Carlow University

Carlow University's Role in the Pittsburgh Story

Contact: Media Center, +1 412.578.6147, mediacenter@carlow.edu

Pittsburgh is noted throughout the world for the entrepreneurial and philanthropic accomplish-ments of Andrew Carnegie, H.J. Heinz, and George Westinghouse, but Carlow University owes its existence to the entrepreneurial spirit of seven Sisters of Mercy, who established America's first Mercy community in Pittsburgh and used the city as their foundation to carry the Mercy commitment to educate women throughout the world.
Catherine McAuley, who founded the Sisters of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831, sought to bring the mercy of God to the world through service to the poor, the sick,
and uneducated. Of particular concern for Catherine were her efforts to help women become self-directing and self-sustaining. Education, she knew, was at the heart of meeting these needs.

In 1843, Bishop O'Connor, the bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, invited the Sisters of Mercy to form the first Mercy community in Pittsburgh. Thus, when the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Pitts-burgh in 1843, their first ministries arose from the needs presented by this burgeoning city - education and health care. Saint Mary's Academy and the Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh (now UPMC Mercy) were established within two years of their arrival. In the late 1920's, another need presented itself - the lack of baccalaureate level education for the Catholic women of the city. After consultation with the Bishop and the heads of the already existing institutions of higher learning, the Sisters of Mercy founded Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University) on September 24, 1929.

Despite the Depression, Mount Mercy grew. Several new buildings were added to campus in the school's first 40 years, and in 1969, the name was changed to Carlow College to reflect its Irish roots. Carlow continued to keep pace with the times by expanding its women's studies program and actively recruiting both traditional and non-traditional students. In 1978, the Adult Degree Center, the first program of its kind in Pittsburgh, was created to serve the needs of adult learners. The Weekend College (WEC), established in 1978, and Carlow Accelerated Program (CAP), established in 1988, provides flexible schedules, convenient locations, and accelerated class formats in a way that supports working adults.

In addition to its main campus in Oakland, Carlow offers classes in Greensburg, Pa., and Cranberry Township, Pa., at the Regional Learning Alliance Conference and Learning Center. With an enrollment of 2,200 and a student-faculty ratio of 12-to-1, Carlow students enjoy small classes and individual instruction.

In 2004, the state of Pennsylvania granted the institution university status, and Carlow University stands as the state's first Catholic, women-centered, liberal arts university. Since becoming a university, Carlow has launched degree and certificate programs in forensic accounting, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in creative writing, an MBA program, its first doctoral program in counseling psychology, and a doctoral program in nursing. Carlow University is also home to the Women of Spirit® Institute, and the Grace Ann Geibel Institute for Justice and Social Responsibility.