President Daly Launches “Access and Affordability” Scholarship Drive with Founding Gift
St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) held a Presidential Inauguration Ceremony for Ninth President, Kenneth D. Daly, Thursday afternoon at the Sacred Heart Chapel in Sparkill, NY. The College’s Board of Trustees, Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, special guests, and members of the STAC community came together on a beautiful fall day to commemorate the official — and long-awaited — ceremony to mark this historic occasion.
Kenneth D. Daly assumed his position as the ninth President of St. Thomas Aquinas College on July 1, 2020. He led the College through the COVID-19 pandemic and held off on his Inauguration Ceremony until the campus was safeguarded. President Daly and his wife Laurie entered the beautiful Sacred Heart Chapel in procession with delegates from academia, STAC Deans and faculty members, the College’s Board of Trustees, and Inaugural Speakers leading the way. Alumni and members of the local government and community were also in attendance to witness the ceremony.
Following the ceremony at Sacred Heart Chapel, guests processed through the grounds and were greeted by the founding Dominican Sisters on their way back to the STAC campus to enjoy a reception with refreshments at the newly renovated Romano Student Alumni Center. Employees, guests, and members of Ken’s family mingled on campus and celebrated the occasion into the early evening. Hundreds of STAC students then kept the celebration going into the later evening for President Daly’s Inauguration “Student-Afterparty” with food, fun, and a live DJ.
As the new President, Daly is committed to helping students navigate current societal challenges by providing access to affordable education to prepare them for college, community service, and careers. His vision for the future truly aligns with the College’s Mission Statement — “St. Thomas Aquinas College seeks to challenge, guide, and energize each student to realize and create their own path to success and commit themselves to making a profound difference in the world.”
President Daly outlined the College’s Shared Vision for the future built upon the following five key strategic pillars:
At the Inauguration Ceremony, President Daly and his wife Laurie announced a $100,000 founding gift to launch a scholarship challenge to help provide “access to an affordable education” for all students and have already secured $500,000 in matching gifts. As the new President of St. Thomas Aquinas College, Ken Daly stated, “I am honored to build upon the legacy of our founding Dominican Sisters of Sparkill and my predecessors and to now lead the College into the future. The importance of a college education is greater now than ever and we are committed to providing access to affordable education to change the lives of our students.”
View a recording of President Kenneth D. Daly’s Inauguration here.