Julia M. McNamara explained

Julia M. McNamara is a scholar of French literature, an academic administrator, and a former nun. She served as president of Albertus Magnus College in New Haven from 1982 to 2016.^{[1] [2]}

McNamara grew up in Queens, New York and attended Dominican Academy.^[3] She earned degrees from Ohio Dominican University and Middlebury College before completing her PhD in French at Yale University, with a dissertation on Julien Green.^{[1] [4]} A member of the Dominican Sisters of Peace until 1987, she joined the faculty of Albertus Magnus, founded by the order, in 1976, and became a dean there in 1980.^[3] She presided over a thorough transformation of the college, beginning with the admission of men for the first time in 1985.^[5] She also expanded the college's fundraising efforts, succeeding in significantly adding to its endowment.^[6] She retired in 2016.^[2]

Outside of Albertus, McNamara has served on the board of Yale New Haven Hospital and other local charities.^[1] She was the first woman to serve on the Committee of the Proprietors of the Common and Undivided Lands, which oversees the New Haven Green.^{[1] [7]}

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dr. Julia M. McNamara (bio) . Albertus Magnus College.
2. Web site: President Julia M. McNamara - Albertus Magnus College . Albertus Magnus College.
3. News: Holahan . David . Julia McNamara: On More Than Three Decades Leading Albertus Magnus College . Hartford Courant . April 20, 2016.
4. Legge . June M. . Clowney . Earle D. . Dissertations in Progress . The French Review . 1980 . 54 . 1 . 126–135 . 391705 . 0016-111X.
5. News: Rierden . Andi . The View From: Albertus Magnus College; A Small College Undergoes A Metamorphosis. The New York Times . 5 November 1989.
6. News: Hamilton . Robert A. . Colleges That Ask, Receive . The New York Times . 25 November 1984.
7. News: Wittemann . Betsy . Keeping a Close Eye on the Green (Published 2003) . The New York Times . 27 July 2003.