2011-2012 Annual Report

Sister M. Coleman Nee, IHM, Marywood’s Ninth President, died on Saturday, July 9, 2011. Sister Coleman guided Marywood through challenging, transformative times. During her 18-year tenure, from 1970-1988, she was known as a firm decision-maker and visionary leader. Her administration was marked by significant development in academic programming, facilities expansion, and financial stability. While more than 11,000 diplomas from Marywood College bear her name, the significant difference she made at Marywood is incalculable.

Five new trustees were elected to Marywood’s Board of Trustees in 2011-2012. They included Mary Ann Conaboy Abrahamsen, J.D.; Tracey Diskin Doherty, J.D.; Patrick J. Fricchione, M.D.; Ann R. Henry, Ph.D.; and John T. Tighe, III, M.B.A. The 2011-2012 officers included Marion Munley, Chair; Patricia Glinsky, Vice Chair; Antonia M. Schierling, Secretary, and Richard P. Kane, Treasurer.

Mark E. Rodgers, D.S.W. became the new dean of the College of Health and Human Services.

In the past few years, more veterans of the armed forces are trading in their uniforms for school books, as they transition from military to student life. To accommodate this growing population, Marywood University established an Office of Military and Veteran Services. The Office of Military and Veteran Services, directed by Lauren Williams, helps student veterans navigate through paperwork, provide confidential counseling services and coordinate information sessions, all with the aim of making the transition easier from military to student life.

Marywood participated in the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. Through the President’s Challenge, the White House encourages colleges and universities to make interfaith service a reality on campuses across the country. Marywood renewed its participation in the challenge for the 2012-2013 academic year.

Marywood University saw its largest resident population to date in the fall—1080 resident students.

Pennsylvania's Office of Child Development and Early Learning awarded the Fricchione Day Care Center at Marywood University a four-star accredited quality rating—the highest accreditation rating in the state.

The award-winning Shanghai Yue Opera ensemble performed Butterfly’s Love on Saturday, September 10, 2011, in the Sette LaVerghetta Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of Marywood University. The show, presented which was free and open to the public, was performed in Chinese, accompanied by English subtitles.

Arthur Comstock, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Business, was Marywood’s 2011-2012 nominee for Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) award. Craig Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Mathematics, was also recognized for his work, earning him the Distinction in One’s Discipline Award for 2011-2012.

The Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania at Misericordia University recognized Sister Margaret Gannon, IHM, Ph.D., Professor of History and Chair of the Department of Social Sciences at Marywood University, for her “grassroots ethical leadership.”

The University was recognized for the third consecutive year as a member of the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.

Marywood University was named one of the best colleges in the nation to work for, according to a 2011 survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

At the annual 2015 Society Dinner in October 2011, Marywood University celebrated its leading benefactors and bestowed three Presidential Medals. Recipients of the 2011 Presidential Medal included: Ellen Harding Casey '53, for her dedication to children’s health and educational programs; Michael and Dolores Insalaco, for their selfless giving to the neediest members of society, as well as their gifts to education; and seven IHM Sisters, who were honored for their commitment to empowering the poorest people of Peru for more than 30 years.

The Lackawanna Bar Association presented the Michael J. Eagan award to Marywood University for its contributions to community, with special recognition for Marywood’s significant role in the education of environmentally-aware and responsible individuals.

With more people accessing the internet from mobile devices—smartphones, iPads and tablets—demanding internet access on the go, Marywood created a mobile site that went live in November 2011.

The foremost athletic accomplishments included: the Colonial States Athletics Conference (CSAC) President's Cup Championship won by all varsity teams collectively. Marywood Pacers also won the separate men’s and women’s championship cups; a CSAC championship and NCAA tournament berth by the Men's Tennis team; a CSAC championship by the Women's Cross Country team; an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) South Region championship by the Women's Soccer team; and CSAC runner-up finishes by the Men's Cross Country, Men's Soccer, Men's Lacrosse and Women's Lacrosse teams.

David Palmiter, Ph.D., full professor of psychology at Marywood University, was recently named president of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. Dr. Palmiter, who has taught at Marywood University since 1998, is the first resident of Lackawanna County to hold this position.

Andrew Dattel, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology and Director of the Aviation Program at Marywood University, was awarded the 2011–2012 Murray Award for Research and Development. Michael and Mary Alice Collins Murray ’51 established The Murray Award for Research and Development in 2004.

From March 2-13, a group of eleven Marywood University graduate social work students traveled to India to work with several social services agencies in different parts of the country and become acquainted with Indian culture. The students were accompanied by India native Dr. Packiaraj Arumughan, Assistant Professor of Social Work in the Master of Social Work program, and by Dr. Lloyd Lyter, Director of the School of Social Work and Administrative Studies.

Edward O’Brien, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Psychology and Counseling at Marywood University, was the 2012 recipient of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association’s “Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Science and/or Profession of Psychology.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Education's Bureau of Adult Basic Literacy Education awarded Marywood University nearly one million dollars over three years to deliver adult literacy services and GED preparation courses.

Kelsey Knight ’12 and Jonathan Najarian ’12 were named “Fulbright Finalists” during their senior year for their respective work in secondary education and urban development.

Marywood faculty, students, athletic teams, and clubs aided flood victims in the aftermath of  Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. A campus-wide effort to aid flood victims was coordinated, which included a relief fund; collection and distribution of supplies and cleaning work by volunteers; and fall break service trips to areas affected by the flooding.

Marywood University art students swept the student awards at the NEPA 2012 ADDY Awards ceremony at the annual awards dinner in Wilkes-Barre in early March. This is the seventh consecutive year in which Marywood art students have won ADDY Awards.

Ann O'Brien, Assistant Director of Service-Learning and Community Service, accompanied nine undergraduate students and two additional Marywood staff members to Guatemala in May.

Sister Anne Munley, IHM, President of Marywood University, was awarded the "Woman of Excellence" award at the 2011 Scranton Awards for Growth and Excellence, or SAGE Awards.

A Marywood alumnus, who is a leading children’s welfare administrator and a Senior Research Fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, was the keynote speaker at Marywood’s Commencement on May 13, 2012. Fred Wulczyn, Ph.D., who earned an M.S.W. at Marywood University, also merited a distinguished alumni award from the Marywood Alumni Association. Dr. Wulczyn was awarded an honorary doctorate at Marywood’s Commencement ceremony.