On Thursday, August 27, Saint Anselm College welcomed 551 members of the class of 2030 to campus. Cheers rang out from student-athletes, resident assistants, orientation leaders, transition program mentors, faculty, staff, and monks as the families drove onto campus.
“We are so excited to welcome our new students,” said Jean Couture, assistant dean of students. "This is when all the preparation from over the past year comes alive.”
These Anselmians not only greeted the families but quickly grabbed boxes, bags, bins, and more to move the first-year and transfer students into their new home for the next year. The students moving into Joan of Arc (JOA) and Dominic Hall also had a first look at the newly renovated dorms.
“Our whole community comes out to welcome everybody, to show them who we are – that Benedictine hospitality,” said Nicole Lora, assistant dean of first-year students and community education. “We hope that new students will feel comfortable and then get excited and ready to do orientation and start classes next week.”
Four hundred and forty Saint Anselm community members supported the move-in (16 transition mentors, 79 orientation leaders, 282 varsity athletes and coaches, 23 resident assistants, and more than 40 faculty and staff).
Students and families spent the morning unpacking, finalizing paperwork, exploring Geisel Library, and purchasing Saint Anselm apparel at the bookstore to represent their new home.
Meanwhile, new commuter students met in the Center for Intercultural Learning and Inclusion in the Jean Student Center getting to know one another, touring the space, and learning about the many campus resources available to them.
The afternoon included lunch in Davison followed by the New Student and Family Mass in the Abbey Church, where Father Francis McCarthy, O.S.B. ‘10 celebrated and Father Basil Francoise, O.S.B. ‘17, gave the homily.
Finally, at the end of the day, new College President Michael Lewis, Ph.D., welcomed students, and their families to campus on Alumni Quad where commencement will be held in four short years.
“This is your new home, and it’s not a place to replace the home you are coming from, but to broaden that definition of home for you,” said Lewis. “We are so happy you are joining us. You will learn. You are going to learn inside the classroom and outside of the classroom. You are going to fall down, like we all do, and there’s a community that will be here to help pick you up so you can keep learning.”
After some tearful farewells and big hugs, the families returned home and the new students gathered with their orientation groups to begin their time at Saint Anselm College. Over the next three days of orientation, students will participate in the Brian Maguire Day of Service, a pep rally for the women’s field hockey game, sessions on academics, being Anselmian, and building an inclusive community, fun nightly programs, and finally, the annual first-year banquet where they will watch their banner raise to the ceiling of Davison Dining Hall for the first time.
Class of 2030: By the Numbers
- 3.42 – Students’ average high school GPA
- 88 – Students joining the Honors Program
- 29 – Students have at least one parent who attended Saint Anselm College
- 17– States represented
- 3 – Countries represented
- 72 – Students identify as racially diverse
- 143 – First-generation students
- 50 – Transfer students
- 38– Commuter students
- 551 – Total students in the Class of 2030
Class of 2030: Most Popular Majors
- Nursing
- Business Administration
- Health Sciences
- Undeclared
- Finance
- Criminal Justice
- Psychology
- Politics
- Elementary Education
- Biology
Class of 2030: Most Popular Names
- Ava
- Anna
- Olivia
- John
- Aidan
- Ryan
Class of 2030: Pre-Saint Anselm Achievements
Fun examples:
- Organized a street hockey tournament to raise funds for children in need
- Volunteered with an organization that offers girls with disabilities the opportunity to grow their self-esteem
- Raised funds to purchase school supplies for underprivileged communities
- Remained committed to schoolwork through a rare cancer diagnosis and bone disease
- Voice actor for Amazon video language dubs
- Spent a semester at sea
- Saved their mother while lifeguarding
- State champion athletes
- Recognition in the visual and performing arts