Lackawanna College and University of Scranton Form 30+ Program Articulation Agreement

Lackawanna College and The University of Scranton collaborate to establish over 30 program articulation agreements, offering pathways for Lackawanna College graduates to transition to The University of Scranton to complete their bachelor’s degrees.

“The formation of more than 30 program articulation agreements between Lackawanna College and The University of Scranton stands as a groundbreaking initiative, reflecting our mission to offer affordable educational opportunities for our students,” Provost of Lackawanna College Erica Barone Pricci, Ph.D., said. “By streamlining credit transfers and offering diverse academic pathways, these agreements allow our students to engage with a large range of bachelor’s programs. This collaborative endeavor underscores our joint dedication to fostering educational accessibility and elevating the academic landscape for our student community.”

These agreements cover 33 bachelor’s degree programs, including majors like accounting, finance and operations management. To be eligible, Lackawanna College students must earn their associate’s degree with a minimum GPA of 2.75 and enroll at Scranton within a year of graduation.

Students who meet the criteria can complete their bachelor’s degree at the University within four regular semesters. They also have the opportunity to earn nine credits at Scranton while attending Lackawanna at half of the University of Scranton’s tuition rate.

Additionally, Lackawanna College graduates with a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher accepted into a degree program at Scranton through an articulation agreement qualify for a University of Scranton merit scholarship, starting at a minimum award of $20,000 per academic year for full-time students.

For more information about these articulation agreements, visit Lackawanna.edu or contact Lackawanna College at 570-961-7898 or The University of Scranton at 888-SCRANTON.

UNC’s 3rd Annual Pine Brook Family Arts Festival Date Set

United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania (UNC) and partner John Adams Elementary School are hosting the 3rd Annual Pine Brook Family Arts Festival on Saturday, April 27, 2024, from Noon to 4 pm on the school’s playground. Activities include kids’ yoga, drum making, upcycling planters with flowers, DIY tie-dyes, suncatchers, face painting, balloon making, rock painting, food, music, and more!

Antonio’s Pizza and El Buen Amigo will be serving pizza and tacos, for an additional fee. Joining us for the first time is Snook’s Wings and Things, selling burgers, fries, wings, and more. We will be supplying free ice cream from Scoopz Ice Cream truck for all attendees.

Our partners Marywood University and The University of Scranton will provide arts education and make and take crafts. We are also hosting five local artists to assist children in creating artwork, this is made possible through a sponsorship from Lackawanna County Arts ENGAGE. Other organizations presenting crafts and resources include Penn State Extension 4H & Master Gardeners, Albright Memorial Library, Be SMART, Scranton Tomorrow with Keep PA Beautiful, and My Center for Independent Living.

This free festival is a part of the UNC Pine Brook Neighborhood Revitalization Plan and offers access to different arts and activities for families in the neighborhood to enjoy,” said Holly Yorkonis, UNC event organizer.

UNC’s Pine Brook Neighborhood Community Revitalization Plan is funded by Coterra, FNBC Bank, and Peoples Security Bank through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Neighborhood Partnership Program. Anyone interested in volunteering at the annual event should contact UNC Assistant Director of Community Revitalization, Holly at Hyorkonis@uncnepa.org or (272) 228-1366.

The University of Scranton Hosts “Scranton’s Story” Spring Exhibition

Over the past two years, The University of Scranton and Scranton community has explored themes of history, belonging, and identity through Scranton’s Story: Our Nation’s Story, a series of humanities-based programs that culminated in an oral history initiative called “Scranton Stories.” First launched in fall 2023, this exhibition showcases portraits taken by photographer Byron Maldonado and personal statements and interview links from 33 community members to give voice to a broad array of Scranton experiences and connect them to our national story. 

At the public reception, attendees will have the opportunity to meet members of the Scranton Stories team and oral history interviewees and discuss the project.

For more information and to view all 25 Scranton Stories video interviews, visit www.scranton.edu/stories and via YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbsV7qLR2tZL78bScN3YbLnMRazF083yw.

The exhibition is free during library hours. For more information contact Michael Knies at 570-941-6341 or Michael.knies@scranton.edu. For April 4th event information, visit this page or RSVP here.

University of Scranton’s High School Physics Competition Registration Open

Area high school students can register to compete in a fun, hands-on physics and engineering competition on April 18 at The University of Scranton.

Hundreds of students from area schools compete individually and in teams annually at Scranton’s Hayes Family Science Competition for High School Physics and Engineering Students. The day-long academic competition emphasizes applied demonstrations through a series of quizzes and challenges that test the high school students’ knowledge of physics and engineering concepts.

The theme for this year’s competition is “energy and motion” and will include a “hot wheels” challenge, in addition to light, conductivity and other experiments.

The competition, organized by the University’s Department of Physics and Engineering, is intended to encourage more students to pursue careers in physics and engineering.

The registration deadline is March 22.

High school teams interested in registering or in learning more about this year’s competition can contact Rachel Frissell, faculty specialist for the University’s Physics and Engineering Department, at rachel.frissell@scranton.edu or by calling 570-941-7007.

The competition, organized by the University’s Department of Physics and Engineering, is intended to encourage more students to pursue careers in physics and engineering.

The registration deadline is Mar. 22.

High school teams interested in registering or in learning more about this year’s competition can contact Rachel Frissell, faculty specialist for the University’s Physics and Engineering Department, at rachel.frissell@scranton.edu or by calling 570-941-7007.

The University of Scranton Plans Spring Events

Jan. 28     7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring ELEW! Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

Jan. 30     5 p.m. Slattery Center Lecture: “From Asylum Seeker to Immigration Attorney: How I Turned My Struggle into My Strength” presented by Luis Canales, JD. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 2 through Mar. 22     Art Exhibit: “The Fables of Ora Lerman: Creativity + Critical Thinking.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 2     11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Religion, Democracy, and Election Cycles” presented by Anthea Butler, Ph.D., Geraldine R. Segal Professor in American Social Thought, and chair of religious studies, the University of Pennsylvania. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 2     5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “The Fables of Ora Lerman: Creativity + Critical Thinking” presented by Josephine Dunn, Ph.D., guest curator. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery as part of Scranton’s First Fridays events. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 5 through Apr. 21     Art Exhibit: “Scranton Stories” Oral History Interviews and Photographs. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-6341 or email michael.knies@Scranton.edu. 

Feb. 7     6 p.m. Humanities Forum Lecture: “Ecotheological Longing and Its Double Effect” presented by Martha Serpas, Ph.D. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 7     7:30 p.m. Black History Month Film: “Judas and the Black Messiah” with introductory talk by Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 9     11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Rethinking Local Journalism in Scranton” presented by Jeff Jarvis, Tow Professor of Journalism Innovation and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York, and creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly. McIlhenny Ballroom, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 10     1 p.m. 22nd Annual Northeast PA Brain Bee sponsored by the Neuroscience Program at The University of Scranton. Snow date Feb. 24. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4324 or email robert.waldeck@scranton.edu. 

Feb. 14     7:30 p.m. Black History Month Film: “The Hate U Give” with introductory talk by Anthony Betancourt, Ph.D. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 15     6:30 p.m. Asian New Year Celebration and Workshop. Brennan Hall, Rose Room. Free. Registration required at https://tinyurl.com/AsianNewYearUofS or email asianstudies@scranton.edu. 

Feb. 16     7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring Dennis Lichtman, clarinet and Mona’s Hot Five. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 19     5 p.m. Slattery Center Lecture: “Technology’s Student: Thinking and Writing in the Age of AI” presented by Fr. Kevin Spinale, S.J. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 20     5 p.m. Ethics Across the Curriculum Lecture: “Got Ethics? The Role of Ethics in Healthcare” presented by Karen Smith, Ph.D., director of clinical ethics, Banner Desert Medical Center. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 21     6:30 p.m. Screening and Talk Back: “Black Voices: Scranton Stories.” Black Scranton Project Center for Arts and Culture. Free. Light refreshments provided. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Call 570-941-5529 or email daysi.carreto@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 23-25 and Mar. 1-3     8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Performance: “Disaster!” by Seth Rudetsky and Joe Plotnick (musical) presented by The University of Scranton Players. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Call 570-941-4318 or email players@scranton.edu.  

Feb. 28     7:30 p.m. Black History Month Film: “Cooley High” with introductory talk by Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.D. Moskovitz Theater, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email rose.merritt@scranton.edu.  

Mar. 1     11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The Lincoln/Armstrong Connection: From Gettysburg to New Orleans” presented by Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, faculty at Juilliard and has also taught at the Manhattan School of Music and the New School. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Mar. 2     9 a.m. Regional National History Day Competition for junior and senior high school students. The DeNaples Center. Pre-registration required. Call 570-941-4549 or email nhdparegion2@gmail.com. 

Mar. 2     3:30 p.m. Performance Music: Jazzfilm/Musictalk screening of “Wham-Re-Bop-Boom-Bam: The Swing Jazz of Eddie Durham” hosted by the film’s creators Loren Schoenberg, producer and musical director and award-winning filmmaker Kris Hendrickson (’88). Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

Mar. 2     7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Jazz Band with guest soloist Loren Schoenberg, piano and tenor sax. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

Mar. 6     11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “Political Reforms to Combat Extremism” presented by Richard Pildes, Sudler Family Professor of Constitutional Law, one of the nation’s leading scholars of constitutional law and a specialist in legal issues concerning democracy, former law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall, and an appointee on President Biden’s Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Mar. 21     5:30 p.m. Schemel Forum with the Slattery Center for Ignatian Humanities Collaborative Program: “Christian Nationalism” presented by Charles R. Gallagher, S.J., associate professor of history, Boston College, and former visiting fellow at the Geneva School of Diplomacy and International Relations, College of the Holy Cross. Reception to follow. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Mar. 23     9 a.m. Preview Day for accepted students to The University of Scranton’s class of 2027. Various locations on campus. Call 570-941-7540 or email admissions@scranton.edu.  

Mar. 24     7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton Singers and The Scranton Brass Orchestra. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

Mar. 25     11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “All the Beauty in the World: A Portrait of the MET Museum” presented by Patrick Bringley, author and former New Yorker staffer, spent a decade as a museum guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before writing his memoir. Rose Room, Brennan Hall. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 4     5 p.m. 27th Annual ACHE Healthcare Symposium: “Driving Change in Healthcare.” McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required. Includes dinner, presentation and panel discussion. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4527 or email abigail.lynott@scranton.edu.   

Apr. 5 through May 3     Art Exhibit: “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection.” Hope Horn Gallery, Hyland Hall. Free during gallery hours. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 5     11:30 a.m. Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminar: “The World in Disarray” presented by Jill Dougherty, adjunct professor, Georgetown University’s Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies, a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and a member of the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute Advisory Council. McDonnell Room, The DeNaples Center. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 5     5 p.m. Art Gallery Lecture: “Our Common Home: Landscapes from the University of Scranton Art Collection” presented by Darlene Miller-Lanning, Ph.D., director, Hope Horn Gallery. Pearn Auditorium, Brennan Hall. Free. Reception to follow at the Hope Horn Gallery as part of Scranton’s First Fridays events. Call 570-941-4214 or email darlene.miller-lanning@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 8     4 p.m. Henry George Lecture: “The Economics of Obesity” presented by John Cawley, Ph.D., professor, Department of Economics and the Department of Policy Analysis and Management, Cornell University. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-4048 or email john.ruddy@scranton.edu. 

Apr. 10     5:30 p.m. Slattery Center Lecture: “REARRANGED: An Opera Singer’s Facial Cancer and Life Transposed” presented by Kathleen Watt. PNC Auditorium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-4700 or email sarah.kenehan@scranton.edu.   

Apr. 14     7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Mark Kosower and Mingyao Zhao, cello. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 15     5 p.m. Environmental Art Show Opening Event: An Artist Talk with Theresa O’Connor. Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 15-24     Environmental Art Show: “Creating Connections.” Charles Kratz Scranton Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Free during library hours. Call 570-941-4740 or email marleen.cloutier@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 16     11 a.m. Earth Day Fair with interactive games, presentation and information related to the environment and sustainable practices. Atrium, Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email mark.murphy@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 18     8:30 a.m. Hayes Family Competition in physics and engineering for high school students. Byron Complex. Registration required. Call 570-941-7509 or email salisa.brown@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 18     5:30 p.m. Earth Day “Evening of Environmental Science” and Essay Award Presentation. University student-run interactive science experiments and exhibit of University of Scranton Earth Day Essay Contest submissions. Essay contest awards will be announced at the event. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-6267 or email susan.falbo@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 18     7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Concert” featuring The University of Scranton String Orchestra with special guest cello soloists Mark Kosower and Mingyao Zhao. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 18-20     8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. Performance: “Children of Eden” presented by The University of Scranton Liva Arts Company. McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts. Ticket prices vary. Visit https://livaartscompany.ludus.com for tickets or email livartscompany@gmail.com.  

Apr. 23     4:15 p.m. Math Integration Bee. Calculus-based high school math competition. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Registration required.  See https://www.scranton.edu/academics/cas/math/bee.shtml for more details or email stacey.muir@scranton.edu.   

Apr. 24     noon. Celebration of Student Scholars. Displays and presentations of undergraduate and graduate student research and scholarly projects. Loyola Science Center. Free. Call 570-941-7653 or email brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. 

Apr. 25     5 p.m. Campus Take Back the Night. Dionne Green. Free. Call 570-941-6194 or email brandice.ricciardi@scranton.edu. 

Apr. 25     6p.m. Schemel Forum with the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Collaborative Program: “The Mind and Music of Scott Joplin” presented by Richard Kogan, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, and artistic director, Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Program. Reception to follow. Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, 525 Pine Street, Scranton. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Apr. 27-28     9 a.m. Saturday; Noon Sunday. Friends of the Library Book Sale. Heritage Room, Weinberg Memorial Library. Call 570-941-6195 or email melisa.gallo@scranton.edu.  

May 4     7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “41st Annual World Premiere Composition Series Concert” The University of Scranton Concert Band and Concert Choir premiering two new works by composer-conductor Nate Sparks. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

May 8     5 p.m. Feminism Expo. McIlhenny Ballroom, DeNaples Center. Free. Call 570-941-6312 or asianstudies@scranton.edu. 

May 10    7:30 p.m. Performance Music: “In Recital” featuring Janet Sora Chung, organ. Houlihan-McLean Center. Free. Call 570-941-7624 or email music@scranton.edu.  

May 18    4 p.m. Commencement Baccalaureate Mass. Byron Recreation Complex. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.  

May 19    11 a.m. Undergraduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.  

May 19    4:30 p.m. Graduate Commencement. Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza. Wilkes-Barre. Call 570-941-7401 or email info@scranton.edu.  

Schemel Forum Courses 

Mondays: Jan. 29, Feb. 5, 12, 19, 26 & Mar. 4     6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Hidden Figures of Black History” presented by Melissa Anyiwo, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of History, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu.  

Wednesdays: Jan. 31, Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28 & Mar. 6     6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “Identity Politics” presented by Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., professor, Department of Philosophy, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. 

Mondays: Mar. 25, Apr. 8, 15, 22, 29 & May 6     6 p.m. Schemel Forum Evening Course: “The Sitcoms of Norman Lear” presented by Charlie Cino, M.A., instructor, Department of English and Theatre, The University of Scranton. Weinberg Memorial Library. Registration required. Fees vary. Call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. 

The University of Scranton Ranks Among Best Colleges in the Nation for 22 Years

Marking the 22nd consecutive year, The Princeton Review selected The University of Scranton as one of the best colleges in the nation, and, for the seventh year, ranked Scranton among the “Best Science Lab Facilities” (No. 18) in the U.S.

According to Princeton Review, students are impressed by the “recent improvements Scranton has been making, from laboratories and simulation spaces that impart vital firsthand experiences to ‘the gorgeous glass study rooms in the Loyola Science Center,’ and the cadaver lab to ‘academic buildings [that] are the greatest strength of the school because most have nice classrooms and places to study that foster learning.’”

Students also boast about Scranton’s Alumni network that continues to look “for their Scranton successors, which helps explain the high 99% job-placement rate: as the school puts it, ‘more than 1,000 Scranton alumni are CEOs of their company or organization.’”

Students also mention Scranton’s Jesuit ideals which permeate the course work and that “are designed to help students graduate with a ‘strong commitment to…ethics.’”

Scranton is among just 14 percent of schools listed in the 2024 edition of the “Best 389 Colleges” guidebook to be selected and recommended by The Princeton Review as one of the top colleges in the country.

The Princeton Review does not include an overall ranking of the schools selected as the best in the country, however they do publish rankings of schools in 50 categories based on results of their surveys of 160,000 students at the 389 colleges included in the book. Information from the surveys is also used in the profiles included about each school in the publication.

In addition to Scranton’s ranking of “Best Science Lab Facilities,” The Princeton Review also ranked the school among the “Most Religious Students” (No. 22).

The 2024 edition of the guidebook published online on Aug. 15.

University of Scranton Rated Among Best Values in U.S.

Spring 2022 photo shoot by Nathan Cox

Money magazine gave The University of Scranton its second highest star rating in its selection of the 2023 “Best Colleges in America” based on value. The University of Scranton received a four and one-half star rating based on the magazine’s analysis of dozens of data points to evaluate affordability and student outcomes.

Just 34 colleges in the nation received Money’s highest rating of five-stars, which included many the nation’s ivy league and near-ivy league schools. Scranton was among 189 schools in America to receive the second-highest, four and one-half star rating, which included highly-regarded Jesuit schools like Boston College and the College of the Holy Cross and prestigious schools in Pennsylvania such as Carnegie Mellon University and Villanova University.

Money rated less than 800 colleges in the nation with two and one-half to five stars. Colleges not included in its listing failed to meet Money’s initial screening requirements, such as having at lease 500 in-person undergraduate students or 150 full-time faculty members, having sufficient data to analyze, and other criteria. According to Money magazine, “the most common reason colleges don’t make the cut is that their six-year graduation rate is too low.”

The factors Money used in assessing the value of the education provided by colleges included an analysis of the schools’ quality (30 percent) and affordability (40 percent) and the outcomes of graduates (30 percent).

The factors Money analyzed to determine a college’s “academic quality” included the six-year graduation rate, the standardized test scores of incoming students, the student-faculty ratio, financial stability and the graduation rate of Pell Grant recipients, among other factors. The analysis also included “value” assessments that looked at a school’s predicted graduation rates based on the academic and economic profile of its student body versus its actual graduation rates.

The criteria used to assess “affordability” included an estimate of the “net price of a degree,” which assessed tuition, the time it takes for students to graduate, and the school’s average financial aid offered to students. The “affordability” criteria also looked at student debt, student loan default rates, and student loan default rates adjusted for the economic and academic profile of a school’s student body, in addition to other factors.

The factors Money used to assess “outcomes” included the average salaries of students ten years after enrollment based on data from U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard as well as salaries of graduates adjusted by major. In addition to other factors, the “outcomes” criteria looked at socio-economic mobility data from Think tank Third Way that measures a college’s share of students from low- and moderate-income backgrounds as well as the cost and payoff of a degree for those students.

Money’s 2023 “Best Colleges in America” rating was published online July 12.

This is the eighth consecutive year that Money included Scranton in its published list of America’s best values in college education.

University of Scranton Adds Prestigious School to “3-3” Law Program

The University of Scranton and Seton Hall University School of Law have signed a direct admissions agreement that will allow Scranton students who meet program requirements to be eligible for admission to the prestigious law school after just three years at Scranton. The agreement will take effect beginning with the 2023-2024 academic year.

The agreement, commonly referred to as a “3-3 program,” will allow Scranton students to earn a bachelor’s degree from Scranton and a juris doctor (J.D.) degree, or a master of legal studies (M.L.S.) degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in six, rather than seven years. After completion of their junior year at Scranton, the agreement allows eligible J.D. students to earn up to 30 credits – and M.L.S. students to earn up to 18 credits – for their bachelor’s degree requirements, during the first year at Seton Hall Law. Approved first-year law courses would count toward both the student’s law degree and his or her bachelor’s degree at Scranton.

To be eligible for the 3-3 J.D. direct admission program with Seton Hall Law, students must have completed three years of coursework and have earned a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.63 at the time of matriculation to law school and have scored at or above 161 on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), in addition to meeting other required recommendations, character and fitness requirements, and remaining in good academic and discipline standing through matriculation at Scranton.

To be eligible for the 3-3 M.L.S. direct admission program with Seton Hall Law, students must have completed three and one-half years of coursework and have earned a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 at the time of matriculation to law school, in addition to meeting other character and fitness requirements, while remaining in good academic and discipline standing through matriculation at Scranton.

Scranton has a Pre-Law Advisory Program that helps students navigate the law school application process throughout their undergraduate years. The program also offers assistance to Scranton alumni who wish to apply to law school. The University offers a concentration in legal studies. Scranton also has 3-3 program agreements with Boston College Law School, Duquesne University School of Law, Penn State Law and Villanova School of Law.

In the past four years, more than 130 Scranton graduates have received acceptance into more than 50 law schools throughout the United States, including to some of the country’s most prestigious law schools.

For more information, visit Scranton’s pre-law webpage, or contact Matthew Meyer, Ph.D., pre-law advisor and professor of philosophy at The University of Scranton, at 570-941-5814 or matthew.meyer@scranton.edu.

University of Scranton Graduates Win Scholarships

University of Scranton class of 2023 graduate Elise Westhafer, Reinholds, and class of 2022 graduate Isaiah Livelsberger, Hanover, have been awarded 2023-2024 Fulbright Student Scholarships, the premier international academic exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. Competitive, merit-based scholarships allow recipients to spend a year conducting research or teaching abroad.

Westhafer received a Fulbright Award to Slovenia where she will conduct research focusing on neurotransmitters in the aging brain at the University of Ljubljana. Livelsberger, received a Fulbright Award to Guatemala where he will study judicial reform in Guatemala by carrying out research at the Rafael Landívar University and at the Association for Research and Social Studies in Guatemala City.

“The Fulbright awards will give both exceptional graduates the ability to pursue research they are passionate about with world-class experts in their fields,” said Kara Kofira Bishop, University of Scranton Fulbright Program adviser. “An ardent researcher, Elise will work with Dr. Nina Vardjan, a member of the medical faculty at the Institute of Pathophysiology at the University of Ljubljana, to study brain metabolism and neuronal function to gain a better understanding of age-related decline. Zealous in pursuit of social justice, Isaiah will work with Professor Byron Morales of the Jesuit-run Rafael Landívar University, and Pablo Hurtado of the Association for Research and Social Studies to analyze how judicial institutions in Guatemala were impacted by the recently-retired International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala.”

According to Bishop, the Fulbright program awards grants based on the recipients’ records of academic achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. This year’s awards continue Scranton’s decades of success with the Fulbright program.  Since 1972, a total of 129 University students have been awarded Fulbrights.