Meet the New President

MEET OUR NEW PRESIDENT DR. ANNE M. PRISCO

The VALUES of HOLY FAMILY UNIVERSITY

nne M. Prisco, PhD, is drawn to many things about Catholic higher education, but she says she is especially drawn to Holy Family’s motto, teneor votis – perhaps never more so than in 2021: “I am bound by my responsibilities.”

“‘Bound’ is a heavy word,” she says. “This notion of being bound by responsibility is also the notion of serving. Do we work, or do we serve? I think that is another difference with faith-based education because we talk about serving. It’s a sense of calling, service, and responsibility. Those are the things we are hearing about today and being called to do in society.

“The Sisters understood that a long time ago.”

Dr. Prisco surrounded by her family. From right to left: Steve (spouse); Amanda (daughter-in-law); Louis (son); Everly (granddaughter); Steve (family friend); Taylor (family friend); Dr. Anne M. Prisco; Zachary (son); Kyle (son-in-law).

Dr. Prisco, who assumed leadership of the University in July, joins Holy Family with decades of experience in higher education. She is the first lay President of the University, a role that she also held as the first lay president of Felician University in New Jersey, and in leadership and academic roles at several Catholic institutions. To prepare for her new role, Dr. Prisco has engaged deeply with the founding principles of the order of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth and what they mean to the University. Love, respect and care are at the core of those principles. “What animates us is that we follow the Charism of Family. That’s where you get into this sense of loving care,” she explains. “There has to be a lens of love and respect with one another. Diversity is part of our strength. Everything we do is informed by that sense of values, and that helps us decide what the priorities are at the institution.”

From a very early age, Dr. Prisco knew she wanted to work in education. Initially, she considered a career as a high school teacher. “I loved teaching—when we got out of school, we went home and played school.” Dr. Prisco remembers. “I always thought I was going to be a teacher and never questioned that I would be in anything else but education.”

However, upon her graduation from the University of Arizona and returning to her native New York City, Dr. Prisco had to pursue a different path.

“New York City was in bad financial straits and there were no teaching jobs,” she recalls. “There was an opening for a financial aid counselor at Fordham University. Not only was I on financial aid myself as an undergraduate, but I had also worked in the University of Arizona financial aid office as a student, so I was familiar with the forms and programs. I never thought I would be behind a desk or in an office, but I found that I had a knack for administrative work, and I really cared

about what I did because I was helping students get money to go to school.”

Dr. Prisco would go on to earn her MBA in Finance from Fordham, and later a Ph.D. in Economics and Education from Columbia University. She is the recipient of numerous academic, leadership, and service awards, including a public policy fellowship from Columbia University. She was named a Top 50 Business Women in New Jersey, and received the Wise Woman Award from the National Organization for ItalianAmerican Women. She is frequently invited to speak on higher education policy, leadership, and transformational change.

Dr. Prisco brings with her vast experience in Catholic higher education. She previously served for eight years at the

helm of Felician University. This experience enabled her to develop a thorough understanding of the distinction between different institutions.

“What our Catholic identity means is that there is a body of knowledge that is called the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and Catholic Social Teachings that should guide how we do everything at Catholic institutions,” says Dr. Prisco. “That makes us similar to all Catholic institutions, and I’ve previously served with Vincentians, Jesuits, and Franciscans. What I would say when I was working at those particular institutions was, ‘What’s the difference that this order brings to this school?’ Yes, we are a faith-based, Catholic institution that welcomes all because that’s what the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and Catholic Social Teachings call us to do. But in the case of Holy Family University, what unique animating principles do the Sisters of the Holy Family bring to inform our values?”

Decades after working at Fordham, Dr. Prisco is still increasing access to as many students as possible.

A significant part of that responsibility is ensuring the high level of academic excellence of the University as it continues to expand into new degree programs. “We expect the best of everyone,” Dr. Prisco explains, “But we need to provide the support system to get people there. Our mission is to deliver it in a way that provides a level playing field for all.”

She has been driven in her life by the idea that everyone deserves opportunity and prioritizes what she calls “inclusive excellence.”

“Everyone in our community should feel welcome and supported by a network of services regardless of their faith tradition, ethnicity, gender, or anything else. Recognizing diversity in all its forms is a strength for any university, never more so than today.”

Dr. Prisco’s personal experience as a first-generation student from an immigrant family informs her goals as an educator and leader, and her vision for Holy Family.

“My parents didn’t graduate from high school, and I have a Ph.D. I say that because parents dream that their kids will have more educational opportunities than they were able to have.

“Education will add value to every part of your life. It does not just give you more choices for the work that you can do. Education can transform a person, a family, and a community.

I believe in prioritizing inclusive excellence, “ and ensuring that everyone in our community feels welcome and supported by a network of services regardless of their faith tradition, ethnicity, gender, or anything else. Recognizing diversity in all its forms is a strength for any university."

“And we welcome second-generation, third-generation, fourth-generation college-educated students. We want every kind of diversity here. It’s also just as important for us to support those who are returning to school and let them know that the door is always open to continuing their education. There are opportunities at any time in your lifetime. We welcome those adult learners, whether they are just starting, finishing an undergraduate degree, or recognizing that they want a graduate degree.”

As part of that outreach, Dr. Prisco also envisions establishing a deeper connection between the University’s alumni community and current students over the next several years.

“Family means that our alumni need to feel like we are there for them and that they are there to equally carry the next generation forward by being a mentor, providing an internship,

helping new graduates get jobs, and talking up the value of their education here,” she explains. “The implication of ‘family’ is that we don’t go away! It’s a lifetime commitment to one another, and I hope that our alumni continue to feel called to support the next generation of students.” In addition to her excitement for her new role leading Holy Family, Dr. Prisco also has enjoyed exploring Philadelphia.

“I am enjoying getting to know my new city just by walking around, and visiting museums, music venues, sporting events, and all the culture of Philadelphia.” She has already been spending time in the city with her husband, Stephen Sergi, and looks forward to spending time in Philadelphia with her two children, their spouses and grandchild on their visits from the West Coast.

Dr. Prisco assumes leadership at a critical time in the history of the University as it continues to weather the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts over the last 18 months. “We learned what it’s like not to have life as usual or the kind of interactions that we’re used to—good, bad, or indifferent,” explains Dr. Prisco. “The way we lived our lives was called into question, including the recognition that we are each responsible for one another. "To what extent that each of us wants to take that on is an individual decision, but the idea that it undergirds us all as a

The implication of 'family' is that we don't go “ away! It's a lifetime commitment to one another, and I hope that our alumni feel that we serve them so that they feel called to support the next generation of students."

human society is important for people to understand. But again, the University community’s sense of responsibility and that we’re all in this together isn’t because of what we all just went through— Holy Family has always recognized it as important. This notion of care is infused within the Sisters of the Holy Family’s ministry. From a Catholic perspective, that’s one more element that nurtures the type of mission that we will continue to emulate.”

Dr. Prisco endeavors to remain connected to those founding principles of the University as she leads, building on a culture of loving care -- and of responsibility to one another. These principles are ingrained in the University’s Mission and Core Values.

“We don’t do what we do because of the pandemic or because of the recent calls to consciousness in society. Holy Family University has been doing this all along. My hope is to build upon the foundational work of my predecessors, Sister Francesca and Sister Maureen. This is the work that we are called to do. This is what motivates us to serve.”