Women continue to thrive at St. Francis College.

Women presently make up the majority of SFC students since the institution became fully co-educational in 1969 after admitting its first 13 female students – other than religious students. Since 1986, the majority of our graduates continue to be women.

We have also made great strides in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) arena. Over the past 10 years, we have conferred approximately 66 percent of STEM degrees to women, almost double the national average of 36 percent.

We have also broken the mold in STEM when it comes to faculty. STEM curriculum has traditionally been taught by men. At SFC, women account for all or most of the faculty in our information technology department, as well as the department of chemistry and physics. Overall, the majority of our faculty are women.

Our leadership team continues to welcome women at the highest levels, including appointing Jeanne Arnold, Ed.D., as its first permanent chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer and chief of staff in July 2021, and Hayley B. Dryer as vice president and general counsel in August 2021.

In addition, one of our own, the Honorable Margo K. Brodie '88, was appointed the New York Eastern District’s fourth consecutive female chief judge on February 1, 2021. She is the first Black woman to ever hold this position. The SFC graduate was awarded her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

On the national stage, we are witnessing women making strides politically as Kamala Harris serves as the United States’ first female vice president. In the judicial branch, we recently witnessed President Biden nominate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. In law enforcement, New York City has sworn in its first female Police Commissioner, Keechant Sewell.

I implore you to take a few minutes this month, as we celebrate Women’s History, to thank the women in your life who have and continue to support, love and mentor you unconditionally.

Miguel Martinez-Saenz
President
St. Francis College