Saint Michael's College

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For the college in Toronto, see University of St. Michael's College.
For the school in Adelaide, see St Michael's College, Adelaide.
Saint Michael's College
Image:sm tower.gif
Motto: Quis ut Deus
Established: 1904
Type: Private
President: Dr. John J. Neuhauser
Faculty: 144
Undergraduates: 2,000
Postgraduates: 650
Location: Colchester, Vermont
Campus: Suburban, 440 acres (1.82 km²)
Athletics: NCAA/ECAC Division II
11 men's varsity teams
12 women's [1]
Colors: Purple and Gold
Mascot: Purple Knights
Affiliations: Roman Catholic
Website: www.smcvt.edu

Saint Michael's College is a private, residential, liberal arts Catholic college. The 440-acre (1.8 km²) campus is located in Colchester, Vermont. The college is adjacent to Burlington, a popular college town and cultural center in Vermont. Saint Michael's College was founded in 1904 by the Society of Saint Edmund, a French order of Catholic priests. The main campus is on a hill that provides views of the Green Mountains to the east and the Adirondack Mountains of New York to the west. The mission of the college is "to contribute through higher education to the enhancement of the human person and to the advancement of human culture in the light of the Catholic faith." [2]

Contents

[edit] History

Aerial view of the campus.
Aerial view of the campus.

In 1889, priests from the Society of Saint Edmund fled to the United States after widespread anticlericism seized France. In 1904, they opened Saint Michael's Institute with an initial investment of $5,000. Thirty-four students aged 10 to 22 enrolled, with a tuition and board fee of $105. Slowly, the school discontinued its high school program. Gradually, the school transitioned from an academy with old military barracks as dormitories to a traditional residential college. In 1939, graduate programs were offered for the first time. Saint Michael’s Playhouse was opened in 1947, bringing professional summer theater to Vermont and giving students the chance to work behind the scenes.

Before the 1950s, classes at Saint Michael's were small, just a few dozen Michaelmen in any accepted class. In the 1950s, President Gerald Dupont SSE led the college as it expanded to hundreds of students per class. The College also began an ambitious building program which established the architectural style which permeates the College today.

Saint Michael's Applied Linguistics Department was started in 1954, focussing on teaching English to students from around the world. In 2003, Harold Bloom, a leading literary scholar, announced his plans to donate his personal library to the College, and an anonymous donor granted the money to build the Dupont Library to house the collection. In 2004, Saint Michael's celebrated its centenary in an 18-month-long series of events including special lectures, musical performances, and convocations. The college has been co-educational since 1970.

[edit] Campus

Students walking across the quad. Durick Library is in the background.
Students walking across the quad. Durick Library is in the background.

The college consists of two campuses, Main (also called South) and North.

The main campus is the original and largest campus; it houses most classrooms, administration buildings and residence halls. The Quad is anchored by Durick Library to the west and the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel to the east. The three academic halls, Cheray Hall, Jeanmarie Hall, and Saint Edmund's Hall, along with the McCarthy Arts Center line the Quad to the south. The Alliot Student Center and the four underclass residence halls wall the Quad on the north.

Also located on the main campus are the Doc Jacobs Athletic Fields, Ross Sports Center and Tarrant Recreation Center, Founder's Hall, which houses the administrative offices, and the Hoehl Welcome Center, which houses the Admissions office. Standing at the main gateway of the school, admission interviews with prospective students are held in Hoehl. Tours and other events for prospective students also leave from Hoehl.

North Campus, one mile (1.6 km) from Main Campus, features additional residence halls, some apartments, and the Sloane Art Center, which is home to studio arts facilities for drawing and painting, the photography darkroom, and some classrooms. Slone is also home to the Asian Bistro, a dining hall that serves Asian cuisine for dinner on weekday nights.

[edit] Housing

Students at Saint Michael's College live in a variety of different housing facilities. All housing is single-sex by floor or wing.

[edit] Main Campus

  • Joyce Hall, Ryan Hall, and Lyons Hall are three of the four main quad dormitories. They consist primarily of doubles, and house the entire freshman class. Some wings are reserved for GREAT Housing, the alcohol-free living option.
  • Alumni Hall is the fourth dormitory building on the main quad, and houses sophomores and juniors.
  • Cashman Hall, Pontigny Hall, and Canterbury Hall are the newest residence halls on campus. They consist of 4- and 8-person suites for sophomores, juniors, and some seniors. Many suites are reserved for Honors Housing or GREAT Housing.
  • Founders Hall houses students of all classes in singles on its upper floors.
  • Hodson Hall houses seniors in apartments.
  • The Townhouses, numbered in series from the 100s to the 400s, house seniors and juniors in apartment-style living. Additionally, international students stay in Ambassador Housing in the 400 Townhouses.

[edit] North Campus

  • The Ethan Allen Apartments house seniors and juniors in apartments.
  • Hamel Hall, Purtill Hall, and Linnehan Hall house sophomores, juniors, and seniors in doubles and singles. Theme Housing will take over Linnehan starting in the Fall 2007 semester.

[edit] Academics

Undergraduate students receiving instruction from a professor.
Undergraduate students receiving instruction from a professor.

Classes are small and hands-on learning is emphasized, with a student to teacher ratio of 12:1 [3] Saint Michael's houses the following honors: Phi Beta Kappa; Delta Epsilon Sigma, the Catholic honor society; Pi Sigma Alpha for Political Science; Omicron Delta Epsilon for Economics; Phi Alpha Theta for History; Kappa Delta Pi for Education; Psi Chi for Psychology; Sigma Xi for Science and Technology; Pi Mu Epsilon for Mathematics; Kappa Tau Alpha for Journalism and Mass Communication (the only KTA chapter nationwide housed at a small college); and Sigma Beta Delta for Business, Management and Administration. For four of the last seven years, a Saint Michael’s professor has been named the CASE/Carnegie Foundation Vermont Professor of the Year. Saint Michael's College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

[edit] Undergraduate

Undergraduate programs include 29 major fields of study and 37 minors, combined with a liberal studies curriculum [4]. Emphasis is placed on independent study, independent research, internships and foreign study. Eligible students can also participate in the College's Honors Program.

[edit] Graduate

There are five master's degree programs: Administration and Management, Clinical Psychology, Education, Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language and Theology and Pastoral Ministry. There are three post-master's certificates and Vermont teacher licensure programs.

[edit] International Students

Special English as a Second Language programs are offered for international students through the Applied Linguistics Department, including a progam that assists international students in the transition to college-level course work.

[edit] Study Abroad

Many students participate in study abroad programs, which cost the same as a semester on campus, airfare included. Students can choose a program by location or language, or can choose from a variety of special Saint Michael's programs. [5]

[edit] Demographics

Saint Michael's has 2,000 undergraduate students who come from 28 states and 20 countries. 79% of students are from outside Vermont. There are 150 faculty members, 94 percent with a Ph.D. or highest appropriate degree. The student-faculty ratio is 12:1. There are approximately 500 graduate students each term; over 90 percent are from Vermont.

[edit] Student Life

Saint Michael's Fire Department conducting a training on campus.
Saint Michael's Fire Department conducting a training on campus.

Nearly 90% of students live on campus in residence halls, theme houses and townhouses. There are over 40 student organizations, 21 varsity sports (10 for men, 11 for women) and 28 intramural teams. There are no fraternities or sororities. Other activities include the Student Association, Wilderness Program, Campus Ministry, the campus radio station WWPV, club sports, student musical and play productions, the Saint Michael’s Chorale, open mic nights and the Wind and Jazz Ensembles. Christmas and spring semi-formal dances are held. Notable artists such as O.A.R., The Roots, Jurassic 5, and most recently Carbon Leaf, have performed on campus in recent years. Student publications include The Echo (online magazine), The Defender (weekly newspaper), and the Onion River Review (literary magazine). Athletics facilities include a fitness room, racquetball and an indoor track and swimming pool. Trails surround the campus for cross-country running or mountain biking.

[edit] Ski & Ride Program

Beginning in fall of 2004, Saint Michael's students became the first in the nation to have unlimited access to a major winter resort as part of their college experience. For a $30 fee, undergraduates are provided with a season pass to Smugglers' Notch in Jeffersonville, VT (50 minutes from campus). The pass also includes discounts on group lessons and rental equipment, as well as weekend bus transportation from campus.

[edit] Cultural Pass Program

In 2007, the college partnered with Burlington's Flynn Center for the Performing Arts to offer a "cultural pass" for $30. The one-time fee gives undergraduate students access to all events at the Flynn during the academic year, including concerts, plays, and Broadway musicals.

[edit] Fire and Rescue

One of the most unique extracurricular activities at Saint Michael's is the Fire and Rescue program, which was founded in 1969 after a student died on an athletic field. Entirely student run, the department provides fire protection and emergency medical treatment to campus and the surrounding community.

[edit] Athletics

Saint Michael's sports teams are called the Purple Knights and the school colors are purple and gold. Varsity teams participate in the NCAA's Division II Northeast Ten Conference. Approximately 25% of students participate in a varsity sport. For men: Basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, hockey, lacrosse, skiing (alpine, Nordic), soccer, rugby, swimming and diving, and tennis. For women: basketball, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, rugby, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, ice hockey, and volleyball. Student-led programs include billiards, ping pong, volleyball and indoor soccer. Tournaments are also scheduled throughout the academic year. Yoga, jazzercise, kick boxing, cardio step and pilates courses are offered weekly. First Aid and CPR training/certification is also offered. [6]

[edit] Art and Culture

Saint Michael's College is a strong supporter of the arts in Vermont. Saint Michael's Playhouse for example, the College's professional equity summer theater, draws talent from Broadway, Off-Broadway and prestigious regional theaters performing full scale New York caliber theater to more than 15,000 audience members each season. Saint Michael's Playhouse is a member of the Council of Resident Stock Theaters (CORST) of which there are only eleven remaining in the United States today. As a CORST theater company Saint Michael's Playhouse employs members of Actors' Equity Association the union of professional actors and stage managers, as well as directors from the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers and designers from United Scenic Artists. Saint Michael's Playhouse also maintains a nationally recognized Professional Theater Internship Program for college theater students. Acceptance into this program is highly competitive and students who are accepted work side by side with the professionals in areas of theater production and administration. The College is also a sponsor of the Vermont Mozart Festival, the state's largest classical music festival.

[edit] Awards

Saint Michael's has been labeled by Newsweek magazine as a “hidden treasure” that “deserves more national recognition.” [7] In August 2007, Saint Michael's was listed for the first time in the "Best National Liberal Arts Colleges" category of the “America’s Best Colleges: 2008 Annual Guide,” published by U.S. News and World Report. Additionally, Saint Michael's is included in Princeton Review’s The Best 366 Colleges: 2008 Edition.

The college has also won numerous regional Society of Professional Journalists awards for its weekly online magazine, The Echo [8].

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Northeast-10 Conference
v • d • e
Colleges & Universities in Vermont
Colleges and Universities
Vermont State Colleges