Mercyhurst in the News: 2008

December

Administration

Rick Sadlier, the college's fire and life safety officer, was interviewed by Life Safety Magazine for its "Ask the Expert " section. The article appeared in the December issue and dealt with college campus strategies for life safety.

October

Faculty

Kristan Wheaton, J.D., assistant professor of intelligence studies, authored the online cover story on the International Relations and Security Network (ISN) Web site. Read The coming revolution in intelligence affairs. ISN gets about three million readers a month.

Administration

Mercyhurst was featured in the September issue of Campus Technology magazine for the admissions office's implementation of a new digital recruiting tool that delivers personalized communications to prospective students. Read more.

September

Faculty

Dr. Mary Ann Owoc, associate professor of anthropology/archaeology, was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article titled "Stonehedge may have been an ancient Lourdes. Read the story

August

Student

Mercyhurst College sophomore Brittani DeVore, who is double majoring in fashion merchandising and communication, was crowned Miss Crawford County 2008 on Sunday, Aug. 17. Read more in The Meadville Tribune story, Third time's a charm for pageant winner DeVore.

July/August

Faculty

A story about Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute Director Dr. James Adovasio's newest search for the first Americans - an underwater archaeological exploration off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico - made headlines in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review July 15. Read Search for first Americans to plunge underwater.

Dr. James Adovasio, director of the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute, is featured in the July/August issue of Science Illustrated magazine. The article, "Footprints From Our Past," covers the controversial debate over the first Americans. The article addresses Adovasio's work at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter, which shows evidence of human habitation as many as 19,000 years ago.

May

Faculty

Mercyhurst College forensic anthropologist Dr. Steven Symes was featured in an article carried in The Star, a newspaper in Johannesburg, South Africa, about his recent role in the investigation of apartheid-era human rights abuses there.

Dr. James Adovasio, director of the Mercyhurst Archaeological Institute and principal excavator of the Meadowcroft Rockshelter near Pittsburgh, was featured in a number of regional stories about the reopening of the rock shelter following recent renovations. Read Early man's Avella digs open in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Graduate Students/Faculty

Mercyhurst College graduate students in applied intelligence completed an analysis of Second Life as an online resource for terrorists to share information and spread propaganda, which was covered in a recent article in Reuters. Read Report finds jihadist presence in SL 'very minimal'.

April

Administration

Mercyhurst College's decision to enter the federal direct student loan program was a story covered by the Fox Business Network April 10. The Fox team delivered live hourly news coverage from the Erie campus, interviewing a number of students and administrators. In addition, a taped interview with Kathy Bialk, director of student financial services, was carried by as many as 20 local Fox News stations around the country.

Hillary Clinton's visit to Mercyhurst reached many national news outlets, including The New York Times. Read Faith in Spotlight, Candidates Battle for Catholic Votes..

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an editorial in favor of Mercyhurst's decision to have Hillary Clinton speak on campus April 1. Read Church and college: A Catholic campus should be a political forum, too.

March

Student-Athlete

Mercyhurst goaltender Matt Lundin is featured in a USCHO.com story titled Living the Dream Again. Read the story.

Administration

Mercyhurst's decision to become a direct lender of federal student loans garnered national attention via the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. Read more.

Faculty

A story on Mercyhurst's premier intelligence studies program and its founder, Robert J. Heibel, appears this month in "The Grapevine," the monthly publication of the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI. Read story.

February

Faculty

News about Mercyhurst forensic anthropologist Dr. Steven Symes earning the prestigious T. Dale Stewart Award for lifetime achievement in physical anthropology from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences has reached several national publications, among them Forensic Magazine. Read more.

Sisters of Mercy&Faculty

A story in the Feb. 22 issue of the National Catholic Reporter about greening initiatives advanced by Roman Catholic women religious prominently features Mercyhurst College and our own Sisters of Mercy.

January

Student

A story on Mercyhurst hockey standout Meghan Agosta and her career accomplishments to date, not to mention her future potential, are touted in a "USA Hockey" story, Sky's the limit for Agosta carried Jan. 21. Read story.

Faculty

Dr. Dennis Dirkmaat and the Mercyhurst Applied Forensic Sciences Department continue to make regional news stemming from cases they are handling for area law enforcement. Read Police: Foul play not suspected in woman's death in the Jan. 15 Somerset County Daily American.

Mercyhurst College forensic anthropologist Dennis Dirkmaat is named in an AP story relative to a case his department is working on in cooperation with Pittsburgh area authorities. The case surrounds an infant whose skeletal remains were found in a suitcase in a Hempfield home.