A three-day silent Ignatian retreat will be held Friday, Nov. 12, through Sunday, Nov. 14 at the Retreat Center at Chapman Lake. This is an opportunity for students to find God's grace through the gift of silence.

Applications are available through Wednesday, Nov. 3. For additional information or questions, contact Sr. Carol Tropiano at 941-7713.

The BrainTrack Computer Science Degree Scholarship is designed to help others considering computer science or information technology related careers by taking advantage of the experiences of entrants. Here is a summary: 

• Selection Criteria:  Winners are selected based on the creativity, focus, overall thoughtfulness, accuracy and practical value of responses to essay questions. The questions ask students about how they chose computer science or IT, their experiences as a student, and their suggestions for prospective students. BrainTrack publishes the most helpful responses for use by future students. 
• Awards: The best entry for each competition is awarded $1000; the runner-up $500.  
• Deadlines:  Scholarship competitions run twice a year, for each semester. Submission deadlines are March 1 and November 1, with the next deadlines being Nov. 1, 2010 and March 1, 2011.    
• Costs:  None. 
• Privacy:  All entrant names and contact information will be kept private for use only in the scholarship, except for the winners whose names will be published. 
• Requirements:  Entrants must be currently taking classes in an appropriate computer science or IT degree program with at least one semester of studies completed.  Studies can be full-time, part-time, on-campus, or online and must be at an accredited U.S. college. 

About BrainTrack: BrainTrack was established in 1996 and is referenced by thousands of sites, including: universities like Stanford, Harvard, and Yale; government organizations like the US Library of Congress; and publishers like Elsevier and the New York Times.  We help visitors make academic and career decisions through our content, which features a directory that lists over 10,000 higher education institutions from over 190 countries.  We also provide original content such as guides for careers and colleges by religion, interviews, a daily newsfeed, and articles on topics such as financial aid and accreditation. 

Candidates can review scholarship rules and complete the application at http://www.braintrack.com/degree-programs-and-certifications/articles/computer-programming-degrees.

Come and join the IEEE Club for a meeting on Thursday, Oct. 7, from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., in St. Thomas Hall, room 292. This week’s guest speaker is Dr. Dan West, who works at the University in the Health Administration Department. Free pizza and soda will be provided. Everyone is welcome.

The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a club that provides students with the opportunity not only to participate in a campus wide event in the form of an IEEE seminar series (presentations by distinguished scientists, community business leaders, as well as our alumni and various employers/prospective job companies), but also as a time and place to pursue the club agenda, professional development and networking.

Are you interested in studying abroad? Well, it’s not too late. The deadline for applications for intersession 2011 is Thursday, Oct. 7, and for spring 2011 is Friday, Oct. 15.  

Have questions about studying abroad? We have answers! Please stop by the Study Abroad office in St. Thomas Hall, room 508, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and talk to our global ambassadors. We have students who have studied abroad in various countries including Australia, England, Ireland, China, Italy and many more who are willing to answer any questions you may have.  

Rome representative: 
On Wednesday, Oct. 13, Colleen Calvey from Loyola University will be here representing the John Felice Rome Center. She will be located in the DeNaples Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to answer any questions you might have.

Participate in the tuition raffle – open to all full-time undergraduate students  — and get your full tuition paid for the spring 2011 semester!

HOW? Raffle tickets were mailed to your home address in the beginning of the fall 2010 semester. You or your parents should fill out the raffle tickets and send them to:

The University of Scranton Programming Board (USPB) Office
205Q The DeNaples Center
800 Linden Street
Scranton, PA 18510

For more information, and questions or concerns, e-mail uspb@scranton.edu.

• Employee or is a dependent of an employee of the Gerrity’s Supermarkets
• Full-time undergraduate of The University of Scranton
• Submission of the 2010-2011 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
• Applications available in the Financial Aid Office, St Thomas Hall, Suite 410

The Community Outreach Office is sponsoring spring break service trips. If you are interested, please attend an information session Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 8 p.m. or Thursday, Oct. 14, at noon in the DeNaples Center’s Moskovitz Theater.  Trips are tentatively planned to Yakima, Wash.; Chicago, Ill.; Washington, D.C.; Hurley, Va.; New Orleans, La.; Kentucky; and Arizona. For more information, contact Lori Moran in the Community Outreach Office, DeNaples 205-B, at 941-7429 or moranl7@scranton.edu.

• Available to University of Scranton students of Lithuanian ancestry who meet the University’s scholarship criteria (minimum cumulative 3.0 GPA).
• Award is renewable provided the recipient continues to meet the University’s Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements.
• Eligible applicants must submit a written request explaining their line of ancestry.
• Applications should be submitted to Mrs. Mirtha Wilczynski, Financial Aid Office, St Thomas Hall, Suite 401.

Drs. Linda Ledford-Miller and Sharon Meagher will take a group of students to Rwanda to examine issues of gender equality in a comparative context. The 3-credit women’s studies course, WOMN 384 Gender Equity in U.S. & Rwanda, will feature a 16-day trip to Rwanda, scheduled Jan. 5-23, 2011.  

“Rwanda presents an interesting comparison to the situation for women in the US.  On formal measures of gender equity such as formal political representation, Rwanda far outranks the U.S..  Yet on informal measures of women’s empowerment, most women in the U.S. fare better in everyday life,” noted Dr. Meagher, director of Women’s Studies and one of the course instructors. 

“This course presents a fantastic opportunity for University of Scranton students to engage in dialogue with students in Rwanda,” Dr. Meagher continued. “We will work closely with master’s degree students at the Kigali Institute’s Centre for Gender, Culture, and Development. Students will have the opportunity to work closely with the Rwandan professionals who are enrolled in the master’s degree program, including having the opportunity to shadow them in their day jobs and/or visiting their homes.” 

In addition, the course trip will feature visits to high schools in Rwanda, as well as to women’s economic cooperatives. At least one day will be dedicated to volunteer work at an orphanage and/or a related project to provide homes for orphans and widows who adopt them.Informational sessions are scheduled for Friday, Oct. 1, from 10:30 to 11 a.m. at Dionne Green amphitheater (in case of rain: the DeNaples Center, room 405) and Friday, Oct. 1, at noon in the DeNaples Center, room 405.

Interested students must complete a simple application; no online registration is available for this course. Students will be charged 1 credit for the 3 credit course, plus travel costs. For additional information about the course and its costs, contact Dr. Meagher at Sharon.meagher@scranton.edu or LAWS@scranton.edu.