The Cilento family of Carmel, N.Y. helped their youngest daughter, Digital Media Production major Marina (second from right) move into Sakac Hall on Saturday, August 24. Left to right, Brian Wiebke, Stephanie Cilento ’22, Laura Cilento ’92, Ralph Cilento, Marina Cilento, and Sophia Cilento ’22.
With a sunny summer morning as the backdrop, Mount Saint Mary College welcomed the next generation of freshmen on Saturday, August 24.
The Mount’s new president, Dr. Robert Gervasi, was on-hand to help the students move in. Dr. Gervasi began his tenure at the college in June.
“It’s very exciting to be here at Mount Saint Mary College, and that excitement has only grown,” said Dr. Gervasi. “Dominican Education has never had a more important role to play and I’m happy to be part of that at a very storied institution.”
With new friends and academic adventure awaiting them, the students were excited to be on campus.
Studying at the Mount has become a family affair for freshman Marina Cilento of Carmel, N.Y., a Digital Media Production major, whose mother (Laura ’92) and twin sisters (Stephanie ‘22 and Sophia ’22) are proud alumni of the college.
“I wasn’t planning on going to the Mount because I wanted to be different,” said Cilento. “But I came here and I loved it. It was just the perfect place, the class size was great, and the people I met were great. So I was very excited being with a group of people who love doing what I do.”
Cilento chose her Digital Media Production major based on her strong interest in film, having chosen electives in the medium in high school.
“I want to be happy with what I’m doing,” she explained. “I want to go with whatever my passion is, and this is my passion. So I’m going to be really happy.”
Freshman Angelia Robinson, a Biology major from West Springfield, Mass., was excited to meet her suitemates on Saturday. Robinson had moved into Sakac Hall the week prior to begin training with her fellow Knights Soccer team members.
“It’s been really fun so far,” said Robinson. “The Mount is good athletically and academically, which you don’t find too often.”
There were also plenty of Education students starting their Mount journey on Saturday. Madeline Hoyt of Kingston, N.Y. is on the college’s Early Childhood Education track. She was excited to begin their first steps in her teaching career.
“I love working with children,” she explained. “I’m looking forward to being a teacher!”
Hoyt added that she made the right choice when she picked the Mount: “The people here are very welcoming and I like the environment here.”
The college also offers comprehensive areas of study in Nursing, Business, Math, Information Technology, Sociology, History, and more.
After moving in to their new residence halls, freshmen and transfer students attended Academic Convocation, which marks the arrival of the Mount’s newest students and mirrors the graduation ceremony that awaits them upon completion of their degrees. The students processed from the Dominican Center down to Aquinas Hall, where they were recognized for starting their academic journey.
There is much to look forward to in the Fall 2024 semester at the Mount, which began two days later on Monday, August 26.
Meet our new president
Dr. Robert Gervasi, the college’s eighth president, began his tenure on Monday, June 17, and he hit the ground running! Among many other initiatives, he began his first week as president by meeting with members of the college’s faculty and staff and set in motion plans for the college’s future.
The week before he began as president of the Mount, Dr. Gervasi attended the biannual Colloquium of Dominican Colleges and Universities at Edgewood College in Madison, Wis. to further immerse himself in the Mount’s Dominican heritage.
Dr. Gervasi has more than three decades of experience in higher education administration, with 14 years as a college president. This includes four years as president of Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio, and nearly a decade as president of Quincy University in Quincy, Ill. He also has extensive teaching experience, having taught courses in Greek and Roman civilization, religion, historiography, business, philosophy, ethics, and more.
He earned an Honors AB in Classics from Xavier University, an MA and PhD in Classics from The Ohio State University, and an MBA in Marketing from the Wharton School. A former Fulbright Scholar, he now serves as Board Chair of the Fulbright Association.
View the photo gallery:
