University Marketing and Communication

It is La Salle University tradition for a graduating student to deliver the Commencement address. William Hash, who will receive his Master of Business Administration degree, was selected as this year’s speaker for La Salle’s Graduate Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 17, 2013.

Hash sees his selection as Commencement speaker as both a privilege and a responsibility. “I don’t believe I am any more special than the other graduates,” he said. “I am so honored that I was selected to represent the graduate students.” Hash was chosen among the graduate students who applied and presented their speeches to the La Salle Commencement speaker selection committee.

This will be the second degree Hash has earned from La Salle—he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2007. Since completing his undergraduate degree, Hash has worked in a variety of jobs in the casino industry. Since 2009, he has served as a slot operations manager at Caesars Atlantic City, supervising both management and front-line employees in the casino’s slot department.

When Hash decided to pursue his MBA, La Salle was an obvious choice, even if it meant commuting from Atlantic City. “I have a crazy work schedule, so I needed a part-time program,” he said. “Even with the commute, La Salle’s program was the most convenient option for me.”

With a specialization in finance, Hash hopes to eventually work in the financial services industry, preferably with a company with an international scope. “Although I enjoy all areas of business, finance, and especially international finance, really just stuck with me.”

As an MBA student, Hash gained exposure to the global business world through travel/study courses with Walt Schubert, Ph.D., professor of finance. Last year, he traveled to Beijing and Shanghai, and, this month, he traveled to Hong Kong and Singapore. In fact, he will return from his latest trip the night before he delivers his Commencement address.

“I greatly enjoyed all the travel opportunities I’ve had at La Salle,” Hash said. “What I learned in the classroom, I am immediately able to see first-hand in another country.”

“Bill is the prototype of what any professor would want in an MBA student. He will take a question or a thought and run it through his knowledge base to figure out an answer or ask a great question,” Schubert said. “When Bill asks questions or makes comments, it’s not to hear himself talk; it always enlightens the discussion and leads to a much richer understanding of the issues at hand.”

Marcelina Hollender wanted to keep a secret from her parents on the day of La Salle University’s undergraduate commencement exercise.

“I thought it would be fun if they found out the day of graduation, the very moment I would walk up to the podium to give the speech, that they’d realize I was the one giving it. However, I decided it was probably best to tell them beforehand. They were thrilled when I gave them the good news on my birthday, April 15, tax day – which is very appropriate being that I’m an accounting major!”

Hollender is in four-year BS/MBA program at La Salle: she has finished the bachelor’s portion of her program and will complete her MBA this summer. Then she will work for two years for the Disney Company in a two-year Accounting Rotation Program.

Any undergraduate student can apply to deliver the commencement address. Submissions are rated by a committee, and finalists are chosen to deliver their speech to committee members.

“This may sound a little strange, but the inspiration for my commencement speech came from a dream,” said Hollender, who is from Northeast Philadelphia. “I had a dream that I was giving a speech to an audience of graduates and started telling the story of the Wizard of Oz, mentioning the values each character in the story sought: the brains, the heart, the courage, and the home.”

“I have always believed in the importance of stories,” Hollender. “I hoped to make this integration of the heart, brain, courage, and home relevant and inspirational to my fellow students as we seek to continue on our journey out into the world.”

Hollender said she was honored to have been chosen to give the address, especially with the University celebrating its 150th anniversary. She wrote it during Spring Break. Writing it was easy, she said, the hard part was delivering it to the selection committee. She said her experience with the University’s student theatre troupe, The Masque, helped with that aspect of the process.

“I understand that this role (as speaker) carries a great responsibility in inspiring and motivating the audience,” she said. “It includes reflecting on the mission and values of La Salle University, while translating each student’s experience and journey at La Salle into the possibilities of the future.”

Hollender is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and she received the 2012 Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Award. She also won the American Society of Women Accountants National Award in 2011 and 2012.

She was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS), the international business honor society, from which she was also awarded the annual La Salle University/Beta Gamma Sigma scholarship for top BGS inductees. She has also participated in the Masque student theater group and student government and has taken leadership roles in professional accounting organizations on campus.

In October, Hollender was accepted into Disney’s ARP, a full-time, cross-functional experience. Only eight students are accepted into the program each year. She will begin working in California in January, 2014.

In the spirit of celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding, La Salle University will present honorary degrees at its May 19 Commencement exercises to three Catholic educators who have started or operated schools that offer hope, support, and opportunities for their students in the Lasallian tradition.

“Each of those being honored has demonstrated the ability to put into practice the philosophy of St. John Baptist de La Salle, our namesake and the patron saint of teachers,” said La Salle University President Brother Michael J. McGinniss, F.S.C. “As we celebrate the 150th anniversary of our founding, it is fitting we honor those who have contributed to the mission of St. La Salle by continuing his legacy.”

The three recipients are Brother Brian Carty, F.S.C., founder and President of De La Salle Academy, a private, independent middle school in New York City for economically disadvantaged but academically gifted students; Brother Lawrence Goyette, F.S.C., founder of the San Miguel School in Providence, R.I., an inner-city middle school that has become a model for other schools across the nation; and Sister Jeanne McGowan, S.S.J., President of La Salle Academy in North Philadelphia, a school for students in grades 3 through 8 whose families would not otherwise be able to afford a Catholic education.

Br. Brian began teaching at the Monsignor Kelly School, a private school for inner-city boys in New York, and he later became its principal. He started De La Salle Academy in 1984, and the school has become known for individualized instruction and a focus on the whole child: body, heart, mind, and spirit. In 2003, he founded George Jackson Academy, an independent school for academically capable boys from lower-income and underserved families in New York City. He is co-founder and chairman emeritus of the Franciscan Community Center, which serves the needs of the poor and immigrants on New York City’s Upper West Side.

“Sister Jeanne, Brother Lawrence, and I are honored to be officially joined to La Salle University’s wonderful community,” Br. Brian said. “We have followed in the footsteps of those pioneers who, 150 years ago, opened up an institution that was built on the philosophy and principles of John Baptist de La Salle. As everyone is clamoring about school reform, the bedrock upon which any new and effective educational system must be built is the Lasallian principles of a clearly articulated and lived mission, a challenging curriculum geared to the practical needs of students, teachers who know their students well, and a strong and supportive community that enables teachers to do and be their best.”

Br. Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Catholic University, a master’s in counseling psychology from New York University, and a master’s in social work from Columbia University.

Br. Lawrence has been a teacher and administrator at several Catholic schools in Rhode Island, New York City, and Long Island, N.Y., since 1972. He served as President of San Miguel School in Providence from its founding in 1993 until 2003, and he now serves as its Executive Director.

“It’s an incredible honor to receive an honorary doctorate from La Salle University,” said Br. Lawrence. “The mission of La Salle University aligns closely with the mission of the San Miguel School in Providence. La Salle goes to great lengths to be able to provide a quality Lasallian and Christian education to students. I am proud to now be a part of this great Lasallian university.”

Br. Lawrence earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Providence College and a master’s in elementary education from Fordham University.

In 2002, Sr. Jeanne, a Sister of St. Joseph, agreed to serve as a consultant to a then-forming school in the San Miguel model that Br. Lawrence began in Providence. That eventually led her to become President of what is now La Salle Academy. Believing that education provides a way out of the cycle of poverty, Sr. Jeanne has developed La Salle Academy into a flourishing school. The school, she said, relies on “the generosity of others” to provide the funding that enables it to offer a high-quality education for students with only a modest contribution from their families.

“When Brother Michael called me in January and informed me that I’d be receiving the degree, I told him that I was humbled and honored,” Sr. Jeanne said. “La Salle Academy is the success that it is today because of the hard work of many, many people and because it is owned by an independent Board of Trustees and endorsed by the Brothers of the Christian Schools and Sisters of Saint Joseph. The charisms of both orders are shared and encouraged. However, La Salle Academy is a Lasallian school. We follow the philosophy of education of the Brothers and of St. John Baptist de La Salle.”

A native of Philadelphia’s Kensington section, Sr. Jeanne served for 14 years as a teacher and Principal of Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic School in West Philadelphia. She was also the President of the Philadelphia Archdiocesan Principals Association. She earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Chestnut Hill College and a master’s of education from Boston College.

La Salle students had the opportunity to visit the New York Stock Exchange and visit with alumnus Reginald Browne, ’93, Managing Director at Knight Equity.

 
A group of La Salle University business students recently had the opportunity to spend the day on Wall Street, visiting the New York Stock Exchange and Knight Equity, where they met with alumnus Reginald Browne, ’93.

In recent years, Browne, Managing Director at Knight Equity, has been very involved with La Salle’s Career and Employment Services office, mentoring students considering a career on Wall Street. Last fall, Browne participated in the successful “The Path to Wall Street” alumni panel, where he gave the more than 100 students in attendance an insider’s perspective on getting a job on Wall Street. As a follow up to the panel, Browne arranged for 22 La Salle students to have a hands-on, interactive visit to the heart of Wall Street.

“It is my responsibility to give back as much as I can as an alumnus,” Browne said. “I have been very fortunate in my career, and I want to help open a pathway for La Salle students and their future careers.”

Students began their day with a tour of the New York Stock Exchange, where they were given a lesson about the history and the international impact of the financial markets. Throughout the morning, students met with Knight Equity employees, who shared the ins and outs of working on Wall Street—the competitive nature and intensity of the job as well as its rewards.

“I wanted to give the students the opportunity to walk through the Stock Exchange’s trading floor and to interact with traders and market-makers,” Browne said. “The students were able to feel the pace, energy, and high level of personal commitment it takes to perform with excellence in the world’s most important financial marketplace. I hope this leads to a greater La Salle alumni presence on Wall Street.”

Over lunch on one of the Stock Exchange’s executive floors, Browne spoke about his own success and shared three characteristics he believes are necessary for success—integrity, honesty, and drive. “If there is one piece of advice I can give students, it is to always work hard and prove you have value to contribute,” he said.

“Actually standing on the trading floor was such an amazing experience, one that I will not forget,” said Olivia Mulholland, a freshman BS/MBA student. “This trip has directly affected my career planning by not only confirming that I want to work in business, but also by helping me better understand the importance of building relationships and networking. Mr. Browne, in particular, encouraged me to work even harder and strive for everything I want in a career.”

“A visit to the New York Stock Exchange is special under any circumstances, but to do so as the guest of a La Salle alumnus made it even more special,” said Stephen McGonigle, ’72, Executive Director of La Salle’s Career and Employment Services. “To know that Reggie sat in the same classrooms, had some of the same professors, and continues to have a strong, warm feeling for those who helped him during his time at La Salle meant a great deal to the students in attendance. It demonstrated to them, ‘This can be me one day.’”

During their visit, the students met with alumnus Reginald Browne, '93, Managing Director at Knight Equity.

Two students and two recent graduates from La Salle University have received Fulbright Scholarships to spend a year overseas.

The recipients are Kevin Smith, who graduated in 2012 with a degree in communication and will do literary research and teach English in Austria; Theresa Glinski, a senior political science and English major in the Honors Program who will teach English in Slovakia; Thomas Shattuck, a senior history and English major and Honors Program student who will teach English in Taiwan; and Michal Wilczewski, a 2009 graduate and Ph.D. student at the University of Illinois at Chicago who will conduct research in Poland for his dissertation.

Smith, Shattuck, and Glinski were paired with La Salle faculty sponsors to help guide them through the application process. Smith’s sponsor was Vincent Kling, Ph.D., a professor of German; Glinski’s sponsor was Marjorie Allen, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Integrative Studies; and Shattuck’s sponsor was June Jiang, Ph.D., an associate professor of marketing.

Since 1965, more than 60 students from La Salle have received Fulbright Scholarships.

“We’re always proud when one of our students or graduates receives a Fulbright Scholarship, but to have four in one year shows the academic strength of our students and the commitment made by faculty sponsors in assisting Kevin, Theresa, and Tom,” said Joseph Marbach, Ph.D., La Salle’s Provost. “And Michal told us that doing special projects with Dr. Kling and Dr. Allen while a student at La Salle was instrumental in his decision to pursue graduate school.”

Shattuck’s interest in teaching English in Asia began when he taught in China in the summer of 2012.

“I wanted to do something unique and something different from the typical internship,” said Shattuck, who is from Northeast Philadelphia. “When I was making the decision, I was taking Chinese with Dr. Jiang, and we talked a bit about teaching in China. I decided that it would be the best fit for the summer, so I went for it.”

During the internship, his supervisor told him that a teacher’s influence could be the difference between a student deciding to go to college or staying on the family farm. “That really hit home with me because it showed that I was actually helping to make a real difference in someone’s life,” Shattuck said.

Because the Fulbright program does not offer scholarships in mainland China, Shattuck applied to teach in Taiwan.

Jiang, who has taught Shattuck in two Chinese courses and supervised an independent study project he did during his trip to China, said, “Tom is a highly motivated individual and always capable of completing the most difficult task in an effective manner.”

Glinski, a resident of Philadelphia’s Roxborough section, has never been to Slovakia, but she said the country fascinates her because of its history. The nation’s “Velvet Divorce” with the Czech Republic in 1993 ended Communist rule, and Slovakia has since joined the European Union.

“The country has not escaped the effects of these interesting economic times, which is reflected in the high unemployment rate for young people. This is one of the major reasons I considered the Slovak Republic—to provide English language skills to students who can then contribute to the growth of the Slovak economy,” Glinski said.

Allen has taught Glinski in three courses, including one on the literature of the Holocaust.

In that class, Allen said Glinski, on her own, found and read an essay by Primo Levi, “The Grey Zone,” and for the class’s final project, wrote a paper about the author’s treatment of the ethical dilemmas facing Jewish victims as they struggled for survival and were sometimes forced into complicity with the Nazis. “What she wrote about in many ways illustrates one of the strengths of Theresa’s academic abilities: to recognize and understand complexity, to see things beyond the ‘black and white’ appearances, and to look at multiple perspectives,” Allen said.

Smith, of Dallastown, Pa., is a former Marine sergeant who served in Fallujah, Iraq, on two deployments. At La Salle, he was editor of the University’s student newspaper, The Collegian. Since graduation, he has taught as an adjunct in the University’s English Department.

“I visited Austria in 2009 and got the urge to go back,” said Smith, who speaks German. “For a time, I had this insatiable wanderlust, and, in a sense, it is still there for me. I guess it grew out of my experience in the military. On my trip to Vienna and Europe, I saw an area of the world that was unlike everything I thought I knew about. I realized I needed to start experiencing the world for myself.”

Kling, Smith’s sponsor and a recipient of Fulbright Scholarships as both a student and a faculty member, said, “Kevin was always completely prepared, and his focus and work ethic while preparing the application were of the finest.”

For an undergraduate communication class, Smith and two other students had made To Philadelphia, a documentary chronicling the lives of African-Americans who migrated from the South. Smith and Kling came up with the idea of making a video of three modern Austrian writers discussing their fiction and writing habits. Kling said that for Smith to comply with Fulbright application requirements, he would need to have the three authors agree to be interviewed before his proposal was approved. Smith contacted the three writers and they agreed to cooperate with the project, which is the basis for a documentary he is making.

Wilczewski’s dissertation is tentatively titled “State United, People Divided: Everyday Life and the Aftermath of Empire in the Polish Countryside, 1918–1931.” He will visit Warsaw, Krakow, Poznan, and Bialystok to gather research materials.

Wilczewski earned a B.A. in sociology at La Salle and was named the top senior in that department.

“In terms of La Salle’s impact on my academic life, I think it’s safe to say that my choice to go into academia was very much influenced by my close relationship and work with Professors Kling and Allen,” Wilczewski said. “They nurtured in me a love and passion for learning, and challenged me to go beyond just gaining information in class to conducting rigorous research and writing serious scholarship.”

Kling supervised Wilczewski’s Honors Project on the Polish-Jewish poet Julian Tuwim, and Allen was his faculty sponsor for an independent study project he did on Jewish life and resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto.

The Fulbright Scholarship is one of several sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 150 countries.

Under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

La Salle student Daniel Bowers was so shocked after reading an e-mail informing him he’d been named a Newman Civic Fellow that he thought it wasn’t true. “It wasn’t until I had tons of different people—peers, professors, faculty, and staff, some of whom I didn’t even know—come up to me and congratulate me that I knew it was real,” Bowers said. “I really was in shock that I, of all people, would be rewarded for something I really love to do.”

What Bowers loves to do is serve his community, whether through outreach in La Salle’s neighborhood or service trips to Central America and the Caribbean.

The designation of Newman Civic Fellow is presented to inspiring college student leaders who have worked to find solutions for challenges facing their communities. Presented by Campus Compact, only 181 students nationwide were selected for 2013.

“I truly feel blessed to have won this award, and it means so much to me,” said Bowers, a Northeast Philadelphia native and a junior secondary education and mathematics major.  “Service is who I am, and this award shows how dedicated I am to the betterment of not only our local community but also our global community.”

Bowers, who received a Community Service Scholarship to attend La Salle, coordinates the AIDS Outreach program on campus, visiting Calcutta House, an AIDS hospice, three times a week.

“All the residents there live below the poverty line, and we go there to hang out, talk to them, play games with them, and watch TV with them,” Bowers said. “Once a month, we take the residents on a ‘buddy trip’ to somewhere in the city.”

For spring break in March, Bowers coordinated a service trip for La Salle students to the Dominican Republic to build a home for a family. “More importantly, we gave the family hope,” he said. Bowers participated in a service trip there last year, and during the summer after his freshman year, he went on a service trip to Guatemala.

He also assists students who need help with their lessons at Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School.

While he was a student at La Salle College High School, Bowers tutored Philadelphia schoolchildren at the Providence Center, a program run by the Sisters of the Holy Child at Julia De Burgos School, a K–8 charter school in Philadelphia’s Kensington section.

Bowers’ parish, Presentation B.V.M. in Cheltenham, did not have a Catholic Youth Organization program for high school students, so he joined one at a neighboring parish, St. Cecilia’s in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase section. There, he helped deliver meals homebound, disabled, and elderly parishioners, organized a prom for the parish’s senior citizens, delivered Easter flowers to families who had lost a loved one, performed in the parish’s Passion play, and participated in three service trips to Appalachia.

“The three years I went to Appalachia changed my life, and I knew if I had the chance to do that at La Salle, then this was the right place for me,” Bowers said.

“By doing service, I have grown so much as a person and realized what truly is important in life,” he added. “It defines who I am. I’m known on campus as the ‘service kid.’ I will do anything for anyone, and I can’t say no. One of my goals in life is to make at least one person smile every day, and it is through service that I accomplish that. Every little bit counts, and I feel like if I can help as much as I can, then it is making our world that much better.”

This is the second consecutive year that a La Salle student has been named a Newman Civic Fellow. Emily Plummer, a communication major from Tampa, Fla., received the honor in 2012.

Newman Civic Fellow awards are made in memory of Frank Newman, Ph.D., a co-founder of Campus Compact, which seeks to foster students’ involvement in public service and as democratic change-agents. Campus Compact has grown to represent more than 1,100 college and university presidents committed to fulfilling the civic purposes of higher education. The Newman Civic Fellow awards are made possible through the generous support of the KPMG Foundation.

La Salle University recently presented two faculty members with annual awards: Vincent Kling, Ph.D., professor of German, received the Faculty Distinguished Scholarship Award, and Michael Dillon, J.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Political Science Department, received the Faculty Distinguished Service Award.

In presenting the honor to Dillon, University Provost Joseph Marbach, Ph.D., said, “As a Lindback Award recipient (for distinguished teaching) with a long list of published articles and public lectures, this year’s recipient illustrates Aristotle’s point: teaching and scholarship are fully integrated with service for the common good.”

Dillon joined the La Salle faculty in 1968. In 1985, he earned a law degree and practiced environmental law for more than two decades before returning to the University in 2007.

Marbach noted that Dillon had a long history of service to the University but had created a “supererogatory range” of activity since his return: starting the Lasallian Forum for Politics and Policy to bring notable speakers to campus; instituting an alumni newsletter, Publius; starting a high school mock trial tournament that brings high school students from across the state to campus; and launching a Legal Careers Night, an annual event in which La Salle alumni in the legal profession meet students considering that field. He also reinvigorated the St. Thomas Moore Pre-Law Society, Marbach said, making connections with some of Philadelphia’s most prominent lawyers, judges, and law firms to provide internship opportunities for students.

“The more I thought about the term ‘service,’ the more I decided it was a good thing that we at La Salle do not think a lot about service. At La Salle, service is just part of the way of life. It just happens,” Dillon said. “Service is nothing more, and nothing less, than participation in the formation of the next generation of our student poets, politicians, scientists, novelists, doctors, lawyers, educators, accountants, nurses, journalists, financiers, social workers, and entrepreneurs. I cannot imagine a more fun way to spend my days, and I still don’t plan to think about service.”

In presenting the scholarship award, Marbach said Kling had been an active scholar since he joined the full-time faculty in 1980, but in the past few years, “our recipient has seen seven books into print, with three more under contract. As a review of their titles indicates, these works collectively display his impressive scholarly reach, whether as translator, as editor, as interpreter, or as essayist.”

Also a recipient of the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, Kling is known around campus, Marbach said, for his influence on students as he engages them in research projects, assists them in applying for Fulbright Scholarships, and takes the time to get to know them outside of class.

“A person who has never been shaken with fundamental self-doubt is not being honest. So it is with scholarship as well, then,” said Kling. “The larger question arises fairly often about why I am doing what I’m doing, whether it makes any difference at all, or how the scholarly endeavor changes the world. The insecurity is all the keener in that recognition of scholarship is extremely rare, and probably not many people in the world, if that many, are likely to know about my work. That fact makes today’s award all the more welcome.”

Marbach noted in presenting the award that a member of the Yale University German Department has said Kling is “second to none in the U.S.” among scholars of Austrian literature. Kling recently was awarded the Schlegel-Tieck Prize of the Goethe Institute in London for the best translation of a literary work from German to English. He was honored for translating the novel Why the Child Is Cooking in the Polenta (in German, the title is Warum das Kind in der Polenta kocht) by Aglaja Veteranyi, published by Dalkey Archive.

Two students and a recent graduate from La Salle University have received Fulbright Scholarships to spend a year overseas. It is the first time since 1976 that La Salle has had three applicants receive the scholarship in the same year.

The recipients are Kevin Smith, who graduated last May with a degree in communication and will do literary research and teach English in Austria; Theresa Glinski, a senior political science major, who will teach English in Slovakia; and Thomas Shattuck, a senior history major, who will teach English in Taiwan.

All three were paired with a faculty sponsor to help guide them through the application process. Smith’s sponsor was Vincent Kling, a professor of foreign languages; Glinski’s sponsor was Marjorie Allen, Chair of the Department of Integrative Studies; and Shattuck’s sponsor was June Jiang, an associate professor of marketing.

Since 1965, more than 60 students at La Salle have received Fulbright Scholarships.

“We’re always proud when one of our students receives a Fulbright Scholarship, but to have three in one year shows the academic strength of our students and the commitment made by their faculty sponsors,” said Joseph Marbach, Ph.D., La Salle’s Provost.

The Fulbright Scholarship is one of several sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The program operates in more than 150 countries.

Under legislation introduced by the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Program has given approximately 300,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

La Salle University business student Marcelina Hollender has been accepted into The Disney Company’s Accounting Rotation Program (ARP), a full-time, cross-functional experience. Only eight students are accepted into the program each year.

Hollender is an accounting major in La Salle’s Four-Year BS/MBA program and Business Scholars Co-op Program at La Salle. She will earn her MBA this August and start at Disney in January 2014.

“We seek out top talent from top schools around the country with high academic standing in terms of GPA and Big 4 (accounting firms) and Fortune 500 company accounting-focused internship experience,” said C.J. Masopust, a recruiter with Disney Consumer Products. Masopust said the program also looked for students with “promising leadership capabilities.”

Hollender submitted an application through Disney’s Web site for the ARP in early September. Three days later, she received a phone call from a recruiter, who conducted a one-hour interview with her. The recruiter then asked Hollender if she could come to Disney’s corporate office in Burbank, Calif., for a formal interview in October.

“In Burbank, interviews were being conducted daily with students from across the country,” said Hollender, who has made the dean’s list every semester at La Salle. “I met with recruiters, current ARP analysts, and other ARP candidates. It was interesting to listen to current ARP analysts who described their personal experience in the program.”

Hollender said the interviews were conducted in four sessions, and she was interviewed by two-person teams from the various business areas.

“I made sure to be prepared for the interview by conducting thorough research about the Disney Company, such as its history, financials, and current news,” she said. “The interviewers were impressed that I was knowledgeable about the company and that I came prepared with a portfolio of articles and reports.”

While at La Salle, Hollender has completed internships with Charming Shoppes and PwC. For the past three years, she has worked part time at Trumark Financial Credit Union as a loan member service representative, and she has been selected as “Employee of the Month” numerous times.

Hollender is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and she received the 2012 Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants Award. She also won the American Society of Women Accountants National Award in 2011 and 2012.

Hollender was inducted into Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS), the international business honor society, from which she was also awarded the annual La Salle University/Beta Gamma Sigma scholarship for top BGS inductees. She has also participated in the Masque student theater group and student government and has taken leadership roles in professional accounting organizations on campus.

Susan Borkowski, a professor of accounting and BGS adviser at La Salle, said of Hollender, “Even as a freshman, she was always among the first students to answer my calls for participants in various essay and case competitions, including those sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She manages admirably to balance these extracurricular events—which make great demands on her time—with her stellar academic performance.”

“Marcelina has many strengths,” Borkowski said. “She is a role model for her peers, an exceptional student, insightful, mature, responsible, and determined to maximize her experiences while in our BS/MBA program at La Salle University.”

Sometimes a good story becomes a story about good.

This happened for Margaret M. McGuinness, Ph.D., professor of religion and Executive Director of Mission Integration at La Salle University, who began looking into the history of communities of women religious in America several years ago. The result is Called to Serve: A History of Nuns in America, which will be published in March by New York University Press.

“The story as a whole demonstrates that sisters were indeed important to the story of American Catholicism,” said McGuinness, whose field of study is women in American Catholicism. “Although there were certainly cases of members who were not good teachers or nurses, they contributed to the development of the Catholic Church in the U.S. by their work in education, nursing, and social work. They were, in fact, the face of Catholicism for many Catholics in the U.S. The story intrigued me.”

This story started in 1727, when 12 French Ursulines arrived in New Orleans, La. Another chapter began in 1790, when four Carmelite nuns settled in Port Tobacco, Md. With the help of Archbishop John Carroll, the establishment of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, now known as the Daughters of Charity, by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in 1808 helped begin a network of American Catholic institutions. By 1830, eight congregations of members of religious communities were ministering throughout the United States, including the Oblate Sisters of Providence, an African American community.

Called to Serve does not focus on one particular religious community, but rather on collective ministries. McGuinness said the work of these women is an example of how sisters became an integral part of the U.S. Catholic Church. The book ends with a discussion of members of religious communities in the 21st century and the ways in which they have adapted their ministries to meet the needs of contemporary Americans.

McGuinness previously published Neighbors and Missionaries: A History of the Sisters of Our Lady of Christian Doctrine (Fordham University Press). Her work on communities of women religious developed from a conversation with an editor at New York University Press. While parts of their story had been examined, such as in McGuinness’ earlier book and in Anne Butler’s recent Across God’s Frontiers: Catholic Sisters in the American West, 1850–1920, there had never been a history of women members of religious communities from the time they first arrived in America to the present day.

McGuinness described Called to Serve as a general history and not an in-depth analysis. Because she wanted people other than scholars to know the story, she tried to write a book that would appeal to both undergraduate students and the general reader.

In addition to Called to Serve and Neighbors and Missionaries, McGuinness, with James Fisher, co-edited The Catholic Studies Reader.