La Roche University’s Center for Lifelong Learning will be renamed this summer to honor Sister Candace Introcaso, the school’s former president, who died last week.
The center, which helps learners of all ages discover the joy of learning, will be rebranded the Sister Candace Introcaso Center for Lifelong Learning at La Roche University. Acting President and Provost Howard J. Ishiyama announced the naming during a memorial Mass for Sister Introcaso who died last Monday. She was 69.
“The idea of the Center, envisioned by President Introcaso years ago, was to create an intergenerational community on campus,” Mr. Ishiyama said in a statement. “It’s now a reality, with more than 350 lifelong learners and 200 youth on campus. This was Sister Candace’s dream, and it is now her legacy.”
Sister Introcaso, a Sister of Divine Providence who was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, became the seventh president of then-La Roche College in 2004.
During her tenure as president, the McCandless school expanded its academic offerings, upgraded campus facilities and sold its 37-acre west campus, moving all students, faculty and staff on one main campus, formerly known as the east campus, in the late 2000s. Sister Introcaso also led the school to achieve university status in 2019.
The center opened in January 2022 under Sister Introcaso’s tenure. Its goal is to connect learners with an intellectual and social community of members and friends.
It currently offers three programs: Adventures in Lifelong Learning, a membership-based program for adults over 50; NextStep@LRU, which allows professionals to earn credentials and certificates; and LRU4U, which offers in-demand programs by taking advantage of La Roche’s resources and assets.
The center is based on statistics that project 25% of Western Pennsylvanians will be 65 or older by 2030.
“These individuals want to be part of an academic community, and by leveraging what we already have, including our classes, fitness center and campus, we hope to eventually comingle all of these different communities into a single, intergenerational community,” Mr. Ishiyama said.
The center will be officially rebranded this summer and will launch at the start of the fall session.
First Published: May 31, 2023, 6:32 p.m.