Blog Archive » Trinity Alumnae

Across the years I've had the privilege of knowing some pretty phenomenal women, and in just the last week I've had the real pleasure of introducing several of them to our newest Trinity Women during the orientation program for the College of Arts & Sciences.

Dr. Johnnetta Cole — what a phenomenal day we had with her at the National Museum of African Art!  I first met Dr. Cole (above) when she was president of Spelman College, and then president of Bennett College — she came to Trinity for the annual meetings of the Women's College Coalition that we hosted for a number of years.   Dr. Cole was the first African American woman president of Spelman, the nation's most renowned Historically Black College for Women.  She enjoyed a tremendous decade at Spelman, then retired, then rose to the challenge to lead another Historically Black College for Women, Bennett — and her success there is legendary as well.  When she was a women's college president, Dr. Cole fired-up every room she entered — she called the nation's women's colleges out of their period of lethargy in the early 1990's and into a remarkable period of renaissance and growth.  In so many ways, we at Trinity can thank my "Sister President Johnnetta" for calling all women's colleges to stand up and be proud of this great mission.

Today, as I watched Dr. Cole speak to our Trinity freshwomen, I was moved and inspired all over again.  Despite getting ready for a trip later this week to South Africa, she generously spent a great deal of time with our students both before and after our museum tours, and the students were clearly attentive to her message.   I especially appreciated her strong words about how educated women must stand up for the rights of all people, must work to defeat the "isms" that plague our society, must never believe that we cannot do what must be done.

I also liked her advice to our freshwomen:  you have to get out of bed in the morning to start on the road to achievement.  Every morning, no excuses!

The Museum of African Art is a magnificent spot where I hope more Trinity students will find the time to contemplate, meditate and simply enjoy the beauty of the works of art and the gardens.  As well, thanks to Dr. Cole's office and wonderful colleagues (Laura, Frank, Connie, Ruth, Donnie — you are all wonderful!) our students had the opportunity to tour the Freer Gallery and to learn about the great Asian collection there in addition to their tour of the African Art museum.

Thank you, Dr. Johnnetta Cole and team, you made a huge contribution to our orientation program!

Last week, the new freshwomen also had the rare opportunity to hear from two outstanding Trinity alumnae.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius '70 (above) took time from her impossibly busy schedule to greet our new first years and talk about staying healthy while in college.   You can see and hear her talk on our website by clicking on this link. Thank you, Secretary Sebelius, your remarks were great and your presence really added a tremendous learning moment to our program!

Here's another fabulous Trinity Woman with Secretary Sebelius — our own Student Government President Morgan Kellman '11!!

Being on the same agenda as a cabinet officer might seem a bit daunting, but not for Dr. Nicole Lang '89 who is a truly phenomenal woman herself.  Dr. Lang spoke to the freshwomen about health careers as well as healthy choices while in college.

A graduate of George Washington Medical School where she also served on the faculty, Dr. Lang is the founder and chief physician at Washington Pediatric Associates, and she is also a member of Trinity's Board of Trustees.

Thank you, Dr. Lang, for sharing so much with our students!

Here are a few more photos from our day at the Museum of African Art and the Freer Gallery:

What an amazing orientation for our new students!  The "Old Girls' Network" is humming!  Let's keep it going!

Every year in early June, for one magical weekend groups of alumnae of Trinity come together to renew and refresh their friendships, their class ties, and their bonds with alma mater.  The years melt away and the memories seem like yesterday.  We never grow tired of telling the tales — or listening to them! — of Sister Columba's watchful gaze or Sister Ann Francis inspecting dresses or Father Burke's Theology lectures or the time a certain renegade class painted St. Patrick green. Full Article

Alumnae are coming!  Alumnae are coming!

The annual migration of Trinity graduates from all corners of the earth back to alma mater here on Michigan Avenue is underway.  Already, today, well before the official start of festivities tomorrow, early arrivals have stopped by to exclaim on all of the good news they found amost immediately upon entering Main Hall.

Welcome, Alumnae!  Special welcome to the Classes of 1960 (50th Reunion) and 1985 (25th Reunion)!

I've been to almost every reunion since my junior year, 1973, when I was a student worker.  Wow.  That's a lot of alumnae parties!  The fun never grows old — and neither do these great Trinity Women!  No matter the class year, when she sets foot on campus every single alumna becomes young again, revitalized through the wonderful gifts of friendship and memory, tradition and reunion.

Alumnae of each generation marvel at Trinity's changes and express concern about the durability of our traditions.   One of the great parts of reunion is the way in which some of our current students stick around, just like I did when I was a student, to help out during the weekend.   Our student workers provide a great deal of support for all parts of reunion, but even more, they help alumnae of all generations connect to today's Trinity Women.

The fun begins in earnest on Friday night with dinner in Social Hall, with highlights on Saturday at the luncheon, Mass and class parties.   I'm looking forward to welcoming all of the "aughts" and "fives" back to campus this weekend!

Reading most news accounts at the end of 2009, we might wonder how civilization ever survived the terrible Aughts — the first decade of the 21st Century.    The writers compete with each other to "name that tragic decade" that history will mark as the time of terrorism, recession, political polarization and the triumph of bad cultural taste known as reality television.

I have a different point of view.  For Trinity, the years 2000-2009 have been a decade of remarkable growth and achievements once thought impossible.   We end this decade with our all-time largest enrollment of 2,030 students, more than 800 students in our historic women's college that we once thought could not make it, and a strong financial posture.  We have set our sights squarely on continued growth, so that the development of the new Trinity Academic Center is the imperative for 2010 and beyond. Full Article

Occasionally on life's journey, we are fortunate to cross paths with someone so extraordinary that we find ourselves walking along the way with her, heedless of direction but feeling that, somehow, we must be heading to the right place.  Before I met Sue Ann Shay in 1988 — before I became Trinity's president, but when I was first a member of our Board of Trustees and she joined our board — I had never met a Sister of Notre Dame who was also a lawyer.  Or a sailor.  Or such a talented professional woman who had heard the call to her vocation at mid-life.   I knew many Sisters of Notre Dame who were passionate about the congregation's mission in action for social justice, but few left me as routinely astonished with her firey commitment to the world's underdogs as Sue Ann Shay.   We became fast friends, and soon co-conspirators in our belief that our beloved alma mater, Trinity, should embrace new directions for the education of the world's women as a matter of social justice.

When I learned that Sue Ann died last week after a long illness, I smiled at the thought that she was now, at once, at peace after a long struggle, but also probably raising hell in heaven about some injustice on the other side of those pearly gates.  She surely would not sit around for long letting some souls have great mansions while others have only small flats.   She might have a word with St. Peter, or even The Boss, about equalizing housing opportunity up there. Full Article