When Sister Dr. Christine De Vinne first came to Ursuline College, a private, Catholic institution in Pepper Pike, Ohio, she was a young woman studying math for her undergraduate degree. In 1996, she returned to campus as a dean, and, in 2015, she became president of her alma mater. It’s been over 50 years since De Vinne first matriculated in the class of 1973. Now is the right time, she says, to step back and hand the reins to the next leader.
Sister Dr. Christine De Vinne
“We talk about Catholic social teaching, how we relate to each other and the world, and we look at things with the promise of justice,” says De Vinne, adding that she considers her college an “historical” women’s college, to honor their original mission. “If you come to Ursuline, no matter who you are or how you identify, you’ll graduate with a better appreciation for accomplishments and capabilities of women.”
Colleagues point to De Vinne’s unique ability to listen, to engage, and to be positive. Her positivity is not naïveté, says Dr. Tim Kinsella, a professor of history at Ursuline for 34 years. De Vinne’s focused energy can carry a campus through trials to the other side, like she did during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kinsella says De Vinne’s steady leadership and ingenuity have kept the institution thriving.
“She’s such a pleasure to talk to and be with. She is so dedicated to Ursuline and the people there,” says Kinsella. It’s her faith and her Ursuline heritage of human dignity that resonates, he adds.
“Dignity prepares students to have an ethical approach to life, the idea that every individual counts,” says Kinsella.
She’s not only found new sources of funding and new pools of potential students, but she embraces and encourages new ideas, says Kinsella.
