Dear Saint Mary’s College Belles,On behalf of the faculty and staff at Saint Mary's College, I want to welcome you as new students of the Class of 2023, transfer students, returning students and graduate students. As someone who has been at Saint Mary’s for 35 years as a faculty member in the Department of Biology and now serving as the College’s 13th president, I understand how powerful this experience will be for you. Your time here will be spent in a rigorous academic environment that will both challenge and support you. Our faculty, staff and administration are accessible and eager to help make your transition to college life here at Saint Mary’s abundantly successful.We are an institution founded by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, and, as such, we emphasize the education of the whole person. Your collegiate experience includes both the time you spend in the classroom and the many hours that you are not in class. Every co-curricular activity will enhance your experience here, and I encourage you to participate in as many activities as time and your academic schedule will permit. My prayer for you is that you will engage with the values of justice and community, that you will strive to think outside your own experiences to embrace the realities of others, and that you will see wonder and possibility in what you learn and in the people you encounter. If this happens for you, then you, too, will have experienced the real Saint Mary’s, the Saint Mary’s that over 20,000 alumnae around the world experienced during their time here.We are celebrating the College's 175th anniversary in 2019, as well as our proud tradition of educating students to make a difference in the world. You are now part of this tradition. It is your turn to make history at Saint Mary's College. Your purpose now is to change us for the better as you share your gifts and talents and become the person God intended you to be. I look forward to accompanying you on this exciting journey.
Sincerely,Nancy P. Nekvasil Interim President, Saint Mary's College
Aug. 22
