Spring 2026

A Message from our President

Dear Friends:

Each morning, on the path from my apartment to my office, I pass a statue of “Christ the Teacher.” The sculpture beautifully depicts the awakening of wisdom in an individual, inspired by the lessons of Jesus. Stories within The Scranton Journal vividly bring this concept to life.

As Royals, you embrace mentoring as an expression of magis, a commitment that extends well beyond your time as a student. When our graduates enter the world to share their talents and shape their futures, alumni in similar vocations stand ready as advocates and guides.

This spring issue presents personal narratives of three accomplished mentors: Brian McNany ’99, managing director of investment banking at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) Bank; Amy Kaiser ’20, a pediatric oncology nurse at New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital; and Brian Gavin ’00, senior vice president of communication and marketing at Volunteers of America, Washington, D.C.

These fine alumni have distinguished themselves in demanding and influential arenas, steering growth in the corporate sector for one of the world’s largest financial institutions, creating communications strategies for the nation’s largest human services organization, and delivering specialized clinical care to children facing cancer at a premier hospital in the country’s most populous city. Yet alongside professional achievement, each has made mentoring fellow Royals a priority, opening doors, offering guidance and helping translate aspirations into opportunities.

Their stories represent just a fraction of the mentorships that empower students to actualize their ambitions, which is a shared goal at the heart of this University. In December, our Board of Trustees approved a new Strategic Plan built on extensive work by the University Planning Committee. Among its precepts, outlined in this issue, are career-connected learning and success grounded in the Ignatian ideal of cura personalis.

That same ideal is exemplified by former U.S. Senator Bob Casey in his new role engaging Royals toward lives of public service. In the pages ahead, he reflects on his work as our first Leahy Distinguished Fellow and on his enduring bond with Scranton.

The magazine also identifies three alumni whose professions connect deeply to their Jesuit education. In Australia, Lyndsey Collins-Praino, Ph.D. ’06 takes a humanistic approach to neuroscience, working closely with people who experience brain diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In New York City, Matt DiLiberto ’96 balances the roles of Chief Financial Officer, active firefighter and fundraising chair for the FDNY Foundation. And in Washington, D.C., at the Office of Management and Budget, Matthew Tibbitts ’14 draws on a transformative Fulbright teaching experience, assistantships at Georgetown University and an extensive nonprofit background to inform his approach to federal policy.

Please continue to remember the University in your prayers and be assured of mine in return.
God bless you and GO ROYALS!!

Yours Faithfully,
Rev. Joseph G. Marina, S.J.
President

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