She was the second lay person principal in the history of Brescia, a Catholic school and Canada's only women's university, and she was the first woman and layperson to serve as president at La Salle and Xavier.

[1] In 2008, Hanycz left her teaching and assistant dean position at Osgoode to become Brescia's Principal, succeeding Theresa Topic.

University Affairs held an exit interview for Hanycz after the announcement was made that she would be leaving Brescia for La Salle in April 2015.

[7] Under Hanycz, La Salle University tuition rates decreased by 29 percent, citing college affordability in her home country of Canada.

[8] In 2020, La Salle University’s debt was downgraded by Fitch Ratings due to “... continued pressure on La Salle's enrollment, which has been further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, competitive operating landscape, and reliance on an unsustainable level of endowment support in the intermediate term.” [9] Despite the budget concerns, Hanycz’s compensation increased from $457,479 in 2019 to $497,214 in 2020.