Marist Brothers couldn't have foreseen high-tech future

By Timmian C. Massie
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

They selected two parcels of land along the eastern shore of the Hudson River in the Town of Poughkeepsie, the Bech and MacPherson estates. The brothers called the site Saint Ann’s Hermitage.

In 1929, the Marist Normal Training School afforded young men an opportunity to live in the community, study for two years and transfer to Fordham University in New York to complete their baccalaureate studies.

Seventeen years later, under the leadership of Brother Paul Ambrose Fontaine, the New York State Education Department granted a charter to allow what was then named Marian College to award four-year degrees. Dr. John Schroeder was hired that year as the first lay teacher. The first graduating class in 1947 consisted of four Marist Brothers. As the college grew in size and the number of vocations to the religious life continued to grow, the brothers and their students physically built the first buildings on the campus of modern-day Marist.

Brother Nilus Donnelly was the foreman of this ‘‘Marist Brothers Construction Company.’’ Through sweat, equity and donations from local businesses and individuals, the Marist students and staff built the Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapel, a gymnasium and three academic, dormitory and administrative buildings: Adrian Hall, Donnelly Hall and Fontaine Hall.

Community, on- and off-campus, was also an important quality of the Marist Brothers. Up until the end of the 1950s, the brothers sold eggs and milk from the campus farm. When nearby Saint Francis Hospital needed blood, Brother Paul invited the hospital’s doctors to campus for donations from the students and staff.

Linus Richard Foy became president in 1958. At 28, he was the nation’s youngest college president. Marian College became Marist College in 1960. Lay men were admitted in the late 1950s. Women were admitted to an evening division in 1966, then to day classes in 1968. The Marist Brothers transferred control of the college to an independent, lay board of trustees in 1969.

Enrollment soaring

Dennis J. Murray was named Marist president in 1979. During his tenure, the college has grown in size and academic reputation. Enrollment more than doubled, 16 new academic programs have been established, several new academic centers and student residences were added, and the property expanded to 150 acres.

In the 1980s, Marist formed a partnership with IBM Corp. to develop ways in which technology could enhance the teaching and learning process. Marist became one of the first ‘‘totally wired’’ colleges or universities in the country, and classes integrated new tools with traditional classroom instruction and research methods. In 1995, the college received the CAUSE award, which named Marist one of the nation’s four top colleges and universities in the use of technology in and out of the classroom, along with Cornell, Stanford and Duquesne universities.

The capstone of this Marist-IBM partnership is the college’s new library, which opened in September.

‘‘Marist has changed the definition of the library from a place for individual study to a center for collaborative learning, a nexus for student-faculty-staff interaction,’’ Murray said.

In 1999-2000, Marist is educating 3,500 traditional undergraduate students, along with 500 adult undergraduates and 500 graduate students. The college attracts students from half of the states in the union and more than a dozen countries. Marist developed New York’s first accredited online program for a master of business administration degree, which has extended the virtual Marist campus around the world.

Today, more than 17,000 men and women in all 50 states and more than 30 countries call Marist their alma mater.

Yet, the Marist mission has remained unchanged over the past 70 years. It is based on the ideals of Saint Marcellin Champagnat: commitment to excellence in education, dedication to the principle of service and pursuit of higher human values.

Timmian C. Massie is chief college relations officer at Marist College.