Chicago-Trained Theologian Named President of Philippines College

Sister Mary Thomas Prado was named the eighteenth president of St. Scholastica’s College in Manila. The 105-year-old college in the Philippines was founded by five German nuns in a windowless wagon shed. Now the college has nearly 5,000 students and 400 faculty.

The women’s college has been a beacon for gender equality in the island nation. In 1985 an introductory course in women’s studies was made mandatory for all students. That year, the Institute of Women’s Studies (IWS) was established and an “eco-feminism model farm” was started. Among its alumnae are Corazon Aquino, former president of the Philippines and Gloria Maria Aspillera Diaz, Miss Universe, 1969.

Before her appointment as president, Mary Thomas Prado had served the college as dean, vice president for academic affairs, and dean of the graduate school. She has undergraduate degrees in medical technology and psychology, a master’s degree in psychology and theology degrees from the Gregorian University in Rome and the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.