CELEBRATING 60 YEARS WRITTEN BY DR. DONALD MONNIN
2021
1961
Affirming the Past, Building the Future.
2021
marks the 60th Anniversary of Villa Maria College. This momentous occasion in the life of the College testifies to the significance of Villa’s mission, programs,
and people who have impacted Western New York for many years. Today, Villa Maria College offers its students 18 different majors, 26 minors, and 2 certificate programs in a wide range of academic programs. The College’s academic offering ranges from health sciences to digital media arts, to fine arts and design, to humanities and social sciences and more. Over the last 60 years, thousands of students throughout the Western New York area and beyond have come to call
Villa Maria College home. Its origins, however, are quite humble. The College was founded in 1961 by the Felician Sisters. It was originally opened to provide the first two years of college for their Sisters who were preparing to become schoolteachers. Classes were taught in various rooms in the Convent of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which is located on Doat Street. In 1964, Villa Maria opened the doors to its present-day campus on Pine Ridge Road. Four years after the College was
History OF VILLA MARIA COLLEGE The 60s:
I always think about those days. Villa was the right place for me at that time in my life. I liked its small size. It gave me enormous flexibility to organize things. We really impacted change around the community. That was fairly unique. I don’t know if I would have received that at a big school.
1960: Mother Mary Annette
Guzowski, CSSF, the first College president, and the Felician Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province open a teacher-training center for sisters in the education apostolate.
- Michael O’Mara | ’68 - ‘70
1964: Dedication and
official opening of Villa Maria College campus Main Building complex.
1961: The Center secures a
provisional charter from the Board of Regents of the State of New York to grant associate degrees in arts and applied science to women religious and begins operating as Villa Maria College of Buffalo.
8 | VISTAS THE MAGAZINE OF VILLA MARIA COLLEGE
1965:
The charter is extended to include laywomen as students.
1968: The College is granted
an absolute charter and is recognized as a co-ed institution.
1967: Sister Mary
Pachomia Lenda, CSSF, is appointed as the second president of the College.
1971: Mr. James H.
Righter becomes the first laymen to chair the Board of Trustees.
1972: The College becomes fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
The 70s:
