  st. joseph's college is a liberal arts college in new york state, with campuses located in the clinton hill area of brooklyn and in patchogue, long island. independent and coeducational, the college provides education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, offering degrees in more than 25 majors, special course offerings and certificates, affiliated and pre-professional programs through its school of arts and sciences and its school of professional and graduate studies. dedicated to providing an affordable education to a diverse group of students, st. joseph's college has been recognized by u.s. news & world report's "america's best colleges" issue for more than a decade. == history == originally named st. joseph's college for women, the college was founded by the sisters of st. joseph of brentwood, in response to the need for a day college for young women. the college received its provisional charter from the regents of the university of the state of new york on february 24, 1916. after the college outgrew its original brooklyn facilities at 286 washington avenue, it moved to its present site at 245 clinton avenue in 1918. the college's first baccalaureate degrees were conferred on fourteen graduates on june 17, 1920, and the first valedictorian was beverly stubbenhouser. the college was accredited in 1928 by the middle states association of colleges and schools. the regents granted st. joseph's college an absolute charter in 1929. reverend william t. dillon, j.d., professor of philosophy, served as dean of the college and later its president, during the years that followed. st. joseph's opened a laboratory pre-school in 1934 following several years of research in the field of child development. sister vincent thÃ©rÃ¨se tuohy assumed the presidency in 1956. mcentegart hall, a multi-functional building housing the library and classrooms, was opened in 1965; the dillon child study center 
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