Let’s look back in time and find out how this vibrant institution got its start. From the early beginnings in the 1940s to the dynamic campus of today, those who have come before us have been instrumental in the university's success through the decades.
Read the timeline starting with our founding in the 1940s and scroll through images in our decade photo slideshow. Images were curated from the university's archival materials and facts highlight key moments in university history. To discover additional archival imagery, visit the Daemen Digital Commons. Contact the Alumni Relations office to learn more and schedule a history lesson today.
1940s
College students celebrate the Moving Up Day (MUD) ceremony each year. They created custom floats and selected a queen.
The pillars mark the entrance to the college from Main Street and are present today.
Daemen Hall (currently MusicalFare Theatre) was originally the music and theatre classroom space on campus. The original sign 'Daemen Hall 1949' is visible above the former entrance.
Members of the first graduating class of 1952 walk to their commencement ceremonies. They are the first students to graduate at the college (1948-1952).
The Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity purchase Waite House (Rosary Hall) property
Provisional Charter granted to Rosary Hill College July 31, 1947
Mother M. Alphonse Kampshoff, O.S.F. named first president
College opens with 44 students and 13 faculty
Rosary Hall opens
Enrollment is 79
Daemen Hall opens (currently MusicalFare Theatre)
1950s
Students in a classroom lecture for Modern Language.
Members of the sophomore class pose for a yearbook photo. All students were featured in the campus yearbook and each class took small group photos (like this one) at various campus locations.
Students pose with the student newspaper, The Ascent, which is still in publication today as the Insight.
Students post on a Chevrolet Bel Air during a festive campus event.
Enrollment is 274
Sister M. Angela Canavan, O.S.F. named second president
Enrollment is 308
Marian Library opens (currently Haberman Gacioch Center for Visual & Performing Arts)
Alverno Hall opens (currently Patricia E. Curtis Hall)
Enrollment is 457
Duns Scotus Hall opens (first half of building)
1960s
Students listen in during classroom lab instruction.
Students pose for a yearbook photo.
In 1965, the first male student, James McNeill, was admitted into the theatre arts program. Here he is backstage during a late 1960s performance. He graduated in 1968.
The formerly all-women's college first saw male classmates in Art, Theater Arts and Medical Technology from 1965 until 1971.
Enrollment is 739
Lourdes Hall opens (currently Canavan Hall)
First male full-time student enrolled as a transfer student
Duns Scotus Hall opens (second half of building)
Charles J. Wick Campus Center opens
1970s
By 1971, all academic concentrations and new residence halls were available to male students. Here are group of students at the sit on the campus lawn.
Standing in front of an early 1970s sign, the newly co-educational college highlights changes arriving on campus with a changing student population.
The men's basketball team picture here is from the early 1970s. College athletics had been first established by women's exhibition teams in the 1950s and 1960s. The co-educational backdrop of the early 1970s led to an increase in student athletics.
In 1977, the name Daemen College is first officially used.
Daemen opens all concentrations to men
Enrollment is 1336
Dr. Robert S. Marshall named third president
First official use of Daemen College
1980s
Students gather on campus for an outdoor event.
Students gather to collect mail on campus.
On September 23, 1985 Lourdes Hall was rededicated as Canavan Hall in honor of former President Canavan. She was present for the rededication.
College students stand outside the Wick Center for an event. The Wick Center was the center of campus for student life in the 1980s.
Enrollment is 1454
Lumsden Gymnasium opens
Canavan Hall rededicated (former Lourdes Hall)
Enrollment is 1441
Mary Ann Esposito '64 launches Ciao Italia which is the longest-running television cooking program in America
1990s
Friends gather on campus by the residence halls of Campus Drive.
Students enjoying campus life at an event in the early 1990s.
During the college’s 50th anniversary celebrations, banners were placed around campus to celebrate the milestone. Here students enjoy warm weather and relax outside the front lawn in front of Lumsden Gymnasium.
The historic Georgian mansion we call Rosary Hall was rededicated August 31, 1998, nearly 50 years to the day when the students of Rosary Hill College first walked through its doors.
Schenck Hall opens
Enrollment is 1884
Business Building opens
Dr. Martin J. Anisman named fourth president
Artist Elizabeth Murray hired as an art instructor. This was prior to her international success in the art world.
Enrollment is 1915
Rosary Hall rededicated
2000s
Established in 2001, Academic Festival brings us together on campus to celebrate the academic and creative achievements of Daemen students. The Festival centers on student presentations to the campus and community, showcasing academic excellence and achievement through presentations, exhibitions, and performances.
Sue Falsone '96, was named Head Athletic Trainer for the Los Angeles Dodgers in Major League Baseball and was the first female head athletic trainer in the major American professional sports leagues.
The women's soccer team and other student athletes were members of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics).
Students in the classroom setting observe a presentation.
Campus Village Apartments opens
Enrollment is 2018
Thomas Reynolds Center for Special Education & After-School Programs opens
Enrollment is 2613
Research and Information Commons (RIC) opens
Performer Drake headlines Springfest on April 18, 2009. This was prior to his first prominent single "Best I Ever Had" which was released in June 2009.
2010s
Students pose on the campus wall for a photo shoot. The wall is part of a multi year campus beautification project. The decorative multi-tiered stone extends across the entire front of the campus along Main Street and down to the Getzville Road entrance near Curtis Hall.
Gerald Beverly '15 was acquired by the Canton Charge in 2016.
Alumni House was opened in 2016 to campus. Built in 1917, the building was purchased in 1971 and was a campus residence.
Honors House was opened in 2016 to campus. Built in 1920 and purchased in 1922 by private owners. They sold the house to campus in 2015. It is home to the Dr. Peter A. Siedlecki Honors Lounge
Annie Stoll '08 won a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for her art direction on “Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of Weird Al Yankovic.”
Dr. Edwin G. Clausen named fifth president
Haberman Gacioch Center for Visual & Performing Arts opens (former Marian Library)
Dr. Gary A. Olson named sixth president
Academic and Wellness Center opens
College enters NCAA Division II
Gerald Beverly was acquired by the Canton Charge in the NBA G league
Alumni House opens
Honors House Hall opens
Enrollment is 2635
Daemen promoted to the Carnegie Classification of doctoral/professional
"Annie Stoll '08 won a Grammy for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for Squeeze Box"
2020s
Arriving on campus in 2003, Willie the Wildcat is the current mascot of Daemen Athletics. Willie the Wildcat can be found all over campus, on social media, and even as online GIFs. Go Wildcats!
Antony Jones '01 was appointed chairman and CEO Of Georgia Entertainment Association, Inc.
Students prepare for Fall Open House
Anthony J. M. Jones '01 is named and Chairman of Georgia Entertainment Association, Inc
The Center for Interprofessional Learning and Simulation (CILS) is opened
Daemen’s celebrates Virtual Commencement for the Class of 2020
Institute for Mobility Innovation & Technology (IMIT) opens.
Daemen College is mentioned in the Drake song "The Remorse" from the album "Certified Lover Boy". The lyric, "Daemen College booking me to pull up and speak the facts," acknowledged his 2009 Springfest performance.
Former Professor Elizabeth Murray's "Back in Buffalo" art exhibit highlights the impact of her Buffalo, N.Y. years including her years teaching at the college.