A Message from the President

In 2005, I accepted the challenge of becoming Alvernia’s sixth president with enthusiasm, confidence in our future, and great admiration for the pioneering spirit and “outlandish daring” of our foundresses, the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters.

From a solitary orphanage on the outskirts of Reading and later a tiny college, Alvernia has become a thriving, multi-dimensional school of 3,000 students. Far more important than our dramatic growth, however, is our abiding commitment to our foundresses’ vision: to prepare students not only for individual growth and personal success but also for service to others. We expect Alvernia graduates to do well and do good.

Values & Vision: The Alvernia 50th Anniversary Campaign offers an historic opportunity to invest in an institution strongly committed to its city, county, and region. Our alumni carry this commitment even further—to communities across the country. With the full involvement of the campus community, the leadership of our Board of Trustees, and the support of alumni and friends, we aim to make Alvernia a distinctive Franciscan university. Recognized for excellent undergraduate education, strong graduate programs, and a range of life-long learning opportunities for students of all ages, Alvernia will be guided by Franciscan values and the ideal of “knowledge joined with love.”

To achieve our shared vision, we seek to increase support for “signature” academic programs and for faculty excellence in teaching and scholarship. New recreation facilities and expanded fine and performing arts opportunities will strengthen campus life. A new campus entranceway and renovations to Francis Hall will enable us to better welcome students and guests to campus. We will enhance our Franciscan mission through our Center for Ethics and Leadership and through local, regional, and international partnerships sponsored by the Center for Community Engagement.

Over the last half century, Alvernia has evolved into a respected, multi-dimensional educational institution that graduates skilled professionals and men and women of character who make a difference in their communities. As we anticipate our next 50 years, we ask you to invest in a future that fulfills our promise to provide an excellent, values-based education to students of all ages; to enhance our region’s cultural life; and to be a resource for the next generation of society’s leaders.

Thomas F. Flynn
President
Alvernia College