Former names
|
Augusta Female Seminary, Mary Baldwin Seminary, Mary Baldwin College |
---|---|
Motto | Non pro tempore sed aeternitate |
Motto in English
|
"Not for time but for eternity" |
Type |
Private liberal arts college Women's college |
Established | 1842 |
Endowment | US $34.3 million |
President | Pamela Fox |
Academic staff
|
95 full-time, 118 part-time, 91% of full-time hold terminal degree |
Students | 1761 |
Undergraduates | 1313 |
Postgraduates | 227 |
201 | |
Location | Staunton, Virginia, US |
Campus | small city, 58.5 acres |
Colors | Gold and white Each class has its own colors. |
Nickname | Fighting Squirrels |
Mascot | Gladys the Squirrel |
Sporting affiliations
|
NCAA Division III – USA South |
Website | http://www.marybaldwin.edu |
Mary Baldwin University (abbreviated as MBU), formerly Mary Baldwin College, is a private liberal arts, master’s-level university in Staunton, Virginia, USA. It was founded in 1842 by Rufus William Bailey as the 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, and it is home to the only all-female corps of cadets in the world.U.S. News & World Report lists MBU among the top Regional Universities in the South in its 2017 edition of “Best Colleges.”
Located in Staunton, Virginia within Augusta County, the university was founded as the Augusta Female Seminary in 1842 by Rufus William Bailey. Among the first students was Mary Julia Baldwin. In 1863, Baldwin was named principal and headed the school through the Civil War, 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 officially ended its policy of admitting only white women.
When Staunton Military Academy (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.