St. Mary's University of San Antonio

Personal attention is the first phrase many students use to describe what they love about St. Mary's University, a Catholic and Marianist liberal arts institution where the combination of interpersonal relationships, academic excellence and global perspective results in a community of scholars that crosses generations and cultures. The Marianists who founded the University in 1852 modeled servant leadership. Their welcoming Catholic spirit continues to infuse the entire student experience. Strongly rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition, the St. Mary's core curriculum integrates course work in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences into each student's degree plan and helps develop creativity, analytical skills and an understanding of the human condition. St. Mary's challenges students to strive for academic excellence and personal integrity, while educating them for possibilities of greatness in career and community. Recognizing St. Mary's as a strong-performing institution with a high graduation rate, the Education Trust selected St. Mary's as a national model for student success. One of the first schools in the nation to have a Service Learning Center, St. Mary's was selected by The Princeton Review and Campus Compact to be included in Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement. The institution is committed to being a leader in fostering social responsibility and public service. At St. Mary's, students learn how to become citizens of the world by making a difference in the lives of others. St. Mary's faculty, staff, alumni and students excel in local, regional and national endeavors. During the 2008-2009 academic year, St. Mary's University Graduate School Dean Henry Flores, Ph.D. was interviewed as an historical expert in the latest documentary of the critically acclaimed PBS series "The American Experience." The story in the series "A Class Apart" tells the history of Latinos America, with focus on the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Texas. The Corporation for National and Community Service honored St. Mary's University with a place on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for exemplary service efforts and service to America's communities. John Quinones, a St. Mary's alumnus, winner of seven Emmy Awards and recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award's Grand Prize for International Reporting chose St. Mary's University as one of the first stops on his national book tour. "Heroes Among Us: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Choices" is a collection of stories of truly heroic individuals that Quinones has encountered throughout his career. Students in the Bill Greehey School of Business won first and second place at the National Collegiate Entrepreneur Organization's business plan elevator pitch competition. The first in San Antonio to offer forensic science degrees, St. Mary's University has created two new degrees in the emerging field of forensic science. Undergraduate students can pursue the new Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic Science with a Biology or Chemistry option or the Bachelor of Arts degree in Forensic Science with a Criminology option beginning fall semester 2009. "St. Mary's prides itself on identifying career trends and providing the best academic foundation for our students to pursue those fields," said President Charles L. Cotrell, Ph.D. "In today's economy, we want to equip our students with the skill sets that will help them succeed." The University's 135-acre campus in northwest San Antonio offers a blend of historic beauty and high-tech functionality. Amenities, including a new residence hall opening in 2009, smart classrooms with Internet access, wireless access and the Alumni Athletics & Convocation Center's fitness facility, add up to a high quality educational environment for every student.