From the Heights—Summer 2016 Campus News

Adrian Dominican Sisters Gift St. Joseph Academy to Siena Heights University

The Adrian Dominican Sisters donated the St. Joseph Academy building to the University in February 2016. Located on the Sisters’ campus, the five-story building will be used for academic purposes, classrooms and faculty offices.

“We are grateful to the Adrian Dominican Sisters for this wonderful gift and promise to live out our Dominican values and traditions with all the students who are educated in this building,” said SHU President Sister Peg Albert, OP, PhD. The Prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, Sister Attracta Kelly, OP, JD, noted that the Congregation was pleased to make this gift to Siena Heights University. “Whether through myth, legend or actual history of the Congregation, our Congregation grew when Mother Camilla, with great courage and daring, began the Academy from whence St. Joseph College, now Siena Heights, became a reality,” Sister Attracta said. “We can only begin to imagine the hundreds of Sisters and students who have learned about life and how to love themselves and each other in the classrooms and hallways of the Academy. We know that the many who have now gone to their reward will look lovingly and send special graces to all who keep alive the vision of Dominic there.”

The building, which formerly served as an elementary and high school since its construction in 1948, will undergo renovations this year. The first department to move to the facility will be the Education Department. Renovations will occur in phases, and the total project will cost around $4 million.

From the Editor:

Has It Been 10 Years Already?

In this issue of Reflections Magazine, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of our President, Sister Peg Albert.

Because I arrived at Siena Heights a few months before her, I’ve had a “front-row seat” of sorts to her presidency, and all that has happened during her time at SHU.

I had the privilege of introducing her to the Siena community at her opening press conference (I tried to act like I knew what I was doing back then). Being the first Adrian Dominican president in more than 30 years at Siena Heights, I remembered thinking, “this is history in the making.”

And the impact of her arrival was immediate. Things started happening. A lot of things. We’ve documented many of those “things” over the past decade in this magazine. But taking a step back, it truly is remarkable what has been achieved when put into the perspective of our 97-year history.

From the Alumni Office:

Jenny Engle ’12, ’15/MA<br />Director of Alumni Relations — Jenny Engle ’12, ’15/MA
Director of Alumni Relations

**Ready and Waiting to Hear Your Siena Stories!**

It was this time last year when I was chosen to be the Director of Alumni Relations. I came to the Alumni Office with four years of experience working in Advancement at Siena Heights. I had been a non-traditional undergraduate student and was a current graduate student when I accepted the offer. I sit here today and reminisce on all that I love about Siena.

I am thrilled that I work for, and have been educated at, an institution that truly lives its mission—to assist people to become more competent, purposeful and ethical through a teaching and learning environment which respects the dignity of all.

On my first official day in the Alumni Office in mid-November, I learned quickly that while I can start each day with a plan—that plans don’t always go as expected and that I would need to be flexible.

The unplanned part of that first day was also the best part of that day. I had an unexpected visitor—a member of the class of 1976. This alum had not been back to campus since graduation nearly 40 years ago. He was in the area visiting, and stopped in looking for contact information of a former classmate he was hoping to connect with. We spent some time chatting about his experience at Siena and talking about all of the changes that have occurred over the years. He seemed genuinely happy to be on campus, and pleasantly surprised by the different look and growth of Siena Heights.