Emmanuel College (EC) is a coeducational Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a women's college by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1919 , Emmanuel became coeducational in 2001. It is a member of the Colleges of the Fenway consortium. The college was founded in 1919 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as the first women's Catholic college in New England. The trustees of the college were incorporated by the state in 1921. In 2000, cash-strapped and with less than 500 students enrolled, Emmanuel College faced an uncertain future. Led by longtime President Sister Janet Eisner, the college signed an agreement with Merck Pharmaceuticals to lease a portion of its campus for a new research laboratory, for 75 years and approximately $50 million. The agreement makes Emmanuel the only college in the country with a pharmaceutical lab on campus. The subsequent windfall and alliance with Merck permitted Emmanuel to add dormitories so it could start admitting men in 2001, sparking a sustained revival that has made Emmanuel one of the fastest growing colleges in New England.