PBC Dinner Raises $1.1 Million in Support of Presidential Scholarships

Oct 18, 2010
Mary Beth Farrell ’79, chair of the President’s Business Council (left) and University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. (right ) and, present Joseph T. Sebastianelli, Esq., ’68, President and CEO of Jefferson Health System Inc.,  with the university’s President’s Medal at the President’s Business Council Annual Award Dinner held on Thursday, Oct. 7, at The Pierre in New York City.
Mary Beth Farrell ’79, chair of the President’s Business Council (left) and University of Scranton President Rev. Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. (right ) and, present Joseph T. Sebastianelli, Esq., ’68, President and CEO of Jefferson Health System Inc., with the university’s President’s Medal at the President’s Business Council Annual Award Dinner held on Thursday, Oct. 7, at The Pierre in New York City.

Joseph T. Sebastianelli, Esq., ’68, president and CEO of Jefferson Health System Inc., was honored with The University of Scranton’s President’s Medal at the President’s Business Council Ninth Annual Award Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 7, at The Pierre in New York City.

Proceeds from the annual dinner, which raised $1.1 million, go directly to the Presidential Scholarship Endowment Fund in support of Presidential Scholarships.

“The Presidential Scholarship made accessible to me an education that would have otherwise been beyond my reach,” said Presidential Scholar Daniel Herr ’11 in his address to the 575 attending the dinner. Presidential Scholarships are four-year, full-tuition, merit-based scholarships awarded to the top students entering The University of Scranton’s incoming class each year.

University of Scranton President Scott. R. Pilarz, S.J., thanked those in attendance for their substantial support that allows Scranton to make “the magic that works for our students.”

A native of Jessup and a trustee of The University of Scranton, Sebastianelli remembered his parents in his remarks.

“The driving force in their lives was to educate their children,” said Sebastianelli of his parents who emigrated from Italy to the United States.

 Sebastianelli has served as the president and CEO of Jefferson Health System since 2002. Jefferson Health System is the largest health system in southeastern Pennsylvania, and has the greatest geographic coverage and market share in the region. It is the second-largest health-care provider in Pennsylvania, and was ranked by Modern Healthcare as 42nd in the country, based on 2009 figures.

After graduating from Scranton, Sebastianelli graduated with highest honors from Villanova Law School.

Sebastianelli resides in Berwyn with his wife, Leanne, and their daughter, Julia. Sebastianelli also has three sons and three grandchildren.

Arthur J. Kania, Esq., of Scranton’s class of 1953, senior partner of Kania, Lindner, Lasak, & Feeney and the 2005 President’s Medal recipient, and Thomas G. Hogan Jr. of Scranton’s class of 1979, senior vice president of MetLife Inc., were co-chairs of the annual dinner. Timothy J. Pryle ’89 is The University of Scranton’s director of the President’s Business Council.

 


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