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Marian College (Wisconsin)
Encyclopedia
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
. It was founded in 1936 by the Congregation of Sisters of Saint Agnes, who continues to sponsor the University today.
Overview
Marian University had a total 2,841 undergraduate and graduate students in the 2009-2010 academic year. Seventy-one percent of students were women. Ninety-four percent of students receive financial aid. Approximately 32% of the undergraduate students live on campus.History
Marian University opened as Marian College of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin on September 8, 1936, with 17 full-time and 25 part-time students, and eight faculty. The Sisters of St. Agnes founded the college in response to a WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
Department of Instruction decision that nuns were not allowed to teach in public schools while wearing their religious habits.
Marian became accredited in elementary education in 1941. The first graduating class in August 1941 had eight nun graduates. The first lay students graduated in 1942. Marian had 86 full-time and 145 part-time students in 1950, who attended classes in a convent next to St. Agnes Hospital. Although founded as a women’s college, the superintendent of Fond du Lac schools attended art and music classes with his wife in 1940. Increasing enrollment caused the college to move to its current 100 acres (40 ha) campus in the mid 1960s, and the college became co-educational in 1970.
The school became accredited by the North Central Association for a Master's of Arts program in 1987, and was approved for a Ph.D. program in Leadership Studies in 2002.
On May 1, 2008, Marian College of Fond du Lac officially changed its name to Marian University to reflect an expansion of its programs and classes and to position the institution for continued growth.
Currently, Marian University comprises seven schools: School of Arts, Humanities and Letters; School of Business; School of Criminal Justice; School of Education; School of Mathematics and Natural Science; School of Nursing; and School of Social and Behavioral Science.
Accreditation
Marian became affiliated with The Catholic University of AmericaThe Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
and the National Catholic Educational Association
National Catholic Educational Association
The National Catholic Educational Association is a private professional educational association of over 200,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs...
in 1949. It became accredited with the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools , also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation...
for teacher education in 1960.
Marian University is accredited by the North Central Association, International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education
The International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education is an educational accreditation agency for college and university business programs...
, National League for Nursing
National League for Nursing
The National League for Nursing is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiatives to more than 25,000 individual and 1,200 education and...
, Council on Social Work Education
Council on Social Work Education
The Council on Social Work Education is the national association for social work education in the United States of America.The CSWE sets and maintains standards of courses and accreditation of bachelor's degree's and Master's degree programs in social work.The CSWE specifies foundation social work...
, National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education was founded in 1954 to accredit teacher certification programs at U.S. colleges and universities. NCATE is a council of educators created to ensure and raise the quality of preparation for their profession. NCATE is recognized by the U.S....
, and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education is an autonomous nursing education accrediting agency that contributes to the improvement of the public's health. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S...
. Marian’s curriculum has been approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is the state education agency of Wisconsin. It is headquartered in Madison....
, Wisconsin State Board of Nursing, and certified by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Law Enforcement Standards Board Training and Standards Bureau.
Academic Degrees
Marian University offers the B.A., B.S., BSN, BSW, BSBA, and B.S.Ed. undergraduate degrees. It also offers the M.S., M.A.E., MSN, and Ph.D. degrees.Catholic Environment
The Campus Ministry at Marian University provides many activities for students to deepen their understanding of the Catholic tradition: weekly Mass, retreats, sacraments, Scripture study, Rosary, adoration of the Blessed SacramentBlessed Sacrament
The Blessed Sacrament, or the Body and Blood of Christ, is a devotional name used in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Catholic Churches, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches, to refer to the Host after it has been consecrated in the sacrament of the Eucharist...
, and outreach to the local area.
Publications
45 South is Marian University's literary magazine. The Sabre is its online newspaper.Athletics
Marian University's athletic teams' nickname is the Sabres. Its colors are blue and white.Students participate in sports at the NCAA Division III level in women’s basketball, golf, hockey, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball, and men’s baseball, basketball, golf, hockey, soccer, and tennis. Teams have held membership in the Northern Athletics Conference
Northern Athletics Conference
The Northern Athletics Conference is a college athletic conference. It participates in the NCAA's Division III and began its first season in the fall of 2006.-Member schools:-History:...
since 2006, after holding membership in the Lake Michigan Conference
Lake Michigan Conference
The Lake Michigan Conference was an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III. Member institutions were all located in the State of Wisconsin except Dominican University. LMC schools joined with some schools from the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference in 2006-07,...
from 1974 to 2006. Marian University's men's hockey team participates in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association
Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference...
. In fall 2009, the first Marian University women's hockey team took to the ice as members of the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association is a college athletic conference which operates in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in the midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division III as a hockey-only conference....
.
Notable Alumni
- Sr. Dianne Bergant, CSA, Ph.D. (1961) is an internationally renowned author and scripture scholar.