Sister Paula Marie Buley has been president of Rivier University in Nashua for 14 years, and yet she still feels excitement on the first day of school each September. Earlier this year she shook hands with each of Rivier’s first-year students—all 300 of them.
“It’s a great reminder every year that there’s always someone new on campus,” she says. “You can’t take for granted how important the hospitality and the welcome is.”
For Sister Buley, this small act is reflective of the school’s mission: to transform hearts and minds to serve the world. That guiding principle is rooted in the Catholic tradition of social service, and the intellectual intersection between faith and reason.
“What’s very consistent with my Catholic faith is the dignity of the human person, respect for all people, [and] the ability to dialogue on the key areas and issues of our day,” Sister Buley says.
The school welcomes students of all religions (and those with none at all), but encourages students to go on their own faith journey to explore how they can be of service. Often, that’s focused around their career, Sister Buley says. Today’s students are more focused than ever on making sure they’re equipped for the job market. They’re studying topics like nursing or the newly added cyber security program to provide a good living for themselves and their families.
“I absolutely believe higher education is one of the most powerful vehicles of social mobility,” she says. “We see that dramatically at every single commencement.”
This goal to reach higher, both for oneself and others, is part of the founding spirit of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a religious order of which Buley is a member: To be of service to others to improve their lives.
For her first-generation students especially, a degree represents a life-changing opportunity. “The American dream isn’t dead,” Sister Buley says. “And the pathway for so many is through higher education.” Helping students achieve that has become her life’s work. “That’s very gratifying,” she says, “and it’s a privilege to serve in this position.”
