Feature Article
By Doug Goodnough
[Counselor. Competitor. Mediator. Administrator. Collaborator. Rehabilitator. Leader.]
A
t some point in her life, she has worn all
those titles like a comfortable sweatshirt on a cool
autumn day.
As the 10th President of Siena Heights University,
Sister Peg Albert, OP, Ph.D., will apply the skills
and experience associated with all those titles to
her new position. Over the course of her time at
Siena, she will probably collect several new titles
along the way. Like Fundraiser. And Trailblazer.
But her most overarching title – that of Adrian
Dominican Sister – is the one that perhaps carries
the most significance for Siena Heights University,
as well as herself. The first Adrian Dominican
to be chosen president since 1969, Sister Peg is
the visible link to Siena’s past, and its conduit
to the future. The “OP”at the end of her name
is short for the Order of Preachers, which identifies her as a member of the Dominican congregation. With Sister Peg, “OP”can also stand for
Outwardly Passionate, Outgoing Personality
and Openly Practical.
Sister Donna Markham, Prioress of the Adrian Dominican
Sisters, gives Sister Peg Albert a blessing during inauguration
ceremonies Nov. 3, 2006.
As the Siena community welcomed her with open
arms, culminating with an emotional and exuberant weekend of events surrounding her Nov. 3 inauguration, Sister Peg is poised to make good on
her inaugural theme of “Be Bold. Think Higher.”
A Higher Calling
The daughter of Ron and Rita Albert grew up in
South Florida as the middle child of five siblings.
Mary Margaret, shortened to a more informal
“Peg,”was first introduced to the Adrian Dominican Sisters while a student at St. Anthony’s Grade
School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
The attraction was so strong, she decided in the
second grade she was going to be an Adrian Dominican Sister – although she had to wait until
she was 20 years old before entering the convent.
“I knew what I wanted to do,” Sister Peg said. “It
was a call, I believe, from an early age that only
solidified as I got older.”
However, it didn’t prevent her from having a
“very normal”childhood. The Albert family is a
spirited family, a gregarious bunch. Family functions often include plenty of laughter, and a little
music, courtesy of her guitar-playing brothers.
And there were no shortages of sibling rivalries.
“We have our differences at times,”said Sister Peg
of her two older brothers, Bill and John, one
youn