Founding of Villa Julie College
Villa Julie was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at “Seven Oaks,” the 80-acre former estate of the George Carrell Jenkins family in Greenspring Valley, Baltimore County. The School opened on October 1, 1947, which is now recognized as Founders Day. Official approval as a two-year college was granted by the Maryland State Department of Education in 1954, and a new classroom facility, Founders Hall, was opened. The School was incorporated in 1958 in the State of Maryland.
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools awarded Villa Julie regional accreditation in 1962. In 1967, the College became an independent institution with control vested in a newly formed Board of Trustees comprised of business, civic, and professional leaders. By the late 1960s, enrollment had increased to full capacity. In 1970–71, the College erected a multi-million dollar complex, consisting of a Library/Learning Resources Center and Administrative Wing, Art Center, and Student Center. Evening and summer sessions were inaugurated, and the number of degree programs increased. In 1972, the College became coeducational. Accreditation was reaffirmed by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1972 and again in 1982.
Baccalaureate Degrees Granted for the First Time
In 1983 , the College became the first in the region to install a campus-wide computer network. In 1984 , Villa Julie became a four-year college offering the bachelor’s degree in computer information systems. In 1985 , the bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies was added. The College continued to offer its two-year programs leading to the associate in arts degree in these and in all other majors.
In 1985–86 , the College again responded to continually increasing student interest by constructing a new three-story classroom/laboratory building. Along with the growth of the student body and faculty through the years and the enlargement of the physical plant, the academic offerings of the College were augmented steadily to include new majors and programs. The arts and sciences continued to form the core of all curricula, as they do today. The additional major programs provided a wider choice of professional career possibilities and at the same time supported the changing requirements of the business and professional communities in the region. The concept of career education combined with the liberal arts became a hallmark of the College’s philosophy, Pro Discendo , Pro Vivendo : For Learning, For Living .
In 1988 , the Middle States Association again reaffirmed the College’s accreditation, this time as a four-year college offering bachelor’s and associate’s degrees. New baccalaureate programs were added: liberal arts and technology; and business systems: administrative science, computer accounting, computer information systems, and business information systems.
For the convenience of the growing number of adults interested in completing their degrees, the College added Saturday classes to its day and evening programs. Today, a number of undergraduate degree programs may be completed either entirely or substantially during evenings and weekends, some in an accelerated, online format.
Changes Through the 1990s
In the early 1990s, the College designed and installed a sophisticated electronic networking system which enabled students and faculty to access information from any building on campus. Students and faculty with personal computers had dial-in access from their homes to all the computerized information on campus. In 1994, access to the Internet became available on the College network.
In 1991, a cooperative education program was initiated for junior and senior students, making it possible for them to experience first-hand a working environment directly related to their fields of study. Off-campus housing for students in garden-type apartments was opened a short distance from the College in 1993. The cooperative education program was also expanded and opened to all students in the baccalaureate programs. The College was awarded membership in NCAA Division III in 1994. In 1995, the College began the first phase of the construction of an Academic Center, Inscape Theatre, Student Union with gymnasium, and Science Center based on the College’s campus master plan of the early ’90s.
In 1996, the Maryland State Department of Education granted approval for programs for the preparation of elementary and early childhood teachers. This was the first Maryland education program that fulfilled the then new state (MSDE) requirements for teacher education. The College received the endorsement of the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) for a Master of Science in Advanced Information Technology in 1996.
In 1997, the College celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Academic Center, Inscape Theatre, and Art Gallery opened in August, and in November, the Student Union (including a gymnasium) opened. MHEC endorsed five new bachelor’s degree programs in biology, chemistry, English language and literature, interdisciplinary studies, and psychology.
In 1998, more than 1,000 people attended the dedication of the new buildings, including the renovated Science Center. A new bachelor’s degree program in visual communication design was also endorsed by MHEC.
In 1999, President Carolyn Manuszak and Dean Rose Dawson retired with a combined 65 years of service to Villa Julie College. MHEC approved two new bachelor’s degree programs in early childhood leadership and biotechnology.
New President Inaugurated
The new decade brought the inauguration of Villa Julie's fourth President, Kevin J. Manning, Ph.D. The College began offering an accelerated BS/MS degree in advanced information technology, enabling students to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years. MHEC endorsed two new degree programs for the College: business communication and family studies (now human services). Villa Julie College and the Union Memorial Hospital announced a four-year nursing education agreement. In 2001, new master’s degrees programs in business technology management and e-commerce were approved by MHEC.
In 2002, the School of Graduate and Professional Studies was created to accommodate the needs of adult learners. Through this School, adult students could enroll in master’s degree programs, evening/weekend bachelor’s degree programs, or accelerated bachelor’s degree programs. This same year, Career Architecture SM was introduced. Career Architecture SM is a unique program for personal and professional development that helps each student to identify her or his values, skills, interests, strengths, and abilities. In September 2003 , the College was proud to be recognized locally by The Daily Record, a statewide business publication, as one of the winners of Maryland’s Innovators of the Year Award for the Career ArchitectureSM concept.
Villa Julie Expands to Owings Mills Campus
In June 2003, the College broke ground on its first campus-owned student housing complex in nearby Owings Mills. Apartment-style housing for 550 students and a community center opened in 2004 . The College also leased classroom space on the same piece of land, allowing students to live and attend classes at the same location for the first time in Villa Julie history.
At the same time the College celebrated the grand opening of the housing complex in August 2004 , ground was broken for the next phase of housing, which led to three suite-style buildings opening over the next two years. Those moves, along with the purchase of the former Baltimore Ravens training facility and the office building where the College leased classroom and office space, gave Villa Julie more than 80 acres of land at the Owings Mills campus.
In August 2006, the ninth residence hall opened at Owings Mills, and the resident population topped 1,000 students. The Rockland Center opened in October 2006 to provide a spacious student dining center, offices for Student Affairs, and a banquet hall for functions organized by on- and off-campus groups. In May 2007 , the College broke ground on the next new building for Owings Mills, a 60,000-square-foot academic building to house the newly formed Brown School of Business and Leadership and other programs. The building was completed in fall 2008 and features a state-of-the-art mock trial courtroom. The University celebrated the opening of the new Brown School of Business and Leadership in April 2009 with a visit from entrepreneur and publisher, Steve Forbes. Additional expansion of the Owings Mills campus included the University's eleventh student residence hall, Wooded Way, which opened in fall 2009 and houses specialized student learning communities as well as the Office of Career Services and Learning Beyond Center.
Villa Julie celebrated this growth throughout the 2007-08 academic year as part of its 60th anniversary celebration. The College inaugurated a new tradition on October 1, 2007 , by celebrating Founders Day to commemorate the day the College first opened. The anniversary celebration also included the announcement of a $20 million fundraising campaign to support a variety of initiatives across both campuses. The College received reaccreditation from Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 2008 .
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Athletic Teams Achieve Success
On the athletic field, the College joined its first athletic conference, the North Eastern Athletic Conference, in 2004. A year later, Villa Julie accepted an invitation into the Capital Athletic Conference. Stevenson's men's and women's teams competed for conference titles in this traditionally strong conference that includes institutions from Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Several Stevenson teams have competed in the NCAA Championships. In 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 the men's lacrosse team made it to the Division III semifinals. In 2013, the team won the NCAA National Championship game, beating the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Tigers at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on May 26.
Many of Stevenson’s teams play and practice at the Caves Sports and Wellness Center, the new name for the facility formerly used by the Baltimore Ravens. The complex officially opened in the summer of 2006 after extensive renovations to accommodate the new Wellness Center and Mustang athletics.
Stevenson's football team, created in 2010, enjoyed its most successful seasons to date in 2014 and 2015, culminating its first two winning seasons with victories in postseason bowl games.
After adding women's ice hockey, beach volleyball, and men's ice hockey in the last several years, Stevenson now offers a total of 27 men's and women's varsity athletic teams.
University Status and Name Change
In 2004, the Board of Trustees began discussing the possibility of transitioning to university status because of the growth in student population and the addition of a second campus. A year later, the Board authorized the administration to study the feasibility of becoming a university and to assess whether to simultaneously change the name of the institution. Significant research followed to assess public perception of the name Villa Julie. The Board approved university status in November 2006 and later established a committee to oversee a study of name options for the institution. The entire College community had a hand in selecting the name as an online bulletin board provided a forum for suggestions. More than 80 name ideas came from that resource. Historical and legal research and surveys shortened that list to seven potential names in late 2007.
The College then started a long phase of quantitative and qualitative research to determine the best name from that group. Alumni, current students, and potential students and their families were among the groups surveyed for their opinion on the new name. On June 11, 2008, the Board voted unanimously to change the name of the institution, and the name Stevenson University was unveiled to a packed room the next morning. The Board had earlier voted to keep the Villa Julie name alive by creating the Villa Julie College of Arts and Sciences as part of Stevenson University.
Stevenson University
In March 2009, President Manning approved the University Restructuring Plan adopted by the Faculty Council. The plan created four schools within the Villa Julie College of Arts and Sciences: the School of Humanities and Social Sciences; the School of Design; the School of Education; and the School of the Sciences. The Brown School of Business and Leadership and the School of Graduate and Professional Studies remain as originally configured.
Exciting developments for Stevenson were in the works during the summer and fall of 2009. In June, the University announced the addition of football to its roster of 19 Division III men's and women's sports. In August, Stevenson was ranked as one of just 77 "Top Up-and-Coming Schools" nationally by U.S. News & World Report. The University closed the year with the completion of its historic five-year fundraising campaign—the largest in the 63-year history of the institution. Inspiring Students, Building Careers: The Campaign for Stevenson University raised more than $20.4 million in support of the Brown School of Business and Leadership, scholarship endowments, and special programs.
The start of 2010 saw the opening of the new entrance to the Owings Mills campus and the introduction of a new bachelor's program in fashion merchandising and a master's in nursing education and leadership. In addition, Stevenson was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service learning, and civic engagement. In June 2010, the University also received a $100,000 Wal-Mart Foundation College Success grant to assist first generation college students with the transition to university life. In August, a new, updated Mustang logo was unveiled for Stevenson athletics.
In fall 2010, Stevenson welcomed the largest freshman class in its history and opened a labyrinth and meditation center on its Greenspring campus. A new 35,000-square-foot gymnasium opened to complement the Owings Mills campus sports complex. Also in fall 2010, the football team held its first developmental practice season in preparation for fall 2011 intercollegiate competition. The University also announced that it was adding women's ice hockey to its selection of athletics programs and reinstating its track and field program for men and women.
In February 2011, President Manning was appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and in March was named an "Influential Marylander" for 2011 by The Maryland Daily Record newspaper. In April, the University hired its first band director to lead its newly created marching band in preparation for the first season of football competition. In May, Stevenson's Athletic Department announced that it would be leaving the Capitol Athletic Conference (CAC) in summer 2012 to join the Middle Atlantic Conferences, of which the football program was already an affiliate member.
The summer of 2011 was a busy time of change and preparation for the University. A new Owings Mills campus store was launched in the Boulevard Business Center just across the campus entrance drive from the new gymnasium. Two new residence halls to house an additional 500 students were opened on the Owings Mills campus, and the new 3,500-seat Mustang Stadium was opened in early September with much media attention and fanfare. On September 10, the new football team, amidst festivities that included fireworks and former NFL stars, won its first home game in exciting double-overtime play against Christopher Newport University. In addition to football, the stadium hosts men's and women's soccer and lacrosse games.
Fall 2011 continued Stevenson's momentum of change and growth. Stevenson launched the SU Now Portal to link faculty, staff, and students with campus news, events, and information. The portal includes Wild Stang Radio, the campus's online digital radio station which hosts music, campus-focused news broadcasts, and student-produced programs. The University was named one of only 46 "Up-and-Comer" universities in the nation in the 2012 edition of the U. S. News & World Report college rankings. Stevenson also introduced a new fashion design program in its School of Design. In November 2011, the University concluded the purchase of the Owings Mills site of Shire Pharmaceuticals. The 28-acre site—which includes two buildings totaling 168,000 square feet and a 400-space parking lot—is now the Owings Mills North campus that houses the School of Design and will ultimately house the School of the Sciences.
In February 2012, the School of Graduate and Professional Studies marked a major milestone in its growth, surpassing the 1,000 mark for its number of enrolled students. The school also received approval from MHEC to add two new master's programs, cyber forensics and healthcare management, both focused on areas of workforce growth. During the spring semester, the SU Now Portal focused on expanding its content by adding a new student and faculty-directed sitcom called "The University" to its featured video content. In April 2012, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences brought the prestigious International Drama Conference to Baltimore. Also in April, the University’s Archives established the Maryland Bible Society Collection at Stevenson to house and make available for scholarly research the society’s historic 400-year-old first edition of the King James Bible, as well as numerous other books and documents.
August 19, 2012 saw the return of NFL football to the Owings Mills campus when Stevenson hosted at Mustang Stadium the Baltimore Ravens’ third open public practice of their 2012 training camp. Nearly 3,000 fans came to the site which had served as the team’s first training facility.
The fall 2012 semester began with Stevenson again recognized as one of America’s "Up and Comers"—one of only 49 colleges and universities nationwide and just 19 regional universities given this designation—in U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 college rankings. Stevenson was ranked No. 3 among the "Up-and-Comer" Regional Universities-North. In October, the University opened the seventh season of the Baltimore Speakers Series with President Bill Clinton and a sell-out crowd at the Meyerhoff. Fall also saw the launch of the women's ice hockey team.
In November, Stevenson’s annual Career Architecture ™ LEGO Challenge for first-year students was highlighted by the unveiling of a LEGO sculpture titled "Career Architecture" by internationally-renowned brick artist Nathan Sawaya. The LEGO Challenge was also featured in a 30-minute documentary called "Brick by Brick: Stevenson University’s Career Architecture ™ LEGO Challenge." Produced by Stevenson’s in-house video team, the documentary debuted to the public via WBAL TV in January 2013.
In late November 2012, Stevenson announced the hiring of Frederick H. Bealefeld, former Baltimore City Police Commissioner, to serve as Distinguished Professional in Criminal Justice and Instructor in Stevenson’s Criminal Justice program. In December, the Greenspring Valley Orchestra, conducted by Stevenson music professor Robert Suggs, celebrated its 10th Anniversary Concert.
In March 2013, the School of the Sciences hosted the inaugural Dell Lecture in honor of Stevenson trustee Samuel M. Dell III and his wife Geraldine. The lecture coincided with the awarding of the first Dell Scholarship for outstanding Stevenson seniors studying biology, chemistry, and mathematics. In April, the University announced the expansion of its degree offerings with the addition of Bachelor of Science programs in biochemistry and environmental science and a Master of Arts in teaching in biology, chemistry, and mathematics, a STEM-focused degree with secondary education certification. Later in April, the Maryland Career Development Association (MCDA) awarded Stevenson the MCDA Organizational Career Planning Award, recognizing the University’s excellence in career development. In May 2013, Baltimore-born actor and Hollywood director Jason Winer, best known for his work on ABC’s "Modern Family" gave the keynote address at Stevenson’s 60th Commencement ceremonies.
In September 2013, Stevenson’s School of Graduate and Professional Studies offered its first MOOC, a free, massive open online course focusing on a Survey of Forensics. More than 700 students registered for the course. Later in the month, Wild Stang Radio, Stevenson’s digital online radio station, re-launched out of a new studio in Rockland Center.
Throughout the fall of 2013, Stevenson celebrated "The Year of Italian Culture in the U.S." with record crowds attending a variety of arts and cultural events, including a photo exhibition by photographer Harry Connolly focusing on Baltimore’s Little Italy.
Stevenson kicked off 2014 by unveiling a redesigned website featuring responsive design technology aimed at reaching prospective students on mobile devices and tablets. Later in January, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak—in town for the Baltimore Speaker Series—addressed a packed crowd of more than 300 middle school, high school, and Stevenson students at the Greenspring Campus. To close out a busy month, Stevenson’s men’s lacrosse team was honored on the floor of the Maryland State House for winning the 2013 Division III National Championship.
In April 2014, Stevenson unveiled a 12-foot-tall, bronze mustang statue, "Victory," outside of Mustang Stadium. Created by nationally renowned wildlife sculptor Bart Walter, the statue represents the strength and unity of the entire Stevenson community and the spirit that drives everything from its growth to its championship athletic teams. In May, ABC News Anchor and Chief Correspondent Byron Pitts delivered the Keynote Address at Stevenson’s 61st Commencement ceremonies.
In August 2014, Stevenson debuted its "Introduction to Career Architecture" MOOC intended for school counselors and career professionals.
Stevenson created its athletics Hall of Fame—situated in the Owings Mills Gym and admitted its first class of honorees in October 2014. In 2015, the Hall of Fame was named in honor of Dick Watts, the University’s former Director of Physical Education. In November 2014, Stevenson football capped off its first winning season by defeating Bethany College in the University’s first bowl game.
In May 2015, Baltimore Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh delivered the keynote address at Stevenson’s 62nd Commencement Ceremonies.
In June 2015, President Manning announced the founding of the School of Health Professions, housing the Department of Nursing and the Medical Laboratory Science Program, bringing Stevenson's number of Schools to seven.
In March 2016, President Emeritus Manning announced his plan to retire after 16 years of leading the University, and that summer the Board of Trustees began a nationwide search for his successor. In August, the University dedicated the new 200,000-square-foot academic building at Owings Mills North in his honor, calling it the Kevin J. Manning Academic Center (MAC). Stevenson also received naming gifts for two of its Schools in the MAC: the Sandra R. Berman School of Nursing and Health Professions and the Beverly K. Fine School of the Sciences.
In November 2016, President Manning retired and the Board named Claire E. Moore, alumna and Vice President of Student Affairs, the Interim President of the University.
In January 2017, Stevenson opened its new Center for Student Success in Garrison Hall South on the Owings Mills Campus. The center serves as a one-stop location for various student resources and academic support services, including the Office of Student Success, the John L. Stasiak Academic Link, and the Experiential Learning Center.
In March 2017, the Board concluded its presidential search and unanimously named Elliot Hirshman, Ph.D., President of San Diego State University (SDSU), the new President of Stevenson to start in July 2017. Prior to Dr. Hirshman’s appointment at SDSU, he served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
In April 2017, the University unveiled Dr. Manning’s Presidential Portrait in the MAC and dedicated the Sara G. Manning Greenhouse and the new Dell Family Pathway with bridge connecting Owings Mills with Owings Mills North.
In 2017, Stevenson celebrated the 70th anniversary of its founding as Villa Julie College in 1947. Since its beginning, the University has remained a dynamic institution focused on developing programs and extracurricular experiences that allow students to acquire the knowledge, professional skills, and personal character traits that empower them to pursue and achieve their life and career goals.
In fall of 2017, the School of Graduate and Professional Studies' name was changed to Stevenson University Online.