News

��ԭ��'s Catalyst Program Propels Bronx Students

znegron@mercy.edu — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 17:33:53 +0000

��ԭ��'s Catalyst Program Propels Bronx Students znegron@mercy.edu Thu, 04/02/2026 - 13:33 ��ԭ�� News

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From left to right top: Catalyst Program students Weifry Guzman and Brandon Rios. Bottom: Ajani Brown

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Catalyst Program students at ��ԭ��'s Bronx campus are proving that comprehensive support can transform educational outcomes, by achieving academic excellence while building foundations for future careers.

Weifry Guzman, a sophomore with a 3.9 GPA, and freshmen Ajani Brown and Brandon Rios, both maintaining perfect 4.0 GPAs, credit the program's wraparound services with enabling them to focus entirely on academics without the financial pressures that burden many college students.

The Catalyst Program, exclusive to ��ԭ��'s Bronx Campus, provides financial aid support, on-campus meals, free books, transportation stipends, laptops with internet hotspots and dedicated mentoring to students pursuing degrees in business, education, social work or psychology — fields selected to address employment demands in the Bronx area.

"The program offers a full-ride scholarship, allowing students to focus on their education without the stress of taking on student loans or working long hours to pay for tuition," Guzman said. "The cohort model has been especially valuable because it creates a strong sense of community and accountability. Through this model, I have been able to build meaningful friendships where we support one another and push each other to become better students every day."

The finance or accounting hopeful was drawn to the program after a recruiter visited his high school, explaining how the initiative would support students from enrollment through job placement.

For Brown, the program represented a fresh start after high school struggles. "Your high school GPA doesn't define who you will become — everyone deserves a second chance and an opportunity to do great things," he said. "The program has given me so much. It's given me the perfect environment to be a good student and to do things differently than what I did before when I was in high school."

Brown has already secured a teaching assistant position through a professor's recommendation after just one semester. "The program has given me a community of people who believe in me and my abilities," he said.

Rios emphasized the program's impact beyond financial support. "It's not only about the financial benefits it provides you, but more importantly, the connections you make along the way," he said. "My professors, mentors and best friends I have all met through the Catalyst program."

Students in the program, known as Catalysts, attend classes together in learning communities and receive support from faculty advisors and personal mentors. Guzman noted the accessibility of support: "The professors and mentors are extremely supportive and always make sure we have their contact information, so they are easily accessible. They genuinely care about our progress."

Brown said the program eliminates common college obstacles. "With Catalyst, everything is great — you don't have to worry about meals much, you can just put 100% of your attention into being a great student."

All three students said they would recommend the program to future students. Rios, who selected ��ԭ�� as his top choice before learning about Catalyst, said the program's benefits "made it better," particularly regarding "future opportunities that would guarantee me a job after graduation."

More information about the Catalyst Program is available at www.mercy.edu/admissions-aid/catalyst.

Hidden Figures of ��ԭ��: The Women Who Built a University

znegron@mercy.edu — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:46:00 +0000

Hidden Figures of ��ԭ��: The Women Who Built a University znegron@mercy.edu Mon, 03/30/2026 - 16:46 School of Education ��ԭ�� News

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Sisters of ��ԭ��. From left to right: the second, third and fourth individuals are Sister Mary Regina Haughney, Sister Mary Jeanne Ferrier, and Sister Mary Gratia Maher.

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Women’s History Month invites reflection. At ��ԭ��, that reflection runs deep, because the women at the center of this institution’s founding weren’t just participants in history. They made it.

On March 16, ��ԭ��’s School of Education hosted “Hidden Figures of ��ԭ��: Women Leaders Who Shaped Our Early Years,” a presentation by Dean Eric Martone. The event was part of ��ԭ��’s Women’s History Month programming and our 75th anniversary celebration — a year dedicated to honoring the people and decisions that brought this university into existence.

Martone, who co-authored “��ԭ�� College: Yesterday & Today” with Associate Professor Michael Perrota, has spent years reconstructing that story from letters, records and archival materials. What he’s found is a history more layered, more dramatic and more human than many Mavericks know.

In recounting the history of ��ԭ��, Martone highlighted a small group of “hidden” leaders from the 1950s and early 1960s who deserve renewed recognition. Among these figures were Sister Mary Regina, Sister Mary Jeanne Ferrier, and Sister Mary Salome White. Several factors contributed to their omission from the official narrative, he noted: the Sisters themselves, at times “embarrassed” by the college’s humble beginnings, tended to downplay this formative period. Moreover, the presidency in the 1950s was not a fully distinct executive role, as these women held the title by virtue of serving as Mother Provincial rather than as solely dedicated institutional leaders. A similar pattern can be seen in the early leadership of the Board of Trustees. The first two chairs — Sister Mary Regina Haughney and Sister Mary Constance Golden — are often overlooked, largely because a new board structure was established when ��ԭ�� transitioned to an independent, nonsectarian institution at the end of the 1960s.

The Foundation: Sisters of ��ԭ�� in Tarrytown

In 1892, the Sisters of ��ԭ�� left New York City for Westchester, acquiring the Kingsland Estate in Tarrytown — named for Ambrose Kingsland, a wealthy merchant and former mayor of New York City, best remembered for establishing Central Park. The property would become the Sisters’ home, orphanage, school and eventually, the start of a university.

Their mission was clear from the beginning. The Sisters believed that education was the most direct path out of poverty — and that poverty wasn’t only a material condition.

“They believed very much in this mission of trying to make education accessible to anyone who wanted to achieve it,” Martone said. “And that achieving higher education could help people get better jobs, become more cultured and more intellectual.” He continued, “That would then help them escape levels of poverty, including ignorance. So, escaping poverty was not just a material thing, it was also an intellectual thing. Escaping poverty meant not only overcoming financial hardship but also overcoming ignorance.”

Their neighbors on the hill happened to be the Rockefellers.

John D. Rockefeller Sr. had purchased roughly 400 acres in Tarrytown in the 1880s, eventually building Kykuit mansion, the family’s principal residence for decades. The proximity created an unlikely relationship. The Sisters, mostly from working-class backgrounds, were drawn to the Rockefeller gardens and occasionally wandered close to the family’s home. The Rockefellers responded with a polite but pointed letter requesting the Sisters to be more mindful about getting too close to the mansion and infringing on their privacy.

What followed was decades of an arrangement that neither party understood in the same way. The Sisters’ property was often in need of maintenance work, as the Sisters were often in need of extra funding. This prompted the Rockefellers to view the Sisters’ property as unkempt and the noise from the children’s orphanage and later school as disruptive. The Rockefellers spent decades, on and off, unsuccessfully trying to purchase the Sisters’ property and support their relocation. As an alternative, the Rockefellers’ solution, consistently, was to write a check to address whatever bothered them. They repaired the gate, repaired and painted the Sisters’ roof green to blend it into the hillside, relocated the noisy children’s playground to the far side of the property, and eventually paid to reroute an entire railroad line that ran through the Sisters’ land — not purely out of generosity toward the Sisters, but because, like the playground, the sound of it disturbed the serenity of their quiet country estate.

“The Rockefellers are doing all these things like this for the Sisters primarily to help them enjoy their own property better,” Martone noted, “but the Sisters started feeling like the Rockefellers were becoming their patrons.”

Over time, particularly through Nelson Rockefeller, who grew up with the Sisters as neighbors and later served as governor of New York and vice president of the United States, the family became one of the Sisters’ most reliable benefactors. Nelson had the most altruistic attitude toward helping the Sisters compared to his father and grandfather. He paid to plow their driveway, donated company stock to help them purchase tractors and helped fund gymnasium repairs.

Sister Mary Gratia Maher (1890s-1970): Building the College

By the late 1940s, the Sisters had been training their own members as teachers and paying other institutions to grant them academic credit. The arrangement worked — until the Sisters asked themselves why. Why were they paying outside institutions, which had been founded by men, to credential women the Sisters themselves were educating?

That question became ��ԭ�� Junior College. And Sister Mary Gratia Maher was charged with building it.

Maher was born in the 1890s to Irish-American parents and had spent her professional life as a teacher and administrator in the Bronx, most notably as principal of St. Catharine’s Academy — the same site that would host what would evolve into ��ԭ��’s Bronx campus. She held degrees from Fordham and the Catholic University of America and was completing her doctoral dissertation at the time she took on the task of creating a new institution of higher education. Her dissertation subject: women’s religious instruction at women’s Catholic colleges.

She drafted the curriculum. She handled every registration requirement. She managed every administrative process necessary to open and operate a college. She became ��ԭ��’s first dean — a position that would evolve into the provost — and held it from 1950 to 1962. ��ԭ��’s first classes were held September 18, 1950, the date recognized as the university’s founding and the reason Founders’ Festival falls in September.

“There was a movement among these women religious orders at that time,” Martone said, “to create a process to educate the women of their order themselves and to take that education out of the hands of other Catholic institutions.”

While still Dean, Maher simultaneously became the first president of ��ԭ�� College when it relaunched as a four-year institution at Dobbs Ferry in 1961 to 1962. Maher also holds the distinction of being ��ԭ��’s first president emeritus.

The inauguration of ��ԭ��'s Dobbs Ferry campus, starting from the left, the first person is Sister Mary Jeanne Ferrier, and the fourth is Sister Mary Regina Haughney. Cardinal Spellman is the man in the middle.

Sister Mary Jeanne Ferrier (1909-1996): The Negotiator

When the New York State Education Department (NYSED) determined that the Tarrytown property was insufficient for the college expansions that the Sisters envisioned, they issued a deadline: find a suitable site or lose your approval.

Sister Mary Jeanne Ferrier, Provincial of the ��ԭ�� community and the institution’s president at that time, took the assignment.

What followed was an extraordinary exercise in leadership under pressure. Ferrier surveyed ten potential properties before the Sisters secured the 85-acre Edwin Gould Estate in Dobbs Ferry in 1957 — the campus ��ԭ�� occupies today. Purchased in 1958 for $350,000, the property sits on land that was once a Native American village. Known as Agawam, the estate’s main house stood where ��ԭ�� Hall now stands, chosen for the same reason Edwin Gould chose it: it commands the highest point on the hill, with a clear view of the Hudson River.

Financing the move required selling the Tarrytown property, which meant negotiating directly with the Rockefellers. Ferrier initially secured $1.6 million for the estate, with Rockefeller setting a cap of $1.75 million with his attorney as a combination of the fair market value of the property and a charitable contribution to support their location. She also arranged for the Sisters to lease back the property for one dollar per year while construction on the new campus was completed.

Rockefeller Jr. then asked the Sisters for a “favor” of agreeing to delay the public announcement of the charitable gift until October. Nelson Rockefeller was running for governor that year, and the timing of this announcement would benefit Nelson with Catholic voters (since he was a Protestant) in the final stretch of the campaign. The Sisters ultimately received the capped amount of $1.75 million in shares of Standard Oil stock for their property. Nelson won the governorship and would eventually serve as vice president under President Ford.

Rockefeller Jr. described Ferrier as “wise, able, and gracious” and “quite the business lady.” Martone characterized their relationship as one of genuine mutual regard — developed through an extended correspondence that revealed a more private side of Sister Mary Jeanne’s leadership.

After negotiating the sale of the Sisters’ property in Tarrytown and the acquisition of the Gould Estate in Dobbs Ferry, she oversaw the architectural design and construction of the entire campus. The construction of the Dobbs Ferry campus was constantly behind schedule and wrought with challenges — so much so that ��ԭ��’s first classes had to be held at Our Lady of Victory Academy (now Victory Hall) because the Campus Building (Main Hall) was still being built.

“She did not want to share any of [her stress] with the members of her order,” Martone said. “She felt like she had to be strong, positive, and the one who unites everybody and not show any weakness or doubt. And she expressed her weakness and doubt to Rockefeller in letters, and he would give her little pep talks.”

Her final communication with him was an Easter card. She thanked him for everything he had done and addressed him as a friend and a benefactor.

Sister Mary Constance Golden (1916-1996): Steadying the Institution

After the Sisters relocated to Dobbs Ferry in 1961 and named the new complex Mount ��ԭ�� on the Hudson, a new generation of Sisters began to take then reigns as ��ԭ�� sought initial accreditation from Middle States. While Sister Mary Gratia Maher was honored with the presidency when the new campus opened, this was largely a ceremonial recognition given her declining health. Sister Mary Etheldreda Christie became ��ԭ��’s president, with Sister Maureen (Frances Mahoney) as dean. The head of its Board of Trustees became Sister Mary Constance Golden, who succeeded founding chair, Sister Mary Regina Haughney.

Golden had entered the order in 1936. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and her master’s and doctorate from Fordham University. Her career followed a path similar to Maher’s — teaching and administration in Catholic schools across New York City, including a posting under Maher at St. Catharine’s Academy. During her tenure at ��ԭ��, besides serving as head of the Board of Trustees, she would also hold the roles of dean of students and director of student personnel services.

She and her colleagues inherited a college operating under significant financial strain. The Sisters had to borrow funding to build its new complex and had recently taken out a $1 million loan to expand the College Building (Main Hall). Further, the inaugural freshman class had been awarded full scholarships — a decision rooted in institutional ambition, if not fiscal caution. ��ԭ�� was tuition-dependent and collecting none.

“They filled all their spots,” Martone said. “And they felt that the first graduating class, when they go out into the world, ��ԭ��’s reputation is going to rest on them.” Martone explained, “So they wanted to make sure they had a good class and graduated some great alumni, because that would then build the idea that ��ԭ�� is great because the alumni are really great. And that was their logic.”

The financial recovery was slow. By 1969, the Sisters relinquished institutional control and ��ԭ�� became nonsectarian in an effort to secure Bundy Aid to keep ��ԭ�� financially solvent. As part of this arrangement, the Board of Trustees was reconstituted to include nonsectarian members. Golden would later become an associate professor at Manhattan College from 1970 to 1986 and an archivist for the Sisters of ��ԭ�� from 1986 to 1994.

Knowing Where You Come From

At the close of the presentation, Dr. Amanda Gunning, professor in the School of Education and director of ��ԭ��’s Center for STEM Education, offered a reflection.

“The Sisters of ��ԭ�� started the college as a charitable organization. And although we’re no longer charitable, technically, we’re still serving needy populations.” Gunning continued, “We’re providing a level of education that you can’t get at this price anywhere else. So, I think that we’re still working within the mission and the original Sisters’ vision, so I feel like it’s important to know our roots.”

Jung Kang Miller, ��ԭ�� faculty member in the Literacy and Multilingual Department and associate aean for Academic Affairs at the School of Education, spoke about the which of the Sisters from Dean Martone’s presentation stood out to her the most or was her favorite.

“The same as [Dean Martone]’s favorite, Sister Mary Jeanne Ferrier,” Miller said. She explained: “Because of how much work she accomplished, and because she really provided all the foundation that current ��ԭ�� is built on. She did it all.”

Martone said his interest in this history began the moment he arrived at ��ԭ��. What started as curiosity about an institution without a fully written record became a book, and then this presentation.

“When I first started at ��ԭ�� as a faculty member, I was really interested in learning about the history of the institution. And there was not a real comprehensive history.” Martone said. He continued, “So, I worked with a colleague who was also a professor here, and we did a book on the history of ��ԭ��. Now that we’re having our 75th anniversary year, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the stories that were only covered in part in that book and elaborate on them. And I just thought that this was a really good story to tell, and it’s also connected to women’s history.”

Asked if there was one surprising thing he learned in his extensive research, Martone was quick to answer.

“As I was kind of hinting in that presentation, Sister Mary Jeanne is a bit of my favorite here, and what was really surprising to me was the relationship that she had with Rockefeller Jr..” He continued, “I thought that was a very interesting thing, and that’s not something that’s well known publicly. And it’s kind of this mutual respect that they had for each other through their negotiations, it’s kind of amazing.”

That mutual respect — between a Sister of ��ԭ�� and one of the most powerful men in twentieth-century America — says something about who these women were. They didn’t ask for recognition. They negotiated from principle, built from nothing and quietly shaped an institution that has since educated generations of students who might not otherwise have had the opportunity.

��ԭ�� Hosts Third Annual MedTech & Finance Conference for Westchester Youth

znegron@mercy.edu — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 16:51:45 +0000

��ԭ�� Hosts Third Annual MedTech & Finance Conference for Westchester Youth znegron@mercy.edu Thu, 03/26/2026 - 12:51 School of Business ��ԭ�� News

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Nearly 200 middle and high school students explored career pathways at the intersection of medicine, technology and finance at the third annual MedTech & Finance Conference held at ��ԭ��'s Westchester Campus on March 7, 2026.

The event, hosted by the Westchester County Youth Bureau in partnership with ��ԭ�� and Sister to Sister International Inc., brought eighth through 12th graders face-to-face with industry leaders from New York Presbyterian-Westchester, St. John's Riverside Hospital and other organizations.

"As provost, I am honored that ��ԭ�� is once again hosting the Youth MedTech & Finance Conference," said Dr. Kristin Greenwood, ��ԭ�� provost and senior vice president of academic affairs. "Engaging students from grades 8-12 in these critical fields reflects our commitment to cultivating the next generation, who will drive innovation across healthcare and finance."

Victor Petenkemani, dean of ��ԭ��'s School of Business, emphasized the institution's role in preparing students for technology-driven careers.

"The future of business is being shaped by rapid technological change, and our responsibility as educators is to prepare students to lead in that environment," Petenkemani said. "We are integrating essential business skills throughout the ��ԭ�� School of Business curriculum while training students on the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence."

Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins praised the collaboration between government, education and private industry.

"Events like the MedTech & Finance Conference showcase how county government can team up with private industry to open doors for Westchester's youth," Jenkins said. "Students, your presence here shows you are taking charge of your future and following your interests."

Ernest McFadden, executive director of the Westchester County Youth Bureau, said the conference aims to empower young people at the intersection of healthcare, technology and finance.

"Our goal is to empower young people with the knowledge, networks and inspiration needed to move forward in these critical fields solve global healthcare challenges," McFadden said.

Dr. Cheryl Brannan, founder of Sister to Sister International, said the conference serves both students exploring new career paths and those already familiar with the fields.

"This conference gets better every year," Brannan said. "The MedTech & Finance Conference is a tremendous resource for Westchester students."

Dr. Mzimeli Morris, director of labor and delivery at New York Presbyterian Westchester and assistant professor of women's health in OB/GYN at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, delivered the keynote address. She shared her medical career journey and discussed her work promoting health equity.

Morris said the event provides crucial exposure for young people, particularly students of color who may be first in their families to pursue these fields.

"Many youth of color are the very first in their families to embark on these fields and I wanted to let them know that there is no one way to accomplish your goals," Morris said. "You don't have to fit inside of the boxes that academia has constructed to be what you want to be."

Students participated in workshops covering medical topics, artificial intelligence applications, cybersecurity, interview skills and financial management for career development.

Nicholas Kurumunda, a senior at New Rochelle High School, said the conference provided valuable networking opportunities.

"I was able to network and learn a lot from the professionals who were presenting the workshops," Kurumunda said. "This is an opportunity that everyone who has an interest in the fields should experience if they can."

��ԭ�� Hosts Women’s Empowerment Summit: The Power of Our Stories— Women Shaping Tomorrow’s World

znegron@mercy.edu — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:11:43 +0000

��ԭ�� Hosts Women’s Empowerment Summit: The Power of Our Stories— Women Shaping Tomorrow’s World znegron@mercy.edu Mon, 03/16/2026 - 12:11 ��ԭ�� News Women's History Month

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Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Kristin Curry Greenwood, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Luchina Fisher, keynote speaker, and Dr. Roseanne Vallice Levy, associate provost for faculty development and teaching excellence at the Women's Empowerment Summit.

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On Friday, February 27, ��ԭ��’s Westchester Campus rotunda filled with students, faculty, staff and community partners for the 10th Annual Women’s Empowerment Summit: The Power of Our Stories — Women Shaping Tomorrow’s World. The event brought together voices from across the ��ԭ�� community and beyond, anchored by a keynote from Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and journalist Luchina Fisher, and a panel of women leaders whose work spans public health, STEM education, mental health and international advocacy.

This year’s summit was co-presented with the United Nations Association (UNA-USA), Westchester Chapter — a partnership that goes back over 15 years through ��ԭ��’s Model U.N. program.

“We have loved partnering with ��ԭ�� and have been doing so for years. We decided that this summit would be the perfect kickoff to International Women’s Day, which is on March 8, and Women’s History Month, which starts on Sunday,” said Marcia M. Brewster, president of the UNA-USA Westchester Chapter.

Dr. Roseanne Vallice Levy, associate provost for faculty development and teaching excellence, opened the event by tracing ��ԭ��’s origins. “Seventy-five years ago, a group of trailblazing women, the Sisters of ��ԭ��, defied conventions to establish this amazing institution of higher education,” Levy shared. “They empowered generations of women to push past boundaries and achieve their potential.”

In a video message, President Susan L. Parish connected that legacy directly to what’s happening on campus today. She said: “Our faculty and staff work daily to empower, inspire and foster education for all, just as the Sisters of ��ԭ�� envisioned. Today’s summit reflects our shared commitment to equity, inclusion and the power of selective engagement, values that resonate deeply with our mission and with the work of the United Nations.”

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Kristin Curry Greenwood expanded on what that commitment looks like in practice. “��ԭ�� has long believed in the transformational power of women’s education. Women’s colleges, women-centered spaces, have historically been the incubators of leadership, places where women can imagine themselves not only participating in society but also as the architects of their future.” Greenwood added, “That legacy continues here, in every classroom, every lab, every studio and every conversation that shapes our students’ sense of possibility.”

Keynote: Dreams Don’t Expire

Luchina Fisher

Anika Charles, a ��ԭ�� master’s student in the Mental Health Counseling program, introduced the keynote speaker with a line that set the tone for everything that followed. “It is especially meaningful to me to stand here today and introduce a woman whose work demonstrates the profound connection between storytelling, advocacy and human dignity. The stories we tell shape how we see one another and how we care for one another. Our keynote speaker embodies that power in extraordinary ways,” she said

Luchina Fisher is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, journalist and educator, whose documentaries have won national recognition. She opened by asking who in the room considered themselves a late bloomer. She asked if anyone felt that they bloomed too early and might not have a chance to bloom again.

“If there’s one thing that I want you to leave with here today it’s this: dreams do not expire. Let me say that again: There is no expiration date that is stamped on your potential. And yet, especially for women, we’ve been sold this idea that there is,” she said. Fisher continued, “You know that there’s this golden window that if you haven’t ‘made it’ by 35, or don’t have it all figured out by 40, if you’re not at the top of your game by 50, well, you missed it. Game over, right? I’m here to tell you that’s wrong. And it’s not just wrong, it’s dangerous. We’re going to talk about the myth of the ‘expiration date.’”

Fisher didn’t make that argument abstractly. She made her first feature film, at 53. It’s a documentary about a Black transgender activist in her 70s, Mama Gloria, that won festival awards, aired on PBS and earned a GLAAD Media Award nomination.

“I suddenly thought back to all the years that I thought were detours, but they weren’t detours,” she explained. “They were training. The patience. The resilience. The emotional intelligence. The grit. I wasn’t late, I was ready. And then three years later I won the Emmy for Short Form Program.”

Fisher also spoke to the women who’d hit every goal they set for themselves and still felt like something was missing, and to the younger women still figuring out where they’re headed.

“Because here’s the beautiful irony for all of us: at 45, 50, 60 even 70, you are far more equipped to fulfill your little girl dreams than you were at 25 years old. Why? Listen up all my 20- and 30-somethings because here’s what you have to look forward to: Perspective. Your network. Experience. Emotional depth. And a lot less interest in pleasing everyone. That’s powerful.”

Her advice to the students: be your own green light. Keep your day job if you need to. Find your people. Stay in the work, even during the fallow periods — because those periods are doing something, too.

The Panel: Barriers, Persistence, Allies and Change

From left to right: Judith M. Watson, Dr. Amanda M. Gunning, Dr. Melissa Ramdas and C. Michele Shivers

The afternoon panel, moderated by C. Michele Shivers of the UNA-USA Westchester Chapter, brought together four women whose diverse paths converged on a shared vision of empowerment: Hawa Taylor-Kamara Diallo, president and executive director of the I.B. Taylor-Kamara Foundation and former chief of the Civil Society Unit at the U.N. Department of Global Communications (who joined via Zoom); Dr. Amanda M. Gunning, professor of Science Education and co-founder of ��ԭ��’s Center for STEM Education; Dr. Melissa Ramdas, assistant professor in ��ԭ��’s Counseling Department and licensed mental health counselor; and Judith M. Watson, chief executive officer of Westchester Community Health and ��ԭ�� honorary doctorate recipient.

Shivers framed the conversation: "Stories change policy, they influence culture, they transform institutions and they inspire the next generation."

The panelists discussed some of the barriers they have faced as women and as professionals and the importance of persistence, allyship and community to make an impact.

Gunning shared how she and a colleague created ��ԭ��'s Center for STEM Education by refusing to take no for an answer. "We just kept asking different people until we found advocates in the administration. This year's our 10th year—it's exciting!"

Diallo, reflecting on nearly four decades at the U.N., offered a sharper perspective: "The change we're all looking for, that empowerment, is within, and it's at the local level. It's not going to be found at the United Nations or Davos. It's going to be found with the people." She also stressed the importance of having men be a part of the empowerment conversations.

On male allyship, Ramdas added: “We don’t want them to see the flyer and think, ‘Oh, it’s about women so I’m not included.’ We never said you weren’t included, you just thought that way. Because the messaging they got when they were younger became the word ‘Women’ means you’re not invited.”

Watson agreed, and reminded the room that change, even when it’s slow, is real. “Sometimes things take time, but we just have to keep plugging away at it, right? Perhaps not as rapidly as we’d all like but there is change. So, stay the course and take advantage of every opportunity that you have.”

What the Room Carried Out

Amanee Pettway, a ��ԭ�� adjunct professor in Sociology and Counseling, attended the summit with the hoped of feeling uplifted and that is exactly what she found.

“And what we talked about today very relatable. And I really needed this. This helped heal my heart in a little way.”

That line captured something true about what the Women’s Summit does so well: It just puts people in a room together and lets them hear what’s possible.

Dreams don’t expire. The timeline is a myth. And the women who filled the Rotunda on February 27 left with a little more certainty of both.

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��ԭ�� Hosts Business Leaders for Conversation on NYC's Economic Future

znegron@mercy.edu — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:42:23 +0000

��ԭ�� Hosts Business Leaders for Conversation on NYC's Economic Future znegron@mercy.edu Wed, 03/11/2026 - 10:42 ��ԭ�� News

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��ԭ�� welcomed students, faculty, staff, and business and community leaders to its Manhattan Campus on March 4 for a vital conversation on making New York City a better place to do business.

Hosted in partnership with 1010 WINS and Dime Community Bank, the event featured a roundtable discussion moderated by 1010 WINS' Rob Walsh and Juliet Papa. Panelists included Andrew Rigie, executive director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance; Elena Boyd, managing director at Accenture; Haris Khan, chief of staff of NYC Department of Small Business Services; and Gregg Bishop, executive director of the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation's Social Justice Fund.

The dynamic discussion explored challenges facing entrepreneurs and small businesses in New York City, with a focus on streamlining processes and creating more equitable pathways to business ownership.

"Streamlining the process of doing business in New York City isn't just about efficiency, it's about equity," said ��ԭ�� President Susan L. Parish, PhD, MSW. "It's about ensuring that the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders, including many who will walk across our stage at commencement, have a fair shot at building something meaningful here."

President Parish emphasized the importance of cross-sector collaboration in addressing these challenges. "At ��ԭ��, we believe in the power of partnership. We believe that when higher education, government, and the business community work together, we can create an environment where everyone—regardless of their zip code or background—has the chance to succeed."

For more information on the forum, visit www.1010wins.com/forum.

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��ԭ�� Ranked No. 1 in New York in Newsweek’s “America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026”

znegron@mercy.edu — Tue, 03 Mar 2026 16:41:29 +0000

��ԭ�� Ranked No. 1 in New York in Newsweek’s “America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026” znegron@mercy.edu Tue, 03/03/2026 - 11:41 ��ԭ�� News

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Inaugural ranking, developed in partnership with Gender Fair, recognizes institutions advancing gender equity and opportunity.

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Dobbs Ferry, New York – ��ԭ�� has been ranked No. 1 in New York (and No. 11 nationwide) on Newsweek’s inaugural "America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026" list. The recognition comes as ��ԭ�� celebrates its 75th anniversary, marking decades of expanding access to higher education and driving social mobility. Developed in partnership with Gender Fair, the national ranking recognizes institutions that demonstrate measurable progress in advancing women through leadership representation, equitable policies and pay practices, campus safety, and career opportunity.

“This recognition affirms that when you create an environment where women and all students can thrive academically, professionally, and personally, they transform not only their own lives but entire communities," said Susan L. Parish, PhD, MSW, president of ��ԭ��. "The Sisters of ��ԭ�� founded this institution with a vision of opening doors that had been closed to too many. That vision remains true today as we continue to create opportunity for all students who walk through our doors.”

Founded in 1950 by the Sisters of ��ԭ��, the University has grown into an independent, coeducational institution serving more than 9,000 students across its Westchester, Manhattan, and Bronx campuses. As a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution and the largest private, nonprofit minority-serving institution in New York, ��ԭ�� is committed to creating pathways to success for students from all backgrounds.

��ԭ��’s top ranking reflects its sustained commitment to creating an academic environment where women and all students are positioned to succeed both during their studies and after graduation. The honor adds to the University’s broader recognition for student success and economic mobility, reinforcing its standing as a leader in higher education in New York and nationally.

The university offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs across six schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts, Nursing, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. ��ԭ�� is a top producer of diverse professionals in fields including nursing, education, mental health counseling and business leadership.

"America’s Best Colleges for Women" is a ranking developed by Newsweek in partnership with Gender Fair to highlight institutions that support gender equality and empower women. The methodology is rooted in the Women’s Empowerment Principles and evaluates colleges across four key areas: leadership, pay and policies, safety, and opportunity.

The ranking identifies colleges that have established the structural elements necessary to foster education and employment for women by drawing on data from the U.S. Department of Education—including the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the Campus Safety and Security Database—as well as additional desk research. Only institutions meeting specific criteria for size and academic roles are included, ensuring the results reflect meaningful progress toward gender equity in higher education.

“Choosing a college is a defining moment for many young women, and it’s about more than academics alone,” said Jennifer H. Cunningham, Editor-in-Chief of Newsweek. “America’s Best Colleges for Women highlights institutions that are making measurable progress in leadership, equity, safety, and opportunity, helping students identify environments where women are supported and positioned to succeed.”

The complete "America's Best Colleges for Women 2026" list is available here.

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About ��ԭ��
��ԭ�� is an independent, coeducational institution serving more than 9,000 students each year across campuses in Westchester, the Bronx, Manhattan, as well as online. It is a federally designated minority-serving institution and the largest private Hispanic Serving Institution in the state of New York. ��ԭ�� offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and certificate programs within six schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts, Nursing and Social and Behavioral Sciences. ��ԭ�� was founded in 1950 by the Sisters of ��ԭ�� whose mission of transformative education remains strong. For more information, visit www.mercy.edu.

About Newsweek
Newsweek is the global digital news organization built around the iconic 93-year-old American magazine. Newsweek reaches 100 million people monthly with its thought-provoking news, opinion, images, graphics, and video delivered across a dozen print and digital platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek also publishes international editions in EMEA and Asia. For more information, visit www.newsweek.com.

��ԭ�� Celebrates Black Excellence with Acclaimed Poet Jillian Hanesworth

znegron@mercy.edu — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 22:14:44 +0000

��ԭ�� Celebrates Black Excellence with Acclaimed Poet Jillian Hanesworth znegron@mercy.edu Thu, 02/26/2026 - 17:14 ��ԭ�� News Black History Month

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On February 11, 2026, ��ԭ��'s Office of Student Life hosted its annual Black Excellence Dinner at the Westchester Campus, bringing together students, faculty, and staff for an unforgettable evening celebrating Black History Month. The event featured two-time Emmy Award-winning spoken word artist Jillian Hanesworth, Buffalo's founding Poet Laureate, whose powerful performances and personal testimony left attendees moved and inspired.

The Black Excellence Dinner is part of ��ԭ��'s month-long celebration of Black History Month, which includes events across all three campuses. Director of Student Life Alena Kush, who organized the event, expressed her enthusiasm for the annual tradition.

"I look forward to doing this event every year," Kush said in her opening remarks. "It is an honor to have [Jillian] here today at ��ԭ�� to share her gift."

From Tragedy to Triumph: A Poet's Journey

Hanesworth's journey to becoming one of the nation's most compelling voices in spoken word poetry began not in a classroom or on a stage, but in the streets of Buffalo's East Side—a community she describes as one of the most segregated in America, where Black Americans have seen no economic growth in 35 years.

"I came from a community where I would go outside and everybody looked like me and understood my plight," Hanesworth told the audience. But it was the murders of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown that activated her as an artist-activist, compelling her to write her first poem, "I Wish the Little Black Boy Did Something Wrong."

"I was sitting on my mom's couch when the breaking news came across the TV: 'Officer Darren Wilson, responsible for the death of Mike Brown, will not be indicted,'" she recalled. "That feeling overwhelmed me. So I pulled out my notebook and started writing."

That single poem, recorded on her phone and shared on Facebook, launched her career as a full-time poet and community organizer.

Art as Revolutionary Act

Throughout the evening, Hanesworth performed several powerful pieces, including "The Revolution Will Rhyme" and "Morning Until Morning," each addressing themes of resilience, justice, and the power of Black storytelling.

"In my mind, art is revolutionary. Blackness is revolutionary. The existence of Black communities in this country today, right now, is revolutionary," she declared. "We're beautiful because we exist, not because we survive."

Her work took on new urgency following the May 14, 2022 mass shooting at a Tops grocery store in Buffalo, where a white supremacist killed ten people, nine of them Black. The tragedy occurred in the only grocery store in her neighborhood, one of the most densely populated Black neighborhood in New York outside of New York City.

"I'll never forget that day," Hanesworth said, her voice heavy with emotion. "I'll never forget seeing bodies be brought out of a grocery store that I frequented. My friend's mother, a woman who helped raise my mother—people who were important to my community. Their lives were stolen just because they existed. Because they were black."

Healing Through Words

In the aftermath of the shooting, Hanesworth was asked to write a poem for the memorial plaque that would be installed in the reopened grocery store. Initially resistant, she called her mother in tears, questioning why she had to use something so sacred to her for the most painful experience of her life.

Her mother's response changed everything: "We all pray for a moment to do something for our community. We don't get to decide what that thing is or what it looks like. You only have two options: you rise to the occasion, or you move out of the way, because either way, the work has to get done."

The resulting poem, "Let the Hopeful Healing Waters Flow," now sits on a memorial plaque inside the grocery store, flanked by waterfalls and symbols representing Black culture. Though Hanesworth has not yet been able to visit the memorial in person, she receives photos from community members standing before it with their children.

"That one little poem, that willingness to step outside of my own feelings to create an art piece for my community, becomes the most important reminder to me," she reflected.

A Message for the ��ԭ�� Community

Hanesworth's message to the ��ԭ�� community emphasized the power of storytelling and the importance of preserving cultural narratives.

"Before there was rap, there was poetry. There was spoken word. When we couldn't write our stories down, we memorized them and we stood in circles and we reminded each other of who we are and where we come from," she said. "Our existence, our revolution, our power, our strength is inevitable. As long as we are here to tell our stories and to hold our narrative in our hand, it doesn't matter how many books get banned or how many policies get changed."

She also shared her remarkable journey since that pivotal summer, which has included working with the NFL Network and the Buffalo Bills, traveling to Palestine to meet with activists and artists, encouraging young writers in South Africa, and discussing cultural intersectionality in Mexico.

"I've been able to do things that in my mind, I never thought I would do. And it's only because of my willingness to use my art for something bigger than myself," she said.

For more information about Black History Month at ��ԭ��, visit mercy.edu/bhm.

��ԭ�� Receives Approval for New Campus Field House

znegron@mercy.edu — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:15:27 +0000

��ԭ�� Receives Approval for New Campus Field House znegron@mercy.edu Thu, 02/26/2026 - 11:15 ��ԭ�� News ��ԭ�� in the News

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Rendering of the future field house

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��ԭ�� has received approval from the Irvington Planning Board to build a 26,140-square-foot field house featuring indoor sports courts, a walking track and a community quad. The field house will feature views of the Hudson River and integrate with existing campus green spaces.

The facility will serve primarily as a hub for ��ԭ�� students, faculty and staff for athletics, intramurals and campus events, but will also be available to the community for rentals, open sessions and regional activities.

Site work is expected to begin in phases this spring, with construction projected to take 14 to 18 months.

Read more about it in the Rivertowns Dispatch here and below.

Rivertowns Dispatch: ��ԭ�� gets go-ahead to build campus field house

Julian Caldwell

February 13, 2026

IRVINGTON — ��ԭ��’s proposed 19,000-square-foot field house, situated on the Irvington section of the campus, is a go. The planning board approved the project, first introduced last April, during a public meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4. Of the campus’ 66 total acres, 31.5 acres are in Irvington, while the rest are in Dobbs Ferry.

The 46-foot-tall field house, located west of Verrazzano Hall, will include two indoor tennis courts and a basketball court, with the potential to turn one of the tennis courts into three pickleball courts. The field house will be built on what is now a parking lot, east of a slope leading down to the Hudson River.

Plans for the facility also include a mezzanine walking track above the courts, as well as restrooms, changing areas, an office, and a meeting room. There will be no fixed seating in the building.

According to ��ԭ�� Vice President of Operations and Facilities Thomas Simmonds, the field house will be primarily for ��ԭ�� students, faculty, and staff. On occasion it will be open to the public for specific events, and will also be available for rentals.

"This project is about more than just a building, it’s about creating a vibrant hub for connection,” Simmonds wrote to the Dispatch. “For ��ԭ��, these improvements are central to building a strong sense of belonging that helps us attract and retain students. For our neighbors in Dobbs Ferry and Irvington, it strengthens our partnership by creating a welcoming environment that serves as a true community resource."

Since construction of the field house will result in the loss of 120 parking spaces, a new parking lot east of Verrazzano Hall — where the field house was initially proposed to be built — is part of the project. ��ԭ�� changed the location of the field house in July, in response to concerns about tree removal and blocking views of the Hudson River from the Old Croton Aqueduct Trailway.

“The dialogue with the planning board and Irvington residents was invaluable — it didn't just move the process forward, it enhanced the project,” Simmonds wrote. “Their input helped us refine the project so that it not only meets ��ԭ��’s goals, but fits seamlessly into the fabric of the wider community."

The project will also replace the three existing tennis courts east of Verrazzano Hall, which are in need of repair, with a new outdoor tennis court and a new outdoor basketball court. The university also plans to build a grass-and-stone quad area in front of the field house. The design for the field house includes windows along much of the west side of the building, overlooking the river, as well as the east side of the building, facing the quad, and on a portion of the south side.

Site work for the project is expected to begin this spring, with construction expected to take 14-18 months. The planning board’s resolution requires that ��ԭ�� not propose or construct any additional parking or buildings in the green space north or east of the existing tennis courts for the next five years.

��ԭ�� Celebrates Its Authors: New Voices, New Knowledge

znegron@mercy.edu — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:08:10 +0000

��ԭ�� Celebrates Its Authors: New Voices, New Knowledge znegron@mercy.edu Tue, 02/24/2026 - 10:08 ��ԭ�� News

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Panel of authors from left to right: Victoria Núñez, PhD, assistant professor of Literacy and Multilingual Studies, Stephen Ward, associate professor of Communication and the Arts, Robert Habig, PhD, associate professor of Biology and Nancy Heilbronner, PhD, associate professor of Secondary Education.

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A gathering at the Westchester Campus library honored the faculty and staff whose published work is shaping classrooms, disciplines and communities.

��ԭ��’s New Author Celebration brought together faculty and staff who published new work this academic year, giving the university community a chance to pause and recognize something that often happens quietly: the intellectual labor that occurs alongside teaching, advising and everything else that comes with being an exceptional educator.

President Parish kicked off the event, welcoming the authors and attendees. She acknowledged the difficulty of the current national moment — the kind of difficulty that makes a celebration like this feel not frivolous, but necessary.

She spoke about ��ԭ��’s 75th anniversary, the “��ԭ�� Moments” living history display behind her, and what it means to build an institution over generations. But she kept coming back to the people in the room — the ones doing the work.

“I’m really grateful that I have the chance to thank each of you for taking time to be scholars, for leaning into our students, for supporting each other through a challenging time. This is a very meaningful event for me, and I hope that it’s meaningful for you as well.”

President Parish shared what faculty and staff scholarship means beyond the page.

“I think that when faculty and staff publish their work, whether they do it in peer review journals, in trade publications, whether it’s creative outlets or highly specialized technical fields, you strengthen our entire institution. You elevate your profession and you demonstrate that learning is lifelong – it doesn’t need to end.” Parish continued, “When we create new knowledge, we’re doing so not just for the benefit of our students, we’re doing it for the benefit of all of the communities we serve and for our entire nation.”

Provost Kristen Curry Greenwood followed with remarks that grounded the celebration in ��ԭ��’s academic mission. She spoke about the relationship between research and teaching — not as two separate pursuits pulling faculty in different directions, but as forces that strengthen each other.

“The discoveries you make and the debates you engage flow directly into the classroom. They shape syllabi, inform lectures and open new pathways for student inquiry. When students learn from faculty who are actively producing knowledge, education becomes more than transmission — it becomes participation.”

She also made the case for what peer-reviewed scholarship does for ��ԭ��’s standing in the world.

“Your achievements also build ��ԭ��’s reputational capital. Universities are known, as much as any other way, through the work of their faculty – both in the classroom and in their research output. Your books sit on shelves around the world. Your articles circulate across continents. Your research informs policy, practice, and public understanding. When your scholarship is cited, awarded, or debated, ��ԭ��’s visibility and credibility grow. Your individual excellence is the university’s collective asset.”

Provost Greenwood also noted a personal connection to the occasion — the recent release of the sixth edition of her own acute care handbook — which gave her words an added layer of credibility.

Meet the Panelists

The highlight of the afternoon was a moderated panel, led by Saul Fisher, associate provost for Faculty Affairs. Four authors shared their work and their process.

Nancy Heilbronner, PhD, associate professor of Secondary Education, published “10 Things to Say to Gifted Children: A Guide to Social, Emotional, and Academic Concerns” — a book that draws on her decades as a teacher, researcher and parent of gifted children.

Robert Habig, PhD, associate professor of Biology at ��ԭ��’s Bronx campus, published two papers: one on coyote expansion across New York City’s green spaces, and one on best practices for keeping students engaged and persisting in STEM.

Stephen Ward, associate professor of Communication and the Arts, served as an editor on a collection of essays about music production pedagogy — a field that has grown from a handful of schools in the 1980s to hundreds today.

Victoria Núñez, PhD, assistant professor of Literacy and Multilingual Studies, contributed a chapter to an internationally edited volume arguing that open access educational resources can help teachers — especially in under-resourced areas — better support multilingual students with disabilities.

Saul Fisher asked panelists to speak honestly about the challenges and rewards of being an author at ��ԭ��. The answers were candid, practical and funny.

Heilbronner described the discipline required to keep writing when life keeps getting in the way — a lesson she learned from a colleague’s memorable advice about consistency.

“She described writing as a beast. And she said as long as you feed the beast in the closet, he’ll be fine. But, if you go a few days without writing, without feeding the beast, when you open the door, he’ll devour you.”

Habig talked about the particular challenge of doing research at a teaching-focused, undergraduate institution — and how he turns that challenge into opportunity.

“One of the ways that I try to address this challenge is it’s kind of an apprenticeship model. Any student who does research with me, whether it’s in a formal class or an independent project, I always give them the opportunity, if they want to take this project further and publish, I’m willing to work with them to do that.”

He currently has several students in the pipeline for first-author publications.

Ward, who is approaching retirement, spoke about the importance of protecting creative time — and why the book he’s planning needs to exist, even if he has to carve out space to write it.

“It’s really important to carve that time out and to give your ideas an opportunity to flourish. I have an idea for a textbook, so I’m hopefully going to reduce some hours here and phase into retirement, because I just don’t have time to do any serious writing. But the book needs to be written, and I’m the only one with the perspective that I can share. So, I think you know, again, you have to believe in yourself, believe in your ideas and really be selfish and make those ideas come to fruition.”

Núñez connected her chapter to a call for papers that arrived at exactly the right moment.

“Many of our School of Education classes have a textbook, partly because we teach very diverse populations both at ��ԭ�� and the school districts through their unions. But we don’t want classes that are just focused on textbooks, we always want to enrich those classes with multiple resources. So, I have done this research to enrich and find these resources, and then I saw this call for papers and I thought, ‘This could be useful.’”

Research That Lives in the Classroom

When Fisher asked how scholarship connects to teaching — and how teaching shapes research — the answers revealed something important: for these faculty members, the two are inseparable.

Habig described bringing his urban ecology fieldwork directly into the lab, including a DNA barcoding project built around wild bee samples collected at Pelham Bay Park.

“The research that is done connects to the backyards of students. When I did my graduate work, I did field work in Ethiopia and Kenya, and I loved doing that, but there’s so much that you can answer in the green spaces right here. And because students live in the communities, I think that there’s buy-in, because they’re studying biodiversity in their own neighborhoods.”

Ward shared a story from a conference that had stuck with him — and that he now shares with students regularly. A presenter introduced him to Gogo Penguin, a jazz group whose performance style was shaped by the sound of a skipping CD.

“And when I share that with my students, their minds are blown because, A., why would someone do that, but also how fascinating it was to think of glitches in the medium informing production practice and performance practice.”

Núñez talked about using open access resources to anchor the first week of class — before textbooks arrive — and why that choice reflects something deeper about her teaching values.

“I wanted something that could be an activity that everybody could access before they get their textbook, and that also put students learning language at the center of everybody’s minds. Because we can get deep into the weeds of policies and laws and pedagogical practices, and we need to remember this is about kids.”

Why It Matters

After the event, President Parish reflected on why taking time to celebrate authorship matters — especially now.

“It’s essential to celebrate faculty and staff authors because they are creating the intellectual community that we are living in, that we are instructing our students in. And you know, as hard as everyone is working, it’s really important to pause for a moment and spend time celebrating the hard work that has brought these folks to this place.”

Provost Greenwood spoke to the direct impact on students — and on the culture of learning ��ԭ�� works to build.

“Developing that scholarly, inquisitive mind is I think one of the number one ways. That also goes for keeping our faculty current in their own disciplines, having them seek feedback and learning to seek answers to questions and bringing those two connections together.”

The afternoon captured something ��ԭ�� has been building for 75 years: a community where teaching and scholarship feed each other, where curiosity is treated as a professional responsibility and where the people doing the hard work of producing knowledge are given a moment to be seen.

Building Peacemakers, One Cohort at a Time

znegron@mercy.edu — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:05:58 +0000

Building Peacemakers, One Cohort at a Time znegron@mercy.edu Fri, 02/20/2026 - 15:05 School of Social and Behavioral Sciences ��ԭ�� News

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The 21 trainees proudly holding their Certificates of Completion from ��ԭ��/LBSF and CLUSTER, marking the successful completion of their New York State Community Mediation training.

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In January 2026, ��ԭ��’s mediation training program celebrated a major milestone in its long-standing commitment to conflict resolution and community: its 25th anniversary.

Over the past twenty-five years, ��ԭ�� has successfully trained more than 700 students, faculty, staff, administrators and community members have been trained as New York State community mediators, many of whom now serve courts, schools, workplaces and communities throughout the region.

“We are immensely proud of our newest cohort and of the growing army of peacemakers they now join—individuals prepared to listen deeply, navigate conflict with integrity, and help others move from tension toward understanding,” said Professor Dorothy Balancio, program director, Sociology.

Balancio is also executive director of the Louis Balancio Scholarship Fund, a not-for- profit organization whose mission is to develop programming for conflict resolution that is encouraging people to learn the art of dispute resolution.

The 2026 training was conducted in collaboration with CLUSTER and the Louis Balancio Scholarship Foundation (LBSF), strengthening partnerships that reflect ��ԭ��’s mission in action and its continued investment in access, service and leadership development.

Faculty and community members who generously supported this year’s training, including Dr. Kerlisha Broomes, Dr. Dorothy Balancio, the Honorable Lisa Maria Nero, Professor Michiko Kuroda, Professor Emeritus Diana Juettner, Professor Emeritus Dr. Art Lerman and Pastor Christopher James.

75 Years of ��ԭ�� History Comes to Life in New Interactive Exhibit

znegron@mercy.edu — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 22:13:07 +0000

75 Years of ��ԭ�� History Comes to Life in New Interactive Exhibit znegron@mercy.edu Fri, 02/13/2026 - 17:13 ��ԭ�� News

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Students experience ��ԭ�� Moments: A 75th Anniversary Exhibit.

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As ��ԭ��’s 75th anniversary celebration continues, ��ԭ�� Moments: A 75th Anniversary Exhibit has arrived at the Westchester Campus. Located in the library, the traveling display highlights the milestones, achievements and defining moments that shaped our community and points us toward what’s ahead.

The exhibit opened on January 27 with a ceremony that brought together students, faculty, staff and alumni. The large-scale installation features several eight-foot-tall panels showcasing a timeline of ��ԭ��’s history through photos, historic artifacts, news headlines and stories. QR codes throughout the exhibit unlock additional media, including videos from the past and AI-assisted animations that bring still photos from history to life. Visitors can also sign the larger-than-life ��ԭ�� Yearbook and share a wish for the next 75 years.

75 Years of Mission and Growth

Zodet Negrón, executive director of Public Relations, opened the ceremony by thanking everyone who contributed to the exhibit and attended the 75th anniversary events throughout the year. The exhibit represents months of collaboration between the Marketing and Communications Department, the 75th Anniversary Planning Committee and members of the ��ԭ�� community who shared artifacts and research.

“This exhibit is one of several signature moments in our 75th anniversary celebration, which we proudly kicked off this past September, and will continue throughout the academic year,” Negrón said. “Together, these events give us the opportunity to reflect on our history, to recognize those who have helped shape ��ԭ�� and to celebrate the lasting impact this institution has had over the past 75 years.”

President Susan L. Parish addressed the gathering, encouraging everyone to explore the QR codes and discover the AI-assisted videos created by the team. She acknowledged the historians who helped shape the exhibit, including Dean Eric Martone and Professor Mike Perotta, authors of “��ԭ�� College: Yesterday and Today.” Their research, combined with contributions from students, faculty, staff and alumni through the 75th Anniversary Research Project, brought depth and detail to the display.

The exhibit will travel to all three ��ԭ�� campuses, reflecting the university’s shared identity while honoring the role each location has played in the collective story. President Parish noted how campus identity has shifted over the decades. Students once identified strongly with their specific campus — Bronx or Dobbs Ferry — and competed in field days. Today, many students take classes across all three campuses, reflecting ��ԭ��’s evolution.

“We’re so proud to be celebrating 75 years of ��ԭ��, 75 years of students discovering their potential, of faculty teaching and mentoring and inspiring and their staff supporting the daily work that makes education possible,” President Parish said.

She emphasized how ��ԭ��’s core mission remains unchanged even as the university has grown. “As ��ԭ�� has evolved, we’ve expanded offerings, we’ve grown our campuses, and we’ve embraced new technologies. And while much has changed, our mission is the same as it was when the Sisters of ��ԭ�� started our institution: we are determined to support students, to give them access to excellence, to transform their lives through a college education. The Sisters’ vision and our vision today have not wavered, and it will stand us in good stead for the next 75 years.”

President Parish thanked the Marketing and Communications team, praising their creativity, collaboration and attention to detail. She officially opened the exhibit, inviting everyone to reflect on the past and look forward to the future.

Bringing History to Life

The exhibit represents months of painstaking work led by Kristen Sangregorio, executive creative director of Marketing, and her team. The process involved sifting through countless boxes of photos and documents, piecing together a story that honors where we’ve been while capturing 75 years of growth and change. The team also placed historic photos around campus at locations like the Rotunda, the Gym and Victory Hall, allowing visitors to see what these familiar spaces looked like in the 1950s and 60s.

Sangregorio reflected on the process, and the idea that the Sisters of ��ԭ�� could feel almost mythical when the team was thinking about all they had accomplished. But, she said, “Seeing all their photos and documents, you see that they were just a group of people figuring things out and coming together and doing something great.” She continued, “It made me feel good to know we’re all still doing that. We’re coming together, we’re figuring it out, we’re doing something great and really helping students.” Speaking about ��ԭ��’s mission to increase access to an exceptional education, Sangregorio said, “It was nice to see how our mission originated. The Sisters started ��ԭ�� with the idea of bringing education to people who may not have otherwise had access to it. And we’re carrying that mission forward now.”

A Living Connection to ��ԭ��’s Founding

Students, faculty and staff explored the exhibit together. President Susan Parish spoke with Louise Squitieri, a member of ��ԭ��’s first graduating class, as they viewed the animated photos. They shared memories of campus life in the early days, including the dances the Sisters organized with cadets from West Point Military Academy. One of those dances is captured in the exhibit’s historic photos.

Walking through the display, President Parish shared what makes the exhibit meaningful. “We’re honoring ��ԭ��’s history, which is so important. We’re still honoring the vision and the priorities of the founding Sisters who created ��ԭ��. We’re still living up to their ideals, we’re still prioritizing access to excellence for our students, and to be able to commemorate the 75-year history, I just think is spectacular.”

For Squitieri, the exhibit holds deep personal significance. “I was in the first graduating non-religious class from ��ԭ��, in 1965, so to see this exhibit is incredibly exciting,” she said. “I’m a little overwhelmed that there is so much that actually was saved from when I came to school here, so it’s very nice to see.” Squitieri earned her PhD from ��ԭ�� at a time when science and academia were not traditional paths for women.

Experience ��ԭ�� Moments

The exhibit offers a chance to discover parts of ��ԭ��’s story you may not know — personal accounts, historic photographs and videos that bring 75 years of history to life.

“This ��ԭ�� Moments exhibit highlights the milestones, the achievements and defining moments that have shaped our community, and it points us to what lies ahead,” President Parish said. “Through this interactive display, discover parts of ��ԭ��’s story that you didn’t know — see the history, see the photographs, see the movies — the personal stories that bring this to life. You will be amazed and awed just as I have been.”

��ԭ�� Moments: A 75th Anniversary Exhibit will remain at Westchester Campus through February 18 before moving to the Bronx and Manhattan campuses, giving everyone across the university a chance to experience it. See the schedule here.

��ԭ�� Moments Opening

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Westfair Business Journal: Mount Vernon Financial Empowerment Center Marks First Year

znegron@mercy.edu — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:14:38 +0000

Westfair Business Journal: Mount Vernon Financial Empowerment Center Marks First Year znegron@mercy.edu Mon, 02/09/2026 - 14:14 School of Business ��ԭ�� in the News

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The Westfair Business Journal covered the 1-year anniversary celebration of the Mount Vernon Financial Empowerment Center (FEC), a partnership between ��ԭ��, the City of Mount Vernon and Westchester County.

Read the article here

Hudson Valley News: Financial Empowerment Center Marks First Year of Impact with Community Celebration

znegron@mercy.edu — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 19:50:01 +0000

Hudson Valley News: Financial Empowerment Center Marks First Year of Impact with Community Celebration znegron@mercy.edu Tue, 02/03/2026 - 14:50 School of Business ��ԭ�� in the News

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The Hudson Valley News covered the 1-year anniversary celebration of the Mount Vernon Financial Empowerment Center (FEC), partnership between ��ԭ��, the City of Mount Vernon and Westchester County.

Read the article here

Dr. Sarah Edwards Appointed as AVP for Student Engagement

znegron@mercy.edu — Mon, 02 Feb 2026 17:23:23 +0000

Dr. Sarah Edwards Appointed as AVP for Student Engagement znegron@mercy.edu Mon, 02/02/2026 - 12:23 ��ԭ�� News

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��ԭ�� is pleased to announce the appointment of Sarah Edwards, Ph.D., as Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement, effective today.

“I am thrilled to be joining the ��ԭ�� community and contributing to an institution so deeply committed to student success,” said Dr. Edwards. “I look forward to partnering with students, faculty, staff and the community to further foster meaningful engagement and transformative learning experiences for ��ԭ��'s students.”

Dr. Edwards brings more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education, with expertise in student engagement, leadership development, risk management, and inclusive campus environments. In her new role, she will provide strategic leadership and operational oversight for Student Life and Activities, Residential Life, and Student Support Programs within the Division of Student Engagement.

Prior to joining ��ԭ��, Dr. Edwards served as Assistant Vice President for Student Life and Involvement and as Director of Student Involvement and Leadership Programs at New Mexico State University, where she oversaw student organizations, leadership and traditions programming, orientation and family programs, expressive activity response, and large-scale event risk management. She previously held multiple leadership roles in the Department of Student Activities at Texas A&M University, supporting extended orientation, student government, leadership education, and co-curricular learning outcomes.

Dr. Edwards earned a Bachelor of Science in History, Technology, and Society from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master of Education in Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education from Texas A&M University, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education with an emphasis in Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University.

Dr. Edwards will work closely with the Enrollment Management and Student Engagement teams to advance student engagement and enhance the overall student experience at ��ԭ��.

Dr. Kafui Kouakou Appointed Vice Provost of Experiential Education and Career Development

znegron@mercy.edu — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 20:20:00 +0000

Dr. Kafui Kouakou Appointed Vice Provost of Experiential Education and Career Development znegron@mercy.edu Fri, 01/30/2026 - 15:20 ��ԭ�� News

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��ԭ�� has appointed Dr. Kafui Kouakou as vice provost of experiential education and career development.

“��ԭ�� is thrilled to welcome Dr. Kouakou,” said Kristin Curry Greenwood, PT, DPT, EdD, MS, FNAP, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs. “A passionate advocate for student success, career readiness, and leadership development, Dr. Kouakou combines strategic vision with operational excellence to create innovative pathways that prepare graduates for meaningful careers.”

Dr. Kouakou joins ��ԭ�� from Quinnipiac University, where he served as assistant vice president for career development and experiential learning. At Quinnipiac, he oversaw the university’s career and experiential education ecosystem and led a major shift from a decentralized career services model to a centrally coordinated framework. The transformation embedded career readiness across academic units and resulted in several high-impact initiatives, including the creation of physical and virtual career and experiential learning labs, a university wide career development map, and expanded employer engagement strategies. He also led Career Week and Career Month programming, implemented new technologies, and developed a comprehensive experiential learning framework to strengthen student outcomes.

Prior to Quinnipiac, Dr. Kouakou served as dean of the School for Public Purpose and Professional Advancement at Albion College, where he provided strategic oversight for multiple experiential learning institutes and centers. During his tenure at Albion, Dr. Kouakou advanced assessment practices, launched new experiential learning programs, and introduced certificates and digital badges that enabled students to clearly demonstrate career-ready skills and competencies.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Kouakou held leadership roles at the City University of New York, where he directed flagship experiential learning programs, including CUNY Cultural Corps and CUNY Service Corps. He also co-managed the Edward T. Rogowsky Internship Program in Government and Public Affairs. In addition, he has taught courses in business, economics, mathematics and physical education at several institutions, including the CUNY School for Professional Studies.

Dr. Kouakou earned a doctorate in higher education administration from Northeastern University, where his research focused on experiential learning. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees in business administration and mathematics from York College–CUNY and a master’s degree in economics from Brooklyn College.

“Experiential learning is most effective when it is intentionally integrated into the academic experience,” Dr. Kouakou said. “I am excited to join ��ԭ�� and work collaboratively to expand opportunities that help students translate learning into purpose-driven careers.”

Dr. Kouakou will play a key role in expanding experiential education and career development efforts across ��ԭ��, strengthening alignment between academic programs and evolving workforce needs.

��ԭ�� Athletics AVP Matt Kilcullen to Retire in June Following Distinguished Tenure

znegron@mercy.edu — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 20:21:41 +0000

��ԭ�� Athletics AVP Matt Kilcullen to Retire in June Following Distinguished Tenure znegron@mercy.edu Tue, 01/27/2026 - 15:21 ��ԭ�� News

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Matt Kilcullen, assistant vice president of Athletics at ��ԭ��. Photo by Nicole Solicito.

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��ԭ�� announced that Matt Kilcullen, assistant vice president of Athletics, will retire effective June 30, 2026, concluding a 12-year tenure marked by sustained competitive success, academic excellence and a strong commitment to community engagement.

During his leadership, ��ԭ�� Athletics experienced one of the most successful periods in its history. The Mavericks captured 16 East Coast Conference (ECC) championships and earned 25 NCAA Tournament appearances across multiple programs. Notably, Men’s Lacrosse became the first team in university history to advance to the National Championship Game in 2022, while Women’s Soccer reached the NCAA Final Four in 2017. Under Kilcullen’s guidance, ��ԭ�� Athletics programs elevated their standing at both the conference and national levels, while maintaining a clear focus on the student-athlete experience. The Mavericks posted a cumulative grade-point average above 3.0 for 24 consecutive semesters, including a 3.57 GPA in fall 2025, and received numerous conference and national academic honors. These results reflected an athletics culture that prioritized excellence in the classroom alongside competitive performance.

Kilcullen also emphasized community engagement as a core value of ��ԭ�� Athletics. Student-athletes emerged as leaders in service, placing ��ԭ�� among Division II’s top programs in community involvement and earning multiple ECC Community Cup recognitions.

His accomplishments and commitment to holistic student-athlete development were recognized nationally when he was named the 2022–23 NACDA Athletic Director of the Year.

“On behalf of the University, I thank Matt for his exceptional leadership, vision and service,” said Susan L. Parish, MSW, PhD, president of ��ԭ��.

Read the Athletics announcement here.

��ԭ��’s “Red Hyacinth” Wins Top National Honor for Second Consecutive Year

znegron@mercy.edu — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 22:30:42 +0000

��ԭ��’s “Red Hyacinth” Wins Top National Honor for Second Consecutive Year znegron@mercy.edu Thu, 01/22/2026 - 17:30 School of Liberal Arts ��ԭ�� News

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��ԭ��’s student literary magazine “Red Hyacinth: A Journal of Writing and Art” has received the highest distinction in the 2025 Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) contest, marking the second consecutive year the publication has earned a “First Class” rating. The student-produced publication, which features original writing and artwork, was selected from hundreds of entries submitted by schools across the United States and abroad.

“’First Class’ is the highest distinction awarded,” said Kristen Keckler, associate professor of English, chair of Literature and Language and faculty advisor for the magazine. “This is the third consecutive year I have entered ‘Red Hyacinth’ into the REALM contest. In 2023, we were ranked as ‘Excellent.’ For our 2024 issue, we moved up two notches to ‘First Class,’ a ranking we maintained with the most recent 2025 issue.”

The REALM program, organized by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with faculty guidance. The program aims to encourage schools to develop publications that celebrate the art and craft of writing. Schools from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, US territories, Canada and American schools abroad are eligible to participate.

In 2025, 456 student magazines were nominated by schools in 44 states, Washington, D.C. and six countries. Magazines from middle school, high school and institutions of higher education were considered. Of those entries, only 135 magazines were awarded the contest’s highest ‘First Class’ distinction.

“This recognition reflects the hard work of our student editors as well as the quality of creative work produced by students across the university,” added Keckler.

For more information about the REALM Program, please visit: https://ncte.org/awards/program-to-recognize-in-student-literary-magazines/.

��ԭ�� School of Nursing Hosts Wellness Day to Promote Self-Care

znegron@mercy.edu — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 20:48:17 +0000

��ԭ�� School of Nursing Hosts Wellness Day to Promote Self-Care znegron@mercy.edu Tue, 01/13/2026 - 15:48 School of Nursing ��ԭ�� News

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As part of its 75th anniversary celebrations, ��ԭ��’s School of Nursing hosted a Wellness Day at its Bronx Campus on November 18, 2025, offering students, faculty and staff an opportunity to pause, recharge and focus on self-care amid the demands of academic and professional life.

The event featured a range of holistic and wellness-focused activities, including meditation, yoga, energy healing, reflexology, massage and bodywork, exercise and stretching, painting, drip art and origami. Designed as a space for stress relief and relaxation, the event emphasized the importance of caring for both physical and emotional well-being, particularly within the nursing profession.

Christina Rossi, director of Simulation at the School of Nursing and organizer of the event, said Wellness Day was created to raise awareness about holistic modalities and their role in both personal wellness and patient care.

“I wanted to bring awareness of holistic modalities and stress-relieving techniques to the ��ԭ�� community,” Rossi said. “Future nurses can incorporate these approaches not only into patient care, but also into their own self-care.”

Drawing on her background as a holistic nurse, Rossi collaborated with practitioners from the Reiki, polarity therapy, yoga, and holistic nursing communities, many of whom volunteered their time. The event included hand and foot reflexology, Reiki, polarity therapy, yoga, art therapy and physical therapy services such as massage, cupping and bodywork.

“I wanted a wide array of services,” she explained. “I reached out to different communities I belong to, and people were very willing to come in—even if only for a few hours—to support self-care for our students, faculty and staff.”

For Rossi, the importance of self-care is deeply personal. She cited both her own experience working as a nurse and the loss of her mother, who she said spent her life giving to others without prioritizing her own health. “We’re all valuable, and we’re all meant to be here,” she said. “Taking care of ourselves is essential.”

Among the Wellness Day providers was Constance Korol, a Reiki practitioner and owner of Meta 180, based in Long Island. She offers services including Reiki, reflexology, breathwork, yoga, tai chi and emotional freedom techniques. Korol said Reiki was a natural fit for the event.

“Most people understand their physical bodies and are beginning to understand emotional and mental health,” she said. “But many don’t think about their energetic body. Reiki can help people move from stress to vitality and live in greater alignment with their whole body.”

Faculty and staff attendees praised the university for prioritizing wellness across the campus community. Dr. Valerie Taylor Haslip, associate dean of the School of Nursing, emphasized that health is foundational to all aspects of life.

“If you’re not healthy, you can’t function,” she said. “You can’t work well, enjoy your family or have a good quality of life. Health is the basis for everything else.”

Admissions Counselor Crystal Alvarado echoed that sentiment, calling the event a meaningful reminder to slow down. “Even if it’s just five minutes, taking a breather to prioritize your mental and physical health is crucial,” she said. “A lot of people overlook their health because they’re so busy.”

Liza Tuck, a PACT mentor, said the event offered an important reminder for those who are constantly giving to others. “Sometimes you just need a nudge,” she said. “Being cared for helps release stress and builds awareness that you need to take care of yourself, too.”

Admissions Counselor Ramouna Charleton added that hosting the event during the workday sent a powerful message. “It shows that the university cares about our well-being,” she said. “Taking time while we’re here on campus means a lot.”

As ��ԭ�� marks 75 years, Wellness Day served as both a celebration and a reaffirmation of its commitment to the health and well-being of its community—underscoring that caring for others begins with caring for oneself.

Record Second Month of BoodleBox Usage

jbailjr@mercy.edu — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 16:16:22 +0000

Record Second Month of BoodleBox Usage jbailjr@mercy.edu Tue, 01/13/2026 - 11:16 Mav AI

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We're off to a great start!

71% Activation Rate – 71% of registered users activated their accounts.
30% of users demonstrated deep engagement (>5 active days)
Almost 50% increase in the number of prompts from the first month to the second

Don't forget to checkout the new Powerpoint Magic, Gemini 3.0 Pro, and Nano Banana Pro tools in BoodleBox

Yonkers Times: ��ԭ�� Receives Historic $9 Million Gift to Launch Suzanne McGraw Scholars Program

znegron@mercy.edu — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 20:00:37 +0000

Yonkers Times: ��ԭ�� Receives Historic $9 Million Gift to Launch Suzanne McGraw Scholars Program znegron@mercy.edu Tue, 12/23/2025 - 15:00 School of Education ��ԭ�� in the News

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The Yonkers Times covered the launch of ��ԭ��'s Suzanne McGraw Scholars Program, made possible by a transformative philanthropic gift of more than $9 million from the Suzanne McGraw Foundation. The gift represents the largest in ��ԭ��’s history and will support a groundbreaking initiative to prepare highly skilled early childhood educators while addressing the urgent need for qualified early childhood educators in the region.

Read the article here

News

����ԭ��'s Catalyst Program Propels Bronx Students

Hidden Figures of ����ԭ��: The Women Who Built a University

����ԭ�� Hosts Third Annual MedTech & Finance Conference for Westchester Youth

����ԭ�� Hosts Women’s Empowerment Summit: The Power of Our Stories— Women Shaping Tomorrow’s World

Check out the video highlights

����ԭ�� Hosts Business Leaders for Conversation on NYC's Economic Future

Watch the Highlights Video

����ԭ�� Ranked No. 1 in New York in Newsweek’s “America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026”

����ԭ�� Celebrates Black Excellence with Acclaimed Poet Jillian Hanesworth

����ԭ�� Receives Approval for New Campus Field House

����ԭ�� Celebrates Its Authors: New Voices, New Knowledge

Building Peacemakers, One Cohort at a Time

75 Years of ����ԭ�� History Comes to Life in New Interactive Exhibit

����ԭ�� Moments Opening

Westfair Business Journal: Mount Vernon Financial Empowerment Center Marks First Year

Hudson Valley News: Financial Empowerment Center Marks First Year of Impact with Community Celebration

Dr. Sarah Edwards Appointed as AVP for Student Engagement

Dr. Kafui Kouakou Appointed Vice Provost of Experiential Education and Career Development

����ԭ�� Athletics AVP Matt Kilcullen to Retire in June Following Distinguished Tenure

����ԭ��’s “Red Hyacinth” Wins Top National Honor for Second Consecutive Year

����ԭ�� School of Nursing Hosts Wellness Day to Promote Self-Care

Record Second Month of BoodleBox Usage

We're off to a great start!

Yonkers Times: ����ԭ�� Receives Historic $9 Million Gift to Launch Suzanne McGraw Scholars Program

��ԭ��'s Catalyst Program Propels Bronx Students

Hidden Figures of ��ԭ��: The Women Who Built a University

��ԭ�� Hosts Third Annual MedTech & Finance Conference for Westchester Youth

��ԭ�� Hosts Women’s Empowerment Summit: The Power of Our Stories— Women Shaping Tomorrow’s World

��ԭ�� Hosts Business Leaders for Conversation on NYC's Economic Future

��ԭ�� Ranked No. 1 in New York in Newsweek’s “America’s Best Colleges for Women 2026”

��ԭ�� Celebrates Black Excellence with Acclaimed Poet Jillian Hanesworth

��ԭ�� Receives Approval for New Campus Field House

��ԭ�� Celebrates Its Authors: New Voices, New Knowledge

75 Years of ��ԭ�� History Comes to Life in New Interactive Exhibit

��ԭ�� Moments Opening

��ԭ�� Athletics AVP Matt Kilcullen to Retire in June Following Distinguished Tenure

��ԭ��’s “Red Hyacinth” Wins Top National Honor for Second Consecutive Year

��ԭ�� School of Nursing Hosts Wellness Day to Promote Self-Care

Yonkers Times: ��ԭ�� Receives Historic $9 Million Gift to Launch Suzanne McGraw Scholars Program