Sister Victoria Marie Gribschaw was one of eleven individuals to be named a Distinguished Alumni by Seton Hill University President Mary Finger on June 29, 2020.

A member of the graduating class of 1970, Sr. Victoria Marie Gribschaw began her journey at Seton Hill with the Class of 1965 on the Sisters of Charity Undergraduate Teaching Scholarship – often referred to as “the plan” – and earned her chemistry degree in 1970. She holds a master’s degree in Family Resources/Home Economics Education from West Virginia University and a Ph.D. in Consumer and Family Economics with a minor in Microeconomic Theory from The Ohio State University. Over four decades of service to Seton Hill, Sr. Victoria Marie helped to establish the University’s business program, served as Chair of the Family and Consumer Sciences Department, Director of the Family Studies Program and as Chair of the Division of Social Studies. In addition to teaching courses in Family and Consumer Sciences and Business, she developed and taught courses in the liberal arts core curriculum. She was Class Advisor for the classes of 1978,1984,1994 and 2000, which established The Millennium Scholarship for class officers and student government leaders. She published and presented on topics including poverty and economic mobility, family dynamics and educational strategies, holds membership in numerous professional organizations, twice served as President of the Pennsylvania Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, and held three-year terms as both the Secretary and Treasurer of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. She continues a legacy of volunteerism as a lector and Eucharistic Minister at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral in Greensburg and as Chaplain for the Seton Hill women’s basketball team.

The Distinguished Alumni Award is one of the highest honors given to a graduate, and since 1987 when the award program was established, more than 200 Setonians have been named distinguished alumni for their leadership in education, business, science and technology, the arts, volunteerism and philanthropy. This year’s honorees join alumni who have served their communities as scientists and physicians, teachers and social workers, artists and performers, military leaders and business executives. Other Distinguished Alumni of 2020 include:

• Bernadette R. Fondy, Ph.D., Class of 1969
• Susan M. Printy, Ph.D., Class of 1970
• Marie McColley Kerstetter, Class of 1970
• Lynn M. Grattan,Class of 1975
• Angelica Docog, Class of 1983
• Giovanna Rivera Genard,Class of 1994
• Tanya Moximchalk, Class of 1995
• Nalo Hopkinson, Class of 2002 (MA)
• Marcus L. Thompson, Class of 2008
• Matthew Zamosky, Class of 2010

We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of all of the 2020 Distinguished Alumni on Alumni Weekend in June 2021.