Message from the President

Summertime at Mount Mary College finds many departments busy preparing for the start of another academic year. In reality however, the work of advancing the institution never stops. I’m especially proud of several new developments and events that have recently taken place on campus.

For the second year, we invited youth from the greater Milwaukee area to Mount Mary to enjoy a summer camp experience. Programs featuring fashion, art and design, a wide range of athletics and pre-college academic skill building were offered for youth ages kindergarten through high school. A large crowd of friends and relatives of campers from “Creative Connections,” the art camp, were treated to an exhibit at the culmination of the program.

The College recently received generous grants that further our ability to carry out our mission. The Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation awarded the College a $500,000 grant to support construction of a Student Success Center in the College’s Haggerty Library. The Greater Milwaukee Foundation awarded the College a $25,000 grant design and implement Students Building Bridges, a new program for college students from diverse backgrounds. The School Sisters of Notre Dame, Mount Mary’s sponsors, bestowed a generous gift to the College that will support a number of programs, scholarships and additional development resources.

Three new members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame joined our Corporate Board. The Corporate Board provides guidance to Mount Mary’s Board of Trustee. We welcome these new members and look forward to their contributions.

New leaders also joined the President’s Council. David Nixon is our new Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Dave Wegener is our new Vice President for Enrollment Services. Our External Relations team has also added new faces over the past several weeks. All of these individuals bring a wealth of higher education experience to their positions.

The College is playing a key role in the region’s recently launched Talent Dividend which strives to increase the number of four-year college graduates by 2012. Serving as Co-Chair of the Talent Dividend, I will be working on behalf of the College, and in partnership with area leaders from both business and higher education, to advance this goal.

In line with the initiatives of the Talent Dividend, Mount Mary recently signed a transfer agreement with WCTC. The agreement significantly improves access to WCTC students who wish to pursue a four-year degree.

Equally exciting opportunities are on the horizon. Career-minded professionals will not want to miss the Women’s Leadership Institute’s 2010 Fall Forum, “Benchmarking Women's Leadership – Closing the Leadership Gap” which will be presented on September 23rd. Featuring nationally renowned Marie Wilson of The White House Project, the event will present findings from The White House Project report which looks at the status of women's leadership across ten industry sectors and provides sector specific recommendations from top experts on how to close the leadership gap.

Finally, as the new academic year quickly approaches, I‘m pleased to announce this year’s theme as “Community.” This theme reflects all that we strive for – here on campus with students, faculty and staff, with the School Sisters of Notre Dame, our alumnae, friends and donors – and with the greater community where we live and work. We especially invite our community friends to visit us on campus. Keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming events like our 42nd Annual Starving Artists’ Show®. We also invite you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news from Mount Mary.

Thank you for your continued support of Mount Mary College. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Sincerely,

Eileen Schwalbach, Ph.D.
President of Mount Mary College