Assumption College
Encyclopedia : A : AS : ASS : Assumption College
- This article is about the college in Worcester, Massachusetts. For other colleges of the same name see Assumption College (disambiguation)
College history
Undergraduate Day College
Assumption was founded in the year 1904 by the Augustinians of the Assumption, a Catholic order under the Augustinian Rule dedicated to service through teaching and the dogma of the Assumption of Mary. The original campus was located in the Greendale section of Worcester, on a tract of hillside land. In these early years, enrollment was exclusively male, primarily of French-Canadien heritage. Most courses were taught in French, though a very few were taught in English.In June 1953, a tornado cut a path of destruction through several Western and Central Massachusetts communities, including the city of Worcester. Several campus buildings were destroyed or severely damaged by this tornado. Although the Assumption Preparatory School stayed on the rebuilt campus until circa 1970, the College relocated to a new campus off Salisbury St, in the West side of the city, officially opening in 1956.The old Assumption campus complex was sold to the state after the prep school closed , and is today the home of Quinsigamond Community College.
In 1969, Assumption became a coeducational institution, allowing both laymen and -women into the faculty and female students into its programs of study.
Centennial festivities began early in January 2004, celebrating the College's 100th year.
Continuing education
Assumption's first effort at continuing education began in 1954 with the founding of the Evening College, later known as the St. Augustine Institute. Non-credit courses were offered two years later with the founding of The Adult Education Center. Both facilities were coeducational and open to the public. Assumption phased out both facilities in the late 1960s.In 1979, Assumption launched a second effort at continuing adult education with the Center for Continuing and Professional Education. This new facility combines the credited courses of the old Evening College and the non-credit work of the Adult Education Center into one office. The Center is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the same year as the undergraduate College's Centennial.
College Institutes
The French Institute (Institut français), founded in 1979, serves as a specialized research center for students studying French history, culture and language.
The Institute was founded by Father Wilfrid J. Dufault, A.A., the late chancellor emeritus of the College, and Dr. Claire Quintal, founding director emerita, in order to preserve the French heritage of Assumption College and of the region (New England). The Institute is both an academic research facility and a center for French cultural activities. Although its main goals are to foster the preservation and study of the records of the history and cultural traditions of French ethnicity on this continent, the name French Institute (Institut français) was chosen for its ability to encompass the entire francophone world. The Institute is the leading place to study material relating to the more than one and a half million French Canadians who immigrated to New England in the 19th and 20th centuries.
As a research center, the French Institute acquires books, documents, and artifacts pertinent to its primary focus: the French presence in North America, with particular emphasis on New England. All aspects of this presence are of interest to us: social, political, cultural, religious, literary, etc. The personal collection of Dr. Claire Quintal formed the early nucleus of the holdings. The donation of their fine library by the Fall River Dominicans greatly enhanced the Institute’s book collection, which had begun to grow with gifts of duplicate books by ACA Assurance (formerly the Association Canado-Américaine) and later the Union St. Jean-Baptiste. From 2003 to 2005, book donations by Dr. Armand Chartier, Mr. Arthur L. Eno, Dr. Gerard Brault and others expanded our library significantly. Documents and artifacts include rich private archives donated by the Jobin-Thibodeau family and by former advisory board president, the late Wilfrid J. Michaud, Jr. In 2004, the Institute’s collection was complemented by the arrival on campus of the Mallet Library of the Union St. Jean-Baptiste, a magnificent collection of Franco-Americana compiled by a successful Franco-American immigrant, Major Edmond Mallet, in the late 19th century.
An active community of scholars engaged in ethnic studies, social history, and linguistic analysis currently utilizes the French Institute collection. Undergraduate students, doctoral candidates, and professional scholars are among these users. Scholarship emerging from study of the Institute collection is of interest and relevance to both specialists and a broader public. As a nation of immigrants, the US continues to face issues regarding diversity that can be illuminated through case studies of ethnicity and assimilation.
The French Institute further seeks to promote knowledge and increase awareness of francophone North Americans and francophone questions generally by organizing colloquia and lectures, publishing books, and becoming involved in a variety of cultural projects. The Institute has published conference proceedings on such topics as French-Canadian immigrants to the United States, the Little Canadas of New England, and Franco-American journalism, folklore, education, literature, religion, and women. It has also provided English translations of key texts to make them readily available to non-French speakers. Recent translations include The Beginnings of the Franco-American Colony in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, by Marie Louise Bonier, The Franco-Americans of New England: A History, by Armand Chartier, and the collection Steeples and Smokestacks: The Franco-American Experience in New England, edited by Claire Quintal, now in its second edition.
The Aaron T. Beck Institute for Cognitive Studies, a 1996 addition to the College, serves as the research center for students in the BA and Master's counseling psychology programs.
The Worcester Institute for Senior Education (W.I.S.E.) was started in 1993 when Assumption College began sponsoring a specialized continuing education program for seniors. This program offers non-credit courses in most major academic disciplines to older learners in the community. Currently W.I.S.E. enrolls 450 elder students in 35 courses each semester.
External links
- [Assumption College Homepage]
- * [Assumption Centennial Website]
- * [Assumption Magazine]
- * [Student-run newspaper, Le Provocateur]
- * [Institut français / French Institute]
- [Colleges of Worcester Consortium Homepage]
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