Administrative/Biographical History
President Bernard Boutin became the first lay president of the College in 1969. Boutin had served on the Board of Trustees since its inception in 1967; making him well prepared to head up the school. He was a graduate of the College and had been quite involved in the College since leaving. He had also been involved in politics, serving as mayor of Laconia New Hampshire and working for the Kennedy administration. As the leader of the school during the major transition from religious to lay leadership, he had a tough job ahead of him. Boutin is best remembered for bringing women to Saint Michael’s, an act that succeeded not only in opening up the campus to women, but also to pulling the College out of a crippling debt. In 1970, 22 women enrolled at Saint Michaels, and it remains coeducational. Despite the relatively short tenure of his term, Boutin was also quite successful in fundraising, raising funds for the building of Ross Sports Center and McCarthy Arts Center, two significant buildings that contributed significantly to student life on campus. Author: Elizabeth B. Scott
