April 11, 2022
Ursuline College President Sister Christine De Vinne, OSU, PhD, has accepted an invitation to serve as a member of the Higher Education Working Group of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). She is one of only five college presidents invited to serve alongside five American bishops.
The Working Group’s purpose is to advance further dialogue and collaboration among the nation’s Catholic colleges and bishops.
“I am honored to be appointed to serve on the Higher Education Working Group,” said Sister Christine. “I look forward to conferring with colleagues and bishops from across the country on questions pertinent to Catholic colleges and universities.”
In his letter of invitation, the Most Reverend William M. Joensen, PhD, chair of the Higher Education Working Group and bishop of the Diocese of Des Moines, said "Your years of experience in Catholic higher education and your dedication to this important ministry of the Church will be an asset to the group."
The Most Reverend Edward C. Malesic, bishop of Cleveland, added, “Sister Christine brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to us and now to the national church.”
The working group provides a vehicle for the USCCB Committee on Education to address and respond to strategic topics that are occurring in Catholic higher education. One hundred of the nation’s 195 dioceses are home to at least one Catholic college or university. The Diocese of Cleveland has three: Ursuline, Notre Dame College and John Carroll University.
Sister Christine joins the following Higher Education Working Group members: Loras College (IA) President Jim Collins, Xavier University (OH) President Colleen Hanycz, Brescia University (KY) President Fr. Larry Hostetter, Mount Saint Mary's University (CA) President Ann McElaney-Johnson, Bishop Joensen, Bishop James Massa (Brooklyn), Auxiliary Bishop Michael Fitzgerald (Philadelphia), Auxiliary Bishop Gary Janak (San Antonio), and one additional bishop to be named soon. Members serve a three-year term.
Sister Christine received national recognition with the Council of Independent Colleges’ 2020 Charles W. L. Foreman Award, the highest honor given by that organization’s State Councils.
She earned a bachelor of arts degree in mathematics, summa cum laude, from Ursuline College in 1973; a master of arts degree in English from the University of Notre Dame in 1985; and a doctorate in English from The Ohio State University in 1996, the year she joined the faculty at Ursuline College. Sister Christine taught in the Ursuline Studies Program and the English Department before becoming dean of the School of Arts and Sciences in 2001. She became Vice President for Academic Affairs at Notre Dame of Maryland University in 2010, serving there until 2015, when she was appointed 17th president of Ursuline College.