In April 1883, four Sisters of Saint Dominic boarded the Mary
Powell in New York City and headed north on the Hudson River.
Their mission was to open an elementary school on Gidney Avenue
in Newburgh—right where the Bishop Dunn Memorial School now stands.
Thirty years later, they extended their educational mission to the
secondary level, and in 1927, they built a magnificent school,
Mount Saint Mary Academy.
With the continuing success of their education mission, the
Sisters started a teacher training school in 1930. Less than three
decades later, Mount Saint Mary College was granted a charter by
the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York to
become a four-year liberal arts institution.
In 1960, the college opened its doors under the leadership of
Mother Leo Vincent, O.P., also known as Sister Kathleen Short, the
first president.
New York Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller congratulated the
Sisters on their “courage and enterprise” and thanked them for
their “notable contribution” to the cause of education for nearly
eighty years.