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Sister Kathleen Ross, snjm
Founding President, Heritage UniversityFor decades, organizations have almost had to stand in line to recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of Sister Kathleen Ross, snjm, founding president of Heritage University. However, now is an especially appropriate time for this association and its member presidents, to salute an educational leader who has personified the term "giving," as she concludes her service as head of a remarkable institution, and begins a new phase of service to the underserved.
While most colleges are the products of long-term planning, Heritage's birth was a modern act of faith. Dr. Ross was sent on a mission in the early 1980s to tell the people in Fort Wright College's Toppenish outreach program that the college was closing - and, with it, their special program. But those representing the Yakama Nation said no, and voiced their intent to start their own independent college. Townsfolk rallied behind them, and Heritage became a reality in 1981. Those involved in the founding voted her president before she could object. The first class was held under a sycamore tree.
Since that inauspicious beginning, Heritage has grown and succeeded in its mission "to provide quality, accessible higher education to multicultural populations which have been educationally isolated." Located adjacent to the Yakama reservation, the university's home town of Toppenish is abundant in those who traditionally would find it difficult or impossible to earn a college degree - immigrants, Native Americans, and students from low-income families.
Within just a few years, Dr. Ross's leadership and service were being acknowledged nationally. In 1989, only a year after McGraw-Hill created the prestigious Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Prize to recognize "outstanding individuals who have dedicated themselves to improving education in this country and whose accomplishments are making a difference today," she was named to receive the prize. There were many other accolades, awards, and honorary degrees recognizing her accomplishments over the years, including in 1997 being named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow, and receiving a $335,000 foundation "genius grant" - which she donated to fund student scholarships and other programs to serve students.
Today Heritage University has six locations across the state of Washington, enrolls 1,400 students annually in bachelor's and master's degree programs, and has nearly 7,000 alumni. The student population includes 45 percent Hispanic and 15 percent Native American, and nearly 9 of 10 are the first in their family to go to college. Among those currently enrolled, 98 percent qualify for need-based student aid.
Last March, Dr. Ross announced that she would begin the transition to new leadership for Heritage, and following the appointment of a new president, would head a new national institute based at the university, and dedicated to improving the success of first-generation college students. That transition will occur in 2010, as the rest of the higher education world strives to match the vision that has guided Dr. Ross through an illustrious, and continuing, career.
Over the years, Dr. Ross also has been a familiar face and forceful voice in national student aid policy. In addition to serving on the NAICU board, she served a long tenure on the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, a congressionally-funded advisory board that has shaped higher education legislation for the past two decades.
For her exemplary service to underserved students, for her leadership in inspiring others to reach out to the forgotten, and for the legacy of hope and success that shines in the lives of thousands of Heritage University graduates, the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities is honored to recognize Dr. Kathleen Ross, snjm, with its 2010 Henry Paley Memorial Award.
Named for Henry Paley, president of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York from 1975 until 1984, the award recognizes an individual who embodies his spirit of unfailing service toward the students and faculty of independent higher education. The winner of this award has set an example for all who would seek to advance educational opportunity in the United States.
Previous Award Winners - Henry Paley Memorial Award
1985 Rev. Timothy S. Healy, Georgetown University
1986 James Ream, Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities
1987 Frank "Sandy" Tredinnick, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts
1988 The Honorable William H. Natcher, U.S. House of Representatives
1989 The Honorable Thomas H. Kean, Governor, New Jersey
1990 The Honorable Silvio Conte, U.S. House of Representatives
1991 Francis "Mike" Michelini, Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania
1992 (Special Summit Meeting - no award was given)
1993 Derek Bok, Harvard University
1994 Sr. Dorothy Ann Kelly, College of New Rochelle
1995 Richard F. Rosser, National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
1996 John Frazer, Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities
1997 James Whalen, Ithaca College
1998 Rev. William J. Sullivan, Seattle University
1999 David Irwin, Washington Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
2000 Sr. Mary Andrew Matesich, Ohio Dominican College
2001 (Special NAICU 25th Anniversary Meeting recognizing all previous recipients - no new award was given)
2002 Allen P. Splete, Council of Independent Colleges
2003 James C. Ross, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York
2004 Michael S. McPherson, Spencer Foundation, Macalester College
2005 Robert N. Kelly, Kansas Independent College Association
2006 Clare Cotton, The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Massachusetts
2007 Alexander W. (Sandy) Astin, Higher Education Research Institute, University of California
2008 The Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., University of Notre Dame
2009 Morgan Odell, Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities
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