During its first years in Moraga, the college nearly went bankrupt, but eventually managed to gain financial security when it was bought by Archbishop John Joseph Mitty, for whom a residence hall is now named.

[10] In the 1970s, the college was well known by secondary schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area for producing the Saint Mary's Math Contest.

[11] The popular contest was discontinued in 1978 but later became the chief inspiration for the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival which continues to this day.

James A. Donahue, a committed and engaged Roman Catholic, became the first non-Christian Brother to serve as president in the 150-year history of Saint Mary's on July 1, 2013.

One section of a Seminar elective course, Multicultural Thought, is offered in both the fall and spring semesters.

It is distinct from a major at Saint Mary's College, and it incorporates the Seminar method for all of its classes.

[19] The Integral Program is a complete four-year Great Books course of study, covering all mathematics, science, religious and language requirements.

Instead of taking four classes in addition to the general education, Integral students' entire curriculum, including subjects not traditionally related to the "classics," is in the Seminar style.

For example, math is taught through reading and discussing Euclid and Galileo, rather than actually completing numerical problem sets.

[20] The program does not have any tests or lectures, however students are expected to complete a substantial amount of reading per night in preparation for classroom discussions.

Although seminal works such as the Bible and the writings of some theologians are organic to the Western Canon, the program itself is non-religious.

There are also optional quarter credit classes for January Term and during the semesters, such as digital photography or weight training.

They participate in a class, service and community time together and are focused on learning the life and principles of Saint John Baptist De La Salle.

Attached to Cassin is Café Louis, a coffee shop, which is operated by Sodexo, the same company that runs the dining hall.

[22] Two other important buildings are the Soda Activity Center and the Lefevre Theatre, where various events are held.

Saint Mary’s College of California began collecting art in the early 20th century.

Founded by professor Brother Fidelis Cornelius Braeg in 1934, the William Keith Gallery exhibited the museum's collection of paintings by the renowned California landscape artist, who lived from 1838 to 1911.

[citation needed] Saint Mary's has 17 Division I teams, competing in the West Coast Conference.

The men's basketball team is recognized nationally as one of the top mid-major programs in the country; in 2010, it made it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

The Gaels are also known for their strong pursuit of Australian talent, such as NBA players Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova.

Point guard Matthew Dellavedova was named WCC Player of the Year in 2012 and became the first male athlete at Saint Mary's to earn first-team Capital One Academic All-America honors.

The game-winning goal was headed in by Justin Howard in the 103rd minute, sending Saint Mary's into the "Sweet Sixteen".

[29] The third round of the NCAA Tournament saw the Gaels against Brown University, beating the Bears in overtime 3–2, at Stevenson Field.

[31] The participation of the men's soccer team in the 2011 NCAA Tournament was the most successful postseason run in Saint Mary's history.

In 2012, the Gaels' golf team took the program's first-ever WCC title, and junior Ben Geyer became just the fourth Saint Mary's player to take home medalist honors in the tournament's 41-year history.

Women's tennis, softball and volleyball won the WCC Conference championships and went on to play in NCAA postseason tournaments.

Saint Mary's College was once known for its American football team led by Edward "Slip" Madigan, which dominated west coast football, indeed beating USC and California during the thirties, and with several wins against eastern powerhouses during the 20s, 30s, and 40s including winning the 1939 Cotton Bowl by narrowly defeating favored Texas Tech 20 to 13.

Madigan traveled to New York for the Fordham game with 150 fans on a train that was labelled "the world's longest bar."

To stir up publicity for the game, he threw a party the night before and invited not only sportswriters, but such celebrities as Babe Ruth and New York mayor Jimmy Walker.

Student-athletes from Saint Mary's graduate at the second-highest success rate among all California Division 1 Institutions, according to data released by NCAA.