More Opportunities 
for More Women

Saint Joseph’s has expanded its commitment to women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through a $2.6 million investment from the John P. and Anne Welsh McNulty Foundation.

With this historic gift to the University and its SOAR campaign, the newly endowed John P. McNulty Program for Leadership in Science and Mathematics will not only continue its vital work empowering females, but will also scale its offerings to reach more women over the next seven years, preparing them for leadership opportunities in STEM fields.

Females have historically been underrepresented in STEM fields, making up less than a third of the STEM workforce, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.“It’s not enough that women enter STEM fields or even stay in STEM fields; women need to lead in STEM,” says Anne Welsh McNulty H ’19, co-founder and president of the McNulty Foundation.

This fall, 36 women are participating as scholars and fellows in the new McNulty Leadership Program. With the funds that this investment provides, the cohort is expected to nearly double in the next four years.

Since 2009, this competitive program, named for John P. McNulty ’74, a former Saint Joseph’s student body president and later trustee, has connected highly qualified young women with a challenging education in the natural sciences, mathematics or computer science. Over the last decade plus, the program has provided full- and partial-tuition scholarships, alongside a suite of offerings to help young women break barriers in their chosen STEM fields.

The Academy of Food Marketing hosted several speakers, including: 

Dana H. Born, brigadier general, USAF, ret., public policy lecturer at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, who spoke about authentic leadership and finding one’s moral compass;

Jim Craig, 1980 Olympic gold medalist for the “Miracle on Ice” USA Hockey team, who discussed teamwork, goal setting and attaining those goals; and

Shaun Tyrance, VP of player services and assessment, Kansas City Chiefs, who spoke on motivation and having a positive attitude when going into a competition.

RxOnward Supports Minority Pre-Pharmacy Students

Saint Joseph's University's Philadelphia College of Pharmacy received a $15,000 grant from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation (NACDS) to support RxOnward, a peer mentoring program developed to aid Black/ African American and Hispanic/Latinx pre-pharmacy students.

“Data shows that students from racially or ethnically underrepresented groups face challenges in feeling like they do not belong or are inadequately prepared to succeed in their professions or field of study,” says Tyan Thomas, PharmD, associate professor of clinical pharmacy. “Pairing student mentors with mentees from similar backgrounds will help them develop a supportive community of peers to feel more comfortable and take advantage of a full academic experience.”

RxOnward matches up to 15 Black/African American and/or Hispanic/Latinx pharmacy student-mentors with qualifying pre-pharmacy students. These pairs will then participate in professional development programming to help them network with pharmacy professionals and learn more about career planning and study skills.

Why Hawks Get Hired

Alum Turns Passion for Name, Image and Likeness Into a Career

Shortly after Noah Henderson ’20 graduated, the NCAA announced it would change its rules to allow student-athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL), piquing his interest. The economics and golf alumnus has always been an activist for student-athletes.

At Saint Joseph’s, he was a leader on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Hawks-Minded Leadership Council supporting student-athlete mental health. Now in his third year of law school at the University of Illinois College of Law, he’s working with startup Student Athlete NIL (SANIL), turning his passion for activism and NIL work into a career.

Last January, Henderson was part of a working group that helped amend an Illinois state law to benefit student-athletes. “One of the things I pushed really hard to get into the bill is an educational requirement that universities have to provide life-skills training to student-athletes. This includes things like accounting, budgeting and brand building that you might not get elsewhere until you’re in the real world,” he says. 

At SJU, Henderson learned to think critically and prepare for law school.

“I took economics classes with Dr. Pardo and Dr. Crispin, and they both really helped me learn how to think logically and rationally and always search for causation,” he says.

At SANIL, which helps brands work with student-athletes, Henderson is putting his education into practice. He assists in advising athletes, brands, collectives and university administrators on best practices, and has drafted contracts for NIL engagements totaling over half a million dollars.

“It's a lot more than money going into the pockets of student-athletes,” says Henderson. “It's empowering student-athletes to have a voice, empowering them financially to start whatever venture they want, and empowering student-athletes to learn important life skills.”

Class of 2021 Outcomes

The undergraduate Class of 2021 is excelling in their post-graduate lives.

Top 5 ATHLETIC MOMENTS 
of the Year 

Including Three Conference Championships and NCAA Appearances

Excelling Off the Field

Saint Joseph’s student-athletes continue to excel not only on the athletic fields and courts but also in the classroom. Impressively, a total of 284 Saint Joseph’s student-athletes across all 20 varsity sports were named to the 2021-22 Atlantic 10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll, ranking fourth among member institutions in the conference.

“We strive to prepare our student-athletes for life beyond the hill, and that starts with our collective commitment to academic engagement and success,” says Jill Bodensteiner, vice president and director of athletics. “I am so proud of our student-athletes for achieving excellence in all facets of their student-athlete experience — including the classroom. We are truly helping to prepare the next generation of leaders.”

Additionally, four teams earned perfect scores on the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rates. This past year, men’s cross country, golf, women’s tennis and men’s track demonstrated the highest level of academic achievement.

These rates are used to provide measurable goals to ensure institutions are fulfilling their commitment of equipping student-athletes with the tools and resources necessary to achieve academic success.