Notre Dame of Maryland University

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

History

• 1873: Founded by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the University is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States.^[2]
• 1876: President Ulysses S. Grant attended commencement; his niece, Bessie Sharp, was a Notre Dame student.
• 1895: Originally called Notre Dame of Maryland Preparatory School and Collegiate Institute—today's equivalent of elementary and high schools—College of Notre Dame of Maryland was established as a four-year college in 1895.
• 1896: the school became the first four year Catholic College for Women in the United States.^[3]
• 1899: the college was awarded the four-year baccalaureate degree to the members of the first graduating class.

In 1975, the Weekend College was established. It was aimed at aiding working people to attain a bachelor's degree.

• 1984: The Graduate Studies Program began offering master’s programs for the first time.

In 2003, the college started the Accelerated College for working professionals. Towards this objective, it established partnerships with business and healthcare organizations in the area.

In 2004, the College instituted its first doctoral program, a PhD. in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations.

In 2009, the School of Pharmacy was established, making Notre of Maryland the only Catholic women’s college in the county with a school of pharmacy.

In 2011, the school changed its name to Notre Dame of Maryland University.^[4][5]

Campus

Notre Dame's campus is located in a residential Baltimore neighborhood and borders the Evergreen House of Johns Hopkins University. One of the buildings, Gibbons Hall, opened in 1873 and became "Notre Dame of Maryland," which offered instruction to girls and young women. The College's Marikle Chapel of the Annunciation was originally designed by Ephraim Francis Baldwin and Josias Pennington, and was restored in 2002 through a gift from Mac and Helen Marikle Passano '69 and their daughters.^[6] Fourier Hall is an example of Art Moderne architecture. Noyes Alumnae House, on the property at the time of its purchase by the School Sisters of Notre Dame, was built in 1850.^[7]

The College shares a library with Loyola University Maryland: the Loyola/Notre Dame Library, built primarily on land owned by College of Notre Dame.^[8] The Knott family, whose name is borne on multiple buildings on both campuses, has offered many years of support.

Some Weekend College, Accelerated College and Graduate Studies courses are offered at off-site locations, including: Anne Arundel Community College, College of Southern Maryland, Higher Education and Conference Center (HEAT), Laurel College Center and Southern Maryland Higher Education Center.^[9]

Academic programs

Nearly 3,000 students take degree granting programs:

• The Women’s College serves traditional undergraduate women. The college offers 29 undergraduate majors along with interdisciplinary minors, certificates, and 5-year Bachelor of Arts(BA)/Master of Arts and BA/Master of Arts in Teaching programs.^[10]
• It offers a Weekend College which includes 10 majors. There is an Accelerated College, which offers three programs of study for professional women and men who need a more flexible schedule for their studies.
• Notre Dame has pre-professional programs, including pre-law, pre-medical and pre-pharmacy.^[11]
• The Center for Graduate Studies provides co-educational weekend and evening classes leading to a master’s degree. It offers programs 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 school has partnered with a virtual education company to provide online multimedia education courses for teachers and higher education students. The courses provide information on current topics needed for certification, or re-certification.

The college offers two 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 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.

Personal Pathways

There is an honors program.

There is a program for first-generation college students.

There is a Transformational Leaders program.^[12]

Notre Dame has 1,254 undergraduate students and 1,647 graduate students, 140 of whom are enrolled in the two-year-old pharmacy school.^[13]

Athletics

• Notre Dame's athletic teams are members of the Division III (NCAA) . College of Notre Dame of Maryland has eight NCAA women's sports; basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and volleyball.
• All sports, except for softball, competed in the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference until the conference folded at the end of the 2006-2007 academic season.
• All sports but swimming joined the Colonial States Athletic Conference starting in the 2007-2008 academic year. Although the swim team does not compete within a conference, it participates in the yearly Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) swim championships.
• The 2009 season was the first season the Notre Dame softball team competed in NCAA Division III.
• The 2009-2010 academic year also saw the college's basketball season come to an abrupt end due to "injuries" after the first game of the season.^[14] The team returned to the court in 2010-2011 and recorded a 3-22 overall record and a 0-16 CSAC mark.^[15]
• The college has invested in two full-time staff members (Athletic Director, Assistant Athletic Director) within the Athletic Department, while all of its coaching staff are part-time, mainly seasonal employees. Although two coaches at the College have been coaching at the school for over 20 years, head coaching turnover has been constant over the past few seasons.
• The mascot of the College of Notre Dame Athletic Department is the "Gator." A new, up-to-date Gator logo was unveiled in May 2010.^[16]
• In May 2009, Notre Dame student-athletes achieved 20 semesters in a row with a cumulative grade point average of above 3.0.^[17] This has occurred for 23 consecutive semesters.
• College of Notre Dame athletics also has a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC),^[18] is represented by two student-athletes from each varsity sport at the college. The goals of the SAAC are to serve the student-athlete population while promoting a positive student-athlete image on campus, among other things.

Notable alumni

• 1983 – Susan L. M. Aumann, member of the Maryland House of Delegates (2003–present)^[19]
• 1981 - Audrey J. S. Carrion, became the first Hispanic American to serve on the Maryland Bench in 1996.^[20]
• 1965 – Irene Murphy Keeley, judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia ^[21]
• 1959 – Sister Mary Gabriel Roeder, SSND, led the establishment of new SSND schools in the U.S. and Africa ^[22]
• 1940 – Brigadier General Elizabeth P. Hoisington, first woman general in the U.S. Army ^[23]
• Marta Cunningham 1887 (when Notre Dame was still a high school) singer and philanthropist ^[24]

Media

• The 2006 Disney film Step Up was filmed in part at Notre Dame.^[25]
• Parts of Fox's pilot for Reincarnation was filmed there^[26]
• Part of the film Clara's Heart was filmed at the Notre Dame aquatic center.^[27]

Footnotes

External links & References

• Notre Dame of Maryland University
• Notre Dame of Maryland University Athletics
• American Council on Education