The Rowley Society

The Rowley Society is named in honor of the accomplishments of Mother Rita Rowley, RSHM, Ph.D. Born Elizabeth Rowley in Ireland in 1913, Mother Rita became the Founding Dean of Marymount Manhattan College. Her educational, administrative, and managerial talents were further recognized when she was elected the General Superior of the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary in 1960. Although Mother Rita was quiet and unassuming in demeanor, she was an inspirational leader who encouraged especially the young novices and sisters to reach for the fullness of their vocations.

The Rowley Society was established to recognize those graduates and friends of the College who have made Marymount Manhattan part of their own legacies by establishing a planned gift that will directly benefit the College. Such plans include charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts or charitable lead trusts, retained life estates, and life insurance policies. The Rowley Society also seeks to recognize those graduates and friends who have included Marymount Manhattan in their estate plans as a designated beneficiary of an IRA or similar program or as the beneficiary of a defined bequest.