Message from the President
Greetings from Assumption Hall
On October 1, 1948, Gwynedd Mercy University was officially launched by a group of adventurous and tenacious Sisters of Mercy.
They really didn’t have any experience with creating or running a college, but that didn’t stop them. They saw a need to provide a place where women, in particular, could earn a college degree and be grounded in Mercy values to use their knowledge and education to better themselves as well as others in the greater community, much like Catherine McAuley did when she opened the House of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland in 1827.
I am happy to report that this Mission has not changed in 75 years, except that we are now coeducational. Catherine’s spirit and the spirit of the brave women who founded the institution are still with us. I have enjoyed reading The Annals, a journal written by Sister Mary Gregory Campbell, the second President and first Academic Dean who was tasked with building the college from the ground up. She writes about buying desks, dealing with government approvals, and the joy of welcoming their first class. In July 1962, she described the disappointment of being rejected when they applied to the Pa. Dept. of Education to be a four-year college. But her disappointment turned to determination and in the entry for October-December, she wrote “Never Say Die!” as they worked on the new application.
This “Never Say Die” attitude continues to inspire me! Also during this timeframe, she wrote about the difficult task of requesting a loan to build Loyola Hall. How wonderful is it that we just completed the renovations to this building that is now home to our newest Griffins?
As we embark on the next 75 years at GMercyU, we do so with the same combination of fortitude and faith that our founding Sisters had. Despite the pandemic-related challenges of the past several years, we have remained focused on meeting the next great need in our world by providing a world-class education grounded in our core values of integrity, respect, service, and social justice.
If you haven’t been to campus in a while, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the progress we’ve recently made. Since the sale of the East Campus, we’ve renovated our baseball and softball fields; renovated Loyola Hall; reconfigured the entrance to the campus from Evans Road; repurposed Mercy Hall, which now houses The Mercy Center; and received the largest single gift in our history to build the new Frances M. Maguire Healthcare Innovation Campus. We broke ground on this new state-of-the-art Healthcare Innovation Center this fall. This gift from the Maguire Foundation is the cornerstone of our Comprehensive Campaign.
As we celebrate our 75th Anniversary, we will honor our Founders by carrying this momentum into the future. Our theme of Mercy in Motion accurately describes how we continue to meet the historic Mission that Catherine began and the founding Sisters brought to Gwynedd Valley 75 years ago.
This anniversity site contains a treasure trove of information, stories, pictures, and inspiration for everyone who loves Mercy and loves Gwynedd Mercy University.
Enjoy and Happy 75th Anniversary!
