Spring 2005 Magazine

Editor’sInklings

Tradition is a funny word. This past Easter, I’m sure we all engaged in religious and secular, serious and silly traditions alike—traditions such as going to Good Friday services and mass on Palm Sunday, and decorating hard boiled eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide. Tradition—the word itself most commonly refers to an action that we engage in out of remembrance of the past, or simply out of habit. Sometimes the word can refer to actions we all do but we don’t remember why, or even actions we dread doing but continue to do because it is tradition.

As humorous as it may seem at times, though, the word tradition can have a broader meaning for institutions. For Gannon, tradition captures the essence of the University’s creation and carries it through to the present, helping to determine the future. It gives us a foundation on which to build and a strong identity as a Catholic institution of higher learning.

When I first met Carolyn Masters, Ph.D., Director of the Villa Maria School of Nursing, I was amazed to hear the words of a personal family tradition come from the mouth of a person I barely knew. “The tradition of the Villa Maria name is to give our students, particularly our women students, a strong sense of self and accomplishment. For us, our education and teaching is something to be very proud of,” she said. I had to look twice; for a moment, I thought my grandmother, an alumna of Villa Maria College, had joined us. Dr. Masters’ words—sense of self, accomplishment, pride in education and teaching—were words my grandmother had used so often in encouraging all of her grandchildren to continue their education and strive to become teachers.

The strong sense of tradition as a student-centered Catholic university runs throughout Gannon’s history, making our foundation strong enough to build the future—to accomplish something as important and defining as building the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (page 10). It also helps us to build ourselves as a community of amazing individuals, a few of whom are featured in this issue. Eilene (Crawley) Pierson ’49 VMC (page 18) has had a fascinating life of many artistic careers, David Spinelli ’05 (page 14) brings to our community great leadership formed by his unique experiences, and Joe Gaeta ’62 (page 26) continues to serve as the President of the Gannon Athletic Boosters.

As you flip through these pages, I hope that you can feel a sense of Gannon’s tradition represented in your own lives, and that you are inspired to share your reactions and your own memories and experiences with Gannon magazine.

Catherine Carlson, editorcarlson010@gannon.edu(814) 871.5817

6 A Celebration of Heritage Faculty, staff, and alumni remember Gannon’s roots in Villa Maria College.

10 Climbing the Ladder of Success Gannon takes the first steps in turning dreams into reality.

14 A World of Experience A Gannon senior provides leadership as a wrestler, soldier, and student.

16 One Writer’s Story An alumna’s script spreads across the country.

2 NewsNotes18 AlumniFocus19 FacultyFocus20 SportsScan22 AlumNotes29 EndNotes

Features

Departments

Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D.PresidentDavid R. Fabian ’63Director of Public AffairsCatherine E. Carlson ’05MPublications Officer and Editor

1

contents

On the Cover:Renae Pryjmak ’06 painted City Garden, oil on canvas, from her imagination during the dreary weather of early spring.

Photo right:Daffodils are the first to bloom on the Gannon campus as springtime arrives.

Contributors:Jana HuntJulie Groenendaal ’98Jeannie KloeckerNick PronkoRenee Pryjmak ’06Dan Teleski ’97Paul DeSante, Ph.D.

Photography: Ed BernikTim Rohrbach

Design: Tungsten Creative Group

Gannon Releases On Catholic IdentityGannon University’s Mission and Identity Council, formed in the fall of 2003, recently revised and released Gannon’s On Catholic Identity brochure to its faculty, staff, and students. The brochure, originally produced in 1999, now reinforces Ex corde Ecclesiae, a document written by Pope John Paul II with the intent of defi ning and describ-ing the purpose of Catholic institutions of higher educa-tion throughout the world. In the year 2000, the Bishops

of the United States ac-cepted Ex corde Ecclesiae as applicable in our geo-graphic location, creating the need and desire within Gannon University to update this brochure.

The development and revision of the On Cath-olic Identity brochure also directly connects with the efforts dictated

by the Gannon University Strategic Plan 2002-2007 to promote Gannon University’s Catholic identity. “This is just one of many ongoing efforts to further Gannon, and the perception of Gannon, as a leader in Catholic higher education,” commented Rev. Nicholas John Rouch, Vice President for Mission and Ministry.

of the United States ac-cepted

by the Gannon University Strategic Plan 2002-2007

Malloy Returns as Commencement SpeakerUniversity of Notre Dame President Rev. Edward A. Malloy, CSC, will return to Gannon in May to give the keynote address at the com-mencement ceremonies. Gannon previously awarded Malloy an honorary doctor of laws degree in Septem-ber 2002 when he par-ticipated in the University’s Catholic Higher Education Speaker Series.

Among many of Father Malloy’s accomplishments, he has been, most-notably, a driving force behind efforts to promote community service and combat substance abuse in higher education. In these efforts, he has served as a member of numerous organization, including the National Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the President’s Advisory Council on Drugs, and the Commu-nity Anti-Drug Coalition of America.

In his administrative work in higher education, Malloy serves on numerous boards, including those for Vander-bilt, the University of Portland, and the University of St. Thomas (MN). He has also served as a chair of the Ameri-can Council of Education (ACE) and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB).

Campus Celebrates International Traditions

Gannon University’s International Student Organization hosted its 16th Annual International Night in March, an event that celebrates unity and diversity through exploring the food, music, dance, and cultural tradi-tions from a number of different countries, includ-

ing India, Kuwait, Turkey, Peru, Greece, France, Spain, and China. Students and faculty members of multiple nationalities worked together to make this

celebration colorful, exciting, and one to remember.

Fuel of the FutureThe dream of hydrogen fuel cell-powered transporta-tion continues to inspire research throughout the country as well as here at Gannon University. A small biotech company called Infectech has recently funded Gannon’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering to conduct a feasibility study on the use of the non-patho-genic bacteria Clostridia as a source of hydrogen that could be used for fuel.

“Our goal is to work with bacteria that produce hy-drogen as waste and then to capture that hydrogen before other bacteria can use it as a food source, transforming it into meth-ane,” explained Depart-ment Chairperson Harry R. Diz, Ph.D., one of the main researchers work-ing on the bioreactor that

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Upcoming Schuster EventsSchuster Art GalleryApril 9 - May 10, 2005Kate Bender—Printmaking

Erie Chamber OrchestraJune 10, 2005, at 7:30 PMTribute to the Music of John WilliamsSt. Patrick Church, 130 East 4th Street

Gannon University Schuster TheaterApril 21 - April 24 and April 28 - April 30Moby Dick: The Musical! by Robert Longden and Hereward Kaye.

The Gannon University Schuster Theatre/Alex Clemente Fundraiser pre-sented The Complete History of Western Civilization (Abridged), The Musical, by Martin, Tichner, Graham, and Ryan in March.

Alex Clemente ’62 was an important infl uence on the development of the Erie arts community, as he was involved in creating and supporting institutions and programs such as the Erie Historical Museum, the Erie Summer Festival of the Arts, and the Erie Opera Theatre. He served as the

technical director for Gannon’s Little The-atre in the 1980’s, and many of his plays were produced at Gannon’s Little Theatre, The Carriage House, and The Erie Play-house. The proceeds from the fundraiser were added to the Alex Clemente Fund for Performing and Related Arts, a fund that helps provide opportunities for professionals in theatre and other arts to serve as “artists in residence” at Gannon University on an annual basis.

The show, which ran for two nights, was a return to the comic antics of the Reduced Shakespeare Company. The performances, directed by Ed Helenski, current Schuster Theatre technical director, featured well-known local talents Paula Barrett, Shawn Clerkin, and Jim Gandolfo.

would make this process possible. He added, “The concern with producing hydrogen as we do now—by splitting H2O molecules—is that the process requires using more energy generated from fossil fuels than the use of hydrogen as a fuel source would conserve.” The purpose of this project is to investigate ways in which hydrogen can be captured and used for fuel safely and economically by using microorgan-

isms as a source.

Dr. Diz is currently working with Dennis Bazylinski, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology at Iowa State University, to receive consultation on the microorganisms important to the research. Dick Gammon, Ph.D., a retired professor of Gannon, is providing the cultures for the research through his business, Presque Isle Cultures.

Annual Fundraiser Presents Musical

Faculty and Staff NewsNewsNotes

4

Faculty Members Selected To Attend First WorkshopThe Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning will host its fi rst annual workshop, “Redesigning Your Course,” this May. Four faculty members from each college have been chosen to attend the workshop

after a competitive application process. From the College of Sciences, Engineering, and Health Sciences, Dr. Supawadee Lee, Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy; Valerie Baker, Assistant Professor of Nursing; Dr. Michelle Homan, Assistant Professor of Environmental Sciences; and Dr. Stephen Frezza, Associate Professor of Electrical

and Computer Engineering, will attend. The College of Humanities, Business, and Education has selected Dr. Douglas King, Assistant Professor of English; Dr. Barry Jackish, Assistant Professor of History; Dr. Michael Latzer, Associate Professor of Philosophy; and Dr. Kenneth McCurdy, Assistant Professor of Community Counseling and Psychology, to attend the workshop.

Each participant will have the ability to share ideas with other participants and engage in learning about aspects of technology they wish to incorporate into the courses they teach. Several classrooms will also be equipped with new technological devices that will assist the faculty in applying the techniques they develop.

Sharon A. Krahe has been promoted from Assistant Director of Financial Aid to Director of Financial Aid. Krahe has worked in numerous departments at Gannon University since 1987, including the Center for Adult Learning and Financial Aid. She earned a bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) in business administration from Gannon and is pursuing a master’s degree at Gannon in public administration.

The Whos in WhovilleSteven Ropski, Ph.D., Professor of Biol-

ogy, and Tom Wager, PC Technician, took the stage as members of Whoville in the Erie

Playhouse’s production of Suessical the Musical. Dressed in bright Who clothing, Ropski and

Wager interacted with Dr. Suess characters such as JoJo, Horton the Elephant, The Grinch, and

of course, the Cat in the Hat, entertaining an audience of all ages. After the show, members

of the audience, which included some of Ropski’s students, were able to take pictures with the classic characters.

audience of all ages. After the show, members of the audience, which included

some of Ropski’s students, were able to take pictures with the classic characters.

Emily Frank has been promoted from Enrollment Advisor to Assistant Director of Admissions. As Assistant Director, Frank will be responsible for new student recruitment within the Diocese of Erie and will oversee planning for the University’s fall and spring Open Houses. She earned a bachelor’s degree in advertising communications with a webmaster minor from Gannon. She is also currently pursuing a master’s degree in public administration from Gannon.

The Faculty Awards Convocation was held on April 8, recognizing members of the faculty for accomplishment in research, teaching, and service. Professor of Theol-ogy Terry Giles, Ph.D., received the Distinguished Faculty Award; Assistant Professor of Biology Gregory M. Andreso, Ph.D. received the Undergraduate Faculty Research Award; Professor of Political Science Thomas S. Ostrowski, Ph.D., received the Stu-dent Government Association Excellence in Teaching Award; Assistant Professor of Theology Mary Anne Rivera, Ph.D. received the Bishop Trautman “Feed My Sheep” Award; and Assistant Professor of Chemis-try Betty Jo Chitester, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of Theology Reverend Edward C. Krause, CSC, both received 25 Years of Service Awards.

NewsNotes

5

Community Counseling graduate student Jessica Kramarik was awarded a Leadership in Counselor Education International Fellowship through Chi Sigma Iota International. Chi Sigma Iota is the academic and professional honorary society for professional counseling that promotes scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership, and excellence in counseling. Jessica is one of 10,000 active members of Chi Sigma Iota, and she was honored along with only nine other recipients at the 2005 American Counseling Association (ACA) conference in Atlanta, GA on April 8, 2005. The process of selecting fellows was highly competitive and stringent, and the award will give Jessica the opportunity to participate in extensive

training at the ACA conference, receive a monetary stipend, and serve Chi Sigma Iota International and the counseling profession in various capacities at the national level over the next year.

Student NewsEric Grimm and Kevin Costanzo, two sophomore chemistry majors, have been named fi nalists in Chemven-tion, a problem-solving competition sponsored by the American Chemical Society. Both students will attend the American Chemical Society’s national meeting in San Diego for the fi nals of the competition. Grimm and Costanzo were one of only fi ve teams chosen nationally as fi nalists.

Semaj Vanzant was the recipient of the Gannon Stu-dent Award at the Fourth Annual Community Leadership

Award Dinner at Gannon. The award signifi ed Semaj’s dedica-tion to serving as a community leader through work with a multitude of committees and religious groups. The dinner was sponsored by the NATO/Martin Luther King, Jr. Me-morial Center and Minorities Cultures United of Gannon.

Semaj Vanzant and his mother Delecia.

Graduate Student Receives Fellowship

Renae Pryjmak (left), Katie Gabelman (right), and Emily Cassano (not pictured) took the stage in a Schuster Theatre production of Desdemona: A Play About a Handkerchief, written by Paula Vogel and directed by Gannon’s Paula Barrett. The young ladies tickled the audience’s funny bone as they portrayed possible missing scenes from Shakespeare’s Othello, scenes that explore the relationship and desires of women that were rarely portrayed during Shakespeare’s time.

Who’s Who from GannonThe following Gannon students will be honored as outstanding campus leaders in the 2005 edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges, to be released in July.

Felicia L. Adderly: senior, biology/pre-physical therapy; LeAnne Marie Bender: junior, nursing; Allyson L. Cullen: senior, accounting; Travis J. Donaldson: senior, mechanical engineering; Kristin M. Fouse: junior, biology/pre-med; Siddharth R. Gaddam: senior, electrical engineering; Maggie Marie Irvine: senior, English/secondary education; Jean Marie LaBarca: junior, elementary/special education; Erin M. Leahy: senior, English; Honey Lee Marburger: junior, respiratory care; Charles Meabon: senior, fi nance; Danielle R. Petrozelle: junior, occupational therapy; Richard S. Sargent: senior, theatre/communication arts; Ambi Singh: graduate student, electrical engineering; Lindsey Ann Smail: junior, physician assistant; Jodie Lynn Styers: junior, math/secondary education; Jamie E. Taylor: junior, business management; and Jennifer L. Woznicki: senior, occupational therapy.

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Building Catholic Higher Education in ErieThe Villa Maria name dates back to 1892 when the Sisters of St. Joseph founded Villa Maria Academy, an in-

stitution that in 1925 expanded to include Villa Maria College (VMC). The mission of

the college was to provide a higher education in liberal arts for women within the Catholic

tradition; however, the institution’s mission was amended in 1930 to include the ability to

serve men as part of their student body. At the time, the Erie area had quite a few institutions

providing opportunities for higher education to women—Mercyhurst College, St. Vincent Hospi-

tal School of Nursing, and, of course, Villa Maria. Strangely, though, there weren’t any higher-educa-

tion opportunities for men, specifically the men who had graduated from Cathedral Preparatory School. Monsignor Joseph “Doc” Werhle, then president of VMC, requested Villa Maria to accommodate those needs until an institu-tion for men could form, and so it was that men joined the women of the Villa Maria student body.

Three years later (in 1933), Dr. Werhle, with the support and blessing of then-Bishop John Mark Gannon, was successful in creating a college for men, aptly named Ca-thedral College. It was a small college meant to provide men who were virtuous and talented, but not necessar-ily well-financed, with a strong liberal arts education. Cathedral College remained under Villa Maria’s charter

A Celebration of

The history of Gannon University cannot be accurately told without examining its close relationship to Villa Maria College, an institution that was a crucial player in the University’s formation. One might refer to Villa Maria College as a mother to Gannon, or a sister, or a good friend. Regardless of the description, the relationship was very meaningful when the two institutions merged in 1989, and it remains so today as Gannon continues to cherish the Villa alumnae, faculty, and staff.

“The fact that the missions coincided

so much made it easy for the institutions to

collaborate. And really, there was a linkage between

Villa Maria and Gannon

from the very beginning.”

Sister Leonie Shanley, SSJ,

Past Interim President of Villa

Maria College

Heritage

8

until the Middle States and Maryland Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools required VMC to distinguish themselves from the downtown Ca-thedral College in order to obtain accreditation.

Later in the decade, after both VMC and Gannon University had become independently accredited and successful, small collaborations took place between such programs as Education and Nursing. These col-laborations, along with other factors, eventually led to the decision in 1989 to merge the two institutions into one with the purpose of “strengthening the delivery system of Catholic higher education in the Erie area,” according to the report delivered by the task force that was charged with overseeing the possibilities of a merger.

The Melding of MissionsThe task force’s report, entitled “Toward a Shared Vision,” identifi ed very early the close similarities between the missions of Villa Maria College and Gannon University. Both institu-tions had the foundation of providing liberal arts education to people desiring higher education regardless of identity factors that were commonly used to differentiate between certain groups. Gannon’s Mission Statement at the time stated that a goal was to “motivate and empower students of all faiths and races to become well-integrated professionals who will as-

sume leadership roles in their careers, society, and church,” while Villa

Maria’s mission more specifi cally appealed to providing education to women, a group viewed as a minority by many during the early and mid parts of the Twen-tieth Century.

The commonality of the lib-eral arts education, the appeal to

minority groups, and the founda-tion of faith-based education that

existed within both of the schools pointed to their unique ability to merge.

Sister Leonie Shanley, SSJ, a key member of Villa Maria College at the time of the merger,

recently stated, “The fact that the missions coincided so much made it easy for the institutions to collaborate. And re-ally, there was a linkage between Villa Maria and Gannon from the very beginning. However, there was also competition from the beginning, too.” For some affected by the merger, the spirit of competition and want of individual identity was diffi cult to suppress. Those diffi culties, though, were a natural part of merg-ing the two institutions so that the common goal of delivering Catholic higher education could be more effectively reached.

Overall, the faculty and staff of both institutions successfully did combine to reach the goal. The deep similarities that existed be-tween the institutions’ mission statements, in addition to serving as a reason for the merger, allowed for ease in the understanding of each other’s viewpoints when combining work forces, some-what to the surprise of external consultants who assisted with the merger. John Young, Chairman of the English Department and original faculty member from VMC, stated, “We proved the consultants wrong with our abilities to collaborate. They had warned us that there would be tension for decades to come, and that just hasn’t happened.”

Another reason for such an ease of mixing among most faculty members was that Gannon and Villa Maria were collaborating on major programs during the decade before the merger. For instance, in 1983, Gannon and Villa Maria collaboratively formed the College of Education, sharing resources in early childhood, elementary, secondary, and graduate education programs. The administration for the program was also shared; Dr. Richard Herbstritt of Gannon University was named Dean of the college, with Dr. Mary Jo Cherry of Villa Maria being appointed the As-sociate Dean.

Villa Maria’s original mission is also still a determining factor in the University’s demographics. Although Gannon University serves both male and female students (as Villa Maria also did throughout several years), the VMC vision of assisting women, particularly returning adult students, in building their careers in the face of a once-strong oppression continues to be refl ected in the closing line of Gannon’s Mission Statement, “The Universi-ty’s environment is meant to be one of inclusiveness and cultural

“We proved the consultants wrong with our abilities to

collaborate.”John Young, Chairman of Gannon’s English Department

9

diversity.” As the numbers show, this inclusiveness continues to provide opportunities for women, as they currently account for more than 62 percent of Gannon’s student body, a number that matches the national trend of more women attending universities.

Roots of VMC Still Alive As Gannon continues to grow and develop through many efforts, including increasing enrollment, encouraging faculty scholarship, and using technology in the classroom, the many faculty members who came to Gannon from VMC through the merger continue to be crucial in maintaining Gannon’s excel-lence as a teaching university.

“We have some great people who came from Villa among our faculty today,” commented Timothy Downs, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Humanities, Business, and Education. He added, “I really appreciate the traditions and quality of education that they brought to Gannon through the merger.”

Many original faculty and staff from VMC actively work in departments such as English, Education, Theology, Chemistry, Fine Arts, Dietetics, Biology, the Library, and of course, The Villa Maria School of Nursing.

Sister Lucille DeStefano, SSJ, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, commented, “The Villa Maria College will exist as long as we have alumnae teaching, working, and living.” She added, “Dr. Garibaldi has been a wonderful catalyst in recognizing the im-portance of Villa Maria, and he has really helped to bring about an easing of tension over the merger.”

Outside of the faculty, the alumnae of Villa Maria College are also still a very active group. Marilynn (Coombes) Krull ’57 VMC, one of the nine members of the 1957 nursing class—the first nursing class to graduate from Villa Maria—often attends the Villa Maria School of Nursing Teas held here on Gannon campus. In discussing a recent Tea, she commented, “It was so nice to see how alumnae had succeeded in many different areas of the nursing profession.” Marilynn is currently looking for-ward to the class’s 50th Anniversary in 2007, as the six remain-ing members of the class still keep in close touch.

Gannon also hosts a Villa High Tea each Homecoming/Reunion Weekend for Villa Maria graduates from all programs bringing the alumnae together to celebrate the experiences they had at VMC. The Villa Maria College Alumnae Committee that works closely with Gannon’s Alumni Services is continuing to build communication with all VMC alumnae in hopes that they will be able to sponsor several new events in the upcoming years.

Retaining the Villa Maria Name Much like the School of Education, the School of Nursing at VMC had worked collaboratively with Gannon in the mid-1980s to provide opportunities for students to earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree in addition to the bachelor’s and associate’s degrees that Villa Maria already offered. Today, the Villa Maria School of Nursing within Gannon’s College of Sci-

ence, Engineering, and Health Sciences maintains the nation-ally recognized Villa Maria name as it continues to offer to its students one of the best nursing programs in the country.

“The Villa Maria name is very important to us, as it is very well recognized and carries with it a long-standing history and tradition,” said Carolyn Masters, Ph.D., Director of the Villa Maria School of Nursing. “The sense of belonging and connect-edness and the deep sense of pride that the Villa Maria image has helped to build in our students, particularly in our women students, are still very much alive throughout the entire depart-ment,” she added.

Jan Friedman ’81 VMC, Assistant Professor of Nursing, com-mented, “All of the faculty that came to Gannon from Villa really do keep the spirit of Villa alive, for ourselves and for our students. The scholarships that were endowed from Villa Maria associations are also still thriving and available to Gannon stu-dents, and so VMC is a lot more than just a name.”

As we continue to recognize and celebrate the historical rela-tionship between Villa Maria College and Gannon University, we also continue to enjoy the strengths that evolved from the merger of the two institutions. The relationship goes much deeper than simply being two institutions of higher educa-tion under the umbrella of the Catholic Diocese of Erie; Villa Maria and Gannon will always be recognized as two schools that helped to form each other and to better each other.

“All of the faculty that came to

Gannon from Villa really do keep

the spirit of Villa alive.”

Jan FreidmanAssociate Professor, Villa Maria School

of Nursing

uccess requires determination, self-examination, and the desire to make oneself better. Gannon University, through a recent exercise in self-ex-

amination, identifi ed opportunities for development in the areas of faculty and staff support and student reten-tion rates; the institution is now taking the fi rst tangible steps up the ladder by turning the plans for develop-ment into reality.

The rigorous exercise in self-examination was prompt-ed by Gannon’s eligibility for a Title III grant from the United States Department of Education, which awarded $1.824 million to Gannon last fall. Title III, a grant supported by The Aid for Institutional De-velopment programs, since its inception has had the primary mission of supporting the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and University’s (HBCUs). However, Title III has expanded into a Part A, which supports strengthening institutions such as Gannon University along with institutions focused on education for Na-tive Americans, and a Part B, which has maintained the original focus of supporting the HBCUs, allowing all demographics to benefi t from the funding. (Tradi-tionally Hispanic institutions receive support under a similar grant known as Title V.)

1210

Climbing the Ladder of

“The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man’s

foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.”

Gannon is an eligible institution under Title III Part A as a “strengthening university,” defi ned as an institution that appeals to and supports lower-income students (tracked by the number of students who receive Pell grants) and is interested in strengthening and developing the institution.

It is a competitive grant that awarded funding to only 20 percent of the applicants (53 universities across the nation) last year, one of which was Gannon. The University has used part of the money awarded to build a Center for Ex-cellence in Teaching and Learning, which will encourage faculty to use technology in the classroom and to exchange pedagogical techniques.

“The tangible results born from this grant will have a direct impact on the faculty, and it will help put Gannon on the cutting edge,” President Antoine M. Garibaldi said. He added, “Students look for places that have and use technology. They’re accustomed to using technology in the classroom, a process that helps instructors to reach students of all learning styles.”

The grant application and proposal that received the award was actually Gannon’s third attempt to receive funding from Title III, but each attempt was a step

—Thomas Henry Huxley, Life and Letters of Thomas Huxley

Success

s

11

12

towards bettering the institution. Ann Silverthorn, Grants Writer and Corporate and Foundation Relations, commented, “The application pro-cess encouraged us to really look at the institution and nail down three specifi c strengths and three specifi c weaknesses.” Ann came on board with the project in July 2002, and in September, a committee was formed specifi cally for the purpose of Title III development. “Applying for this grant was an excellent exercise in self-examination,” Ann added; “Each time we applied, we got a little bit stronger and a little bit closer to nail-ing the application.”

In addition to building the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learn-ing, the money awarded will be used to build a new Academic Advising Center and a small part will be put towards endowment. All initiatives have the purpose of strengthening faculty and staff development and en-hancing student learning, subsequently bettering student retention rates.

Celebrating the Grand OpeningThe newly built Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learn-ing (CETL), located in the Palumbo Academic Center, opened its doors to faculty on March 18 for the Grand Opening Celebration. It was an exciting moment worth celebrating, as the plans for the Center had been developing for several years.

“Our thinking about the Title III grant application naturally led to us thinking about the Center,” said Richard E. Sukitsch, Special Assistant to the President and Director of Institutional Research, who is the grant’s project director. “As we evalu-ated our needs, we really started looking at developing our use of technology,” he added.

Luckily, Virginia Arp ’02M, a graduate student at the time, was composing her thesis after researching the importance of educational technology, which included three case stud-ies of other universities and their centers that had been built for similar purposes. Arp’s concepts and research clicked with the initiatives that the Title III committee had been developing. She has been with the team ever since and is currently serving as the Interim Director for the CETL until the position can be fi lled later in the Spring.

“The Center is ultimately meant to help the stu-dents,” Arp said. She further explained, “By en-couraging faculty to get together, exchange ideas, and engage in learning about the pedagogical practices possible with the use of technology, the students will receive a stronger education that is more attuned to knowledge and abilities they can use in the future.”

Interim Director of the CETL Virginia Arp speaks at the grand opening.

Kenneth McCurdy, Ph.D., and Barry Jackish, Ph.D., explore one of the CETL’s new computers.

President Garibaldi, Ph.D., is the fi rst to enter the CETL.

have the purpose of strengthening faculty and staff development and en-hancing student learning, subsequently bettering student retention rates.

of educational technology, which included three case stud-

13

The CETL will host its fi rst workshop for faculty this May with the purpose of supporting eight faculty members (four from each college) as they develop new classes in which they will apply pedagogies that incorporate technology in various ways. The appli-cation process for this seminar was competitive, and those awarded access to the workshop were chosen by Timothy M. Downs, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Humanities, Business, and Education, and Hamid Tor-ab, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Sciences, Engineer-ing, and Health Sciences. Each candidate was required to write a detailed proposal for how they would like to incorporate technology into courses they teach.

Steve Frezza, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is hoping to learn about the pro-gram Macromedia Flash in order to create an interface for his students who are working on learning other program-ming languages. “Programming language can work the same as natural language,” Dr. Frezza commented. “If you go to a foreign country and speak the language incorrectly, you’ll have diffi culty reaching your goals. I’m hoping to develop software that can help get a programming language in front of students in a form that allows them to interact with it and see their mistakes. My hopes are that they can learn from their mistakes and then be able to use the language to reach their goals,” he added.

The week-long workshop will be a yearly event, and par-ticipants will work with the Center’s staff to redesign two of their courses in order to integrate multisensory classroom pre-sentations. Other half-day workshops entitled “Introduction to Innovation” will be scheduled throughout the year to introduce faculty members to classroom teaching innovations. The CETL’s staff, including both the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Instructional Designer, will also be available to the faculty for individual teaching consultations.

Other activities that the CETL will host outside of workshops include The Annual Campus Technology Symposium, known as the “Technology Buffet,” and the “President’s Technology Awards,” honoring the top two performers of workshops and presenting them with a laptop computer and digital camera.

The grand opening of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning is only the fi rst step in many to come that will further im-prove Gannon’s reputation for teaching excellence and leadership in student learning initiatives.

Sister Mary Rita Kuhn, SSJ, Gannon Trustee, applauds during a presentation in the CETL.

Richard Sukitsch, a key member of the Title III Committee, offers remarks during the grand opening ceremony.

Gannon Professors Sister Min-Shik Kim and Susan Carnes watch as Tex Breiger from the IT department dem-onstrates the CETL’s capabilities.

World of A

David Spinelli has traveled the world as an infantry soldier, a wrestler, and a coach in the Army. Now that he’s returned home, he’s brought his experiences and expertise to Gannon, offering his skills as a wrestler to athletics, his skills as a soldier to ROTC, and his love for life and friendship to the community.

Wrestling has been a constant aspect to Dave’s life since he was six years old and a student at Our Lady of Peace in Erie. He wrestled throughout his childhood there and during his adoles-cent years at Tech Memorial High School, also in Erie, graduat-ing in 1989. He then became an infantry soldier in the United States Army, fought in Desert Storm, and served in areas such as Somalia, Egypt, Bosnia, and Haiti. During this time, he con-tinued to wrestle for the Army on the Greco-Roman team, an activity which eventually led him to his position as a wrestling coach for the Army.

From 1998-2000, he served as the head coach for the Greco-Roman and Freestyle teams, an experience that offered him the chance to work and train with World and Olympic Champions and recruit these people and others for the United State Army. His fondest memories were working with Rulon Gardner, the 2000 Olympic Wrestling Champion in Sydney, with whom he roomed in Paris; Dremiel Byers, the 2001 Greco-Roman Champion; and Stephen Neal, World Champion Wrestler of 1999, who also recently started for the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. “I was with Neal when he received his medal as World Champion—it was a rush to see one of my friends, a guy I had worked with and trained with, receive this honor.”

Friendship is an important aspect of life for Dave, one that can’t be taken for granted. As a student at Gannon majoring in Criminal Justice, the friendships he’s made have been the key to his success here.

“All the relationships I’ve formed here have enabled me to succeed as an athlete, as a student, and overall as a person. The Gannon community—the faculty, staff, students, and alumni—have provided mentoring and understanding of my schedule and my personal goals,” Dave said.

As a father of three children, an active participant on the wres-tling team, a member of ROTC, a member of the National

Guard, a full-time student, and a full-time fore-man for Grimm Industries, Dave has little time to relax or socialize. Still, he continues to succeed, and give in return his expertise and experience to the Gannon community and all those around him.

“Dave is a born leader,” said Wrestling Coach Don Henry. “When he’s around, it’s like having another coach in the room; the team members flock to him,” Henry added. Dave com-mented that wrestling is one of the most demanding collegiate sports, something that a lot of people may not know. He said, “We work really hard during an extremely long season, but it gives us the opportunity to really be challenged and become close as a team.”

Dave’s leadership and drive for success follow him into the classroom and the Criminal Justice Department as well. Director of the Criminal Justice Program, Michael J. McSkimming, Ph.D, commented, “What distinguishes Dave from his peers is his natural leadership abilities. He has an aura of leadership around him that will help him succeed in whatever he does in life.”

Dave will graduate from Gannon with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice this May, at which time he will also be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the military intel-ligence branch of the Army. He will continue as a member of the National Guard, and he plans to become involved with law enforcement at the state or federal level. He also hopes to continue his athletic career as a wrestling coach, possibly at the collegiate level.

Dave will certainly be remembered for his time as a student at Gannon—as someone who made a difference for many individu-als—and he will continue, as an alumnus, to connect Gannon to the world.

World of Experience

Traveling the world can be an exciting adventure for some. For those in our Armed Forces, it’s a job—one that requires strength, courage, and integrity. The remarkable individuals in our military proudly represent the United States and help to spread democracy, but what’s even more remarkable about them is the experience they can share

with their communities when they come back home.

15

StoryOneWriter’s

Monica Lewis ’88 has a way with words that has led her to become a prominent playwright and director, making her stories come to life on the stage for all to enjoy.

Her career started while she was working for Gannon’s public relations department in the early ’80s, when she began tak-ing classes part-time as a Communica-tion Arts major. Monica had become aware of her writing capabilities early in life, but it was not until she elected to take a playwriting course at Gannon that she discovered her ability to write for the stage. The instructor of the course, Professor Bill Steckler, soon discovered Monica’s unique gift as she wrote her first one-act play, Dummies, and he encour-aged her to continue writing. Although she successfully maintained a career in public relations, her career in playwriting began to bloom.

Monica’s ability to “speak the speech”—and write the speech—has served her well as the hobby turned into a career. In 2004 she celebrated a great success as her comedy Oh Baby won praise from critics and audience members. The event took place at the Director’s Circle Theater (DCT), located in the Erie Renaissance Center. Monica had worked with DCT owner Michael Weiss since 1999, when they staged Monica’s first play Pap’s Funeral. It was this production that actu-

ally saved the theater from closing. “It was literally padlocked,” Monica recalls.

Monica herself played the leading role in Oh Baby, and this production became a monumen-tal achievement in her career. In one respect, it reunited several Gannon alumni, Kathy Hub-bard ’68, Linda Gamble ’77, Lon Jenkins ’84, and Jerry Brace ’69, enabling them to collaborate on stage 15 years or more after graduation. “It wasn’t planned that way,” Monica said; “it just happened.

By Renae Pryjmak ’06

We all enjoy reading a good story now and again, but to write those good stories we all enjoy so

much—that takes talent.

16

“Playwriting is, far and away, my favorite type of writing,” Monica said. She is able to exercise her creativity in the field of advertising, but finds added enjoyment in storytell-ing. While discussing how she approaches her playwriting, she explained, “I generally conceive a unique character first—someone wired a certain way, someone motivated or hindered by a certain emotion, barrier, or situation, and the storyline naturally develops from there.”

n addition to artistic fulfillment, Monica gains peace of mind though playwriting. “Writing fiction can be a priceless opportunity for communicating feelings

about complex and emotional issues in a way that is more palatable to people than one-to-one communication,” she commented.

Though she has already enjoyed tremendous accomplish-ments, Monica continues to look towards the future. She said, “My dream is to have a play on Broadway or write for film or television. I believe each successful script gets me one step closer to that goal.”

It wasn’t until we started rehearsing that we realized how many members of the cast were affiliated with Gannon.” The cast also included Gannon Professor Steve Ropski, Ph.D., and Monica’s daughter, Kelsey Applebee.

Oh Baby was also Monica’s first play to spread further than her hometown of Erie. In 2004, during the Great Lakes Film Festival—an event that she volunteers for annu-ally—Monica was able to mingle with many great minds in the dramatic-art business and to spread the news about Oh Baby. While working on the production of a film, she had the opportunity to meet Eric Rogers, writer for Bochco Media and script supervisor for the nationally acclaimed television series, NYPD Blue. Rogers was greatly impressed upon reading Monica’s script and encouraged her to submit it to a play committee in Los Angeles. Monica was delighted to find that the com-mittee unanimously voted in favor of producing the play. Four thousand miles away from its birthplace in Erie, Oh Baby will open at the Palos Verdes Theatre in the spring of 2006.

he play has also sparked interest in New York and Seattle. All this publicity has thrilled Monica, but it has also made her apprehensive. She is glad that her

work is earning national recognition, but with this suc-cess also comes a lack of control. “My script is now in the hands of directors and actors who will incorporate their own creativity into the portrayal of the play,” she said with an anxious smile. The further success of this script is greatly dependent on how future producers stage the play, and how well the audiences receive it.

Still, this process is critical to Monica’s hope of being pub-lished by Dramatic Publishing, Inc., an organization that provides scripts to theaters across the nation, while paying royalties to the original authors. Her play must be suc-

cessfully staged by three different venues before it can be

considered for publish-ing, a goal that Monica would like to reach in the next few years.

urrently, Monica is working full-time in the mar-keting department at Saint Vincent Health Center.

She teaches part-time at Mercyhurst College and writes a weekly humor column for the Erie Times-News. Her columns will soon be published as a collection entitled The Stuporwoman Files. She has even found time to draft a contemporary novel called Circling the Drain. Also, looking ahead, she has made plans with Michael Weiss to showcase her new ensemble comedy, Special Delivery, at the Director’s Circle Theater in the 2005-2006 season.

t

c

717

Monica sits with the cast of Oh Baby

Monica and Lon Jenkins ’84 perform in Oh Baby

18

AlumniFocus

Eilene (Crawley) Pierson ’49 VMC has followed the career of an artist in every sense of the word. She has been involved in acting, music, painting, and writing since she was a very young girl, and her life has twisted and turned so that she has been able to succeed in each of the arts in which she partook.

Eilene began classical training at a young age when she attended a private grade school in upper New York, where she learned Latin and French, art, and to play the harp. She continued her education at Villa Marie Academy in Erie, and after graduating high school, she continued to study art, speech, and philosophy at Villa Maria College.

As a sophomore, she worked closely with Sis-ter Agatha, her art teacher, who encouraged her to apply to Yale. To please her, Eilene did apply, thinking that she was certainly not go-ing to be accepted. She was accepted, though, into the Yale School of Drama; it was an invitation she couldn’t let pass. She left Villa

Maria College for Yale at the age of 19 to pursue a career in acting, much to the surprise of her parents.

In telling the story about her first week at Yale, Eilene said, “When I went to the welcoming cocktail party, all of the faculty and new students were there—and I couldn’t tell who was who. I was afraid to say anything to anyone.” Although she was quite shy when she first arrived at Yale, she succeeded in obtaining more roles in productions her first year there than any other first-year student. Unfortunately, after she had collected 36 credits, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, causing Eilene to return to Erie. Upon her return, she continued her education at Villa Maria College.

She didn’t return to Yale after finishing her degree at VMC, but instead moved to Washington, D.C., where she married a marine; her late husband’s military career took her all over the United States and the globe. In moving around, she was able to take classes and teach at various universities, perform in many theater groups, and exhibit her paintings. She also became nationally recognized for her art, which ranged from painting to fashion to commercial art. “The training I received in art at Villa Maria College was a large factor in my success as an artist,” Eilene said. Eilene’s current artistic project is an historical novel, set in California in 1835.

In her spare time, Eilene loves to travel and to learn. Throughout her life, she has earned more than fifty graduate credits, not including her master’s degree, from multiple schools. She said, “I knew at a very young age that it was impossible to know everything, but I always thought, ‘wouldn’t it be fun to try’.” That spark and love of having fun is what has made Eilene the fascinating woman she is today.

“I knew at a very young age that it was impossible to know everything, but I always thought, ‘wouldn’t it be fun to try’.”

Name:Eilene (Crawley) Pierson

Education:BA in Art and Speech, Villa Maria College, MA in Theater and Speech, University of North Carolina

FamilyLate husband, Colonel Earl F. Pier-son, USMC; son Blaise; daughters Maureen, Sharon, and Deirdre; grandchildren Jana, Kara, Matthew, and Adam

Best Advice to Students“I would tell today’s students to al-ways study with an open mind, and that all subjects will enrich their lives. Students should let subjects change their lives, but never be intimidated by what they learn.”

Photo above left courtesy of Ted West, Bradenton, FL. Above right, Eilene as Villa Prom Queen.

Eilene (Crawley) Pierson ’49 VMC

19

FacultyFocusCarlos Mamani, Ph.D.The phrase “Native America” means a lot more to Dr. Car-los Mamani than it might to other American citizens. Carlos is an Aymara (an indigenous people of the Andean region of South America), and his background and other life experi-ences have inspired his research on Native American cul-tures and literatures from both the U.S. and Latin America.

“I noticed early on in my studies the differences between the Native American situation here in the United States and the one in Latin America. Here, there were academic fields named Native American Studies and Native Ameri-can Literature; that was not the case there. In the Andean region, the accepted view in academia was that contem-porary ‘Indian/Indigenous Literature,’ was not a possibility since first, Andean cultures lacked writing and second, if there was writing, it should be in an indigenous language, not in Spanish,” Carlos said. Although these perceptions are shifting slightly, they are doing so slowly, providing a very strong cultural reason for Carlos to conduct his research. Carlos said, “If there was one short way to summarize why I study what I do, it would be in a quote from the Native American writer Gerald Vizenor: ‘The postindian warriors encounter their enemies with the same courage in literature as their ances-tors once evinced on horses, and they create their stories with a new sense of survivance’.”

Carlos was born in the small town of Miquegua in Southern Perú. He and his younger brother Hugo came to New York City at a young age to live with their aunt and her family in the Bronx. The culture shock was deeply felt for the two boys as they first attended a bilingual school in which children of many cultures from all over the world learned English. After Carlos learned English, he attended a high school in the South Bronx where the odds for Latino success were stacked against him. Still, with the help of good, interested teachers, Carlos successfully graduated high school, moving on to college and subsequently earning a master’s degree and a Ph.D.

Life has presented Carlos with a number of challenges that many of us never experience, including the early death of his brother, an event that affected Carlos very deeply. Still, he continues to succeed. “I’ve succeeded because of my effort in school,” Carlos said, “but my Indian culture has made me strong, providing me with a shield.”

Now, as a teacher himself, Carlos strives to expose students of all ethnici-ties to Latin American culture through art, film, and literature. “Art is the window to a culture’s soul,” Carlos said. “I want my students to experience Latin American culture through as many forms of art as I can, including language, literature, and film,” he added. He wants his students and others to see that we all have many commonalities and that Latinos and Indians are not so “foreign.”

His teaching and research complement each other. He also spends much of his time collaborating with other members of academia from several univer-sities and translating academic texts.

NameDr. Carlos Mamani

EducationPh.D. and MA in Latin American Literature and Romance Languages and Literature (respectively) from the University of Cincinnati, BA from Brown University

Community ServiceServes on the Board of Directors for the Center for Cross-Cultural Study in Amherst, Massachusetts, and Seville, Spain

Recently presented for the Latino Youth Leadership program at Edinboro University, discussing what opportunities Latin American youth have today

Translations“Cuba: Demographic Transition and Population Policy,” by Sonia Catasús Cervera

“La honestidad en la medicina: ¿Deben los medicos decirles la verdad a los pacientes?” by James Drane

FamilyWife: Amanda; children: Yasmín, Alma, Carlitos and Della

The winter intercollegiate athletic programs have always been the foundation of Gannon’s athletic department, but the 2004-05 season proved to be one of the most success-ful winter campaigns in school history.

Men’s BasketballThe Gannon men’s basketball team and the NCAA Tour-nament have become as synonymous as peanut butter

and jelly. In fact, preseason talk every year now revolves around what the Golden Knights will do in the tour-nament instead of questioning if they

will make it.

Gannon advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for a school-record sixth consecu-tive season in 2004-05. It’s the longest current streak in the Great Lakes region. The Golden

Knights were ranked as high as third in the region during the

season, but entered the tournament as the region’s seventh seed. The seeding forced the Knights into a first-round match up with the 2004 NCAA Division II runner-up Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles. Without two starting guards due to

injuries, Gannon fought tooth and nail with the nation’s fourth-ranked team before falling 67-61. The Golden Knights trailed 62-58 with under two minutes to play, but missed back-to-

back three-pointers before the Screaming Eagles iced the vic-tory with a three-pointer with

50 seconds left in regulation.

The men’s team, which qualified for its GLIAC-record ninth consecu-tive league tournament, received

numerous post-season awards. Geoff Husted was named to the Daktronics All-Great Lakes region and All-GLIAC first teams. The senior center ended his career fifth all-time at Gannon in points (1,620), sixth in rebounds (853), and sixth in blocked shots (93). Senior Matt Jones and sopho-more Shelby Chaney landed spots on the All-GLIAC sec-ond team, while senior Joe Rivera earned GLIAC All-Defensive honors.

Jen Gwin

20

by Dan Teliski, Gannon Sports Information Director

Women’s BasketballThird-year head coach Cleve Wright continued Gannon’s year-to-year improvement in 2004-05 and led the program to the GLIAC title game for only the second time in school history. The Lady Knights finished their season with a 19-11 record after suffering a 77-60 loss to nationally-ranked Grand Valley State in the GLIAC finals. The post-season run included tournament victories over Hillsdale (69-61) and Ashland (64-57).

Wright helped the program increase its victory total for the second consecutive season. The Lady Knights were 12-14 in 2002-03, 18-11 in 2003-04 and 19-11 in 2004-05.

Senior Jen Gwin and sopho-more Christina Jackson were both named to the All-GLIAC first team, the GLIAC All-De-fensive team, and the GLIAC All-Tournament team. Gwin concluded her collegiate career as Gannon’s all-time assist leader with 835.

Jackson was also named to the Daktronics All-Great Lakes region first team. She was among the top 30 NCAA Di-vision II players in scoring and rebounding. Despite playing only two years, Jackson already ranks 10th all-time at Gannon in rebounds (542) and 18th in points (891).

Men’s SwimmingThe men’s swimming and diving team completed arguably the best season in school history with a 10-1 dual record in 2004-05, ending the regular season with nine consecu-tive meet victories. The Golden Knights went undefeated against GLIAC opponents in the regular season with vic-tories over Ashland (97-89), Findlay (107-47), and Wayne State (121-88). The squad’s only loss came at Division I Cleveland State.

Gannon finished sixth at the 2005 Great Lakes Intercolle-giate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Swimming and Diving Championships at Wayne State University. Freshman Paul Musille was Gannon’s top male competitor during the

Shelby Chaney

four-day competition, earning 36 overall points. Sopho-more Chris Conway was second among Gannon swimmers

with 31 total points.

Women’s SwimmingThe women’s swimming and diving team was as hot as the men’s team dur-ing the 2004-05 season. The Lady Knights also won their last nine dual

meets and finished 10-1 in dual competition. The squad’s only loss came at Division I Cleveland State. The women’s team posted easy victories over GLIAC foes Ashland (103-74), Findlay (114-73), and Wayne State (92-40).

Gannon finished seventh at the 2005 Great Lakes Inter-collegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Swimming and Diving Championships at Wayne State University. Fresh-man Brenna Pease led all Gannon female competitors with 37 total points at the championships. Senior Tara Skasik finished second on the squad with 31 points.

WrestlingThe Gannon wrestling team was again among the NCAA Division II Top 20 throughout the season and was well represented at the national championships.

Gannon was ranked as high as 16th in the Di-vision II Top 25 midway through the season. The Golden Knights placed six wrestlers in the top six of their respective weight classes and finished sixth at the NCAA Division II East Regionals. Junior R.J. Pater-niti easily won the 149-pound division with a 3-0 record. Freshmen Jacob Tazzi (165), Mike Sanders (133), and Brandon Monin (141) also qualified for the national cham-pionships as each finished fourth in their weight divisions.

Paterniti and Sanders both earned All-American status at the NCAA Division II National Championships. Paterniti finished third at 149 pounds. He ended his season with a 19-1 record. Sanders placed eighth at 133 pounds and his season at 22-18.

The Golden Knights finished 18th in the NCAA Division II team standings.

21

AthleteFocus

Tara Skasik

Andrew Carmosino ’04 was a busy person who knew how to get things done—in the pool, in the classroom, and in the lab. After serving as a water polo team captain for three years, he ended his senior year season as the team leader in assists on the water polo team, as a member of the Dean’s List, and as an intern/lab tech at CAV Dental Studios.

Andrew began playing water polo when he was a fresh-man at Cathedral Preparatory School; eight years later, as he was preparing to graduate college, he achieved the status of Gannon’s all-time leader in goals (128) and assists (88). He liked the sport because it regulated his schedule, helped him to stay focused, and kept him in shape. Although Andrew also participated in swimming, he preferred water polo because it was a team sport that was more interactive than swimming. “I really enjoyed meeting people on our team and on the teams we played against, and the competitive aspect of water

polo,” he said.

Coach Don Sherman commented, “Andy is a focused individual who knows how to get things done. He was a team captain by the time

he was a sophomore, and he always managed to succeed both in and out of the pool. The

team traveled a lot, but Andrew’s grades never suffered.”

In the fall, Andrew will be attending the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, but it will not be the first time he’s engaged in the intense research of graduate-level educa-tion. During the summer of 2004, Andrew traveled to a Tri Beta Biol-ogy Honors Conference in Colo-

rado and presented research that he did while spending the summer at University of Houston. The paper he presented discussed a type of bacteria

that causes stomach ulcers.

Although his studies will keep him busy in the future, he hopes to continue to play and coach water polo. This summer, he will coach for the Erie Water Polo Club, and in the fall, he hopes to start a club team at SUNY (Buffalo).

October 7-9Gannon and Villa Maria College Homecoming WeekendGannon University

For more information on any of the above events, contact Michele Potter in the Alumni Services Office, 1-877-GU-Alums ext.1, or

potter006@gannon.edu

22

1966W. RICHARD MARZhas joined the board of directors of NextIO, Inc., a chip developer for enterprise-class computer servers in Austin, Texas. Rick currently serves as executive vice president, strategic marketing, for LSI Logic.

ROBERT S. VETERA has formed the Whynot Minstrel Troupe in the Asheboro, North Carolina area. The band of 13 men and women perform a wide variety of songs at area nursing and retirement facilities.

1970DALE R. CHRISTOPHERrecently published a biography of the famous children’s author of sports books, Matt Christopher, Behind the Desk with...Matt Christopher. Matt is Dale’s father.

EDWARD A. GRODE, M.A., M.ED.is the head of the new Institute for Geographic Education at Mercyhurst College.

ANN (SCOZZIE) WARGO ’71 is a realtor with Main Street Realtors in the Orlando area.

1973KEVIN J. ALBAUGHis the vice president of North Pittsburgh Systems, a telecommunications company that provides services for portions of Allegheny, Butler, Armstrong, and Westmoreland counties. Kevin is also vice president for regulator affairs for the North Pittsburgh Telephone Co. and Penn Telecom, Inc., two subsidiaries of North Pittsburgh Systems.

GLENN T. BAILEY, PH.D., CRCis a licensed psychologist in Erie. He received his

Ph.D. in Health Psychology from Walden University, and his doctoral dissertation was The Impact of Trauma on the Psychosocial Development of Refugees according to Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory.

RICHARD W. BRZUZ ’82Mhas been appointed chairman of the board of directors for the Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania. Richard is the chief executive officer of Shriners Hospital for Children in Erie.

MICHAEL P. LYDEN III ’76Mis the new director of the Office of Adult and Graduate Programs at Mercyhurst College.

1978TIMOTHY J. LASKOWSKI, PH.D.is a case manager for physically disabled people in Missoula, Montana.

KATHLEEN SWEENEY LINSE ’81Mhas recently become the Director of Communications for the Benedictine Sisters of Erie.

1979PASQUALE “PAT” PONTORIEROhas been promoted to vice president of Mactec Engineering and Consulting. Pat is responsible for the firm’s Pittsburgh, Erie, and Richmond, Virginia offices.

upcoming alumni events

April 30Southern California Alumni Barbecue with President GaribaldiHosted by Jim Weber ‘62

May 2310th Annual Pittsburgh Alumni Scholarship Golf OutingSewickley Heights Golf ClubSewickley, Pennsylvania

May 2618th Annual Erie Scholarship Golf TournamentLake Shore Country ClubErie, Pennsylvania

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AlumNotes

1981REV. V. DAVID FORADORIis the new pastor at St. Michael Parish in DuBois. He previously served as pastor for St. Titus and St. Walburga Catholic churches in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

1983JOHN M. GARINTHERis a systems engineer at General Dynamics in Pittsfield, Massachusettes.

MARY L. OHMER, PH.D.received her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work with distinction. She and her husband live in Atlanta, Georgia, where Mary is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Georgia State University.

1984ANTHONY KRASINSKIhas recently received Support Center Director Certification from the Help Desk Institute (HDI). Tony is the section supervisor for the call center at Erie Insurance Group in Erie, Pennsylvania.

1985R. BRYAN LASSINGERwas appointed supervisor of hematology, chemistry, immunology, and microbiology at the lab in Allegheny Valley Hospital in Pennsylvania.

1986LAWRENCE P. BARGER, CPAhas been promoted to shareholder in the accounting firm of Alpern Rosenthal, a certified public accounting firm in Pittsburgh. Lawrence focuses on services to privately-held manufacturing and distribution companies.

1987THOMAS E. SELLENYearned his MBA, graduating with honors from the University of Baltimore. He also was granted a U.S. patent on labels and a labeling process in July 2004 and is currently certified as an ASQ Six Sigma Black Belt with Avery Dennison, Painesville, Ohio.

1988ANN DOWNING, R.N. (VMC) ’93Mhas been appointed as vice president of nursing at WCA Hospital in Jamestown, New York.

KAREN (MURTHA) JAMESrecently served as the campaign manager for Delaware’s New Castle County executive post, and previously worked as the communications manager for Delaware’s Clean Indoor Air Act. Her husband is currently stationed in Iraq as a Blackhawk pilot for the Delaware Army National Guard.

Have You Made the Connection?It’s hard to believe it’s been two-and-a-half years since the launch of Gannon’s alumni online community at www.gannonalumni.org. Complete with a searchable alumni directory, class notes, event calendar, news module, event registration capabilities, and online giving option, the site has given our alumni a renewed connection—to each other and to the University.

To date, more than 3,200 Gannon and Villa alumni have registered in the community. Each of those alums has created and updated a personal profile page, accessible through the alumni directory. Registration has given these alumni full access to all of the site’s components. They can search the directory—whether it’s for a college roommate or a list of everyone in their graduating class. They can post personal updates in the “class notes” section and view oth-ers’ postings, too. They can also post photos with their class notes or on their personal profile pages. These alums have also enjoyed the ease of registering for events and making gifts to the Annual Fund online.

If you haven’t registered in the community, I encourage you to get connected today. It’s this simple:

• Go to http://www.gannonalumni.org

• Follow the “how to register” link on the home page.

You will need your alumni ID number for validation of personal information when you register as a first-time user.

Your ID number is the seven-digit number printed above your name in the mailing address of this magazine.

If you are one of multiple alums to whom this magazine is addressed, your ID numbers are printed on the mailing label in the same order in which your names appear.

• Follow the registration prompts, updating your contact information.

Once your registration form is submit-ted, you will have immediate access to all

parts of the site. I welcome your comments about the commu-nity as you become a regular visitor. You can reach me at sales@forquer.com or by phone at (814) 453-3366, ext. 23.

See you in cyberspace!

letter from the alumni president

Russell Forquer ’71, President, GU Alumni Association

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AlumNotes

1990MARK S. ZAGORSKIhas joined MediaSpan Group as chief marketing officer. Mark will be responsible for all strategic marketing programs for MediaSpan’s Harris & Baseview and First Media Works divisions, as well as corporate marketing strategy, promotional and sales activity for future MediaSpan acquisitions.

1991REV. STANLEY K. SMITHwas recently named as overseer for Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International in Pennsylvania. In his

new post, Rev. Smith will guide about 36 churches and up to 4,500 adherents. Rev. Smith is the pastor of St. John in Meadville, Pennsylvania, where he started a foreign missions ministry, a women’s shelter, and an evangelism outreach ministry.

1992MICHELE (PALLOTTO) FULLERhas been appointed head coordinator of the Erie Freeze’s professional dance/cheer squad, “The Chillers.” She is also currently teaching third grade at Grandview Elementary School in Erie.

TRACY (BACKOS) SIMERELEis currently working part-time as a physical therapy assistant at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

THOMAS S. WEETERis a regional field coordinator for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Republican Caucus in Harrisburg.

1993MARTIN P. AVERILLhas joined the Dallas, Texas law firm of Baker & McKenzie LLP as an associate in their global energy practice.

SANDRA A. POMICHTER ’99Mhas recently accepted the position as an online media specialist for Gelia Media, Inc., a full service advertising agency in Clarence, New York. Sandra is also an adjunct professor at Bryant & Stratton Business College at the South Towns Campus, where she is teaching courses in Business Writing and Critical Thinking.

1994ANNETTE FRANKLIN, MSW LSWof Erie County Mental Health/Mental Retardation Office recently wrote an article entitled “Minority Access to Mental Health Services: The Role of the Institutional Discrimination” for the National Association of Social Workers that appeared on the organization’s web site.

1995DOMINIC A. FRISINA, J.D.is a recent graduate of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. Dominic joined Roetzel-Andress Law Firm in Akron, Ohio, as a patent attorney. He also has an M.S. in chemistry from Johns Hopkins.

ROBERT W. HOJNOSKI, ESQ.is an attorney with Reminger & Reminger in Cincinnati, Ohio.

1996ANDREW T. DOEMLINGis an industrial engineer at SIFCO in Media, Pennsylvania.

The National Alumni Board welcomes four new members whose three-year terms began January 1, 2005. The new members include Candace Battles ’93, Heather McAllister, Esq. ’98, Lisa Gillette ’99, and Darryl Langshaw ’01 ’02M.

Candace graduated from Gannon with a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work. She received a master’s degree in social work from Case Western Reserve University in 1997, and she is currently employed as a family therapist for Family Services of Northwest PA.

Heather graduated from Gannon with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology. She received her juris doctorate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2001, and she is currently employed as

New Members Join National Alumni Board

an associate at Howrey, Simon, Arnold & White, LLP, in Washington, D.C.

Lisa graduated from Gannon with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish/international studies. She received a master’s degree in international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh in 2002, and she is currently employed as a program analyst for the Division of Migrant Education in the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Darryl graduated from Gannon with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and earned his MBA from Gannon the following year. Darryl currently is a financial analyst for Forest City Enterprises in Cleveland, Ohio.

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AlumNotes

1997SEENIANN JOHN, D.O.has completed training in internal medicine at University Hospital at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York. She is now entering further training in public health at Stony Brook and Columbia University.

MICHAEL J.E. WALSHrecently joined Physiotherapy Associates in Dover, Delaware, as a clinic director. He is planning to open six clinics for PHYSIO over the next three years.

1998JOHN RYSHEKis currently working as Houston, Alaska’s only police officer, where he is helping to build the police force in the area. John formerly worked as a state trooper for Alaska.

1999JENNIFER L. HAUNis a research analyst for the State Government Committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Republican Caucus in Harrisburg.

JULIE (OLIVER) PHILLIPSis working at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia as a Nurse Practitioner and Coordinator of the Bone Marrow Transplant program.

ROBERT R. SAUDERSis a doctoral candidate at The American University, Washington, D.C. He is an adjunct professor of anthropology at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

Recapture that feeling now! Be a part of our upcoming Alumni Directory.

The stress paid off for Tony D’Alessandro, M.D. Today, he is a Professor of Surgery in Transplantation at the University of

Wisconsin and Executive Director of the University of Wisconsin Organ Procurement Organization.

Find out about your friends and classmates in Gannon’s upcoming Alumni Directory. This exciting

and invaluable resource will include personal, academic, and business information about Gannon

grads over the years. When Alumni Services contacts you, please provide your update

information. Be sure your friends know what’s happening with you!

Remember when classes had you climbing the walls?

26

AlumNotes

Erie. He has three sons, two of whom are Gannon graduates, and three grandchildren whom he hopes someday will continue the Gannon legacy in his family.

As an alumnus, Joe has served as the Vice President for the Gannon Boosters, and in 2002 he was ap-pointed president. His life experiences along with his love for Gannon make him the perfect man for the job. In addition to his 30 years of experience in marketing, sales, training, organizational development, and quality management and improvement for GTE, he also has holds the rank of Colonel (Retired) in the United States Army Reserves and is a 1979 gradu-ate of the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College. The last Army award that he received was the Meritorious Service Medal for superb leadership in preparing his battalion to accomplish its wartime mission. His leadership skills are undoubtedly one of the major catalysts for the Gannon Golden Knight Club’s growth. “We’re the team behind the teams,” Joe said. He added, “It’s the motto we live by.”

For more information on the Gannon Golden Knight Club, to volunteer for the organization, or to become a member, contact the Club’s office at (814) 871-5668 or via email: boosterclub@gannon.edu.

Gannon Alumnus Leads Booster Organization

While radiating his admiration for the Gan-non Athletic Program from an office in the basement of the Student Services Building, Joe Gaeta, current president of the Gannon Athletic Boosters (also known as the Gannon Golden Knight Club), has become a defining figure in alumni support of Gannon’s sports teams. As one of the founders of the club, Joe’s active sup-port stretches back to 1974, when the booster club was formed by a team of three alumni who built a 200/10 raffle to assist in raising money for Gannon’s basketball team, then under the direction of Ed Sparling.

“Ed came to Bob Hausmann ’56, Jim DelMaramo ’57, and me (Joe is a ’62 graduate) when all of us worked for GTE here in Erie, and he asked us if we would be will-ing to raise money for the Gannon basketball team. We were happy to and had a lot of fun heading up the raffle. The program was a successful one that grew; as the years continued, our support grew to all of Gannon’s athletic teams,” Joe said.

Today, the Club has more than 275 members and has collected more than $150,000 for Gannon athletics since its conception 31 years ago. It has grown to offer support to all 18 athletic teams.

Joe came to Erie from Brooklyn, New York, when he was recruited by coach Milt

Simon as a basketball player for Gannon in 1958. The foundation

that Gannon gave him helped him to meet his wife, Eileen (Malinowski) Gaeta, and build his career and family in

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AlumNotes

birthsa son, Bruce Leonard (May 7, 2004) to Danita R. (Senzel) Angelotti ’91 and her husband, Rich.

a son, Joseph (November 11, 2004) to Stephen J. Bauer ’92 and his wife, Valerie.

a son, Brogan (June 17, 2004) to Kelly J. (Hueb-ner) Burcher ’00 ’01M and her husband, Jamie.

a son, John J. Comi IV (December 2, 2004) to John J. Comi III ’86 and his wife, Virginia.

a son, Matthew James (July 11, 2004) to Matthew J. Costa, Sr. ’01 and his wife, Kirsten.

a daughter, Livia Etelka (October 12, 2004) to An-namaria Szendrey ’94 and Jeffrey J. Freiwald ’94.

a son, Logan Scott Byerly (July 21, 2004) to Melissa M. Gerhard ’01 ’03M

a daughter, Gianna Rose (February 25, 2004) to Jodi Organ Giacomelli ’93 ’95M and her husband, Jim.

a son, Jason Allen (July 10, 2004) to Gerald B. Hetrick ’93 and his wife, Lisa.

a son, Colin Aleksander (September 30, 2004) to Harry P. Izbicki, Jr. ’97 and his wife, Amy.

a daughter, Taylor Elizabeth (August 18, 2004) to Lisa M. (Stubenhofer) Jones ’01 and her husband, Shawn.

a daughter, Tatum Mariella Christine (January 13, 2005) to Amanda (Magerl) Marmins ’94 and her husband, David.

a son, Sean J. (October 29, 2004) to Marybelle (Cobb) Martin ’90 ’95M and Joseph M. Martin ’89

a daughter, Elizabeth (Oc-tober 20, 2004) to Doreen Drejas ’90 and Kirk M. Miles, Esq. ’90.

a daughter, Audrey (October 8, 2004) to Marsha Guelich Osborn ’96 ’98M and her hus-band, Ian.

a daughter, Ansley Noelle (April 23, 2004) to Dani-elle Jones Little ’99 and her husband, William.

a daughter, Bergen Kendal (May 4, 2004) to Brian K. Sharrar ’92 and his wife, Jana Markham-Sharrar.

twins, Alex and Angelina (July 16, 2004) to Tracy (Backos) Simerele ’92 and her husband, Jeff.

2000TORRI (FAIR) GAMBACORTA, D.C.is a graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, Missouri. She is a chiropractor at Goldsboro Spine Center in Goldsboro, North Carolina.

2001JULIE (SCHUFFERT) BALL ’02Mis an occupational therapist for MedCentral Health Systems Pediatric Therapy Department in Mansfield, Ohio.

ALYSSA A. CALVERIC ’03Mis a physical therapist with

Concentra Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.

2002IRFAN A. BAJWAhas completed his master’s degree and is currently living in Milwaukee.

NICOLE (KUSS) HALLADAYhas accepted a new position as an academic advisor with the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia.

AIMEE (VANIGLIA) KNAUFFmoved to Phoenix, Arizona, where she is attending the four-year program at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.

ROBERT LONGSINERis currently working with the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s Black-footed Ferret Reintroduction Project. He oversees the recovery effort to reintroduce the ferrets to the wild.

LT DAVID J. RIZZO completed the Army’s airborne and ranger schools and is a platoon leader in Iraq with the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division.

APRIL D. WOLFE is a teacher at Clarion Area Elementary School and is Keystone Junior High cheerleader coach.

Colleen S. Cipriani ’03M is the director of student activities and residence life at Mount Carmel College of Nursing in Lewis Center, Ohio. She previously worked as the Office Coordinator in the Chaplain’s Office at Gannon, during which time she participated in Habitat for Humanity.

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AlumNotes

AlumniMichael Agejew ’72Donald S. Akin ’51Joseph M. Allen ’49Sister Celeste Biel, SSJ ’58Thomas A. Brzostowski ’65Thomas J. Burkhart ’60Joseph R. Cook III ’49Kevin J. Danch ’93John L. Delehunt ’72John DiMattio ’62Margot Eawnex Downey ’76Scott E. Eckert ’91Robert M. Edkin ’51Sister M. Charlene Ende, SSJ ’46Donald E. English ’71James G. Flannigan ’61Mary C. Froess ’41Anna Moran Goodall ’46Stanley L. Harcourt ’50Joan A. Hartwell ’62Bonita J. Ignaczak ’71Catherine Coyle Keim ’37Mary Gentilman Kibler ’58Gertrude Borowski Kruszewski ’34Richard L. Lohse ’75Arthur R. Makynen ’68Sister Mary Magdalette Mucha, SSJ ’44Margo Borton Peterson ’67Matthew Pitzer ’99Sister Consuela Quinn, SSJ ’44Julie A. Sarnowski ’99Lucille Gredler Seigel ’38Roberta Gibbons Skillin ’75John P. Spierling ’54Sheilia O’Brien Spinnler ’98Jane Ostrowski Trocki ’67Paul H. Truchanowicz ’01Wayne C. Weber ’50Dennis W. Weed, Sr. ’65Rev. John F. Weibel ’68James H. White ’51

FriendsJohn E. Britton, Esq. Albert F. Duval John G. Gent, Esq. Stephen B. McGarvey Rev. Msgr. John J. Slater

in memoriam2003ADAM C. RATHFONis a student at Palmer Chiropractic College in Davenport, Iowa.

MARC T. RILEY ’03Mis a physical therapist with Integrity Rehab in San Antonio, Texas.

STEPHANIE R. WINTERis currently a student at Chatham College in the Physician Assistant program. She is on her second clinical rotation in a family practice.

2004CHRIS BASHis currently employed at Pennsylvania Power and Light in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He recently gave a presentation to the members of the Institute of Electric and Electrical Engineers.

ADAM E. KNAUFFis currently working as a contracted employee doing xtml quality assurance with Comsys in Phoenix, Arizona.

TIM LANDERrecently interned with Electronic Arts (EA) Sports in California, and is now attending graduate school at Carnegie Mellon University where he is involved with animation arts.

JAY MOSER ’04Mhas been hired as the Allegheny Intermediate Unit’s science program director.

marriagesAimee C. Vaniglia ’04 married Adam E. Knauff ’04 on June 5, 2004.

Julie Lynn Schuffert ’01 ’02M married Derek Charles Ball on August 28, 2004.

Alexis M. Tomasovich ’01 ’02M married Franesco LaFuria on October 23, 2004.

Torri J. Fair, D.C. ’00 married Michael Gam-bacorta on October 2, 2004.

Julie Oliver ’99 married Dennis Phillips on June 26, 2004.

Robert R. Sauders ’99 married Diana Der Koorkanian on August 14, 2004.

Andrew Todd Doemling ’96 married Christina Kerry Lutz on July 10, 2004.

Robert W. Hojnoski, Esq. ’95 married Donna J. Campbell on October 9, 2004.

Karen M. Murtha ’88 married Brooke James on May 8, 2004.

John Michael Garinther ’83 married Sara Lynn Hutchings on August 28, 2004.

Kevin M. Ola ’04 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. LT Ola is now attending an 18-week military intelligence office basic course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, and will be assigned to Fort Gordon, Georgia, as a member of the 513th Military Intelligence Brigade.

EndNotes

29

Providing access to higher education for all individuals has been a primary tenet of Gannon’s Mission since the University’s inception in the early part of the Twentieth Century. This school year’s initiative to strengthen the institution through the establishment of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning marks Gannon’s ef-fort to continuously renew its Mission to provide access and opportunity as a Catholic university. We are working not only to open the doors of higher education to our students, but also to ensure that our students receive the most current forms of instruction along with further op-portunities to transform the knowledge they gain while they are here and as they move on into their careers.

Our drive to provide opportunity to all students began in 1925 with the founding of Villa Maria College under the blessing of then-Bishop John Mark Gannon. Mother Helena, Mother Superior of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, initiated the discussions to form the college as another branch of the many institutions the Sisters supported, and Monsignor Joseph “Doc” Werhle was appointed as the institution’s President. From 1925-1933, Villa Maria College provided a liberal arts education to both men and women within the Catholic tradition, and in 1933, “Doc” Werhle was able to form Cathedral College as a school for men under the auspices of Villa Maria’s charter.

Today, the schools have been reunited as one and have combined their common goals of providing access to Catholic higher education. As represented in the recently updated On Catholic Identity brochure, the cornerstones of Catholic education that our community continually works to renew are Respect, Sacramentality, Service, Community, and the Dialogue Between Faith and Reason.

As an institution of Catholic higher education with these cornerstones as its foundation, it is our responsibility to serve our community by strengthening the Dialogue Between Faith and Reason and by providing a faith-based education and the best learning opportunities possible to all of our students so that they can grow to be leaders not only in their professions, but in their respective churches and communities. The goal for the Center of Teaching and Learning is to enhance our students’ ability to learn

through offering our faculty the technological resources and direction they need to instruct the multifaceted students of today.

One of the main benefits of using various components of technology as teaching tools is that it helps students to see and take advantage of the opportunity to access, search, and apply information quickly and effectively. Incorporat-ing more technology into the classrooms will help stu-dents to further understand how to obtain and acquire the knowledge they seek. As a Catholic institution of higher learning, it is our duty to provide our students with the tools they can use in life, and technology is just one of the many instructional tools we are using to improve the teaching and learning of our students.

Another tool we are currently using to improve the per-formance of our students is the Academic Advising Center, an academic support center where students not only can enhance their skills, but also increase their chances of success in their professional careers. Both centers have been made possible by the $1.824 million Title III grant Gannon received from the United States Department of Education and the hard work of the committee that was established to obtain this grant. I would like to particularly thank Richard Sukitsch, Director of Institutional Plan-ning and Research, and Virginia Arp, Director of Academic and End-User Technology, for their efforts in chairing the committee that has made the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning possible.

The efforts of these and other individuals and the ben-efits of receiving this grant have created opportunities for the University to once again renew our fidelity to the long-standing tradition of our Mission Statement that was established eighty years ago.

Continuing Our Tradition of Providing Access and Opportunity

The Final Touch

Gannon University109 University SquareErie, PA 16541-0001www.gannon.edu

FPO

Renae Pryjmak ’06 puts the finishing touches on her painting, City Garden, appearing on this issue’s cover. The painting is

a rendering of the garden the flanks Nash Library.