“Our mission at Holy Names University is to liberate minds and transform lives. We empower those who are most in need and most underrepresented and allow them to earn an education that will transform the world. We instill in our students that the value they bring to others is critical to who they are,” says Sister Rosemarie Nassif, SSND.

Sister Rosemarie began her ministry as president of Holy Names University in Oakland, California, seven years ago. Prior to joining Holy Names University, Sister Rosemarie had served in various leadership roles, including ministering as president of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland and as president of The Fund for Education Excellence in Baltimore.

One of the things that attracted Sister Rosemarie to Holy Names University was that its founders, the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, have a mission similar to the School Sisters of Notre Dame in their commitment to serve women and the underrepresented. Originally founded as a school for women, Holy Names University became co-educational in 1971. 

Under her guidance, Holy Names University is boasting the largest enrollment in its history with nearly 1,100 students, from 16 states and 41 nations. The university recently attained a 10-year reaffirmation of accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), the maximum number of years granted, and raised $5.3 million to reconstruct its science facilities, surpassing its $4.9 million goal.  The US News and World Report’s Best Colleges ranks Holy Names University number three in campus diversity in the West. Seventy percent of the student body is from under-represented cultures and eight percent are international students.

As president, Sister Rosemarie is called to work with many constituents – with students, faculty, corporate leaders, board of trustees, government and political entities, administration, etc.  Every aspect offers a diversity of experiences where she juggles and balances different needs and expectations, which has proven to be a very rewarding experience. Over the past seven years she has learned “that the relationships you build are more important that the vision that you have. It’s more important that the community feel ownership for the accomplishments we make because it helps people to understand their roles and makes them extremely invested in the institutional reality.

“I strive to get to know each student at Holy Names and give them the means to achieve their hopes and dreams,” Sister Rosemarie said.

Reprinted courtesy of Currents newsletter
School Sisters of Notre Dame, St. Louis Province

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