Looking to the future on our 65th anniversary

Photos by Lee Ferris

With the institution welcoming a new president and celebrating our 65th anniversary, the past year has been an exciting one for Mount Saint Mary College.

With 14 years of experience as a college president, Dr. Robert Gervasi became the Mount’s eighth president this past summer. He has already started leading the college with focus and efficiency.

The Mount has already seen success since Dr. Gervasi took the reins: “I’m proud to say that we saw our incoming class grow this year, with strong indications for even more growth next year,” he said.

The college’s first two Open Houses of the semester saw hundreds of students and their families visit the campus. A third event in December pulled in the most families the college has seen at an Open House since before the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Dr. Gervasi revealed that the college’s admissions team has dramatically amplified its outreach to high schools, including a wider geographic reach and an increased number of visits. Meanwhile the Mount’s Knight Program, which provides college credit courses while students are still in high school, has expanded to nearly 1,000 students across the region.

The college has its eye on serving more adult students as well, with a greater emphasis on its graduate programs in Nursing, Business, and Education, as well as adult degree programs.

 While getting students to enroll is paramount for any college, “retaining students and preparing them for future success is just as critical,” said Dr. Gervasi. “One of the most important things I’ve learned in my time at the Mount so far is that our professors and administrators are all deeply committed to preparing our students to be ethical, effective leaders.”

 To help accomplish this, Dr. Gervasi has implemented a renewed focus on internships at the college.

 “We want to ensure that all students experience at least one internship during their Mount career, since job placement after graduation strongly correlates with internship experience,” Dr. Gervasi said. “Accordingly, I’m planning to supplement the effectiveness of our Career Center by establishing a Counselors’ Corp of volunteers.”

 The Counselors’ Corp will utilize the college’s ties with local businesses to give students new mentoring opportunities with successful professionals in their field. Business leaders will contribute several hours a month in direct career counseling with students.

These plans, Dr. Gervasi said, will increase the success Mount alumni are already experiencing. According to the college’s survey results, 91 percent of recent alumni are employed or attending graduate school within six months of graduation. In addition, the average salary of these grads is more than $80,000.

The Dominican Sisters of Hope who established the Mount in 1959 did so with an emphasis on helping deserving students to achieve their dream of a college education. One of the most important ways the college completes this part of its mission, Dr. Gervasi noted, is by awarding more than $20 million in scholarships and other aid every year.

In that respect, these last months have been busy but prosperous for the Mount. For example, the college’s recent 65-hour fundraising drive for student scholarships far surpassed the $100,000 goal, bringing in $230,000 to support incoming students.

The Mount’s best-known scholarship fundraising event, its annual Gala in December, raised more than $120,000 to support the Donor Scholarship Fund. Honorees Steven M. Neuhaus ’96, Orange County Executive, and Christina Bart Bilsky ’85, a Mount trustee, were recognized with the Joseph A. Bonura Award for Leadership Excellence.

“Scholarships are vitally important,” Dr. Gervasi said. “I can’t emphasize that enough. Bright students, especially from here in Orange County, deserve a chance to excel academically, to contribute to their community, and to enjoy the opportunities that a college education can afford them.”

A good example: A Georgetown study found that Mount grads were in the top 10 percent in the nation for return on investment at 30 years.