Onward to Omaha

Saint Xavier University's Sister Sue Sanders elected to regional leadership team

By Tony Bara

            As Sister Sue Sanders loaded a milk dud into a toy catapult stationed on her desk she explained, “It’s meant to defend the office from anyone interested in stealing my autographed picture of A.J. Pierzynski.” After shooting it she laughed, “I used to have a mini Sherman tank in here as well, but I gave that to the President!”

            Soon, Sister Sanders will have to relocate these defenses to her new position on the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community Leadership Team in Omaha Nebraska, a position that will require extensive travel, the ability to place the needs of over 700 Sisters of Mercy and an equal number of Mercy Associates and Companions in a broader national and international context and the administrative skill to manage a community stretching from San Francisco to Detroit.

            “My job [as an administrator in the Sisters of Mercy] will be to help make easier the ministries of our Sisters,” said Sanders.

            This all means, of course, that she will have to leave Chicago, the town where she was born, raised and worked in for many years.

            A graduate of Mother McAuley High school, Sister Sanders said she always admired the Sisters of Mercy and their spirituality, generosity and service-oriented behavior.

            She had entertained the idea of becoming a nun from an early age, but unlike many women who entered the convent immediately following high school, Sister Sanders postponed her decision until after attending college. “God was always interested in me. The question was whether I was interested in God,” she stated.

            After graduating from Michigan State University, she decided the answer was yes and joined the Sisters of Mercy in 1973.

            Her education continued, and she earned an M.P.P. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981 and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Chicago in 1991. After teaching at DePaul University for a number of years, she was brought into Saint Xavier in 2001 by then-president Richard Yanikoski.

            Once here, Sister Sanders held a number of positions over the years. She served first as the director of the Center for Religion and Public Discourse, Vice President of the Office of Mission and Heritage, interim Vice President for University Relations, a tenured professor in the Department of History and Political Science and the Graham School of Management, Associate Provost in the Office of Academic Affairs and, most recently, as Vice President for Admissions and Planning and Secretary of the Corporation.

            Among her many accomplishments was the founding of the Center for Religion and Public Discourse. This initiative, according to Sanders, seeks to “broaden peoples’ notion of how religious values might inform the secular world,” through programs such as the “Squeaky Weal Lecture Series” and the radio show “God Matters.”

            In addition, Sanders instituted the Mercy Scholars Program, the Catholic Colloquium Lecture Series, the Mentoring for Mercy program for faculty and staff, First Friday Teas, Pub Discourse, Founders’ and Mission Day celebrations, and the Belize service trip.

            Through these various programs, Sister Sanders said she hoped to demonstrate that religion is not merely a collection of “do’s” and “don’ts.”

            “My challenge has been to try and get people to think more broadly about the contributions that religion can help make to the common good and service of the poor rather than writing off religion because of its narrowness, even oppressiveness in many areas,” she explained.

            Sister Sanders believes that this desire to live out the values of the Sisters of Mercy and Catholic social teaching separates Saint Xavier from other universities. 

            “We have a willingness and commitment to educating talented people who are unusually financially vulnerable,” said Sanders as she explained how the university goes to great lengths to accommodate students who have great ability but may find other schools unaffordable.

            “Jesus died for love for the needy, oppressed, and marginalized.  We can do no less than to try to listen to and help them,” she stated. This has been her personal mission throughout her life whether dealing with students, faculty or staff.

            “My goal is to try and greet and listen to everyone as if they’re the only person in the world at that time,” she emphasized.

            It is this same mentality that she plans to take to Omaha as she helps lead the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community for a five year term along with five other Sisters, including Sister Margaret Mary Hinz, who has served as Saint Xavier’s Associate Director for the Graham School of Management’s Graduate Program at the Orland Park Campus. Their term will officially begin on July 1, 2013.

            Sister Joy Clough, Director of the Office for University Ministry and Heritage and fellow Sister of Mercy said, “I think that taking on this role for our West Midwest Community is both an adventure and a sacrifice for Sister Sue.  It offers new challenges, new ways of using her strong people skills and many talents on behalf of the community she loves.  On the other hand, it means leaving friends and familiar surroundings and her long ministry in higher education – all of which is hard to do.”

            Indeed, even amidst the excitement Sister Sanders displayed for her new position, she took on a more somber tone when describing how she will have to leave her hometown.

            “I’m very sad to leave my friends, my city, and my White Sox,” she added, describing her love for Chicago sports. “People here may remember me but it is more important that they know that I am only one of generations of Sisters of Mercy who have embraced the mission of SXU and who love its students, faculty and staff. Be assured, Sister Margaret Mary and I will keep working for the University from Omaha!”