from the
president
(L-R) The Most Rev. Lawrence T. Persico, J.C.L., Bishop of Diocese of Erie; Keith Taylor, Ph.D., Gannon University President; Joe Schember ’72, City of Erie Mayor, and his wife Rhonda Schember, celebrated the culmination of graduating students’ academic careers at the 2018 Winter Commencement Ceremony.
As we enjoy this holiday season and celebrate the new year, we reflect on the excitement and success of this past semester with eager eyes on the future in anticipation of what’s to come next for our University and members of the Gannon Family. Part of the magic of entering into a new year is just that– entering into the unknown of what adventures the next year may hold while choosing goals to pursue on our paths toward success.
to better serve our students, our region and the needs within the cybersecurity arena. We recognize the five-year anniversary of our T.R.A.V.E.L. program that has continued to cultivate a greater cultural understanding and worldview among our students. We also celebrated our students in the inaugural Occupational Therapy Doctorate cohort who earned their degrees and made University history as the first graduating class at our Ruskin Campus.
In this edition of the Gannon Magazine you will hear from the students personally about the paths they and their peers have chosen in pursuit of their own goals. They share their experiences along their journeys that have inspired them and transformed their lives.
We were blessed this year with many joining together to achieve our goals and meet each milestone, as we continue to provide endless opportunities for our students to explore and find their calling. The University is eager for the year to come to continue to live out our Mission and to serve and inspire our students and each other in service to our community.
Dedicated to facilitating this journey and transformation for our students, each member of our Gannon University community continues to take great strides to forge relationships and open new doors of opportunity for our students. This year we launched a groundbreaking new endeavor entering into the cyber industry with new academic degree offerings, a cutting-edge facility in design and bringing in prospective business partners
I hope you enjoy this edition of the Gannon Magazine and its stories of the many paths to possibilities that our students traveled on their journey to transformation and living out their dreams. God Bless,
Keith Taylor, Ph.D., President Keith Taylor, Ph.D. President Melanie Whaley ’95 Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
Vol. XXXII, No. 1 • January 2019 Gannon University • 109 University Square Erie, Pennsylvania 16541 • (814) 871-7000 www.gannon.edu
Mallory Hedlund ’14 Marketing and Communications Specialist
Gannon Magazine is published by University Marketing and Communications: Laura Hinsdale Andrew Lapiska ’09M Nicole Lossie ’11
photography student, staff and alumni contributors
printing Knepper Press
We value your input; please direct any comments, questions or feature ideas to magazine@gannon.edu.
Edge:
Richard Chernicky Tara Czarnecki Isaac Esterline Matt Fassnacht Allison Gladden Kate Gourley Maria Hays
Alli Hess Nick Humes ’18 Nikki Johnson Bella Kennelley Allyson Owens Evan Phoenix Lauren Zemanek
class notes and address changes Jana Hunt Coordinator of Gifts and Records hunt001@gannon.edu • (814) 871-7469