A Message from President Carolyn J. Stefanco: Our Centennial Year

On September 22, we will celebrate 100 years since the doors opened to the first class of students at The College of Saint Rose, which was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1920. We may have transitioned from an all-women’s college to an independent, co-educational institution in the time since, but the founding spirit of the College remains the same.

The Sisters started Saint Rose to provide higher education opportunities to women during a time when their options were limited and nationwide suffrage for women was just being realized. Seeing a new need in 1946, the Sisters welcomed World War II veterans for night classes because they believed education was important for the transition to civilian life. Decades after that, of course, Saint Rose became a fully co-educational institution – a place where women and men could study and grow to become the best version of themselves.

Those decisions all reflect the College’s mission: to create an inclusive community with a focus on excellence, education of the whole person, concern for the “dear neighbor,” and the concerns of the times.

Today, the founding values run deep in the students who are drawn to us, and they inform the decisions we make as faculty, staff, and administrators. Education of the whole person and concern for the dear neighbor was evident in the recent service trip to Washington, D.C., where students worked in meal programs and visited with members of Congress to advocate for those living in poverty. Our inclusive community is enriched by the students who arrive here from every background and corner of the globe. We continue to strive toward excellence as we create programming to improve student retention and launch new degrees to prepare our graduates for in-demand careers and lives of meaning.

In many conversations with me, students express a desire to meet the needs of the times. The student studying financial planning wants to use her degree to assist veterans with managing their money, and the biochemistry major yearns to improve healthcare in her home country after she goes on to earn her medical degree.

We are proud to remain HOME to a century-old mission. We look forward to celebrating the centennial of Saint Rose with you beginning this September, and we are excited to carry the College’s founding values into the next 100 years.

Best wishes,

Carolyn