Kathleen Feeley, S.S.N.D., Ph.D.

Through her distinguished career in education, Sister Kathleen Feeley has made enduring contributions to the educational, social, cultural, economic, and spiritual life of the State of Maryland and its citizens.

Sister Kathleen’s leadership at the College of Notre Dame of Maryland is known and recognized in national and international forums of higher education. When she assumed the presidency in 1971, the college offered a traditional program of studies to traditional college women. Nationally, many Catholic colleges for women were merging with colleges for men or becoming coeducational themselves. Under Sister Kathleen’s leadership, the entire college community engaged in a deliberative process and determined that the College of Notre Dame of Maryland would remain a college for women.

With the primary mission clear, Sister Kathleen then led the college as it redesigned the programs of study to meet the needs of an emerging population of non-traditional students. To adapt to the students’ schedules, Sister Kathleen initiated part-time student status, as well as funding the second Weekend College in the nation in 1975. The college expanded its course offerings and in 1984, the college began to offer graduate degrees. Sister Kathleen put the college on the higher education “map” through her vision, her strength of will, her unwavering hope and her reverence for each student. In addition, she founded the Renaissance Institute for older women who are interested in continuing their education. She is an extraordinary educator and after a 21-year presidency, she has returned to her first love- teaching English.

In 1994, Sister Kathleen was teaching in Australia when she received a call from the leadership of her religious community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), to undertake a project unlike any she had ever done before. There was a SSNDS-owned building in the heart of East Baltimore in need of job skills, education and hope. Sister Kathleen’s challenge was to raise money to renovate the building and create a programmatic vision for meeting the needs of women in that part of the city. She named the project Caroline Center.

The Caroline Center recently celebrated its fourth anniversary. In one year, Sister Kathleen raised $1.6 million to renovate the building and provide the first year’s operating expenses. In the past four years, the Caroline Center has served over 500 women providing job readiness, skills training and support in the workplace.

In 1995, Sister Kathleen was called on by Mayor Schmoke for her assistance. The Baltimore City Public School System faced very difficult problems relating to its compliance with federal and state laws governing children with disabilities. During her tenure as Administrator for Special Education in the Baltimore City Public School System, Sister Kathleen’s focus was on student achievement and employee professional growth. She courageously tackled previously overlooked systematic issues and sought creative and viable solutions. Her ability to bring a diverse view to her mission of assuring growth and success for the children of Baltimore City stabilized the system and was an inspiration to her staff and other community leaders. Ultimately, her work led to the formation of a unique city/state education partnership that is viewed as a model for the United States. The partnership has helped to improve the quality of education in Baltimore not only for those with disabilities but also for children served by the public school system.