Six hundred and Eighty-nine School Sisters of Notre Dame Have Served at Mount Mary Over the Years.
A love of learning and belief in the power of education to transform lives were at the heart of Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger’s call to found the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1833. The conflicts and wars that caused the closure of schools and left so many people impoverished deeply touched Theresa.
She recognized the key role of mothers as the first teachers of their children. By offering educational opportunities to girls, families and society would benefit. Within just 14 years of the congregation’s establishment and the growth of its educational missions in Europe, Mother Theresa received a request to send sisters to teach in America. She appointed Sister Caroline Friess to lead the expansion in North America.
The origin of Mount Mary University was in 1872, when the School Sisters of Notre Dame founded St. Mary’s Institute on the bluffs of the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. The institute was renamed St. Mary’s Academy in 1897, and in 1913 a college was also established. St. Mary College was the first four-year Catholic college for women in Wisconsin. A little over a decade later, Archbishop Sebastian Messmer asked the college to move to Milwaukee so that a Catholic college education could be available to more women in the metropolitan area. Renamed Mount Mary College, it was located on an 80-acre campus on the west side of Milwaukee. It opened its doors to 132 students on Sept. 16, 1929.
In just six weeks, the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. In those lean years, the sisters made many financial sacrifices to pay the bills. They moved out of the residence hall, where they had occupied a wing, to make room for more students who could bring in revenue. Sleeping in their classrooms and offices, the sisters persevered during these difficult times.
Moral Development, Intellectual Pursuit
Inspired and guided by the education motto of “Virtus et Scientia” — the bond of moral development and intellectual pursuit — SSNDs who served Mount Mary provided a liberal arts foundation to prepare young women for life, both personally and professionally. The curriculum expanded to offer students both undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Today, Mount Mary has a student body of nearly 1,404, with a faculty-to-student ratio of 1:10. The undergraduate programs are open to women only, but the graduate programs are co-ed. In addition to more than 30 undergraduate majors, there are nine graduate programs. In 2011, a professional doctorate in art therapy, the first of its kind in the United States, was begun. A second doctorate in occupational therapy was initiated in 2014.
With the expansion of graduate programs, the Board of Trustees recommended study and discussion about the possibility of changing the name from college to university. The process engaged faculty, staff, students, sisters and alumnae for their input. Board members approved the name change to Mount Mary University (MMU) in February 2012, with implementation occurring in July 2013, in time for the centennial celebration.
At the heart of Mount Mary University’s success has been its focus on serving the educational needs of students while responding to societal challenges. Over the past several decades, innovative programs were developed to enable a more diverse learning community at MMU.
The Women’s Leadership Institute was launched in 1998 to provide support for aspiring leaders. The institute continues to help students develop their strengths and realize their purpose with programs reflecting MMU’s core values of competence, community, compassion and commitment. In 2004, the Midtown Program (now called the Grace Scholars Program) was established to make higher education accessible to young women in Milwaukee. Currently, 30 Grace Scholars are selected each year for their leadership skills and financial need. They receive 85 percent of tuition for four years, as well as academic and personal support to pursue their goals.
The Promise Program, a federally funded program, provides first-generation, low-income college students with academic, career and financial support in the form of federal grants. These grants help them remain in good academic standing, persevere in college and graduate with a baccalaureate degree. A Student Success Center in the Haggerty Library was initiated to give students access to free academic counseling, advising and career development, tutoring and accessibility services at one location.
Interesting Facts About MMU
- The student body increased its diversity from 12 percent in 1980 to 52 percent in the fall of 2017.
- Mount Mary consistently ranks as one of the most diverse campuses in the Midwest region. Young women from many races, ethnicities, cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds and religious affiliations are represented.
- Nearly 100 percent of full-time undergrads receive scholarship funds or reduced tuition.
- Nearly 20 percent of undergraduate students study abroad (compared to approximately one percent nationally).
The environment for teaching and learning at MMU emphasizes the development of the whole person and fosters the desire to bring unity in a divided world.
Find out more at www.mtmary.edu
