The charter that created the College of Mount Saint Vincent was celebrated 100 years later with a Centennial Founder’s Day celebration on campus.
Although the school was originally founded as the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity of New York, a high school for women, the Trustees of the University of the State of New York amended the charter in 1911 that created the College of Mount Saint Vincent, which became co-educational in 1974.
The high school continued as an institution for women on the Bronx campus until 1940, but moved to Tuxedo Park, New York, and was closed in 1972.
On Tuesday, April 19, the campus on 6301 Riverdale Avenue hosted an all day celebration involving faculty, administration, and six alumni of the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent.
The morning was highlighted by a brunch of over 200 guests in the south wing of the administration building that is now called “The Academy” in honor of the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent. The administration building itself, in honor of the Sisters of Charity, was officially renamed Founder’s Hall.
“It’s a symbolic affirmation of why we are here at this school,” said Dr. Charles Flynn, president of CMSV. “We began the planning of this day five years ago and we knew the centennial was slowly approaching. A meaningful milestone such as this deserves strong recognition.”
Inside the newly named Founder’s Hall, two large plaques were installed commemorating the names of approximately 230 Sisters of Charity who contributed to CMSV.
For some of the older alumni, many of the names were familiar to them, but for the current and future students, the engraved names will serve as a historic symbol that educates them with the history of the women who made an impact on the college.
“Our current students are aware of the long history of the college,” Flynn said. “For our future students, they can walk into the building, see all of these names, and realize that they are coming to a college with a very strong institution of service that offers the best to them.”
Throughout the day, hundreds of people gathered on the festively decorated college campus for tours, concerts, and forums that were free and open to the public, as well as Founders Day presentations inside classrooms for students by the Sisters of Charity.
Among the college alumni present was Sr. Kathleen Tracey, who is currently the associate vice president for the college’s Institutional Advancement and College Relations, and has served CMSV for 60 years.
Sr. Kathleen Tracey said, “The tradition of our college has made a strong impact on our alumni and I think the students of today are very impressed because we always stress and take pride in how the school was started.”
