Marywood University


Marywood University is a Catholic liberal arts university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 2,800 students in a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. The university has a national arboretum with more than 100 types of trees and shrubs.

History

The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary came to Scranton, Pennsylvania, and established St. Cecilia's Academy in 1878 "for young ladies". Mount St. Mary's Seminary opened in 1902. Mother Cyril Conroy, superior in 1901, deliberately chose the term "seminary" to avoid the suggestion of a finishing school – which was a much more common destination at that time for older girls who could afford to continue their education – as it was intended to be "a place where young scholars dedicated themselves to serious study". The Motherhouse was co-located with the seminary. Its buildings suffered major damage during a fire in the 1970s. As a result, the Jesuit Scranton Preparatory School, then a boys' school, became co-educational to accommodate the girls. The arch, now known as "Memorial Arch", which stood at the entrance to the seminary-cum-motherhouse, still stands on the present-day campus and the former seminary's name can be seen engraved on it.
The seminary was the next time step to the Sisters' ultimate goal: to open a women's college in Scranton. Marywood College opened with 34 students and Mother Germaine O'Neil as president and treasurer. It was the fifth Catholic women's college in the United States. The first batch of students graduated in 1919 with a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or Bachelor of Letters. By the 1930s, the college had diversified its curriculum, offering subjects ranging from the social sciences to pre-medical. In 1937, the Sisters turned down an invitation to merge with St. Thomas College, then under the Christian Brothers. St. Thomas later came under the administration of the Jesuits after World War II and is now the University of Scranton.
By the 1970s, other single-sex Catholic colleges and universities in the Diocese such as College Misericordia and King's College were becoming co-educational and Marywood followed suit, opening its doors to male students in the fall of 1989. In 1997 it was granted university status by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Over half the campus is located in Dunmore.

Academics

Marywood's programs are administered through four degree-granting colleges, with 60 bachelor's degree, 36 master's degree, two doctoral degrees, two terminal degrees by program. All students are required to complete a core curriculum in the liberal arts in addition to the courses in their major. Undergraduates may also enroll in double majors, honors, and independent study programs, practicums, internships, and study abroad, as well as Army and Air Force ROTC programs.
The university is structured into three colleges:
Marywood University is an NCAA Division III school and member of the Atlantic East Conference. The official name given is the Marywood Pacers. Marywood competes at the varsity level in baseball, basketball, cross-country, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. Students may also choose from more than 30 intramural programs, including club sports, as well as fitness options, recreational classes, and activity clubs. Marywood University's Mascot's name is Maxis Gillet after the Founder of the IHM Sisters, Mother Theresa Maxis and their Chaplain, Fr. Louis Gillet.

Campus buildings and landmarks

Marywood University is home to about 20 different buildings on its campus, including the following:
Marywood University was declared an arboretum in 1975 in honor of Sister Maria Laurence Maher, then Professor of Biological Sciences, and received its official designation as such in 1997. It now contains 42 species of trees and a comparable collection of shrubs, ornamental grasses, and flowers.