Mount Mercy University

Mount Mercy University is a Catholic liberal arts university in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The school was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1928.

Mount Mercy University
Warde Hall
MottoPacem et Veritatem Diligite
TypePrivate
Established1928
Religious affiliation
Roman Catholic
(Sisters of Mercy)
Endowment$23.6 million[1]
PresidentDr. Timothy Laurent
Students1,824 (1,115 full-time)
Location
Cedar Rapids
,
Iowa
,
United States
CampusUrban, 40 acres
ColorsBlue and gold
AthleticsNAIA – HAAC
NicknameMustangs
AffiliationsACCU
CIC
NAICU
MascotMustang Sally
Websitewww.mtmercy.edu

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 university offers more than 45 undergraduate programs of study and six graduate programs. A number of these programs are available for online learning.

Campus

Mount Mercy University's 40-acre campus is located in a tree-lined residential neighborhood in the heart of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (population 126,326). The Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

History

Mount Mercy University was founded as a two-year college for women in 1928 by the Sisters of Mercy of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. These sisters, whose order was founded in 1831 by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, have been active in Cedar Rapids since 1875. The college was an outgrowth of their concerns about the education of women.

In 1957, Mount Mercy became a four-year institution and awarded its first bachelor's degree in 1959. The college received accreditation as a baccalaureate institution by the 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. Initiated in 1997, the Adult Accelerated program, a joint Mount Mercy University/Kirkwood Community College accelerated degree completion program for working adults meets an important community workforce development need.

On August 23, 2010, the institution was re-designated as a university.

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
  • Dr. Christopher R.L. Blake, 2006–2013[3]
  • Dr. Laurie Hamen, 2014–2020
  • Dr. Robert Beatty, July 1st, 2020-September 9th, 2020[4]
  • Dr. Tim Laurent, Serving as Interim-President as of September 9th, 2020-Current[5]

Catholic identity

Mount Mercy is sponsored by the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, through the Conference for Mercy Higher Education. The Campus Ministry team supports students’ faith development and spiritual life through daily mass, retreats, service-learning opportunities, and vocation discernment activities.

The typical Mass schedule during the fall and spring semesters is 7:30 p.m. Sunday and Wednesday, and 11:30 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. This is subject to change.

Academics

Mount Mercy offers more than 85 areas of study, organized into eight academic departments - serving traditional residential, transfer, and working adult students.

Undergraduate Programs
  • Business
  • Communication, Literature & Arts
  • Education
  • History, Politics & Justice
  • Natural & Applied Sciences
  • Nursing
  • Philosophy & Religious Studies
  • Psychology, Sociology, Social Work & International Studies

Graduate and Doctorate Programs
  • Master of Arts in Criminal Justice (MACJ)
  • Master of Arts in Education (MAEd)
  • Master of Arts in Marriage & Family Therapy (MFT)
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
  • Master of Strategic Leadership (MSL)
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Marriage & Family Therapy (PhD in MFT)

Online Programs
  • Applied Management
  • Business
  • Human Resource Management
  • Marketing
  • Health Care Administration
  • RN to BSN
  • Religious Studies
  • Master of Arts in Criminal Justice Master of Business Administration

Athletics

Mount Mercy teams are known as the Mustangs. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I, competing in the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, track & field, and volleyball; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball. Varsity and Junior Varsity programs are available in several sports. Intramural activities include basketball, volleyball, golf, flag football, softball and cross country.

38% of traditional undergrads are student-athletes.

Athletic Achievements

Mount Mercy's 18 athletic teams have won 50 conference team titles and qualified for 40+ national events. Over 120 students have been named NAIA Scholar-Athletes in the past three years, including a record 67 in the 2018–19 academic year. In 2018–19: Two NAIA national team qualifiers, 14 individual qualifiers, eight NAIA all-Americans, 67 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes, 116 all-conference performers.

References
  1. As of June 30, 2010. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2009 to FY 2010" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers.
  2. Vanessa Miller (April 30, 2015). "Mount Mercy grotto makes National Register". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20100527111750/http://www.mtmercy.edu/offices/presidents_office/meet-the-president.html
  4. Howell, Michael (2020-09-09). "New president announced at Mount Mercy University". KGAN. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
  5. "Mount Mercy University Announces Presidential Change". www.mtmercy.edu. Retrieved 2020-09-10.

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