Stevenson University

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Stevenson University is located in Baltimore County, Maryland, USA, in the Greenspring Valley area. The university has two campuses, one in Stevenson and one in Owings Mills. Stevenson is a private, independent, coeducational, liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The university was formerly known as Villa Julie College, changing its name in 2008.

[edit] History

Founded in Stevenson, Maryland as Villa Julie College in 1947 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as a one-year school training women to become medical secretaries. The College was named for Saint Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame. The Stevenson campus is located on the 80-acre former estate of the George Carroll Jenkins family. The estate's name was "Seven Oaks," a reference to oak trees planted on the property that were thought to be part of a traditional Native American burial ground. One of the original seven oaks stood on campus until it was deemed potentially hazardous and cut down in August 2007.

Villa Julie was approved as a two-year college by the Maryland State Department of Education in 1954 and received its first Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation in 1962. In 1967 the College established a Board of Trustees and became independent of the Roman Catholic Church. The first male student was admitted to Villa Julie in 1972, making it coeducational.

Bachelor's degree programs were added in 1984 starting with a degrees in Computer Information Systems and Paralegal Studies. Traditionally a commuter college for local residents, the College started attracting students interested in college housing in the early 90s. Without the proper zoning for such an addition to the Stevenson campus, the College leased off-campus apartments in Pikesville and later in Towson where students could live starting in 1993. Villa Julie was granted admission to the NCAA Division III in 1994 and started offering master's degrees in 1995. A major campus expansion in 1997 more than doubled the amount of instructional space on the Stevenson, MD campus. As enrollment continued to increase and the demand for college-owned student housing intensified, the College made plans to open a second campus in Owings Mills. The College broke ground on a new campus in August 2003 and the Owings Mills campus opened in August, 2004.

Today, Stevenson University enrolls approximately 3,000 students in over 25 bachelor's and master's degree programs. Current enrollment makes the school the third-largest private college in the state of Maryland. Approximately 1,300 students live in ten residence halls at the Owings Mills campus. The campus expanded once again with the 2006 opening of Rockland Center, a new student union and dining hall. The University's athletic facilities include the Caves Sports and Wellness Center, former training facility of the Baltimore Ravens. An expansive School of Business and Leadership will open for the fall 2008 semester, housing the Divisions of Business & Legal Studies and Information Technology.

On June 11, 2008, the Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the school to Stevenson University.^[1] for reasons including the misconception that the college is still a 2-year women's college and that it has ties to the Catholic Church, both of which are no longer accurate. Stevenson University was selected over Rockland University, Tufton University and Greenspring University. The name "Villa Julie" will be kept as the name of the College of Arts and Science.

The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is Kevin G. Byrnes. Byrnes succeeded Charles E. "Ted" Herget, who stepped down in June 2005. The President of the College is Kevin J. Manning, Ph.D. Dr. Manning was sworn in as president in 2000. He succeeded Carolyn Manusak, a former Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, who had served as Villa Julie president since the 1960s.

[edit] Undergraduate Programs

Degree programs have a core curriculum in the liberal arts and a unique career emphasis. The College runs a program called "Career Architecture", which is interwoven throughout the curriculum and allows students to plan strategically for their futures by developing resumes, practicing interviewing techniques, meeting with potential employers on-campus, and participating in internships and co-ops. Over the past five years, on average, 97% of graduates have been employeed or have started graduate school within six months of graduation.

Stevenson offers bachelor's degrees in the following areas of study:

• Accounting
• Applied Mathematics
• Biology
• Biotechnology
• Business Administration
• Business Communications
• Business Information Systems
• Chemistry
• Computer Information Systems
• Early Childhood Education
• Early Childhood Leadership
• Elementary Education
• English Language and Literature
• Film, Video & Theatre
• Human Services
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• Medical Technology
• Nursing
• Nursing R.N. to B.S.
• Paralegal Studies
• Psychology
• Public History
• Visual Communication Design

[edit] Graduate Programs

Stevenson offers four master's degrees in:

• Advanced Information Technologies
• Business and Technology Management
• Forensic Science
• Forensic Studies

Students interested in one of these programs who start at the University as freshmen are able to apply to the graduate programs as juniors, enabling them to complete both a bachelor's and a master's degree in five years.

[edit] Notable Alumni

• Kimberly Brooks, actress
• Martha Scanlan Klima, former member of Maryland House of Delegates

[edit] External links

• Stevenson University website

[edit] References and notes