Anna Maria College is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Catholic college in

Paxton, Massachusetts Paxton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,004 at the 2020 census. History Paxton was first settled by Europeans in 1749 and was officially incorporated in 1765. It was previously occupied by the ...

, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a

women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male st ...

, but has been

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

since 1973. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

History

Anna Maria College was founded in 1946 as a

by the Sisters of Saint Anne, after receiving formal approval from

Richard Cushing Richard James Cushing (August 24, 1895 – November 2, 1970) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Boston from 1944 to 1970 and was made a cardinal in 1958. Cushing's main role was as fundraiser and builder ...

, the Archbishop of Boston. The original campus was in

Marlborough, Massachusetts Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,793 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high ...

. In 1951, the college moved to its present location in Paxton. Four years later, accreditation by the

New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC ) is an American educational organization that accredits private and public secondary schools (high schools and technical/career institutions), primarily in New England. It also ...

was issued. In 1973, Anna Maria College became

, and a year later, began graduate degree programs. On April 3, 1980, the Sisters of Saint Anne ceased involvement in running the school, and a Board of Trustees was established. In 2004, the college established the Molly Bish Center for the Protection of Children and the Elderly.

Academics

Anna Maria College has an average annual enrollment of around 1,500 students, which consist of mostly undergraduate and graduate students, as well as some continuing education learners. Rooted in the traditions of Catholic education, the college combines liberal arts and sciences education with career preparation. The college is divided into six academic schools: the School of Business; the School of Education; the School of Justice and Social Sciences; the School of Fire and Health Sciences; the School of Visual and Performing Arts; and the School of Humanities.

Athletics

Anna Maria College has thirteen Division III athletic teams, known as the AMCATS (Anna Maria College Athletic Team Sports), in the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA), including men's baseball, basketball, cross country, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and soccer; and women's basketball, cross country, field hockey, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The school is a member of the

Great Northeast Athletic Conference The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). History Chronological timeline * 1995 – In 1995, th ...

(GNAC). Football is played in the

Eastern Collegiate Football Conference The Eastern Collegiate Football Conference (ECFC) was a football-only intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Founded in 2009, it combined four schools spread across the states of Massachusetts and New Yor ...

(ECFC). Anna Maria was also a charter member of the

Commonwealth Coast Conference The Conference of New England (CNE), formerly known as the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), is an List of NCAA conferences, intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division ...

(CCC), which it competed in from 1984 to 2011 before joining the GNAC.

Notable faculty

* Craig Blais (English) * Mark Eshbaugh (art) * Thomas Lewis (art) * Brian Mitchell (history)

Notable alumni

* Geraldo Alicea, member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

* Catherine Cool Rumsey, member of the

Rhode Island Senate The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of w ...

* James M. Cummings, sheriff of Barnstable County * Ed Davis, Police Commissioner of the

Boston Police Department The Boston Police Department (BPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1854, the BPD is the oldest municipal police department in the United States. It is also the 20th largest law enforce ...

* Brendan Doherty, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police *

Shawn Dooley Shawn C. Dooley is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the 9th Norfolk district, succeeding Dan Winslow. The 9th Norfolk District constitutes all or par ...

, member of the

* James J. Dwyer, member of the

* William B. Evans, Police Commissioner of the

Raymond Hull Raymond Hull (27 February 1919 – 7 June 1985) was an England-born Canadians, Canadian playwright, television screenwriter, and lecturer. He also wrote many non-fiction books, numerous magazine articles, short stories, and poetry. He is best kno ...

, member of the

Rhode Island House of Representatives The Rhode Island House of Representatives is the lower house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the upper house being the Rhode Island Senate. It is ...

Brian Patrick Kennedy Brian Patrick Kennedy (born January 3, 1961, in Westerly, Rhode Island) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing District 38 since January 2003. Kennedy served consecutively fro ...

, member of the

* Frederica Williams, President of the Whittier Street Health Center * Steven Xiarhos, member of the

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{authority control Anna Maria College Universities and colleges established in 1946 Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Universities and colleges in Worcester County, Massachusetts Catholic universities and colleges in Massachusetts Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities 1946 establishments in Massachusetts