Newswise — The Misericordia University Board of Trustees announced Friday, June 15 that the University will honor the unwavering commitment and tireless work of President Michael A. MacDowell and his wife, Tina, by naming a new building on campus in their honor. Michael and Tina MacDowell Hall is being made possible by a $1 million pledge to the University by the Board, according to John Metz, chair of the Misericordia University Board of Trustees.
Michael and Tina MacDowell Hall will be formally dedicated Friday, Aug. 24 on Convocation Day. “The hallmark of his presidency has been his passion for excellence,’’ Mr. Metz said, following the announcement at the annual June Board meeting. “When the MacDowells first arrived here nearly 15 years ago, they had to navigate us through some challenging times. Misericordia’s secure future and its strong academic reputation today are their legacy. This building honors their steadfast commitment to Misericordia, its mission, the Religious Sisters of Mercy and our academic community.’’
President MacDowell announced in April he will retire June 30, 2013 after serving 15 years and helping Luzerne County’s oldest private institution of higher education to become regionally acclaimed and nationally recognized for providing the challenging academics and opportunities students need to succeed.
Two months after their formal announcement, members of the Board of Trustees expressed their gratitude by unveiling the monumental decision to name, for the first time, a building in honor of a president and his first lady. MacDowell Hall is a 37,000-square foot, three-story structure near the North Gate of campus and across the parking lot from the Anderson Sports and Health Center.
“I appreciate and applaud President MacDowell’s efforts on behalf of Misericordia and the Sisters of Mercy,” said Sister Catherine McGroarty, RSM, a member of the Board of Trustees and a member of the Class of 1974. “As Misericordia’s prestige has continued to grow, he has been able to balance our responsibilities as an institution of academia, while also remaining true to our tenets. He also has never lost sight of our moral responsibilities to assist those most in need and to imbue in each of our students a sense of service to others.’’
Michael and Tina MacDowell Hall adds 118 beds for student housing and three academic classrooms. The $6.2 million building provides suite-style residence space with kitchens, living rooms, bathrooms and appliances. Each floor also contains laundry facilities and architecturally significant study lounges at the east end. The glass enclosures, otherwise known as “lanterns,’’ face McHale Hall and illuminate the sprawling green space of the upper campus at night.
President MacDowell became the 12th president of Misericordia in 1998 after serving Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. He has led the Religious Sisters of Mercy-sponsored University into the top tier of the Best Regional Universities North category of U.S. News and World’s Report’s annual edition of Best Colleges, and successfully managed its evolution from a college to a university on Aug. 24, 2007 featuring master’s and clinical doctorate degree programs. Misericordia also has been recognized regularly by the Princeton Review as one of the top universities in the northeastern United States; by Washington Monthly magazine for community service and social mobility; and has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction by the Corporation for National and Community Service. MU’s own students routinely give the institution high marks in the National Survey of Student Engagement.
“Michael MacDowell is the hardest working person in higher education. His contributions to Misericordia have been nothing short of extraordinary,’’ said Trustee Sandy Insalaco, Sr., who served as Chair of the Board of Trustees from 2001-06. “He provided unparalleled leadership, guidance and vision to the University, and challenged the Board of Trustees to do the same.’’
“I don’t think anyone can deny the immense progress Misericordia has experienced thanks to the leadership Mike and Tina have provided on so many levels,’’ added Kelly McAndrew ’79, ’06, Alumni Board president. “They have given additional meaning to being ‘Misericordia Proud!’ to our alumni of today and tomorrow.’’
President MacDowell has overseen a remarkable and continuous rise in traditional and non-traditional student enrollment, student quality and the transformation of Misericordia’s upper and lower campuses. Misericordia has established a true “town-and-gown’’ relationship with Back Mountain communities as the University has repurposed vacant buildings and transformed them into the Rasmussen and Pauly Houses for the Women with Children program, the Art Studios, multiple student residences, including the Machell Avenue Residence Hall, and John J. Passan Hall — home of the University’s high-tech College of Health Sciences, the Speech-Language and Hearing Center, the Erwine Nursing Lab and Classroom, and the Physical Therapy Center. The University’s new Alden Trust Physician Assistant Assessment Lab will be located in an adjacent building to complement Passan Hall’s amenities.
The blueprint of the main campus also has changed dramatically. President MacDowell’s first undertaking was to complete the fundraising for the Mary Kintz Bevevino Library which opened in 1999. The next project was the partial remodeling of the historic Administration Building, which was built in 1924. It was rededicated as Mercy Hall in honor of the founders and sponsors of Misericordia in 2002. The upper campus’ physical environment has been complemented with Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall, a new academic building which houses classrooms, faculty offices, the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery, and music ensemble and practice rooms. The University’s theater was remodeled and named Lemmond Theater in Walsh Hall in honor of the late Sen. Charles Lemmond and his family. The Monsignor Andrew J. McGowan Student Residence Hall — named in honor of the long-time Trustee — was dedicated in 2008.
Extensive renovation in athletic facilities, including a new fitness center, Mangelsdorf Field, a $4.4 million field house and tennis courts, also were undertaken during President MacDowell’s tenure. All together, 12 new or renovated buildings have been added to Misericordia’s campus during his tenure at MU.
“It is unfortunate in many ways that the president of an institution receives many of the accolades for its progress,’’ President MacDowell said. “Clearly this credit is hardly ours (President MacDowell and Mrs. Tina MacDowell) alone. The Trustees, the faculty, the staff, the alumni and friends of the University have made the difference here. Misericordia is a very special place because people care deeply about it and because they have internalized its mission. These are institutional attributes that will serve Misericordia’s new president exceedingly well.’’
The accomplishments of the University would not have been possible without the president’s tremendous fundraising skills. The endowment and annual fund — vital sources of revenue for capital improvements, scholarships and financial aid — have grown exponentially under President MacDowell’s leadership. Today, the endowment is nearly $25 million, up from $6 million in 1998, and the annual fund exceeds $1 million. In total, more than $40 million has been raised from private sources and $21 million has been granted in government resources during his presidency. The University recently reached 7.3 million in funding for its Pursuit of Acclamation campaign which will be used to upgrade athletic facilities.
The University has maintained its momentum in student recruitment as well. When the MacDowells arrived in 1998, Misericordia enrolled 1,050 full-time students. By this fall, total full-time enrollment will exceed 1,800. Full-time enrollment this year reached 1,720, while 1,000 additional students were enrolled part time or in graduate studies. Overall, Misericordia’s enrollment was 2,762 for the 2011-12 academic year.
This year MU has attracted another record number of applicants for the 2012-13 freshman class. The record-setting application pool of 2,013 freshman set in 2011 was surpassed by more than 18 percent as 2,481 students have applied for enrollment as of April 10. The University also has enrolled increasingly more selective classes — as measured by GPA, SAT scores and other measures of quality. The average GPA and median SAT score for members of the 2011-12 freshman class was 3.33 and 1070, respectively.
The Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees has begun to develop the process the University will use to select a new president, according to Mr. Metz. The University has chosen AGB Search of Washington, D.C., to conduct a national search. A search committee, chaired by Trustee Chris Borton of Borton-Lawson Engineering, will include Trustees, faculty, staff, students and alumni. The new president will begin serving the MU community on July 1, 2013.
Remaining true to the charisms of Misericordia, President MacDowell has been very active by offering his time and talent to the greater NEPA community and to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is the past vice chair of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, where he remains on the board. He is the past chair of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Consortium of Colleges and Universities and is a past vice president of the Northeast Pennsylvania Boy Scout Council.
President MacDowell works in support of thoughtful planning and economic growth in the region. He was instrumental in establishing the Back Mountain Chamber of Commerce, the Back Mountain Community Partnership and Back Mountain Historical Association. Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett recently appointed him to the Higher Education Advisory Panel to study and to reporter to the governor by November 2012 ways to make higher education accessible and affordable to the students and taxpayers of the commonwealth. The Northeastern Pennsylvania Council of the Boy Scouts of America honored President MacDowell in 2010 and 2012 by presenting him with the 2010 Eminent Eagle Award and the 2012 Distinguished Citizen Award. The Luzerne Foundation, Leadership Wilkes-Barre, the North Branch Land Trust and the Wyoming Valley Interfaith Council also have recognized his leadership.
Prior to assuming the presidency at Misericordia, President MacDowell served nine years as a vice president at Hartwick College (1989-1998). He also served as president of the National Council on Economic Education in New York City for 12 years.
He is married to the former Tina Johnson, a retired teacher who is also very active in the community, serving on the boards of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the Westmoreland Club’s Women’s Interest Committee as well as undertaking a myriad of volunteer responsibilities at Misericordia. Mrs. MacDowell also was the first director of the Leadership Wilkes-Barre Master’s Program and she developed the Friends and New Neighbors (FANN) organization.
For more information about Misericordia University, please log on to www.misericordia.edu or call (570) 674-6400. Founded and Sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy in 1924, Misericordia University is Luzerne County’s first four-year college and offers 37 degree programs on the graduate and undergraduate levels in full and part-time formats.
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