MU_Magazine_SP12-final - Marian University

Mother Mary Clarissa Dillhoff, OSF Sr. Mary Kevin Kavanagh, OSF, Ph.D. Sr. Jean Marie Cleveland, OSF ’64 Sr. Norma Rocklage, OSF ’60
Among the congregation’s first ventures were the St. Francis Normal
College, founded in 1910, and Immaculate Conception Junior College,
founded in 1924. During the 1936-37 academic year, the Sisters
purchased the former James A. Allison estate and opened Marian College
in Indianapolis in September 1937.
James A. Allison estate.
“Education has always been one of our priorities,” said Sr. Jean Marie
Cleveland, OSF ’64, current vice president for mission effectiveness.
“Marian University has prepared thousands of young people to take their
places in the world and make a difference.”
Despite the institution’s distance from Oldenburg, the Sisters of St. Francis
continued to be heavily involved. Mother Mary Clarissa Dillhoff, OSF, who
was instrumental in founding the college, served as its president until
1948. She was succeeded by Sr. Mary Kevin Kavanagh, OSF, Ph.D. who
served until 1954.
That year proved to be a turning point for Marian College. Sr. Mary Kevin
was succeeded by Fr. (later Monsignor) Francis Reine, the first president
who was not a member of the Sisters of St. Francis. That same year, at
the request of Archbishop Paul Schulte, Marian College admitted male
students for the first time, becoming the first coeducational Catholic
college in Indiana.
With the influx of new students, Marian College grew rapidly, purchasing
additional property and building new residence halls, libraries, classrooms,
faculty offices, and athletic facilities. At the same time, the college
continued to expand its leadership beyond the Sisters of St. Francis. In
1956, an advisory board of lay leaders was established to consult with
the congregation on issues such as business administration, property
purchases, and construction projects.
In the 1960s, Marian College leadership
recognized that the college needed
to forge stronger bonds with the
Indianapolis community. In 1968, the
Board of Trustees—originally composed
solely of the Sisters of St. Francis—
expanded to include lay members and
clergy. That same year, Marian College
appointed its first lay president,
Dominic Guzzetta.
Dominic Guzzetta
In the 1980s, the Sisters of St. Francis
developed a new framework for their involvement with the college,
shifting to a “sponsorship” model. Although members of the congregation
continued to influence the college’s mission and core Franciscan values,
they gave control of the school’s governance, policies, and finances to
a largely lay Board of Trustees. The arrangement was formalized in the
1990s, with eight Sisters of St. Francis continuing to serve as board
members and the congregational minister serving as vice chairperson of
the board.
“We’ve always had a wonderful relationship with the Board of Trustees,”
said Sr. Norma Rocklage, OSF ’60, executive director of education
formation outreach. “We in turn make the commitment to continue to
sponsor the university, to share our charism, and to promote it as much as
we can in our other endeavors.”
Marian University Magazine | Spring 2012 7