From Humble Beginnings
Merrimack College was founded in 1947 in North Andover, Massachusetts, by the Order of St. Augustine.
The Augustinians, at the invitation of Richard Cushing, then archbishop of Boston, established the college as a direct response to the needs and aspirations of local soldiers returning home from World War II.
Merrimack College is a tribute to the man who, more than anyone else, made it all possible: the Rev. Vincent A. McQuade, O.S.A. A native of Lawrence, Massachusetts, McQuade led the college to eventually become a showcase of the Merrimack Valley, approximately 25 miles north of Boston.
Since that time, Merrimack College has graduated nearly 30,000 students. Today’s 220-acre campus comprises nearly 40 buildings, including:
- McQuade Library
- Five academic buildings, including Crowe Hall and the Laurence J. and Roberta M. Palmisano Hall
- Gladys Sakowich Campus Center
- Rogers Center for the Arts
- Merrimack Athletics Complex
- Austin Hall
- Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher
- Student apartment buildings, townhouses and residence halls
- Louis H. Hamel Health Center
Students at Merrimack College now come from all across the United States and around the globe.
