Academy and Normal School (1883-1958)

A group of four German-speaking sisters of St. Dominic first arrived in New York City in 1853. They left their convent of the Holy Cross in Regensburg, Germany to start a school in Pennsylvania. Plans went awry, and the sisters opened a school on Second Street in lower Manhattan instead. In 1883, at the request of the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Newburgh, a small group of sisters from the Second Street Convent opened Mount Saint Mary Academy off Gidney Avenue on property that had once belonged to the prosperous Harvey Weed family.^[3]

S. R. Van Duzer, a wealthy wholesale drug company owner, moved into A. Gerald Hull's Villa on the southeast side of the Thomas Powell estate in 1853. VanDuzer changed the name from Hull's Villa to Rozenhof. VanDuzer died in 1903 and his wife died six months later. The property remained in the family until the 1913 death of the VanDuzer's daughter, Katherine VanDuzer Burton. Although the family was offered a large sum of money for the property by the proprietors of a tuberculosis sanatorium, the VanDuzers instead turned to their neighbors, the Dominican sisters, on Gidney Avenue. Even though their offer of $65,000 was less than half of what the VanDuzers had been offered by the sanitarium bidders, Rozenhof, the carriage house, the ice house, and a hothouse were sold to the sisters,^[3] as they had outgrown the existing facilities on their property.

The new academy, called Greater Mount Saint Mary, opened in 1927 and served as a high school.^[4] A storehouse was rebuilt as the Casa San Jose and served as the elementary school.^[3]

Because the Dominican Sisters were involved in education in Newburgh and throughout the New York-New Jersey area, even as far away as Puerto Rico, the demand for a teacher training program was evident. The New York State Education Department certified the Mount Saint Mary Normal and Training School in 1930. In 1934, the Commissioner of Education granted full approval to the program, and Mount received the authority to issue teacher's certificates after the three-year program. In January 1955, 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.

College (1959-Present)

The Board of Regents voted to amend the college's charter on October 3, 1959,^[5] allowing the Mount to become a four-year liberal arts college. It opened its door to the first class of laywomen in 1960. In June 1962, the Mount granted its first bachelor's degree, a Bachelor of Science in Education. According to the college, both Mother Leon Vincent Short, the first president, and Sr. Mary Vincent Ralph, who served as the first Academic Dean, are considered to be the co-founders of the college.^[6]

In 1963, Aquinas Hall, named after Saint Thomas Aquinas, opened. This three-story building became the centerpiece of the college's academic life. Guzman Hall opened the same year. It was initially the residence hall for the young Dominican novices. The first graduating class in 1964 consisted of 32 graduates. That same year a two-year nursing program was started by the college, and a four-year program was added in 1971.^[7]

In May 1968, the college received full accreditation from the Middle States Association, and in the spring of that year, the first and only male student began taking classes at the newly co-ed Mount Saint Mary College. In 1970, 58 male students were enrolled at the college.

In 1984, the college's first master's degree program was introduced, leading to a Master of Science in Special Education.

In February 2016, faculty acted on "longstanding concerns about academic freedom and shared governance under its current administration" by voting no confidence in the chair of the college's board of trustees.^[8] Anne Carson Daly left the Mount due to family responsibilities in March 2016,^[9] and James Raimo, Vice President for Facilities and Operations, took the helm as Acting President^[10][11] until August.

In August 2016, David A. Kennett, the Elizabeth Stillman Williams Professor of Economics at Vassar College, became interim president for two years. While at the Mount, Kennett helped the college navigate accreditation through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Following a nationwide search, Jason N. Adsit was appointed the college's seventh president beginning in June 2018. In August 2023, Adsit announced that he decided not to renew his contract after it expires at the end of the 2023-24 academic year, and would be stepping down.^[12] In September 2023, it was announced that Dr. Adsit would serve as a consultant to the Board of Trustees for 2023-2024 and Fr. Gregoire Fluet would serve as acting president until a longer-term interim president could be appointed.^[13][14]

Presidents

1. Leo Vincent Short, OP (1960-1964)^[15]
2. Mary Francis McDonald, OP (1964-1972)
3. William T. O'Hara (1972-1976)
4. Anne Sakac, OP (1976-2008)^[16]
5. Kevin Mackin, OFM (2008-2014)^[17]
6. Anne Carson Daly (2014-2016); James Raimo (acting - 2016);^[18] David A. Kennett (interim - 2016-2018)^[19]
7. Jason N. Adsit (2018-2023);^[20][21][22] Fr. Gregoire Fluet (interim - 2023-Present)^[23][24][25]

Academic buildings

The campus is set on 44 acres (180,000 m²) overlooking the Hudson River. The college's buildings range from a 19th-century home and carriage house to a modern technology center and new or renovated residence halls.

Mount's main campus building is Aquinas Hall and the Kaplan Family Mathematics, Science & Technology Center (MST). The MST Center has a Nursing Learning Resource Center, science and technology classrooms, labs, and a glass atrium. There are "smart classrooms" and large lecture halls, a media lab, the Campus Technology Center, and the Curtin Memorial Library. The Mount's newest dining commons, "The View," opened in Fall 2010.

Hudson Hall is home to the Education Division, Residence Life, Student Activities, the HEOP office, Campus Ministry, and Security & Safety. This building also houses an auditorium, ten "smart" classrooms, the Knight Radio station, and an art gallery. Henry's Courtside Café offers meals, snacks, fruit, vegetables, juices, and coffee.

The William and Elaine Kaplan Recreation Center is home to the Knights Division III basketball, volleyball, and swimming teams. There are all-season turf athletic fields across from Hudson Hall for soccer, lacrosse, and softball action. There is also an NCAA-regulation basketball court. The competition-sized pool, indoor running track, weight training/exercise, aerobic exercise rooms, and game rooms are also available to all students.

Whittaker Hall was the carriage house on the original estate.

The Villa was built in the 1840s. In the early years of the college, this Victorian building was the entire college - classes, residence hall, offices, and library. Today the Villa houses the Admissions office, Community Relations, Marketing, the President's office, and the Vice President of Academic Affairs office.

Dominican Center, built in 1927, was the motherhouse for the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh until the college purchased the facility in 2011. In January 2014, the renovated building opened to the campus and houses the Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center, a cafe, the Chapel of the Most Holy Rosary, and three floors of dormitories.

Residence halls

Besides the dorms in the Dominican Center, several other dormitories are on campus.

Sakac Hall is a freshman co-ed residence hall.^[26] Each floor has a lounge area with a bathroom and study area. Additional amenities in the building include a movie theater room, laundry room, computer room, vending machines, fitness room, and a fully equipped kitchen.

Guzman Hall is a freshman male residence hall. The building contains multiple student lounges.

The College Courts are townhouse-style upperclassmen residences. There are lounges in each building and at least one full kitchen.

Student government

The Student Government Association is the legislative body for student life. It can recommend policy changes to the Vice President for Student Affairs and the college president. The Director of Student Activities advises the Student Government Association. Student representatives sit on major faculty committees and participate in ad hoc committees formed annually. Mount Saint Mary's Commuter Council represents commuter students on campus, while the Resident Living Council represents students on campus. Student Government works with the Director of Student Activities to plan and implement activities such as film screenings, trips, plays, parties, dinner dances, coffeehouses, lectures, and the yearbook (Thyme).

Student activities

The Student Activities offices in Hudson Hall are a focal point for Student Activities and events. The center includes the Student Government, Mount Activities Programing, student publications offices, an auditorium, meeting rooms, and lounges.

The college offers the MSMC Shuttle Van to transport students to local shopping areas and the Beacon Train Station. The shuttle is available with a Mount identification card on a first-come, first-served basis.