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Features 14 A New Way of Thinking
University of Scranton young engineers’ focus on sustainable energy benefits local and global communities.
17 A Deeper Dialogue 19 Following a Jesuit Tradition in the 21st Century Scranton alumni in broadcast reveal the benefits and challenges of the 24-hour news cycle.
University of Scranton professors serve refugee communities through Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins.
22 A Campus Hub
The Weinberg Memorial Library plans for the future (and welcomes fun and spontaneity).
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contents
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Online Journal There is more Scranton news than we can fit in this print edition! Look for icons throughout The Scranton Journal indicating there is more related content, including photographs, videos or expanded articles, on our website. Visit scranton.edu/ scrantonjournal to access the print version’s full content, plus our web extras.
PHOTOS
STORY
VIDEO
HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS:
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We Heard You! In April, we asked Scranton Journal readers to fill out a survey that would help us improve this magazine. We were thrilled to receive more than 600 entries! Read the results online.
Departments
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3 A Message from the President 4 On the Commons 12 Faculty News 24 Athletics 28 University Advancement 34 Profiles 41 Class Notes
Sustainability Slideshow Learn about Director of Sustainability Mark Murphy’s efforts to save energy on campus through lighting features and design in the Estate, the Chapel of the Sacred Heart, Madonna Della Strada Chapel and the Houlihan McLean Center.
about our cover Members of the Scranton community are embracing change for good by installing high-tech improvements in the Library (left), providing e-centered learning environments in Kenyan classrooms (middle) and building fuel cell buses for cities across the nation (right). (A team of Scranton students also reaches a small village in Uganda by developing and delivering a new type of solar panel!) Read more inside.
Q&A Sessions Hear more from Bernard R. McIlhenny, S.J., Iordanis Petsas, Ph.D., Christopher N. Steel, Ph.D. ’99 and the Nellis family (Bill ’55, Joe ’85, Kate ’10).
FALL 2014 • VOLUME 36, NUMBER 1
EDITOR
Laura Richards DESIGNER
A Message
from the President
Jason Thorne G’13 CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Kevin Southard Stan M. Zygmunt ’84, G’95
Dear Alumni & Friends,
ASSOCIATE WRITERS
Sandy Stahl ASSISTANT CLASS NOTES EDITOR
Margery Gleason PHOTOGRAPHY
Terry Connors Carol McDonald Jim O’Connor Kevin Southard PRESIDENT
Having concluded the celebration of the 125th anniversary of our founding, The University of Scranton is poised to move into the future with renewed appreciation for the wisdom, courage and sacrifice of the generations who have come before us. In this issue of The Scranton Journal, we recount the concluding months of our celebration and capture ways in which the entrepreneurial spirit so present throughout our history is alive and well today. I am deeply proud of how thoroughly the Scranton community embraced our yearlong
Kevin P. Quinn, S.J.
celebration. The energy of campus gatherings was echoed at alumni functions across the
VICE PROVOST FOR ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT & EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
nation. I am grateful to so many of you for sharing your Scranton stories with me. I could
Gerald C. Zaboski ’87, G’95
ask for no better reminder of my privileged role than to hear from you about the ways in
VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT
which this special place has made a difference in your lives. I am also delighted that we
Gary R. Olsen DIRECTOR OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
Lori J. Nidoh ’80, G’89 MANAGER OF CREATIVE SERVICES
Valarie J. Clark
concluded our year by publishing the University’s first hardcover history book — A Legacy to Hold, A Future to Build. With its title drawn from the inspiring words of our alma mater, the book pays just tribute to God’s grace at work here these past 125 years. It also points us squarely toward the future. As will be true for the coming years, technology is common to many University initiatives, including several featured in this issue. What matters is not gigabits, gauges and gadgets, but rather how our faculty, staff, students and alumni are leveraging and harnessing technology to live out the University’s mission in new and expanding ways.
The Scranton Journal is published by The University of Scranton for its alumni and friends.
External Affairs & Enrollment Management Office The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510-4615. 570.941.7900.
Office of Alumni Relations
The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA 18510-4624. 570.941.7660. Email: alumni@scranton.edu 1-800-SCRANTON. Website: scranton.edu/alumni If this issue is addressed to a graduate who no longer maintains a residence at your home, please tear off the mailing panel and mail it, with the corrected address, to the Office of Alumni Relations. The University of Scranton is a Catholic, Jesuit educational institution serving men and women. The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, sex, sexual orientation or age. © 2014 The University of Scranton
From a major renovation in the Weinberg Memorial Library to sustainable engineering to online education, we are improving the Scranton experience as we make a difference locally and globally. I encourage you to continue to support our important work and, most especially, to pray that the University remains a place where students can experience a transformational Catholic and Jesuit education, a Scranton education. God bless you. Sincerely,
Kevin P. Quinn, S.J. President FA L L 2014
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On the Commons Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly Receives Arrupe Award The University presented its annual Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Award for Distinguished Contributions to Ignatian Mission and Ministry to Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly, executive director of Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of Scranton, at a ceremony on campus on April 3. Msgr. Kelly also serves as the executive director of both the St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen in Scranton and the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre. The Arrupe Award is named in honor of the late Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983. The University instituted the award in 1995 to further its namesake’s vision by recognizing men and women for outstanding contributions in a wide variety of Ignatian-inspired ministries. “Arrupe wanted all of us to understand that we needed to be men and women for others … and challenged the entire world in an extraordinary way,” said Msgr. Kelly. “He rekindled the fire of service and challenged us all to do more to raise up the poor among us.”
From left are Richard G. Malloy, S.J., acting executive director of Campus Ministries; Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly, executive director of Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of Scranton; University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J.; and Ryan J. Maher, S.J., executive director of The Jesuit Center.
A Gift from Government of Taiwan
From left, University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., and Ambassador Paul Wen-liang Chang, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, ring — for the first time — a replica of the Kinmen Peace Bell.
The University received a national gift from the government of Taiwan: a replica of the renowned Kinmen Peace Bell. Ambassador Paul Wen-liang Chang, director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, presented the bell in a dedication ceremony at the Loyola Science Center on May 1. The University is the only higher education institution in the world to receive a replica of the Kinmen Peace Bell. “The donation of this peace bell signifies the cordial relationship and collaboration between the University and the various government agencies and universities of China and Taiwan,” Ambassador Chang said. The Loyola Science Center is the temporary location for the bell. University officials plan to erect an outdoor structure with Asian architectural elements to house the bell at a location on campus yet to be determined. The peace bell dedication took place amid a series of events for the University’s Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month.
We Heard You! In April, we asked Scranton Journal readers to fill out a survey that would help us improve the magazine. We were thrilled to receive more than 600 entries! To see a recap of the results of the survey, hosted by Qualtrics.com in conjunction with the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), visit scranton.edu/scrantonjournal. We welcome your comments there, too!
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On the Commons
Four Scranton Graduates Earn Fulbright Scholarships Sustaining a tradition of success at the University, four graduates have been selected for Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards for the 2014-2015 academic year. University of Scranton graduates earning Fulbrights are: Emmanuel Akpan Jr. ’14, Flanders, New Jersey, Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Cyprus; Olivia Salama ’14, Bayonne, New Jersey, Fulbright Scholarship in Law to Finland; Matthew Tibbitts ’14, West Hartford, Connecticut, Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Malaysia; and Marc Andris Vallone ’10, Collingswood, New Jersey, Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Brazil. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s premier scholarship program for overseas graduate study, research and teaching. For nine consecutive years, The Chronicle of Higher Education has listed the University among the “top producers” of Fulbright awards for American students. Since 1972, a total of 148 students who applied through the University have been awarded grants in the competitions administered by the Institute of International Education, including Fulbrights. “These exceptional graduates will immerse themselves in local communities in their host countries, continuing their remarkable records of volunteering with human development and health care organizations, after-school programs and student clubs,” said Susan Trussler, Ph.D., Fulbright Program adviser and associate professor of economics/finance. This year approximately 1,500 Fulbright Scholarships were awarded, according to the Institute of International Education. The recipients were selected from a pool of more than 10,000 applicants.
Marc Andris Vallone ’10, received a Fulbright for the 2014-2015 academic year.
Four Scranton graduates are selected for Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards for the 2014-2015 academic year, including three members of its Class of 2014. From left, are Matthew Tibbitts, Olivia Salama and Emmanuel Akpan Jr., and Susan Trussler, Ph.D., Fulbright Program adviser and associate professor of economics/ finance at the University.
University Names New Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., took on his new role as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs on July 1. Previously, he served as dean of the College of Music and Fine Arts at Loyola University New Orleans, a position he held since 2009. The Board of Trustees unanimously endorsed his selection, which followed an extensive national search. “Dr. Boomgaarden is a distinguished scholar, educator and administrator with more than 30 years experience, including a decade serving in teaching and leadership positions at sister Jesuit schools,” University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., said. “I am delighted that we have identified a person who displays the kind of creativity and deep commitment to students, faculty, and Catholic and Jesuit education that are at the core of our success at The University of Scranton.” Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., takes on his new role as University A noted historian of 18th century opera, music aesthetics and harmonic provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. theory, he published a book entitled “Musical Thought in Britain and Germany During the Early Eighteenth-Century” and wrote many articles and reviews for scholarly journals. In addition, he has been active as a member of the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Opera and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also a member of the New Orleans Historical Society, Louis Armstrong Foundation and Louisiana Basset Hound Rescue. He continues to perform regularly as a concert pianist and also as a country fiddler.
Relay for Life Raises Funds and Awareness Colleges Against Cancer (CAC), a student organization, recently raised more than $47,000 at its annual Relay for Life event. This year, more than 500 people participated in the University’s Relay for Life, according to chapter president Sarah Humbert, a senior occupational therapy major from Bucks County. “I didn’t join this club for myself, but to support those currently facing the battle and to find a cure so that, one day, no child will have to witness a parent battle cancer,” said Humbert. The majority of the money raised by the CAC chapter stays in Lackawanna County to help local cancer survivors through research and patient and family support programs. Students hold up signs to say why they participated in Relay for Life. FA L L 2014
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On the Commons
Student Veterans Lounge Opens on Campus The University of Scranton opened a Student Veterans Lounge on the campus at a ceremony held April 29. The lounge, located in the lower level of Loyola Hall, provides a place for student military veterans to gather for peer support, advocacy and community involvement. The lounge was planned with support from the University’s Student Veterans Club, the Veterans Club Advocacy Committee and members of the Physical Plant Department. Honored at the opening was the late Ray Burd, a veteran and longtime University employee. He was remembered for the instrumental role he played in the creation and development of the Student Veterans Lounge. His daughter, Karen M. Burd DeMarco ’00, spoke at the ceremony, and a plaque in his honor, donated by the University’s Staff Senate, was placed in the lounge. Burd served in the U.S. Air Force from 1971 through 1975, including a tour of duty in Panama. He was also an active member of the University’s Veterans Advocacy Committee.
The University opens a Student Veterans Lounge in Loyola Hall. From left: Robert P. Zelno ’66, G’77, regional director of development and Veterans Club moderator; Daniel R. Sweeney, S.J., assistant professor of political science and Veterans Club chaplain; Christopher Swinesburg ’16, of Effort, Veterans Club treasurer, Christopher Reichard ’15, of Dunmore, Veterans Club vice president; University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J.; Gretchen Bentler ’16, of Covington Township, Veterans Club president; Earl Granville ’16, of Scott Township, Veterans Club sergeant at arms; the late Ray Burd’s family: Linda Burd (wife), Karen M. Burd DeMarco ’00 (daughter), Brian ’99 (son) and Kathy Burd ’99 (daughter-in-law); and Joseph K. Wetherell, Lt. Col. (Ret), associate director of Admissions.
Graduates Commit to Long-term Service Twenty Scranton graduates, including 17 members of the University’s class of 2014, volunteered for long-term service projects with nonprofit organizations and underserved populations internationally and in states throughout the country. Their service began as early as June and includes programs run by Teach for America and the Jesuit Volunteer Corp. They are stationed everywhere from Quito, Ecuador to Spokane, Washington to Philadelphia.
Seventeen members of the Class of 2014 who volunteered for long-term service projects gathered with University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., for a reception held recently on campus. Seated, from left: Lauren DeMarco, William Dempsey, Stephanie Boccuzzi, Robert Cermignano, Meghan Fennessy and Kelly Judge. Standing: Katherine Cavazzini, Brendan Foley, Kerry Delaney, Fiona Ward, Fr. Quinn, Melissa DeSoto, Andrew Gentilucci and Samantha Grimaldi. Absent from the photograph are Colleen Bennett, Alixandra Holden, Timothy Plamondon and Kyle Swartz.
Blue Ribbon Foundation Supports Leahy Clinic The University’s Edward R. Leahy Center Clinic for the Uninsured recently received an $8,000 grant from The Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania to support access to care for the uninsured. The University’s Leahy Center Clinic is a free clinic offering primary health care, physical therapy, and counseling services to uninsured patients of all ages. The Clinic will use the grant to purchase pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and immunizations that will serve no fewer than 750 uninsured individuals during the coming year. “We expect that the accessibility of necessary pharmaceuticals will increase patient compliance with physician recommendations and that free immunizations with help reduce the need for clinic visits through preventive care,” said Andrea Mantione, director of the Leahy Clinic. “We are grateful to The Blue Ribbon Foundation for making it possible for us to purchase these important supplies. The Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania presents a check to The University of Scranton Edward R. Leahy Center Clinic for the Uninsured. From left are Cynthia Yevich ’84, executive director, The Blue Ribbon Foundation of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania and Andrea Matione, director, Edward R. Leahy Center Clinic for the Uninsured.
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On the Commons
LECTURES The University welcomed many distinguished lecturers this past semester. Below is a list of select lectures by speakers who visited us in the spring.
Obama and the World in Historical Perspective, Fredrik Longevall, Ph.D., John S. Knight Professor of International Studies, vice provost for international affairs, Cornell University Nasser’s Egypt & the Origins of the Arab Spring, Jesse Ferris, Ph.D., vice president for strategy at the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem The Emergence of Anti-Liberal Politics in Central Europe, Ji í Pehe, director of NYU in Prague, political analyst, former chief political advisor of President Vaclav Havel Lawrence Lynch ’81 (right), pictured with University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., is the new chair of Scranton’s Board of Trustees.
New University Board Chair Named Lawrence Lynch ’81 has been named chair of the University Board of Trustees. Trustees Frank Pearn ’83 and Teresa Schafer ’81 have been named co-vice chairs. Lynch, a C.P.A., is an assurance partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, serving in the financial services sector. He is a board member of the International Insurance Foundation and Friends of St. Joseph’s Passionist Church of Paris. Lynch previously served as a trustee of Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart, chairman of the board of trustees for the Marymount International School in Paris, and as a board member of the French American Chamber of Commerce, Philadelphia chapter, and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Catholic Social Services. He also served as president of the Scranton Club of Philadelphia and was a member of the Alumni Society’s Board of Governors. Christopher M. “Kip” Condron ’70, who served four terms on the Board, including as chair from 2009 to 2014, was named trustee emeritus. To read more about Condron’s outstanding tenure, see pages 28-29.
An American in Paris: Straddling Two Educational Cultures, Celeste Schenck, Ph.D., president of the American University in Paris The Mutiny on The Bounty: Myth & Fact, Edward R. Leahy ’68, University of Scranton benefactor and professor of law at the University of Oxford Faith, Action, Results, Carolyn Woo, Ph.D., president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services, 125th Anniversary Engaged, Integrated & Global Lecture Series The New Anti-Semitism, Alvin Rosenfeld, Ph.D., professor of English and Jewish studies at Indiana University Market Exclusion of Poor Farmers in West Bengal, India: Consequences and Policy Options, Dilip Mookherjee, Ph.D., Boston University director of the Institute for Economic Development, 23rd Annual Spring Henry George Lecture Yinyang: The Way of Ways, Robin Wang, Ph.D., professor of philosophy and director of Asian Pacific Studies at Loyola Marymount University, International Women’s Day Lecture You can view the videos of these lectures, as well as other lectures and panels, on our YouTube Channel youtube.com/universityofscranton
Undergraduate Commencement • Sunday, June 1 • Mohegan Sun Arena, Wilkes-Barre Principal Speaker & Honorary Degree Recipient: The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton represented by undergraduates: 13, including Connecticut, 13 States Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia
represented by post-baccalaureate graduates: 33, including 33 States Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia and Washington
Top undergraduate programs of study: Nursing, Biology, Counseling and Human Services, Exercise Science, Accounting and Psychology Top graduate programs of study: MBA, Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Administration, Occupational Therapy and Human Resources
1,607 Total graduates 48 Total doctoral degrees 668 Total master’s degrees 887 Total bachelor’s degrees 4 Total associate’s degrees scholarships won 3 Fulbright by Class of 2014 graduates
Commencement 2014
Master’s & Doctoral Degree Commencement • Saturday, May 31 • Byron Recreation Complex, The University of Scranton Principal Speaker & Honorary Degree Recipient: Sister Maryalice Jacquinot, IHM, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Center in Scranton
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On the Commons
#tagboard
#USGRAD14 All Things Commencement, The University of Scranton’s Class of 2014
On graduation day, the Class of 2014 and their loved ones used #USGRAD14 when posting to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. These are just some of their beautiful posts. See everything on tagboard.com/USGRAD14
gotta love a sweet jumbotron pic and a cheesy smile #usgrad14 University of Scranton Class of 2014 <3 #usgrad14
We did it! Finally! #usgrad14 #best friends
Blessed with a beautiful last night ever of studying in God’s Pocket. I’m gonna miss this place #usgrad14 #Royals #GodsPocket @scrantonaquinas Killin it at Bacc Mass w/ @lycbravyak ! From start to finish, Graduation is in less than 24 hours #usgrad14 #graduation #royalsfolife #scrantonseniors
Scranton, I love you
we will always be royal
Finally did it! It’s been a long road but by the grace of God I completed my journey at the University of Scranton. Thank you to all the wonderful people who have been by my side along the way. I will forever cherish the moments we shared together. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE GRADUATION WISHES! #onlyGod #thanksmomanddad #thanksfamily #usgrad14
Happy graduation day to this baby girl all grown up. I am so proud of the woman you’ve become! Congratulations! #usgrad14
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I’ll always love The University of Scranton #AMDG
On the Commons
“On this day of celebration, continuing our year of celebration, we acknowledge our storied past, but also must consider our bright future.” — Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., President of The University of Scranton
A Commemorative Year Comes to a Close The University of Scranton’s 125th Anniversary was celebrated in various ways from August 2013 to August 2014. On Aug. 12, 1888, Bishop William G. O’Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, laid and blessed the cornerstone of the College of St. Thomas’ first building, which would stand next to St. Peter’s Cathedral and the Bishop’s residence on Wyoming Avenue. The laying of the pink cornerstone was a citywide celebration, featuring a parade, musical performances by the Cathedral choir and a local orchestra, and a sermon by Bishop O’Hara. Exactly 125 years later, on Aug. 12, 2013, The University of Scranton rekindled the spirit from that day, and kicked off a yearlong celebration with an Anniversary Eucharist attended by diocesan priests, Christian Brothers and Jesuits, all crucial to the University’s mission and history. The Rev. Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., University president, led the 125th Anniversary Eucharist. In his homily, he said, “It is a precious time to stir up the gifts given to us. The holy people of God — faculty, staff and students at The University of Scranton — can dream of renewed birth because God’s Spirit dwells in us, powering us to always try anew.” These meaningful words resonated with members of our community who, throughout the year, attended dozens of events and participated in various activities dedicated to honoring our rich history. Events included lectures, city tours, concerts and even a traditional birthday party. In typical Scranton fashion, students volunteered their time. One group of student and adult volunteers at the Leahy Community Health and Family Center gave over 1888 hours of service in honor of our anniversary. Others contributed in different (very creative) ways, such as helping to design residence hall bulletin boards featuring information about the University’s history. We also received video messages from our much beloved former University presidents, Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Joseph M. McShane, S.J., H’04, and William J. Byron, S.J., H’84. They, too, are an incredible part of the Scranton story. The 125th Anniversary Celebration Committee had a hand in planning each detail this year. Committee Chair and Vice
Provost for Enrollment Management & External Affairs Gerry Zaboski ’87 G’95, noted the importance of the cornerstone blessed in 1888. “The cornerstone was removed and displayed during events throughout the year,” he said. “We will soon find a new home for that cornerstone, but — this year — it was a signature element to our anniversary events.” Zaboski also noted the importance of the recently released book about The University of Scranton, A Legacy to Hold, a Future to Build. The hardcover book presents the University’s history as written by Gayle White with Frank X.J. Homer, Ph.D. ’64, professor emeritus of history. The History Book Committee owes a debt of gratitude to the University’s past and current archivists (100 years of Scranton news was digitized for this anniversary). “This book is a tribute to the regular work and collaboration that happens every day at the University,” Zaboski said. “The details make our story rich, and those details are now available to everyone.” On May 16, 2014, Fr. Quinn invited faculty, staff and students to the 125th Anniversary Eucharist — The Culmination of a Year of Celebration. “On this day of celebration, continuing our year of celebration, we acknowledge our storied past, but also must consider our bright future,” he said. Although this Eucharist marked the end of the academic year of celebrations, events continued throughout the summer (at Reunion, for example). The Scranton community is already looking forward the next big celebratory year, perhaps in 2038. To The University of Scranton’s bright future!
Visit scranton.edu/scrantonjournal for details on purchasing the history book and to read more about these events, including Fr. Quinn’s anniversary tour. Visit the 125th.scranton.edu website, which includes a timeline of our history, news from the past year, a photo gallery, videos and more.
ABOVE: University President Kevin P. Quinn presides over the 125th Anniversary Eucharist in May, The Culmination of a Year of Celebration.
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On the Commons
One on One with Bernard R. McIlhenny, S.J.
You entered the Society of Jesus 70 years ago. (Happy anniversary, by the way!) How did you decide to join the Society? I was born and raised right in the heart of Philadelphia, six blocks from Temple University. Our home was in the Gesu parish, a Jesuit parish (there were only two of them in Philadelphia). I attended St. Joe’s Prep (a Jesuit school) and St. Joe’s University (a Jesuit university). I never even knew a diocesan priest, but what I saw in my parish, in my high school and in my college, I liked … it was as simple as that.
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How did you end up in Scranton? My training as a Jesuit lasted 14 years and included eight years of study and three years of teaching. The first two years and the last year were devoted to prayer and the spiritual life. When my training days were over, the Jesuit Provincial of the Maryland Province assigned me to Scranton Prep School as headmaster and it was all new to me. I had never been a headmaster and I had never been to Scranton.
Clockwise from left: Fr. McIlhenny (right) in 1988, during a meeting with Jim Moore, an admissions counselor; Fr. McIlhenny at the ballroom dedication; Fr. McIlhenny is greeted by the crowd during the ballroom dedication.
How has the campus grown around you?
Things were very different than they are today. Scranton Prep, an all-male school with 50-some in the graduating class, was only 14 years old and was located at the corner of Wyoming Avenue and Mulberry Street in the old Thomson Hospital building. There was no gym, no theater and no real cafeteria. The University of Scranton was just beginning to create a campus. There was a little cluster of buildings, including some World War II barracks that were used as classrooms. Linden and Monroe Streets were sort of the focal point; the first science building had just been completed on the Estate grounds. Old Main on Wyoming Avenue was still the most important building. During your years in admissions, what impressed you most about Scranton applicants?
When you compare a 1966 campus map with a present one, you realize how startling the physical change really is — we are no longer just a cluster of buildings surrounded by asphalt — now we are a modern campus with plenty of trees and green. Who would ever have dreamed of the Dionne Green in the heart of the campus, or the DeNaples Center with all its gathering spaces or a center for rehabilitation education building coming into existence right before our eyes?
When students are looking at colleges, they are searching for a good match between their interests and abilities and the individual school. In the case of the University, aside from the academics, students and their parents were looking for a good family atmosphere. Students did not want to be just a number; they did not want to be lost in the shuffle; they wanted to be with others who took the time to care and they wanted a school where they could make friends — friends for life. When I go to class reunions, I see how true that fact is, even today.
On the Commons
What was Scranton like when you got here?
Speaking of the DeNaples Center, you have a room named after you in that building. What’s that like? I was deeply honored — I truly was. It is a beautiful room and I will say it over and over again: the thing I am happiest about is to see the ballroom being used for an endless variety of events. It is just another example of the University’s wonderful growth. What are your fondest memories here? How do you sum up 31 years? Naturally, I look back with a sense of pride as I have watched the remarkable growth of the University. But my fondest memories are the people: fellow workers, student workers and faculty, deans and grounds crew … and on and on. In my ballroom you might notice some words by Dag Hammarskjöld. Basically he is saying we are all instruments of God’s grace. I am simply an instrument of God’s grace. This is something I truly believe.
Visit scranton.edu/scrantonjournal to read the entire interview, for more photos and to watch Fr. McIlhenny’s talk during the September 2009 dedication of the Rev. Bernard R. McIlhenny, S.J., Ballroom.
A Legacy to Hold, A Future to Build The University of Scranton 1888-2013 Get your copy of the first-ever commemorative, hardcover book chronicling The University of Scranton’s 125-year history. Purchase your copy at the campus Bookstore or Online at scranton.edu/historybook
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Faculty News Professor Ruddy Named Teacher of the Year by Class of 2014 John A. Ruddy ’91, faculty specialist in the Accounting Department, was named Teacher of the Year by the Class of 2014. Since 1996, the award has honored a faculty member who maintains high standards of academic excellence and fairness and, through enthusiasm and dedication, inspires the interest of students in a field of education. Ruddy has taught undergraduate and graduate level classes in accounting and finance at the University as an adjunct professor and as a guest lecturer since 2004. He was also the recipient of the Kania School of Management 2013-2014 Outstanding Professor of the Year award. A Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst, Ruddy has worked as an accounting and finance practitioner since 1991; as an auditor for the federal government for a “big four” accounting firm and several money center financial institutions; and, currently, for the Black Swan Consulting Group. His areas of research include topics in accounting, finance and education.
John A. Ruddy ’91 is named Teacher of the Year by the Class of 2014.
Klonoski Named Scranton’s CASE Teacher of the Year
Richard J. Klonoski, Ph.D. ’74 is the University’s CASE Professor of the Year.
Richard J. Klonoski, Ph.D. ’74, professor of philosophy, was named the University’s CASE Professor of the Year in recognition of his outstanding performance. Professors awarded this recognition by individual schools are eligible for further recognition by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) at the state and national levels. Since 1981, Dr. Klonoski has been a member of the Philosophy Department, which he has also chaired. In addition to teaching a wide range of philosophy courses, he has taught courses in the Honors Program, the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Honors Program and the School of Management’s Business Leadership Honors Program. Dr. Klonoski’s teaching career at Scranton has been marked by a variety of awards. In 2012, he received the Ignatian Teaching Award (Magis Award). The 1998 graduating class voted Dr. Klonoski Teacher of the Year and he was also presented with the Faculty Senate Award for Excellence in Teaching. In 1986, he received the Alpha Sigma Nu Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Association Honors Dr. Lori Bruch Lori A. Bruch, Ed.D., rehabilitation counseling program director, received the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Association’s (PRA) 2013 Ralph N. Pacinelli Leadership Award at the PRA Professional Development Institute luncheon held in April. This award is presented to a PRA member who has exercised extraordinary national and/or state leadership to rehabilitation professionals in order to strengthen, broaden and hone their professional development. Dr. Bruch is well known as a person committed to the development of new faculty and to her service to a wide variety of University committees and programs. She joined the University in 1995 and is currently the graduate program director for the Rehabilitation Counseling Program and an associate professor of counseling and human services. Dr. Pacinelli is actively involved in The University of Scranton community, where he has served as a Leahy Faculty Fellow; a valued faculty member of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program and a regular contributor to the Northeastern U.S. Conference on Disability.
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THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
From left: Dr. Pacinelli, Dr. Bruch and longtime mentor Dr. Stanley Irzinski.
{an urban slum in India}
I F YO U B U I L D, W I L L T H E Y CO M E ?
Dharavi is one of the largest slums in Asia and is located in Mumbai.
This article is based on a study by Dr. Abhijit Roy, co-authored with Mousumi Roy, Ph.D., independent scholar: “Modernizing Dharavi: if you build, will they come?” which recently won a runner-up award in the 2013 Oikos Global Case Writing Competition, St. Gallen, Switzerland, in the Corporate Sustainability track. Even among the countless high-rise developments that have sprung up in Mumbai over the last decade, it is impossible to miss the vast rows of corrugated tin roofs covering the squalor of Dharavi. The slum, which was featured in the widely acclaimed movie Slumdog Millionaire, spans a total of 535 acres and accommodates about 600,000 residents (approximately as many as a city the size of Boston, Seattle or Baltimore). Mumbai’s quest to be a world-class city with a globally comparable quality of life has prompted the local, state and national governments to dramatically reengineer the area with a $2.3 billion 10-year program. The program would transform Mumbai into a world-class
Faculty News
Modernizing Dharavi city with a vibrant economy and globally comparable quality of life by 2015. Mr. Mukesh Mehta, a celebrated architect and realtor who has made a name for himself by building expensive custom homes for the rich in Long Island, New York, was hired to radically redesign Dharavi. He empathizes with the hard-working and honest people of the locality, who sometimes work up to 15 hours a day in order to make a living. He wants to grant them the better lives they deserve. The redesign and the large budget of the project have been the source of many questions and much confusion. The slum dwellers worry that their businesses will be harmed if they have to move to the allocated areas: 225-square-foot spaces in multi-storied buildings. Can builders be trusted to provide what is promised? Will the slum dwellers receive a fair share of developers’ profits, considering the current estimate of Dharavi’s real estate value is $10 billion? The slum dwellers fear that they will lose their status as entrepreneurs and end up as servants for the rich, who will pay premium prices for rest of the development. Mr. Mehta’s philosophy for creating a successful development project is to meet the interests of all stakeholders and create a win-win situation for everyone involved, but can he convince the residents of his good intentions? If he rebuilds Dharavi, will they come? The full case study was published in Jordi V. Gabriel ed. Case Studies in Sustainability Management: The oikos collection: Volume 3 (2014), Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing. Dr. Abhijit Roy, is a professor in the Management and Marketing Department. He received his doctorate from Boston University. Read more about the case study in Ignite, our faculty publication at scranton.edu/ignite
University Honors Faculty for Contributions Scranton faculty members were honored for their contributions toward enhancing the University community at a ceremony held during the spring semester. Aram Balagyozyan, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Economics and Finance Department, received the Excellence in Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum Award. Douglas Boyle, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Accounting Department, received the Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award.
Yamile Silva Gualteros, Ph.D., an assistant professor of World Languages and Cultures, program director for Latin American Studies and an associate faculty member in the Women’s Studies Program, received the Excellence in Advancing Global Learning Award. Rob Waldeck, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Biology Department received the Excellence in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award.
Paul Datti, Ph.D., director of the University’s Counseling and Human Services Program, received the Excellence in Integrating Diversity in Learning Award.
Joseph Hammond Jr., an adjunct professor of accounting and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program director, received a Provost Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Mary Jane Hanson, Ph.D., a professor in the Nursing Department, received the Excellence in Scholarly Publication Award.
Harold Anderson, an adjunct professor in the Department of Health Administration and Human Services, received a Provost Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Rebecca Mikesell, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Communication Department, received the Excellence for University Service and Leadership Award. Jordan Petsas, Ph.D., an associate professor in and the chairperson of the Economics and Finance Department, received the Excellence in Integrating Mission and Justice into the Curriculum Award.
John Thomas Conlon, an adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, received a Provost Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. Vincent Marshall, Ph.D., an adjunct professor of biology, received a Provost Part-Time Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. FA L L 2013
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A New Way of Thinking University of Scranton young engineersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; focus on sustainable energy benefits local and global communities.
A fuel cell bus designed by Greg Marx and the HybriDrive team, operating in Palm Springs, California. 16
THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
Greg Marx ’05
W
hen he was an engineering student, Greg Marx ’05 never
thought of himself as an environmentalist. Nearly a decade later, he is a vehicle applications engineer with BAE Systems, leading a team in the HybriDrive® Solutions business area to develop zeroemission, fuel cell hybrid buses, several of which are already on the road in Palm Springs, California. “I’ve spent a lot of time working in southern California, and when I’m driving there, I can always see a layer of smog hanging over the area,” said Marx, who was recently recognized on MassTransit’s “Top 40 under 40” list for his work. “I’m glad I’m working on a project that will help reduce this damage to our environment down the road.” Marx’s focus on clean energy — and even on hybrid buses in particular — is not uncommon among Scranton’s engineering students. Tom Cummings and Jason Shilinski, both members of the class of 2007, have worked alongside him in the HybriDrive® Solutions group. Christine Zakzewski, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering has noticed the trend. “There is strong current of this interest in sustainability flowing through the Department,” she said. Last year, she and Mark Murphy, director of sustainability at the University, led a team of students on a project that assessed Abington Heights High School’s energy use. The project, An Engineering Approach to Sustainability, was performed as part of an engineering laboratory. The group, Dr. Zakzewski said, was thrilled about the potential of not only helping to reduce the school’s energy costs, but also the positive effects the changes could have on the environment. The team eventually made recommendations based on the school’s existing energy usage, suggesting improvements such FA L L 2014
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as occupancy sensors, lighting control systems and even a water conservation project. “The students gained valuable experience that tested their analytical and technical knowledge analyzing real-time data, working on a very timely topic: energy saving and sustainability,” wrote Murphy in the final report. (Murphy has also helped to assess issues and make adjustments to most University buildings.) “Climate change is a hot-button issue right now,” said Professor Nicholas Truncale, faculty specialist in the University’s Physics and Electrical Engineering Department. This is especially true in light of the 2014 National Climate Assessment, which warns of human impact. His solution? On top of bringing next year’s Energypath conference to our Scranton community, he is committed to something even larger: harnessing the sun’s energy. “I don’t know of a better way to reduce our carbon footprint,” said Truncale. Truncale and James Loven, laboratory equipment manager for the department, began to collect data in the fall of 2012 from stationary solar panels positioned in a University parking lot on Madison Ave. They received a grant from the Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF) to study solar panels that adjusted their orientation relative to the position of the sun. Truncale and Loven later recruited Nate Williams and Frank Pallien, now rising juniors in the engineering program, to work with them on a Reflective Solar Tracker (RST). The patent-pending RST produces 140 percent more energy than a stationary solar panel on sunny days. And on cloudy days? The computer uses astronomical data from the United States Naval Observatory to track where the sun actually is, maximizing energy output.
The engineering team thought that placing an RST in a remote village might not only help collect important data, but also help children living in a small community without power. Thanks to a rather serendipitous encounter, an opportunity arose to get a travel-sized RST to Nkokonjeru, near Masaka, Uganda, thanks to Charles Pinches, Ph.D., a theology professor at the University. He heard about the RST project and volunteered to take a device with him and his students on their January 2014 intersession travel course, “Christianity in Africa.” In Nkokonjeru, the RST would help power a water pump and lights in the school. Before, the laborious task of pumping water fell on the girls in the village. Now, with less time required for pumping water, the girls might be able to stay in school, where newly installed lights would illuminate their work inside. The engineering team was given a relatively short time to develop the small version of the RST, as well as train the students in Pinches’ course to assemble and install it. The College of Arts and Sciences fully funded the operation. Although it was a challenge to get through airport security, the RST arrived intact and the team will be gathering data in the near future. “The RST is not the answer to all of our planet’s energy problems,” Williams wrote in a recent article in Magpi magazine. “Most of the problems are local and need to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. This does not mean, however, the impacts from this project were not literally felt on the other side of the world.” While it’s true that our Scranton community may not have the answers to our energy problems or the environmental issues we face, they certainly have an eye toward the future.
Visit scranton.edu/scrantonjournal to read more about Mark Murphy’s sustainability efforts on campus.
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1An RST was sent to Uganda to power a water pump THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
and lights in a local school, with hopes of improving the lives of children in the local community.
2
The first Reflective Solar Tracker, which is on campus and collecting energy data for further research.
A Deeper Dialogue
Scranton alumni in broadcast reveal the benefits and challenges of the 24-hour news cycle.
It was not that long ago that Walter Cronkite, also known as the most trusted man in America, delivered the news each evening. These days, virtually anyone with a smartphone can break news, leaving journalists to react and analyze rather than inform. How do TV producers deal with pressures brought on by new technology?
Everything Digital Matt DeNinno ’00 has worked at the nationally syndicated television magazine Inside Edition for 14 years.
David Lettieri ’00, who graduated with a counseling degree, works at CNBC and is the lead AVID editor for The Suze Orman Show. The show is tapeless. Advances in technology have enabled him to make changes more easily than when he started out, and
“When I was hired here at Inside Edition, Facebook was
uploading new clips online could take hours. “If something is
only for college students, Twitter didn’t exist, and watching the
not factually accurate by the time the show airs, we can fix it very
local news story on your cell phone was impossible,” he said.
quickly,” he said. “This way, we are relevant and downloadable.”
“Nowadays, these are all essential tools in news gathering.” DeNinno, who learned the earliest version of the digital editing system when he was a student at Scranton, had positive things
Breaking News
to say about the possibilities available to journalists, thanks to
Now that producers can get information on air and online
advances in technology. For example, he said that Skype and
more quickly, there is increasing pressure to break the news. This
Facetime enable great interviews immediately, even from across
often means very little time to check facts. “The challenge is for
the country. Before, news teams may have avoided a story if it was
journalists to not get caught up with being first at the expense of
not deemed worthy of a plane trip.
being accurate,” said DeNinno.
Most broadcast journalists agree that social media has changed their jobs, as did going all-digital.
Competing to break a story is not a new idea, but the lag time is much shorter than it used to be. Alex Gittleson ’08 is a
Jennifer Gerardo ’99 has worked on both live and taped
coordinating producer at ABC and the son of Norman Gittleson,
shows for 15 years. Most recently, she worked for HLN, producing
a producer at CBS news for nearly 40 years. Just a few years
for Showbiz Tonight. When she was hired by CNN in 2003, she
ago, Alex would hear breaking news from his dad before it
made the transition from working partly to fully in digital. “This was
showed up elsewhere (Twitter, for example). Now, with so many
a whole new way of thinking about television,” she said. “You got
outlets available, people like Norman and Alex rarely have the
the job done so much more quickly.”
opportunity to break a story. FA L L 2014
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“Now anyone who has a lead can put it out there, but
“What the Huffington Post is doing is cool,” said Gerardo.
that comes twofold,” said Gittleson, referencing the man in
“They talk to experts, celebrities, viewers and their own writers.
Abbottabad who live-tweeted about the raid on Osama bin
The viewers are talking to the anchors. It’s an interesting dialogue.”
Laden’s compound. “That Abbottabad guy was legit, but there
Lettieri thinks there are benefits to involving viewers, too.
are others who are not. The 24-hour news cycle is good and bad
“By having that interaction with your audience, you can gauge
because everyone has a platform.”
the pulse of the nation without having a guy with a clipboard
As a producer, Gerardo understands the danger of putting
standing on a corner asking questions,” he said.
a social media post on air. “You have to be careful,” she said. “A photo from Facebook might look real, but is it authentic? In previous years, you had some time to vet this stuff before the six o’clock news, but now everyone wants it yesterday.” The reliance on social media has not only shortened leadtime, it has also changed the role of journalists.
The Future Despite all the challenges they face, our alumni are excited to see how broadcast journalism will continue to evolve. “The public’s viewing habits are changing so we, as
“With the public getting its facts instantly from social media,
storytellers, must continue to change with them or get left in the
journalists and news programs are forced to be more ‘reactive’
dark,” said DeNinno, who credited The University of Scranton
when telling a story,” said DeNinno.
with preparing him for the fast-paced industry.
It’s not all bad, though. “If Inside Edition can’t break the story,
Matthew Reavy, Ph.D., ’84, G’92 is the chair and an associate
we conduct more in-depth interviews or explore new angles,”
professor in the Department of Communication. “We try to
said DeNinno.
prepare our students with skills that will last,” he said. “Instead of spending too much time teaching them technologies like Twitter
Involved Viewers
or Facebook, which may not be the powerhouses tomorrow that they are today, we help them understand how to adapt.”
As technology evolves, it’s much easier to analyze what is
But if all else fails, it’s OK to go back to the basics, at least
trending and rating, and quickly. These “trends” sometimes have
according to Gerardo: “Sometimes to write a good story, you
a snowball effect in the mainstream media.
have to put the phone down and get outside.”
Gerardo referenced the Malaysia Airlines flight that went missing en route to Beijing as an example. “For every story about the missing plane, there are 10 stories we’re not covering because they’re not going to rate,” she said. Gerardo and Lettieri both noted the lack of coverage of India’s recent election at the expense of other “trending” stories. They say it’s important to look beyond what the viewers want. As a way of involving viewers, anchors are now conducting live polls and reading aloud posts or tweets on-air. These virtual letters to the editor can change the tone of a news show on the spot. HuffPost Live produces segments with laptops on hand. Anchors read comments and questions as they stream.
Matt DeNinno ’00 at the nationally syndicated television magazine Inside Edition, where he has worked for 14 years. 20
THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
Following a Jesuit Tradition in the 21st Century University of Scranton professors serve refugee communities through Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the Margins.
Welongo Muzabel in Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya.
Welongo Muzabel lives in the middle of nowhere, literally. His home is a refugee camp in Kenya called Kakuma, which means “nowhere” in Swahili. The site is in the town of Kakuma, hundreds of miles from the nearest city and two hours by car to the South Sudanese border. Despite Muzabel’s remote location, he has a LinkedIn page, connecting him to the rest of the world; he has also connected more closely with his neighbors who are of various nationalities and economic backgrounds. It was in Kakuma that he founded (and now runs) a nonprofit that promotes sustainable socio-economic development through education, with a focus on reproductive health. “We are not only refugees. We are people who have talents, people who can help others in the community,” Muzabel said in a video online.
FA L L 2014
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A grocery store in Kakuma.
He gives credit for his newfound confidence to an
“Aram answered yes immediately; he was positive he wanted
organization called Jesuit Commons: Higher Education at the
to help,” said Dr. Petsas. They would only have a month to
Margins (JC:HEM), a collaboration among Jesuit colleges and
prepare for class, which would require a significant amount of
universities that provides online education to students in refugee
effort. They knew, though, it would make a positive impact in the
camps abroad. (The diploma is accredited by Regis University
lives of others. “Moreover, we could make this impact by doing
in Denver, Colorado.) Professors teach students like Muzabel
what we love and are trained to do well,” said Dr. Petsas.
through learning management systems such as Blackboard,
The professors, both of whom received awards earlier this
Angel and Engage, education software they have used as a
year from the University for “Excellence in Integrating Mission
teaching tool for years, albeit closer to home.
and Justice into the Curriculum,” said how important it was to
As more universities embrace online education and its ability to reach a larger, more diverse audience, providing the
had access to higher education.
underserved access to higher education seems inevitable, as
“Think about the early Jesuits who crossed oceans and
long as there are volunteers. That is where University of Scranton
mountains to serve and to help,” said Dr. Balagyozyan. “Here
professors Aram Balagyozyan, Ph.D., and Jordan Petsas,
we are in the 21st century with what those early Jesuits would
Ph.D., come in. Dr. Petsas, associate professor and chair of the
see as a golden opportunity. We can follow in that Jesuit tradition
Economics and Finance Department, was already teaching MBA
without ever leaving campus.”
courses online when he was presented with an opportunity to volunteer with JC:HEM in January 2013.
JC:HEM began in 2006 through a collaborative project between the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) and Mary MacFarland,
“As soon as I heard about it, I talked to my colleagues,” said
Ph.D., and her colleagues at Regis University. “We couldn’t start
Dr. Petsas. He glanced at Dr. Balagyozyan, an assistant professor
everywhere, so we started in three places,” said Dr. MacFarland
in the Department. “Remember?”
in a 2013 TEDx talk at Georgetown University.
Dr. Balagyozyan nodded and smiled. 22
them to be able to reach students who would not have otherwise
THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
Kakuma was one of those three places (as was Dzaleka,
“We are not only refugees. We are people who have talents, people who can help others in the community.” — Welongo Muzabel
Malawi, and Aleppo, Syria, which — since the military conflict
certificate program. An admissions team carefully selects
in that country — has moved to Amman, Jordan). Kakuma
students for both programs.
accommodates roughly 100,000 refugees from nine different
Neil Sparnon, Ph.D., is JC:HEM’s academic coordinator
countries who fled their native land because of war, starvation
and a member of the admissions team. He interviews students
and religious persecution, among other reasons. “They live in
on-site. “Whenever I meet the students, I’m extremely struck
conditions we can’t even imagine,” said Dr. Petsas.
by the fact that they are very ordinary students. You go in with
JC:HEM considers these people, who are prospective students, “at the margins.” The organization recently
a perception of them being refugees, of them being helpless, but they’re anything but,” he said.
expanded to teach in refugee sites in Chad, Afghanistan and
Dr. Sparnon went on: “We need the voice of marginalized
Burma. “For many of the refugee students, this is their only
people so that not only can they benefit from higher education
chance to escape their daily reality,” said Dr. Balagyozyan.
like you and me, but we also get to hear their voice.”
The camps are large and often operate like small cities.
Drs. Balagyozyan and Petsas said that teaching refugee
There are businesses and buses, for example. Being business-
students online is not that much different than teaching
savvy is important for both short- and long-term residents. For
Scranton students online. All of their economics students
this reason, the economics course in JC:HEM’s Diploma in
must complete assignments, take exams and use the
Liberal Studies program is now very popular.
comment board, which is a way of connecting, not only with
Drs. Balagyozyan and Petsas co-taught their first course,
their professors, but also with their classmates. However, on
Principles of Macroeconomics, in spring 2013 when JC:HEM
the JC:HEM online course comment board, students address
was struggling to staff critical course needs in the Diploma in
one another as “brothers” or “sisters.” Drs. Balagyozyan and
Liberal Studies program. The diploma, which was designed
Petsas find this unique and heartening.
as a first-step to a baccalaureate degree, involves 15, three-
The professors have now taught several courses, and have
credit courses taught by faculty teams. There are now
no plans to stop. “We’re doing a community service,” said Dr.
160 faculty and 36 partners across the U.S. There is also a
Petsas. “It just happens to be a global community.”
Aram Balagyozyan, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Economics and Finance Department.
Jordan Petsas, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Economics and Finance Department.
Visit scranton.edu/scrantonjournal to read a Q&A with the professors and find more information about JC:HEM at jc-hem.org
FA L L 2014
23
A Campus Hub
Weinberg Memorial Library plans for the future (and welcomes fun and spontaneity).
The Weinberg Memorial Library just got loud, and the
faculty members from each academic college, graduate and
librarians aren’t even complaining. Construction on the first
undergraduate students, representatives from the Center for
floor contributed to the clamor this summer, but — going
Teaching and Learning Excellence, and Library faculty and staff.
forward — the Reilly Learning Commons will be abuzz with
“We really have a cohesive vision of where we want to be in 10
activity: a campus hub, complete with a computer lab and the
years and we’re making good progress toward it with the Learning
latest software.
Commons,” said Yarmey. “Our central mission has not changed.
Stacks of old print journals have made way for a redesigned
24
We’re just interpreting it in new ways.”
space for group study, collaboration and exploratory learning,
The Library will continue to provide important, quality
with satellite locations for the Writing Center and Technology
information that meets the needs and standards of faculty and
Support Center. There are lounge areas and a soundproof
students while integrating new technology and expanding
presentation practice room equipped with lecture capture, as
digital collections. The WML+10 team imagines the University
well as collaboration spaces outfitted with outlets and ports for
community being able to access collections and resources from
the easy integration of laptops and tablets. “We wanted to create
anywhere, on any device, using new tools with visual interfaces
a new, dynamic student-centered learning space,” said Charles
(such as a digital bookshelf), which, according to the report, will
Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency.
allow for the “serendipitous discovery of Library resources.”
A student-centered space meant a good deal of student
“It’s a really exciting time in libraries. Things are changing
feedback, some of which was critical of the traditional look and
so rapidly,” said Bonnie Oldham, public services librarian and
feel of the library. The new space is bright and modern. Students
information literacy coordinator. “We’re not just this place that
even tested and approved the chairs.
stores books. We’re becoming learning communities.”
Future plans for the Reilly Learning Commons include
The WML+10 participants want the Weinberg Memorial
visualization tools and 3D printing. “We wanted to provide
Library to be seen as a resource center, a place that cultivates
a space where students have the opportunity to experiment
learning, rather than, as Oldham put it, just a place that stores
with new technology and try out new tools in an unstructured
books. According to the report, the Library will “foster creativity
environment,” said Kristen Yarmey, digital services librarian.
by welcoming fun and spontaneity.”
The Reilly Learning Commons transformation is just one aspect
Librarians describe the need for a careful balance between
of what is being called WML+10, a project conceived after the
maintaining print collections and embracing new technology,
Library’s 20th anniversary last year. The report lays out a vision for
noting the importance of faculty and student input in the
the Library’s physical spaces, collections, services and staffing
Library’s plans for the future. It might take time for patrons to let
for the next decade. It brought together input and ideas from
go of the traditional way as new students beg for innovation, but
THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
Seating areas like these are a feature in the Weinberg Memorial Library’s new Reilly Learning Commons.
The Reilly Family, A Scranton Family
The Reilly family, whose gifts have made the Learning WML+10 promises to serve a dynamic and diverse crowd: the
Commons possible, has a deep connection to the
independent studier, the group leader, the artist, the history
University. It all began when Joe Reilly took a job in the
buff and the tech addict. There is room for each one of these
University’s maintenance department when he was still in
learners, along with plenty of books, in the new Library, as well
high school. He loved Scranton so much that he stayed on
as faculty and students from every college and discipline.
for 43 years (with a stint away to serve in the military).
David Dzurec, Ph.D., associate professor of history, thinks
Joe’s sisters Katherine “Kay” ’53 and Evelyn ’52 attended
of the Library as the CAS lab. “The Library serves as a research
the University’s night school, Dexter Hanley College, and
lab for many of us in the humanities,” he said. “There is just as much research going on in the stacks of the Weinberg Memorial Library as there is among the beakers and test tubes of the Loyola Science Center.” Part of any lab work, of course, is collaboration. Marian Farrell, Ph.D., professor of nursing and chair of the Library Advisory Committee, is one who thinks it is important that students aren’t only reading books or researching on the computers, but also interacting with their peers and mentors. “The Learning Commons helps put into place Eloquentia Perfecta as part of the academic commitment to helping students learn how to incorporate speaking eloquently,” she said. “The new space and tools are going to help them do that.” The winner of this year’s graduate library research prize, Caroline Swift ’12 G’14 (now a Ph.D. candidate at Penn State University), spent long hours in the Library using Google Scholar
were two of the first female graduates in business. After graduation, they helped draft the charter that formed the Women’s Alumni Society and served as its officers for many years. “Evelyn and Kay were trailblazers,” said Carol Maculloch, director of leadership gifts in University Advancement. “Their commitment and loyalty to their alma mater has remained a top priority throughout their lives.” Kay and Joe established a scholarship in 2002, the year that Evelyn passed away. Joe, who later funded another scholarship, passed away in 2012 and donated part of his estate to the Library. When Kay witnessed the beautiful space under renovation in memory of her brother Joe, she made a generous donation to help enhance the Learning Commons. “I wanted to invest in an area that would help each and every student with his or her education and the
(which can link students to full-text articles in Library databases)
Library was the perfect place to make an impact,” said
and statistical packages, as well as printing and scanning.
Kay, who is now 92 years old. “Having a great library with
“Having all of these resources in one place was an ideal
state-of-the-art technology on campus is so important to a
environment for study and research,” she said.
Scranton education.”
Having served as a student representative on the Library
Kay is looking forward to the dedication of the Reilly
Advisory Committee, Swift is thoroughly convinced that the
Learning Commons on Sept. 17, where she will see how
Library has a bright future. “Personally, I don’t see the role of
the space has been transformed with all the bells and
the library diminishing, only changing. I think the WML is well-
whistles, including two plaques commemorating her
equipped to handle this transition.”
family’s commitment to the University.
The Library’s Mission “The University of Scranton Weinberg Memorial Library provides superior resources, services and programs that meet the dynamic scholarly, cultural and social endeavors of the University and the community at large. We are committed to a culture of innovation, assessment and sustainability through the support of teaching and learning. We preserve and promote the history of the University and provide access to rare cultural resources.” FA L L 2014
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Athletics Landmark Title Game
Carl Danzig
Emily Goss
Capping 125 Years of Victories Intercollegiate athletics has been an integral part of the University’s heritage since its founding as St. Thomas College in 1888. Several teams and individuals added another chapter to the University’s rich history during its 125th anniversary. The University now has 96 NCAA championship appearances in 12 different sports. Here are just a few of the highlights of the 2013-2014 academic year: • Coaches Colleen Murphy (women’s soccer) and Carl Danzig (men’s basketball) were voted coaches of the year by their peers in the Landmark Conference. • Junior Meredith Mesaris of the women’s basketball team was named honorable mention All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), becoming the 19th player from the women’s basketball program to be named All-American and bringing the University’s overall total to 57 in 12 different sports. • Senior John Gregitis became the second player from the men’s lacrosse program to be named Scholar AllAmerican by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA), joining 2013 recipient Tim Cleary. • Gregitis’s teammate, senior Matt Tibbitts, was one of four University students to be awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, a highly competitive grant based on academic merit and professional promise. It is the United States government’s premier scholarship program for overseas graduate study, research and teaching. He received an English teaching assistantship to Malaysia. 26
THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
• Men’s soccer standout Bill McGuiness ’13 repeated as All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Academic AllAmerican by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). • Six student-athletes — sophomore Erin Casey (women’s soccer), junior Ross Danzig (men’s basketball), junior Emily Goss (women’s lacrosse), McGuiness (men’s soccer), Mesaris (women’s basketball), and senior Samantha Russo (women’s soccer) — were named District IV All-Academic by CoSIDA. In addition, Goss, a two-sport athlete, was named a Scholar of Distinction by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), a designation for those student-athletes who have earned a 3.9-orhigher grade point average during the fall semester. • One hundred and twenty-four student-athletes were named to the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes those student-athletes who are at least a sophomore and have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.2.
2014 Athletics
Visit scranton.edu/scrantonjournal to view team photos.
Since the Landmark Conference first began competition in the fall of 2007, the University has earned 20 titles. Coupled with the 131 championships that the University won in its previous affiliation with the Middle Atlantic Conference, Scranton now has 151 conference titles in its history.
That Championship Season
Colleen Murphy
Men’s Basketball
• Sara Franciscovich (women’s swimming) and Kelsy McAnelly (women’s soccer) were selected the Landmark Conference Senior Scholar-Athletes in their respective sports by a committee comprised of conference officials. Franciscovich, who holds a 3.79 grade point average in elementary and primary teacher education, was a three-time Landmark Conference relay champion, while McAnelly, a political science and history major with a 3.68 grade point average, earned all-conference honors three times. • The men’s golf team, one of two teams that do not compete in the Landmark Conference, was wellrepresented on the Empire 8 Conference President’s List, which honors those student-athletes who have earned at least a 3.75 term grade point average. Last fall, junior Josh Jimenez and seniors Kevin Kucharski, Andrew Loyack, and Daniel Penetar earned this distinction, while Jimenez, Kucharski, and Penetar were joined by sophomore Ryan Brown for the spring semester.
Capturing its fifth Landmark Conference championship in seven years and the 22nd conference title in program history this past season was the men’s basketball team. The Royals made their 25th NCAA Tournament appearance and finished the season with a 24-4 record, the fourth time in the past six seasons they won at least 20 games, and the most wins since they went 24-6 in 2002-03.
Women’s Basketball The women’s basketball team won the Landmark Conference championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. The Lady Royals finished the season ranked 16th in the d3hoops.com Top 25, and head coach Mike Strong became the first women’s basketball coach at the NCAA Division III level to reach 800 career victories.
Women’s Tennis Winning the Landmark Conference championship for the third straight season was the women’s tennis team. They were undefeated in conference play during the regular season and then won a pair of playoff matches at home. Sophomore Emily Walsh, a first-team all-conference choice, and juniors Megan Azzalina and Nicole Mahaffey, who both earned second-team honors, led the Royals.
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2014 Athletics
Top Honorees Seven seniors received the top awards at the 23rd annual Senior Student-Athlete Luncheon on May 17 at the DeNaples Center. 1st row (l-r): Kaitlyn Greeley — women’s soccer, Willensky Award (inspiration); Devon Cohen — women’s tennis, Carlesimo Award (academic and athletic excellence); Samantha Russo — women’s soccer, O’Hara Award (athletic excellence) and Kerry Sullivan — women’s lacrosse, Fitzpatrick Award (community service). 2nd row (l-r): Mike Gaeta — baseball, Fitzpatrick Award (community service); Tommy Morgan — men’s basketball, O’Hara Award (athletic excellence) and Ryan Saraceni — men’s lacrosse, Carlesimo Award (academic and athletic excellence).
Barry, Barry Good Junior Colleen Barry turned in another winning performance at the 2014 Landmark Conference Swimming & Diving championships hosted by Marywood University in February, finishing first in the 1-meter diving competition, a performance that helped earn her the female diver of the year award for the third straight year. Juniors Paige Agnello and Alexis Walsh also won conference titles in the 200 and 100 breaststroke, respectively, leading the Royals to their fourth straight runner-up finish in the team standings. 28
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Eight is Great Senior Mike Deliberti was one of eight members of the men’s lacrosse team to earn all-Landmark Conference honors this past season. Joining him as first-team selections were John Gregitis, Nicholas McKaba, Alec Mikrut, Ryan Millard and Ryan Saraceni, while second-team honors went to Matt Finor and Gus Sturm. The Royals finished with a 10-7 record under head coach Doug Sage and qualified for the Landmark tournament for the fourth straight year. Scranton’s eight all-conference selections were the most for the program since it was started in 1987.
2014 Athletics Welcome Aboard The University inducted the seven newest members into the Wall of Fame at a ceremony held at the Long Center in January. The Wall of Fame was founded in 1970 to honor former student-athletes, coaches, administrators and those in the community who have been instrumental in the overall development of the University’s athletics program. The class of 2013 brings the Wall’s membership to 232. 1st row (l-r): Liz Baumbach ‘03 (women’s lacrosse); Darren Buseman ‘03 (wrestling) and Laura (Boersig) Castner ‘02 (field hockey). 2nd row (l-r): Dan Loftus ‘03 (men’s basketball); Valerie (Crist) Sherwin ‘88 (volleyball); Bridget Lee ‘03 (women’s lacrosse) and Derek Elphick ‘03 (men’s basketball).
Consistency is Key Senior David Teres was a steady influence for the men’s tennis team over the past four years, winning a combined 68 matches in singles and doubles and earning first-team all-Landmark Conference honors three times. He was also named the conference’s rookie of the year in 2011, helping the Royals to the first of three straight Landmark Conference championship match appearances.
Hughes Comes Up Huge Senior John Hughes set new Royal records in the 100 and 200 breaststroke in leading the Royals to a third-place finish at the 2014 Landmark Conference Swimming & Diving championships. He finished runner-up in each event. In a preliminary heat of the 100 breaststroke, he swam an NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time of 57.21 seconds. Visit scranton.edu/scrantonjournal to read more about this year’s standout athletes. FA L L 2014
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University Advancement
Learning to Give The University’s most recently named trustee emeritus talks about the importance of giving back and his faith in future generations of Scranton graduates. As a child, Christopher “Kip” Condron ’70, remembers going to Mass with his mother and five siblings. The family regularly sat at the end of the pew so when the collection basket passed, his mother could drop in a $5 bill and then pick out four ones to make change. Looking back, Condron was struck by that moment, and realized that not everyone in this world was taught to give. Including himself, at first. “When my son was in kindergarten, I was asked to donate to the school. I said I was already paying tuition, so no thank you,” he said. Now, things could not be more different. Condron, who was recently named trustee emeritus after stepping down as the chair of the University’s Board of Trustees in May, is wellknown for giving and for encouraging others to do the same. University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., summarized the Condrons’ impact, “At a time when we needed it most, God provided Kip and Peggy to help us strive to do more
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and to do better. They challenged the University to pursue greatness in ways that we hadn’t seen before and helped secure our future in ways we had never imagined.” The Scranton native and former president and CEO of AXA Financial has contributed to his alma mater for many years. Over his four terms on the Board, he and his wife, Margaret “Peggy” Condron, Ph.D. (also a former trustee), co-chaired the Pride, Passion and Promise capital campaign, which raised $129 million for the University. Additional accomplishments include recruiting Fr. Quinn and serving as the founding chair of the University’s President’s Business Council. “My idea was to have an annual black-tie dinner in New York,” he said. “Many people wanted it in Scranton, Washington or Philadelphia, but I knew New York was the right place. We raised almost $700,000 the first year, and more than a million dollars every year since.” While Condron was Board president, the University built
— Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., President of The University of Scranton
a new student center, three residence halls and the Loyola Science Center. One of the residence halls, Condron Hall, was dedicated to Kip and Peggy for their many contributions to the school. Condron, who enjoyed a long and successful career in global finance, said it was important to him to give back to places where he felt he could make the greatest impact. Condron’s love for the University developed during his undergraduate years. He chose Scranton for its proximity to home, but he came to appreciate the school more because of its Jesuit values. Upon graduation, Condron sold land in the Poconos then moved to Pittsburgh to work as a broker. There, he started Condron Associates, which was purchased by a subsidiary of American Express. He later held leadership roles at the Boston Company, served as CEO of Dreyfus and later president of Mellon Financial Corp. In 2001 he took the helm at AXA Financial, retiring in 2011. The path to success was achieved by following a simple plan. “I just continued to work and chopped the wood in front of me. Every so often, someone changed the pile.
University Advancement
“At a time when we needed it most, God provided Kip and Peggy to help us strive to do more and to do better. They challenged the University to pursue greatness in ways that we hadn’t seen before and helped secure our future in ways we had never imagined.”
I always say to students: ‘Keep your head down, do your job. Whoever was looking over their shoulder never got anywhere.’” At AXA, Condron was praised for his management skills, but former AXA colleague and University Trustee Mary Beth Farrell ’79 said he led by example. “As a CEO, Kip was very clear with his senior executives about his philanthropic philosophy — look for something that you are passionate about, commit financial resources and support the mission by engaging through mentorship,” she said. Even during retirement, Condron remains busy. He serves on the AllianceBernstein board, sits on the executive committee of the American Ireland Fund and also makes time to enjoy a slightly slower pace on his boats in Cape Cod and Florida. Condron is confident that the next generation is waiting in the wings, willing to give. “I’ve spoken to students who have said, ‘I can’t wait to be like you and give back to the University,’ and that’s great. I think in 15 and 20 years from now, pickings won’t be slim.”
Trustee Emeritus Christopher “Kip” Condron ‘70, former president and CEO of AXA Financial, stepped down as chair of the University’s Board of Trustees in May; Condron (center) is joined by his family at the 2008 dedication of Condron Hall. From left to right: thenUniversity President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., Casey Condron, Margaret “Peggy” Condron, Ph.D., Kip Condron, Lindsay Condron, Brett Condron, Erin Doucette and Devin Condron; Kip and Peggy, co-chairs of the Pride, Passion, Promise capital campaign, which raises $129 million for the University between 2008-2011; Kip receives the President’s Medal at the President’s Business Council Annual Award Dinner in New York in 2006. LEFT TO RIGHT:
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University Advancement
PBC Annual Award Dinner — Oct. 9
Ralph J. DiRuggiero ’73, P’10
THE UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON
The President’s Business Council (PBC) 13th Annual Award Dinner is planned for Thursday, Oct. 9, at The Pierre, New York City. The Annual Award Dinner, a gala to celebrate the University and support the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund, will honor Ralph J. DiRuggiero ’73, P’10, senior vice president for Property Management, Paramount Group, Inc. The PBC is committed to strengthening the Scranton network in business sectors and provides mentoring, internships and career opportunities for current students. For ticket information, please contact Timothy J. Pryle ’89 at 570.941.5837 or email PBC@scranton.edu.
PRESIDENT’S
BUSINESS C O U N C I L
13th Annual Award Dinner
October 9, 2014
Scranton Athletics Fund Eclipses $200,000 in First Year
The 2014 Peter A. Carlesimo Award is presented to Steve Klingman, associate director of athletics at the University. From left to right: Mark Carlesimo, Esq. P’17; University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J.; Klingman and Toby Lovecchio ’85, director of athletics.
Steve Klingman Honored at the Carlesimo Award Dinner This year’s Carlesimo Golf Tournament and Award Dinner, sponsored by the Quandel Construction Group, was held on June 9 at Hamilton Farm Golf Club. Steve Klingman, former men’s soccer coach at Scranton and currently the associate director of athletics and an assistant professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Sport, was honored with the 2014 Peter A. Carlesimo Award. More than 200 guests gathered to support Scranton athletics and recognize Klingman’s 40-plus years of service to the University community.
Scranton’s Department of Athletics has experienced tremendous success both on and off the field during its storied history. In an effort to continue this success, as well as to offer our nearly 400 student-athletes an unforgettable experience, the Division of University Advancement and Department of Athletics launched the Scranton Athletics Fund last fall. Since its inception, more than 1,000 alumni, parents and friends have contributed more than $200,000 to support athletics through the Scranton Athletics Fund and our premier event, The Carlesimo Golf Tournament and Award Dinner. The Scranton Athletics Fund is our first effort focused on raising resources for Scranton athletics and our 18 intercollegiate teams. The goal of this fund is to provide our student-athletes with a truly transformative experience that is reflective of our Jesuit identity and challenge them to become “men and women for and with others.” Gifts can be designated to the area of greatest need within athletics or to any of our intercollegiate teams and support equipment upgrades, travel and team-building opportunities, student-athlete awards and events, recruiting and more. For more information about the Scranton Athletics Fund or to make a gift, please visit scranton.edu/athleticsfund.
SAVE THE DATE
Carlesimo Golf Tournament & Award Dinner
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JUNE 8, 2015
Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, New Jersey THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
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scranton.edu/athleticsfund
University Advancement
Strengthen the Scranton Network; Answer the Phone! Senior Jacqulyn Cavanaugh grew up in Philadelphia but she fell in love with Scranton as a child, listening to her father, John Cavanaugh ’77, tell stories of his time at the University. During her last three years as a Student Development Officer (SDO) here, Jackie has found the University community to be exactly what her father described, and more. SDOs are the students who call and invite you to provide philanthropic support for scholarships and experiences, such as mission trips, research opportunities, as well as other academic and athletic programs. Working as an SDO provides students the opportunity to strengthen their soft skills — communication, critical thinking, negotiation, persistence and tenacity — which are critical in today’s job market, while expanding their Scranton network with countless alumni, parents and friends of the University. Your giving during these calls also demonstrates the commitment Scranton alumni have to enhancing the current student experience at the University. When you have the opportunity to ask Jackie (or one of her fellow SDOs) about her work, you will learn that the highlight of the call for her and her peers goes far beyond the moment you pick up the phone or when she hears “yes” after asking you to donate to your alma mater. (However, alumni voices and “yes” are quite exciting to hear!) The highlights of these phone calls for Jackie and her friends are often the stories and experiences you share over the phone; this is the kind of exchange that builds and strengthens the Scranton network. Senior Jacqulyn Cavanaugh is a Student Development Officer from whom you may get a phone call to invite you to provide philanthropic support for scholarships and programs. Answer the phone and tell her your Scranton story!
As an SDO, it didn’t take too long for Jackie, a psychology major, to realize that “the events, activities, small class sizes, and great professors are all available to students through the donations put forth by the University community.” Now, Jackie plans to be a role model for future generations of Scranton alumni. “After I graduate in the spring, I definitely plan on donating to The University of Scranton,” she said. “This is in large part due to the gratitude I have for those alumni, parents and friends of the University who have continued to give so that I could get the most out of my experience here.” So when you see 570.941.6251 pop-up on your caller ID, pick up the phone and strengthen the Scranton network. Of course, you can make your gift to the Royal Fund too! Great students like Jackie look forward to speaking with you soon!
A LITTLE ABOUT JACKIE HOMETOWN: Philadelphia WHY JACKIE LOVES SCRANTON: Small class sizes and the friendships made WHAT SHE’S THANKFUL FOR: Scholarships that provide her the opportunity to attend a Jesuit university WHEN SHE’S NOT MAKING CALLS: You will find her prepping for her role as a psychology teaching assistant, working in the research lab and serving as a psychology club leader
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University Advancement
2014
COME BACK. GIVE BACK. IT WON’T BE THE SAME WITHOUT YOU. Campus was alive with activity as alumni and friends celebrated their milestone Reunion years and the University’s 125th anniversary, June 20-22. Classes in milestone years didn’t just come back, they gave back too! Reunion weekend brought together alumni to reconnect with each other, reminisce about their time as students and support the University through the Class Giving Challenge. Here’s a snapshot of the weekend’s events and a sampling of what alumni thought of their visit back to campus.
The O’Hara Award is the highest award bestowed jointly by the University and the Alumni Society for outstanding achievement. This year, five alumni were presented with the 2014 Frank O’Hara Award during Reunion Weekend. This year’s honorees were: David C. Blake, Ph.D., J.D. ’69, Hermosa Beach, California Jane A. Conway, Ph.D. ’79, New York Michael C. Fairbanks ’79, H’06, Boxford, Massachusetts John J. Gallagher, Esq. ’69, Annapolis, Maryland John J. O’Malley, Jr., Ph.D. ’64, Scranton O’Hara Award winners pose with University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J. From left to right: Fr. Quinn, Dr. Conway, Dr. O’Malley, Gallagher, Dr. Blake and Martina Martin ’80, president of the Alumni Society. Missing from picture: Michael Fairbanks.
“The accommodations were top-class.” “The reception in the Byron Center was outstanding.”
The highlight of the weekend was the 125th Anniversary & Reunion Celebration. Guests spent the evening dancing to the live music of amRadio in the Byron Center, which had been transformed into a spectacular garden-like setting. It was an opportunity for alumni of all ages to celebrate together. 34
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University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., recognized Cimini during the 50th & Golden Grad Class Dinner.
“The Saturday picnic and evening event in the Byron were wonderful.”
University Advancement
Frank Cimini ’39 marked the 75th anniversary of his graduation from The University of Scranton.
In the year leading up to Reunion, classes in Reunion years raised more than $608,000 from more than 950 donors. This represents a 50 percent increase in Reunion-year giving over last year. The Class of 2009 was presented with the Pride Award for the highest attendance. The Class of 1989 had the highest participation and giving, and was presented with both the Passion and Promise Awards. Both of these classes marked their achievements with a champagne toast during their class dinners. Representatives of Reunion Milestone Classes gather to present a check to University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., on behalf of classes ending in 4 and 9. Left to right: Erin O’Malley Stewart ’94, Frank Homer, Ph.D. ’64, Rachele Mackin Browning ’84, Robin Raju ’04, Fr. Quinn and Gary Olsen, vice president for University Advancement.
“Loved the photo booth at the picnic and the band at the after-party celebration.”
“I expected to have a great time, but this exceeded all my expectations! It was well-organized and so much fun! I always love coming back to Scranton, but this was truly a special experience.” To relive the weekend, visit scranton.edu/reunion
REUNION2015SAVETHEDATE JUNE 12-14, 2015
Graduates of “5” or “0” — mark your calendars and call your friends! Reunion 2015 will take place June 12-14, 2015. To get involved in the planning of your Reunion, contact the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@scranton.edu; planning will commence soon! FA L L 2014
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A Time of Transition A Scranton priest adjusts to his new role as bishop and life in the South.
Watch the ordination: http://bishopkopaczordination.org/live/ 36
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PROFILE: Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz ’72
Soon after he got a call from the Apostolic Nuncio (on behalf of Pope Francis) to serve as a Diocesan Bishop in Mississippi, Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz, Ph.D. ’72, a Northeastern Pennsylvania native, became one of only 156 Diocesan Ordinaries in the U.S. Like anyone starting a new job in a new place, he initially had some trouble adjusting. “These past few months certainly have been an intense time of transition,” said Bishop Kopacz. During his first two months in Jackson he was wearing borrowed vestments and living in temporary housing. Even the local cuisine requires some getting used to, he said. Cracking off the head of a crawfish can seem very foreign to a man who grew up in Dunmore and spent much of his life in the surrounding areas. During his ordination on Feb. 6, Bishop Kopacz struggled with a new word: y’all. He quickly drew the congregation’s attention to his mispronunciation of the word. “I don’t know how well this coal cracker accent is going to go with the southern drawl, but we’re going to work on it,” he said with a laugh. The crowd laughed with him. Bishop Kopacz has deep roots here. He grew up playing baseball and delivering newspapers in Dunmore, where he came from a family devoted to its faith. He was an altar server at St. Anthony of Padua parish, often walking proudly to church in his cassock. Not only was his close-knit community supportive of his calling back then, his loved ones also recognized his deep devotion to God and the church. After graduating from Dunmore Central Catholic High School (now Holy Cross), he entered Saint Pius X Seminary in Dalton. During that time, he attended The University of Scranton, pursuing courses in theology and philosophy. “I was at Scranton in the era of many active, teaching Jesuits, which was really special,” he said, remembering Rev. William B. Hill, S.J., a professor of English at the time, as one who inspired him. “The Jesuits were a great influence, and attending the University solidified my call to the priesthood.” Bishop Kopacz stayed in touch with the good friends he made at Scranton. One such friend was Monsignor Joseph G. Quinn, J.D., J.C.L. ’72, now the vice president of University Mission and Ministry at Fordham University in New York. Msgr. Quinn remembers Bishop Kopacz winning fans early on: “He
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: First Holy Communion, 1958; St. Pius X
Seminary basketball team (Bishop Kopacz is in the back row, second from left); At the Cathedral of St. Peter, Scranton, for his ordination into the priesthood, May 1977; During his ordination in Jackson, Mississippi, Feb. 6, 2014.
was tall, even then. And his ever-present smile, quick wit and easy laugh made him welcome in every group.” After graduating from The University of Scranton, Bishop Kopacz earned a master’s in theology from Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, New York. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1977 and his first priestly assignment was in the Diocese of Scranton. This is where he stayed, at least until the Pope called (so to speak). He led various parishes and organizations. In addition to his pastoral duties, along the way he also served as vicar for priests and vicar general. Before he left Scranton for Jackson, he helped plan a consolidation of three churches within the Diocese. His departure was felt deeply by parishioners. “Whatever community he served over the course of his nearly four decades as a leader in the Diocese of Scranton, the people never wanted to let him go,” said Msgr. Quinn, who worked alongside then-Fr. Kopacz in the Scranton Diocese. “He truly was — and is — a much beloved pastor.” Bishop Kopacz began his service in Mississippi by traveling to the 101 parishes and missions throughout the state. On weekends, he has gone out to celebrate what he calls “regular” Mass. It is the only way he can be among the people, “regularly and often,” a tenet he learned from the leadership of Pope Francis. There is a lot of ground to cover, as the Diocese of Jackson encompasses 65 counties and 37,629 square miles and is the largest diocese, geographically, east of the Mississippi River. It is also a diverse diocese, with a large Spanish-speaking population. (He has a facility with the language and is becoming fluent.) He has found that the best way to become truly a part of this community is to listen to the unique stories of its people. “I look at this diocese as my parish. I’m going out to meet my parishioners. They are all part of the vast family,” he said. “I just let people know I’m happy to be here and they’re more open to me. I think they’re starting to respond.” He has started to feel more at home in Jackson. He swims laps at the pool at the local Catholic hospital and walks his dog, Amigo, in his neighborhood. It is during this “quiet time,” as well as hours in the office or car, that he is able to reflect and plan. Now that he is getting comfortable, he is able to look toward the future and ask: “Where is the Diocese of Jackson today? Who are we and where do we want to go?” Bishop Kopacz sees something else in his near future: hosting family and friends from Scranton at his new, permanent home in Jackson, where he may just serve up crawfish.
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PROFILE: Christopher N. Steel, Ph.D. ’99
A Citizen, and Teacher, of the World
Christopher N. Steel, Ph.D. ’99 in Nyeri, Kenya.
Christopher N. Steel, Ph.D. ‘99, always knew he had an “obligation to participate in the sweaty work of the world.” He is currently a diplomat at the U.S. Agency of International Development (USAID), the humanitarian, development and assistance arm of the U.S. Department of State, a role he could only have dreamed of as teenager. Even at the tender age of 17, he felt called to work globally in service to others. At The University of Scranton, he found a place to nurture both his “desire to explore wide-ranging cultures” and to fulfill the Jesuit ideal of becoming a man for others. “It was clear to me that what you get out of college depends on what you put into it... and Scranton simply had plenty of places to dive in. The campus valued the richness and variety of what the world offers, but I had no clue how to harness that; it seemed Scranton knew how to make it happen and, over those four years, it very much did,” he said. Dr. Steel, a native of Oradell, New Jersey, plunged headlong into campus life when he arrived in Scranton in 1995. He held a part-time job, served as class president, resident assistant and an
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(Images courtesy of Public Affairs Office at the U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Kenya.)
An alumnus makes it his mission to help improve access to quality education on a global scale.
orientation aide. The University taught him to do what he liked. “I quickly learned that when we do what we like, there’s very little chance of getting it wrong,” he said. “Scranton instilled that in me, just as much as taught me to not settle on half-thoughtout ideas, but to wait and endorse more full-fledged ideals.” Fortified by his Scranton experiences, Dr. Steel spent his first post-grad year volunteering at an education NGO in rural Ecuador. He then returned stateside to teach high school science, but after five years in the classroom, took a break to pursue other educational interests, particularly understanding the role of technology in K-12 education policy. That led to a master’s degree from Harvard University, along with a host of new questions about how technology might change the educational landscape of developing countries. He would later learn the transformational power of technology in education development and about certain universal needs like “feeling connected and contributing to something bigger than ourselves,” but, first, he pursued a doctorate, examining civic education models in the international sphere.
PROFILE: Christopher N. Steel, Ph.D. ’99
After attending the University of Pennsylvania, he moved full-time into public policy, joining consultancy projects at UNESCO (United National Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) in Paris, and later returning to Ecuador to continue his dissertation research as a Fulbright Fellow with the U.S. Department of State. After spending 2010 in Ecuador, he joined the U.S. diplomatic corps. While serving in Nairobi, Kenya, from 2011 to 2013, Dr. Steel’s office formed a partnership with leading technology firms, such as Cisco, Intel and Microsoft. The partnership, Accelerating 21st Century Technology (ACE), continues to create e-centered learning environments in Kenyan classrooms and trains 230 inservice teachers and 3,000 pre-service teachers each year. ACE brings new techniques to incorporate digital content and critical and creative-thinking skills into the curriculum at 28,000 primary schools. Ultimately, the goal is to maximize young people’s future job opportunities by matching the labor market needs with ready-and-able students to fill an ever-widening employment gap. “In East Africa, IT is a lever for economic growth, and so
much of what we claim is ‘good education’ is relative to who’s looking to hire, particularly in emerging economies like Kenya,” he said. “A Kenyan student with functional IT skills, who can fully endorse the type of critical and creative thinking happening at, for example, the Google Nairobi office or in the IT incubators throughout town, has countless opportunities.” Today, Dr. Steel leads the Basic Education Directorate at the Agency’s mission in Kabul, Afghanistan. “The overseas postings in this line of work are incredibly challenging and equally rewarding, and Kabul is certainly no exception,” he said of his work there. Dr. Steel’s commitment to international education is unwavering. “Regardless of where they are, students need to be nurtured, engaged and connected to their world,” he said. “Every kid everywhere should have access to quality education.” Dr. Steel will transition from Kabul to Guatemala City, Guatemala, for his next assignment in September. Read more about the life and work of Dr. Steel at scranton.edu/scrantonjournal
Students in Nakuru, Kenya.
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PROFILE: Bill Nellis ’55, Joe Nellis ’85, Kate Nellis ’10
A Family Formed at Scranton Three generations of the Nellis family will celebrate their Reunion together in 2015.
TOP: The members of the Nellis family who
will attend the 2015 Reunion together. Parade Day, 1990. From left to right: Bill ’55, Kate ’10 and Joe ’85; BOTTOM: 21 years later at Parade Day, 2011. From left to right: Joe, Kate and Bill.
day in 1951, while she was Bill and Nonie on their wedding and Bill was still a student. still working at the University
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PROFILE: Bill Nellis ’55, Joe Nellis ’85, Kate Nellis ’10
When Bill Nellis ’55 arrived at Lackawanna Station in 1949 he was fresh from military service with no job and no friends in Scranton, other than his cousin, a Jesuit scholastic. Originally from Westchester County, New York, Bill came to the city to get the college education promised to him by the GI Bill, but by setting in motion a vibrant, multi-generational Scranton story, he received much greater gifts, as well as a reason to celebrate in 2015. Before he headed to Scranton, though, he tried Fordham University, where he was crushed to learn that a flood of GIs had already matriculated, creating a lengthy backlog. Just as he was leaving campus, dejected, he ran into his cousin, John Mulholland who taught at Scranton Prep. Mulholland said, “I’ll get you in at Scranton.” Bill said, “Where’s Scranton?” That chance meeting eventually led Bill to that train bound for Lackawanna Station and, as dusk fell, to the University’s “Old Main.” The very first person he met was a secretary, Ann Nora “Nonie” McAllister who would later become Nonie Nellis. She helped Bill reach Mulholland, who in turn fetched the venerable Frank O’Hara, then registrar, from his home to administer the entrance exam to a party of one. A week later, Bill was enrolled and the family’s Scranton story had begun. Bill and Nonie were married for nearly 60 years before she passed away in 2011. (The Nellis family subsequently founded the Nellis-McAllister Kiwanis Scholarship in her honor.) The couple had three children, all of whom became members of the University family: Bill ’83, special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Joe ’85 and Noreen (Schofield), assistant dean, Scranton College of Arts and Sciences (Marywood ’74). Joe said his father was such a devoted alumnus that he and Bill had little chance to consider going anywhere else for college. Like many local students, Joe commuted and still found ways to be engaged in University life. He played baseball and was president of the accounting honor society. By January of his senior year, Joe already had an offer from Big Eight accounting firm, Arthur Andersen. After graduation, he headed to New York City with his new wife, Ann Rose. It was during this period, shortly after graduation, when Joe most profoundly felt the value of his Scranton education. “It prepared me for that big change event — moving to the city,” he said, adding that his family and education grounded him. “It was never a struggle to do the right thing; being unethical just wasn’t an
option. I got that from my Dad and from Scranton.” Joe’s work ethic paved the way for an incredibly successful career. He is now managing director of global business development for GE Capital Real Estate. His permanent residence is in Connecticut, but he has lived and worked abroad. In fact, his daughter Kate ’10 graduated high school from the American School in London. After high school, it was her turn to write the family’s next chapter. “Without question, it was her decision where to go to college,” Joe said. “But to me, the best choice was Scranton. It was home. I knew I couldn’t be there to watch over her, but Scranton’s culture and environment made it easy for us to let her go.” “I thought I already knew all about Scranton,” Kate said. “Thank God I went on the formal campus tour.” Kate said the tour made her see Scranton in a new light. The real revelation, however, came when her mother answered questions for prospective students on that tour. “Someone asked the tour guide what there was to do in Scranton and she was fumbling with the answer when my mother started to answer for her! It was great ... she just rattled off so many things (but her favorite was the annual Labor Day Italian festival!)” Today, Kate is equally impassioned about her own Scranton experience. “It taught me the value of friendship and integrity. I get goose bumps thinking about it — it’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Scranton continues to be a major part of Kate’s life. She met her best friend in their freshman dorm; the two are now roommates in Hoboken, New Jersey and both work for Vente-Privee.com, a fashion website. She and her friends fly the Scranton flag when they gather at the beach in Manasquan, New Jersey. Bill Nellis could not have known the rich legacy boarding a train to Scranton would engender. He was unaware that Nonie was in his very near future and his children and grandchildren (10 in total, 50 percent of whom are Scranton graduates: Kate, Sean Schofield ’02, Ryan Schofield ’04, Maura Schofield ’07 and Kevin Schofield ’11) waited a bit further ahead. Bill did know he was searching for an intellectual and spiritual home. He found that home in Scranton, and he looks forward to celebrating it with Joe and Kate at their upcoming University of Scranton Reunion in June 2015. Visit scranton.edu/scrantonjournal to read more about the Nellis family (and the Nellis-McAllister Kiwanis Scholarship).
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PROFILE: Margo Christiansen ’05
From Scranton to Sochi A communications director counsels behind the scenes at the Olympics.
LEFT: Margo Christiansen ’05 CENTER: Christiansen talking through media strategy with an athlete in Lillehammer, Norway earlier this year. RIGHT: Christiansen in front of the Olympic Rings in Endurance Village, Sochi, where she shared housing with Olympic athletes.
Margo Christiansen ’05 was ever-present at the Sochi Olympics this winter, easily spotted against the snowcovered trails in a navy blue U.S.A. parka. Although she spent many winter weekends as a child skiing Elk Mountain with her family, she is not an Olympic athlete. She was in Sochi working as the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s (USSA) Nordic press officer, a liaison between the athletes and the media. As the Nordic press officer, Christiansen worked with the ski jumping, cross-country and Nordic combined teams. (Nordic combined includes a ski jumping competition and a 10-kilometer cross-country ski race.) Christiansen was on the front lines in Sochi when Kikkan Randall, a four-time Olympian and a favorite to win the first-ever Olympic women’s cross-country medal for the U.S., was outsprinted and eliminated from the competition. Even though the race for which she had prepared her entire career — the individual sprint — was now over, Randall had to quickly prepare for the media gauntlet. “This was the most devastating day of my work career thus far,” said Christiansen. “Kikkan saw me and started crying. We pulled over to a corner of the media corral to collect ourselves.” After a few moments of consolation, the women talked media strategy. It is the kind of coaching that comes second in the Olympics, but is essential nonetheless. “There was a great level of trust there,” Christiansen said. “Giving communication and media counsel eventually became really easy because the athletes knew I always had their best interest in mind.” Just like any coach, Christiansen is deeply affected by the outcome of her athletes’ races. Back in Park City, Utah, at the USSA’s headquarters, Christiansen’s served as communications director, the point person for all internal and external communication. She had moved to Park City, a favorite family ski spot, after a stint in marketing for Philly Edge and Philadelphia Weekly. Drawn to the mountains, she moved west and was thrilled to land the job at the USSA. She developed close relationships with 42
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the athletes over the past seven years with the organization, in part thanks to her work at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, a period of great success for the Nordic combined team. In Sochi, the team was less successful medal-wise, and Christiansen worked long hours, so there was a great level of comfort in returning to her temporary home with the women’s team, now her friends. “She always put us at ease,” said Olympian Liz Stephen of Christiansen. “She genuinely cared about each one of us.” Christiansen shared meals with the athletes and looked on as they made valentines for one another. She and the other women gathered around the television to cheer on the U.S. ice dancers, and hugged when that team won gold. “They accepted me into a very personal part of their lives,” she said, mentioning board games and phone calls to friends. “It was like any kind of normal family living room you’d see.” Her own family’s living room was back in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the place that taught her the value of community. Her dad, Dave, is vice president emeritus in the Finance/ Treasurer Department at The University of Scranton. She has fond memories of growing up as a University of Scranton kid, from trick or treating at her dad’s office to a special “Take-yourDaughter-to-Work Day.” Dave remembers fondly the years his daughters were in college. He especially enjoyed meeting them for lunch near campus. (Katie ’03 also lives in Park City.) “It’s all in the family,” laughed Christiansen, who said, as a student, she learned just how much she had to gain at Scranton. “The University of Scranton taught me the importance of community, working together to achieve a common goal and learning how to work with others,” she said. She recently began a new job as the senior manager of communications for Canyons Resort, Utah’s largest single ski and snowboard resort. Although she will miss the athletes (and they will miss her, said Stephen), she’s excited to begin this new chapter. “It’s a great opportunity, and I’m looking forward to applying my experience and education to this new role.”
Names in Gold indicate Alumnus/Alumna is celebrating his/her Reunion year
Class notes included in this edition were submitted prior to July 21, 2014. To submit your own news or see additional class notes, visit scranton.edu/classnotes.
ClassNotes
Alumni Society Board of Governors Elected The University of Scranton Alumni Society’s Board of Governors elected nine new members to the board of directors. The newly elected board members include: Robert J. Bednar ’69, Naples, Florida Mary Beth D’Andrea ’82, G’93, Roaring Brook Twp. William J. Dempsey ’07, Clarks Summit Jonathan P. Forte ’07, G’09, Baltimore, Maryland William J. Gillespie, Psy.D. ’99, Lafayette Hill Maura A. Hayden ’08, Philadelphia Robert P. Hickey ’67, Oceanport, New Jersey Colleen M. Neary ’88, Media P.J. Tabit ’10, Washington, D.C. Matthew Kelly ’04 with Scranton native Vice President Joe Biden at the U.S. Embassy, during Biden’s official White House visit to Bucharest, Romania. Kelly is a vice consul at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest.
Liberty Mutual is a proud partner of the Alumni Society of the University of Scranton
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Existing board members include: Elizabeth M. Ali ’05, Pen Argyl David C. Blake, Ph.D., J.D. ’69, executive committee, Hermosa Beach, California Col. Richard H. Breen, USA, Ret. ’77, president elect, Alexandria, Virginia Eric D. Brophy ’92, Wall, New Jersey John C. Cardone, M.D. ’82, Fredericksburg, Virginia Maura Devlin Slatowski ’93, Blue Bell Joanna A. Gallagher ’90, Westfield, New Jersey John L. Gownley ’06, Bronx, New York Thomas J. Grech ’84, past-president, Malverne, New York Kristin A. Maile ’92, Briarcliff Manor, New York Martina A. Martin ’80, president, Baltimore, Maryland Frank G. McCartney ’69, Maple Glen Christina Meyer Bric ’93, secretary, Columbia, Maryland Michael J. Michlowski ’73, Fairfax, Virginia Patrick J. Morgan ’01, vice president, Philadelphia Michael K. Short ’99, treasurer, Mendham, New Jersey Eugene M. Talerico ’89, Old Forge The University of Scranton Alumni Society, founded in 1947, exists to promote closer and more beneficial relationships between the University and its alumni. All undergraduate and graduate alumni are automatically enrolled as lifelong members in the Alumni Society, which today numbers more than 46,000. For additional information on Scranton alumni events, programs and services, visit scranton.edu/alumni or find us on Facebook and LinkedIn. FA L L 2014
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Class Notes
Milestones Bernard Dick, Ph.D. ’57, Teaneck, New Jersey, recently published a book titled “The President’s Ladies: Jane Wyman and Nancy Davis” about former President Ronald Reagan, an actor who married not one, but two Hollywood actresses. James Mezick, Ph.D. ’61, East Brunswick, New Jersey, had the technology from his start-up, SanRosa Pharmaceutical, for the redness of rosacea, developed by Galderma Labs as MIRVASO, a topical gel, and approved by the European Union for marketing. James Costello ’64, Lafayette, Louisiana, published his first novel, a political thriller titled “The Gang from Capitol Hill.” Bart Billings, Ph.D. ’66, Carlsbad, California, received the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International’s (CCHR) Human Rights award for his decades of work with the military and veterans, including obtaining the Congressional hearing into the relationship between psychotropic drugs and violence/ suicide. Francis X. O’Connor ’71, Susquehanna, was named president of the 27,000-member Pennsylvania Bar Association. Rev. Joseph R. Kopacz, Ph.D. ’72, Jackson, Mississippi, was installed as the Bishop of the Diocese of Jackson. (Read more about his transition from Scranton to Jackson on pages 34 and 35.)
Fr. William Kelley, S.J. ’73, Los Gatos, California, was named the next secretary for social and international ministries by the Society of Jesus at the Jesuit Conference in Washington, D.C. In his new position, Fr. Kelly will coordinate and support the Jesuits’ social justice work in the U.S. and international justice ministries. David McCormick ’75, The Villages, Florida, has been elected a member of the global board of directors of the Institute of Management Accounts (IMA). He serves as subcommittee chair with the IMA’s Policy Oversight and Audit Committee. McCormick also earned the Certified Fraud Examiner designation issued by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. H. John Keimig ’77, North Kingstown, Rhode Island, was presented with a Career Recognition Award by the American College of Healthcare Executives in January 2014. He is the president and CEO of Healthcentric Advisors of Rhode Island. Patricia Siegel Hudson ’77, Pacifica, California, authored a ground-breaking book on membership-based organizations (MPBs) titled “Special Interest Society: How Membershipbased Organizations Shape America.” This book offers scholars, practitioners and interested readers a better way to understand the role these organizations play in our lives and the many ways in which they shape our world.
MG John Gronski ’78, Jonestown, is the commanding general of the 28th Infantry Division of the Pennsylvania National Guard. Lt. General Chris Burne ’80, Langley AFB, Virginia, has been promoted to a threestar general in the U.S. Air Force after being nominated by President Obama and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as Judge Advocate General (the Air Force’s top lawyer). General Burne’s father, Frank ’42, is a decorated veteran of World War II and his son Christian ’14 was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the U.S. Army. Lizanne Katz Fiorentino ’80, Suffern, New York, was recently named president of the board of directors of the Hi-Tor Animal Care Center in Pomona, New York. Hi-Tor is Rockland County’s only animal shelter and provides care to more than 2,500 animals per year. Craig Aebli, D.D.S. ’81, Orlando, Florida, is the president of the Central Florida Academy of General Dentistry. Lisa Duda ’81, Wayne, a partner in the firm of Stradley Ronon, has been appointed to the board of directors of Druedling Center, Holy Redeemer Health System’s transitional housing and comprehensive program for homeless women and children. John “Jay” Tucker ’81, Milford, was selected to receive the Bernard P. Ireland Award by the Middle State Regional Council of the College
Alumni with their graduates (Class of 2014) gathered for a photo with University President Kevin P. Quinn, S.J., and Alumni Society President Martina A. Martin ’80, during Commencement Weekend.
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Class Notes Board. This award is the highest individual award given in the Middle States region and it recognizes an individual with a commitment to improving humanity through education, by demonstrating a record of service to young people in the easing of the transition from high school to college, and distinguishing themselves as a change agent in their constituency. Thomas Flanagan ’82, Spokane, Washington, was selected as the Teacher of the Year at Gonzaga Prep School, where he has taught chemistry and worked in campus ministry since 1998. Robert Ryder ’82, Pittsford, New York, executive vice president-CFO of Constellation Brands, rang the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange on May 5. While on the floor, Bob was interviewed by CNBC, Bloomberg and TheStreet. William Trently, D.M.D. ’82, Stratham, New Hampshire, published his third book, “Yes, You Are Home,” in May 2014 in the genre of historical fiction/philosophy. Elizabeth Ciabocchi, Ed.D. ’83, Lindenhurst, New York, was appointed vice provost for digital learning at St. John’s University. In this position, she will oversee instructional technology integration and development of blended and online learning across the university. Joseph Yanish ’83, Cranston, Rhode Island, was presented with a Career Recognition Award by the American College of Healthcare Executives in January 2014. He is a health systems specialist for VAMC Providence. James Courey, D.D.S. ’84, Robbinsville, New Jersey, has a full-time dental practice in prosthodontics and is on the faculty of Columbia University in the implant and prosthodontic departments. Mark Mensack ’84, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, had two of his “401k Ethicist” articles used as required reading for a course taught at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Mary O’Neill, Ph.D. ’85, Lakeville, Connecticut, was awarded the statewide Adjunct of the Year Award by the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities Board of Regents. Gerald Bowen ’86, Ivyland, an attorney and managing partner of the law firm Bowen & Burns and adjunct college professor, recently published a book about his special needs daughter, Grace, titled Blessed by a Saint available at dorrancebookstore.com. The net proceeds from book sales will be donated to charities for the disabled.
Mary O’Toole Mahoney ’86, Sherborn, Massachusetts, has been promoted to vice president and deputy general counsel at Tufts Health Plan. John Luciani G’87, York, president of First Capital Engineering, has received his professional engineer license for the state of New York. John is now licensed to practice civil engineering in New York and is able to seal and certify drawings for projects within the state. He is also licensed in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia as well as being a professional land surveyor in Pennsylvania and Maryland. John F. McGuire, M.D. ’87, Canandaigua, New York, has been elected president of the medical staff at FF Thompson Health. Susan Degli-Antoni Corrado ’88, Lebanon, has joined the law firm of Boyle Litigation, Harrisburg as director of Investigations. Michael Cresitello ’89, Middlesex, New Jersey, was recently confirmed as a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court. Angela Wooster Sargent ’89, Manheim, senior executive vice president/chief information officer at Fulton Financial Corporation, earned the Women of Influence distinction from Central Penn Business Journal. Lori Williams, M.D. ’89, Eynon, is the president of the Lackawanna County Medical Society. Daniel Munley ’90, Clarks Summit, a partner in the Munley Law firm in Scranton, has been named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer for the fifth consecutive year. Ralph Riviello, M.D. ’90, Woolwich Twp., New Jersey, was named 2014 Emergency Physician of the Year by the Pennsylvania Chapter of American College of Emergency Physicians. Thomas Shields, Ph.D. ’90, Richmond, Virginia, was selected as a Distinguished Educator of the Year at the University of Richmond. He will receive this honor at the fall colloquium.
Carl Thorsen ’90, Chevy Chase, Maryland, founder of the boutique government relations consulting firm Thorsen French Advocacy, was recognized by The Hill as one of the Top 25 Lobbyists in Washington, D.C. Jason Daria ’91, Bryn Mawr, was named a 2014 Pennsylvania Super Lawyer by Philadelphia magazine. Dan Antonelli ’92, Washington, New Jersey, has published his third book on branding, “Building a Big Small Business Brand.” Dan is the president and creative director of Graphic D-Signs Inc., an advertising agency. Brian Loftus, D.D.S., ’92 Nazareth, has been named Moravian Academy’s Distinguished Honoree at the 2013 Association of Fundraising Professionals Philanthropy Day. Dr. Loftus is a member of Moravian Academy’s board of trustees. Jeffrey Brauer ’93, Dalton, will present “Diffused Impacts of Electoral Policy: Proportional Representation as the Best Option for the American Presidency” at the Australian Political Studies Association Conference at the University of Sydney, Australia in September 2014. Tracey Wieners Rush ’93, Drexel Hill, was appointed principal of Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School in the Drexel Hill section of Upper Darby. Paul Mullin ’99, Norristown, was elected to partnership in the firm Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell and Lupin. Michael Berardinelli ’00, Brick, New Jersey, received an M.S. in educational administration from The University of Scranton and will be certified as a principal and supervisor in New Jersey. Terrence Brody ’00, Chatham, New Jersey, was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie as the executive director of the governor’s office of Recovery and Rebuilding, the lead branch of the Governor’s Office tasked with coordinating Sandy-related recovery efforts across the state government.
Get Social with Scranton Check us out on your favorite social media platforms. We welcome your comments, posts, tweets and photographs for possible inclusion in the next issue of The Scranton Journal. • facebook.com/universityofscranton & facebook.com/ScrantonAlumni • twitter.com/univofscranton & twitter.com/ScrantonAlumni • youtube.com/universityofscranton • flickr.com/universityofscranton • instagram.com/universityofscranton
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Class Notes Members of the Class of 1964 served as delegates at the University’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on June 1, 2014.
Lt. Brian Kupchak, Ph.D. ’00, G’02 has been commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Navy as a physiologist. Following ODS training, he will be stationed at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Brian “Box” Brown ’02, Cranford, New Jersey, had his graphic novel “Andre the Giant, Life and Legend” published in May 2014. Fr. Michael Bartholomew ’03, Huntingdon Station, New York, has been appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Westhampton Beach, New York. He is the youngest current pastor in the Diocese of Rockville Center. Marie DiDario Werner, D.O. ’03, Wethersfield, Connecticut, graduated as chief resident from the Hartford Hospital/Institute of Living Psychiatry Residency Program where she will continue her medical training in the Psychosomatic Medicine and Palliative Care Fellowship Program. Michael Draney ’03, Parsippany, New Jersey, achieved the rank of 1st degree black belt in Songahm Taekwondo.
Joseph Pierce Ph.D. ’03, Burlington, New Jersey, was awarded his Ph.D. in bioenergetics and exercise science from East Carolina University. Vito Cirigliano, D.O. ’04, Rockville, Maryland, completed his gastroenterology fellowship and is a staff physician at Ft. Bragg Womack Army Medical Center. Jenna Ann Brown, D.O. ’06, Jersey Shore, New Jersey, accepted a position with Family Practice Center PC in central Pennsylvania. Stephen Clark ’06, Philadelphia, won the First Person Arts’ Grand Slam (“Philly’s biggest storytelling showdown”). Maggie Leuzarder ’06, Summit, New Jersey, is an associate at the national, bipartisan strategy firm Mercury. Thomas Umile, Ph.D. ’06, Ardmore, accepted a position of assistant professor of chemistry at Gwynedd Mercy University. Joseph Butash, M.D. ’07, Boston, Massachusetts, accepted a position of staff physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the Cambridge Health Alliance.
Marriages Mary Twohig ’98 to Frankie Novick Kevin Moran ’01 to Kate Colameco Danielle Devine ’03 to Dan Humes Joseph Pierce ’03 to Jessica Liger Amy Yablonski ’04, G’05 to Anthony Ruddy 46
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Katy Dotson ’05 to Joshua Bidelspach Sarah Suchoski ’05 to Michael Carroll ’05 Jan Amann ’06 to Matthew Rooney Danielle Tartaglia ’06 to Michael Centalonza Lindsey Dommenge ’07 to Chris Waddell ’07
Patrick McManus ’07, Garden City, New York, was awarded an M.S. in education from CUNY Queens College. Fr. Mark Searles ’08, Easton, was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop John O. Barres at the Cathedral of St. Catharine of Siena, Allentown. Fr. Mark celebrated his first Mass of Thanksgiving at his home parish of St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Easton on Pente3 cost Sunday, June 8. His first assignment is with Sacred Heart parish in Allentown. Andrew Ponti ’10, California, Maryland, is tourism coordinator for the Division of Tourism at St. Mary’s County Department of Economic and Community Development in southern Maryland. Michael Zaydon ’12, New York, New York, has attained his Certified Public Accountant license and currently works at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in the Banking & Capital Markets group. Michael is a member of the Pennsylvania CPA Journal and has been named the Emerging CPAs column coordinator. Mike Baumhardt G’13, Coral Gables, Florida, is associate director of Student Activities and Organizations at the University of Miami.
Kaci Haines, M.D. ’08 to Dr. Matthew Christian Christine Zengel ’08, G’10 to John Falcone Amy Arnold ’10 to Clark Veet ’10 Joanne Klimaski ’11 to Matthew Mercuri ’10 Jill Lowry ’11 to Brendan Reilly ’11
Class Notes 1
2
Jill Lowry ’11 and Brendan Reilly ’11 celebrate their big day with more than 40 Scranton alumni, including (in no particular order): Eileen Reilly ’82, Vince Reilly ’80, Colin Reilly ’14, Kate Lynch ’13, Peggy Jenks ’08, Steve Jenks ’06, Lizzie Hritz ’11, Brigid Reilly ’05, Tim Fagan ’02, Jasmine Santiago ’11, Pete Sturm ’11, Chuck Cummings ’13, Alex Dundara ’11, Joe Cuozzo ’11, Chris Favalora ’13, Gavin Doucette ’12, Mike Kileen ’11, Barry Brown ’11, Conor Foley ’11, Mike Martinelli ’11, Sean Daly ’11, Kelly Miller ’11, Tony Mieczskowski ’10, Susie Valinis ’96, Pat Shea ’85, Jeanie Shea ’85, Tracey McDevitt-Hagan ’93, Colleen Brennan ’93, Brendan O’Neill ’98, Kevin McNally ’91, Billy Gillespie ’99, John Casey ’80, Al Geary ’80, Kevin O’Brien ’80, Kathy O’Brien ’81, Bill Loftus ’80 and Guy Mercogliano ’80. Richard G. Malloy, S.J., interim executive director of University mission and ministry, was also in attendance.
Clark Veet ’10 and Amy Arnold ’10 were joined by many classmates at their wedding. First row (left to right): Kate Oehl ’10, Colleen McCormack ’10, Clark Veet (groom), Meaghan Grenaldo ’10, Amy Arnold (bride), Colleen Jobba ’10, Stephanie Fields ’10 and Kaitlyn Yourkavitch ’09; Second row (left to right): Kathryn Brokus ’10, Kellie Casey ’10, Jessica Caserta ’10, Cassie Blum ’10, Theresa Mercer ’10, Jon Buryk ’10 and Danielle Tighe ’10; Back row (left to right): Joseph Gallagher ’10, Mark Powell ’10, Matthew Cavanaugh ’10, Kristin Pickell ’11, David Morelli, Siobhan Burns ’10, Jon Soll ’10, Claira Perfetto ’10, Sarah Malik ’10, Justin Cariani ’10, Raheel Malik ’09, Chris Salvaggio, Carmello Libassi ’10, Jason Kang ’10, Joseph Yourkavitch ’09, Dean Guiler ’10, Jennifer Dice ’10, and Kristopher Carilli ’10
Christine Zengel ‘08 G’10 married John Falcone on July 27, 2013. Scranton alumni celebrate with the bride! Front row (from left to right): Susan Zengel ‘06, Kathryn Zengel ‘11, Nicholas Contardo ‘07, Tiffany (Broedel) Contardo ‘08, Margaret (Murray) Carbonetti ‘08, Kaitlyn (Clark) Seger ‘07, Christine (Zengel) Falcone, Katherine (McKeaney) DiMedio ‘08, Courtney (Geniton) Tintle ‘08 G’10, Lindsey Mitchell ‘08 and Caitlin Murray ‘08; Back row (from left to right): Adam Rosinski, S.J. ‘07, Justin Krul ‘09, Alexandra Mickler ‘08, Kevin Carbonetti ‘07, Jeffrey Metzger ‘07, Gregory Kershaw ‘07, Jacqui (Lees) Long, William Monaghan, Matthew Naples ‘07, Sean Rose ‘06 and Kerri (Hubbard) Naples ‘06
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Class Notes
Sara Suchoski ’05 and Michael Carroll ’05 were married on Nov. 16,
2013, at St. Maria Goretti Church in Laflin. Many fellow alumni took part in their celebration!
Kevin Moran ‘01 married Kate Colameco on Oct. 18, 2013, in Philadelphia. Many fellow alumni took part in their celebration. From left to right: Gina Murray ‘03, Sean Murray ‘03, Brighid Seymour Moran ‘99, Matthew Moran ‘99, Jason Bartlett ‘01, Anthony Talerico ‘01, Kate Colameco Moran, Kevin Moran ‘01, Melissa Logan Pacitti ‘01, Douglas Pacitti, Lee Ann Morgan and Patrick Morgan ‘01
Mary (Twohig) Novick ‘98 was married to Frankie Novick, a Fordham
graduate, in May 2013 in Brooklyn, New York. Scranton alumni celebrated with the couple. Matron of Honor Loriann Gough Noonan ’98, Konstantine Poulios ‘98, Matt Wilson ‘98, Ryan Beddall ‘98, Steve Smith ‘98, Anthony Lanzano ’98, Robin Schiemel Luise ‘99 and, not pictured, Jim ’98 and Carra McAleavy Henderson ‘99
Danielle Tartaglia ’06 was married to Michael Centalonza on May 17, 2014. Photographed here: Christa Venery ‘06, Liz Carpino ‘06, Courtney Esposito-Bellizzi ‘06, Ashley Paxson-Hennessey ‘06, Carrie Inkrott ‘06, Dominick Bellizzi ‘06, Michael Centalonza (groom), Danielle Tartaglia-Centalonza ’06 (bride), Lindsey Meade-Duffy ‘06, Dayna Steele-Tann ‘06, Andrea Partyka-Grotzinger ‘06, David Ganley ‘06 and Michelle Jastrzemski-Ganley ‘06
Lindsey Dommenge ‘07 and Chris Waddell ‘07, who met their freshmen
On Sept. 21 Danielle Devine ‘03 married Dan Humes in Macungie, Pennsylvania. Fellow alumni attended the celebration. Top row (left to right): Kyle Hatler ‘03, Bryan Glynn ‘01, Heather Kunz Royce ‘00, Tera Ravina Hatler ‘03, Meghan McDonald Glynn ‘03, Gina Kravetz Wierzbowski ‘00, Jen Johnson ‘03 and Sara Hahl Maule ‘03
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year, were married Sept. 7, 2013 in Villanova. Several Scranton alumni were present to celebrate. Top row (left to right): Steve Baniewicz ‘07, Matthew Waddell ‘09, Brendan Harrigan, Mike Kreuter ’07, Breanne (Hoekstra) Kreuter ’07, Dustin Partridge ’07, Michelle (Vitale) Partridge ‘07, Mary (Vitale) Zaino ’07, Greg Zaino ’06, Erin (Connaughton) Trapp ’07, Kristy (Wienecke) Dunnigan ‘07, Julie Skowronski ’07, Tracey Zimmerman ’07, Kristen (Sanderson) Bina ’07, Beth (Daly) McGourty ’07, Jillian (Edwards) Ruffinach ’07 and Christine Waryha ‘07
Class Notes
Births A son, Flynn Evan, to Jonathan and Kathleen Snyder Kinne ’94, Media A daughter, Siobhan Truitt, to Sean ’95 and Caroline O’Hare ’95 A son, Jack James, to Brian Sutton ’95 and Jillian Sutton, Wantagh, New York A daughter, Quinn Carolyn, to Gregory and MaryAnn Nicastro Sheehan ’96, East Northport, New York 9 Twin daughters, Keira Margaret and Riley Paige, to Mark and Donna Lukaszewski Hanley ’97, N. Arlington, New Jersey 4 A daughter, Emma Grace, to Benjamin and Meredith Radimer Simpson ’98, Burke, Virginia 10 A son, John Michael, to John and Jennifer Festa Hrywnak ’99, Spring Brook A son, Michael Thomas, to Michael ’99 and Kara Finan Reheis ’02, Summit, New Jersey A son, Aidan George, to Bill Gillespie ’99 and Terri Gillespie, Lafayette Hill A daughter, Alexandra Victoria, to Rich and Julianne Guthrie Albano ’99, West New York, New Jersey
A daughter, Cecilia Renee, to Greg and Jeanette Hand Archetto ’99, Arlington, Virginia A son, Mickey Francis, to Charlie and Susan Wagenborg Falco ’99, Philadelphia A son, Peyton Robert, to Robert and Nancy Bassano Molinet ’00, Newton, New Jersey 7 A daughter, Madeline Margaret, to Patrick ’01 and Melissa Stigliano Norton ’00, Havertown 8 A daughter, Reagan Elizabeth, to David ’01 and Nicole Barnes Bailey ’02, Ewing, New Jersey 2 A son, Colin Dennis, to Harold and Nicole Radomski Woering ’01, Southbury, Connecticut 12 A son, Michael Thomas, to Michael ’99 and Kara Finan Reheis ’02, Summit, New Jersey A daughter, Alana Brooke, to Jason Aiello ’03 and Christina Aiello, Montvale, New Jersey 1 A daughter, Paige Elisabeth, to Darius and Lauren deLaRosa Fardella ’03, Long Branch, New Jersey 3
A daughter, Grace Eleanor, to William ’04 and Tara Loscombe James ’03, South Abington Township A son, Matthew Ryan, to Daniel and Leigh Muraca King ’03, Scranton A son, Joseph, to Christopher Schneider ’04 and Stephanie Schneider, Silver Spring, Maryland A son, Thomas William, to Matt Stolz ’04 and Amy Hancock, Lancaster A daughter, Alice (Ali) Mae Kelly, to Patrick and Bobbi Tumelty Kelly ’04, Lansdale 5 A son, James Patrick, to Mike ’04 and Lauren Zaleski Connallon ’05, Rutherford, New Jersey A son, Charles Patrick, to Steve ’06 and Peggy Reilly Jenks ’08, Philadelphia A son, James Paul, to Jason ’08 and Kaitlin Arts Kroptavich ’09, Burke, Virginia 6 A daughter, Teagan Elizabeth, to T.J. and Stephanie Tantum Conserette ’08, Langhorne 11
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Alana Brooke Aiello Reagan Elizabeth Bailey Paige Elisabeth Fardella
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Keira Margaret and Riley Paige Hanley Alice (Ali) Mae Kelly James Paul Kroptavich
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Peyton Robert Molinet Madeline Margaret Norton Quinn Carolyn Sheehan
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Emma Grace Simpson Teagan Elizabeth Conserette Colin Dennis Woering FA L L 2014
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Class Notes
“May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Eternal rest grant unto them, Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”
In Memoriam John W. Gaudenzi ’43, Scranton Clement J. Saylor ’45, Flemington, New Jersey Henry E. Hagy ’48, Fairport, New York M. Peter J. Favini, M.D. ’49, Dalton Edward W. “Ned” Guyette ’49, Milwaukee, Wisconsin Carmen A. Brutico, Sr. ’50, Old Forge Joseph L. Donnelly ’50, Beaumont, Texas Frank T. Mancuso ’50, Carbondale Albert “Bill” Panaci ’50, Scranton Angelo D. Sellano ’50, Clarks Summit Joseph E. Quinn ’52, Scranton Francis G. Tracy ’52, Collegeville, Maryland Joseph F. Curtin ’53, Hershey Robert Gilbride ’53, Newton Twp. Frank N. Mastri ’54, Scranton Peter Zarnosky ’54, Dunmore Patrick W. Fiore ’55, Clarks Green Rev. Peter V. Herhenreader ’55, Carbondale Zenovy (George) Izak ’56, Warminster Louis J. Cichon, Sr. ’57, Nesquehoning Andrew E. Sluko ’57, Jefferson Twp. Dan Stankiewicz ’57, Ashley John E. Potkul ’58, Green Brook, New Jersey
In Memoriam
Patrick J. Stanton ’58, Ocala, Florida Michael P. Alunni ’60, Endicott, New York Joseph Healey ’60, Scranton Robert M. Meckwood ’60, Scranton Robert P. Lonergan, M.D. ’61, Dillsburg Timothy F. Moran, M.D. ’61, Sioux City, Iowa Thomas J. Murdock ’61, Pinehurst, N.C. Gerald G. Salmon ’61, Vestal, New York John J. Glynn ’62, Clarks Summit Terence J. Hayes, V.M.D., Ph.D. ’62, Upper Montclair, New Jersey Arthur H. VanBuskirk ’62, Scranton Thomas M. Foley, M.D. ’63, Marshalltown, Iowa Alyn J. Scheatzle ’63, Clarks Summit Frank Gramer ’64, Warrington Col. Willis F. Larrabee ’64, Amelia Island, Florida Robert J. Murray ’64, Scranton Donald J. Jasieniecki ’65, West Hartford, Connecticut Vincent J. Peperno ’65, Old Forge Leonard F. Sabalesky ’65, Dallas Marie Coyne Flederbach G’67, Honesdale
Friends & Family
Donald Balish, brother of Warren ’58 Grace Burke, wife of Robert ’64 Bob Busch, father of Kristin Busch Dukes ’92 Kathleen Casey, wife of Dr. Jerome ’79 Joseph Connor, father of Rev. Charles ’72 Barbara Duffy, wife of Robert ’71 and mother of Robert ’89 Mary Erdman, mother of David ’81 and grandmother of Annemarie ’09, G’10 Judith Hare, wife of Gregory ’69 Josephine Judge, wife of Donald ’56 and sister of Patrick Cuff ’49 and John Cuff ’55 Alice Lonsdorf, wife of Richard, M.D. ’43 Robert McIntyre, father of Colleen ’86
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU 50
THE SCRANTON JOUR NA L
Timothy W. Koslowski ’67, Dickson City John R. Williams, Ed.D. ’67, Scranton Rose Brutico G’68, Old Forge Sylvia I. Bator G’71, Edwardsville Raymond S. DiLeo ’71, G’73, Allentown George Hyduchak ’72, G’75, Throop Michael J. Barrett, M.D., J.D. ’74, Waverly Sr. Rayangela Czarnota G’75 Mary Ann Carroll G’76, Clarks Summit John M. Genova ’76, Jersey City, New Jersey James Nonnenmacher ’77, Morgan Hill, California William T. Oldfield, Jr. ’77, Apex, S.C. Deborah Serafin Recupido ’78, Langhorne Michael W. Pursell ’79, Parsippany, New Jersey Maria Luongo Gallagher ’82, Fairfax Station, Virginia Mark P. Melvin ’88, Clarks Summit Thomas C. Byrnes G’89, Bethlehem Mark Tokash ’89, Dickson City Laura Muia G’95, Archbald Frank T. Shylkofski ’97, Tunkhannock Alicia Tamboia ’12, Wingdale, New York
Lucille McKane, wife of James J. ’60, mother of James P.’82 and Joseph ’84 Carol Nicastro, mother of MaryAnn Nicastro Sheehan ’96 Janice Pascocello, mother of Christina ’92 Russell Preno, father of Russell III ’05 Joan Samuel, mother of Dr. Barbara Samuel Loftus G’82 Robert Shields, son of the late Paul ’47 James Sutton, father of Peter ’86 and Brian ’95 Angelo Veca, father of Elizabeth Veca Bonomo, Ph.D. ’82, Andrea Veca Dreisbach, Ph.D. ’87 and Ann Marie Veca Schilling ’92 Leigh Wendolowski, daughter of Eugene ’71 and sister of Chris ’07 Jerilyn Yeisley, sister of M. Donald Hughes ’67 Raymond L. Kimble, professor of education, The University of Scranton
Please send us your class notes, photos, address changes and feedback. There are four easy ways to reach us. 1 Online: scranton.edu/BeEngaged 4 Standard Mail: The Scranton Journal 2 E-mail: alumni@scranton.edu 800 Linden Street 3 Fax: 570.941.4097 Scranton, PA 18510
JUDEE BAVARIA G’72
Leading with Great Passion
Judee Bavaria G’72, president and CEO of Presby’s Inspired Life, has included the University in her estate plans.
The Estate Society
T H E UNIV E R SIT Y OF SCRANTON What inspires you about The University of Scranton? The University of Scranton is one of my personal priorities because I believe the biggest impact we can have on others is to provide access to education. As an alumnus, I embrace and live by the principles of my Jesuit training: the care of the whole person, faith that promotes social justice and a daily wonder at what the new day brings. I have always maintained a commitment to giving back to an institution that has had such a life-changing effect on me and my livelihood. What was the most important consideration for you when you were exploring how to have the greatest impact? I see how philanthropy makes a difference in people’s lives every day. The beautiful thing is you can have an impact through a variety of approaches. I make annual gifts through The Royal Fund because I know this gift will support today’s students and keep tuition costs contained. I am working on building an
There are a great number of things Judee Bavaria G’72 is passionate about: rooting for her favorite Philadelphia sports teams, providing an exceptional residential experience for her clients and directing her philanthropy to causes that make a profound impact on people. Bavaria is president and CEO of Presby’s Inspired Life (Presby), a not-for-profit, faith-based ministry that provides continuing care and affordable housing to seniors throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. Following a career in nursing, Bavaria returned to the University to obtain her master’s in rehabilitation counseling. This degree led to an inspired leadership path in health care administration and her current executive role with Presby. Recently, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees at the University. Through this leadership lens, she has been able to shape and focus her philanthropic priorities at the University based on how she feels she can make the greatest difference in the lives of today’s students.
endowed scholarship for nursing students to motivate and help catapult them toward success, career fulfillment and, ultimately, a future enriched by service and distinction. My plan is to make my largest impact on Scranton students by making the University a major beneficiary of my life’s work through my estate plan. Making a planned gift is a wonderful way to show my support and appreciation for Scranton and its mission while accommodating my own personal, financial, estate-planning and philanthropic goals. However, all levels of support have an impact on students today and preserve our Jesuit ideals and legacy for future generations. When you think of The University of Scranton, what three words come to mind? Faith. Excellence. Service. I am so indebted to the University for influencing these characteristics in me as the heart of our mutual work and passion.
With smart planning, you may actually increase the size of your estate and/or reduce the tax burden on your heirs. Just as importantly, you will know that you have made a meaningful contribution to The University of Scranton. To learn more, please contact Cheryl Murphy, associate vice president for development, at cheryl.murphy@scranton.edu or 570.941.4144.
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