GREENSBURG, PA- GREENSBURG, PA- Sister Gertrude Foley, President of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, will receive an honorary degree during Seton Hill College’s 84th annual commencement ceremony on May 11, 2002 in Sullivan Hall on campus.

“Sister Gertrude remains a tireless advocate for Seton Hill College. As Vice Chair of our Board of Trustees, she leads by example and best represents the pioneering spirit of our founders, the Sisters of Charity. I am delighted that we will recognize her good work with an honorary degree,” said JoAnne Boyle, President of Seton Hill.

Prior to serving as President of her Congregation, Foley spent seven years as Regional Director for the Sisters of Charity in Arizona and California. She also served twice as General Councilor. She holds a BA from Seton Hill College, an MA in classics from Duquesne University, an MA in theology from Fordham University, and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Aquinas Institute of Theology. Foley is the Chairperson of Region IV of the Leadership Conference of Women’s Religious (LCWR) and a member of the LCWR National Board. She is one of two representatives of American religious women who are delegates to the Assembly of the International Union of Superiors General, headquartered in Rome.

Sister Gertrude Foley’s past experience includes teaching at every level: elementary, secondary, college, adult religious education and the religious education of children. In collaboration with colleagues, she designed and directed two programs of pastoral and theological education for the laity; one in the theology department of The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota; the other for the Diocese of Phoenix. She served as an organizational development consultant and facilitator in a variety of parish and diocesan settings. For more than twenty years, she has also worked as a presenter, consultant and facilitator with religious congregations throughout the United States and Canada, and in Europe, Africa and Korea.

She is co-author of Shaping the Coming Age of Religious Life, published in 1979. The National Religious Formation Conference published her article entitled, “Stewarding the Gift of American Religious Life” in InFormation, 1998. Her article, “The Seniors, The Newcomers, and the Vocation Director” was published in 1999 in Horizons, a publication of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

Sister Gertrude Foley shares her time and talent with a number of organizations. She serves as Chair of the Board of Directors for Jeannette District Memorial Hospital (JDMH) and is a member of the JDMH Foundation Board. She serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Seton Hill College and is a member of the Advisory Board for Seton Hill’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education. In addition, Sister Gertrude is a member of the DePaul Institute for Hearing Impaired Students Board of Directors and the Institute’s Corporate Board. She serves on the Board of Elizabeth Seton Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Seton Hill College’s commencement is part of a two-day celebration for graduates, their families and friends and members of the Seton Hill community.