Marist UNIVersary Celebration Emphasizes Students' Question: “What Really Changed Besides the Name?”
Students celebrating Marist's UNIVersary at the McCann Block Party. Photo by Nelson Echeverria/Marist University
Marist celebrated its one-year “UNIVersary” on Jan. 29 with a day full of events reflecting on how far Marist has come and to showcase the pride, energy and enthusiasm shared across the Marist community.
“Our one-year UNIVersary accomplished exactly what the event was envisioned for – to give us an opportunity to build community and celebrate Marist’s continued rise and momentum,” said Daryl Richard, Marist’s vice president of Communications and Marketing. “We saw a great turnout as hundreds of students, faculty, staff and alumni filled McCann for our block party to have some fun, make memories, express pride in Marist, and connect with one another in person.”
The celebration started in the McCann Center with the Community Block Party. Students, faculty and staff came together to connect, compete and enjoy. Students played yard games and enjoyed delicious snacks as the radio station K104.7 broadcast live from the McCann gym.
Upon arrival, they received giveaways, such as t-shirts, tote bags, laptop stickers and were entered for a chance to win a $550 Broadway experience in New York City, an iPad Air and a package of VIP passes.
Richard noted that one of the most impactful moments of the day was seeing the overwhelming display of Marist pride.
“One of the most rewarding moments was seeing a sea of red fill McCann as a demonstration of school spirit and Red Fox pride. And that spirit then flowed into the arena for the Women’s Basketball Game that followed, and capped off the day with a win! It was thrilling to see so many members of the campus community join the celebration,” Richard remarked.
In addition to the festivities at McCann, the UNIversary also included a Narrative 4 Story Exchange hosted by the Diversity Council. The event invited students and other participants to engage in deep listening and storytelling about their Marist experience.
Amanda Benton, associate director of Alumni Relations, was one of the event's organizers and explained how special it was.
“As a participant, it was a really wonderful opportunity to slow down, open up and connect with other Marist staff in a small group setting. It felt like we were really connected and able to break down some walls by being willing to be vulnerable,” Benton said.
Together, the events reflected Marist’s continued commitment to connection and school pride as the university looks ahead to a busy spring semester.
When it comes to student opinions on Marist’s name change a year on, though, feelings are mixed.
“Marist has started to become a lot more diverse,” said Sarah Gurskis ‘26. “[The Dyson Center] was a huge addition as well, and serves as an amazing hub for students to hang out and talk.”
“I think we offer a bit more than we did before,” said Laura Rettus ‘26. “I don’t think every change has been good – the first semester of shuttles left a lot to be desired – but I think we’re learning from our mistakes.”
Serafina Reinsdorf ‘26 said, “I feel like a lot of Marist things have changed in attempts to better represent Marist,” citing building improvements and evolutions to social media content as examples. “I also think there has been a big shift in campus pride. I think Marist is taking more care in recognizing the diverse opportunities on campus and trying to highlight them all.”
“The biggest way I have seen Marist change since becoming a university is how I market it to families through my role on the Student Leadership Board in the Undergraduate Admission Office,” said Adam Macklin ‘27/’28M. “Prospective families seem to be responding really well to the name change and are excited for what being a university means about the quality of our academic programs at Marist.”
Macklin added that “[They] were promised by the administration that the core ideals of Marist (particularly our small classes and one-on-one relationships with others) would not change, and that certainly has not happened so far.”
“Marist has changed significantly since my first time setting foot on campus,” said Jeremiah Ryall ‘26, who attended Marist from 2004 to 2007 before completing his degree last semester. “There’s a lot more common space in and around academic buildings, allowing students to… congregate and socialize. There is a level of awareness and inclusivity that simply did not feel like it existed previously.”
From an academic standpoint, Ryall commented that “the level of student involvement and interaction that happens, and is encouraged, is awesome and way more engaging [than his first stint at Marist]. In almost every class, I was expected to lead a classroom discussion of some kind, as were my peers, which created a wonderful dynamic of inclusion and communication and I think contributed to a much more elevated level of conversation overall.”
“It ruled,” quipped Ryall.
Opinions were not positive across the board, though.
“While adding new services like the shuttle has been great, and the little signs around campus add something, it doesn’t feel like we really needed to become a university to do those things,” said Andrew Lombardo ‘27. “We haven’t added anything massive to the campus due to Marist becoming a university.”
“I don't necessarily feel like there’s a change,” said Robin Clinton ‘27. “I can't really feel the difference – aside from the bill! I think they could do great things now that they’re a university, but I just don’t know if it’s been felt on an individual level yet.”
“Since becoming a university, Marist honestly changed only a little bit,” said Leizl Carlo ‘27. “Parking is somehow worse, and the campus is still the same size. Things like parking or properly plowing/de-icing pathways that students and staff actually care about should be improved. We have shuttles now, but other than that, it’s the same old same old.”