For Immediate Release Contacts: Marcy Dowse, Communications Director, College of St. Catherine Office: (651)690-6829, Cell: (651)208-6550 Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet make an unprecedented gift to the College of St. Catherine St. Paul, Minn.— Women’s education is as critical today in the 21st century as it was nearly 100 years ago when the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, St. Paul Province, founded the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. The Sisters are reaffirming their commitment to women’s education and to the college with an unrestricted gift of $20 million to support the work of the college to implement its strategic plan and to achieve its vision: To be the world’s pre-eminent Catholic college educating women to lead and influence. Andrea J. Lee, IHM, President of the College of St. Catherine, announced the gift today at a thanksgiving celebration held in Our Lady of Victory Chapel on the St. Paul campus of the college. Over 400 people attended the celebration, including leaders and members of the Sisters of St. Joseph community, St. Catherine’s board of trustees, Archbishop Harry J. Flynn, faculty, staff, students, alumnae and friends. The thanksgiving event recognized all the Sisters of St. Joseph and included a response by the Sisters of St. Joseph, St. Paul Provincial Leadership Team: Christine Ludwig, CSJ, Susan Oeffling, CSJ, and Dolore Rochon, CSJ.This gift is believed to be the largest unrestricted contribution ever made to a women’s college. “This extraordinary commitment by the Sisters of St. Joseph will advance us dramatically along the road toward attaining our vision, just as the original commitment of Sister Seraphine Ireland, Sister Antonia McHugh and all the Sisters advanced a bold vision for women’s education at the start of this century,” said President Lee. “This gift underscores that education for women is as critical in this new century as it was in the last and does so with conviction and purpose rooted deeply in our shared missions. I am both humbled and honored by the commitment shown to the College of St. Catherine by our founders and sponsors, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, through this magnificent gift and through the myriad ways in which these outstanding women demonstrate their commitment to us.” While the $20 million gift from the Sisters of St. Joseph to the college is unrestricted, it will be used to implement the college’s strategic plan. The board of trustees, working in conjunction with faculty, staff, students, alumnae and community partners, developed the plan over the past eighteen months. Following extended consultation, the trustees approved the plan at its April 17 meeting. The Sisters’ gift will allow the college to begin to address opportunities and needs identified in the plan, specifically:
“This gift is made possible by the dedication of all the Sisters of St. Joseph who have committed their lives in Christian service to education, health care, social service and spirituality,” said Christine Ludwig, CSJ, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph Provincial Leadership Team. Without their dedication in our hospitals and schools, the resources would not be available today. With our investments performing so well, we have been able to establish our Sisters of St. Joseph Ministries Foundation, provide for our retirement and give this gift to the College of St. Catherine.” With this unprecedented gift from the Sisters of St. Joseph, the College of St. Catherine moves to the forefront of women’s colleges and makes a major step toward achieving its vision. With this demonstrated commitment from its founders and active goodwill emanating from the community, the college and its graduates will continue to be strong and vital partners in our communities, locally and nationally. “As an alumna of the College of St. Catherine, I have wonderful memories of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who were my teachers and mentors when I was a student,” said Anne Ward Miller, chair of the college board of trustees. “Today, the commitment of the Sisters to their mission and to this college fills me with awe and a strengthened sense of responsibility to use their gift well. We look to others to follow their example of generous financial support as the college continues to provide the highest quality education to prepare women to lead and influence locally, nationally and globally. Thank you to all of the Sisters of St. Joseph for this continued investment in the college you have so long supported.” The College of St. Catherine is the largest Catholic college for women in the country. Through a diversity of programs, the college offers the intimacy of a four-year liberal arts college and the opportunity to complete baccalaureate, associate and master’s degrees in a variety of health-care specialties, liberal arts and professional programs. Committed to meeting the educational needs of women of all ages, St. Catherine’s offers many of its bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in both traditional day and weekend formats. With beautiful campuses in St. Paul and Minneapolis, the college has a total enrollment of 4,372. Background information Vision and Strategic Plan Our Vision To be the world's pre-eminent Catholic college educating women to lead and influence. Our Strategies
Our Priorities
Visit the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Website at: http://www.csjstpaul.org/site/ministries/index.cgi |