Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

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Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College

Motto Virtus cum Scientia, Virtue and knowledge united
Established 1840
Type private liberal arts women's college
Endowment $11.1 million[1]
President Dr. Joan Lescinski, CSJ
Students 1,703, called Woodsies
Undergraduates 1,577
Postgraduates 126
Location Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN, USA
Campus suburban: 67 acres (0.27 km²)
Athletics four USCAA and IHSA teams,
called Pomeroys
Colors Light Blue and White
Mascot in honor of Sister Mary Joseph Pomeroy, SP (SMWC, B.A. 1921)
Affiliations Roman Catholic Church
Sisters of Providence
Website www.smwc.edu

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is a Catholic, four-year liberal arts women's college located northeast of West Terre Haute, Indiana, between the Wabash River and the Illinois state line. There is also a small village of the same name located nearby. Most students and employees refer to the college as "The Woods."

The college is associated with the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, a Catholic order of nuns. It was founded as an academy for young women in 1841 by a French nun, Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, canonized on October 15, 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI as Indiana's first saint, who located at the site in October 1840. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is the nation's oldest Catholic liberal arts college for women and one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States.

The athletic teams are nicknamed the "Pomeroys". Some students refer to themselves as "Woodsies."

Some members of the faculty are nuns, particularly Sisters of Providence.

Contents

[edit] Religious associations

Although a large Catholic church and several shrines are located on the campus and Catholic theology courses are taught, membership in the Catholic church, or any other church, is not a requirement for admission. Students come from traditional or nominal Catholic backgrounds, other Christian denominations, religions emphasising femininity such as Wicca, or claim no religion at all.

[edit] Social concerns

The Sisters of Providence are devoutly pacifist, and this is shown through a strong emphasis on peace and social concerns. The execution of Timothy McVeigh on June 11, 2001, at the nearby Federal Prison in Terre Haute was protested by a number of the Sisters of Providence and SMWC students.

An atmosphere of feminism is strong on campus. A tee shirt once sold in the SMWC bookstore bore the slogan SMWC is not a girls' college without men - it is a women's college without boys.

[edit] Role of men

The college's faculty consists of both women and men and religious and lay persons, all of whom have diverse views and faiths. Females do, however, make up a majority of the staff and faculty[citation needed].

At a press conference on August 14, 2006, Dr. Joan Lescinski, CSJ, announced that she would be completing her term as President of SMWC on June 30, 2007. On January 22, 2007, Dr. David G. Behrs was named as the College's 15th President. He is notable for being the first male president of the college and as a member of the laity. [1]

Men are allowed to attend regular classes for undergraduate studies, but may not receive a degree. Recently, the Women's External Degree (WED) distance learning program was opened to men (renamed the Woods External Degree Program), though not without controversy. In theory this would make it possible for men to take 121 hours of residence classes, 3 hours in WED, and then graduate. St. Mary of the Woods admits men for post-graduate degrees.

[edit] Relationships with other institutions

Indiana State University is nearby in downtown Terre Haute, home of Indiana State University. SMWC has close ties with nearby Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on the east side of Terre Haute, which was formerly a men's college.

[edit] Accreditation

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission. In 2004-05, the Woods received the highest possible review from the HLC, in which it was revealed that SMWC did not need another review for a full ten years, the maximum allowable period between accreditation reviews.

[edit] Traditions

There are a number of traditions among students at the Woods, including Ring Day, Big Sis/Lil Sis Week, and the annual Freshman/Senior Initiation. School officials have often remarked on how student-driven many of these events are.[citation needed]

[edit] Notable alumnae

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. 1 new president  Saint Mary of the Woods names Behrs as 15th President. Saint Mary of the Woods College News and Events. Retrieved on January 23, 2007.
  2. 2 endowment  2005 NACUBO endowment study. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved on February 25, 2006.
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