AQUINAS COLLEGE PRESIDENT, NAMED
CBL’s CATHOLIC PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR -2013
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 12, 2013) — The Catholic Business League of Nashville, Tennessee has named Sister Mary Sarah Galbraith, O.P., President of Aquinas College, their Catholic Professional of The Year-2013. Sister was chosen unanimously by the Board of the CBL, and is not only the first woman to receive the honor, but also the first Dominican religious.
“The outstanding work Sister is doing at Aquinas College made her the odds-on favorite for the award” said CBL President Jeremy Bisceglia. “In her short tenure at Aquinas College they have instituted Graduate Studies in both Nursing and Teacher Education, begun a residential life program through a partnership with St. Thomas Hospital, and have plans well underway for a campus expansion here in Nashville and the institution of a study abroad program near Rome, Italy.
Sister Mary Sarah credits most of the accomplishments to her predecessors and colleagues. “One of the things I love about Aquinas College is that it has grown incrementally, organically. There is nothing forced about its growth. It has been a natural process, free from excessive ambition.” But not free from excessive hard work and prayer. Her mother, Joan Galbraith, commented upon her daughter’s appointment in 2011; “Sister will bring to the Presidency her dedication to the goal, her courage, her openness to collaboration, her energy, her respect for people and her sense of humor.” She has done all that, and more.
In her acceptance speech, Sister Mary Sarah, O.P. referred to her Habit, the “eight yards of white cotton,” and how it identifies her and how it, in itself, influences people around her. She then said to the gathered members of the Catholic Business League, “You all have Habits as well: Your skin. And it’s what you do in that Habit; the kind words you speak, your ethical behavior, that is how you influence people, how you shine the light of Christ in the world.”
ABOUT AQUINAS COLLEGE: Founded in 1961 by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, Aquinas College is located on a scenic 83-acre campus in the heart of Nashville and is the only four-year Catholic college in middle and east Tennessee. Through a rigorous curriculum grounded in the liberal arts and emphasizing the dignity of the human person, Aquinas College fosters the intellectual, moral, and professional development of students while preparing them for careers in the professions of education, nursing, and business.
For additional information, please visit www.aquinascollege.edu.
