Assumption College

Infobox University
name = Assumption College


motto = "Learn. Achieve. Contribute."
established = October 1, 1904 Assumption College: A Centennial History 1904 - 2004, Kenneth J. Moynihan. Pp. 40.]
type = Private
affiliation = Roman Catholic (Assumptionist)
president = Francesco Cesareo, Ph.D.
president emeritus = Thomas R. Plough, Ph.D
address = 500 Salisbury Street
city = Worcester
state = MA, 01609
country = USA
undergrad = 2,150
postgrad = 325
faculty = 165
campus = Suburban, convert|185|acre|km2 | colors = Blue and White color box|blue color box|white
mascot = (Pierre) The Greyhound
fightsong = "Greyhounds Win"
athletics = 21 Varsity Sports
affiliations = Northeast-10
Worcester Consortium
website = [http://www.assumption.edu/ Assumption College]
telephone = [phone]

Assumption College is a private, Catholic, liberal arts college located on 175 acres (708,000 m²) in Worcester, Massachusetts. Currently Assumption has an enrollment of approximately 2150 students. The college confers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Sciences degrees in its Undergraduate program, Master of Arts and Masters of Business Administration degrees in its Graduate program, and Associate's degree degrees through its Continuing Education program. The college is primarily overseen by a Board of Trustees which is composed of both lay and clerical members that advise the college president, Francesco Cesareo, Ph.D.

College history

Undergraduate Day College

Assumption was founded in the year 1904 by the Augustinians of the Assumption, a Catholic order under the Augustinian Rule dedicated to service through teaching and the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. The original campus was located in the Greendale section of Worcester, on a tract of hillside land. In these early years, enrollment was exclusively male, primarily of French-Canadian heritage. Most courses were taught in French, with only a small number taught in English.

In June 1953, a tornado cut a path of destruction through several Western and Central Massachusetts communities, including the city of Worcester. Several campus buildings were destroyed or severely damaged by this tornado. Although the Assumption Preparatory School stayed on the rebuilt campus until about 1970, the College relocated to a new campus off Salisbury Street, in the West side of the city, officially opening in 1956. The old Assumption campus complex was sold to the state after the prep school closed, and is today the home of Quinsigamond Community College.

In 1969, Assumption became a coeducational institution, allowing both laymen and -women into the faculty and female students into its programs of study.

Centennial festivities began early in January 2004, celebrating the College's 100th year. On February 15, 2007, the Assumption College Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Francesco Cesareo, an American author and historian, would succeed President Thomas R. Plough on July 1, 2007. As the fifteenth president of the institution, Plough oversaw an aggressive 8-year Centennial Campaign which raised over $33 million dollars for campus renovations and construction.

Continuing education

Assumption's first effort at continuing education began in 1954 with the founding of the Evening College, later known as the St. Augustine Institute. Non-credit courses were offered two years later with the founding of The Adult Education Center. Both facilities were coeducational and open to the public. Assumption phased out both facilities in the late 1960s.

In 1979, Assumption launched a second effort at continuing adult education with the Center for Continuing and Professional Education, renamed in 2007 the Center for Continuing and Career Education. This new facility combines the credited courses of the old Evening College and the non-credit work of the Adult Education Center into one office. The Center celebrated its 25th anniversary in the same year as the undergraduate College's Centennial.

College Institutes

The French Institute (Institut français), founded in 1979, serves as a specialized research center for students studying French history, culture and language.

The Institute was founded by Father Wilfrid J. Dufault, A.A., the late chancellor emeritus of the College, and Dr. Claire Quintal, founding director emerita, in order to preserve the French heritage of Assumption College and of the region (New England). The Institute is both an academic research facility and a center for French cultural activities. Although its main goals are to foster the preservation and study of the records of the history and cultural traditions of French ethnicity on this continent, the name French Institute (Institut français) was chosen for its ability to encompass the entire Francophone world. The Institute is the leading place to study material relating to the more than one and a half million French Canadians who immigrated to New England in the 19th and 20th centuries.

As a research center, the French Institute acquires books, documents, and artifacts pertinent to its primary focus: the French presence in North America, with particular emphasis on New England. All aspects of this presence are of interest to the Institute: social, political, cultural, religious, literary, etc. The personal collection of Dr. Claire Quintal formed the early nucleus of the holdings. The donation of their fine library by the Fall River Dominicans greatly enhanced the Institute’s book collection, which had begun to grow with gifts of duplicate books by ACA Assurance (formerly the Association Canado-Américaine) and later the Union St. Jean-Baptiste. From 2003 to 2005, book donations by Dr. Armand Chartier, Mr. Arthur L. Eno, Dr. Gerard Brault and others expanded the library significantly. Documents and artifacts include rich private archives donated by the Jobin-Thibodeau family and by former advisory board president, the late Wilfrid J. Michaud, Jr. In 2004, the Institute’s collection was complemented by the arrival on campus of the Mallet Library of the Union St. Jean-Baptiste, a magnificent collection of Franco-Americana compiled by a successful Franco-American immigrant, Major Edmond Mallet, in the late 19th century.

An active community of scholars engaged in ethnic studies, social history, and linguistic analysis currently utilizes the French Institute collection. Undergraduate students, doctoral candidates, and professional scholars are among these users. Scholarship emerging from study of the Institute collection is of interest and relevance to both specialists and a broader public. As a nation of immigrants, the US continues to face issues regarding diversity that can be illuminated through case studies of ethnicity and assimilation.

The French Institute further seeks to promote knowledge and increase awareness of Francophone North Americans and Francophone questions generally by organizing colloquia and lectures, publishing books, and becoming involved in a variety of cultural projects. The Institute has published conference proceedings on such topics as French-Canadian immigrants to the United States, the Little Canadas of New England, and Franco-American journalism, folklore, education, literature, religion, and women. It has also provided English translations of key texts to make them readily available to non-French speakers. Recent translations include "The Beginnings of the Franco-American Colony in Woonsocket, Rhode Island", by Marie Louise Bonier, "The Franco-Americans of New England: A History", by Armand Chartier, and the collection "Steeples and Smokestacks: The Franco-American Experience in New England", edited by Claire Quintal, now in its second edition.

The Aaron T. Beck Institute for Cognitive Studies, a 1996 addition to the College, serves as the research center for students in the BA and Master's counseling psychology programs.

The Worcester Institute for Senior Education (W.I.S.E.) was started in 1993 when Assumption College began sponsoring a specialized continuing education program for seniors. This program offers non-credit courses in most major academic disciplines to older learners in the community. Currently W.I.S.E. enrolls 450 elder students in 35 courses each semester.

Established in the Fall of 2005, the purpose of the National Catholic Center for Student Aspirations (NCCSA) is to assist in the growth of Catholic education by improving teaching and learning environments in order for students to reach their dreams and lifelong aspirations. It utilizes and focuses on the tradition of the Catholic faith and its own research in school communities which are then used in their efforts to create inspired and comprehensive learning environments.

Campus Life

Residence Halls

First-Year Student Housing: Desautels and Alumni Halls are the double-style residence halls located in the heart of campus. Many first year students desire to live in one of these halls because of their proximity to classes and Taylor Dining Hall. Worcester and Salisbury Hall are buildings that house first year students and sophomores. Worcester and Salisbury are made up of triples and quads, with some singles. Hanrahan, often referred to by students as "B-dorm" is the new Honors Housing option for first year students, starting in the fall of 2006. Nault is a substance-free residence hall, housing students of all four class years. Nault Hall offers singles, doubles, and triples.

Upperclass Housing: All upperclassmen can live in the above residence halls, as well as other residence halls on campus. Young Hall, or "C-dorm" is located on "the Hill" with Hanrahan, Nault, and the Aubuchon and Bissonette townhouses. Young Hall houses mostly sophomores and some juniors in singles, doubles, and triples. The Aubuchon townhouses are six person apartments, and the Bissonette townhouses are four person apartments. Aubuchon and Bissonette both have a living room, kitchen, bathroom, and double bedrooms.

Wachusett Hall and Moquin Hall are five person apartments. Wachusett is made up of mostly juniors, and features a living room, kitchen, private bathroom, and two bedrooms (one double and one triple). Moquin is located in an area of campus known as "The Valley", which is a primarily senior area. Moquin offers a living room, kitchen, private bathroom, and three bedrooms (two doubles and one single). Also in the Valley is Dion Hall, which has the same setup as the Bissonette townhouses. Authier and Dufault Halls round out the Valley housing options. They are six person apartments (hence Authier is often referred to as SixMen) that were revamped and updated in the summer of 2006. Authier and Dufault offer a living room, kitchen, private bathroom, and three double bedrooms.

Built in 2001, Plough Hall (formerly known as North Hall) and South Hall are also six person apartments, located in the upper part of campus. Plough and South Halls feature four bedrooms (two doubles and two singles), a kitchen, two private bathrooms, and a living room. Finally, West Hall is made up of four person suites (sometimes five person suites) with two bedrooms and a bathroom, but no kitchen.

Living/Learning Center: Built in 1998, The Living/Learning Center, or L/LC, is exceptional to the other residence halls because students must apply to live in this building. Every other residence hall must be selected during room selection in the spring. A panel of judges evaluate L/LC applications and select the residents based on certain criteria. The residence hall itself is for four people, split up into two double bedrooms. It features a kitchen, living room, and a private bathroom. Prior to Fall 2006, students needed to perform individual projects all centered on a topic the group decided on in the selection period. However, starting in the 2006-2007 year, each student that lives in the L/LC must now attend interest circles with various professors on campus on a large amount of diverse topics. These topics include music, politics, psychology, the environment, etc. The students change their interest circles each semester.

Athletic Facilities

Multi-Sport Stadium: With more than $21 million raised toward the $30 million goal for the Centennial Campaign (celebrating Assumption's 100-year history), Assumption College announced plans to construct a $3.2 million multi-sport stadium, which opened in September, 2005. The stadium is the key capital project of the second phase of the Centennial Campaign.

The stadium was constructed on the previous site of Assumption’s football/lacrosse field. The new facility support six athletic teams (football, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey) and an outdoor intramural sports program on an infilled, synthetic turf field. It includes lights, elevated grandstand seating for approximately 1,200 spectators, a press box and president’s box. The stadium also includes a dedicated practice area to the north of the competition field.

Notables

*Ernest Fortin, '46, alumnus, Assumptionist, professor, and tennis coach
*Mike Gravel, '50, U.S. Senator from Alaska, and 2008 Presidential Candidate
*Matthew J. Amorello, '79, Massachusetts Politician
*Brian Kelly, '83, Head football coach at University of Cincinnati
*John Stagikas, '01, Professional wrestler who goes by the stage name "Hurricane" John Walters
*Michael Ritchie, '71, Artistic director for plays including "Our Town", "You Never Can Tell" & "A Streetcar Named Desire" et cetra

References

External links

* [http://www.assumption.edu/ Official website]