Motto | Spes unica (Latin) |
---|---|
Motto in English | Our only hope |
Type | Private women's liberal arts college |
Established | 1844 |
Religious affiliation | Catholic Church (Sisters of the Holy Cross) |
Academic affiliations | ACCU CIC NAICU |
Endowment | $201.6 million (2019) [1] |
President | Katie Conboy |
Provost | Megan Zwart (interim) |
Academic staff | 167 full-time 63 part-time |
Undergraduates | 1,600 |
Location | , , United States 41°42′24.28″N86°15′25.31″W / 41.7067444°N 86.2570306°W |
Campus | Rural: 75 acres (0.30 km2) |
Colors | Blue and White |
Nickname | Belles |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III – MIAA |
Mascot | Belle |
Website | www |
Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic women's liberal arts college [2] [3] in Notre Dame, Indiana. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, the name of the school refers to the Virgin Mary.
In 1843, four Sisters of the Holy Cross came from Le Mans, France, to share in the apostolate of education under invitation of Edward Sorin, who together with his priests and brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross had founded the University of Notre Dame. In 1844, the sisters opened their first school in Bertrand, Michigan, about six miles from Notre Dame; it was a boarding academy with pre-collegiate grades. In 1855 the school moved to its present site, under the leadership of Mother Angela Gillespie. The main building and a former blacksmith shop used as a office were drawn by oxen to the new location.
Ellen Ewing Sherman, wife of General William Tecumseh Sherman was a cousin of Mother Angela Gillespie, directress of Saint Mary's Academy. In 1864, Ellen took up temporary residence in South Bend, Indiana, to have her young family educated at the University of Notre Dame and St. Mary's. [4] At the age of fifteen, Mary Ellen Quinlan, who later became the mother of playwright Eugene O'Neill, attended Saint Mary's Academy and graduated with honors in music, playing Chopin's Polonaise for piano, op. 22, at the commencement. [5]
Saint Mary's College eventually grew from the Academy. [6] A typewriting course was introduced in 1886; students practiced on Remington typewriters. In 1915 a course in auto mechanics was offered in hopes that students would become "intelligent" drivers. It was taught by Miss Mary Callahan, who had taken a course at a Studebaker plant in Detroit, and John Seibert, the college chauffeur. Studebaker executive A.R. Erskine donated a vehicle for hands-on instruction. [7]
In 1945 Saint Mary's Academy moved to the former Erskine estate on the south side of South Bend. Saint Mary's College is located across the street (Indiana 933) from the University of Notre Dame. Saint Mary's was the first women's college in the Great Lakes region.
Today the school offers five bachelor's degrees and four master's degrees (the master's programs are co-educational). There are approximately 120,000 living alumnae. Proposals to merge with University of Notre Dame (then a men's institution) in the early 1970s were rejected by Saint Mary's College, and Notre Dame became coeducational on its own in 1972. The College resides within the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.
In 2023, the board of trustees first agreed to admit transgender female students, later rescinding the decision because many members of the community considered it a "threat to our Catholic identity." [8]
The Saint Mary's College Women's Choir, a select 40-voice ensemble under the direction of Nancy Menk, regularly commissions and performs new works for women's voices. In February 2005, the Choir appeared before the national convention of the American Choral Directors Association in Los Angeles, performing in the Wilshire Christian Church and the new Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Choir tours nationally every other year, and regularly performs with the University of Notre Dame Glee Club in joint performances of major works with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. In March 2011, the choir traveled to China to sing at colleges and universities in Shanghai, Nanjing, and Suzhou. They have appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall in 1999 and 2001, and returned there in November 2005 to perform music by Gwyneth Walker for women's voices and orchestra. The Women's Choir has recorded four compact discs on the ProOrgano label: Ave, Ave!, recorded in 1997, Amazing Day!, recorded in 2002, Anima Mea!, recorded in 2004 and Across the Bar, recorded in 2007.
The college hosts a lecture series named after Sr. Madeleva Wolff, CSC, who served as the college's third president, to honor her establishment in 1943 of a School of Sacred Theology (since closed) that provided the first opportunity in the U.S. for women to pursue graduate studies in theology. [9] The lecture series highlights the work of women in theology. In 2000, the lecturers to that date were invited back to campus to compose a "Charter for Women of Faith in the New Millennium." Instead, they produced The Madeleva Manifesto: A Message of Hope and Courage. [10]
Past lecturers (1985–1989) | 1990–1999 | 2000–2009 | 2010–2019 | 2020–present |
---|---|---|---|---|
Joan Chittister, OSB, 1990 | Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM, 2000 | Wendy M. Wright, 2010 | Cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19 | |
Dolores Leckey, 1991 | Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP, 2001 | Kwok Pui-Lan, 2011 | Barbara Reid, OP, 2021 | |
Lisa Sowle Cahill, 1992 | Margaret Farley, RSM, 2002 | Kathleen Hughes, RSCJ, 2012 | Cancelled in 2022 due to health concerns [11] | |
Elizabeth A. Johnson, CSJ, 1993 | Sidney Callahan, 2003 | Catherine E. Clifford, 2013 | Cristina L. H. Traina, 2023 | |
Gail Porter Mandell, 1994 | Mary Ann Hinsdale, IHM, 2004 | Christine Firer Hinze, 2014 | Natalia Imperatori-Lee, 2024 | |
Monika K. Hellwig, 1985 | Diana L. Hayes, 1995 | Past Lecturers on 40th Anniversary of Vatican II, 2005 | Voices of Young Catholic Women, Panel Discussion, 2015 | |
Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM, 1986 | Jeanette Rodriguez, 1996 | Susan A. Ross, 2006 | Marianne Farina, CSC, 2016 | |
Mary Collins, OSB, 1987 | Mary C. Boys, SNJM, 1997 | M. Shawn Copeland, 2007 | Ilia Delio, OSF, 2017 | |
Maria Harris, 1988 | Kathleen Norris, 1998 | Barbara Fiand, SNDdeN, 2008 | Mercy Amba Oduyoye, 2018 | |
Elizabeth Dreyer, 1989 | Denise Lardner Carmody, 1999 | Anne E. Patrick, SNJM, 2009 | Nancy Pineda-Madrid, 2019 |
The college, a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III school, and a member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, sponsors eight varsity teams: tennis, volleyball, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, golf, softball, and cross country. [12]
Saint Mary's women also may participate in the intramural program and/or clubs in a variety of sports. Its club sports program offers recreational opportunities through competition and instruction. The clubs are open to all Saint Mary's students, although membership requirements vary with each club. Many offerings are coeducational with the University of Notre Dame. Saint Mary's sponsored clubs are cheerleading, dance, and volleyball teams. Other clubs co-sponsored with the University of Notre Dame are equestrian, figure skating, gymnastics, skiing, water polo, field hockey, ice hockey, Ultimate, and cycling.
Angela Athletic Facility expands opportunities for campus-wide recreation activities. Indoor facilities include basketball/volleyball, and a fitness center with treadmills, stairmasters, spin bikes, and Cybex weight machines. Outdoor facilities include a six-court outdoor tennis facility; softball, lacrosse and soccer fields; volleyball and basketball courts, areas for cross-country skiing, and a nature trail for hiking or jogging.
The Saint Mary's College athletic mascots are the Belles. In 1975, Saint Mary's began to form intercollegiate varsity sports. They did not, however, begin 'playing' until 1977 when the tennis team played to an 8-1 NAIA match victory. It was there that the college competitors unveiled new team T-shirts with "Belles" emblazoned across the front.
The 278-acre (1.13 km2) campus features buildings in a variety of architectural styles and periods. Highlights include the Le Mans and Holy Cross Halls. Dedicated in 1926, Le Mans Hall is the second oldest building on campus and serves as the administration building and a residence hall. Holy Cross Hall, also a residence hall, was dedicated in 1906 and is the oldest building on campus.
The recreation and athletic facility houses tennis, basketball, and volleyball courts in a gym area with seating for 2,000. Racquetball courts and space for gymnastics and for fencing are adjacent to the main gym. Architect Helmut Jahn designed the building. The building was dedicated in 1977 and is named for Mother Angela Gillespie, CSC, the first American to head Saint Mary's Academy, which became Saint Mary's College. Mother Angela oversaw the school moving from Bertrand Township, Michigan, to its present location in 1855. She was not a president of Saint Mary's College. Side note: There was an Angela Hall on campus that was used as the athletic facility as well as for plays, commencement and other activities. It was dedicated in May 1892 and razed in 1975. Angela was renovated and completely remodeled in 2017.
Designed by noted Indianapolis architect Evans Woollen III, the principal and founder of Woollen, Molzan and Partners, [13] the four-story, rectangular-shaped library was one of the five winners of the AIA/ALA Library Building Award for 1983. The 78,000-square-foot (7,200 m2) facility was designed to fit the specific setting and serves as the closing element to a secondary quadrangle of the college campus. Its modern design borrows shapes and colors from the surrounding buildings and includes a contemporary treatment of a Gothic building with a steeply-sloped roof, gables, a tower, dormers, and brick exterior. Study areas of various sizes are built around the interior perimeter; the library stacks are placed at the building's core. The library also includes a decorative tower that functions as a secondary building and houses offices, meetings rooms, a staff lounge, and storage space. [14] The library has a seating capacity of more than 540 and provides access to more than 268,000 books and audiovisual materials and more than 900 current print periodical subscriptions. The library also subscribes to more than 200 electronic periodical titles and numerous electronic indexes to journal articles. [15] The Huisking Instructional Technology Center is located on the lower level. Since 2016, the building has also come to house the ResNet (the student IT services), Accessibility Resources Office, the Writing & Tutoring Center, and the Student Success Program, creating a learning commons on campus. Dedicated in 1982, the building is named for Margaret Hall Cushwa (class of 1930) and Mary Lou Morris Leighton.
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the clerical Congregation of Holy Cross, the main campus of 1,261 acres has a suburban setting and contains landmarks such as the Golden Dome, the Word of Life mural, Notre Dame Stadium, and the basilica.
St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition.
The Congregation of Holy Cross, abbreviated CSC, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in 1837 by Basil Moreau, in Le Mans, France.
Stonehill College is a private Catholic college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that complement the original Georgian-style Ames mansion.
Holy Cross College is a private, Catholic, co-educational, residential institution of higher education administered by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Notre Dame, Indiana. The college was founded by the Holy Cross Brothers in 1966.
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Notre Dame, Indiana, is a Catholic church on the campus of the University of Notre Dame, also serving as the mother church of the Congregation of Holy Cross (C.S.C.) in the United States. The neo-gothic church has 44 large stained glass windows and murals completed over a 17-year period by the Vatican painter Luigi Gregori. The basilica bell tower is 230 feet (70 m) high, making it the tallest university chapel in America. It is a contributing building in Notre Dame's historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The basilica is a major tourist attraction in Northern Indiana, and is visited annually by more than 100,000 tourists.
Regis College is a private Roman Catholic university run by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Weston, Massachusetts. Regis was founded as a women's college in 1927. In 2007, Regis became co-educational; it was the last Catholic women's college in the Boston area to start admitting men.
Keenan Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls at University of Notre Dame. It is located on North Quad in front of North Dining hall, between Zahm Hall and Stanford Hall. Keenan Hall shares the building and The Chapel of The Holy Cross with adjacent dorm Stanford.
Alumni Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 16 male dorms. It is located on South Quad adjacent to "Main Circle", across from the law school building, and it hosts 234 undergraduates.
The Sisters of the Holy Cross are one of three Catholic congregations of religious sisters which trace their origins to the foundation of the Congregation of Holy Cross by Basil Moreau in Le Mans, France in 1837. Members designate themselves with the post-nominals CSC.
St. Edward's Hall is one of the 32 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of sixteen male dormitories. Saint Edward's Hall is located directly east of the Main Administration Building and is directly west of Zahm Hall and houses 162 undergraduate students. The dorm community and culture are not as old as Sorin College (1888) as it was established as an undergraduate residence hall 30 years later. However the building itself was built in 1882 to house the minims, Notre Dame's boarding school program. When such program was discontinued in 1929, the building was converted to an undergraduate residence hall, which it has been ever since. Together with other historical structures of the university, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The coat of arms is the Cross of Saint Edward the Confessor on a green background.
Sister M. Madeleva Wolff, C.S.C.,, the "lady abbess of nun poets", was the third President of Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana.
There are currently 32 undergraduate residence halls at the University of Notre Dame, including 31 active residence halls and Zahm Hall, which serves as a transition dorm when residence halls undergo construction. Several of the halls are historic buildings which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Each residence hall is single-sex, with 17 all-male residence halls and 15 all-female residence halls. Notre Dame residence halls feature a mixed residential college and house system, where residence halls are the center of the student life and some academic teaching; most students stay at the same hall for most of their undergraduate studies. Each hall has its own traditions, events, mascot, sports teams, shield, motto, and dorm pride. The university also hosts Old College, an undergraduate residence for students preparing for the priesthood.
University of Notre Dame's Main Administration Building houses various administrative offices, including the office of the President. Atop of the building stands the Golden Dome, the most recognizable landmark of the university. Three buildings were built at the site; the first was built in 1843 and replaced with a larger one in 1865, which burned down in 1879, after which the third and current building was erected. The building hosts the administrative offices of the university, as well as classrooms, art collections, and exhibition spaces. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Woollen, Molzan and Partners (WMP) is a U.S.-based second-generation architecture, interior design, and planning firm that Evans Woollen III founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1955. The firm was previously known as Evans Woollen and Associates and Woollen Associates. It remained in business for more than fifty-five years before closing its doors in 2011. Woollen began by designing mid-century modern residences, but the firm's design projects expanded to include a diverse portfolio of designs for libraries, worship facilities, museums, performing arts centers, private residences, public housing, and correctional facilities, among other projects.
The University of Notre Dame was founded on November 26, 1842, by Father Edward Sorin, CSC, who was also its first president, as an all-male institution on land donated by the Bishop of Vincennes. Today, many Holy Cross priests continue to work for the university, including as its president. Notre Dame rose to national prominence in the early 1900s for its Fighting Irish football team, especially under the guidance of the legendary coach Knute Rockne. Major improvements to the university occurred during the administration of Rev. Theodore Hesburgh between 1952 and 1987 as Hesburgh's administration greatly increased the university's resources, academic programs, and reputation and first enrolled women undergraduates in 1972.
The campus of the University of Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Indiana, and spans 1,250 acres (510 ha) comprising around 190 buildings. The campus is consistently ranked and admired as one of the most beautiful university campuses in the United States and around the world. It is particularly noted for the Golden Dome, the Basilica and its stained glass windows, the quads and the greenery, the Grotto, Touchdown Jesus, its collegiate Gothic architecture, and its statues and museums. Notre Dame is a major tourist attraction in northern Indiana; in the 2015–2016 academic year, more than 1.8 million visitors, almost half of whom were from outside of St. Joseph County, visited the campus.
Evans Woollen III was an American architect who is credited for introducing the Modern and the Brutalist architecture styles to his hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. Woollen, a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) and a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture, was active in the field from the mid-1950s to the early 2000s. He established his own architecture firm in Indianapolis in 1955 that became known as Woollen, Molzan and Partners; it dissolved in 2011. As a pacesetter among architects in the Midwest, Woollen, dubbed the dean of Indiana architects, was noted for his use of bold materials and provocative, modern designs.
Baumer Hall is one of the 32 residence halls at the University of Notre Dame. It located on West Quad, south of Keough Hall and west of Ryan Hall, on the McGlinn fields. It is the newest men's residence hall, built in 2019, after a donation from John and Mollie Baumer.
Carroll Hall is one of the 33 Residence Halls on the campus of the University of Notre Dame and one of the 16 male dorms. Carroll is located on the shores of St. Mary's Lake, and is the smallest of the residence halls, housing around 100 undergraduates.