Welcome to the University of Mary Office of Development Web site.
From its beginnings as a four-year college in 1959, the University of Mary has experienced unparalleled growth.
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"What we have been in the past makes and shapes what we are yet to become. So it is with the University of Mary. As we embark on a plan to achieve national recognition as America’s Leadership University, we embrace what we have been. It is the foundation to what we will become."
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Sr. Thomas Welder |
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University President | |
Who We Are
Mary College was incorporated in 1959 as a four-year degree-granting college, offering programs in nursing and education. Undertaken to provide an academic program with professional preparation built upon a strong liberal arts base, it was the only four-year college in Bismarck, the capital of the State of North Dakota.
It was not until 1968 that Mary College had its own campus and its own buildings. The original complex, designed by the world-renowned architect, Marcel Breuer, is located six miles south of Bismarck, overlooking the Missouri River Valley. That first complex of buildings consisted of a classroom-science center, a small auditorium, a student residence, and a college hall and supported an enrollment of 300 students.
Since 1968, the university has continued to grow, adding nine new buildings and completing numerous other student-related improvement projects. Its enrollment has increased each of the past 18 years.
In 2001 the University of Mary unveiled its new vision as America’s Leadership University with a weeklong celebration and the implementation of a new Development Campaign of Growth Through Change and Commitment.
The University of Mary now offers 42 undergraduate programs, five master's degrees, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy, with a total enrollment of more than 2,900 students taking classes at 16 different locations in five states in addition to the Bismarck campus. It also offers accelerated online graduate degree programs.
Taking leadership to a new level, in 2006, U-Mary became a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-Division II, setting a new standard of quality in programs campus-wide. It also launched the Gary Tharaldson School of Business, a new model for the preparation of students for careers in business that is uniquely designed to bridge the gap between the academic and business world.
The purpose of the University of Mary Development Department is to support the university's Plan for Growth Through Change and Commitment. In accomplishing this purpose the development department works to increase scholarship funds available for students and to ensure the future of the university through current and planned giving programs.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
