Alvernia University Magazine Summer/Fall 2022

Expanding the Mission

ON THE COVER

CollegeTowne name gets Post(ed)

Walking in the footsteps

FEATURES

Sending therapy

Bridging the gap

Experiential learning around the globe

PROFILES

Taking flight

Finding the right fit

Building an international community

Building belonging

Holleran Center news

O’Pake Institute news

ON CAMPUS

Alvernia celebrates Class of 2022

Trading lab gets Bloomberg Terminal Inaugural deans named Periscope

Alumni news & notes

Setting the stage…

Welcoming our students and families to our campus is one of my favorite things to do as president. There’s nothing quite like that fall move in experience. There is a certain electricity in the air, an over whelming sense of optimism, and for our first-year students (and their families) a bit of nerves that are quickly calmed by the smiling

faces and helpful hands that surround them. Admittedly, it often feels more like a privilege than a responsibility.

Through the tireless efforts of our enrollment management team and our faculty and the entire Alvernia Community, we were able to welcome nearly 600 new students this fall, a new university record. Among the eclectic group are volunteer firefighters, a horse trainer, school mascots and a YouTuber. Our communi ty-based campuses continue to grow, thanks in large part to our new and refreshed academic programs, expanded student engagement opportunities and continued growth into a regional comprehensive university. This work has caught the attention of both national and international audiences.

Our expansion has led the university to reclassi fication as a Professional/Doctoral University by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. The upgraded status is a result of the implemen tation of the Alvernia Advantage, the University’s strategic plan, which focuses on enhancing the overall student experience and more specifically on increasing the number of professional gradu ate program offerings, the number of graduates annually and the university’s commitment to research. We are proud to be the only institution in the region with this designation.

In this issue, you’ll find a common theme of internationalization. Today, we have over a hundred students, from thirteen countries, receiving an Alvernia education and providing a global perspective for our domestic students. The student experience is being enhanced by the investment in global learning opportunities and the diversification of our campuses. The global marketplace is more connected than ever, and we are committed to providing stu dents with world-class experiences to prepare them to enter the real world.

Midsized colleges and universities across the nation continue to face unprecedented challenges in a changing higher education landscape. To meet these challenges, we have placed a greater focus on our mission of pro viding technical experiential-based programs combined with a rigorous liberal arts educa tion that immerses students in learning critical thinking, reasoning, communications, the human experience, ethics and the arts through experiential learning. Through this commit ment, we are graduating community-engaged citizens who are well-rounded individuals that can adapt to a rapidly changing world. We proudly say our graduates leave Alvernia “ready to make a living and to make a life” in the evergrowing number of communities that we so proudly serve.

— Abraham Lincoln

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”

Strategic partnerships and civic engagement have been the cornerstone of our success, and the support from the communities in which we serve has been overwhelming. This support was on full display in late June when the uni versity received the largest philanthropic gift in our history from John and Maryanne Post sup porting Reading CollegeTowne and the School of Engineering, ensuring Reading will have a comprehensive engineering school. To recog nize the Posts’ generosity, the university named 401 Penn Street the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne and named the school of engineering after Mr. Post. This gift will ben efit generations of Alvernia students and will inspire others to invest in the university.

We have much to celebrate but a lot more work is ahead to continue to enhance the student experience and our communities as the two go hand-in-hand. With the stage set, we are excited for another year and are ready to embark on the second phase of the Reading CollegeTowne initiative, the opening of Potts ville CollegeTowne, new beginnings in Pittston CollegeTowne and continued progress toward realizing our vision of becoming a comprehen sive, regional university. We look forward to partnering with you on bringing the Alvernia Advantage to life in the communities we serve.

Have a wonderful fall and we look forward to seeing you at homecoming!

God bless and stay safe,

John R. Loyack President

CollegeTowne name gets Post(ed)

By Jon Fassnacht

Scan the QR code above to watch highlights from the naming reveal ceremony.

John R. Post (third from left) poses with (from left) Domani Wealth Senior Wealth Advisor Thomas Williams, Alvernia President John R. Loyack, and Attorney David Kozloff of Kozloff Stoudt.

Last summer, Alvernia University opened Reading CollegeTowne, a 240,000-square-foot living and learning facility at 401 Penn Street, revitalizing the heart of the city.

Less than a year later, the university announced its expansion will continue thanks to the largest philanthropic gift in its sixdecade history.

On a gorgeous June afternoon, university and community leaders gathered with faculty, staff and students to celebrate the facility’s renaming to the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne. Alvernia also announced its newly established engineering school will be named the John R. Post School of Engineering.

The benefactors — John R. and Maryanne Post — are longtime supporters of Catholic education. The gift will aid the phase two expansion of the School of Engineering, adding biomedical, chemical, civil and environmental engineering.

“I am proud to be part of the mission of this university, and of the promise it holds for our city,” said Post, the founder and president of Post Precision Castings Inc., a custom manufacturer of investment castings based in Strausstown, PA. “I look forward to seeing Reading CollegeTowne and the School of Engineering prosper in the years to come.”

The university launched the CollegeTowne initiative after purchasing the downtown building in December 2019, one of the key dates preserved for posterity on a pair of commemorative coins distributed to all in attendance at the naming ceremony. The initiative champions economic redevelopment in Reading, Philadelphia and Pottsville –homes of Alvernia’s community-based campuses – through partnerships and collaborations with city officials, local businesses and nonprofits.

Since then, the first phase of a $20 million renovation and retrofitting project has been completed in Reading. During

that time, Alvernia assisted more than 200 small businesses and entrepreneurs through the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship’s Spark Business Incubator and spurred six other development projects in vacant or abandoned buildings.

And more growth is on the horizon. At the ceremony, President John R. Loyack announced plans to invest over $50 million on Penn Street, including the purchase of a downtown landmark across the street.

“This gift also allows us to think beyond this project and forward to the next,” Loyack said. “We will be continuing our expansion and downtown redevelopment with the acquisition of the American House as we prepare for phase three of our CollegeTowne vision. You apparently need more than one building if it’s really going to be a town.”

The event’s speakers often fought to be heard over the sonorous city soundtrack of sirens, construction and other assorted noises. But the leaders took it in stride.

“It’s life in the city and we’re happy to be here,” Senior Vice President and Provost Glynis Fitzgerald quipped.

The university’s first engineering students arrived in fall 2021. A collaboration with the Engineering Advisory Board, a group of local community leaders and manufacturers, identified market demands for the new Bachelor of Science degrees in electrical, mechanical and industrial engineering.

The John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne, the university’s largest single facility, features collaborative student gathering spaces, high-tech general-purpose classrooms, an esports arena, student housing and interfaith prayer spaces. It’s also the home of BCTV, Community First Fund, La Mega Radio, the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters’ Mother Veronica Resource Center and the region’s largest Starbucks.

“I am proud to be part of the mission of this university, and of the promise it holds for our city.”

—John R. Post

CollegeTowne name gets Post(ed)

Walking in he footsteps

By Jon Fassnacht

The roots of Alvernia University stretch back centuries and across continents.

Though founded in 1958 by the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters, it has its genesis in 13th century Italy, where Saint Francis of Assisi, the university’s Patron Saint, walked the streets spreading the Gospel.

One of only 24 Franciscan institutions in the United States, Alvernia reconnects with its roots through its Assisi Pilgrimage program, which offers 10-day journeys through Assisi and Rome. Faculty, staff, and students can traverse the paths walked by Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi, one of his first followers, founder of the Order of Poor Ladies and the first woman to write a set of monastic guidelines.

“It drives home how and why we are a mission-focused institution,” said Jamie Caporizo, Alvernia’s Senior Director of Mission and Ministry. “Going to these places, seeing where Francis and Clare lived, and to know the paths that they walked and to see the lengths that they went to minister to poor people, it just puts it in such a real perspective when you’re walking in their footsteps.”

The pilgrimages began in 2012, with the first pilgrims composed of two staff members and one faculty member, according to Sister Roberta McKelvie, OSF. Students started making the trip a few years later.

Pilgrimage stops en route to Assisi include Greccio, where, as Saint Bonaventure writes, Francis constructed the first nativity scene and witnessed the miracle of the event; the childhood homes and basilicas of Francis and Clare, including the jail cell

Walking through the streets of Assisi

where Francis was imprisoned for giving away his father’s wealth; and the ancient cathedral of San Rufino where Francis and Clare were baptized. Pilgrims also journey to Rome to experience the Vatican, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, and other sacred sites and monuments. With each step of the experience comes a new story, a life lesson, a moment for spiritual reflection and a communal moment with fellow pilgrims.

Caporizo, President John R. Loyack, and Senior Vice President and Provost Glynis Fitzgerald were among a handful of university leaders to take the Presidential Pilgrimage in October 2021, a trip delayed numerous times due to the COVID pandemic.

Every pilgrim speaks to the communal aspect of the journey. Experiencing sacred places together and opening up to one another during reflections leads to moments of raw emotion and shared therapeutic empathy, allowing pilgrims to experience things through the eyes of others, according to Loyack. Making that fellowship even more meaningful for him was the presence of daughter Shawn, who came along for the journey.

“Part of the joy of the trip was getting to spend that much time with her in one spot, being able to experience it together,” Loyack said. “The wrap-up session we did the evening before we left where everybody shared their personal feelings, the closeness and bond that created enriched the experience. My daughter being in tears sort of redefining her definition of Catholicism is just something that will never leave me.”

Fitzgerald approached the trip like an academic, but she soon realized she was on a life-changing spiritual journey. On the second day, pilgrims were encouraged to renew their baptismal vows. That did it.

“If you want to get a deep understanding of our values, and a deep understanding of where the Franciscan nature of service comes from, there’s no substitute for going to Assisi.”

—John R. Loyack

Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi

“There was a communal peace where people regardless of language came together in the same spiritual place,” Fitzgerald said. “The experience has changed how I approach leadership. Clare was such a strong leader while also being a Sister among Sisters. It all came together for me when we saw where she slept and worked; where she came from as nobility to where she died in poverty. I try to keep the stories of her experiences and her servant leadership in mind as I make decisions.”

Among the pilgrims was Bernardine Franciscan Sister Tereza das Dores Lima, who dreamed of traveling to Assisi for most of her adult life. She and Provost Fitzgerald developed a bond because of their shared experiences on the pilgrimage.

“Being able to travel with Sister Tereza and hear her life story and get to know her as a person, as a woman and as a leader forever changed my perspective of how strong our sisters are

and how much they contribute to the world,” Fitzgerald said.

After numerous unsuccessful attempts to make the pilgrimage over 20 years due to a series of timing and regulation circumstances that restricted her ability to travel, das Dores Lima finally got her chance last year.

At first, she felt a bit nervous about living her long-delayed dream with a group she didn’t know very well. But that quickly passed.

“When we started to get together, getting to know one another and sharing experiences, it was very powerful for me,” she said. “Because I was not there with strangers, I was there with my brothers and my sisters. We were a true Franciscan community. We prayed together, we laughed together, we even cried together.”

Along with eliciting feelings of gratitude and joy, the journey

“The experience has changed how I approach leadership. Clare was such a strong leader while also being a Sister among Sisters. It all came together for me when we saw where she slept and worked; where she came from as nobility to where she died in poverty. I try to keep the stories of her experiences and her servant leadership in mind as I make decisions.”

—Glynis Fitzgerald

Scenes from the Presidential Pil grimage in fall 2021 and the Student Pilgrimage during summer 2022

had a profound effect on her. On occasion, she felt embraced by Frances and Clare, “and it’s helped me to be even more grateful for the vocation that God had given me as Bernardine Franciscan sister.”

Four scholars are selected to make the annual Student Pilgrimage, aided by funding from donors, an endowment and the Diocese of Allentown. Julia Martorano recently returned from this year’s journey, which was postponed from January due to yet another COVID surge.

“There was a lot of time to reflect, so it gave me new ways to view not only my own life but my purpose, my future career and my faith,” said the senior majoring in occupational therapy. “Being able to see things from different views will help me as a professional.”

The traveling quartet barely knew each other going into the trip but, as with the Presidential Pilgrimage cohort, emerged

Scan the QR code to the left to hear more insights from the participants in the Presidential Pilgrimage.

as a tight-knit group. Replete with visits to centuries-old buildings and churches, the entire pilgrimage gave Martorano a special feeling, but her strongest reaction came during the Clare Walk, which re-creates the overnight journey taken by the teenager when she fled her family’s wealth to follow Francis in poverty.

“She left everything in the middle of the night,” Martorano said. “It was far for someone so young to walk by herself. It was very reflective and powerful to experience.”

Going forward, Alvernia may consider increasing the number of students it sends, according to Caporizo. She and Dr. Darryl Mace – the university’s inaugural vice president for mission, diversity and inclusion – also hope to diversify the program. Expanded options being considered are a journey to the Camino de Santiago in Spain and a civil-rights pilgrimage in the southern United States.

But nothing can replace the original.

“If you want to get a deep understanding of our values, and a deep understanding of where the Franciscan nature of service comes from, there’s no substitute for going to Assisi,” Loyack said. “You don’t have to be Franciscan, you don’t have to be Catholic. It just builds a connection that you could never build without going.”

Wlaking in the Footsteps

Sending Therapy

By S amantha Koller

At the beginning of the fall 2021 semester, little did occupational therapy students Kristen Culligan, Kaitlin Faulcon, Phyllis ArthurWilliams, Pamela Loaiza, and Hannah Bailey know that their outlook on the occupational therapy profession would change because of one little boy in Indonesia. The project began when Dr. Gregory Chown introduced his OT427: Adapting and

experienced as they crafted a full prosthetic hand for Anan, an 8-year-old boy in Indonesia. Using Loaiza’s hand as a model to begin sizing the prosthetic, the group worked together throughout every step of the process to ensure that they could build a prosthetic meant to last. “The biggest challenge we had in the beginning was knowing that he’s a growing boy who hadn’t hit puberty yet. We wanted to make him something that

Grading class to an online organization called E-Nable, an open platform comprised of volunteers all over the world seeking to create prosthetics for those in need.

Having initially learned about the platform and its volunteers working with 3-D printing from the E-Nable chapter at Bucknell University four years ago, Chown became fascinated with how it could benefit clients in his own area of specialty: hand injuries and hand trauma. Using E-Nable, Chown was able to explore the world with his students using a virtual map to find clients in need of prosthetics or adaptive devices. “During the first few years as I learned the ropes of 3-D printing, I had students use the website to download templates and create simple adaptive devices as practice. However, this year every single group made fingers or hands and sent them to real clients,” Chown explained. “What’s amazing about E-Nable is that it not only allows us to find people in need of prosthetics on a global scale, but it also facilitates culture exchange. Our students are learning about other cultures as they work with their clients.”

This culture exchange is just one of several interesting aspects that Culligan, Faulcon, Arthur-Williams, Loaiza and Bailey

Anan showcases his hand in a video mes sage to Alvernia students. Scan the QR code for video on this and other service learning projects from the 2021-22 academic year.

“To be able to give Anan something that allows him to do functional activities like other little boys his age feels great.”

— Phyllis Arthur-Williams, Occupational Therapy student

Anan opens the package containing his prosthetic.

FEATURE | would last a few years so that he could get the best use of it. You can always add more padding if the prosthetic is too big, but once it’s too small it’s of no use anymore,” explained Faulcon. Bailey continued, “We did have to reprint some of our pieces so that we could accommodate for his growth, but we were happy to take the time and get it done if it meant we could send him a hand he could have for a while.”

Taking about 20 hours to print and another 10 hours to assemble, the group knew that building the hand was no small task. They worked tirelessly throughout the semester to ensure that they could ship the hand to Anan before the hectic holiday season. In early January, Culligan received an email from Anan’s dad with a video and photos of him using the hand to hold a bowl and eat. “Seeing those pictures was really fulfilling for me. When we first started this class, we were learning about amputees. You hear about it and read about it, and while it’s interesting to hear those stories, everything changes when you’re actually working with those people. You never think about how often you use your hand for everyday occupations, so having Anan be able to go to school and think ‘oh, I can actually do this now’ is inspiring,” Loaiza explained. ArthurWilliams added, “To be able to give Anan something that allows him to do functional activities like other little boys his age feels great. I think this project as a whole really shows how our profession is really about service, and how if we put our minds together we can accomplish anything.”

“What’s amazing about E-Nable is that it not only allows us to find people in need of prosthetics on a global scale, but it also facilitates culture exchange.”

— Dr. Gregory Chown

Sending Therapy

Chown’s next goal is to have Alvernia become a recognized chapter of E-Nable so that our students can continue helping people on both a local and global scale. “We have incredible technology here at Alvernia, and our 3-D printers are making a significant impact in people’s lives. We’re able to help increase independence in different occupations such as work, play and leisure,” Chown said. “I am super proud of our students because they’re changing someone’s life. They persevered, they were motivated and they never gave up.”

Culligan echoed Chown as she reflected one final time on the group project: “Before making the hand, I was interested in hand therapy, but I think this project solidified that direction for me. It was such a cool experience and I enjoyed every part of it. I feel like a little piece of all of us are there with him in his hand. It makes me more excited to finally become a practicing OT and it gave us a little taste of the impacts we can have. The smallest things can make the biggest difference for someone.”

“I feel like a little piece of all of us are there with him in his hand. It makes me more excited to finally become a practicing OT and it gave us a little taste of the impacts we can have.”

Anan using his pros thetic in therapy and to hold a bowl

— Kristen Culligan, Occupational Therapy student

Bridging the Gap

By Susan Shelly

With a goal of advancing economic revitalization in the City of Reading, Alvernia University’s O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship has organized a cultural coalition to address issues and work toward improvements in the areas of arts and culture, community and neighborhood revitalization, and education and workforce development.

Represented in the coalition are businesses, nonprofits, educators, arts organizations, the City of Reading, the County of Berks and others. Adonis Fleming, graduate assistant of community outreach at the O’Pake Institute, and Maritza Loaiza, special assistant in the Office of the Managing Director of the City of Reading, serve as co-chairs.

Fleming and Loaiza grew up in Reading and are passionate about advancing the city and its residents.

“Being a son of Reading, I feel it’s my responsibility to make the city a better place for everyone, especially our young people,” Fleming said.

The coalition is bringing groups and individuals together to maximize efforts to improve the Greater Reading community, according to Dr. Rodney S. Ridley Sr., Alvernia’s vice president of search, economic development and innovation; dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics; and COO of the O’Pake Institute.

“There were already a number of people and groups in the community doing good work, but we discovered they were all

“Being a son of Reading, I feel it’s my responsibility to make the city a better place for everyone, especially our young people.”

“We all want to see the city continue to succeed and thrive, and this kind of collaboration helps that happen.”

— Adonis Fleming

— Maritza Loaiza

trying to do it by themselves,” said Ridley. “The challenge was to get them working together.”

Joining forces to discuss their missions, plans, goals and challenges has enabled coalition members to identify ways they can work together for the good of the community.

“The level of engagement has increased tremendously as people have gotten to know each other,” Ridley said. “There’s a lot of beautiful synergy happening that wasn’t there just a short time ago.”

Nick Johnson, president and CEO of TEM Behavioral Health who serves as leader of the Education and Workforce Development Task Force, said it was important for coalition members to learn what others were attempting to accomplish.

“We realized we didn’t need to reinvent the wheel,” Johnson said. “We just needed to understand what everyone else was

for creative people working and living in Reading,” Landis said.

Lizette Epps, executive director of financial services and internal operations for the O’Pake Institute, who leads the Neighborhood Revitalization Task Force, is working with community representatives to assure improvement of the Penn Street corridor and its surrounding neighborhoods.

The task force is collaborating on a block captain and stewardship program that will appoint Alvernia students as block captains to serve as liaisons between business owners and the City of Reading. It also has introduced the Financial Lending and Innovation Collaborative (FLIC), a micro-grant program for early-stage entrepreneurs.

In addition to working toward its goal of having every building on Penn Street occupied, the task force is creating new opportunities and services for residents as it assures them

— Lizette Epps

doing so we’re able to support one another to move forward.”

The focus of the Education and Workforce Development Task Force is partnering with area organizations and institutions to make jobs and higher education more accessible.

“We recognize that not everyone will go to college, so we need to make sure there are post-secondary jobs available,” Johnson said. “And for those who do want to attend college, we need to be sure there’s a way for them to do so. We want to be cognizant and inclusive of everyone.”

The Arts and Culture Task Force, led by Levi Landis, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts executive director and president, is tasked with promoting the vast cultural diversity found in Reading and Greater Berks County, as well as celebrating and bringing together local artists.

It’s currently utilizing a co-design process to create a collective communications campaign intended to galvanize support from the creative community and increase representation from typically marginalized groups.

“We want to advance city pride; capture the unique look, voice, and vibe of our community; and lift the proverbial tide

that Alvernia and its partners are committed to the good of the greater community.

“We’re all actively working together to improve the city,” Epps said. “We want to be a neighborhood resource that residents can come to for direction or advice.”

Loaiza, who works closely with Reading Mayor Eddie Moran, said the mayor is enthusiastic regarding the coalition’s work and appreciative of Alvernia’s efforts to help improve Reading by supporting its small businesses and nonprofits, youth initiatives and neighborhoods.

“He recognizes that Alvernia values the community it has moved into and sees the importance in bridging the gap by connecting residents and neighborhoods to each other and the Penn Street corridor through art, education and entrepreneurship,” Loaiza said. “We all want to see the city continue to succeed and thrive, and this kind of collaboration helps that happen.”

“We want to be a neighborhood resource that residents can come to for direction or advice.”

Cultural Coalition leaders discuss priorities at the launch event held at the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne

Bridging the Gap

Experiential around the learning

By Elizabeth Hanson

From a new strategic direction to new academic and athletic program offerings, Alvernia’s recent enrollment growth can be attributed to a wide range of factors. But with the intense focus on the enhancement of the student experience and globalization of the institution, hands-on global learning opportunities have come to the forefront of the university’s focus.

While COVID-19 paused Alvernia’s Franciscan Pilgrimage Program, Alternative Breaks and study abroad opportunities, Alvernia students enter a post-pandemic era with more global learning opportunities than ever before.

Mission in Action

Much more than a sightseeing trip to this beautiful town in Umbria, located on the slope of Mount Subasio, at its core the 10-day Franciscan Pilgrimage Program personifies spiritual learning with a focus on contemplation and understanding Franciscan history and charism.

According to Jamie Caporizo, Alvernia’s senior director for mission and ministry, the Alvernia core values of contemplation, collegiality, humility, service and peacemaking all come into play to take a pause and then come back to put what is learned into action.

Caporizo and Stephanie Gonzalez, senior campus ministerin-residence, also work with students on Alternative Break trips in the winter, spring and summer, where eight to 14 students each trip learn about social injustices and how they can have an impact on these situations. During one of these break trips to Washington, D.C., healthcare students examined, through the lens of the Franciscan mission, health and homelessness and access issues in the city.

“I work hard all year teaching ethical service to the students,” said Gonzalez, who facilitates the Alternative Break programs and holds a master’s degree in theology. “We focus on how to serve the community in a helpful, not harmful way. Egos aside, we are not saviors. We have a calling and a duty to serve these communities.”

Students are carefully interviewed before they can be admitted to these programs. They must write a mission statement about social justice and how they can advocate for justice work when they return home.

Experiential Learning Around the Globe

Alvernia also offers a wealth of study abroad programs, many initiated by interested, influential and connected faculty members.

Experiential learning around the Globe

Scenes from the Franciscan Pilgrimage Program in Assisi, Italy

Dr. Di You, a professor of psychology and chair of the department, worked with a former Alvernia president who negotiated with several other local college presidents to explore opportunities for student-study in China, her country of origin. “We started in 2014 and sponsored four or five trips. We traveled to China to immerse our students in the Chinese college experience. Some of our business school faculty who were giving lectures accompanied us. We spent five days at the university and five days building excursions to engage in the culture. Our students remarked that the experience gave them a totally different picture than what is portrayed in the mainstream news.”

Dr. Robin Zappin, an assistant professor of physical therapy at Alvernia since 2013, said she has always been interested in real-world learning experiences. In 2018 she connected at an annual conference with another physical therapy professor from Bellarmine University in Kentucky. In 2019 Zappin went to Belize in Central America to see the work her peer had started and in 2020 hosted Alvernia’s first 10-day trip to Belize.

Physical therapy and occupational therapy students and a speech pathologist from Misericordia University traveled to Belize to work with five community partners in healthcare, education and rehabilitation services. According to Zappin, “Our students got hands-on practice working with pediatric, geriatric individuals in out-patient clinics and many other rehab facilities. It was very well-received and a tremendous learning experience for our students to see the healthcare situation outside the U.S.

There are only five physical therapists in all of Belize and no occupational therapists. It was also life-changing for the patients. One man had a stroke a year previously and had never gotten out of his wheelchair until we worked with him.”

Alvernia physical therapy graduate Acacia Rightmyer ’21 was moved by her experience in Belize.

“During the preparation for our service-learning experience to Belize, our class was told repeatedly how high the need for physical therapy was and how underserved the community of Belize was,” said Rightmyer. “I never doubted any of those statements, but it wasn’t until I was there witnessing what I saw that I truly understood what it meant to be an ‘underserved community.’ I was overwhelmed with gratitude and appreciation that I was so lucky to have been given this opportunity. I hope that everyone gets to experience something as life changing as this Belize trip was for me.”

Dr. Tracy Scheirer is an associate professor of nursing at Alvernia and pre-license BSN nursing program director. In addition to being a registered nurse and certified nurse educator, she holds an advanced certificate in cultural competency for the City of New York. Scheirer said, “I was approached by a former Alvernia president who said that nursing had to be included to make this project a success. The study abroad program includes a two-week program in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. Working with Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT, eight students collectively use resources to study transcultural nursing applied to science. The required

Experiential learning around the Globe

Students, faculty and staff participate in the Chinese immersion trip led by Dr. Di You.

course is taught on campus in the junior year but thanks to real world learning grants and other fundraising, students can substitute this study abroad option.”

She led five trips, the last in 2022, after a break of a few years.

Looking Forward

These programs, as well as almost everything that had been planned during most of 2020 and 2021, were on hold or operating minimally throughout the worst part of the pandemic. During that time, faculty and staff have worked behind the scenes with many inspiring programs planned for 2023 and beyond.

Zappin envisions a trip to Poland to collaborate and service the refugee population. Scheirer is proposing a clinical component to a health course at a site in the Dominican Republic. Caporizo hopes to build in more alternative break projects to examine civil rights and racism in Alabama and throughout the South, as well as revisiting the idea of the El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage, opening it up to Alvernia alumni along with current students and faculty.

There will be a lot more to look forward to for Stephanie Gonzalez in the coming year. “I am so looking forward to the El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. It is so moving and meaningful. We will be going the French route, walking the last 100 kilometers. The remains of Saint James are supposed to be buried there. So much history and faith.”

A perfect place to reacquaint with the Alvernia mission and go forward incorporating service into a meaningful life.

Experiential learning around the Globe

Physical Therapy students working with patients at the Mercy Clinic in Belize.

Scan the QR code below to watch a recap of the summer 2022 Transcultur al Nursing Trip in Dingle, Ireland.

Taking flight

By Claire Curry

Evelyne Tinkl, MBA ’18, can’t recall a time when she wasn’t interested in aviation. When her grandmother took her on walks as a little girl, she would look up at the sky, captivated by the sight of an airplane passing overhead.

“There’s just been one thing I knew I was going to do,” the Austrian native said. “You hear that a lot among pilots. There are very few accidental pilots.”

Tinkl’s father was a diplomat, so she experienced a fair share of air travel in her youth.

“When we were living in [West] Africa, we were flying over from Geneva or Zurich into the Ivory Coast and I remember sitting by the window and looking out at the Sahara Desert,” she said. “It was hours and hours of nothing but sand. It absolutely blew my mind. And it still does now.”

Tinkl attended school in West Africa. She spoke German at home and French in school, where she also learned English. For a high school graduation gift, her parents surprised her with a Glider Rating Certificate, which allowed her to fly glider planes solo and spend four weeks learning about aviation.

“It was a test to see if I was really serious about flying,” she said. “Not only did I like it, I loved it more than I even thought I would.”

Training for a career in aviation is expensive, so Tinkl began doing odd jobs, giving French lessons and working at the Vienna International Fair. It was there that she filled out a sweepstakes raffle to win a car — and won.

“The universe gave me a big break,” said Tinkl, adding that she sold the car to pay for flight training in the United States. She eventually became a flight instructor and a trained aircraft mechanic and continued earning the many certifications necessary to become a pilot.

Early in her career, Tinkl worked for a few smaller commuter airlines, then set her sights on landing a post with a major airline. She was already a captain, had a pilot’s certificate and had logged the requisite flying time. However, she needed a college degree. So, she took classes in Virginia, where she was living and working at the time, and ultimately graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

Tinkl also joined Women in Aviation International and applied for a scholarship to complete the training for an Airbus Type Rating Certificate. The universe gave her another big break when she won — the scholarship was worth around $30,000. At the awards ceremony, the speaker who introduced her noted that she had accrued 10,000 hours of flying time by then, an impressive number that caught the attention of a table of United Airlines representatives sitting near the stage.

“That was in March, I interviewed with United in June, and I was hired in August,” Tinkl said. “That was 1998 and I’ve been with United ever since,” except for a short stint at JetBlue when she was furloughed after 9/11.

In 2016, Tinkl decided to continue her education in business and economics. She chose the MBA program at Alvernia because it is accredited and because she could complete it online around her work schedule.

“It turned out to be a lovely experience,” said Tinkl, who lives four miles away from the university in Mohnton.

Late last year, Tinkl hit 25,000 hours of flying time. In her 35-year career, she has flown planes of all shapes and sizes, from gliders to big fleet aircraft. She has circumnavigated the globe and saw the sun rise over the Amazon and the North Pole. She’s also seen the Northern Lights from above.

“The Aurora at altitude is just stunning,” she said. “They’re beautiful on the ground, but in the air, it’s just breathtaking.”

Seeing the world is, of course, one of the greatest perks of her job and Tinkl has taken full advantage of it. One of the most memorable places she visited is the Jing’ An temple in Shanghai with its sunlit glass buildings, courtyard bells and wafting aroma of incense.

“Every time I’m someplace, I try to do something I haven’t done before,” she said. “I’ve had lots of little adventures.”

When Tinkl entered her field, only about 3% of all commercial pilots were women. Though that figure has increased, it remains low at 6%. “It’s been really slow going,” she said. “I think a lot of it has to do with just a lack of support and opportunity for girls.”

Understanding firsthand how such support can make an aviation career possible, Tinkl and a colleague founded the Keep Flying Scholarship for Women in Aviation after 9/11. To date, it’s awarded more than $100,000 to intermediate-level aspiring pilots.

Tinkl said the scholarship, for which she serves as CEO and COO, is one of her proudest accomplishments.

“You give someone an opportunity, you give them some support and you give them a reason to believe in their capabilities,” she said. “We can back them up and empower them.”

“You give someone an opportunity, you give them some support and you give them a reason to believe in their capabilities.”

— Evelyne Tinkl

Taking flight

Finding theright fit

By Leslie Feldman

Scan the QR code above to hear more about Driss’ Alvernia experience.

In 2009, Driss Ouhdou left his homeland for Philadelphia. Thirteen years later, he is a college graduate with high hopes and aspirations. In May, he received his bachelor’s degree from Alvernia’s Philadelphia campus, with a major in criminal justice and a minor in addictions and mental health treatment.

Not only has Ouhdou attended school, he has worked as a program director for a nonprofit organization that supports autistic youth. “As an immigrant, I have to work to support my

family back in Morocco as well as my wife and myself here in Philadelphia,” he explained.

Ouhdou did attend college in Morocco, but he had to drop out due to the expenses. “The college was in a different city, so I had to rent an apartment and my family was paying for it, but it became too expensive, so I had to put everything on hold and drop out of college in my second year and start working as a professional painter to support the family.”

“I chose Alvernia because it was close to my house and I heard a lot of good things about the institution from my wife’s family members,” he added. “Also, when I visited the university and met with Tracey Marino, the former director of Alvernia’s Philadelphia campus, she spoke highly about the university, and it made me want to start school the following day.”

Marino, who retired this year, noted, “Driss has always been highly motivated and hardworking, maintaining a positive attitude while working toward his educational achievements.

Finding the right fit

He always enters the campus with a big smile on his face and is well-liked by all.”

She explained further that Alvernia University’s Philadelphia campus programs are geared for adult learners. “Adult learners have very demanding schedules with work, family life and so many other day-to-day details that make going to school very difficult. Taking a combination of evening and day courses over several years, Driss, while working full time and looking after his family in Morocco, has still found the time to keep his degree goals a reality. I am glad for the opportunity to be part of his journey.”

— Driss Ouhdou

The university has helped Driss meet people who have shown him love and support throughout his entire college experience. “Both the teachers and the students were phenomenal. I am especially appreciative of Tracey, who was the best advisor that anybody could ask for, and I had some great teachers.”

He plans to continue at Alvernia and obtain a master’s degree. He also hopes to be a role model for other students, especially those from outside of the country. “I would like for them to look at where I came from, and yet I was able to attend college even while working. It might take time, but there is a big reward in the end, and this reward will stay with you for the rest of your life. I do appreciate Alvernia giving me a chance to be a part of their journey.”

Driss visits former Philadelphia Campus Director and mentor Tracey Marino.

“Both the teachers and the students were phenomenal. I am especially appreciative of Tracey, who was the best advisor that anybody could ask for, and I had some great teachers.”

Building an international community

By Elizabeth Hanson

Scan the QR code above to read more about Hajear’s Alvernia experience.

Hajear Alshaheen was not your typical first-year student when she matriculated into Alvernia’s nursing program in 2020. At the age of 28 and equipped with a registered nursing degree from Kuwait and five years’ experience working in healthcare in her country, Alshaheen ventured from her home of Al Khobar on the Arabian Gulf to study in the United States.

Alshaheen explained, “I wanted to pursue a higher nursing degree and the United States was the best place for that.” Her original plan was to study at the University of South Florida because that was one of the American schools partnering with Saudi students in her area, but it wasn’t for her. “I realized that at a big university, I couldn’t get focused individual attention and that is really what I needed.”

After carefully researching nursing programs and immersing herself in the uncharted process, she found Alvernia. A conversation with Director of International Recruitment Sibel Ahi sealed the deal.

According to Ahi, a native of Turkey who has been at Alvernia for three years, “Hajear asked a lot of questions about the nursing program and seemed impressed with the reputation of the program and the personal attention she would receive. She is very thorough and dedicated to whatever she does. We talked for a long time and when she found out that I was from Turkey, she said that she and her family visited Turkey all the time and that she was definitely coming to Alvernia.”

Alshaheen has successfully completed one and a half years of the four-year nursing program. “I had to learn to study again. I have more commitment this time because, at Alvernia, I am learning the reason for many of the procedures I was doing at home without knowing why.”

Nursing Department Chair Deborah Greenawald, Alshaheen’s advisor, describes her as “highly motivated with an excellent command of the English language and good time management skills who fully engages in all aspects of the program.” Said Greenawald, “The nursing program has more required courses than most majors and it is very challenging for many students to translate the cognitive pieces as well as transition to the culture, coming from halfway around the world. Hajear has also taken on the role of being an advocate for newer international students, paving the way because she knows what it is like.” Alshaheen is now working in the Office of Recruitment to help guide future students. Said Ahi, “She is dependable, and I can trust her with confidential matters. Visa

Alshaheen practices her craft in the Nursing Simulation Lab.

processing, etc. Coming from a closed culture, she is extremely open-minded.”

Additionally, this busy young leader has thrown herself into introducing her culture to the Alvernia community and gaining a knowledge of other cultures in return.

According to Ahi, “Hajear is the first one to get onboard at any event where she can engage or help the community. You can see her at the Sept. 11 prayers, Martin Luther King service day, community garden cleanup and pumpkin harvest, Holleran’s Earth Day of Service, Saint Francis Day of Service, orientation engagement or the Reading Community Ramadan celebration event.”

Alshaheen enjoys crocheting in her free time and has also made a difference crafting caps and donating them to the NICUs for newborns in area hospitals. She has also started a chapter of the Saudi Student Association at Alvernia. “I found people who helped me and I want to be that ‘older sister’ to help them because they are thinking in the same way I did and need the answers.”

She is planning to stay in the states to get graduate degrees in nursing. She also wants to create a positive change for nurses in her country. “Technology here is so totally different than what we have at home, and I want to bring that and effect positive changes. Nursing is a less appreciated job in Saudi. I want our nurses to feel valued and boost their confidence. Nursing to me is happiness … work that is coming from your heart.”

Building an International community

BUILDING BELONGING

By Lini S. Kadaba

Title Here No more than

One of Dr. Darryl C. Mace’s top priorities as Alvernia University’s inaugural vice president for mission, diversity and inclusion is to ensure that students, faculty and staff feel comfortable and supported on campus.

“Alvernia wants to build a vision,” said Mace, 46, former chair of the history and political science department at Cabrini University. “How do you have a diverse student body, a diverse university community that all feel a sense of belonging? That piece is essential.”

It’s a goal that resonates with him.

Soon after Mace joined Cabrini as an instructor, a racial incident occurred at the residence halls that made him feel unsafe at the Radnor, PA, campus. In a meeting with administrators, he says he was asked what they should do.

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“Since 2005,” he said, “I’ve been helping people in higher education understand what they should do.”

Over 16 years, Mace helped Cabrini devise its first inclusivity strategic plan and develop a bias response team, a diversity task force and an inclusivity council, where he was co-chair for three years. He also led efforts to create a Black studies major, revamp American studies and bolster women’s studies. In March 2022, Mace was awarded the school’s Compass Award for promoting and defending dignity for all.

In his few months at Alvernia, he has assessed the campus climate through conversations and surveys, launched a biasreporting system, established resource groups for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ employees and safe space lounges for student affinity groups and allies, and orchestrated professional development exercises for residence life, admissions, athletics and the board of trustees.

Mace also has partnered with Cabrini to bring diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs to the community, including a virtual talk remembering civil rights activist Gloria Richardson and an artist-in-residence event featuring Halim Flowers. Meanwhile, he is staffing a justice, equity and inclusion office to provide resources and training programs.

Looking ahead, Mace says his priorities include employee professional development with intensive, small-group training and immersive community engagement; a student accessible dashboard that tracks Alvernia’s DEI efforts; and community partnerships that support prayer groups and combat homelessness and domestic violence.

“There’s so much passion across this campus for this work,”

he said of DEI. “But it really requires someone to coordinate it all.”

While Mace may not have planned on being that person, his passion and expertise has led him here.

He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1999 with a double major in history and speech communications and later pursued a history doctorate at Temple University, defending in 2007. His 2014 book “In Remembrance of Emmett Till: Regional Stories and Media Responses to the Black Freedom Struggle” was based on his thesis that analyzed press coverage of the trial of Till’s murderers. In 2021, his third book, “Rosa Parks: A Life in American History,” came out.

Courtney Smith, chair of Cabrini’s history and political

science department, says Mace’s ideas continue to impact the university. Starting in the fall, Cabrini will require its students to take a history of racism and anti-racism course and other DEI course credits.

“That was something he championed,” says Smith, also assistant dean of the core curriculum. “You can see his legacy here in how we operate.”

Joseph R. Fitzgerald, a Cabrini associate professor of history and political science and long-time friend, describes Mace as “a strategic thinker” on DEI. “He always has the 30,000-foot view,” he says. That meant Mace strove to imbed DEI in every facet of the Cabrini student experience, “where they sleep, where they eat, where they go to class, gather to socialize, play sports. He was here to change the culture. And he did.”At Alvernia, Mace holds similar goals, noting the university already is well positioned to embrace its “mission-focused inclusive excellence.” Take student reaction to George Floyd’s death.

“Across the nation, students were calling institutions out,” he said. “At Alvernia, students called the administration in.” In a meeting with the dean of students, a group asked for help in formulating a meaningful response.

“That’s exactly the reaction we want,” Mace added. “If that’s the dynamic, then Alvernia is a place to belong, because you have someplace to go.”

“How do you have a diverse student body, a diverse University community that all feel a sense of belonging? That piece is essential.”

— Darryl Mace

Holleran Center News

Service-learning classes take first place in Gift of Life challenge

Students in Dr. Jodi Radosh’s public relations and two sections event planning service-learning classes won first place out of 18 colleges that participated in The Gift of Life Donor Program’s 2022 Students Save Lives College Challenge. Students partnered with Gift of Life to take part in the competition to create awareness about organ donation. The classes used various forms of media to create their awardwinning content, which included developing a social media campaign and a news release published by WFMZ-TV and BCTV. The students also worked together to create their own logo and video for the competition. In addition to the content they created, they organized and held organ donation awareness events.

The events included a Wild West-themed event titled “It’s Not Wild to Be an Organ Donor” with a mechanical bull, games and food. They also distributed blue and green ribbons to the campus community on Blue and Green Organ Donation Day and provided information at tables located at the Starbucks at the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne, Alvernia’s dining hall and the Shillington Farmers Market. The classes encouraged over 400 people to register as organ, tissue and cornea donors. According to The Gift of Life Donor Program, this equates to the possibility of over 3,000 organ donations and over 30,000 tissue donations.

Alvernia EcoHouse partners with Coexist Build on hemp-based structure

With funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and in partnership with the Holleran Center’s EcoHouse and the Rodale Institute, Coexist Build unveiled “The Traveler,” a hemp-based regenerative building material structure that now serves as a produce stand for the university’s Bog Turtle Creek Farm.

Alvernia environmental science students Ethan LaVerdure and Alex Kabrich will work with Coexist Build to conduct a lifecycle assessment of industrial hemp by collecting data to

help quantify the effectiveness of hemp as a building material in a structure’s performance, energy efficiency and indoor air quality over the next two years. The assessment is made possible by a two-year, $70,000 Specialty Crop Block Grant awarded in 2021. They will also participate in the hemp growing cycle with The Rodale Institute and facilitate educational programs around hemp as a viable building material. They will report on the building’s performance in 2023.

Books for Bikes

With the support of Customers Bank, the Holleran Center distributed 59 bicycles and helmets to students in the center’s Reading Youth Initiative Summer School program as a reward for their dedication to summer literacy and education programming. The Holleran Center partnered with the Reading Science Center, Yocum Institute, Reading Public Library and Alvernia Environmental students for activities over the course of the program. In addition to the bicycles and helmets that were distributed at Millmont and Tyson-Schoener elementary schools, each student received 10 books to build their home library. Students with 80% attendance in Summer School and the accompanying daily literacy activities also earned the rewards courtesy of Customers Bank.

Reading School District students receive books for completing their summer reading program.

O’Pake Institute News

Financial Lending & Innovation

Collaborative receives $100,000 to expand program

The Berks County Commissioners allocated $100,000 of county funds to support the Financial Lending & Innovation Collaborative (FLIC) spearheaded by The O’Pake Institute. This funding is part of the county’s implementation of the first year of the IMAGINE Berks economic development plan. One of the key action items for the first year of the plan was to create a high-risk micro-lending fund.

FLIC assists The O’Pake Institute in helping community entrepreneurs and small businesses by providing access to funding during the early stages of the business. These funds are provided by participating financial institutions, foundations, philanthropic donors and community organizations to assist early-stage entrepreneurs in obtaining funds. The FLIC had initially planned to award three to five project grants each quarter in a value of up to $5,000. With the additional funding from the county, the program will be able to greatly increase that volume.

Three Reading-based businesses and clients at the incubator — Abnormel Apparel; Turner Coaching, Training and Consulting LLC; and Pagoda Apparel — received the first seed of funding at the FLIC’s launch on June 2, 2022.

O’Pake launches technology transfer office, secures first patent

The O’Pake Institute’s technology transfer office (TTO) officially launched, and the first patent was secured for Spark business incubator client Curtis Jaques of TriiiLax. TriiiLax is a premier lacrosse training company dedicated to breaking socioeconomic barriers and making lacrosse an accessible game for all.

The company developed a portable lacrosse training tool to increase safety and functionality. It consists of three targets that represent the fundamental areas that players would shoot at during a real game of lacrosse and allows them to enhance

their skills at any experience level. O’Pake is seeking a synergistic partner to license and market the product.

The TTO assists companies and entrepreneurs in intellectual property (IP) training, feasibility analyses, management, valuation and commercialization. O’Pake works with clients to ensure that they are making the proper advancements regarding patents, trademarks or copyright and helps with the process of prototyping and product development where applicable.

Graduate fellow launches body-positive fashion show

On April 1, 2022, Katie Hestor, graduate assistant of startup ventures and O’Pake investments, directed a body positivity fashion show at this year’s debut First Friday Downtown Block Party. She recruited over 25 local participants who walked across the main stage to an upbeat playlist in an outfit of their choice. Hestor’s goal was for the show to shed light on the societal standards of beauty and to push participants out of their comfort zone while fostering self-acceptance and self-love.

This event was paired with a clothing drive that benefited New Journey Community Outreach and Reading High School. More than 450 quality clothing items were donated. A special thanks goes to the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading for supporting the vision and message.

FLIC delivers its first round of funding to local entrepreneurs.

ALVERNIA NAMES THREE NEW TRUSTEES

The Alvernia University board of trustees appointed Customers Bank Co-Founder Richard A. “Dick” Ehst, Customers Bank Director of Marketing and Communication David W. Patti, and Michael Tobash, former Pennsylvania State Representative and Owner of the Tobash Insurance Agency and Financial Services, as board members.

Ehst currently serves on the Board of Directors of Customers Bank and as an elected board member of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, and is Chairman of the Chamber’s Education Foundation. Patti, a lifelong Berks County resident whose 30-year career in Harrisburg spans the highest levels of government, politics and business leadership, serves as Customers Bank’s advocate and lobbyist in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. Tobash served four terms as a Pennsylvania State Representative from 2010-2020 and has been in the insurance business for over 34 years as the owner of Tobash Agencies in Cressonia.

WOMEN’S COUNCIL HONORS FUNK

Alvernia University recognized Andi Funk as the 2022 Bernardine Legacy Award Recipient at the 4th Annual Alvernia Women’s Council Luncheon on June 1, 2022, for her role as executive vice president and chief financial officer of EnerSys (NYSE: ENS), her previous role with a leading copper manufacturer, and her commitment to empowering and advocating for women.

The Bernardine Legacy Award honors outstanding Alvernia University alumnae and friends who have distinguished themselves in their professional careers while also serving as a leader and role model to women. Funk frequently speaks at local universities and community organizations and is an advocate of young women pursuing careers in STEM fields. At EnerSys, she jointly initiated the Women in Leadership (WiL) initiative, supporting the leadership and growth of women and shaping a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Alvernia celebrates Class of 2022 with on-campus ceremony

The university celebrated with 450 students from the Class of 2022 (who graduated in Au gust 2021, December 2021 or May 2022) with two commencement ceremonies at the Physical Education Center on Alvernia’s main cam pus on May 14, 2022. The College of Health Sciences and the College of Science, Technol ogy, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics were celebrated at 9:30 a.m. The College of Busi ness, Communication and Leadership and the College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences were celebrated at 2:30 p.m.

Graduates earned associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees as the university celebrated a split commencement for the first time in recognition of the new four-college structure. Rebekah Machamer ’22 was the student speaker at the morning ceremony and Shontae Campbell ’22 was the student speaker at the afternoon ceremony.

“We are the next generation of innovative, smart, capable adults, and we can do anything,”

said Machamer. “I don’t just want to stand up here and bore you with my life story; I want you to understand that you are incredible, you can make a difference. You are going to save someone’s life one day, you are going to help that patient walk again, you are going to become a marketing manager and run your own corpora tion, and you are going to be on the front cover of a magazine for being the best journalist.”

Pennsylvania State Sen. Judy Schwank and local entrepreneur and Alvernia trustee Barry Schlouch were presented with honorary degrees during the ceremony. Schwank also provided remarks for both ceremonies.

“Each of you has the power to transform the world,” said Schwank. “You have it in your hearts. You have it in your mind. You hold it in your hands. Go out and be that agent of transformational change. Please, our community needs you, our Commonwealth needs you, our nation, indeed, our world needs each and every one of you to do her and his part.”

Scan the QR code below to watch the Class of 2022 share their favorite Alvernia memories.

FirstEnergy Foundation Awards $250,000 Grant to Alvernia University for Engineering Lab at new Downtown Reading Campus

The FirstEnergy Foundation donated $250,000 to Alvernia University to help fund its new engi neering program at Reading CollegeTowne.

Through the grant, the FirstEnergy Founda tion will become a founding member of the Alvernia University Engineering Program, which offers tracks in electrical, mechanical and industrial engineering. The grant will also help equip the new FirstEnergy Foundation Engi neering Lab for students to design, develop and test electric motors, communication systems and power generation machinery.

“We’re proud to join other community partners in supporting this transformational

$20 million initiative that will allow 1,000 students to live and learn downtown,” said Lorna Wisham, president of the FirstEnergy Foundation. “In addition to bringing more than 300 permanent jobs and resources downtown, Reading CollegeTowne will create a perpetual pipeline of college graduates with STEMrelated skills to help meet the workforce needs of area businesses.”

Alvernia University received the first install ment of $125,000 of the FirstEnergy Founda tion grant, with the second $125,000 install ment to be allocated later in 2022.

ON

ALVERNIA EARNS PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD FOR SECOND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Alvernia University has been recognized as the Berks County college or university in the 2022 People’s Choice Who’s Who in Business listing for the second consecutive year. The People’s Choice is an annual scientific survey that reaches out to thousands of residents to ask about their experiences and uses that information to determine which businesses and organizations have fostered positive consumer relationships over the years by providing valuable services and a commitment to quality.

For 2022, the People’s Choice Who’s Who in Business survey was conducted by the Harrisburg-based FieldGoals.US, a Certified Woman Business Enterprise providing superior qualitative and quantitative research services for a wide variety of businesses and entities in central Pennsylvania and throughout the United States.

ALVERNIA HOSTS LARGESTEVER ADMISSIONS EVENT

Alvernia University hosted the largest admissions event in its 63-year history, welcoming over 325 prospective students interested in undergraduate, graduate and accelerated bachelor’s degree programs to its inaugural Packapalooza event.

Graduating student athletes say farewell

During the 2021-22 academic year, Marisa Lombardo and Logan McGinley from the Alvernia University Athletics Department produced a video series, “Dear…”. In this series, graduating student-athletes write a let ter to their sport and share what their sports has meant to them throughout their life. Check out the full series via the QR code.

Packapalooza was designed to be a fully customizable open experience where prospective students could choose the tours, seminars and workshops that fit their interests and needs as well as learn about all the resources and support available to them at Alvernia. The event also included private meetings with faculty members, FAFSA assistance, food trucks and a coffee with the president at the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne.

ALVERNIA EARNS CARNEGIE DOCTORAL UNIVERSITY DESIGNATION

Alvernia University earned the Professional/Doctoral University designation by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, reflecting the university’s strategic direction and continued progression toward becoming a regional comprehensive university. The upgraded status resulted from an increase in the number of professional graduate program offerings, graduates and the university’s commitment to research.

Alvernia currently offers a doctoral research program in leadership, and professional practice doctoral programs in physical therapy and nursing.

Alvernia is the only institution in the region to earn the Professional/Doctoral classification. It previously earned the Carnegie Foundation’s Community Engagement Classification in 2015 for its strong commitment to community service. The upgraded classification will allow the university to apply for new grants to fund academic research, academic programming and professional development.

NEWMAN CIVIC FELLOW SUPPORTS THOSE IN NEED

Graduate student Sol “Max” Horn ’21 MBA ’23 earned national recognition for his local service endeavors by being named a 2022 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact. Horn is the founder of Holiday Hugs, an annual initiative that brings joy to children in need during the holiday season. For the past seven years, he has organized a largescale toy donation drive and partnered with children’s hospitals, children’s homes and recreational centers.

Horn, who graduated from Alvernia in 2021 with bachelor’s degrees in communication, marketing and sport management, returned to Alvernia for the 2021-22 year as a graduate assistant in the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship while pursuing an MBA.

Alvernia hosts Education Dinner

Alvernia University hosted “Innovation in Ed ucation through Collaboration between School Districts & University Education Programs,” to foster collaborative conversation among the PK-12 grade school district education leaders and Alvernia education faculty and share innovative approaches to reshaping the PK-12 environment into student-centered schools.

Cumberland Valley School District Super intendent Dr. David Christopher delivered a keynote address where he presented a high-level overview of The American Association of School Administrators’ Learning 2025 Framework. He also explored how strategic planning around expected outcomes for graduates can be used to

help school districts create needed changes within their educational environments.

Other speakers included Wilson School District Interim Superintendent Dr. Christopher Trickett, and Conrad Weiser School District instructional coach and AP/Dual Enrollment English teacher Christina Ruoss, an Alvernia Uni versity Ph.D. candidate. The attendees also heard from President John R. Loyack; Vice President for Mission, Diversity and Inclusion Dr. Darryl Mace; and Senior Vice President and Provost Dr. Glynis Fitzgerald. Dr. Elena Lawrick, associate professor of education and Education Depart ment chair, provided an overview of Alvernia’s education programs.

Alvernia installs Bloomberg Terminal at Downtown Reading campus

Alvernia instituted the Bloomberg Terminal at the university’s downtown campus. The Bloom berg Terminal is a service used by leading business and financial professionals worldwide that provides real-time and historical data, marketmoving news and analytics to help leading busi ness and financial professionals worldwide make better-informed investment decisions. It also features electronic trading for every asset class,

research and a global network to communicate securely and reliably.

The university’s subscription to the Bloomberg Terminal serves as a resource for students and professors. It enables students to become familiar with tools used in financial services, reinforcing classroom theory, while professors can use it to further their own research.

Scan the QR code for a closer look at the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne.

County of Berks provides $1 million in ARPA funds for Alvernia nursing program expansion

Alvernia received $1 million from the County of Berks to assist in the $6.4 million expansion of the university’s nursing program. The awarded funds are part of the appropriations from the American Rescue Plan Act. The project is one of 49 projects in Berks County that received a total of nearly $18.1 million in funding.

The expansion will address the need for RNs in the local healthcare industry by relocating, expanding and modernizing Alvernia’s School of Nursing. The proposed clinical space improve

ments include health assessment and patient room labs, and human patient simulators. Relo cating the nursing programs to the new John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne, Alvernia will also expand the nursing program capacity by 42%. By year five of project completion, the nurs ing programs will support 475 students with 120 graduates annually. The university conservatively estimates this project will result in 188 new RNs entering the region in various healthcare settings.

ON CAMPUS

COLLEGES OF DISTINCTION

Alvernia University earned three national endorsements as a College of Distinction for the third consecutive year for its Franciscan Catholic values and studentforward, comprehensive educational approach. Alvernia was listed among the 2022-23 Colleges of Distinction (COD) and Pennsylvania Colleges of Distinction, an online resource that helps students and their parents navigate the overwhelming process of selecting not just the “best” college but the right one.

Alvernia is the only institution in the region to earn the Professional/Doctoral University designation by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education due to the number of professional graduate program offerings and graduates, and the university’s commitment to research. In addition, as one of only 24 Franciscan Catholic institutions in the country, Alvernia was named a Catholic College of Distinction. Alvernia embodies Catholic and liberal arts traditions as a rigorous, caring and inclusive learning community.

COLLEGETOWNE BEGINS IN CITY OF POTTSVILLE

Alvernia finalized the purchase of the 30,000-square-foot building at 500 Progress Avenue in downtown Pottsville. The latest addition to the Alvernia campus footprint will undergo a $6 million renovation project to become the centerpiece of Pottsville CollegeTowne.

Alvernia names inaugural deans

Alvernia University named Travis Berger, Ph.D. (College of Business, Communication and Leadership), Elizabeth Matteo, Ph.D. (College of Humanities, Education and Social Sci ences), Patricia Reger, Ph.D. (College of Health Sciences) and Rodney S. Ridley Sr., RTTP (College of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) as the inaugural deans to lead the academic affairs for the university’s new four-college structure. Berger, Matteo and Ridley began their posts immediately.

In June, Reger joined the university when Alvernia trustee emeritus and healthcare pioneer Thomas E. Beeman, Ph.D. stepped down from his post as the interim dean of the College of Health Sciences. In addition, the university announced that Mary Ellen Wells, JD, LLM who has been championing faculty and student research through the O’Pake Institute, will expand her role to become executive director of Academic Services, Research and Scholarship.

The site will be the home of new and expanded academic programming, retail space and the O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship’s SPARK Business Incubator. Alvernia was able to finalize the purchase of the building after receiving a $3 million grant from the Pennsylvania RACP grant in December 2021 and $2 million in federal funding from the bipartisan appropriation package in March 2022. Inside the new property, the total academic space spans 17,000 square feet and will be transformed into a high-quality and high-tech academic community-based space.

Photo courtesy of the County of Berks

Periscope

Jamie Becker, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biology

Dr. Jamie Becker was recently awarded one of Alvernia’s prestigious Neag Junior Faculty Profes sorships for excellence in teaching and scholar ship along with a Faculty Excellence Grant for his re search. Becker was invited to speak in London at The Royal Society’s Theo Mur phy meeting on “Marine Microbes in a Changing Climate” in October where he will chair a breakout session on using genom ics to understand links between organisms and large-scale biogeochemi cal cycles in the marine environment. During the summer, he traveled with an Alvernia environmental science undergraduate, Alex Kabrich, to the Peru vian Amazon in search of environmental DNA and guested on two episodes of the “Science Behind Science” podcast.

Adjunct Professor of Communications

Lee Bukowski published her debut novel “A Week of Warm Weather,” which explores the effect addic tion can have on a family from the perspective of character Tessa Cordelia. It is available for purchase on Amazon, Bookshop.org, barnesandnoble.com, and anywhere books are sold.

Jamie Caporizo Senior Director of Mission and Ministry

Glynis Fitzgerald, Ph.D. Senior Vice President and Provost Kristopher Nolt Director of Marketing and Communications

Jamie Caporizo, Dr. Glynis Fitzgerald and Kristopher Nolt presented “What is Ours to Do: Voca tional Leadership and Learning Through Pilgrimage” at the 2022 NetVUE Conference in Dallas, TX. The presentation showcased a unique pilgrimage program to Assisi and Rome and its lasting effects on drawing students, faculty and staff into the Franciscan tradition. It facilitated partici pants’ exploration of the relationship between pilgrimage and experiential learning and its role in holistic student development. Small group discussions were introduced to highlight artifacts brought back from a recent pilgrimage, and video interviews with students, faculty and staff pil grims were shown to engage participants in the ways vocation can touch everyone’s role within the university community.

Michelle Conway Adjunct Professor of Business and Director of Student and Client Services, The O’Pake Institute for Economic Development & Entrepre neurship

Michelle Conway published her debut novel “If You’re in Your Twenties, Read This,” a modern take on young professionalism and self-discovery from her per spective. It includes journal prompts and tools to assist others on their personal and professional journey as a young professional. It is available for purchase on Amazon.

Erin Way, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology

Dr. Erin Way was awarded the Sister Mary Donatilla Faculty Award, which rec ognizes a full-time faculty member who has given long service to the univer sity in teaching, advising, service and support.

Soo Yeon Sun, PT, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

Dr. Soo Yeon Sun was recently awarded one of Alvernia’s prestigious Neag Junior Faculty Professor ships for excellence in teaching and scholarship.

Dr. Sun’s field of expertise is physical therapy. Both of her research projects will investigate the effects of backward gait training using exoskeleton on the synergy patterns and gait function in people with stroke as well as the role of arm swing in gait in young and older adults.

Dr. Ana Ruiz, recently awarded an Alvernia pres tigious Neag Co-Professorship in Teach ing Excellence and Innova tion, was a co-author of a chapter titled “Service learning: An innovative pedagogy for the psychol ogy curriculum” in the “International Handbook of Psychology Learning and Teaching” published by Springer International Handbooks of Education. She also mentored student fellows in the SURF program.

Alvernia’s faculty and staff making a difference

Lee Bukowski

Ana Ruiz, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology

Instructor of Theology

Kevin Godfrey, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Theology Mary Ellen Wells, JD, LLM

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Alvernia’s faculty and staff making a difference

Anthony Driggers, Ed.D. Adjunct Professor of Psy chology and Counseling

Dr. Anthony Driggers was awarded the Adjunct Professor Real World Leaning Faculty Award at the 2022 Honors Convoca tion in recognition of an adjunct professor who demonstrates excellence incorporating real-world learning practices into their teaching and mentorship of students.

In June, Professor Scott Davidson, Dr. Kevin Godfrey and Dr. Mary Ellen Wells traveled to Buda pest, Hungary, to attend the Freedom, Subsidiarity, and the Spirit of Gift conference sponsored by the University of St. Thomas, John A. Ryan Institute, Center for Catholic Studies. The group received a Faculty Excellence Grant for their research and their presentation focused on the principle of subsidiarity, a model for successful relationships reflected in the many documents comprising Catholic social thought. Subsidiarity posits that institutions and societies flour ish when people from every level are engaged in meaningful ways that help them determine a shared future rooted in the common good. The title of their conference paper, “The Evolution of a University Through Community-Building Subsidiarity,” detailed Alvernia’s successful application of the principle of subsidiarity and related community-building activities to four specific initiatives at Alvernia: development of a new strategic plan, revision of the first-year program, reorganization of The O’Pake Institute and restructuring of the academic programs.

Dr. Jayme Ober coauthored and published her article “The Dynamic Use of the Kawa Model: A Scoping Review” to The Open Journal of Occupa tional Therapy.

Dr. Tracy Scheirer and Dr. Victoria Williams received a Faculty Excellence Grant for their research titled “Sick! The Politics of Healthcare in America.”

Mary-Alice Ozechoski, senior vice president for Enrollment Manage ment and Student Affairs participated in a national presentation hosted by Sallie Mae in August. She discussed the strategy behind communicating with prospective students and families about college affordability, student loan myths, financial wellness, communicating the return on investment of Alvernia University and more.

Dr. Mary Ann Durant was named President of Alver nia University’s Upsilon Zeta Chapter of Sigma International Honor Society for Nursing in March 2022. Durant also had a scholarly article published in Nurse Education Today’s January 2022 edition titled “Innovative activities with edible creations to enhance interdisciplinary health profession students’ levels of perceived self-efficacy and cultural competence: An experimental study.”

Dr. Michelle Serapi glia received a Faculty Excellence Grant for her research.

Mary Ann Durant, DNP, MSN, RN, M.Ed. Associate Professor of Nursing & Director, RN-BSN Completion Program

Associate Professor of Business, Executive Director of Academic Services, Research and Scholarship

Jayme Ober, OTD, OTR/L, MSCS, CNMI Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy

Mary-Alice Ozechoski Senior Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs

Michelle Serapiglia, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Biology

Tracy F. Scheirer, Ph.D., MSN, RN, CMSRN, CNE Associate Professor of Nursing Pre-license BSN Nursing Pro gram Director

Victoria Williams, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Political Science, Honors Program Director

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Josh Hayes, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Philosophy

Dr. Josh Hayes received a Faculty Excellence Grant for his research. His semi nal article, “Deconstruct ing Dasein: Heidegger’s Earliest Interpretations of Aristotle’s De Anima,” was selected for inclusion in the international volume Aristoteles y la Fenom enologica del Siglo XX and is now translated into Spanish. In Spring 2022, he was invited by the Boston Area Colloquium in Ancient Philosophy to present the lecture “Inclination and the Place of the Elements in Aristotle’s De Caelo” with a commentary by Dr. Christian Pfeiffer from the University of Toronto to Saint Anselm College. The lecture will be published with Brill Press in the Netherlands. In Fall 2021, he delivered the Albert J. Fitzgibbons Memorial Lecture at Boston College, “Cosmopolitanism and Civil Friendship: A Dialogue be tween Islam and the West,” which will be forthcoming in a manuscript dedicated to the history of cosmopoli tanism in Islam.

James M. O’Donohue, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC, FAFS

Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

Christopher H. Wise, PT, DPT, Ph.D., OCS, FAAOMPT, MTC, ATC

Department of Physical Therapy Chair, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program Director, Professor of Physical Therapy

Dr. James O’Donohue and Dr. Christopher Wise both received Faculty Excellence Grants and published their research

“Measurement of Accessory Motion of the Glenohumeral and Radiocarpal Joints: Intra-Rater Reliability of the Mobil-Aider® Device for Measurement of Linear Translation in the Annals of Physiotherapy Clinics” and “Measurement of Accessory Motion of the Glenohumeral and Radiocarpal Joints: IntraRater and Inter-Rater Reliability of the Mobil-Aider® Device for Measurement of Linear Translation and the Implications for Clinical Practice and Teaching” in the World Journal of Physi cal and Rehabilitation Medicine. This is research regarding a new device that measures linear joint excursion and has the potential to be used in patient examination and in educating students in manual therapy.

O’Donohue and Wise also submitted the following projects for publication and presentation: “The Effect of Lumbopelvic Manipulation on Multifidi Thickness, Range-of-Motion, and Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” submitted for publica tion at the Journal of Manual and Manipulative Theory and for presentation at two American Physical Therapy Association conferences. “Relationship Between Hip and Sacroiliac Joint Motion in the Transverse Plane using Rehabilitation Ultrasound Imaging,” was submitted for presentation at two American Physical Therapy Association conferences.

Jodi Radosh, Ph.D. Professor of Communica tion, Associate Direc tor, Holleran Center for Community & Global Engagement

Dr. Jodi Radosh, recently awarded an Alvernia prestigious Neag CoProfessorship in Teaching Excellence and Innovation, received the Lindback Foundation award and the University-Wide Exem plary Real-World Learning Award at the 2022 Honors Convocation. The Lindback Foundation Award for excellence in teaching is awarded to a full-time ten ured faculty member with at least 10 years of full-time teaching at Alvernia that demonstrated excellent performance in teaching, service and scholarship/ research. The UniversityWide Real World Learn ing Faculty Award is given in recognition of a faculty member who demonstrates excellence in providing real-world experiences for Alvernia students.

Christine Saadi Senior Director of Stu dent Financial Services

Christine Saadi was a pan elist at the National Asso ciation of Student Financial Aid Administrators Confer ence in Austin, TX, in June for the “Pivot! Developing Nimble Processes to Sup port Students” session. She discussed how adapt ing in the face of change is critical to student and institutional success, how to effectively respond and manage change amidst a shrinking workforce, and nimble processes that foster success for students and staff.

Michele Kulp, MFA Adjunct Professor of Art

Michele Kulp, MFA received an award from Graphic Design USA Maga zine for her design of an art opening invitation for The Warehouse Studios. She also recently completed a pro bono job for United Churches of Elizabethtown, where she designed two logos to match their exist ing logo and brand.

Alvernia’s faculty and staff making a difference

Periscope

Faculty SPOTLIGHT

Jess Hamlet, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of English

Janae Sholtz, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Philosophy

In Spring 2022, Dr. Janae Sholtz was bestowed Alvernia University’s inau gural Justice, Equity and Diversity Award and has been awarded Alvernia’s prestigious Neag Senior Professorship, beginning in Fall 2022, for excel lence in teaching and scholarship along with a Faculty Excellence Grant. In the last year, Dr. Sholtz published the chapter “Inside the Matrix: Technofeminism, New Materialism, and Machinic Being” in “Technology, Urban Space, and the Network Community” with Palgrave Macmillan. She also published the article “Desire, Delirium, and Revolutionary Love: De leuzian Feminist Possibili ties” in the Special Issue: Current French Philosophy in Difficult Times of the journal Philosophies. She

was a key presenter at the Colloquium for Social On tologies After Deleuze at the Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sci ences, in Prague, Czech Republic, and a Plenary Speaker for the 5th DGSIC International Conference, Infinite Life: Immanence, Inflection, Indeterminacy, hosted through the De leuze and Guattari Studies India Collective. She also gave the keynote address for international webinar Freedom and Global Responsibility: The Limits of Pure Liberty organized by the Research and Innovation Committee at Lady Keane College in Shillong, India. This fall, Dr. Sholtz has been invited to give keynote presentations at Reykjavik University in Iceland, and NorthWest University in South Africa.

Dr. Jess Hamlet, assistant professor of English, was awarded the University of Alabama’s 2021 Outstanding Dissertation Award at both the English Depart ment level and College of Arts and Sciences level for her doctoral dissertation, “Shakespeare, Race, and Adaptation in Times of Unrest, 1601-1888,” examining equity and inclusion facing 100 other candidates from 30 different programs.

The dissertation, which examines nearly half of Shakespeare’s plays and some of his sonnets, also serves as the foundation of her upcoming book, “Shake speare as Paratext to Power.” It examines how Shakespeare has been and continues to be used as a weapon to create racial and class boundaries that keep poor, uneducated, undereducated and non-White individuals out of spaces controlled by and intended for White people.

The continued use of Shakespeare’s works by White supremacists is why Ham let’s research is so crucial to the conversations today about race and equality. Consequently, Hamlet is committed to teaching her students about race and equity in her classroom through Shakespeare. She explained that the best way for her to teach students about race and equity is by modeling productive dis comfort. Her goal is to show her students that when they get something wrong, it’s okay to acknowledge it, correct it and move forward.

In Hamlet’s eyes, one of the most important things we can teach students is that we can always try to be better and work for a more just, inclusive and equitable society. Hamlet teaches a class on Shakespeare and race, which highlights one of Shakespeare’s most iconic tragedies, “Othello,” among others. According to Hamlet, her students are engaging with the play and doing excellent work. She is excited to continue instructing her Shakespeare courses.

Bongrae Seok, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Philosophy

Danielle Saad, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Communication

Dr. Danielle Saad received a Faculty Excellence Grant for her research.

Cynthia Corbin, LCSW Instructor of Master of Social Work

Alvernia University Magazine 39 Cynthia Corbin received a Faculty Excellence Grant for her research.

Alvernia’s faculty and staff making a difference

Dr. Bongrae Seok received a Faculty Excellence Grant for his research.

Periscope

Pamela G. Unger, PT, CWS

Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

Christopher H. Wise, PT, DPT, Ph.D., OCS, FAAOMPT, MTC, ATC

Department of Physical Therapy Chair, Doctor of Physical Therapy Program Director, Professor of Physical Therapy

Dr. Pamela Unger, Dr. James O’Donohue and Dr. Christopher Wise will present “Development of Clinical Reasoning in the Management of Complex Spinal Conditions through Patient Case Integration” at the APTA Educational Leadership Conference on Oct. 29, 2022.

Alicia Sprow, Ph.D. Coordinator of Master of Arts in Leadership pro gram, Assistant Professor of Leadership

Professor Emerita Dr. Donna Yarri and Dr. Spencer S. Stober co-presented “Frankenstein as a cautionary tale for modern genetic technologies” at the national Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, February 2022.

Saint Bernardine Award Winners

The following adjunct professors earned the Saint Bernardine Faculty Award presented to adjunct professors for excellence in teaching: Amanda Stilianos, Adjunct Professor of Occupational Therapy; Trevor Jackson, Adjunct Professor of Education; Sandra George, Adjunct Professor of Communication; Erich Miller, Adjunct Professor of Science; Courtney Mindzak, Adjunct Professor of Healthcare Science; Rosalynda Michetti, Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice; Don Schalk, Director of MBA Program.

Dr. Alicia Sprow was awarded a Faculty Excellence Grant for her research that focuses on student leadership development through nature-based experien tial learning opportuni ties to help expand the vision of who identifies as a leader. Sprow and psychology major Chey enne Krow attended The Forest Therapy School Certification program in the summer to enhance a student leadership devel opment model that is part of Sprow’s research focus. The 16-week virtual certi fication program takes a restorative approach to hu man interactions and our interactions with nature by incorporating elements of mindfulness, effective communication, team building and experiential learning. Components of this program will be incor porated into the leadership development framework that Sprow is creating.

Dr. Christopher H. Wise published “The Use of Spinal High Velocity Thrust Manipulation and Changes in Serratus Anterior Strength in an Individual with Long Thoracic Nerve Palsy: A Case Report” in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy: Case Studies.

Wise also successfully defended his dissertation entitled, “The Effect of Lumbopelvic Manipula tion on Multifidi Thickness, Range-of-Motion, and Pain: A Randomized Con trolled Trial,” and graduated with his Ph.D. from Nova Southeastern University in February 2022.

Alvernia’s faculty and staff making a difference

James M. O’Donohue, PT, DPT, OCS, ATC, FAFS

Christopher H. Wise, PT, DPT, Ph.D., OCS, FAAOMPT, MTC, ATC Department of Physical Therapy Chair, Doctor of Physical Therapy Pro gram Director, Professor of Physical Therapy

Donna Yarri, Ph.D. Professor Emerita Spencer S. Stober, Ph.D. Professor of Biology

Alumni

Class Notes

Attention Alumni:

• Married?

• New job?

• Addition to the family?

Share your news! Contact us at alumni@alvernia.edu.

1970s

Rosemarie (Panfile) Malanga ’71 and her husband, Ron, recently relocated to Indiana to be closer to family. They have three married children and ten grandchildren, ranging in ages from one year old to 19 years old. They celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in July. .

Susan W. (Wade) Green ’76 won the Distin guished Favorite Award from the Independent Press in the Ro mance category for her debut nov el, “Crystal Lake Inn.” She would like to thank you for your support, online reviews and sharing her social media pages with family and friends.

Raymond Melcher Jr. ’78 has been elected to the Board of Directors of the PA Community Development and Finance Corp, and to the Board of Directors of the Kevin James MacAleese Memori al Foundation. He has also been elected to The Board of Directors of Promise to Perform Industries, Inc., a for-profit manufacturer of industrial cranes, hoists, jibs and other material handling equipment.

Dominic Murgido ’79 published his second book titled, “In a Heartbeat: A Tale of Reflection, Faith, Hope, and Resilience.” It is a memoir that was recently published through Christian Faith Publishing. This mem oir follows the story behind his written reflections in his first book, “Miss Your Forev er,” and includes additional entries from his personal journals.

1980s

Linda (Scheib) Lysakowski, ACFRE ’88 was accepted into graduate school at the University of San Diego, Franciscan School of Theology for a master’s in theological studies.

1990s

Matthew Weiss ’91 was appointed as Chief Financial Officer at Azzur Group.

Roy Adams ’93 (pic tured left) celebrates 21 years at Lakeview Health Systems in April 2022 in the now remote position of Payroll & Benefits Administrator.

Mark Koiro ’93 joined the Solve IT Solutions, LLC team as an Account Executive .

Lori (Reedy) Hagy ’94 BA ’95, was named to Forbes Women’s Top Women Wealth Advisor 2022 Best in State.

Robert Paul ’95 has been named vice president of Hospital-Based Outpa tient Services for Reading Hospital.

Dr. Erin Anderson ’98 M.Ed. ’05 earned his Doctorate in Educa tional Leadership from Neumann University in December 2021. “Alvernia University laid the founda tion for me to become a

continuous learner as I hold both my bachelor’s and master’s from Alvernia.”

Erin (Swartz) Vida ’98 was elected to the Board of Directors for Breast Cancer Support Services of Berks County.

2000s

Wayne Holben ’00 was named the new police chief of West Reading.

Jill (Heffner) Watti ’00 was admitted to the Global Field Program at Miami University in the summer of 2021. As part of Jill’s first Earth Expeditions course, Jill traveled to Baja Mexico, and studied desert and marine landscapes through ecological and social field methods. .

Charles F. Barbera MBA ’01 was named Reading Hospital CEO and president.

Ryan Jacoby MBA ’03 was appointed the new executive VP at Chaney Enterprises.

Dr. Stefanie (Kerns) Schwalm ’03 MBA ’05 and husband Peter welcomed third child Peter Edison Schwalm on June 21, 2022. Their daughter Pei ghton interned in Alvernia’s Marketing and Communication department this past summer.

Douglas Hughes MBA ’04 has been named the president and CEO of Grand View Health.

Chris O’Reilly ’04 MBA ’09 became the executive director of Milestones at Onsite Partners, Inc.

Jessica Heffner MBA ’05 attained her Ed.D from Immaculata University in May 2019.

Alumni

Class Notes

Dr. Rory D. Sellgren ’05 was promoted from adjunct professor to assistant professor of English at Cumberland University (Lebanon, TN). He will teach English Composition and World Literature Courses. Dr. Rory Sellgren ’05 is engaged to Diluvio Marshall (they/them).

Chantay Wallacer ’05 married the love of her life, O’Brian Regisford, on Nov. 12, 2021.

John Rizzo ’06 MBA ’08 was hired as the new superintendent of Williams Valley School District.

Kim Sheffer ’06 was appointed as the lifelong learning program officer for The Berks County Community Foundation.

Anthony Balistrere

M.Ed. ’07 served the Diocese of Allentown for many years, which included roles as assistant director of Development at Holy Name High School, director of Institutional Advancement at Holy Name High School, principal of Berks Catholic High School and deputy superintendent for the Diocese of Allentown. He is thankful for all the great work accomplished and the dedicated people working in Catholic education. He is start ing a new position as director of development at the Reading Hospital Foundation. He is looking forward to continuing to give back and help the local community!

Dr. Christy Haller M.Ed. ’07 has been named superintendent of Exeter Schools.

Matthew Nied ’07 has been promoted to direc tor of Student Services and Engagement at Penn State Scranton.

Janine Surmick ’07 and Andrew DeBonis are new parents to Violet Grace DeBonis, who was born June 16, 2022, at 2:56 am.

Nick Yando ’07 was named the assistant director of Student Engagement & Leadership at Franklin & Marshall College.

Kyle Levengood CPA ’08 was named the 2022 PICPA Young Leader by the Pennsylvania Institute

of Certified Public Accoun tants (PICPA). Levengood serves as the leader of Herbein’s quality control team and is partner-in-charge of the firm’s employee benefit plan audit practice.

Julie Schlappich MSN RN ’09 was named vice president of Perioperative and Procedural Services at Reading Hospital.

2010s

Ryan Lineaweaver ’10 was re-elected to West Reading Borough Council in November and was selected to serve as council president in January.

Patty (Troy) Shoener

MBA ’11 has accepted a position with Penn State College of Medicine as a human resources specialist/recruiter.

Marissa (DeLucia) Haynes ’12 started a new job with Hempfield Township Parks and Recreation and welcomed Daniel Haynes to the family in December.

Jolene (Weeks) Stankiewicz ’12 received her M.Ed. ECE in 2021 from the American College of Education.

Dr. Daniel Kwasniewski MS ’19 received his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2020 from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, CA. He is now starting a tenure track professorship at Fresno City College in the department of Math, Science, and Engineering.

David Sloan ’14 MBA ’16 was promoted to associate head men’s basketball coach at Carnegie Mellon University.

Betty Russo MBA ’15 vice chancellor for Ad vancement at Indiana University Southeast, retired on September 30, 2021. She looks forward to traveling.

Olivia Miller ’18 and Louis Marotta ’16 were married on May 27, 2022.

Christopher Davis ’16 M.Ed. ’17 started a new job as the communications manager of the Sol Price Center for Social Innovation and the Homelessness Policy Research Institute at the University of Southern California. He also started an apparel business, 8222 tees, offering graphic t-shirts. www. shop8222tees.com

Dr. Cesar Avila III ’18 DPT ’20 joined Communi ty Health and Dental Care in Pottstown as a physical therapist.

James Wyatt ’18 was sworn in as a police officer with the Aldan Borough Police Department in August of 2020.

Dr. Emily (Thek) Maas ’18 obtained her doctor ate in Occupational Therapy.

Dr. James Siburt, Ph.D. Ph.D. ’19 is the Assistant Professor of Leadership and the Director of the Masters in Management and Leadership program at Immaculata Univer sity beginning in the Spring of 2022. He most recently was the Assistant Professor of Sociology and Theology at Alvernia University.

Tricia (Evans) Szurgot MBA ’19 was named CEO of Securityplus Federal Credit Union.

Alumni

Class Notes

2020s

Joseph Brown ’20 was elected secretary of the Board for the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board.

Lucy Horn MSOT ’20 is engaged to Benjamin Koons ’19

Dr. Benjamin Watts Ph.D. ’20 was named the direc tor of development for the Yocum Institute.

Matthew Kinahan ’21 was named a police officer with the New York City Police Department on April 13, 2022. He graduated from a rigorous and extensive 6-month training in the NYPD academy. He is now trained as a prestigious law enforcement professional and will protect the lives, rights, property and dignity of all New Yorkers and visitors.

Sarah Rothenberger OTR/L MSOT ’21 is starting a new position as occupational therapist at Temple Health – Temple University Health System.

Jhenny Carpio ’22 welcomed grandson Noah in May 2022 and is engaged to be married on Sept. 10, 2022.

Jacob-Paul Taylor ’22 MBA ’23 recently presented his research at the most prestigious conference in the field of criminology, The Stockholm Criminology Symposium in Stock holm, Sweden, with Dr. Malgotzata Zuber. They presented “Assessing the odds of exclusionary discipline: An exploration of the racial and socio economic disparities in high school discipline.”

In Memoriam

In memory of our deceased alumni who are gone but not forgotten.

1960s

Barbara (Pukavige) York ’63

1970s

Sister Lynn Rochelle Pascoe OSF ’71 Rosemary (Onorata) Holler ’75 Rosemary (Uczen) Primiano ’75

1980s

Rosalie McDonald ’80 Dennis J. Schuster ’81

Elaine (Petrasek) Crigler ’82

Deborah “Debbie” A. Rodger ’82 Carolyn Dibert ’83

Vernon Levengood ’84

Grant A. Gagnon ’86 RuthAnn O’Neill ’87 Linda (Buzalewski) Kolasinski ’88 Wayne C. Gaston ’89

1990s

Karen E. High ’90 David J. Hutton ’93

Constance Lynn Oberholtzer ’93

Geraldine (Debkowski) Ostrowski ’93

Nicholas Krasznavolgyi ’94

Kelly J. Miller ’96

Andrew Karabinus ’97

Matthew Urbanek ’98

Pamela (Clark) Vettleson ’98

Stephanie (Oswald) Koehler ’99

Michael J. Ruth ’99/’00

2000s

Anastasia (Shellong) Amend ’00

Deborah K. (Maxwell) McGuinness ’01

April (Rosenthal) Morris ’01

Jolene (Seiders) Angstadt ’03

Gary J. Hoffmann ’04 M.Ed. ’10

Katie-Marie Bottner ’05

Catherine (Klein) Romig ’07

Joey Wayne Ketring ’08 MBA ’10

2010s

Clarence “Eggy” Tillman ’10

Harold Pritchett ’11

Dr. Brian Petersen Ph.D. ’19

NEWSAlumni

Survey Finds Alumni Happy with Alvernia Experience

By Susan Shelly

University officials reached out to alumni in April 2021 to learn more about how graduates regard their Alvernia experiences and their alma mater overall. The results, according to Dan Hartzman, director of external engage ment, were affirming.

“Overwhelmingly, we found out people were very happy with their experience at Alvernia,” Hartzman said. “The responses tell us most of our graduates credit the university with advancing them spiritually, educationally and personally.”

Many respondents highlighted positive relationships they’d experienced with faculty members and coaches, and nearly 80 percent reported remaining in touch with former classmates. While alumni event participation is not currently as robust as it could be, 74 percent of respondents stated they’d consider attending a regional alumni event, preferably on Alvernia’s Reading campus. Activities they’d like to see added to Homecoming Week end include sporting events; arts, theatre and concert events; and tailgates and pep rallies.

Information obtained through the survey will help staff craft a five-year plan to increase alumni engage ment, explained Thomas Minick, vice president for institutional advancement.

“It’s critical for us to find ways to engage alumni in our student experience,” Minick said. “Everything we do at Alvernia should be about enhancing that experience.”

While financial contributions from alumni are important and valued, hands-on methods of engagement also are vital. They include providing student internships and having alumni connect by speaking in classes, attending college fairs and visiting high schools to spread the word about Alvernia.

“Philanthropic support from alumni is critical to keep ing Alvernia affordable for students and enhancing the student experience,” Minick said. “But we also need our alumni base to give back with their time.”

The survey indicated alumni are willing to participate in those types of activities, Hartzman said. Respondents cited interest in visiting classrooms to discuss career possibilities with first-year students, serving as mentors and inviting students to shadow them in their jobs.

“Our alums are looking to pay it forward,” Hartzman said. The survey, which garnered about 770 responses, was designed to meet five objectives. It sought to determine the current level of alumni engagement, preferred meth ods and frequency of communication from Alvernia, how graduates regard the education they received, how they view themselves in relationship to the university, and how information the survey generated can be used to fuel the development of marketing and communications strategies.

“This information will serve as our guidebook as we work through our five-year plan for alumni engagement,” Hartzman said.

The alumni survey was designed and conducted by Tweed-Weber-Danks, a Reading-based research and strategic planning firm. An executive data summary re leased by the firm indicated that 498 respondents stated they are very proud to be graduates of Alvernia, and that the survey revealed a high net promoter score, which is the gold standard metric for customer satisfaction and loyalty and is obtained by asking one simple question, “How likely is it that you would recommend Alvernia to a friend or colleague?”

“Respondents gave Alvernia a Net Promoter Score of +48, which is an excellent result reflecting a very high level of overall satisfaction,” the data summary stated.

“The high net promoter score is a direct result of the power of our community,” said Minick. “We look forward to continuing to increase this as we expand the univer sity and the offerings to our students, faculty members, alumni and greater community.”

Return of MargaritaVern

MargaritaVern 2022 was a smashing success. Alvernia welcomed over 400 people to the Flynn PLEX for the first time since 2019. Nearly 300 alumni and their guests at tended, spanning graduation years from 1967 through 2022. The People’s DJ, Nick Talarico ’03, kept everyone enter tained with various music, and the eight party-themed food stations were a hit with everyone’s appetites. Four frozen margarita machines were added this year to complement the traditional version. Local brewers Oakbrook and Chatty Monks provided three craft beers for everyone.

NEWSAlumni

Alvernia Alumni sweethearts win contest

Here is their story: “My now-husband Brandon and I met on the first day of classes in 2013. Brandon was starting his senior year and I started my second to last year after trans ferring. Brandon happened to live across the hallway from me in Zygmunta in the resident assistant room. We often crossed paths around campus and in our building. After we got back from winter break, we started hanging out more amongst friends at lunch, Trooper’s, bingo, etc. I wanted to ask him to Winter Formal as friends, so my roommate asked him to come over and ‘kill a bug’ so I could ask him. We had a good time and seemed to hit it off. When recounting the night, he always says ‘we just clicked,’ and knew not to let me get away. The next morning, I got his number from my roommate and thanked him for a great night. He immedi ately came knocking and asked me out on our first date. We continued to talk aimlessly for three hours followed by attending the men’s basketball game. One night after dig ging my car out of the snow and watching Harry Potter, he gave me the sweetest handmade card asking me to be his girlfriend. On January 6, 2018, he took me to Angelica Park, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! A year and a half later, on August 3rd, 2019, we got married with our family and Alvernia friends in attendance.”

The Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement loves hear ing your Alvernia love stories! If you would like to submit or resubmit your story for next year, please send photos and your story to Assistant Director of Young Alumni and Student Engagement, Danielle Marino at danielle.marino@ alvernia.edu.

Alvernia tradition continues virtually

Bingo continues to be a big hit on campus and in the virtual world. To culminate this year’s All In for Alvernia Campaign, the Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement hosted a vir tual bingo for over 100 alumni from around the country.

Prizes from the five games of bingo included bookstore gift cards, hotel and restaurant gift cards, a pool and beach prize package, a hug and a mug prize package, athletics apparel and a grand prize $500 Amazon gift card. The next Virtual Bingo will be held during Homecoming.

Stay tuned for fall and winter receptions

The Alvernia Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement will host regional receptions in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City throughout the fall. There will also be a recep tion for the opening of Alvernia’s Pottsville CollegeTowne campus. Dates and times for these events are to be deter mined. To find out more information, please visit Alvernia. edu/Alumni.

Gina ’15 and Brandon Bateman ’14 named 2022 Alvernia Sweethearts

Columbarium provides beautiful resting place

Thinking about the end of life can be daunting. But it is one of those life experiences we all face. Celebrating the life of a loved one can be overshadowed by funeral arrangements. Alvernia University offers a beautiful resting place at the Me morial Prayer Garden and Columbarium, a consecrated area near St. Joseph Villa on the Reading campus. Its picturesque views provide a quiet and peaceful final resting spot where families can reflect on their loved ones’ life.

The decision to preplan a funeral takes the burden off the family. Michael Kurpiewski and his wife of 45 years, Sylvia, have decided on Alvernia’s Columbarium as their final rest ing place. Kurpiewski, an alumnus, started his secondary education at RACC, transferred to Alvernia in 1987 to study computer information and graduated in 1990. One of his fa vorite professors was Polly Mathys, and Kurpiewski appreci ates how she contributed to his career success as a system and database administrator at Bell Labs and IBM. After tour ing the new John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne, he is happy to see the growth and how students will benefit from a quality education at Alvernia.

With all this history and connection to the university, making Alvernia’s Columbarium the Kurpiewskis’ final resting place was an easy decision. Kurpiewski stated that the Columbar ium is a beautiful and unique site that is reasonably priced. Even though he and his wife moved to Pittsburgh to be closer to his two sons, Matthew and Steven, Alvernia is like home to them. It is an environment that is active and look ing to the future rather than static and looking to the past, stated Kurpiewski.

Alvernia’s Memorial Prayer Garden and Columbarium values the Franciscan ethos of inclusivity and welcomes all denom inations to be interred. The Columbarium provides a limited number of economic and environmentally friendly niches to help family members eternally rest in peace. Each niche can hold up to two urns.

For more information about the Columbarium, please con tact Ali Lynn at Ali.Lynn@alvernia.edu or at 610-796-8259.

PRESIDENT John R. Loyack

EDITOR

Kristopher M. Nolt

Director of Marketing and Communications

ART DIRECTOR

Lynn N. Gano

Director of Creative Services

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Claire Curry

Kristin Eck

Jon Fassnacht

Leslie Feldman

Lini S. Kadaba

Samantha Koller

Sarah Matarella

Kristopher M. Nolt

Susan Shelly

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Theo Anderson

Susan L. Angstadt

Dan Z. Johnson

Steve Johnson

Lauren Adele Little

Sarah Matarella

Kristopher M. Nolt

Alvernia Magazine is published by Alvernia University twice per year, in summer and winter, to share news and information about the institution with alumni, friends and the community. Opinions expressed in the magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the university. Please share your feedback, as we work to continuously enhance the publication: news@alvernia.edu.

Alvernia Magazine is a publication of Alvernia University. Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.

ALVERNIA UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Officers of the Board

Chair

Gregory J. Shemanski Custom Processing Services, Inc. President & Owner

Vice Chair

Michael A. Duff Penske Transportation Solutions Vice President Community Engagement

President John R. Loyack Alvernia University President Secretary John McCloskey Jr. ’94 M’01, DBA

Alvernia University Senior VP and Chief of Staff

University Counsel

Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn

Members of the Board

John M. Arnold, Jr. PPC Lubricants, Inc. Chairman, CEO & Owner

Paula Barrett, CPA RKL, Partner Business Consulting Services Group

David Beavens ’88 Detroit Renewable Energy, LLC Operating Partner

Sister Marilisa da Silva, OSF Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Congregational Minister

Kevin DeAcosta, CEO ’00 Highlands of Wyomissing President & CEO

Richard A. Ehst Customers Bank Retired President & CEO

Michael Fromm Fromm Electric Supply Corp. President & CEO

John H. Gallen, Jr. Ethosource and Wyatt Seating Owner & President

Pat Giles The Wyomissing Foundation President

Sister Madonna Marie Harvath, OSF Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Congressional Counselor

Ellen Huyett, Esq. Attorney (Retired) Community Volunteer

Sister Antoinette Keiser, OSF ’71

Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Computer Teacher/Food Service

Steven M. Koons, CPA, PMP ’05 Cotton & Co., LLP Managing Partner

Sister Danielle Kubelsky, OSF 1964

Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Director of Health Services & Government Programs

Daniel Langdon East Penn Manufacturing, Inc. Retired CEO

Rachel A. Maher, DMD ’94 Dentistry for Children Pediatric Dentist

Stephen Najarian SN Companies Partner

Sister David Ann Niski, ’66 Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Foundation Executive Director

David W. Patti Customers Bank Director of Marketing and Communication

Jeffrey Rush Fulton Bank President - Commercial Markets

Peter Rye Brentwood Industries, Inc. President

Jeanne Savage ’88 Community Volunteer

Barry Schlouch Schlouch, Inc. President Lucine Sihelnik Great American Creamery Owner

Michael Tobash Tobash Insurance Agency and Financial Services Owner

Paul Trunk Berk-Tek, President Nexans LAN Division North America, Vice President & General Manager

John Weidenhammer Weidenhammer Systems Corp. President

Sister Shaun Kathleen Wilson, OSF ’69 Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Director, McGlinn Conference Center

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