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May 19, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – During the weekend of Siena Heights University’s final Commencement, 11 Adrian Dominican Sisters, Associates, and Co-workers were among more than 60 people recognized for their dedicated service to the University.

Founded and sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1919, Siena Heights closed its doors at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year. The announcement was made by University administrators and the Adrian Dominican Sisters General Council in June 2025 to allow the university to come to an honorable close.

“You have not simply followed a path – you have forged one,” Dr. Cheri Betz ’07, President, said at the beginning of the Honors and Awards Ceremony, May 8, 2026, in the University’s Performing Arts Center. “You’re a torchbearer to the world. You allow us to weave your legacy into the very fabric of Siena Heights University.”

Among the 10 recipients of Dr. Betz’s President’s Distinguished Service Awards were two Adrian Dominican Co-workers: Jennifer Hunter, Chief Operating Officer, and Sara Stoddard, Chief Financial Officer. The two worked closely with Siena Heights University administrators during the final academic year. 

Harry “Dusty” Steele, Chairman of Siena Heights University’s Board of Trustees, presented the Chairman’s Distinguished Services Award to members of the Board, including Sisters Mariane Fahlman, OP, Frances Nadolny, OP, Corinne Sanders, OP, and Mary Soher, OP. 

Tim Fortescue ’01, Chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees, bestowed the Catherine of Siena Medal – the highest honor of the University – on nine individuals, including Sister Peg Albert, OP, President of Siena Heights from 2006 to 2023; Trudy McSorley, and Adrian Dominican Associate and long-time faculty member and administrator; and Sister Sharon Weber, OP, who ministered for more than 40 years at Siena Heights, most recently as Vice President of Academic Affairs. The final Siena Heights Medal was presented to the Adrian Dominican Congregation and accepted by Sister Elise D. García, OP, Prioress of the Congregation.   

Two surprise Honorary Degrees were bestowed during the closing Commencement Ceremony on May 9, 2026: Sister Nancy Murray, OP, who travels throughout the world with her one-woman portrayal of St. Catherine of Siena and other notable Sisters and saints, and her brother, comedian Bill Murray. The commencement celebrated the graduation of 440 students who crossed the stage to receive their degrees, bringing the desired honorable closure to a beloved institution.  

“President Cheri Betz, Provost Julie Barst, Board Chair Harry Steele, and the other outstanding members of the President’s Cabinet and Board of Trustees, as well as incredibly dedicated faculty and staff rightly celebrated the awesome achievement of bringing the University to honorable closure through this most challenging year,” Sister Elise said later.

 

 

 

 

Caption for above feature photo: From left, Sisters Mary Soher, OP, Corinne Sanders, OP, and Frances Nadolny, OP, wait to receive the Chairman’s Distinguished Service Award from Harry “Dusty” Steele, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Siena Heights University. Sister Mariane Fahlman, OP, also received the award but was unable to attend the event.

February 6, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – Siena Heights University students and Adrian Dominican Sisters celebrated the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, January 28, 2026, in part by gathering at the school’s cafeteria for “legacy lunch,” the first in a monthly series of legacy events during the spring semester.

This second semester of the 2025-2026 academic year is the final semester for Siena Heights University, founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1919 as St. Joseph College. In July 2025, the University announced its closure at the end of the 2025-2026 academic year.

“The idea is to connect our current students with the legacy of the Adrian Dominican Sisters so they can take a piece of the Sisters with them,” explained Nathan Rankins, Campus Minister. “Nothing ever ends. So [we are giving] the legacy of Siena Heights and the legacy of the Adrian Dominican Sisters to our students.”

Even as they discussed their plans for what’s next for them, the students spoke of the legacy they have received from their experience at Siena Heights University. Katie Stewart, a sophomore, transferred to Siena Heights this year but already has been affected. “Everyone is so friendly and kind, and I feel the positivity,” she said. “The instructors are understanding and will work around schedules if you’re having problems.”

Katie is majoring in psychology but hopes to change her major to physical education next year at Eastern Michigan University or Grand Valley State University. She said she appreciates the personal feel at Siena Heights University and the opportunity to attend weekday Mass.

Iris Millies, a sophomore majoring in Environmental Science, has already learned much in that field from her participation in the 2025 Environmental Leadership Experience (ELE), a weeklong, hands-on experience for Siena Heights and Barry University students at the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ permaculture garden. She said she appreciates the “focus on the environment and the opportunities I’ve had here – the mixture of the Sisters and the school.” She said she will probably attend Grand Valley State University. 

Caden Rogers, a senior, said he is “blessed” to be able to graduate from Siena Heights University this year with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He hopes to become an electrician and is applying for an apprenticeship. His study of business, he said, will benefit him in his work as an electrician, giving him skills he might need to manage his own electrical business or advance as an electrician. 

Caden benefited from his years at Siena Heights University in other ways. The faculty and staff “leave an impact on you,” he said.  He was also surprised by the diversity that he found in such a small university. “There are people I met from Brazil and the Dominican Republic,” he said. “I got to meet people from all walks of life.”

Gabriel Iott, who has been studying science and will begin his major in physical therapy at Grand Valley State University, has been especially moved by the sense of community that he found at Siena Heights University. Its smaller size helps the students to be more connected, he said. “I’m very involved in campus,” he said. “You get to know a lot of people and it’s a very tight group.”

Gabriel said that the faculty, staff, and administration at Siena Heights University are involved in campus life in many ways, including the Late Night Breakfast program, in which they serve night-time breakfast to students before the start of final exams week. “I’m in a research program and we have to have a faculty mentor,” Gabriel explained. He was never in a class with his mentor, who still dedicates a lot of time to Gabriel. Many other faculty members also show this dedication to the students. “I think that’s very impactful.”

Sister Eunice Drazba, OP, said she attended Siena Heights College when it was much smaller. She is impressed by the current students. “Somehow our legacy has affected them,” she said. In addition, the university has been very inviting to the Sisters on the Motherhouse Campus. “They let us know what’s happening,” she said. “We feel very welcome by the students.”

Nate said that the Legacy Lunch was the first in a series of planned monthly events to help students connect with Sisters and to experience the Sisters’ legacy. The next event is a Legacy Mass, to be held in February during the regularly scheduled 7:00 p.m. Sunday Mass and followed by a reception. The legacy events for March and April are still in the planning stages.

“I see the legacy of the Sisters as the signs of the times,” Nate said. “The Adrian Dominican Sisters, in my opinion, have always been able to discern the signs of the times and how to respond. It would be our hope that our students will be able to go out into the world and discern what they need to do.”

 

Caption for above feature photo: Enjoying lunch together during Siena Heights University’s Legacy Lunch are, from left, Gabriel Iott, Sisters Corinne Florek, OP, and Barbara Quincey, OP, and Caden Rogers.