Mount grows as it goes
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; mso-ascii- mso-ascii-theme- mso-fareast- mso-fareast-theme- mso-hansi- mso-hansi-theme- mso-bidi- mso-bidi-theme-} Father Kevin Mackin, president of Siena College near Albany for more than a decade, seems to be enjoying his new position as leader of Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh.
Before his official inauguration Oct. 17, Mackin was already becoming a familiar face on the Hudson Valley scene, joining Joel Mounty of Moutntco Construction, new owners of the former Camp LaGuardia property in Chester, to announce formation of a partnership to bring a satellite campus to southern Orange County.
He participated in a discussion with three of his college peers at a recent Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce dinner, voicing concerns over rising costs for college students and thedifficulty in obtaining student loans, while encouraging students to look at careers in both medicine and teaching.
Brooklyn-born Mackin once confided to a neighbor that he wanted to do “something meangngful with my life.” The neighbor”™s advice: “Go to the Franciscans.” That”™s where Mackin”™s been ever since, teaching, as well as becoming a well-liked administrator. The path led him to become president of his alma mater, Siena College. Now, Mackin will tackle more than 2,600 students at Mount St. Mary”™s Newburgh campus.
Sr. Ann Sakac sat on the selection committee and said of Mackin in an early 2008 interview with HV Biz: “He”™s got the drive and the devotion to take the college into the 21st century. We”™re growing, and he”™s more than qualified to lead the school and the students to accomplish their goals.”
Mackin said the college”™s role was not to simply issue degrees, “but to educate ”¦ strengthening abilities, apart from which knowledge, no matter how technically advanced, becomes self-absorbed.”
Mackin will be working with Mountco Construction of Westchester to bring a new satellite campus of “The Mount” to the town of Chester. Mountco was chosen to design the 258-acre property and has included 20,000 square feet of space for the new annex, with “more to come if needed,” said Mounty.