St. Mary's Home >> Upcoming Events
Celebrating Twenty-Five Years
Historic Walking Tours
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BBQ & Bocce Tournament 
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Sunday Picnic
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25th Anniversary Dinner
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September 18 will mark the 25th Anniversary of the founding of St. Mary’s University College. Beginning as St. Mary’s College in 1986 and becoming St. Mary’s University College in 2004, the institution has undergone some significant transformations to become the respected post-secondary institution it is today.
St. Mary’s hosted a series of events in June to begin its anniversary year celebrations. The celebrations kicked off with a Sunday Picnic on June 19. This event was well attended by St. Mary’s staff, faculty, students and people from the surrounding community. While some were having their faces painted like a butterfly or their favorite superhero, others were being baffled by a magician’s sleight of hand. St. Mary’s chemistry professor, Dr. Matthew Clay, had everyone fascinated as he poured liquid nitrogen into milk and made instant ice cream – the edible science experiment – complete with fog! After a few more games, the day concluded with a historic walking tour led by history professor Dr. Gayle Thrift.
June 20 was the Barbeque and Bocce Tournament hosted by St. Mary’s Alumni. Combining different aspects of golf and bocce ball, the alumni volunteers created a game for guests to enjoy that was unique and a lot of fun. The surprise hit of the evening was the competitive Outdoor Jenga. Generously donated prizes were handed out and, in spite of the rain, everyone enjoyed themselves.
Historic walking tours of campus were also conducted by history professor Dr. Norman Knowles throughout the week. Guests learned about the extensive history of the site and the University College culminating in the rare opportunity to see inside the historic water tower.St. Mary’s wrapped up the week of celebrations with an Anniversary Dinner on June 22, which was well attended by donors, supporters, faculty, staff and students. The party atmosphere began with a trip down memory lane featuring music, pictures and trivia from the 80’s. Guests got a special look into St. Mary’s 25 years of history through a video montage featuring memories from several individuals who had been involved from the beginning. Their stories and sentiments reminded us all of just how far we have come. As one guest said, “I remember when we had nothing, no money, no land, no building, no students…. All we had was a dream… a dream of a Catholic University… It seemed impossible… but look at us today!” A special closing tribute was also paid to outgoing President Dr. Terrence Downey.
For more information about St. Mary's 25th Anniversary celebrations, contact Special Events Coordinator Mackenzie Cann at (403) 254-3705.