Mercyhurst Magazine Spring 2022

Chris Magoc conveys timely text on descent of American democracy

“ ” As Mercyhurst sought a new owner for this space, it was important to us that we identify a buyer that would be welcome in the North East community,” said President KathleenA.Getz,Ph.D.“WebelievethattheEhrenfeldCompaniews illbe a wonderful f i t f or the campus and community, bringing new opportunities and operations that support the local downtown area. Mercyhurst University has sold its campus in North East to the Ehrenfeld Companies (eCos, led by Jonathan Ehrenfeld, the founder and CEO of Blue Ocean, a real estate investment and asset management f rm based in Baltimore, Maryland. “ We are honored to serve as the new stewards of this tremendous historical campus, Ehrenfeld said. “… We have already begun conversations with community partners and stakeholders to develop a concept that will beneft t he region and drive economic impact. ” TheeCosgrouphasbeenexpandingitsportfolioin theserviceindustry,hospitality, and athletic development space, acquiring the SPIRE Institute & Academy in Geneva, Ohio, an elite sports boarding school and Olympic training facility, in late 2019. Getz, meanwhile, said Mercyhurst will remain part of the North East community through its Municipal Police Training Academy and through a continued relationship with eCos as it builds its operations in North East. ” Bidding farewell to North East campus (EDITOR’S NOTE: The closing on the sale of Mercyhurst’s North East property was held on Tuesday, Jan. 25, just days before our magazine was scheduled to go to print. A brief recap follows.

In his latest book, Mercyhurst History Professor Dr. Chris J. Magoc juxtaposes “American dreams and hard realities” in chronicling the social, political, and cultural history of the United States since World War II. In this timely text, "A Progressive History of American Democracy Since 1945: American Dreams, Hard Realities," Magoc examines how Americans descended from a mid-century mindset of boundless expectations to a sense of endless crisis and national failure today. “I felt compelled,” Magoc said, “to try and address faith in the future, who saw one another not as political enemies but as fellow citizens?” Ref l ecting the anxieties of many, Magoc observed that a “people who led the f i ght to defeat global fascism in World War II now face a rising domestic threat of antidemocratic authortiarianism from within.” Despite the dark turn the nation has taken over the past few decades, Magoc remains hopeful as he explores how the democratic patterns of postwar history can point the way toward a recovery of shared national values. some of the big questions haunting many of my students and millions of Americans: What happened to America? To a nation of boundless expectations and trust in science, objective truth,

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