Week one of the College of Saint Elizabeth’s (CSE) 109th academic year has passed and already this year’s incoming students have seamlessly transitioned themselves into College life.

The College welcomed nearly 200 new Women’s College students onto campus for its three-day Orientation program, designed to help them feel at home and introduce them to the wide-range of academic and extracurricular opportunities at their disposal.

CSE President Sister Francis Raftery, along with student Orientation leaders, was excited to be the first to welcome students and help them move into their dorm rooms. While the whole experience was bittersweet for parents, the students were all smiles as they were about to start some of the best years of their lives.

First-year Women’s College student Megan Long (Photo by Courtney Smolen)

First-year student and great niece of CSE Chemistry and Biochemistry Professor Sister Marian José Smith, Megan Long, ’12, is the fourth female in her family to attend the College; her sister Kelly graduated in 2000 and her cousins Kristin and Jaclyn Scappiccio graduated in 2007 and 2008. 

The declared English and Communications major from Parsippany came to the College back in 1998 to perform Peaseblossom in William Shakespeare’s “A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream” at the College’s Greek Theatre. It was the first play she performed in and immediately connected her to the College in a personal way.

When it came time for Ms. Long to decide which college she wanted to attend, the choice was obvious.  “Coming back to CSE for the open house reminded me of the memories I had when I was little. My sister always has great things to say about the college, and I always knew this was the place for me.”

Meanwhile, across campus, the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies welcomed approximately 450 adult students. The new students from the Graduate, Continuing Studies, and Center for Theological and Spiritual Development will be taking more than 9,000 credits this fall. Overall, the School has more than 1450 students enrolled for the fall 2008 semester.