The organization, which offers scholarships to students in the program, is searching for a new Manager to operate the program.
The organization, which offers scholarships to students in the program, is searching for a new Manager to operate the program.
The Gannon Scholars Program, a women’s leadership organization at Loyola, is dealing with management issues after losing three program managers in the past year, leaving students frustrated and concerned about the program’s future.
Fourth-year environmental science major Rowan Schul is one of over 40 members in the Gannon Scholars Program. Schul said the program’s quality of leadership began to decline at the start of 2023. Throughout her third and fourth years in the program, three program managers resigned.
As one of the leading fourth-years for the program, Schul said she’s concerned about the direction the program is heading.
“I kind of hate the program at this point,” Schul said. “I’m long past asking for the stuff that I needed help with from a program manager.”
Founded in 1984, the Gannon Scholars Leadership Program is a four-year advocacy group, which is composed of 10 students from each grade. Throughout their college career, each scholar is granted $8,000 annually for their participation along with other supplemental grants. Every Monday, the scholars meet to discuss social justice issues and work to form a community of academic excellence.
Following the resignation of the most recent program manager, Jessica Robinson, Gannon Center Director Gabrielle Buckley has stepped up to lead temporarily until the position is filled. Buckley receives assistance from Research Advisor Anne Grauer and Assistant Professor Paula Tallman.
Tallman declined to comment because she said she’s recognized as a Gannon Center faculty member only and can’t speak on staffing inconsistencies. Grauer was unable to comment because she only controls the day-to-day operations of the program.
The first program manager, Sarah Hallett, stepped down early into the 2023 spring semester. Hallett couldn’t be contacted regarding her resignation.
Schul said the second program manager who was hired, Jessica Robinson, would attempt to push back on Buckley attending the meetings because she noticed students weren’t comfortable with her being present at meetings.
After serving a short term from January to June, Robinson decided to leave because of a family emergency, Buckley said. The Phoenix was unable to reach Robinson for comment.
During the first three weeks of August, another program manager, Alexandra Lakind, led the program. The Phoenix was unable to reach Alexandra Lakind for comment.
One of the roles the program manager plays is organizing and distributing supplemental scholarships to each scholar annually. Each member applies for the scholarships at the beginning of June and finds out how much money they’ve earned by July, according to Schul.
“This year, we had no information about anything toward the scholarships,” Schul said. “This is around the same time our second project manager quit and told us that information will be coming soon.”
Schul said some scholars received the wrong scholarships and had difficulties seeing their scholarship balance in their LOCUS accounts.
The Gannon Scholars Program begins with each student choosing a social justice issue they care about. A Google Form is submitted regarding each person’s decision. The project manager was previously in charge of presentations and organizing when people would present, according to Schul.
During each summer, the scholars receive a schedule laying out the entire year. This year, no schedule was created.
“Usually the schedules tell us when our final presentations are and whether this is during first or second semester,” Schul said. “We didn’t get any information about whether the presentations were still going to happen.”
A tradition in the Gannon Scholars Program is for each new member to receive an upperclassmen mentor for their first year in the program. This year there was no mentoring for new members, Schul said.
Buckley said she recognizes the issues within the Gannon Scholars Program and hopes to steer the program in a different direction from where it’s been for the past several years.
“It’s been my number one goal to get the new program in motion as soon as possible,” Buckley said.
Schul said she hopes for a program manager who’s organized and can fix further issues. She said she’s currently upset with the leadership shown by Buckley in the program. For reference, the Gannon Scholars Program has a Sakai page which so far hasn’t been updated this year, Schul said.
“There’s microaggressions, to be honest,” Schul said. “She still can’t tell some of us apart and has gotten my name wrong before even though I’ve been here for four years.”
In efforts to change the Gannon Scholars Program, students are advocating to reinvent the group. Schul said she hopes newer members can create a community they’re happy to be a part of.
Buckley said she spoke with one of the student members and discussed changes which can be made to Monday night meetings. The students hope for a program with more expert involvement and increased opportunities for volunteer work, according to Buckley.
Schul said she believes many of the other scholars are afraid to speak up in fear of retaliation and are worried about losing their scholarship along with their place in the program. Several members declined The Phoenix’s request for comments.
In an effort to improve the program, Buckley said she’s incorporated guest speakers and other professionals into the meetings. So far, guest speakers from the National Immigrant Justice Center and Sarah’s Circle have participated in meetings.
Schul said she hopes the Gannon Scholars Program can become more well-known by the student body through updating their website and advocating for change outside of the classroom meetings.
The search committee for the new program manager is currently in session, Buckley said.
The program is looking for someone with a master’s degree, two to five years of experience with student advising or teaching at a university level and who can interact well with students and faculty, according to Buckley.
“The students want someone they can identify with who’s going to be very helpful for guiding them with research,” Buckley said.
While the wait for the new program manager continues, Schul said she hopes the underclassmen can help represent the issues present in their program and continue a positive legacy for the Gannon Center.
“I mean, it gets exhausting,” Schul said. “The program can be better and it needs to get better.”
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