Susan LaRocco, dean of the School of Nursing (left), and Kathleen Pecoraro, instructor of Nursing (right), sealed a Mount Saint Mary College School of Nursing time capsule on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.
The School of Nursing documented the trials and triumphs of students, faculty, staff, and alumni over the course of the pandemic and sealed it in a time capsule on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, to be opened by the college's dean of Nursing in 25 years.
The time capsule contains current photos, publications, and letters to the future leaders and students of the Mount. It also has other historical items, such as a Mount-branded cloth mask. It was sealed with a padlock and, until the capsule's reopening in 2046, it will remain on display on the college's campus.
The project was made possible by a three-person team: Susan LaRocco, dean of the School of Nursing; Kathleen Pecoraro, instructor of Nursing; and Erica Torres, administrative assistant for the School of Nursing.
"A time capsule is belief in our future," said LaRocco. "We believe the Mount will be here, the School of Nursing will be here, our profession will be right here on our campus and we will have a whole new batch of nurses. Think about it: the students who will be here in 25 years haven't even been born yet."
Pecoraro added, "I hope that when they open this [time capsule], COVID-19 is a thing of the distant past, and that everyone is healthy. I hope we've learned a lot both medically and socially from COVID."