Mercyhurst Magazine - Fall 2014

MAGAZINE

FALL 2014

Team feeds off new tradition P. 21

Inside this issue: MAJOR GIFT HELPS AIM STUDENTS ON CAREER PATH P. 3 PRESIDENT GAMBLE TO RETIRE IN 2015 P. 6 LAKER ALUMS HEADING TO LAW SCHOOL P. 7 POPULAR COURSE EXPLORES ‘BREAKING BAD’ PHENOMENON P. 15 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI, ATHLETES HONORED P. 23-24

A message from the president I’m amazed at how often I feel the inspiration of the Sisters of Mercy who founded this school – like when I was privileged to watch our own Sister Mary Matthew Baltus fly over campus. What a joyous – and well-deserved – moment that was for her.

I’ve also been thinking about Sister Maura Smith lately as I watch our Autism/Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM for short) build a national reputation. Her dream led Mercyhurst to create a program for students with learning differences more than 20 years ago. She was convinced that serving those students was a natural outgrowth of our Mercy mission.

We were pioneers in the field then, just as we were in 2008 when we added a program to serve college students on the autism spectrum. Now, thanks in part to the parents of one of our AIM students, we’ve launched a Career Path Program to make sure these talented students are ready for the job market. You can learn more on pages 3-5.

Then there’s the photo on the cover of this magazine, one of my favorite images from fall term at Mercyhurst this year. That’s football coach Marty Schaetzle holding a giant spoon aloft for each player to touch on his way onto Tullio Field.

Laker football didn’t do very well early in the season. As the losses piled up, Marty scrambled to find something to motivate the team to perform as he believed it could. I have to think it was the Sisters of Mercy (Sister Damien, perhaps?) who inspired him to use a sort of parable to make his point.

Check out the story on page 21 to read his message to the team – and to learn how the rest of the season unfolded. Let’s just say he seems to have started a wonderful tradition here on the Hill.

As you may have heard, I’ve decided to step down as Mercyhurst’s president at the end of this academic year. You can read about that, and the search for the university’s next leader, on page 6, but I’m going to wait until the spring magazine to reflect a bit on the past 10 years.

I wish you and your families a happy and blessed holiday season and a wonderful new year.

God bless you and God bless Mercyhurst University.

Thomas J. Gamble, Ph.D. President, Mercyhurst University

The Office of Marketing and Public Relations publishes Mercyhurst Magazine twice a year.

Magazine Editor Susan Hurley Corbran ’73 scorbran@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-2090 Design/Photography Jeremy C. Hewitt ’07 jhewitt@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3022

Contributing Writers Susan Hurley Corbran ’73 David Leisering ’01 Amy Lombardo ’96 ’01 Deborah W. Morton Contributing Photographers Jennifer Cassano Matt Durisko ’14 Jeremy C. Hewitt ’07 Caitlin Ewing ’14 Ed Mailliard Frank Rizzone Vice President for External Affairs Monsignor David Rubino, Ph.D. drubino@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3034

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Associate Vice President for Advancement Ryan Palm ’07 rpalm@mercyhurst.edu (800) 845-8568 (814) 824-3320 Director, Alumni Relations Tamara Walters twalters@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-3350 Class Notes Editor Debra Tarasovitch dtarasovitch@mercyhurst.edu (814) 824-2392

We’d love to hear from you.

Send your story ideas, suggestions and comments to scorbran@mercyhurst.edu.

Send changes of address to: Alumni Relations Mercyhurst University 501 E. 38th St. Erie, PA 16546 alumni@mercyhurst.edu

Come fly with me

Anyone staring skyward Aug. 28 near the Mercyhurst campus spied a plume of smoke streaming from the back of a restored 1944 Boeing Stearman. It was none other than our own Sister Mary Matthew Baltus buzzing by.

Nancie Baltus was 15 when she took her first flying lesson in a vintage biplane. That summer day, the spry 90-year-old strapped on a headset, boarded the open-air flying machine at North Coast Air and let pilot Scott Allen fly her back in time to the golden age of aviation.

The rarefied experience for Sister Mary Matthew, the longtime astronomy professor for whom the Baltus Observatory atop Zurn Hall is named, came courtesy of a Mercyhurst trustee who prefers to remain anonymous.

The opportunity arose last year at a Mercyhurst Prep gala when a biplane flight over the peninsula was offered for bid at a fundraising auction. Sister eagerly bid, but was outdone by deeper pockets. Seeing her disappointment, the Mercyhurst trustee quietly placed an anonymous bid for a second flight as a gift for her many years of Mercy service. This year marks her 70th anniversary as a Sister of Mercy.

Sister was cool and collected as she climbed on board the shiny red, white and blue plane.

Once back on the ground, Sister Mary Matthew was all smiles.

“I just want to feel what it is like again,” she said. “The last time I flew one of these was back in 1945.”

“I got to see Mercyhurst, the observatory and my old family home on Beech Avenue,” she said, obviously pleased.

Allen flew Sister along the peninsula and then up and around Mercyhurst, where he unleashed his smoke system to the delight of spectators below.

When asked if she’d do it again, she didn’t hesitate: “Oh sure, but next time I’d like him to let me fly it.”

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‘Hurst aims high

for students on the spectrum

By Susan Corbran Transitions can be hard for students on the autism spectrum.

Two unique components of the Autism/Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst (known as AIM) have been developed to ease such transitions.

For students trying to decide whether they’re ready to attend college, AIM offers a three-week residential program called Foundations each summer. And now, thanks to a generous gift from the family of an AIM student, a Career Path Program will help ensure that AIM students can succeed in the work world following graduation.

When Mark Stookey and Lisa Chismire started researching college options for their son, they had some special concerns.

Diagnosed as a child with Asperger’s syndrome, Andrew Stookey was at the top of his high school honors classes academically, but had a harder time in areas like social interaction and executive functioning. As he got closer to graduation, his parents discovered public schools in their hometown near Philadelphia had little to offer to students like Andrew.

They pushed the school district, even threatening legal action, until it developed a program to help Andrew and others on the spectrum prepare for college.

Determined advocates for their son, they researched options all over the East Coast before eventually settling on Mercyhurst and its AIM program. “Mercyhurst was by far the best program I saw,” Mark Stookey said. “Lots of the others had one or two of the pieces that Mercyhurst offers, but Mercyhurst was the most complete package.”

AIM offers: • a supported living environment. Students can choose to live in a special AIM residence hall run by a trained hall director.

• individualized social skills training. AIM staff have identified more than 100 social skills that students may need to practice and created training modules to address them. Students are assigned to complete the modules that address their specific needs.

• peer mentoring. AIM students spend several hours each month with their peer mentors, other students from the Mercyhurst community.

• social activities, including optional meal gatherings and events on and off campus.

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• academic support, including priority scheduling, testing accommodations, mediation with teachers, and more.

The one thing the Mercyhurst program needed to add, Mark Stookey believed, was a mechanism to help AIM students move forward into the work world after graduation.

AIM Director Brad McGarry agrees, noting that unemployment rates among adults on the autism spectrum hover around 85 percent. “It’s not enough to prepare these students academically for the world of work.

We have to make sure they’re employable after graduation,” he said.

He and his staff were already working on a new vocational track for AIM students when Stookey and Chismire approached them with a proposal to help fund it.

They have agreed to donate $250,000 – $50,000 to kick-start the new Career Path Program as it rolls out over the next three years, and $200,000 as seed money for an endowment to fund the program into the future.

“Where else could we put our money where it would have a bigger impact for Andrew and other students like him?” Mark Stookey asks. He says the lifetime earnings of just one successful AIM student will more than cover the family’s investment.

He adds that the stars aligned for this project because Mercyhurst already had a plan in place and was ready to launch it as soon as the funding became available. He’s convinced that Mercyhurst can be a model for the rest of the educational establishment. “We’re going to help the world understand just how much people on the spectrum have to offer.”

Mark Stookey, center, and his wife have donated a quarter-million dollars to build a career preparation track into Mercyhurst’s AIM program. He’s pictured with, from left, Ryan Palm ’07, associate vice president for advancement; President Tom Gamble; his son, sophomore Andrew Stookey; and Brad McGarry, director of AIM.

TESTING THE WATER

Under the Career Path Program, students will begin preparing for post-college careers from their first term on campus, completing individualized modules to build the social skills they’ll need to find and hold jobs. They’ll use specialized software to assess their own skills and interests, and then begin exploring potential careers.

Mercyhurst’s summer Foundations program gives students on the autism spectrum a chance to “test the waters” of life on a college campus.

They’ll gradually be introduced to the workplace, first by shadowing workers in their chosen field, then by working in paid Career Path Experience jobs on the Mercyhurst campus, and eventually by interning off campus. AIM plans to build a network of local businesses and alumni interested in working with its students, and will help students tap into national resources as well.

McGarry and his staff aren’t swimming instructors, he explains. “We push kids into the deep end to see whether they can stay afloat.”

In addition to extensive preparation, students can be assigned a job coach to help them navigate jobs and internships.

Plans call for a full-time staff member to oversee the Career Path Program.

Mark Stookey hopes other AIM families will see the value in the new program and contribute to the endowment, but he also expects that Mercyhurst alumni – including thousands of teachers – will embrace the concept.

For information or to make a gift, contact Ryan Palm, associate vice president for advancement, at 814-824-3320 or rpalm@ mercyhurst.edu. If you can provide an internship experience for an AIM student – or a job for an AIM graduate – contact Brad McGarry at 814-824-2451 or bmcgarry@mercyhurst.edu.

That’s an apt metaphor, says Brad McGarry, who directs both Foundations and the year-round Autism/Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM).

They pushed the 22 students in Foundations this year to live on their own, navigate an unfamiliar campus and city, co-exist peacefully with a roommate, socialize with their peers – even take and pass a college course. These tasks can overwhelm any new college freshman, but they’re even tougher for students with Asperger’s syndrome or other forms of high-functioning autism.

The ratio of staff to students is nearly 1-to-1. Staff members won’t let any student drown, but they don’t throw in a lifeline at the first sign of trouble, either. Students need to learn whether they can tread water.

Many parents have assumed a college degree isn’t possible for their kids on the spectrum. McGarry says Foundations gives parents hope, and an objective way to determine if the kids are ready for the demands of college life.

Foundations has developed a reputation as the leading collegereadiness program in the country, McGarry says. Demand was so high this year that he had to turn away dozens of potential students. He accepts only those he thinks have a reasonable chance of success, Continued on p. 5

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Continued from p. 4 based on what he learns from parents and what he observes during a preadmission interview.

It’s more than a gut feeling. He’s developed a rating scale that measures how students perform on what he calls the “AISE Domains”: academic progress, independence, social competence and emotional stability. The scale allows him to calculate a GPA of sorts. Like the grade point average all students earn, it ranges from 0 to 4.0, but it measures far more.

During the Foundations experience, staff members continue to measure performance on the AISE Domains and the student’s progress toward individual goals. Everything from workshops to social activities is designed to help students develop the skills they’ll need to succeed in a college.

At the program’s close, each family gets a personalized report with a recommendation for the future. This year, McGarry told five participants they probably weren’t ready to enroll in college yet. The rest, he believes, can succeed, with some level of accommodations.

Five of them enrolled in Mercyhurst’s AIM program this fall. Eleven of the 12 students in this year’s freshman cohort have completed Foundations.

MCGARRY TREK AIMS TO BUILD AWARENESS After launching a program to help students on the autism spectrum achieve job success, Mercyhurst is aiming even higher to advocate for more vocational resources for these students with a pair of adventure trips in 2015.

Brad McGarry, who directs the Autism/Asperger Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM), will set out to “Raise the Roof for Autism” in February when he climbs Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro. Then a few months later he’ll lead a group of AIM students and friends as they “Conquer the Canyon” in Arizona.

Kilimanjaro is composed of three distinct volcanic cones and rises more than 19,000 feet above sea level in northern Tanzania. It’s billed as the highest freestanding mountain in the world, and McGarry admits climbing it is a “bucket list” thing to do.

“But more importantly, we’re trying to raise awareness for the lack of vocational resources for adults on the autism spectrum. I work every day with some really, really bright young adults and I want to make sure that they and other folks on the autism spectrum can get quality work and have jobs they love just like everybody else,” he explained.

McGarry’s been hiking and climbing all over northwestern Pennsylvania as he trains for the climb, set for Feb. 6-16.

Contributions to fund the summit attempt and to benefit vocational awareness can be made at hurstalumni.org/raise-the-roof-for-autism. You can follow McGarry’s adventures through a video diary on his Facebook page, Raise the Roof for Autism.

The Conquer the Canyon group will leave Mercyhurst right after graduation in May to begin “the grandest hike on earth.” It’s the second time an AIM group has made the trip to experience the magnificent beauty of the Grand Canyon. From the rolling hills of the rim to the steep descents into the canyon of up to 3,000 feet, they’ll be led by expert guides who will interpret the geology, history, flora, fauna and environmental zones of the canyon.

The itinerary also includes visits to the Valley of the Sun, the Sonoran Desert and the Red Rock Country of Sedona, a Colorado River Float Adventure, and Walnut Canyon National Monument.

To help fund the trip for an AIM student, visit hurstalumni.org/conquer-the-canyon.

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Gamble announces plan to retire in 2015 Thomas J. Gamble, Ph.D., has announced that he will retire on May 31, 2015, after nearly a decade of distinguished service as Mercyhurst University’s 11th president. He will, however, remain at Mercyhurst to pursue other academic interests.

“It has been an enormous privilege to serve as president of an institution that I love and where all three of my children received their education and degrees,” said Gamble, who turns 68 next year. “My first professional loves have always involved learning, teaching, research and writing and I desire to spend the last several years of my tenure at Mercyhurst in those activities, which are a genuine source of joy and rejuvenation for me.”

Gamble advised the Mercyhurst Board of Trustees that he would not seek an extension of his contract, which expires at the end of the 20142015 academic year, but he agreed to stay on longer if necessary to allow for an orderly presidential search and transition.

“Dr. Gamble has been a transformative president for Mercyhurst and we are deeply grateful for his many years of dedicated service,” said Board Chair Marlene Mosco. “Since he was appointed president in 2006, he has been the driver behind many bold decisions, including the transition of Mercyhurst College to Mercyhurst University in 2012, changing the academic calendar from three terms to a traditional semester system and introducing a new core curriculum in 2013.”

Prior to his selection as university president, Gamble was vice president for academic affairs at Mercyhurst. He is a former director of the Mercyhurst Institute for Child and Family Policy and founding director of the Mercyhurst Civic Institute. He began his teaching career at Mercyhurst as an adjunct faculty member in 1985 and became a fulltime professor of criminal justice and psychology in 1997, earning tenure in 2003.

Before joining Mercyhurst full time, he was affiliated with the Erie County Office of Children and Youth (OCY) from 1983 to 1997 as director of the Edmund L. Thomas Center and director of professional services. He became executive director of OCY in 1988.

Gamble holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Gannon University, a master’s and doctorate in psychology from Syracuse University and a second doctorate in social psychology from Syracuse’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, one of the top public policy schools in the county. He was a postdoctoral fellow in child psychology at Yale University from 1982 to 1984.

SEARCH UNDERWAY TO NAME SUCCESSOR

• Trustee John H. Langer ‘95

Two former student leaders of Mercyhurst, now members of the university’s board of trustees, have been named to lead the national search for the university’s 12th president.

• Trustee Joanne M. McGurk, Ph.D. (president, Faculty Senate)

Board Chair Marlene Mosco named Joseph G. NeCastro ’78, chief financial and administrative officer for Scripps Networks Interactive Media, Knoxville, Tennessee; and Richard A. Lanzillo ’83, shareholder of Knox Gornall McLaughlin & Sennett, P.C., Erie, to cochair the Presidential Search Committee.

Joining Lanzillo, Mosco and NeCastro on the Presidential Search Committee are: • Trustee JoAnne K. Courneen, RSM ’64 • Trustee Rosemary D. Durkin ‘77

• Trustee Desmond J. McDonald • Trustee Robert S. Miller ’11

• Trustee Scott A. Koskoski ’00 (president, Alumni Association) • Trustee Nicholas T. Latta ’15 (president, Mercyhurst Student Government) • Joseph M. Morris, Ph.D., associate professor of political science and director of the Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics • Michael A. Elnitsky, Ph.D., associate professor, chair of biology department and pre-health advising program • Janice M. Haas, assistant professor and chair of the physical therapist assistant program at Mercyhurst North East.

“We feel good about the composition of the Presidential Search Committee,” Mosco said. “It represents a cross section of ages, disciplines, occupations and length of service to the board and university. It is Joseph G. Necastro also the first time so many Mercyhurst graduates who were all former student leaders have been named to a search at the university. They have a vested interest with this being their alma mater.”

As the search progresses, Richard A. Lanzillo the university community will be able to access a Presidential Search website through a link at mercyhurst.edu. Constituents will also be able to communicate with the co-chairs and committee through a link on the website.

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Alums making mark in legal arena The American Bar Association suggests students preparing for law school and legal careers need to excel in analytical thinking and problem solving, critical reading, writing, oral communication and listening, research, personal organization and management, serving others and promoting justice.

Coincidentally, Mercyhurst’s core curriculum was designed to help students master all these essential skills and values. That might explain why increasing numbers of Mercyhurst graduates are earning admission to top law schools, receiving significant scholarships, and launching successful legal careers.

At least a half-dozen 2014 graduates began law school this fall, joining an impressive group of Mercyhurst alums who are already in law school and practicing law. Mercyhurst students have recently earned admittance to schools including the University of Michigan, DePaul University, Duquesne University, Hofstra, University of Pittsburgh, Case Western Reserve and Indiana University at Bloomington.

Meredith Bollheimer, J.D., who has run Mercyhurst’s Pre-Law Society for the past nine years with Tina Fryling, J.D., says she is continually impressed with the number, quality and diversity of Mercyhurst students interested in attending law school.

While the majority of pre-law students have been (and still are) political science majors, students from majors as varied as chemistry, public health, intelligence studies, history, business, criminal justice and dance are increasingly choosing to pursue pre-law studies and law school.

Students majoring in criminal justice, English or political science can take a pre-law concentration within their departments. These majors provide students with a solid foundation for the rigors of law school. Michael Federici, Ph.D., chair of the political science department, says that in his 20+ years in the department, not a single graduating senior in political science who has applied to law school has failed to be accepted.

Students in any major can pursue an 18-credit pre-law minor. In addition, students who have opted to not formally pick up a pre-law concentration or minor are still well prepared for law school as a result of the strong liberal arts foundation they receive at Mercyhurst.

Bollheimer says the liberal arts focus at Mercyhurst helps develop “intellectually wellrounded students” who will succeed in law school. She adds, “Law schools are looking for students who understand various ways of thinking, who know how people and society work, and who can engage in solving difficult problems in the world.”

Mercyhurst also has an infrastructure in place to assist students on the journey to law school, including an active Pre-Law Society that provides guidance on LSAT preparation and the admissions process. It brings in local attorneys and regional law school admissions representatives to meet with students, and organizes visits to law schools.

There’s also a flourishing network of ‘Hurst alumni who routinely provide advice and mentoring for prospective law students.

In the following pages, we profile just a few of Mercyhurst’s alumni lawyers.

Albert Veverka ’05, fourth from left, hosted members of the Pre-Law Society on a visit to Pittsburgh law schools last year.

With him, from left: Evan Christensen, now a student at Northern Illinois University College of Law; Mary Mancuso, now at Indiana University Maurer School of Law; Amanda Bortak; Emily Orlando; Kelsey Gorcica; Ian Grecco, now at Duquesne University School of Law; Joseph Wheeler; and Mike Vervoort.

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’36 GRAD WAS FIRST TO PURSUE LAW CAREER While the numbers may be on the rise now, dozens of Mercyhurst graduates have pursued law careers over the years, starting (it’s believed) with Catherine Durkin, a 1936 graduate who went on to serve as one of the first lay members of the Mercyhurst Board of Trustees. Rosemary Durkin ’77 followed her Aunt Catherine to Mercyhurst, to law school and eventually into the Mercyhurst board room.

She says Catherine finished law school in just two years, graduating from the Western Reserve University School of Law in 1948. She was the only woman in her class, and one of just five in the whole school, at a time when soldiers returning from World War II filled most of the seats.

The school’s dean had encouraged Catherine to apply, but he died while she was a student. His successor didn’t believe women should be attorneys and refused to give her a letter of recommendation, but she found a job anyway, as in-house counsel for an insurance company. She continued to practice in a small firm and later as a solo practitioner, primarily in trusts and estates law, until 1980.

She died in 2009.

Rosemary Durkin majored in history at Mercyhurst before attending Case Western Reserve, graduating in 1980. Today she’s a shareholder and member of the Trusts & Estates Group of Stark & Stark Attorneys at Law in Princeton, N.J. She’s married to fellow alum Jeffrey M. Best, and their daughter, Deirdre Best, graduated from Mercyhurst in the spring and is now a graduate student in education.

Linda and Bruce Panc president-elect of io with William H. Pugh V, the Pennsylvania Bar Association

Jo-Ann and Rich

Lanzillo

BAR ASSOCIATIONS ELECT ‘HURST ALUMS Two classmates from the Mercyhurst Class of 1983 will head bar associations on opposite sides of Pennsylvania in 2015.

Richard Lanzillo, Esq., will step up to the presidency of the Erie County Bar Association, while Bruce Pancio, Esq., will lead the Montgomery Bar Association outside Philadelphia.

Bruce was a criminal justice major expecting to work in parole or probation before shifting his sights to the law. He says Barry Grossman’s Constitutional Law was the most interesting class he ever took, and helped nudge him toward new goals.

After graduating from the Villanova School of Law, he accepted his first job with a Philadelphia law firm specializing in insurance defense work. He remained in that field through several jobs before deciding to open his own firm. With partner Joseph Walsh, Esq., he launched Walsh Pancio, LLC in 2007 in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. The firm focuses its practice on civil litigation with a heavy concentration on representing defendants in personal injury cases as well as builders in construction defect cases. Since its formation, one of the firm’s clients has been the Erie Insurance Group. The firm has expanded its practice to the entire eastern half of Pennsylvania and hired two associates and several paralegals to serve their clients.

He’s personally handled thousands of civil cases, trying more than 70 to jury verdicts. He’s been admitted to practice before a variety of state and federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bruce has long been active with the Montgomery Bar Association, which provides continuing education for its members, represents the interests of lawyers to the legislature, and organizes regular gatherings of lawyers in different specialties to share news and concerns. In 2009, he headed one of its largest sections as the president of the Trial Lawyers Section. He presently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Montgomery Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the association.

He’s also active with the Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, having served on its board since 2011 and as a volunteer for many years prior. The organization is composed of lawyers who volunteer their time to represent the interests of children involved in litigation – to make sure the child has a voice in matters ranging from protection from abuse cases to testifying as a witness in a criminal case.

Bruce and his wife, Linda, have three children: Lauren and Jim, who are following in dad’s footsteps as first-year law students at Drexel University and Temple University, respectively, and Danielle, a junior at Temple University.

In addition to his Erie County Bar Association role, Rich Lanzillo is now co-chairing the committee searching for Mercyhurst’s 12th president. He’s served on the Mercyhurst Board of Trustees since 2003 and as its vice chair since 2007.

He made his mark at Mercyhurst even earlier, during his student years, winning back-toback terms as student government president and earning the coveted Carpe Diem Award at graduation.

After graduating from Mercyhurst with a major in history and minor in business, Rich enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law where he served as a law review editor and earned his Juris Doctorate degree summa cum laude in 1987.

Today Rich is a shareholder with the law firm of Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett, P.C., headquartered in Erie. He handles complex commercial, employment and civil rights litigation and appellate work and has successfully litigated several precedentsetting cases in state and federal courts.

Rich has held a variety of offices within the Erie County Bar Association, most recently vice president, and is actively involved in several other professional and charitable organizations.

Rich and his wife, Jo-Ann Israel Lanzillo ’86, have two daughters, Amanda, a graduate of Georgetown University, and Eliza, a junior at Brown University.

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WILLIAM DOPIERALA Albert Veverka, an avid golfer.

ALBERT VEVERKA An internship following his junior year at Mercyhurst helped push Albert Veverka ’05 toward law school. He spent that summer working for Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Like several other graduates, he’s quick to credit the grounding in reading, writing and oral argument he got in the political science department for preparing him to succeed at the West Virginia University College of Law. “I felt abundantly prepared, and I owe Doctors Clemons, Ripley, Federici and Morris a world of gratitude for challenging me through four years at Mercyhurst,” he says.

He interned his first summer of law school with Justice Max Baer of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and eventually took his first job as a law clerk to the Hon. Katherine B. Emery of the Washington County Court of Common Pleas.

Albert then spent three years as an assistant district attorney In Allegheny County before accepting a position this fall with the law firm of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote in Pittsburgh. He currently focuses his practice on criminal and medical malpractice defense.

He’s returned home to Mt. Lebanon, a suburb in the South Hills of Pittsburgh. An avid golfer, he loves traveling to play courses all over the country. He also still plays tennis, the sport in which competed for four years at Mercyhurst.

Following up on his student office as co-president of the Mercyhurst Young Democrats, he now serves as a Democratic committeeman.

He also visits high schools throughout the Pittsburgh area, talking to students about careers in law as well as preparing them for the legal challenges they may face when they turn 18.

Erie native Bill Dopierala ’72 majored in history at Mercyhurst and thought he’d become a teacher – until the prospect of student teaching convinced him education wasn’t the right field for him.

Instead, after taking a law course from former Erie County Executive Barry Grossman, he opted for law school, graduating from Duquesne University School of Law in 1975. He’s believed to be the first male Mercyhurst graduate to become an attorney.

After graduation he went to work for Erie Atty. George Levin, but in 1979 joined the staff of Erie County Children’s Services, working to protect abused and neglected children. When he moved to the Erie County District Attorney’s Office nearly a decade later, he helped establish a special child abuse prosecution unit within the DA’s office. Working with County Detective Larry Dombrowski ’91, he pursued grant funding that allowed the county to hire a detective to specialize in child abuse.

In 1996, Bill joined the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office in Erie. As a senior deputy attorney general in the Erie office, he defends lawsuits against state agencies in a 10-county area of northwestern Pennsylvania.

Bill and his wife, Heather, have three kids: Scott, 39; Katie, 33; and Emily, 28, a 2008 Mercyhurst grad.

Bill was the first captain of the men’s tennis team, the first intercollegiate sport offered in 1971 for men at the newly coeducational Mercyhurst, and helped the Lakers to an undefeated match record in their first year. Though he plays little tennis these days, he does enjoy officiating high school football in the Erie area and spends a lot of time reading.

ANDREA BULLOTTA DALOIA Andrea Bullotta Daloia ’98 was about halfway through a dance major at Mercyhurst when she decided political science would be a better fit for her (though she still kept a dance minor). During her senior year, Professors Michael Federici and Randy Clemons encouraged her to pursue law school.

She attended Cleveland Marshall College of Law, finishing second in her class in 2001. “Although nothing can entirely prepare you for law school, the tougher classes that focus on a ton of reading and writing (especially the ones taught by Drs. Federici and Clemons) did a great job in preparing me,” she says.

Today she’s still in Cleveland as counsel in the law offices of Thompson Hine. She focuses mainly on construction litigation involving contract disputes or injuries at construction sites. She’s also part of the Products Liability Practice Group, most often handling lawsuits related to occupational exposure to various chemicals.

Though she’s single and has no children of her own, she loves spending time with her nieces and nephews and other family members who have moved near her home in the Cleveland suburb of Westlake. In her spare time, she frequently practices yoga and Pilates, and is also involved in a variety of community service projects, from legal aid events to soup kitchens.

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CHRISTOPHER JURUSIK Christopher Jurusik ’95 grew up in Elmira, New York, but played hockey and graduated from Bishop Ridely College in St. Catharine’s, Ontario.

He says his hockey career didn’t flourish at Mercyhurst – but his academic career did.

One of his first classes, American Government with Dr. Randy Clemons, shifted his focus from the hard sciences to political science. Clemons’ teaching style, he says, encouraged students to participate during his lectures, creating a dialogue and encouraging critical thinking. “I owe a debt of gratitude to both Drs. Clemons and Michael Federici as they were

MARY CATHERINE COSGROVE ANDRES Mary Catherine Cosgrove, an undergraduate social work major, married fellow student Dennis Andres shortly after they graduated in 1972.

When the youngest of their three children was about a year old, she went to work as a hospital social worker, first in Erie and later in Indiana.

A decade later, she decided it was time to broaden her horizons. A master’s in social work was an option, but she also found herself drawn to the law, perhaps inspired by her dad, who had been a sitting judge throughout her childhood in Buffalo, New York.

She started studying part time at Valparaiso University School of Law. When Dennis, who had earned a master’s degree in scene design and technical theatre at Syracuse University, took a position with St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, she enrolled in law school full time.

She received her J.D. in 1991 – the same year her oldest son, Dennis Jr., graduated from high school. She says her Mercyhurst education provided a sound foundation for legal study, but adds that the multitasking skills she developed as a working mom were also helpful.

Mary Catherine started as a part-time deputy prosecutor, while also maintaining a private practice, focused on family issues. For the past 11 years, she’s been a full-time deputy prosecutor for St. Joseph County, Indiana. Two years ago, she entered the Democratic primary for probate court judge. Though she lost, she says the experience of running was awesome. “Everyone must follow the ethics rules so there isn’t any mudslinging,” she explains. “I enjoyed all the terrific people I met – and the fact that the whole process was out of my comfort zone so I pushed my envelope.”

She also continues to serve her community, first volunteering to educate women about domestic violence and legal issues, and more recently providing pro bono service to hospice patients. She’s also a River City Rocker, spending several hours each week rocking infants in the newborn ICU.

instrumental in my maturation as a student and a person,” he says. “Their advice, guidance and rigorous courses helped instill in me the confidence and knowledge necessary to pursue a law degree.”

He earned his law degree from SUNY Buffalo School of Law in 1998.

He worked as an assistant district attorney prosecuting criminals in Westchester County, New York, through 2003, then relocated to the Buffalo area and practiced in the malpractice field for five years.

Returning to the prosecution side, he joined the Erie County District Attorney’s Office in 2009 and is now assigned to the Financial Crimes Bureau, specializing in white-collar prosecutions.

With a job, a wife and four children between the ages of 4 and 11, he doesn’t have much spare time, but does cycle, swim and coach his children’s hockey teams.

Alspaugh continues her dance training.

JO ALSPAUGH Jo Alspaugh ’08 double-majored in dance and French at Mercyhurst, but found her ultimate career in a much different field – family law and litigation.

She never abandoned her love of performing, though, dancing professionally with the Albany Berkshire Ballet before deciding on law school, and with the Ballet Theatre of Ohio even as she studied law at Case Western Reserve University. Now, despite a demanding position with Erie’s Quinn Law Firm, she continues to appear with SoMar DanceWorks, the dance troupe led by Mark and Solveig Santillano that’s in residence at Mercyhurst.

Jo, who earned her J.D. in 2013, says her Mercyhurst experience more than prepared her for law school because the practice of law draws from so many different skill sets. Both her majors and her core courses helped develop those skills, including reasoning, writing, communicating, and more. She was a teaching assistant for Case Western’s appellate practice program, and a judicial extern in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.

She devotes much of her practice to family law issues, including custody, divorce and support. She’s also a trained “collaborative lawyer” who can offer alternative dispute resolution services to interested clients, avoiding costly litigation and multiple court hearings.

Active in the Erie County Bar Association, she serves on the Leadership Committee for the women’s division and is involved in mentoring through the Bar Association’s Attorneys and Kids Together program.

Besides performing, she also teaches dance at the Erie Dance Conservatory and serves on the boards of the Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre and the Erie Dance Consortium.

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KAITLYN FAUCETT

GARY COAD

Three years into her legal career, Kaitlyn Faucett ’09 says she’s grateful to Mercyhurst for preparing her for law school at the State University of New York at Buffalo. “While I think it is hard for anything to truly prepare you for your first year of law school, I think the classes offered by the Political Science Department had me better prepared than most of my first-year counterparts. I would like to give a very grateful shout-out to Dr. Clemons, Dr. Federici, Dr. Morris and Dr. Ripley!”

Gary Coad always wanted to be a lawyer, but he knew his chosen specialty – patent work – required expertise in the hard sciences, so he majored in chemistry at Mercyhurst, graduating in 2009.

She adds that Dr. Michael Federici is tougher than most law school professors she encountered. “He pushes each of his students to their edge, asking them to independently analyze complicated political, and legal, issues in his classes, not just accepting his thoughts or arguments as ‘true’ solely because he says so.” She also credits the tough love provided by department patriarch Dr. Randy Clemons. “He relishes forcing his students to think outside the box, reminding them that there is rarely a ‘right’ answer, and teaching them to look at every situation through multiple lenses before determining a course of action. This is exactly how you are asked to think in law school.”

He was always on the lookout for intersections between science and law while he was here. He recalls a seminar class with department chair Clint Jones, Ph.D., where each student had to give a presentation on an area of research. “So I spoke to a group of future scientists on the basics of patent law,” he says.

Kaitlyn’s been licensed to practice in Texas since 2012 and New York since 2013. For the last year she’s been an associate at Levinthal Wilkins & Nguyen, PLLC, a Houston-based litigation firm that handles business and commercial disputes, as well as catastrophic personal injury actions. “I absolutely love my job!” she says.

Before joining LWN, she served as in-house counsel for a boutique oil & gas company where she primarily examined title and managed the company’s litigation.

Kaitlyn and her boyfriend, Ryan, live in Houston with their one-and-a-half-yearold Doberman Pinscher, Royal. In her free time, she enjoys running, hot yoga, Buffalo sports, and a fair amount of mindless reality TV. Determined to give back to aspiring attorneys and law students, she’s active with the Houston Bar Association, the Texas Young Lawyers Association, the New York Bar Association, and Phi Alpha Delta.

Gary attended the Franklin Pierce Law Center (now the University of New Hampshire School of Law), a school wellknown for its patent curriculum. After graduating in 2012, he joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, a highly regarded firm with about 1,200 attorneys in 20 offices around the world.

The firm handles complex corporate, litigation, regulatory, tax and restructuring challenges for clients. Gary works in patent litigation, representing clients who allege new products or services have infringed on their patent rights. He’s based in Washington, D.C. “The law is an incredibly crowded field and a very hard market to enter,” he says. “But as a scientist you have something few others have.” He’s made an open offer to mentor Mercyhurst students interested in following his path to the law.

Gary and his wife, Myumi (a patent litigator at another D. C. firm), live in Alexandria with their two small dogs. When he’s not at work, he says you’ll find him on the golf course.

TINA FIELDING FRYLING Tina Fielding Fryling ’92 is not only a practicing attorney, but also has a hand in teaching the next generation of lawyers. An associate professor of criminal justice at Mercyhurst, she’s been teaching classes like Constitutional Law for several years, and is best known around campus for the mock trials her students stage each term.

Starting this year, other teachers around the country are using a textbook she authored titled Constitutional Law in Criminal Justice. The 636-page book examines the provisions of the U.S. Constitution that guide the investigation of crimes and of threats to public safety and national security, as well as how those provisions have been interpreted by the courts. It features open-ended scenarios based on actual cases that allow students to explore situations they’ll face in the criminal justice system.

Tina, a Wattsburg native, majored in criminal justice at Mercyhurst and then headed to the University of Dayton School of Law. After graduation, she clerked for Erie County Judge Fred Anthony and worked for a local law firm, gaining experience in areas of the law from juvenile justice to civil litigation to bankruptcy.

She then pursued a master’s degree in administration of justice at Mercyhurst and stayed on to teach. Never one to stop learning, she says she’d continue taking classes now if she had the time. Instead, on top of her class load, she maintains a solo legal practice in criminal, bankruptcy and family law, and handles appeals for the Erie County Public Defender’s Office.

Tina’s the mother of four kids ages 8-14. In her spare time, she used to play the trombone and she takes Irish dance lessons.

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FRANK KOSTIK JR. Frank Kostik Jr. graduated from Mercyhurst in 2001 with a major in political science and an ROTC commission. When his fellow cadets were heading to active duty, he requested a waiver to pursue a degree in law.

It was only a temporary delay, though. After earning his J.D. from Harrisburg’s Widener University School of Law in 2004, he entered the Army. His first assignment was as a legal assistance attorney at Fort Riley, Kansas, but he worked his way rapidly up through the ranks.

He’s held a range of legal posts, including a deployment to Iraq during “the surge” as a brigade judge advocate, and earned a Master of Laws degree from the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. Now a major, he’s part of the U.S. Army Trial Defense Service, assigned as senior defense counsel at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and acting senior defense counsel at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. In that role, he defends soldiers accused of committing crimes ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies like sexual assault and murder.

It was Professor Michael Federici’s American Government class that drew Frank to political science, and a recommendation by an ROTC instructor that aimed him toward the law. He’s grateful for the preparation he received at Mercyhurst, particularly in case analysis and legal writing. The notoriously rigorous requirements of the poli sci department taught him to stay ahead of the reading, he says, and that’s a major component of success in law school.

Frank’s wife, Alison L. Fedrow, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, so she splits her time between Silver Spring, Maryland, and their home in Kansas.

Frank’s brother, Adam, graduated from Mercyhurst in 2011 with a double major in philosophy and political science – and an ROTC commission. He earned his degree this spring from the University of Dayton School of Law.

LINDSEY WEBER KELJO Lindsey Weber Keljo ’04 majored in political science and world languages (specifically Russian and Spanish) at Mercyhurst. After her 2004 graduation, she did campaign work for the Republican Party in Pennsylvania for a couple of years until one of her clients – Erie County Court of Common Pleas Judge John Garhart – encouraged her to take the LSAT and apply for law school.

Before and during college, she worked as a child entertainer and clown, under the stage name “Rainbow.” She wrote about that experience when she applied to law schools, impressing admissions officers enough to win entrance to schools like Michigan, Duke and the University of Pennsylvania. She chose top-rated Michigan, whose admissions director told her, “You’re the first clown we’ve ever let in.”

Graduating in December 2008, she accepted a job in Washington, D.C., with Patton Boggs LLC (later Squire Patton Boggs), a law firm that is also consistently ranked as the nation’s top lobbying firm. Lindsey loved her job, which allowed her to use her legal degree to advocate on behalf of her clients on Capitol Hill and with the regulatory agencies. Perhaps because she joined the firm during the depths of the recent financial crisis, she specialized in financial services, focusing on, among other things, many of the regulations that have stemmed from the DoddFrank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. Earlier this year, she accepted a new position as counsel to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA), a trade association

that includes many of her former clients. At SIFMA, she will continue to advocate on behalf of the financial services industry.

Lindsey and husband Michael Keljo (an executive with Hilton Worldwide) welcomed son Charles John (Charlie) earlier this year. They look forward to raising him in D.C., which she says has some of the best schools in the nation, multitudes of educational activities, and where she expects him to meet “lots of Washington dorky famous people.” The first time she took Charlie to a work event, she recalls, Ken Starr kissed his head.

In her spare time, Lindsey likes to enjoy all the Washington area has to offer, from exploring museums and historical sites, to hiking just outside the city limits, to walking the streets of Old Town, Alexandria, where she lives with her family. She also enjoys playing soccer on a recreational team with fellow Michigan alums and spending time with her dog, Marcie.

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Love and loss... and hope

By Susan Hurley Corbran 6:15 AM, Sunday morning. A soft voice innocently calls, “Daddy? Can you make me some pancakes?” With eyes half shut and a slight smile, I answer, “Sure, honey, I’m coming right down.” In a moment of butter, flour and maple syrup, my shattered family begins to heal.

The night before, I’d told Amanda (four years old), Kevin Patrick (six), and Christopher (two) that their Mommy had died. If it were not for my kids, I would have remained in bed for a long time. But Amanda needed me to rise and be her daddy. My little girl’s 6:15 AM wake-up call summoned me to finish the job my wife, Pamela, and I began: making pancakes, making memories and making a loving home for our three children. This is our journey.

Kevin McAteer ‘89 lost his wife on Feb. 17, 2007. Numb with grief and disbelief, he was still determined to ensure that the kids would remember what Pamela looked like, what she sounded like, and how much she had loved them.

He gathered home videos, created photo collages, wrote down family stories.

Gradually, the scrapbook he was building for the kids morphed into a journal of how the whole family survived its unthinkable loss and he decided to share it with a broader audience. On Father’s Day 2014, he published the story in book form.

Kevin found his title in the words of Amanda, who looked so much like her mother: “Daddy, can you make me pancakes?” He says it shows how quickly the next chapter of your life starts. “When you have kids depending on you, you don’t have time to think about it,” he says. “Sometimes life puts you in insanely adverse situations and you just have to step up.”

From top: Kevin, Pamela and the kids a few years before cancer struck; Kevin and his kids the first summer after Pamela’s death; the six children from Kevin and Shayna’s blended family.

Opposite page: The McAteers in a “Brady Bunch” pose.

“Daddy, Can You Make Me Pancakes?” (2014, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas) is available through amazon.com.

Follow the McAteers’ story at kevinmcateer.com/blog/.

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LIFE LESSONS Kevin spent the first 13 years of his career with Marriott International before joining Concord Hospitality Enterprises, a fast-growing company that manages hotels throughout North America, in 2003. His next promotion took the McAteers to Raleigh, North Carolina, late in 2005.

Kevin subtitles his book “The True Story of a Young Mother’s Battle Against Cancer and Her Husband’s Journey to Bring Healing to Their Family.” He recounts Pamela’s illness and death as well as how he and the kids coped with the loss and worked to create a new normal. He doesn’t gloss over the tough times, but there’s humor (and plenty of “clueless dad” tales), too. One reviewer on amazon.com called the book “a real laughing tear jerker!”

Feeling run-down, Pamela headed to a walk-in medical clinic one day the following April, expecting to be sent home with a simple prescription. By nightfall, though, she’d been diagnosed with leukemia and admitted to Rex Hospital.

“Each story of grief, although unique, also has similarities,” Kevin says. “The experiences that my family went through will, hopefully, be ‘takeaways’ for others to learn from. My hope for this book is that it offers support to and strengthens other families going through difficult times.”

After a grueling cycle of chemotherapy, her leukemia went into remission and the couple glimpsed light at the end of the tunnel. Then the cancer reappeared in November, triggering even more intense treatment and plans for a bone marrow transplant. “We were still confident that she would make it,” Kevin recalls. “She was a completely healthy 36-year-old woman – other than the leukemia.” But she wasn’t able to fight off an infection that overwhelmed her fragile immune system a few weeks later, killing her less than a year after her first symptoms appeared.

Another reviewer summed up the book like this: “Kevin’s motivation for breaking open his only-recently mended heart in order to write this memoir is evident: Partly to honor Pamela’s memory, partly to provide a keepsake for his children, perhaps a little catharsis, and partly as an effort to share hope with those who are going through similar pain.”

STRENGTH TO CONTINUE There may be more books in Kevin’s future. He’s already started a children’s book – the kind of resource he wishes he’d had to help his own kids understand cancer and loss.

Or he might tackle a volume he laughingly calls “Six kids, a six-pack and step-parenting.” In a development straight out of a TV sitcom, Kevin in 2012 met Shayna, a single mother of Madison, Mia and Mason. Their youngest sons were kindergarten buddies, and Kevin and Shayna met on a YMCA soccer field. Play dates for the kids led to adult dates for their parents and the couple married on Christmas Eve 2012. Their “real-life Brady Bunch” today includes two 14-year-olds, two 12-year-olds and two 10-year-olds. (Kevin says he’s still waiting for Alice to appear to help with the family’s mountains of laundry.)

“I’ve chronicled some things that have happened through our lives together, blending a family, my continued responsibility of raising the kids as best I can in the spirit of how Mom would have, or learning about the hard time Shayna and her family went through with divorce. There might be a book in there,” Kevin says.

Becoming a published author wasn’t Kevin’s only recent accomplishment. In July, he was named senior vice president of marketing and sales for Concord Hospitality, where he’s responsible for direct sales, e-commerce and revenue management endeavors for the firm’s 90 owned and managed hotels.

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‘Breaking Down Breaking Bad’ hottest class on campus

By Deborah W. Morton When it comes to audacious, complex, badass characters, Shakespeare reigns supreme. Or does he?

Kenneth Schiff, Ph.D., associate professor of English, used to think so. Mercutio, Lady Macbeth, Richard III, Henry V - they were a gnarly bunch. But along came Walter White, who took badass to a whole new level.

Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan said his goal in creating Walter White was to turn Mr. Chips into Scarface. And it wasn’t just Walt whose character evolved so dramatically over the five seasons of AMC’s Breaking Bad. The same could be said of Jesse Pinkman, Skyler White, Saul Goodman, Mike, Gus…

Certainly Schiff, who watched all 62 episodes, didn’t expect to be so “blown away” by this television genre, which is why he jumped when the opportunity arose to share his enthusiasm in the Mercyhurst classroom. He joined associate professor of criminal justice Tina Fryling, J.D., and chemistry/biochemistry department chair Clint Jones, Ph.D., in teaching what arguably was the hottest course on the Mercyhurst campus this fall: an interdisciplinary offering called “Breaking Down Breaking Bad.” And it was just for freshmen – 75 in all.

Schiff examined the Emmy Award-winning series as a work of narrative art; Fryling dissected the criminal justice thread throughout; and Jones taught the science piece. They took turns doing lectures and then each took a group for weekly break-out sessions.

“The moral complexity of the characters and the plot development are as good as anything Shakespeare ever wrote,” Schiff said. “Breaking Bad is a new form of great, narrative art.”

Who would have figured that Walter White’s iconic “I am the one who knocks”* would be uttered in the same breath as Richard III’s “Now is the winter of our discontent”?

Clint Jones, Ph.D ., do class demonstrat es his best Walter White imperso ion. His “meth” is na actually rock cand tion, donning hazmat gear for a y tinted blue.

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Schiff explored the series as a narrative art form. He was particularly excited that his students could relate in the moment rather than being culturally removed as they are in the study of other great works of literature.

Jones engaged his group in the chemistry lab, where they learned to perform drug analyses. Students were given an unknown “white powder” consisting of one or more of the following chemical compounds: caffeine, lidocaine, aspirin and naproxen. He then took them through the analytical process so they could determine the identity and quantity of the drug(s) in their unknown powder.

“Many of these students aren’t even science majors, but we gave them an authentic lab experience that introduced them to forensic drug analysis with a focus on the chemistry and techniques used in modern laboratories,” Jones said.

For her part, Fryling taught students about drug laws, drug cartels, examining why certain drugs are illegal, how drug crimes have affected the modern-day prison population; she even delved into attorney ethics.

“Certainly ‘Just call Saul’ (the character of attorney Saul Goodman) has some issues,” Fryling said.

In her breakout session, students participated in a mock trial – a chance to create their own justice since the Breaking Bad storyline never reached the courtroom phase.

For those students who had watched Breaking Bad, the course was a welcome opportunity to reconstruct some of their favorite moments and learn more about the nuances that contributed to its popularity. For others, it was an opportunity to immerse themselves in this new classic. *Season Four, Episode Six: The quote in full: “You clearly don’t know who you’re talking to, so let me clue you in. I am not in danger, Skyler. I am the danger. A guy opens his door and gets shot, and you think that of me? No! I am the one who knocks!”

RJ Mitte pictured with faculty members Ken Schiff, Ph.D.; Tina Fielding Frylling, J.D.; and Clint Jones, Ph.D.

‘BREAKING BAD’ CO-STAR EXPLORES OVERCOMING ADVERSITY Students – including those in the “Breaking Down Breaking Bad” class – packed the performing arts center when R.J. Mitte visited campus Sept. 23 as part of the Mercyhurst Student Government Distinguished Speaker Series.

Mitte co-starred in Breaking Bad as Walter White Jr., the teenage son of cancer patient and high school science teacher turned methamphetamine manufacturer Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston). Like his character, Mitte has cerebral palsy, a permanent neurological disorder that can affect body movement, muscle control and coordination, and balance.

Although Mitte’s cerebral palsy is a milder form, he spent much of his childhood learning how to overcome the challenges posed by his disorder.

Drawing from his personal experiences, Mitte travels the country as an activist and celebrity speaker inspiring others. He spoke at Mercyhurst on “Overcoming Adversity: Turning a Disadvantage into an Advantage.”

The talk was part of 2014-15 programming that explores “Confronting Injustice,” an academic theme that challenged the Mercyhurst community to address and reflect on injustice in the world while also learning about resources that exist to confront injustice.

s with Mercyhurst students.

‘Breaking Bad’ co-star R.J. Mitte chat

Mitte is involved with several national organizations that raise awareness about equality and diversity.

Currently, he is a youth spokesperson for the National Disability Institute; he advocates for actors with disabilities as a spokesperson for the campaign “I AM PWD” (a tri-union campaign sponsored by SAG, AFTRA and Actors’ Equity); and he is a Celebrity Youth Ambassador for United Cerebral Palsy.

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Headlines from the Hurst SALVIA, MASTERSON ELECTED TRUSTEES Two Erie business leaders have been elected to initial four-year terms as trustees of Mercyhurst University. Joining the 32-member governing board are Mark J. Salvia and John W. Masterson. Both men were appointed earlier this year to the Trustee Subcommittee on Endowment and Investments as community resources.

Salvia is partner and vice president of Hubbard-Bert, Inc. He joined the insurance agency shortly after graduation from Mercyhurst in 1982. He is an advisory board member of Health America and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Producer; a member of Erie Life Underwriters; and a committee member for United Way of Giving. Salvia also is a corporator of UPMC Hamot.

Masterson is senior resident director and wealth management advisor for the Erie office of Merrill Lynch. He is a graduate of Penn State University and a member of the Society for Financial Service Professionals, International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists, and Estate Planning Council of Erie. He is a director of United Way of Erie County, Erie Regional Library Foundation and ArtsErie and a member of the finance council, Erie Regional Chamber and Growth Partnership. Masterson had been a member of the Mercyhurst President’s Associates and adjunct faculty in the Mercyhurst Walker School of Business.

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STUDENT-COMPOSER CREATES MERCYHURST THEME SONG It’s a well-known fact that people can boost their mood simply by listening to upbeat music. Mercyhurst student Alan Abramek is counting on that tenet to carry his own pumped-up anthem, “It’s Gonna be a Good Day,” onto the playlists of the Mercyhurst community.

The junior communication major from Poland is passionate about composing music and he’s found much to inspire his music at Mercyhurst. “I love it here,” he said. “It’s not just the campus; it’s the students, the talent, the work ethic, the energy.”

“It’s Gonna be a Good Day” is a positive reflection of his Mercyhurst experience with a contagious upbeat tempo that blends pop and rap.

Abramek had a number of fellow students perform live at the university’s D’Angelo Performing Arts Center, where he mixed the instruments and vocals together on his computer. He then convinced Facebook friend and Grammy Award-winning mastering engineer Brad Blackwood to do the audio postproduction in his Memphis studio.

Abramek said he’d like to see the recording played as a theme song at athletic contests and other Mercyhurst events. He even envisions a music video that could be used to recruit new students.

“It’s not very often on a college campus that we can bring students together to produce a professional quality music video that speaks to how we feel about being here,” he said. Check out his song on YouTube.

‘HURST ENROLLS RECORD INTERNATIONAL CLASS

“We bring the world to Mercyhurst, which is integral to the Mercy tradition,” Evans said. “My role is to diversify the campus and this is our best year ever.”

This year Mercyhurst University welcomed the largest international class in its history – 80 undergraduates from 25 countries – when nearly 700 new students arrived on the Erie campus for fall semester.

Evans credited the recruiting efforts of his staff, including assistant director Adiba Shahjahan, and athletic coaches, as well as the “expanding reputation of Mercyhurst University around the world.”

As home to English-proficient students from more than 40 countries, Mercyhurst is a hub of international diversity. This year, Mercyhurst’s record undergraduate class is augmented by an additional dozen new international graduate and adult students, according to Eric Evans, director of international admissions and services.

Mercyhurst has also launched an Intensive English Program (IEP) — an English as a Second Language (ESL) equivalent — offering international students collegiate-level English proficiency training in reading, writing, grammar, listening and speaking.

‘HURST FIRST IN REGION TO ADOPT ‘TEST-OPTIONAL’ POLICY Are the best and the brightest students the ones who can outscore the competition on standardized tests? Or are there better ways of measuring ability and predicting success?

Mercyhurst University believes the latter and has joined a growing number of colleges and universities that have elected to omit standardized test scores as a requirement of admission.

Mercyhurst was the first university in the Erie area to adopt a “test-optional” admissions policy.

Christian Beyer, director of undergraduate admissions, said the more than 850 colleges and universities that have deemphasized standardized tests have done so for a variety of reasons, but all have expressed concern about the impact of overreliance on the tests.

NEW MEDIA CENTER HONORS INDUSTRY PIONEER MYRON JONES Mercyhurst honored broadcast industry pioneer and Mercyhurst Trustee Emeritus Myron Jones in October when it dedicated its new Center for Media Convergence in his honor.

The facility in the Audrey Hirt Academic Center is five years in the making and includes a multimedia center that combines The Merciad student newspaper and Laker TV into one space, a conference room, a new lounge in the lower-level lobby and a renovated graphic design studio.

Standardized tests are tools rather than ends in themselves and, he said, play a small role in identifying how successful applicants will later perform as college students.

Using the most up-to-date equipment in the field, the area has been designed to facilitate collaborative work among students in Communication, Integrated Marketing Communication and Graphic Design.

Beyer said Mercyhurst will continue to emphasize academic performance in high school, including GPA and class rank; character traits like persistence and resilience; talent; leadership ability and extracurricular and community engagement. “This is by no means a relaxing of standards,” he added.

“This will build an environment where print meets video meets web – a key characteristic of media conglomerates of today,” said Communication Department Chair Meghan Waskiewicz.

“Like our contemporaries, we only expect a small number of applicants to use the test-optional policy,” Beyer said. “Students submitting test scores should know that we will continue to value and reward them for their academic performance on the SAT and ACT.” Exclusions to the new policy include student athletes, who must submit scores in compliance with NCAA’s policy for evaluating athletic eligibility.

Jones’ broadcasting career began as an engineer with radio station WERC in Erie more than 70 years ago. He went on to WFMJ in Youngstown, his hometown, but came back a few years later to launch WJET Radio 1400 in Erie and then another daytime station, WHOT, in Youngstown.

In 1959, he bought WEEP in Pittsburgh, quickly improving the facility to become Pittsburgh’s second 50kw AM station. In his spare time, he built FM stations to accompany WEEP in Pittsburgh and WHOT in Youngstown. Using this experience, in 1987, he masterminded the conversion of WJET-AM into WJET-FM. In 1966, he launched Erie’s first color television station, WJET-TV. JET was the first station in Erie to use videotape to gather news.

FUNDING RENEWED FOR CARPE DIEM ACADEMY More than 200 students of Erie’s Public Schools will continue to get a boost in academic and physical wellness from Mercyhurst University’s Carpe Diem Academy, thanks to a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE).

Mercyhurst’s $1.2 million 21st Century Community Learning Center grant request to fund the program for the next three years was approved by PDE, which will provide the first year’s funding of $399,000.

“We at Mercyhurst are gratified to receive this grant because it affords us the opportunity to continue improving the lives of young school children in our community,” said Leanne M. Roberts, Ph.D., associate dean of the Hafenmaier School of Education & Behavioral Sciences and chair of the education department.

The Carpe Diem Academy, open to students in kindergarten, first and second grades in the Erie school district, is an extended learning opportunity offering instructional support in math and reading, as well as arts experiences, such as music and dance, and health and wellness activities. New this year is science enrichment. Students in the academy receive a healthy snack and dinner. The snack, typically fresh fruit or vegetable and yogurt, is donated by Wegmans grocery. The academy operates on site at participating schools four days a week from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Amy Bauschard directs the Carpe Diem Academy, and graduate and undergraduate students in Mercyhurst’s education department staff the academy, providing great opportunities for classroom experience.

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Michael & Elisabeth Augustine

CHAPEL RESTORATION TO BEGIN Mercyhurst’s Christ the King Chapel will close for the first quarter of 2015 to allow for some much-needed restoration work.

Msgr. David Rubino, Ph.D., vice president for external affairs, said more than $400,000 has been donated to fund the updates, with many gifts coming from alumni with fond memories of daily Masses and other celebrations in the chapel. The entire project will be funded by gifts and grants from generous donors, including a 50th anniversary gift from the Class of 1964.

No significant changes are planned to the architecture or overall look of the chapel, which was dedicated in 1933, but it will get a coat of paint. The original pews and choir stalls will be refinished and reinstalled allowing extra leg room, and the mosaic will be illuminated by its own lighting system.

Daily Masses will be held in Prince of Peace Chapel from January through March, while Sunday Mass will move to Taylor Little Theatre.

CAMPUS POLICE TO BE ARMED Mercyhurst University campus police are expected to be armed by spring semester 2015, according to a new policy adopted in May by the university’s Board of Trustees.

“Following a careful assessment of school, college campus and marketplace incidents of violence around the nation, we came to the conclusion that in order to ensure the safest environment possible for our students and employees, our police officers must be equipped to properly function as first responders,” said Board Chair Marlene Mosco in announcing the board’s decision.

“We have always believed that access to deadly force should be proportionate to the risks facing us,” said Mercyhurst President Tom Gamble, Ph.D. “Until recently, that calculation had us stopping short of arming our police officers. In our most recent review, the balance tipped the other way.”

Mercyhurst already maintains a department of Act 120-certified police officers and, through its Municipal Police Training Academy, trains the majority of police officers in the region.

“We’re confident that Mercyhurst police not only are well trained, but represent the best of the best by virtue of our preeminent role in police training and public safety,” Gamble said.

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QUICKSTARTER HELPS CHEFS START NEW THAI RESTAURANT Chefs Michael and Elisabeth Augustine took their passion for South Asian cuisine and their entrepreneurial spirit into the realm of social media when they sought to raise $4,000 to help fund a new local restaurant – Like My Thai?

The campaign launched Nov. 4 and topped its goal just a day later. By the time it ended 15 days later, the Augustines had raised more than $12,000 to help make their dream a reality.

At the helm of their Facebook/Kickstarter campaign was Mercyhurst intelligence studies professor Kristan Wheaton, who has netted a $10,000 grant from Ben Franklin Technology Partners to support regional entrepreneurial efforts through his own crowd-funding knowhow and an initiative he calls “Quickstarter.”

Wheaton began Quickstarter, which essentially is his strategic plan for conducting Kickstarter campaigns, after meeting with success on several of his own campaigns, among them funding games he designed and sending a liturgical dance team from Mercyhurst to Jerusalem to perform last year.

“Quickstarter is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs in the Erie region who need funds to launch their ideas and potentially turn those ideas into businesses,” Wheaton said. “The more successes we can generate through Quickstarter, the better opportunity we have to produce a culture change for Erie as an idea hub.”

Athletes excel in spring, fall sports MERCYHURST LAKERS

Baseball finished 30-15 overall and made the NCAA playoffs for the third time since 2009. Head Coach Joe Spano was named the Chuck Tanner College Coach of the Year.

Men’s lacrosse earned 12 wins in 16 games, won its second straight ECAC regular season title and made the NCAA tournament for the fourth straight year. Andrew Wagner was named Division II’s Top defenseman while both Mitch McAvoy and Brady Heseltine were chosen in the 2014 National Lacrosse League draft.

Women’s lacrosse went 16-3, tying the program record for wins, qualified for its sixth straight PSAC Tournament, and advanced to the PSAC championship game for the second time in three seasons. Becca Himes was named a Second Team All-American and the team was named to the IWLCA AllAcademic Squad.

Women’s rowing made its seventh consecutive NCAA Division II Championship Regatta, where Emily Francis won the NCAA Elite 89 Award.

The men’s golf team advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in the last five seasons.

The men’s tennis team ended 7-9 overall but made the PSAC playoffs for the second straight year. The women’s tennis team finished 13-6 and made the NCAA playoffs. In the fall, freshman Nenad Terzic won the PSAC Singles Championship and the women’s team had a PSAC Singles winner in freshman Saoia Gomez de Segura. The ITA honored both teams for their academic prowess.

Women’s water polo won the CWPA Division II Championship in March and ended the season with a 9-14 record. Senior Cailin Jope was an ACWPC First Team All-American.

Football won its last seven after starting 0-4 – the only football team in any division to have that roller-coaster ride. Mercyhurst would have won the PSAC West and played for the conference championship had the rules not been altered in the off-season. The Lakers broke some individual/team records along the way while head coach Marty Schaetzle was named PSAC West Coach of the Year.

Men’s soccer won its second PSAC Championship and accepted a sixth straight bid to the NCAA tournament.

Mercyhurst ended the season at 19-3, losing to top-ranked Charleston in the Atlantic Region Final.

Field hockey made its way to the PSAC playoffs before bowing out in the quarterfinals. The Lakers set the singleseason record for goals with 47.

Men’s golf captured the Bud Elwell Fall Classic and finished fifth at the PSAC Championships. Women’s golf won the Westminster Invitational and took fourth place at the PSAC Championships.

Women’s volleyball advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 and finished 18-13.

NORTH EAST SAINTS Saints softball set a school record for wins at 37-6, won the district title for the sixth consecutive year, and reached its national tournament, also for the sixth consecutive year.

Saints baseball also set a school record for wins at 31-10 and won the Region III title for only the second time in program history. They finished as district runners-up.

Men’s and women’s soccer both finished as runners-up in Region III. The women set a school record for wins at 11-6-2, while the men finished at 10-6.

Women’s volleyball finished as Region III runners-up, with an 8-13 record.

Shawn Wiler again competed at the NJCAA cross country nationals in Lubbock, Texas, finishing 95th of 256 runners.

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Football team feeds off coach’s newfound tradition

By David Leisering, Sports Information Director After an 0-4 start to the 2014 football season, head football coach Marty Schaetzle was grasping for a way to turn the season around and to salvage something from that dismal start.

“There was a big pot of stew in the middle. Everybody gathered ‘round and everyone had big, long-handled spoons in their hands, but they were still famished.

Seven straight victories later, Schaetzle appears to have found a new tradition for the Laker football team that has taken the cake – and eaten it with a spoon.

“Everybody in Hell kept trying to take those spoons and feed themselves, but they couldn’t get any of the stew into their mouths, so they were wasting away.”

Schaetzle and the Lakers finished the 2014 season with a 7-4 overall record and a 7-3 mark in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division.

As the Lakers entered the field during the seven-game winning streak, Schaetzle met them holding a large silver spoon. Each player touched the spoon on his way to the field – a new tradition that captured national attention when the Lakers defeated Slippery Rock at Michigan Stadium on Oct. 18.

The spoon comes with a great story that Schaetzle explained to the team prior to its win over crosstown rival Gannon University – the game that started the winning streak.

“We started out 0-4, we’re young, and we’re still not a very good football team, but we’re headed in the right direction,” Schaetzle told the team. He tried to explain to them the fine line between being good and not being good.

The coach told them the story of the guy who wanted to know the difference between Heaven and Hell. “An angel took him to Hell, and he was shocked to see that it didn’t look all that bad. It was nice, a kind of paradise.

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When the guy and the angel went to Heaven, it appeared to be the exact same room. Beautiful. Paradise. Eden. Everybody was holding the same spoons, but everyone was plump, healthy, red-cheeked, feeling great.

The guy didn’t understand but the angel explained, Schaetzle told his players. “In Heaven, everybody’s learned to feed each other. Each one takes a spoon with a long handle and feeds the guy across from him, and the guy feeds him in return.”

The coach told them, “If we start feeding each other, we have a good chance to become a good football team.”

Hence the spoon.

The team’s 7-4 record clinched its third straight winning season, the first time the program had accomplished that feat since stringing together seven straight winning years from 1983 to 1989.

Photos by Ed Mailliard

If it weren’t for a 2014 rule change, the Lakers would have played for the conference championship on Nov. 15 against the fifthranked team in the country, Bloomsburg, who had earlier beaten the Lakers during the 0-4 start.

But, the tradition that Schaetzle has started points towards a bright future for the Mercyhurst football program. Despite its dings and nicks and the beating it takes from each and every player who touches it on the way to the field, the spoon is still perfect.

Big House, big win

By David Leisering, Sports Information Director The Michigan Wolverines weren’t at home on Oct. 18, 2014, but Michigan Stadium was rocking anyway as Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock faced off there in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) contest.

Michigan has announced Slippery Rock football scores during its games for decades and twice previously has invited the Rock to play a game in its famed stadium. This third visit was part of Slippery Rock University’s 125th anniversary celebration, and marked the 35th anniversary of SRU’s first visit to the “Big House” in 1979. More than 61,000 fans attended that game, setting a Division II attendance record that still stands.

This year’s game coincided with the Big House Band Invitational featuring the Michigan Marching Band and select high school bands.

Mercyhurst’s brand-new marching band was also on hand to perform.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our program – our student-athletes, coaches, staff, parents and fans – to play a great program at one of the most historic venues in the country,” said Director of Athletics Joe Kimball in announcing that the previously scheduled MercyhurstSlippery Rock game was being moved more than 270 miles west. “I sure wasn’t going to say no to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our kids.”

The “Big House Battle” proved to be Mercyhurst’s third consecutive victory after four straight losses to open the season. Quarterback Brendan Boylan threw for 385 yards and four touchdowns, lifting the Lakers to 31 unanswered points and a 45-23 thumping of Slippery Rock in front of 15,121 fans.

in the baseball draft; outfielder David Lough, who’s now playing with the Baltimore Orioles, was the previous high draft pick when he was taken by the Kansas City Royals in the 11th round in 2007.

MARINERS DRAFT ALTAVILLA

By David Leisering, Sports Information Director Pitcher Dan Altavilla became the highest draft pick in Mercyhurst baseball history when the Seattle Mariners took him in the fifth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

The righthander is the 15th Laker to be selected

“This couldn’t happen to a more deserving person,” said Mercyhurst head coach Joe Spano.

“Dan is one of the hardest-working athletes I have ever coached. He is a terrific teammate, a terrific pitcher, a terrific student…he’s the total package. I couldn’t be happier.”

Altavilla’s 2014 season at the Hurst – arguably the best by a pitcher in program history – resulted in an avalanche of honors. He received the inaugural Brett Tomko Award as Division II’s Most Outstanding Pitcher, was named the ABCA/Rawlings Division II National Pitcher of the Year, and earned a place on the ABCA/ Rawlings First Team All-American Team, among many other awards.

He also excelled in the classroom and was named a Capital One Academic All-America® First Team selection with a 3.71 GPA in sports medicine and pre-physical therapy.

Following the draft, Altavilla was sent to the Everett (Washington) AquaSox, the Mariners’ Single A Short Season affiliate. He posted a 5-3 record and struck out 66 batters in 66 innings of work there, and was then invited to the Instructional League in Peoria, Arizona.

He’s not sure where he’ll be playing in 2015. “At spring training, every player has to come ready to showcase their hard work and dedication in the off-season,” he said. “From there, players will be placed on teams based on their talent and consistency.”

In the meantime he returned to campus this fall to continue working toward his degree. He hopes to finish by spring, or by fall at the latest.

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New Athletics Hall of Fame members honored during Reunion Weekend 2014 include (from left) P. Barry McAndrew, Lyndsi Hughes, Brian Haberstock, Christine Somera, Andrew Schonhoff, Jeanna Hartmann, Adam Tokash and Jim Zorn.

Sports Hall of Fame inducts 8 in 2014 Seven Laker athletes and a beloved Mercyhurst professor make up the 2014 class inducted into the Mercyhurst University Athletics Hall of Fame.

Those inducted include:

BRIAN HABERSTOCK

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL, 2001-04

Haberstock finished his outstanding career on the Laker football team with 1,271 rushing yards, which currently ranks 12th on the all-time list. He was the third rusher in program history to eclipse 1,000 career rushing yards and he still holds the school record for most rushing yards in a game (282 against Buffalo on Oct. 27, 1990) and for the longest kickoff return in school history (100 yards against Brockport State in 1988). He was the first player to rush for four touchdowns in one game and held the school record for career yards per carry (5.1) until it was broken in 2013. He was a Pizza Hut Third Team All-American in 1988.

Hughes remains the program’s all-time leader in kills and ranks second all-time in both digs and service aces. She was a two-time CoSIDA Second Team Academic All-American, a two-time AVCA AllRegion selection, and a two-time CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District honoree.

She was a member of the All-GLIAC Team three times and was also a three-time GLIAC All-Academic selection. She also ranks in the top 10 in career blocks and is the most decorated player in Mercyhurst volleyball history.

JEANNA HARTMANN

FIELD HOCKEY, 1999-2002

Hartmann was a First Team STX/NFHCA Division II All-American in 2002. She currently ranks third on the program’s all-time list in career points with 75 and career assists with 19, and is tied for second with 28 career goals. During her All-American year of 2002, Hartmann recorded the third-most points in a season with 35 and the fourth-most goals in a season (14).

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LYNDSI HUGHES

FOOTBALL, 1987-90

ANDREW SCHONHOFF

MEN’S WATER POLO, 2005-09

Schonhoff was the ACWPA National Player of the Year in 2008 and was a three-time ACWPA First Team AllAmerican and a three-time Academic AllAmerican. He held the program record for career goals and career points until 2013, and remains second in both categories.

He played professionally for three seasons after his graduation, two years in New Zealand’s First Division and one year in Germany’s Second Division.

“The efforts of these students both on the field and in the classroom have made them a perfect fit for this prestigious honor,” said Athletics Director Joe Kimball. “And Barry McAndrew has been an icon at Mercyhurst for so many years in both academics and athletics that it was an easy decision to induct him as well.”

CHRISTINE SOMERA

JIM ZORN

WOMEN’S WATER POLO, 2004-08

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL, 1997-2000

Somera was a four-time Academic AllAmerican and was a ACWPA All-American in 2005. She is the program’s all-time leader in career points and in career drawn ejections. She also ranks second all-time in career assists and third alltime in career goals. She was named the Mercyhurst Female Athlete of the Year in 2008 and was a four-time All-Conference selection, second team in 2005 and 2006 and first team in 2007 and 2008.

Zorn was a four-year starter and holds the program’s single-season record for kills with 411. He ranks first all-time in career kills (1,459), is second all-time in career digs (533) and career points (1,701.5), and is fourth all-time in career aces (75).

ADAM TOKASH

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL, 1997-2000 Tokash led the MIVA in aces in 1999, ranking him fifth nationally. He is the program’s all-time leader in career points (1,743), career aces (143), and career digs (679). He ranks second in the program’s history in career kills (1,432) and ranks third in solo blocks (88).

P. BARRY MCANDREW

ADMINISTRATOR

McAndrew was a professor in the English department at Mercyhurst for 41 years and has been “The Voice of the Lakers” for nearly 30 years, serving as the public address announcer at home football and men’s and women’s basketball games.

Distinguished Alumni Allan Belovarac, Ph.D. ’73; Mary Hoffman ’74; Patricia Clark Lightner ’81 ’85; and M. Marcia Federici, Ph.D. ’72. Not available for photo: Paul Cahill ’88.

Mercyhurst recognizes 5 distinguished alumni Mercyhurst University honored five outstanding graduates as Distinguished Alumni during ceremonies at Reunion Weekend June 6-8, 2014.

The award for Outstanding Service to Mercyhurst went to Allan Belovarac, Ph.D., who had worked at least part time at Mercyhurst ever since his 1973 graduation and retired in May after a 40-year career with the university. A popular history professor for 34 years, he previously coached the Laker crew team during its early years and served as Mercyhurst registrar and director of institutional research.

He also had a 28-year career as an intelligence specialist with the U.S. Naval Reserve.

Three alumni were honored for Outstanding Contributions to their Chosen Fields.

M. Marcia Federici, Ph.D. ’72 worked in the biopharmaceutical field for more than 25 years, managing product development, quality control and manufacturing with such firms as Genentech and GlaxoSmithKline. She worked on many drugs now being used to treat cancer, growth deficiencies and stroke, including TPA for stroke patients and the cancer drug Bexxar. Since retiring from industry, she has devoted herself to teaching and mentoring the next generation of young scientists.

Center, she has been a district director for the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole since 1999. In 2002, she received the Kinnane Criminal Justice Award for her career accomplishments. She is also an adjunct instructor in the criminal justice department at Mercyhurst.

Paul Cahill ’88 is Senior Vice President of Brand Management, Marriott Hotels and Resorts and JW Marriott Hotels, for Marriott International, Inc. He is responsible for developing and executing a multi-year brand strategy for both brands. He has held a variety of leadership positions within the Marriott organization, including Area General Manager of the South Orange County market, Area General Manager for Los Angeles, and Senior Regional Director of Operations for the Western Region.

Mary Hoffman ’74 received the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community. A special education teacher with the Millcreek Township School District, she retired after 34 years there but has continued to run the theater program she and colleague Mary Ellen Lieb developed for their students who have graduated from high school. Each year they stage a musical starring their special needs students of all ages. She is very active with St. John’s Parish in Erie.

Note: There’s still time to nominate candidates to be honored in 2015. Visit hurstalumni.org/nominations.

Patricia Clark Lightner ’81 ’85 has worked in the parole, probation and community corrections field throughout her career. After working for the Edmund L. Thomas Juvenile Detention Center, the Erie County Adult Probation Office and Gateway Rehabilitation

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Mercyhurst: Always close to my heart

By Amy Lombardo I recall walking into the campus of Mercyhurst as an adult, pushing 40, single mother, recently unemployed and wondering how to improve my career prospects and fulfill a need to do what I hadn’t done when I graduated from high school many years prior. I was nervous and afraid of what the future would hold; but from the moment I met the staff of the adult college I felt at ease.

It was fall, but within weeks I was enrolled and had financial aid lined up and was sitting in my first classes. What an experience being in classes with students almost 20 years younger - taking algebra of all things! Seriously? It had been 20 years since I had to figure out “x.”

Anyway, I survived the first trimester with flying colors and found out I loved college. I got a job, transitioned into MAP (Mercyhurst Accelerated Program) offered by the adult college and began attending evenings and weekends.

The students lovingly called them “marathon” classes - four hours on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings and Wednesdays. What a great way to get a degree. I could work my day job, attend classes, and study during what seemed like every other waking hour.

Since it was a new program, we all were participating in a great experiment. Many professors went well beyond the call of duty, especially during my second year when I literally almost died of a pulmonary embolism within weeks of the end of term. The professors gave me every opportunity to finish, even if it meant dropping off classwork at my home.

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That’s dedication! I had to take one term off, but was back full force the next.

Another change of job… Then there was no stopping. I had a mission and a personal goal to do the best I could. Graduated summa cum laude with a degree in risk management and was honored by the college with the Bishop’s Award for Academic Excellence. It was a very special experience to have my parents and my children at my graduation. In fact, my daughter and I graduated with our bachelor’s degrees two weeks apart.

I didn’t anticipate how much I’d miss attending classes and learning. When they started the master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, I jumped right in. It started as a certificate program. It still warms my heart when I hear of new graduates from that program, knowing that my cohorts and I had a hand in the success of the program becoming a permanent part of Mercyhurst.

I would like to give a special thank you to Dr. Gamble, who was my thesis mentor. His guidance really made that dreaded experience a success. I can’t say enough good about all the professors I had. I was exposed to many interesting and practical topics, from classical music and English classics to accounting and statistics, and from trying to resolve the issue of brucellosis in bison to financial management.

In the brief interval between graduating with a B.S. and starting the M.S., I found I missed participating in the college experience. When

I mentioned this to Mary Ellen Dahlkemper, she suggested the Alumni Board and made a recommendation. That is how I became a member 18 years ago. I still can’t believe it’s been that long.

I’ve seen many changes in the board, the administration, and Homecoming in those years. My favorite activity to help with at Homecoming was the “Comfortable Cup of Tea” at the Motherhouse. It was such a warm experience to see the alums visiting the Mercy Sisters, and I know the feeling was mutual.

I also had the great honor for many years of welcoming the adult students into the alumni association at a reception prior to graduation.

My most heartfelt experience, though, was being able to present the Distinguished Alumni award to Mary Ellen on behalf of the Alumni Board. She had been such a blessing to me and all the adult college non-traditional students.

One of the changes on the board is the institution of term limits, so I must bid farewell to the board, but not to the university, which will remain part of me and always be held close to my heart. This retirement coincides with my retirement from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. I’ve come full circle from starting college to a new career to being able to retire. Looking forward to many new opportunities coming my way! To those of you just beginning…. Remember to give it your best and Carpe Diem!

Alumni Board elects new leaders Scott Koskoski ’00 has taken office as president of the Mercyhurst University Alumni Association. Serving with him are Emily Mosco Merski ’04 ’06 as vice president and Mike Lyden ’05 as secretary/treasurer.

New to the board this fall are members: Noel Burgoyne ’57 Patrick Dunn ’78 Jacob Griffin ’14 Catherine Hornick ’87 Adrianne LaGruth ’13 ’14 Paulette Vaccaro ’83 Elise Yablonsky ’07

Emily Mosco Mersk

i ’04 ’06; Robert M

erski ’99; Jeanne Ke

im Phillips ‘68

The board would like to thank members who have completed their terms on the board, including Jeanne Phillips ’68, a long-time member who’s been a regular at Erie alumni events and helping to educate students and recent alumni about the importance of giving back to their alma mater. Also departing are JP Ratajczak ’04 and Kristen Hudak ’05, co-chairs of the networking team; and Mary McKenna ’90.

Sadly, Bob Dubik ’78, who also completed his term this year, died Nov. 13.

It’s also time to say farewell to board member Amy Lombardo ’94 ’96 ’01. At left she reflects on her attachment to Mercyhurst and why the university will always be a part of her life.

Laker mascot travels the world Flattened by falling books in Hammermill Library last spring, ‘Hurst mascot Louie the Laker needed some time away from campus. Thanks to countless Laker alums, he’s been on the road ever since. Here are just a few of the places he’s visited.

Germany

You can take Flat Louie along on your winter adventures by printing a copy from the Alumni Community page on the Mercyhurst website (mercyhurst.edu). Thanks to 2014 Mercyhurst grad Rudy Claros for the designs.

Edinburgh, Scotla

nd Alyssa Rainier ‘96 and her brother, Jason Giffen ‘97, at Ethiad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

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101 Moments of Motherhood The Mercyhurst motto – “carpe diem” – urges everyone to seize the day, to take advantage of every opportunity, to grasp each moment.

Regan Kosic Long ’06 has taken that advice to heart, compiling all the moments of her busy life as wife, mother, teacher, photographer and more into newspaper columns, popular books and now a well-read blog on motherhood for The Huffington Post.

Regan says her Mercyhurst preparation helped her find her first job as a special ed teacher in California. “Most college students don’t get their feet wet in the classroom right away,” she says, “but by the time I graduated I had about 10 different schools on my résumé where I’d had experience.”

The book paved the way to a “Moments of Motherhood” column for her hometown newspaper, the Williamsport SunGazette. After that, she expanded her reach from the 40,000-circulation Sunday paper to the online Huffington Post, where her work has generated more than 100,000 likes and shares.

She and her husband, Terry, moved back to Pennsylvania after they started their family. She took a job teaching 5th grade and has since moved to 2nd grade. Her other full-time job is as mom to daughters Kendyl (6), Kennedy (2) and Kelsey (born Aug. 29 this year), and son Kaden (4).

Now in the works: another undisclosed 101 Moments book and her first children’s book, a humorous tale based on Kaden’s journey through the Terrible Twos.

Her first book – 101 Moments of Motherhood – was published in 2013.

It captured experiences of motherhood from throughout her life, from her own nontraditional upbringing to her interactions with her growing family. “It’s a heart-wrenching book,” she admits. “Very sentimental, very emotional. It brings people to tears.”

That might explain why she’s also launched two new businesses: a photography company (fittingly named “In the Moment”) that specializes in child and family portraits, and a second venture as a beach body coach. Always an athlete, she shares her own passion for fitness.

How does she do it all? Regan says she’s been high energy since birth.

“Whenever I get an idea, I just go with it.”

101 Moments of Motherhood is available online through amazon.com.

Read her blog posts at huffingtonpost.com.

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Class notes Peter Winklebauer ‘73 received a citation from the Pa. State Senate and a lifetime achievement award for his excellence in the arts and dedication to the well-being of the community. Peter has taught art to high school students for many years and has impacted many students with his passion.

Laura Osborn ‘97 has joined St. Martha School in Sarasota, Florida, as director of marketing and public relations. She relocated to Siesta Key, Florida, from Rochester, New York, where she spent 15 years working for Camp Good Days and Special Times.

Jeffrey Smith ‘88 was appointed executive director of St. Susan Center soup kitchen in Jamestown, New York.

He previously worked in food service and hotel management through the Marriott Corporation in New York City and Dallas, Texas, and at restaurants in Florida.

Diane Dominik Wickles ‘98 published her debut romance novel in September through Assent Publishing in Pittsburgh.

Hong Kong Treasure is available in print and eBook.

Paula Yoviene Prohaska ‘91 has joined Buffalo Hotel Supply as interior designer in the firm’s Amherst, New York, headquarters.

Paula’s previous experience included government, education and healthcare design and she is excited to now work on interior design projects in the hospitality realm.

Glenn Novak ‘93 has been hired as finance director for Global Color Additives & Inks.

He will lead the finance function for GCAI, including oversight of financial operations across global business units and the continued financial integration for recently acquired businesses.

Jim McManus ‘94 received the James P. Sweeney Founder’s Award and was honored as “Man of the Year” by the Retired Irish Police Society on March 15, 2014. Jim is a professor in charge of the criminal justice program at Lorain County Community College and a police chief for the Village of Kipton, Ohio.

Sondra Dorwart DePalma ‘97 was recognized as a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants for exceptional contributions to patient care and the medical profession during her 12 years as a physician assistant.

Anne Onofrey McClendon ‘00 teaches general music, choir and drama at Holy Spirit Catholic School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Her 4th grade choir students joined Foreigner on stage at a concert in May to sing one of the band’s biggest hits, “I Want to Know What Love Is.” They earned the opportunity by winning a local radio station contest and also received a $600 grant to purchase new instruments for the music program.

Brent Swain ‘01 earned his master’s degree in middle school instruction.

Emily Camilli Brady ‘03 has been hired as a State Farm Insurance agent. She plans to run her own agency in St. Louis.

Sara Houston ‘06 recently defended her dissertation and graduated with her Ph.D. in biomedical science with a concentration in neuroscience from Kent State University.

Sara is now a postdoctoral fellow at George Washington University Medical School in Washington, D.C. Mary Ellen Leisering ‘06 earned her Master of Liberal Arts degree at Houston Baptist University (HBU) in August 2014.

She is entering her seventh year at HBU as assistant director of athletic media relations for the NCAA Division I school.

Ashlee Nelson ‘06 received the 2014 Outstanding First Year School Counselor Award from Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia.

Lisa Bannister ‘08 received an MBA in general management on June 28, 2014, from Devry Keller Graduate School of Management.

She has accepted an adjunct instructor position with Mercyhurst University at the North East campus. Lisa has also started a nonprofit called Project Prom in Erie, Pennsylvania, collecting and distributing formal wear to those in need for special occasions.

Colleen Gaffney ‘10 accepted a position as a marketing coordinator and graphic designer with rand* construction corporation in Washington, D.C. She was previously a marketing coordinator and graphic designer for Signature Financial Partners in Vienna, Virginia.

Chelsea Lammes ‘11 started a nonprofit called wovenheART to raise funds for For The Silent, a local organization that fights sex trafficking. She also earned a master’s degree in counseling and took a job as a counselor at Goodwill Industries of East Texas.

Bethany Jones ‘12 was promoted from assistant to general manager of Panera Bread in Dublin, Ohio.

Jeremy Dickey ‘13 received the Douglas Smith Student Award 2014 from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in Manchester, England.

The competition was created to help identify students with the greatest potential and to recognize a founder and honorary patron of CIPR International, Douglas Smith.

Thomas Frank ‘13 accepted a position at Erie Insurance as a performance tracking analyst for the Enterprise Program Management Office at the home office in Erie, Pennsylvania.

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Class notes MARRIAGES Sarah Donovan ‘07 married Ben Lewis on Sept. 28, 2013. Bridesmaids included Emily Donovan ‘09, Theresa Mullan ‘07 and Michelle Ellia ‘07.

James “Jayme” Dylewski ‘07 married Jessica King on Oct. 12, 2013, at Purchase Line Church of the Brethren. Jayme is an internal medicine resident at St. Luke’s Hospital in Bethlehem.

Kathryn Miller ‘08 married Doug Gorski on Sept.

6, 2014, in Avon, Ohio.

Bridesmaids included Amy Opest ‘07 and Deanna Kramer Hinman ‘07.

Brittany Monteparte ‘08 married Justin Graf on Nov. 9, 2013, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Bridesmaids included Marla Glista ‘08, Kara Stadelman ‘09, Nicole Hlavaty ‘09, Kayla Lincoln ‘09 and Katy Sherlach ‘09. Brittany works in McLean, Virginia, as an analyst and project manager with BAE systems and Justin is an attorney with Academi.

Jenna Golden ‘09 married Eric Bresnehan on Aug. 16, 2014, in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

Bridesmaids included Claire Rowella ‘09 and Marla Glista ‘08 and a reading was done by Shannon Farrell ‘09.

Shannon Murphy ‘09 married Christopher Sherwin on June 21, 2014, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Bridesmaids included Kathryn Kolker Miller ‘09 and Megan Peluso ‘09. Shannon works in treasury management at PNC Bank and Christopher is a patent attorney for The Webb Law Firm.

Megan Lee Rivett ‘11 married Matthew Saeli on July 25, 2014, in Las Vegas. Megan works in Warren, Pennsylvania, as a daycare director, and Matt works as an office manager for C.R.I.

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Rachel Brown Andrews ‘12 and Alyssa Andrews ‘12 were married on June 27, 2014,

by Mercyhurst professor Dr. Richard McCarty.

The couple held a celebration of their union on Aug. 16, 2014, and bridesmaids included Natalie Grospitch ‘12, Jill Barrile ‘12, Kayla Clark ‘13, Claire Hogan ‘12, Christy DiSalvo ‘12 and Kyra Stanyard ‘12.

Jordan Gruver ‘12 married James Duberow on June 21, 2014, in Christ the King Chapel at Mercyhurst. Jordan is a graduate student at Florida State University and Jim is employed by Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare.

Members of the wedding party included Erin Hepler ‘12, maid of honor; Lauren Haines ‘11, bridesmaid; and Chris Wise ‘09, groomsman.

Stephen Lupo ‘13 married Andrea DiSanti on July 20, 2013. Andrea is the daughter of Jim DiSanti ‘85 and Barb Carlin DiSanti ‘81.

BIRTHS & ADOPTIONS Randolph Byrd ‘74 and wife Kathryn had a son, William Robert Goodson Byrd, on Oct. 6, 2014.

Kathryn Argentieri Nawracaj ‘92 and husband Kevin had a son, Evan Adam, in June 2013. He joins big sisters Ella and Elise and big brother Ethan. The Nawracajs live in Chicago.

Toni Platte Payner ‘96 and husband Ian had a son, Christopher James, on June 11, 2014. He joins big brothers Michael and Ryan.

Isaac McPherson ‘99 and wife Andrea had their fourth son, Daniel Alexander, on Jan. 1, 2014.

Nancy Mealey Bailey ‘01 and husband Jeffrey had a son, Samuel John, on July 29, 2014.

Michelle Mogel Hosford ‘02 and husband Donnie had a daughter, Arianna Britton, on April 14, 2014. Arianna joins brothers Aidan (6) and Landon (2) and sister Soraya (4).

Melissa Smith Maegle ‘02 and Steven Maegle ‘02 had a daughter, Cecelia Jane, on Feb. 15, 2014. Cecelia joins big sister Sydney.

JP Ratajczak ‘02 and his wife had a son, AJ Ratajczak, on April 17, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio.

Casey Kilroy ‘03 and Andrew Dinkelaker had their first child, Saylor Clare, on Oct. 25, 2013.

Jessica Montana ‘03 and Matthew Backhaus ‘05 had a daughter, Bryn Montana, on March 10, 2014, in Pittsburgh.

She joins big brother Matthew Jr. Jaime Myers Outly ‘05 and husband Ryan had a son, Abraham Thomas, on July 19, 2014.

Gloria Emberger Oxford ‘05 and husband Sean had their first daughter, Marlee Ann, on June 19, 2014. Marlee joins big brother Noah.

Thera Gaston Reams ‘05 and husband Brian had a son, Hudson Louis, on May 11, 2014.

Chris Aloshen ‘07 and Meghan Sauer Aloshen ‘07 had their first child, son Malcolm Joseph, on June 9, 2014.

Class notes Hilary Frantz Jonczak ‘07 and husband Chris had their second son, Dominic Reed, on Dec. 5, 2013.

Amanda Riccardi Walsh ‘08 and husband Brendan had their first child, son Calvin Alexander, on Nov. 11, 2013.

ALUMNI DEATHS Jean Summers Wichtowski ‘33 Martha Mary Kettering Kessler ‘37 Pauline O’Laughlin Hergenrother ‘38 Mary Ellen Linney Avery ‘43 Dorothy Szyplik ‘43 Adele Trippe Karle ‘44 Eileen Walsh Thompson ‘44 Anne Cleary Joyce ‘46 Marilyn Cummiskey Souders ‘47 Elizabeth Peters Strong ‘52 Nancie Sigmond Stowe ‘53 Maryann Robaskiewicz Adsit ‘55 Anne Remaley LeBlanc ‘55 Lillian Egnot Cohen ‘60

Sr. Mary Edith Hirsch, R.S.M. ‘62 Jacquelyne Fondy ‘65 Daniel Hedlund, OD ‘77 Robert S. Dubik ‘78 Sarah Maio ‘80 Joseph Bickers ‘86 Ernest Frank Kemling Jr. ‘86 Trissa Dudzinski Marino ‘89 Ojae Michal Louise Beale, Ed.D. ‘92 Gerald Volgstadt II ‘97 Valerie Kennedy ‘98 Brian Yaniszewski ‘99

CONDOLENCES To the family of Daniel Kuehl, Ph.D., associate professor of intelligence studies.

CONDOLENCES Husband of: Joyce Metzler McChesney ‘69 (William McChesney)

Father and grandfather of: Betsy Herzog Frank ‘81 and Thomas Frank ‘13 (Robert Herzog) Father of: Denise Moles ‘81 Mother and grandmother of: Susan Souders Sidorick ‘71, Marjory Souders Gorny ‘73, Molly Souders Lord ‘77, and Molly Gorny Robinette ‘04 (Marilyn Cummiskey Souders ‘47) Daughter of: Donna Morrison ‘08 (Courtney Morrison, who was a current Mercyhurst student) Son of: Susan Patricia Donahue Deet ‘68 (Gregory Deet) Brother (and brother-in-law) of: David Quinn ‘90 and Antoinetta Tripodi Quinn ‘92 (Patrick Quinn)

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