Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., the 20th university president, announced her retirement Tuesday, sending waves of conversation across campus.
Students received the news via email, in which Carney explained her gratitude to the university and that a committee has plans to begin looking for a new president.
“Now, having served nearly 12 years as your president, I begin this new year and new academic semester confident it is the right time and the correct season to announce my intention to make this spring semester my last as the 20th President of St. Bonaventure University,” Carney wrote.
For many students, the news was shocking.
“I was definitely surprised. I knew that Sr. Margaret would most likely retire within the next couple of years, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon,” said Ellen Kibbe, a sophomore English major.
With Bonaventure being such a close-knit community, even first-year students have had special experiences with her.
Last year, the first floor of Robinson Hall had the opportunity to have “Pizza with the President” and discuss their feelings about the university.
“I think it was cool that I got to eat pizza with Sr. Margaret as a freshman,” said Anna Rine, a sophomore marketing major. “It’s not an opportunity that you would get at a bigger school. It was one of our first and last memories with her.”
Freshman finance major Kevin O’ Brien has also already developed a personal opinion on Carney from seeing her around campus.
“Seeing the president retire means looking for a new one, and that’s never an easy job to fill, so I was shocked,” said O’Brien. “I’ve already seen Sr. Margaret several times, and she always seemed to be happy and energized. Her retirement comes as a surprise.”
Sr. Margaret is known to attend university events, namely the basketball games, and to show support. Students are able to interact with her in a personal way, as everyone is coming together and cheering on the Bonnies.
“I think that Sr. Margaret’s dedication to the school, especially her bond with the student body, will be greatly missed,” said Kibbe. “Her Bona pride and her years of experience will be hard to match. Long before I was even a Bonnie, my family has pictures of my siblings and me at basketball games standing with Sr. Margaret. She loves the Bona community as a family.” Kolbee14@bonaventure.edu
