Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College is a four-year Catholic liberal arts college located on The Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a part of the Colleges of the Fenway consortium and is situated adjacent to the Longwood Medical District.
Founded in 1919 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Emmanuel was a women's college until 2001, at which point it became completely coeducational. Prior to that, men could only become students through the ECAP program [2], graduate and professional programs [3], or as adult learners.
At the heart of the campus is Emmanuel's Chapel. It is a beautiful example of English Gothic architecture, and it was restored in the late 1990s (See aerial view of the campus at [4]; the administration building is at the bottom center of picture two).
Emmanuel offers programs in a variety of areas such as education, performing arts, and communication. It has a small student-to-teacher ratio and a committed faculty. Most students engage in an off-campus internship to gain professional experience in their field of choice.
A part of Emmanuel's Catholic-rooted mission is reaching out to students who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to attend college. As such, the student body is quite diverse.
Emmanuel also offers a number of scholarships. At the time of this writing, students with a high GPA and SAT scores of at least 1270 could apply for a full-tuition "Presidential Scholarship" [5] -- one of the best scholarship offers in the city. The admissions office uses rolling admission, However, scholarship and financial aid deadlines are firm.
Emmanuel's student life covers a number of areas: The college has a Theater Guild founded by students in 1997, which has in recent years grown and won regional theater awards; a literary magazine; a Peace and Justice club; numerous NCAA sports teams; "Midnight Breakfasts" every semester during exams week; and more. It also has an art gallery on campus (the Lillian Immig Gallery), which features exhibits from a variety of professional artists.
Since the 2004 Presidential Election, Emmanuel College has become more and more political, especially with the creation of the College Republicans and College Democrats Clubs. Clubs are increasing bringing prominent speakers on campus. For instance, the College Democrats hosted Mary Beth Cahill, campaign manager for John Kerry's presidential bid.
At Emmanuel's helm is its president, Sister Janet Eisner [6]. Eisner has been president of the college since 1979, and during her tenure has accomplished many things -- not the least significant of which was spearheading the association between the Colleges of the Fenway.
After going coed, enrollment increased dramatically at the college. In the 1990s, Emmanuel's incoming freshman class typically comprised about 100 students. Upon going coed, the incoming freshman class comprised about 300 students -- 100 of whom were male. Emmanuel had not had such comparatively high enrollment numbers since the 1970s. In 2006, the total undergraduate population was 1,600 students. To help accommodate them, the college bought back one of its old dormitories, Julie Hall, which it had sold to Beth Israel Hospital during a time of financial crisis. Other recent improvements include the renovation of Marion Hall into a new Student Center [7], the Jean Yawkey Center.