Mount History
Mount secures $1.6 million HEOP grant
Photo by Lee Ferris
The Mount was recently awarded a $1.6 million Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) grant to be used over the course of the next five years.
The Mount’s Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program is an academic and student support program geared towards traditionally underserved students. Through mentorship, leadership development, academic programs, and financial support, HEOP students are guided through the college transition process.
The Mount’s HEOP is jointly sponsored by the New York State Department of Education and the college.
Alisha McCorvey, Assistant Vice President for Students and Chief Diversity Officer, became the director of the Mount’s HEOP in October of 2023.
“I am so ecstatic to learn the Mount has received the HEOP grant for another five years,” said McCorvey. “I have always believed that the Mount’s Higher Education Opportunity Program is an exemplar of how we honor our mission and our Dominican values. For nearly 60 years, the Mount's HEOP has produced students who are prepared to better the world and serve our many communities. Our students thrive in this program and I look forward to another five years of creating new opportunities for our students through internships; participation in conferences and professional societies; service; opportunities to study abroad; and much more.”
The Mount’s HEOP program provides funds to assist in the screening and testing of prospective students; structured academic support services including a pre-entry summer program, counseling, tutoring, and remedial/developmental coursework; and supplemental financial and tuition assistance toward their college expenses.
The program addresses students’ needs by introducing them to college expectations via a pre-entry summer program; offering academic, career, financial, and career counseling; providing one-on-one and small-group tutoring; offering remedial, developmental, and support services; and more.
Recognizing the Mount’s best
Photos by Lee Ferris
Nearly 50 of the Mount’s brightest students were celebrated this spring for their academic achievements at the induction ceremony for Aquinas, Ralph, and Boyle Scholars.
Aquinas, Ralph, and Boyle Scholar awards are presented to students who attain a high degree of proficiency in their studies and have demonstrated a sincere commitment to learning at the college. Candidates must be full-time students, and only 5 percent of each class may be nominated.
Before distributing honor cords to the scholars, the students were congratulated on a job well done by Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Interim President; Evan Merkhofer, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs; Sr. Patricia Magee ’88, OP, a member of the Dominican Sisters of Hope Leadership Team; and Charles Zola, assistant to the President for Mission Integration, director of the Mount’s Catholic and Dominican Institute, and associate professor of Philosophy.
After a keynote address by Sr. Connie Koch ’71, OP, a member of the Mount’s Board of Trustees, the cords were blessed by Fr. Fluet and distributed to the scholars, one by one, by Magee and Koch.
There goes the sun
Photos by Lee Ferris
Armed with special glasses and a bit of awe, Mount Saint Mary College students, faculty, and staff were wowed by the solar eclipse on the North Patio of the Dominican Center on Monday, April 8.
About 150 members of the Mount community gathered for a discussion by Martin Craig, adjunct professor of Earth Science, before proceeding outside to view the eclipse through glasses provided by the Division of Natural Sciences.
Kaplan Library celebrates a decade in the DC
Photo by Lee Ferris
The Kaplan Family Library and Learning Center celebrated its tenth anniversary of being housed in the Dominican Center on campus earlier this year.
Faculty, staff, and students celebrated with a raffle, letters of gratitude to the library, and more. Parkhurst Dining Services also provided ice cream treats and a cake adorned with an image of the Dominican Center to commemorate the milestone.
On a cold winter day in 1963, the Mount’s library was completely moved from the Villa to Aquinas Hall by a human chain of faculty, staff, and students. It would remain in that location for more than 50 years.
Then in 2014, about 400 Mount friends, neighbors, educators, alumni, and professors once again formed a human chain, passing on a select 25 books from the former Curtin Memorial Library in Aquinas Hall to the new library at the Dominican Center. Among those present were representatives from all academic departments at the college, such as math professor Sr. Pat Sullivan, OP, and Sr. Marion Beagen, OP, who had been a part of the community since before the inaugural book procession in 1963.
The chosen books included a dictionary and a Bible, representing the wide range of the Mount's academic offerings. Other selections were Luther’s Works by Martin Luther, The Wealth of Nation by Adam Smith, and The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children by Gloria Ladson-Billings.
Vivian Milczarski, director of the Kaplan Family Library, noted that “Those of us who work in the library are inspired by [the Mount founders’] accomplishments, and we are honored to walk in their footsteps. The library is a lively space to read, study, think, talk, and work together, and we like to think we are the heart of the Mount community.”
The Dominican Center was originally used as the home of Mount Saint Mary Academy and High School until the late 1970s. Beginning in 1927, it also functioned as the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh. It now serves as the center of many activities, events, and projects related to spirituality, education, and more.
Mount forms first-gen college student honor society
Photos by Lee Ferris
Nearly two dozen Mount students were inducted into the inaugural class of the Alpha Alpha Alpha Honor Society (Tri-Alpha), which recognizes students who are the first in their family to attend college.
The Mount is now home to the Zeta Chapter of Tri-Alpha and the advisor is Brianne Thompson, director of Student Advising. Jenifer Lee-Gonyea, former assistant vice president for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as well as Chief Diversity Officer, was also critical in Tri-Alpha’s creation.
“Tri-Alpha acknowledges the hard work, dedication, and academic success of our first-generation college students,” Lee-Gonyea noted. “As a first-generation college student, I remember the joy and pride that my parents and extended family had for me and with me as I completed my undergraduate degree. To be able to be part of recognizing these students and to pay it forward in this way is such an honor.”
Thompson echoed her statement: “I am so honored to be able to serve as one of the advisors for the Alpha Alpha Alpha Honor Society,” she said. “To have assisted in starting the Mount’s chapter of the Tri-Alpha Honor Society means so much to me because this honor society signifies so much more than just academic excellence. Tri-Alpha inductees are trailblazers that are paving the way for future generations of their families; in this way, they are serving as beacons of hope. It is truly such a privilege to be able to celebrate and support these students in their achievement.”
The new members of Tri-Alpha are: Blanca Ayala-Santana of Port Jervis, N.Y.; Raven Brake of West Point, N.Y.; Katerina Calderone of Marlboro, N.Y.; Akasha Cervantes of Marlboro, N.Y.; Joanna Chimbo of Hopewell Junction, N.Y.; Riona Creavy of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Genesis De Leon Portillo of Kingston, N.Y.; Leslie Gonzalez-Garcia of Newburgh, N.Y.; Nicole Kreischer of Washingtonville, N.Y.; Brillyd Lopez-Vidal of Newburgh, N.Y.; Ines Matias of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.; Abigail McPhillips of Newburgh, N.Y.; Alina Mendelowski of Walden, N.Y.; Madelin Moran Lemus of South Fallsburg, N.Y.; Grace Morra of Hopewell Junction, N.Y.; Riley Norwood of East Haven, Conn.; and Grace O’Sullivan of Nanuet, N.Y.; Raina Quinones of West Babylon, N.Y.; Riley Senk of Staten Island, N.Y.; and Samantha Soehnlein of Washingtonville, N.Y.
Blast from the past: Beloved faculty, staff return
Photos by Lee Ferris
The James F. Cotter Villa Library was packed with familiar faces at the Emeriti Faculty Luncheon in April. The professors and longtime staff members caught up with old friends, enjoyed lunch, and learned about the latest programs and projects on campus from Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Interim President of the Mount.
Left to right: Irene Nunnari, professor emerita of Arts and Letters; Fr. Fluet; Regina Fortunato ’94, wife of Lou Fortunato, professor emeritus of Accounting; Margaret Bussigel, professor emerita of Sociology; Nancy Mahar, professor emerita of Education; Janet Zeman, former director of the college’s Career Center; Sr. Joann Boneski, OP, ’65, emerita member of the Mount’s Board of Trustees; Lou Fortunato; Priscilla Sagar, professor emerita of Nursing; Maureen Markel, professor emerita of Information Technology; Sr. Catherine Walsh, OP, ’70, professor emerita of Communication Arts; James Beard, professor emeritus of Communication Arts; Iris Turkenkopf, professor emerita of Natural Sciences; Karen Eberle-McCarthy, professor emerita of Spanish; and Rosalie DeLuca, wife of the late Patrick J. DeLuca, professor emeritus of Biology and Medical Technology.