History

Transformation Through the Decades

Twelve pioneering students, one little gray building and a wealth of ambition. The humble beginnings and bold aspirations of St. Joseph's College for Women over a century ago became the foundation of a world-class institution that graduates more than 1,500 students annually at campuses in Brooklyn and Long Island, as well as online, and counts 43,000 alumni worldwide.

Founded by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, the College has spent its first 10 decades honing and perfecting its craft, providing access to excellence and enabling women — and eventually men — to grasp and then reach their full potential. History reflects St. Joseph’s as an institution built on tradition, motivated by innovation and strengthened by a desire to adapt to changing times.

Below is a timeline that highlights significant moments in St. Joseph's rich history.

1916

St. Joseph’s College for Women, in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn, opens its doors to a dozen students. The long-awaited institution — founded by the progressive Sisters of St. Joseph — initially calls St. Angela Hall home.

1917-18

Supporting Veterans During the First World War
Our College community began demonstrating its ever-present commitment to U.S. veterans by supporting World War I efforts through a variety of activities, including joining the Red Cross, selling cakes and candies to raise funds for the soldiers, and sewing outfits for babies whose fathers were away fighting in the war. 

1921

Archbishop Thomas E. Molloy becomes the College’s second president, following the death of Bishop Charles E. McDonnell, the College’s first president.

1929

St. Joseph's obtains a permanent charter from the University of the State of New York.

1934

Soon after expanding its curriculum to include child development classes, St. Joseph’s opens one of the East Coast’s first laboratory preschools. The program’s success established St. Joseph’s as one of the most innovative institutions for teacher preparation in New York City. It later is renamed the Dillon Child Study Center in 1968.

1939

The Clement Family building adjoining campus in Clinton Hill is purchased and turned into an outdoor theater. It’s the third structure acquired by the College in five years. Earlier, the College purchased the Allison House at 265 Clinton Ave. and the Pratt House at 232 Clinton Ave.

1940

The College introduces a Child Study major, which would later become one of St. Joseph’s hallmark programs. The program consistently ranks among the best teaching programs in the New York Metropolitan area.

1941

Enrollment reaches 469 and the number of alumni climbs to nearly 1,200 as St. Joseph’s celebrates its 25th anniversary.

1941-1945

World War II
Members of the College sewed clothes for people in war-torn countries, sold war bonds and stamps, and collected goods to help provide supplies to those in need. Students also entertained war production workers at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

1945

The Rev. William T. Dillon becomes the third president of St. Joseph's College.

1956

Sister Vincent Thérèse Tuohy becomes St. Joseph’s first female president.

1960-65

Sisters Participate in the Civil Rights Movement
Members of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph worked in and around Selma, Alabama, in the early 1960s, actively taking part in the Civil rights movement. They endured objects being thrown at them and witnessed brutal, vicious acts of racism, all while offering support to Black people in the area.

1965

The College’s McEntegart Hall Library opens on Clinton Ave.

1968

The campus’ preschool moves into a newly constructed building and is renamed the Dillon Child Study Center.

1969

S. George Aquin O’Connor becomes the College’s fifth president.

1969

The College changes its name from St. Joseph’s College for Women to simply St. Joseph’s College, admitting its first male students and making the transformation to coeducational institution.

1975

The College establishes the School of Adult and Professional Education.

1979

St. Joseph’s Long Island campus opens in Patchogue, absorbing what had been an extension program in Brentwood since 1971. Full-time enrollment surges past 2,000 students across the two campuses.

1985

The Clare Rose Playhouse opens on the Long Island campus. It’s the campus’ first significant modification.

1989

The Callahan Library opens on the Long Island campus.

1994

St. Joseph’s establishes Weekend College at the Long Island campus. The College offers undergraduate courses to working adults in flexible time frames, allowing these students to balance their many work and family commitments.

1995

St. Joseph's introduces its first graduate degree, an M.A. in Infant/Toddler Therapeutic Education.

1997

S. Elizabeth A. Hill, C.S.J., J.D., becomes the College’s sixth president and establishes the Council for the Arts to provide fine and performing arts programming to St. Joseph's and its surrounding communities.

1997

The John A. Danzi Athletic Center opens at the College’s Long Island campus. The facility continues to serve as the home venue for the campus’ NCAA Division III indoor sports teams.

1998

St. Joseph's purchases a five-story brownstone at 256 Clinton Ave. in Brooklyn to be used as staff and faculty office space.

2000

The Academic Center for Enhancement Services (ACES) at the Marygrace Calhoun Dunn Center opens to provide assistance to English Language Learner (ELL) students.

2001

The College purchases its original home in Brooklyn, St. Angela Hall Academy.

2002

Long Island campus opens the 33,000-square-foot Business Technology Center in the heart of campus.

2004

St. Joseph’s adds its first MBA program to its growing roster of graduate-level offerings. The College now offers more than 20 graduate degrees.

2008

The College holds its inaugural Golden Eagle Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony and honors the first class of inductees.

2012

St. Joseph’s College unveils its new athletic complex: a 24.8 acre, state-of-the-art outdoor sports facility that is home to our baseball, softball, soccer, tennis and women's lacrosse teams.

2013

A Hospitality and Tourism Management program (HTM) is launched at the College, and becomes the only four-year HTM degree program offered on Long Island. The Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Management (IHTM) at St. Joseph’s College is also established — to provide a leading voice in the discussion of responsible tourism and hospitality.

2013

The Brooklyn Campus launched The Writer's Foundry, the first boutique M.F.A. program in the College's history and in Brooklyn. Inspired by one of our most distinguished alumni, esteemed poet Marie Birmingham Ponsot '40, the program prepares an exclusive cohort of up-and-coming writers to succeed in all areas of literary life.

2014

The Brooklyn campus opens The Hill Center, a state-of-the-art, 40,000-square-foot athletic and multipurpose facility on Vanderbilt Avenue. It quickly becomes LEED Gold-certified, a designation that declares the facility is designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.

2014

Jack P. Calareso, Ph.D., becomes St. Joseph's College's seventh president and the first lay leader of the College.

2015

St. Joseph's College adds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to its undergraduate programs on both campuses. The program prepares students for careers as registered professional nurses.

2015

The College launches its fully online learning community, launches, immediately offering 15 online degree programs. Soon after its launch, enrollment skyrockets, growing by nearly 500%.

2016

The Long Island campus launches a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and the Brooklyn campus announced a Master of Science in Forensic Computing. The Long Island campus introduces a master’s in forensic computing program the following year.

2017

Donald R. Boomgaarden, Ph.D., becomes the College’s eighth president.

2018

Our fully online program becomes a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and begins offering more than 20 fully online certificate, undergraduate and graduate degree programs to students in all 50 states.

2019

President Boomgaarden announces a three-year strategic plan, “Living Our Mission,” designed to help grow the future success of the College and its students.

2020

The College announces the imminent construction of a state-of-the-art 32,000-square-foot multi-million dollar Long Island Student Center, to serve the institution’s growing student population. Construction begins in June 2021.

2020-2021

As much as ever before, the St. Joseph’s College community demonstrates the institution’s motto, Esse non videri, “To be, not to seem,” in continuing to fulfill its mission throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The College pivots to virtual learning via Zoom, Google Meet and other video conferencing options, then later offers a broad number of hybrid learning options, including in-person, virtual and traditional online classes.

2022

Effective April 12, 2022, the New York State Regents, along with the New York State Department of Education, has officially granted St. Joseph’s university status.

2023

The Long Island campus unveils its Student Center, a $17 million state-of-the-art, 33,200-square-foot ultra modern building to serve as the epicenter of student life on campus, with a ceremonial ribbon cutting in October 2023.