1872
Maryville was founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart as an academy for young women. Maryville’s first campus was built on Meramec and Nebraska Avenues in South St. Louis.
1873
First degrees awarded. The plan of studies at the time resembled the French academic model; the two highest classes were the equivalent of junior college work.
1889
The original Maryville chapel was built and included stunning stained-glass windows, a white marble high altar and bronze communion rail.
1923
Maryville became a four-year college. The
gymnasium, a gift of the alumni, was formally opened.
1939
Honors Program established by Mother Marion Bascom, ’25, based on the Oxford tutorial system.
1950
Duchesne Hall dedicated on the original campus.
The building contained a student lounge, dining
room, faculty room and theater.
1957
Decision was made to move to new campus in West St. Louis County on acquired 290-acre site. Alumni spearheaded development drive that raised nearly $1 million to facilitate the move.
1961
New campus dedicated by Cardinal Joseph E. Ritter on April 23. Last Commencement held on the 89-year-old Meramec and Nebraska campus in South St. Louis in May. Sixty-four women graduate.
1970
Maryville absorbed Mercy Junior College to create the Mercy Department of Nursing at Maryville. It became the basis for today’s Myrtle E. and Earl E. Walker College of Health Professions.
1972
Ownership of College turned over to a lay board of trustees. Maryville celebrated its centennial year.
1978
Maryville joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
1981
Weekend College launched in the spring, representing the first program of its kind for nontraditional students in the St. Louis area.
1991
The college achieved university status. The official name of the institution changed from Maryville College to Maryville University.
2008
Maryville became an active member in NCAA
Division II, joining the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
2013
Maryville named the No. 1 overperforming university in the nation for the second year in a row by U.S. News & World Report.
2015
Digital World initiative launched. Today, all traditional undergraduate students and select graduate programs receive a free iPad with more than 200 free learning apps.
2015
Life Coach Program launched, helping students develop personally, academically and professionally.
2015
Maryville unveiled a new branding initiative featuring a reinvented “M” logo. The new “M” logo represents who Maryville is; it’s dynamic, bold, easily identifiable and inventive.
2018
Maryville University named an Apple Distinguished School for 2018–2021 — marking the second recognition — for leadership and excellence in providing students with a high-tech, mobile learning environment.
2020
Maryville named second fastest growing private university in the nation by The Chronicle of
Higher Education.
2022
Maryville celebrates its 150th anniversary.
Our History. Our Future.
“Maryville University: 150+ Years” provides a visual history of our beloved institution. The book features stories, photographs and artifacts gathered from the archives and from interviews with hundreds of alumni, faculty and friends of the University. Its pages hold memories from generations of Maryville Saints who have known and loved Maryville in vivid detail.
