SBU's Carney in Top 100

St. Bonaventure University President Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., S.T.D., has been named a leading figure in education by Irish Voice newspaper. Sr. Margaret is part of the weekly newspaper’s Irish Education 100 publication, a list of leading educators in North America.

“The Irish Education 100 is our inaugural effort to recognize the central role of educators in our history,” said Niall O’Dowd, founding publisher of Irish Voice. “More than a reflection of the past, we endeavor to build a creative communication network that will strengthen Irish identity in the 21st Century with new collaborations, partnerships and friendships. We view educators as the central link with Ireland in our globalized world.”

A lifelong educator, Sr. Margaret came to Sr. Bonaventure University in 1997 to serve as a faculty member of its world-renowned Franciscan Institute. Within two years she was named dean and director. In 2004, she was named the 20th president of the university.

She was the leader in establishing the Father Mychal Judge Center for Irish Exchange and Understanding, a unique venture that will offer St. Bonaventure students, faculty, and cultural exchanges with the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the United States, including academic study, service learning, co-curricular seminars, and research.

Proud of her Irish heritage, Sr. Margaret’s maternal and paternal grandparents were born in Ireland and Sr. Margaret’s sister, Sr. Sheila Carney, is an internationally-known expert on the life of Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy whose headquarters is in Dublin.

Last summer, Sr. Margaret led a pilgrimage to Wexford to the ancestral lands and parish of the Devereux family. Nicholas Devereux, who emigrated to the U.S. in 1806, was the founding benefactor of the university. His family is well known in Wexford and beyond for its generosity to Catholic causes and religious orders.

Sr. Margaret is also well known in Franciscan circles and has lectured in Ireland and at the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock.

Sr. Margaret 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 and Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure University.

A leader with a strong impulse for collaborative models, Sr. Margaret is working with Trustees and the university community to develop a 21st century plan for educational excellence in a student-centered learning environment.

Sr. Margaret holds five honorary doctorates and is the recipient of a number of other honors. She holds leadership roles with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities.

Joining Sr. Margaret on the Irish Education 100 list is St. Bonaventure alumnus and trustee Daniel F. Collins of Corning, vice president of corporate communications at Corning Inc.