Mount welcomes Class of 2025, returning students, and transfers

^{Freshman Riley Senk of Staten Island, N.Y. (left), her dad KC, and her mom Jen carry items to Sakac Hall at Mount Saint Mary College on Sunday, August 29.} 

Mount Saint Mary College welcomed hundreds of students to residence halls on campus – including upperclassmen, transfer students, and those just starting their college careers – on Sunday, August 29. 

A mercifully cool summer morning was the backdrop for the first of two Mount move-in days. With new friends and academic adventure awaiting them, students were excited to be on campus.

Freshman Alex Nalewajk, a Nursing major from Staten Island, N.Y., was one of the first students to move into Sakac Hall this semester.

“There’s something about the Mount that feels like home – it feels good to be here,” he said. “I hope to learn a lot of new stuff, meet a lot of new people.”

 Mount Nursing students enjoy state-of-the-art simulation labs and clinical relationships with more than 40 area hospitals. The Mount’s passionate faculty are dedicated to the success of both their undergraduate and graduate students. 

Paige Stathis of Breezy Point, N.Y. a freshman on the Early Childhood Education track, was eager to start building the career she has idolized since she was a child.

“My mom’s a teacher and I always really enjoyed it,” Stathis explained. “From a young age, I wanted to become a teacher.”

 Stathis’s suitemate, Erin O’Sullivan of Rockaway Beach, N.Y., is looking forward to life on campus. O’Sullivan, like many high schoolers during the pandemic, spent much of the last year learning from home. 

“I’m excited to get back to a schedule every day,” she said. “Getting up in the morning, getting ready, and walking to class – that’s nice, it’s what I’ve wanted.”

 First-year student Samantha Roy of Queens, N.Y., a Biology major, was happy to be able to live on campus. She wants to work in the conservation field, and the college’s program was a good fit. Courses from Earth Science to Organic Chemistry, taught by the Mount’s expert faculty, are the backbone of the college’s strong degree programs in the Natural Sciences. They also prepare students for graduate study, including physician assistant, medical, veterinary, and dental school, or for careers in industry or education.

Many Mount first-year students – like Dakota Krudis of Hopewell Junction, N.Y. – are majoring in Business. Krudis was excited to begin her college career, she said, on a campus that “is a nice, tightknit community.” Mount Business programs include Accounting, Business Management and Administration, Finance, Marketing, and Sports Management. The college also offers comprehensive areas of study in English, Math, Information Technology, Sociology, History, and more. 

But the Mount is more than just the majors and courses it offers: the college is committed to service. It’s a part of the college’s identity that has not gone unnoticed by incoming students. For example, Erin Alpert of Wappingers Falls, N.Y. chose her major, Psychology, because she wants to aid her community.

 "I really like the idea of being able to help other people,” she said. “If I go into Psychology, I can do that.”

The Fall 2021 semester will begin on Monday, August 30. The first two weeks of classes will be held online, with the first day of in-person instruction starting on Monday, September 13.

There is much to look forward to in the Fall 2021 semester at the Mount.

New Programs
The Mount is offering many new, exciting programs this semester.

• A Cybersecurity Certificate program with three track options: Cybersecurity, Ethical Hacking, and Digital Forensics.
• A Master of Science in Nursing and Post-Master’s Certificate Nursing track: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, which will focus on care for clients of all ages and backgrounds.
• The Sports Management major (also available as a concentration for Business majors), which will prepare students for a wide variety of professional opportunities in the sports industry.

 Brown appointed athletic director
Drew Brown was named the new Athletic Director at the Mount this summer. He brings more than 25 years of athletic administration experience as both an administrator and student-athlete to the college.

“I am thrilled and honored to be chosen as the next Director of Athletics at Mount Saint Mary College,” said Brown. “From the start, I have felt that the family environment and the mission rooted in service and leadership at the Mount was something very special and it will be a privilege to be a part of it.” 

Wellness center in the works
Plans for a Community Engagement and Wellness Center, to be constructed on the Mount campus, are well underway.

New York State recently awarded a $1 million Higher Education Capital (HECap) matching grant to the college for the construction. Under this program, New York State will contribute one dollar of support for every three dollars spent by the Mount, for a total of $1 million in grant aid. The college also secured a $425,000 grant towards the wellness center from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation

The center will be located on the college’s main campus in what is currently Guzman Hall. It will provide medical and educational services for low income individuals and families, including the uninsured. The center will offer workshops, family counseling services, fitness checks, immunizations, professional development events, and more for local residents. Once completed, the college expects the center to serve more than 4,000 residents per year. In addition to providing opportunities for area educators and professionals to volunteer their services, the center will also house the college’s Desmond programing for adult enrichment.

“Mount Saint Mary College is truly grateful to New York State and the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for helping us to create the Community Engagement and Wellness Center,” said Dr. Jason N. Adsit, president of the Mount. “We’re excited to be giving the local community access to the care and education programs they need, while honoring our founding Dominican Sisters and their legacy of service.”