ERIE — Mercyhurst College is now Mercyhurst University, as the Erie school founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1926 seeks to expand its graduate-level programs.

An Erie newspaper says Mercyhurst president Tom Gamble announced the change has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Normally, university status is bestowed on schools only after they offer a doctorate program. The state gave Mercyhurst a waiver because school officials are working on a doctoral program in archaeology.

The university designation will help the school secure more research funding and offer more graduate degree and, eventually, doctoral programs.

Gamble says he expects the school will maintain an undergraduate enrollment of roughly 2,500, but expects its online and graduate degree enrollments to increase.

HARRISBURG — A task force charged with studying Pennsylvania’s child-abuse reporting system and related laws is starting its work.The inaugural meeting of the Task Force on Child Protection began Thursday with members getting to know each other and discussing the schedule for their deliberations.Chairman David Heckler, the Bucks County district attorney, told members he’s hoping they can figure out in the coming months if they have some consensus about potential changes to state law.That’s so they can pass on those recommendations to state lawmakers for potential consideration during the current legislative session.The House and Senate set up the task force in response to the child sex-abuse scandal in which former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is accused of molesting boys. Sandusky denies the allegations.