University of Scranton's Panuska College of Professional Studies Dedicates Upcoming Year to ‘Embracing the Call to Care’

Special events slated to celebrate many ways “helping professions” fulfill Jesuit goals and to express gratitude for new Edward R. Leahy Jr. Hall

 This year, a new strategic plan unveiled by The University of Scranton refines the institution’s focus on being “engaged, integrated and global.” The three-pronged plan re-emphasizes the unique Jesuit calling to prepare students to “be men and women for and with others,” in part by amplifying connections between service and learning. In that spirit, the University’s Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS) dedicates 2015-2016 as a year of “Embracing the Call to Care.”

According to Debra A. Pellegrino, Ed.D., dean of the Panuska College of Professional Studies, “Embracing the Call to Care” is both a celebration of the many ways PCPS programs and students bring the goals of being “engaged, integrated and global” to life and an opportunity for the PCPS community to express joy and gratitude for its new facility, Edward R. Leahy Jr. Hall.

The new eight-story building includes 25 state-of-the-art laboratories, nine traditional and active-learning classrooms, and multiple simulation environments. Leahy Hall is designed to facilitate research, expand service-learning projects, and put the best simulation environments, applied-science laboratories, equipment and technology directly in the hands of students and faculty. The facility, which houses the physical therapy, occupational therapy and exercise science departments, creates a unified entrance to McGurrin Hall, which houses the other PCPS departments of nursing, education, counseling and human services, and health administration and human resources, as well as the Leahy Community Health and Family Center. The 116,360-square-foot building is designed to accommodate the needs of the bachelor’s-, master’s- and doctoral-level programs utilizing the space and to encourage inter-professional collaboration. 

Dean Pellegrino said the year-long “Embracing the Call to Care” is designed to “perfect our quest to be a model for the helping professions.” She noted it “recognizes the need to act on continuous improvement, implement diverse opportunities for students to be engaged in transformative and reflective experiences and provide substance to our University’s strategic mission and values through a continuous assessment plan.”

“Embracing the Call to Care” will feature many themed events throughout the year, some of which include:

The September: Students in Action theme that honors the dedication of the Edward R. Leahy Jr. Hall through a drive for donations to the Alice V. Leahy Food and Clothing Pantry. Donations will be accepted beginning on Sept. 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will continue throughout the year. The food and clothing pantry is located in the Leahy Community Health and Family Center on the lower level of McGurrin Hall. The entrance is on Kressler Court.

Also, the PCPS will begin collecting new or gently used children’s books Sept. 29 and continue through to December. Donation can be made in purple containers placed around campus and in the community. The PCPS Class of 2019 will provide a personalized or inspirational inscription that will be placed inside the donated book cover. The culmination of drive is the Blessing of the Books ceremony Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. in the Forum of Leahy Hall. The event is open to the public and refreshments will be served.

For the October: World in Action theme, PCPS, in collaboration with the University’s Schemel Forum and WVIA-TV, will host a lecture by Avi Melamed, an independent Israel-Middle East strategic intelligence analyst and a fellow of Middle East security and affairs for the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College. The author of “Inside the Middle East:  Making Sense of the Most Dangerous and Complicated Region on Earth” will discuss this topic Oct. 14 at 5:30 p.m. in The Forum of Leahy Hall. The lecture is free of charge and open to the public.

Also, PCPS will host its 14th Annual Northeastern U.S. Conference on disABILITY Oct. 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the DeNaples Center. This year’s conference focuses on successes in vocational rehabilitation. The conference includes a Town Hall Meeting with Rebecca Alexander, author of “Not Fade Away,” at 4:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom of the DeNaples Center. The Town Hall Meeting is open to the public free of charge.

The November: Saints in Action theme includes a Fashion Show on Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. in The Forum of Leahy Hall with proceeds benefiting the Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured.

In addition, PCPS, in partnership with Geisinger and the Friendship House, will host “From the Clinic to the Classroom – an Update on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Students with Special Needs,” which is intended to raise awareness on autism. The event takes place Nov. 12 from 8:30 a.m. to noon in The Forum of Leahy Hall. It is open to the public, free of charge.

The April: Our Environment in Action theme will feature a PCPS Community Celebration and Open House April 5, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will include tours of Leahy Hall and McGurrin Hall and will showcase research and academic service projects by PCPS faculty, students and staff. The event is open to the public and admission is the donation of a can of food for the Alice V. Leahy Food Pantry.

For a full list of events visit http://www.scranton.edu/academics/pcps/the-call-to-care/index.shtml.