On the Commons

Plaza Named in Honor of St. Oscar Romero

Scranton named a residence plaza in honor of St. Oscar Romero, the martyred archbishop of San Salvador whom Pope Francis canonized on Oct. 14, 2018. St. Oscar Romero, who was murdered in 1980 while saying Mass in San Salvador, is well known for his commitment to social justice and service to the marginalized and oppressed.

The University’s connection to El Salvador and the work of St. Oscar Romero through international service trips and pilgrimages dates back nearly two decades. In 1999, the University began the Bridges to El Salvador program for students, faculty and staff to foster a greater commitment to justice issues. This effort continues through experiences led by the University’s Jesuit Center to El Salvador and other countries.

Speaking at the naming ceremony, University President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., said his life and understanding of the work of this University “were never the same” after his pilgrimage to El Salvador with Scranton students.

“I remember visiting the church where St. Oscar Romero was assassinated and being profoundly moved by the witness of his life,” said Father Pilarz. “I wrote in the journal I kept at that time after that visit this quote from Ernest Hemingway, ‘The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong in the broken places.’ The government of El Salvador thought they broke Oscar Romero, but they did not at all. They gave us, all of us — the Church and especially the people of El Salvador — tremendous strength to continue to work for justice, to work for solidarity, to work for reconciliation.”

The University’s Romero Plaza, formerly called Mulberry Plaza, is a residence facility constructed in 2000 that consists of four townhouse units, accommodating 141 junior and senior students.

New Domestic Service Trip Opens Hearts and Minds By Victoria Pennington ’19, student correspondent

Virginia Farrell '20 at Bean's Cafe on the University's first domestic service trip to Alaska.

Virginia Farrell ’20 said the trip was a transformative experience. In her reflection after the trip, she wrote: “We piled out of our vans not knowing what to expect. A homeless woman sitting outside welcomed us with a smile and spoke the words, ‘Good morning, thank you for your service.’ Suddenly, a sense of peace and love flooded our hearts.”

She said Bean’s Café exemplified the meaning of being men and women for and with others.

“By putting yourself out there, by being vulnerable to new situations, you are able to relate on a deeper level,” she said. “You hear stories that open your eyes to harsh realities. You connect through faith and love, and you stand in solidarity with one another.”

Amy Fotta, service coordinator for Campus Ministries’ Center for Service and Social Justice, said domestic service trips, in particular, are often eye-opening for people because they don’t realize how much service is needed in their own communities.

“The biggest benefit is opening their hearts and minds to something new and different,” said Fotta. “Students often say, ‘Wow. I had no idea.’” She hopes to organize another service trip to Alaska for May 2020.

See more photos and read more about Virginia Farrell’s experience serving in Anchorage, Alaska, at scranton.edu/journalextras.

Executive Hub of Regional Autism Services Collaborative Opens

At the announcement of the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence are, from left: John P. Moses, Esq., chair of the board of the AllOne Foundation; Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies; and John W. Cosgrove, executive director of AllOne Foundation and Charities.

Through the leadership of AllOne Foundation, the Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence (ACCE) was recently formed to meet the needs of and minimize the service gaps for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families living in northeastern and north-central Pennsylvania. The University was chosen to serve as the region’s executive hub and has opened a physical space on Mulberry Street, led by project manager Erin Dunleavy, Ph.D. The University will focus on enhancing undergraduate and graduate training opportunities in ASD-related fields to create a workforce pipeline for the region.

“The Autism Collaborative Centers of Excellence represents an opportunity for our region to develop a sustainable framework to address existing service gaps,” said John P. Moses, Esq., chair of the board at AllOne Foundation, at the announcement in September. "Working collaboratively, we seek to create a national model for scientifically sound innovation at the cutting edge of ASD care."

ACCE directly benefits preschool children through adults with ASD in the 13-county area of northeastern and north-central Pennsylvania. Specific services will vary by age but will be available to families regardless of gender, race or socioeconomic status. Based on combined county census data and a presumed ASD prevalence of 1 in 68, the estimated number of individuals in the region living with ASD is more than 17,500, making this a high-impact initiative.

“The executive hub and the website will enable us to streamline services, becoming a support system for clients and their families, both inside and outside the University community,” Debra Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, said.

Successful Outcomes Reported for the Class of 2018

Ninety-eight percent of the University’s undergraduate Class of 2018 and 99 percent of its graduate class reported success in their choice of career path of either employment or pursuing additional education within six months of graduation. The “First Destination Survey” report by Scranton’s Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development is based on career success data obtained from about 79 percent of the undergraduate class. This “knowledge rate,” or percentage of graduates for whom career outcome is known, far exceeds the National Association of College Employers recommended rate of 65 percent. The knowledge rate for members of the University’s graduate Class of 2018 is 68 percent.

For members of the University’s Class of 2018 earning a bachelor’s degree, 97 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of full-time employment, and 99 percent were successful in obtaining their goal of attending graduate or professional school.

Task Force Helps Healing Process

In October, the University established a Task Force on Healing, Reconciliation and Hope to lead the University’s response “together with the people of the Diocese and Catholics everywhere to address the difficult but necessary questions that arise from the grand jury report,” which was released to the public in August and details sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Pennsylvania.

“The Task Force will help us harness the full range of resources that The University of Scranton, as a Catholic and Jesuit university, can offer the church in this painful but pivotal moment,” University President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., wrote in an announcement to the University community about the establishment of the Task Force. “Their work will imagine and plan how we can respond, in ways both simple and sophisticated, to the needs of God’s people.”

In February, the Task Force updated the University community on the results of its online survey and multiple feedback sessions, in which the Task Force heard from students, faculty and staff about their concerns, ideas and recommendations for program development. Forty-two members of the community attended feedback sessions, and 237 responded to the survey. They found that most respondents were aware of the Church’s official response to the sex abuse scandal at various levels (local parish, diocesan, Vatican); more than half were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the Church’s response; and 36 percent admitted their faith was weakened because of the report.

While the Task Force recognized that the sample was not representative of the entire campus community, it was able to draw some conclusions about themes and approaches to future program development thanks to open-ended questions. For example, through talks, panels, prayer, art and listening support, it plans to address, among other topics, the effects of sexual trauma on survivors; church policies and responses to sexual abuse at the diocesan and universal levels; the spiritual and moral authority of the Church in the wake of the report; and clericalism as a contributing theological and cultural factor.

Student Awarded Entrepreneurship Scholarship

From left: Murli Rajan, Ph.D., interim dean of the Kania School of Management, congratulates Michael Spadavecchia on his scholarship.

Already co-owner and creative director of a digital media production company, senior entrepreneurship major Michael Spadavecchia was awarded a 2018 scholarship from Sigma Nu Tau, the national honor society for entrepreneurship. He was among just four students in the country selected to receive a $1,250 scholarship awarded by the honor society in 2018.

In addition to academic requirements, Sigma Nu Tau scholars, each of whom were nominated by their colleges and universities, were selected based on their demonstration of entrepreneurship, community involvement and involvement with each school’s chapter of the honor society.

A dean’s list student at Scranton and a member of the Sigma Nu Tau honor society, Spadavecchia serves as president of the entrepreneurship club at Scranton and as president of the University’s business incubator on campus.

Love of Haiti Inspires 30 Years of Service

JoAnne Kuehner H'01 speaks on campus in October about her charity and her book.

JoAnne Kuehner H’01 is the founder of Hope for Haiti, an international charity that provides assistance to Haitians, particularly the children, in the areas of education, nutrition and health care. She is a Dame of the Order of Malta, one of the oldest Catholic lay orders, whose mission is to care for the poor and sick of the world.

Kuehner wrote about her experiences during her 30 years of service to “the poorest of the poor” in her book Oh, for the Love of Haiti. She read excerpts from her book at a “Meet the Author and Book Signing” reception hosted by the Panuska College of Professional Studies in October.

“There was a little boy who caught my eye. He reminded me very much of my son, Paul, when he was an infant. This little one was strapped to his crib with an IV in one arm, and he was crying his heart out. Unfortunately, his body was so dehydrated, he couldn’t shed a single tear. I went to unstrap him to pick him up, but the nurse waved me away. She was afraid that I would dislodge the needle,” Kuehner wrote of her first impressions of Haiti as a volunteer at the general hospital in Port-Au-Prince.

Working Through Disability

Pictured, from left: OT faculty members Dr. Julia Guzman, Dr. Julie Nastasi and Patricia Wisniewski, as well as Dean Debra Pellegrino, Patricia Leahy, Edward R. Leahy '68, H'01, Kaitlyn Jones '18 and her father, Ken Jones, founder of Warfighter Engaged.

Bern Gavlick, an eighth-grade guidance counselor, has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and used assistive technology for the first time when he was in first grade. Back then, Bill Zeigler, an assistive technology consultant, introduced Gavlick to a device called the “Unicorn board,” which acted as a giant pad that had all of the letters of the alphabet on it so Gavlick could spell out words by touching it.

Together, they spoke about how assistive technology helped Gavlick throughout his life in “Working Through the System,” the keynote presentation at the University’s 17 th annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY, held in October on campus.

Kaitlyn Jones ’18, an occupational therapist who works on Microsoft’s Devices User Research Team, won the Leahy Award.

The annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY brings together national, state and regional experts to discuss a multifaceted approach to improving employment, independent living and transition for all people with disabilities. The conference is hosted by the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies with the support of the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Endowment and Edward R. Leahy ‘68, H’01 and Patricia Leahy, honorary conference co-chairs.

Effort to Safeguard University Independence Expands

Scranton joined the Magna Charta Universitatum Observatory of Fundamental University Values and Rights, an alliance of more than 800 universities worldwide committed to serving as guardians for the fundamental values of independence, academic freedom and integrity.

“Joining the observatory expresses the inherent mission of Scranton as a Jesuit university, fully committed to seeking truth and providing our students with a global perspective in their discipline and in their understanding of the diverse needs confronted by the people of the world today,” said University President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J.

Universities from 85 countries have signed the statement of fundamental values outlined in the Magna Charta Universitatum, which was first ratified in 1988 by rectors of European universities who assembled at the University of Bologna. The fundamental principles agreed upon include the recognition of the autonomy of a university and the role it plays “at the heart of societies.” The document attests that in order for universities to fulfill their purpose, “research and teaching must be morally and intellectually independent of all political and economic power.”

Business High School Scholars Complete First Courses

The first cohort of students in the new Business High School Scholars pilot program with their professors and members of the Business High School Scholars Advisory Board.

The inaugural cohort of 19 high school students completed their first college course in business as participants in the Business High School Scholars Program, which began as a pilot program during the summer of 2018.

Similar to the University’s established High School Scholars Program, the pilot program is intended to allow high school students meeting academic requirements to take college courses at a reduced rate. In addition, the Business High School Scholars Program seeks to group sophomore and junior high school students interested in pursuing a business degree at Scranton into a cohort and provides additional financial support to participants from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Marisol Olivares Hernandez, first in her family to complete a college course, was among the first cohort of participants. A bilingual, high-honor student, active in several high school clubs, Olivares Hernandez said she was initially intimidated at the prospect of taking a college class but has overcome her fears and gained confidence in her abilities.

Douglas M. Boyle, D.B.A. ’88, associate professor, director of the Doctor of Business Administration Program and Accounting Department chair, is leading the new program with support of accounting professors James Boyle, D.B.A. ’86 and Daniel Mahoney, Ph.D. ’81. S.P. Chattopadhyay, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship Department, has also joined them. They teach additional classes specifically for the high school students and donate their compensation from these courses to provide scholarship support tho from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Courses outside of business are taught by Rev. Patrick D. Francis Rogers, S.J., executive director of The Jesuit Center, and Rev. Rick Malloy, S.J., Ph.D., University chaplain.

Additional support is being provided by the Jesuit Center, University Advancement, Finance, Administration and alumni donors who started the Boyle-Mahoney Scholarship Fund. A Business High School Scholars Alumni Advisory Board was also formed in support of the program and includes Harry W. Zike ’76, chief financial officer of Chinook Sciences, Edward J. Steinmetz Jr. ’81, senior vice president for Finance and Administration at Scranton, Peter Butera ’83, senior vice president of wealth management at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and Tracy Bannon ’84, assistant director of development at St. Joseph’s Center and University Trustee.

“Local alumni are grateful for the education they received at the University and are motivated to pass that opportunity along to the next generation,” said Bannon. “This program gives local students the opportunity to experience the unique attributes of a Jesuit education while they are still in high school and just beginning the college search process.”

Distinguished Author Award Presented to Lorene Cary

Best-selling author Lorene Cary receives the Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award. From left: Charles Kratz, dean of the library and information fluency at the University; Gretchen Welby, Ph.D., Distinguished Author Award committee chair; Distinguished Author Award recipient Cary; Jeffrey Gingerich, Ph.D., senior provost and vice president of academic affairs at Scranton; Cathy Ann Hardaway, director of domestic relations for Lackawanna County; and Mary McDonald, president, Friends of the Library.

The Friends of the Weinberg Memorial Library presented writer Lorene Cary with The Royden B. Davis, S.J., Distinguished Author Award at a dinner reception Oct. 13, 2018, in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center.

Cary is the author of the best-selling memoir Black Ice and novels such as If Sons, Then Heirs, The Price of a Child, Pride and FREE! Great Escapes on the Underground Railroad. Cary, who read from her upcoming book, founded Art Sanctuary, which creates unique programs for African-American artists, performers and writers in Philadelphia. Such programs have garnered up to 1,500 participants a year. She has also been a senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania.

In a society where the role of the written press is often questioned, Cary said, it is the writer’s role to “observe, listen, report; to investigate; to create beauty; to create order; to ask questions; to challenge; to call out; to study; to have courage.”

One-On-One with Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D.

You arrived in Scranton in July 2018. What has been your top priority so far as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs?

Before arriving in Scranton, I was aware of the strong sense of community at the University, and it was important to me to understand that community. My top priority initially was to listen to folks around campus to hear about their passion for the University and their concerns about the future. If we are to maintain the strong reputation of The University of Scranton, we will need to work together and listen to each other for new ideas and opportunities. These conversations have led to another top priority, which is to continue to unleash the tremendous possibilities for innovation among our campus community. It has been exciting to talk with faculty, staff, students and administrators about the many opportunities that exist for our future.

The members of our University community have many opinions about what makes this place so unique. What’s your opinion?

Mission and loyalty. While almost every college or university talks about the importance of their mission, Scranton lives out its mission by concentrating on a quality education that truly matters in the world and that transforms the student experience. As evidenced by the Mission Priority Examen review that we undertook last year, it’s clear that Ignatian values are infused throughout this entire campus.

Adhering to mission is not always easy, and I have been impressed with the willingness of University employees and students to engage the difficult dialogue that leads to such a profound Jesuit educational experience. Because of this mission-centered approach, the campus community is tremendously loyal to the institution. It’s been great fun to hear from alumni about the transformational experience they had as students and how this translates into a lifelong commitment to the University. Faculty and staff love this place too, and their loyalty to the University is amazing.

You’ve done a lot of volunteer/service work, including conflict resolution at the Twomey Center for Peace through Justice at Loyola University in New Orleans, Louisiana. How do your service experiences influence your work today?

I am grateful to have grown up in a tradition that placed a high value on service to others, whether that meant helping your neighbor who is having difficulties or traveling to other areas to grow in solidarity with those who have fewer material resources.

My six years of voluntary service work at Loyola were transformative in every way possible, and they were my first encounter with Jesuit education. I was an Iowa farm kid suddenly living in a diverse urban environment with a rich cultural tradition. Working with conflict resolution and diversity programs in the public schools and through community organizations opened my eyes to the stark reality of privilege and the needs of poorer communities. Racial and economic inequality disturbed me to the core. When I went to graduate school afterward, it was with a commitment to myself that my personal vision for higher education was to create a fairer and more just world around us.

What concerns do you have for higher education, and how is Scranton getting out ahead of those concerns?

Higher education is at a crossroads in many ways because of the declining demographics of high school students and the increased competition among other colleges and universities. It’s vital that we maintain the competitive advantage of a University of Scranton education. In order to do this, we’ll need to continue our core traditions of academic excellence in the liberal arts and humanities while at the same time innovating in new programs and unique engaged ways of teaching. I think we will see some exciting growth in mission-based graduate programs and other professional programs in future years.

You have talked about the importance of focusing on education that “matters to the world.” What does that mean to you, and how will you achieve it?

At Commencement, when we hand a diploma to a graduate, we want to know that we have enabled them for success in their careers and communities, but we also want them to feel a sense of responsibility to use their Scranton education to make a positive difference as men and women for others. It’s our responsibility to provide them with the education and experiences during their time as students to help them understand why this is important. If we do that right, Scranton alumni will continue to be known as positive change agents within their communities and throughout the world.

Your degrees are in sociology. How does your research inform your work in higher education?

I use my training as a sociologist every day as provost. Sociology is the study of human interactions and the ways that we create institutions, such as schools and universities, to help us function more efficiently as a society. I’m fortunate to have a job that requires me to build teams and meet goals by helping folks to interact efficiently and effectively. This might mean facilitating a variety of different opinions within a committee meeting to get to the best decision or structuring an organizational area in a way that allows the greatest individual fulfillment and productivity while meeting community goals. Sociology is also about using data to inform our decisions. While I have attended some great higher education leadership forums, I would say that my training in sociology and conflict resolution have made the greatest impact on my leadership style as a provost.

Over the next year, a team of nearly 50 members of the staff and faculty will develop a data-informed, five-year Strategic Enrollment Plan (SEP) grounded in the University’s mission and vision. What’s your role in this process, and why is it important for The University of Scranton?

This is one of the most exciting initiatives I’m involved with. Over the summer, Father Pilarz and I discussed the need for a strategic approach to enrollment planning at the University and wanted a process that allows broad campus discussion. We have five working groups centered on the issues of undergraduate programs, graduate programs, student support, finance and financial aid, and marketing and admissions. I am chairing the council that oversees the process and working groups. This is a very data-informed process that is already producing some innovative ideas for the University. What can we expect to come from the SEP?By the end of the year, we’ll have a five-year strategic plan for strengthening enrollment. This will contain several specific strategies that will help us feel confident in our short- and long-term enrollment approach, including new curricular and co-curricular programs. It’ll be an excellent way of demonstrating how we’ll maintain the tradition of excellence and mission while staying relevant to a changing world around us. It’s important to note that this participatory process of enrollment strategy will extend beyond this year and into the future. We’ll continue to creatively renew our strategies in order to get the most engaged and best-fit students to benefit from a Scranton education.