# Holy Names University

Holy Names University was a private Roman Catholic university in Oakland, California. It was founded in 1868 by the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary with whom the university remained affiliated until it closed in 2023.

## History

The university was originally established as the Convent of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in 1868 by six members of the Sisters of the Holy Names, a teaching order from Quebec, Canada. They were invited to Oakland by Father Michael King, pastor of Saint Mary's Church to establish a school for girls and to provide means to train future teachers.
The original site of the convent was on the shores of Lake Merritt. By 1908 the convent began to offer classes at a post-secondary level and was renamed the College of the Holy Names. In 1949 the college became one of the charter members of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The coeducation graduate division was formally established in 1955. Soon afterward in 1957, the original site was purchased by Henry J. Kaiser where he constructed the Kaiser Building, and the school moved to its present location in the Oakland Hills. In 1971, Holy Names became coeducational at the undergraduate level and was renamed Holy Names College. The Julia Morgan School for Girls held classes for its first two years, from 1999 through 2001, at Holy Names. The school took its present name on May 10, 2004, and became known as the "newest Catholic university in California."
In December 2022, the university announced plans to close after the spring 2023 semester. It cited "rising operational costs, declining enrollment, and an increased need for institutional aid", particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic downturn. It formed a relationship with Dominican University of California to allow students to continue their studies there. In 2023, it was reported that Holy Names University was facing dire financial problems and was in default on debt for its huge property holdings. The campus was sold to BH Properties in June 2023.

## Campus

Holy Names University's campus is located on a wooded, sixty-acre site in the East Oakland Hills about 2.5 miles southeast of the Montclair district. To the north of campus lies the neighborhood of Woodminster, and the City of Oakland's 500 acre Joaquin Miller Park. To the southeast, Holy Names' campus is flanked with the Crestmont neighborhood to the east, and the Redwood Heights neighborhood is to the west across the Warren Freeway. Redwood Regional Park, part of the East Bay Regional Park District, lies about 2.2 miles east on Redwood Road.
The campus includes a 500-bed dormitory.
San Francisco Bay Area architect Milton T. Pflueger, younger brother of the renowned architect Timothy L. Pflueger, designed the mid-century modern campus buildings, which were constructed from 1955 to 1958, and dedicated in 1957. Milton Pflueger designed many campus buildings at University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University, but Holy Names is the only complete campus he designed. The first buildings constructed included Michael and Maureen Hester Administration, the Paul J. Cushing Library, the Tobin Gymnasium, and McLean Chapel. The hillside location inspired a linear plan, with low-roofed buildings nestled along the slope. The site features panoramic views across the San Francisco Bay from San Jose on the San Francisco Peninsula to Mount Tamalpais on the Marin Peninsula.
The Valley Center for the Performing Arts was constructed in 1994, in the former location of the tennis courts. It houses two separate theatres; large audiences up to 390 can be accommodated in the Regents’ Theatre, while smaller groups use the Studio Theatre with movable seating for up to 125 participants.
The Paul J. Cushing Library is a two-story facility with a distinctive vaulted ceiling and exceptional daylight on the main level. Its architectural design mirrors the campus chapel. The library provided the Holy Names community a full suite of electronic and traditional books and journals, as well as a wide range of gadgets and devices faculty and staff can check out. Library team members offer instruction to every department.

## Academics

HNU maintained small class sizes, with a student to faculty ratio of 13:1, and 90 percent of the faculty held the highest degree in their fields. U.S. News & World Report ranked HNU as the most diverse university in the West in 2013. This same year, Holy Names University earned the highest diversity index score of all the colleges and universities included in the magazine's multiple diversity rankings.
The university offered nineteen undergraduate degree programs, and five adult degree completion programs. HNU also offered seven master's degree programs in addition to a teacher education program leading to a California teacher's credential. The university added a Master of Arts in Forensic Psychology in 2006.
The Center for Social Justice and Civic Engagement (CSJCE) included Service-Learning and Community-Based Leadership (CBL) programs. The CSJCE offered numerous volunteer opportunities, service projects, and dialogues through its CBL initiatives. The Holy Names University Early Admit Program (HNUEAP) is offered through the center.

## Athletics

The Holy Names (HNU) athletic teams were called the Hawks. The university was a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) from 2012–13 until 2022–23. The Hawks previously competed in the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1996–97 to 2011–12.
HNU competed in 13 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer and tennis; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Men's volleyball was offered as a club sport. Former NAIA and NCAA teams included men's & women's track & field and men’s volleyball.

## Notable alumni

* Belo Cipriani, author of Blind: A Memoir; Cipriani was also Holy Names University's 2012–2014 writer-in-residence
* Carol A. Corrigan, Associate Justice of the California State Supreme Court
* Lydia Dunn, Baroness Dunn, Member of the House of Lords in the United Kingdom
* Luisa Moreno, Latina civil rights activist and labor organizer.
* Anthony Russell, Yiddish singer
* Masayoshi Son, Korean-Japanese businessman