President's Letter

Dear Alumni, Parents & Friends,

BY MANY MEASURES, THE 2020-21 ACADEMIC YEAR HAS BEEN DIFFICULT. The uncertainty of operating a university during a global pandemic is undeniably stressful and challenging. However, I choose to focus on all that we have accomplished this year as we succeeded in having students living, learning and flourishing on campus throughout the academic year.

First and foremost, students have shown charity to the Mount community by following our risk reduction measures that were instrumental in controlling COVID-19 on campus as well as being of service to each other through delivery of meals to those in quarantine and conducting contact tracing.

Guided by our excellent faculty, students persevered in the classroom, whether they were on campus or remote, without significant changes in dean’s list accomplishments and with numerous students securing prestigious fellowships, scholarships and internships. Our student-athletes excelled despite postponed games due to coronavirus cases, matchups that were often played without fans and countless COVID-19 tests. Three of our teams—men’s and women’s basketball and women’s bowling—went to their respective Division I NCAA Tournament, and the campus and local communities rallied in support of the teams. Check out the article on page 26 about the thrill of March Madness.

Due to the generosity of 10,548 alumni and friends, we closed the Forward! Together as One campaign, raising $33.9 million in support of the university community’s shared goal to educate the next generation of ethical leaders in the Catholic intellectual tradition. The campaign built on the lasting values of a strong, Catholic liberal arts education by making a commitment to enrich the mind, body and spirit of Mount students through increased collaborative learning and cocurricular areas, improved lab space and other enhancements in academic facilities; new athletic and recreation facilities; and projects at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. See page 15 for details.

I am blessed to be led and advised by an accomplished and wise Board of Trustees, led by Gracelyn McDermott, C’93, who gives generously of her time and talent to the university. Get to know our board chair by reading the article on page 22.

When McDermott, the second woman and first Black person to serve as chair, attended the Mount in the early 1990s, there were far fewer students of color on campus. Over the last decade there has been a progression from 17% to 43% of BIPOC students. This rapid change has greatly enriched the university, but sadly has also brought some racial tension.

To meet this challenge head on, we have advanced social justice through continual progress in making the university a welcoming home for all and accelerated our work through the efforts of more than 100 faculty, students, staff and local community members who served on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force last fall. Learn about the resulting initiatives on page 10. We are deeply committed to improving and sustaining our culture of dignity and mutual respect. When we truly embody the Catholic vision of the person, inclusion naturally follows.

TIMOTHY E. TRAINOR, PH.D.

President

President Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D.

Mount Magazine

Spring 2021

PRESIDENT Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D.

VP UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Robert J. Brennan, C’85

VP ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT, MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Jack Chielli

MANAGING EDITOR Donna Klinger

EDITOR Nicole Patterson

COPY EDITOR Joe Paciella, C’03, MBA’11

WRITERS Rev. Msgr. Andrew Baker, S.T.D. Donna Klinger Nicole Patterson

ALUMNI NEWS TEAM Kim Johnson, MBA’18 Emily Myers, C’13, MBA’15

PHOTOGRAPHY Mike Miller, Ph.D. Michael Miville of MM Visuals

DESIGN Laura C. Moyer

SPECIAL THANK YOU Jessica J. Boyer, C’16

PRINTING HBP Inc.

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The Office of University Marketing & Communications publishes Mount Magazine two times a year for alumni, parents and friends of Mount St. Mary’s University. Opinions expressed in this magazine are those of the author and do not specifically represent opinions of the magazine staff or the university. Reader responses and alumni contributions are welcome. The Mount reserves the right to refuse or revise comments or contributions for style and length.