Erie County Times

Gannon University Athletics issued the following announcement on Dec. 29.

Homecoming and Family Weekend 2021 at Gannon University

As we look forward to a new dynamic year in 2022, take a moment to look back on just a few of the many highlights of the year we leave behind. 

January saw Gannon students and researchers on the frontlines of the University and community’s COVID-19 Surveillance Testing program, and the launch of Gannon’s new Master of Science in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity. Former Congressman, two-term governor of Pennsylvania, head of the Department of Homeland Security, and Erie Native Tom Ridge was welcomed by Gannon’s School of Public Service and Global Affairs. 

In February, our partner Our West Bayfront celebrated the grand opening of their new community space, campus welcomed The Transmigration Experience from Mississippi to Erie, and Gannon Launched Cultural Conversations: Exploring Issues of Racial and Social Justice Locally and Globally. 

Gannon celebrated the dedication and blessing of the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK), and honored its renowned physician assistants as U.S. News and World Report ranked their profession at the top of their 2021 100 Best Jobs and Best Healthcare Jobs lists.  

In March, Occupational therapy doctorate students on the Ruskin, Florida campus participated in the Campaign Against Human Trafficking - SouthShore (CAHT) and Gannon University Symposium in an effort to broaden their practical exposure to patients and families they may encounter who have experienced the traumas surrounding this epidemic, and the University’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee offered a series of workshops and resources to the community. 

Gannon’s on-campus COVID-19 screening, tracing and policies continued to upload community health and safety. The University welcomed Dr. Uché Blackstock as a speaker in CHESS’s ongoing Racial Justice: Be the Change series. 

Gannon Doctor of Physical Therapy Students presented their KnightAbility Clinic, Health and Wellness Fair, and the university’s partnership with CHOSEN International Medical Assistance Inc. brought inter-professional educational experiences to occupational and physical therapy students while delivering on the need for health care equipment and enhancing the lives of those in Erie and across the globe.  

April saw Gannon’s tradition of service continue through Day of Giving, and the university celebrated the dedication and blessing of the freshly renovated Mary, Seat of Wisdom Chapel.  

Gannon occupational therapy students earned the Audrey Parr Parkinson Champion Award for their dedication and commitment to the program; vital to the health and growth of services, education and support for those with PD and their families.  

As May arrived, Gannon business students experienced the 2021 NFL Draft in Cleveland, announced the arrival of a Chick-fil-A location as a new dining option coming to our Erie campus in partnership with Metz Culinary Management, and Gannon’s English Department delivered a unique outdoor reading experience on AJ’s Way. 

We honored 799 students in the graduating class of 2021 in Erie and 97 on the Ruskin campus, announced new National Alumni Board Members, and spent time in service and nature on Alternative Break Service Trips. 

Gannon collaborated with several entities including La Sierra University and the Department of State on the Madaba Digital Documentation and Tourism project, “One Place, Many Stories,” aiming to foster greater appreciation and protection for Jordan’s cultural heritage by showcasing the connection between community members and their local heritage.  

In June, Gannon introduced a new writing major, and two student-produced media, The Gannon Knight and Totem, earned accolades during the American Scholastic Press Association Awards.  

July saw GU set a new program-high as 336 student-athletes earned PSAC Scholar-Athlete honors. Gannon’s Schuster Theatre performed Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus, live-streamed and outdoors and doctor of physical therapy students collaborated with CHOSEN International Medical Assistance Inc. to develop a durable medical equipment exchange program during a service trip to Valladolid, Mexico.  

In August we welcomed the class of 2025 to campus, and September brought the Gannon Family home for Homecoming and Family weekend, while Gannon ranked among the Nation’s Top Universities by U.S. News & World Report.  

The university presented the inaugural Orlando Biomedical Ethics and Catholic Social Teaching Lecture event in a series aimed to drive a more humane world by empowering people with the knowledge and skills they need to respond to the rapidly changing contours of the biomedical sciences with its first event “COVID-19 Vaccines: Individual Freedom and the Common Good.” 

GU celebrated the dedication and blessing of The Hatchery within I-HACK, and the Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge recieved $1.5 million from Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative. Knights spent time in service during Gannon’s Invitation to Volunteer Everywhere, or GIVE Day 2021. 

Gannon also earned its first-ever Honor Roll status as a 2021 Great College to Work For, according to a new survey by The Great Colleges to Work For® program, announced the public launch of Believe. Inspire. Transform. Gannon’s Next Century – a bold $100 million comprehensive fundraising campaign to elevate the resources to advance the university’s mission, and were ranked a top school in the nation by the Wall Street Journal’s 2022 College Rankings. 

In October, the university continued its CHESS Speaker Series, Reinventing Right Now, and Gannon social work and honors student Katie Dickey earn the 2021 Athena Erie Young Professionals Award.  

Gannon partnered with the Jefferson Education Society to host the Global Summit XIII in November bringing speakers from around the world to present on a range of globally important issues, celebrated the 40-year milestone of the Gannon Small Business Development Center, and hosted the 69th annual Model United Nations Conference. 

A collaboration between the biomedical engineering department and industrial and robotics engineering saw Xiaoxu Ji Ph.D., Justo Hernandez, Emily Schweitzer, and Alexa Littman recognized as the second-place winner of the IEOM Human Factors and Ergonomics Competition, and Jake the Therapy Dog won the second annual Paws for Prevention Calendar Contest.  

In December, Gannon women’s volleyball won their way to the NCAA Tournament, and NBC University Television and Streaming senior vice president and Gannon alum Mike Nunes ’01 spoke to our class of 2021 during Winter Commencement.  

This list as far from exhaustive, so much more has happened this year: what were your most memorable moments of 2021? 

Original source can be found here.