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News From Mount Aloysius College
Mount Aloysius College hosted a “A Night in the Vineyard” dinner gala to raise funds for student scholarships. The event raised more than $122,000 towards scholarships for Mount Aloysius students. The “Night in the Vineyard” occurred on Saturday, November 6, 2021 and featured a three-course meal paired with wines of the Pacific Northwest. David Ulbricht, owner and winemaker at SchöneTal Cellars, Oregon, provided background information and commentary on the wines paired with each course.
In addition to the dinner, attendees participated in a silent auction and themed activities, as well as a reception that kicked off the event.
Vox Nova Celebrates 25 Years
Vox Nova, the select mixed vocal ensemble at Mount Aloysius College, celebrated 25 years of performances with “Vox Nova is 25!”, a reunion concert on Saturday, April 23 in the Our Lady of Mercy Chapel.
This performance included not only the current Vox Nova singers, but also alumni who were involved over the group’s 25-year lifespan. The ensemble was started in 1997 by Nancy Way, assistant professor of music, who is still directing Vox Nova today.
Thousands of songs and hundreds of performances later, the group is still active at the College and in the local community. They have sung both religious and secular music for College events, Stations of the Cross services at area churches, concerts in surrounding venues, and many other appearances.
FNB Donation Supports Dual Enrollment
First National Bank recently donated $6,000 to Mount Aloysius College via the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program. The donation will go towards the Mount’s College in High School program. The College in High School program offers high school students the opportunity to take reduced-tuition courses for college credit at their high school.
These courses allow students to enter college a step ahead, with credits already on their transcripts, so they can better explore their interests or graduate early.
“We are thankful to First National Bank for their generous gift and commitment to Mount Aloysius College students,” said Dr. John Farkas, Vice President for Institutional Advancement for Mount Aloysius. “The College in High School program provides a unique education opportunity for local high school students, and students interested in any major can benefit from this program.”
Mount Students Volunteer at Free Clinic in Pittsburgh
Katie Fasel of Bedford, PA, and Ally Bihary, of Duncansville, PA, two pre-dental majors at the College, worked alongside 1,000 other volunteers at a free dental clinic in Pittsburgh to provide care to over 1,000 patients.
The group, Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh, serves underinsured individuals in the Pittsburgh area. They provided extractions, root canals, fillings, and examinations. Bihary worked with other hygienists to offer routine cleanings, while Fasel assisted dentists in the periodontal and imaging department.
Next year, Katie, Ally, and the Mount’s pre-dental club want to be able to return to Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh with even more volunteers.
Nursing Faculty Contributes Chapter to Award-Winning Book
Dr. Julie Decker, assistant professor of nursing, has co-authored a chapter in the book “Veteran-centered Care in Education and Practice: An Essential Guide for Nursing Faculty,” which focuses on educating nurses on understanding why and how veteran
patients may need specialized care due to trauma, exposure, and other factors relating to their military service.
Dr. Decker’s chapter, co-authored with Dr. Carma Erickson-Hurt, focuses on dangers veterans are exposed to due to their occupation and their environment. The chapter covers everything from noise exposure, to radiation, to Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome, for which there is no known definitive cause.
The book is the recipient of two awards. The Sigma Theta Tau 2021 Capstone International Nursing Book Award recognizes outstanding books published by nurses. The AJN Book of the Year Award 2021 (Nursing Education/Prof Dev. category) recognizes the most valuable texts of a given year as chosen by a panel of American Journal of Nursing judges.
Mount Receives Grant, Kickstarts New Major
Mount Aloysius College recently received a grant from the UPMC Altoona Foundation for a new machine to help allied health students learn. The grant, worth $25,000, will go towards the purchase of a VIMEDIX ultrasonography machine. This machine will help the Mount launch their new Bachelor of Science Echocardiography program.
“Thanks to the generosity of the UPMC Altoona Foundation, our students will have the opportunity to learn cardiac sonography on high-fidelity simulation equipment,” said Andrea Gutmann, chair of the Mount’s ultrasonography department. “This simulator can provide students with a realistic sonography experience in the classroom, preparing them for jobs in hospitals and clinics.” The VIMEDIX is a manikin, meaning that it is designed to look and perform like a live patient, and allows students to develop their skills in ultrasound probe handling, image interpretation, diagnosis, and clinical decision-making. Dr. Dave Haschak, Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Mount, says that this machine is an exciting learning opportunity for the students.
“Students who choose to study echocardiography at the Mount will have such a higher quality of learning thanks to the VIMEDIX device,” Haschak said. “We really cannot thank the UPMC Altoona Foundation enough for continuing to support education at the Mount, and for supporting our students’ educations.”
Echocardiography, sometimes called cardiac sonography, uses ultrasound equipment to get images of a patient’s heart. Mount Aloysius will be adding this bachelor’s program to their allied health majors beginning Fall 2022 and is now accepting applications.
A MESSAGE FROM DR. JOHN FARKAS
VP FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Thank you MAC Alumni and Friends of the College. It has again been a very successful year for fundraising at the Mount thanks to the generosity of our alumni, friends, foundations, corporations, former trustees, faculty/staff, board of trustees, and even parents. The increases we experienced are due to your generosity and support of our student body. • Unrestricted giving rose by $448,683 or 89%
• Restricted giving rose by $232,225 or 74%
• Total giving rose by $680,908, or 83%
• Total donors rose by 75, or 10%
Our new special event fundraisers did remarkably well with A Night in the Vineyard event grossing over $122,000 and the Gaelic Gathering raising $16,040.
On behalf of our students, we thank you. With Gratitude, John A. Farkas Vice President for Institutional Advancement
