Rockville Centre, NY (March 31, 2022) – Molloy College today announced it has been approved by the New York State Board of Regents to become Molloy University, a transition that will elevate the school and transform it to a “destination university” with expanded visibility for programs and the success of students post-graduation.
The change takes effect on June 1, 2022, after graduation of the Class of 2022 on May 24.
“We’ve had the academic scope and breadth of a university for years – this makes it official,” said Dr. James P. Lentini, President of Molloy. “Universities are typically defined by their post-graduate Master’s and Doctoral programs, which we already have, as well as a commitment to serve a unique mission, which we have done since our founding in 1955. Our ethically based, professional education stands out in our region and will continue to give our students and graduates the launching pad that they need to thrive and succeed.”
As a University, Molloy will honor its tradition of excellence in teaching as the cornerstone of faculty commitment to students, combined with support for faculty scholarship, research, and creative activity. Molloy will also construct a targeted approach to securing extramural funding where areas of strength are identified as a good match for developing programs in which it can be competitive in securing external federal funding for research.
“This is a historic milestone moment for our institution, and we embrace the new opportunities before us,” said John P. McEntee, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Molloy. “Molloy has grown and evolved consistently since its founding by the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Amityville in 1955. Over the last six decades, we have added post-graduate programs at the Master’s and Ph.D. levels, expanded programs across business, arts and sciences, education and nursing, and grown our reach from Rockville Centre to New York City. We look forward to the future now more than ever.”
With a mission as an independent, Catholic university rooted in the Dominican tradition, Molloy will remain steadfast in its commitment to the Four Pillars of Dominican Life that serve as a foundation of its mission: Study, Spirituality, Community, and Service. These Pillars have taken root through meaningful and expansive community engagement activities not only on campus, but in the communities in which its serves.
“Molloy was founded for the purpose of service, and we gauge our success on that metric of producing graduates who carry service into their professional lives,” said Edward J. Thompson, Vice President of Advancement for Molloy. “The historical underpinnings of the role we play in the spectrum of higher education in the region is informed by our dedication to a Catholic-inspired perspective on education. It is a key component of who we are and who we will be in the future.”
With technological advances demanding new approaches to teaching and learning and demographic changes reshaping the region, Molloy University will engage a broader population of students ranging from traditional-age undergraduates to adult learners. In addition to new degrees, pathways of study will include a growing list of certificates, badges, degree completion opportunities and other programs delivered in person, online, and in blended formats. Molloy University will build on strengths as it expands its approach to offering educational opportunities in the health professions, business, education, sciences, and the liberal arts to prepare the workforce of the future.
“Becoming a university will shine a light on the scope of our academic programs, which serve the interests and passions of our students and the emerging needs of our region,” said Michelle Piskulich, Provost at Molloy. “It will highlight the expertise of our faculty and the work they do to provide a transformative education to our students and their commitment to advancing knowledge in their fields and our region.”
With more than 28,000 alumni who are passionate about their educational experience in their college years, Molloy will employ best-practice methodologies to utilize its newly heightened visibility to grow philanthropic support. Molloy will embrace new opportunities to collaborate with philanthropists and partners who embrace its mission to support academic and community-engaged efforts in areas that include health professions, business, education, arts, sciences, and humanities.
Molloy currently partners with communities locally, regionally, and internationally to engage our students and all of Molloy with powerful academic service-learning programs that help to make a difference in the lives of thousands of its neighbors. Transformation is also evident in efforts being initiated to create a more sustainable campus environment and increase our dedication to care for a common home. Innovation at the Energeia Partnership that brings a diverse group of ethical leaders together from Long Island's public, private and not-for-profit sectors to help address this region's most complex issues: education, institutional racism, poverty and the working poor, land use, energy, transportation, healthcare and media/social networking. Many Molloy academic programs, by nature, are intrinsically connected to serving our society, evidenced recently by the central role that Molloy nurses played in saving lives and caring for those impacted during the pandemic. As Molloy University, the school will take the next step in its commitment to community engagement and service as its expands its work and pursues the Carnegie Engagement Classification.