On , Mercyhurst College opened its doors just a few blocks away from the city's southern boundary. It was founded by the
Sisters of Mercy of the
Diocese of Erie, who were led by
Borgia Egan, who became the first president of Mercyhurst College. In 1963, the college prep department separated from the university to form
Mercyhurst Preparatory School, which is located behind the university. In September 2012, the Center for Academic Engagement opened, a four-story, building that is set into a rolling hill north of Hammermill Library and features a skywalk over East Main Drive to connect the two facilities. The building, which boasts many green technologies, houses classrooms and lab space for two of Mercyhurst's signature programs — Intelligence Studies and Hospitality Management — as well as the Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society and the Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics (MCAP). It also includes a dining hall, lounge area, convenience store, and a 150-seat banquet hall.
Sexual assault allegations (2004) On October 10, 2004, the
Erie Times-News published a story stating that former president William Garvey molested grade school boys while serving as a basketball coach at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in
Erie. The article further stated that "two current Erie residents told the Erie Times-News that Garvey paid them to have sex with him in the early to mid-1980s, when both men were minors". On December 17, 2004, the paper reported that Garvey "abruptly announced his retirement Thursday, months before the completion of a college-ordered investigation Garvey had predicted would exonerate him". A few months after Garvey retired, an investigation conducted by retired Erie County Judge Michael Palmisano, at the instruction of the board of trustees, determined that the allegations against Garvey "appear[ed] to have merit". The campus' central park was once named "Garvey Park" in honor of Garvey, but following the allegations, it was renamed to "Trinity Green". ==Campus==