Albertus Magnus College Blog

Hindsight is 20/20. Looking back on this year, our Fearless Falcons continued to thrive as they faced the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our community persevered with the determination and resilience that defines the Albertus family.

Students, faculty, and staff were both resourceful and thoughtful, pulling together to care for one another and have an Albertus experience, whether virtual or in-person.

Here are some defining moments of this past year leading up to the 95th Anniversary of Albertus Magnus College.

In January 2020, Albertus Magnus College reopened the newly renovated Hubert Campus Center. It quickly became the living room of the campus, where students went to meet up with friends or find a quiet space to study. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and Hamden Mayor Curt Balzano Leng were among the many who joined in this celebration.

Albertus Magnus College signed an official collaboration with the Colegio Santo Tomas de Aquino and Colegio Jordan de Sajona in Bogota, Colombia and Colegio Lacordaire in Cali, Colombia.

“The agreement contributes to the mission of cross-cultural encounter for the promotion of global awareness and peace through education,” said Sr. Ana Gonzalez, OP, who oversees International Admissions at Albertus.

The Most Reverend Juan Miguel Betancourt, S.E.M.V., Auxiliary Bishop at the Archdiocese of Hartford, visited with students, speaking with them about the importance of prayer. Latinx undergraduate students were also given the opportunity to share their experiences with faith at a live panel discussion.

As a first-year program, coached by stand-out swimming instructors Lauren Pallone and graduate assistant Jennifer Long, the Albertus women’s swimming and diving team has been recognized for its outstanding academic achievements, being named to the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Fall 2019 Scholar All-America Team and placed four student-athletes on the New England Intercollegiate Swimming & Diving Association (NEISDA) Fall 2019 All-Academic Team.

Hope. Trust. Open hearts and open minds. These words of compassion spear-headed the list of answers to the question of “how to live faithfully in these challenging times?” This was the inquiry for an ongoing discussion amongst a dozen New Haven and Hamden neighborhood religious leaders who came to Albertus Magnus College’s New Haven campus to share their ideas.

Beginning in February, the New Haven Country Club became the home course for the College’s Men’s Golf Team. This collaboration was in the same spirit as our distinctive agreements with the City of New Haven and the Ralph Walker Skating Rink, the home of our men’s ice hockey team, and the Town of Hamden and Rochford Field, the home of our baseball team.

Come April 2020, Albertus was adapting to a fully on-line learning environment, with no students living on campus and employees working remotely from home, the College community remained committed to maintaining its family culture.

More than half of the faculty and staff volunteered to call every students, extending a compassionate, listening ear and a reassuring message of care.

The Silver Horn Scholarship Fund was established in 2018 with the inauguration of Albertus President, Dr. Marc M. Camille. Silver Horn Scholarships provide essential financial support to enrolled Albertus students who face unexpected financial hardship, assisting them with staying on track to earn their Albertus degrees. In its first two years of existence, the Albertus Golf Classic has raised more than $150,000 in support of essential scholarship support for students.

Experiential learning is learning through the experience of doing – hands on applications and problem solving – both inside and outside the classroom. This year, ELD went virtual; a week-long event of live streamed presentations created by Albertus students on what they accomplished through their research, internships, study abroad, community engagement, or service learning experiences and how they applied what they learned to make a difference in the world.

Despite adversity, the Class of 2020 was ecstatic to have graduated with a college degree! In honor of our Fearless Falcons, we highlighted our outstanding seniors on across the Albertus Magnus College website and social media channels, as well as a created a video slideshow of their four years at the College.

Each graduating student also received a very special message from faculty, staff, and the President himself! Watch the full playlist here.

This year, the College community mourned the loss of its longtime Communications Department Chair, Ronald Waite. He lost a brave, lengthy battle with cancer on July 13. Communications Department Chair since 1975, Waite took great pride in building relationships with students and preparing them for their careers in journalism and beyond.

Albertus Magnus College once again was in the educational spotlight, this time in US News & World Report’s 2021 college rankings, included as a Top 100 Regional University in the North and featured among the top performers in four additional categories: Best Value; Best for Veterans; Top Performers on Social Mobility; and a new category – Best Undergraduate Teaching.

Last April was the College’s third annual Take Back the Night event; a time to raise awareness for domestic and sexual assault on college campuses. The third annual vigil was held as a virtual experience in response to the State of Connecticut’s Stay Home, Stay Safe order. The Albertus community contributed “Selfies for Survivors”, each holding a sign with a supportive message on it.

More than 200 members of the Albertus Magnus College incoming class began moving into residence halls on Tuesday, August 25, 2020 commencing the College’s historic 95th Anniversary Year.

Albertus first opened its doors on September 24, 1925.  This year’s theme was “95 and Thriving.” As a Catholic College whose mission is deeply rooted in the Dominican tradition, the Four Pillars of Study, Prayer, Community, and Service are still very much driving forces at Albertus.

Art materials are an important part of learning to become an art therapist. In an effort to provide equity and accessibility to art materials for learning during the pandemic, the Master of Arts in Art Therapy and Counseling Program (MAATC) provided each student with an art bin of basic, new art supplies and a portfolio for transporting art.

For the first time, Albertus was among the top 40 percent of the 739 colleges that qualified for selection in Money Magazine’s Best Colleges in America.

“Money’s recognition of the value of an Albertus Magnus College education is yet another tremendous accolade that comes as we celebrate 95 years of the College’s life…” said President Marc M. Camille.

The Albertus community was sent into shock at the sudden and tragic loss of a basketball alumnus, Jaqhawn Walters ’18, who died after being shot in Hartford on Saturday. Many Fearless Falcons took to social media to express their sadness and share memories of their lost friend and family member.

A standout forward, Walters scored 1,821 career points and 1,167 rebounds at Albertus and was a D3Hoops.com All-American, GNAC All-Tournament Team, and GNAC Player of the Year.

A liberal arts education teaches you how to think, not what to think. Alumni across industries have found long lasting success after graduating from Albertus Magnus College. For our From The Hill 2020 Edition, we sat down with some of these alumni to talk about their careers in finance, journalism, and education, and more.

The joys of the Holiday Season were needed now more than ever in hopes of overcoming any feelings of restrictions due to the worldwide pandemic. Albertus Magnus College invited the campus community to virtually celebrate the Spirit of Goodwill at the 8th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting this December. Watch the full livestream!