President's Office. Rev. Gerald Dupont, SSE, 1958-1969 | Saint Michael's College Archives & Special Collections

By Elizabeth B. Scott

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Collection Overview

Title: President's Office. Rev. Gerald Dupont, SSE, 1958-1969

ID: SMC 2/010

Extent: 36.5 Linear Feet

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Dupont subgroup includes much information from the Dupont presidency. Correspondence and financial information make up the bulk of the material. It is not arranged, although an inventory exists.

Collection Historical Note

In August 1958 Superior General Jeremiah Purtill wrote a memo outlining the roles of the President of Saint Michael’s College and the Superior of the Saint Michael’s House. The memo noted that the role of the president had grown too complex and that religious living in the SMC House needed to have the same governance and oversight offered in other SSE houses. Therefore, he split the roles of Superior of the House and office of the President. The role of the president then became to run the College in temporal and all other ways, the role of the Superior was to administer the house and the religious assigned to it in spiritual and other matters. Superior General Purtill then appointed Father Vincent Maloney Superior of the house and Fr. Gerald Dupont took over as President of the College. Dupont was the last Edmundite to serve as president of the College. Although he was originally from Rhode Island, he attended Saint Michael’s and spent all of his priestly life at Saint Michael’s after attending graduate school in Toronto and Montreal. His ten-year term of office is marked by the continued growth of the College. Dupont oversaw the continued construction of buildings on campus, including Saint Michael the Archangel Chapel, Durick Library, Alliot Hall, and the final two quad residence halls. Students continued to attend at record rates. Student life changed as the makeup of the student body changed from returning GI’s to primarily 18-22 year olds. Financial growth did not follow the other trends however, and fiscal problems grew throughout his term. Of most importance however, was the groundwork he laid for the eventual switch to lay leadership. Dupont was not unaware of the impact such a change was likely to have and there is some evidence that he planned significantly for something he saw as inevitable.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

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Box 26

Folder 1: Spiritual Life of America
Folder 2: New England Board of Higher Education 1961-68
Folder 3: New England College Fund, Budget Expenses 1966
Folder 4: New England College Fund, Audit 1966-67
Folder 5: New England College Fund, Audit 1965-66
Folder 6: New England College Fund, Audit 1961-62 and 1962-63
Folder 7: New England College Fund, Audit 1958-59
Folder 8: Policy on Scholarship and Student Aid 1962
Folder 9: Building a 4th Dorm. Correspondence with General Council 1959
Folder 10: Cost of New Dining Hall and 3rd Dorm 1959
Folder 11: Changes in Alliot Hall and 4th Dorm 1960
Folder 12: Project Repairs to Old Hall and College Hall 1961
Folder 13: Construction of Priest Residence
Folder 14: Chapel Construction Nov. 1963, Feb. 1963
Folder 15: Grants and Loans 1963
Folder 16: Dr. Spencer Return to College July 1963
Folder 17: Spiritual Life
Folder 18: Guidance Services for Undergraduates 1967
Folder 19: Loan for College 1968-69
Folder 20: Search for a New President and Guidelines
Folder 21: Raise in Student Fees 1966
Folder 22: Pension Plan for Hourly Wage Employees
Folder 23: New England College Fund, Correspondence 1968-69
Folder 24: New England College Fund Correspondence 1967
Folder 25: New England College Fund Correspondence 1966
Folder 26: New England College Fund Correspondence 1965
Folder 27: New England College Fund Correspondence 1964
Folder 28: New England College Fund Correspondence 1963
Folder 29: New England College Fund Correspondence 1962
Folder 30: New England College Fund Correspondence 1961