Under the Arch

GANNON AWARDED ITS LARGEST GRANT EVER: $1.8 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS

Gannon University has been awarded a $1.824 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will help the university strengthen faculty-staff development initiatives and enhance student learning.

Gannon received the grant from the Department of Education’s competitive Strengthening Institutions Program, also referred to as “Title III.” According to the terms of the grant, the university will receive $365,000 per year for each of the next four years and $364,296 in the fifth year. The Department of Education will fund 64 percent of the total project cost.

The university’s matching portion is $1,016,388, or 36 percent, bringing the total value of the project to $2,840,684.

Gannon University President Antoine M. Garibaldi, Ph.D., initiated the process to pursue the grant, which also will be used to increase student retention rates. “The university’s ability to secure this grant is a tribute to a dedicated team of staff and their work in putting together a proposal that was assigned a near-perfect score by the Department of Education,” Garibaldi said.

Through the grant, Gannon will focus on several primary goals of the Strengthening Institutions Program:

Strengthening the development of faculty and staff – a portion of the grant will be used to establish a Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. The center will help faculty stay up to date on the latest technological and pedagogical techniques, which they can integrate into their courses.
Increasing student retention by strengthening academic advising – through the grant, the university hopes to boost its freshman retention rate, currently at 80 percent, about 6 percentage points higher than national averages.
Enhancing student learning through the faculty’s use of instructional technology in the classroom.
Over the five-year period, $200,000 will be added to Gannon University’s endowment.

The goals of the program complement the key goals of Gannon University’s Strategic Plan: 2002-2007, currently in its third year.

One criterion for applying for Title III grants is an institution’s percentage of first-generation undergraduate students. For the 2003-2004 academic year, 45 percent of Gannon’s undergraduates were first-generation college students. When Garibaldi was named president of Gannon in July 2001, he was confident the university would be eligible to submit a proposal based on its student demographics.

Gannon is in exclusive company in being selected for the grant by the Department of Education.

Out of 260 eligible proposals, only 53 institutions nationally, or slightly more than 20 percent, were selected for funding. Those institutions each received scores of at least 96 on their respective proposals.

Gannon received an average score of 98 for its proposal.

“The staff members who prepared the proposal are elated at the opportunity it represents for Gannon’s future and because of the competitive odds that have been overcome in being selected to receive funding,” Garibaldi added.

Richard E. Sukitsch, special assistant to the president and director of institutional research, will serve as the grant’s project director.

Gannon is a Catholic, diocesan, master’s I comprehensive university offering 56 undergraduate, nine professional and 17 graduate programs as well as doctoral programs in counseling psychology and physical therapy.

Gannon is ranked in the top tier in its category of U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges 2005.”

OUR FOLKS

Sympathy extended: please remember all in your prayers as regretfully we announce the death of:

Marjorie Krebs, Ph.D., professor, psychology department. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, at St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, 940 East 22nd Street.

OUR EVENTS

Tuesday, September 14 – United Way reception: 3:30 p.m. in the Old Main Boardroom. Representatives from the United Way will be on hand. The reception will be the kickoff for this year's United Way campaign.
Thursday, September 16 – Community Mass: Offered at 11 a.m. in the Chapel.
Saturday, September 18 – GIVE (Gannon’s Invitation to Volunteer Everywhere) Day: Students will perform community service at a number of local agencies and organizations.
Saturday, September 18 – Nash Library Celebrity Auction/Murder Mystery: The murder mystery, “Eat the Lutfisk,” is written and produced by Deb West, head of reference at Nash Library. In addition, hundreds of items will be auctioned off. The event will be held at the library; doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10. All proceeds will benefit Nash Library. For more information call ext. 7667 or ext. 7666.
Friday, September 24 – Gannon University’s Erie Chamber Orchestra: The concert will feature as soloist Kelly Fiona Lynch, coloratura soprano. Offered at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Patrick Church, 130 East Fourth Street.
Thursday, September 30 – Gannon University’s Schuster Theatre: “Defying Gravity” by Jane Anderson. Directed by Edward Helenski, technical director, Schuster Theatre. Scheduled for 8 p.m. Performances also will be held Oct. 1-3 and Oct. 7-9.
Tuesday, October 5 – Graduate and Professional School Fair: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Yehl Room. More than 50 schools, including Gannon, and 100 academic programs will be represented. Call ext. 7680 or 7735 for more information.
“Our Events” is intended to serve as a random sample of campus events. For a more complete listing, refer to Eventcal.

CURRENT BIRTHDAYS

Lawrence Kisko. Colin Peterson. Betty Jo Chitester. Shawn Clerkin. Shelly Bentley. Barbara Monschein. Ann Banko. Karinna Vernaza. Anna Kranz. Donna Skelly. David Horton. Melissa Gibson. James McPherson. Calvin McCommons. Michael Caulfield. Mary Beth Belczyk. Mary Jo Geertson. Tammy Weary. Thomas Comstock. Berwyn Moore. Mary Jo Hess. Rebecca Willow. Greg Mello. Edward Rogers. Terrance Hoover. Catherine Gillespie. David Blaetz. Michelle Costello. John Publicover. Corrine Anderson. Carol Perry. Antoine M. Garibaldi. Elisa Konieczko. Patrick Headley. John Onorato. Ron Rugare. Donna Dalton. Thomas Hudson.

THE PRESIDENT'S SCHEDULE

Tuesday, September 14 – Cathedral Preparatory School Advisory Board meeting; Archbishop Gannon Founder’s Society Luncheon; Strategic Planning Task Force meeting; 2004 United Way Campaign reception. Thursday, September 16 – Downtown Improvement District Association board meeting; Pennsylvania Legislator Familiarization Tour visit. Saturday, September 18 – GIVE Day; ROTC Summer Commissioning Ceremony; Nash Library Celebrity Auction Murder Mystery Evening. Sunday, September 18 – Honors Program President’s Reception; Council of Independent Colleges and Universities Foundation Officers/College Presidents Conversation.

HEARD ON CAMPUS

Effective for the fall class of 2005, an admissions application deadline of January 15 has been created for the 2+4 Duquesne Pharmacy Program and the LECOM 2+3 Pharmacy Program. Students interested in pursuing pharmacy at Gannon can apply for three different options:

2+4 Duquesne Pharmacy Program: This curriculum prepares students to be considered as a candidate among a select pool at the Duquesne University School of Pharmacy. The application deadline is January 15. There are limited seats in this program.

LECOM 2+3 Pharmacy Program: This curriculum prepares students to be considered as a candidate among a select pool at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s School of Pharmacy. The application deadline is January 15. There are limited seats in this program.

Pre-Pharmacy: This curriculum gives students the opportunity to apply to more than 80 pharmacy schools nationally. There is no application deadline for this option. For more information, visit www.gannon.edu/PROGRAMS/UNDER/prepharm.asp, or call ext. 7240 or e-mail konieczk001@gannon.edu
Faculty Development Grant Application: the deadline for applications is 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 24. Completed proposals should be mailed to the committee chair, Dr. Mehmet Cultu, at box 3148. Faculty members can request applications by calling Cultu at ext. 7624, or downloading them from http://walleye.gannon.edu/depts/faculty.
Special thanks to Gannon colleagues for their assistance with media interview requests. Dr. Garibaldi did an interview with Kevin Flowers of the Erie Times-News on the university’s recent expansion in downtown Erie and the school’s related future plans. The article ran on page 1A on Wednesday, Sept. 8. Dr. Garibaldi did an interview with Veronica Gorley of the Erie Times-News on the Title III grant Gannon received from the United States Department of Education (see lead item above for more information on the grant and how the university will benefit). Christopher Tremblay, director of admissions, did an interview with Alana Klein of University Business magazine (www.universitybusiness.com). Tremblay discussed the benefits of the university’s re-designed web site, which includes a feature called “Check Application Status.”
The Office of Admissions is still in its current home, the Palumbo Academic Center, and will not move to Gitnik Manse until Sept. 30. Prior to that date, please refer visitors looking for Admissions to the Palumbo Center. Call ext. 5759 with any questions.