Marywood University

Marywood University is a co-educational, Catholic liberal arts university located on a 115-acre (0.47 km2) campus in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Diocese of Scranton. Established in 1915 by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Marywood currently enrolls more than 3,400 students in a variety of undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs. The university has a national arboretum with more than 100 types of trees and shrubs. Marywood's Catholic identity coupled with its mission to educate students to "live responsibility in an interdependent world" encourages students to be socially responsible agents of change.The Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary came to Scranton, Pennsylvania and established St. Cecilia's Academy in 1878 "for young ladies". Mount St. Mary's Seminary opened in 1902. Mother Cyril Conroy, superior in 1901, deliberately chose the term "seminary" (roughly equivalent to a high school in present times) to avoid the suggestion of a finishing school – which was a much more common destination at that time for older girls who could afford to continue their education – as it was intended to be "a place where young scholars dedicated themselves to serious study". The Motherhouse was co-located with the seminary. Its buildings suffered major damage during a fire in the 1970s. As a result, Scranton Preparatory School, then a boys' school, became co-educational to accommodate the girls. The arch, now known as "Memorial Arch", which stood at the entrance to the seminary-cum-motherhouse still stands on the present-day campus and the former seminary's name can be seen engraved on it.