ALLEGANY, N.Y. — St. Bonaventure University president Sr. Margaret Carney, OSF, has been named to the Irish Voice’s first “Irish Education 100,” a listing of leading North American educators.
“We view educators as the central link with Ireland in our globalized world,” said Niall O’Dowd, founding publisher of the newspaper. “The ‘Irish Education 100’ is our inaugural effort to recognize the central role of educators in our history.”
A lifelong educator with Irish roots, Sr. Margaret joined the SBU faculty in 1997. Within two years, she was named dean and director. In 2004, after the interim presidency of Dominic Monti, OFM, she was appointed president.
Over the past five years, she has established the Father Mychal Judge Center for Irish Exchange and Understanding, a venture that connects SBU with the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland through cultural exchanges.
Sr. Margaret’s maternal and paternal grandparents were born in Ireland, and her sister, Sr. Sheila Carney, is an internationally known expert on the life of Catherine McAuley, founder of the Sisters of Mercy, headquartered in Dublin.
Well-known in Franciscan circles, Sr. Margaret has lectured in Ireland. She was the first woman to earn a doctorate from the Franciscan University of Rome. She studied in Europe after completing master’s degrees in theology at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and Franciscan studies at SBU.
She has received five honorary doctorates among many other honors. She holds leadership roles with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities and the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities.
Also on the “Irish Education 100” list is SBU alumnus and trustee Daniel Collins, vice president of corporate communications at Corning Inc.