Founders Week 2025
Celebrating the Anniversary of the Founding of Moravian University
Monday, March 24 – Saturday, March 29
Moravian University and Theological Seminary is an institution founded by women and was the first to educate women. Join us in celebrating our alumnae, students, and the generations to come.
Schedule
Friday, March 28
Morning Tea with First Lady Lea Grigsby P’22, P’26 (invitation only)
Time: 10:30 a.m.
Location: Peter Hall, Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus of Moravian University
Members of Moravian's Golden Greyhound Alumni, Zinzendorf Family Fellows, and Anna Nitschmann Society are invited to join First Lady Lea Grigsby P’22, P’26 for morning tea and refreshments, plus a presentation by Charlene Donchez Mowers H’19, former president of Historic Bethlehem Museums & Sites, about the City of Bethlehem’s journey to becoming a World Heritage Site.
Anna Nitschmann Society Reception and Dinner (invitation only)
Time: 5:30–7:30. p.m.
Location: Payne Gallery, Priscilla Payne Hurd Campus of Moravian University
Members of the Anna Nitschmann Society are invited to a reception and dinner, hosted by President Bryon and Mrs. Lea Grigsby ’90, P’22, P’26, featuring special guest Katherine Faull, Associate Provost for Local & Global Engagement at Bucknell University, member of the Moravian Archives Board of Directors and renowned Anna Nitschmann scholar. Please wear your purple ANS scarf!
Saturday, March 29
Founders Forum
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Sally Breidegam Miksiewicz Center for Health Sciences
Join us for our second annual symposium celebrating Moravian women and providing continuing professional development for students, alumnae, and friends of Moravian who identify as women.
Photo Galleries
View our photo galleries from Founders Week 2024!
About the Founders Week Graphic
The Founders Week graphic represents select women who have helped shape our beloved Moravian University throughout the years. From left to right, the women pictured are:
Benigna Von Zinzendorf
Von Zinzendorf is the founder of the girl’s school in Germantown, PA on May 4, 1742. It moved to Bethlehem seven weeks later, relocated to Nazareth in 1745, then returned permanently to Bethlehem in 1749. There were 25 pupils at the school, and they were taught reading, writing, religion, and household arts. The girl's school, which is now Moravian University, was the first boarding school for girls in the 13 British American colonies.
Caroline Cameron Lockhart
Enrolled at Moravian in 1888, Lockhart's diversified career included work as an investigative reporter, journalist, editor, newspaper owner, novelist, activist, historian, horsewoman, rancher, and homesteader. While at Moravian, she was caught dangling out of a second-story window in a harness designed for a fire escape that she tried on as a dare!
A. Kathrine Miller ’34
Miller taught biology at Moravian from 1936-1941 before receiving her Ph.D. in bacteriology from Cornell University. In the late 1940s, she developed the drug Caronomide, which led to the development of antibiotics and other drugs used in chemotherapy. The A. Kathrine Miller Super Lab on Moravian's campus was dedicated in her honor in 2015.
Jennifer Jimenez ’14
Jimenez is a lifelong learner. She completed her degree as a single mom working 50+ hours a week. Embracing the Moravian community, Jiminez has continued to stay involved by volunteering for the Career Center, attending alumni events, being a part of the Moravian Alumni and Parent Program, and serving as secretary of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Moravian University encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have any questions regarding physical accessibility, please contact the Alumni Engagement Office at 610 861-1366 at least one week prior to this event.