| College of Our Lady of the Elms | |
|---|---|
Seal of the College of Our Lady of the Elms |
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| Latin: Collegium Dominae Nostrae In Ulmis | |
| Motto | Viam Veritatis Elegi |
| Motto in English | “I have chosen the way of truth" |
| Established | 1928 |
| Type | Private |
| Religious affiliation | Sisters of St. Joseph |
| Endowment | US $12 million |
| President | Sister Mary Reap, ihm |
| Academic staff | 63 |
| Undergraduates | 1,118 |
| Location | Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States |
| Colors | Green, Gold, White |
| Athletics | NCAA Division III |
| Nickname | Blazers |
| Website | www.elms.edu |
The College of Our Lady of the Elms, often called Elms College, is a Catholic liberal arts college located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, near Springfield.
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Elms was founded as a girls' preparatory academy in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the Academy of Our Lady of the Elms, in 1897.[1] In 1899, Rev. John McCoy and Bishop Thomas Beaven of the Springfield diocese purchased property in Chicopee and it became St. Joseph's Normal College.
In 1927, the Sisters of Saint Joseph petitioned the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to charter the school as a women's liberal arts college, the charter was approved in 1928, and the name was changed to the College of Our Lady of the Elms with Rev. Thomas Mary O'Leary as the first president.
Under increasing financial and enrollment pressures, the Elms College board of trustees voted 23-5 to begin admitting men, starting with the 1998-1999 school year, on October 7, 1997. It was recently placed on a watchlist by the US Department of Education, due to fiscal instability.[2]
The campus is about two miles north of Metro Center Springfield, Massachusetts. It is focused on the Keating Quadrangle, which lies at its center, and has 14 buildings.[3]
Elms is a four-year liberal arts college. It offers thirty-three academic majors to 701 full-time students, and it employs sixty-three full-time faculty members.
Traditions include Elms Night, an event in the beginning of the fall semester to welcome incoming first-year students. The event starts with an outdoor dinner where all Elms students and staff are invited. Freshmen are encouraged by seniors to sing a few lyrics from a song of choice during dinner. Following dinner, everyone meets in the Berchman's Hall Rotunda. Each class is assigned a pop song and sings for the other classes. At this point in the evening, seniors toss items from the second floor balcony to the freshmen on the first floor. Traditionally, the items were beanie caps. Now they vary from towels to wallets or other items. Often an Elms College student will keep this item at least until they graduate and, in many cases, long after that.
The Elms College Blazers got their nickname from an old tradition when sophomore students would receive 'blazers' to wear as a seniority right. Although this tradition has long since been discontinued, the team name has stuck.
The Elms College Blazers team colors are a green, gold, and white. Elms competes at the Division III level as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association in baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, volleyball, field hockey, lacrosse, and swimming.[4] The athletics at Elms are based out of The Maguire Center.[5]