The University of Providence (UP, formerly University of Great Falls) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

university in

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 census. The city covers an area of and is the principal city of the Great Falls, M ...

. It is accredited by the

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Department of Education since 1952 as an institutional accreditor for colleges and universities. ...

History

The University of Providence was founded in 1932 as Great Falls Junior College for Women by

Edwin Vincent O'Hara Edwin Vincent O'Hara (September 6, 1881 – September 11, 1956) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Great Falls in Montana from 1930 to 1939 and bishop of the Diocese of Kansas City in Mi ...

, the

Catholic Bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teaching doctrine, governing Catholics in his jurisdiction, sanctifying the world and representing the Chu ...

Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, in collaboration with the

Sisters of Charity of Providence The Sisters of Providence are a religious institute of Roman Catholic sisters founded in 1843 by Mother Émilie Gamelin. They are headquartered in Montreal, Quebec with five provinces: Mother Joseph Province, Holy Angels Province, Philippines Vic ...

and the Ursuline Sisters. It became coeducational in 1937. A year later, Sister Lucia Sullivan established the Great Falls Normal School to educate teachers. At the time there were two schools, each operating under a different Catholic religious community. The union of the two schools was one of convenience and legality. In 1942, the institution was a single entity under the direction of the Sisters of Providence, and was renamed the Great Falls College of Education. By the early 1950s it became simply the College of Great Falls, and in 1995 was renamed the University of Great Falls. It was renamed University of Providence in July 2017. Over the years UP has been involved in several outreach education efforts. For many years, it has had a resident center on the

Fort Belknap Indian Reservation The Fort Belknap Indian Reservation ( ats, ’ak3ɔ́ɔyɔ́ɔ, lit=the fence or ats, ’ɔ’ɔ́ɔ́ɔ́nííítaan’ɔ, lit=Gros Ventre tribe, label=none) is shared by two Native American tribes, the A'aninin (Gros Ventre) and the Nakoda ...

, and in Lewistown, as well as a continuing education program at

Malmstrom Air Force Base Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. ...

. In addition to its campus offerings, UP serves 31 sites in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

, southern

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

through its Telecom Distance Learning Program, and is able to serve students around the world. The University of Providence offers undergraduate degrees in more than 20 programs and several master's degree programs. The student body consists of approximately 1,100 undergraduate students and 200 graduate students.

Academics

The UP undergraduate program consists of two schools: * The School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which includes Arts and Humanities; Business Administration; Education; History, Language and Literature; Mathematics and Sciences * The School of Health Professions, which contains Nursing, Epidemiology, Organizational Leadership, and Applied Health Informatics Some of the more popular programs are

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the Rehabilitation (penology), rehabilitation of o ...

human services Human services is an interdisciplinary field of study with the objective of meeting human needs through an applied knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall qua ...

elementary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or firs ...

counseling psychology Counseling psychology is a psychological specialty that encompasses research and applied work in several broad domains: counseling process and outcome; supervision and training; career development and counseling; and prevention and health. ...

, and

paralegal A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals i ...

studies. The school also offers teaching certificates. The university offers two master's degrees: * Master of Science in Counseling (MSC) * Master of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSL), an online program. UP's calendar consists of four-month semesters in the fall and spring, and a 12-week summer term.

Athletics

The U. of Providence (UP) athletic teams are called the Argonauts. The university is a member of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA), primarily competing in the

Frontier Conference The Frontier Conference is a List of college athletic conferences in the United States, college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The conference was founded in 1934. Member institut ...

for most of its sports since the 1999–2000 academic year (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1974–75 to 1983–84 before discontinuing its athletics program); while its men's and women's soccer, softball and men's and women's wrestling teams compete in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC). UP competes in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, ice hockey, soccer, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and wrestling; basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor), volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include the spirit squad. Former sports include women's ice hockey (until 2020), and men's and women's rodeo (both until 2021).

Admissions

The University of Providence has a rolling admission policy. Applications are considered without regard to race, gender, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, financial status, physical or mental disabilities, or national origin. Applicants may apply for admission at any time; however, they are strongly urged to apply at least one month prior to the first day of classes for the term they intend to begin. Required documents must be submitted before a student can be admitted. It is particularly important that the UP Placement Test be taken prior to registration. Prospective students must complete an admission application, which has no application fee, and provide an official high school transcript or official certificate of high school equivalency with scores from the General Education Development Test (GED). Results of ACT or

SAT The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...

are recommended for academic advising and consideration for merit/no-need scholarships, but not required. To register, proof of two immunizations for measles and one immunization for rubella must be supplied.

Alumni

* Paul G. Hatfield,

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

; Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Montana; Chief Justice of the

Montana Supreme Court The Montana Supreme Court is the supreme court, highest court of the state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court wh ...

Jon Tester Raymond Jon Tester (born August 21, 1956) is an American farmer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Montana, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Tester is the dean of Montana's congressio ...

from Montana

References

External links

Official website

Official athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Providence, University of

University of Great Falls The University of Providence (UP, formerly University of Great Falls) is a private Roman Catholic university in Great Falls, Montana. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History The University of Provide ...

Educational institutions established in 1932 Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Frontier Conference Education in Cascade County, Montana Buildings and structures in Great Falls, Montana 1932 establishments in Montana Catholic universities and colleges in Montana Roman Catholic Diocese of Great Falls–Billings Liberal arts colleges in Montana Tourist attractions in Great Falls, Montana