by Kevin Dicciani
Seven faculty and staff members were recently honored at the Annual Service and Retirement Awards Celebration for their continued dedication to Chestnut Hill College. Additionally, three faculty members were awarded promotion and tenure, and five were recognized in tribute of their coming retirement.
On April 3, College President Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, Ph.D., thanked the seven faculty and staff members who received the service awards for remaining “steadfastly committed to the College through every changing season.”
“We know we can continue to count on your selfless presence to the College in the years ahead,” Sister Carol said.
Next, three faculty members were awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor. The professors are: Claudia Garcia-Leeds, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology; Marie Leahy, SSJ, Ed.D., associate professor of education; and Rachel Saks, Psy.D., associate professor of psychology.
Sister Carol said that reading their tenure applications “was not an arduous duty — it was a privilege and an inspiration.”
Five faculty members who will soon retire were recognized by Sister Carol and other members of the college community. They are: Shirley Logan, receptionist; Patricia O’Donnell, SSJ, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy and director of institutional research; Kathleen Duffy, SSJ, Ph.D., professor of physics; Sara Kitchen, J.D., professor of criminal justice; and Barbara Glennon, SSJ, D.M.A., professor of music. 
Sister Carol said that while these faculty members are retiring, “they will certainly never retire from doing good, savoring memorable moments with family and friends, and growing in self-understanding and love of God.”
“Today we bid a fond farewell to five respected and very valuable members of the college community who have journeyed to the top of the mountain, can look back over the landscape from which they have come with pride and gratitude, and can look forward to the future and all that they hope it will desire to hold,” Sister Carol said.
Two students, Michael Schauder ’20 and Cleo Bell ’20, presented the ceremony’s student tributes. Beforehand, both Schauder and Bell commented on the ways the College and its community have changed their lives.
Schauder said that if it wasn’t for the College, where he discovered his love of writing, he wouldn’t have been able to plan his future. 
“Chestnut Hill College has an excellent faculty and staff that will go the extra mile to make sure a student succeeds,” he said. “You are always offering consistent hope, whether it's helping us find an office or find a meal.”
Bell said that what separates the College from other public and private schools is the “experience of faith within community.”
“My time at Chestnut Hill College has enriched my life in many ways,” she said. “It has provided me with the necessary tools to enhance my skills, and it has taught me valuable knowledge about this diverse world and the people in it.”
Below are the faculty members who received service awards, along with the total number of years they have served at Chestnut Hill College:
Fifteen Years of Service 
Sister Mary Esther Lee, SSJ, M.A., admissions counselor and academic advisor, the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Keely McCarthy, Ph.D., associate professor of English.
Brian O’Neill, B.S., director of administrative software/Jenzabar.
Jacqueline Reich, Ph.D., associate professor of political science.
Denise Wisniewski, M.Ed., ATC, assistant director of athletics, senior woman administrator, NCAA Compliance Coordinator.
Twenty-Five Years of Service
Gail Cathey, M.L.S., print resources/access services librarian, Logue Library.
Thirty Years of Service
Sister Kathleen Duffy, Ph.D., professor of physics.
