Faculty scholarship on display in Old Main

Kristian Biega, News Editor

The works and achievements of featured Mercyhurst faculty are now on display outside of university President Michael T. Victor’s office.

The university has had a faculty scholarship display for many years, first being in the front hall of the chapel, then on the second floor of Old Main before making its home on the first floor of Old Main.

This past winter, the Faculty Scholarship Committee asked Leanne Roberts, Ph.D., Provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, if they could have a more viewable spot on campus to showcase the works of fellow faculty members. Roberts agreed to allow the Faculty Scholarship Showcase to be moved into the glass cabinet next to President Victor’s office on the first floor of Old Main.

“In this current selection, our first display is selections from Dr. Mary Hembrow Snyder, professor of Religious Studies and the director of the Center for Mercy and Catholic Studies,” Alice Edwards, Ph.D., professor of Spanish and member of the Faculty Scholarship Committee, said. “It showcases her scholarship, including a book she recently edited about Sister Joan Chittister, OSB, that was referenced by Oprah during her interview of Joan.”

Snyder’s focus on liberation theologies, specifically feminist theologies, led her to the book about Chittister and is why she is displayed in the scholarship display. Her scholarship was up for viewing for Women’s History Month.

Chittister was a 1962 Mercyhurst graduate and has been an influential religious leader for more than 40 years. The fourth floor of the Hammermill Library, at the entrance from the bridge from the Center for Academic Engagement (CAE), is a Memorial Archive dedicated to Sister Joan Chittister.

On April 11, the Faculty Scholarship Committee is hosting the Celebration of Scholars in the Mercy Heritage Hall. From 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., the event will honor the faculty scholarly work from 2018.

These works include performances, exhibitions, conference papers, publications, book chapters and more.

“The event coordinates with the student Illuminations event that emphasizes the vital importance of scholarship to the life of the university,” Edwards said.

Edwards believes that these three results from active faculty research are what makes Mercyhurst University the university that it is.

“Active faculty research enriches the classroom, gives students valuable experience in their field that prepares them for graduate school and professional work and contributes to the creation of knowledge,” Edwards said.

After the event, sections will be displayed in the glass cabinet outside of President Victor’s office. Students and other faculty and staff around Mercyhurst will be able to see these works after the event is over.

The Faculty Scholarship Committee consists of a diverse group of Mercyhurst professors representing many different departments on campus.

The committee includes Edwards; Nicholas Lang, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of Geology and co-director of Environmental Science; Joseph Johnson, Ph.D., assistant professor of Physics; Adrienne Foos, Ph.D., assistant professor of Marketing; Orlandrew Danzell, Ph.D., chair and associate professor of Intelligence Studies; Richard McCarty, Ph.D., associate professor of Religious Studies; and Thomas Hubert, MFA, chair and associate professor of Art.

The Faculty Scholarship Committee focuses on the celebration of research through the celebration of scholars in the university. They believe that it is important to acknowledge the professors that make great positive impacts on their students and to display their work for the entire campus to see.