More than a dozen members of the Mount Saint Mary College community made presentations at the Dominican Higher Education Colloquium, held virtually from June 8 to 10.
The colloquium was coordinated by the Dominican Higher Education Council and the Mount's Catholic and Dominican Institute. The theme of this year’s event was “Weaving a Tapestry of Universal Justice.”
“This is the highest number of participants that the Mount has had, and it is a tangible sign of how the Dominican charism is vibrantly expressed and experienced within our campus community,” said Charles Zola, assistant to the President for Mission Integration, director of the Mount’s Catholic and Dominican Institute, and associate professor of Philosophy.
Zola arranged for the colloquium to be screened on the Mount campus for the college’s professors and staff members. Each night at the conclusion of the presentations, Mount participants discussed the day’s topics over dinner on campus.
Over the course of three days, the community of Dominican educators, scholars, and preachers explored topics including how to create inclusive communities and solidarity across human rights struggles, and how the Dominican charism can foster justice and healing.
The Mount community presented the following topics:
- “Our Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) Journey in Progress – a Marathon, not a Sprint,” a panel discussion featuring Mike Daven, professor of Mathematics; Gina Evers, Writing Center Director; Jenifer Lee-Gonyea, professor of Criminology, assistant vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and Chief Diversity Officer; Kelvin Herrera-Hassan, former director of the Mount’s HEOP and CSTEP programs; Micah Gideon Modell, assistant professor of Information Technology; and Marie-Therese Sulit, associate professor of English and director of the Mount’s Honors Program
- “Sa Awa ng Diyos”: The Call for Justice in M. Evelina Galang’s Lola’s House: Filipino Women Living with War,” by Sulit
- “Non-Catholic Students in Catholic Colleges,” by Thomas Fitzmaurice, assistant professor of Finance
- “Serving with compassion: Integrating awareness and social justice through service in a school of nursing,” by Linda Kelly, assistant professor of Nursing
- “Universal but Unjust: France’s Global Reconstruction from World War I, 1914-1926,” by Michael McGuire, assistant professor of History and Political Science
- “Using Stories to Rehumanize Mathematics,” by Monica Merritt, associate professor of Education
- “Speech as a Dominican Spiritual Charism,” by Robert Miller, associate professor of Religious Studies and Chair of the division of Philosophy & Religious Studies
- “Approaching Universal Justice through Sustainable Business Practices,” by Tracey Niemotko, professor of Accounting, and Moira Tolan, professor of Business
Zola noted that the colloquium was “a great opportunity to not only learn how the Dominican charism is expressed at MSMC, but also to learn what our sister Dominican schools are doing. It gives participants the chance to interact with others who are committed to the Dominican pillars of service, study, spirituality, and community, and exchange ideas about how we can best implement them in our campus culture.”