Rosemont Welcomes New Trustees

background exposes her to the risk of contracting diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C that also require stringent infection control practices. Receiving education on best practices and seeing her nurse peers rally around one another also provides a comforting sense of confidence during this time, Dailey said. “When everything started to unfold, we were instructed to receive as much online training as possible to learn about what we could do in the ICU,” she said. The goal was to train us all to know the basics of the ICU so that we could be helpful. Fortunately, our ICUs never reached maximum capacity and our ICU nurses were never understaffed.”

Taking Next Steps

As numbers trended downward and various restrictions have been eased, including the opportunity to have elective surgeries, Dailey returned to her regular nursing role in the OR. However, the general cautious nature continues. “We are as careful as we can be under the circumstances,” Dailey said. “So far, our efforts are working. Our hospital requires a COVID test for every incoming patient to protect us, but there is no guarantee that a patient is COVID-negative.

While the prospect of a vaccine provides hope for the end to the pandemic and a relief of tension, there is not expected to be a quick turnaround. “As we reopen businesses, schools, and restaurants this fall – which I think can be done, albeit slowly – we must continue to take precautions to keep our infection rates at a minimum,” Aquino said. “One thing we know for certain is that the effects of this virus on the body can be devastating and irreversible. We have seen new symptoms emerge over the last few months, and we have to assume anyone has it, given the possibility of asymptomatic carriers. It is better to err on the safe side until we get testing down and collect more data.”

Both Aquino and Dailey agree that face coverings and social distancing are the new normal for the foreseeable future. “Everyone should get used to wearing masks, keeping social distance, and remembering to wash hands frequently,” Dailey said. “We cannot let our guard down even when positivity rates are low.”

Aquino and Dailey shared their stories with Rosemont Magazine in the late summer, before positivity rates began to curve back upward.

1921 2021

Centennial Planning Kicks Off

Planning for Rosemont’s 100th year is underway! The first full meeting of the Centennial Committee was held via Zoom on September 29 for members to brainstorm how to celebrate this milestone year.

The Centennial Committee is comprised of nearly 60 members of the College community. The group is led by chairpersons Pat Ciarrocchi ’74, former Rosemont Trustee and Cresset Award recipient and Dianne Rotwitt ’98, Rosemont benefactor and former employee of the College. The committee includes alumni from 1952 to 2018, Rosemont’s former Presidents, members of the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, former Trustees, current Trustees, faculty/academic program directors, staff, students, and friends of the College.

Three subcommittees have been formed for each of the main components of the Centennial Celebration: Social/Celebration, Education, Service/Spiritual. The subcommittees will continue to meet regularly this fall to begin planning for the Centennial.

The remaining full Committee meetings will take place on Jan 27, 2021 & April 22, 2021 to finalize plans from each subcommittee and work toward the Centennial Year to be held September 2021 – June 2022.

Incorporated in 1921, the College received its charter in 1922. The same year, the College’s first Mission Statement was introduced. Through the decades, the College has grown from an undergraduate school for women to a coed institution. Adult, graduate, and online programs as well as athletics and numerous student clubs have been added.

Read more about Rosemont’s history here

Penny Toss Pandemic Style

With all the changes that 2020 has brought, one thing will always remain: Rosemont Traditions.

One of Rosemont’s oldest and cherished traditions is the Penny Toss. The tradition is meant to bestow good luck upon the students during their examinations. Traditionally, during fall semester finals week, following a special Advent Mass, the College president and the SGA president toss pennies towards carol-singing students on the porch of the Main Building. This recalls the Sisters’ Christmastime tradition at the first Holy Child school in England in the mid 1800s.

This year, with final exams held virtually because of the pandemic, students will not be on campus. To maintain the Penny Toss tradition, Rosemont will include a 2020 penny in Christmas greetings sent to the students of the Undergraduate College.

Rosemont Welcomes New Trustees

Megan Murphy Sullivan ʼ93

Megan Murphy Sullivan ’93 is a student-focused educator who has spent her career devoted to school counseling and academic development. She currently serves as the Assistant Principal of Academic Affairs at Pope John Paul II High School in Royersford, PA. Prior to Pope John Paul II High School, she served for more than five years at Valley Forge Military Academy, most recently as the Dean of Academics.

“Rosemont College played a significant role into shaping me both personally and professionally,” said Sullivan. “I am deeply committed to the ideals of Catholic education and am thrilled to be able to serve Rosemont as a member of the Board of Trustees. I look forward to engaging in the community through the lens of a secondary level Catholic educator to help nurture and guide Rosemont’s success into the future in a meaningful way.”

Mrs. Sullivan also held the position of Academic Counselor at the Connelly Foundation to recipients of Josephine C. Connelly Achievement awards at select schools within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as well as Director of Guidance for St. Pius X High School.

An active and engaged Rosemont alumna, she was involved in planning the 2003 and 2018 reunions.

Mrs. Sullivan received her MS in counseling and human relations, with a concentration in secondary school counseling from Villanova University and her BA in psychology and a minor in business from Rosemont.

Ian Mortimer

Ian Mortimer brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education to Rosemont’s Board of Trustees. As Vice President for Enrollment Management at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), he is responsible for all undergraduate and graduate enrollments, net tuition revenue, and quality metrics.

“Although I work at a much larger national university, being connected and assisting Rosemont will keep me connected to my roots of small private college work,” said Mortimer. “I view Rosemont as a house with great bones and I look forward to supporting President Boyers and the Board in getting Rosemont to a great next phase.”

Prior to RIT, he served as Vice President for Enrollment and Student Experience at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY from 2013-2017 and as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Champlain College in Burlington, VT from 2011-2013. At both Nazareth and Champlain, his teams increased enrollment and lowered the acceptance rate to improve student selectivity and class quality at those institutions.

A seasoned communicator, he has spent much of his career as a strategic advisor to senior leaders in higher education on matters of recruitment, enrollment, financial aid, operations, and marketing.

Mr. Mortimer has also had experience inside the classroom as an adjunct faculty member at Nazareth, St. Bonaventure University, and RIT. He has served on a number of advisory boards and committees including as a member of the Admissions and Enrollment Services Group for The College Board and chair of the Enrollment Management Committee of The Harley School in Rochester, NY. In addition, he has spoken at conferences and symposiums around the globe on a myriad of topics — from using digital communications effectively for recruitment to leveraging big data for improvements in educational outcomes, and more.

Mr. Mortimer is currently pursuing his DBA from Drexel University, LeBow College of Business with an expected completion in February 2022. He earned his MBA from RIT’s Saunders College of Business. He also holds an MSEd in Counseling Psychology and bachelor’s degree in English from St. Bonaventure University.

Baseball and Women's Track for the 2021-2022 Academic Year

In an effort to meet the current interests of our student population, Rosemont College Athletics announces the following changes to our NCAA Division III sport sponsorship. Women's Track and Men's Baseball will be added for the 2021-22 academic year. The search for head coaches will begin immediately.

“These sports will be terrific additions to the athletic department at Rosemont. Both sports will enable us to provide additional competition opportunities for our current and future students,” said Joe Pavlow, Director of Athletics at Rosemont College, upon making the announcement.

“In addition to recruiting coaching staff, we are actively working to find off campus facilities that will enable our teams to prepare and compete in the CSAC and the Mid-Atlantic Region, as we do not have a baseball field or track on campus. We expect these teams to hit the ground running next year and to successfully perform in the classroom and on the field,” said Pavlow.

Along with these additions, the Women's Lacrosse team will suspend operations for the 2020-21 academic year due to a lack of student-athlete interest. Further analysis into the viability of Women's Lacrosse will be completed in the spring of 2021.

We invite you to join with the entire Rosemont College community for a livestream of the Mass 5:00 pm on Thursday, December 24, 2020 via www.rosemont.edu/christmas Reverend Richard Mallory, SJ will preside.

Due to the limitations of social distancing in the Chapel, we are unable to invite the community to attend in person for our traditional Christmas Eve Mass.