President’s
Message President’s
As I approach the 30th year of my presidency, I am struck by how this past year is much like the very first years of my tenure. Recent national and world events presented us with financial challenges similar to those we faced in the early years, and led to an even stronger focus on identifying efficiencies and making the most of our resources. We spent a significant amount of time and energy balancing the budget, reviewing the numbers, and constantly ascertaining opportunities for improvement. At Holy Family University, many of our students are the first in their families to attend college, and our ability to raise funds for financial aid is vital. At this year’s Scholarship Ball, I had the great privilege of presenting the University’s Corporate Leadership Award to Walter D’Alessio. Walt came from a poor family in Pittsburgh, and he knows what it means to be the first in his family to attend college. The successful Vice Chairman of NorthMarq Capital serves as an inspiration and a role model, and I’m proud to report that the 2010 Scholarship Ball held in his honor raised $309,000 in financial aid for Holy Family University students. It is my hope that we will continue to receive support from our benefactors as we work to raise funding for a multitude of important needs and projects. The entire University community was extremely engaged this past year with the convergence of three major initiatives—strategic planning, the Middle States reaccreditation, and branding. I am extraordinarily proud of the leadership, innovative thinking, and collaboration I witnessed across the Holy Family community during this time of deep reflection and assessment. Together, we drew on our collective experience, wisdom, and creativity as we determined how to ensure the University’s success now and in the future. This work was performed very effectively and with remarkable dedication. The driving force at Holy Family is, and always has been, our mission, which is derived from the mission of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth. When I joined the University nearly 30 years ago, the administrative team worked diligently to identify what was most important to this institution, and to define our mission and our core values. Since then, we have worked conscientiously to express this mission in everything we do, every day. And today, what we stand for and believe in is indeed reflected in our academic programs, in student life, and in our relationships with our partners, neighbors, and friends. For this, I am most grateful. May God bless you! Sincerely,
Sister Francesca Onley, CSFN, PhD ’59 University President
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