Rita M. McGinley Gives Largest Gift in Carlow University’s History
$5 Million Gift to Establish the Rita M. McGinley Center for Student Success

Rita M. McGinley, a Carlow alumna from the class of 1940, an honorary degree recipient, and a Carlow Woman of Spirit®, has given Carlow University $5 million, the largest gift in its history, to create and endow the Rita M. McGinley Center for Student Success.

Rita M. McGinley

McGinley, who grew up in Braddock, Pa., was a biology major who taught science for many years, first in the General Braddock and then the Woodland Hills School District. “I came to Carlow and never regretted it for a second,” McGinley said. “I had many wonderful teachers and made many dear friends. I gave this gift so that Carlow can use it to help people have the same experience I did.”

The Rita M. McGinley Center for Student Success is at the core of the newly envisioned Carlow University Learning Commons. Located in the repurposed Grace Library at the center of campus, the new Learning Commons will become a focal point of the Carlow student experience.

“We are so grateful for this generous gift,” said Dr. Mary Hines, president of Carlow University. “Carlow stands at a defining moment in its 83-year history. This leadership gift to create, equip, and endow the Rita M. McGinley Center for Student Success will enable us to support holistic student learning in new and advanced ways.”

The new center will integrate an array of faculty and student services that support student and faculty learning. It will include Carlow's Center for Academic Achievement, the Learning Laboratory for Math Education, the Service Learning Center, the Mercy Center for Service, the Center for Global Studies, the Center for Faculty Excellence, and Academic Advising. Carlow also plans additional learning laboratories, including a Literacy Lab in Writing and Technology and a Language Lab to support
global education.

“The Rita M. McGinley Center for Student Success will allow us to integrate the learning support and student engagement components of the University and create a seamless juncture between classroom instruction and out-of-class engagement,” noted Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Margaret McLaughlin, PhD.

Reflecting McGinley's professional life in education, both as a teacher and as a counselor, The Rita M. McGinley Center for Student Success will embody her understanding, support, and care for students' learning needs. Her gift will help to ensure that these needs are met and will stand as a permanent tribute to this accomplished, compassionate, and generous graduate of Carlow University.

“Mount Mercy College, then Carlow College, and now Carlow University grows stronger and better able to serve its mission, thanks to the generosity of our alumnae and friends,” said Karen Galentine, vice president for University Advancement.

Core Values: Leadership, Service, and Sacredness of Creation

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Carlow University and the Carlow Women of Spirit^® Institute will present its 2012 Women of Spirit^® Awards to four local women and a national Woman of Spirit^® Legacy award posthumously to Maggie Daley, the former first lady of Chicago.

“Carlow’s Women of Spirit^® demonstrate characteristics central to the mission of our University,” said Dr. Mary Hines, president of Carlow University. “The Women of Spirit^® Awards program has earned a distinguished place as a Pittsburgh treasure. Since its beginning in 1993, women leaders have been recognized for their professional and personal leadership and their service to others. In turn, they share their expertise with the Carlow community by actively participating in the life of the University and in the development of its students.”

This year’s Women of Spirit^® are:

Maggie Daley	Anne Martindale Williams	Kim Tillotson Fleming	Katherine Donahue Freyvogel	Karen Dunn Kelley

National Legacy Award—Maggie Daley, the former first lady of Chicago, a supporter of the city’s cultural and educational programs, was born and raised in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Her grandfather is Francis Edward McGillick, a Pittsburgh businessman and devout Catholic, who formed the Francis Edward McGillick Foundation in 1937 to provide educational opportunities for the less fortunate. The McGillick Foundation funded Carlow’s Hill College in 1998, and continues its philanthropy with McGillick Scholarships, awarded to qualified Carlow students. Daley passed away in November 2011, following a courageous battle with cancer.

National Award—Anne Martindale Williams is the principal cellist and the Pittsburgh Symphony Association Chair for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Values Award—Kim Tillotson Fleming is chairman and chief executive officer of Hefren-Tillotson, Inc.

Scholarship Award—Katherine Donahue Freyvogel is president of Oakland Catholic High School.

Vision Award—Karen Dunn Kelley is chief executive officer of Invesco Fixed Income.

“For both our Pittsburgh and our national recipients, the award is a singular honor. As an alumna of Carlow, a former chair of its Board of Trustees, and a Woman of Spirit^® myself, I congratulate this year’s awardees and am proud to be included in their company,” observed Louise Malakoff, a 2002 Woman of Spirit^®.

This renowned program also provides need-based scholarships to Carlow students who demonstrate the spirit inherent in the women who receive this award.

The Women of Spirit^® Awards will be presented on Wednesday, April 11, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in the August Wilson Center for African American Culture in downtown Pittsburgh. The awards program is preceded by a reception beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Core Value: Leadership

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Carlow University Names Cross-Country Coach for Women’s and
Men’s Teams
Verona Resident Will Coach First-Ever Men’s Athletic Team

Carlow University has named Ashley Goodsell, a Verona resident, as the head coach of both the women’s and men’s cross-country teams, which begins competition in the fall of 2012.

Ashley Goodsell

Carlow most recently sponsored a women’s cross-country team in the fall of 1996. This will be the first time that Carlow has fielded a men’s team in any sport.

Goodsell, who currently serves as an assistant coach for the soccer team at Riverview High School in Oakmont, is pursuing a master’s degree in secondary education at Point Park University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication from Point Park, after transferring from Stockton College of New Jersey. At Stockton, she participated in track and field. While at Point Park, she participated in soccer and captained the team during her junior and senior years

“In addition to her soccer experience, Ashley has a great deal of running experience and a passion for running that came through as part of the interview process,” said George Sliman, director of Athletics at Carlow. “There is no doubt that she will be able to get this program established and provide our students with an outstanding intercollegiate athletics experience.”

Sliman also indicated that Goodsell’s involvement in the community played a factor in her hiring.

“She is experienced in the NAIA’s Champions of Character Program,” he said. “That was important since service is a core value at Carlow and in our athletics program.”

Core Value: Student Progress

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At Trinity College Dublin, Oscar Wilde met J.P. Mahaffy who taught Wilde to love Greek literature and to write. The campus—the top academic school and the seat of writing in Ireland—will be the new home for the June residency of Carlow University’s Master of Fine Arts in creative writing program, allowing Carlow University students the opportunity to meet mentors who spark their creative careers.

Carlow’s MFA program is a low-residency program that meets in Pittsburgh for 11 days in January and in Ireland for 11 days in June. This year the Irish residency takes place June 11 through 22, 2012.

“Trinity College has produced great writers like Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, and Samuel Beckett,” said Ellie Wymard, PhD, director of Carlow’s MFA Program. “Its location in the middle of Dublin will provide more literary opportunities at our students’ fingertips.”

Edna O’Brien, author of The Country Girls (1968) and one of Ireland’s most original and brilliant writers; Anne Enright, winner of the Man Booker Prize (2007) for The Gathering and author of the critically acclaimed, The Forgotten Waltz; Claire Keegan, winner of the Davy Byrne Writing Award for "Foster" (2010), the William Trevor Prize, and the Rooney Prize; and Hugo Hamilton, author of The Speckled People (2003) will all be speaking during the program.

Carlow’s MFA program, which can be completed in five semesters, provides the convenience of a low-residency program with opportunities for students to refine and explore their writing through concentrations in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction under the guidance of award-winning American and Irish writers. Students and faculty communicate regularly by E-mail and the Internet. The culmination of the students’ experiences at Carlow is the production of a manuscript of publishable quality in their desired concentration.

Core Value: Intellectual Integrity

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The Campus School of Carlow University Names New Executive Director
Michelle A. Peduto, Former St. Agnes School Principal, Is New Head of Campus School

Michelle A. Peduto has been named the new executive director and head of The Campus School of Carlow University.

Michelle A. Peduto

Peduto had been serving as interim executive director and head of the Campus School since August. In December, a search committee headed by Margaret K. McLaughlin, PhD, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Carlow University, was formed to identify a qualified candidate for the position.

“The candidate pool was extremely diverse and the committee thoroughly vetted a number of high qualified applicants,” said McLaughlin. “It became clear to the committee that, among steep competition, she is the ideal person to serve the school in this capacity.”

Until accepting the interim position at the Campus School, Peduto was working as the curriculum and instruction consultant for the Extra Mile Foundation, and as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education at Carlow. Prior to that, she was the principal at St. Agnes Elementary School in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. She received a master’s degree in school administration from Duquesne University; a master’s degree in cultural foundations of education from the University of Texas; and her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the College of New Jersey. She is certified as a principal and teacher in Pennsylvania and as a teacher in New Jersey. Peduto has previously worked as an elementary school teacher in North Carolina, Texas, and New Jersey.

Since August, Peduto has been successfully organizing and administering an education program for the Campus School; observing and evaluating administrators, teachers, and staff; monitoring safety and maintenance; expressing a clear vision; facilitating collaborative relationships between the University, the School of Education, the Campus School, parents, students, and the community; overseeing and developing the fiscal budget, participating in long range strategic planning; and overseeing the work study and academic experiences of University students assigned to the Campus School.

"I am excited to be named the executive director and head of the Campus School," Peduto said. "I look forward to continuing the initiatives we've begun this year, and look forward to the future with enthusiasm."

Core Values: Leadership and Student Progress

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Allyson Lowe, PhD, chair of the political science department at Carlow University, has been named to the board of directors of A+ Schools, a local public education advocacy organization.

Allyson Lowe, PhD

Lowe previously served for four years on the A+ Schools Governance Committee, which focuses primarily on the BoardWatch Report to improve school board performance and public accountability. In 2011, Lowe was also nominated for A+ Schools Good Government Award from the League of Women Voters.

Working alongside Lowe for the next two-year term will be, Jackie Dandridge, a college and career adviser with NEED and retired Pittsburgh teacher; Amanda Godley, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh; Sabrina Saunders, directior of education and youth development at the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh; state representative Jake Wheatley; and Roslynne Wilson, director of grant-funded programs at Community College of Allegheny County.

As a professor and advisor at Carlow University, Lowe is actively engaged in working with many Pittsburgh Public School graduates and Pittsburgh Promise recipients enrolled at Carlow. Lowe is currently a Pittsburgh Public Schools resident.

Core Values: Service and Leadership

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East of Liberty Screening Creates Awareness among Carlow Students for African-American History Month

In 2005, Chris Ivey was hired to document the destruction of the East Mall high-rise towers in East Liberty. The demo company’s employees were launching paintballs at it prior to its demolition, but the East Liberty community members did not see the revelry in this destruction. To the residents, it wasn’t an outdated high-rise building; it was their home.

Chris Ivey

This chance encounter sparked an idea, and Ivey created a series of documentaries about East Liberty and the problems a community faces during gentrification. As part of African-American History Month, Ivey screened the third installment, East of Liberty: In Unlivable Times, at Kresge Theatre on February 15. The film highlights what it is like being a young black person living in Pittsburgh, considered by many to be the most livable city in the United States. Ivey shows high school students as they struggle to define a future for themselves in the middle of gentrification, racial tension, less than adequate schools, and violence. “It was important to showcase a young man in our own city who is using his talent to bring about social change by examining multiple perspectives of real life issues and creating an opportunity for civic discourse,” said Barbara Johnson director of diversity initiatives at Carlow University. Following the screening, Ivey answered questions about the film and the series.

“It is important to create an awareness of the issues and eliminate the stereotypes. [Ivey’s] work highlights the negative societal issues that create a negative domino effect,” Johnson said. “Sometimes what is perceived as the main problem is really a result of other compounded problems and we all need to understand in order to make a difference.”

The screening of the documentary was just one of several on-campus events to celebrate African-American History Month. Campus Ministry hosted two Faith Forum events featuring African-American community members discussing their pasts and how faith played a role in their lives. And Carlow University students joined other local university students at the August Wilson Center for networking and a viewing of the play, Between a Ballad and a Blues, by Linda Parris-Bailey.

Core Values: Sacredness of Creation, Leadership, and Discovery/Quest

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Carlow University’s School of Social Work baccalaureate program has been reaffirmed by the Council on Social Work Education’s Commission on Accreditation.

“At its February 2012 meeting, the Commission on Accreditation (COA) reviewed the Self Study, the COA Letter of Instructions, the Site Visit Report, and the program’s response to the Report as the reaffirmation application for the social work program,” said James P. Adams, chair at the University of Kentucky. “The COA voted to reaffirm the baccalaureate program’s accreditation for eight years, ending in February 2020.”

The social work department is housed within Carlow’s School for Social Change. The mission of the baccalaureate social work program at Carlow is to educate and prepare students for entry-level, generalist social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

For more information about Carlow’s social work program please visit: www.carlow.edu.

Core Value: Intellectual Integrity

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The Campus School of Carlow University Celebrates Mass in Honor of the Donahues' 65th Wedding Anniversary

The Campus School of Carlow University celebrated Mass in honor of the 65th wedding anniversary of John and Rhodora Donahue on Tuesday, January 31, 2012, at 12:30 p.m. in Kresge Theatre.

The Rev. Jay Donahue, nephew of Mr. and Mrs. Donahue, officiated the Mass.

The Donahues have long been benefactors of the Campus School and have sent their children and grandchildren to the school. Students from the Campus School, including Susie Petnuch, a sixth grader at the Campus School and granddaughter of the Donahues, assisted with the readings during the Mass.

Carlow University’s Madwomen in the Attic Hosted Book Party and Reading

Carlow University’s Madwomen in the Attic hosted a book party and reading from their latest volume, Voices from the Attic Volume XVII, on February 17, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in Kresge Theatre.

The evening began with a reception and book sale followed by featured readings by Jan Beatty, an English professor at Carlow; Sarah Williams-Devereux, a Carlow staff member and poet; as well as local poets and authors Nancy Kirkwood, Evelyn Pierce, and Ellen McGrath Smith. Voices from the Attic is a publication of the Carlow University Press.

ASB Commissioning Mass

The Most Reverend David Zubik, bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, celebrated a Commissioning Mass at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland on Sunday, February 22 at 6 p.m. Students and staff from Carlow University who are headed to work sites in Texas, Virginia, and Washington D.C. attended the Mass, and received a cross pendant blessed by Bishop Zubik.

For upcoming campus events, please visit MyPortal.

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