In May, University President Scott R. Pilarz, S.J., announced the establishment of the Gail and Francis Slattery Center for Humanities, which opened this fall in a grand Victorian home on the corner of Mulberry Street and Clay Avenue.
The Center is named after the parents of benefactor and current University Trustee James M. Slattery ’86 and his wife, Betsy, of Peach Tree City, Georgia.
“It struck Betsy and me that places like Scranton are special because they are Jesuit and as such, the humanities need to be lived and promoted and not merely viewed as a check-box on a curriculum. Because in reality, as a working-class undergrad, my experience in these classes opened up ideas, worlds and possibilities to me that I had not before imagined,” said James Slattery.
James Slattery, chief operating officer of North America for Melrose PLC, earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting. He has been active with the University’s President’s Business Council (PBC) and served as chair of its annual award dinner in 2013. Betsy Slattery is an active community volunteer.
Through the Center’s programs, elevated discourse on an array of topics and civic engagement will be encouraged by members of the University community, as well as by residents throughout the greater Scranton area.
“The humanities ground our academic disciplines and pursuits of The University of Scranton while also asking us to engage on a global and historical level,” said Yamile Silva, Ph.D., chair of the Department of World Languages and Cultures, at the announcement. “Through the humanities, our students learn about the values of di erent cultures, about what goes into writing a play, about what history is made, about the pursuit of the truth.”
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