university’s first doctoral program, in archaeology.

Mercyhurst has also applied for accreditation for a new Physician Assistant Studies master’s program. While the review goes on, applications are being accepted for an anticipated summer 2014 launch.

Associate degree college named for Catherine McAuley Mercyhurst trustees gave the College of Associate Degree Studies a new name this spring, honoring Catherine Elizabeth McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy.

The McAuley College of Associate Degree Studies, headquartered on the North East campus, serves as the umbrella over associate degree programs at North East, Corry and the Booker T. Washington Center, and – starting this fall – on the Erie campus.as well.

In keeping with its commitment to make education affordable and accessible to all, Mercyhurst now offers associate degrees in accounting, business administration and criminal justice in Erie. Tuition is the same affordable rate offered at Mercyhurst’s satellite campuses and programs are designed to be flexible to meet the needs of working adults. Students can enroll full or part time.

A native of India, he came to the United States in 1982 to earn his doctorate in accounting, finance and management science from the University of Buffalo-SUNY.

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Lakers on the move

AIM students ‘Conquer the Canyon’ Thirteen members of the Mercyhurst community experienced the rich natural beauty and immense size of the Grand Canyon this spring while raising awareness for Autism Spectrum Disorders. The group included eight students in Mercyhurst’s pioneering AIM (Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst) program.

The group, led by AIM Coordinator Brad McGarry, traveled through the Sonoran Desert to the Red Rock Country of Sedona, through Oak Creek Canyon and to the Grand Canyon, and to Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater and Walnut Canyon National Monument.

Faculty, students share tour of South Africa Cady Schneible describes her summer vacation as “National Geographic live and in person.”

Andrew Pruchinski put in this way: “We witnessed the circle of life 15 feet in front of our Jeep.”

They were recalling the moment when a Mercyhurst group on safari in South Africa watched in awe as a lioness and her cubs attacked and killed a zebra just yards in front of them. Even locals seldom get a chance like that.

The experience – captured here in a photograph by Dr. Heidi Hosey, dean of international education – was just one highlight of a nine-day tour for a half-dozen students in a course titled “Culture of South Africa.” They met weekly throughout the spring with English professors Dr. Joanne McGurk and Dr. Marnie Sullivan to prepare for the trip by exploring the nation’s language, literature, visual arts, history and more. “We wanted students to be able to get on the ground and understand what they were seeing,” explains McGurk.

The students learned to appreciate the struggles this very young democracy has endured. “The country is still dealing with its race issues, like the U.S. in the ‘60s and ‘70s, trying to pave over the past and move forward, but it’s hard,” says McGurk. The students are too young to have experienced the process, but they learned how Nelson Mandela’s vision kept the country from dissolving into all-out civil war.

The South Africa trip was the latest offering from a signature Mercyhurst initiative known as FSAT: Faculty and Student Academic Travel. Other faculty-student groups have visited destinations from Japan and China to Italy and Greece. Upcoming destinations include Vietnam, Ireland, Guyana and Paris.

It’s not just tourism, McGurk stresses. It’s really study, capped off with a trip. McGurk says it’s a chance for students to push themselves to try new things and be open to new experiences.

“Once you do that, there’s no going back. You can’t retreat into xenophobia,” she adds. “It’s a joy to share that with students. It’s a life-changing experience for the students, and there’s a huge payoff for the teacher.”

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Their itinerary was developed and guided by Conquer the Canyon, a company that creates adventures for those whose lives are affected by genetic disorders, cancers, diabetes, homelessness and poverty. Almost a year of preparation preceded the trip, including rigorous physical training, exercises in teamwork and communication, and fundraising, and it paid off.

“Less than one percent of those who visit the Grand Canyon explore it as deeply as we did,” McGarry notes proudly.

On the horizon? Maybe “Conquer the Crater,” a five-day excursion into the backwoods of Iceland.

Professor visits Turkey on cultural exchange Professor of Japanese Keiko Takioto Miller joined about a dozen Erie residents on a 10day trip to Turkey, sponsored by Erie’s Turkish Cultural Center to foster relationships between diverse cultural groups.

Their itinerary took them across the country, from Istanbul to Izmir, to Ankara and the Konya Plain, where they visited Fatih University and several historic sites. They also shared home-cooked meals with several Turkish families. “Hospitality is the way of life for these former strangers,” she notes.

“They opened their homes, both humble and well-to-do, to all of us Americans.”

Miller, who teaches a course in Cross Cultural Symbology, also enjoyed the opportunity to view historic calligraphic symbols.

“We need more dialogues among different peoples of the world,” says Miller.

“While we realize the difficulty in continuing our friendship with those we met in Turkey, their vibrant spirit of openness and hospitality has rubbed off on us American, making us realize our further need to defy stereotypes and understand each other on a much deeper human level.”

NewS on campus

Adovasio returns to re-excavate after storm damages Meadowcroft Forty years ago, a young Jim Adovasio made a discovery that turned the scientific world on its head. He excavated beneath an overhanging cliff face on the north bank of Cross Creek, a small tributary of the Ohio River in Avella, Pa., that history would later record as the earliest welldated archaeological site in North America, dating back 16,000 years.

This summer, he returned to the Meadowcroft Rockshelter to re-excavate a storm-ravaged section of this National Historic Landmark, which provides a rare glimpse into the lives of the first people to arrive in the New World.

Photo by David Scofield

Adovasio, director of the Mercyhurst University Archaeological Institute, took along a team that included project archaeologist Allen Quinn, processing lab director Annie Marjenin, 2013 alumnus Mike Way, and students Jamie Badams, Jessica Higley and Michelle Farley.

Prior to Adovasio’s work at Meadowcroft, scientists believed the ancestors of Native Americans crossed a frozen landmass covering the Bering Strait about 12,000 years ago. Adovasio said evidence of population in eastern North America thousands of years earlier meant that the academic community has had to reevaluate its previous notions of how and when North America was peopled.

Choir visits Erie’s sister city in Poland Choir Director Rebecca Ryan led a team of students, alumni and friends of the university to Poland for the Lublin Partner Cities Choirs Festival May 23-25.

Choirs came from Lublin’s sister cities, including Nowy Sad, Serbia; Omsk, Russia; and Timişoara, Romania, to perform at historic Lublin Castle.

The Mercyhurst choir performed a mix of traditional African-American spirituals, selections from American composers and sacred works, and Ryan offered a seminar on Erie-born composer and arranger Harry Burleigh.

The group also spent several days in the old city of Krakow, visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine (and sang in the underground cathedral carved out of rock salt by the miners), and toured the Maydanek concentration camp with its museum exploring the holocaust in Poland.

More than 1,000 graduate at 2013 commencements Mercyhurst added more than a thousand students to its alumni ranks in 2013, including just over 500 traditional-aged bachelor’s degree candidates from the Erie campus; well over 300 who earned associate degrees at North East, West and Corry; and almost 200 adult and graduate students.

During the ceremony for traditional-age undergraduates, Dublin native Rhona Boyle – winner of the Carpe Diem Award as the senior who had made the most positive impact on the campus – spoke to her classmates.

Kaleigh Hubert was also honored with the Bishop’s Award for Academic Excellence. The graduation was held at Erie’s Bayfront Convention Center due to construction at Erie Insurance Arena (formerly Tullio Arena).

Robert Mazza, owner of Mazza Vineyards and a Mercyhurst University trustee, delivered the commencement address during ceremonies in Liguori Fieldhouse at North East. Dylan Goodill, recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest student award, also spoke. Also honored there were 10 graduates of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, the first baccalaureate degree offered on the North East campus.

Christine Lo Bue-Estes, Ph.D., director of the graduate program in exercise science, spoke to master’s degree recipients and adult students earning baccalaureate degrees. During exercises at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center, Teresa Still received the Catherine McAuley Adult Student Award and the President’s Award for Adult Excellence went to Matthew Yaw.

New hydration system gets high marks during test run Erie campus employees got a refreshing treat this summer. As part of a pilot project, an Evive Station™ in Old Main provided free, filtered, chilled water in reusable bottles.

Those who register their personalized Evive bottles can even have their bottles sanitized with each filling.

“As a leader in sustainability among colleges and universities, Mercyhurst had been looking for an environmentally friendly option like this for quite some time,” explained sustainability officer Brittany Prischak. “In decreasing bottled water use, we also decrease the energy needed to produce and recycle plastic bottles while cutting back on the plastic waste that ends up in landfills, not to mention the Great Lakes.”

The kiosk, installed free of charge, is supported by advertising revenue, Plans call for more stations to be installed around campus later this year.

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alumni notes Richard Gignac ‘91 completed his master’s degree in educational leadership at Edinboro University in December 2012. He and his wife, Christine Bonadio Gignac ’91, and their two children live in Warren, Pa., where he works for the Warren County School District.

Members of the Class of 1963 are pictured during their 50th anniversary celebration at Reunion Weekend. From left: Amy Skinner Sargent, Mary Lou Cuddyre Ghezzi, Rosemarie Scarsella Janosko, Nancy August Voskuhl, Barbara Kraus Von Hoene, Sr. Patricia Whalen, RSM, Rita Strobel Bajura and Carolyn Anderson Ruth.

Sally Carlow Kohler ‘51 has been elected the first emerita member of the Mercyhurst University Alumni Association.

She was the Alumnae Board President in 1958 and has served consecutively on the alumni board for more than 27 years.

Mary Ellen Dahlkemper ’73 has been named president of Mercyhurst Preparatory School. Most recently, she was the chief administrative and development officer at Stairways Behavioral Health.

James Daniel ‘84 was named inspector for the City of Erie Police Department, Office of Professional Standards.

James McManus ‘94 was appointed to the Board of Governance for the Lorain/ Medina Community Based Correctional Facility. Jim is an assistant professor and criminal justice program coordinator at Lorain County Community College and serves as a part-time police chief for the Village of Kipton, Ohio.

Lauren N. Diulus ‘98, an of-counsel attorney with Leech Tishman in Pittsburgh, was recognized as a 2013 Pennsylvania Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers Magazine.

Bridget Kirkland ‘98 graduated from Winthrop University with an MFA in general studio art.

She begins teaching this fall at the University of South Carolina Upstate and continues to serve on the interactive committee for TEDxGreenville.

Michael A. Nagy ‘03, an attorney in the Pittsburgh office of civil defense litigation law firm Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, has been invited to join the Claims and Litigation Management Alliance (CLM).

David A. Armstrong, Esq. ’86 has been named the 16th president of Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Ky. He had previously served as vice president and general counsel of Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio.

Andrea L. Bauer ‘03 of Pittsburgh, Pa., won the Media Representative of the Year Award for her volunteer efforts for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on April 14, 2013. Andrea, who works as a credit analyst for Sapa Extrusions North America, lost her mother to pancreatic cancer in 2006.

Works by Michael R. Grine ‘91 were featured in a summer 2013 show at New York City’s Pleiades Gallery of Contemporary Art.

Kurt Rader ‘04 was promoted to senior vice president, international relationship manager at HSBC in Washington, D.C. He also completed an MBA at the University of Maryland in 2012, with a concentration in corporate finance and a minor specialty in international studies.

Melissa Newell Reynolds ‘05 has joined Standard Textile Corporation in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a senior marketing communications specialist.

29

Marriages Jane Bassett Millett ’75 married Thomas Heuer ’76.

Carolyn J. McQuillen ‘97, daughter of former President Dr. Michael McQuillen, married Sascha Meyer on Aug. 11, 2013, in the Rocky Mountains.

Carolyn works in Denver as a dialysis RN and in Evergreen, Colo., as a certified massage therapist.

Professor Keiko Miller officiated.

Kate Lynch ‘05 married Jeff Knecht on June 8, 2013, in Pittsburgh, Pa. Bridesmaids included Natalie Pasquale ‘05 and Justine Adams ‘05. Tim Knecht ‘09 ‘11 was a groomsman. Kate works as a sales and catering account manager for Marriott in Pittsburgh and Jeff is a senior technical recruiter, also in Pittsburgh.

Elyse Lagana ‘08 and Alfred Jones ‘09 were married on July 13, 2013, in Geneseo, N.Y. Groomsmen included Mike Morgan ‘08 and Matt Stay ‘09. The couple lives in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Marissa L. Starin ‘08 and John A. Wayner ‘08 were married on Aug. 24, 2013. The wedding party included co-maids of honor Haylie Starin ‘09 and Chelsea Starin ‘14, bridesmaids Sarah Wayner Polito ‘06 and Angela Balacco ‘08, co-best man Michael Wayner ‘12, and groomsmen Chris Davis ‘08, Brian Folland ‘08 and Robert Blackburn ‘09.

Breanna Haggerty ‘09 and Dan Bertolini ‘08 were married July 6, 2013. The wedding party included bridesmaids Beth O’Neil ‘09, Elizabeth Wagner ‘09 and Page Christensen ‘09 and best man Brett Pitzulo ‘08.

Breanna is a graphic designer at Mercyhurst and Dan is the baseball coach at Mercyhurst North East.

Kathryn McKemie Kolker ‘09 married Christopher Bryan Miller on May 25, 2013, in Fairport, N.Y. The wedding party included maid of honor Shannon Murphy ‘09 and bridesmaid Danielle Feller ‘10. Kathryn works in Rochester, N.Y., as a pediatric physical therapist, and Christopher is an operations manager at Rain for Rent.

Erik O. Penn ‘09 and Nadine C. Beres ‘10 were married on May 11, 2013.

Christina Drushel ‘09 married Gary Williams ‘08 on July 6, 2013, in Baltimore, Md. Kevin Trant ‘08 was a groomsman.

Kristen Toomey ‘09 married Ryan Arnold ‘09 on Aug. 3, 2013. Groomsmen included Jason LaShomb ‘09 and John Paige ‘09.

Elizabeth Wagner ‘09 married Jack Miller on Aug. 10, 2013. Breanna Haggerty Bertolini ‘09 and Beth O’Neil ‘09 were bridesmaids.

Katherine L. Tompkins ‘10 married Shawn Hockstad. Bridesmaids included Karleen Vogt ‘10 and Katherine Barszcz ‘10. Kati completed her M.Ed. from Boston College in summer 2012 and is a high school math teacher in Finksburg, Md. Nathalie Ocampo Berlioz ‘11 and Mark Weissman ‘11 were married on May 25, 2013, in Beechwood, Ohio.

The wedding party included Esther Claros Berlioz ‘07, Ashley Marin ‘11, Tyler Grasinger ‘11 and Chris Wingard ‘09.

Births & Adoptions John David ‘94 and wife Jocelynn had a son, Finn, on March 15, 2013.

Craig Rybczynski ‘95 and wife Amy had their second son, Carter Garret, on Feb. 15, 2013.

Joanna Shirey Halenda ‘96 and husband Paul had a son, Samuel Lamar, on Feb. 25, 2013. He joins siblings Jenna, Caleb and Emerson.

Katie McGlynn-Smith ‘96 and husband Peter had a daughter, Maeve Elizabeth, on March 27, 2013.

Charles M. Andres ‘97 and wife Virginia had their second daughter, Fiona Marie, on March 17, 2013.

Matthew M. Konieczki ‘97 and Diana R. Rapacki Konieczki ‘03 had a son, Jake, on May 9, 2012, in Erie. He joins big sister Stella.

Kristin Peterson ‘08 and Matthew Pierce ‘09 had a daughter, Aspen Presley Pierce, on Jan. 13, 2013.

Erin Lloyd Hromada ‘98 and husband Lou had a son, Ethan Joseph, on Nov. 1, 2012. He joins big brothers Lucas and Owen.

Jill Songer Schmitz ‘01 and Eric Schmitz ‘02 had a son, Otto James, on July 8, 2013. Otto joins big sister Ellie.

April Worst Gregan, Ed.D. ‘02 and husband Darren had twin daughters, Anna Grace and Catherine Mae, on Feb. 7, 2013. The Gregans live in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Anne Sitter Markowitz ‘02 and husband Aaron had a son, Alexander Joseph, on Jan. 10, 2013.

Kelly Froelich McColgan ‘02, husband Michael and son Declan welcomed Teague Michael, born July 2013.

Laura Junker Hillwig ‘03 and husband Michael had a second child, a son, on April 2, 2013.

Danielle N. Poole Piser ‘03 and husband Adam had a daughter, Charlie Ellis, on Aug. 2, 2012, in Chicago, Ill. Christian T. Beyer ‘04 and wife Kim had a son, Blake Scott, on April 5, 2013. He joins big sister Grace.

AmandaJo Davis Briggs ‘04 and Preston Briggs ‘06 had a son, Davis George, on Feb. 27, 2013, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Timothy Fox ‘04 and Stephanie Schnacke Fox ‘05 had a son, Miles Car, on Feb. 15, 2013.

Susan Griswold Dunahue ‘05 and husband Ryan had a daughter, Kimberly Ann, on Feb. 22, 2013.

She joins sister Katelyn.

Kelly Dombrowski Karns ‘06 and husband Steven had a daughter, Lilly Eleanor, on March 26, 2013.

Courtney Williamson Friedrich ‘07 and husband Ward had a daughter, Kylie, on July 3, 2012, in Charleston, S.C. Lindsay Peters Heilman ‘07 and husband Elias had their first child, a son, Bingham Barnes, on March 20, 2013.

Brittani DeVore Hough ‘10 and husband Jeremi had a daughter, Eisley Rose, on Feb. 18, 2013.

Deaths Alumni Mary Irene Kinnerney Spiker ‘47 Constance H. Schneider Dean ‘48 Margaret Foley Ringwood ‘55 Catherine Cruise Walker ‘58 Mary J. Holsinger Dorman ‘59 Margaret A. Benedict McEwen ‘73 Patricia Flanagan Palo ‘76 William F. O’ Brien ‘79 Jamie Papinchak ‘97 Stephanie McCracken Williams ‘02 Nathaniel M. Bewley ‘09 Husband of: Ann Hamilton Rand ‘50 (Richard Rand) Noel J. Jaeger Burgoyne ‘57 (Charles Burgoyne) Mother of: Mary Ellen Turek Margolis ‘71 and Kathleen Turek Frissora ‘75, mother-in-law of Gordon Frissora, Ph.D. ‘76 (Irene Turek) Thomas Philip Richter Sr. ‘73, mother-in-law of Sheila Walsh Richter ‘77 (F. Elaine Richter) Ann Capoccia Zieno ‘74 (Marie A Capoccia) Holly Chiappazzi Villella ‘79 (Dolores Chiappazzi Justka) Stephen Frisina ’80, mother-in-law of Linda First Frisina ‘81 (Mildred A. Frisina) Thomas G. Nies ‘99 and Keith A. Nies ‘00 (Mary Nies) Father of: William Richardson ‘77 (William E. Richardson) Lisa Staszewski Walsh ’89 and Cheryl Staszewski ’92 (Walter J. Staszewski) Thomas Kitchen ’97 ’05 and Amelia Kitchen Babbitt ’96 (Willis ‘Fred’ Kitchen) Daughter of: Ruth Friel Doyle ‘58 (Julianne Doyle Bentley) Sister of: Edward McGraw ’75 (Grace McCormack) 30

501 East 38th Street, Erie, PA 16546

Mark your calendars and plan to join us June 6-8, 2014.

Special guests this year: • The anniversary classes of 1964, 1974, 1989 and 2004

reunion.mercyhurst.edu

• Athletes who played football, men’s and women’s tennis, field hockey, men’s and women’s water polo and volleyball

Stay tuned for more details

• Our Torchbearer Reunion Group – everyone who graduated in 1963 or earlier is invited to return to campus every year

coming soon.