Mercy College Presidents Graduates and CNR Insights

Many alumni from Mercy College and the former College of New Rochelle (CNR) are now accomplished leaders in higher education. Worthy of praise is the fact that three of these illustrious alumni have risen in the ranks to assume the presidencies of colleges and universities.

A highly coveted and rare position, becoming the president of an institution of higher learning takes mastering multifaceted skills ranging from the fields of management and business, to communications, to academia, and requires an innate desire to be of service and inspire goodwill.

The Mercy and CNR alumni who have proven their capabilities to lead in this capacity include Marylou Yam ’81, M.A., Ed.M., Ph.D., president of Notre Dame of Maryland University located in Baltimore, Maryland; Paul Broadie II ’90, M.B.A., Ph.D., president of Santa Fe College located in Gainesville, Florida; and Jane C. Conoley CNR SAS ’69, Ph.D., president of California State University, Long Beach located in Long Beach, California.

While Yam, Broadie and Conoley run institutions spanning different regions of the country and are tasked with addressing the unique needs of their college and university communities, commonalities can be seen in their leadership styles, particularly when it comes to dealing with a crisis – for example, the COVID-19 pandemic.

Maybe it is because they are all Bronx natives at heart, or maybe it is because they received their undergraduate degrees from colleges with similar guiding principles and core values of equalizing access to high quality education, but it is clear they have traversed the COVID-19 landscape with understanding, resolve and, most importantly, with students’ best interests at their foremost attention and concern.

To read more of this article in the Spring 2021 Maverick Magazine click here.