Bismarck, ND-In commemoration of its 50th anniversary in 2009, the University of Mary has published a history of its first 50 years. Written and compiled by former
U-Mary faculty member Mary Elizabeth Mason, OSB, a 60-year member of the Sisters of the Annunciation, the University of Mary's founders and sponsors, Learning to Lead: The University of Mary, 1959-2009 shares Mary's journey from a small women's college to America's Leadership University. Period commentaries, photos, firsthand accounts, and recollections of alumni, administrators, and friends combine to recount the university's fascinating story.

The value of any history lies not only in its account of the past, but in its connection to the present, and the lessons it may hold for the future. So it is with the story of the University of Mary. The pioneering efforts of a small group of monastic women to advance the Kingdom of God and serve the people of the North Dakota prairies, including the Sisters' establishment of the state's only Catholic university, are an inspiring testament to their courage, perseverance, faith, and most of all, to their vision. Beyond a history of an institution, the story of the University of Mary is part of the legacy of the people of the prairie.

Learning to Lead, a 147-page softcover book published by the University of Mary Press, is available through the University of Mary Bookstore for $12.95. As a special introductory offer, one free copy will be given to those making a contribution to the school of $25 or more online at www.umary.edu/giving (one complimentary copy per individual) while quantities last.

About the Author

Learning to Lead was written and compiled by Sister Mary Elizabeth Mason, OSB. Sister Mary Elizabeth came to Mary College (University of Mary) with notable accomplishments: research and publication of a thesis on active and contemplative life and a translation with commentary on the Latin poems of George Herbert. She was both professor and chair of the Humanities Division at Mary College from 1966 to spring of 1973. Her penchant for service found expanded expression as pastoral associate for the Church of Saint Anne in Bismarck for seventeen years and continued into a mission experience teaching for two years at the College of the Marshall Islands. Whatever her ministry, she is frequently called on to write.