Sister Jeanne Knoerle, S.P., (February 24, 1928 – June 10, 2013) was an author, educator and theologian. A
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
religious sister
A religious sister (abbreviated ''Sr.'' or Sist.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to pr ...
, she was a member of the
Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an apostolic congregation of Catholic women founded by Saint Theodora Guerin (known colloquially as Saint Mother Theodore) at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, in 1840. Mother Theodo ...
. She was president of
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Originally a college exclusively for women, it is now coeducational. It is the oldest Catholic college in Indiana a ...
in
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
from 1968 to 1983. Other posts were with the
Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) is a voluntary association of delegates from Catholic institutions of higher learning.
History
It was founded in 1899 by fifty-three delegates from Catholic colleges across the United ...
(board chair, 1979–80) and with the
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and among the largest endowments in the United States. It was founded in 1937 by Josiah K. (J. K.) Lilly Sr. and his so ...
.
Early life
Knoerle was born in
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie. Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs and part of the Greater Cleveland, Greater Clevelan ...
to parents Harold M. Knoerle and Bernadine Seufert. On July 22, 1949, she joined the Sisters of Providence and took the religious name Sister Mary Gregory. She became a fully professed member of the Congregation on January 23, 1957.
Knoerle earned her bachelor's degree in drama from
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Originally a college exclusively for women, it is now coeducational. It is the oldest Catholic college in Indiana a ...
and later went on to study at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
, where she earned two master's degrees (in journalism and business) and a Ph.D. in comparative literature.
She emphasized in Chinese literature, particularly the poet
Lu Ji and the classical Chinese Novel ''
Dream of the Red Chamber
''Dream of the Red Chamber'' (''Honglou Meng'') or ''The Story of the Stone'' (''Shitou Ji'') is a novel composed by Cao Xueqin in the middle of the 18th century. One of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, it is known for ...
''.
Career
After teaching at the high school level for four years, Knoerle began teaching at her alma mater, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Upon completion of her Ph.D. she served one year as visiting professor at
Providence College
Providence College is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic university in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1917 by the Dominican Order and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, local diocese, it offers 47 undergradua ...
in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Knoerle then served as assistant president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College until she was named the twelfth president of the school in 1968, a position she held until 1983.
As president of the College, Knoerle started the Women's External Degree program (now called Woods OnLine) in 1973 as a distance learning option for women with families. It is now one of the largest online degree programs in Indiana.
In her role as president, she participated in a number of symposiums and conferences, including the 1976 Congress of Presidents in New York City
and as keynote speaker at the 1977 Indiana state deans' convention.
Later work
Knoerle participated in projects with Monastic Interreligious Dialogue and initiated the Brookland Commission, an inquiry beginning in 1988 into the place of intellectual life among communities of women religious.
In 1988 Knoerle began as a program director of the Lilly Endowment, overseeing the Religion Division. In this role, she particularly championed telling the story of colleges founded by women's religious congregations.
Throughout her lifetime, Knoerle was very active in the
Terre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...
community. She served on the board of numerous organizations, including the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce,
Union Hospital (Indiana)
Union Hospital is a not-for-profit healthcare system in west central Indiana. Its main facility is in Terre Haute, Indiana.
History
Union Hospital was founded August 11, 1892 as the Terre Haute Sanitarium by Dr. Benjamin F. Swafford and Dr. Leo J ...
, Hospice of the Wabash Valley, Mental Health Association of the Wabash Valley, and Wabash Valley United Way. She also helped found the Alliance for Growth and Progress in Terre Haute as well as the Our Green Valley Alliance.
After her work with Lilly, Knoerle took on work within her Congregation, serving as Director of Residential Life and Services for the Sisters of Providence. She also volunteered in the fiber program at
White Violet Center for Eco-Justice as a
spinner Technology
*Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller
* Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells
* Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in a GUI
* Spinner (MIT Med ...
and weaver.
Recognition
Knoerle received honorary doctorate degrees from six different universities, including Indiana University,
Indiana State University
Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified among "D/PU: Doctor ...
and
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. She received the John K. Lamb Award for her service to Terre Haute and a Ford Foundation Fellowship. She also was a Fulbright Scholar.
In April 2012, she was named a Wabash Valley Woman of Influence by the
United Way
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016.
United Way organizations raise funds ...
.
After her death, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College named their new athletic facility the Jeanne Knoerle Sports and Recreation Center in her honor.
The Our Green Valley Alliance for Sustainability in Terre Haute, Indiana, also gave her name to an award, the Sister Jeanne Knoerle Sustainability Award.
Works
* ''The Dream of the Red Chamber: A Critical Study'' (1972)
As contributor
* National Congress on Church-Related Colleges and Universities, ''Church and College: A Vital Partnership: Volume 4: Exchange'' (1980)
* Deedy, John, ed. ''The Catholic Church in the Twentieth Century: Renewing and Reimaging the City of God'' (2001)
* Schier, Tracy, ed. and
Cynthia Russett
Cynthia Eagle Russett (February 1, 1937 ― December 5, 2013) was an Americans, American historian, noted for her studies of 19th century American intellectual history, and women and gender.
Russett was born Cynthia Eagle in Pittsburgh, Pennsyl ...
, ed. ''Catholic Women's Colleges in America'' (2002)
* Sisters of Providence, ''Love, Mercy, and Justice: A Book of Practices of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana'' (2006)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knoerle, Jeanne
Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods
American religious writers
Women religious writers
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College alumni
1928 births
2013 deaths
20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns
21st-century American Roman Catholic nuns
Women heads of universities and colleges