'The Mount' celebrating more than 40 years

By Vincent Begley
For the Poughkeepsie Journal

A year later the sisters turned the mansion into Mount Saint Mary Academy, an elementary and high school. The elementary school still functions as Bishop Dunn Memorial school and draws students from all over the mid-Hudson.

The Mount Saint Mary Normal and Training School for teachers, the forerunner of the college, received authority to issue teachers’ certificates in 1930. In 1955, the Normal School, renamed Mount Saint Mary College, became a junior college.

On Oct. 30, 1959, the college was given the right to grant bachelor degrees in arts and education, as well as associate degrees in applied sciences for nursing. The Mount opened its doors to the first class of lay women in September 1960 and became coeducational in 1968.

Some of the college’s greatest strides have been made in the last 15 years; the acquisition and renovation of Guzman Hall expanded residence, classroom and office space; new majors, including accounting, business management and administration, computer science, communication arts, human services and medical technology were added.

Three graduate programs were introduced, in education, business and nursing, and the accelerated degree program for adults that enables untraditional students to finish their degrees was launched.

The Mount was among the first colleges in the country to create a wireless academic network linking students to the Internet from virtually anywhere on campus. The renovated Hudson Hall includes ‘‘smart’’ classrooms with multimedia capabilities.

Campus facilities continue to grow and enrollment has doubled in the last 15 years.

Vincent Begley is assistant director of public information at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh.