President’s Message: Our Time Is Now!
Dear Friends and Marywood Community,
Brandon Morley, a senior student and the President of Marywood’s Student Government Association, was sitting in my office. Unsolicited, he began to tell me why he chose Marywood three years ago and what keeps him here. As he spoke, my mind wandered to Marywood’s founding one hundred and three years ago, and as an IHM Sister, I was able to feel at a deep level the passion with which the Sisters, unwavering and with simple means, embarked on an ambitious endeavor that has brought us to today.
During my meeting with Brandon, I had one of those unique “Aha” moments that make me realize why I get up in the morning. His passion for Marywood is the very same as that which sparked the desire in those pioneer Sisters to build an institution of higher education. Here Brandon’s passion, like theirs, has been transformed into purpose and conviction, drive and leadership.
A recent rebranding exercise, which surveyed more than 2,000 members of the larger Marywood family, helped us to realize that our brand—Marywood itself—and our mission converge in a way that makes this university as relevant in today’s world as it was at its founding. Throughout this publication, you will find examples of Marywood’s enduring ability to lean doggedly into the future and to do so within the context of our Catholic identity.
We learned from our brand refresh process that our students pursue an education and find a life worth living. They resonate with the challenge of Catholic Social Teaching that calls for them to respond in justice to those who are poor and marginalized, and to stand with humans who are oppressed in any way. They come to know that it is imperative to steward the gifts of God’s abundant love for them—their time, talents and skills, the resources of earth, the environment, and all of creation. Most of all, they live in the belief that human dignity is the basis of all human rights. These concepts enliven their very humanity and bind them to each other and our community.
From Day One, our students are laser-focused on developing the skills they will need to be entrepreneurial leaders in their chosen fields. The Faculty inspire them to be innovative and creative. They stir their curiosity to see beyond what is to what can be. The students help shape our culture; we help shape their future.
There are many points of pride that distinguish the Marywood of today from former times: strong, relevant, and emerging academic programs; enriching experiences at home and abroad; compelling opportunities for internships and service; the making of champions on and off the field. Brandon and all our students stand at the crossroads of passion and purpose. Their time is now.
I invite you to campus, either virtually or in person. When you take in all that surrounds you, you will know as you always did—at Marywood, our time is now!
Sister Mary Persico, IHM
Marywood University President