La Roche University Remembers Former President Sister Mary Joan Coultas, CDP, Ph.D.

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 3, 2026 – La Roche University remembers Sister Mary Joan Coultas, CDP, Ph.D., the University’s fourth president, whose visionary leadership helped shape one of the most significant periods of growth in the University’s history while advancing the mission of the Sisters of Divine Providence. Sister Mary Joan, who also served as professor of psychology, dean of students, trustee, and trustee emerita, entered eternal life on Aug. 2 at the age of 89.

Throughout more than seven decades of religious life and service, Sister Mary Joan helped strengthen La Roche’s academic foundation while remaining steadfast in the mission of the Sisters of Divine Providence. Her leadership guided a period of significant growth that continues to shape the campus and student experience today.

“Sister Mary Joan’s life was a remarkable example of servant leadership rooted in faith, wisdom, and compassion,” said Christina A. Clark, Ph.D., president of La Roche University. “She believed deeply in the transformative power of education and in the mission and values that continue to define La Roche University today. Her vision helped shape our campus during a pivotal period of growth, and her influence continues to be felt by generations of students, alumni, faculty, and staff. We are profoundly grateful for her leadership, her friendship, and the lasting legacy she leaves to the University she loved.”

Sister Mary Joan entered religious life from Holy Name Parish in Duquesne, where the example of the Sisters of Divine Providence and the education she received at Divine Providence Academy inspired her vocation. She earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Duquesne University, a Master of Science degree in counseling from the University of Dayton, and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from The Catholic University of America.

She began her ministry at La Roche as a professor of psychology and later served as dean of students before being named president in 1975. During her six-year presidency, the University experienced a period of remarkable growth that helped lay the foundation for its future.

As enrollment surged during the 1970s, Sister Mary Joan led La Roche’s first capital campaign, launched in 1979, to fund construction of the Palumbo Science Center, which opened the following year. She also oversaw planning and construction of Schneider and Peters residence halls and helped establish the University’s first graduate degree program, the Master of Science in Human Resources Management. Together, those accomplishments expanded educational opportunities for students and positioned La Roche for continued growth.

Following her presidency, Sister Mary Joan continued a lifetime of leadership and service. She served three terms as provincial director of the Sisters of Divine Providence, helping guide the congregation through periods of renewal and organizational transformation while remaining deeply committed to its charism. From 1990 to 2001, she practiced as a psychotherapist with the Lee Fogarty Group before coordinating programs at Kearns Spirituality Center, where she shared her gifts as a teacher, counselor and presenter on psychology, spirituality and faith. Since 2018, she continued serving as a part-time presenter at Kearns.

Throughout those years, Sister Mary Joan remained closely connected to La Roche. She served on the University’s Board of Trustees from 1994 to 2012 and continued as trustee emerita. In 2014, La Roche awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of her extraordinary leadership and enduring contributions to the University.

In awarding the honorary degree, the Board of Trustees recognized Sister Mary Joan for helping build La Roche into the thriving institution it is today through her leadership of its first capital campaign, expansion of campus facilities, development of graduate education, and decades of faithful service to the University and the Sisters of Divine Providence.

Her honors included La Roche’s Woman of Providence Award, presented in recognition of a life devoted to ministry and service to others. More than any award or title, however, those who knew Sister Mary Joan remembered her for her warmth, Irish wit, thoughtful counsel, and unwavering commitment to mentoring others. She believed deeply in sharing the charism of the Sisters of Divine Providence beyond the congregation, helping others recognize God’s presence in everyday life.

Reflecting on her vocation during her 70th Jubilee as a Sister of Divine Providence, Sister Mary Joan said, “My life has been devoted to the spread of the Providence charism to all who feel called by our Provident God to share in deepening a spirituality which embraces all.”

Few individuals have shaped La Roche University in as many capacities as Sister Mary Joan—as professor, dean of students, president, trustee, and trustee emerita. Although her titles changed over the decades, her purpose remained the same: to advance the mission of the Sisters of Divine Providence and ensure that La Roche University continued to educate students with compassion, integrity, and a commitment to service. Today, students continue to learn in facilities she helped bring to life, pursue academic opportunities she helped envision, and experience a University grounded in the values of inclusiveness, integrity, determination, compassion, inspiration, justice, and peace that she spent a lifetime advancing. Her legacy will continue to inspire the La Roche community for generations to come.

Funeral and Memorial Information

Friends, alumni, and members of the University community are invited to join the Sisters of Divine Providence in celebrating Sister Mary Joan’s life.

Thursday, Aug. 6, 2026

• Viewing: 2 to 4 p.m.
• Wake Prayer Service: 3:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 7, 2026

• Viewing: 1 to 3 p.m.
• Liturgy of Resurrection: 3 p.m.

Services will be held at Visitation Chapel, Kearns Spirituality Center, 9000 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park, PA 15101.

Those unable to attend may view the services via livestream.

Memorial Resources  

The Sisters of Divine Providence have created a memorial page for Sister Mary Joan that includes service information, her memorial letter, a photo album where friends and alumni can share memories, and information about making a memorial gift. Visit the Sisters’ memorial page.

Memorial Contributions

Those wishing to honor Sister Mary Joan’s life and ministry may make a memorial contribution to the Sisters of Divine Providence through the memorial page above or support the La Roche University Excellence Fund.

About La Roche University: An independent liberal arts university in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, La Roche University offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs with particular strengths in education, business, criminal justice, cybersecurity and forensics, psychology, nursing, and health and medical sciences as well as interior architecture & design and graphic design. This residential university provides a vibrant campus community for women and men enjoying multiple student organizations and an exciting NCAA Div. III athletics program. Founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche University embraces its Catholic heritage while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. With a legacy of social justice and a commitment to international exchange, La Roche University educates students to be lifelong learners and achievers in an increasingly diverse and global society.

###