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Cabrini University Homecoming Weekend

Come home September 25-27, 2020 for a weekend filled with fun for alumni, students, parents, and friends to celebrate the spirit of Cabrini together on our beautiful campus.

Some of the weekend events to look forward to

– A festival featuring food trucks, games, drinks, and live music

– Special class reunions*

– Athletic games and so much more!

*If your class is interested in planning a special reunion event for your class, please contact the Alumni Office at alumni@cabrini.edu or 610-902-8226.

A full schedule of events will be available soon.

We look forward to seeing you in September!

Cabrini University Welcomes the Class of 2024 to Campus with Hybrid Matriculation

Cabrini welcomed the Class of 2024 to campus on Friday, August 28, as first-year students, with the help of their families, took turns moving into East, Woodcrest, and Xavier halls. A total of 389 students—both residential and commuter—were enrolled as part of the Class of 2024 when classes began on August 31

Students participated in a new move-in process this year, which included capacity limits within each residence hall, as well as campus-wide face mask and social distancing mandates in accordance with Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 social restrictions.

“Morale has been high,” Je La Boulden ’23 said while helping direct students outside of East Hall. “A lot of schools can’t offer Orientation and the events that we’re having. Because we have the advantage of being a small school, it’s a lot easier for us to maneuver and still keep everything safe for the students, parents, faculty, and staff.”

Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Chioma Ugochukwu, PhD, addressed Cabrini’s newest students during a virtual Matriculation address on Friday.

“To our new Cavaliers, I am very proud to officially say, ‘Welcome, Class of 2024,’” she began. “I ask you to keep these questions in mind. How will you contribute your voice? How will you impact your community and your chosen field? How will you share your passion with the world?”

Several upperclassmen then explained, via video, what the University’s core values of Vision, Respect, Community, and Dedication to Excellence mean to them.

Junior Anthony Frasca encouraged students to ask themselves, “How are you going to leave your mark on campus and live with purpose?”

After the address, incoming students gathered in small groups in the Founder’s Hall lobby to sign Cabrini’s Charter of Core Values—an agreement to uphold the University’s core values and a signal of their transition to the next step in their lives.

Abundant Thanks to Retiring University Professors

Four Cabrini University faculty members retired at the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, each leaving a lasting impact on the University and its Education of the Heart:

 Thomas Albrecht, Professor of Practice, Computer and Information Sciences
 Don Dempsey, Associate Professor, Graphic Design
 Seth Frechie, PhD, Professor, English
 Anthony Tomasco, PhD, Professor, Psychology

Together, they served Cabrini for a combined 106 years.

“In Cabrini’s four 2020 retirees, we see decades of devotion, not only to enriching the lives of the thousands of students who studied in their classrooms, but also to furthering the scope and quality of Cabrini’s Education of the Heart,” said Chioma Ugochukwu, PhD, Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs. “While we are saddened to lose these vital members of our faculty, we move forward with the knowledge that Cabrini has become a better place to learn because of their contributions.”
The four were honored by their colleagues during a May 6 virtual event. ~ Matt Nestor, Cabrini U.
To learn more about the professors click here

Cabrini University Bids Farewell to Fr. Carl

Cabrini’s Director of Campus Ministry and Chaplain, Father Carl F. Janicki, will leave his post on July 7, after 10 years of service to the University. Father Janicki will take over as Parochial Administrator for Saint Genevieve Parish in Flourtown, PA, on July 8, a role to which he was appointed by Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez.

Cabrini University and its foundational Education of the Heart are stronger today because of Father Carl and his dedication to student engagement, student empowerment, student ownership, and student leadership,” said Cabrini President, Donald B. Taylor, PhD. “Father Carl has been an essential champion of Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini’s founding vision for the institution. We pray for continued success and good fortune in the next chapter of his journey.”

Since 2009, Father Janicki served as the sole priest on campus, providing daily spiritual guidance to students, faculty, and staff at Cabrini’s Bruckmann Memorial Chapel of Saint Joseph. He has also created and overseen a range of liturgical programming and service retreats designed to engage students of all faiths and backgrounds.

Father Janicki’s relationships with neighboring archdioceses connected Cabrini students with many global opportunities during his tenure, including international pilgrimages to Krakow, Poland, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for World Youth Day. During Pope Francis’s visit to Philadelphia in 2015, Father Carl coordinated Cabrini’s participation in the World Meeting of Families, ensuring students served in various volunteer positions for the occasion.

“I came to Cabrini with an open mind and open heart,” Father Janicki said in a statement. “I leave Cabrini with my heart and mind filled by your goodness and blessing which will continue to enrich my life and the lives of those I serve. I am grateful for the time we spent together and for the service we rendered to those most in need locally, nationally, and globally.”

An event honoring Father Janicki will be held when it is safe to do so in accordance with COVID-19 safety guidelines. The University will announce more details on the appointment of its next Director of Campus Ministry and Chaplain later this summer.

Cabrini University Honors Class of 2020 with Virtual Degree Conferral

Cabrini University celebrated its Class of 2020 on Sunday, May 17, hosting two Virtual Conferral of Degrees events amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 507 degrees were conferred on 324 undergraduate and 183 graduate students during the online ceremony.

“The Class of 2020 will always be a special group in Cabrini’s history, whose achievements stand as beacons of hope, faith, and resiliency in a time of worldwide crisis,” said Cabrini President Donald B. Taylor, PhD.

As part of the degree conferrals, Cabrini’s Director of Campus Ministry and Chaplain, Rev. Carl F. Janicki, prepared a video blessing for the graduates.

“Today, you are recipients of a Cabrini University degree, an Education of the Heart,” Janicki said. “May you find in the lessons you have learned through success, and most importantly, through setbacks, the wisdom to create: systems of equity, a life of harmony and peace with all creation, the courage to be agents of change in a world which desperately, now more than ever, needs your passion, gifts, and talents to bring about global healing.”


Adding to the festivities was a virtual toast to the Class of 2020, featuring congratulatory videos from Cabrini alumni, faculty, and staff, which was sent to the graduates and aired on social media on Thursday, May 14. ~ cabrini.edu website To watch the virtual toast video click here

Cabrini University Donates PPE to Bryn Mawr Hospital

Cabrini University’s Science Department contributed unused personal protective equipment (PPE) from its labs to Bryn Mawr Hospital, part of Main Line Health, to aid front-line healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic. Amid intense political discourse around the availability and allocation of PPE, Cabrini donated approximately 2,000 pairs of disposable gloves, 400 lab coats, and 20 safety goggles on April 7.
In March, while watching a news report of PPE shortages in the tri-state area, Cynthia McGauley (MEd ’11), Cabrini’s Laboratory Manager and Chemical Safety Hygiene Officer, realized that PPE stock on shuttered university campuses would soon be needed at hospitals nationwide.

I knew that there were supplies going unused on campus that would be of great value to the local medical community,” McGauley, said. “I felt the higher education community was well-equipped to supply these valiant healthcare workers.”

McGauley consulted with Richard J. Thompson, PhD, Dean of Natural Sciences and Allied Health, as well as Brian Eury, Chief of Staff and Vice President of External Relations, who routed the PPE donation to Bryn Mawr Hospital.

At the hospital, the shipment of gloves, lab coats and goggles were a welcome addition to its PPE supply, which has been in use around-the-clock since the epidemic reached the East Coast.

“We are incredibly grateful to Cabrini University for their donation of PPE,” said Andrea Gilbert, President, Bryn Mawr Hospital. “The community has come together in so many ways to demonstrate their support of health care workers on the frontline. Cabrini has been a great partner to Bryn Mawr Hospital over the years, and we’re so appreciative of their help during this challenging time.”

For McGauley, proactive safety measures are a regular part of the job at Cabrini. She urges students in the labs to practice extra vigilance with regard to sanitization and contamination at the beginning of each spring semester—the start of the traditional cold and flu season. As it became apparent that this flu season was in fact the beginning of a worldwide pandemic, the scope of these precautions expanded at Cabrini.

“We have started virtual discussions among the school safety committee to address what we can be doing proactively to be safe for the Fall 2020 semester,” she said. “From increased hand sanitization stations and scheduled cleanings to advanced coordination of PPE allotment, we’re working to ensure our students, staff and faculty are comfortable working and learning in our campus labs.”

Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C.

Join us for a day of immigration advocacy in Washington, DC!

Every year Cabrini University’s Center on Immigration coordinates a trip to the nation’s capital, to advocate for immigrant justice and lobby for immigration reform. We invite students, faculty, and staff to collaborate with us and travel to Washington, DC.

We would love to have you join us for our next advocacy day, which will take place on Thursday, April 16, 2020. Training and transportation will be provided. We ask that each participant fills out the attached Advocacy Day Form and emails the completed form to immigration@cabrini.edu.

Visit cabrini.edu/immigration for more information.

Being Pro-Social in a Time of Social Distance

~ by Bethany Van Brown, PhD, Cabrini University

As a sociologist, I seek to understand how communities restore normalcy when there is a community-wide disruption like 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and today, our all-consuming COVID-19 pandemic.

From 2006 – 2009, I had the opportunity to study at the University of Delaware Disaster Research Center. As a research assistant, I got to interview tugboat captains—on their tugboats—about the waterborne evacuation after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and I went to New Orleans many, many times after Hurricane Katrina.

I learned right away that there are many myths about human behavior after disaster that some media outlets have exploited. The most prominent myth is that people are more likely to behave badly, or as the literature describes it, “anti-socially.” This myth indicates that people only care about themselves, and thus act selfishly— and ignore the collective needs. We know from research, however, that the vast majority of people behave very well, or, “pro-socially.” Generally, people are selfless and go out of their way to help others, always keeping the collective needs in mind.

While I’ve certainly seen or heard some examples of what we might call “anti-social” behavior amidst COVID-19, I am seeing an overwhelming amount of pro-social behavior. People are making food and leaving it on their porches for children who lack food security; putting non-perishable food items in free little libraries; and making hand sanitizer at home and giving it out to their mail delivery people. The list goes on and on.

I really see—and feel—such selfless behavior is right here in our Cabrini University community, and I’m so incredibly proud to be part of it. Someone very wise said to me, “A pandemic calls for grace.” Indeed, it does. A family gave a case of iced tea to Cabrini employees who were helping students move out when the University had to close because of Gov. Wolf’s precautions to lessen the spread of the coronavirus. The Alumni Association was offering gas cards to students who had a long drive. Cabrini people are taking in students who have nowhere to go. And I know that the members of our administration are doing everything they can to ensure our seniors have the celebration they deserve, because they care so deeply.

Countless other “pro-social” acts have happened and are happening in our wonderful community because that’s who we are—we’re Cabrini. We’re kind and gracious during the best—and the worst—of times.

610 King of Prussia Road, Radnor, PA 19087
Phone: 610-902-1039
Fax: 610-971-0396
info@mothercabrini.org