A message from the President
As I write this, August is days away and the calmer stretch of time that June and July bring to campus is quickly slipping away. I enjoy the transition between summer and fall and the rejuvenation that accompanies it. As we commence Academic Year 2019-2020, we are energized with a new slate of goals, priorities, and plans of action – all in service to our students who, by the way, never cease to amaze me. In June, for example, we learned that four students in Dr. Joe Morris’ political science class took top honors in a competition sponsored by Draw The Lines PA, a statewide civic education initiative intended to help Pennsylvanians learn more about political redistricting and gerrymandering. The redistricting maps and essays our students produced took frst (Logan Ford) and second place (Miranda Henry) and two of three honorable mentions (Sydney Gondringer and Admir Barucija) in the Higher Education-West category. To see our students dominate the winners’ circle like that is a testament to the education they receive at Mercyhurst and to the outstanding faculty members who inspire this kind of accomplishment. While deeply honored to be president of our beloved university, my days as a business professor in the Walker College, and the relationships I cultivated with our students, were among the most rewarding. Our cover story tells of one such relationship, and my attempts to help a senior business major by the name of Brian DeFrancesco identify and capitalize on his leadership skills. I did not learn that my eforts had had any efect until 13 years later when that young entrepreneur returned to Mercyhurst to thank me for believing in him. I can’t imagine a more personally fulflling moment in my career than that one, and I suspect many of our faculty know the feeling. These are the relationships that diferentiate Mercyhurst.
Brian is one of several Mercyhurst alumni featured in our Fall 2019 magazine whose entrepreneurial DNA has reaped rewards for themselves, their families and the lives of many
others. One of the tenets of a Mercyhurst education is to engender a love of lifelong learning, which is also a key characteristic of entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs always seek to learn and to get better at what they do . As our magazine will show, entrepreneurship certainly is not a new concept at Mercyhurst. You’ll also read about Sister Mary Eymard Poydock, RSM, one of our early biology teachers who – with few resources but remarkable determination – created a respected cancer research program here in the 1960s and ‘70s. So, take a moment to peruse our magazine and reconnect. We appreciate your interest in and support of our Mercyhurst community.
Carpe Diem .
Michael T. Victor, J.D., LL.D. President, Mercyhurst University
ON THE COVER: Brian DeFrancesco ’06 is pictured in the ofces of SMET Ventures, his business investment and technology frm in Orange County, California. Before founding SMET, DeFrancesco led two companies from inception to successful exit acquisitions totaling nearly $100M in value.
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