Summary
Maryville University of St. Louis is a private, coeducational university located in the city of Town and Country, Missouri, United States.[2][3] It was founded in 1872 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart, a Roman Catholic order established in France by women dedicated to education.[4]
History[5]
One of the oldest private institutions in Greater St. Louis, Maryville was founded in 1872 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart in south St. Louis as an academy for young women. The school became a junior college, then a four-year college in 1923. Seeing the growth potential of western St. Louis County, in the late 1950s, the school purchased 290 acres (117.4 ha) of land adjacent to U.S. Highway 40, which was then St. Louis' main east-west thoroughfare. The dedication of the new campus on this site in 1961 marked the beginning of Maryville's move toward being a community-oriented liberal arts institution. In 1968, the University became a co-educational institution. In Maryville's Centennial year of 1972, ownership of the college was transferred to a lay board of trustees. In 1981, Maryville launched Weekend College, making it possible for the first time for St. Louis-area working adults to complete entire degree programs entirely on weekends. In June 1991, Maryville made the transition to university status.
Since the opening of the West County Main Campus, additional construction has accompanied the institution's growth. The University Library opened in 1988. Former president Keith Lovin initiated a significant amount of construction in 1997 with the construction of the new Art and Design Building and the link between academic buildings. The Donius University Center was completed in 2001, the new theatre auditorium opened in 2002, and apartment style dormitories in 2003. An additional apartment building and the Buder Family Commons were completed in 2006. In the Fall of 2010, Maryville Hall (residence hall)--- purchased from the Marriott Corporation--- was opened for students, and construction began on the dining court in Gander Hall.
In addition to the Main Campus, Maryville University also operates centers in Lake St. Louis and Sunset Hills. These centers offer facilities and services for students enrolled in the school's Weekend and Evening College.
Note: After the opening of the new campus, the old one on Meramec Avenue in south St. Louis was taken over by the Midwest Province of the Augustinian Fathers who established Augustinian Academy, a college prep school for boys.
Academics
Maryville University of Saint Louis is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.[8] The nursing program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education[9] and the Missouri State Board of Nursing. The Simon School of Business is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).[10] Teacher education is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)[11] and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Relevant programs within the College of Arts and Sciences are accredited by the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Paralegals,[12] the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly known as FIDER),[13] the National Association of Schools of Art and Design,[14] and the National Association of Schools of Music.[15]
The Maryville University Library building was opened in 1988 and renovated in 2007. Its 54,000 square foot area, on two floors, contain over a quarter of a million volumes plus collections of reference works, periodicals, and databases. As a member of the Missouri Bibliographic Information User System (MOBIUS), the library offers students inter-library loans from any other member institution. Other resources include a small collection of government documents, phonographic records, videos, microfiche, and access to LexisNexis.
Athletics[17]
Maryville athletic teams are known as the Saints. The university competes at the NCAA Division II level in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). Maryville was accepted into the GLVC for the 2009-10 school year, when the school began the transition to NCAA Division II athletics. Maryville became an active member of Division II in July 2011.[18] The Saints had formerly competed in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, a Division III conference since 1989 and had competed in Division III sports since 1978.
In 2011, the school added wrestling to its athletic program. Maryville's first head coach was Mike Denney, who previously led the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) to Division II dominance with seven NCAA Division II titles before the program was eliminated during UNO's transition to Division I. Since Denney and the majority of the wrestlers, who had transferred from the UNO program, were essentially a continuation of the defunct UNO program, Maryville was allowed to compete for the NCAA championship in its first season, finishing 21st out of 42 teams and having three wrestlers qualify for the Division II Individual Championships.
In 2012, the school announced a women's swimming team will be added to the athletic program in the Fall of 2013.
Maryville University sponsors nine men's and nine women's teams in NCAA sanctioned sports[19] with women's swimming and diving to be added: