CONTACT: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958 or Nydia Negron (212) 788-9364
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today delivered the keynote address at the College of Mount Saint Vincent's Founders Day luncheon in The Bronx to observe the institution's 150th anniversary. The Mayor presented the President of the College, Dr. Mary C. Stuart, with a proclamation declaring Friday, April 18, 1997, as College of Mount St. Vincent Day in New York City. During the ceremony, the Mayor received the college's award for "outstanding commitment to improving education."
"The proud history of Mount Saint Vincent is inextricably linked to the history of our City," said Mayor Giuliani. "Founded in 1847 as an academy by the Sisters of Charity of New York, the school has provided quality education to generations of New Yorkers."Many of the first students were children of immigrants and were the first in their families to attend college. And that tradition continues as the college presently offers educational opportunities to immigrants seeking a better life in this country. These New Yorkers who have gone on to graduate from Mount Saint Vincent have made significant contributions to this city."
The Mayor added, "As we honor the College of Mount St. Vincent, we must also pay tribute to the Sisters of Charity who founded this college, as well as a number of other educational institutions in New York City."
The Academy relocated to The Bronx in 1857 when the site it occupied at McGowns Pass, now 105th St. and Fifth Avenue, was incorporated into Central Park. In 1910 the Archdiocese of New York amended the Charter and the Academy became the College of Mount Saint Vincent. It was the first women's college in New York City. Now co-educational, the college has more than 1,500 students, many still from immigrant families.
A year-long celebration of its sesquicentennial year has included exhibitions, fairs, concerts and tours. The college delivers clothes and food to poor ad homeless people on "Founder's Day" each year in the spirit of Academy of Mount Saint Vincent founder Mother Elizabeth Boyle, who established the academy to help New York's orphans.