Saint Anselm College

05/28/2026

📣 NEWS: Saint Anselm College has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help create new pathways for talented STEM students in New Hampshire. 🔬✨ This is very exciting!

The “STEM Journeys: From College to Career” program will support academically strong, low-income students pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees in science, technology, engineering and math. This is the largest grant the college has ever received from the NSF. 👏

In partnership with the University of New Hampshire and the Community College System of New Hampshire, the initiative will provide scholarships, mentorship, research opportunities and hands-on career preparation for students pursuing STEM careers. 🧪📚⚙️ The program is designed to remove barriers and help students thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

“STEM Journeys will create a seamless pathway for talented students who might otherwise face significant barriers to advanced degrees,” says Physics Professor Alexander Smith. "This unique partnership between a community college system, a liberal arts college, and a top-tier research university will not only change individual lives but also build a stronger STEM workforce for New Hampshire.”

Read much more about STEM Journeys in this story:
www.anselm.edu/about/anselmian-hub/news/saint-anselm-college-awarded-19-million-national-science-foundation

Saint Anselm College Biology Department

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

Happy National Tap Dance Day! What a show we had last night! Thank you to all who participated.

05/25/2026

Join us in remembering an outstanding member of the Saint Anselm Community:

It is with great pride and deep reverence that we honored the late Captain Mary Jo (O’Dwyer) Majors ’69, NC, USNR ’69, HD ’24 with the John A. Houghton ’46 Alumni Council Award at the 2025 Alumni Awards Brunch.

Along with her dedicated service in the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps, Captain Majors was a proud and devoted Anselmian. As a member of the Alumni Council and longtime co-chair of the Recognition Committee, Captain Majors worked diligently to honor the achievements of her fellow alumni at the annual Alumni Awards, ensuring that their stories of faith, service, and excellence were recognized with the dignity and commemoration they deserved. Captain Major’s passionate and kind contributions to Saint Anselm throughout her life will never be forgotten, and she will always be remembered as a profound light in our community.

Alumnus Robert Elliott ’95 accepted the John A. Houghton Alumni Council Award on Captain Major’s behalf at the ceremony. “Let us honor Mary Jo by continuing to serve—in small acts and large ones—with the same steady, generous spirit she gave to her country, her college, and her community,” said Elliott.

05/25/2026

Honoring the courage and service of those who sacrificed for our great country, this and always. 🇺🇸🫡

05/23/2026

One week ago today, the Class of 2026 walked across that graduation stage with gusto! 🎓💯 We asked students to describe their Anselmian experience in one word — what would yours be?

Saint Anselm College Alumni

05/22/2026

❄️ From the Hilltop to the Arctic Circle! 🌎🩺

For Capt. Brent Hallenbeck ’01 and Maj. Dan O’Brien ’94, a medical mission to Kotzebue, Alaska, resulted in memories to last a lifetime.

You won’t wanna miss this inspiring story in the latest edition of the award-winning Portraits Magazine. These two members of the New Hampshire Army National Guard Medical Readiness Detachment helped lead an incredible humanitarian mission across remote villages in Alaska during Operation Arctic Care! Battling subzero temps, snowmobile travel, and rugged terrain, they joined a 137-member joint military medical team to deliver critical care to isolated communities with limited access to doctors, dentists, and veterinarians. 🛷🏔️🩺

From providing emergency medical care and dental procedures to snowmobile rescues and even pickup basketball games with local residents 🏀✨, the mission was about service, resilience, and compassion at the edge of the Arctic.

Read their amazing story in Portraits here: www.anselm.edu/about/anselmian-hub/news/operation-arctic-care

Or visit us on the web: www.anselm.edu/portraits-magazine

Saint Anselm College Alumni

05/22/2026

It's been a wonderful year! The Meelia Center at Saint Anselm College is grateful for the creativity, flexibility, and commitment of our community partners, colleagues, and students. We are also thankful for the continued support and engagement from this campus community. Check out some of our amazing stats from this academic year! (Program descriptions below.)

-Community Engaged Learning: This is a high-impact educational practice where students engage with community partners in a mutually beneficial way while enhancing student learning and supporting the goals and programs of the partner. Students have the opportunity to apply classroom learning in real world settings, developing their academic and professional skills. At the same time, the work is defined by the community partner and focused on the needs of the community. This creates reciprocity and an exchange of learning and ideas between the classroom and the community. At the college there are a variety of types of community engaged learning, some that last a semester and others that are shorter experiences. For example, as part of the First-Year Experience, students had the opportunity to engage in various community events, putting the Benedictine Hallmarks into action while making a positive impact.

-Access Academy: Access Academy is an after-school program for Manchester high school students to grow as lifelong learners and explore options for their futures. It provides a unique opportunity, that student may not have otherwise, to learn in a college environment and build strong academic and supportive relationships with college students, faculty, and staff. These experiences help them develop skills and find success in their academic, career, and professional growth and goals while earning high school credit.

- Center at Saint Raphael Parish: The Community Center is a collaboration between Saint Raphael Parish, International Institute of New England, and the Meelia Center. This partnership has allowed the three organizations to combine their experience and resources to expand critical support to refugee and immigrant families and the local neighborhood. The Community Center, located in the Parish Hall, offers a range of programs and services on the westside of Manchester, an area that has been historically under-resourced.

-Foster and Adoptive Parent Night Out (FAPNO): This program is a collaboration with the Division of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). It is a monthly event where caregivers can drop off their children for an evening of fun with college students. This is an opportunity for the children to engage with positive role models and to build relationships with other children while caregivers get a much-needed respite.

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05/22/2026

Like mother, like daughter: Caroline (Sheeran) McDermod, ’99 and Ayla McDermod ’28 both earned the Rookie of the Year Honor at Saint Anselm College.

It’s been more than 30 years since Caroline (Sheeran) McDermod ’99 first arrived on the Hilltop, but with every return to campus, she remembers grass-stained uniforms, sweaty cleats, and the beginning of lifelong friendships. The soccer standout was drawn to Saint Anselm’s academic reputation and charm, and she knew it was a place where she could study history while shining on the field. “It was a special four years,” Caroline says.
After attending countless alumni events and cheering on women’s soccer with former teammates, Caroline never could have guessed her daughter would become NE-10 Rookie of the Year, just like her.

Ayla McDermod ’28, a member of the women’s lacrosse team, insists her journey to the Hilltop was her own. She had heard many stories of the college from her parents, but what attracted her to Saint Anselm was a desire to study nursing while playing lacrosse.

During Ayla’s rookie season at Saint Anselm, she started the first game with a hat trick, and led the season in goals scored. Her speed and composure helped the team reach the NCAA Tournament. Soon enough, a new award debuted in the McDermod home: 2025 NE-10 Rookie of the Year.

Both Caroline and Ayla attribute their athletic accomplishments to their teammates’ thoughtful encouragement. While Caroline and Ayla may have chosen different sports on the Hilltop, they arrived at the same conclusion: Being Anselmian changes you. “It’s not just four years; it really is forever,” Caroline says. “You [can] be part of this community at any chapter in your life.”

Read more in the most recent edition of Portraits Magazine: https://www.anselm.edu/about/anselmian-hub/news/alumni-news-fallwinter-2026