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Academic Programs --> Undergraduate Catalog Overview of the University || Seal || Motto || Accreditations and Approvals || Setting || History || See also: Mission Statement and Statement of Curricular Purpose Seal The black diamond in the lower center of the seal represents the city of Scranton, which is located in the heart of the once thriving anthracite coal district of Pennsylvania. Coal was king in Scranton at the time of Marywood's founding, and a gold field surrounding the diamond symbolizes the wealth the coal industry produced. The diamond is charged with the open book of learning, and upon its pages the Greek letters Alpha and Omega are inscribed. These represent God as the beginning and end of all things and the foundation of true education. An image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, garlanded with roses, pierced by a sword, marked by her crown as Queen of Heaven and tinctured in the gold eternity, is displayed on a forest green background to symbolize in canting form, the name of the University. (Canting arms indicate the name of the bearer.) On either side of the heart are fleurs-de-lis, a symbol of the Blessed Virgin, taken from the seal of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who founded Marywood University in 1915. Motto The University has embodied its ideals, which are identical with the goals of true humanism, in the University motto: Sanctitas, Scientia, Sanitas (Holiness, Knowledge, Health). Accreditations and Approvals Setting Marywood was established in Scranton in the city's heyday - at a time when its mines, mills and railroads were providing essential goods for the entire nation. Scranton was best known as the national center of the anthracite industry; workers who labored in the coal mines and lived nearby supplied the fuel for heating and transporting the people of the United States. Marywood's mission was to provide an excellent education for the daughters of the workers of the area. The city of Scranton is rich both in natural environment and in history. It is located in the Pocono Mountains region, an area renowned for the beauty of its lakes and forests and the access it offers for all kinds of sports and other outdoor activities. Scranton has become a tourist center in the region, providing a wealth of cultural opportunities - concerts, theatre, ballet, lectures and art shows. It celebrates its distinguished history as a labor center in museums and Steamtown National Park and is a living showcase of magnificent Victorian architecture. Marywood University, by its presence in Scranton - through its library, theatre, art galleries, educational facilities and spacious campus (recognized as one of the most beautiful in the state) - continues to be a vital, valuable part of the exceptional city it calls home. Since its foundation, Marywood University has expanded its perspective and its outreach to global dimensions, faithfully preserving its mission of service and excellence in education. Responding to the global character of modern society and the challenge to support the human aspirations of men and women of all ages and circumstances, the University has developed from a single school to four colleges and two schools. It delivers credit and non-credit opportunities both on campus and through distance learning activities. The 24,000 graduates of Marywood provide leadership and service for the human community not only throughout the region but across the nation and throughout the world. From its welcoming of its first international students in 1919 to its establishment of its undergraduate curricular focus, "Living Responsibly in an Interdependent World," in 1991, the University has prized its membership in the global community and its capacity to promote the well-being of that community. History Marywood was founded in the spirit of dedicated service characteristic of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This religious congregation was established in 1845; a Redemptorist missionary, Louis Florent Gillet, C.S.S.R., and an African American sister, Teresa Maxis Duchemin, I.H.M. founded the Congregation in Monroe, Michigan. The Congregation undertook its ministry in Northeast Pennsylvania in 1858, operating schools and social services facilities throughout the region. As educators who were concerned with the needs of the women in Northeast Pennsylvania, the sisters began plans for a women's liberal arts college in Scranton. The idea, conceived by Mother M. Cyril Conway and endorsed by the Most Reverend Michael J. Hoban, D.D., bishop of Scranton, was realized by Mother M. Germaine O'Neill, who formally opened Marywood College in September 1915. In 1917, the College was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and approved to grant three degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Science in Home Economics. Marywood became a charter member of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1921. Amendments to the first charter enabled the University to grant the degrees of Master of Arts (1922), Bachelor of Science in Education (1922), Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (1928), Bachelor of Science in Library Science (1937), Master of Social Work (1969), Bachelor of Social Work (1974), Master of Public Administration (1975), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (1978), Master of Business Administration (1980), Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts (1981), Master of Arts in Teaching (1985), Master of Health Services Administration (1995), Doctor of Philosophy (1995), Master of Education, (2000), Doctor of Psychology (2000), and Educational Specialist (2005). Marywood further was empowered to educate students as school librarians (1929), vocational home economics teachers (1936), guidance counselors (1938), public school psychologists (1942), and teachers of the mentally retarded (1948) and to grant graduate certificates in theology (1953). A revision of the bylaws was made in 1968, establishing a new Board of Trustees to include both religious and lay members as Marywood's governing body, while retaining ownership by the members of the corporation, namely, the congregation administrator and the other officers of the congregation. During the 1960s, the graduate education activities of the College were formalized in the establishment of a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a School of Social Work. From 1981 to 1990, the Gillet School extended Marywood's services in baccalaureate, non-degree and non-credit/continuing education at the undergraduate level. Men have attended the graduate schools since their establishment, and have been enrolled in undergraduate programs since the 1970s. In 1990 the Undergraduate School was restructured to provide residence for men as well as women. All the degree-granting units of the College were fully coeducational, with residence opportunities for all students. Non-credit and continuing professional educational programs were offered to a wide variety of publics through the School of Continuing Education, which replaced the Gillet School. Marywood's continued growth brought another dramatic change in 1997, when the Pennsylvania Department of Education, recognizing the institution's academic excellence as well as its significant contributions in research, cultural activities, educational outreach, service and importance to the community, granted university status. Marywood College became Marywood University, which now consists of four colleges: the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; the College of Health and Human Services; the Insalaco College of Creative Arts and Management; and the College of Education and Human Development.

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Last update: February 19, 2008
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