Sr. Suzanne Kush, CSSF has a passion for higher education, and translates that passion into action to support Felician University.

“I’m willing to give my time and energy in any way that I can to contribute to the growth of Felician University, and work for the good of the students and the institution.” It’s something Sr. Kush, one of Felician University’s newest Board of Trustee members, has already done in a big way.

Sr. Suzanne Kush

A western New York native, Sr. Kush joined the Buffalo, NY Province of Felician Sisters in 1964, teaching at elementary and secondary schools at several parishes in the Diocese of Buffalo, also becoming Director of Religious Education. She joined the faculty of her own Alma Mater, Villa Maria College, where she got her A.A. before earning a B.A. in history from Canisius College. Highly educated in addition to having a passion for Higher Ed, Sr. Kush has three master’s degrees including one in Religious Studies from Aquinas College, and another in History from State University College of New York. Things came full circle in 2006 when she earned an M.A. in Franciscan Studies from St. Bonaventure University.
Sr. Kush’s connections to Felician University are strong and enduring. She’s been an Adjunct Professor at Felician teaching a capstone course for nurses, “on how they could intersect Catholic social teaching and Franciscan tradition in their professional and personal lives.” She also serves on the Advisory Board of the Blessed Mary Angela Institute for Contemplation, Action, and Transformation in Lodi.

Sr. Kush has taken her dedication to the Franciscan tradition out of the classroom and into the real world. As Director of the Franciscan Center for Social Concern at St. Bonaventure University she took students on various mission trips including to a Navajo reservation in Arizona, established apartments for refugees in Rochester, New York and served at soup kitchens and shelters. “One of the aspects of my ministry was for students to have experiences with people they would not encounter in their everyday lives,” as well as to, “help those who are unable to speak for themselves, how do we help them make their needs known in a very peaceful way?”

Sr. Kush currently serves on the Provincial Leadership Team of Our Lady of Hope Province and says she looks forward to working on the Felician Board of Trustees where she says decision-making comes from a value-based perspective. “The value of Felician University is the students who we serve, students who perhaps would not have an opportunity for a college education, and we give them that opportunity, and we give them the support they need so they can excel in the field of their choice, and to encourage them beyond Felician University to pay it forward to make life better wherever they find themselves.”

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About Felician University

Felician University engages over 2,300 undergraduate, graduate, and adult students through programs in Arts & Sciences, Business, Nursing, and Education. Universal Franciscan values of social justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity serve as an inclusive foundation for transforming the lives of tomorrow’s leaders. Felician University’s education is ranked 3rd best return on investment for private colleges in New Jersey 2018 by the PayScale.com College ROI Report and is ranked #1 safest college campus in the state by niche.com.