president's letter
As we begin the new academic year, I’m reminded of the renewed commitment the Hilbert College community has made to putting student success first. Over the last few years, the faculty and staff have embraced the concept of an engagement model, initially developed by our colleagues at Purdue University, to deliver an educational experience that is student-centered and leads to career and lifelong success. This edition of the Hilbert Magazine describes several examples of how the model is working. First, a story on my favorite day of the year - commencement. In May we awarded 17 associate, 245 baccalaureate, and 20 master’s degrees with Sister Ann Marie Hudzina, General Minister of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph, offering the commencement address. We honored Dr. Charles Ernst who for 15 years has served as the faculty advisor of the H-Files Student Newspaper and most recently as the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning during his 30+ years of faculty service at Hilbert. It was delightful to also recognize Sister Emily Therese Bloom for her service as a faculty member and more recently for her contributions as a member of the Board of Trustees. As Chairperson Gretchen Wylegala proclaimed Sister Emily is truly a life-long learner, a tireless champion for excellence for higher education, and has inspired students, faculty, staff, and trustees with her commitment to Hilbert College. We are grateful for the generosity of the participants in our annual golf outing which raised over $100,000 for student scholarships in June. It is vitally important to keep a Hilbert education affordable while minimizing the need for student debt. Your participation in the annual fund and through major gifts is sincerely appreciated and makes a difference in the lives of our students. The Teagle grant we received is also linked to our college affordability and student success goals. The objective is in partnership with St. Bonaventure University, Jamestown Community College, and Erie County Community College to create a seamless transition for transfer students to attend Hilbert after spending a year or two at the community college.
HILBERT COLLEGE MAGAZINE A publication for alumni, family, and friends of Hilbert College
FOUNDED 1957 5200 South Park Avenue Hamburg, NY 14075 Phone: 716.649.7900 Fax: 716.558.6381 alumni@hilbert.edu
ON THE WEB: hilbert.edu/alumni/hilbertmagazine
I’d invite you to return to campus for two exciting events this fall. First, is homecoming weekend with the San Damiano Awards presentation on Friday, September 26th. Also, please consider joining the Hilbert Reads program this fall. Our campus community is reading In the Sanctuary of Outcasts and author Neil White will be making a campus presentation on October 21st at 7 p.m. in Swan Auditorium. Thank you for all that you have done to help Hilbert students be successful. Please come back to visit the campus to an event or to just stop by and reconnect with the faculty and staff that make Hilbert such a special place.
Sincerely,
PUBLISHER/EDITOR Matt Heidt CONTRIBUTING WRITER Victoria Lorenzo CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Ian Gattie
ON THE COVER
Hilbert's 53rd Annual Commencement Ceremony
OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Gregg Fort VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Cynthia A. Zane, Ed.D. President
Louis Noce CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Stephanie King ALUMNI RELATIONS & SPECIAL EVENTS Audry Weronski ADVANCEMENT SERVICES COORDINATOR Kristin Manhardt ANNUAL & SPECIAL GIVING COORDINATOR
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