Celina “Lee” Siwula ’92, ’14 M.S.N., ’20 Ed.D.
Assistant Professor and Director of Immaculata’s Pre-licensure Bachelor of Science in Nursing
I joined the faculty in 2016 because I wanted to help mold new generations of B.S.N.-prepared registered nurses. I want my students to always consider the whole patient: body, mind, spirit, culture, family, medical history and their beliefs. Patients are outside of their comfort zone when we nurses meet them. We need to be empathetic, honest and respectful.
Nursing school is not easy, but it is so worth it! I’ve learned that just like our patients, our students come with the same holistic needs. We, the nursing faculty, must be empathetic but strong as we encourage our students to move forward and become the nurses we know they can be!
I love coaching the seniors as they prepare for the nursing licensure exam, but I also love being a part of the student nurse experience as they grow into competent, holistic nurses! Our students not only have high licensure exam pass rates, but they are safe, quality nurses.
Although I will stay on as an adjunct in the Division of Nursing, it’s time for me to spend time with my family and my growing grandchildren! A piece of my heart will always be in nursing and with Immaculata.
Rita Colanzi, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of English
The Immaculata students who took literature courses taught by long-time English faculty member Rita Colanzi didn’t just read the stories—they experienced them as well. For example, her Renaissance literature class attended a Renaissance Fair, and Romantic literature students enjoyed afternoon tea. Victorian literature students examined the Pre-Raphaelite art collection at the Delaware Art Museum and students in modern drama saw a play at a local theater. Her food memoir class went to the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. to see Julia Child’s kitchen. Food in film and literature students visited the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site after reading his book on the differences between what the slaves were forced to eat and what the owners enjoyed.
Colanzi enjoyed teaching a range of classes, developing curriculum for new courses and expressing her creative freedom during her 13 years at Immaculata.
“I will miss being a part of the Immaculata community,” she said.
Sister Marie Cooper, IHM ’69
Professor Emerita of Mathematics/Physics
Sister Marie Cooper, IHM passed away on June 13, 2023, in Camilla Hall.
She was a professor of physics in the Math Department and served as the director of sponsored research during her 17
years at Immaculata University. As a professor emerita, she tutored students in the math center. Starting her teaching career at several Catholic schools in the region, Sister Marie transitioned to teaching physics to college students at Villanova University and at her alma maters, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Rutgers University and eventually Immaculata.
“Sister Marie Cooper, IHM, possessed and shared immeasurable talents and gifts. Her response to others was one of simplicity, grace and gentleness,” stated Sister M. Carroll Isselmann, IHM. “When thinking of Sister Marie, one must recall the words of David Hawkins, ‘A universal characteristic of genius is humility.’”
