A Founder's Day invitation from Interim President Marcia J. White

On September 21, Interim President Marcia J. White sent students and their families, employees, and alumni the following invitation to celebrate Founder’s Day on September 22, as well as the start of the College’s centennial celebration year:

Tomorrow marks a very important milestone in our College’s history – the 100th anniversary of the founding of our college by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. On September 22, 1920, 19 students in the Saint Rose Class of 1924 gathered for an opening mass before their first classes, and the College’s story began.

It is a blessing to be part of an institution that has persisted for a century, through its growth and development, and shared moments of grief and joy. Every time a student uses the knowledge, skills and confidence they have gained at Saint Rose to make an impact in their communities and in their chosen professions, they honor and carry on the legacy of our founders.

We must always remember the courage and vision of those that started the College, so please join me tomorrow for a virtual Founder’s Day program, which will be broadcast at 4 p.m. on the College’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. The celebration will feature music, a historic reflection of the founding four years of the College by Sister Sean Peters, CSJ, ’67, Sister Kitty Hanley, CSJ, Ph.D., ’61, and Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, Ph.D., ’70, G’74, and a Pass the Cake challenge with many familiar faces. Schuyler Bull ’10, vice president of marketing at Pioneer and owner of the Fort Orange General Store, will emcee.

In honor of our milestone anniversary, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan has proclaimed September 22, 2020 “Saint Rose Day,” and Governor Andrew Cuomo has issued a Special Citation congratulating the College. New York State Senators Betty Little ’62 and Neil Breslin issued a proclamation commemorating this historic day and City of Albany Councilmember Ginnie Farrell helped to pass a resolution recognizing the College’s contributions to the Region. Read all of the centennial messages on our website.

You can read about our history in several publications. Yesterday, the Times Union published a special section on our centennial. If you’d like a copy, we will be placing some out for pick up in the Events and Athletic Center in the coming weeks. Also, an entire issue of the Saint Rose Magazine, which should be in your mailbox this week, is dedicated to the College’s Centennial. We will also have copies of those available in the Events and Athletics Center, if you would like one. The magazine content also can be found online.

In addition, we hope you’ll live the founders’ vision of service to the dear neighbor by joining our 100 Hours of Service campaign, a challenge to everyone in our Saint Rose community to log 100 hours of community service between now and June, and Reach Out Saint Rose Hits the Road, which gives you a chance to run, walk, or hike 100 miles (or more) to raise money for the Dennis McDonald Student Emergency Fund.

Tomorrow, in honor of Founder’s Day – and now Saint Rose Day in Albany – we encourage you to wear your Saint Rose gear with pride, snap a photo (maybe near one of the centennial light pole banners) and tag us with #strose100 on social media, and join us for the virtual birthday party at 4 p.m. Keep track of other upcoming centennial events on our centennial site.

One hundred years ago, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet established Saint Rose on an unshakable foundation – an orientation toward excellence, development of the whole person, creating an inclusive community, serving the dear neighbor, and meeting the needs of the times. Those values, and the strength and faith of our founders, have guided us, our students, and our more than 44,000 alumni well for the past 100 years, and are as valid and inspiring today as they were in 1920.

Please, join me tomorrow at 4 p.m. for our virtual Founder’s Day celebration to acknowledge the courage and persistence of those early trailblazers who built the foundation of the College that is our HOME today, and for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Marcia