Misericordia University to Host Art Gallery Summer Exhibit The Pauly Friedman Art Gallery at Misericordia University hopes to awaken the inner railfan in everyone with “The Ties That Bind: Railroading in NEPA.” This art exhibition, held in partnership with the Back Mountain Railroad Club, will focus on the historical significance of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which stretched from Buffalo, New York, to New York City, New York, during its run from 1846 to 1976. This exhibit features train-themed photography and artwork by regional artists, including Bloomsburg-based artist Oren B. Helbok. A model train layout of Dallas Borough and surrounding areas of the Back Mountain will be displayed from the late 1930s through the late 1940s. Also displayed are artifacts from Wilkes Barre’s historical trolley that used the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Other artists include Sue Hand, Bob McCormick, Dan Troy, and Eric Williams. The Gallery will host MU’s Ticket To Ride Board Game Night on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Board Game Night is co-sponsored by Chick-fil-A Express at Misericordia University, operated by Metz Culinary Management. This event will feature different versions of the beloved classic train-building board game, “Ticket to Ride.” Beginners welcome. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Preregister as a single player or a table of 4 players on the gallery website. Beginning and experienced photographers are invited to spend an afternoon with Oren Helbok, the Chasing the Train Cellphone Workshop on Thursday, July 13, 2023, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oren will share the stories of how he captures the trains in his photography while participants hone their own composition and timing skills with our in-gallery model railroad. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Preregistration is required, but space is limited. The public is invited to meet Oren and other artists at a free reception on Thursday, July 13, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. The University Welcome will be given by Joe Curran, Ph.D., professor and chair of Religious Studies; director of the Medical and Health Humanities program; Associate Director, Honors Program, and Train Enthusiast. Dean Mastrangelo will perform live piano music. Gallery Summer Hours are Wednesday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Other times and free Director-led tours are available by appointment. The gallery is closed during university closings and holidays. Admission is always free to all. Please call or check the gallery website, www.misericordia.edu/art, to confirm your visit. For a free tour, private appointment, or more information, please contact the Gallery director Lalaine Little, Ph.D., at (570) 674-8420 or email llittle@misericordia.edu.
Pauly Friedman Art Gallery Connects Communities in New Exhibition The Pauly Friedman Art Gallery at Misericordia University hopes to awaken the inner railfan in everyone with “The Ties That Bind: Railroading in NEPA.” This art exhibition, held in partnership with the Back Mountain Railroad Club, will focus on the historical significance of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which stretched from Buffalo, New York, to New York City, New York, during its run from 1846 to 1976. This exhibit features train-themed photography and artwork by regional artists, including Bloomsburg-based artist Oren B. Helbok. A model train layout of Dallas Borough and surrounding areas of the Back Mountain will be displayed from the late 1930s through the late 1940s. Also displayed are artifacts from Wilkes Barre’s historical trolley that used the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Other artists include Sue Hand, Bob McCormick, Dan Troy, and Eric Williams. The Gallery will host MU’s Ticket To Ride Board Game Night on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Board Game Night is co-sponsored by Chick-fil-A Express at Misericordia University, operated by Metz Culinary Management. This event will feature different versions of the beloved classic train-building board game, “Ticket to Ride.” Beginners welcome. Recommended for ages 6 and up. Preregister as a single player or a table of 4 players on the gallery website. Beginning and experienced photographers are invited to spend an afternoon with Oren Helbok, the Chasing the Train Cellphone Workshop on Thursday, July 13, 2023, from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oren will share the stories of how he captures the trains in his photography while participants hone their own composition and timing skills with our in-gallery model railroad. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Preregistration is required, but space is limited. The public is invited to meet Oren and other artists at a free reception on Thursday, July 13, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. The University Welcome will be given by Joe Curran, Ph.D., professor and chair of Religious Studies; director of the Medical and Health Humanities program; Associate Director, Honors Program, and Train Enthusiast. Dean Mastrangelo will perform live piano music. Gallery Summer Hours are Wednesday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.; Fridays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Other times and free Director-led tours are available by appointment. The gallery is closed during university closings and holidays. Admission is always free to all. Please call or check the gallery website, www.misericordia.edu/art, to confirm your visit. For a free tour, private appointment, or more information, please contact the Gallery director Lalaine Little, Ph.D., at (570) 674-8420 or email llittle@misericordia.edu.
Misericordia University Open House Misericordia University will hold an open house for high school students and their parents in the spring on Saturday, April 22, 2022, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Check-in will begin at 9:00 AM at the Anderson Health and Wellness Center. The open house event for high schoolers and their parents is the chance to experience the campus, meet students and visiting professors, and speak with admissions and financial aid representatives. Students and their families will tour the campus, sit in on a presentation on admissions and financial aid, meet with faculty in their academic program, and have a delicious lunch. Students and families will interact and hear from current students and tour some specialized facilities with students in their major. Prospective students can tour numerous buildings, including the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Science Center, which embodies a commitment to advanced technology and infrastructure that lends itself to superior teaching, learning, and research with a state-of-art facility. Specialized tours are offered of John J. Passan Hall Misericordia’s 40,000-square-foot located at 100 Lake St., Dallas. Passan Hall houses state-of-the-art simulator laboratories and classrooms in the nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology programs of the College of Health Sciences and Education. Other opportunities on campus are also offered to the open house attendees. The Pauly Friedman Art Gallery in Insalaco Hall will be open from 9:00 – 3:00 PM for those that wish to view our current exhibit. MU Athletics will be in action with two games: Men’s Lacrosse starting at 1:00 PM at Mangelsdorf Field and Baseball at 3:00 PM at Tambor Field. Finally, see “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” performed by the MU Players at 7:30 PM. If students and their parents are looking for a college that delivers a robust education and a personal experience, look no further than Misericordia University. Misericordia is a small, private university that offers a hands-on, transformative education to all who seek it. Misericordia ensures that each student receives a personalized experience and the resources to achieve their goals. For more information, contact the Misericordia University Admissions Office at 570-674-6264 or email at admiss@misericordia.edu to register now, click here.
Misericordia’s Women’s History Month Events Pride Night, at Men’s Volleyball Game Wednesday, March 15 • 7:00 pm | Anderson Center 8 Women Who Changed the World Event Tuesday, March 28 • 7:00 pm | Mary Kintz Bevevino Library, McGowan Room Art Gallery Exhibit Through March 31 | Pauly Friedman Art Gallery Flashpoints: Material/Intent/Fused Art Gallery Exhibit Event Thursday, March 16 • 3:30 pm Artist demonstration on encaustic paint with artist and curator Reni Gower Preregistration: llittle@misericordia.edu | 570-675-6250 • 5:30 pm Reception and Gallery Talk | Free and open to the public
Misericordia University Now a Chapter of the American Association for Men in Nursing Misericordia University’s male nursing club, The Men of Mercy is now one of three universities in Pennsylvania to be an official chapter of the American Association of Men in Nursing. Richard Hennigan, MSN Ed, RN-BC, assistant professor of Nursing and advisor of The Men of Mercy, says, “We encourage male nursing students and registered nurses from other institutions who may want to join our chapter. I hope this will help recruit new students to consider Misericordia’s nursing program.”
Misericordia University Now Offering Accelerated Degree Options Misericordia University’s Expressway Program is the quickest routeto a bachelor’s degree. It is designed for working adults who want to earn their degree in a timely manner, have prior college credits (not required), and have work or relevant life experience. Students have the ability to enroll and start taking classes 6 times during the year, not just in the fall and spring. For more information, please contact the Admissions Office at (570) 674-6791, toll free at 1-866-262-6363, or e-mail admissmu@misericordia.edu.
Misericordia University Hosts BOOM in the Night Event BOOM in the Night is Back at Misericordia University with the student organization Dead Alchemist Society. The society plans to present a spectacle with the annual event “Things that go Boom in the Night!” on Wednesday, October 26, from 6-8 p.m. in the Henry Science Center on campus. The event is open and free to the public. Students in the Dead Alchemist Society will offer new and expanded activities for children, including hands-on experiments such as making bath bombs, slime, shrinky dinks, and foam, beginning at 6:00 pm in the Henry Science Center. There will be giveaways and hands-on learning for kids and adults of all ages. The program will move to the Wells Fargo Amphitheater at 8:00 pm for the finale. This season’s popular event features new experiments and, of course, the famous puking pumpkins.
Misericordia University Fall Open House Date Misericordia University will hold an open house for high school students and their parents in the fall on Saturday, November 12, 2022, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Check-in will begin at 9:00 AM at the Anderson Health and Wellness Center. The open house event for high schoolers and their parents is the chance to experience the campus, meet students and visiting professors, and speak with admissions and financial aid representatives. Students and their families will tour the campus before meeting with faculty in their academic program. After lunch, learn more about the admissions and financial aid process, hear more from current students, and then tour some of the specialized facilities with students in their major. Prospective students can tour numerous buildings, including the 40,000-square-foot John J. Passan Hall, 100 Lake St., Dallas. Passan Hall houses state-of-the-art simulator laboratories and classrooms in the nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology programs of the College of Health Sciences and Education. Also slated for touring is the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Science Center, which embodies a commitment to advanced technology and infrastructure that lends itself to superior teaching, learning, and research with a state-of-art facility. If students and their parents are looking for a college that delivers a robust education and a personal experience, look no further than Misericordia University. Misericordia is a small, private university that offers a hands-on, transformative education to all who seek it. Misericordia ensures that each student receives a personalized experience and the resources to achieve their goals. For more information, contact the Misericordia University Admissions Office at 570-674-6264 or email at admiss@misericordia.edu to register now, visit our website at https://www.misericordia.edu/admissions/admissions/open-house.
Hoffman Named Misericordia Alumni Board President Christélle Hoffman ’13 of Nuangola has been named the president of the Misericordia University Alumni Association Board of Directors. Hoffman graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Government, Law and National Security, along with minors in Political Science and Social Studies. She was among the first students to study that degree program at the university. While a student at Misericordia, Hoffman was involved with several clubs and organizations on campus. She served as the President of the Multicultural Club, a Peer Advocate, the Judicial Coordinator for Student Government Association, an Admissions Ambassador, and represented the student body for one of the Presidential Search Committees to name a few. Following graduation, Hoffman relocated to California, where she completed a year of service through Mercy Volunteer Corps. While in California, she worked and earned a Master of Science degree in Forensic Science with a specialization in Investigation from National University. After several years on the west coast, she moved back to Northeastern Pennsylvania where she was employed as a Forensic Interviewer in Luzerne County. In this role, Hoffman spoke with more than 2,000 children ages three to 18 who were victims of severe trauma or abuse. She is currently working in a consulting capacity with local police departments to assist children who have experienced any type trauma or abuse. Hoffman is excited to begin her term as president after being an actively involved alumna for the last nine years. “Misericordia had a huge impact on my life. It molded me into who I am today. Being part of the Alumni Board allows me to give back to the university, our alumni and the current students. I’ve enjoyed my time on the board and I’m interested to see where this position takes me,” she said. Her goals as president are to focus on how alumni and current students view their time at Misericordia. She also wants to encourage alumni to get involved and show their support for their University however they can. “Very few private Catholic Universities have thrived the way Misericordia has. It’s important for people to know where students came from and where they are going after they graduate. I want people to see the uniqueness of our alumni and understand that we aren’t just “kids” that graduated from a university. We graduated from a university where we are full of compassion, and we have the pure dedication which stems from the charisms of mercy, service, justice and hospitality,” she said. As Alumni Board President, Hoffman will also serve as an ex-officio member of the University’s Board of Trustees. She currently lives in Nuangola with her husband Frankie and two-year old son Luciano. Misericordia University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1924, in Dallas, Pennsylvania. It is Luzerne County’s oldest four-year college offering 37 degree programs in three academic colleges, including Health Sciences and Education, Arts and Sciences, and Business. Faculty at Misericordia are accomplished scholars and educators who prepare students to emerge into a challenging society as ethical leaders, through challenging academic standards and high levels of engagement with students, including research, service to others, and career preparation.
Misericordia Awarded Pasmart Advancing Computer Science and Stem Education Grant Misericordia University is among 42 organizations across the Commonwealth to be awarded funding through the 2021-22 PAsmart Advancing Computer Science and STEM Education Grants Program. The university was awarded a grant in the amount of $375,750 in response to their proposal, “Teach STEM!: Strengthening the STEM Pipeline by increasing the number of culturally-responsive Computer Science and STEM teachers in Luzerne County.” Launched by Governor Tom Wolf, PAsmart is an initiative of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. PAsmart strategically invests resources in education and training opportunities to support Pennsylvania’s economic growth now and in the future. According to the PAsmart website, over the next decade, most of the better paying jobs in Pennsylvania will require some form of education or training after high school, especially in the fast-growing fields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and computer science. “The success of our initiative is predicated on the collaboration amongst valued regional stakeholders such as the Greater Wyoming Valley Chamber of Commerce. Joining us in this partnership are Luzerne Intermediate Unit-18 and the Luzerne/Schuylkill Workforce Development Board. Each of these organizations possess a unique, yet interconnected role focused toward alleviating the extreme teacher shortage, particularly in the secondary STEM field, that is impacting the quality of learning experienced by our young students spanning the county,” said Colleen Duffy, Ed.D., chairperson, Teacher Education Department and director of Graduate Teacher Education at Misericordia University. Additionally, through distinct partner-driven offerings such as new certification programs and professional development courses, the program looks to effectively reverse declining enrollment in teacher preparation programs. These efforts will supplement the STEM workforce pipeline by growing student interest in pursuing CS/STEM majors and careers. Since 2018, the Wolf Administration has secured $60 million and strategically invested in education and workforce development through PAsmart. The Pennsylvania Workforce Development Board provided initial recommendations and approved the framework for the funding priorities. Targeted and Advancing PAsmart grants support high-quality STEM and computer science learning and professional development opportunities to communities across Pennsylvania, including within early learning centers, libraries, out-of-school time providers, career and technical centers, post-secondary institutions, and K-12 schools. The department awarded a total of 438 PAsmart grants since the 2018-19 school year. Misericordia University was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1924, in Dallas, Pennsylvania. It is Luzerne County’s oldest four-year college offering 37 degree programs in three academic colleges, including Health Sciences and Education, Arts and Sciences, and Business. Faculty at Misericordia are accomplished scholars and educators who prepare students to emerge into a challenging society as ethical leaders, through challenging academic standards and high levels of engagement with students, including research, service to others, and career preparation.
