LATROBE, PA – Dr. Veronica Ent, a professor of education at Saint Vincent College, was recently honored as a 2026 University of Findlay Alumni Association Distinguished Alumna Award winner in recognition of her professional accomplishments, service and commitment to education and her community.
Ent, who graduated from the Ohio institution in 1991, was presented with the award during the Saturday, Sept. 26, Alumni Awards Breakfast. The annual event was part of the University’s three-day Homecoming and Family Weekend.
“Findlay gave me the opportunity to bring together so many of my interests, including education, history, the arts and equestrian studies, and those experiences have continued to shape my work throughout my career,” Ent said. “Looking back, I think Findlay taught me to be open to new ideas, to value hands-on learning and to see education as something that can happen in many different places and in many different ways. The experiences I had there encouraged me to keep learning, to take on new challenges and most importantly, to use what I learned to help others.”
Ent completed her undergraduate studies in elementary education along with concentrations in equestrian studies and history at the University of Findlay.
One particularly significant part of Ent’s experience at Findlay was her involvement with the early development of the Mazza Collection, today known as the internationally recognized Mazza Museum. Working alongside Dr. Jerry Mallett, the collection’s founder, Ent was involved during its formative years when the growing collection of original children’s book illustration art was still housed in the Shafer Library basement.
What began in 1982 with a mere four pieces of original artwork grew steadily through Mallett’s vision and the efforts of faculty, students, alumni, donors and friends of the University. For Ent, that experience intertwined several interests that continued throughout her career: education, art, children’s literature, visual learning and the belief that learning can extend far beyond the traditional classroom.
Ent later earned a Master of Arts in art education and a Master of Education in educational media management, curriculum and instruction at Ohio University. She earned her Doctor of Education in instructional design and technology from the University of Pittsburgh.
Ent worked as an elementary school teacher for two years in Athens, Ohio, before later transitioning to library media specialist at Greensburg Salem High School from 1994 to 2001. She then moved to postsecondary education at the University of Pittsburgh as an assistant professor of education. After a year at Pitt, Ent started teaching at Saint Vincent in the Education Department and has been at the College ever since.
“Saint Vincent has also given me the freedom to bring together many of the same interests that shaped me as a student at Findlay: education, art, history, technology, equestrian and experiential learning,” Ent said. “I have especially enjoyed creating opportunities for students to see that learning can happen well beyond the traditional classroom and that good teachers draw from many different experiences to reach the students they serve.”
Education has remained at the center of Ent’s interdisciplinary path, while her interests in history, the arts, visual learning, instructional design and technology, equestrian studies, experiential learning and service have continued to intersect throughout her professional and community work.
Ent’s early efforts with the Mazza Collection, she noted, are particularly reflective of that journey. What she witnessed developing in the basement of Shafer Library—an innovative idea combining art, literature, education and experiences for children—foreshadowed many of the same interdisciplinary principles that later became important in her own teaching and professional work.
In that sense, the education she began at Findlay did much more than prepare her for her first position as an elementary educator. It provided the foundation for a career in which different disciplines could continually inform one another and in which new ideas could develop through creativity, collaboration and hands-on experience.
Receiving the University of Findlay Distinguished Alumna Award brings that journey full circle, she added, honoring her accomplishments and the institution that helped provide the foundation for a career defined by education, creativity, innovation, service and lifelong learning.
“What I valued most about Findlay was that it never made you feel that one kind of interest or talent was more important than another, whether that interest was equestrian studies, children’s literature and art, history, science or athletics,” Ent said. “That philosophy helped shape the way I have approached my own career, looking for ways to bring people together, create meaningful experiences and help others discover opportunities they may not have imagined for themselves.”
Outside the classroom, Ent is an accomplished equestrian and former coach of the College’s intercollegiate equestrian team. She is an elected board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators and a member of the International Society for Technology in Education, the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, and the Association of Teacher Educators.
Since 2013, Ent has served as president of the Country School Association of America, a national organization dedicated to preserving and promoting America’s educational heritage. She also serves as executive director of the nonprofit foundation for The Concord School of 1848 and Carriage House, which provides educational and community programs that connect historic preservation, nature, equine-assisted learning and expressive arts to support learning, well-being and personal growth.
