The Gannon University men’s club hockey team took a trip to Kennedy Catholic High School on Sept. 16 to play the host team in a scrimmage. At the helm of Kennedy Catholic’s team was coach Shane Cowan, a 2014 Gannon grad who played for Gannon’s coach, the Rev. Jason Glover, while a member of the Knights.
However, this game was more than just any old hockey scrimmage. Recently, Glover had taken on a new title. Adding to his list of teacher, reverend and head coach, Glover can now say he’s a president.
After completing an extensive five-day landscaping project at his parents’ house in the end of May, Glover decided that a cookout was in order to celebrate the new look of the land. No sooner did he light the grill than did Glover’s cell phone rang.
On the other end of the phone was the Rev. Nick Rouch, vicar for Catholic Education for the Diocese of Erie. Rouch wanted to talk to Glover about Kennedy Catholic, the reverend’s alma mater. After excusing himself from his family, Glover was put on speaker phone with Rouch, Dr. Dom Signorino, the diocese’s director of school personnel, and the most Rev. Lawrence T. Persico, bishop of Erie.
The team began by telling Glover that the school’s headmaster had resigned and they wanted to discuss some financial and personnel issues with him. However Glover was a step ahead of them and was aware of the resignation.
After some discussion, Persico offered the job of interim president to Glover, which he gladly accepted as long as he could return to Gannon in the fall. The team was OK with that condition and Glover was headed to Hermitage to start restructuring Kennedy Catholic.
Shortly after Glover’s arrival he realized that he was in deeper water than he expected, but he kept the ship sailing the whole time he was there and did his duty of hiring the right personnel.
As his time there wound down, the issue of hiring a new president drew its curtain. However, diocese officials were having trouble finding the right candidate and had started to accept the fact that they ran out of time.
Consequently, Glover’s title of interim president was removed and he was given the title of president of Kennedy Catholic.
Don’t worry; your favorite religious studies professor won’t be leaving Gannon. Fortunately, Glover has implemented a team that can keep the school running in order to allow him to only have to go there once a week for briefings. However, Glover admits his schedule has gotten exponentially busier.
“It is a tremendous exercise in time management,” Glover said.
As president, Glover has many things he must attend to, he said.
“I have to keep informed—keep my pulse on—everything from curriculum development and implementation, enrollment and retention, finances and fundraising, marketing and advancement, student conduct and athletics, community, alumni, and media relations, the upkeep of the physical plant and be answerable to my board of directors,” Glover said. “It’s the whole she-bang.”
So how does this relate to the scrimmage you ask? Well it gave Gannon a chance to work on some team chemistry and network with high school players and coaches.
This year, Glover is hoping he and the men can work on mental discipline to carry them through the season.
“We had a great season last year, and, if I am reading the cards right in regards to the talent we have brought in and the talent we have retained, I expect even greater success this year,” Glover said.
If the team takes its intensity from practice to the games, then the Knights should turn out a good season.

BRANDON JACES
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