College of Notre Dame of Maryland

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College of Notre Dame of Maryland, is an independent, Catholic-affiliated, liberal arts college located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, that primarily serves women students.

[edit] History

Founded in 1873 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the College of Notre Dame stands as one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. Today it is best known for its fine liberal arts programs, its widely admired Elizabeth Morrissy Honors Program, its dedication to educating a diverse student body (a leader among private colleges in Maryland), and its commitment to providing rigorous academic programs, based in the liberal arts, to non-traditional learners.

In April 1896, the College of Notre Dame became the first Catholic women's college in the United States chartered to offer the bachelor of arts degree. Its traditional program for women continues as the only one of its kind in Maryland. The first institution on the East Coast to offer working women and men the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree through weekend coursework, the College has continued as a leader in providing innovative part-time undergraduate and graduate programs for adults.

Until the fall of 1960, Notre Dame Preparatory School, a Catholic school offering grades 1-12 for girls, shared the college campus. Increased enrollments at the college and the prep school necessitated a move by the prep school from the Charles Street campus to Towson, Maryland. Today, Notre Dame Prep serves girls in grades 6-12.

Notre Dame's beautiful and historic campus is set amidst Baltimore's most prestigious neighborhoods. Its signature building, Gibbons Hall, opened in 1873 and was home to "Notre Dame of Maryland," which offered instruction to generations of girls and young women. Other landmark spaces include the College's Marikle Chapel of the Annunciation, originally designed by Baldwin and Pennington and restored in 2002 through a gift from Mac and Helen Marikle Passano '69 and their daughters; Fourier Hall, a stunning example of Art Moderne architecture; and Noyes Alumnae House, built in the 1840s.

The Notre Dame campus borders the Evergreen House of Johns Hopkins University. The College shares a library with Loyola College in Maryland: the Loyola/Notre Dame Library, built primarily on land owned by the College of Notre Dame. Over years of support from the Knott family, whose name is borne on multiple buildings on both campuses, both schools developed a working relationship, with students from the colleges, under some circumstances, being able to take courses on each other's campuses. Notre Dame students can also take advantage of the diverse courses offered at the many colleges and universities located throughout Baltimore.

[edit] Academic Programs

The College is home to three degree-granting programs serving a population of more than 3,000 students:

• The Women’s College serves traditional undergraduate women ages 18 to 24 and women age 25 and older who are continuing their education.
• The Weekend College and Accelerated College are co-educational undergraduate programs for working women and men who attend classes on a part-time basis. The Weekend College offers courses on the weekends while the Accelerated College enrolls cohorts of students, primarily in nursing and business. Through the innovative Accelerated College, students can obtain a bachelor’s degree in as little as two-and-half years;
• The Center for Graduate Studies provides co-educational weekend and evening classes leading to a master’s degree. Programs are available in education, management, contemporary communication, liberal studies and nonprofit management. In fall 2004, the college launched its first doctoral program, a Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations.
• The College of Notre Dame of Maryland also offers two distinctive noncredit programs:
• The English Language Institute provides instruction in the English language and American culture for international students, professionals, and visitors to the United States. The majority of these students are in their mid- to late twenties.
• The Renaissance Institute is a voluntary association of women and men age 50 and older who pursue study of a wide variety of topics on a not-for-credit basis. Courses have included: literature, public affairs, writing, history, philosophy, music, art, languages, t'ai chi, film, science, computers, travel, strength and balance, dance and acting.

[edit] Athletics

• Notre Dame's athletic teams are members of the NCAA (Division III). The seven teams -- basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis and volleyball -- competed in the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference through 2006-07; beginning with the 2007-08 season, they will compete as members of the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference.

[edit] Notable alumnae

• Susan L. M. Aumann, member of Maryland House of Delegates
• The Hon. Audrey J. S. Carrion, the first Hispanic woman to serve as judge for the Circuit Court for Baltimore City
• Sherry Davis, the first female public address announcer for a Major League baseball team (San Francisco Giants)
• (Ret.) Brigadier General Elizabeth P. Hoisington, the first woman general in the U.S. Army
• The Honorable Irene Murphy Keeley, judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia

[edit] Historic trivia

• In 1876, President Ulysses S. Grant attended commencement; his niece, Bessie Sharp, was a Notre Dame student.
• The 2006 Disney film "Step Up" was filmed in part at Notre Dame. Other films and TV shows have also been filmed on the Baltimore campus.
• Part of the film Clara's Heart was filmed at the Notre Dame aquatic center.

[edit] External links & References

• College of Notre Dame of Maryland
• College of Notre Dame of Maryland Athletics
• American Council on Education
• "Dr. Mary Pat Seurkamp, President CND of MD" MD Daily Record
• "College of Notre Dame of Maryland" Baltimore Sun
• "For many women, this school is a perfect fit," Megan McIlroy, The Examiner, April 16, 2007