The Mercyhurst Dance Department was acknowledged in Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers as one of the top 45 dance programs in the U.S.

“Mercyhurst is one of very few American ballet-based dance programs. This and our esteemed faculty and successful alumni are part of what makes us stand out among other colleges,” Tauna Hunter, chair of the Mercyhurst University Dance Department, said.

The book is aimed at perspective college students and serves as a guide for those pursuing the creative arts. The author, Elaina Loveland, originally aspired to become a professional dancer but decided to focus instead on writing.

“This, our mention in the book, can make our school stand out to dancers and draw more attention to our program. This could potentially lead to more applying dance majors,” Hunter said.

In the book, Loveland examines more than 125 art, drama, dance, music, and creative writing programs in arts conservatories, liberal arts colleges and universities. Each institute is profiled with such critical information as degrees offered, concentrations, faculty information, cost of attendance, scholarship availability and alumni accomplishments.

This is the fourth edition of Loveland’s book, although it was the first time Mercyhurst has been acknowledged in such a manner.