The Press Room
The Brand Studio is an in-house creative agency dedicated to the strategic branding, marketing, and communication of the College. Please direct any media or press inquiries to: brandstudio@sjcme.edu.
Press Releases
Saint Joseph’s College Earns Designation as Bee Campus USA Affiliate
Saint Joseph's College is recently announced as a Bee Campus USA Affiliate, joining other campuses across the nation to improve their landscapes for pollinators.
Dean’s List Announced for Spring 2019 Semester
Congratulations to the following students named to the Dean’s List for the Spring 2019 semester! To be eligible for Dean’s List, a student must attain an average of 3.5 or better, successfully complete all courses for which the student is registered with no grade less than a B-, and must carry a course load of 14 credits minimum.
Sustainability advances at Saint Joseph’s with First Bee Campus Certification in Maine
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine has become the 73rd educational institution in the nation, and the first in Maine, to be certified as one of the affiliates of the Bee Campus USA program that has improved their campus landscape for pollinators.
Student Body President Elizabeth Cummons ’20 Selected for Maine NEW Leadership Institute
Saint Joseph’s College Student Body President Elizabeth Cummons '20 was selected to become one of 28 Maine students to participate in the 2019 Maine NEW (National Education for Women) Leadership Institute.
Maine’s First College Hosting SilverSneakers Program Celebrates Launch of Institute for Integrative Aging
As Maine’s first college campus hosting the SilverSneakers fitness program for older adults, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine held a breakfast reception on May 10, 2019 that celebrated the successful launch of SilverSneakers as the first phase of the College’s Institute for Integrative Aging (IIA). The event welcomed award-winning global healthcare activist and Tivity Health CEO Donato J. Tramuto to campus. SilverSneakers, by Tivity Health, is the nation’s leading community fitness program for older Americans. Founded in 1992, the program is available to over 14.5 million Medicare beneficiaries through Medicare Advantage plans, Medicare Supplement carriers and group retiree plans.
New Mascot Revealed at Commencement Ceremony at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine
On Saturday, May 11, 2019, the College surprised the thousands gathered for the 106th Commencement ceremony by revealing the new Monks mascot character who stepped into the faculty procession line. Saint Joseph’s is the only college or university in the United States, in any NCAA division, to have “Monks” as a mascot. The Monks mascot dates back to 1970, but the costumed figure has not been a presence on campus for many years. Graduates represented more than 40 states and seven countries.
Select Press Coverage
- Maine’s colleges and universities find new, innovative areas for growth | Mainebiz | 4/29/2019
- Farm-to-table pioneer helps Saint Joseph’s College grow Maine’s food economy | Mainebiz | 8/27/2018
- Windham resident awarded research grant from NASA | 8/10/2018
- Westbrook Strong stronger each year | American Journal | 7/19/2018
- Portland Region Food Foundry finds home at Saint Joseph’s College | Mainebiz | 5/31/18
- St. Joe’s baseball coach notches 700th career win | WGME | 4/9/18
- Maine Calling interview by Jennifer Rooks on Irish History with Professor Michael Connolly | Maine Public | 3/16/2018
- Peace Activist Father John Dear to speak on nonviolence | Windham Eagle | 3/18/2018
- ‘It’s our safety, and we can be in charge of that’: Maine students walk out | WCSH6 |
- “Spring Break Workfest” to Offer Students at Saint Joseph’s College the Chance to Serve and Reflect During Lent | Portland Diocese | 2/26/18
- Saint Joseph’s College launches new Center for Faith & Spirituality | Mercy Northeast | Winter 2018
- Saint Joseph’s Food Institute details take root | Lakes Region Weekly | 2/16/18
- Anthony McGuire, PhD, new director of the Saint Joseph’s College nursing program, takes the Center for Nursing Innovation in an exciting new direction | ANA-Maine Journal | Winter 2018
- New Secret Santa spreads cheer, $100 bills, at Standish food pantry | Press Herald | 12/20/17
- So Far No One has Scored on St. Joseph’s | WCSH6 |10/18/2017
- Monks To Spread Message of Peace With Sand Painting | Maine Today | 10/12/17
- Maine College Launches Initiative To Support Local Food Industry | Maine Public | 9/25/2017
- Saint Joseph’s lands five-year grant to boost STEM scholarships | Live and Work in Maine | 8/15/2017
- Alfond foundation donates $1.5 million to Saint Joseph’s to boost nursing education | Press Herald | 1/17/2017
- St. Joseph’s College offers new weather stem unit | WMTW | 4/21/2017
- Saint Joseph’s College receives $2 million gift on graduation day | WMTW | 5/13/2017
- Monks New Field of Dreams | WGME | 9/17/2017
Brand Resources Available
Here is a list of downloadable images for your use.
College Leadership
Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is a private, liberal arts college led by a board of trustees, a president, and a leadership team.
President James Dlugos, Ph.D.
James Dlugos became the 14th president of Saint Joseph’s College in July 2012. Since his inauguration, he has been championing a bold plan for ensuring Saint Joseph’s place as an exemplary 21st-century Catholic liberal arts college in the Mercy tradition. Under his leadership, the College is pursuing a series of ambitious initiatives that align with Saint Joseph’s strategic plan for its second hundred years, Sustaining the Promise. While continuing to respect Saint Joseph’s heritage as a faith-based, value-centered learning environment, the strategic plan sets a new direction for the College, embracing the underlying principles of sustainability and wellness.
New capital investments in support of academics and student life include construction of a lighted turf field and track complex; the addition of four new, advanced science and nursing laboratories; the opening of new campus gathering spaces; and enhancements to the College’s waterfront on Sebago Lake. The College has also launched a new Bachelor of Social Work major, expanded opportunities for study abroad, increased scholarship programs, and adopted a comprehensive climate action and sustainability plan.
A key element of the strategic plan is the development of mission-aligned businesses on campus, which are designed to expand learning opportunities, diversify revenue streams, and address emerging social and economic needs in Maine. Dr. Dlugos is advancing development activity in three areas: sustainable agriculture, hospitality, and successful aging.
In June 2017, with support from federal, state, and local partners, the College committed to the establishment of a new Institute for Local Food Systems Innovation. When completed, the Institute will provide critically needed support for Maine’s food and beverage workforce, helping to boost economic development in Maine.
Dr. Dlugos is also positioning Saint Joseph’s to play a key role in addressing Maine’s urgent nursing shortage. In January 2017, the College launched a campaign to create a new Center for Nursing Innovation. Funded through foundation and private philanthropic donations, the new center will expand Saint Joseph’s nursing programs, scholarships, and laboratory facilities.
Dr. Dlugos’ embrace of innovative, entrepreneurial approaches to ensure growth and sustainability for Saint Joseph’s earned him recognition in 2015 as one of Maine magazine’s “50 Mainers” who are shaping the future of our state.
Before joining Saint Joseph’s, Dr. Dlugos served for seven years as the vice president and dean of Academic Affairs at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, New Jersey. Prior to that, he served for 16 years at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, in a variety of roles, including vice president for Academic Affairs and dean of the faculty.
An active voice in higher education, Dr. Dlugos currently serves as president of the Maine Independent Colleges Association. He recently concluded a two-year term as chair of the GNAC Presidents Council, and was recently appointed to the NCAA Division III Chancellors/Presidents Advisory Group. Dr. Dlugos also serves on the Board of Directors of Maine Campus Compact, which seeks to reinvigorate the public purposes and civic mission of higher education.
Dr. Dlugos earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Boston College, a doctorate in English from the University of Virginia, and has completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. In addition, he completed a presidential vocation and institutional mission program through the Council of Independent Colleges.
College History
From the time the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Portland, Maine in 1873, they dreamed of applying the educational goals of Sister Catherine McAuley, who founded their order in Dublin, Ireland in 1831. After working toward this goal, the Portland Regional Community of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas founded Saint Joseph’s College in 1912 on the grounds of the Sisters of Mercy Motherhouse in the Deering district of Portland. It was chartered by the Maine Legislature in 1915. In 1949, the name of the College was changed, briefly, from Saint Joseph’s College to The College of Our Lady of Mercy. When the Sisters purchased the Verrill Estate and moved the College to Standish in 1956, they reinstated the original name of Saint Joseph’s. Less than fifteen years later, in 1970, Saint Joseph’s became a co-educational institution. Then, in 1976, the College became a pioneer in distance education programs.
With more than a century of history, Saint Joseph’s College remains as Maine’s Catholic, liberal arts college, situated on the 474-acre campus on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine, where students and staff enjoy views of Mount Washington and the Presidential Range of the White Mountains. The College offers undergraduate and graduate degrees for men and women of all faiths and ages through campus and online educational programming.