Mercy College Receives Largest Private Donation in School History
DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. (PRWEB) October 25, 2018 -- Philanthropist and former chair of Mercy College’s department of mathematics and computer sciences, Dr. Marie T. McKellar, has announced a $2 million donation to establish two new tenure-track faculty positions in mathematics or computer sciences. This is the largest private donation in Mercy College history.
The gift will establish two full-time “McKellar Faculty Chair” positions in the academic disciplines of mathematics or computer sciences which will reside within the School of Liberal Arts. The new tenure track faculty will begin teaching in the 2019-2020 school year.
“I am pleased to provide this gift to Mercy College,” said McKellar. “I am looking to forward to seeing the positive impact these two positions will have in shaping the futures for students at Mercy College.”
Through this agreement, Mercy College will recruit candidates with strong teaching abilities who can model success to future generations of Mercy’s diverse student population. To help achieve these goals, the new chairs will focus on outreach to encourage women and minorities to study and pursue degrees in the fields of mathematics and computer sciences.
“We are so thankful to Dr. McKellar for her transformative gift that will allow Mercy College to continue its support of faculty and students,” said Tim Hall, Mercy College President. “Marie was an instrumental part of our program here at Mercy as the department chair for 15 years and through this gift her legacy of supporting women and minorities in the fields of mathematics and computer sciences will be further cemented.”
A 1962 graduate of Saint Mary's College in Indiana, McKellar earned a Master of Arts degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana (1964) and her EdD in mathematics education from Rutgers University (1972). Dr. McKellar received a Honorary Degree from Mercy College in 1992. She has also served on the Liberal Arts Advisory Board. Dr. McKellar taught college and graduate school mathematics and statistics for thirty years, and was department chair for fifteen years at Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY. She retired in 1994. She has also worked for many years with the American Association of University Women (AAUW), and with the Mathematics Association of America (MAA), with the mission to encourage women and minorities to study and pursue careers in mathematics and the sciences.
About Mercy College
Mercy College is the dynamic, diverse New York City area college whose students are on a personal mission: to get the most out of life by getting the most out of their education. Founded in 1950, Mercy is a coeducational and nonsectarian college that offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs within five schools: Business, Education, Health and Natural Sciences, Liberal Arts and Social and Behavioral Sciences. With campuses in Dobbs Ferry, Bronx, Manhattan and Yorktown Heights, the vibrancy of the College culture is sustained by a diverse student body from around the region.
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Laura Plunkett, Mercy College, http://www.mercy.edu, 914-674-7736, [email protected]
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