College Misericordia
Encyclopedia
Misericordia University is a four-year, Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

, co-educational liberal arts university located on a 100 acre (0.404686 km²) campus in Dallas, Pennsylvania
Dallas, Pennsylvania
Dallas is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,557 at the 2000 census. It was created by a charter granted April 21, 1879 from land entirely within Dallas Township. The township had been formed in 1817 and was named for Alexander J. Dallas, who was the 6th...

, near the cities of Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...

 and Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...

. It was founded by the Religious Sisters of Mercy
Religious Sisters of Mercy
The Religious Sisters of Mercy is a Religious Institute of Pontifical Right dedicated to the Spiritual and Corporal works of Mercy.It was established in 1973 in response to the renewal called for in the Second Vatican Council....

 on August 15, 1924. The university offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees as well as post-master's and post-bachelor's certificates.

On August 24, 2007 Misericordia achieved university status. It was called College Misericordia prior to August 24, 2007.

History

The Religious Sisters of Mercy were of the order of Mercy founded in Dublin in 1831. The Sisters vowed to be of service to the impoverished, sick and uneducated. The Sisters of Mercy came to the Wyoming Valley area of Pennsylvania in 1875, continuing their mission of praying, teaching and caring for the sick. The sisters established a school for children and a night school for adults in the coal mining region.

On August 15, 1924, the Sisters of Mercy established Luzerne County’s first four-year institution of higher learning, Misericordia, on nearly 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land in Dallas, Pennsylvania, purchased by the Sisters for this purpose in 1914.

More than 2,500 people witnessed the dedication of Misericordia (whose name means “heart of mercy”). That September, 37 students began their studies.

Misericordia continues to be as a university, a broad-based liberal arts and pre-professional studies institution offering education to those of all faiths. The university has been co-educational since the 1970s and offers graduate programs. Today, Misericordia University is located on the original grounds, but has expanded to 120 acre (0.4856232 km²), situated in a suburban setting eight miles (13 km) from downtown Wilkes-Barre.

University Status

Prior to August 24, 2007, Misericordia operated as "College Misericordia." The process to determine whether or not to become a university began in August 2005 with the introduction of the concept to faculty, staff and students.

A University Status Task Force was formed with representatives from alumni, current students, the Board of Trustees, and the faculty and staff to provide a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The task force recommended to the Board of Trustees on June 9, 2006 that the college make application to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to pursue university status.

The PDE Visitation Team conducted a site visit at Misericordia in January 2007 and submitted a written response in March 2007 to our application (submitted 2006).

Final approval was received on August 15, 2007 and institution began operations as Misericordia University on August 24, 2007.

Campus

Recently (2009–2011), numerous changes have been added to the campus:
  • The Shakespeare Garden Misericordia University features the only Shakespeare Garden in northeast PA and won a 2011 Greening Award from the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society

  • Pauly Friedman Art Gallery
  • The College of Health Sciences - Passan Hall
  • Insalaco Hall


Academics

Misericordia gives students a choice of 30 majors in three Academic Colleges:
  • College of Arts and Science
  • College of Health Sciences
  • College of Professional Studies and Social Sciences

Guaranteed Placement Program

Misericordia's Guaranteed Placement Program (or GPP)] is a development program pertaining to a student’s education.

Established in 1999, the GPP assists students entering the workforce or graduate school after graduation. Students participate in the GPP for all four years of their college experience. If they do not receive a job offer or are not accepted into graduate/professional school within six months of graduation, the university gives them a paid internship in their chosen field.

Athletics

Misericordia University competes in the NCAA Division III, Eastern College Athletic Conference
Eastern College Athletic Conference
The Eastern College Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 21 sports . It has 317 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from Maine to North Carolina and west to Illinois...

 and the Freedom Conference within the Middle Atlantic Corporation
Middle Atlantic Corporation
Founded in 1912, the Middle Atlantic Conferences is an umbrella organization of three athletic conferences which competes in the NCAA's Division III. The 16-member teams are located in the Mid-Atlantic United States....

. Women's sports include basketball, soccer, field hockey, volleyball, swimming, softball, cross-country, cheerleading, lacrosse, tennis and track and field. Men's sports include basketball, soccer, swimming, cross-country, baseball, golf, lacrosse, tennis and track and field.

The school has had an athletics program since 1932, when it introduced intramural sports.

In 2012, Misericordia will have a football team.

Student life

24 clubs, service organizations and special interest organizations.

Special Organizations: Assistive Technology Research Institute; Diversity Institute; Ethics Institute of Northeast Pennsylvania; Institute of Gerontology (Aging Religious); Institute of Law and Religious Life; Institute of Sacred Scripture.

Special Programs: Alternative Learner's Project (ALP) for students who learn differently; Center for Service Learning; incorporating community service into academic study; Distance Learning Program, providing college level courses to students in the Northern Tier of Pennsylvania; Fun and Fitness Program, providing a variety of athletics and other activities for the community at the Anderson Sports-Health Center; Cultural Events, providing a variety of programs usually at no cost to the community.

Freshmen Year Experience

Misericordia offers a first-year program for students new to the institution that integrates them into the university community. Through an introductory session at orientation and six weekly follow up classroom workshops during the fall semester, all first year students become familiar with key offices, services, and resources on campus and explore issues related to university life such as diversity, wellness, thinking, learning, peer pressure, and drugs and alcohol. During the spring semester, all first year students participate in another FYE program devoted to leadership development. Students work with their facilitators and classmates to assess their leadership potential on and off campus.

Student Government Association

Misericordia's Student Government Association is a student-run, student-elected executive board which represents the students at Misericordia University. Members of the board and delegates represent the students on various college committees. Student Government also is the governing body of the various clubs on campus and keeps records of each club's activities.

Student Media

Communications Department

The Highlander is a student written newspaper published bi-weekly during the semester. To read and subscribe to the Highlander online - CLICK HERE

CougarRadio is a student-operated radio station that streams over the Internet. To listen live - CLICK HERE

Munson Center Network (MCN 87) is a student run TV station that airs on the campus closed circuit network. All programming is provided by the Communications Department. To view MCN 87 online - CLICK HERE
English Department

Instress is the campus' annual literary magazine published each spring. It prints original material by students and members of the university community.[

Notable alumni

The university's notable alumni include:
  • Karen Boback
    Karen Boback
    Karen Boback is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the 117th legislative district and was first elected in 2006....

    , member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
  • Dave Kern
    Dave Kern
    Dave Kern is an American soccer player who last played for the Real Maryland Monarchs of the USL Second Division, and for Baltimore Blast in the Major Indoor Soccer League.-College:...

    , professional soccer player
  • Maria Pallante
    Maria Pallante
    Maria A. Pallante is the 12th United States Register of Copyrights. She was appointed Acting Register effective January 1, 2011, succeeding Marybeth Peters, who had retired effective December 31, 2010...

    , United States Register of Copyrights
    Register of Copyrights
    The Register of Copyrights is the director of the United States Copyright Office within the Library of Congress, as provided by . The Office has been headed by a Register since 1897...


Financial aid

The University participates in financial aid programs. These programs generate funds from Federal, State and College resources. Additional financial aid monies are contributed by alumni and friends of the University. The financial aid office packages aid from a combination of sources to meet indicated need.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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