University of Scranton Professors Awarded Grant for Research Equipment Michael Fennie, Ph.D., Arthur Catino, Ph.D., and Nicholas Sizemore, Ph.D., all associate professors of chemistry at The University of Scranton, were awarded a $362,773 National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation grant. The grant will allow the University to purchase a Bruker 400 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, which will be used by undergraduates, graduate students and faculty at Scranton in both chemistry courses and research projects. Professors from local colleges and researchers from area companies will also have access to the state-of-the-art equipment, as will area high school students through an outreach program included as part of the NSF funded proposal. “NMR spectroscopy is central to modern chemistry research. This instrument uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to determine the structures of molecules, giving us information about their physical properties and reactivity,” said Dr. Fennie, the principal investigator on the grant. “We need to train our students to be competent scientists once they enter graduate school, or start a career in industry or at a lab. Having hands-on research experience using real-world instrumentation at Scranton is what makes a difference in our outcomes.” NMR spectroscopy shares the same theoretical principles as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used in healthcare – only for molecules, explained Dr. Fennie, which he said also provides a good conceptual foundation for pre-med students. The new NMR equipment, with much-improved detection and throughput capabilities, will increase the productivity of faculty research and enhance the research-training of undergraduate and master’s students as they prepare for STEM careers in academia or industry. NMR spectroscopy, using older equipment, is already included in more than half a dozen chemistry courses at Scranton, including organic chemistry labs II and III, Instrumental Analysis Lab, Forensic Chemistry Lab, and Advanced Inorganic Lab. The new equipment will enhance the students’ exposure in courses as well as supplement their research projects. “Our current instrument allows for only a single sample to be loaded at a time for analysis, and each analysis takes a long time to complete, making it impractical to obtain individual NMR data for each student in larger lab courses, such as sophomore-level organic chemistry. The new equipment allows for auto-loading of multiple samples at a time, and the time required for each analysis is much shorter, enabling students in these labs to prepare their own samples, submit them to the NMR queue, and then receive their own data, which is getting closer to what it is like in an actual research setting,” said Dr. Fennie. “Getting that training early on is only going to be more helpful to our students’ development as scientists.” The technology can also be used for broad research areas ranging from medicinal chemistry, such as studies pertaining to peptide folding and natural products, to experiments for the synthesis of molecules that can be used in OLED displays. “I couldn’t be more proud of Dr. Michael Fennie and his colleagues at The University of Scranton, and this investment in our students and promise it has to bridge the classroom to the work room,” said Rep. Matt Cartwright. “Giving industry partners access to this tool will serve as an enticement for them to stay in the region and grow our STEM-related job market. I also applaud the collaboration among our higher learning institutions and secondary schools, I look forward to what new research, new ideas and new scientists may come from it.” The new equipment will be used for collaborative and independent research projects with faculty members at area colleges, such as King’s College, Penn State Scranton and Keystone College, as well as for studies at area businesses, such as Schott Glass, The Azek Company and Process Technologies and Packaging. Dr. Fennie is especially interested in how the new equipment can be used discover new reactions and better understand how these reactions actually work. “The NMR will allow us to collect data on how fast a reaction proceeds and the intermediates the reaction might go through. That is important for developing new chemical processes, and optimizing reactions so that we can use less resources in our experiments. In other words, making the chemistry more sustainable,” said Dr. Fennie. In addition, the University will work with teachers at Scranton High School, West Scranton High School, Honesdale High School, Mid Valley Secondary Center and MMI Preparatory School to bring their students to campus to learn more about the scientific uses of NMR spectroscopy. The NMR spectrometer will be installed during the University’s winter break and intersession. Faculty, and then students, would be trained in the use of the new equipment in late January and during the spring semester. Dr. Fennie joined the faculty at Scranton in 2012. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Canisius College and his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Catino joined the faculty at Scranton in 2013. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Franklin and Marshall College and his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Maryland. Dr. Sizemore joined the faculty at Scranton in 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Case Western Reserve University and his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of California, Irvine.
The University of Scranton Opens Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service “All public service is a trust given in faith and accepted in honor,” words inscribed over the front door of the Finance Building in Harrisburg, remind U.S. Senator Bob Casey of the promise and expectation of public servants, and, now, can be words to inspire and guide the work of the new Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service at The University of Scranton. Senator Casey was among the speakers at the opening of the Center that will serve 13 counties in Northeast Pennsylvania. In his remarks, he quoted from the mission of the Center “to advocate for and promote the common good of all through programs that support the development of ethical and competent public officials and of civically knowledgeable, responsible and engaged community members,” noting that the region– and the nation – need both competent and ethical leaders now more than ever. JoyAnna Hopper, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and co-director of the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, said in her remarks that “according to Pew Research Center, public trust in government has been near to historic lows for more than a decade.” She said the work of the Center “will reach out to local community members, providing them with the tools and resources they need to hold their elected officials accountable. We plan to engage with public officials or those who hope to run for office to help educate and provide support, through workshops, certificate programs and opportunities for networking.” Dr. Hopper, who will co-direct the Center with University Political Science Professor Jean Harris, Ph.D., also said the Center will provide internships, research opportunities, mentorships and training that will allow University students to “become competent and ethical leaders in our local communities.” Clara Downey, a junior political science major at the University who is serving as an intern for The Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service, said in her remarks that she has seen “first-hand what Dr. Hopper and Dr. Harris are working to offer students, and similarly how important it is for students, most especially Jesuit educated students, to be active and knowledgeable voters. The work we are starting here in the Center will enable my peers and I to not only be better people, but to enact real change in our world, because locality is where that has to start.” Downey, Easthampton, Massachusetts, is also a Student Government Senator at Scranton. Also speaking at the opening were Jeff Gingerich, Ph.D., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, and Michelle Maldonado, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service will be housed in the University’s Political Science Department of the College of Arts and Sciences. The 13 counties served by the Center are Bradford, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Montour, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne and Wyoming. Members of the Center’s Steering Committee are Michael Allison, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of Political Science; Julie Schumacher-Cohen, assistant vice president for community engagement and government affairs; Michael Jenkins, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Sociology, Criminal Justice and Criminology and executive director of the University’s Center for the Analysis and Prevention of Crime; Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and faculty director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for the Humanities; and Donna Witek, professor, Weinberg Memorial Library. The University offers a new major in public policy and service. Additional information about the Center for Ethics and Excellence in Public Service can be seen on its website (www.scranton.edu/ceeps), or by contacting Dr. Harris or Dr. Hopper at the Political Science Department at CEEPS@scranton.edu or 570-941-6326.
The University of Scranton Announces November Events Note: Access to the campus is currently limited to members of the University community, invited guests 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. 4 Noon. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “This Community’s Medical College: How advances in pedagogy and technology, and the pandemic, have shaped medical education in the 21st century” presented by Steven Scheinman, M.D., president and dean, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine; executive vice president and chief academic officer, Geisinger. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. 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. Nov. 9 5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “Beethoven’s Deafness: Psychological Crises and Artistic Triumph” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Reception to follow. Scranton Cultural Center at Masonic Temple. Registration required. $30. Call 570-941-6206 or email alicen.morrison@scranton.edu. Nov. 12 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” The University of Scranton Jazz Ensemble with guest artist Benny Benack III, voice and trumpet. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu. Nov. 17 7:30 p.m. 35th Henry George Lecture: “The Value of Money: Currencies, Bonds, Bitcoin” presented by Yuliy Sannikov, the Jack Steele Parker Professor of Economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email janice.mecadon@scranton.edu. Nov. 18-20 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. “The Addams Family” presented by Liva Arts Company. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. $7. Call 570-941-7401 or email joelle.cote@scranton.edu. Nov. 20 7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Symphonic Band. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.
The University of Scranton Fall Lecture in the Humanities Set for Oct. 21 Father Columba Stewart, O.S.B., executive director of the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (HMML) at St. John’s University, will deliver The University of Scranton’s Fall Lecture in the Humanities on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. in the Moskovitz Theater of the DeNaples Center. He will present “Recovering the voices of our ancestors: preserving the world’s endangered manuscript heritage.” The University will bestow an honorary degree upon Father Stewart at the lecture, which is open to members of the University community and invited guests. “Through his drive and initiative, Father Columba has rescued, saved, digitally archived and shared with the world ancient religious texts that were in jeopardy of being lost forever,” said Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., president of The University of Scranton. “We are delighted to recognize his lifelong commitment both to the Church and to the preservation of the world’s religious history by bestowing upon him an honorary degree.” Father Stewart was named HMML’s sixth executive director in 2003. In that role, he travels extensively throughout the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and South Asia cultivating relationships with communities possessing manuscript collections from the early medieval to early modern periods. Although HMML’s original efforts targeted primarily Christian collections in various European locations, under Father Stewart’s leadership, HMML’s non-European manuscript preservation projects have increased from one project in Lebanon to projects located in more than a dozen countries. During this time, HMML has photographed tens of thousands of manuscripts in many of the world’s most dangerous and difficult-to-reach places and given priority to preserving the manuscript collections of persecuted or endangered minorities. “Father Columba believes it is important to preserve these early Christian and interreligious and intercultural documents, manuscript and artifacts from our past because they help us understand not only those specific societies and cultures, but also because they help us understand more fully our connectedness as human beings,” said Gretchen J. Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science at The University of Scranton, who first met Father Stewart when she was a Resident Scholar at the Collegeville Institute for Ecumenical and Cultural Research in Collegeville, Minnesota, during the 2018-2019 academic year. Since 2003, Father Stewart has secured more than $11 million in funding from leading private foundations and government agencies, including the Arcadia Fund, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. These funders have fueled HMML’s increased field operations and supported the creation and expansion of HMML’s online platform, the largest and most comprehensive digital collection of manuscripts ever created. The online collections are available to registered users to browse through tens of thousands of manuscripts at no cost. Under his leadership HMML also completed a record-setting capital campaign in 2017 that raised more than $20 million to support HMML’s digital manuscript preservation goals and renovate HMML’s facilities in Collegeville. Under his leadership, HMML was awarded the 2011 National Medal of Honor from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the highest award a library can receive in the United States. Father Stewart was named by the NEH as the 2019 Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities, the highest honor the federal government confers for distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities. Fr. Columba has been featured on many national and international media outlets, including the CBS News program 60 Minutes, BBC World News, PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly as well as in The Economist, Harvard Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, NEH’s Humanities Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and The Chronicle of Higher Education. In December 2019, he wrote a cover story for America specifically highlighting the long Benedictine determination to preserve ancient texts around the world. Father Stewart has published extensively in his research field of early Christian monasticism and is much in demand as a presenter and lecturer. He has received numerous grants and fellowships for his own scholarship, including being named a Guggenheim Fellow and a resident member of the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, among others. Father Stewart earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard College and his master’s degree from Yale University. After further studies at Saint John’s University School of Theology, he earned his D.Phil. from the University of Oxford, England. He professed vows as a Benedictine monk of Saint John’s Abbey, Collegeville, in 1982 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1990. In 1989, he joined the faculty of the graduate School of Theology and undergraduate Department of Theology at Saint John’s University. He also currently serves as the Benedictine in residence at the Collegeville Institute.
The University of Scranton Receives $1 Million Donation From left: Jacquelyn Dionne and John Dionne receive the President’s Medal at the President’s Business Council dinner in 2013. The University of Scranton’s Kania School of Management announced a gift of $1 million from John D. Dionne ’86 and Jacquelyn Dionne ‘89. The generous donation will be used to name and support two Kania honors programs: the Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program; and the Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program. The fund will support the growing Study Abroad program and other activities for students in these two honors programs, as well as other students enrolled in the Kania School of Management. The Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program and the Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program are among the University’s five undergraduate programs of excellence. The Business Honors Program is a selective four-year program geared toward highly-motivated undergraduate students interested in pursuing academic excellence in business who will pursue honors studies in the areas of economics, entrepreneurship, operations management, accounting, finance, international business, marketing and management. The Business Leadership Honors Program is a highly-selective program students enter in their junior year. Participants explore the basic theories and concepts of leadership through special seminars and courses in management, ethics, strategy and analysis, in addition to field trips to learn from top executives and projects in leadership, service and mentoring. For over twenty-five years, the Dionnes have been good friends and generous benefactors of The University of Scranton and the Kania School of Management. The Dionnes were co-recipients of the 2013 University President’s Medal and were the driving force behind creating the Kania School Business Leader Hall of Fame. The green located at the heart of the University’s campus is named in their honor. “I can’t thank you enough for your generosity and steadfast support. You are an example to our students and your fellow graduates and an inspiration to me.” said Joseph G. Marina, S.J., University president, upon announcing the gift at his Inauguration as Scranton’s 29th president on Sept. 24. A native of Scranton, Jackie Dionne is a registered nurse and received her bachelor’s degree in health administration from the University. She currently serves as an RN with elderly and Alzheimer’s patients. Jackie Dionne serves on the University’s Board of Trustees and previously served on its board from 2011 to 2017. She works with numerous charitable organizations, including the National Charity League, Horizons Organization of Bridgeport and Meals on Wheels. A New Hampshire native, John Dionne graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics/finance and accounting from the University and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. A very successful business executive, he retired in 2013 as a senior managing director from the Blackstone Group. He currently serves as a senior advisor to Blackstone, is a senior lecturer at the Harvard Business School, and a director of Fortune 500 companies. A former chair of the University’s Board of Trustees, John Dionne, helped launch the President’s Business Council and the annual award dinner. A frequent speaker in the Kania School of Management’s Executive in Residence program and other leading universities, he was recently ranked among Harvard’s top 50 most prominent alumni. “We are grateful to honor two of the long-time icons of the Kania School in current Professor Dr. Robert McKeage and the late Dr. Frank Corcione. They share a demanding Jesuit philosophical ideal, illustrated by the quote of St. Luke – ‘from whom much is given, much is expected,’” said John Dionne. “Dr. Corcione was demanding but cared, and motivated students to give it their all. Wall Street is awash with ‘Corcione products.’” “Additionally, we are pleased to enhance the rapidly growing demand by students for semesters abroad by making them more affordable. We believe the program is a life-changing experience and an exciting complement to a University of Scranton Catholic and Jesuit education,” added Jackie Dionne. “Dr. McKeage is award-winning, dedicated faculty member, who always places student learning first.”
The University of Scranton Celebrates Inauguration of 29th President “A Fire That Kindles Other Fires,” the theme chosen for the Inauguration of Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., as the 29th president of The University of Scranton, was evident throughout the address given by the new president at the ceremony. In his Inaugural Address, Father Marina referred to remarks of former Scranton presidents, words of Jesuit superior generals, the life of St. Ignatius and the accomplishments of students, faculty, staff, alumni and others, to illustrate the influence one person can have on others. “In his first inaugural address, Father Pilarz referred to our University as a miracle in the mountains. And that’s exactly what it is. But it didn’t take long for me to notice that Scranton is also a vineyard in the valley, a place where hard work, dedication, and an authentic commitment to the ideals and characteristics of Catholic and Jesuit higher education converge for the benefit of the students we serve,” said Father Marina. “This vineyard produces sweet and abundant grapes and our harvest is a harvest to be envied. … The credit goes to our wonderful students, our amazing faculty and staff, loyal trustees, alumni and benefactors who, year after year, have cultivated the soil of this vineyard to make it rich and nurturing.” Father Marina said the term “a fire that kindles other fires,” from the second decree of the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, “is a metaphor that every Jesuit work, and every member of that work, can take on in a personal and apostolic way. The University of Scranton is, without a doubt, a fire that kindles other fires – one that illuminates and warms rather than burns and destroys.” Father Marina referred to the University’s sense of community as its greatest asset. “The community that is Scranton is authentic, and you can feel it almost immediately when stepping onto our beautiful campus. We are a family,” said Father Marina. “Our community is not an insulated one. It is grounded in God’s love. Our university exists because of Jesus Christ. And our future will be stoked by the fire of the Holy Spirit for decades to come. This triune reality makes our community open to all, not despite their differences, but precisely because of them. We are made stronger by our diversity and by our love for one another.” Father Marina closed his remarks citing advice he received from Scranton’s 23rd president, Rev. Joseph McShane, S.J., currently the president of Fordham University: “If you love The University of Scranton, if you truly love it, then marvelous things are bound to happen.” Father Marina said that is “exactly” what he intends to do, and asked others to “please join me as we carry our mission forward, or, more rightly, may I join you? So that, together, we can cultivate this wonderful vineyard in the valley and be that fire that kindles other fires.” The Inauguration occurred during the Ignatian Year, the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. Nearly 1,500 members of the University community and invited guests attended the Inauguration, including representatives from more than 45 colleges and universities; Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J., provincial of the USA East Province of the Society of Jesus, who presented the Missioning of the President at the ceremony; Scranton’s Mayor Paige Cognetti, who provided greetings from the city; and Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, who provided the Invocation, among others. Recorded greetings were given by U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright and U.S. Senator Bob Casey, a Scranton native. The Inauguration also featured the performance of an original work composed for the Inauguration by David Lantz III, titled “To the Ends of the Earth.” A recording of the ceremony is available for viewing. Photos from the event can be seen on the University’s Inauguration Flickr album.
The University of Scranton Named Among Top Colleges in America Forbes ranked The University of Scranton among “America’s Top Colleges” for the 13th year. Scranton is the only college in Northeast Pennsylvania to be named among the 600 elite colleges listed in the 2021 ranking, which was published online on Sept. 8. Scranton, ranked No. 425, was among just 35 colleges in Pennsylvania that Forbes selected as “America’s Top Colleges.” The ranking by Forbes analyzed “outputs” of a college education, weighting alumni salaries at one to four years and 10 years after graduation the most at 20 percent of their overall score. The methodology used by Forbes also looked at graduation rates (15 percent), student debt (15 percent) and the number of alumni making the Forbes “American Leaders” lists (15 percent), such as its “Forbes 400” and “Richest Self-Made Women” lists, as well as alumni who won national and international awards or positions, such as winners of the Nobel Prize and graduates who are members of the Supreme Court. Forbes also rated retention rate (10 percent), academic success (10 percent), as measured by alumni winning prestigious academic scholarships, such as Fulbright and Truman scholarships, and a “return on investment” measurement (15 percent), which calculates the time it takes for students to pay their college debt based on the “post-enrollment earnings boost students get compared their typical salary of a high school graduate in their state.” Also in September, U.S. News & World Report ranked Scranton No. 5 among the “Best Regional Universities in the North” in the 2022 edition of their “Best Colleges” guidebook, marking the 28th consecutive year that U.S. News ranked Scranton among the top 10 universities in its category. 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;” No. 45 as a “Best Value Regional University in the North;” and No. 138 in its category in “Top Performers on Social Mobility.” In national rankings, U.S. News ranked Scranton No. 166 among America’s “Best Undergraduate Business Programs;” No. 185 among “Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs;” and No. 148 among the nation’s “Best Undergraduate Nursing Programs.”
University of Scranton Psychology Professor Receives Conservation Award Jessica Nolan, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of the Environmental Studies Concentration at The University of Scranton, received a 2021 Women in Conservation Award from PennFuture, an independent, nonpartisan environmental advocacy organization. Dr. Nolan received the award for Woman of Environmental Education. Dr. Nolan joined the faculty at Scranton in 2008. She teaches Environmental and Conservation Psychology and Social Psychology, among other courses, and runs the Conservation Psychology Lab at the University. The Conservation Psychology Lab studies the human impact on the environment and uses the tools and methods of psychology to understand and solve environmental problems. Her research focuses on the application of psychological tools and principles to understand and solve environmental problems. She has studied the effects of normative social influence on various environmental behaviors, including energy conservation and household recycling. Dr. Nolan has published more than a dozen articles on environmental behavior in peer-reviewed scientific journals and has presented her research at numerous professional conferences. In her role as director of the Environmental Studies Concentration, Dr. Nolan has partnered with local environmental groups such as Friends of Lackawanna, Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition for Abandoned Mine Reclamation and the Lackawanna River Conservation Association to sponsor more than a dozen co-curricular events for students and the local community. In 2018, Dr. Nolan received the University’s Excellence in Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum Award. This award is given to a faculty member who strives for excellence in teaching about sustainability and makes extraordinary efforts to introduce concepts of sustainability into the curriculum. Dr. Nolan is also the founder of Green Drinks Scranton, an informal networking group that provides a forum for area residents interested in environmental issues to connect and learn from one another. Dr. Nolan earned her bachelor’s degree at Cornell University, her master’s degree at California State University and her Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas.
Presidential Inauguration Celebrates The University of Scranton’s Jesuit Mission The Ignatian mission of The University of Scranton will take a preeminent role in the Inauguration of Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., as the 29th president of The University of Scranton. The Inauguration will occur as the Society of Jesus celebrates an Ignatian Year, commemorating the 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus. The Inauguration theme, “A Fire that Kindles Other Fires,” is quoted from Decree 2 of the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus. The Decree reads: “Legend has it that Saint Ignatius, when he sent Saint Francis Xavier to the East, told him: ‘go, set the world alight.’ With the birth of the Society of Jesus, a new fire was lit in a changing world. A novel form of religious life came about, not through human enterprise but as a divine initiative. The fire that was set alight then continues to burn in our Jesuit life today, as was said about Saint Alberto Hurtado, ‘a fire that kindles other fires.’ With it, we are called to set all things alight with the love of God.” The formal Inauguration Ceremony for Father Marina will take place on Friday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m. on campus for members of the University community and invited guests. The University will livestream the event. A luncheon will immediately follow the ceremony. In addition to the Inauguration Ceremony, an Inauguration Mass is planned for Saturday, Sept. 25, at 4 p.m. on campus. An Inauguration Concert, set for Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, will feature an original work composed for the Inauguration by David Lantz III, titled “To the Ends of the Earth.” The events coincide with Family Weekend. Parents and family members visiting campus for the weekend are welcome to attend the Inauguration events. Thomas MacKinnon, vice president for university advancement, and Gretchen Van Dyke, Ph.D., associate professor of political science, are serving as co-chairs for the Inauguration Celebration. Additional information is available on The Inauguration of Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J., website.
More than 96 Percent Vaccinated at Scranton The University of Scranton announced today that more than 96 percent of its students, faculty and staff who are on campus for the fall semester are fully vaccinated. The University implemented a vaccine requirement for the return of in-person classes and activities for the fall 2021 semester, which began on Monday, Aug. 30. Vaccination rates above 90 percent were found to be an important for resuming normal campus activity, according to a recently released study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Students attending classes on campus were required to submit vaccine information through the school’s Student Health Services and employees were required to attest to their vaccination status through the Office of Human Resources. In accordance with Pennsylvania law, students and employees could request a waiver to the vaccine requirement for religious or medical reasons. Students attending fully-online graduate courses were not required to submit vaccine information. According to University records, nearly 96 percent of students and more than 97 percent of staff are fully vaccinated. The University expects these percentages to increase in the coming weeks as individuals with one dose of the vaccine receive their second dose. Unvaccinated members of the University community who were granted a waiver to be on campus during the fall semester must participate in weekly PCR testing and wear a mask when indoors and when outdoors when social distancing is not possible, among other health and safety requirements as outlined in the University’s Royals Back Together plan. Vaccinated individuals do not need to participate in COVID-19 surveillance testing. Following CDC guidelines, the University will adjust indoor masking requirements for vaccinated individuals based on community spread. A Mask Status tile on the Royals Back Together webpage will indicate if masks are required indoors for vaccinated individuals, as well as other health and safety requirements. (Currently, the University is requiring all individuals to wear masks indoors through Oct. 4, and the access to the campus is limited to University community members, invited guests and others as outlined in its Royals Back Together plan. The University will update information on or before Oct. 4).
