October Events Planned at The University of Scranton Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Oct. 7 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Jane Jacobs’ First City: What Comes Next?” presented by Paige Cognetti, mayor, City of Scranton. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Oct. 14 8:30 a.m. 20th Annual U.S. Conference on disABILITY “Exploring Autism Across the Spectrum: Building Inclusive Communities. Year III.” This virtual conference will include daylong live events as well as pre-recorded session offerings. Free. Registration opens mid-September. Call 570-941-7819 or visit www.scranton.edu/disabilityconference. Oct. 15 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “Democracy in America? An Outsider’s View” presented by Fintan O’Toole, columnist for The Irish Times and the Leonard L. Milberg Lecturer in Irish Letters, Princeton. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Oct. 15 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Alexander Pattavina, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Oct. 20 4:30 p.m. Asian Studies Lecture: “Moral Psychology of Confucian Shame: Shame of Shamelessness” presented by Bongrae Seok, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, Alvernia University. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. No registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or email ann.pang-white@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Oct. 23 7:45 a.m. Schemel Forum bus trip “Back to Gotham! NYC!” $150. Registration required to reserve a spot by Oct. 1 as spaces are limited. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Oct. 24 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu. Oct. 24 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “Bach for Humanity” featuring Mark Kosower, cello. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Oct. 26 Noon. Schemel Forum’s Munley Law World Affairs Luncheon Series: “The Holocaust and Jewish-Christian Relations” presented by Dr. Carol Rittner, RSM, distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, New Jersey. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Oct. 30 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with guest artist John-Morgan Bush, horn. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage. Nov. 7 9 a.m. Open House for prospective students and their families. Various locations on campus. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email admissions@scranton.edu. Wednesdays: Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27 and Nov. 3, 10 6 p.m. Schemel Forum Course: “Social and Moral Issues in Information Technology” presented by Kevin Nordberg, Ph.D., professor emeritus, philosophy and Latin American studies, The University of Scranton. Room 305, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests, spectators at athletic events and others as listed in the Royals Back Together plan. Campus access and other health and safety information will be updated throughout the semester and can be seen on the Royals Back Together webpage.
U.S. News Ranks Scranton No. 5 in 2022 Guidebook U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” in the 2022 edition of the “Best Colleges” guidebook, which became available online today. U.S. News has ranked Scranton among the top 10 universities in its category for 28 consecutive years. U.S. News also ranked Scranton No. 14 in its category in its “Best Undergraduate Teaching” listing of the top colleges in the nation expressing “a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.” In addition, Scranton was ranked No. 45 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North,” which compares academic quality of programs to cost of attendance. This is the ninth consecutive year U.S. News has recognized Scranton as a “Best Value” school. Scranton was ranked No. 138 in its category in “Top Performers on Social Mobility,” which looks at schools that enroll and graduate “large proportions of disadvantaged students awarded with Pell Grants.” In national rankings, as opposed to listings by category, U.S. News included Scranton among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs,” ranking Scranton at No. 166 in the U.S., “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs” at No. 185 (where doctorate is not offered); and among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs,” ranking Scranton No. 148 in the nation. U.S. News uses data on 17 measures of academic quality to rank 1,466 bachelor’s degree colleges in the America. For its rankings, U.S. News considers a range of quality indicators that include an “outcomes” measurement” (40 percent), which assesses graduation rates; freshman retention; a social mobility score; graduate indebtedness; and graduation performance rates, which compares a school’s actual graduation rates with predicted graduation rates based on characteristics of the incoming class. U.S. News ranking analysis also includes a peer assessment of academic excellence (20 percent); faculty resources (20 percent), which includes class size and regional cost-of-living adjustments to faculty pay and benefits; student excellence (7 percent), as measured by SAT or ACT scores and high school ranking of students in the top 25 percent of their class; financial resources (10 percent); and alumni giving (3 percent). U.S. News categorizes colleges for their rankings based on the official Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification of universities. The 2022 U.S. News “Best Colleges” rankings became available online Sept. 13. The printed edition of the guidebook will be available in bookstores Nov. 2.
Chamber Music Festival at Marywood University Marywood University’s music, theatre, and dance department will present a three-day Chamber Music Festival, September 24, 25,and 26. This festival, given by professional chamber musicians, is being presented as a “Welcome back to live performances festival” for the greater Scranton community. All concerts will be held in the Marian Chapel, Swartz Center, at Marywood University and are free and open to the public. The festival will include a weekend of outstanding chamber music, featuring Marywood music faculty and guest artists, including: Sophie Till and Jennifer Reuning Myers, violin; Christiane Appenheimner Vaida, cello; and Ron Stabinsky and Eun Sil Suh, piano. Sophie Till – ViolinJennifer Reuning Myers – ViolinChristiane Appenheimer Vaida – CelloRon Stabinsky – PianoEun Sil Sih – Piano The Chamber Music Festival’s featured concerts include: An Evening of Violin Duos (Friday, September 24, at 7 p.m.); An Evening of Trios by Women Composers (Saturday, September 25, at 7 p.m.); and Violin and Piano Duos (Sunday, September 26, at 1 p.m.). For additional about the Chamber Music Festival and other performances at Marywood University, please visit marywood.edu/mtd/events, or call (570) 348-6268.
Duryea at Dusk Raises $4,000 for Northeast Regional Cancer Institute The Duryea at Dusk committee hosted their fifth Duryea at Dusk 5K and 1-mile walk as a virtual race again this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Participants were encouraged to complete their 5K or 1-mile safely around their neighborhood, on a treadmill, track or at a park between June 5-12. All runners and walkers received a customizable Duryea at Dusk virtual bib and had the opportunity to post their finisher photos on Duryea at Dusk’s Facebook page. Awards were given to top runners. Through personal experience with a family member battling cancer, Duryea native sisters, Katie Brudzinski and Allison Brudzinski wanted to be part of something bigger that would involve their entire community. Duryea at Dusk was created from that idea. This is the fifth year of this event. It will impact the local community and support a local organization, the Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, whose mission is to ease the burden of cancer in northeastern Pennsylvania. Since inception, Duryea at Dusk has raised $44,261 for the Cancer Institute.Individuals or businesses looking for future information can reach out to Duryea at Dusk committee by email at duryeaatdusk@gmail.com. From left to right: Eddie Klein, Karen M. Saunders, President, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, Amanda E. Marchegiani, Community Relations Coordinator, Northeast Regional Cancer Institute, Aimee Balchune, Katie Brudzinski, Duryea at Dusk co-founder, and Kristen Kabacinski. Absent from the photo: Duryea at Dusk committee members-Allison Brudzinski, co-founder, David Tighe, and Krista Gromelski.
Marywood Communication Sciences & Disorders Students Attend Career Day Students in Marywood University Communication Sciences and Disorders Program recently attended a Career Day at the Outreach Center for Community Resources. Highlighting various aspects of the speech-language pathology and audiology professions such as AAC, phonetics, language, and hearing, Marywood students engaged participants in hands-on learning activities during the event. Seated left to Right: Jackson LaBelle; Makenzie Reinhard; Marla Kovatch, Marywood University Assistant Professor of Practice; James Nehlig; and Katherine Yochim.
PennDOT Accepting Applications For 2022-23 Improvements Under Multimodal Transportation Fund The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) today announced that applications will be accepted to fund new transportation improvement projects under the Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) through November 5, 2021. “The Multimodal Transportation Fund continues to enhance connectivity across our state,” said PennDOT Secretary Yassmin Gramian said. “Projects are selected based on regional economic conditions, technical and financial feasibility, safety benefits, energy efficiency, operational sustainability and job creation.” Eligible applicants include municipalities, council of governments, business/non-profit organizations, economic development organizations, public transportation agencies, public airports, airport authorities, and ports and rail entities. Projects that will be considered should coordinate local land use with transportation assets to enhance existing communities; improve streetscape, lighting, sidewalk facilities, and pedestrian safety; improve connectivity or utilization of existing transportation assets; or advance transit-oriented-development. To submit a 2022-23 state fiscal year Multimodal Transportation Fund application, visit PennDOT’s “Multimodal Program” page and click on the currently “Accepting Applications” link. Grant recipients are expected to be announced next year, and funding will become available in July 2022. In fiscal year 2021-2022, 43 projects were awarded $45.9 million in MTF funding throughout 21 counties, including construction of a pedestrian route with ADA curb cuts connecting existing sidewalk in Patterson Township, Beaver County; reconstruction of a collapsed portion of Wagontown Road in Valley Township, Chester County; replacement of Bridge No. 31, which has been poor condition since 1991 in Greene County; and the replacement of traffic signal and safety improvements at four intersections along 15th Street in the City of Allentown. Act 89 of 2013 established a dedicated Multimodal Transportation Fund that stabilizes funding for ports and rail freight, increases aviation investments, establishes dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and allows targeted funding for priority investments in any mode. For more information about the program and previous years’ applications and awards, visit the Multimodal Program page.
Center for Community Resources Children’s Career Fair Outreach – Center for Community Resources will host its second Children’s Career Fair at Outreach, 431 North 7th Avenue, Scranton on Saturday, September 11, 2021, from 10 AM to 2 PM. The Outreach Children’s Career Fair provides an opportunity for children to interact with professionals from numerous businesses and career fields and then dream about what they want to be when they grow up! Partners and businesses participating include: Representative Bridget M. Kosierwoski and Delta Medix will host an on-site COVID-19 vaccine clinic Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti – Pop Up Town Hall Agency for Community Empowerment – Early Head StartArtist Travis PrinceBold Gold Media/The River 105/103.5 Assistive technology specialist from United Cerebral Palsy Army Reserves/Tobyhanna Army Depot Dunmore Roofing & Supply Dr. Kevin Musto Empire Beauty School Fashion Apparel Designer Michele McGlaughry Golden Fidelity Bank Graphic artist from Talk Shirty To Me Health and Humanities professionals from The Wright Center Keystone Container Service Lackawanna County Children’s Library Marywood University Nursing and Speech Pathology programs New York Life Insurance Penn State Extension with STEM activities Pennsylvania State Police Pivot Physical Therapy Scranton Fire Department Steamtown National Historic Site Veterinary Services – Danielle Chesick The Outreach Children’s Career Fair is free and open to all families with children interested in interacting with businesses and exploring future career possibilities! Outreach Center for Community Resources delivers family educational and workforce development services and programs to the regional community to promote family stability and economic self-sufficiency. Outreach provides evidence-based early childhood programs that help families and children gain the skills needed to be healthy and productive members of the community. Outreach improves the lives of over 4,000 individuals each year with award-winning workforce and family development programs that support them as they navigate life’s challenges.
Outreach Center for Community Resources Community Celebration Outreach invites the public to attend a Community Celebration in the Center’s Backyard Green Space at 431 North Seventh Avenue on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, starting at 4:30 PM. Outreach will be honoring the following individuals that have had a profound impact on the organization and mission of Moving Today’s Families Forward: Beth Beh, founder of EOTC/Outreach through Women’s Employment Program; Maureen Pesavento (posthumously), board member, 10 years of service and establishment of an ongoing building maintenance fund; Elaine and Jim Donly, 25-year employee and husband recognizing years of service and donation of a Mighty Oak tree to the backyard green space; Kristy Ryczak (posthumously), EOTC Program Manager, 10 years of service; and Pamela Pangonis (posthumously), Outreach Case Manager, 5 years of service. Outreach will also be celebrating: Completion of the new mural on the exterior wall of The Center made possible by the Lackawanna County Office of Arts and Culture and the Lackawanna County Commissioners; and Community Partners who contributed to beautifying the backyard greenspace for staff and families to enjoy: Penn State Master Gardeners, creators and contributors to the backyard green space aesthetics/plants; and Home Depot (veteran volunteers), donation and construction of the backyard green space gazebo. This community celebration will also include a Pig Roast fundraiser. Dinners will be available for take-out for a suggested minimum donation of $10/dinner.
Boback Holds Joint Veterans Service Officer Day at the Capitol Rep. Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming), majority chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, announces Veterans Service Officer Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in coordination with the House and Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committees. The event is being held in conjunction with the five major veterans service organizations, the American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Vietnam Veterans of America, along with the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. “As the majority chairman of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee, I am grateful to host this event at the Capitol with my House and Senate counterparts,” said Boback. “Our veterans deserve our support and Veterans Service Officer Day at the Capitol focuses on the free services available to all veterans across the Commonwealth.” This event is open to all downtown state employees and the general public. All veterans, spouses and widows of veterans, or anyone with a veteran in their family who may need the assistance of the VA to help pay long-term medical costs are welcome to attend. It is also open to anyone interested in enrollment in Veterans Affairs (VA) health care or anyone who desires to enroll in the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) Registry. Anyone wanting an advance appointment with any organization can do so by calling Stephanie Imboden at 877-720-8387 or email stephanie@pa-legion.com.
Marywood University Named a 2021-2022 College of Distinction Marywood University has been recognized nationally for its high-impact approach to education and its honorable commitment to engaged, experiential education by Colleges of Distinction, a one-of-a-kind guide for college-bound students. As an institution whose primary goals are based on student success and satisfaction, Marywood confirms its honor as one of the renowned Colleges of Distinction. Colleges of Distinction boasts its longstanding support for student-centered schools that traditional rankings often overlook, advocating for schools whose undergraduate experiences are grounded in a philosophy of well-rounded, individualized engagement. Founder Wes Creel created Colleges of Distinction to draw more attention to schools like Marywood, whose student-centered education prevails in applying theory to practice while fostering a dynamic learning community. “Each school is different, just as every student is different,” said Creel. “There is no number-one college for everyone, so we never rank those in our cohort.” Marywood University’s inclusion is informed by the unique ways it commits to achieving success. Marywood University also earned special recognition nationally among Catholic Universities and statewide among Pennsylvania Universities. Individual accolades include Colleges of Distinction’s national endorsements of Marywood’s academic programs in Business, Education, and Nursing, as well as its exceptional student support initiatives in Career Development and Military Support. These additional distinctions were borne out of a need for college curricula that are comprehensive not only in course material, but also in practical- and soft-skills development. Marywood University has met these needs with a blend of professional degrees, supported by a strong liberal arts education, program-specific training, and abundant opportunities for real-world application. Marywood also has excelled at having students graduate and enter the workforce with versatile skills; that’s why students attend Marywood—to discover their passion and realize their purpose. “We complete a thorough review of the programs in question before giving the awards,” said Tyson Schritter, Chief Operating Officer for Colleges of Distinction. “We’re looking for such qualities as accreditation, breadth of program, advising and mentoring, integration of career services, and successful outcomes for students. It’s wonderful to see how Marywood University really exemplifies these qualities.” He continued, “Marywood has created a welcoming environment for underserved students. It’s a tremendous opportunity to highlight the noteworthy support offered for students who might not otherwise study and thrive on a college campus.” To view Marywood University’s profile, or to find more information about the innovative learning experiences it offers, visit collegesofdistinction.com/school/marywood-university/.
