The College of Saint Elizabeth was formally opened on September 11, 1899, with Sister Mary Pauline Kelligar as its first president. The freshman class included six members, one from New Jersey, one from Illinois, one from New York and three from Massachusetts. Four members of the class were graduates of the Academy of Saint Elizabeth, located on the campus of the newly established college.

Incorporated under the New Jersey State law on May 29, 1900, the College granted its first baccalaureate degrees on June 18, 1903. There were four women in this first class: Mary Ennis, Esther Kenna, Blanche Maskell and H. Seton McCabe.

Shown in this formal Class of 1903 portrait are, from left to right, as follows:
Mary Ennis, Esther Kenna (later Sister Esther Maria),
Seton McCabe, and Blanche Maskell (later Sister Blanche Marie). (CSE Archives.)

From its origin to the present, the College has been a distinctly Catholic institution of higher education, welcoming students and employees of many religious traditions.

By the wise foresight of the founders, the professional preparation of the Sisters appointed to the faculty has received paramount attention. From the very early years of the twentieth century, the Sisters of Charity were studying at prestigious colleges and universities throughout the United States including Harvard and Yale, and have obtained masters and doctoral degrees at many prestigious American colleges and universities, including Chicago, Columbia, Fordham, and New York Universities.

During the early years of the College, the graduates of the College and Academy established one Alumnae Association. As the number of graduates from both institutions steadily increased, distinct alumnae associations for the College and the Academy were founded effective in November 1919. Since the spring of 1920, the College of Saint Elizabeth Alumnae Association has raised funds for scholarships, buildings and furnishings, and all anniversary celebrations held throughout the successive decades.

In 1905, the New York State Board of Regents notified the College of the registration of its degrees with that board, and in 1917 the Association of American Universities placed the College of Saint Elizabeth on its approved list of Colleges and Universities. Included among the accredited colleges listed by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in its first official listing in 1921, the College of Saint Elizabeth continually has maintained such accreditation.

The College's programs involving teacher education, as described in its catalogs, are approved by the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification. The upper division Nursing Program is accredited by the National League of Nursing and approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing. The Foods and Nutrition major is approved by the American Dietetic Association as a Didactic Program in Dietetics (Plan V) leading to the B.S. degree. The Dietetic Internship Program, a graduate certification program, also carries ADA approval.

In 1970, the College established a Continuing Education program to respond to the needs of older women seeking to complete interrupted degree programs or to update or augment their formal education. The press for "non-traditional age adults," both women and men, to obtain degrees while maintaining full-time employment led the College to initiate a Weekend College Program in 1976. In 1994 Continuing Education was renamed Continuing Studies and the Adult Undergraduate Degree Programs were established, permitting the centralization of Weekend College, Continuing Studies, and Nursing, the programs and services offered to adult students.

In 1993 the College received approval from the New Jersey Board of Higher Education to offer a Master of Arts in Education: Human Services Leadership. The following year the Board of Higher Education approved the M.S. in Nutrition. The New Jersey Presidents' Council approved the M.A. in Counseling Psychology in 1994, as well as the M.A. in Theology and the M.A. in Educational Technology in 1995. Two additional programs were approved by the New Jersey Presidents' Council in 1997: the M.S. in Health Care Management and the M.S. in Management.

Since its opening in 1899, the College has maintained its dedication to the development of leaders and to the full participation of women in society.

There have been only six Presidents in its history: Sister Mary Pauline Kelligar, Sister Marie Jose Byrne, Sister Hildegarde Marie Mahoney, Sister Elizabeth Ann Maloney, Sister Jacqueline Burns, and Sister Francis Raftery. These dedicated Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth have provided outstanding leadership marked by faith, courage, and vision. The Board of Trustees consists of the chancellor, who is the Bishop of the Paterson Diocese; the chairperson, who is the General Superior of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth; the president-treasurer, who is the President of the College; the secretary, who is elected by the members; and additional members. These members are primarily responsible for establishing or approving general policies for the administration of the College, nomination of the President, and financial stability and are noted for devoting their time and resources to making the College a pre-eminent institution of higher education.

Top row, left to right: Sister Mary Pauline Kelligar, Sister Marie Jose Bryne, Sister Hildegarde Marie Mahoney
Bottom row, left to right: Sister Elizabeth Ann Maloney, Sister Jacqueline Burns, Sister Francis Raftery

Today, 105 years and more than 10,000 graduates after its founding, the College of Saint Elizabeth remains strong, with a growing enrollment and a vital purpose. "The mission of the College of Saint Elizabeth is to be a community of learning in the Catholic liberal arts tradition for students of diverse ages, backgrounds, and cultures. Characterized by this strong Catholic identity and values, the College is committed to scholarship and critical inquiry. It fosters just and ethical relationships and the promotion of women as full partners in society in all its programs, including those which enroll both women and men. With quality teaching as a primary activity and the development of leadership in a spirit of service and social responsibility for others, the College promotes a caring, personal environment where students learn by example as well as by participation throughout their educational experience." As Mother Mary Xavier Mehegan and the other founders believed in the 1890's, we believe in the 2000's, that the College will flourish and continue to provide a value-centered education that responds to society's needs in the 21st century.