AIM Program at Mercyhurst University

time! Each Friday we will feature a person, program, project, etc., that is a key component to our AIM Family.

Today we feature Full Spectrum Fitness (FSF). The FSF program was created a couple of years back when a few AIM students sought support for health and wellness programming in a calmer, more sensory-friendly setting. AIM staff, led by Tacie Valenti, jumped in and partnered with Tyler Travis, director of strength and conditioning with , and created a pilot to try it out. Now several years later the program is thriving! In FSF students build knowledge and skills around fitness, whether that is mobility, endurance, strength, or a combination of all! Lots of research has come out the past few years about benefits of movement and wellness to helping neurodivergent adults - so we're excited to promote FSF as a great way to reap those benefits in a supported fashion! We offer sessions twice a week led by Strength & Conditioning staff (thanks Tyler, Bret and team!) and we're making progress on having some AIM student-supported in off-hours as well.

Here's a few shots from one of our recent sessions!

Thanks to all the AIM Alumni and family members of current AIM students who joined us at our annual Homecoming & Family Weekend gathering. It was a great group and lots of hugs, laughs, and connection. As usual, we did too much talking and not enough taking of photos - but here's a few shots. Special thanks to our friends in the Mercyhurst University Alumni office, Conferences & Events, and Mercyhurst Dining for all their help in making this event happen.

Any AIM or alumni snap any other photos over the weekend? Feel free to share in the comments!

time! Each Friday we will feature a person, program, project, etc., that is a key component to our AIM Family.

Today we feature a few resources dedicated to student well-being on our campus. Mercyhurst is home to a wonderful group of support professionals working in our Health Center and Counseling Center. Mercyhurst AIM students are often connected with these professionals to help stay healthy physically and emotionally.

The Counseling Center is a key partner in support one of our five AISE-V domains key for success in college - emotional support. Students are able to make standing appointments with the Center, and there is also an open hour reserved daily for urgent or emergency situations. We are truly grateful for the care and compassion shown by our friends in the Counseling Center.

Over the past few years Mercyhurst has continued to grow offerings to promote campus-wide wellness. Among those include the creation of a Campus Health and Well-Being Director position, held by our good friend Sue Sweeney. (Sue is the human companion for Gus the Therapy dog - no stranger to this page!) Recent resources include the Whole Health Wellness Wheel, Wellness Coaching, and an interactive Health, Safety, Wellness, and Well-Being Map.

As a program rooted in meeting our students where they are and providing support across the domains - our campus partners are critical and folks on the Health Center, Counseling Center, and Wellness Teams make sure !

Join us for our Open House for Neurodivergent Learners! This event on October 9 is created specifically for neurodivergent high school students interested in learning more about Mercyhurst's Brad McGarry Center for Neurodiversity and the way we support neurodivergent learners. The day is designed to be sensory-friendly, include breaks and space for quiet, and we'll strive to meet student and family needs throughout the day.

We will include presentations to talk about support programs (summer, dual enrollment, school year), application processes, housing, accommodations, and much more. We plan to include testimonials from current AIM students and families, a campus tour, lunch dining hall and more.

We do ask for advance registration, so please visit https://mhur.st/neuro-open to register - and feel free to contact us at [email protected] with any questions!

Open House for Neurodivergent Learners  

We are so excited for Homecoming & Family Weekend! We can't wait to see AIM Alumni and family members of our current students. See you Saturday at 10 am in the Waterford Room in Ryan Hall! #100

Headed HOME this weekend for Centennial Homecoming Weekend?
We can’t wait to have you on campus 💙☘️

time! Each Friday we will feature a person, program, project, etc., that is a key component to our AIM Family.

Today we feature one of our very favorite weekly AIM programs - Cooking and Camaraderie! We host this event each Monday evening during the semester in our Mercy Apartments. It is a collaborative gathering where students work together with AIM staff to prepare a meal and enjoy the fruit of that labor around the table. This program provides experience in two of our domains - independent living and social connection. A newer wrinkle we've added is that regular attendees are treated for a meal out in Erie at the end of each month to celebrate their hard work and to try new foods. (And they love not having to do the dishes afterwards!)

Here's a few photos from our one of our first Cooking nights of the year, plus a couple from the last few years. Anyone willing to share some meal ideas?

Attention families of current AIM students and AIM Alumni - are you registered for our upcoming Homecoming & Family Weekend event? If not, what are you waiting for? It's always a good time catching up with familiar faces, meeting new people, and of course enjoying some delicious food! There's no charge - we just ask for registration so we order enough food! Visit https://www.mercyhurst.edu/homecoming to register for all the amazing weekend activities as we celebrate Mercyhurst's big 100th birthday!

time! Each Friday we will feature a person, program, project, etc., that is a key component to our AIM Family.

Today we feature our wonderful friends at Mercyhurst Dining - one of our amazing on-campus partners. The fine folks here not only do a great job each and every day feeding campus - they constantly go above and beyond in support of our neurodivergent learners. Whether it is navigating the dining options, talking about dietary restrictions, hosting appreciation events, and of course the legendary Chopped events each summer - we simply cannot say enough good things about this group. We gave them one of our annual awards back in May 2025 - but they continue to deliver the goods (and beautiful cookies!)

Who has a favorite item from the Grotto or 501 Grill? Ryan will start - Chef Art's "Make it Hot" events - last year's mapo tofu was my favorite!

Thanks to all! Now let's go to lunch. ☘

We are just a couple of weeks away from our first virtual information session of the year being held Sept. 16 at 7 pm EST. This is a great chance for students and families interested in our programming to sit back and learn about our summer, dual enrollment, and AIM Programs, the application process, costs, and have all your questions answered! Register today at https://mhur.st/aim-info or contact us at [email protected]!

Center for Neurodiversity Information Session  

time! Each Friday we will feature a person, program, project, etc., that is a key component to our AIM Family.

Today we feature Maddie Huffer, the newest member to join our AIM Staff. Maddie is serving as a Graduate Assistant this year with AIM. She's in year two of her Master's in Organizational Leadership. Maddie was a member of the field hockey team here at Mercyhurst, and is a native of Macungie, Pa.

In addition to her vast knowledge of Mercyhurst, Maddie also brings valuable insight to our Career Path programming, as for much of the past year she was an intern in the Human Resources Department at Country Fair (working closely with a couple of Mercyhurst grads Steve and Jessica!). In that role Maddie was involved in resume review, background checks, and much more - a valuable extra set of eyes to help review student resumes! Maddie will also help with a variety other AIM Programming including Full Spectrum Fitness, pickleball, and more!

Welcome Maddie - we are thrilled to have you join us!