Marian University (Wisconsin)

Located in Indianapolis, Marian University opened as Marian College on September 8, 1936, with eight faculty from the Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes and 17 full-time and 25 part-time students.

In 1941, Marian received accreditation to grant a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. In the mid-1960s, increasing numbers of students and faculty necessitated a move to the current 78-acre campus, bounded by South National Avenue and East Division Street. The institution officially became coeducational in 1970. Marian was officially recognised as a university in 2008.

At the start of the 2017–18 academic year, Marian University accepted nearly 2,000 students, the largest freshmen roll in its history. Its overall roll is around 3,500.

In addition to the main Fond du Lac campus in Indianapolis, Marian students study at centres in Appleton and West Allis and at other sites across Indiana, and online.

Indianapolis itself has been named one of the top 10 cities in which to start a new career by TIME magazine and is the fourth-fastest growing city in the US for high-tech job growth, with sectors present including biosciences, pharmaceuticals, logistics and distribution, technology, and advanced manufacturing.

The progression of courses at Marian include the master of arts degree in education coming on stream in 1987, its first MSc in nursing in 2002, a doctorate in educational administration and leadership in 2004 and an MSc in organisational leadership in 2015.

Some 2,385 undergraduate students currently study across: Leighton School of Nursing; College of Arts and Sciences; Byrum School of Business; The Educators College; Exercise and Sports Science; and Marian's Adult Programs.

Meanwhile, 1,067 graduate students are spread over: College of Osteopathic Medicine; The Educators College; Biomedical Sciences; Doctor of Nursing Practice and Clinical Mental Health Counseling.

Student activities have increased dramatically since the days of Marian’s first sport, women’s volleyball, played in the basement of the old convent.

Marian sponsors NCAA Division III men’s basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, hockey, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, track and field and volleyball, and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, hockey, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball. Marian teams have won 65 conference regular season titles and 28 conference tournament titles in recent years, and have gone to 15 NCAA Division III tournaments since joining the NCAA in 1999.

There has been a considerable amount of development of the university from the mid-1990s onwards, including The Stayer Center for Technology & Executive Learning (2001), The Smith Fields athletic and intramural complex (2002) and, in response to growing housing needs, Marian constructed Cedar Creek Apartments in 2010. The following year an indoor recreation facility, Lenz Field House, was opened. The university’s science building is currently under a major upgrade.

Marian’s various accreditations come from: the Higher Learning Commission, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Council on Social Work Education, International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education, and Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology. Marian’s curriculum has received approvals from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and the Wisconsin State Board of Nursing.