INTERVIEW WITH EMMANUEL COLLEGE PRESIDENT MARY BOYD, PH.D.
This article initially appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of our magazine, 'Sowing Goodness.' The full issue is available here.
Emmanuel College was opened by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1919 as the first Catholic college for women in New England. Over the decades of history, which included becoming a co-educational institution in 2001, one of the more noticeable changes is the hiring of its first lay leader, President Mary Boyd, Ph.D., who took the helm in the fall of 2022.
She was drawn to the College while discerning her next role. As part of this process, she attended the Council on Independent Colleges’ year-long Presidential Institute on Mission of Vocation program. It was where she was introduced to an article on the institutional saga that described how an institution talks about itself and how it was developed. “This article struck me and, when I considered a presidency, I wanted to know about the institutional saga, who they were, and how they talked about themselves,” said President Boyd.
Shortly after leaving the program, she saw the opportunity at Emmanuel College. “I read about the College’s history, the Sisters of Notre Dame, and everything I could find online,” said President Boyd. “As I learned more about the institution, and its saga, what it meant for its students and how it integrated care and mission, I felt increasingly more attached to it.”
President Boyd said, “The College is the place where people, like my mother who couldn’t afford to go to college, would have come to find themselves and develop as whole people.” She shared this with the Sisters at the Christmas Tea and noted that her mother’s birthday, May 13, matched the date St. Julie was beatified. “It was a powerful moment for me, and I felt like my mother was guiding my life and helping me find a path forward,” she said.
In her role, President Boyd is responsible for upholding and cherishing the history of the Sisters. Part of this responsibility is finding ways to align with the Sisters of Notre Dame’s mission and ministry. She shares that this will be achieved through continuing to provide a robust whole student experience, support for faculty and staff and building partnerships with Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur schools. One of the greatest challenges is to create an educational experience that is compelling to all students.
“Going forward, we will continue to connect our students to the Hallmarks (of a Notre Dame Learning Community) and provide opportunities for people to engage directly with the Sisters, ensuring an ongoing relationship and our enduring institutional saga,” said President Boyd. “The Holy Spirit speaks through all of us, and it’s our responsibility to carry forward the mission and charism of the Sisters.”
President Boyd believes students crave this kind of experience and are looking to her as a role model and, indeed, a woman of influence. She understands the power and reach of social media and often shares her personal experiences on her eponymous social media account, highlighting her travels, her cooking—a personal passion—and her interactions with students. She brings her whole self to the role along with her husband, John Quinn, who is often spotted alongside her on campus. She wants to be approachable and have students see her attending and engaging in events.
It is an exciting time for the College, now in its second century, guided by an energetic and engaged leader whose vision is to build the preeminent Catholic institution in the heart of Boston.