By Gia Myers • Posted June 12, 2025

Chestnut Hill College celebrated the conclusion of its 100^th academic year during Alumni Weekend, May 30-June 1.

The celebration allowed the college community to reflect on its remarkable history as one of the first all-women’s Catholic colleges in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia  while looking ahead to the start of the forthcoming academic year.

“It’s a historic event to celebrate your centennial anniversary,” said Brian McCloskey, interim president of Chestnut Hill College.

>>>PHOTO GALLERY: Chestnut Hill College Marks 100th Anniversary

The Sisters of Saint Joseph founded the all-women’s college in 1924, a time when women were not encouraged to pursue formal education.

“They (Sister’s of Saint Joseph) saw a need to educate women to be more prepared for life in the 20^th century,” he said.

The Sisters had already  found success in providing secondary education for young women at Mount Saint Joseph Academy, which they established in Philadelphia in 1858.

With encouragement from then-Father John W. Shanahan (later Bishop Shanahan), who served at the first Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia until his appointment as Bishop of the Harrisburg Diocese in 1889, the Sisters embarked on creating baccalaureate degree programs.

They built St. Joseph Hall – now the centerpiece of Chestnut Hill College’s campus – though the nearly completed building collapsed in November 1900.

Perseverance and prayer helped the Sisters to overcome this setback.  They rebuilt St. Joseph Hall, and now more than 11,000 individuals have earned degrees from Chestnut Hill College.

“The fact that we’re here now is a testament to [the Sister’s] perseverance and their vision,” said McCloskey.

Notable alumni include Kathleen M. Byerly, class of 1966 – the first female officer in the United States Navy to be appointed flag secretary and aide to an admiral – and Frances Spence, class of 1942, an American physicist, computer scientist, and one of the original programmers for ENIAC, the first electronic digital computer introduced in 1946.

Today, 1,100 full-time students are enrolled at the college, with education, psychology, and criminal justice among the most popular majors.

Anastasia Wilson, a 2025 graduate of the college, earning a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, expressed gratitude for the generosity and contributions of the Sisters of Saint Joseph during this 100-year anniversary.

The Sisters “truly pour [themselves] into every student they encounter,” she said.

Wilson, who attended Padua Academy in Wilmington, DE, for high school, was drawn to Chestnut Hill College for its “faith-connected education” and opportunities to “participate in faith-related activities” and “give back to the community” in Philadelphia.

Anna Ryan-Bender, director of campus ministry, sees today’s students engaging in “prayer, community and fellowship,” while carrying on “the legacy of the Sisters of Saint Joseph.”

The academic year opened last September with an ecumenical prayer service,  Ryan-Bender said, noting that the college is “a very religiously diverse community.”

“Most of our students are not Catholic and come from a variety of faith traditions or none at all,” she said.

“It’s reflective of [the college’s] mission of radical hospitality and inclusion,” she said.  “There are a variety of ways that we pray together as a community.”

Students enjoy participating in “service and outreach experiences” that reflect the Sister’s mission, she said, including The Sisters of Saint Joseph Welcome Center in Kensington, which serves Philadelphia’s immigrant community.

Wilson became a leader in the college’s LENS program (Leaders Engaged in Service), which encourages volunteer work with Sisters of St. Joseph-sponsored initiativesand addressing social injustices in Philadelphia.

Chestnut Hill College also received a Lilly Endowment Inc. grant to foster synodality on campus, inviting students to listen to one another, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit.

The 100-year anniversary celebration concluded with a Mass at the college’s Motherhouse Chapel on June 1  celebrated byArchbishop Nelson Pérez,with hundreds of alumni and college community members in attendance.

Looking ahead to the next century, McCloskey says he’s “excited about the future in many ways.”

A new nursing program will officially launch this fall in response to local and national nursing shortages, and an online asynchronous MBA program enters its second year.

Another new program begins Oct. 1 for the neurodiverse community ages 21 and older.  The two-year, non-credit program helps individuals gain skills to live and work independently while also providing training for their caregivers.

“We’re excited for how this will help us help others,” McCloskey said.

“I think we need more Catholic education now more than ever,” he added, reflecting on the college’s next century.

Driven by the Sisters’ mission, the college emphasizes “faith and care of the dear neighbor,” he said, shaping how students are “educated and learn to face challenges.