Mary Reilly and Lisbeth Chapin Named Professors Emeriti
This year, Gwynedd Mercy University is recognizing Mary Reilly, MS ’81 and Dr. Lisbeth Chapin with the distinction of Professor Emeriti for her dedication and contributions to the University, her students, and her fields of study. Congratulations to Mary Reilly and Lisbeth Chapin!
Professor Mary Reilly ‘81
Few current faculty members have served the University longer than Mary Reilly ‘81, who began her career as an assistant professor of Psychology in 1985 at the (then) Gwynedd-Mercy College.
Professor Reilly embodies the ideals of Mercy education. She understands that, while learning may begin in the classroom, it often deepens through community involvement and service to others. This focus on transformative learning is most evident in her role as internship coordinator for the Psychology Program. Her excellence in teaching was recognized in 1997, when she received the Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award.
Having been a Mercy Associate for more than 20 years, Professor Reilly’s passion and deepest satisfaction lie in the Mercy tradition of service, both to this University and to the broader community. As a faculty member, she has served in administrative roles as coordinator of the Psychology Program and as chairperson of the former Behavioral and Social Sciences Division. She has also served as a member of task forces and faculty standing committees, including Faculty Council, Faculty Development Committee, Educational Policy and Planning Committee, the Retention Committee, and the General Education Committee.
Professor Reilly as co-advised Sigma Phi Sigma, the national Mercy honor society, and she has served on the Mission and Values Committee numerous times. She also volunteers for many service-oriented activities on campus, including Welcome Weekend and Holiday Outreach, and she is strongly connected to the Mercy Center for Service, Spirituality, & Justice. Off campus, Professor Reilly devotes time to coordinating various types of service within her parish, most notably around issues of food insecurity, aging, hospice care, and grief. Her enduring commitment to serving others was recognized in 2006 when she received the Sister Isabelle Keiss Award for Outstanding Service to the Community.
Professor Reilly is highly regarded by many faculty and staff members, and she has had a lasting impact on students, her colleagues, and the University.
Dr. Lisbeth Chapin
Dr. Lisbeth (Betsy) Chapin was hired as an assistant professor of English in 2004, awarded tenure in 2019, and achieved full professorial rank in 2023. She designed and taught writing and literature courses, Signature Seminars, and courses for the Honors Program. She also team-taught a variety of courses with colleagues in humanities. Her passion lies in teaching and exploring written texts with her students. She also derives great satisfaction in working with students to improve their critical thinking and writing skills. Dr. Chapin creates a respectful space in which students feel confident in sharing their ideas and engaging in complex literary analysis.
Dr. Chapin is also an active scholar, having published articles and book chapters and presented her research at regional, national, and international conferences, including the International Gothic Association Conference at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland and the North American Society for the Study of Romanticism in London, England. She also volunteers her expertise as one of nine scholars working on the Humphrey Davy Notebooks Project, a digital project dedicated to transcribing the journals of one of the preeminent scientists in the British Romantic Period. Her latest project is a volume dedicated to the works of Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley as part of the Companion Series of the 19th-Century Authors.
In addition to teaching and scholarship, Dr. Chapin served as the assistant dean for the former School of Arts and Sciences, the chairperson of the former Language, Literature, and Fine Arts Division, and the coordinator of the English Program. Her other service activities include membership on search committees, task forces, and faculty standing committees, including the Strategic Assessment and Alignment Task Force, the General Education Committee, the Educational Policy and Planning Committee, and the Honors Program Committee.
Dr. Chapin has earned the respect from faculty colleagues and students alike, who recognize her professional excellence, her collegiality, her intellectual curiosity, and her wonderful and infectious sense of humor.