Marywood University Celebrates 106th Annual Commencement Ceremony More than 800 students were part of Marywood University’s 106th annual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 18, 2024, at 1 p.m., at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Casey Plaza, in Wilkes-Barre Twp. Marywood University’s two colleges, including the College of Health Sciences and the Reap College of Creative and Professional Studies, conferred degrees on undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students who hail from 24 states and 7 countries. Business, social work, and physician assistant studies were the top graduate level degree granting programs. Architecture, business, and nursing were the top undergraduate level degree granting programs. Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., Marywood University’s 12th President, who will retire on June 30, served as keynote speaker, bidding a fond farewell to the Class of 2024, the final graduating class of her eight-year presidential tenure. Prior to her address, Sister Mary received a citation recognizing the many accomplishments of her presidency. Sister Kathleen Lunsmann, IHM, Chair of the Marywood University Board of Trustees, shared that the Board recently granted Sister Mary the lifetime title of President Emerita, effective upon her retirement. Sister Kathleen praised Sister Mary’s leadership and vision, and expressed, “During the course of her presidency, Sister Mary has called upon her innate gifts of authenticity, compassion, courage, collaborative leadership, and bold vision, navigating both unprecedented challenges and outstanding accomplishments, always leading with hope, tenacity, and joy.” In her opening comments, Sister Mary teased that the Class of 2024 was not treated to a famous speaker who could have imparted the generic words of wisdom typically offered by those chosen to give such addresses, noting that she instead represented many people who know the graduates personally, the same people who prepared them for this moment. She chose the musical production, Merrily We Roll Along, to reflect upon the choices that are presented at milestone moments of our lives, and her keynote address culminated with the song “Our Time” from the musical. Sister Mary observed, “Commencement is a time to draw upon the skills you have learned to be leaders in the workforce, to value the friendships you have formed during your university years, and to rely on the values you were taught to guide you in your life choices.”
Dunmore Winery Announces Finalists for Label Competition Space Time Mead & Cider Works is sponsoring its 3rd Annual Label Art Competition. Four finalists have been selected from sixteen submissions. This year’s theme is the “Overview Effect” – a shift in perspective, attributed to astronauts “experiencing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space. During the past year, many of us had their own shift in perspective and priorities caused by the global pandemic. “I love the creativity and hard work that went into this year’s entries – from literal interpretations to more abstract.” Says Dan Schreffler. “Again, it was hard to choose just 4 out of all the entries, and will be even harder to pick just one winner.” Two prizes will be awards – $250 for the Judges’ Selection and $100 for the People’s Choice Selection. Online voting is is open now until August 29th. Each vote is $5 with proceeds from the contest going to the Everhart Museum. To vote: http://www.spacetimemeadworks.com/labelcompetition.html. Winners will be announced Thursday September 1 at the winery and via traditional and social media outlets.
