Community Awards Spotlight: Nancy Parlin, PhD '52
May 27, 2025
The annual Cretin-Derham Hall Community Awards celebrate several alumni and friends from Cretin, Derham Hall, and Cretin-Derham Hall, honoring their significant achievements and contributions.
Each month, we will spotlight one or two of these award recipients. The full list of 2024 Community Award winners can be found on our website. Please consider nominating members of our community for a 2025 Community Award. To learn more about the criteria for each award and the previous recipients, please visit our Awards page.
Nancy Parlin, PhD ‘52: (click for video)
Nancy Parlin, Derham Hall class of 1952, impacted the lives of countless people, but most significantly, her life of faith and service formed by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet community includes decades of dedication working with students.
Attending Derham Hall was also formative in her faith life. Nancy eventually followed in the footsteps of her teachers and became a Sister of St. Joseph Carondelet. She enjoyed being academically challenged and continued to learn and teach throughout her life.
Nancy attended the College of St. Catherine, earning a degree in Sociology. She continued her studies at St. Louis University, earning a Master’s Degree in Sociology. After earning her doctorate in Sociology at the University of Minnesota and leaving the convent, she taught at several colleges including the Fontbonne College; College of St. Catherine; University of Wisconsin - Parkside; Morehead State University and the University of Wisconsin - River Falls.
As a professor at Fontbonne College in St. Louis, Nancy became engaged in the racial justice movement. She joined the Peace Corps and served in Pakistan for three years. She also served as a Peace Corps trainer in Morocco. While at Morehead State, Nancy was the Dean of the Sociology Department. She retired as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin - River Falls and was the first woman to hold this position in the University of Wisconsin system. Nancy loved the hope she found in her students and the prospects of their positive contributions to society.
Richard R. Engler Lifetime Achievement Award
The Richard R. Engler Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to one recipient to honor a lifetime of exemplary service and dedication to Cretin-Derham Hall and the broader CDH community. This award is presented in recognition of the long history of service by Dick Engler, the President of Cretin-Derham Hall between 1990 and 2015, whose commitment and hard work impacted generations of CDH families.