ODU Appoints Director of Center for Dominican Studies
December 17, 2003
COLUMBUS, OH - Sr. Catherine M. Colby, O.P., Ed.D. has been appointed Director of the Center for Dominican Studies at Ohio Dominican University.
Sr. Catherine, an associate professor in the Division of Education and the Division's chair, joined the university in 1988. Sr. Catherine has a long and distinguished career as an educator and a leader. Prior to joining Ohio Dominican, she served as a school principal and teacher for 24 years. She was also the Director of Candidates and Vocation Director for the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs, from 1979 to 1982.
She holds a doctorate in Curriculum Development from Nova Southeastern University; master's degrees in Pastoral Ministry from St. Joseph College and Educational Administration from Xavier University; and a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from the College of St. Mary of the Springs.
The Center for Dominican Studies at Ohio Dominican University will open in Summer 2004. The Center will be dedicated to preserving and enhancing the 93-year-old Catholic university's Dominican heritage and character. In 2002, the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs gave the university a $500,000 legacy gift for the Center, to serve as a foundation upon which future gifts will build.
Under Sr. Catherine's direction, the Center for Dominican Studies will provide:
- Courses, classes, symposia, lectures, workshops, and study programs on Dominican values and history
- Retreats, pilgrimages, reflective experiences, spiritual guidance, prayer services and liturgical celebrations.
- Public statements, position papers, research, monographs, and publications
- Exchange programs, community gatherings, and special events.
ODU's roots go back to 1911, when the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs founded the College of St. Mary of the Springs, now Ohio Dominican University. Since that time, the university has sponsored and supported quality education in the Dominican tradition, remaining steadfast to its motto, "to contemplate truth and to share with others the fruits of that contemplation." The motto reflects ODU's commitment to provide students with a liberal education and holistic educational experience.
"The contemplation of truth and the sharing of these fruits speak fundamentally to the values of Catholic higher education in the Dominican tradition -- values that make our university unique. Through the Center of Dominican Studies, we will be able to commemorate the long and rich history of the Catholic intellectual tradition…a tradition begun in the early medieval universities and sustained for hundreds of years in colleges and universities throughout the world," said President Jack Calareso.
"Our hope is that the Center for Dominican Studies will continue the longstanding Dominican tradition of pursuing the truth, which has been a cornerstone of the mission of the Congregation and the University," said the Prioress of the Dominican Sisters, Sr. Anne Kilbride, O.P. "Sr. Catherine Colby is an excellent choice to lead the Center because of her strong embrace of the Dominican charism and the mission of the University."
