| Saint Mary's College | |
| Motto: | Spes unica (Latin) |
| Mottoeng: | Our only hope |
| Type: | Private women's liberal arts college |
| Religious Affiliation: | Catholic Church (Sisters of the Holy Cross) |
| Academic Affiliations: | ACCU CIC NAICU |
| Endowment: | $201.6 million (2019)[1] |
| President: | Katie Conboy |
| Provost: | Barbara May |
| Faculty: | 167 full-time 63 part-time |
| Undergrad: | 1,600 |
| City: | Notre Dame |
| State: | Indiana |
| Country: | United States |
| Coor: | 41.7067°N -86.257°W |
| Campus: | Rural 75acres |
| Colors: | and |
| Nickname: | Belles |
| Mascot: | Belle |
| Sporting Affiliations: | NCAA Division III – MIAA |
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.
Saint Mary's offers five bachelor's degrees and more than 30 major areas of study. Additionally, Saint Mary's College offers five graduate degrees: Master of Autism Studies, Master of Science, Master of Social Work, and Doctor of Nursing Practice.
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, beginning in 2015, 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]
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.[11]
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 278acres 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,[12] the four-story, rectangular-shaped library was one of the five winners of the AIA/ALA Library Building Award for 1983. The 78000ft2 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.[13] 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.[14] 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.