History
Our Sponsors and Early History
Marywood was founded in the spirit of dedicated service characteristic of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This religious congregation was established in 1845; a Redemptorist missionary, Louis Florent Gillet, C.S.S.R., and an African American sister, Theresa Maxis Duchemin, IHM founded the Congregation in Monroe, Michigan. The Congregation undertook its ministry in Northeast Pennsylvania in 1858, operating schools and social services facilities throughout the region.
As educators who were concerned with the needs of the women in Northeast Pennsylvania, the sisters began plans for a women’s liberal arts college in Scranton. The idea, conceived by Mother M. Cyril Conway, IHM, and endorsed by the Most Reverend Michael J. Hoban, D.D., bishop of Scranton, was realized by Mother M. Germaine O’Neill, who formally opened Marywood College in September 1915.
In 1917, the College was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and approved to grant three degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Science in Home Economics. Marywood became a charter member of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1921.
Amendments to the Charter
Amendments to the first charter enabled the University to grant the degrees of Master of Arts (1922), Bachelor of Science in Education (1922), Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (1928), Bachelor of Science in Library Science (1937), Master of Social Work (1969), Bachelor of Social Work (1974), Master of Public Administration (1975), Bachelor of Science in Nursing (1978), Master of Business Administration (1980), Master of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts (1981), Master of Arts in Teaching (1985), Master of Health Services Administration (1995), Doctor of Philosophy (1995), Master of Education, (2000), Doctor of Psychology (2000), and Educational Specialist (2005).
Continued Growth during Marywood’s First Century
Marywood further was empowered to educate students as school librarians (1929), vocational home economics teachers (1936), guidance counselors (1938), public school psychologists (1942), and teachers of the mentally retarded (1948) and to grant graduate certificates in theology (1953). A revision of the bylaws was made in 1968, establishing a new Board of Trustees to include both religious and lay members as Marywood’s governing body, while retaining ownership by the members of the corporation, namely, the congregation administrator and the other officers of the congregation.
During the 1960s, the graduate education activities of the College were formalized in the establishment of a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and a School of Social Work. From 1981 to 1990, the Gillet School extended Marywood’s services in baccalaureate, non-degree, and non-credit/continuing education at the undergraduate level.
Men have attended the graduate programs since their establishment and have been enrolled in undergraduate programs since the 1970s.
In 1990, the Undergraduate School was restructured to provide residence for men as well as women. All the degree-granting units of the College were fully coeducational, with residence opportunities for all students. At that time, non-credit and continuing professional educational programs were offered to a wide variety of publics through the School of Continuing Education, which replaced the Gillet School. Enrichment, professional continuing education, and customized employee training solutions are presently offered through Academic Affairs.
The region’s first Ph.D. program was established in 1995. Marywood’s continued growth brought another dramatic change in 1997, when the Pennsylvania Department of Education, recognizing the institution’s academic excellence as well as its significant contributions in research, cultural activities, educational outreach, service and importance to the community, granted university status.
21st Century Progress
In 2003, the University underwent an academic restructuring, forming colleges to house its degree programs. Presently, those colleges include: the College of Health Sciences and the Reap College of Creative and Professional Studies.
The region’s first School of Architecture was established at Marywood in 2009. This renowned School features bachelor’s and master’s programs in Architecture and Interior Architecture, as well as an undergraduate program in Construction Management and the world’s first Virtual Architecture Program
Recognizing the unique model of its business program, as well as its entrepreneurial focus and collaboration, the Marywood University School of Business and Global Innovation (SBGI) was established in 2014.
The School of Education, which reflects Marywood’s long-standing commitment to and excellence in the field of education, was formed in 2017.
As part of an overall academic restructuring in 2024, the School of Visual and Performing Arts and the School for the Humanities, both of which feature an array of outstanding programs in the liberal arts tradition, were established.
All of these discipline-focused Schools are part of the Reap College of Creative and Professional Studies.
The College of Health Sciences features Marywood’s respected Psy.D. program and School of Social Work, as well as a host of in-demand health sciences disciplines, like Biotechnology, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nursing, Nutrition, Physician Assistant, Psychology/Counseling, Respiratory Therapy, and more.