String Fling Returns to the Scranton Cultural Center on April 8 Featuring an All Acoustic Evening with Mike Miz & Good Company!

The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple announces a retooled String Fling, offering an all-acoustic evening with Mike Miz on April 8 at 7 PM. This is a one-night stop from Nashville for Mike Miz, who hasn’t performed in NEPA since the fall.

Since signing with 3 Electric Records, Mike Miz has been gaining speed with such new single releases as “Virginia” and “High for Now.” As described by Rolling Stone Magazine, the song “Virginia” is a “monster of a jam rocker that like the Stones did decades before him, pins an irresistible melody to one of Rock’s most pined after three syllable names.”

Along with Michael Borowski on piano and Stephen Kurtz on upright bass, Miz will bring an old-time country Americana feel to his set similar to what audiences might see in Nashville.

The remaining lineup includes star-studded locals such as Bret Alexander (The Badlees) joined by friends Tim & Rob Husty, AJ Jump and special guest, Ellie Rose. Bret is also no stranger to large-scale touring and recording success with many years with the Badlees whose nationally acclaimed hits are “Angeline is Coming Home,” “Fear of Falling” and “Gwendolyn.”

Roy Williams (South Side Five, Bog Swing, Fiddle Tamers, Human Hands) will be accompanied by Shawn Caden as they debut their new duo, Big Leaf; with music made for guitar and mandolin.

Opening the show is one of the region’s favorite singers/songwriters and storytellers, Dave Brown (Dishonest Fiddlers) who recently moved to the Harrisburg area.

The program is designed to be a special intimate “unplugged” version of some of the area’s favorite rockers as they perform mixed sets of original music, folklore and more.

The concert will take place in the Scranton Cultural Center’s Shopland Hall on the fourth floor at 7:00 p.m. with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Seating is general admission and tickets are $28.25 in advance and $38.25 day of show. Both cabaret-style seating and bench seating will be available. Tickets can be purchased at the Fidelity Bank Box Office at the SCC in person or by calling (570) 344-1111, or via Ticketmaster.

String Fling is sponsored by Toyota of Scranton, UGI Utilities, Inc., The Hilton Scranton & Conference Center and LT Verrastro. It is supported by Lackawanna County and the PA Council on the Arts.

PLEASE NOTE: Masks are highly recommended for all patrons, regardless of vaccination status. For additional information about the SCC’s current COVID-19 Mitigation Policies, visit SCCMT.org/COVID.

For additional information and a full schedule of events, visit SCCMT.org.

The Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple’s 2021-2022 Season is sponsored by Fidelity Bank and LT Verrastro and supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Lackawanna County Office of Arts and Culture, and Commissioners Jerry Notarianni, Debi Dominick, Esq. and Chris Chermak. A special thank you to its media partners: Access NEPA, Allied Services, Audacy, Citizens’ Voice, Lamar Advertising, MAC Signs, The Times-Tribune, Times Shamrock Communications and Eyewitness News – WBRE/WYOU – pahomepage.com.

Marywood University Signs Memorandums of Understanding with Arab Academy of Science and the Seoul Institute of the Arts

Arab Academy of Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport representatives meet with Marywood representatives; from left to right: Dr. Chris Speicher; Dr. David Kang; Dr. Aiman Ragab; Sister Mary Persico, IHM; Dr. Mohamed Ragheb, and Dr. Christina Clark.

Marywood University, Scranton, Pa., recently signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with two international educational institutions, Arab Academy of Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Egypt, and the Seoul Institute of the Arts (SIA), Ansan, South Korea.

An international delegation from AASTMT visited Marywood’s campus in early March, including Prof. Aiman Regab, Dean of AASTMT’s Graduate School of Business, and Prof. Mohamed Ragheb, AASTMT’s Dean of International Collaboration, who signed the memorandum of understanding with Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Marywood President, Dr. Christina Clark, Provost. During their campus visit, several meetings were held to discuss academic cooperation and academic program development (especially for master’s and doctoral business administration programs, as well as other student exchange programs) between AASTMT and Marywood University.

In addition, a recent Zoom meeting featured a virtual MOU signing ceremony with the Seoul Institute of the Arts (Ansan, South Korea). The SIA is one of the top institutions in Asia in the fields of film, arts, performing arts, theater, broadcasting, applied music, and more. Many world-class film producers, actors, actresses, and singers have graduated from the SIA

NBT Bank Recognized by AARP as Banksafe

NBT Bank has earned a BankSafe seal from AARP recognizing the bank’s efforts to stop financial exploitation. In order to earn the BankSafe seal, more than 80% of frontline staff were required to complete a special training and the bank demonstrated further commitment with its policy to report suspected financial exploitation. NBT Bank was also confirmed by AARP to be in good standing based on a review of Better Business Bureau ratings as well as legal and regulatory activity.

“We consider training of our employees to be a critical tool in protecting our customers from financial exploitation,” said Senior Director of Information Security Terra Carnrike-Granata. “Attaining this seal is further demonstration of our commitment to a robust fraud prevention plan.”

Based on a Virginia Tech study from October 2019, it is estimated that BankSafe-trained employees helped stop more than $110 million from being stolen from the accounts of older adults. More than 2,000 professionals from the financial industry, trade associations, adult protective service agencies, non-profits, government organizations, regulators and the legal field helped AARP in the development of the training. The BankSafe Trained seal is not a product or service endorsement, but indicates that a financial institution’s frontline employees have been substantially trained in financial exploitation prevention.

The Wright Center for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education receives Gold Advocacy Center of Excellence Designation

The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has recognized The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education as a Gold Advocacy Center of Excellence (ACE) – the first community health center in Pennsylvania to achieve the gold standard.

The ACE designation from the national body shows The Wright Center is dedicated to advocating for and supporting community health centers that provide comprehensive primary and preventive health services to medically underserved populations in rural and urban areas.

“It is an incredible honor to be recognized by NACHC with the Gold ACE designation,” said Dr. Linda Thomas-Hemak, president and CEO of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. “Our advocacy efforts extend throughout our organization, as our 625 dedicated employees live and deliver our shared mission to improve the health and welfare of the communities we are privileged to serve. I am very proud of their collective service efforts to ensure high-quality primary and preventative care are available for all of our patients.”

An ACE is a community health center that creates a culture of advocacy to ensure that policymakers at all levels of government commit to investing in affordable, equitable and innovative care that health centers provide. ACE levels recognize consistent engagement, success and demonstrated ongoing commitment to making advocacy an organization priority. ACEs are actively engaged with NACHC and forums addressing federal policy issues, as well as their state primary care association and platforms to address key state and local-level policy issues that impact community health centers and their patients. NACHC awards three levels of ACEs: bronze, silver and gold. Each designation is valid for two years.

In order to earn ACE status, a community health center must complete a checklist of activities and accomplishments as outlined by NACHC. Wright Center employees, for example, develop and write guest editorials that raise awareness and address important public health issues that affect community health centers and patients. An in-house advocacy committee offers training, while the organization also hosts elected officials at its regional primary care practices. The executive leadership team participates in important meetings at the local, state and national levels that promote responsive solutions to important health care delivery issues and health outcomes.

For more information about The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education, go to TheWrightCenter.org

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Marywood University Names New Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Services

Robert C. Piurowski

Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., president of Marywood University, Scranton, Pa., recently appointed Robert C. Piurowski, Delhi, N.Y., to the position of vice president of enrollment management and student services. He succeeds Ann Boland-Chase, Dunmore, Pa., who recently retired from that position after many years of service to the University.

“Rob resonates with our mission, is passionate about education, and shares our belief that education empowers people,” stated Sister Mary Persico when she announced Mr. Piurowski’s appointment. As an officer of the university, he will serve as a member of the President’s Cabinet and oversee Marywood’s admissions/enrollment and student service areas.

Mr. Piurowski comes to Marywood University from the State University of New York College of Technology at Delhi (Delhi, N.Y.), where he served as director of admissions and enrollment management. He has devoted his professional career to various facets of enrollment management and student services in higher education, serving in roles from admissions counselor to director of admissions and recruitment at several institutions, including Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York (New York City, N.Y.); Concordia College (Bronxville, N.Y.); Binghamton University (Binghamton, N.Y.); and State University of New York College at Potsdam (Potsdam, N.Y.).

Wherever he has served, Mr. Piurowski has consistently achieved an increase in student enrollment with initiatives for recruiting students from both inside and outside of the United States, and particularly from China, India, and Germany. In addition, his expertise encompasses student services, student advising, technology and data analytics, communications, service to the campus community, coaching, equity and inclusion work, and the Middle States accreditation process.

He has given numerous professional presentations, such as best practices for student access, opportunity, and success; admissions marketing/recruitment; the changing landscape in college admissions; leadership topics; and other relevant issues about the college process, including learning differences.

Throughout his career, Mr. Piurowski has demonstrated a strong record of college and university service, serving on a broad range of search committees, advisory boards, and councils, as well as in mentorship roles. His professional affiliations include the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling, National Association for College Admission Counseling, State University of New York College Admissions Professionals, and American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, among others.

Mr. Piurowski holds a master of science degree in education from Bernard M. Baruch College (New York City, N.Y.) and an advanced certificate in Project Management from Empire State College (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.), as well as a bachelor of business administration from the State University of New York College of Technology at Delhi (Delhi, N.Y.). He is currently a doctoral student at Binghamton University, State University of New York (Binghamton, N.Y.).

Scranton Area Community Foundation Co-Hosting Child Care Presentation

Women in Philanthropy (the initiative of the Scranton Area Community Foundation focused on serving women, girls, and their families in Northeastern PA) and The Agency for Community Empowerment (ACE) are hosting a presentation on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at 1:00 p.m. regarding a recent regional study on the obstacles women and families face today regarding attaining quality affordable childcare, conducted in collaboration with Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC). This event will be held in-person and virtually and will share the study’s findings while inviting a discussion on opportunities for community-based solutions that minimize the barriers to quality affordable childcare.

In-person attendance is limited but there is no cap on the number of attendees participating virtually.

What: Child Care Needs and Barriers to Access Report/Presentation
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2022
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: University of Scranton, Brennan Hall, PNC Bank Board Room (320 Madison Ave., Scranton, PA 18510)

Attendees can register to attend here: https://scranton.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/list/event?event_date_id=2221

Women in Philanthropy and the Scranton Area Community Foundation are interested in addressing the challenges families face in obtaining quality affordable childcare across the Lackawanna County region.

Nominate Local Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leaders

For Diversity month, our chamber, in partnership with our regional chambers, are highlighting leaders locally who are involved in diversity, equity, and inclusion causes and initiatives in our community.

We are currently accepting nominations for individuals to be a part of this campaign, which will include a blog post highlighting the individual, as well as a graphic piece of the individual to be shared across our social media platforms throughout the month of April.

This campaign will begin on April 4th and run M-F until April 31st.

Nominations will be open until March 29th.