The College of Saint Elizabeth (CSE) will present the 2008 President’s Award to Mary R. Zavada, Class of ’57, at the College’s President’s Council Dinner on Thursday, September 25, 2008 at 6 p.m. at the Madison Hotel in Morristown.

The President’s Award is given each year to an individual who has provided outstanding service and support in connection with the efforts and activities of the president of the College.

The President’s Council includes the College’s most dedicated benefactors. The College President can call upon this group of alumnae/i, parents, students, faculty, corporations, foundations and other good friends for help, expertise, insight, outreach and vision as she seeks to lead the College into the future. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the CSE’s President’s Council dinners.

Sister Francis Raftery, President of CSE, said, “Mary’s generosity, enthusiasm and supportive spirit speak volumes about her loyalty and commitment to the College and to our students. It is with deep respect and appreciation that the College is proud to bestow this year’s President’s Award upon her.”

2008 President’s Awardee Mary R. Zavada 

Ms. Zavada, a resident of West New York, N.J., graduated magna cum laude from the College in 1957 with a bachelor’s degree in English. Honored by the CSE Alumnae/i Association in 2007 for her accomplishments and dedication to the College, Ms. Zavada served as class chair for the  College Capital Campaign. She was also a member of the Arts Exploratory Committee for the College’s Annunciation Center, an Arts and Education Building, which was opened in August 2007. In 1998, Ms. Zavada established the Sophie Majowicz Zavada Memorial Scholarship at the College in honor of her mother. 

Since its inception, this CSE scholarship has benefited a number of deserving students. One of them, Michaella Levandoski, Class of ’02, of Morristown, stated, “Ms. Zavada’s generosity helped make my dream of gaining a quality education come true.” Currently, Ms. Levandoski, who received Educational Leadership Certification from Seton Hall University, is a learning consultant at the Plainfield Public Schools in N.J.

Ms. Zavada attended CSE on a four-year, full-tuition scholarship from the Paterson Diocese. As a senior, she won first prize in the Prix de Paris contest, a national editorial and writing talent search among college women sponsored by Vogue Magazine. In 1959 she earned a master’s degree in Creative Writing from DePaul University in Chicago. Ms. Zavada’s writings have appeared in numerous publications, including Vogue Magazine and The New York Times- New Jersey Edition. In 1962, she received a grant from the Washington, D.C. Branch of the English-Speaking Union to study British contemporary literature, music, and art at the University of London. She later returned to London to study British contemporary drama and work as a feature writer for United Press International.

Ms. Zavada has taught at several prominent institutions including the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Trinity College in Washington, D.C., and Northeastern University. She has also held several positions in corporate settings, working as a technical writer, managing editor and account executive. The New York Chapter of Women in Communications in 1984 selected Ms. Zavada as one of the 60 outstanding women in communications working in the metropolitan area. In 1997, Ms. Zavada retired as vice president of Publications at the Insurance Information Institute in New York City.