It is fitting that Marymount s 50th Anniversary celebration began in 1999, the year in which the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary commemorated their own 150th Anniversary. Today, the orphanage schools begun by the RSHM in the Nineteenth Century have evolved into a worldwide network of educational institutions known for providing outstanding academic programs and student services that focus on the individual. Looking back upon a rich history and ahead to a dynamic future, Marymount University is proud to be one such RSHM institution. The answer lies in Marymount s ability to be responsive to an ever-changing world while maintaining a core identity centered on faith, values, and ethics. Marymount University President Sister Eymard Gallagher, RSHM, reflects, It s true that much has changed over time, but Marymount s character as a Catholic university has remained strong.
Students come here for outstanding academic instruction and personal attention.
These hallmarks have remained central at every point in Marymount s history. In 1947, Bishop Peter Ireton of the Virginia Diocese, headquartered in Richmond, wanted to establish a Catholic school for girls. The campus was located on the former estate of Admiral Presley Marion Rixey, Naval Surgeon General and personal physician to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley. By the fall of 1948, the school was open for students. Classes and activities were centered around the former Rixey Mansion, renamed Marymount s Main House.