President Victor, right, welcomes Erie Insurance guests, from left, Dionne Wallace Oakley, Doug Smith and Sean Dugan to the Mercyhurst press conference. Top: Dionne Wallace Oakley, senior vice president, human resources, Erie Insurance. Mercyhurst partners with Erie Insurance on new risk management program
be named the F.W. Hirt Erie Insurance Risk Management Program at Mercyhurst University after her father. “I’m happy to make this investment with Mercyhurst University to prepare students on the changing needs of the insurance industry,” said Vorsheck. “This program is a great way we can honor my father’s legacy while looking toward the future.” Erie Insurance has committed in-kind resources that will help guide the design of the risk management program. In announcing the new initiative, Mercyhurst President Michael T. Victor said, “We are most grateful to Mrs. Vorsheck and Erie Insurance for their commitment to this partnership, which we believe will be transformative in nature, not only benefting our two institutions, but creating new jobs and opportunities in the Erie region.” He also thanked David Dausey ’97, provost and vice president for academic afairs, and Cal Pifer, vice president for external relations and advancement, for helping bring the project to fruition, along with Ridge College
Two of Erie’s premier institutions – Mercyhurst University and Erie Insurance – announced last month that they are launching a new risk management program to educate a growing workforce, create new economic opportunities and advance the high-demand feld. Erie Insurance board member Betsy Hirt Vorsheck is investing $1.25 million to expand and develop academic programs in risk control, insurance underwriting and insurance claims through the university’s Walker College of Business, and programs in cybersecurity, data analytics and cyberintelligence in the insurance industry through the Ridge College of Intelligence Studies and Applied Sciences. Vorsheck, a 1977 graduate of Mercyhurst, is the granddaughter of Erie Insurance founder H.O. Hirt, and the daughter of F.W. Hirt, a longtime CEO of Erie Insurance and trustee of Mercyhurst University, and Audrey Sitter Hirt ’49, after whom the Audrey Hirt Academic Center at Mercyhurst is named.
Dean Jim Breckenridge and Walker College Dean Missy Breckenridge for their support.
This is the second time in the past six months that Mercyhurst has been linked in projects identifed as “transformative.”The frst was Oct. 12, 2016, when Mercyhurst received a $4 million grant to create a Downtown Erie Innovation District focused on safety and security with corporate partners Erie Insurance, McManis and Monsalve Associates and Velocity Network, Inc. It was funded through the Erie Community Foundation, Susan Hirt Hagen Fund for Transformational Philanthropy and the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority. (See related story on innovation district on page 5.)
Vorsheck is making the donation on behalf of the Fortune 500 Company for what will
Strategic plan update underway A lot has changed since Mercyhurst’s latest strategic plan was developed in 2012, not only at Mercyhurst but in the higher education landscape in general. “It’s important for the strategic plan to refect President Victor’s way of doing business,”
and Joseph NeCastro ’78 , vice chair of Mercyhurst’s Board of Trustees. Next, the planning team sought input during nine focus groups of faculty, staf and administrators, students and alumni from both the Erie and North East campuses. The talk was wide- ranging, from academic programs to campus facilities to diversity. The university community will also be invited to read and ofer comments on the draft plan before it’s presented the Board of Trustees for approval later this fall.
explains Jeanette Britt ’94 , vice president and chief information ofcer, who is overseeing the planning process. “We’re working to create a succinct plan with clear-cut, measurable goals that can be achieved in a short period. It will include concrete objectives so we can track our progress and report on it annually.” Discussions on the plan started with the president’s cabinet, along with Dr. Joanne McGurk, president of the Erie Faculty Senate,
So, though the plan was scheduled to guide operations through 2020, a new strategic planning initiative is now underway for the rest of the decade. The next strategic plan will then cover the period from 2020 to 2026 – when Mercyhurst will mark its centennial. The plan will represent Victor’s pragmatic, business-minded approach.
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