| Date |
Event |
| 1894 |
Bernardine Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, originating
in Poland, establish a ministry in Pennsylvania. |
1924
|
On the site of a farm outside Reading, construction begins on the Administration Building that was to be later named Francis Hall. Construction was completed in 1925. The building was first an orphanage, then a high school; both operated by the Bernardine Franciscan order. |
1954
|
Sister Mary Zygmunta, first president of Alvernia is first informed that the Bernardine Community plans to establish a liberal arts college in order to prepare its young religious as future teachers |
1955
|
Sister Mary Zygmunta and Sister Mary Accursia enter Fordham University to begin their doctoral studies. Within three years Sister Zygmunta earned a Ph.D. in American history and Sister Accursia earned one in education. Sister Accursia was the first Academic Dean at Alvernia. |
| 1958 |
Mt. Alvernia High School becomes a college
for sisters and postulants. |
| 1958 |
Alvernia College established as a liberal arts
college. |
| 1960 |
Alvernia receives its charter from the Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania with the authorization to grant Bachelor of
Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. |
| 1961 |
First foreign student accepted from Monrovia,
Liberia. |
| 1961 |
Allentown school superintendent selects Alvernia
to serve as a teacher training center for all beginning lay
teachers contracted to work in the diocesan school system. |
| May 28, 1961 |
Four students comprise first graduating class. |
| Fall 1961 |
First lay women accepted as students. |
| 1962 |
Two halls in the Administration Building,
Hedwig and Angela, are renovated for resident students. |
| November 1962 |
First Alvernian is published. |
| October 17, 1963 |
Rev. Walter J. Ciszek visits Alvernia College after his release from 23 years of Communist imprisonment. He was the brother of Mother Mary Evangeline, provincial superior of the Sacred heart Province of the Bernardine Sisters and Sister Mary Conrad, assistant librarian at Alvernia. |
| March 19, 1965 |
Groundbreaking for Veronica Hall |
| April 22, 1966 |
Alvernia holds its first senior prom in the
Garden Room of the Crystal Ballroom in Reading. |
| October 9, 1966 |
Veronica Hall is dedicated, the Most Reverend Joseph M. McShea, Bishop of Allentown, presiding. The new dormitory was named for Sister Mary Veronica, who came with three fellow sisters to Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania from Warsaw, Poland to teach the children of immigrants in 1894. |
| October 1967 |
James Bamford, former Mayor of Reading, is
Director of Development at Alvernia. |
| October 26, 1967 |
Bernardine Hall science and classroom building
is dedicated by the Most Reverend Joseph McShea, Bishop of
the Allentown
Diocese. |
| November 30, 1967 |
Commission of Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools announces Alvernia's full accreditation. |
| October 1969 |
Montessori School opens |
| October 1970 |
Sister Mary Victorine, C.S.B., appointed second president of Alvernia. |
| 1971 |
First male commuting students admitted |
| Fall 1971 |
Art department opens studio in former green
house |
| April 15, 1972 |
Mrs. Muriel Humphrey, wife of presidential
hopeful Hubert H. Humphrey, then Vice President of the United
States, visits Alvernia. |
| 1973 |
First male resident students admitted. |
| May 1973 |
First male graduates from Alvernia. |
| 1974 |
Institute for Law and Justice, an innovative four-year baccalaureate program in criminal justice introduced. |
| 1975 |
Newly formed yet unnamed Alvernia men's basketball
team plays its first winning game. |
| December 13, 1976 |
A group of Italian businessmen and religious
leaders arrive at Alvernia to coordinate plans for an International
University in Montepulciano, Italy. |
| 1977 |
Alvernia receives approval from the Pennsylvania
State Board of Nurse Examiners for a two year Associate Degree
Nursing program. |
| 1978 |
Campus Center is constructed. |
| May 1979 |
First Associate Degree Nursing class graduates. |
| February 3, 1980 |
"This Month at Alvernia," a segment of the monthly "Metro Magazine" broadcast debuts on radio station WHUM in Reading |
| 1980 |
First Chaplain assigned to Alvernia College. |
| February 3, 1980 |
"This Month at Alvernia," a segment of the monthly "Metro
Magazine" broadcast debuts on radio station WHUM in Reading. |
| May 1980 |
First senior citizen student graduates as
Alvernia's 1,000th student. |
| March 5, 1981 |
Vincent Bugliosi, prosecutor of Charles Manson
and author of Helter Skelter speaks at Alvernia on "The
Manson Family and Cultism." |
| October 24, 1982 |
Sister Dolorey inaugurated as third president
of Alvernia |
| 1983 |
Alvernia celebrates its 25th anniversary. |
| 1983 |
Counseling Services initiated at Alvernia |
| October 13, 1983 |
Sen. Mark Hatfield (R-Oregon) presents a 25th
anniversary lecture on the topic: "The Nuclear Freeze
Movement and National Policy." |
| October 15, 1984 |
Camellia Sadat, daughter of former Egyptian
president Anwar Sadat speaks at Alvernia on "My Father,
My President." |
| 1985 |
Continuing Education Evening Division is created. |
| September 1985 |
Alvernia adds two new science programs: an associate degree
program for physical therapist assistant, and a bachelor's
degree program in computer science. |
| October 19, 1985 |
Administration Building is officially renamed
Francis Hall. |
| July 27, 1986 |
Sister Mary Victorine, CSB, second president
of Alvernia from 1970 to 1982, dies at age 72. |
| October 1986 |
Dr. Robert Z. Apostol is named Alvernia's
first Vice President of Student Affairs. |
| April 27, 1987 |
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader speaks at Alvernia. |
| October 14, 1987 |
Physical Fitness and Recreation Center are
dedicated by the Most Rev. Thomas J. Welsh, Bishop of Allentown.
Rollie Massimino, head basketball coach at Villanova University,
is a guest speaker. |
| October 17, 1987 |
First Homecoming held. |
| April 6, 1988 |
Watergate figure G. Gordon Liddy speaks at
Alvernia. |
| September 15, 1988 |
Sister Mary Zygmunta, first president of Alvernia
from 1958 to 1970, dies at age 84. |
| October 28, 1988 |
Vice President-elect Dan Quayle speaks at Alvernia. |
| 1989 |
Administrative building housing admissions, public
relations, and institutional advancement opens. (The building
now houses the Business and Education departments.) |
| April 4, 1989 |
Mike Farrell, actor and political activist,
speaks at Alvernia. |
| October 3, 1989 |
Alvernia sculpture, created by art
professor Sister M. Theodorette, CSB, is dedicated. |
| September 6, 1990 |
Daniel N. DeLucca is named interim president
of Alvernia. |
| October 3, 1990 |
Groundbreaking for Franco Library |
| 1991 |
Dr. Frank A. Franco Library Learning Center is dedicated. |
| May 18, 1991 |
Daniel N. DeLucca is inaugurated as fourth
president of Alvernia. |
| September 2, 1992 |
New townhouse residences and Nursing Resource
Center are dedicated by Most Rev. Thomas J. Welsh, Bishop of
Allentown. |
| October 1, 1992 |
Italian-American Research Center in the Dr. Frank A. Franco
Library Learning Center is dedicated. |
| October 6, 1993 |
First Fireplace Lecture is held in the Franco
Library. Dr. Moylan C. Mills, Professor of Integrative Arts
at Pennsylvania State University, Ogontz Campus, presents "Tennessee
Williams: The Troubled Life and Triumphant Art." |
| 1994 |
College governance system, with procedures
for granting faculty tenure, is established. |
| May 1994 |
First Professional Recognition is sponsored
by the Franco Library. |
| 1997 |
Alvernia receives national recognition when
the John Templeton Foundation selects the college for their
Honor Roll of character building colleges, citing the service
requirement as an outstanding contribution to the community. |
| June 30, 1997 |
Daniel DeLucca retires as president of Alvernia. |
| March 11, 1997 |
Dr. Laurence W. Mazzeno is named Alvernia's
fifth president. |
| 1997 |
Alvernia's men's basketball team reaches the
Final Four of the NCAA Division III playoffs. |
| February 4, 1997 |
Alvernia's Website is officially established. |
| 1998 |
Alvernia Seniors College opens. |
| 1999 |
New Student Center and Anthony Hall quad-suite residence
open. |
| 1999 |
Anthony Hall residence is constructed. |
| 1999 |
Our Lady of Angels convent opens in former President's House. |
| Fall 1999 |
Alvernia begins offering Master's degrees in business administration,
education, and liberal studies. |
| 2000 |
Francis Hall convent wing is converted to
a residence hall for women. |
| July 26, 2000 |
Master's degree program in Occupational Therapy is approved. |
| December 2000 |
Alvernia holds its first December commencement
ceremony. |
| June 2005 |
Dr. Laurence W. Mazzeno retires as president
of Alvernia College. |
| July 2005 |
Dr. Thomas F. Flynn becomes the sixth president
of Alvernia College. |
| October 4, 2005 |
Mychal Judge residence hall is dedicated. The building is
named in honor of the Franciscan priest who was Chaplain for
the New York Fire Department. He was among the casualties of
the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade
Center. |
| 2006 |
O'Pake Science Wing is constructed. |
