Beyond Greatness

8/4/2021

Mount Earns National Endorsement for Exceptional Academic and Career Development Programs for 21 Years and Counting

Every year, Colleges of Distinction hand-picks a selection of top schools that provide a personalized education for their students. Fewer than 400 colleges and universities nationwide receive the title of ‘College of Distinction’ and the University of Mount Saint Vincent continues to be among them.

Not only were we included as a 2021-2022 College of Distinction, but we were recognized for efforts in six additional categories. Our inclusion on the various lists validates and celebrates that Mount Saint Vincent continues to provide exceptional, life-changing opportunities for all students in and outside the classroom.

The six categories—New York, Catholic, Career Development, Business, Education, and Nursing—reaffirm the College’s commitment as an academically excellent, authentically inclusive, independent liberal arts college.

Every school profiled has been honored for the excellence of its programs, highly recommended by those knowledgeable about college education. Included institutions align with four overarching distinctions: student engagement, teaching, community, and outcomes.

“We complete a thorough review of the programs before granting the honors,” said Tyson Schritter, Chief Operating Officer for Colleges of Distinction. “We’re looking for qualities such as accreditation, breadth of program, advising and mentoring, integration of career services, and successful outcomes for students. It’s wonderful to see how Mount Saint Vincent really exemplifies these qualities.”

The Mount is frequently recognized—as a regional leader by U.S. News and World Report, as third in the nation for upward mobility by The Chronicle of Higher Education, and even as one of the top 50 best small colleges in the nation by Money magazine—so it’s no surprise that year after year Mount Saint Vincent claims a spot as a College of Distinction.

Colleges of Distinction focuses on highlighting student-centered schools like the Mount, whose approach to education ensures the application of theory to practice while fostering a dynamic academic community, enhanced by numerous activities outside the classroom and beyond the Riverdale campus.

Mount students expand their perspectives through the richness of New York City with the support of a close-knit academic community. Students are only minutes away from the best the City has to offer. From its academic, cultural, and professional institutions to its history and the dynamics of its diverse population, New York offers countless and unparalleled ways to enrich an education.

The Mount’s location in and proximity to the heart of the City, as well as its liberal arts curriculum allows students to gain practical experience and apply theory in professional settings. Accounting, business, and economics students visit the New York Stock Exchange; visual arts students complete outdoor photography tours throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn; and biology students conduct ecological studies in the Hudson River and Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. Professors also encourage and host trips to galleries, scholarly collections, and museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

“Every student has their own unique set of abilities, their own goals, and their own ideal settings in which they would thrive,” said Colleges of Distinction founder Wes Creel. “That’s why we don’t rank our schools. It’s about finding the best opportunities for each individual’s needs and desires. Mount Saint Vincent’s inclusion is informed by the unique ways it commits to achieving success.”

Education at the Mount goes beyond knowledge, skills, and preparation for work. Here, we cultivate independent thinkers ready to apply critical inquiry toward lives of leadership, service, and innovation. For instance, the Mount Mentors program, which connects accomplished industry leaders with academically outstanding students who receive the opportunity to refine their professional skills and valuable networking resources. The program supports the development of lasting relationships while emphasizing the transferability of skills outside the classroom.

Most importantly, the Mount opens the door to opportunity for all through programs such as Mount Pathways, which offers promising students the chance to maximize their potential through various programs. The Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) affords eligible New York State residents the chance to pursue higher education—despite academic vulnerabilities and limited financial resources⁠—and the TRIO Student Support Services program assists first-generation college students, those from low-income households, and/or students with disabilities to an academic setting.

Additionally, the Mount Access Program (MAP) is designed for students who demonstrate the capacity and motivation to succeed in college but whose test scores and high school records are below normal admission requirements. MAP facilitates a student’s transition to college-level study, providing an academic support network. Many additional resources enable students of all backgrounds to succeed, including the Academic Resource Center, which offers tutoring, study groups, and educational workshops.

A rigorous and inclusive Catholic and ecumenical liberal arts college with nationally recognized undergraduate and graduate programs, with small class sizes and faculty who offer personalized attention and an exceptional academic experience to our talented students, the Mount truly is where passion meets perspective.

About the University of Mount Saint Vincent
Founded in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity, the University of Mount Saint Vincent offers nationally recognized liberal arts education and a select array of professional fields of study on a landmark campus overlooking the Hudson River. Committed to the education of the whole person, and enriched by the unparalleled cultural, educational, and career opportunities of New York City, the College equips students with the knowledge, skills, and experiences necessary for lives of achievement, professional accomplishment and leadership in the 21st century.