Maria College Prospectus: Dean of Nursing
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SEARCH PROSPECTUS: DEAN OF NURSING TABLE OF CONTENTS OVERVIEW & HISTORY OF MARIA COLLEGE 3 MARIA’S VISION FOR STUDENTS 5 THE PRESIDENT 5 ACADEMICS 6 FAST FACTS 7 STUDENT LIFE & SUPPORT SERVICES 8 STRATEGIC PLAN PRIORITIES 9 DEAN OF NURSING 11 APPLICATION AND NOMINATION PROCESS 13 SEARCH PROSPECTUS: Dean of Nursing 2 OVERVIEW & HISTORY OF MARIA COLLEGE Maria is a private college, founded in 1958 on success, and she used her inheritance to purchase the principle of service to others. To this day, that a building in downtown Dublin where women and principle drives everything the institution does, children could find both refuge and education. Her but most importantly through the way students are ideas and dedication to the cause attracted other supported in the pursuit of their degree. That principle local women and soon evolved into a new order of also is the hallmark of the Maria graduate, the guiding Sisters – the Sisters of Mercy. force behind an enduring commitment to improving the lives of others. The Sisters of Mercy quickly grew and became international in scope. In 1863, four Sisters of Mercy Maria College is one of 17 colleges and universities took a boat up the Hudson River and settled in in the United States sponsored by the Conference Albany, New York. True to their focus on caring for Mercy Higher Education. The institution traces its and service to others, the order founded St. Peter’s heritage to 1831, when Catherine McAuley founded Hospital, the McAuley Residence, Circles of Mercy, the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland. A woman of and Maria College. means who was raised in both Catholic and Protestant households, Catherine McAuley was an innovative, Maria College was founded as a sister formation modern-day thinker who felt that not enough was college, an institution providing higher education being done for women and children in need. McAuley for the community of sisters. Under the visionary believed education was a key to one’s ultimate leadership of Maria College’s first president, Sister SEARCH PROSPECTUS: Dean of Nursing 3 OVERVIEW & HISTORY OF MARIA COLLEGE (CONT.) Mary Borromeo Warren, the College’s focus on solely educating sisters changed, and the college received permission to open its doors to the public in 1965. MISSION Maria is a Catholic college sponsored by the In the early 1970s, the college opened a preschool Sisters of Mercy and animated by the Mercy that served Albany families for more than 40 years. charism. It provides career-relevant, opportunity Now closed, the campus school building has been education in the context of the Catholic Intellectual renamed, Mercy Hall, and was dedicated in 2017 to Tradition to all who can benefit from it. Maria is the Frank E. O’Brien, Jr. Student Support Center. The committed to outstanding and holistic student Maria Office of Student Affairs provides caring service support services, financial sustainability, and the to Maria students, so they feel welcome, supported, purposive use of evidence to drive institutional and enabled to meet their goals. Support services renewal and student success. Maria seeks to foster include tutoring, pastoral care, and career guidance. graduates who recognize and respect the dignity of every human person and who will transform their In 1975, Maria College purchased a cloistered convent knowledge and skill into caring and compassionate campus that abutted the administration building service to others. grounds. Known for its stunning architecture and inner courtyard, Marian Hall was awarded a designation by the Historic Albany Foundation in 1986. VALUES • Service - Caring and compassionate service Though over 60 years have passed since the to others, in the Mercy Tradition, is offered College’s founding, you can find many of the original to all, especially to those in need, both on architectural elements today. The Sisters of Mercy campus and in the wider community. constructed the original administration building in 1959 after a fundraising drive, and today, it remains • Scholarship - Scholarship is nurtured in the a vital part of our campus life. Recently renovated, relationships that arouse and nourish the it houses liberal arts faculty offices, classrooms and spiritual gift of justice and belief in integrity, science labs, the campus café, the Maria Campus not primarily for one’s own sake, but for the Store, library, business office and the office of the service of others. Dean of Students. • Justice - Maria College is committed to opportunity education; a belief in fair and Still located in a quiet, residential section of Albany, transparent practices; and a respect of the New York, Maria College serves approximately 850 rights and duties of each individual. We students and boasts a charming and intimate campus educate and advocate for social justice, that embraces an academic atmosphere both timeless focusing on the Critical Concerns of the and contemporary. Sisters of Mercy. Although chartered in 1958 as a junior college, • Diversity - Diversity aims to create and the original intent by Maria’s first president was for support an intercultural environment that institution to become a four-year college. This dream is strengthened by the development of has become a reality—Maria College is offering each individual, the recognition of unique four- and two-year degrees and a certificate program backgrounds, and respect for diverging providing new opportunities with flexible scheduling perspectives. and highly affordable education for residents of the • Hospitality - Maria College is marked by a Capital Region. In 2020, Maria College was granted by dedication to diversity and inclusion and a the NYS Board of Regents to launch the College’s first warm and generous welcome to all, as well as Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. compassionate outreach to both campus and community members and groups. SEARCH PROSPECTUS: Dean of Nursing 4 MARIA’S VISION FOR STUDENTS Our aspiration is that a student who graduates from Maria will be able to find a job that pays a decent wage, will be free of excessive debt, will understand how their profession is part of the broader story of human intellectual and technical advancement, and will have been taught about respect for the dignity of every human person, the importance of service to others and the goodness of physical creation as the first revelation of God’s love. THE PRESIDENT academic center in Dungarvan, Ireland; construction of the $15 million Warde residence hall; the construction of the $10.5 million Center for Academic Engagement, which houses the nationally acclaimed Tom Ridge School of Intelligence Studies and Information Sciences at Mercyhurst. Over $45 million dollars was raised during his presidency. Also, during his tenure, Mercyhurst developed five new graduate programs, including the university’s first doctoral program in Archaeology, the Master’s programs in Applied Behavior Analysis, Physician Assistant Studies, Data Science, and Secondary Education. He was also instrumental in starting and growing on-line education at Mercyhurst. To enhance the Mercy mission of the university, Gamble created the Center for Mercy and Catholic Studies with an In March 2016, the Maria College Board of Trustees undergraduate minor in Catholic Studies and led the appointed Thomas J. Gamble, Ph.D. as its president. restoration of Christ the King Chapel, Gamble also Gamble received his Ph.D. from the Maxwell secured for Mercyhurst the opportunity to co-host the School at Syracuse University and completed his archives of the internationally known religious leader, post-doctoral studies at Yale University. He comes Sr. Joan D. Chittister, OSB. to Maria after a decade of distinguished service In addition, the Gamble administration established as the president of Mercyhurst University in Erie, the urban education initiatives at the Booker T. Pennsylvania. Mercyhurst and Maria are part of the Washington Center and the Carpe Diem Academy, Conference for Mercy Higher Education; seventeen which deliver educational opportunities to colleges and universities in the United States underrepresented, largely minority citizens in Erie’s sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. inner city. He also helped found the Multicultural His achievements at Mercyhurst include the Center at Mercyhurst and the Autism/Asperger transition of Mercyhurst College to Mercyhurst Initiative at Mercyhurst (AIM) to meet the unique University; establishment of an international needs of the growing population of college-bound students on the autism spectrum. SEARCH PROSPECTUS: Dean of Nursing 5 ACADEMICS NURSING Maria College is one of the Capital Region’s strongest, most respected nursing programs. We have been preparing students for 50 years—and have graduated more than 7,655 nurses with degrees in the field. In virtually every healthcare setting in the Capital Region, and in facilities across the nation, our graduates use the skills they learned at Maria to enhance healthcare systems and change lives. They are leading the way in our region by improving patient care and building healthier communities. Nursing Programs: • RN-BS Degree in Nursing Completion Program • Nursing, AAS (RN) • Practical Nurse Certificate (LPN) OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Maria’s degrees in the Occupational Therapy pathway give students a quality academic and clinical education in preparation for work with individuals of all abilities, ages, and from various cultural and socioeconomic groups. Based on the altruistic and compassionate values shared by the occupational