by Blair Eberhardt-Ladd ’04

Sister Candace Introcaso ’75 is excited to return to Pittsburgh to accept her selection as president of La Roche College. It was at La Roche that Introcaso originally began her professional career in higher education in 1986. “I worked at La Roche as director of grants and adjunct faculty in sociology and later as assistant to the vice president for student affairs. Returning to the college is a homecoming of sorts.”

The intervening thirteen years since she left La Roche have been busy for Sister Introcaso. She earned her Ph.D. at Claremont Graduate University and worked at Heritage College in Washington State for more than three years before assuming her position as vice president for planning and assessment at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida.

As the newly appointed president, Sister Candace has numerous goals. “There are many challenges facing colleges and universities today,” she said. “Providing access for students to gain an affordable education, providing scholarly faculty and ensuring that there are adequate resources in place to support quality programs make for a few of the important factors. I hope to continue to make La Roche a vital part of the greater western Pennsylvania community.”

After graduating from Shippensburg with a B.A. in psychology, Sister Candace entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Divine Providence. She went on to work at La Roche College, which was originally founded by this same congregation. After working at Barry University in Florida for four years, Sister Candace is excited to have the opportunity to return to Pittsburgh. “Leading the college that was founded by my religious order is an honor,” she said.

“I have been fortunate enough to have received an excellent preparation for this position, beginning with my undergraduate years at Shippensburg. I have watched over the years, as a proud Shippensburg alumna, how the university has grown and how it has continued to excel at providing quality education to many generations of students. I am happy to return to a Pennsylvania institution that shares the commitment of providing our citizens with quality education.”

Sister Candace will assume her presidency in July.