Daemen University will mark the 75th anniversary of its founding this week. 
On Friday, two days before Daemen’s official birthday, the institution will host an 11:30 a.m. gathering near the front lawn of the Amherst campus.
A Daemen flag will be raised that bears the institution’s new university name. A special anniversary cake will be served and small gifts will be given to those attending the event, which is open to all.
Remarks will be provided by John Yurtchuk, chair of the Board of Trustees and chairman of Calspan Corp.; Provost Mike Brogan; and President Gary Olson. Tentative to attend and speak is New York Assembly Member Karen McMahon.
On July 31, 1947, then-Rosary Hill College received its provisional charter from New York State. 
Early the next year, the founders of the institution – seven nuns from the Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity – purchased what is now Rosary Hall and converted the once-mansion into classrooms, housing for students and offices. The first classes were held in the fall of 1948.
What began as a one-building college has grown into a nearly 50-acre campus in Amherst and a branch campus in Brooklyn. The institution has awarded nearly 20,000 degrees since holding its first graduation ceremony in 1952.
The university’s birthday will also be commemorated with a soon-to-be-released special 75th anniversary-themed edition of Daemen Today. Slated to be mailed the first week of August, the issue will recount the institution’s history and recent developments just as Daemen kicks off a year of celebrations to mark its “diamond” anniversary.
Details and updates on upcoming anniversary-related events are available on a special “Daemen’s 75th.”