UMSV Awarded NetVUE Grant to Reframe Institutional Mission and Legacy
4/7/2026
$57,500 Project Will Advance Our Work to Carry the Sisters’ Legacy All Ways Forward
The University of Mount Saint Vincent is excited to share that it has been awarded a 2026 grant from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), specifically through its Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE), to support a multi-year initiative exploring and reframing the University’s institutional history and mission. UMSV is one of eleven institutions selected nationwide, with awards totaling $654,411.
Funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., the NetVUE “Grants for Reframing the Institutional Saga” program supports colleges and universities in producing updated accounts of their histories in light of present-day contexts. This marks the sixth year of the program, which has now awarded 100 grants to member institutions engaged in examining their founding missions, community identities, and evolving roles in higher education.
“We are glad to offer our members this opportunity for support as they seek to better understand their ongoing institutional vocations,” said Carter Aikin, NetVUE grants director. “Amid the mounting pressures facing higher education in this challenging moment, it has perhaps never been more important to attend closely to the callings of our academic communities.”
The Mount’s project, which is titled “Honoring the Sisters’ Legacy: Reframing our Founding Mission,” was awarded a total grant of $57,500. The project will be led by Provost and Dean of Faculty Lynne Bongiovanni, PhD.
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York, UMSV has long stood as a beacon of faith-driven education and service. Inspired by Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint, the Sisters established schools, orphanages, and hospitals throughout New York City, responding to the signs of the times and the needs of the poor and marginalized. The Mount emerged from this mission—grounded in the belief that education, particularly for women and underserved communities, is a transformative and sacred endeavor.
Today, more than 175 years later, that mission continues to guide the University’s work, now carried forward largely by lay faculty, staff, and students. Following the Sisters’ 2023 discernment to move toward the completion of their congregation, their legacy has been entrusted to a new generation of leaders committed to advancing their charism in contemporary contexts.
Through the NetVUE grant, UMSV will undertake a three-year process of reflection and renewal, culminating in the creation of a mission-centered book to be shared with all incoming students, faculty, staff, and administrators. This publication will present a dynamic and accessible account of the University’s spiritual heritage, thoughtfully reframed for both today and the future.
Central to the initiative will be a series of retreat-based gatherings modeled on the synodal tradition of the Catholic Church. These sessions will bring together Sisters of Charity, faculty, staff, students, alumnae/i, and mission partners for dialogue, discernment, and deep listening. Together, participants will explore essential questions about the University’s identity: what defines the charism it has inherited and how that legacy can be meaningfully expressed in a new era.
“This grant provides a meaningful opportunity for our community to reflect deeply on who we are today and who we are called to become in the future,” shared Dr. Bongiovanni. “By engaging our students, faculty, staff, alumnae/i, and the Sisters of Charity in this shared process, we are not only honoring our history, but actively shaping a living mission that will guide and inspire future generations.”
This reflective process will foster a renewed articulation of UMSV’s institutional vocation—one that honors our founding, speaks to our present, and guides our future as we move all ways forward.
Nationally recognized as one of the most economically diverse colleges in the country, UMSV continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to social mobility and educational access. This distinction reflects not only our history, but our enduring mission: to educate and empower those most often left behind.
By engaging deeply with our past, present, and future through this NetVUE-supported initiative, Mount Saint Vincent is ensuring that our story—and the values that define it—will continue to inspire and guide generations to come.
UMSV thanks CIC, NetVUE, and Lilly Endowment Inc. for their generous support and we look forward to sharing more information about the grant initiatives soon!
About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers a nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the University equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment, and leadership in the 21st century.