Mount Mercy College

Infobox University
name = Mount Mercy College
established = 1928
president = Christopher R.L. Blake
type = Private
city = Cedar Rapids
state = IA
country = USA
undergrad = 1,490 (1,019 full-time)
campus = Urban, 40 acres
free_label = Athletics
free =
nickname = Mustangs
website = [http://www2.mtmercy.edu/]
affiliations = Roman Catholic

Mount Mercy College is a four-year, co-educational Catholic liberal arts college located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1928.

Mount Mercy College

Intellectual development and strong career preparation are the twin anchors of academic life at Mount Mercy College, a 79 year-old Catholic four-year co-educational college founded by the Sisters of Mercy. Students take a core of liberal arts courses providing a comprehensive foundation for many specific areas of study including: English, fine arts, history, mathematics, multicultural studies, natural science, philosophy, religious studies, social science and speech/drama. The college offers over 34 majors in both liberal arts and professional programs.

Campus

Mount Mercy College's [http://www2.mtmercy.edu/visitors/index 40 acre campus] is located in a tree-lined residential neighborhood in the heart of [http://www.cedar-rapids.org Cedar Rapids, Iowa] (population 140,000).

History

Mount Mercy College was founded as a two-year college for women in 1928 by the [http://www.sistersofmercycr.org/sisters/index.aspx Sisters of Mercy of Cedar Rapids, Iowa] . The Sisters of Mercy, whose order was founded in 1831 by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, have been active in Cedar Rapids since 1878. The college was an outgrowth of their concerns about the education of women.

In 1957, the College became a four-year institution and awarded its first bachelor’s degree in 1959. The college received accreditation as a baccalaureate institution by the [http://www.ncacasi.org North Central Association] in 1960. In 1968 the Sisters of Mercy transferred their legal authority and responsibility to a self-perpetuating independent board of which three members would always be Sisters of Mercy. Mount Mercy College became coeducational in 1969. While integrating a strong liberal arts component, the college has always emphasized professional development from its early involvement, as a junior college, on business courses and teacher education. The departments of nursing, education and social work were accredited in the 1960s and 1970s as the four-year programs developed. Begun in 1997, the [http://www2.mtmercy.edu/admission/ADVANCEhome.html ADVANCE program] , a joint Mount Mercy College/Kirkwood Community College accelerated degree completion program for working adults meets an important community workforce development need. The college continues under the spiritual and intellectual auspices of the Sisters of Mercy, whose commitment is to "serve human needs where they exist."

Presidents

*Sister Mary Ildephonse Holland, 1928-1933, 1946-1961
*Sister Mary Cornelia Burke, 1933 to 1939
*Sister Mary Maura Marron, 1939-1946
*Sister Mary Agnes Hennessey, 1961-1977
*Dr. Thomas R. Feld, 1977-1999
*Dr. Robert Pearce, 1999-2006
* [http://www2.mtmercy.edu/blake_bio.html Dr. Christopher R.L. Blake] , 2006 – present

Accreditation

Mount Mercy College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the [http://www.ncscasi.org North Central Association of Colleges and Schools] (30 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602-2504; phone [phone]), the [http://www.cswe.org Council on Social Work Education] (1725 Duke Street, Suite 500, Alexandria, VA 22314-3457), [http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Acreditation The State Board of Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education] (One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20036). The college is approved by the Iowa Department of Education (Grimes State Office Building, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146) to offer programs leading to teacher certification in both elementary and secondary education and endorsements in several areas including early childhood education and multicategorical resource room teaching.

Mission and goals

As a Catholic college founded and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, Mount Mercy College welcomes women and men of all beliefs. The college strives for excellence in accomplishing our mission through four interdependent goals:

*Using reflective judgment
*Engaging in strategic communication
*Serving the common good
*Promoting purposeful living.

Enrollment

*1,482 students; 992 full-time.
*Average high school GPA is 3.43; 74 percent are in the top half of their class.
*Ninety percent of freshmen from Iowa; 10 percent from out of state, primarily in the Midwest.
*One hundred percent of new full-time freshmen receive some form of institutionally-funded financial aid; $5.9 million dollars in scholarship money was awarded in 2005-06.

Non-Traditional Programs

Mount Mercy offers five accelerated degree programs for working adults. These include a major in Health Services Nursing Home Administration, a degree completion program for RNs, and majors in accounting, business and marketing through [http://www2.mtmercy.edu/admission/ADVANCEhome.html ADVANCE at Mount Mercy] , a joint program with Kirkwood Community College.

Library

The convert|65000|sqft|m2|sing=on Busse Library is a bright, plant-filled facility with over 100 computers and 116,000 volumes. Online resources are available 24 hours a day to faculty, staff and students.

Newspaper

The Mount Mercy Times is the official newspaper of the college. It was founded in 1994 and now reaches over 4,000 readers in the Cedar Rapids Community on a weekly basis. Writers and editors have often received high honors from the ICMA (Iowa College Media Association) in categories such as best columnist, most original content and best web design. The Mount Mercy Times is presently housed in Lundy Commons that over looks the grotto pond.

Athletics

Mount Mercy College, a member of the [http://www.naia.cstv.com National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics] (NAIA) and the [http://www.midwest-classic.com Midwest Classic Conference] (MCC), offers intercollegiate competition in men's basketball, baseball, golf, soccer, cross country and track & field, and women's basketball, softball, volleyball, golf, cross country, track & field and soccer. activities include basketball, volleyball, golf, flag football, softball and cross country.

Alumni

Of graduates over the past three years, 95 percent are employed or in graduate school within six months of graduation, 62 percent remain in the Cedar Rapids metropolitan area and 91 percent remain in Iowa.

Community Service

The Mount Mercy College Campus Ministry Center supports students of all faiths in their personal spiritual journeys through pastoral counseling, spiritual direction and ecumenical worship and fellowship. Catholic Mass and interdenominational services are held weekly. Additionally, Campus Ministry fosters an awareness of social justice and diversity issues through a number of programs and projects, featuring hands-on service in the Cedar Rapids area and beyond. Activities include mentoring high school students and immersion trips during which students work side-by-side with the poor in Appalachia, inner-city Chicago and Mexico. Traditionally a very caring community, members of the Mount Mercy family serve the local community through extensive volunteer involvement in nonprofit organizations.

Community and Economic Impact

*Approximately $26 million operating budget
*Local officials estimate an economic multiplier of 2.5, which translates into a local economic impact of $65 million.
*Mount Mercy College graduates are an integral part of many essential eastern Iowa businesses, schools, hospitals and community service organizations.

External links

* [http://www.mtmercy.edu/ Official Site]

Notable Alumni: