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The Merciad Mercyhurst university

Est. 1929 Vol. 88 No. 5

Wednesday, october 15, 2014

Gamble to retire By Nathan Turner News editor

Zach Dorsch photo

From left: Vice Chair of the Board Richard Lanzillo, University President Thomas Gamble, Vice Chair of the Board Sister JoAnne Courneen, RSM, in the Performing Arts Center.

At an all-school gathering on Oct. 13 in the Performing Arts Center, President Thomas Gamble, Ph.D, accompanied by Marlene Mosco, Chair of the Board of Trustees and two other board members, announced that he would be ending his term as Mercyhurst University president at the end of the 20142015 academic year. Mosco said that when Gamble’s contract was renewed in 2010, he was insistent that “2005 was the Alpha of his presidency, and 2015 would be the Omega of his presidency.” Gamble, after Mosco’s introduction, said that while “it might seem early to make an announcement like this,” he wished to “make sure that

Mercyhurst has plenty of time to conduct a search, select a new president, and have that individual be available here on campus to take the helm.” Gamble plans to return to “teaching, researching, and writing” as a member of the Mercyhurst faculty, after he completes a “short sabbatical.” The Board of Trustees has begun the process to find a new university president. Mosco has chosen Mercyhurst alumni and trustees Richard Lanzillo, ‘83, and Joseph NeCastro, ‘78, to lead the search. Gamble will remain in office until the end of his contract, or until the board selects a new president, whichever comes first. Gamble’s tenure as president was marked by many changes. During his speech,

he mentioned the transition to university status, the construction of Warde residence hall and the Center for Academic Engagement, and the transition to the 4-1-4 academic calendar, as well as the establishment of many other programs. There were negative aspects of his tenure as well. Recent years have seen a decline in enrollment, as well as the university being given a warning in January by the Middle States Commission for Higher Education for not completely meeting the commission’s standards for accreditation. Prior to serving as university president, Gamble was Vice President of Academic Affairs, and served as a professor of criminal justice and psychology. @TheMerciad

Students react to Gamble’s retirement By Nathan Turner News editor

Students’ perceptions of Thomas Gamble, Ph.D, were varied, as well as their reactions to the announcement of his retirement. Nick Latta, Mercyhurst Student Government President, spoke highly of Gamble.

“He’s done a lot for the school for his tenure,” Latta says. “He’s done a lot of change.” Even in the negative aspects of Gamble’s presidency, Latta found some positive. He spoke of the university’s response to the warning from the Middle States Commission for Higher Education for failing to completely meet the commission’s accreditation

standards. “When [the Commission] came through last spring, we were awarded six letters of commendation,” he said. “We may have been in a warning situation at first, but he helped pull us into a situation where we’re above the rest of the curve.” Other students’ reactions to Gamble were more lukewarm. Kirsten Mueller, a senior, said

the resignation did not come as a surprise. “Mercyhurst has gone through so many changes over the last few years, so this isn’t necessarily something that shocks me.” Becky Malaga, a senior, called the resignation “sudden.” “You send an email at 8 a.m., then you announce you’re retiring at 10 a.m.” The situation happened so quickly

that she “thought it might have been a sex scandal.” Anna Wills, a senior, was “happy to be part of his time here.” However, she also stated that she did not interact much with Gamble himself. Gauging the opinions of the student body was difficult as many people questioned said they did not have an opinion on the matter.

The reaction of Jacob Ochs, a senior, may then effectively stand for a great number of the students: “Meh. I don’t really care about bureaucratic politics. It doesn’t really affect me.”

@TheMerciad

Mercyhurst makes standardized tests optional all aspects of the applicant into account.

By Nathan Turner News editor

Mercyhurst University at the end of 2014-2015 academic year will no longer require applicants to submit standardized tests as part of the application process. The decision to no longer require standardized tests come after deliberation within the school and in the wake of many other colleges and universities, a total of 850 schools, taking the step to become “test-optional.” Christian Beyer, Director of Admissions, said that Mercyhurst has not regarded the tests as “a true indication of success” at Mercyhurst. He said the admissions process at Mercyhurst is“holistic,” taking

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“The goal is to ‘identify students that may be in school districts that don’t have the proper testing or training to take the exam.’” Christian Beyer

“We do require a transcript, SATs or ACTs, letter of recommendation, and an essay,” Beyer said. “If we see students who have a GPA or a test score lower than our standards, we’re not going to completely dismiss that applicant. We’re going to look a little deeper…look at the circumstances around them as far

as their school district, home life.” Despite the decision to go test-optional, the majority of applicants are likely to still submit their test scores as part of their application, Beyer said. “Eighty-five to 90 percent of the schools that are on this plan, the students still submit their scores,” Beyer said. The goal of this push is not to increase acceptance rates, but to “identify students that may be in school districts that do not have the proper testing or training to take the exam.” Students who choose to not submit their test scores are not necessarily taking the easy way out. The decisions will be made by committee, and students who don’t submit test scores will be asked to submit

“another letter of recommendation … and a graded writing sample from a class, and probably an on-campus interview,” Beyer said.

“You’re opening the doors to many other urban high schools and giving students a chance to succeed in life.” Rob Kitchen

The decision to go test-optional is unlikely to have an effect on the numbers of students coming to Mercyhurst from private schools, such as Mercyhurst Preparatory School, or county schools, such as Fairview High School, according to the respective

guidance counselors, Gary Froehlich and Emily Crawford. However, it would offer an increased chance of entry to students from urban area schools within Erie, particularly East High School. “This is definitely going to have a huge impact,” said Rob Kitchen, guidance counselor at East High School in Erie. “A lot of our students have good grade point averages, but they struggle on the assessments.” The decision to go test-optional also offers increased opportunities to the refugees who attend East High and consider English their second language. “This is going to open up doors that they’ve not been able to have that college experience because of the lan-

guage barrier,” Kitchen said. The location of Mercyhurst also allows them to attend a four-year program without having to worry about room, board, and transportation to and from campus, as well as allowing them to maintain the tight-knit family units with which they currently live. “You’re not just opening the doors to East High,” Kitchen said. “You’re opening the doors to many other urban high schools and giving students a chance to succeed in life.” Giving students that chance is the reason for the decision to go test-optional.

Online Poll Results What are your plans for this fall break? 46% Contemplating my life choices 27% Sleeping for four days 15% Celebrating Oktoberfest 12% Playing Destiny

Be sure to vote in this week’s online poll: What are your thoughts on Gamble’s retirement?

merciad.mercyhurst.edu

@TheMerciad


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