INDIANAPOLIS, April 27, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Daniel J. Elsener, the President of Marian College in Indianapolis, has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services. St. Vincent Hospitals is a member of Ascension Health, the nation's largest not-for-profit and Catholic health care system, and Indiana's largest health care employer, with 16 health ministries serving 45 counties in central Indiana. The appointment was announced by the president of St. Vincent Hospitals, Dr. Patricia Maryland, in an internal newsletter.
Elsener has been president of Marian College since 2001 and is also a member of the Indiana State Board of Education. Elsener has dedicated his professional life to the mission of Catholic education, first as a school teacher, then as administrator and executive director of stewardship and development in the Office of Catholic Education with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. For more information about Elsener's background, visit www.marian.edu.
Maryland commented that Elsener's leadership qualities are important to his service with St. Vincent Hospitals. "The renewed charge for health care in this country demands a decision model where confident and skilled professionals advocate for the patient from a foundation of morals and ethics," said Maryland. She noted that his commitment to excellence in Catholic education and developing health care leaders "personifies the core values of St. Vincent Hospitals."
Elsener succeeds Sister Mary Frances Loftin, D.C., who served as board chair for the hospital from 2002 to 2005.
About Marian College
Marian College (www.marian.edu) is the only Catholic liberal arts college in central Indiana. It is a private, co-educational school offering classes to both traditional and non-traditional students. Located two miles north of downtown Indianapolis, Marian College is a Catholic college dedicated to excellent teaching and learning in the Franciscan and liberal arts traditions.