WHEREAS, Sister Francesca Onley, PhD, CSFN, was born in Philadelphia’s Mayfair Section on March 4, 1933 and joined the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth in 1950; and
WHEREAS, She was a member of one of the first graduating classes of what was then Holy Family College, then earned her master’s degree from Marywood University in Scranton and her doctorate in higher education administration from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale; and
WHEREAS, Sister Francesca was inaugurated as Holy Family University’s fourth President and Chief Administrative Officer on November 22, 1981; and
WHEREAS, She served as president of Holy Family for 32 years and when she retired in 2014, at the age of 80, she was the longest college-tenured president in the region; and
WHEREAS, Under Sister Francesca’s leadership, Holy Family University changed from a college to a university, added masters and doctoral programs, doubled its overall student enrollment, grew a marginal endowment to one of $7 million, and added sites in both Newtown and Bensalem; and
WHEREAS, Sister Francesca’s vision and leadership resulted in the exponential growth of Holy Family University, including the construction of the Campus Center in 1988, the University building in Newtown in 1997, the Garden Residence in 2006 and the Education and Technology Center in 2005; and
WHEREAS, The Education and Technology Center (“ETC”) was the signature building in Sister Francesca's vision to expand the campus and equip it with the technology needed by faculty and students, especially those majoring in education. It opened in August of 2005. It is a 62,000 square foot facility and contains eight general classrooms, four computer labs and four specialized education classrooms. It also houses a 200-seat auditorium, an art studio and gallery, three conference rooms, a cafe, lounges and faculty and administrative offices; and
WHEREAS, To honor all the work that Sister Francesca has done for Holy Family, the University will rename the Education and Technology Center the “Sister Francesca Onley, CSFN Education and Technology Center” at a ceremony on October 27, 2015; and
WHEREAS, The ceremony will also feature an unveiling of a commissioned portrait of Sister Francesca painted by local Germantown artist, Garth Herrick. The painting is a gift of Chairman of the Board Dennis J. Colgan, and his wife, Gerardine; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Council of the City of Philadelphia conveys its deepest gratitude to Sister Francesca Onley for her distinguished service to Holy Family University and congratulates her on the occasion of the naming of the Education and Technology Center in her honor.
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