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Press Release Archive
Release Number: 09-070
08-Sep-09
For Immediate Release
Contact: Matt Boxler
Contact Phone: 401-341-2156
Contact E-mail: newsrelease@salve.edu
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UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY TO INAUGURATE DR. JANE GERETY AS SALVE REGINA'S SEVENTH PRESIDENT
NEWPORT, R.I. - The Salve Regina University community will inaugurate Dr. Jane Gerety, RSM, as its seventh president during an outdoor ceremony on campus on Friday, Sept. 18.
The public is invited to the ceremony, which will be celebrated beneath a tent on the lawn of Wakehurst Student Center at 1 p.m. It will be immediately preceded by a procession of academics and invited guests from O'Hare Academic Center at 12:30 p.m. The Most Rev. Thomas J. Tobin, bishop of the Providence Diocese, will preside over a celebratory Mass, also open to the public, in the Ochre Court Chapel at 9 a.m.
The Most Rev. Wilton D. Gregory, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, will present a keynote address during the inauguration ceremony. Also speaking will be Rhode Island Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Newport Mayor Jeanne-Marie Napolitano. Sister Jane will focus her remarks on "A Future of Hope."
Sister Jane, who succeeds Dr. M. Therese Antone, RSM, officially began her duties as president in July. Sister Therese is now the university's chancellor.
"I believe deeply in the mission of Salve Regina University and its commitment to excellence as an academic institution," Sister Jane said. "I feel honored to lead it."
Gerety also described the university as a place where "ideas and values are of equal importance," as well as a campus of significant beauty. "I very much look forward to being part of the academic community and to working with Salve Regina students, faculty and staff as we face a future that I believe is full of hope."
Not shying away from the obvious challenges faced by institutions of higher education during these tough economic times, Gerety also pledged her commitment to "maintain Salve Regina's excellence as an academic institution in terms of the quality of students that are accepted and the programs that are offered."
Gerety previously served as the executive board officer for Saint Joseph's Health System in Atlanta. She entered the healthcare industry in 1992 when she joined Saint Joseph's as Senior Vice President, Sponsorship and Corporate Compliance Officer.
Prior to her move to Atlanta, Gerety was the Academic Dean at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, where she also served as an Associate Professor of English, Director of the Public Leadership Program and a Learning Skills Specialist. She earned a bachelor's degree in French from Mount Saint Agnes College in Baltimore, a master's degree in French, from Middlebury College in Vermont and a doctorate in English from the University of Michigan. She has also taught at the junior high and high school levels. She has been a member of Salve Regina's Board of Trustees since 1995.
"Sister Jane Gerety is the perfect choice to serve as Salve Regina's president," said Joseph R. DiStefano, chairman of Salve Regina's board of trustees. "As a member of the board of trustees, she has played a leadership role in the successful development of this institution over the past decade and she will continue to lead Salve Regina University into its next phase of growth as a quality liberal arts institution founded on the principles of truth, justice and mercy."
DiStefano also cited Gerety's rich variety of academic and administrative experiences as a key component of her selection. "To have been able to select a candidate with a commitment and understanding not only of the traditions of the Sisters of Mercy, but also of the complex nature of colleges, universities and multifaceted organizations is very exciting."
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