Notre Dame College
Notre Dame College (Notre Dame College of Ohio or NDC) is a private Roman Catholic college in South Euclid, Ohio. Established in 1922 as a women's college, it has been coeducational since January 2001. Notre Dame College offers 30 majors and individually designed majors and confers undergraduate and graduate degrees through five academic divisions. The college had a total enrollment of 2,100 students in fall 2016. The main academic and residential campus is located east of Cleveland in South Euclid. Fielding athletic teams known as the Notre Dame Falcons, the college is a member of the  National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Notre Dame is a member of the Mountain East Conference (MEC), a Division II conference that began playing in the 2013–14 school year. Prior to joining the NCAA, the college competed in the NAIA as a member of the American Mideast Conference. The official school and athletic colors are royal blue and gold. While the majority of Notre Dame's students are from Ohio, the student body represents 38 states and 19 countries. The college offers a number of extracurricular activities to its students, including athletics, honor societies, clubs and  student organizations. History. Notre Dame College was founded in the summer of 1922 on Ansel Road as a women's college under the guidance of Mother M. Cecilia Romen. Later that year, Mother Mary Evarista Harks became NDC's first president (1922–1943). In its early years the college had a faculty population of 9 and a full-time student enrollment of 13 women and 11 novices; in addition 30 students were enrolled in extension courses. On June 15, 1925, NDC conferred its first graduating class in the form of two-year teaching certificates. In the following year, 14 students received  their bachelor's degrees and state certificates to teach in Ohio high schools; becoming NDC's first graduating class of four-year college degrees. In June 1923, the Sisters leased along Green Road in South Euclid to build a new campus and purchased in 1924. Construction of the campus began in the fall of 1926 and opened on Sept. 17, 1928. The college later bought the in 1933. The college was originally located in a single building and expanded over time, Harks Hall was built in 1955 to house resident students with two other residence halls built in the 1960s . NDC constructed the Clara Fritzsche Library in 1971 and the Keller Center in 1987. Traditionally, this institution of higher education was primarily a residential campus, but in 1978, Notre Dame College began to offer a program known as Weekend College, or WECO. Local residents whose schedules prevented them from taking classes during the normal work week enrolled in weekend college classes to earn a degree. In 2003, WECO celebrated its 25th anniversary. On December 8, 1983, based on its architectural importance, Notre Dame College's historic Administration Building, built in 1927 in the Tudor Revival and other styles, was added  to the National Register of Historic Places as Notre Dame College of Ohio. The building, designed by architect Thomas D. McLaughlin and built by contractor John T. Gill, originally housed the entire college. In the fall of 1991, Notre Dame's Master of Education program started. The college saw its first M.Ed. graduates in 1994. Although men had been allowed to enroll in certain programs, such as NDC's Law Enforcement Education A.A. degree program in 1969 and later WECO and master's programs, in 2001 the college officially became coeducational with its first full-time male enrollment. The college  graduated its first co-ed class on May 7, 2005. Since the college became coeducational it has seen enrollment double from nearly 1,000 in 2001 to over 2,000 in 2010. In 2008, NDC began construction on two additional residence halls, North and South halls. The structures opened in 2009 at a cost of $15 million. Academics. Notre Dame College offers associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees and is divided into five Academic Divisions: The college also has three special programs and two interdisciplinary programs. NDC currently offers 30 majors in its bachelor's degree programs. It  also offers an Associate in Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry. and a master's degree in National Security and Intelligence Studies. In 2018, the college introduced graduate programs in Business. Athletics. Notre Dame College's athletic teams are known as the Falcons, whose colors are blue and gold. The school sponsors 22 intercollegiate teams. The college is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. In August 2012, Notre Dame became a charter member of the Mountain East Conference (MEC), a new Division II league that began play in the 2013–14 school year. The  MEC, made up mostly of schools leaving the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, also includes another Ohio school and former NAIA member in Urbana University. It will sponsor 16 sports, eight each for men and women. Notre Dame College previously competed in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) as a member of the American Mideast Conference (AMC) from 1998–99 to 2010–11. The college began the transition process during the 2009–10 academic year as an NCAA candidacy institution and was granted provisional status for the 2011–12 academic year. In July 2012, the college received notice it was accepted as a full  member starting in the 2012–13 academic year; as a full member the college is eligible for postseason conference and NCAA competition. During its time in the NAIA, the college was known for its men's wrestling program. The team won back-to-back NAIA National Championships in 2010 and 2011. In 2014, the school's second year of NCAA eligibility, Notre Dame College won the Division II national wrestling championship led by four-time national champion and undefeated wrestler Joey Davis. The men's rugby team won the 2017 USA Rugby men's collegiate Division IAA national championship, defeating UC –Davis, 40–20. Men's. Sports to be sponsored by the MEC are in "italics". Women's. Sports to be sponsored by the MEC are in "italics".