Skip Navigation

Centennial

Our History

1919 - Emmanuel College Opens in the Heart of Boston on The Fenway

1910

1919

Emmanuel College opens at 400 The Fenway

1920

1923

On June 7th, 26 young women become the first Emmanuel College graduates

1930

1933

College purchases additional land on The Fenway and expands the campus to Avenue Louis Pasteur and Brookline Avenue

1935

During the Great Depression, the Alumnae Association creates the Placement Bureau to help students and graduates find employment

1940

1940

Emmanuel students and graduates contribute to the war effort

1945

College purchases additional land along Avenue Louis Pasteur

1945 - 1946

Student Government is established

1949

Alumnae Hall opens as a science center, the first building constructed since the Administration Building

1950

1950 - 1951

Intercollegiate basketball introduced at Emmanuel

1954

Marian Hall opens as a multi-purpose building serving as a residence, dining facility and student center

1958

St. James Hall built to house Sisters of Notre Dame

1958

First student residence hall, Julie Hall, opens

1960

1962

St. Ann Hall opens

1964

College purchases additional land along Brookline Avenue

1964

Loretto Hall opens

1965

Cardinal Cushing Library dedicated

1966

St. Joseph Hall, Emmanuel's largest residence hall, opens

1969

Senator Edward M. Kennedy gives the Commencement Address

1970

1974

College initiates continuing education program

1977

Students participate in a teach-in as part of the anti-war movement

1980

1984

Democratic presidential primary debate on women's issues hosted by Emmanuel

1987

A new science center opens in renovated Marian Hall

1990

1993

First Founders' Day honors St. Julie Billiart and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

1994

Emmanuel's campus becomes fully networked, bringing technology to each residence hall

1996

Emmanuel President Sr. Janet Eisner, SNDdeN, initiates founding of the Colleges of the Fenway Consortium

1998

College Chapel reopens after a complete renovation

2000

2001

First coeducational class arrives on campus

2001

Emmanuel signs ground lease with Merck, establishing a first-of-its-kind partnership

2002

Carolyn A. Lynch Institute is established to support urban education

2004

The Jean Yawkey Center, a student center with dining, fitness and a NCAA-regulation gymnasium, opens; Jean Yawkey Center for Community Leadership is established

2007

College establishes the Center for Mission Engagement

2009

Roberto Clemente Field is restored and becomes home field for Emmanuel College athletics

2009

The Maureen Murphy Wilkens Science Center and a renovated Art Department open

2010

2013

Emmanuel completes restoration of its historic Administration Building

2014

The Notre Dame Campus opens in Roxbury, just blocks from where the SNDs operated Notre Dame Academy from 1854-1965

2018

Emmanuel announces the formation of five academic schools: The School of Humanities & Social Sciences, the School of Science & Health, the School of Business & Management, the School of Education and the School of Nursing

2018

The College opens its new, 18-story, 692-bed, contemporary apartment-style residence hall.

2019

The College celebrated its Centennial year with celebrations that reflected on 100 years of transformative educational experiences and the bold, entrepreneurial spirit that enabled Emmanuel to thrive amid changes in society and in higher education.

2019

Emmanuel welcomes the first cohort of traditional undergraduate nursing students.

2020

2021

The Maureen Murphy Wilkens Schools of Nursing & Clinical Sciences formally opens on the second floor of Marian Hall following a complete renovation, adding a state-of-the art skills lab.