Founders’ Day, April 20, 2016

The following was read at the College of Mount Saint Vincent Founders Day ceremony.

Margaret-EganWe are here to celebrate Sister Margaret’s 45th anniversary at the Mount—her 45-year commitment and extraordinary achievements to teacher education is unpararelled in the history of the Mount.

Sister Margaret’s academic career began in 1971 when she joined the faculty of Teacher Education. She served as a faculty member of Teacher Education for 8 years before becoming chair of the department in 1979. After two years as chair, she became Dean of Students and then Vice President of Student Development.

In 1988, Sr. Margaret returned to the education department. For the next 18 years, she guided the department, improved the quality of existing courses, and began several innovative programs that strengthened the reputation of Teacher Education at the Mount. She worked tirelessly at building and maintaining collaborative relationships with our cooperating K-12 schools. Her high expectations for the Teacher Education students and faculty helped to establish our education program’s reputation for excellence.

Sr. Margaret is the recipient of the R. Neal Appleby Outstanding Teacher Educator Award in 2014. This award is given each year by the New York State Association of Teacher Educators to recognize a person who has worked to nurture the intellectual, personal, and professional development of teachers. Throughout her career, her influence on her students and colleagues has been profound. A former student at the Mount, Ms. Elizabeth Ferri writes, “Sister Margaret taught me to be a thoughtful, fair teacher. She instilled in me a drive to continue to grow as an educator and keep working to perfect my craft.”

Without her, Teacher Education department wouldn’t be the same. She is the backbone of our Teacher Education department and will be the legacy to all students who went through and will go through the program. We express our respect, love, and gratitude to her.

We are looking forward to at least another five years with Sr. Margaret, to celebrate her 50th anniversary at the Mount in 2021.