Councilor
Sister Margaret Egan’s lifelong devotion to education began as a teacher at Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scarsdale, St. Raymond, Bronx, and Elizabeth Seton Academy, Yonkers. She has devoted 48 of 60 years in education to the College of Mount Saint Vincent (CMSV) as professor, Chair of the Teacher Education Department, Dean of Students, and Vice President for Student Development.
During her time in office, Sister Margaret developed the Master’s Program in Education and enrolled the department in the National Honor Society in Education. She was also President of the New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Educators (NYACTE) and received the Teacher of the Year Award from the New York State Association of Teacher Educators.
At her CMSV farewell party in May, fellow faculty members remembered her as a “special part of our lives” and “someone who inspires all of us to be better.” These sentiments have been echoed by many former students: “I credit Sister with so many of the skills I have used in my 29 years of teaching; I was blessed to have her as a professor; I thank you for your leadership and friendship; I can’t imagine the Mount without you.”
Sister Margaret also serves on the Board of Trustees of her alma mater, Cathedral High School in New York City, is a volunteer at the Safe House for women sponsored by the LifeWay Network, and is a frequent visitor to the Sisters in our various retirement homes.
However, her talents do not lie in the academic field alone. She is a talented photographer and an accomplished musician, playing the guitar, violin, drums, harmonica, and even the lost art of the “spoons.”
By all appearances, whatever work she has undertaken, her “consistent and untiring attention to details has resulted in a positive outcome,” according to Arlene Moliterno, Ph.D., a former CMSV colleague.
Sister Margaret entered the Congregation in 1956; her religious name was Sister James Carmel. She attended Holy Name and Cathedral High Schools, both in Manhattan. She earned a BA in History from the College of Mount Saint Vincent, an M.Ed in Reading from Boston College, and an Ed.D in Reading/Education from Yeshiva University.