Saint Joseph's College of Maine 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

Standish, Maine Standish is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 10,244 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Standish Corner, Sebago Lake Village and Steep Falls, and the localities known as Richville, Elmwood, Stan ...

, United States. It is the only Catholic college in Maine. Saint Joseph's College Online offers its online programs to 2,400 students in 50 states and nine countries.

History

Saint Joseph's was founded by the

Sisters of Mercy The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute for women in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. In 2019, the institute had about 6,200 Religious sister, sisters worldwide, organized into a number ...

in 1912. The college, run by a lay and religious Board of Trustees, was located on the convent grounds in nearby Portland until 1956 when it moved to its lakeside location in Standish. In 1970, Saint Joseph's became coeducational and six years later began a distance education program for working adults.

Academics

On campus, the college offers more than 40 majors, minors and partnership programs. The average class size is 14. The student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1. On campus, the college offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional programs. The most popular majors are nursing, business, education, exercise science/sports management, and biology. Through Saint Joseph's College Online, there are roughly 2,400 students enrolled in more than 30 academic programs leading to bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as associate degrees and certificates. Support for students includes counselors, advisors, online tutors, an IT help desk, and financial aid. Students also have the option to take courses on campus during the summer.

Accreditation and approvals

The college is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and othe ...

. The nursing program is also approved by the Maine State Board of Nursing and accredited by the

Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) is a nursing education accrediting agency in the United States. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The commission's headquarters are in Washington, D.C. CCNE acc ...

. The Elementary Education and Physical Education majors and the Secondary Education minor are approved by the state of Maine.

Student life

Honor societies

Delta Epsilon Sigma Delta Epsilon Sigma () is an American scholastic honor society that was established for students of Catholic universities and colleges. It was established at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 1939. Delta Epsilon Sigma has 119 chapters across th ...

, a national scholastic honor society for students of Catholic colleges and universities, has been at Saint Joseph's College since 1950. * Sigma Theta Tau International is the nursing honor society and exists to promote the development, dissemination and utilization of nursing knowledge. Sigma Theta Tau is committed to improving the health of people worldwide through increasing the scientific base of nursing practice. The Kappa Zeta chapter-at-large of Sigma Theta Tau was chartered at Saint Joseph's College in April 1988.

Athletics

Saint Joseph's College teams are known as the Monks. The college fields

NCAA 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. ...

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

sport in soccer, track and field, volleyball (women only), swimming, basketball, golf, field hockey, baseball, softball, lacrosse, and cross country. The college 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), the

Eastern College Athletic Conference The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 15 sports (13 men's and 13 women's). It has 220 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location from ...

(ECAC). Intramural teams include everything from basketball to bowling; club sports include dance team, cheerleading, ice hockey and ultimate Frisbee. The athletic center is equipped with a full gym, indoor track, pool, and dance/aerobics room. The 2012 SJC baseball team was ranked 14th in the country in the DIII NCAA ranking. The baseball rankings for the 2013 season was projecting SJC at 12th in the country. With a win against #1 Wheaton College, the Monks moved up to #9 in the country.

Notable alumni

* Pat DeCola (2009), sportswriter * Randy Freer (1982), television executive * Charlie Furbush, professional baseball player * Andrea Gibson, poet and activist * Marilyn Lacey,

religious sister A religious sister (abbreviated: Sr.) in the Catholic Church is a woman who has taken public vows in a religious institute dedicated to apostolic works, as distinguished from a nun who lives a cloistered monastic life dedicated to prayer and ...

and director and founder of Mercy Beyond Borders * Craig Luschenat,

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

assistant coach * Bonnie Newman, administrator and business executive * Sheri Piers, distance runner

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Joseph's College Of Maine Sisters of Mercy colleges and universities Educational institutions established in 1912 Universities and colleges in Cumberland County, Maine Standish, Maine Catholic universities and colleges in Maine Former women's universities and colleges in the United States Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland 1912 establishments in Maine Private universities and colleges in Maine Women's education in Maine