ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Mission is made manifest by the people who daily support its vision and growth. Hazard Yet Forward: Framing the Catholic Mission & Legacy of Seton Hill University would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the University’s leaders, particularly President Mary Finger, Sister Maureen O’Brien, and Sister Susan Yochum. These women exude the Setonian spirit in every moment. 

Funding for this project from the Council on Independent Colleges’ (CIC) NetVUE Program is gratefully acknowledged. The CIC’s Reframing the Saga Grant Program is both timely and essential as higher education institutions face a new and uncertain future. Small colleges and universities can thrive with continued professional and financial support from organizations like the CIC. Programs that deepen vocational discernment in young people are needed now more than ever. Thank you to the CIC staff for your guidance over the course of this project. 

Seton Hill University is lucky enough to have an Institutional Advancement team that represents the Seton Hill motto, “Hazard Yet Forward.” We applied for the CIC’s Reframing the Saga grant at the behest of Molly Robb Shimko and Linda Morlacci, two women whose resilience, kindness, and forethought are deeply respected. Thank you, IA Team. 

In Seton Hill’s Office of Communications and Media Relations, the leadership and collegiality of Jen Reeger, the practicality and mindfulness of Sarah Dudik, and the superb graphic design skills of Jensen Scamardi and Allison DePalma must be applauded. They saw this publication through “the home stretch.”

We have a devoted team of faculty who wholeheartedly dove into the history of Seton Hill and the Sisters of Charity to pull out meaningful lessons and impactful stories for their students. Thank you Fran Leap, James Paharik, Sarah Marsh, Denise Pullen, Diane Kondas, David von Schlichten, Kathleen Harris, Sister Susan Yochum, and Debra Faszer-McMahon, for your willingness to research, learn, and mission forward. Seton Hill is, indeed, blessed with faculty who do not just teach, but stand as the pillars of Welcoming, Learning, Celebrating, and Serving. Thank you, all.

Seton Hill’s rich creative community is represented in the various pieces of art, poetry, and writing throughout this book. Thank you to each of the contributors for sharing your gifts. Christine Cusick and Sister Mary Kay Neff, thank you for your thoughtfulness as you juried and reflected on the submissions. You both have a quiet confidence worthy of admiration. 

Certainly, none of us would be doing this work without the guiding wisdom of the Sisters of Charity. Seton Hill University thanks the General and Provincial Councils of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill. Specific thanks must go to Sister Carole Blazina, General Superior and Sister Mary Norbert Long, Provincial Superior for their leadership, and to Sister Louise Grundish and Sister Vivien Linkhauer for their moral support and careful proofreading. 

Thank you, sisters, for this great gift of a Catholic, Setonian institution.