When Mount Saint Mary College became a four-year institution in October of 1959, the Villa served as the college’s main building with classrooms, a library, and living quarters. From this humble start, the Mount blossomed over the next 60 years.
1960
Welcome, fresh(wo)men
The first lay women were admitted to the newly-formed four-year college. Previously, the Mount had been awarding associate degrees to sisters since 1954.
1961
Building a better future
Work began on Aquinas Hall, the first academic building constructed for the college.
1962
Reaching new heights
The Mount acquired Rosary Heights in Balmville for off-campus housing.
1963
Guzman Hall welcomes novices
Guzman Hall opened and served as the residence hall for the young Dominican novices.
1963
Hello, Dalí!
Influential artist Salvador Dalí visited a fledgling Mount Saint Mary College in 1963. He gave a book of his jewelry designs to the Mount’s first president, Mother Leo Vincent Short, OP, with a short note to her written on the inside cover. (The book is still part of the college’s archives.) In1984, an anonymous donor gave the Mount several prints of Dalí’s works.
1963
Second to none
Aquinas Hall, named after 13th century Dominican friar St. Thomas Aquinas, opened its doors in 1963 and remains the main academic building of the college to this day. Said Sr. Mary Consilia, OP, an instructor at the college, “We have a build-ing second to none and equal to the best.”
1963
From Boston with love
The college’s longest-serving professor, James Finn Cotter, began his tenure at the Mount in 1963. Cotter, a professor of English, co-wrote the Mount’s alma mater (1964), taught English in Algeria as a Fulbright scholar (1970), and has inspired thousands of Mount students, staff, and fellow professors during more than 50 years of teaching.
1964
The first Commencement
The Mount celebrated its first Commencement as a four-year liberal arts college in 1964. There were 32 graduates. Among the graduates was Professor Emerita of Mathematics Sr. Patricia (Pat) Sullivan, OP.
1968
The Mount goes co-ed
In the spring of 1968, the first male student began taking classes at the newly co-educational college. By 1970, 58 male students were enrolled.
1968
Fully accredited
The Mount received full accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
1973
Out of Habit
There were a few double takes on campus in October of 1973 when the Dominican Sisters began to dress in secular clothing. The new dress code, which allowed for personal choice for the sisters’ clothing, was approved by the Dominican Order.
1973
A sweet retreat
The snack bar Nellie’s Nook opened and was operated by Mount student volunteers. In 1976, the popular hang-out, located in the College Courts, was renovated thanks to grants from the college’s Board of Trustees and Student Government.
1974
Outstanding educators
Four Mount faculty were named “Outstanding Educators of America for 1974.” They were Sr. Agnes Boyle, OP; James Finn Cotter; Edith Lessor; and Sr. Mary Eleanor Mahone, OP.
1974
Adult education
Sr. Agnes Boyle, OP initiated the adult education program, now known as degree completion.
1974
Angels we have heard on high
The first Vespers at the Mount took place in 1974. Pictured here is the 11th Vespers service in1985, conducted by Lou Fletcher. Durward Entrekin, professor of Music, currently leads the college’s choir and has participated in the tradition for nearly 30 years. Nicholas Valentine of Broadway Tailors has been providing tuxedos for the singers since 1975.
1976
Helen Hayes at the Mount
The “First Lady of American Theatre,” Helen Hayes, was the college’s Commencement speaker in 1976. She encouraged the graduates to be interested not “merely in making a living, but a life” and quipped that the “Joneses weren’t worth keeping up with in the first place.” The Mount awarded her an honorary doctorate during the ceremony.
1976
Hope and generosity
Legendary comedian Bob Hope took the Aquinas Theatre stage on December 3, 1976. At the event, Hope donated $10,000 to the college, prompting a standing ovation from the audience of about 800. Sr. Yvonne Milroy, OP, who taught art classes at the Mount, presented the comedian with the Trustees’ Award for distinguished service to the college. Opening for Hope was singer Julius LaRosa, who paid the $50 admission for 100 Mount students to attend the show.
1977
Cracking up
The Mount hosted an evening with Jerry Lewis and Julius LaRosa (who had been there the previous year with Bob Hope). “Laughter is a safety valve, and we should cherish our ability to laugh,” said Lewis.
1978
Blues after dark
Legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie enthralled audiences in Aquinas Hall Theatre.
1978
Entering the digital age
The Math department purchased the college’s first computer, a TRS-80, for “Introduction to Computers.” By1979, the Mount had three computers, two TRS-80 models and an IBM 5100.
1984
The Mount's first master's degrees
The Mount launched its first master’s degree program, a Master of Science in Special Education, in 1984.
1985
Luck of the Irish
It was a packed house in the Aquinas Hall Theatre for the reunion concert of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem in 1985.
1986
Little Mary Sunshine
Pictured above is a scene from the 1986 production of Little Mary Sunshine. Other plays performed over the years included The Philadelphia Story, The Glass Menagerie, and The Miseducation of Isabella, an original comedy co-written by the cast.
1986
Kissinger visits the Mount
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was The Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture Series speaker for 1986. He spent a day at the Mount discussing foreign affairs issues, holding a seminar for Mount and other area college students, and attending a dinner with donors. “You have wonderful spirit at this college, Sister, ”he remarked to Sr. Ann Sakac, OP, the Mount’s then-president, upon leaving.
1988
Assante at the Mount
Actor Armand Assante spoke to graduates at Commencement.
1988
It's Cold Outside
Actress and singer Margaret Whiting visited campus. Whiting is known for the late 1950s television show Those Whiting Girls and for recording the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” withJohnny Mercer in 1949. The song peaked at number 4 on the BillboardBest Seller chart.
1980s
The original Mack
Who wore it better? The Knight mascot has changed over the years, but remains a beloved figure at Mount events.
1990
Biden at the Mount
Sen. Joseph Biden held a lecture on campus to bring attention to the decade’s drug epidemic.
1991
Her eyes were on the arts
Alice Curtis Desmond bequeathed her Balmville estate to the Mount. To this day, the Desmond Campus for Adult Enrichment offers community education in the arts, sciences, hobbies, fitness, and more.
1992
Building athletic excellence
The Elaine and William Kaplan Recreation Center opened in 1992, providing facilities for recreational and intramural activities as well as intercollegiate sports. The new center featured 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.
1994
Knights join the Skyline Conference
The Mount was accepted into the Skyline Conference of the NCAA.
1994
Friendly competition
The first Mount Olympics pitted each of the four undergraduate classes against each other in a series of fun challenges.
1995
Skyline Conference Champs
Just a year after being accepted into the Skyline Conference, the Knights took their first Skyline Conference championship crown in 1995. Since then, the Knights have won more than 35 Skyline Conference Championships across nine teams.
1998
Dribbling to victory
The Women’s Basketball team won the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship tournament in 1998. They have had a total of 13 NCAA tournament appearances and five wins throughout the years.
1999
The birth of Hudson Hall
The college purchased the Newburgh Jewish Community Center building and property in 1996, and completed renovations to the new Hudson Hall in 1999. The newly-opened building offered 10 state-of-the-art smart classrooms, a multipurpose auditorium, a café, lounges, and the Education Curriculum Library.
2001
9-11 impacts us all
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 forever changed the nation, including Mount Saint Mary College. Students packed the commuter lounge that morning, huddled around the television set, watching the situation unfold minute by minute. Nearly 20 years later, Campus Ministry holds an annual candlelight vigil on the anniversary of the attacks.
2003
In her honor
Sakac Hall, a new residence hall named in honor of the Mount’s fourth president, Sr. Ann Sakac, OP, opened. It now serves as a residence for first-year women. Guzman Hall and Founders Chapel were renovated the following year.
2007
Aquinas Hall enhanced
A 54,000 square foot addition onto the west side of Aquinas Hall opened in September of 2007 and was dubbed the Kaplan Family Mathematics, Science and Technology Center. It was dedicated in 2009 in honor of the family of William Kaplan and the Kaplan Family Foundation, which provided the lead gift of $5 million.
2010
Teachers of the Year
Debra Calvino ’81 was named New York State Teacher of the Year for 2010. Six years later, she was joined by fellow alumna Dana McDonough ’91, who was named NYS Teacher of the Year for 2016.
2011
Call to Excellence
The Mount purchased the Mother-house from the Dominican Sisters in 2011, launching the Call to Excellence campaign to raise funding for renovations.
2012
Unexpected Blessings
Novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford, OBE spoke on campus for the 2012 Samuel D. Affron Memorial Lecture Series.
2013
Patterson returns home
Newburgh-native and best-selling author James Patterson addressed graduates at the 2013 Commencement Exercises.
2014
Relay for Life
In 2014, the Mount’s Relay for Life raised almost $50,000 for the American Cancer Society, topping the previous year’s total by $10,000. The Mount’s Relays for Life garnered almost $250,000 to fight cancer over eight years.
2014
Renovation complete
The newly-renovated Dominican Center (formerly the Motherhouse) opened on January 28, 2014 for the college community to enjoy.
2014
Procession of Books
When the college opened Aquinas Hall in 1961, the sisters and students formed a procession to pass the books from the Villa Library to the new library in Aquinas Hall. Members of the college community gathered on a chilly day in January 2014 to recreate the book procession from more than 50 years prior. Book processors lined the sidewalk and stairs from the Curtin Memorial Library in Aquinas Hall to the new library in the Dominican Center, the Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center.
2016
Graduating at 92
Alvin Mann attracted news coverage as he graduated from the Mount with a bachelor’s degree in history at the age of 92. He returned a year later to receive an honorary degree.
2016
The first Medici Scholars
The first group of Mount students finished the Medici Scholars program in 2016. Medici Scholars, a collaboration between the Mount and Walden Savings Bank, introduces undergraduate Business and Accounting students to working with the arts and nonprofits. The program continues to this day.
2019
A walk to remember
Sixty years after the Mount became a four-year college, more than 100 members of the Mount community recreated the original sisters’ walk from the Newburgh waterfront to campus. The Founders Walk concluded with a ceremony on campus presenting the Dominican Sisters with a signed photo on behalf of the campus community, thanking them for founding the college so many years ago.
2019
Surpassing our goal
Fr. Gregoire (Greg) Fluet, chaplain and director of Campus Ministry, gave the campus community a huge goal in 2019: to finish out the decade with the highest number of gifts ever donated to the Giving Tree —1,000. The Mount community rallied together to not only meet the goal, but also to surpass it, with 1,092 toys being donated to Catholic Charities for local children in need.