The values and mission of Mercyhurst College are integral parts of the vision and realization not only of the college itself, but also of the way students and faculty carry out their daily lives. The values affect their actions, thoughts and lives as a whole.

Michelle Ellia, assistant marketing manager at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center, experiences this everyday. She graduated from Mercyhurst in 2007 and has been working here ever since.

“As an alum and employee of Mercyhurst College, the work I do is promoting what we offer here. I am the megaphone — I engage and encourage the community to participate in the events we have,” Ellia says.
Ethan Magoc photo: Michelle Ellia graduated from Mercyhurst College and is now the assistant administrator at the Mary D’Angelo Performing Arts Center.

Ellia graduated with a communication major with a business minor and believes her choice of study has served her well thus far.

“My business minor made me aware of how we are a connection to the outside world.”

She sees the values and the mission in her job and life on a regular basis, and appreciates what they have brought to the college and to the PAC.

“What the PAC really represents is more of Mercyhurst College’s vision to educate the whole person, which is what the tradition is. We enhance that not only in the Mercyhurst College community, but also in the Erie community, too, with the events we have.”

An example of this is the Guelcher Film Series. Documentaries like “Food, Inc.” and “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” open the eyes of students and community members to things they may never have been exposed to before.

“We use the arts as a platform. The purpose is to transform people and introduce them to issues they didn’t know were issues. It gives people a chance to see what is out there, take a risk, experience something new,” Ellia says.

The cultural events that the PAC brings to the community also serve as an outlet for dance and music majors to express themselves, thus enhancing the intellectually creative value.

“It gives them the opportunity,” Ellia says, “to expand their horizons by providing things that are challenging and them to take these risks and challenge themselves.

“The arts helped me to find my niche, and that is what being a part of Mercyhurst College and the liberal arts is all about,” she says.