Mount Saint Mary College celebrated the legacy of St. Dominic de Guzman and the college’s founding Dominican Sisters with its Founders Day celebration on Tuesday, October 6.
The college’s annual Founders Day honors the legacy of St. Dominic de Guzman and the Dominican Sisters whose vision guided the creation of the college, with this year’s celebration marking the 143rd anniversary of the sisters arriving in Newburgh. The college’s Catholic and Dominican Institute (CDI) has sponsored the Founders Day celebration at the college every year for more than a decade.
To highlight the impact and significance of the college’s Dominican heritage, Charles Zola, CDI director, assistant vice president for Mission, and associate professor of Philosophy, put together an array of presentations, activities, and events for the college community to enjoy.
The focal point of the event was Zola’s lecture, titled “A Vision in the Service of Truth,” which explored the newly updated foundational document guiding Dominican higher education across the United States.
The celebration aligned with a recent colloquium gathering administration, faculty, and academic support staff from Dominican institutions nationwide to discuss themes related to the Dominican charism and its four pillars. A major highlight of this colloquium was the release of an updated version of A Vision in the Service of Truth, a document penned in 2012 that articulates the mission and values of Dominican higher education.
The 2026 edition incorporates several important themes that have emerged in Catholic higher education over the past decade. It includes a more developed explanation of Saint Dominic and his mission. It also integrates Pope Francis’s concern for environmental stewardship, addresses the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in pedagogy, and highlights a respect for diversity.
"The updated version of A Vision in the Service of Truth is not a re-write of the first text," explained Zola, who served on the editorial committee for the new version. "Rather, it preserves the original text but expands upon it [and] incorporates several important themes and topics that have emerged in American higher education over the past decade. We want the document to reflect the current reality of Dominican higher education and speak to a new generation of students.”
Zola also expanded on the historical roots of the Dominican order and how its 800-year-old mission translates directly to modern academic challenges. He traced the order's origins back to St. Dominic’s reliance on dialogue, education, and the sharpening of the intellect, establishing a legacy built upon the Dominican motto of Veritas (Truth). By continuing the work started by the Dominican Sisters in 1883, noted Zola, Mount Saint Mary College remains dedicated to an educational model empowers students to actively and courageously seek the truth.