Saint Michael's College

This article is about the college in Vermont. For other uses, see St. Michael's College (disambiguation).
Saint Michael's College
Motto Quis ut Deus
Motto in English
 Who is like God
Type Private
Established 1904
Affiliation Catholic (Society of Saint Edmund)
Endowment $91.3 million (2014)[1]
President John J. Neuhauser
Academic staff
 155
Administrative staff
 333
Students 2,316
Undergraduates 1,899
Postgraduates 399
Location Colchester, Vermont, United States
44°29′41″N 73°09′55″W / 44.4947°N 73.1653°W / 44.4947; -73.1653Coordinates: 44°29′41″N 73°09′55″W / 44.4947°N 73.1653°W / 44.4947; -73.1653
Campus Suburban, 440 acres (1.82 km²)
Colors Purple      and Gold     
Athletics NCAA Division II – NE10
Sports 23 Varsity Teams
Nickname Purple Knights
Affiliations NAICU
ACCU[2]
Website smcvt.edu

Saint Michael's College is a top ranked private Catholic college of approximately 2,000 undergraduate students located in Colchester, Vermont, in the United States. Saint Michael's grants Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in over 30 majors.[3] The campus is 100 percent residential.[4]

History

In 1889, priests from the Society of Saint Edmund fled to the United States after widespread anticlericism seized France. In 1904, they opened Saint Michael's Institute with an initial investment of $5,000. Thirty-four students aged 10 to 22 enrolled, with a tuition and board fee of $105. Slowly, the school discontinued its high school program. Gradually, the school transitioned from an academy to a traditional residential college. In 1939, graduate programs were offered for the first time.

Saint Michael’s Playhouse was opened in 1947, bringing professional summer theater to Vermont, giving students the chance to work behind the scenes.

Before the 1950s, classes at Saint Michael's were small, just a few dozen Michaelmen in any class. In the 1950s, the college expanded to hundreds of students per class. To manage the influx of GI Bill students after World War II, Saint Michael's acquired temporary housing in the form of military barracks from Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester.[5] In the 1950s, the College began a building program which established the red brick architectural style which permeates campus today.

In the 1950s, freshmen were required to wear a dress shirt, coat and tie to every class and for the evening meal. All dorm students said the rosary before retiring.[6]

Saint Michael's Applied Linguistics Department was started in 1954, focusing on teaching English to students from around the world.

About 130 refugees from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 came to the college. Most of them, already well-educated, came to learn English.[6]

In April 1970, the Board of Trustees approved a proposal by then-president Bernard Boutin to become a co-educational institution. In 1972, the first four female graduates of Saint Michael's received their degrees.[7]

List of Presidents

  1. Very Rev. Amand Prével, SSE (1904–1907)[8]
  2. Very Rev. Brandon M. Cohane, SSE (1907–1913)[8]
  3. Very Rev. Edmund M. Total, SSE (1913–1919)[8]
  4. Very Rev. William Jeanmarie, SSE (1919–1931)[8]
  5. Very Rev. Eugene Alliot, SSE (1931–1934)[8]
  6. Very Rev. Leon E. Gosselin, SSE (1934–1940)[8]
  7. Very Rev. James H. Petty, SSE (1940–1946)[8]
  8. Very Rev. Daniel P. Lyons, SSE '26 H'60 (1946–1952)[8]
  9. Very Rev. Francis E. Moriarty, SSE '40 H'88 (1952–1958)[8]
  10. Very Rev. Gerald E. Dupont, SSE '35 (1958–1969)[8]
  11. Bernard L. Boutin '45 H'63 (1969–1974)[8][9]
  12. Very Rev. Francis E. Moriarty, SSE '40 H'88 (1974–1976)[8]
  13. Edward L. Henry, PhD H'87 (1976–1985)[8]
  14. Paul J. Reiss, PhD H'05 (1985–1996)[8]
  15. Marc A. vanderHeyden, PhD (1996–2007)[8]
  16. John J. Neuhauser, PhD (2007–present)[8][10][11]

Campus

Aerial shot of main campus

The college consists of two campuses, Main (also called South) and North.

The main campus is the original and largest, with most of the classrooms, administration buildings and residence halls. The Quad is anchored by Durick Library to the west and the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel to the east. The three academic halls, Cheray Hall, Jeanmarie Hall, and Saint Edmund's Hall, along with the McCarthy Arts Center line the Quad to the south. The Alliot Student Center and the four underclass residence halls wall the Quad on the north.

Also located on the main campus are the Doc Jacobs Athletic Fields, Ross Sports Center and Tarrant Recreation Center, Founder's Hall, which houses the administrative offices, and the Hoehl Welcome Center, which houses the Admissions office. Standing at the main gateway of the school, admission interviews with prospective students are held in Hoehl.

North Campus, one mile (1.6 km) from Main Campus, features additional residence halls, some apartments, and the Sloane Art Center, which has studio arts facilities for drawing and painting, the photography darkroom, and some classrooms. Sloane also contains the Knights of the Round Table, a dining hall.

Demographics

As of the fall of 2012, 1,928 undergraduate students, 52% female and 48% male, were enrolled at Saint Michael's College. 20% of the students are in-state; of the 80% out-of-state, 2% are international. Undergraduate students at the college come from 35 states and 17 countries. Saint Michael's has 155 full-time faculty members; creating a 12:1 student to faculty ratio on campus. There are 439 graduate students who attend the college; over 90 percent are from Vermont.

Sustainability

Saint Michael's has taken many steps towards sustainability over the years. It was named the first fair trade school in Vermont.[12] Along with the initiatives in the cafeteria, Saint Michael's has an organic garden[13] that started in 2008 and has grown into a huge project for students and faculty alike. The garden utilizes student volunteers through the MOVE program and also works with summer interns and crew members to prepare the vegetables for Farm Stands that run from mid-summer through the beginning of fall. The school also provides a free CCTA Commuter Pass to all Students, Staff, and Faculty.[14] To improve water conservation, dual-flush handles for toilets have begun to be installed in various buildings around campus and all campus showerheads and sink aerators are low flow. Saint Michael's College also took the St. Francis Pledge, a promise and commitment by Catholic individuals, families, parishes, organizations, and institutions to live their faith by protecting God's Creation and advocating on behalf of people in poverty who face the harshest impacts of global climate change.[15] As part of the college's ban on bottled water, the Office of Sustainability[16] has installed several water bottle fill stations throughout campus, allowing students to more easily use their reusable water bottles. Saint Michael's College has been recycling throughout the campus since 1989 and also takes steps toward improving energy such as the Light Bulb Exchange Program (switching out standard light bulbs for energy efficient light bulbs) and 3 Degree Challenge (lowering temperatures in Residence Halls and Academic Buildings) while working to increase the energy and electrical efficiency of campus buildings. Combined with many education programs on energy consumption run by the Office of Sustainability, the college has reduced its carbon footprint by 29% since 2003. Saint Michael's also offers an Environmental Studies Major and Minor for those students interested in further focusing on the environment from the perspective of natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities.

Housing

Students at Saint Michael's College live in a variety of different housing facilities. All housing is single-sex by floor or wing.

Main Campus

North Campus

Major additions

The Dion Family Student Center[17] is a $30 million structure creating a brand new 40,000 square-foot student center and 43,000 square-foot residence hall on campus, completed in the Fall of 2013. The student center brings new meeting spaces as well as high tech capabilities, Einstein Bros. Bagels,[18] an exercise facility, and meditation room. The residence hall brings beautiful views on four levels providing 105 beds: 15 single rooms, 2 rooms for RAs, and 22 four-person suites.

Academics

Students gather in a classroom for First-Year Seminar.

The most popular majors at Saint Michael's College are Business, Biology, Education, and Psychology. Classes are small and hands-on learning is emphasized, with a student to teacher ratio of 12:1[19] Saint Michael's houses the following honors: Phi Beta Kappa; Delta Epsilon Sigma, the Catholic honor society; Pi Sigma Alpha for Political Science; Omicron Delta Epsilon for Economics; Phi Alpha Theta for History; Kappa Delta Pi for Education; Psi Chi for Psychology; Sigma Xi for Science and Technology; Pi Mu Epsilon for Mathematics; Beta Beta Beta for Biology; Kappa Tau Alpha for Journalism and Mass Communication (the only KTA chapter nationwide housed at a small college); and Sigma Beta Delta for Business, Management and Administration. Four Saint Michael's professors have been named the CASE/Carnegie Foundation Vermont Professor of the Year. Saint Michael's College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

Undergraduate

Undergraduate programs include over 30 majors and minors, combined with a liberal studies curriculum and experiential learning requirement.[20] Emphasis is placed on independent study, independent research, internships and foreign study. Eligible students can also participate in the College's Honors Program.

Graduate

There are three master's degree programs: Clinical Psychology, Education, and Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language. There are three post-master's certificates and Vermont teacher licensure programs. The master's degree programs in Administration and Management and in Theology and Pastoral Ministry have been phased out.

International students

Special English as a Second Language programs are offered for international students through the Applied Linguistics Department, including a program that assists international students in the transition to college-level course work.

Study abroad

Students may participate in study abroad programs, which cost the same as a semester on campus. Students can choose from over 100 different programs located around the globe and can choose a program by location or language, or from a variety of special Saint Michael's programs. Over a third of students choose to study abroad.[21]

Culture

Nearly 100% of students live on campus in residence halls and townhouses. There are over 40 student organizations. There are no fraternities or sororities. Other activities include Saint Michael's Fire and Rescue student volunteer first responders, Student Association, Wilderness Program, Campus Ministry, the campus radio station WVTX, club sports, student musical and play productions, the Saint Michael's Chorale, Vermont Gregorian Chant Schola,[22] open mic nights and various instrumental and vocal ensembles.[23] Christmas and spring semi-formal dances are held. Athletics facilities include a fitness room, racquetball and an indoor track and swimming pool. Trails surround the campus for cross-country running or mountain biking.

Athletics

Official athletics logo.

There are 21 varsity sports (10 for men, 11 for women) and over 20 intramural teams. Saint Michael's varsity sports teams are called the Purple Knights. The school colors are purple and gold. Varsity teams participate in the NCAA's Division II Northeast Ten Conference. Approximately 25% of students participate in a varsity sport. For men: Basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, hockey, lacrosse, skiing (alpine, Nordic), soccer, rugby, swimming and diving, and tennis. For women: basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, rugby, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, ice hockey, and volleyball. Student-led programs include billiards, ping pong, floor hockey, volleyball and indoor soccer. Tournaments are also scheduled throughout the academic year. Yoga, jazzercise, kick boxing, cardio step and pilates courses are offered weekly. First Aid and CPR training/certification is also offered.[24]

Performances

Notable artists such as O.A.R., The Roots, Jurassic 5, Carbon Leaf, Wyclef Jean, Lupe Fiasco, Third Eye Blind, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Macklemore,[25] and Foster the People have performed on campus in recent years.

Fire and Rescue

Saint Michael's Fire Department conducting a training on campus.

One of the extracurricular activities at Saint Michael's is the Fire and Rescue program. Entirely student-run, the department provides fire protection and emergency medical treatment to campus and the surrounding community. The EMT program is one of seven college run EMT programs with a full service area in the country. The fire program is one of the only entirely volunteer student run departments in the nation. Students get to fulfill civic duties and get a once-in-a-lifetime experiences with SMFR.

Saint Michael's Playhouse

Saint Michael's Playhouse,[26] the College's professional equity summer theater, draws talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway and regional theaters performing full scale New York caliber theater. The playhouse is a member of the Council of Resident Stock Theaters (CORST). As a CORST theater company, Saint Michael's Playhouse employs members of Actors' Equity Association, as well as directors from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and designers from United Scenic Artists.

The playhouse also maintains a Professional Theater Internship Program for college theater students. Acceptance into this program is competitive. Successful candidates work side by side with the professionals in areas of theater production and administration.

The college provides student access to a Saint Michael's-sponsored Culture Pass to the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts[27] that enables free entry to world-class arts events in the prime Burlington-area arts venue throughout the academic year.

The College was also a sponsor of the Vermont Mozart Festival, formerly the state's largest classical music festival.

Clubs and organizations

Saint Michael's offers over 40 different student-run clubs and organizations. Clubs range from the arts (e.g. A cappella groups, Drama Club, Chorale) to community groups (e.g. Common Ground, Food Justice, Student Global AIDS Campaign) to academic clubs (e.g. The Defender, French Club, Onion River Review).

The campus also offers various club sports such as Cycling, Dance, Rugby (Men's & Women's), Ski & Snowboarding, Ultimate Frisbee, and Water Polo.

Turtle Underground is a student-run program that promotes student art, music, and performance.[28] There are shows most Saturdays during the semester. These have featured a variety of acts, ranging from DJs to solo singer-song writers to jam bands.

Student publications include The Defender[29] (weekly newspaper), and the Onion River Review[30] a literary magazine.

Volunteer efforts

MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) is the service organization on campus. Over 65 students lead MOVE programs locally, domestically, and internationally under the guidance of the programs director and assistant director. MOVE has the highest participation rate of any organization on campus with over 70% of students volunteering with the program by the time they graduate. In 2011, 560 MOVE volunteers accounted for almost 28,000 service hours. MOVE offers students the opportunity to get involved in a number of programs ranging from mentoring middle school students, to working with Habitat for Humanity, to volunteering at a local shelter. Another unique service the MOVE program provides is the Extended Service Program. Since 1986, Saint Michael's Extended Service Program has offered students an alternative way to spend their breaks during and at the end of the academic year. What began with one trip to New York City's Covenant House, has expanded into service trips to 11 domestic and 2 international sites in areas as close to the school as Hartford, CT and as far as Kolkata, India. Each year more than 125 students, faculty, and staff participate in the Extended Service Program.

Adventure Sports Center

The Adventure Sports Center (ASC) at Saint Michael's College allows students to get active and take advantage of the New England wilderness. With the ASC, students at any skill level can go hiking, rock climbing, ice climbing, snowshoeing, kayaking and skiing for as little as $5. The ASC also offers a $65 season pass to Smugglers Notch as well as vans to shuttle students to the mountain every weekend.[31] During the summer, they put on the Wilderness Orientation Weekend (WOW) for incoming first-year students. It is a three-day field intensive program that allows incoming students to experience the beautiful Vermont wilderness areas and meet future classmates before moving in.

Recognition

Saint Michael's is ranked #90 in the "Best National Liberal Arts Colleges" category of the "America's Best Colleges: 2013 Annual Guide", published by U.S. News and World Report.[32] Additionally, Saint Michael's is included in The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges.[33] In 2013 Forbes magazine ranked the school #143 in its list of top private colleges in the nation. (#176 overall)[34]

The college has also won regional Society of Professional Journalists awards for its former student online magazine, The Echo. The student newspaper, The Defender, placed third during the 2009 Associated Collegiate Press competition.

Notable alumni

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2014_Endowment_Market_Values_Revised2.27.15.pdf
  2. ↑ ACCU Member Institutions
  3. ↑
  4. ↑ "Living at St Mike's". Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "Transformation," Rev. Ray Doherty, SSE, Celebrating a Century, page 24, 2003. ISBN 0-9718323-2-3
  6. 1 2 Burlington Free Press, June 14, 2009, page 4C. "Reunion:Class of '50 looks back". Tim Johnson
  7. ↑ Celebrating a Century, Saint Michael's College, 2003 ISBN 0-9718323-2-3
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "President's Office". Retrieved 2016-05-29.
  9. ↑ "First Lay President Installed at St. Michael's". news.google.com. 17 November 1969. Retrieved 2016-05-29.
  10. ↑ "President's Office". Saint Michael's College. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  11. ↑ Lindner, Will (December 2013). "Intellectual Property: A wry sense of humor, an impeccable resume, and an appreciation of community". Business People-Vermont. Retrieved 29 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "VPR: Saint Michael's College Designated Fair Trade College". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  13. ↑ "SMC Organic Garden". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  14. ↑ "CCTA: Unlimited Access Program". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  15. ↑ "The St. Francis Pledge". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Green Campus". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Dion Family Student Center". Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Einstein Bros. Bagels comes to Quad Commons Student Center". Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Fast Facts -Saint Michael's College". Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Academics - Saint Michael's College". Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  21. ↑ "One In Three Students Study Abroad". Retrieved 17 June 2013.
  22. ↑ Hartley, Rosemary M. (8 September 2010). "Gregorian chants at St. Mary Star of the Sea church". Barton, Vermont: the Chronicle. p. 29.
  23. ↑ "Instrumental and Vocal Ensembles". Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  24. ↑ Saint Michael's College. Smcathletics.com. Retrieved on 2010-10-25.
  25. ↑ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Setlist at Saint Michaels College, Colchester, VT, USA". Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Saint Michael's Playhouse –". Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  27. ↑ "Flynn Center for the Performing Arts".
  28. ↑ Facebook. Facebook. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
  29. ↑ The Defender
  30. ↑ "Onion River Review". Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  31. ↑ "Ski and Ride Pass". Retrieved June 17, 2013.
  32. ↑ "St. Michael's College - Best College - US News". Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  33. ↑ "Green Guide by State". Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  34. ↑ "St. Michael's College - Forbes". Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  35. ↑ "Moses Anderson: Catholic bishop is remembered as 'unfailingly generous'".
  36. ↑ "Tom Bowman:NPR". NPR. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  37. ↑ "Democrat Tom Costello for lieutenant governor". Addison County Independent. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  38. ↑ "Thomas E. Delahanty II". The United States Attorney’s Office District of Maine. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  39. ↑ "UC Irvine - Faculty Profile System". University of California Irvine. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  40. ↑ "Roger R. Festa". Truman State University. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  41. ↑ "MTV creator Tom Freston named Saint Michael's College 2012 commencement speaker". vermontbiz.com. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  42. ↑ "Robert John Giroux". Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. Retrieved June 6, 2013.
  43. ↑ "vincent 'vince' illuzzi's biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  44. ↑ "Patrick Leahy". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  45. ↑ "Christina Reiss - Judgepedia.org". Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  46. ↑ "Michael A. Tranghese". Retrieved 2013-06-06.
  47. ↑ "Biography" (PDF). Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls–Billings. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Ambassador Robert White". Retrieved 2013-06-06.
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