Saint Joseph's College of Maine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Joseph's College of Maine is a private, Catholic liberal arts college that grants bachelor's degrees in a traditional on-campus setting, as well as bachelor's and master's degrees via distance education. The college's campus is located on the shores of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine, on what was once a large estate owned by the Verrill family of Portland. The college is run by a lay and religious Board of Trustees, and is the only Catholic college in Maine.

Saint Joseph’s was founded by the Portland Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas in 1912 as a women-only institution, and was chartered (conferred degree-granting status) by the Maine Legislature in 1915.

From 1912 to 1956, the college was located on the grounds of the Motherhouse in the Deering district of Portland. In 1949, the name of the College was changed to The College of Our Lady of Mercy; but with the relocation to Standish in 1956, the original name of Saint Joseph’s was resumed.

In 1970, Saint Joseph’s became a coeducational institution. The College began a distance education program in 1976. The Division of Graduate and Professional Studies (GPS) now offers its programs nationally and internationally.

The traditional, on-campus portion of the college offers undergraduate programs in nursing and various sciences and liberal arts.

HISTORY

Saint Joseph’s College is a Roman Catholic liberal arts college for men and women of all faiths, located on 350-acres on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine, on what was once a large estate owned by the Verrill family of Portland.

Saint Joseph’s was founded by the Portland Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas in 1912 and chartered by the Maine Legislature in 1915. It is the Catholic college of Maine. It has a religious Board of Trustees and a lay and religious Board of Overseers. Saint Joseph’s grants degrees in fulfillment of the educational ideals of the Sisters of Mercy, founded by Mary Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831.

From the time of the foundation of the Portland Regional Community in the Diocese of Portland in 1883, the Sisters of Mercy worked toward the establishment of a college. From 1912 to 1956, the college was located on the grounds of the Motherhouse in the Deering district of Portland. In 1949, the name of the College was changed from Saint Joseph’s to The College of Our Lady of Mercy, but with the change of site to Standish in 1956, the original name of Saint Joseph’s was resumed.

In 1970, Saint Joseph’s became a coeducational institution. The College began offering distance education programs in 1976. The Division of Graduate & Professional Studies now offers its distance programs nationally and internationally.