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===Accreditation and expansion (1950s - 1990s)===
===Accreditation and expansion (1950s - 1990s)===
[[Image:Villa Julie College.svg|thumb|School logo until 2008]]Villa Julie was approved as a two-year college by the [[Maryland State Department of Education]] in 1954<ref name=SU-History/> and received its first [[Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools]] accreditation in 1962. In 1967 the College established a Board of Trustees and became independent of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]].<ref name=SU-History/>
[[Image:Villa Julie College.svg|thumb|School logo until 2008]]Villa Julie was approved as a two-year college by the [[Maryland State Department of Education]] in 1954<ref name=SU-History/> and received its first [[Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools]] accreditation in 1962. In 1967 the College established a Board of Trustees and became independent of the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic Church]].<ref name=SU-History/> Villa Julie became coeducational in 1972, admitting its first male student that year.<ref name=SU-History/>


The first male student was admitted to Villa Julie in 1972, making it coeducational.<ref name=SU-History/>
Bachelor's degree programs were added in 1984, starting with degrees in Computer Information Systems and Paralegal Studies.<ref name=SU-History/>


Traditionally a commuter college for local residents, by the early 1990s, the College started attracting students interested in college housing. Without the proper zoning for such an addition to the Stevenson campus, the College leased off-campus apartments in [[Pikesville, Maryland|Pikesville]] and later in [[Towson, Maryland|Towson]], where resident students began living in 1993. Villa Julie was granted admission to the [[NCAA Division III]] in 1994.
Bachelor's degree programs were added in 1984 starting with degrees in Computer Information Systems and Paralegal Studies.<ref name=SU-History/>


Traditionally a commuter college for local residents, the College started attracting students interested in college housing in the early 1990s. Without the proper zoning for such an addition to the Stevenson campus, the College leased off-campus apartments in [[Pikesville, Maryland|Pikesville]] and later in [[Towson, Maryland|Towson]] where resident students began living in 1993. Villa Julie was granted admission to the [[NCAA Division III]] in 1994 and started offering master's degrees in 1995. A major 1997 campus expansion more than doubled the amount of instructional space on campus.
It started offering master's degrees in 1995. A major 1997 campus expansion more than doubled the amount of instructional space on campus.


===Growth in a new century (2000s)===
===Growth in a new century (2000s)===

Revision as of 14:17, 8 December 2013

Stevenson University
File:StevensonUniversity 4C.jpg
Motto"Pro Discendo, Pro Vivendo"
For Learning, For Living
TypePrivate
Established1947
PresidentKevin J. Manning
Students3,929 (2012)
Location
Stevenson and Owings Mills
,
Maryland
,
US

39°25′17.37″N 76°42′4.87″W / 39.4214917°N 76.7013528°W / 39.4214917; -76.7013528
CampusSuburban
Stevenson: 60 acres
Owings Mills: 100 acres (0.40 km2)
ColorsGreen and White    
NicknameMustangs
Websitestevenson.edu

Stevenson University is a private, independent, coeducational, liberal arts college and university that is located in the Greenspring Valley area of Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The University has two campuses, one in Stevenson and one in Owings Mills,[1] with approximately 3,900 undergraduate and graduate students. Formerly known as Villa Julie College, the name was changed to Stevenson University in 2008.

History

Founding

Stevenson University was founded in Maryland as Villa Julie College in 1947 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as a one-year school training women to become medical secretaries. The College was named for Saint Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame.[2]

Stevenson's Greenspring campus is located on the 80-acre (320,000 m2) former estate of the George Carroll Jenkins family. The estate's name was "Seven Oaks,"[2] a reference to huge old oak trees planted on the property. They were thought to mark a traditional Lenni Lenape burial ground. One of these seven oaks survived on campus as late as August 2007, when it was deemed potentially hazardous and cut down.

Accreditation and expansion (1950s - 1990s)

School logo until 2008

Villa Julie was approved as a two-year college by the Maryland State Department of Education in 1954[2] and received its first Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation in 1962. In 1967 the College established a Board of Trustees and became independent of the Catholic Church.[2] Villa Julie became coeducational in 1972, admitting its first male student that year.[2]

Bachelor's degree programs were added in 1984, starting with degrees in Computer Information Systems and Paralegal Studies.[2]

Traditionally a commuter college for local residents, by the early 1990s, the College started attracting students interested in college housing. Without the proper zoning for such an addition to the Stevenson campus, the College leased off-campus apartments in Pikesville and later in Towson, where resident students began living in 1993. Villa Julie was granted admission to the NCAA Division III in 1994.

It started offering master's degrees in 1995. A major 1997 campus expansion more than doubled the amount of instructional space on campus.

Growth in a new century (2000s)

On October 28, 2000, Villa Julie College inaugurated its fourth president Kevin J. Manning Ph.D., succeeding Carolyn Manuszak. Manning brought new momentum to the development and expansion of the College and its facilities.

As enrollment continued to increase and the demand for college-owned student housing intensified, the College made plans to open a second campus in Owings Mills. The College broke ground on a new campus in August 2003 and the Owings Mills campus opened in August 2004. The Owings Mills campus included several major residence complexes.

The campus expanded once again with the 2006 opening of Rockland Center, a new student union and dining hall.[2] The Caves Sports and Wellness Center also opened that same year.[2]

Stevenson University (2007 forward)

In late 2007, the school's leaders decided to push Villa Julie forward and attain university status. Many meetings were held to help determine whether the name should be changed to Villa Julie University, or have a more drastic change. Some of the other names considered were Great Oaks University, Tufton University, Greenspring University, Rockland University, Sagamore University, and Billiart University. On June 11, 2008, the university's Board of Trustees voted to change the name of the school to Stevenson University for several reasons, including honoring the location that Villa Julie College was established and Robert Stevenson, a prominent Baltimore grain merchant who married Deborah Owings, the granddaughter of the founder of Owings Mills.[3]

The Howard S. Brown School of Business and Leadership opened for the fall 2008 semester and houses the Departments of Business & Legal Studies and Information Technology.[2] The school expanded once again in 2010 with the opening of a school gymnasium on the Owings Mills Campus.[2]

The New School of Design opened in 2013.[2] Formerly housed on the Greenspring Campus, the School of Design moved to facilities on a property purchased from Shire Pharmaceuticals to form the Owings Mills North Campus,[2] on Crondall Lane.

Future expansion of Stevenson University may include the property of a former institution, the Rosewood Center.[4][5] Environmental and surveyor issues are still in progress to determine whether the university can purchase the property to expand the Owings Mills campus to the east. If approved, Stevenson's plans for the site include expansion for the School of Education and additional athletic fields.[6]

Academics

Undergraduate programs

Degree programs have a core curriculum in the liberal arts and a unique career emphasis. The College runs a program called "Career Architecture", which is interwoven throughout the curriculum and allows students to plan strategically for their futures by developing resumes, practicing interviewing techniques, meeting with potential employers on-campus, and participating in internships and co-ops. Over the past five years, on average, 97% of graduates have been employed or have started graduate school within six months of graduation.

Stevenson offers bachelor's degrees in the following areas of study:

Accelerated bachelor's programs

Through its School of Graduate and Professional Studies, Stevenson offers accelerated onsite and online bachelor's degree programs for working adults in:

Graduate programs

Stevenson offers Master's Degrees in:

Students interested in one of these programs who start at the University as freshmen are able to apply to the graduate programs as juniors, enabling them to complete both a bachelor's and a master's degree in five years.

Student life

Enrollment

Stevenson University enrolls approximately 4,000 students in more than 30 bachelor's and master's degree programs. Current enrollment makes the school the third-largest private university in the state of Maryland. The undergraduate student population increased to well over 1,300 in 2010.

Residence life and activities

The freshman enrollment and housing enrollments rose dramatically between 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. In the fall semester 2010, there were over 900 freshman students, around 700 of which were residents. Over 2,000 students live in 10 residence halls[1] on the Owings Mills campus.

Some of the university's long-running annual events include: MustangFest, Mr./Ms. SU Pageant, and the Alumni Bull and Oyster Roast with Auction.

Athletics

The University's athletic facilities include the Caves Sports and Wellness Center, the former training facility of the Baltimore Ravens.

Stevenson teams participate as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. The Mustangs are a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC). Stevenson used to compete in the Capital Athletic Conference from 2007-08 to 2011-12. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football (beginning in the 2011 season), golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

In 2013, the Stevenson Mustangs Men's Lacrosse team took home the 2013 Division III national championship, the first National Championship of any kind for the school. They advanced to the finals after defeating their rival Salisbury University.

Noted people

Notable alumni

Notable faculty/staff

  • Gerald Majer, author of The Velvet Lounge: On Late Chicago Jazz (2005), which references the Velvet Lounge located in Chicago's South Side
  • Stephanie Verni, author of the novel Beneath the Mimosa Tree (2012) and literary blog, Steph's Scribe. Verni has also worked for the Baltimore Orioles professional baseball team.

References

  1. ^ a b "Our Campuses". Stevenson University. Retrieved 02 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "History of the University". Stevenson University. Retrieved 02 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ Staff (June 12, 2008). "Villa Julie Board Chooses Stevenson University as New Name". Stevenson University. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  4. ^ Hare, Mary Gail (11 January 2010). "Rosewood Center property declared surplus: Stevenson University in talks for expanding Owings Mills school". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  5. ^ Wheeler, Timothy B. (31 March 2013). "Abandoned Henryton hospital slated for demolition: Fires, vandalism prompt plans to take down historic complex". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2 December 2013. In Baltimore County, talks drag on over selling Stevenson University a chunk of the Rosewood Center campus in Owings Mills, where the developmentally disabled were housed from 1889 until it was shuttered in 2009.
  6. ^ Briggs, James (23 March 2012). "Stevenson University's plans for Rosewood Center stalled". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved 2 December 2013.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stevenson_University&oldid=585127371"