Anastasia “Ana” Morrison ’21 and Professor Sara Smits Keeney were recognized with social justice awards during the annual MLK Jr. Dinner Celebration in early February. This year’s celebration, adapted to a virtual event in lieu of a dinner, included speakers, readings, and poems that highlighted this year’s theme, “the fierce urgency for now.”
Towards the end of the semester, Anastasia Morrison and Meredith Budds were named recipients of Paul S. Coleman Senior Service Awards at the 29th annual ceremony. Budds was honored for community service, Morrison for service leadership.
The College announced plans to establish a School of Nursing and Health Professions to be housed in a new nursing facility on campus.
This was a year of exciting expansion for Saint Anselm’s vast academic offerings. New programs this fall included majors in business analytics (BS), health sciences (BS), public health (BS), information systems (BS), legal studies (BA) and a minor in Africana studies. The College also developed a new partnership with NHTI to allow students who earn associate’s degrees in several science-related fields to transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in two years.
The new Tuscania experience was announced as part of the return of study abroad programs. This coming spring, the first group of Saint Anselm students will travel to Tuscania, Italy to be immersed in a small town filled with rich history.
Kathryn McGillivray ’20 was selected as a Fulbright Scholar in Argentina. From March to December of 2023, McGillivray will serve as an English teaching assistant in an English teacher training college or university.
Celebrating the end of the 2021-22 school year, 540 members of the class of 2022 graduated from Saint Anselm College. Additionally, 22 students received Saint Anselm College’s first master’s degrees. During the commencement exercises, Professor Tauna Sisco, Ph.D., was awarded the 2022 Distinguished Faculty Award.
During reunion celebrations this summer, three classes – 1970, 1971, and 1972 – were inducted to the Order of Golden Anselmians – alumni who have celebrated the 50th anniversary of their graduation.
This has been an exciting and productive year for the Gregory J. Grappone ‘04 Humanities Institute. Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, visited campus for an evening of Humanities focused conversation and celebration. At the end of June, the Saint Anselm community gathered to break ground on the new Humanities building. Construction is ongoing behind Alumni Hall as the team works to create a two-story home for the Institute.
The upcoming launch of new men’s and women’s track and field programs was announced in late July. Planning is underway for an on-campus track and field complex that will include an eight-lane track, synthetic turf field, lighting, spectator seating, and an amenities building with locker rooms. When the track and field program launches in the 2023-2024 school year, the College will offer a record total of 23 NCAA Division II sports.
This fall we welcomed the class of 2026, a total of 531 first-year students, to the Anselmian community. A short while later we were thrilled to welcome back more than 1,000 alumni for the first in-person Homecoming Weekend since 2019.
The spirit of giving is alive on the Hilltop! 154 Thanksgiving baskets were given to local families in need during the 20th Annual Thanksgiving Basket Drive/Blessing. During Giving Tuesday 502 donors raised $126,593 to support service-focused programming. The three recipients of these funds are the Meelia Center’s Access Academy, the Ernie Thorne ’34 Scholarship Fund for Racial Equality, and the Campus Ministry’s Anselmian B.R.E.A.K. program. What a year it’s been! With the end of final exams and our students home for winter break, the countdown to 2023 is on. Saint Anselm College is proud of all our community accomplished this year and we eagerly await all that the new year will bring.