Marist College
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Marist College |
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| Motto | Orare et Laborare (To Pray and To Work) |
| Established | 1929 |
| Type | Private College |
| President | Dennis J. Murray |
| Faculty | 204 full-time, 406 adjuncts |
| Undergraduates | 4,200 |
| Postgraduates | 854 |
| Location | Poughkeepsie (town) (next to Poughkeepsie (city), NY, United States |
| Campus | Suburban, 180 acres (0.73 km²) |
| Mascot | The Red Fox |
| Website | http://www.Marist.edu/ |
Marist College is a private liberal arts college of 180 acres (72 ha), located on the east bank of the Hudson River near Poughkeepsie, New York, on US 9. The site was established in 1905, and chartered in 1946.
Today the college has 43 bachelors and masters degree programs and 20 certificates across the traditional undergraduate, adult education, and distance learning environments.
5,000 students attend classes on the main Poughkeepsie campus, and hundreds more in Fishkill, Goshen, Kingston, and Monticello. Marist College study sites also exist in 14 countries abroad including Egypt, China, England, Italy and Australia.
Marist is home to the Marist Institute of Public Opinion (MIPO), an oft-quoted polling organization known for its work in the political arena. The Hudson River Valley Institute, the educational arm of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, and the Center for Collaborative and On-Demand Computing (CCODC) are also at Marist.
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[edit] History
[edit] Foundations as a seminary
Marist Colleges history begins with the Marist Brothers in the early 1816s. This Catholic religious order was founded in France by Saint Marcellin Champagnat focused on educational work throughout the world. In 1905, members of the order arrived in the Mid-Hudson Valley to establish the first Marist house of studies in the United States. On the east bank of the Hudson river, just north of Poughkeepsie, they purchased property and a house from Thomas McPherson. They named the building and property "Saint Ann's Hermitage", and began training young men for a life of "study, work, prayer and service" (this remains the college motto today).
In 1908, the Brothers purchased more land to expand the Hermitage, and soon the land grew to 150 acres.
By 1929, the training center at the Hermitage had evolved into the Marist Normal Training School, offering college-level courses. In 1946, the State of New York granted the institution an official four-year college charter under the name "Marian College", led by Brother Paul Ambrose Fontaine, FMS. Marian College continued the mission of training Marist Brothers as teachers of the congregation's schools.
From 1947 to 1957, the Brothers began building on the weekends and in their spare time: A gymnasium, a chapel, Adrian Hall, and a residence for themselves were built.
[edit] Expansion and Change
In 1958, Dr. Linus Richard Foy, at age 28, took the reins, becoming the youngest college president in the United States. Two years later, Marian College became Marist College and the mission of the college broadened to include the wider community; lay male students were admitted to pursue degree study. An evening division was also introduced to serve the educational needs of the surrounding communities.
In 1962, Sheahan Hall the first residence hall, opened. It was quickly followed by Leo Hall in 1963 and Champagnat Hall in 1965. Donnelly Hall, also a dormitory (at the time) was built in 1962 by the brothers themselves. Stories from the construction are still topics for discussion between surviving Brothers even today.
Women were admitted to the evening division classes in 1966, then to the day classes in 1968.
In 1969, ownership of the college was transferred to the Marist College Educational Corporation with an independent board of trustees. Although religion continues on campus as a field of study and a part of many students and administrators' lives, this event marks the start of Marist as a secular institution.
[edit] 1970s: Marist continues to reach out
In the 1970s, programs for the educationally disadvantaged were expanded, a computer center was added, graduate programs in business administration and community psychology were instituted, and the James J. McCann Recreation Center was completed.
In 1973, President Foy began a cooperative program with area secondary schools, in which selected high school seniors take freshman courses and "bridge" into college. In Fall of 1974, the College expanded its commitment to continuing education by increasing course offerings in the evening division and summer session and in 1984, opened an off-campus extension center in Fishkill. (A second extension center was opened in the Orange County town of Goshen in Fall, 1993.)
[edit] 1980s: Marist finds technology
In 1979, President Richard Foy found other opportunities and was succeeded by Dr. Dennis J. Murray, who remains president today, nearly 30 years later. Dr. Murray has stuck with traditions of the Marist Brothers and developed a vision for the college: he sought out innovation and technology and was determined to grow the student body. During Murray's tenure as president, enrollment doubled, the campus grew to 180 acres, every building on campus was either renovated or newly constructed, and numerous strategic partnerships were formed.
One of the first strategic partnerships was formed with International Business Machine (IBM), a major employer in the Mid-Hudson Valley. In 1984, Marist received $2.5 million in equipment and almost $2 million in software from the IBM Corporation to expand academic and administrative uses of computers on campus. Marist and IBM initiated a joint study in 1988 that has placed Marist among the most technologically advanced liberal arts colleges in the country, and gave IBM a testbed to prove concepts and applications they believe will be useful in business, education, and other fields. Marist students actively take part in these research projects.
In 1987, the Lowell Thomas Communications Center opened, providing space for communications, math, and computer science studies.
In 1990, the Margaret M and Charles H Dyson Center opened, providing a home for the School of Management, School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and School of Graduate and Continuing Education.
Construction continued in 1994 with a $27 million Student Center, bookstore, dining facilities (formerly run out of Sheahan Hall), art gallery, and student housing. Across neighboring Route 9, West Cedar townhouses opened.
[edit] Present Day
The College enrolls 4200 full-time traditional undergraduates, 530 part-time undergraduates and 850 graduate students. The College offers 30 bachelor degree programs, 10 master’s degrees, several certificate programs and online degrees. During the fall 2005 semester, approximately one third of the total classes (just over 500) utilized Ucompass Educator. Of those 500 courses between 30 and 35 (5-6%) were offered fully online.
In 2006, Forbes and The Princeton Review named Marist among the 25 "most connected campuses" in the United States. The Princeton Review’s Vice President and Publisher Rob Franek said, “The schools on our list have demonstrated leadership in preparing and supporting students for life in the digital age. Students who understand the value of technology to both their career prospects and overall quality of life will want to pay special attention to the schools on our list.” The August 2006 edition of Campus Technology magazine named Marist a "Campus Technology Innovator" for the college's "iDentity Quest" podcasting program, which provides iPods to students to record reflections on life in other countries and to share this information with classmates and professors.
[edit] Future
A new grandstand is currently being erected on the football field, scheduled to be completed for the 2007-08 football season.
Marist plans to build a new technology center, Hancock, probably located on the main campus where the Benoit and Gregory (residence houses) currently stand.
Benoit and Gregory need to be replaced, and Marist hopes to build additional housing on the "East Campus" for the Fall 2008 semester for that purpose. These housing expansion plans have been a sore point with the Town of Poughkeepsie, whose residents blame the college for excessive traffic on the Route 9 corridor. The New York Department of Transportation and Marist College both blame massively increasing population in the Mid-Hudson Valley, a result of the migration of the residents of nearby New York City starting in late 2001. Nevertheless, a moratorium exists prohibiting new housing, and Marist is forced to wait for it to be lifted.
A pedestrian bridge is planned to cross the Route 9 corridor around 2010, in hopes of promoting safety and aleviating traffic congestion, popularly thought to be caused by students crossing at crosswalks.[citation needed]
[edit] Schools
- School of Communication and the Arts
- Computer Science & Math
- Graduate & Continuing Education
- The School of Liberal Arts
- Management (accredited by AACSB International)
- Science
- Social & Behavioral Sciences
[edit] Bachelor Degrees
- Accounting
- American Studies
- Art History
- Athletic Training
- Biology
- Biology Education
- Biomedical Science
- Human Resource Management
- Chemistry
- Chemistry B.A., B.S.
- Biochemistry B.A., B.S.
- Communications
- Advertising
- Journalism
- Public Relations
- Communication Studies
- Multimedia
- Organizational Communications
- Radio/TV/Film
- Sports Communication
- Computer Mathematics
- Computer Science
- Computer Science/Software Development
- Criminal Justice
- Digital Media
- Economics
- English
- Literature
- Theatre
- Writing
- Environmental Science & Policy
- Env. Science
- Env. Policy
- Fashion Design/Fashion Merchandising
- History
- Information Systems
- Information Technology
- Integrative Studies
- Mathematics
- Medical Laboratory Sciences
- Medical Technology
- Cytotechnology
- Modern Languages
- French
- Spanish
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- MIPO The Marist Institute of Public Opinion
- Psychology
- Childhood Educ. (1-6)
- Special Education (1-6)
- Social Work
- Studio Art
[edit] Undergraduate Life
[edit] Marist College Student Government Association
[edit] Organizational Structure
The Marist College Student Government Association is made up of three branches: the Executive Board, the Student Senate, and the Student Judicial Board (not to be confused with the Student Life Judicial Board).
[edit] Executive Board
The Executive Board is comprised of 12 members. Members include the Executive Vice-President, Vice-Presidents of Student Programming, Residential Life, Academic Affairs, Clubs & Organizations, and Athletics, Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Public Relations Director and Parilmentarian. All members of the Executive Board are appointed by the Student Body President at the beginning of his or her term, which is typically during the month April. The President is elected in a general election every February. The Student Body President's term begins in April and then runs until the following April. This is to allow for senior members to be present during the beginning of an incoming administration to help with the transition.
[edit] Student Senate
The Student Senate is elected by the student body and serves as the main legislative body for the MCSGA. They oversee the allocation of the Student Activities budget, which supplies funding to all student organizations and clubs, including the Student Programming Council and the rest of the Student Government. The Student Senate also legislates all policy pertaining to clubs and organizations on campus, including charting new clubs and disbanding defunct ones. They also act as chief reprensenatives of the students with the college administration and faculty in all matters pertaining to students' interests. To this end they create various ad-hoc committees to research and facilitate new campus policy and areas of general interest to the students. The senate is comprised of the four Class Presidents, five Resident Senators, and two Commuter Senators. The Body is led by the Senate Speaker, who is elected by a popular vote of the Senate.
[edit] Student Judicial Board
This body ensures that all endeavors of the Marist College SGA are compliant with the SGA Constitution and bylaws, as well as Marist College Policy. The Judicial Board is composed of a Chief Justice, appointed by the Student Body President (Chief Justice serves until graduation or resignation) and a group of appointed Res
[edit] Charitable Causes Sponsored by MCSGA
The SGA supports several active charitable causes: Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital: Up 'til Dawn, and Relay for Life.
[edit] Marist College Clubs
Marist College clubs are student run, working closely with the College Activities Office and reporting to the VP of Club Affairs of the Student Government Association. Each club is broken in to one of six categories: Co-curricular, Social Service, Greek, Production/Performance, Sports/Intermural or Honorary/Professional.
Greek Organizations (Recognized by Marist College): These organizations are active clubs on the Marist College campus. The Greeks have established and continue to maintain a standard for high academic achievement, extensive community service, and close-knit social groups.
[edit] Fraternities
Active Chapters Recognized by Marist:
- Phi Kappa Sigma
- Zeta Psi
- Alpha Phi Delta
- Alpha Kappa Psi (Co-ed Business Fraternity)
Active Chapters Unrecognized by Marist:
Alumnae Chapters:
[edit] Sororities
Recognized by Marist:
- Alpha Sigma Tau
- Kappa Kappa Gamma
- Kappa Lambda Psi
- Sigma Sigma Sigma
[edit] Athletics
Marist College plays NCAA Division I athletics, in the MAAC Conference. Other schools in this conference include Siena College, Iona College, Niagara University, Manhattan College, Fairfield University, Loyola College in Maryland, Canisius College, Rider University, and Saint Peter's College.
[edit] Rivalries
Men's basketball- Siena College, Iona College
Women's basketball- Canisius College, Siena College
Football- Iona College, Duquesne University
Swimming - Rider University
[edit] Facilities
The men's and women's basketball teams play home games in the James J. McCann Recreation Center. A 20,000-square-foot addition to the James J. McCann Recreation Center was completed in early 1997 with major support from the McCann Foundation, which provided the leadership to build the original structure. It contains a new gymnasium for intramural and recreational athletics, new men's and women's intercollegiate locker areas, a new weight room and cardiovascular fitness center, and an electronic Hall-of-Fame room. The remainder of the McCann Center was renovated to include a coaches office complex, and a new sound system for the main gym. The exterior of the building was also redesigned, and the entrance opens onto an attractive, new Plaza of Champions. Widely recognized as one of the most state-of-the-art facilities in the East, the McCann Annex is a 22-thousand-square-foot addition to the McCann Center, which was again made possible through the generosity of the McCann Foundation. Solely for use by Marist College Students, the McCann addition houses a multi-purpose recreational gymnasium, a dual-level strength and conditioning fitness center with a cardiovascular center and aerobics area as well as additional men's and women's locker room facilities. A spacious student lounge graces the entrance of the new facility.
Also at the south end of the campus is the McCann Baseball Field, developed in 1992 with financial support from the James J. McCann Foundation. The field, regarded as one of the finest baseball facilities in the Northeast, is used for Division I intercollegiate competition. Leonidoff Field is used for Marist Football, Lacrosse, and Soccer games. It was on that field during the Spring of 2005, the Marist lacrosse team earned its first ever MAAC title against St. Mary's College.
[edit] Athletic Accomplishments
Marist, which captured seven Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference titles during the 2004-05 academic year, has taken home the conference's highest honors, earning all three JetBlue Airways MAAC Commissioner's Cups. This season marks the fifth time in seven years that the Red Foxes have claimed the overall competition and now makes Marist the only school to win the overall title five times. La Salle and Loyola have each won four overall titles.
In March 2007, Marist's Women's Basketball team became the third 13 seed to make it to the Sweet 16 since the women's tournament expanded to 64 teams. They defeated 4th-seeded Ohio State and 5th-seeded Middle Tennessee State to make it to the Sweet 16.[1]
[edit] Notable Alumni
- Rik Smits - Former NBA All-Star, Indiana Pacers
- Bill O'Reilly - political commentator
- James McCann, President of 1-800FLOWERS.com
- Jeffrey Nick - Chief Technology Officer at EMC Corporation
- Tim Brier - co-founder of priceline.com
- Jim Cannavino - Chairman of Direct Insite Corp retired IBM
| Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference |
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| Canisius • Fairfield • Iona • Loyola (MD) • Manhattan • Marist • Niagara • Rider • Siena • Saint Peter's |
| MAAC Football League |
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| La Salle • Duquesne • Iona • Marist • St. Peter's |
