Milestones
1853 - Four German-speaking Sisters of Saint
Dominic first arrived in New York City in 1853, leaving behind the
security of their convent of the Holy Cross in Regensburg, Germany.
The sisters opened a school on Second Street in lower
Manhattan.
1883 - Thirty years later, at the request of
the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Newburgh, a small group of the
Sisters of Saint Dominic from the Second Street Convent opened
Mount Saint Mary Academy in Newburgh, just off Gidney Avenue on the
grounds of the old McAlpine estate.
1913 - The Sisters purchased the adjoining
48-acre Van Duzer estate, comprised of “Rosenhof,” a villa mansion
in the Gothic Revival style of architecture promoted by Andrew
Jackson Downing; the carriage house; the ice house; and the
hothouse. Rozenhof was renamed the “Villa Madonna,” and this
structure today houses the offices of the President, Academic
Affairs, Enrollment Management, and Admissions. The carriage house
became the Domus Angelorem, and is today called Whittaker Hall.
1927 - As the Dominican Sisters' reputation for
academic excellence became legendary, they outgrew the school's
facilities rapidly. The new Academy, called Greater Mount Saint
Mary, opened in 1927 and served as a high school. A storehouse was
rebuilt as the Casa San Jose and it served as the elementary
school.
1930 and 1934 - The Sisters’ growing
involvement in education made clear the need for a teacher training
program. In 1930, the Mount Saint Mary Normal and Training School
was certified by the New York State Education Department as a
teacher training institute. This would certify the sisters to teach
in NY elementary schools and enable them to enroll in any college
in the state to complete work for a degree.
1950 - The Casa San Jose had served the sisters
well, but a new facility was needed to meet the demands of the area
in terms of the elementary school. In 1950, the new Bishop Dunn
Memorial School was accredited by the Middle States Commission on
Elementary Education.
1954 - The Board of Regents of the University
of the State of New York granted the Mount a provisional charter to
grant the degree of associate in arts upon the completion of the
registered three-year curriculum.
1959 - The Board of Regents voted to amend the
college's charter on October 3, 1959 and the Mount became a
four-year liberal arts college.
1960 - The Mount opened its door to the first
class of lay women and the college embarked on an amazing period of
growth.
1962 - In June 1962, the Mount granted its
first bachelor's degree, a bachelor of science in education.
1963 - Aquinas Hall, named after Saint Thomas
Aquinas, opened as the centerpiece of the college's academic life.
Guzman Hall opened this same year and served as the residence hall
for the young Dominican novices.
1964 - The Mount celebrated the commencement of
its first graduates from the four-year liberal arts college known
as Mount Saint Mary College. There were 32 graduates in the Class
of 1964.
1968 - The college received full accreditation
from the Middle States Association. In the spring of that year, the
first and only male student began taking classes at the new
co-educational Mount Saint Mary College. By 1970, 58 male students
were enrolled at the college.
1976 - In August of this year, Sr. Ann Sakac
was designated acting president of the College. Sr. Ann's
predecessors were: Mother Leo Vincent Short, OP (1960-1964), the
first president and co-founder of the college; Sr. Mary Francis
McDonald, OP (1964-1972); and Dr. William T. O'Hara
(1972-1976).
1984 - The college's first master's degree
program was introduced, leading to a master of science in special
education. The late Sr. Frances Berski, a beloved professor at the
Mount, is largely given credit for this milestone.
1991 - Alice Curtis Desmond bequeaths her
Balmville estate to the Mount. Today, both the Community Education
Service Center and L.I.F.E. (Learning Is Forever Enriching) program
offices are located at the Mount's Desmond Campus.
1992 - The William and Elaine Kaplan Recreation
Center opens, providing much needed facilities for recreational and
intramural activities, as well as intercollegiate sports. The new
center features NCAA-rated basketball and volleyball courts,
seating for 1,500, a weight training room, aerobics room, athletic
training facilities, lounges, a snack bar, an indoor track, and a
pool, as well as classrooms.
1996-1999 - The college purchased the Newburgh
Jewish Community Center property in 1996, and completed renovations
to the new Hudson Hall in 1999, opening in time for the fall
semester. Hudson Hall has 10 state-of-the-art technology-enhanced
classrooms, a multipurpose auditorium, a café, lounges, and the
Education Curriculum Library.
2003 - The demand for student housing was at an
all-time high when Sakac Hall, named in honor of Sr. Ann Sakac,
president of Mount Saint Mary College, opened its doors to freshmen
women. This aesthetically pleasing building offered students the
best in campus living and unsurpassed views of the Hudson
River.
2004 - A new and improved Guzman Hall opened in
the fall of 2004. Founders Chapel, named in honor of the Dominican
Sisters who founded the college, and Guzman Hall were both
re-dedicated on the same day in 2004.
2006 - On May 5th, the college broke ground for
the construction of a new 53,000 square-foot Mathematics, Science
and Technology Center addition to Aquinas Hall. The college
publicly announced the Answering the Call campaign to
raise $10 million toward this project. The new Center provides
state-of-the-art biology, chemistry, and computer labs and enables
the college to expand the Nursing Learning Resource Center on the
second floor of Aquinas Hall.
2007 - The new Mathematics, Science and
Technology Center (MST) addition to Aquinas Hall opened in
September. Construction began on the new Nursing Learning Resource
Center in space on the second floor of Aquinas Hall. The new MST
center features a 3,000 square foot atrium, a Career Center, and
Jazzman’s Café.
2008 - The college completed a $30 million
renovation project on the College Courts, now townhouse-style
apartments on the north side of campus for the
upperclassmen. On June 30, Sister Ann Sakac retired after 31
years as president of Mount Saint Mary College. Father Kevin E.
Mackin, OFM, began his tenure as the fifth president of Mount Saint
Mary College on July 1, and was inaugurated on October 17.
2009 - On May 1, the new MST Center was
dedicated as the Kaplan Family Mathematics, Science and Technology
Center, in honor of the family of William Kaplan and the Kaplan
Family Foundation, which provided the lead gift of $5 million for
the Answering the Call campaign.
2010 - The Mount saw the opening of The
View, the renovated dining commons in Aquinas Hall. The new
all-weather turf field for soccer and lacrosse was unveiled in
September, and six new tennis courts were opened at the Kaplan
Recreation Center.
2011 - In July, the Mount purchased the
Dominican Center and 13 acres of property from the
Sisters.
Special thanks to Dr. James F. Cotter, professor of English,
for providing much of the milestone information.