But with Riesmeyer, it’s a bit more personal. His daughter, Megan, is an AIM student. And he’s familiar with the research that shows as many as 85 percent of college grads afected by autism are unemployed. “Having a child on the spectrum you come to know that long-term career success is very difcult,” Riesmeyer said. While unemployment and underemployment are high, Riesmeyer said it is not a result of the autistic person’s lack of ability, but often of the interviewer’s inability to understand this unique demographic. “Our goal at this point is to establish a bridge between AIM and Wells Fargo that we can leverage over time as students matriculate college,” Riesmeyer said. In 2008, Mercyhurst introduced AIM to meet the unique needs of the growing numbers of college students diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). AIM focuses on building a foundation of self-advocacy, social skills and sound academic progress. The program has grown considerably in recent years, particularly with the addition of a career services component to help AIM graduates be productive and successful beyond college. “We are very excited about our collaboration with Wells Fargo and are looking forward to this partnership,” said AIM Director Brad McGarry. “The AIM program continues to identify collaborations that will beneft our students and, in turn, we can beneft Wells Fargo’s eforts to develop diversity in their workforce and strengthen their ability to engage autistic adults for long-term meaningful employment.” SHARING PIECES OF THE PAST
Lights over Lake Erie CITY, MERCYHURST TEAM UP FOR FUN, SMART BIZ Under the leadership of Erie Mayor Joe Schember and Mercyhurst President Michael Victor, the city and the university are partnering on a number of initiatives this year. Long famous for its Old-Fashioned Fourth of July celebration and freworks display, Mercyhurst stepped up as chief sponsor of the city’s holiday freworks – Lights Over Lake Erie – on July 3 from the Bicentennial Tower at Dobbins Landing, and as a presenting sponsor for the Celebrate Erie summer festival Aug. 16-19 in downtown Erie. On a more serious note, the Erie Police Department contracted with Mercyhurst’s Municipal Police Training Academy at North East to conduct Civil Service Act 120 testing. Instead of taking a separate exam for the city, as had been the case previously, ofcer candidates can now take one exam that qualifes them for 26 police departments throughout the region. In announcing the partnership, Mayor Schember said the move would save the city time and money, allowing it to focus on minority recruitment. And, through Mercyhurst’s leadership of the Erie Innovation District comes the Secure Smart City™ pilot project taking shape on State Street, between 6th and 12th streets. The project makes way for:
Mercyhurst University geologist Scott McKenzie has delighted in sharing his love of digging up the past with thousands of fans. Partnering with the late Michael Sincak and his wife, Barbara, was the beginning of acquiring a collection of casts, fossils and collectors’ pieces that ultimately became the Sincak Natural History Collection at Mercyhurst University.
•
Broadband Wi-Fi access across Perry Square.
• Energy-efcient LED lighting on an estimated 66 existing poles to connect traditional street lighting, increase efciency and reduce costs. • Video surveillance capabilities in Perry Square to enhance security and automatically alert authorities to potential threats. AIMing FOR EMPLOYMENT Mercyhurst University wants to help graduates of its autism program get jobs after college, and has long sought out prospective employers to engage autistic adults for meaningful employment. This year, in an about- face, world banking leader Wells Fargo came to Mercyhurst, sending fve representatives, from Boston and Pittsburgh, to the Erie campus to discuss career paths with students of the Autism Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM). The April 20 session included mentoring, résumé review and mock interviews with the goal of preparing students for possible employment opportunities at Wells Fargo while helping Wells Fargo learn how best to interact with people on the spectrum. “Wells Fargo is committed to a diverse work force,” said Wells Fargo Senior Vice President Michael Riesmeyer. “I think a lot of companies realize
Rich Reislund and Scott McKenzie speak at Brown’s Farm Barn.
For years, the university opened its doors for the public to experience the exhibits until they became too vast in size. Then teaming up with the Tom Ridge Environmental Center allowed even more Erie people and tourists to view the collection’s larger samples, like a cast of the teenage T-rex whose fossilized remains were unearthed from northwest South Dakota in 1998. This summer the university partnered for the frst time with Asbury Woods Nature Center to share even more unique fnds, these local in origin. Erie area resident Rich Reislund and his two sons, Jonathan, 12, and David, 10, discovered an extraordinary fossil on undisclosed private property in McKean Township. Upon examination, McKenzie confrmed it as evidence of what is arguably the most terrifying creature of the Devonian Period – Dunkleosteus – a powerful prehistoric fsh with thick armor plating and a bite rivaling that of T-Rex. “This is the frst time that we have found evidence of several of the big fsh at one place in Pennsylvania and that’s very exciting,” McKenzie said. “Records show that another collector found one at the same place over two decades ago. All three fnds are of the same bone of the shoulder armor, so we could be dealing with a Dunkleosteus graveyard.” In all, McKenzie said, more than 350,000 people have viewed parts of the collection at one exhibit or another since 2006.
that creating a diverse community of employees helps us better engage the diverse community of people that we serve.”
President Michael Victor greets Wells Fargo representatives Susannah Geletko, Michael Bohley, Eugenia Tibamanya and Michael Riesmeyer.
5
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online