Christmas tree honors Mercy legacy
The front campus at Mercyhurst
The intention is to honor the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy and remind ourselves that Mercyhurst continues to be a community alive in the Mercy tradition more than 90
University was transformed during the Christmas season when the Michael Victor administration decided to invest in a 30- foot artifcial tree that could be positioned in front of Old Main, where it would illuminate the statue of Mary.
years after its founding.
ErieID partners host a press conference announcing new downtown headquarters and Dell collaboration. From left are Mercyhurst President Michael Victor, Provost David Dausey, ErieID CEO Karl Sanchack and Erie Insurance President & CEO Timothy NeCastro. Erie Innovation District makes game-changing moves The Erie Innovation District, LLC (ErieID), has taken some major steps toward developing and attracting new businesses to downtown Erie, including forging a collaboration with Dell, one of the largest technology companies in the world. At press time, a number of new initiatives were on the cusp of being announced. Less than six months ago, the ErieID board hired Karl Sanchack as CEO following a national search. Sanchack came to Erie from AB Innovations, LLC, a Virginia-based consulting frm focused on best practices in innovation, where he was managing director. He has 25 years of technology and innovation management experience from Silicon Valley through the aerospace and defense industries. Next, the ErieID located its initial downtown Erie headquarters in a shared space with the Erie Insurance Innovation Center at 717 State St. In addition, Cleveland-based national technology company MCPc signed on as a partner, while Ben Franklin Technology Partners agreed to provide funding for eligible early-stage tech startups. The ErieID got its start in September 2016 when Mercyhurst University received a $4 million Shaping Tomorrow grant to lead the transformation of downtown Erie into a hub for innovation in the felds of data science, safety and cybersecurity. Besides Mercyhurst, the original partners included Erie Insurance, McManis and Monsalve Associates and Velocity Network, Inc. The grant was awarded by the Erie Community Foundation, Susan Hirt Hagen Fund for Transformational Philanthropy and the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority. Learn more about the efort at erieinnovationdistrict.com .
Pictured during the dedication of Mercyhurst’s new wine room are (from left) Joseph G. NeCastro and Richard A. Lanzillo, vice chair and chair of the Board of Trustees; donor Christopher S. Johnson; and President Michael T. Victor. Hospitality dedicates Johnson Wine Room Mercyhurst University hospitality and culinary students now have the opportunity to learn more precisely about fne wines, thanks to a gift from alumnus Chris Johnson that led to construction of a wine room and plans to build a prestigious collection. Johnson, an Erie native and 1989 hospitality graduate who now works as a fnancial advisor in Cary, North Carolina, returned to his hometown Nov. 21 for the dedication of the new Christopher S. Johnson Wine Room. It is situated next to the university’s Marriott Café in the Center for Academic Engagement. “This represents a remarkable teaching tool for our hospitality and culinary programs,” noted Cal Pifer, vice president for external relations and advancement. “We are very grateful to Chris for his generosity.” The Johnson Wine Room is outftted with beautiful cherry wine racks, the latest humidity-control system, and as the pièce de résistance: a custom wine barrel that has been transformed into a tasting table. Pifer said the collection will comprise “investment-grade wines.” Donors, he said, will be able to contribute bottles to help build the collection.
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