St. Mary's University, Texas

Coordinates: 29°27′11″N 98°33′44″W / 29.4531°N 98.5623°W / 29.4531; -98.5623
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St. Mary’s University
TypePrivate
Established1852
Endowment$116.5 million[1]
PresidentThomas M. Mengler, J.D.
Undergraduates2,437[2]
Postgraduates1,517
Location
San Antonio
,
Texas
,
USA

29°27′11″N 98°33′44″W / 29.4531°N 98.5623°W / 29.4531; -98.5623
CampusUrban, 135 acres (0.55 km2)
Endowment$163 million[3]
ColorsGold and Blue
   
NicknameRattlers
MascotRattlerman
Websitewww.stmarytx.edu

St. Mary's University is a Catholic and Marianist liberal arts institution located on 135 acres (0.55 km2) northwest of Downtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. St. Mary’s is a nationally recognized master’s level school ranked among the top colleges in the west for best value and academic reputation by U.S. News and World Report.[4][5] St. Mary's was named by Washington Monthly as first in the nation in the category of Master’s Universities for promoting an ethic of service to country; fostering scientific and humanistic research; and performing as an engine of social mobility.[6]

Founded by the Society of Mary (Marianists) in 1852, St. Mary’s is the oldest Catholic university in Texas and the American Southwest. With a diverse student population of nearly 4,000, St. Mary’s is home to five schools: Humanities and Social Sciences; Science, Engineering and Technology; Bill Greehey School of Business; Graduate; and Law.

History

St. Mary's University, founded in 1852 by Marianist brothers and priests, is the first institution of higher learning in San Antonio and the oldest Catholic university in Texas and the American Southwest. It was first called "St. Mary's College", then eventually split into two instiutions, Central Catholic High School (Still present in Downtown San Antonio) and St. Mary's University. Personal attention and powerful academic programs have made St. Mary's, located on 135 acres (0.55 km2) 3 miles northwest of Downtown San Antonio, a nationally recognized liberal arts institution with a diverse student population of nearly 4,000 of all faiths and backgrounds.

Academic programs

St. Mary’s offers 44 academic programs, in addition to pre-professional programs in medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, allied health, and law. St. Mary's Graduate School offers 24 master's programs and 2 Ph.D. programs. A student-faculty ratio of 13 to 1 assures personal attention designed to help students excel in their chosen fields. St. Mary’s has some 200 full-time faculty members, 94 percent of whom hold doctorate or terminal degrees.

St. Mary’s University integrates liberal arts and professional studies in each student's degree plan to develop creativity, analytical skills and an understanding of the human condition. Learning is enhanced through the use of notebook computers—complete with software and technical support—which connect students on campus and with the world with wireless connectivity featured virtually all over campus The School of Humanities and Social Sciences, the largest school at the University, is the hallmark of the University with successful programs that improve creativity, analytical skills and an understanding of the human condition. The school has a long history of offering service-learning courses to strengthen academic development and producing ethical leaders in education and public service, as well as other fields.

St. Mary's is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In addition, the Bill Greehey School of Business is accredited by AACSB International, [Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business], making St. Mary’s the only Catholic university in Texas to achieve this status. Electrical and industrial engineering programs in the School of Science, Engineering and Technology are recognized through accreditation by ABET [Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology].

Law School

Main article: St. Mary's University School of Law

Honors

The Honors Program offers an academically challenging and personally enriching course of study designed to cultivate critical analysis, clear oral and written expression, aesthetic awareness and ethical judgment. In and out of the classroom, students are prepared for lives of leadership and service to their communities. Internships in the summer or during the semester give students an ambitious advantage as they prepare for their future careers. Through the nationally acclaimed Career Services Center, students put their academic experiences to practice and pursue internships with businesses and nonprofit organizations. St. Mary’s students have completed internships in Texas, around the country, and all over the world.

Research

Students at St. Mary’s have an opportunity to participate in undergraduate research and impact the world of science. They are conducting progressive research and using critically emerging technology in robotics, bioengineering and biology. Research is used as a teaching tool for students who contribute their knowledge and skills in artificial intelligence, diabetes therapy and hip stem replacement research.

Internationally-oriented degrees and study-abroad programs encourage a global consciousness on the part of both faculty and students. Study abroad programs are designed to take academic or service experiences to a new level, stretch the imagination, deepen a student’s understanding of the world that surrounds him and create memories that will last a lifetime.

An involved student community

St. Mary’s promotes a campus culture of service and change in the community. Students who live on campus become a part of more than just the campus community as organizations offer academic, political, cultural, social and community service activities. Students also actively participate in 60 University-sponsored clubs and organizations, or in programs such as R.O.T.C., the Ethics Bowl, and Coffee and Politics.

University Ministry fosters a spirit of community and faith. All members of the University community are invited to participate in liturgical ministries, retreat planning, Bible study, Sacramental preparation, community service projects, faith-sharing groups, and much more.

Athletics

St. Mary’s University is a member of NCAA Division II and the Heartland Conference and sponsors 12 men's and women's sports at the varsity level. St. Mary's has won four team national championships in men’s basketball (1989), baseball (2001), softball (1986 and 2002), and one individual national title in men's golf (2006). The University has also been recognized by Golf Digest Magazine as one of the top schools in the nation to play both men’s and women’s golf.

Interscholastic athletics competition began with baseball in 1902.[7] Before St. Mary’s was recognized as a senior college in 1925, there was no formal conference competition, so the rivalry between the downtown and Woodlawn campuses was fierce. The colorful history of St. Mary’s athletics includes a stellar 1910 baseball team, which lost only to Ty Cobb’s Detroit Tigers in an exhibition game, and a stint by future President Eisenhower as coach of the 1916 football team.[8]

St. Mary’s was an all-male school for more than a century, so it’s not surprising that its two longest-running sports are baseball and men’s basketball. But from 1925 until 1941, football – with its flashy uniforms and players, and even more flamboyant managers and coaches. In 1939, both Collier's and Life magazines feature full-page spreads on the St. Mary's football team and their cross country trips in a ragged bus, the "Blue Goose."[9] Unfortunately the football team had to be disbanded due to World War II.

Records show the 1902 baseball team went 6–0, and the 1910 squad also went undefeated except for the aforementioned game against the Tigers. With the onset of the Depression, intercollegiate baseball disappeared only to be resurrected in 1947 by then-athletics director Brother Bill Siemer, S.M.[10]

Over the years, St. Mary’s baseball has won local, regional and national fame. Accomplishments include 24 conference championships, four NAIA College World Series appearances and, most recently, the 2001 NCAA Division II conference, regional and national championships.

The St. Mary’s University men's basketball program also has enjoyed success over many years. In 1926, the school’s first intercollegiate basketball team posted a 12–7 record.[11] In the late 1930s and early ’40s, the Rattlers, with their big man Ken “Arky” Croswell (B.A. ’42), dominated the short-lived Alamo Conference. Since 1951, men’s teams have captured 26 Big State and Heart of Texas conference championships and made 16 NAIA National Tournament appearances, including winning the 1989 NAIA National Championship. After entering NCAA Division II competition, the Rattlers won the Heartland Conference co-championship and advanced to the regional tournament in 2001, the team’s first year of post-season competition eligibility.

Women’s intercollegiate athletics, begun in 1968, also have enjoyed many triumphs.[12] The softball team has led the way, winning several conference titles, playing in the NAIA and NCAA Division II national tournaments, and winning the 1986 NAIA National Championship[13] and the 2002 Division-II National Championship.[14]

St. Mary's first individual national championship came in 2006, when Jamie Amoretti won the NCAA Division II Men's Golf title. The Men's Golf team would be named the Golf Coaches Association of America 2008-2009 Academic National Champions, a title which St. Mary's treats as a fifth team national championship.[15]

Following the end of intercollegiate football at the start of World War II, there have been at least three attempts to revive full-contact sports on campus: a club football team in the early 1970s,[16] a club rugby team in the early 1990s, and a Texas Rugby Union Collegiate Division III team formed in Fall 2010.[17]

The school hosted the NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championship at Bill Greehey Arena in 2009 and 2012.

Athletics Honors

Three coaches and two players from St. Mary's have been inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame: Coach Elmer Kosub (1972), Coach Ed Messbarger (1990), Coach Buddy Meyer (2010), Leticia Morales-Bissaro (2000) and Robert Reid (1986).

The Mascot

The Rattler mascot has its own stories of how it came to be. Legend holds that the football practice field had to be cleared of diamondback rattlesnakes on a regular basis, thus leading to the designation. The truth is that Brother Kinsky thought “Rattlers” would be fitting because there was already on campus Rattler Club whose members had recently begun The Rattler newspaper. There was debate as to whether the name was being run into the ground, but the students quickly said they wanted the Rattler nickname.[18]

Alton Seekatz (B.S.C. ’32), a member of the Rattler Club, described the organization as a spirit and social organization. “It was called the Rattler Club when I got here in 1926, and I’m not sure how it got its nickname,” he said, although his stories of the club members’ antics and efforts to raise school spirit would certainly “rattle” some and “shake” up others.

Notable alumni

Student organizations

There are a total of 68 registered organizations:

References

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
  2. ^ As of January 2011 "St. Mary's University Profile 2010-2011". Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  3. ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2011NCSEPublicTablesEndowmentMarketValues319.pdf
  4. ^ "USNews.com Best Colleges 2008 Universities-Master's (West): Top Schools". Retrieved 2008-06-29.
  5. ^ "USNews.com Best Colleges 2011: Best Values: Regional Universities (West)". Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  6. ^ "America's Best Master's Universities and Baccalaureate Colleges". Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  7. ^ "St. Mary's University Athletics Timeline - 1900s". Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  8. ^ "St. Mary's University Athletics Timeline - 1910s". Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  9. ^ http://www.stmarytx.edu/athletics/index.php?site=historyTimeline#1930s
  10. ^ "St. Mary's University Athletics Timeline - 1940s". Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  11. ^ "St. Mary's University Athletics Timeline - 1920s". Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  12. ^ "St. Mary's University Athletics Timeline - 1960s". Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  13. ^ "St. Mary's University Athletics Timeline - 1980s". Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  14. ^ "St. Mary's University Athletics Timeline - 2000s". Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  15. ^ http://www.stmarytx.edu/athletics/index.php?site=sportMGolf&nid=2165
  16. ^ "St. Mary's University Athletics Timeline - 1970s". Retrieved 2012-11-29.
  17. ^ http://texasrugbyunion.com/competitions/mens-collegiate/
  18. ^ "St. Mary's University History". Retrieved 2011-01-19.

External links

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