Centennial Trustee Associates Gala to honor special members of the Misericordia University community

Centennial Trustee Associates Gala to honor special members of the Misericordia University community

Sisters of Mercy, Dr. Michael and Mrs. Tina MacDowell, Sandy Insalaco, Sr., and Class of 1962 alumna Virginia Donlin Emershaw to be honored

Misericordia University President Emeritus Dr. Michael MacDowell, Tina MacDowell, and trustee emeritus Sandy Insalaco Sr. will be among the very special honorees when the university hosts its Centennial Trustee Associates Gala on September 28, 2024. The board of trustees invites and will give thanks to all trustee associate level donors of the 2023-24 academic year, and will offer a special commemoration to Misericordia’s foundresses, the Sisters of Mercy, and those who carry on their 100-year-old mission today.

The Sisters of Mercy order will be recognized for having opened the door to Luzerne County’s first institution of higher education on September 24, 1924. The Sisters have continued to provide educational offerings based on their charisms of Mercy, Service, Justice and Hospitality, inspiring more than 20,000 alumni to lead lives of service and dedication to their communities. There are six Sisters of Mercy who currently serve on Misericordia’s board of trustees: Ivette V. Diaz, RSM, MSW; Mary Ellen Fuhrman, RSM ’74; Carol Gallagher, RSM ’66; Catherine McGroarty, RSM ’74; Deidre Mullan, RSM, Ph.D.; and Carol Rittner, RSM, Ph.D. ’67.

Misericordia has been awarded $100,000 from the Mercy Foundation to establish the Mercy Foundation Legacy Scholarship, and the university hopes to raise another $100,000 for scholarships through gala sponsorships and honor roll opportunities.

“Celebrating our 100^th anniversary is an exceptional opportunity to look at our extremely successful and merciful past for inspiration as we drive forward into a most exciting, yet challenging second century,” President Daniel J. Myers, Ph.D. said.  “This year’s honorees are among the most influential in Misericordia’s history, and we hope the community will join us in honoring them and helping us build financial support for students for generations to come.” 

Michael and Tina MacDowell of Harveys Lake, and Estero, Florida, will be presented with the 2024 Trustee Associates Award recognizing extraordinary advancements at the university during President MacDowell’s 15-year tenure as the 12^th president from 1998-2013. As president, Dr. MacDowell oversaw unprecedented growth in traditional and non-traditional student enrollment, student quality, athletics, and academic programming, while also adding to the campus facilities and infrastructure resulting in the college’s evolution to a university in 2007. The endowment and annual fund grew exponentially under his leadership, as did the university’s regional and national recognition. Tina MacDowell was active in the regional community and is recognized for spearheading numerous events, art installations, and outdoor beautification projects across the campus. The two were named honorary alumni in 2019 in recognition of their outstanding service and dedication. Among the top living donors to Misericordia, Dr. MacDowell and Tina MacDowell hold lifetime honorary associate status, and have been strategically involved in every fundraising initiative at Misericordia since arriving in 1998.

Insalaco, chair of the board of directors of U.S. Hydrations, founded in 1996, and a principal in Insalaco Development Group, has been an extremely dedicated member of the Misericordia University’s board of trustees since 1998. He will receive the Mercy Mission Medal, exemplifying a willingness to share expertise and treasure to advance the University’s mission and core values. Having served as chair of the board of trustees, his impact ranges from the development of the Insalaco Career Center on campus to providing a substantial gift that led to the construction of Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall in 2009. Spirited by his leadership as campaign co-chair, Now for Tomorrow: The Campaign for Misericordia University is the university’s most successful fundraising effort to date – totaling $39 million raised in support of the endowment, scholarships, and the 2021 construction of the Frank M. and Dorothea Henry Science Center, the largest academic building on campus.

Alumna Virginia “Ginger” Donlin Emershaw, of Akron, Ohio, class of 1962, will receive the prestigious Founders Medal, which recognizes select individuals who have made a philanthropic investment that significantly transforms Misericordia’s ability to serve its students and advance its mission. The Wilkes-Barre native is a lifelong elementary teacher who taught throughout the Akron area, earning many awards and accolades. With her late husband George, she established the Virginia Donlin'62 Scholarship in 2018 in support of students in the Ruth Matthews Bourger Women with Children Program or majoring in education at Misericordia. She has subsequently made a substantial pledge to Misericordia in support of the Misericordia Fund/Immediate Impact and General Scholarship fund.

Although gala admission is by invitation only, numerous sponsorship opportunities and an honor roll listing are available for those who would like to recognize the honorees, and support and celebrate Misericordia’s historic centennial year. Each sponsorship level offers a variety of benefits. For information, go to https://www.misericordia.edu/gala24. The deadline for securing a sponsorship is Thursday, August 29, 2024.

For additional information, contact Marianne Tucker Puhalla, manager of Donor Relations, mpuhalla@misericordia.edu, (570) 674-8201.