Service to the University
Barbara Quillin and her late husband, Phil, were honored by Viterbo University in 2014 with the St. John XXIII Award, the university’s highest non-academic honor, in recognition of the impact their philanthropy has had on the community. This year, she is being recognized for her impact at Viterbo in particular with a Distinguished Alumni Award for Service to the University.
A former member of the Viterbo Board of Advisors, Quillin came to the St. Francis School of Nursing to study medical technology after graduating from Aquinas High School. She didn’t go on to a career in health care, but she did log more than 10,000 volunteer hours with the auxiliary at Mayo Clinic Health System.
Quillin has been supporting the Viterbo mission for three decades, including donations for the Brophy Center renovation for the Dahl School of Business, the building of the Nursing Center and the Amie L. Mathy Center, and the establishment of the Sr. Thea Bowman Center and the FSPA Prayer Garden.
She also has a long history of support for the Viterbo Fund and Stars of the Arts, as well as being a key sponsor for the new Senior Soirée with the President tradition.
“With the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration setting such an amazing example, we felt it was our family’s calling to give back and serve this wonderful community,” Quillin said.
2023 Viterbo University Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients main page
2023 Distinguished Alumni Award Winner Georgia Christensen, FSPA ’70
Georgia Christensen, FSPA ’70, always planned on a career in teaching. Little did she realize then how wide ranging that career would be, how far from home it would take her, and how much of an impact she would have when she returned to Viterbo as a faculty member and administrator.