About the College and the services provided:
The College of Mount Saint Vincent is an academically excellent, authentically inclusive, liberal arts college. First founded by the Sisters of Charity as The Academy in 1847, the College of Mount Saint Vincent is both Catholic and ecumenical. The College combines a strong core curriculum with a full array of undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and professional programs in Nursing, Teacher Education, and Business. The College is located on a scenic campus nestled along the Hudson River in Riverdale, New York. At 20 minutes from mid-town Manhattan, students take advantage of the unparalleled professional and cultural opportunities of New York City.
The great pride of the College comes from the confidence and quality with which it serves its students well. We have great students who are talented, hard-working, and high achieving. We have big arms and are as diverse as New York itself. We provide opportunity to talented students of every ethnic, racial, and religious background without regard to family resources.
Our current student population reflects our rich tradition of diversity. In 2013, our full-time undergraduate student body is 35% Hispanic, 28% Caucasian, 16% African-American, and 10% Asian or Pacific Islander students. The College’s admission policy is needs-blind, allowing us to serve many students who are the first in their family to attend college.
The College is a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI), which is defined as a college with an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students. We are among the top 10 graduation rates of Hispanic Serving Institutions in the country. A recent National Science Foundation-funded study shows the College of Mount Saint Vincent has the highest graduates in science and science-related fields for degrees Latino students in the nation. The College is ranked the Number 1 model of effective practices among the 25 HSI’s cited in the study.
- Advice for college bound students and their parents:
It is important to choose an education that prepares the student for a career, not just a job. Some colleges reduce education to vocational training programs. However, most people will have an average of six careers over the course of their lifetime. Students need to master analytical skills, critical thinking, clear expression, and ethical judgment – skills and traits in demand to future employers. A liberal arts education educates the “whole person” and is the best preparation for students for all their career options, from their first job to their last.
Another factor that is important for many of our families is the size of the school. While some students prefer a large university on the undergraduate level particularly, many students experience individual attention, support, challenge, opportunity, and many students feel more comfortable in a smaller-sized college. Our students thrive from our teacher-student ratio of 13:1. The smaller class size allows for one-on-one interaction between faculty and student. Mount Saint Vincent is a personal, intimate place where we know our students by name, and they know the faculty and administrators as well. There is a wide variety of student activities: clubs, athletics and recreational programs. They are accessible to all students, and here again, our size makes getting involved easy and natural for students. Students are engaged in skill-building and employment enhancing activities outside the classroom as well. We are very proud of our graduate school and employment outcomes.
- Our thoughts on the high tuitions facing students, and what can be done about it:
It is shameful to see that our country doesn’t do more to help our students and their families with their college journey. As a nation, we need our students to graduate without the burden of huge debts as they prepare for their careers. At a time when students and families are making great sacrifices and incurring debt to make a college education possible, we do have some positive news regarding our graduates and tuition. Mount Saint Vincent is deeply committed to making high quality education accessible to talented students, regardless of financial background. At Mount Saint Vincent, the largest single part of our most recent budget was dedicated to scholarships and aid. In addition, a Washington Monthly study showed that we have among the best graduation rates in the United States for Pell grant recipients and the U.S. News & World Report identified our alumnae/i as having among the lowest default rates in the country.
- How do we grade the Obama Administration when it comes to education and assistance programs for students?
President Barack Obama has been the best friend of educational opportunity in decades. Unfortunately, Congress is not so good.
- Our practices regarding students’ rights to protest, and disciplinary protocols:
We are committed to the tradition of free speech and freedom of conscience. Students have the right to protest. They do not have a right to substantially or repeatedly interfere with a class, or compromise the safety of other students or staff.
The College does not tolerate any criminal activity. We do not tolerate vandalism of any kind. Students who vandalize College property are subject to disciplinary action. Any students who threatens another person or property would be suspended or expelled.
- The College is exploring international opportunities in many countries, and one of these countries is Egypt. We already have co-operative programs in China, India, and England. We are investigating a number of opportunities in Egypt. One model may be the 2+2, whereby a student completes 2 years in Egypt and 2 years at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. We are also exploring a five-year option that would allow a student to complete four years of an undergraduate degree in Egypt, culminating with an accelerated Master’s degree from the College of Mount Saint Vincent. A “twinning” program with an Egyptian institute of higher education may also be possible, even part of those other programs. Any educational partnership would need to be approved by American and by Egyptian educational authorities.
- Currently, the project is in the exploratory stage of the process. The College was approached by 57357 Hospital about its desire to create an accredited Nursing program. Hospital representatives have visited the College and they hosted us when we visited Egypt. The College can certainly offer consultative help and may be able to offer an accredited nursing program of exceptional high quality.
