The Mount Welcomes the Class of 2021

NEWBURGH – A beautiful Hudson Valley day provided the backdrop for hundreds of students moving into Mount Saint Mary College on Sunday, August 27.

Returning students, transfers, and more than 400 freshmen ascended to the Mount from the tristate area and beyond.

This year, nearly 43 percent of incoming freshmen are aiming for careers in health professions, including nursing and pre-professional programs.

Sharee Powell of Manhattan, a freshman biology student on the pre-med track, said that the decision to attend the Mount was easy. “I came to visit and I fell in love,” she said. “I like that [the Mount] has the Writing Center to help us out and the teachers and staff made me feel really welcome.”

Powell was president of her class at Cathedral High School in Manhattan and is looking forward to exploring student government opportunities at the Mount as well.

Brianna Buckley of Bohemia, a freshman nursing major, moved into Sakac Hall with the help of her parents, Susan and Alan. “The Mount has one of the best nursing programs I’ve ever seen,” she explained. “I’m looking forward to studying what I love.”

In addition to nursing, teacher education has long been a Mount mainstay. This fall, nearly 11 percent of the freshmen began preparation in their fields for certification in childhood or adolescent education.

Rebecca Goldberg of Massapequa Park, a freshman on the education track, decided to attend classes at the Mount thanks to its reputation as “a great education school,” she said.

Deanna Giardina of Monroe, a freshman on the adolescent education track, echoed Goldberg’s sentiment: “Other colleges don’t have what the Mount has for education students,” she said. “This is where I want to be.”

This year, around 12 percent of Mount freshmen are majoring in business, in programs such as accounting, business management and administration, finance, marketing, and sports management – including Kevin Wise of Hyde Park, a freshman business major and lacrosse player.

“I’m looking forward to starting classes and learning how to live on my own,” he said.

The college also offers comprehensive areas of study in psychology, English, math, sociology, history, biology, chemistry, and more.

On Monday, August 28, about 2,400 students began or resumed bachelor’s and master’s degree programs at the Mount, ranked a Top-Tier Regional University by U.S. News & World Report. The students’ futures are looking bright: A recent study found that 92 percent of Mount Saint Mary College graduates in 2016 were employed within six months of receiving their degree.

Upcoming Events

Throughout the year, the Mount hosts a variety of free events that are open to the public.

The first Investigating Research on Campus (iROC) talk of the semester, “Are We Having Fun Yet: What Factors Influence Managers to Have Fun at Work” will take place September 7 at 12:45 p.m. in the college’s Dominican Center. Anthony Scardillo, assistant professor of marketing, will discuss six important factors that influenced managers’ enjoyment of their work, such as mentoring, new challenges, empowerment, and peer/co-worker relationships.
Jay Asher, author of “13 Reasons Why,” will be the keynote speaker at The Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center’s Banned Books Symposium in March 2018. Visit the Mount’s website at www.msmc.edu for more details as they become available.

As the foliage turns vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange, an open house for prospective freshmen and their families will be held Sunday, September 17. Participants will take an up-close look at classrooms, dining commons and residence halls, as well as speak with current Mount students and staff.