![MBC2MBU08312016 033 PS](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/75/MBC2MBU08312016_033_PS.jpg)
Mary Baldwin University (MBU, formerly Mary Baldwin College) is a
private university
Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...
in
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...
. It was founded in 1842 as Augusta Female Seminary.
Today, Mary Baldwin University is home to the Mary Baldwin College for Women, a residential women's college with a focus on liberal arts and leadership, as well as co-educational residential undergraduate programs within its University College structure. MBU also offers co-educational graduate degrees as well as undergraduate degree and certificate programs for non-traditional-aged students.
The university is the oldest institution of higher education for women in the nation affiliated with the
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA), is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the US, and known for its liberal stance on doctrine and its ordaining of women and ...
,
and it is home to the only all-female corps of cadets in the world.
History
Located in
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 25,750. In Virginia, independent cities a ...
within
Augusta County
Augusta County is a county in the Shenandoah Valley on the western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The second-largest county of Virginia by total area, it completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Its count ...
, the university was founded as the Augusta Female Seminary in 1842 by
Rufus William Bailey Rufus William Bailey (April 13, 1793 – April 25, 1863) was the founder of Augusta Female Seminary (later Mary Baldwin College), in Staunton, Virginia, and also president of Austin College, in Huntsville, Texas.
Born in North Yarmouth, Maine, to ...
. Among the first students was
Mary Julia Baldwin Mary Julia Baldwin (4 October 1829 – 1 July 1897) was a Virginia educator in Staunton, Virginia. For thirty four years she ran Mary Baldwin College, which was named in her honor in 1895 and later became Mary Baldwin University.
Early and family ...
. In 1863, Baldwin was named principal and headed the school through the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, although most schools in the area had closed due to the war and economic hardship.
The school was renamed Mary Baldwin Seminary in 1895 in honor of Baldwin. In 1923, the name changed to Mary Baldwin College when the school became a four-year institution.
In 1963, Mary Baldwin became racially de-segregated, officially ending its policy of admitting only white women. Men were admitted as day students and graduate students starting in the mid-1970s, and the school began accepting residential male students in 2017.
When
Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy was a private all-male military school located in Staunton, Virginia. Founded in 1884, the academy closed in 1976. The school was highly regarded for its academic and military programs, and many notable American political ...
(SMA) closed in 1976, its grounds and buildings were purchased by Mary Baldwin, expanding the campus from 19 acres to 58.5.
In 1977, Mary Baldwin became the first college in Virginia to launch an adult degree program. Cynthia Haldenby Tyson was appointed as the eighth president in 1985. That same year, the Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG) was established to allow academically gifted girls to earn bachelor's degrees.
The Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership was established as the only all-female cadet corps in 1995. In 2001, the university established the Shakespeare and Performance graduate program after the
American Shakespeare Center
The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) is a regional theatre company located in Staunton, Virginia, that focuses on the plays of William Shakespeare; his contemporaries Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Christopher Marlowe; and works related ...
opened the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton.
After 18 years as president, Cynthia Haldenby Tyson retired and Pamela Fox, dean of
Miami University
Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...
's School of Fine Arts, was named the ninth president in 2003.
In May 2015, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to change the name of the institution to Mary Baldwin University, effective August 31, 2016, reflecting the school's range of bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs.
Academics
Mary Baldwin University offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Social Work degrees in more than 30 majors.
Undergraduate degrees are offered through the Mary Baldwin College for Women and two co-educational programs: University College and MBU Online. The school offers graduate degrees through the College of Education (Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Education, Master of Science in Higher Education, and Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis), Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences (Doctor of Occupational Therapy, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Master of Science in Physician Assistant, and RN-to-BSN), and the Shakespeare and Performance program (Master of Letters and Master of Fine Arts).
Additionally, Mary Baldwin offers fast-track degrees, bachelor's-plus-master's-degree plans, professional school preparation and certificate programs. Community service and study-abroad opportunities are supplied through the Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement, which opened in 2007.
Institutional partnerships
The co-educational Master of Letters and Master of Fine Arts students in the Shakespeare and Performance program is partnered with the
American Shakespeare Center
The American Shakespeare Center (ASC) is a regional theatre company located in Staunton, Virginia, that focuses on the plays of William Shakespeare; his contemporaries Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Christopher Marlowe; and works related ...
, allowing the students to learn and perform in the Blackfriars Playhouse located a block away from campus.
The Heifetz International Music Institute, founded by violinist
Daniel Heifetz
Daniel Alan Heifetz (born November 20, 1948) is an American concert violinist and pedagogue best known as the Founder of the Heifetz International Music Institute. His career has been focused on education and the art of communication through perf ...
, was moved from its
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,416 at the 2020 census. A resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls.
History
The town was granted ...
location to Mary Baldwin University in 2012. The institute accepts applicants annually from around the world and offers summer programs for classically trained musicians.
MBU has also partnered with international organizations including the
Clinton Global Initiative
The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was es ...
and
Women for Women International
Women for Women International (WfWI) is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that provides practical and moral support to female survivors of war. WfWI helps such women rebuild their lives after war's devastation through a year-long tiered progra ...
to sponsor participants in Women for Women programs and raise awareness of human trafficking around the world.
Mary Baldwin has partnerships with several women's colleges around the world including
Doshisha Women's College of Liberal Arts ''
, mottoeng = I am the true vine
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in Japan,
Sungshin Women's University
Sungshin Women's University (Korean: 성신여자대학교) is a private women's university located in Seoul, South Korea. It was founded in 1936 by Dr. Sook-Chong Lee. During the 1960s and 70s, Sungshin was a Teachers College in South Korea. Th ...
in South Korea, and
Lady Doak College
Lady Doak College (LDC) is the first women's college in Madurai in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It was founded in 1948 by Katie Wilcox, an American missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into a ...
in India.
The Virginia Women's Institute for Leadership (VWIL)
Founded in 1995 by request of the Commonwealth of Virginia, VWIL (pronounced "vee-will") is an all-female cadet corps and four-year program preparing participants for both military and civilian leadership through academics, fitness, military training, practical experiences and co-circular activities. Cadets also participate in co-educational ROTC training.
Commandant of the corps of cadets is Brig. Gen.
Teresa "Terry" A. H. Djuric (USAF, Retired).
Program for the Exceptionally Gifted
The Program for the Exceptionally Gifted (PEG) at Mary Baldwin University is an early entrance college program for girls who have completed 7th-10th grade and have not yet completed, or in some cases not yet started, high school. The program was founded in 1985 with a class of 11 students and now enrolls approximately 30 new students each year. Participants ("PEGs") reside in a PEG-specific
dorm
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
building named for past president Cynthia Tyson, but attend classes with traditional-age students with the exception of a mandatory, PEG specific, introductory
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
course named "Knowing the Self" (Phil 112). PEGs typically earn a
bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in the normal four years.
Campus
The MBU main campus is located in Staunton, and its Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences is located in nearby Fishersville.
The first building on Staunton campus was the
Mary Baldwin University, Main Building
The Mary Baldwin University, Main Building is a historic building on the Mary Baldwin University campus in Staunton, Virginia. It was built in 1844, and is a Greek Revival style educational building. It consists of a two-story, five bay central s ...
, built in 1844. The building now houses administrative offices and has been listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
(NRHP) since 1973.
Traditions
MBU celebrates several annual traditions with the surrounding community. Every autumn, Mary Baldwin University commemorates Apple Day, during which students and faculty glean apples at a Virginia orchard. In recent years, the collected fruit has been distributed to area food pantries.
The college also has marked Founders Day each October since 1898 to honor founders
Mary Julia Baldwin Mary Julia Baldwin (4 October 1829 – 1 July 1897) was a Virginia educator in Staunton, Virginia. For thirty four years she ran Mary Baldwin College, which was named in her honor in 1895 and later became Mary Baldwin University.
Early and family ...
and
Rufus William Bailey Rufus William Bailey (April 13, 1793 – April 25, 1863) was the founder of Augusta Female Seminary (later Mary Baldwin College), in Staunton, Virginia, and also president of Austin College, in Huntsville, Texas.
Born in North Yarmouth, Maine, to ...
.
The "Mary Baldwin College Fight Song" is sung to the tune of "Blue and Gold." The song was used by
Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy was a private all-male military school located in Staunton, Virginia. Founded in 1884, the academy closed in 1976. The school was highly regarded for its academic and military programs, and many notable American political ...
(SMA) until it closed in 1976. After Mary Baldwin purchased the SMA campus, the college began using the academy's athletic fields, adopted the melody of the SMA fight song in 2008, and still flies SMA flags during parades.
VWIL continues to hold an annual SMA reunion weekend involving a parade, banquet, and awarding of several scholarships.
Apple Day is celebrated annually at Mary Baldwin. Classes are cancelled on one day in the fall to allow time for several service projects, including an apple gleaning, and an apple-themed carnival.
Athletics
![Mary Baldwin field](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Mary_Baldwin_field.jpg)
Mary Baldwin athletic teams are the Fighting Squirrels. The university is a member of the
Division III
In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below.
Association football
*Belgian Thir ...
level of the
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
(NCAA), primarily competing in the
USA South Athletic Conference
The USA South Athletic Conference (formerly the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference or the Dixie Conference) is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member schools are located in North Carolina and Virginia.
H ...
(USA South) since the 2007–08 academic year. The Fighting Squirrels previously competed in the
Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference
The Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference was an eight-member college athletics conference founded in 1995 and given official status in 1999. It competed in NCAA Division III and as its name implies, only offered championships in women's sports. I ...
(AWCC) from 1995–96 to 2006–07, and in the
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) is an NCAA Division III athletic conference. Of its 15 member schools, all but one are located in Virginia; the other full member is in North Carolina. The conference also has an associate member in Nort ...
(ODAC) from 1984–85 to 1991–92.
Mary Baldwin competes in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis and track & field. Women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.
Mary Baldwin began to sponsor men's sports since the university became co-educational, effective in the 2019–20 school year; beginning with cross country, soccer, tennis and track & field. Later baseball was added for the 2021–22 school year. And recently, basketball was added for the 2021–22 school year.
Mascot
The original mascot of the Mary Baldwin athletics program was Gladys the Fighting Squirrel. Baldwin was introduced as the new athletics mascot in November 2019.
[
]
Notable alumni
* Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...
, actress
* Claudia Brind-Woody, IBM executive
* Dorie Clark
Dorie Clark (born 1978) is an American author and executive education professor at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
Early life and education
Clark was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina and left high school at age 14 to attend th ...
, author and executive education professor
* Judith Godwin, abstract painter
* Caroline Rose Hunt
Caroline Rose Hunt (January 8, 1923 – November 13, 2018) was an American heiress and hotelier who was at one time the wealthiest woman in the United States.Cheryl Hall "Once considered America's richest woman, Caroline Hunt offers a r ...
, hotelier and philanthropist
* Anna Jarvis
Anna Maria Jarvis (May 1, 1864 – November 24, 1948) was the founder of Mother's Day in the United States. Her mother had frequently expressed a desire for the establishment of such a holiday, and after her mother's death, Jarvis led the moveme ...
, founder of Mother's Day
* Louisa Venable Kyle, writer
* Custer LaRue
Custer LaRue is a soprano vocalist of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She specializes in Renaissance music and traditional folk music such as the Child ballads and music collected in Appalachia during the early 20th century.
Biography
...
, musician
* Lucille Foster McMillin, federal official
* Jason Narvy
Jason Andrew Narvy (born March 27, 1974) is an American actor known for playing the role of Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch on the various iterations of ''Power Rangers'' and film franchise from 1993 to 2012, beginning with ''Mighty Morphin Power Ra ...
, actor
* Susan Schmidt
Susan Schmidt is an American investigative reporter with the ''Wall Street Journal''. She is best known for her work at ''The Washington Post'', where she worked from 1983 until leaving for the Wall Street Journal.
Biography
Schmidt received a ...
, Pulitzer prize-winning journalist
* St. Clair Wright, historic preservationist
See also
* Women's Colleges in the Southern United States
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
Official athletics website
Campus map
Collection of scanned archival materials from MBC library hosted at archive.org
(Yearbooks, college newsletters, etc.)
{{Coord, 38, 9, 16.8, N, 79, 4, 3.1, W, display=title
Former women's universities and colleges in the United States
Private universities and colleges in Virginia
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Educational institutions established in 1842
Female seminaries in the United States
Women in Virginia
Sixth form colleges
Tourist attractions in Staunton, Virginia
1842 establishments in Virginia