Marymount University will open Academic Year 2018-19 with a bold commitment to growth, innovation and academic rigor, evidenced by the reconfiguration of three schools to connect disciplines in key areas. The new orientation, which began with conversations last year, highlights the institution’s strengths while helping students intuitively choose majors and navigate the academic program.
While the Malek School of Health Professions remains as it has been, Marymount’s other schools are:
- The School of Sciences, Mathematics, and Education
- The School of Design, Arts, and Humanities
- The School of Business and Technology
“We are interested in supporting ideas that put students and their learning opportunities first in a forward-looking way,” said Dr. William Ehmann, provost and vice president for academic affairs. He is particularly pleased with the decision to restructure the bulk of the University’s academic organization resulted from a collaborative process that included the faculty and academic chairs.
“Marymount has a history of adapting and updating our academic programs to respond to students’ needs and the ever-evolving world of work,” he noted. “From our beginnings as a two-year college to a comprehensive university, our path continues to be found through intellectual curiosity, service and a global perspective.”
The new structure of the School of Sciences, Mathematics, and Education better positions several undergraduate majors while connecting mathematics and physical science disciplines to the social sciences, areas that share methods of inquiry, a commitment to experiential approaches and each of which are geared to serving society. The new framework also fits well with Marymount’s robust graduate program in education while emphasizing quantitative reasoning and denoting the importance the institution places on STEM initiatives. The disciplines prepare graduates who are ready for the job market as well-equipped professionals in their respective disciplines. Dr. Catherine M. Wehlburg has been selected as the new school’s founding dean and joins Marymount from Texas Christian University, where she has most recently served as the associate provost for institutional effectiveness and associate dean of the College of Education.
The reorganization of the School of Design, Arts, and Humanities underscores the importance of a grassroots decision process as it relied on faculty-led conversations to focus on a design/creative mindset that formatted visual studies and fine arts with traditional humanities courses. It also features several majors for which Marymount is well known, including graphic and media design, fashion design, fashion merchandising and interior design. Ehmann expects the cohesive presentation of connected majors under one school will generate a sense of discovery for students.
“We see a student recruitment niche between some of the big name schools of design in the Northeast and large institutions in the region,” he assessed. “Recent full accreditations for our interior design programs are just one example of how Marymount distinguishes itself through design, creativity, making and fabricating.”
The reorganization of the School of Business and Technology is being launched in concert with momentum generated by the first cohort of a cybersecurity doctoral program, along with the attention drawn to its cutting-edge location in Ballston Center. The School offers disciplines that will meet the needs of students and society both for now and tomorrow, including business and economics, information technology and entrepreneurship.
“The innovative business model on which the project was developed is a wonderful testament to our students of how creative thinking and an entrepreneurial mindset can be leveraged to solve real-world problems,” said Dr. Marianne Ward-Peradoza, dean of the School of Business and Technology.
The Malek School of Health Professions will continue to serve its constituencies by offering well-respected undergraduate and graduate programs in health and human performance, nursing and physical therapy. Students benefit from clinical experiences and internship placements in some of the capital area’s leading health care organizations.
Marymount University is an independent, coeducational Catholic university offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in a wide range of disciplines. For more information, visit marymount.edu.
