The University Mission
As an independent, comprehensive, Catholic university, offering programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, Marymount University strives to foster the intellectual, moral, spiritual, social, cultural and physical development of each student through an education that combines the liberal arts tradition with career preparation.

A Marymount Education
Marymount aspires to prepare students to be thoughtful and effective persons within family, community, and society; to develop students with the competencies necessary for entry, growth, and success in their chosen careers; to build within its students a shared sense of community among individuals drawn from diverse national, cultural, and social backgrounds; to foster in its students a spirit of service to others, a concern for social justice, and a commitment living in an ethically responsible way; and to develop in students both the competencies and motivation to be lifelong learners.

The Heritage and Traditions of the University
As an education community, Marymount is formed by the heritage and traditions of the liberal arts education, the American higher education community, the Catholic Church, and the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.

• As a university in the liberal arts tradition, Marymount fosters the development of intellectual curiosity, an unbiased pursuit of truth, an understanding of the varying modes of inquiry utilized across the disciplines, and the development of skills, competencies and motivation necessary for intellectual and lifelong learning. Marymount fosters the pursuit of excellence in teaching, learning and scholarship, and forms a community marked by intellectual freedom, civility, and diverse interpretations of the human experience.

• As a comprehensive university in the American higher education tradition, Marymount is a learning/ teaching community that emphasizes excellence in teaching and places primary focus on the learning-teaching process; strives to contribute to the development of knowledge through the scholarship of its members; and contributes to the development of its community through service outreach programs. The University recognizes the value and importance of career preparation as a fundamental purpose of university education. The University provides both undergraduate and graduate education, serving a variety of student audiences, in response to the needs and interests of its community and region.

• As a university founded and sponsored by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Marymount draws from and celebrates the 150 year RSHM tradition of ministry through education across four continents. In the spirit of the University founders, Marymount strives to establish a shared sense of community among individuals drawn from diverse national, cultural, and social backgrounds, and emphasizes a spirit of service to others and responsiveness to the needs of persons and groups who do not fully share in the bounty of the larger community.

A Dynamic Learning Community in an Enriched Environment
The University also is shaped by the unique resources available to it through its location in the nation's capital area, and by a creative, future-oriented perspective of education.

• The Marymount experience is enriched by the cultural, government, business, and professional resources of Washington, D.C., a city with an international character and global perspective. The University location offers extraordinary professional and scholarly opportunities for faculty; the opportunity to bring leaders from government, commerce and the professions to the University campus; specialized resources for instructions and research; unique internship placements for students; and outstanding employment opportunities for graduates.

• Marymount has grown and changed extensively since its founding in 1950, reflecting a dynamic period of change in American higher education, and also reflecting an openness, creativity, and enterprising spirit of the men and women who comprise the Marymount community. Marymount has been willing to look creatively at the educational needs of the region the University serves, to respond quickly, and to try new approaches. The University strives to sustain a future-oriented perspective and to serve as a leader in responding to the educational needs of its region and in utilizing innovative instructional technologies and practices.

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Last modified:7/10/00 by katt