Strategic Plan Progress: A Campus-Wide, Community-Driven Endeavor

In 2020, the University launched a new Health Humanities concentration. This eighteen-credit program emphasizes the integral role of the humanities in shaping and transforming healthcare, health, and well-being. It aims not only to provide a comprehensive humanistic education to the students enrolled in the programs for the health professions, but also to develop new pedagogical practices informed by interdisciplinarity, experiential and community-based learning, and diversity and intercultural competence.

Under the leadership of the Faculty Senate, the University launched a multi-phased review of the general education (GE) curriculum in 2020. As part of this process faculty are considering the scope and breadth of the GE, the context of the Ignatian educational tradition, and goals for student learning. In February 2022, the Faculty Senate approved an updated general education learning assessment cycle proposed by the Office of Educational Assessment;  other planned GE assessment projects remain underway. GE assessment projects help the University to understand and improve student learning in these core areas of liberal arts education. The Senate is currently reviewing a preliminary, wide-reaching GE review report and recommendations, with work continuing through the 2023/2024 academic year.

GE review includes reflection on diversity coursework requirements within the GE. In addition to better understanding this element of the academic experience, though targeted outreach to departments we are learning more about how programs are more intentionally incorporating diverse perspectives into coursework and other learning experiences. For example, in 2022, the Neuroscience program added a module on Neuroscience of Racism/bias to the NEUR111 course: Reading Science Literature, which is a required seminar taken in the spring semester of first year.

In spring 2023, The Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program (SJLA) announced a successful revision to its curriculum to add a more diverse range of courses, including a junior year sequence that includes courses in the history, philosophy, and theology of science. Together with other honors and programs of excellence, the SJLA program helps to build a community of learners and scholars that explore and build critical-thinking and other core skills through specially designed courses and programming opportunities.

In fall 2023 the University announced the establishment of the Ethics Across the Curriculum Initiative, which will focus on integrating both content-related and pedagogical strategies that focus on the practical application of ethical principles within the Jesuit tradition in an inter-disciplinary manner. Programming includes faculty pedagogical and development grants, experiential learning opportunities for students, and lectures and associated workshops. Activities include programming and lectures, including spring 2023's  “The Role of Ethics and Ethics Committees in Healthcare,” presented by Karen Smith, Ph.D., director of clinical ethics at Banner Desert Medical Center.

In January 2023, the University announces plans for a major new investment in its facilities, funded in part by a $16.62 million federal National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Community Project Funding grant.  The open design of the four-story building and its central location on campus near Mulberry Street is intended to facilitate and encourage interdisciplinary opportunities between departments from across the University’s three colleges, and to foster interaction and programs with and for members of the greater Scranton community. The facility will also house laboratories, classrooms, offices and meeting spaces for the University’s Department of Criminal Justice, Cybersecurity and Sociology and the Psychology Department, along with other University programming and service areas.  Construction is now underway. Read more about the project here and in other sections of this report.

Under the leadership of its new Executive Director, Dr. Sarah Kenehan, the Slattery Center has begun the process of developing shared, University-wide principles of the humanities, including those that emphasize ethical, cultural, and global awareness, that may be used to guide, connect, and assess academic work and contributions across a range of disciplines. Insights from the review of the general education curriculum, along with assessment of institutional learning and program outcomes, will provide a foundation for analysis and recommendations.

In spring 2023 the University Characteristics statement published in University undergraduate and graduate catalogs was updated to affirm and more broadly communicate our commitment to the goals of our Institutional Learning Outcomes and that "Our graduates will demonstrate that they are persons of character and women and men for and with others, through their devotion to the spiritual and corporal welfare of other human beings and by their special commitment to the pursuit of social justice and the common good of the entire human community."

Launched in 2019, the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities directly answers the call from past president, the Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., to advance the University’s liberal arts tradition and enhance the core role it plays in the formation of students to become “men and women for others.” Together with the faculty-led Humanities Forum, which sponsors lectures from prominent speakers and related events, the Center is pursuing a digital humanities laboratory; humanities scholar programs for students; and increasing support for faculty scholarships in the humanities, among other initiatives.  In fall 2021, the Center hosted the Inaugural Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship Lecture, featuring guest speaker Lonnie Bunch, 14^th Secretary of the Smithsonian, presenting “The Humanities, Democracy, and Race.”

In 2020-21 the Center welcomed its inaugural cohorts of Student and Faculty Fellows. Both fellowships are open to faculty and students from non-humanities disciplines, and include financial support and workspace within the Center, and include the expectation of published and/or presentations of their scholarly work. Two new cohorts of students and faculty received fellowships for 2021-2022, and again for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Since 2020, both student and faculty fellows continue to engage in and present their humanities-based research on campus and beyond.

In spring 2022, University Advancement secured a new financial commitment to support student fellowships over the next four years, as well as the creation of the new Myers Fellowship within the Slattery Center.

In spring 2022, the University welcomed Dr. Sarah Kenehan, a University undergraduate alumnus, as new Executive Director of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center of Ignatian Humanities.   Supporting the Center, in 2022, the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs formed a new Humanities Faculty Advisory Board, gathering faculty leaders from all of the Humanities departments, and representatives from the Panuska College of Professional Studies and Kania School of Management.  Together, the Board and Slattery Center revised the Center’s mission and adopted a set of operational bylaws in 2022-23.

During 2022-2023, the Slattery Center sponsored a variety of on-campus events and fora. This includes guest speakers as well as Slattery Fellows’ Workshops. In addition, the Center coordinated student participation in the Lycoming College Undergraduate Humanities Conference, where each of the Center’s Student Fellows presented their unique research. 

The University of Scranton’s Office of Community-Based Learning was recently highlighted in Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal. The research titled: “Implication of a Community-Based Learning Faculty Fellows Program to Facilitate Teaching and Learning in the Jesuit Tradition” focused on expanding the conversation around implementation of Ignatian pedagogy to engage faculty across Jesuit universities through a Community-Based Learning Faculty Fellows Program.

In 2023, the University completed a major renovation and investment to its Campus Radio facilities. This included the addition of state-of-the-art ham radio equipment and antennas installed on the fifth floor and roof of the Loyola Science Center for a new student amateur ham radio station funded by a nearly $200,000 Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) grant awarded to Nathaniel Frissell, Ph.D., assistant professor of physics and engineering at The University of Scranton. The new capabilities for W3USR: The University of Scranton Amateur Radio Club will also allow for ongoing and future Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation (HamSCI) research projects to be undertaken by Dr. Frissell and University students. Bringing this station to the university was one of five projects chosen as a part of a Citizens Science Project with NASA. Dr. Frissell shared insights about this program, associated grants, and the research, student learning, and community engagement impact, in a recent AJCU Connections magazine article, including the news that a recent University graduate, Veronica Romanek ’23, was recently awarded a highly-competitive national Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) scholarship.

Increasing dialogue on and beyond our campus regarding the value of the humanities is a vital strategic goal, and this past year foci addressed our commitment to diversity and inclusion. All first year students are required to take part in the lecture and the accompanying RoyalReads program, which features works on timely themes. Recent Reads include "On Juneteenth" by Annette Gordon-Reed (2023-2024); "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin (2022-2023), and "Barking to the Choir", by Father Gregory Boyle (2021-2022).

The fall 2021 Ignatian Values in Action Lecture featured Dr. Yohuru Williams, a University of Scranton alumnus and Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas. Dr. Williams presented a community-wide lecture titled “The Fire This Time: Racial Justice, Catholic Social Teaching, and the promise of Jesuit Education in the Age of Black Lives Matter,” exploring the struggle for Black equality through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching with a special emphasis on Ignatian Values and the principles of Jesuit Education.

In 2020, the University joined the Global Ignatian Humanities Alliance, an affiliation between The University of Scranton, Loyola Andalucia en Seville in Spain, and Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya in Peru. In 2021, the University hosted a two-day virtual event for more than 40 students from the three Jesuit universities to explore Ignatian humanities. The virtual event included breakout sessions with students from three continents in which they reacted to a lecture by Scranton Philosophy professor Duane Armitage, Ph.D., entitled, “Finding God in All Things: Jesuit Truism or Ignatian Truth?

In 2022, the University joined the National Humanities Alliance, learning from and with other members institutions best practices for humanities education.

Expanding and facilitating access to scholarly content and other resources is a top priority for the Weinberg Memorial Library and its faculty. In 2020-21, the Library developed several new resources, including a Remote Biblical Research Guide to support the research needs of students in courses that include Bible research, and, with students, an online University of Scranton History of Science encyclopedia. The Library has also expanded its collections to support humanities study and research:

• In partnership with the Theology/Religious Studies department, the Library acquired online access to the Library of Catholic Social Thought, which added 55 ebooks to its collection, including the Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century.
• Several monographs have been added to Special Collections through partnership with the Jesuit Center and the Boston College Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies.

"Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story" Grant

In fall 2021, The University of Scranton received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the project, “Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story.” The grant, written by faculty and staff from across University departments and managed through the Office of Community and Government Affairs, explores the aspirational journey to fulfill our national ideals through the lens of Scranton, Pennsylvania, an iconic American city that has experienced many of the key elements of our nation’s experience: industrial era growth and decline, waves of immigration past and present, and Black and Indigenous experiences. The University was among just 239 projects in the nation to receive NEH support and among 16 projects in Pennsylvania to receive funding during the award year.

Fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and partnering with local community groups, the grant has served as platform to highlight the great diversity of our City and region, built through the contributions of many cultures.  The 2-year series of humanities-based lectures, discussions, dialogues, community events, workshops and oral histories explores the aspiration journey to fulfill our national ideals through the lens of Scranton, Pennsylvania, including industrial era growth and historic immigration as well as under-represented stories of Indigenous experience, Black history, and recent immigrants and refugees.  

 The grant and its associated activities also exemplified and help build on the University’s commitment to the humanities, marking, in the words of Dr. Michelle Maldonado, University Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, “A moment of the University itself becoming a “public intellectual”, not only expanding conversation and research in the humanities on our campus, but bringing it to the broader Scranton community.”  Faculty from the University’s philosophy, English, history, and other departments have made scholarly contributions to the project. A key highlight of the project includes “I am Scranton” oral histories, profiles, and photography exhibits.

Read more about this impactful grant in other sections of this report.

Campus leaders continue to be included in national publications that highlight humanities education. In fall 2020, University Provost Dr. Jeff Gingerich published his article, "Through the Humanities, The University of Scranton Helps Students Find Their Calling" in AJCU Connections.  Dr. Michael Fennie, associate professor of Chemistry, published an article, "STEM and the Mission: Science as a human endeavor," was included in Conversations in Jesuit Higher Education magazine (fall 2021).

Also in fall 2021, Yamile Silva, Ph.D., professor and chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures at The University of Scranton, was accepted to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the United Kingdom’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Spanish Paleography and Digital Humanities Institute. The NEH/AHRC joint initiatives seek to advance digital scholarship.

In spring 2022, the Slattery Center hosted Roosevelt Montás, Ph.D., as featured speaker for the second Sondra and Morey Myers Distinguished Visiting Fellowship in the Humanities and Civic Engagement Lecture.  The lecture, entitled “Liberal Education for Human Freedom,” addressed Dr. Montás’ view on the importance of a liberal arts education.  This fall, Dr. Elizabeth Hinton, the 2022 Myers Distinguished Fellow, visited the University of Scranton to offer a keynote address, met with Slattery Center Fellows and other campus groups, as well as local high school students. Additional guest lectures are scheduled for the fall 2022 semester and beyond.

A 2022 comprehensive analysis of the return on investment (ROI) of college degrees at more than 4,500 colleges in the U.S. by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce at more than 4,500 colleges in the United States shows the value gains of liberal arts education during the lifetime of a career. The analysis also ranks the ROI of a degree from The University of Scranton among the top 6.1 percent of colleges in the country after 40 years, among the top 7 percent after 30 years and among the top 11 percent after 20 years.

And, in 2023, a new ranking by teachercertification.com - an online resource for teacher certification information - included the University amongst colleges producing the highest-earning teachers three years after graduation. The University was ranked number 8 in the country.

Staffing and other resources to support students success are expanding. In 2020, the University opened a new Office of Student Retention and Completion.  One of the first initiatives for the Office was the development and launch of a Student Success Attendance and Early Alert system. Changing course to better meet our needs, retention focused efforts are now being infused throughout the University, supported by a University-wide Retention Committee. The committee’s ongoing work is supported by data analysis for retention, now integrated under the auspices of the departments of Institutional Reporting and Enrollment Management, and expanded student support through the new Office of Student Support and Success, and Student Life, among other important areas.

In 2020, the University was awarded a Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE) program development grant to extend to all four-years of study an already successful First-Year Seminar program. The program encourages student reflection on vocation through a three-credit course taught by full-time faculty members.

In fall 2022, resources were realigned within the Student Life division to create the Assistant Dean for Student Wellness position. This new role will support efforts to better integrate wellness areas -- Student Health, the Counseling Center, and the Center for Health Education & Wellness. This past year, the division and its departments invested additional resources in programming to support student resiliency and conflict resolution skills development. The University held the third annual Fail Forward Panel in fall 2022. Also within the division, a new Assistant Dean for the Cultural Centers (renamed from Cross-Cultural Centers) position was created. This position will oversee the Cultural Centers, challenging us to take steps forward to becoming a more inclusive community for students who have been historically underserved at Scranton.  

In spring 2022, the University approved a new staff Student Success Specialist position within the CTLE, serving as a primary advisor and support liaison for first-generation and historically underrepresented students.

The THR!VE first generation student support program, launched in 2019, continues to, well, thrive! THR1VE focuses on three pillars: understanding and celebrating the first-generation identity; connecting students to resources; and celebrating students’ successes. In large part due to our innovative THR1VE programming, the University was selected to join the national 2022-23 First-gen Forward cohort, sponsored by The Center for First-generation Student Success.

In 2022, following an initial pilot program, the University’s Counseling Center began offering a virtual teletherapy program via a leading student mental health and wellness teletherapy platform. This partnership enhances current on-campus student mental health resources by connecting students to health professionals when they need it, lessening wait times for services. The partnership also provides access to a more diverse network of health professionals, so we may better meet the needs of BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other students. In 2023, Student Life welcomed a new staff member in the Counseling Center who identifies as a person of color. Having this staff member on our team has opened new doors for students who wish to work with a counselor of color.

In 2023, the University announced a restructuring of the CTLE to better serve student and faculty needs. Now comprised of two distinct but collaborative offices, The new Office of Student Support & Success (OSSS) and Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) work with faculty and students to create and sustain an environment that supports student learning, faculty enrichment, and academic success. The OSSS includes foci on disability services, academic coaching, along with traditional services such as the Writing Center and tutoring services.  The CTE provides a variety of faculty and pedagogical resources, including support for BrightSpace (the University’s online learning management system), administering student teaching evaluations, and resources related to artificial intelligence and academic honesty. The Center has also recently increased a half-time position to full-time to provide expanded, dedicated support to students with disabilities, a growing population in our student body.

In 2023, the Weinberg Memorial Library hired Dr. Elin Woods to serve as inaugural Research and Instruction Librarian for Student Success. This new position contributes to the Library’s campus-wide focus on transformative teaching and learning in the Ignatian tradition by supporting information literacy in undergraduate courses, with a focus on student learning and success in the first year by supporting information literacy instruction, research, and collection development for core general education courses and the Natural Sciences. The position also coordinates the Library’s affordable learning and open educational resources (OER) initiatives, and liaises with the University’s Office for Student Support & Success (OSSS) on programming geared toward Student Success.  Current initiatives include student drop-in and pop-up support programming events with the OSSS, and student focus groups to help the Library better understand our students’ understanding of the Library and the role it plays in student success.

Student Outcomes

These and other efforts prepare our students to reach their professional goals. According to data from the Office of Career Development, nearly one hundred percent of undergraduate students were fully employed, or pursuing additional education, twelve months after graduation. Highlights from the Class of 2022:

• Mirroring past trends, 99% of undergraduates from class of 2022 are successfully meeting their career path goals – either employed or enrolled in education full time. Most are employed in the tri-state area. The average salary for undergraduates of the class of 2022 was $59,025, up from $54,387 in 2021.
• The mean salary for graduate students completing their studies in 2022 was $81,045, a notable increase from $71,827 in 2021. 94% of graduating graduate students were employed full-time following the completion of their graduate degree, and the remaining 6% engaged in other activities, including continuing education or part-time employment: 

In addition to these placements, nine Scranton graduates of the class of 2023 committed to long term service following graduation:

The University's prior strategic plan - Engaged, Integrated, Global - prioritized the development of high impact practice (HIP)programming. The foundation laid during this period is helping HIPs to flourish, including Community Based Learning (CBL), an academic experience that involves students working with individuals, groups, or organizations in ways structured to meet community-defined needs. Launched in 2017 through support from strategic initiatives funding, the Office of Community Based Learning provides a dedicated structure to coordinate CBL activities and provide support resources for University faculty through grants, workshops, and curriculum development.  All students enrolled in the Panuska College of Professional Studies must complete a CBL project prior to graduation. On average, nearly 100 community based learning course sections are offered each year.

In 2021, the CBL office launched a new Community Based Learning (CBL) Faculty Fellows Program. The program seeks to recognize, reward, and support faculty who integrate CBL as an intentional pedagogical strategy and community engagement activity into their course and/or curricular-based/discipline-oriented project. Recent projects include CBL infusion in speech language pathology, literature, occupational and physical therapy, and business management coursework.

Supporting student research experiences remains a core commitment of academic life. Student participation in this high impact practice can take the form of research exposure - learning about the fundamentals and practice of research through coursework - as well as direct research experiences that engage students, often with faculty, in conducting their own research projects. For example,

• In addition to the longstanding Faculty Student Research Program, Celebration of Student Scholars, and President's Fellowship for Summer Research, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs launched the rHIP (Research as a High Impact Practice) funding program in 2019 to support new or ongoing faculty-student research projects that focus on the creation of an undergraduate research/scholarship experience for the student resulting in student learning outcomes, such as inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, and foundations and skills for lifelong learning. Honors programs, such as the Special Jesuit Liberal Arts Program, further engage students in research, scholarship, and intellectual problem solving, and understanding the contemporary issues of the day.
• In fall 2023, the College of Arts and Sciences created a new undergraduate research fund to support students across the college as they pursue research projects, including presentation of their work at academic conferences.  Twenty-three grants were awarded in the fall, and twenty-seven in the spring of 2024.

The Weinberg Memorial Library (WML) has a long history of preserving student research and academic scholarship as part of its collections. Working in consultation with the Office of the Registrar, and Information Technology, in 2022 the WML developed an app to support increasingly digital submission of student scholarship, as well as an informational web page designed as the starting place for all submissions. The new tools created a common process for all disciplines across campus to follow, and will help the library to accommodate the growing volume and variety of submissions.

Residential Learning Communities, a high impact practice that brings students together via shared living and learning experiences, are a powerful way to build a sense of belonging and support personal and academic success. Expanding these offerings, two new learning communities were launched in fall 2021: the THR1VE First Generation Community, and Community for Transformational Learning, bringing the total to 7. In these communities, students live and study with a group of peers in exploration of who they are. Staff advisors, along with dedicated academic coaches, offer individual and group programming to support adjustment to University life.

In fall 2023 The Office of Community-Based Learning (CBL) welcomed its second cohort of CBL Faculty Fellows. The program is to recognizes, rewards and supports exemplary faculty who integrate CBL as an intentional pedagogical strategy into their courses and/or curricular-based projects. CBL is an academic experience which involves students working with individuals, groups, or organizations in ways structured to meet community-defined needs.  Projects this year include CBL infusion in speech language pathology, literature, occupational and physical therapy, and business management coursework.

Also in Fall 2023, Student Life in partnership with Academic Affairs piloted four new residential learning communities. The THR1VE community (geared toward first-gen students) and The Latin Thing community (geared toward exploration of Latinx culture and language) are among the communities being explored.

In fall 2023, the Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development relocated to a new, central campus space. Now located in the heart of campus, the Center is better positioned to welcome and serve students.

Data from the Center shows that eighty-seven percent (86%) of the Class of 2022 completed at least one experiential learning (EL) opportunity prior to graduation, an increase from 78% of the Class of 2021:

And, from the 2022 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), we see that both first year and senior Scranton students continue to outpace HIPs participation in both national and peer comparison groups. The University will conduct the NSSE once again in spring 2025.

Our Catholic, Jesuit mission permeates all we do as a University. Through the work of the Division of Mission and Ministry, and The Jesuit Center, programs and services are in place to support and engage students, faculty, and staff in faith formation experiences, many of which are described throughout this report. In addition, these departments offer a variety of mission-oriented service opportunities, including supporting participation in programs such as the Ignatian Colleagues Program, an 18-month program designed to educate and form administrators more deeply in the Catholic Jesuit tradition. The program includes online workshops, reflection papers, seminars, a capstone experience for participants to design projects to advance mission on their home campus, and an immersion trip to the United States/Mexico border through the Kino Border Initiative.

In spring 2022, The University of Scranton joined Jesuit colleges and universities across the world to mark the close of “The Ignatian Year,” a year-long, worldwide celebration of the 500^thanniversary of the transformation of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus.

Students are introduced to the University's mission as part of new student and other orientation and onboarding activities. And, for new faculty, the Jesuit Center offers the First-Year Faculty Seminar, specifically designed to give each new faculty members a deep understanding of the Catholic and Jesuit ideals that animate our common work as well as pedagogical material and insight to help our newest colleagues incorporate the values learned with their own teaching and research.

The spring 2022 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) student survey included an elective module that examines various attributes of Catholic, Jesuit education, as developed and sponsored by a group of fellow AJCU institutions. Data from this module shows that both Scranton first year and senior students see their experience at the University contributing to their development in understanding our mission:

The Center for Service and Social Justice's International Service Program (ISP) provides opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to be immersed in cultures and experiences in developing countries of our world. Although participation was limited in the past year due to COVID-related restrictions, in the last three prior years, an average of 100 students took part in international service trips (ISP) through the Center each year. Students may also take part in The Domestic Outreach (DO) service trip program to serve marginalized populations across the United States, including refugees and low income families. Four trips are planned for the spring 2022 semester. In 2021, Center added a new staff position, Coordinator of Local Service and Community Outreach, to develop and promote local service opportunities routed in Catholic and Jesuit tradition and foster strong relationships with agency community partners. Each year, students compete over 180,000 hours of service through the Center.

In March 2022, the University dedicated a new physical space, the Rev. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. House on nearby Clay Avenue, to support the work of the Center for Service and Social Justice. The new Arrupe House will provide meeting space for students and others involved in the Center, as well as working spaces for the We Care Meal and EFFORT (Excess Food For Others Recovery Team) programs, the Craft for a Cause Program, and the Royal Restore Food Pantry that can be accessed by students or community members in need.  The We Care Meal and EFFORT programs were started during the Covid-19 pandemic, and remain important parts of the Centers' social justice and service efforts.

The Ellacuría Initiative continues to encourage reflection on the meaning of justice, raises students’ awareness of injustice in our society and throughout the world, and introduces students to various methods of analysis, so that they may be able to respond to create a more just society. In addition to a biennial theme, the Initiative engages the University community in considering issues of importance to Northeastern Pennsylvania and others that emerge due to unfolding circumstances. For 2021-23, the initiative is focusing on the theme of Truth and Reconciliation in the considering historical sexual abuses in the Catholic church. 

Through the work of the University Sustainability Committee, University faculty, staff, and students continue to examine the our imperative to care for our common home, a charge to all Jesuit educational institutions by the Society of Jesus' Universal Apostolic Preferences. The Committee offers guidance to the Office of Sustainability, which coordinates a wide array of sustainability and environmental care initiatives across the University. In 2020,  these included the introduction of three new electronic vehicle (EV) charging stations; the growth of the Royal Community Garden; a new $110,000 recycling vehicle investment and additional recycling repositories; and University participation in the Trex recycling program.  Through 2021, over one thousand pounds of recyclable plastic bags were collected to be recycled into Trex decking.

Recent campus wide sustainability efforts over the 2023-2024 academic year include:

• The University of Scranton recently partnered with ARAMARK and Natural Upcycling to compost excess food and landscape waste. The University collects approximately 1,500 pounds of waste per week at the DeNaples Center. From there, Natural Upcycling handles the composting and turns the waste into usable plant soil.
• In fall 2023, the University completely upgraded the Byron Gymnasium to LED lights. Each year, the 60 installed light fixtures are estimated to provide 46,000 kilowatt hours (kWhs) in savings. 
• The University Royal Recycling program in 2023 recycled 212.5 ton of materials. The materials include plastic bottles, plastic bags, glass, cans, batteries, light bulbs, electronics, cooking oil, food waste/composting, lawn waste, paper, and cardboard.
• Also in the last year, the University purchased two new campus vehicles to help reduce emissions and noise pollution, with plans to add nine more vehicles to the fleet by fall 2024. Along with the hybrid vehicles, six level two charging stations have been installed on campus.
• In 2024, the University began a five-year program to purchase 100 percent renewable energy for our entire campus. Each year we will increase the renewable purchase by 20 percent. By year 2028, our entire campus’ electrical usage will be renewable energy.
• In 2024, the University purchased 20 percent of its electric load from renewable resources and will continue to add 20 percent more each year. In 2028, the University’s entire electric load will be obtained from renewable resources. In addition, the nearly 80,000 square-foot center for workforce development, applied research and outreach, to be built on University-owned property on the 300 block of Madison Avenue will be LEED certified. The building’s roof will hold the campus’s largest solar electric project to date.
• And, the Slattery Center for the Humanities hosted a Humanities Center Lecture in April 2023, featuring Nicole Negowetti speaking on "The Regeneration Revolution: Working at the Nexus of Food, Climate, and Culture", complimenting other sustainability and climate ethics activities underway within the Center.

The Environmental Art Show at the Weinberg Memorial Library showcases submissions by University of Scranton students, faculty, and staff. In spring 2021, the show followed the theme of "Caring for our Common Home," Submissions for the first virtual exhibit included artwork by faculty and staff that document sustainability efforts, and take visitors on photographic journeys to natural environments and habitats from Pennsylvania to around the globe. Also in 2021, The University of Scranton received an honorable mention for its green lighting of its Class of 2020 Gateway in the Tourism Ireland Greening scholarship competition. This competition included 690 other schools and iconic landmarks across the globe, such as the Sydney Opera House and the Empire State Building. In 2022, The University of Scranton Players academic theatre program was recognized by the Broadway Green Alliance, an industry-wide initiative founded in 2008 to educate and encourage the theatre community to implement environmentally friendlier practices, for its incorporation of sustainability practices. 

In spring 2023, Three University of Scranton students were selected to join the national Common Home Corps program, offered by the Catholic Climate Covenant in collaboration with Loyola University Chicago and Creighton University. The students will attend a summer training program at Loyola Chicago to learn about Catholic social teaching, the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ Action Platform, climate science and impacts, community organizing and climate advocacy, so that they can then become leaders for ecological conversations in their Catholic Diocesan communities.

Following the call from Pope Francis’ recent letter on the necessity of our care of for the earth, "our common home," the University announced its commitment to joining the Laudato Si’ initiative in fall 2023, joining with other Catholic institutions of higher learning. Since then, members of the University community have worked together to build a formal Laudato Si action plan to formalize and expand our current commitment to sustainability and ecological spirituality - finding God in all things - as a mission-based imperative. View the plan, here.

And, in spring 2023, the University Characteristics statement was updated to include, "The University further enhances its sense of community by demonstrating high standards and care for our common home via the stewardship of our physical environment and campus resources."

Academic Planning and New Programs

In support of our University-wide strategic plan, each academic college, and the Weinberg Memorial Library, is charged to develop a college-level plan of its own. Over the past academic year, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Kania School of Management, and the Weinberg Memorial Library have constructed updated their own plans.  These documents outline the college's direct support of strategic plan goals, as well as area and program specific goals for program growth and innovation, student and faculty support, and other strategies.  In 2023, the University launched a new academic environmental scanning initiative, engaging faculty and academic administration to consider external and internal data to identify opportunities for academic program development.

In April 2024, the University announced the announced the renaming of the Panuska College of Professional Studies (PCPS) to the Leahy College of Health Sciences. The change of name from “professional studies” to “health sciences” more accurately describes the mission and scope of the College, which offers degrees in physical and occupational therapy, nursing, healthcare administration, kinesiology and counseling. This change also celebrates the significant contributions of Edward and Patricia Leahy, who have been long-time friends of the University and have supported the College in a number of ways, including support for its Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured and Family Health Center, and annual Conference on disAbility, and endowed scholarships. Read more, here.

Between 2020 and 2022, faculty led the development of a number of new academic programs, including:

• Applied Behavior Analysis (graduate): This new and highly anticipated graduate program, offered in conjunction with the Department of Counseling and Human Services, is designed to provide the educational and supervised fieldwork experiences necessary to achieve certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).
• Business Analytics (undergrad and graduate, and certificate): This program offers advanced courses in data mining, database management systems, simulation and Big Data to help guide businesses in improving processes through data analysis. Business analytics prepares students for such jobs as data analysts, finance/credit analysts and market research analysts.
• Communication Sciences and Disorders (undergraduate and graduate): The bachelor's degree in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) is centered around the basic science of human communication including biological, physical, social and linguistic aspects, and this basic science is used as a lens to develop an understanding of what happens when communication is impaired. 
• Cybercrime and Homeland Security (undergraduate): This major will allow students to explore social and behavioral aspects of cybercrime and cybersecurity, enhance their understanding of cybercrime law and cybersecurity policies, examine historical and evolving concepts of homeland security and emergency management. It will develop their knowledge, strategies, countermeasures and challenges of cybercrime, cyberterrorism and cyberwar, and gain hands-on experience in cybersecurity management systems, as well as digital forensics tools, techniques and methods in response to cybersecurity risks across an organization.
• Mathematical Sciences (undergraduate): Students who major in mathematical sciences (B.S.) at The University of Scranton come to understand the interconnectedness of mathematics by pursuing a partner discipline. Mathematical sciences students choose one of five tracks: Actuarial Science, Biological Sciences, Computer & Information Science, Data Science or Physical Sciences.
• Mechanical Engineering (undergraduate): The broadest and one of the oldest engineering disciplines, mechanical engineering involves the design, production and operation of mechanical systems and thermal systems. This major prepares students to work in a wide array of fields, including the automotive and aerospace industries, manufacturing, electronics, mechatronics and nanotechnologies.

• Accelerated Psychology to ABA, MS (2023)
• Postbaccalaureate Certificate, Secondary Education (2023)
• Accelerated 5-Year BS/BA/MS in Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity (2022)
• Accelerated BS/MS Finance (2022)
• Online Master’s Degree in Cybercrime Investigation and Cybersecurity (2022), and Cybercrime Investigation minor (2023)
• The University's first Ph.D. program, with the change of the existing doctoral business administration (DBA) degree to a Ph.D. in Accounting degree beginning with the 2022-2023 academic year.
• Black Studies Concentration (2023)
• Psychiatric Mental Health Post-graduate certificate, and Graduate Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialization in the DNP program (2023)
• Public Health Management (2023)
• Accelerated Psychology to Applied Behavioral Analysis (2023)

Supporting academic excellence and growth in the recently launched Speech Language Pathology program, in fall 2021, the University opened a Speech/Voice lab employing equipment received through a Moses Taylor Foundation Grant.  Also within this academic program, The University of Scranton Chapter of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing associated was initiated in spring 2022.

In spring 2023, the University announced the move of the Education Department from the PCPS to the College of Arts and Sciences is underway. This move will facilitate the implementation of the NSF’s Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program which helps fund the education of STEM majors who are willing to teach in “high-need school districts” after graduation. Part of this transition has included the restructuring of the Master’s in Education and the creation of a post baccalaureate teaching certificate which can now both be completed in one year.

The Weinberg Memorial Library

In 2022, the Weinberg Memorial Library (WML) and division of Information Technology jointly administered the Measuring Information Services Outcomes (MISO) survey to faculty, staff, and students.  Both areas utilize the MISO to identify opportunities to improve programs and services. Utilizing assessment data gathered from the MISO survey and other data, the WML updated its strategic/tactical plan to note recent accomplishments, and to refine or add new objectives, including:

• Form a Library Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which includes library faculty, staff, and student representation.
• Create outreach and informational materials for members of our community, such as high school students and educators, alumni, and Friends.

View the full WML plan, and progress to date, here.

In response to many of the MISO survey comments in 2022, and the prior survey administration in 2018, one of the goals of the plan is to improve and increase the flexibility of the WML’s physical space.  In addition to a number of other physical improvements to increase accessibility and flexibility of use, in 2022, with generous donor support, the WML began work to redesign the fifth-floor Heritage Room into a transformable space that can be utilized for multimedia presentations, special collections exhibits, social events, and student study space.  Also in 2022, a new grab-and-go food market was added to the WML first floor, expanding access to snacks for Library patrons.

In July 2022, the University welcomed Shannon Zottola as new vice president for enrollment management, This position leads the University’s admissions and financial aid processes, and as a key partner with other campus units to support student recruitment and success.  Supporting this work and other goals of our Strategic Plan, the Strategic Enrollment Management Planning (SEP) process, launched in 2018, has directly led to the development of several new academic programs.  In 2023, the University launched a new academic environmental scanning initiative, engaging faculty and academic administration to consider external and internal data to identify opportunities for academic program development.

Defined as the percent of first-time, full-time undergraduate students enrolled in the fall of each year who return the following fall semester, retention at the University remains strong, outpacing national averages. However, one of our strategic goals is to increase the first-year retention rate for minority students, which, although higher than national averages, falls slightly below that for the first-year student population as a whole:

A new Graduate Programs Council is now in place to consider and discuss new graduate programming and avenues to better support graduate students. Data from a recent survey of graduate students identifies several areas where we can improve selected service areas, including through additional support for career development and professional networking, opportunities to participate in service activities, and research sharing.  Within the division of Student Life, new resources like Remote Royals provides information for off-campus students, a need that was amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In fall 2023, the University welcomed a third cohort of students as part of its Prison Education Initiative.  Offered at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas, PA, student enrolling in the program may be awarded an Associate of Arts Degree in approximately two and a half years. Reaching a major milestone, the University conferred its first degrees to students in the program in December 2023. The University joined the Jesuit Prison Education Network in 2023, a group of leaders supporting prison education programs within the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. 

Following several years of decline, in fall 2022, the University’s enrollment of students transferring to the institution from another college or university increased to 61 new students, and held steady in 2023:

The new Student Financing Success Plan was introduced for Pell-eligible students entering in the fall 2020 semester, providing a dedicated, comprehensive guidance to students and their families to better meet college educational expenses. Together with the Family Financing Plan, which seeks to educate and provides a viable “game plan” for the family, is supported by a new Student Financing Counselor staff position within the Office of Financial Aid.  The University has also instituted a new Book and Supply Award for incoming students, which was put into place for students enrolling in the University to start classes in fall 2021. The award provides $500 per semester to first-time, Pell-eligible freshmen to spend on campus.

In spring 2022, the University of Scranton was selected to participate in the third and final round of the U.S. Department of Education's Experimental Sites Initiative, Second Chance Pell Experiment. This opportunity enables incarcerated individuals to be eligible for federal Pell financial support, a program for which incarcerated students had previously be barred. The University currently enrolls students from the State Correctional Institution at Dallas, PA, in its undergraduate Associate of Arts Degree through the new Scranton Prison Education Initiative. Work to transition the program as  Prison Education Program under new federal regulations is now underway.

Also in spring 2022, the University announced the establishment of the Opening Doors Scholarship, which will serve graduates of the Christo Rey Network of High Schools, Arrupe College of Loyola University Chicago, and other similar institutions whose students have demonstrated financial need.  Since its launch, the scholarship has enabled fifteen students to pursue higher their education at The University.

Dr. Gerard Dumancas, associate professor of chemistry, received a $1.158 million National Science Foundation funded Noyce Scholars grant that will support future science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) high school teachers in high-need school districts. The grant, which will be allocated over a five-year period beginning in the 2022-2023 academic year) will provide a scholarships and educational training support to 21 STEM students with a major or minor in secondary education.

In 2021, faculty in the department of Mathematics secured a PA Department of Education Grant to support open educational resource (OER) course materials for selected math courses.

The WML continues to implement steps to reduce costs for students.

• Building on prior open access activities, the WML added an Open Access search tab to the library webpage, which makes open access resources (including textbooks) more easily accessible.
• In 2022, the WML went fine-free, removing late fee fines from student accounts and no longer charging for late returns. By going fine-free, the Library joins a growing national trend of fine-free libraries.
• The WML also continues to lead an Affordable Learning initiative, launched in 2020, which aims to reduce the financial burden on students by eliminating expensive for-cost textbooks and course materials with no-cost or low-cost educational resources. Since 2020, the Library has awarded seventeen Affordable Learning Grants for faculty to replace for-cost course materials with either Open Educational Resources or appropriate licensed library materials. Six grants were awarded during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Investments in our infrastructure are key to advancing our academic programming and institutional mission:

• A new electronic facilities Work Order system was installed in 2020 for the Facilities Management department in order to more efficiently enter, assign and track preventative and general work order labor assignments across campus.
• The University received a $1.5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant in support of our new mechanical engineering major, which includes the reconfiguration of instructional space in Hyland Hall. Additional renovations are planned for the fourth floor of Hyland, which will begin in late summer 2021 and be completed for the spring 2022 semester.
• Within the Weinberg Memorial Library, efforts continue to renovate key facilities to create intentional learning environments to support different learning styles, including additional open study and workspaces. Recent renovations to the WML space include technical upgrades to the Pro Deo Room, including a Bring Your Own Device space and expanded student and guest computing areas. And,

  a new agreement with the Local Everhart Museum has provided the Weinberg Memorial Library with lendable Museum Passes. These passes allow up to 25 students, faculty or staff to visit the Museum free of charge.

Utilizing technology well remains a key ingredient for flexibility and innovation at the University. During the 2020-21 year, the library completed a new divisional plan, outlining goals to support the University’s strategic plan and guide the work of information technology into the future. Priority areas include further improvements to our technological infrastructure, including enhancements to smart classroom and event space technology, supporting equitable student access to technology resources, exploring additional technology tools to support student academic planning and success, and tools to support faculty and student research, to name just a few.  In addition to exploring library and information literacy services and programming, the recent Measuring Information Services Outcomes (MISO) survey also measured student and employee perceptions of information technology services and resources. View the IT-focused results, here.

The IT division has started work on several long-term, significant upgrades to the University’s Ellucian Banner system, completing two major campuswide projects – an upgrade to its campus wireless infrastructure, and the launch of a new my.scranton portal – in 2023.  Together, these projects provide a more modern look and feel, expand self-service capabilities, and improve functionality.

In winter 2021, the Provost charged a Diversity and Inclusion Planning Team to draft a new, University-wide plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion. This Team brings together the momentum and insights the University Planning Committee and the Council for Diversity and Inclusion, as well as students and staff from other areas. During its work, the Team developed concrete action steps for each area of this strategic plan goal, including ways to better support and increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the student experience, the faculty and staff experience, student recruitment and enrollment, academics and co-curricular learning, and alumni and community engagement. In addition to preparing and presenting the draft plan, the Team shared recommendations for sustaining diversity, equity, and inclusion planning as ongoing area of practice, including through robust and intentional assessment activity.

Following campus-wide review in fall 2021, the new plan was approved by the President's Cabinet and Board of Trustees in February 2022. The University’s Council for Diversity and Inclusion and the Office of Equity and Diversity have been charged to steward the plan’s implementation and report on its progress. View the plan, and detailed information about its implementation and progress, here.

The analysis and work of the Diversity Planning Team and subsequent UPC reflection resulted in an important update to the Strategic Plan itself. In May 2022, the University's President's Cabinet and Board of Trustees approved a motion to update the title and several objectives within this goal of the Strategic Plan, previously titled "Diversity and Inclusion," to include the term "equity," better reflecting the true scope of our strategic and operational aims. In addition, the language of this first objective was adjusted to make plain our commitment to the regular assessment of the new DEI plan, and related DEI efforts.

Coinciding with the launch of the new plan, the University incorporated a call for all administrative and academic departments to share reflection on how they are supporting, or plan to support, the University's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, as part of each Annual Planning and Reporting Cycle.  Starting in spring 2022, members of the campus community receive regular DEI update messages to share news, information, and upcoming DEI events and the progress of the DEI plan. Addressing one of the DEI plan’s objectives, a new Events page was added to the DEI web site serve as a single, dedicated, searchable web location for campus constituents to view and register for diversity and inclusion trainings and events.

Assessment of DEI efforts has become more formalized and systematic, including the fall 2020 administration of a Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey. This survey instrument from the Higher Education Datasharing Consortium (HEDS) asked students, faculty, staff, and administrators about their perceptions of the University’s climate and how the University supports diversity and equity, as well as their experiences with discrimination and harassment at the University.  Results from this survey were used in the development of the new DEI plan, and to guide improvements in other areas. The survey was repeated in 2022, with results currently being reviewed by the University community.

To support expended DEI assessment efforts, the University included a supplemental module on inclusiveness and engagement with diversity as part of the spring 2022 NSSE administration. Data from this module suggests important opportunities for enhancing educational and other programming at the University, including opportunities for increased dialogue between diverse groups and within classroom activities.  Data shows that a higher number of Scranton first year and senior respondents view their experience at the University as helping them actively work toward a more inclusive community, on par with students from our peer group:

Increasing undergraduate and graduate minority student enrollment is one of our strategic goals. Although the overall percent of enrolled minority students (as defined by federal IPEDS classifications and reporting) has increased over time, the number of students has declined. Although higher than national averages, we are identifying ways to increase retention for minority students.

In fall 2022, the University welcomed the most diverse class in its history. Nearly 27 percent of incoming students in the class of 2026 identify as a person of color, decreasing slightly in fall of 2023. The number of employees from underrepresented minority groups continues to be an area in which we hope to grow : 

The University welcomed its largest degree seeking, graduate international student cohort in the last 15 years, with more than 255 new international students starting this past fall.

Student Support

Approximately one-fifth of University of Scranton students are the first generation in their family to attend college. To support these students on their path to success, the University has introduced a variety of initiatives, the THR1VE program, which focuses on three pillars of support: understanding and celebrating the first-generation identity; connecting students to resourceses; and
celebrating students’ successes. In addition to student GU1DE and faculty/staff mentorship and leadership programming, THR1VE introduces students to Scranton - including through the unique "Learn to Speak Scranton" guide, which helps students understand and navigate University terminology and abbreviations. The program was selected to join the national Center for First Generation Student Success First-gen Forward cohort for 2022-2023.  Shannon Murphy Fennie, assistant dean of students, discussed the TR1VE story and the essential place first generation students have in our University community in AJCU Connections magazine. 

Other initiatives are in place to better support students of color, including the August 2021 launch of the  Royals of Color Kick Off (ROCK) program, an early arrival program for new students of color. This program provides an opportunity for students to connect with peers, upper division mentors, and campus and local resources to support social network development, community building, and campus and local area connection. Student Life has incorporated a session for all incoming students that focused on diversity and inclusion, and educated students about microaggressions as part of Summer Orientation.  

Since October 2021, in collaboration with the University’s Counseling Center, the Cross Cultural Centers has sponsored a weekly Student of Color Support and Empowerment Group co-facilitated by an alumnus of color and a counselor from the Counseling Center.  

Our students regularly inspire us in how they support one another.  The result of student advocacy, the Louis Stanley Brown Black Student Union was officially chartered in fall 2020. Named in honor of the University’s first Black graduate, the Union will advocate for the needs of all Black students on campus, as well as a safe space for Black students to engage in conversation about the modern-day challenges of the Black experience. The Union is chartered by the Student Government, which itself has been amplifying the voices of students of color, including through student-focused trainings, readings, and workshops, as well as social media campaigns and videos to educate their fellow students.

In fall 2022, construction started on the new Multicultural Center to be located on first floor of the DeNaples Center. The Center opened in February 2023, and its expanded, easily accessible footprint will assist with the increased need for space for underrepresented students to gather and host events, and other programming that supports the Centers’ learning outcomes. The new Center features lounge space, study room, a flexible mediated conference/meeting room, and some staff offices.

Faculty and Staff Support

Building upon momentum of the Faculty Hiring Plan launched in 2021 and enhanced recruitment and hiring guidelines, the University has since welcomed several new members faculty from underrepresented groups. The Office for Human Resources continues its expanded efforts to advertise positions more broadly and connect with the broader Scranton community by attending job fairs and meeting with different community organization for hiring purposes.  The Office is also expanding its efforts to provide translated versions of requirement materials for those for whom English is a second language, recently translating materials into Spanish for upcoming job fairs, and has expanded its exit interview process to include questions related to DEI in an effort to look for trends that might be causing staff to leave the University.

In 2023, the OED and Human Resources created inclusive hiring guides for staff employment searches, which is supplemented by OED search training for staff and administrators each semester, and by invitation from departments or search chairs. The Office of Equity and Diversity and the Office for Human Resources also launched a 90-day touch point meeting with new staff hires to obtain feedback and to provide additional resources, support, and information.  As part of this welcome program, employees employed by the University for 90 days are invited to meet as a group with the VP for Human Resources and the Executive Director for the Office of Equity and Diversity to review University benefits and learn more about ways they can engage in the University community through programs, activities, and service opportunities. Employees are also asked to offer feedback on the employee onboarding process.

The Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence, in collaboration with the Office of Equity and Diversity, piloted the new Partnerships in Learning, Leadership and Reflection (PiLLaR) program in fall 2021. This pedagogical partnership pairs students and faculty to design, develop, discuss, or assess pedagogy with a focus on creating an inclusive learning environment which supports and values all learners. In addition to other pedagogy support activities,  CTLE staff developed a new book club for faculty focused on DEI work. This past January, faculty participants read and discussed "Implicit Bias: An Educator's Guide to the Language of Microaggressions" by Theresa Bouley and Anni Reinking.

In spring 2022, The Kania School of Management established the Dean’s Certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, awarded to graduating seniors who have completed 12 credits of coursework with significant DEI emphasis and submit an essay describing what they have learned about DEI while a student at the University. Several students were recognized with this certificate in spring 2022.

The WML has worked to diversity its collections and resources, including through the addition of several new electronic resources: EBSCO's Ethnic Diversity Source, the EBSCO Diversity & Ethnic Studies e-book, and IGI's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion e-book package. In addition, to support the work of the CDI Subcommittee on Institutional Black History, WML faculty and staff oversaw the development of a digital archive to remember the Black history of the University. This project addresses instances of anti-Black racism and social injustice, while also being dedicated to celebrating Black alumni and their contributions to the University community. The Library has also developed a new Graphic Novel collection, including recommending works by and about underrepresented voices.

The Cultural Centers established partnerships with the First-Year Seminar program and the College of Arts and Sciences to offer complementary workshops and engagement opportunities to support curricular learning about diversity and inclusion. Events and activities to support underrepresented and non-traditional students are expanding. For example, in September 2022, the University hosted an inaugural day-long faculty development program entitled “Creating a Welcoming and Inclusive Classroom”.  The Keynote speaker, Dr. Khristina Gonzalez from Princeton University, spoke on the theme, “From Access to Success: Supporting and Empowering First Generation, Lower-Income Students in Diversifying Institutions.”

The new Black Studies Concentration was launched and listed in the University’s academic catalog in Fall 2023. Black Studies is the interdisciplinary study and research of the history, culture, religion, and arts of Black people around the World. This concentration develops students’ awareness of political and sociological issues related to Black experiences from their historical beginnings to popular culture and beyond.

In spring 2023, the Black Studies Program and The Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development hosted the first-ever Intergenerational Black Alumni Panel. The event included Dr. Nicole Hoskins introducing Black Studies as an academic discipline and its importance for the University, followed by a panel discussion with several Black alumni.

The Office of Equity and Diversity continues to support and promote DEI-related activities via its Diversity Initiatives Grant program. Click here to view grants awarded in the Spring for the 2023-2024 academic year, and in prior years.  Projects supported since the launch of the funding initiative in 2015 include campus speakers and programming to discuss challenging issues such as racism, immigration, and human trafficking; multicultural celebrations like the HOLI festival of color and Diwali; SafeZone and other training, art and film screenings, and DEI-related campus workshops and dialogue activities.

In 2021, a session for all incoming students focusing on diversity and inclusion was added to Summer Orientation, outlining community expectations and providing focused information about microaggressions. The University's Diversity and Inclusion Council completed new curriculum for a Race and Ethnicity Awareness Workshop, open to all University departments. Other efforts include Talking About Racism:  A Community Conversation series, a project of the Greater Scranton Martin Luther King Commission in collaboration with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Johnson College, Lackawanna College, Marywood University, Penn State Scranton, and The University of Scranton. 

During the 2021-22 academic year, The Cross-Cultural Centers (now, Cultural Centers) based student-led programming efforts on selected themes to more narrowly direct educational and awareness efforts relative to DEI. During the year, nearly 80 programs were offered across themes including gender equity and masculinity; political and social justice; environmental justice; race, racism, and intersecting oppression; and healthy relationships with self and others. Increased efforts from the Center led to a significant total increase of 23% in the number of students (44% more) and faculty, and staff (five times more) taking part in SafeZone workshops than in the prior year. As a result of conversations with graduate students in the Counseling and Human Services program, in spring 2022, the Counselors 4 Social Change Graduate Club was founded. The Club, run by graduate student leaders, seeks to provide accessible information and opportunities to assist graduate students learn about social justice topics through dialogue and other activities.

In fall 2022, the offices of Equity and Diversity, Provost, and Human Resources revived online training for faculty and staff via the SafeColleges/Vector solutions platform.Other avenues for faculty and staff development and enrichment include the new faculty and staff “Scribe” book club. Committed to enhancing an inclusive campus environment and creating a space for thoughtful dialogue, the club's reads have included “On Juneteeth,” by Pulitzer Prize-winning the New York Times best-selling author Annette Gordon-Reed, and "The Radium Girls" by Kate Moore.

Individual departments are also addressing training needs, such as the Department of Biology, whose Diversity & Equity in Hiring committee hosted a workshop for diversity and cultural competence in October 2022. In addition to these and other existing training activities, such as the DEI Lunch and Learn “Formula for Success: D+I= A Better U!” program, efforts are underway within Student Life, Human Resources, the Office of Equity and Diversity, and the Diversity and Inclusion Council's new Faculty Development subcommittee to develop programming that addresses needs identified during our Diversity and Inclusion planning process and other recent campus needs assessments.

In Summer 2023, Student Life launched a new, mandatory online education module for the Class of 2027 focused on Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging. The hope is this will provide a baseline of information for all students to have a common language and to understand the expectations of our University community.

The Center for Student Engagement recently added the Fostering an Inclusive Community student presentation as a permanent addition to the orientation schedule. This program focuses on microaggressions and their impact and serves as an opportunity to engage students in critical thinking about behaviors that would be contrary to an inclusive and welcoming community. Additionally, the Center included a two-hour training session for the Orientation Assistant team regarding Community and Inclusion, which focused on mattering and marginality, privilege, and inclusive language.

Under the DEI Plan, efforts are underway to improve accessibility for the University’s websites. In spring 2023, the University launched updates to its web Content Management System (CMS), which included, amongst other changes, enhancements to support increased accessibility for those with visual impairments. Staff and faculty throughout the University are reviewing and making improvements to a number of webpages to ensure accessibility of websites and other electronic methods of communication. The content management team is providing expanded training resources about accessibility through webinars and knowledge base articles.

 The University’s Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) offers a variety of faculty pedagogical and other professional development resources. This past year, faculty workshops and presentations included Race and Ethnicity Awareness, and student mental health.

As noted throughout this report, multiple avenues are in place for students, faculty, and staff to take part in meaningful experiences and dialogue with diverse groups through service, community based learning, and other partnership activities.  The Scranton’s Story, Our Nation’s Story project, launched in August 2021, continued through fall 2022. Since its inception, this community-wide project led by the University’s Community Relations Office with multiple campus and community partners and supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities has comprised twenty humanities-based events including lectures/panels with discussion, a political dialogue, walking tours, a book discussion, story exchanges, a film screening and discussion, a public engagement campaign and other related workshops and meetings-- directly engaging 1,300 individuals, including faculty, staff and students, from throughout the Scranton area.

In fall 2022, Community Relations, together with the History Department and the Office of Equity and Diversity, as part of the Scranton’s Story project and during Native American Heritage Month, hosted a keynote lecture featuring Curtis Zunigha, enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians (Oklahoma) and co-founder/co-director of the Lenape Center, on the topic “Forced Removal of the Lenape People: History and Homecoming” with more than 300 attendees. The keynote lecture was part of a 3-day visit that also included a middle school assembly, community stakeholder meetings, faculty/staff “Lunch and Learn,” dinner with the Slattery humanities center and student club leaders, and other meetings with a total of 575 participants across the visit.

A subcommittee of the Council for Diversity and Inclusion continues to examine the University’s historical relationships with Indigenous, Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, and other underrepresented groups. During the fall 2021 semester, the subcommittee worked with the Digital History, History 190 class to research the University archives as a first step in its work.

The University is grateful for the generous support of our alumni, neighbors, and friends. Supporting academic needs, including high impact practices, the University received a $1 million gift from alumni John D. Dionne ’86 and Jacquelyn Dionne ’89 to name and support two honors programs: The Frank P. Corcione Business Honors Program; and the Robert L. McKeage Business Leadership Honors Program. The fund will support the growing Study Abroad program and other activities for students in these two honors programs, as well as other students enrolled in the Kania School of Management.

Faculty and staff continue to invigorate the growth of the University through attainment of external grants, with the largest number of grants submissions coming through the College of Arts and Sciences. The table below describes external grant awards over the past three years:

The Center for Community-Based Learning and its advisory board supports institutional development and expanded partnerships in this area. Through the Center, students and faculty led in a variety of projects 2021-2022 that focused on the youth our community, including through partnerships with United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s “Leaders in Training” program; Junior Achievement of Northeastern Pennsylvania and seven Scranton schools; and Scranton Children’s Library. Read more, here.

In addition to other regionally-focused internship and other experiential learning opportunities, the University's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) coordinates the Small Business Internship Initiative to provide local experiential learning opportunities for students. Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to grow their businesses with the help of local student interns, while students have access to experiential learning steps away from campus.

In spring 2022, the University joined four other regional colleges and universities in the Jane Jacobs Collegiate Consortium. The Consortium will provide student learning and engagement opportunities through courses, projects, and experiential learning programming; direct engagement with community leaders; and non-traditional career development opportunities.

The University was recognized as one of 258 "Voter Friendly Campuses" by Fair Election Center's Campus Vote Project and NASPA in spring 2023.

In 2021, the University’s Communications department created a new Alumni Advisory Board, expanding the number of academic alumni advisory groups on campus.  In 2020, The Jesuit Center launched a new Alumni Book Club, creating a digital experience for alumni to participate in group discussions and reflect on mission-oriented books of note with Jesuit Center leadership.  To date, nearly 700 alumni from around the world have registered for the club.

The University’s Alumni Society Board established its first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, assisting University Advancement Staff with creating educational opportunities for alumni volunteers and foster a more diverse and inclusive alumni network. The new Rainbow Royals network was also launched in 2020, fostering continuing connections between Scranton's LGBTQIA+ alumni and the broader university community. And, the University continues to lay groundwork for new strategies to expand connections and engagement with University alumni, particularly those from underserved groups.

Several prominent female University alumni took part in the 2022-2023 Celebration of Co-Education at the University, including at guest speakers for fora and other events. Also featuring alumni, the University held its inaugural Intergenerational Black Alumni Panel, sponsored by the Black Studies Concentration and the Gerard R. Roche Center for Career Development, in March 2023.  

Distinguished alumni are also serving in state leadership positions. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who took office in 2022, announced the appointment of Thomas (TJ) Yablonski Jr. '10 to a position in the governor's cabinet as secretary of Legislative Affairs. Yablonski is the fourth Scranton graduate on the cabinet of 22 members. Yablonski joins Scranton graduates Michael Carroll ’09, Pennsylvania’s secretary of transportation; Jason Kavulich ’97, Pennsylvania’s secretary of aging; and Major Christopher Paris ’99, State Police commissioner; as members of the governor’s cabinet.

The University remains committed to addressing the adult educational needs of our region. In addition to growing business programming with regional health care leader, Geisinger Health Systems, in fall 2021, the University welcomed the first cohort of students enrolled in the associate of arts degree program at the State Correctional Institution at Dallas, PA, through its Scranton Prison Education Initiative. and celebrated its first graduating class in December 2023. The University was recently selected by the U.S. Department of Education to be recognized as a Second Chance Pell Experimental Site, an initiative that expands access to Pell Grants to incarcerated students, and is working toward transitioning the program to a Prison Education Program under updated federal regulation.

In 2021, the Weinberg Memorial Library became a charter participant in JSTOR’s Open Community Collections Initiative, allowing publication of our digital collections to the JSTOR platform. Graduating seniors were offered complementary one-year Friends of the Library membership, helping to continue their connection to the University and engagement with the mission of the Library.

With its competitive pre-med and health programming, medical education partnerships are a priority for the University. The University has teamed up with the nationally recognized Jefferson Medical College Physician Shortage Area Program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia to recruit and educate students interested in the practice of medicine in rural areas. We are one of only seven undergraduate institutions participating in the Physician Shortage Area Program. In fall 2021, the University welcomed partnership with The Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in support of the Schemel Forum, now including medical students and faculty to Forum coursework and seminars.

In the spring 2022, the University launched an education effort in India to allow students to earn a master’s certificate in business analytics online before completing an M.S. in business analytics in Scranton. And, in August, the University signed an agreement with Fu Jen Catholic University, a Jesuit university in Taiwan, that will enable Fu Jen students to begin master’s degree studies as undergraduates in Taiwan and then complete coursework here in Scranton. Also in 2022, the Panuska College of Professional Studies developed program articulations that will facilitate Lackawanna College students to enroll in health administration programs at the University.

In spring 2022, the University announced a partnership with Jacobs, an international defense and security company, to help prepare students and professionals for careers in cyber intelligence, law enforcement and cybersecurity. Through the partnership, Jacobs will offer advice on the fast-changing field to support and keep current the University’s cyber-related undergraduate and graduate curriculum in cybercrime investigation, homeland security and cybersecurity. Jacobs will also be a source of internships for University students and a source of job placement for University graduates. In addition, Jacobs will engage-in and support the University’s summer Cyber Investigation Camp for local high school students, which is free to participants. The first camp was held in July 2022.

In fall 2022, the University signed a memorandum of understanding with fellow AJCU LeMoyne University to establish new academic relationships and engage in other collaborative programs, including two academic degree opportunities that each school can offer to new undergraduate students enrolling in the fall of 2023.  Under the agreements, Scranton can enroll up to five qualified students for direct entry into Le Moyne’s Physician Assistant (PA) program after graduation, and Le Moyne can likewise enroll up to five qualified students with a guaranteed seat in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at Scranton. 

Since the fall of 2023, the University has entered into agreements to explore expanded academic program partnerships with several colleges and universities, including:

• An agreement with Xavier School of Management, a Jesuit business school in Jamshedpur, India, to allow for the future development of exchange programs for faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as possible joint research projects and joint curricular and education programs.
• A new direct admissions agreement with Seton Hall University School of Law.  This agreement enables Scranton students who meet program requirements to be eligible for admission to the Law school after just three years at Scranton. Read more, here.

The University’s Community Colleagues group continues to build cross-campus dialogue for impactful engagement with and support for community groups. The committee includes representation from the Center for Service and Social Justice, The Jesuit Center, the offices of Equity and Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, the Community Based Learning Faculty Coordinator, the Ellacuriaía Initiative, Foundation Grants, the Leahy Family and Health Center, Small Business Development Center, the Panuska College of Professional Studies, and Office of Government and community Relations.

In spring 2021, the Colleagues group conducted a needs assessment of community partners, gathering data about current avenues and emerging community support and engagement opportunities. Respondents rated their engagement with University partners highly - over 90% noting that the community-university partnership makes a difference in their agency/community. Included amongst needs identified to continue this successful engagement are sustaining student engagement beyond the traditional fall to spring academic year; reducing scheduling and other practical barriers; and, a desire to expand diversity, equity, and inclusion training and community conversations.

The Center for Ethics and Integrity in Public Service (CEEPS), launched in 2021, continues to expand ethical political education and engagement across the region. In 2022, the Center held its inaugural conference on campus in April 2022. Panelists discussed current political topics including the ethics of legislative pay and per diems, the best grant writing practices, ethics boards and codes of local governments, guided by student contributors, discussed ways to increase voting among young adults. In addition, the Center hosted an introductory workshop on diversity, equity and inclusion for government officials from across Lackawanna County.

Together with regional partner The Institute, the University of Scranton completed an update to the regional Living Wage Study, with a focus on DEI and social Justice, in fall 2022. Read the report and recommendations, here.

In fall 2022, the Leahy Physical Therapy Clinic Outreach Program received a $25K grant from the AllOne Charities to support equipment, supplies and translation services for DPT students to set up and conduct faculty-supervised PT and health education clinics for un- and under-insured community members, particularly refugee or resettled women and families, in their own neighborhoods or community spaces. 

Also in 2022, The University of Scranton received an $11,000 Community Needs grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation to support a program that helps teens and young adults who are living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Northeastern Pennsylvania achieve their employment aspirations. The program will be conducted by the University’s Rehabilitation Counseling faculty and graduate students. Through the program, motivated teens, who are age 16 or older, and young adults with ASD will develop the necessary technical and soft skills to prepare them to secure meaningful employment. Learning modules include skill development in a variety of related topics and activities, such as setting employment goals, creating resumes, employment soft skills, completing applications, practicing interviewing skills, understanding/starting the job-hunting process and what to expect on your first day of work. The program will be customized to participants to meet their individual needs.

As described here and throughout this report, the University of Scranton continues to expand upon its commitment to the success of our community, both on campus and beyond. In 2021, the University ranked No. 84 among 616 master's universities that contribute to the public good by Washington Monthly, recognizing our contributions in the areas of research, social mobility, and community and national service.

In November 2021, The University of Scranton officially adopted a Land Acknowledgment Statement to recognize and honor the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Lenape, the Munsee, the Shawnee and the Susquehannocks in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Continuing Traditions

In addition to new endeavors, we also recognize the ongoing importance of existing University programming that contribute to our strategic goals. For example,

• The long-standing University of Success Program, founded in 1996 in response to the growing trend of lower graduation rates and stagnant college enrollment rates for young people who are often underserved or underrepresented in the higher education process, continues to engage local high school students. In summer 2022, twenty rising high school students entered this four-year, pre-college mentorship program. The program provides academic, social, and cultural enrichment to assist students to successfully complete high school and gain entry to a college or university.  Over the past sixteen years, 292 high school students successfully completed the University of Success Program.
• The University of Scranton’s Nonprofit Leadership Certificate Program continues to help develop future executives who will serve at Northeast Pennsylvania nonprofit institutions. Since beginning in 2017, 47 participants, representing 40 separate regional nonprofit organizations, have graduated from the program.

• One of the University’s many avenues for partnering with and serving our regional community is through the work of the award-winning Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Hosted by the University for over forty years, in 2020 the SBDC became part of the Kania School of Management, connecting the business expertise of the Center and our faculty, and expanding relationships and educational and service opportunities within the larger business community. Complementing this focused support for regional business development is the work of The Wayne House Entrepreneurship Center, where students in entrepreneurship programs “learn by doing” in pursuit of their own business ventures. In FY22, the SBDC team assisted 1,033 clients in the 8-county service area. As a result of this assistance, 36 new businesses started and $29,633,422 was secured in bank financing, disaster funding, owner investments, and other sources.  In addition, the Center has served farm and food business clients across the region and state as part of the PA SBDC Agriculture Center of Excellence since the initiative launched in 2020; Leigh Fennie, SBDC Business Consultant, was honored as one of the inaugural America’s SBDC 40 Under 40.  In recent years, the SBDC has supported other unique community needs, including, in collaboration with the University’s Community Relations department, as well as the Black Scranton Project, the webinar “A Lunchtime Roundtable with Black Women in Business.” When small, independent pharmacies were struggling to keep up with the data entry required for administering COVID-19 vaccines, staff assisted Lackawanna County; Skills in Scranton, the workforce development affiliate of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; and pharmacy owners with the COVID-19 Vaccine Administration Response Program, to match college students and recent graduates with Lackawanna County pharmacies and medical practices for temporary, non-clinical data entry work related to COVID-19 vaccinations. The SBDC performed research, guided the team in developing a position description, and used its existing Small Business Internship Initiative connections to share the position announcement with Career Development partners at 11 regional colleges and universities.