Feature Article
continued from page 18 . . .
This is our essence and who we challenge our
students to know, believe and live and what we
as alumni carry with us as part of this place we
call home.
When I came to Adrian in 1961 to enter the
Dominican Sisters as a postulant, the last thing
on my mind was that I would begin my college
career the next day! I had just graduated from
high school two weeks before. None of this
should have surprised me, though, since I had
already spent the previous twelve years as a student taught by Adrian Dominicans, first at St.
Brigid’s School in Detroit and then at Rosary
High School. Education was part of their ethos,
and so the journey with Siena Heights began.
I have always felt that my six sisters and two
brothers should have been grateful to the Adrian
Dominicans for their education because my
parents saw firsthand how important that degree
was as their first born was whisked into college
as soon as she entered the community.
And now close to fifty years later that journey
continues and not one day goes by that I don’t
remember the women on whose shoulders we
stand and in whose footsteps I am blessed to
walk; the women who have built, taught in, and
sustained this wonderful academic institution,
Siena Heights University. It is with deep gratitude to them that I accept this award. u
Gregg T. Milligan ’85
Sister Ann Joachim Award Winner
When I decided to choose the path of higher
learning, the thought received much attention;
but actually being accepted into any university
never seemed a real possibility. Especially a university as prestigious as Siena Heights. Up to that
fateful day in June of 1981 when a gracious man
by the name of Pat Palmer would allow me the
limitless possibility of a new life, I felt as though
I was pursuing nothing short of an empty dream.
I had spent the first eighteen years of my life suffering at the hands of others, but burning inside
of me was the quest for something much more.
This quest drove me toward a better life and it
would be Siena that would make it possible.
It would be Siena that gave me so much more
than an education in academia, but also turned
me into an advocate of peace and goodwill.
Gregg T. Milligan ’85—Sister Ann Joachim Award Winner: The Sister Ann Joachim Award is presented in memory of a legendary Adrian Dominican
faculty member. This award recognizes significant contributions to the University and/or community through activities that demonstrate strong leadership, the ability to get things done, and the capacity to confront challenging issues headon while maintaining the image and spirit of the University.
From those who molded my environment before Siena, I was taught nothing but hatred for
myself and the human race. Pat Palmer and so
many others at Siena never stopped teaching
me that the world is a difficult place. However,
in addition to my studies I was also taught not
to seek shelter from the world’s miseries, but
instead to face them head-on in order to show
others what it means to be competent, purposeful, ethical, while respecting the dignity of all.
My reward, in the simplest terms, became what
is now My Siena.
I blossomed under the care and guidance of
faculty and staff. Their devoted participation in
my overall education was woven into a tapestry
of value for myself and the world. I was taught to
extend myself mentally, emotionally, and spiritually (and physically under the strenuous track
workouts of coaches Pat Palmer and Tim Bauer).
I was pushed by this grand university to surpass
every barrier, and in doing so, I was expected to
give back to the world, to return the same hope
and desire to all living creatures. Through academic study and a well-established mission based
on an unrivaled value system, my education at
Siena became the foundation of my faith that
continues to flourish today.
“This is the place where I
still find those who saved
me. This is, and will forever
be, My Siena.”
I am so grateful for the opportunities that began
at Siena Heights which shone in my heart a light
I never knew existed and proved to me, after so
many years of shame, that I am worthy of love.
The culture Siena fosters is one of higher learning, but it is molded by a vast spiritual consciousness. There are numerous reasons the university
shines above so many others. Its collective heart
beats to the same rhythm of faith and understanding within every scholastic course, activity,
and organization by means of those within the
university living the mission. I discovered, like
wisdom, all endeavors at Siena must be earned
through scrupulous examination based on a
doctrine chiseled in the pursuit of collegiate
instruction. And, these teachings never wither,
as they are handed down gently but firmly to
each and every student.
. . . continued on the next page
Reflections Winter ’11
19