Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Latin: Universitatis Sanctæ Mariæ
Motto:	Virtus et Scientia (Virtue and Knowledge)
Established:	1912
Type:	Private, Roman Catholic, Lasallian
Chancellor:	Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC, Ph.D.
President:	Brother William Mann, FSC, D.Min.
Provost:	Jeffrey R. Highland, Ph.D.
Faculty:	Undergraduate: 96 full-time, 41 part-time; Graduate: 400 adjunct
Students:	5,700
Undergraduates:	1,400
Location:	Winona Campus: Winona, MN; Twin Cities Campus: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Colors:	Red, White, & Navy
Nickname:	Cardinals
Affiliations:	NCAA; MIAC
Website:	www.smumn.edu

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota is a private, comprehensive, coeducational university with an undergraduate campus in the city of Winona, Minnesota, United States. Graduate and professional programs are offered at facilities in Winona, the Twin Cities, Rochester, Apple Valley, Minnesota; and various sites around Minnesota and Wisconsin; and Nairobi, Kenya.

The university has a fall, 2008 total enrollment of 5,700, including 1,400 traditional undergraduates, and is affiliated with the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (Christian Brothers), a religious order of the Roman Catholic Church.

The chancellor of the university is Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC, Ph.D. Brother Louis came out of retirement to accept the request of the Board of Trustees to reassume the duties of president on February 9, 2007. Brother William Mann, FSC, D.Min, the former Vicar General of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools was named the thirteenth president of Saint Mary's on December 13, 2007 and began his term on June 1, 2008. Brother William was inaugurated as president on September 26, 2008 at the Winona campus.

[edit] History

Bishop Patrick R. Heffron founded Saint Mary's College in 1912, a men's college operated by the Winona Diocese. Heffron Hall, a residential hall was built in 1920, and named after Bishop Heffron. By 1925 it became a four-year liberal arts college. In 1933, it was taken over by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a religious order whose main charism is teaching. It became a co-educational university in 1969 and later purchased the campus and buildings of the former College of Saint Teresa, a women's college in Winona that ceased operations in 1989. In recent years, portions of the Saint Teresa campus were sold to Winona State University and Winona Cotter High School.

During the 1980s the main campus underwent vigorous growth. Constructed during this decade were the Ice Arena (1986), Performance Center, including Figliulo Recital Hall and Joseph Page Theatre (1987), Brother Charles Hall science addition (1987), Gilmore Creek Residence (1989), and Christian Brothers Residence (1989). More recent additions include McEnery Center (1993), Gostomski Fieldhouse and Jul Gernes Pool (1994), pedestrian plaza (1994), Pines Hall residence (1995), Hendrickson Center (1996), The Heights (1997), Oscar and Mary Jane Straub Clocktower and Court (1999), Hillside Hall residence (2001), ice arena addition (2004).

Beginning in 1985, then-president Brother Louis DeThomasis launched a series of new, non-traditional graduate and professional programs. The Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs, using a variety of course delivery methods and locations, is now one of Minnesota's largest graduate schools. SGPP programs are delivered at the Twin Cities campus, Rochester center, Apple Valley center, Minnetonka center, and at locations around Minnesota and Wisconsin. Saint Mary's also operates two institutes at Tangaza College in Nairobi, Kenya: the Maryknoll Institute of African Studies, and Christ the Teacher Institute of Education.

In 1995, Saint Mary's College was renamed Saint Mary's University of Minnesota to reflect the expanded role of graduate and professional programming, and to distinguish Saint Mary's from schools with similar names.

[edit] Programs

St. Mary's University has a wide variety of degrees offered. The school offers bachelor's, master's, doctorates. It currently has a doctorate program in Educational Leadership and will be starting a doctorate of psychology in fall 2009. It has programs for both traditional and non-traditional students. In addition to the degrees, St. Mary's also offers teaching licensures, certifications, and pre-professional programs.

[edit] Athletics

Its sports teams are nicknamed the Cardinals (previously the Redmen) and compete as a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). There are 21 NCAA Div. III varsity sports teams at Saint Mary's. The Saint Mary's fastpitch softball team won the 2000 NCAA Div. III National Title. That title was the university's first and so far only national team title. While football is a central activity in the athletic departments of many universities, Saint Mary's University can brag that its football team has not lost a game since 1955. Of course, this is only because in 1955 the then-College made the decision to discontinue the sport. A task force was formed in 2005 to study the feasibility of adding football, but the proposal was rejected in 2006 by a unanimous vote of the board of trustees. Saint Mary's has a mild crosstown rivalry with Div. II Winona State University, which is operated by the state of Minnesota. There is an on-campus cross country ski and running trail in the bluffs and valleys. Athletic facilities are being renovated and expanded. Upgrades were recently made to basketball, baseball and softball. A challenging disc golf course was installed in the bluffs and valleys around campus in 2007. A state of the art outdoor track and soccer complex, and a high-and-low ropes course, was added in 2008.

[edit] Past Presidents

Jennifer Mary Quicker]

[edit] See also

• Lasallian Educational Institutions
• Lasallian Volunteers
• Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary

[edit] External links

• Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
• Twin Cities Campus Library web page
• Twin Cities Campus Library Wikipedia entry

Coordinates: 44°02′41″N 91°41′46″W / 44.044753°N 91.696143°W / 44.044753; -91.696143