The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
College to mark 50 years in Pepper Pike
College marking golden anniversary on Pepper Pike campus
It opened in 1871 in Cleveland as the first women’s college in Ohio, and now it sits on 65 acres in Pepper Pike.
In casual conversation, Ursuline College president Christine De Vinne is comfortable with being called Sister Chris.
De Vinne, an Ursuline College graduate, was named to succeed Sister Diana Stano as president of the women’s-focused, liberal arts Catholic college in July 2015.
The Cleveland-area native’s life track took her from Saint Ann grade school in Cleveland Heights to Beaumont School, both Catholic schools where many of her teachers were Ursuline nuns. After high school, she accepted a vocational call to the Ursuline Nuns of Cleveland.
De Vinne, who subsequently earned a master’s degree in English at University of Notre Dame and a doctorate degree in English at Ohio State University, taught at various Catholic grade schools in the Cleveland diocese before returning to Beaumont as a teacher and assistant principal.
She was both a professor and dean of the English Department at Ursuline College from 1996 to 2010, when she left to become vice president for Academic Affairs at Notre Dame of Maryland University.
When she sat for this interview in early September, De Vinne was involved in the final stages of planning for the 50th anniversary celebration of the college’s move from Cleveland, where it opened in 1871 as the first women’s college in Ohio, to its current 65acre campus in Pepper Pike. That anniversary will be marked on Oct. 1.
Q Why is this women’sfocused college still relevant?
A There are so many answers. One of the reasons we talk about the need for good women’s education is the fact, for instance, that women still haven’t closed the pay gap with men. We think it’s important to maintain that focus because of tradition and also because of the future. One of the Ursuline traditions is the thinking that if you’ve educated a woman, you’ve educated the whole family. Women have influence at home, in their profession, in the community. To influence a woman well is to have made a difference across every segment of society. We think that’s a very important mission.
Q Do you encourage or discourage male enrollment? For lack of a better word, do you handle it passively?
A Campus-wide, we are 8 to 10 percent male overall. That means 90, 92 percent of our students are women. At the graduate level, we aren’t singlesex because of state and federal understandings of what graduate education does. What’s been an interesting growth point for Ursuline is the strength of our graduate programs. Right now, we are about 50 percent undergrad, 50 percent grad. That tells you about half our student body will be in mixed-gender classes. Q One year into your presidency, how does it feel to follow someone who was so dynamic and forward-thinking?
A I will say right now Sister Diana was irreplaceable. It’s been a real blessing to succeed someone who for 18 years could bring stability and vision to a place. That’s so rare in higher education. The Pilla Center was put up during Sister Diana’s presidency. So were Smith Residence Hall, Parker Hannifin Center and the new gym. So were the NCAA sports programs and the Adult Degree Completion Program. They are all part of her legacy.
Q Are there degree programs you deem to be flagships for Ursuline College?
A Our nursing program now offers everything through the DNP, Doctor of Nursing Practice. We’ve made it accessible with all kinds of entry points. In our Master of Science of Nursing Program, we’ve added a new track in acute care of adults from age 14 to senior years of life. It responds to changes in the face of health care that have to do with the Affordable Care Act and its emphasis on primary care delivery. The big hospitals are saying they need advanced nurse practitioners. One of the other programs at Ursuline that is close to unique is the preArt Therapy program. It combines psychology and art as well as art therapy at the undergrad level. That’s a bridge to our CAT program, Counseling and Art Therapy. Our Education program at the graduate level is a big success. All across Northeast Ohio, we’ve got teachers, principals and assistant principals. We have a new graduate program for superintendent licensing, too. Q Last March was a heady time for your athletic program when the basketball team won its conference tournament and got into the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time. Where do athletics fit in the matrix here?
A Liberal arts is the education of the whole person. Athletics blend the education of the mind and the body. Our volleyball team just won an award for its high GPA. Being a good athlete is part of being a good Ursuline student. We talk to our students about being lifelong learners. You’ll be in college for just so long. You’ll be in NCAA for just so long. The athletics program instills discipline, leadership and a sense of the integration of mind and body. It’s been great for campus life. We’ve had an influx of resident students because they are athletes..
Q Is there a commonly held view of Ursuline College you’ve had to clarify to people?
A It’s always hard to gauge external perception. There probably are people who say, “We know all about Ursuline. It’s either that tiny women’s Catholic college or that nursing powerhouse.” The way our students carry what Ursuline does for them, and the exciting things they do, tells the story of Ursuline College.
Q Pull out your crystal ball. Will this college be here 50 years from now?
A The Ursuline Sisters were founded in 1535. Ursuline College is edging up on its 150th anniversary. We’ll be here for another 50 years. Our mission is that we transform students for service, leadership and professional excellence. Fifty years from now, what will the shape of service be? What will the shape of leadership be? What will be the shape of professions taken up by our students? Those change over the years. Consider what the role of women was in society 50 years ago. Those goals of service, leadership and professional excellence will not change.
De Vinne, an Ursuline College graduate, was named to succeed Sister Diana Stano as president of the women’sfocused, liberal arts Catholic college in July 2015. Our nursing program now offers everything through the DNP, Doctor of Nursing Practice. We’ve made it accessible with all kinds of entry points. In our Master of Science of Nursing Program, we’ve added a new track in acute care of adults from age 14 to senior years of life. It responds to changes in the face of health care that have to do with the Affordable Care Act and its emphasis on primary care delivery. The big hospitals are saying they need advanced nurse practitioners.” — Ursuline College President Sister Christine De Vinne