As we begin our year-long series highlighting the importance of leadership within the Alpha Sigma Lambda (ASL) community, we’re shining the spotlight on one of our own – Mary Berkery, a dedicated and passionate chapter councilor at Excelsior University.

Every month, we’re featuring responses to the question, “What does the ASL Chapter Councilor mean to you?” and this month, Mary’s heartfelt words are a powerful reminder of the impact that these leaders have on our community.

Here’s what Mary has to say about the role of the ASL Chapter Councilor:

“I am a new chapter councilor at Excelsior University (Sigma Zeta chapter) this year, although I’ve been a member of ASL since 2015 and have participated in many induction ceremonies over the last ten years as a member of the faculty. Alpha Sigma Lambda represents the core mission of Excelsior University, which is to provide educational opportunity to adult learners with an emphasis on those historically underrepresented in higher education. Just like ASL, Excelsior meets students where they are — academically and geographically. In my job as Department Chair, I work with new online learners to help them get off to a strong start at the university. I believe we make a promise to our learners to “start to finish” – that is to say when you start with us, we will equip you with the knowledge, skills, habits of mind, and support resources to make sure you achieve your goal and complete your degree. ASL is the perfect representation of these values, and a wonderful recognition of our highest achieving adult learners. 

My best memory of an ASL induction was in 2018 when I was invited to be the faculty speaker at our induction ceremony in Albany, NY. In the months leading up to it I stressed about what I should speak about, but ultimately ended up writing a speech about how and why learning as an adult is personal – it is an act of love. I spoke about my own path through my education, which was motivated by using my own grandfather’s POW journal from World War II as a primary source in my first major research paper in college. And I challenged students to think about how love motivated them through their degrees. Here’s a snippet of what I wrote:

‘I want to talk to you about two kinds of love today – the love we share with our families and friends that drives us to persist, and the love of learning, a spirit you’ve encountered in your educational journey that I hope you take with you for a lifetime long after you receive your degrees tomorrow. So I ask each of you this – what do you love? What I hope is that it’s not just one topic, but a practice. I hope that you what you learned to love, and what you continue to love for the rest of your life, is to learn. An education built upon a foundation of love is never over. It is not a means to a job, it is a means to a life worth living. That is what will keep you going when you are burning the Midnight Oil.‘

I am honored to serve our students as a chapter councilor for Alpha Sigma Lambda! Ever Upward!”

We so grateful for your dedication and commitment, Mary and are excited to see how the Excelsior Chapter grows from here. Congrats!

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