Dee Christie graduated from the College of St. Mary of the Springs (now ODU) in 1960. Her education was demanding, but it prepared her for a lifetime of learning and leadership. Her professors, mostly Dominican Sisters, instilled in her the ability to think critically and to lead, a yearning for pursuing and contemplating the truth, and a deep sense of responsibility to share that truth with others.

After graduating, Dee went on to teach graduate classes at her alma mater, where she saw firsthand how the college’s values and approach prepared students to successfully navigate their journeys in life. 

“The liberal arts curriculum,” she says, “prepared students for life, not just for a job.”

While she majored in Biology, Dee was required to take many unrelated courses. For her, these courses served as secure rungs on a ladder that would allow her to climb to an unrelated Ph.D. in Theology. She credits her liberal arts education with equipping her with the skills she needed to publish four books and write occasional op-eds for the local newspaper. She also says her courses in logic, philosophy, religion, music and art appreciation helped to broaden her world even more.

Dee is grateful for the transformative education she received at St. Mary of the Springs. Because of it, she now stands atop the ladder that was built for her there, and she looks back with appreciation for the many “risers” that were given to her years ago. She knows future students also will look back in appreciation in the years to come.

Many things from her time at St. Mary of the Springs are different now; however, the important elements remain. “Old Sansbury is no longer the dorm,” she says. “Students do not wear tri-color beanies for Sunday Mass or full cap and gown to lectures in the Little Theatre. Yet the values that helped construct secure ladders to success for graduates are still reflected in the core tradition.”

Dee is proud to be a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient from Ohio Dominican University. She is truly a lifelong learner, leader and an inspiration to all who know her and, today, follow in her footsteps.