Cover Story - Summer 2025 Issue

   

To the Future 

After a year’s worth of celebrations to honor Donnelly’s 75 years of service in Kansas City, Kansas, the College’s diamond anniversary year will formally conclude on October 9, 2025, at the annual SHINE fundraiser.

It has been a busy year with a lot to celebrate:

• Launching MOONSHINE, a new community-building event connecting Donnelly alumni with one another and with past and current faculty and staff.

• Surpassing the fundraising goal for SHINE 2024 by raising a total of $1.1 million for the College’s mission and student scholarships.

• Discovering new insights about Donnelly’s history in the handwritten journal of co-founder, Sister Jerome Keeler, OSB.

• Gaining approval from the College’s national accreditor to launch two new degree programs – an associate degree in public health and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing completion degree for licensed registered nurses seeking to take the next step in their nursing careers.

 

As Donnelly begins its 76th year of serving students, it is clearer than ever that the College’s new programs and initiatives are founded on an unchanging, transformational vision.
 
When Sister Jerome Keeler approached Bishop George Donnelly about starting a Catholic community college in Kansas City, Kansas, she sought “to make it possible for the youth of Kansas City and its vicinity to obtain a Catholic college education without needless expense.” These priorities are echoed in the College’s current strategic plan’s focus on enhancing Catholic identity, elevating academic excellence and expanding access by keeping tuition affordable. This unique vision has benefited thousands of students since classes started in September 1949.
 
“Now that I’m older, I have degrees from three different colleges, and they were all good institutions, but I’ve always felt that Donnelly had something about it that was different... Donnelly had an ingredient that the others didn’t have – that I felt a part of the community.”

Fast forward to this spring. As graduate Jesafin Xiong walked to the registrar’s office to pick up her cap and gown ahead of the May commencement ceremony, she reflected on how the Donnelly community supported her in each step of her college journey.


“For as long as I’ve been a student here, Donnelly has embodied a deep commitment to its students and its community. The staff genuinely make us their priority, listening and attuning to our needs. They promote a drive for excellence in each of us, always with a guiding hand and an open heart.” 

 

Like Reardon and Xiong, the next generation of Donnelly students will benefit from an institution that celebrates their strengths and welcomes their diverse backgrounds. As Donnelly looks to the future, the mission and vision will remain at the forefront – providing students with the supportive community they need to become the best version of themselves.

Previous Cover Stories 

This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.