Jacqueline Grennan Wexler (born Jean Marie Grennan; August 2, 1926 – January 19, 2012), commonly known as Sister J, was an American Catholic religious sister who rose to prominence when she, as President of Webster College, strove to convince the Holy See allow the transferral of the college's ownership to a lay board of trustees.
In 1957, she graduated with a master's degree from the University of Notre Dame, and in 1959, was transferred to work at Webster College, becoming Vice President in 1960.
She soon began major reforms, improving curricula, renovating and expanding the campus, and initiating volunteer service programs.
[1] The youngest child of Edward and Florence (née Dawson) Grennan, she had two sisters, Sue and Rita, and a brother, Jack, who died as a young adult.
[3] Rather than applying for a fellowship to attend Radcliffe College as she had considered, she decided to become a nun, later explaining that she wanted "to make [my] life productive for as many people as possible."
[4] After pronouncing her first vows in December 1950, Grennan was sent to teach at Loretto Academy in El Paso, Texas, where she taught mathematics and English for four years.
Recognizing that many Roman Catholic women's colleges were experiencing a downturn in enrollment, she decided to transition Webster to coeducation.
Academics were revamped with innovative curricula including "new math," "new social studies," and "new physics," and improved teacher training with a new Master of Arts in Teaching degree.
[7] In addition to changes in curriculum and enrollment, Grennan commenced an ambitious campaign to improve Webster College's physical plant.
This initiative attracted the attention of the Kennedy administration, and in 1963, she was appointed to the President's Advisory Panel on Research and Development in Education.
Though she turned down the position, it was around this time that Grennan realized she did not wish to "live as a responsible and productive human being for the rest of [my] life under the vow" of obedience as a nun.
[8]The Vatican did not immediately grant the request, and Grennan engaged in open discourse with Church authorities through public statements, earning her and Webster College a place in national headlines.
She said at the time, "The very nature of higher education is opposed to juridical control by the Church,"[7] but maintained that "the Christian grace is translated into every secular institution today.
"[7] The Brooklyn Tablet, a conservative Catholic newspaper, ran the story under the headline, "Webster College Leaves the Church," and a secular news magazine used the title, "Another Nun Defects.
After leaving the Sisters of Loretto in 1967, Grennan remained President of Webster College until June 1969, when she married Paul J. Wexler.
Soon after her marriage, Grennan Wexler moved to New York City, taking the job of Vice President and Director of International University Studies with the Academy for Educational Development.
When protests became such an issue that they obstructed the college's operation and after being trapped in her office several times, Wexler called the New York City Police Department to help regain control of the campus.
In response to protests in many City University of New York colleges, the Board of Higher Education ordered the implementation of a new Open Enrollment Policy effective September 1970.
Despite facing opposition from members of the student body, Wexler avidly supported the changes and was instrumental in the policy's implementation.
The first female president of the organization,[4] she "spoke frequently on interfaith issues in hopes of encouraging mutual respect among religions."
Wexler's legacy remains through a memorial fund established to the Edward W. Grennan Family Scholarship at Newman Central Catholic High School in Sterling, Illinois.