The Alvernia Impact
Discover how Alvernia University students, alumni, and faculty turn education into action. Explore success stories of leadership, service, and innovation that reflect our Franciscan mission. Ready to see where your story begins? Explore how you can join a community that leads with purpose.
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Alvernia’s director of grants wins national poetry contest
Note: "Leaf Manifesto" was released in September 2025. Purchase it on Middle Creek Publishing's site. Below is the original story, published in February 2025: Director of grants at Alvernia by day, Laurel Radzieski grants herself some poetic ...
Pre-professional program helps land spot at one of world's top veterinary schools
You might say Kaylie Rowe’s spark for animal care ignited when the town’s “crazy cat lady” walked into her mother’s workplace when Rowe was a child. “I have kittens that need homes!” she declared.One of those kittens, a black domestic shorthair na...
Department of Science chair loves to dive into research with students
Though he wears hats as associate professor of both biology and physical therapy and as the Department of Science chair at Alvernia University, at the heart of everything Eric Recktenwald does is research. That, and his students. A grad...
College of STEAM dean wants students to feel valued
There’s a reason – perhaps many actually – why you’ll almost always find students waiting outside of David Shoup’s office door: He’s there for them and wants them to feel like they are cared about and a part of the Alvernia family.Shoup came to Al...