On the Commons
ADMINISTRATION CHANGES Rev. Herbert B. Keller, S.J. H’06, stepped down from his position as vice president for Mission and Ministry to return to the classroom at Scranton Preparatory School, where he also will provide pastoral support for students. Gerald Zaboski ’87, G’95, was named senior vice president for the Office of the President. He will continue to oversee the areas of marketing, communications and external affairs for Scranton, in addition to assuming new responsibilities for assisting the president. Panelists during a Prison Education Program panel are several faculty members who taught in the program and a special guest, from left: Declan Mulhall, Ph.D., professor of engineering at Scranton, Christie Karpiak, Ph.D., professor of psychology, Darryl Byers-Robinson, an alum of the Bard Prison Initiative, who was featured in the documentary College Behind Bars, the captain of the prison debate team that beat Harvard University, Chris Haw, Ph.D., program director and professor of theology, and Will Cohen, Ph.D., professor of theology.
Program Offers Degrees to Inmates The University’s Prison Education Program at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas “provides an opportunity for the cultivation of human dignity at the heart of a Jesuit education,” according to program director Christopher Haw, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology and religious studies. Through the program, inmates can take general education college-credit courses to earn an Associate of Arts degree from the University, which Haw hopes will one day grow into a bachelor’s program. The courses are taught by University professors on-site at the correctional facility. Currently, 14 inmates are enrolled in the program, which began in the fall 2021 semester. Participants can earn 60 credits for an associate’s degree in just two and a half years. Inmates had to apply for admission and be interviewed and accepted to participate in the program. The program is currently running another round of admissions to increase the cohort to 28 students. “The courses have the same rigor as those taught on campus, with the same outcome expectations, only the approach to the material is adapted to the learners,” said Haw. Will Cohen, Ph.D., a professor of theology at Scranton, taught one of two introductory theology courses at the prison this past semester. “I’ve loved teaching the students in this program,” he said. “Each class, because we meet just once a week, goes for three hours, and each time I’m amazed how fast it goes. I always leave freshly reminded that human beings are made for contemplation, for deep reflection and dialogue. At least when it’s oriented toward the good, the true, and the beautiful for which we all yearn, it’s intrinsically joyful. I feel this very powerfully from my students at the Dallas prison.” The Prison Education Program was highlighted at a panel discussion on campus in April.
10
THE SCRANTON JOURN A L
Shannon A. Zottola, a Scranton native, was named vice president for enrollment management. Previously, she served as vice president and dean for enrollment management and marketing at Ursinus College. PROVOST & SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Jeffrey Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice
president for Academic Affairs, was appointed president of St. Bonaventure University in March. Gingerich served as acting president after the death of Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. He helped to guide the University and its faculty through the pandemic, oversaw the successful conclusion of the University’s most recent accreditation review by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and led the University’s planning efforts, which culminated in a new Strategic Plan.
Michelle Gonzalez Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as interim provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs for the 2022-2023 academic year while the University conducts a national search for a highly qualified candidate to succeed Gingerich. DEANSHIP CHANGES Interim CAS Dean • David Dzurec, Ph.D.,
will serve as interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) while Dean Maldonado acts as interim provost. Dr. Dzurec was appointed associate dean for CAS in January of this year. A faculty member at the University since 2008, Dzurec has served as chair of the History Department and as interim executive director of the Slattery Center for the Ignatian Humanities.
KSOM Dean • Mark Higgins, Ph.D., joined
Scranton as the dean of the Kania School of Management (KSOM) in July. Higgins was a professor of accounting at St. Louis University (SLU) and, from 2015 to 2019, was Edward Jones Dean and Professor of Accounting at its Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business.
Library Dean • George Aulisio was named dean of the Weinberg Memorial Library. Aulisio, who joined the University community in 2009, served as the interim dean from July 2021 through his appointment in March 2022. As a research and instruction librarian, Aulisio works closely with students in research consultations and the Information Literacy program. PCPS Dean • Victoria Castellanos, Ph.D., was appointed dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS) in April. Castellanos has been the interim dean of PCPS since January of this year, having served as associate dean of PCPS since joining the University community in 2012.
