Mercyhurst University

Mercyhurst University
Former names	Mercyhurst College (1926–2012)
Motto	Latin: Carpe diem; (Seize the day)
Type	Private university
Established	1926; 98 years ago
Accreditation	MSCHE
Religious affiliation	Roman Catholic (Sisters of Mercy)
Academic affiliations	Conference for Mercy Higher Education; ACCU; NAICU
Endowment	$31.8 million
President	Kathleen Getz
Academic staff	136 full-time
Administrative staff	434
Students	2,759
Location	Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Campus	Urban, 74 acres (300,000 m2)
Colors	Blue, green, & white
Nickname	Lakers
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – Atlantic Hockey CWPA; NCAA Division II – PSAC
Mascot	Luke the Laker
Website	www.mercyhurst.edu

Mercyhurst University is a private Roman Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania.

History

On September 20, 1926, Mercyhurst College opened its doors just a few blocks away from the city's southern boundary. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy of the Diocese of Erie, who were led by Borgia Egan, who became the first president of Mercyhurst College. The college received its charter on October 5, 1928.^[5]

In 1963, the college prep department separated to form Mercyhurst Preparatory School, which is located behind the university. On February 3, 1969, the board of trustees voted to make Mercyhurst a coed college. From its foundation in 1926 until 1972, members of the Sisters of Mercy had been presidents of the college. After 1972, lay presidents led the college. On March 27, 1991, Mercyhurst purchased the 100-year-old Redemptorist Seminary in North East and turned it into a branch campus, offering associate degrees and one-year certificates.^[5]

Among its five campuses, enrollment has grown to over 4,000 students instructed by 168 faculty. The endowment has increased to more than $20 million and its budget is more than $85 million.^[5]

The Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center opened in February 1996. Then, in fall 2002, the $7.5 million Audrey Hirt Academic Center opened on the southeast edge of campus, a building funded largely through the college's $22.8 million capital campaign.^[5]

In August 2005, the $5 million Michele and Tom Ridge Health and Safety Building was dedicated at Mercyhurst North East. A $1.3 million residential apartment complex also opened in time for the North East campus' academic year.^[5]

Also in 2005, the board of trustees authorized the purchase of 400 acres (1.6 km²) in Girard as the first step towards developing Mercyhurst West, a two-year college serving western Erie County, northwestern Crawford County and northeastern Ohio. The board of trustees elected Dr. Thomas J. Gamble as the 11th president of Mercyhurst College. Dr. Gamble, who previously served as vice president of academic affairs at the college, assumed the presidency March 1, 2006.^[5]

The construction of a $14 million freshman residence hall began in fall 2008, and the hall opened in the fall of 2009. Frances Warde Hall, a 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m²). building, houses 318 students and contains a convenience store, media room, TV lounges, computer lab, campus printing station and a fitness center.^[5]

Opened in September 2012 is the Center for Academic Engagement, a four-story, 31,000-square-foot (2,900 m²) building that will be set into the rolling hill north of Hammermill Library and feature a skywalk over East Main Drive to connect the two facilities. The building, which boasts many green technologies, houses classrooms and lab space for two of Mercyhurst's signature programs—Intelligence Studies and Hospitality Management—as well as the Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society and the Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics (MCAP).^[5] On January 25, 2012, Mercyhurst College officially became Mercyhurst University.^[6]

The Board of Trustees of Mercyhurst University appointed Michael T. Victor as the 12th president of Mercyhurst University on May 19, 2015. Victor had served as president of Lake Erie College since 2006. Victor served as dean of the Walker School of Business at Mercyhurst from 2002 to 2006. He took office on August 3, 2015.^{[citation needed]}

On August 16, 2018, Mercyhurst University opened a $25 million residence hall. Ryan Hall houses more than 350 student suites.^[7] It also includes a dining hall, lounge area, convenience store, and a 150-seat banquet hall.^[8]

Sexual assault allegations

On October 10, 2004, the Erie Times-News published a story stating that former president William Garvey molested grade school boys while serving as a basketball coach at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Erie. The article further stated that "two current Erie residents told the Erie Times-News that Garvey paid them to have sex with him in the early to mid-1980s, when both men were minors."^[9] On December 17 the paper reported that Garvey "abruptly announced his retirement Thursday, months before the completion of a college-ordered investigation Garvey had predicted would exonerate him."^[10]

Several months after Garvey retired, an investigation conducted by retired Erie County Judge Michael Palmisano, at the instruction of the board of trustees, determined that the allegations against Garvey "appear[ed] to have merit".^[11] The campus' central park was once named "Garvey Park" in honor of Garvey, but following the allegations was renamed to "Trinity Green".^[12]

Campus

The university still maintains its campus 18 miles (29 km) in North East, Pennsylvania at the site of the former St. Mary's Seminary.^[13] The university has also operated Mercyhurst Corry, a school offering an associate degree in business administration, for over 25 years.

The university's fifth campus, Mercyhurst West, was located in Girard, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Faith Lutheran Church. Classes began at this location in fall 2006.^[14] Due to low enrollment, the campus closed at the end of the 2013–2014 school year.^[15]

Academics

Enrollment at Mercyhurst University's Erie campus is nearly 4,500 students. The university formerly was on a trimester calendar and moved to a 4–1–4 calendar for the 2013–2014 school year. Currently, the university is on a traditional semester calendar.^[16] It has more than 57 undergraduate degrees and almost 25 percent of the student body chooses to study abroad.^[17]^[18] Undergraduate students at Mercyhurst all complete the REACH curriculum, which stands for Reason and Faith, Expression and Creativity, Analytical Thought, Contexts and Systems, and Humans in Connection.^[19]

The university is organized into four colleges:

The Hafenmaier College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
The Walker College of Business
The Zurn College of Natural and Health Sciences
The Ridge College of Intelligence Studies & Applied Sciences

Popular Culture

A scene in the Tom Hanks film That Thing You Do! takes place on Mercyhurst's campus.

Athletics

Mercyhurst University competes in two NCAA Division I and 23 NCAA Division II sports as the Lakers, one of the newest members of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Around 15 percent of the student body consists of student-athletes. In April 2024, Mercyhurst announced they will begin transitioning to the Division I level, joining the Northeast Conference for the 2024-25 season.

NCAA Division I sports

Men's ice hockey (Atlantic Hockey)
Women's ice hockey (College Hockey America)
Men’s Lacrosse

NCAA Division II sports

Baseball
Men's & women's basketball
Men's & women's cross country
Field hockey
American football
Men's & women's golf
Women's lacrosse
Women's rowing (ECAC)
Men's & Women's Soccer^[20]
Softball
Men's & women's tennis
Women's volleyball
Men's & women's water polo (Collegiate Water Polo Association on the men's side and Western Water Polo Association on the women's side)
Wrestling
Women's bowling ^[21]

National championships

1976: Men's tennis – NAIA
2004: Women's rowing (team champion) – NCAA Division II
2005: Men's rowing (4+ open) – ECAC National Champion
2009: Josh Shields (165 lbs), wrestling – NCAA Division II
2010: Women's rowing (8+ champion) – NCAA Division II
2011: Men's lacrosse – NCAA Division II

National finalist

2005: Ben McAvinew (184 lbs), wrestling – NCAA Division II
2006: Zach Schafer (165 lbs), wrestling – NCAA Division II
2007: Men's lacrosse – NCAA Division II
2008: Hudson Harrison (165 lbs), wrestling – NCAA Division II
2009: Women's ice hockey – NCAA Division I
2009: Women's rowing – NCAA Division II
2010: Josh Shields (165 lbs), wrestling – NCAA Division II
2011: Women's rowing – NCAA Division II
2013: Men's lacrosse – NCAA Division II
2016: Willie Bohince (125 lbs), wrestling – NCAA Division II
2017: Willie Bohince (125 lbs), wrestling – NCAA Division II

Non-varsity sports: American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) – Divisions I and III

Men's ice hockey (College Hockey Mid-America)

Alumni

Meghan Agosta, Olympic ice-hockey player
Dan Altavilla, professional baseball player
Polly Bukta, member of the Iowa House of Representatives
Joan Chittister, author and member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pennsylvania, serving as prioress for 12 years
John Reilly Costello, professional baseball player
John Deasy, Irish Fine Gael politician
James "Buster" Douglas, 1981–1999, professional heavyweight boxer
Pat Harkins, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (2007–present).
Matthew Hatchette, professional football player^[22]
Rob Keefe, professional football coach
David Emmer Lee, professional baseball player
David Lough, professional baseball player
Anthony Maher, professional soccer player
Mike McLellan, professional lacrosse player
Patrick Merrill, professional lacrosse player
Terry Smith, professional basketball player.
Brandon Staley, professional football coach