Dr. Mary Hines President, Carlow University

Dr. Mary Hines was appointed Carlow University’s ninth president on May 2, 2005, where she served until retiring from the position effective July, 2013.  Dr. Hines was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humanities degree and was named President Emerita by the Board of Trustees in May, 2013 to honor her exemplary leadership and service to Carlow.

Dr. Hines came to Carlow from Penn State University’s Wilkes-Barre campus, where she served as its Chancellor/Campus Executive Officer from 1997 until the summer of 2005.  Among other highly successful initiatives realized under her leadership, she led that campus through an ambitious capital campaign.

A New York City native, Dr. Hines’ academic degrees are in Philosophy.  She earned her B.A. degree (summa cum laude) from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, where she graduated first in her class and also received the College’s Ethics Award.  She received a National Fellowship to pursue her M.A. and Ph.D., which were awarded by the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.  Dr. Hines holds the academic rank of Professor of Philosophy at Carlow University.

Committed to active participation in community organizations, Dr. Hines served Pittsburgh and Carlow on the following Boards or committees: Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (ICA) Nonprofit Sector Support Task Force, Friends of St. Patrick Founding Board (Pittsburgh Chapter), Good Shepherd School Advisory Board, the International Women’s Forum (Chair of the Membership Committee, and member of the Executive Committee),  the Southwestern Pennsylvania Economy League Board, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition-Pennsylvania Advisory Committee, "Pittsburgh Promise" Career Assistance Advisory Team, 21 and Able Advisory Committee (a United Way project), the Regional Investors Council of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education (Chair, Presidents Council, 2009-2011), Women's Leadership Council of the United Way, Allegheny County/City of Pittsburgh Joint Commission on Women, the Catholic Charities Host Committee for the Bishop's Annual Dinner, and the Amen Corner Board of Advisors. She serves on the Presidents' Council of the Conference for Mercy Higher Education, and on the Council of Presidents of the NAIA/Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.  In 2010, she was elected to the Board of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and serves as a member of its Nominating Committee.  Dr. Hines has recently served on the Urban League of Pittsburgh Board, the Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, the Pittsburgh Central Keystone Innovation Zone (PCKIZ) Board, the Leadership Pittsburgh Board, the Magistrate Judge Selection Committee for the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Pennsylvania, as a judge for the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Jewish Committee’s Louis Caplan Human Relations Award, and as a Peer Reviewer for the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), program for Women in Leadership in Theological Education. She has served as a Site Visit Team Chair for the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, and for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She volunteers on Host Committees for numerous community organizations' fund-raising events.

As Chair of the Pittsburgh Council on Higher Education, Dr. Hines led its successful efforts to defeat the "tuition tax" proposal in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  She has been an invited speaker at several community and national educational association conferences on this topic, and as Chair of PCHE, she accepted the AICUP's Benjamin Franklin Medal for Distinguished Achievement for PCHE's success in the Mayor's repeal of the tuition tax proposal.

Her involvement in higher education spans both the national and international arenas.  Dr. Hines is currently a Presidential Sponsor for the American Council on Education's program to advance women in higher education leadership.  She serves as Presidential Interviewer of ACE Fellows Program candidates, and on the PA ACE State Planning Board.  She has been a mentor for women in leadership for many years, starting with her own participation in the Kellogg Foundation's national model program for higher education's "Leaders of the 80's" and as an ACE Fellow.   She served on the American Council on Education Fellows’ Executive Board and was an invited participant at the National Kellogg Foundation Round-table for Higher Education Leaders, the Netherlands Higher Education Study Team, and a Hong Kong Higher Education Study Team.  Dr. Hines is regularly called upon to speak about educational, ethical, economic development, and leadership issues to educational, business and community organizations, and has been a keynote speaker and panelist for national and local events.  She has published articles on these and other topics in newspapers and national journals.

Dr. Hines has been the recipient of many prestigious awards and honors.  They include the designation as President Emerita and an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from Carlow University (2013), "The Dr. Mary Hines Scholarship" named in her honor by the Carlow University Board of Trustees (2013), the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Pittsburgh Business Times (2013); the 2013 Get Involved!, Inc. Woman of the Year Award; recognition on the annual national "Irish Voices Education 100 " list as a prominent Irish-American professional (2012, 2011, and 2010); the "2010 Most Powerful and Influential Woman of Pennsylvania" from the National Diversity Council (2010); the "Woman of Achievement Award" from Celebrate & Share (2009); the "A Tribute to Women: Leadership in Education" Award from the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh (2007); the Oakland Catholic High School's "Leading Ladies" Award (2006); one of Leadership Wilkes-Barre's 25 "Stars" (2006); the Distinguished Leadership Award from Leadership Wilkes-Barre (2005); the Northeast Business Journal's "Top 20 Women in Business in NE PA" (2003); and the Arthritis Foundation's "Community Leader of the Year" Award (2002).

While at Penn State University in Northeast Pennsylvania, she served on the Children’s Service Center Advisory Committee, the Arthritis Foundation Advocacy Committee, the Blue Ribbon Task Force for the Tobyhanna Army Depot, the Diamond City Partnership, the NE PA Advisory Board for Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Education Task Force of NEPA Alliance, the Ethics Institute of Northeast Pennsylvania, YMCA Board, Step-by-Step, Jewish Family Services Advisory Committee, Family Care Consortium, and the Board of the Kirby Center for the Performing Arts.  She also served on the Board of Leadership Wilkes-Barre, where she chaired the Executive Series and served as a mentor to emerging leaders.  Dr. Hines was a member of the Boards of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Business and Industry, as well as the Board of Family Services of Wyoming Valley.  While on the Chamber Board, she founded and chaired its Ethics Committee.  During her tenure at Penn State, Dr. Hines served on University Committees, and provided Penn State leadership to the community as a member of the Advisory Board of the Urban Studies Center at Wilkes University, the Board of the Northeast PA Technology Institute, and was Chair of both the Northeastern PA Association of Colleges and Universities and the Luzerne County Council of Presidents.  She was a member of the Regional Steering Committee of the State initiative, "Stay, Invent the Future," one of several projects she has championed to keep young people employed in Pennsylvania.

Prior to her tenure at Penn State, Dr. Hines held faculty and administrative positions at Dundalk Community College, Catonsville Community College, and served as adjunct professor of Philosophy at the University of Baltimore, Towson State University, St. Mary’s Seminary and University, and the College of Notre Dame of Maryland.

Specific details about Dr. Hines' career history is available on her resume, posted on the Carlow University website.

Dr. Hines and her husband Ken (deceased) are the parents of Sean, Kevin, Kathleen, and Brendan. 

>> Go to Dr. Hines' Resume

Last updated: May 8, 2013