Marywood president announces plan to retire come June

Posted on January 3, 2024 by The Dunmorean

Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D.,the 12^th President of Marywood University, has announced to the Board of Trustees her decision to retire from her role, effective June 30.

Sister Mary was elected President of Marywood University by the University Board of Trustees in April 2016 and began her presidential tenure on July 1, 2016. Throughout her eight-year tenure, the University endowment has nearly doubled and maintained a fiscally responsible status, even during universally challenging financial times in higher education and while the industry as a whole has faced a national downturn in enrollments.

To further strengthen Marywood’s future, Sister Mary is presently guiding the University’s $30 million comprehensive campaign, which is set to conclude upon her retirement. The campaign is designed to fund new construction and academic spaces on campus, to provide scholarships for students, and to enhance the student experience. The state-of-the-art Pascucci Family Health Sciences Pavilion, an addition to the O’Neill Healthy Families Center, which will house all students who study the Health Sciences, will be dedicated in May 2024.

Since 2016, several signature programs have enjoyed expansion, including the Physician Assistant and Architecture programs, and several innovative programs in Respiratory Therapy, Construction Management, and Biotechnology were launched. Last spring, the Living City Lab at Marywood University was established and dedicated to the memory of Jane Jacobs, an urbanist and activist from Scranton; this entity is housed in the Insalaco Center for Studio Arts. Sister Mary also launched the Center for Law, Justice, & Policy, as a precursor to the engagement of students in programs that will lead to legal-related professions. Additionally, the University established the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, out of which grew the Center for Truth and Racial Healing.

Sister Mary’s belief that universities exist to serve the communities that surround them was realized, in part, with the purchase of Marywood Heights, the former Holy Family Skilled Nursing Facility, which is home to nearly 90 residents. Marywood Heights is the first UBRC (University Based Retirement Community) in Northeast Pennsylvania.In addition, the NativityMiguel School of Scranton was relocated to Marywood University in 2019 and is now a permanent addition to campus.

Sister Mary has represented Marywood to the broader higher education community through service on boards and by her presence in the public arena, including a six-year term on the Board of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania, during which time she assumed the role of Chair for one year. She was an appointee of Governor Tom Wolf to the PA Humanities as a Director for six years and also assumed the role of Chair for some of her tenure there. In 2019, Sister Mary was asked to deliver the Commencement Address at the Catholic University of East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. She currently serves as one of ten members on the Governor’s task force for Higher Education in the Commonwealth of PA and has chaired several Middle States site visits during her years as Marywood’s President.

Sister Mary’s leadership has led to global accomplishments, such as online graduate Business programs to students from the Tsingsua Holdings Zijing Education Group in Beijing, China, and from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Support, Alexandria, Egypt. The Office of Global Education also was established during her presidency. Through this office, dozens of students from South Korea spend one semester at Marywood and do practical nursing training in local hospitals and clinics.

When the COVID-19 pandemic arose, Sister Mary guided Marywood through unprecedented, uncertain times, successfully navigating challenges and positioning Marywood to thrive in the aftermath of a global pandemic. The University was able to pivot quickly to sustain its mission and to assist the community to curb the spread of the virus and minimize the pandemic’s consequences. Additionally, she brought national retail partnerships to campus, including Starbucks, the Gear Shop, the Apple Store, and the Amazon Store, to provide an enhanced campus culture to students.

“On behalf of the Trustees, I wish to acknowledge our admiration for Sister Mary, her collaborative leadership, and her bold vision for Marywood,” stated Board President, Lisa Lori, Esq. “Sister Mary has been an inspiration to us all. Throughout the years, and long before her tenure as President, Sister Mary promoted the mission and core values of our University. She has kept them ever before our students, staff, faculty, and administration as the collective light that guides all we do.”

The Board of Trustees will launch a national search for Sister Mary’s successor. The Board of Trustees has hired a search firm/consultant and will be forming a search committee, which will include members of various stakeholder groups. The position is expected to be posted in early January 2024, with a plan to announce finalists for the position in March and a President-Elect by early April 2024.

Sister Mary Persico Celebrates 50th Jubilee

Posted on December 1, 2020 by The Dunmorean

Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., president of Marywood University, was recently honored by the Board of Trustees with an endowed scholarship in her name to celebrate her 50^th Jubilee. Since professing her vows in 1970, Sister Mary has been, and continues to be, a servant leader.

Lisa Lori, Esq. ’93, chair of Marywood University’s Board of Trustees said, “She [Sister Mary] is an incredible leader and is an inspiration to many. She has been an inspiration to me, both professionally and personally. The Board wanted to endow this scholarship to honor her Jubilee Year, but, more than that, to signify the scope of her lifelong dedication to Marywood, as well as to her Congregation, which she loves and cherishes with all that she is. Through this scholarship in her name, generations of students, who might not otherwise have the means to do so will be able to pursue a Marywood education.”

Sister Mary Persico is the 12^th president of Marywood University. She earned her undergraduate degree in education and French from Marywood, her master’s degree in French from Assumption College, and her doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Lehigh University. Sister Mary has served as a teacher, an administrator, and a leader in educational, health care, and congregation settings. She was the treasurer, then the president of the IHM Congregation, serving eight years in each role.

Sister Terry O’Rourke, IHM said, “Sister Mary has always been a person of vision and a master of collaboration. Whenever Sister Mary served in her IHM Ministry, her many gifts and skills led her to ever increasing responsibilities and various leadership roles. Sister Mary has always been and remains a woman of prayer and discernment.”

Following her congregational leadership, Sister Mary went on to serve as executive vice president at Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation. Her lifetime of leadership and service to Marywood University was brought full circle when she took the role as president of the University. In her position as president, she has thrived by guiding Marywood through tough, but prudent decisions to position the University for the 21^st century. Marywood has prospered under her leadership, even when facing unforeseen challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.

During her junior year as a student at Marywood, she entered the IHM community and finished her studies as a candidate. Sister Mary recalls, “I was attracted to the IHM Sisters because of their spirit at Marywood. I was impressed by the way they work, their community, and their sense of service to others, especially the poor and less fortunate. I was hooked.”

For additional information about The Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D. ’69 Scholarship, please visit Marywood University’s Advancement office, at marywood.edu/support/contact/index.html.

Governor Appoints Marywood President to Pennsylvania Humanities Council Board of Directors

Posted on December 4, 2019 by The Dunmorean

MaryPersico_LAC Marywood University’s President, Sister Mary Persico, IHM, Ed.D., was recently elected as the chair of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council’s (PHC) Board of Directors. Sister Mary joined the board in 2017 as an appointee of Governor Tom Wolf, and, in her new role, she succeeds Silas Chamberlin. Governor Wolf reappointed Sister Mary to the board, and her current term will expire in 2023.

“The PA Humanities Council is energized to move vigorously forward at a time when the humanities speak to every part of the human person in addressing the need for beauty, truth, and purpose in the world,” said Sister Mary Persico. “The new Board members bring great enthusiasm and experience to an already accomplished and dedicated group of directors.”

PHC is governed by a 24-seat board of directors, which includes both elected individuals and governor appointees. Currently, 23 members serve on the board with backgrounds in business, law, education, philanthropy, government, arts, and culture. PHC is an independent nonprofit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities and is part of a network of 56 state humanities councils that spans the nation and U.S. jurisdictions.

Sister Mary is the 12th president of Marywood University. Her professional background includes extensive leadership experience. Prior to her presidency, Sister Mary served as executive vice president for Trinity Health, one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, where she was a member of a 14-person corporate team and regularly participated in all financial and operational decision making.

Sister Mary served as the president of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, from 2002-2010. She also served as the IHM Congregation’s treasurer from 1994-2002. Prior to her presidency at Marywood, she served as the executive vice president of mission integration for Trinity Health, Livonia, MI, and the former Catholic Health East, Newtown Square, Pa.

She also served in Catholic secondary education as a principal and a teacher. She earned her bachelor’s degree in French and education from Marywood University, her master’s degree in French from Assumption College, Worcester, Mass., and her doctoral degree in educational leadership from Lehigh University.