Applications Open for Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program Calling Nonprofit Leaders: Applications for Cohort 5 of The University of Scranton’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program now being accepted: The University of Scranton Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program is designed to be a comprehensive, practitioner-focused course that tackles the pressing leadership challenges of high-potential nonprofit leaders throughout northeastern Pennsylvania. The program positions participants to successfully address both 1) their own personal leadership goals and capacity, and 2) a key organizational goal/capstone project that will strengthen their nonprofit organization. It combines classroom instruction, peer group work, coaching and mentoring, and reflective assignments to help participants to take a transformative step in their leadership journey. Applications are due on September 20, 2024, and the program will officially kick-off in January of 2025. Two separate informational webinars have been scheduled to provide an overview of the program and to answer any questions from prospective applicants. The application, program booklet, and webinar schedule can all be found at www.nepa-alliance.org/nlcp/. NLCP Info Guide
Small Business Development Center Hosts Seminar on Social Media Marketing Strategies Register to attend the seminar on Thursday, August 22. Register Today!
The University of Scranton to Host Annual Volunteer Fair The University of Scranton has planned a fair on Tuesday Sept. 10 for area nonprofit organizations seeking college students as volunteers. Fair for Nonprofit Agencies Seeking Volunteers The Center for Service and Social Justice at The University of Scranton will hold its annual Volunteer & Service Fair for local nonprofits from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, on campus. The fair offers University students and student-led clubs interested in service projects and community-based learning sites a chance to meet representatives from nonprofit organizations in need of volunteers. To register a nonprofit organization for the event, email ellen.judge@scranton.edu or call 570-941-7429. The deadline to register for the fair is Friday, Sept. 6.
UNC’s 3rd Annual Pine Brook Family Arts Festival Date Set United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania (UNC) and partner John Adams Elementary School are hosting the 3rd Annual Pine Brook Family Arts Festival on Saturday, April 27, 2024, from Noon to 4 pm on the school’s playground. Activities include kids’ yoga, drum making, upcycling planters with flowers, DIY tie-dyes, suncatchers, face painting, balloon making, rock painting, food, music, and more! Antonio’s Pizza and El Buen Amigo will be serving pizza and tacos, for an additional fee. Joining us for the first time is Snook’s Wings and Things, selling burgers, fries, wings, and more. We will be supplying free ice cream from Scoopz Ice Cream truck for all attendees. Our partners Marywood University and The University of Scranton will provide arts education and make and take crafts. We are also hosting five local artists to assist children in creating artwork, this is made possible through a sponsorship from Lackawanna County Arts ENGAGE. Other organizations presenting crafts and resources include Penn State Extension 4H & Master Gardeners, Albright Memorial Library, Be SMART, Scranton Tomorrow with Keep PA Beautiful, and My Center for Independent Living. This free festival is a part of the UNC Pine Brook Neighborhood Revitalization Plan and offers access to different arts and activities for families in the neighborhood to enjoy,” said Holly Yorkonis, UNC event organizer. UNC’s Pine Brook Neighborhood Community Revitalization Plan is funded by Coterra, FNBC Bank, and Peoples Security Bank through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Neighborhood Partnership Program. Anyone interested in volunteering at the annual event should contact UNC Assistant Director of Community Revitalization, Holly at Hyorkonis@uncnepa.org or (272) 228-1366.
April Events Planned at University of Scranton April Events Planned at University of Scranton Through Apr. 21 Art Exhibit: “Scranton Stories” Oral History Interviews and Photographs. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@Scranton.edu. Apr. 4 5 p.m. 27th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “Driving Change in Healthcare.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4527 or email abigail.lynott@scranton.edu. Apr. 4 6:30 p.m. Scranton Stories Oral History and Photographs meet and greet with the project team and interviewees reception. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Free. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@Scranton.edu. Apr. 5 through May 3 Art Exhibit: “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu. Apr. 5 11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The World in Disarray” presented by Jill Dougherty, adjunct professor, Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute Advisory Council. McDonnell Room, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. Apr. 5 5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery as part of Scranton’s First Fridays events. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu. Apr. 8 4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “The Economics of Obesity” presented by John Cawley, Ph.D., professor, Department of Economics and the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email john.ruddy@scranton.edu. Apr. 10 5:30 p.m. Graduate Open House. DeNaples Center, 4th floor. Registration required. Free. Call 888-SCRANTON or email gradadmissions@scranton.edu. Apr. 10 5:30 p.m. Slattery Center Lecture: “REARRANGED: An Opera Singer’s Facial Cancer and Life Transposed” presented by Kathleen Watt. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu. Apr. 14 9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2027. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu. Apr. 14 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mark Kosower and Mingyao Zhao, cello. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu. Apr. 15 5 p.m. Environmental Art Show Opening Event: An Artist Talk with Theresa O’Connor. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu. Apr. 15-24 Environmental Art Show: “Creating Connections.” Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu. Apr. 16 11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentation and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu. Apr. 18 8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email salisa.brown@scranton.edu. Apr. 18 5:30 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” and Essay Award Presentation. University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Essay contest awards will be announced at the event. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu. Apr. 18 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with special guest cello soloists Mark Kosower and Mingyao Zhao. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu. Apr. 18-20 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Performance: “Children of Eden” presented by The University of Scranton Liva Arts Company. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com for tickets or email livartscompany@gmail.com. Apr. 23 4:15 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus-based high school math competition. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. See https://www.scranton.edu/academics/cas/math/bee.shtml for more details or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu. Apr. 24 noon. Celebration of Student Scholars. Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7653 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. Apr. 25 5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email brandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu. Apr. 25 6p.m. Schemel Forum with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “The Mind and Music of Scott Joplin” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Reception to follow. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, 525 Pine Street, Scranton. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. Apr. 27-28 9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-6195 or email melisa.gallo@scranton.edu.
SBDC Hosts Fireside Chat with Black Women Business Owners You’re invited to a Fireside Chat with Black Women Business Owners hosted by The University of Scranton SBDC and sponsored by NEPA Alliance APEX Accelerator. Connect, learn, and be inspired by incredible stories of resilience and success. Save the date: Thursday, February 29, 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at The University of Scranton in The DeNaples Center, 4th floor, Room 405. This is an in-person event with no cost to attend. Light refreshments will be provided. This event will feature a panel discussion with Q&A facilitated by Zakiyyah Smith, Business Consultant at The University of Scranton’s Small Business Development Center. The panel features: Dr. Lendra James, DNP, MS, RN, NE-BC, Owner, Premier Infusions & Wellness; Tiffany Murphy, Owner, Gifts by Tiffany Murphy; and Amber Viola, Producer, Politics But Make It Fashion Podcast. This special event is sponsored by NEPA Alliance APEX Accelerator and co-sponsored by The University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, Small Business Development Center, and The Office of Community Relations.
University of Scranton Online Programs Ranked Among Nation’s Best U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 “Best Online Graduate Programs” ranked The University of Scranton’s online master’s degree programs in business (excluding MBA) at No. 52 and its online MBA program at No. 120 in the nation. This is the 13th consecutive year that U.S. News ranked the University’s online programs among the best in the nation. The methodology used by U.S. News to determine the ranking has changed several times throughout the years. For the 2024 Best Online Programs ranking, which published Feb. 7, U.S. News reviewed statistical information submitted by schools. The ranking criteria differed by category. The criteria used by U.S. News to rank online business and MBA programs included student engagement (30 percent), which looked at graduation rates, class size, one-year retention rates, and best practices such as accreditation by AACSB International, among other factors. The ranking criteria also included peer reputation score (25 percent); faculty credentials and training (15 percent); student excellence (15 percent); and student services and technology (15 percent). Scranton offers online MBA degrees in accounting, business analytics, enterprise resource planning, finance, healthcare management, human resources management, international business and operations management; master’s degrees in accountancy, applied behavior analysis, business analytics, cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity, finance, health administration, health informatics, human resources management, dual MBA/MHA degree and speech-language pathology, in addition to graduate certificates. For technology, recruitment and marketing support, the University partners with Wiley for some of the online programs. In other U.S. News publications, Scranton has been ranked among the top 10 “Best Regional Universities in the North” for 30 consecutive years. U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 5 among regional universities in the north in its 2024 guidebook and No. 8 for “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” a selection of the top colleges in the nation that express a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching.
The University of Scranton Announces Plans for New Building Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton, announced plans for a nearly 80,000 square-foot center for workforce development, applied research and outreach, to be built on University-owned property on the 300 block of Madison Avenue. Pending approvals by the city, construction will begin this spring and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2025. “This new facility is designed to engage the community in ways not currently possible, including the potential for collaboration with manufacturing, health care, government, K-12, higher education, and various other economic sectors,” said Father Marina at the building announcement that took place on the University’s campus on Jan. 23. “It will be another further testament to the University’s pivotal role in workforce development as a Catholic and Jesuit institution that is steadfastly committed to serving our community and our region.” The open design of the four-story building and its central location on campus near Mulberry Street is intended to facilitate and encourage interdisciplinary opportunities between departments from across the University’s three colleges, and to foster interaction and programs with and for members of the greater Scranton community. The facility will house the University of Success, which is a four-year college preparation initiative for area high school-students, and The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center, which was established at the University on 1980 and serves an eight-county area that spans northern tier and northeastern Pennsylvania. A key feature of the building will be a 10,000-square-foot maker/innovation space on first floor. “Based on what we have seen at other colleges, we expect it to be a centerpiece for collaborations with faculty and students. We are also anticipating partnership with regional business, manufacturing and healthcare. We envision the maker/innovation space will be a dynamic resource for the campus and greater Scranton community,” said Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Scranton, who noted that University is “still building on the considerable consultation we have already done to determine how best to design, equip and structure this space.” Thanks to the support of Congressman Matt Cartwright, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Ranking Member of the Commerce, Justice and Science Subcommittee, the University received $16.62 million for this building project as part of Cartwright’s FY2023 Community Project Funding requests. “Bringing our fair share of federal tax dollars back to our region is the main reason I ran for Congress,” Rep. Cartwright said. “With this successful Community Project Funding request, I am encouraged that the University of Scranton will have the resources to ensure that our local workforce is properly trained and ready to lead the way in American innovation. The University will play an instrumental role in educating the next generation that will help our community meet the ever-growing demands in STEM related fields.” The facility will also house laboratories, classrooms, offices and meeting spaces for the University’s Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology and the Psychology Department. The building will provide space for the University’s Student Health Services and The Center for Health Education and Wellness, as well as allow room for growth to support academic programs that will emerge in the future. In addition to Father Marina, Rep. Cartwright and Dr. Maldonado, also speaking at the announcement were Lisa Hall Zielinski, director of The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center, and Edward J. Steinmetz Jr., senior vice president for finance and administration at the University. Hemmler and Camayd (HC Architects) are the architects of the building, which incorporates glass walls, steel and stone into a modern design intended to meet silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification requirements. Quandel Construction will serve as the construction manager. The University plans to begin use of the building for the fall 2025 semester.
The University of Scranton to Present Noel Night Concert Continuing a beloved holiday season tradition, Performance Music at The University of Scranton will present its 56th annual Noel Night concert on Saturday, Dec. 2. The concert, which is open to the public, will begin at 8 p.m. in the University’s Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and prelude beginning at 7:05 p.m. Admission is free, with seating on a first-come, first-seated basis. Considered the University’s Christmas gift to the community, Noel Night has been a must-attend event for many Scranton-area residents since its founding more than a half-century ago by the Rev. Edward Gannon, S.J. This year’s Noel Night will feature performances by The University of Scranton Singers, String Orchestra and Flute Ensemble. Outdoor instrumental caroling by members of the University Bands will greet audience members as they arrive. According to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga, the program will include a variety of sacred selections – including music by Ivo Antognini, Randol Alan Bass, Franz Biebl, Robert Ray, Igor Stravinsky, John Rutter and others – interspersed with readings of Nativity texts. Included in the program are works sung in English, Chinese, Latin, Russian and Zulu. Pianist for the evening is Ron Stabinsky, and Christopher Johnson is organist. The primary focus of Performance Music at The University of Scranton is its student choral and instrumental performing ensembles. There is no music major at the University, and all enrolled University of Scranton students are eligible for membership in the bands, choirs, and string ensembles, with neither an audition nor enrollment fee required for membership. Hundreds of students participate in the ensembles each year.
The University of Scranton Ranked No. 10 for Community and National Service Since 2005, Washington Monthly analyzed numerous data sets in order to rank colleges across the nation in categories for “community and national service,” “research” and “social mobility” in order to assess the contribution graduates make to “the public good.” In the 2023 listing, published in the September/October issue of the magazine and online, Washington Monthly ranked The University of Scranton No. 10 among the 604 master’s universities in the nation in the “community and national service” category. According to the publication, they rank “four-year schools (national universities, liberal arts colleges, baccalaureate colleges, and master’s universities) based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility, research, and providing opportunities for public service.” Scranton was No. 30 in the overall ranking that combines equally-weighted scores for “community and national service,” “research” and “social mobility.” Scranton ranked No. 37, and No. 183, respectively, in the “research” and “social mobility” categories among master’s universities in the country. For “community and national service” score, Washington Monthly looked at the percentage of all degrees awarded in health, education and social work “to reward colleges that produce leaders in socially valuable fields that are not always highly paid.” They also reviewed the size of the ROTC program and the number of alumni serving in AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps, adjusted for the size of the school, as well as the percentage of federal work study grant money spent on community service projects, among other factors such as voter engagement. Washington Monthly determined the “research” score is based on each school’s research expenditure and the number of alumni earning Ph.D.s, relative to the size of the college. The “social mobility” score is based on actual and predicted graduation rates; student loan repayment rates; the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants; and the school’s average net price for full-time, in-state students with family incomes below $75,000 per year over the past three years, among other factors. This is the 14th consecutive year Washington Monthly has included Scranton in its college rankings. In other national rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among regional universities in the north in its 2024 guidebook, marking the 30th consecutive year that Scranton ranked in the top 10. The Princeton Review included Scranton in its list of “Best Colleges” for 22 consecutive years, and ranked the University No. 18 in the nation for “Best Science Lab Facilities” in its latest edition of the guidebook.
