MCC Daily Tribune
Passing of Frances Osborn Ryan, Professor Emerita of English and Retired Associate Vice President
The MCC family mourns the loss of Frances P. Osborn Ryan, Professor Emerita of English and Retired Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement, who passed away in San Diego, CA, on February 2, 2023, at age 96.
A founding faculty member of the college, Professor Emerita Osborn Ryan contributed to the early success of MCC and helped strengthen our institution’s excellence throughout her nearly three decades of service until her retirement in 1990.
She began her tenure as assistant professor of English in 1962 and rose through the ranks over the next 12 years to become associate professor and professor.
Her exemplary work, collaborative style, dedication and unwavering support for students earned praise from her students and colleagues. Recognizing the intertwining relationships between humanities and business, she developed and team-taught the course “Money and Morals in American Literature” with a Business Administration faculty and later trained other faculty in each department to teach it. Another course she created, “The Literature and Philosophy of China and Japan,” led to a collaboration with History Department faculty. Both courses proved popular with students.
One of her former students, who went on to earn a bachelor’s degree with double majors, once wrote a letter of gratitude to Professor Emerita Osborn Ryan: “After several years of raising a family and dreaming of college, your class in English Composition was the first course I enrolled for. I was doubly blessed to have you as my teacher. You got my brain cells moving and gave me the courage to continue. Once you wrote a note of encouragement on one of my papers and whenever I felt afraid in any course I took, I would read the words you had written and it became something of a ‘booster tonic.’ ”
Her service to the College included working as Middle States coordinator for MCC reaccreditation and chairing the Strategic Planning Committee, the Special Committee for Administrative Affairs, and the Senior Citizens Committee which she founded to increase access to postsecondary education for individuals over age 60.
In recognition of Professor Emerita Osborn Ryan’s professional achievements and contributions during her career, MCC awarded her the Distinguished Professor honor in 1978. After 23 years of teaching, she was appointed associate vice president of Institutional Advancement in 1985.
Upon her retirement in 1990 after 28 years of service, she was accorded the rank of professor emerita.
She earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Indiana University. She also studied at University of Rochester, Mohawk Valley Community College, University of Alaska, University of London, Sophia University in Japan, and University of Michigan.
She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Tom Ryan, a former Rochester television and radio news personality; and children Scott and Pamela.
Contributions in her memory may be made to the Monroe Community College Foundation.
Her obituary is posted on the Democrat and Chronicle’s website.
MCC extends condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues. We are grateful for her many contributions and service to MCC.
DeAnna Burt-Nanna
Office of the President
02/14/2023