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Recognizing and honoring Chestnut Hill College on its 95th Anniversary and continued commitment to providing students with a holistic education in an inclusive community marked by academic excellence, personal and professional growth, service to one another and to the global community.
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WHEREAS, Chestnut Hill College was founded in 1924 as Mount Saint Joseph College, a Catholic, four-year, liberal arts college for women by the Sisters of Saint Joseph, and was later renamed in 1938 as Chestnut Hill College; and
WHEREAS, The College recognizes and honors current President Carol Jean Vale, of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, for her 30 years of consistent service, which includes 27 years leading the College as President; and
WHEREAS, In 2003, the College fully transitioned to a co-educational institution, expanding their mission of academic excellence to a wider audience, and today approximately 30 percent of the College’s full-time undergraduate students are first generation college students; and
WHEREAS, In the 2017-2018 academic year, minorities accounted for nearly 41 percent of all degree-seeking, first-time, first-year students, and in 2018 the College was recognized by College Magazine as one of the Top Colleges in Philadelphia; additionally,
the College was inducted into Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s Architectural Hall of Fame in 2018; and
WHEREAS, The College is one of seven Greater Philadelphia higher educational institutions recognized as a “College of Distinction” for its “engaged students, great teaching, vibrant communities, and successful outcomes”; and
WHEREAS, The College provides a rigorous Liberal Arts Program that continues to be updated and modified to meet the ever-changing needs and demands of society and higher education, even as recently as this year where the College added three new undergraduate majors: Law & Legal Studies, Health Sciences, and Cybersecurity, which is one of the first programs of its kind in Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, The College offers a Graduate Program, with four Master’s Degree Programs and an accredited Psychology Doctorate Program, an accelerated Adult Degree Program, and an Undergraduate Program with 36 majors;
WHEREAS, Since its founding the College has produced more than 15,000 alumni and continues to grow this network with individuals that are daring, bold, innovative and informed thinkers who embody the spirit of the College: professional and personal excellence, inclusivity, global awareness, faith, charity, integrity, justice, and knowledge; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby recognize and honor Chestnut Hill College on its 95th Anniversary and continued commitment to providing students with a holistic education in an inclusive community marked by academic excellence, personal and professional growth, service to one another and to the global community.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution shall be presented to Carol Jean Vale, SSJ, President of the College as evidence of the sincere respect and admiration of this legislative body.
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