Anna Maria College proudly announces that 2021 marks the College’s 75th Anniversary. The year will highlight the campus’s growth and impact through the years and recognize the service and contributions of the College’s alumni.
“The values instilled through an Anna Maria College education and the impact of our graduates are front and center for 2021,” said Anna Maria College President Mary Lou Retelle. “It speaks to the wisdom of the Sisters of St. Anne in establishing an institution that associates a quality education with social responsibility. The challenges in today’s world and the recent pandemic particularly affirms the importance of service to community. It is more critical than ever to have a citizenry that is well-educated, ethically-grounded and ready to serve and we especially honor those alumni working toward the public good.”
The Sisters of St. Anne established Anna Maria College on April 23, 1946 in Marlborough as the congregation recognized that education empowered economic opportunity and community involvement and decided to offer additional access to higher education in the region. Anna Maria’s success enabled the College to move to Paxton in 1951 and become a co-educational institution in 1974.
The College’s growth over the 75 years will be celebrated through numerous community events and programs and will culminate in the annual Service and Success Gala where the Presidential Award for exhibiting Anna Maria’s mission and values will be awarded to selected alumni and friends of the College.
“Those involved over these 75 years have been committed to being an outward-facing institution,” added President Retelle. “This is evident in our vast alumni network of critical thinkers and essential workers. As a knowledge resource, we continue to build innovative partnerships and expand access to an education for those who wish to become a part of this public service network. We are extremely proud of our rich history and are ready to address the future challenges with the same commitment of faith, reason, justice and inclusion that are imbedded in our values as an institution.”
