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Saint Mary's University of Minnesota

Coordinates: 44°02′41″N 91°41′46″W / 44.044753°N 91.696143°W / 44.044753; -91.696143
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
Latin: Universitas Sanctæ Mariæ
Former name
Saint Mary's College (1912–1995)
MottoVirtus et Scientia
Motto in English
Virtue and Knowledge
TypePrivate university
Established1912; 112 years ago (1912)
Religious affiliation
Catholic (Lasallian)
Academic affiliations
IALU, ACCU, CIC, NAICU
Endowment$61.8 million (2019)[1]
Budget$88.9 million (2016)[2][3]
PresidentJames P. Burns
Academic staff
Undergraduate: 96 full-time, 41 part-time;
Graduate: 400 adjunct
Students4,701[2]
Undergraduates1,089
Postgraduates3,730
Location
Winona and Minneapolis, Minnesota
,
U.S.

44°02′41″N 91°41′46″W / 44.044753°N 91.696143°W / 44.044753; -91.696143
Colors    Red, white, & navy
NicknameCardinals
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division III – MIAC
MascotCardinal
Websitewww.smumn.edu

Saint Mary's University of Minnesota (SMUMN) is a private Catholic university with its primary campuses in Winona and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It comprises an undergraduate residential college in Winona; graduate and professional programs in Winona, the Twin Cities, and Rochester; and course delivery sites in Minnesota and Wisconsin as well as Jamaica.[4] The institution was founded in 1912 and is associated with the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, also known as the De La Salle Brothers.

History

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Bishop Patrick Richard Heffron founded Saint Mary's College in 1912, a men's college operated by the Winona Diocese. Heffron Hall, a residential hall was built in 1920, and named after Bishop Heffron. By 1925 it became a four-year liberal arts college. In 1933, it was taken over by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a religious order whose main charism is teaching. It became a co-educational university in 1969 and later purchased the campus and buildings of the former College of Saint Teresa, a women's college in Winona that ceased operations in 1989. In recent years, portions of the Saint Teresa campus were sold to Winona State University and Winona Cotter High School.

During the 1980s the main Winona campus underwent vigorous growth. Constructed during this decade were the Ice Arena (1986), Performance Center, including Figliulo Recital Hall and Joseph Page Theatre (1987), Brother Charles Hall science addition (1987), Gilmore Creek Residence (1989), and Christian Brothers Residence (1989). More recent additions include McEnery Center (1993), Gostomski Fieldhouse and Jul Gernes Pool (1994), pedestrian plaza (1994), Pines Hall residence (1995), Hendrickson Center (1996), The Heights (1997), Oscar and Mary Jane Straub Clocktower and Court (1999), Hillside Hall residence (2001), ice arena addition (2004) a soccer field / track complex in 2008, Brother Leopold Hall (2012, which includes an outdoor recreation center donated by the Winona ski club), and the new freshmen residence hall Brother William completed in 2019. During the summer of 2021, the old Adducci science building was renovated and renamed Aquinas Hall, which includes a new facility for the University's nursing program.

Beginning in 1985, then-president Louis DeThomasis launched a series of new, non-traditional graduate and professional programs. The Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs, using a variety of course delivery methods and locations, is now one of Minnesota's largest graduate schools. SGPP programs are delivered at the Twin Cities campus, Rochester center, Apple Valley center, Minnetonka center, Oakdale center, and at locations around Minnesota and Wisconsin. The university has a partnership with Catholic College of Mandeville, Jamaica. In 2011, the Twin Cities campus added Harrington Mansion and Saint Mary's Event Center to its expanding facilities on Park Avenue in Minneapolis.

In 1995, Saint Mary's College was renamed Saint Mary's University of Minnesota to reflect the expanded role of graduate and professional programming, and to distinguish Saint Mary's from schools with similar names.

Presidents

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Years President
Founder Patrick R. Heffron
1912–1918 William E.F. Griffin
1918–1933 John H. Peschges
1933–1942 Leopold Julian Dodd
1942–1943 Landrick Jerome Fox
1943–1950 Joel Stanislaus Nelson
1950–1956 J. Ambrose Groble
1956–1963 Basil Rothweiler
1963–1969 Josephus Gregory Robertson
1969–1976 George Pahl
1976–1984 Peter Clifford
1984–2005 Louis DeThomasis
2005–2006 Craig J. Franz
2006–2008 Louis DeThomasis
2008–2018 William Mann
2018–Present James P. Burns
St. Mary's University of Winona
St. Mary's University of Winona

Academics

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Saint Mary's University offers a wide range of degrees. The university offers bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees for both traditional and non-traditional students. In addition to the degrees, Saint Mary's also offers teaching licensures, certifications, and pre-professional programs. Both undergraduate and graduate programs offer online learning. Men study for the priesthood at the adjacent Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary, owned and operated by the Diocese of Winona.

Changes in 2022

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Due to financial difficulties and low undergraduate enrollment, in May 2022, the university announced plans to phase out 11 majors including English, history, theatre, music, art, and theology. The president of the university, James P. Burns, said about the decision, "In particular, what we looked at is the majors that we are phasing out are those that really were low enrolled and also didn't hold great promise in terms of what many families and students want, which is marketable skills and jobs after college."[5]

Athletics

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St. Mary's University athletic fields

The university's sports teams are nicknamed the Cardinals (previously the Redmen until 1988)[6] and compete as a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). There are 21 NCAA Division III varsity sports teams at Saint Mary's. The Saint Mary's fastpitch softball team won the 2000 NCAA Division III National Title. That title was the university's first and so far only national team title. In 1955, the college administration elected to discontinue football as a sport at the university. A task force was formed in 2005 to study the feasibility of adding football, but the proposal was rejected in 2006 by a unanimous vote of the board of trustees.

There is an on-campus cross country ski and running trail in the bluffs and valleys of the 450-acre (180 ha) campus. Athletic facilities are being renovated and expanded. Upgrades were recently made to basketball, baseball and softball. A challenging disc golf course was installed in the bluffs and valleys around campus in 2007. A state-of-the-art outdoor track and soccer complex, and a high-and-low ropes course, were added in 2008.

Saint Mary's has long had a friendly crosstown rivalry in non-conference athletics with NCAA Division II member Winona State University.

Notable alumni

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See also: Category:Saint Mary's University of Minnesota alumni

See also

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References

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  1. ^ As of June 30, 2019. "U.S. and Canadian 2019 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2019 Endowment Market Value, and Percentage Change in Market Value from FY18 to FY19 (Revised)". National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Fast Facts". Overall Fast Facts. St. Mary's University of Minnesota. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  3. ^ Kennedy, Patrick. "Minnesota Nonprofit 100". StarTribune News. Minneapolis StarTribune. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  4. ^ About SMU
  5. ^ "St. Mary's University in Winona to eliminate 11 majors as enrollment down". kare11.com. May 11, 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  6. ^ "SMC to be called the Cardinals". Winona Daily News. September 3, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved December 9, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Pioneers of the Medical Device Industry". Minnesota Historical Society.
  8. ^ "Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office". CHSMedia.org. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  9. ^ "Frank Billock". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  10. ^ "Fritz Cronin". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  11. ^ "JOHANNS, Mike, (1950 - )". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  12. ^ "Geo. Kenning, Son of Former Resident Honored at St. Mary's College". The Lake Geneva Regional News. April 25, 1935. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "A Perfect Fit". Winona Daily News. June 26, 1998. p. 11. Retrieved September 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  14. ^ "Blackhawks President, CEO John McDonough bringing Stanley Cup to Saint Mary's on Sept. 6". Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. Retrieved 3 November 2021. McDonough (a 1975 Saint Mary's University alum) was right there hoisting the Cup with the rest of the Blackhawk players and staff.
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