Trinity Washington University
Encyclopedia
Trinity Washington University, founded in 1897 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
, is a Roman Catholic
university
located in Washington, D.C.
across from Catholic University of America
and the Dominican House of Studies
. Although it has been a university since September 10, 2004, Trinity's College of Arts & Sciences undergraduate program maintains its original status as a liberal arts
women's college
. Men are accepted into the School of Education and the School of Professional Studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
In the 1960s, the school vied with Wellesley and Bryn Mawr
for the daughters of the wealthy and powerful. But when many all-male colleges became co-ed, Trinity's full-time enrollment dropped - from 1,000 in 1969 to 300 in 1989. The school's 12th president, Sister Donna Jurick, responded in the early 1980s by opening a weekend college for working women from the District of Columbia, a racially diverse population the school had previously not served. The first such program in Washington, it became very popular; within three years, it had more students than the undergraduate program.
Under Pat McGuire, who became president of the college in 1989, Trinty became a multifaceted university that reached out to the black and Hispanic women of Washington. McGuire split the college into three schools: the historic women's college became the College of Arts and Sciences; the higher-revenue teacher college became the School of Education; and the continuing education classes were folded into a School of Professional Studies. Trinity began recruiting at D.C. high schools. She expanded the professional schools, whose combined enrollment rose from 639 in 1989 to 974 in 1999. By the school's 1997 centennial, it had become the private college of choice for the women of D.C. public schools.
Trinity's annual tuition as of 2009 was $19,360, with the average student contributing $1,000 to $2,000 and the remainder coming from federal and local grants and from tuition discounts. The school serves an economically poorer student population than any of the historically black institutions around Washington D.C., its socioeconomic peers, with two-thirds of its students receiving Pell grant
s. But Trinity has a higher graduation rate than several of those peers. As of 2010, between 40 and 50 percent of bachelor's degree candidates graduated within six years.
Division III in basketball
, lacrosse
, soccer, tennis
, and volleyball
. Newly added for the fall season of 2011 is cross country
, and for the spring of 2012 is softball
. The Director of Athletics is Tracy Renken.
The newest building on the Trinity Campus, the Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports, was completed in 2003. It features a basketball arena; walking track; swimming pool and spa; fitness center with weight machines, free weights and cardio equipment and dance studio, tennis courts, and an athletic field. Free to Trinity students, the Center offers memberships to local residents.
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, is the name of a Roman Catholic order of religious sisters, dedicated to providing education to the poor.The order was founded in Amiens in 1803, but the opposition of the local bishop to missions outside his diocese led to the moving of headquarters to then...
, is a Roman Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
across from Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America is a private university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by the U.S. Catholic bishops...
and the Dominican House of Studies
Dominican House of Studies
The Dominican House of Studies is a Priory of the Province of St. Joseph of the Order of Preachers. It houses the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception and the Priory of the Immaculate Conception...
. Although it has been a university since September 10, 2004, Trinity's College of Arts & Sciences undergraduate program maintains its original status as a liberal arts
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
women's college
Women's colleges in the United States
Women's colleges in the United States are single-sex U.S. institutions of higher education that exclude or limit males from admission. They are often liberal arts colleges...
. Men are accepted into the School of Education and the School of Professional Studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
History
Trinity College was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1897 as a Catholic college for women. For over 70 years, Trinity educated middle-class Catholic women, who were underrepresented in America's colleges. (For more background on women's higher education, see Origins and types of Women's colleges in the United States.)In the 1960s, the school vied with Wellesley and Bryn Mawr
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
for the daughters of the wealthy and powerful. But when many all-male colleges became co-ed, Trinity's full-time enrollment dropped - from 1,000 in 1969 to 300 in 1989. The school's 12th president, Sister Donna Jurick, responded in the early 1980s by opening a weekend college for working women from the District of Columbia, a racially diverse population the school had previously not served. The first such program in Washington, it became very popular; within three years, it had more students than the undergraduate program.
Under Pat McGuire, who became president of the college in 1989, Trinty became a multifaceted university that reached out to the black and Hispanic women of Washington. McGuire split the college into three schools: the historic women's college became the College of Arts and Sciences; the higher-revenue teacher college became the School of Education; and the continuing education classes were folded into a School of Professional Studies. Trinity began recruiting at D.C. high schools. She expanded the professional schools, whose combined enrollment rose from 639 in 1989 to 974 in 1999. By the school's 1997 centennial, it had become the private college of choice for the women of D.C. public schools.
Four schools
Trinity has an annual enrollment of about 2,000 students in the University's four schools, which offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in a variety of academic areas.- The College of Arts and Sciences--Trinity's historic women's school--offers community service opportunities, athletics, student clubs and campus activities. The College of Arts and Sciences offers a number of academic programs, including criminal justice, forensic psychology, journalism, and business economics.
- Trinity's School of Education is a coeducational graduate program offering degrees in education, counseling, curriculum design, and educational administration. Through its Continuing Education Program, the School of Education also offers 300 professional development courses enrolling 4,000 education professionals each year.
- The School of Professional Studies offers undergraduate and graduate degrees designed for women and men seeking to advance or change their careers. Degrees offered include, but are not limited to, a Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.), Master of Science Administration (M.S.A.), Master of Arts in Communication and a Master of Science in Information Security Management.
- In fall 2010, a School of Nursing and Health Professions was announced as the new home for Trinity's existing nursing program, which started in 2006 and received accreditation in 2007 by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing EducationCommission on Collegiate Nursing EducationThe Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education is an autonomous nursing education accrediting agency that contributes to the improvement of the public's health. The CCNE is recognized by the U.S...
. The school currently offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.) program in both a prelicensure track and a track for registered nurses. The school plans to extend its offerings in 2011 and 2012.
Special academic programs
- Trinity offers professional development, Associate in Arts, and Master's of Science in Administration - Non Profit Management Specialization programs at a satellite classroom located at THEARC, a multipurpose community facility in southeast Washington, DC. Trinity is the only private university to offer programs in the District of Columbia's underserved neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.
Student body
As of early 2010, school enrollment was 67 percent African American, 21 percent Hispanic, 6 percent white and 6 percent international. Men made up 8 percent of total enrollment in all programs.Trinity's annual tuition as of 2009 was $19,360, with the average student contributing $1,000 to $2,000 and the remainder coming from federal and local grants and from tuition discounts. The school serves an economically poorer student population than any of the historically black institutions around Washington D.C., its socioeconomic peers, with two-thirds of its students receiving Pell grant
Pell Grant
A Pell Grant is money the federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree or who are not enrolled in certain post-baccalaureate programs, through participating...
s. But Trinity has a higher graduation rate than several of those peers. As of 2010, between 40 and 50 percent of bachelor's degree candidates graduated within six years.
Athletics
Playing as the Trinity Tigers, Trinity competes in the NCAANational Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division III in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, soccer, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. Newly added for the fall season of 2011 is cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, and for the spring of 2012 is softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
. The Director of Athletics is Tracy Renken.
The newest building on the Trinity Campus, the Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports, was completed in 2003. It features a basketball arena; walking track; swimming pool and spa; fitness center with weight machines, free weights and cardio equipment and dance studio, tennis courts, and an athletic field. Free to Trinity students, the Center offers memberships to local residents.
Campus buildings
The campus includes the following buildings:- Main Hall, which houses most of the classrooms, faculty offices and administrative offices on campus, as well as the University's art gallery, auditorium, and Admissions Office.
- Trinity Center for Women and Girls in Sports, an athletic, recreational and educational complex located in the heart of Trinity's campus.
- Sister Helen Sheehan Library, which holds more than 200,000 volumes.
- Trinity's Science Building, which houses all of the university's science and mathematics classrooms, laboratories and science faculty offices.
- Alumnae Hall, which has the university's dining hall, and also houses the offices for the International Affairs program. In addition to a snack bar/deli, Trinity's Alumnae Hall serves three meals a day throughout the academic year.
- Cuvilly Hall, a residence hall for first year students.
- Kerby Hall, a residence hall for all first-year students and some sophomores. In the 1980s, it was a residence hall for graduate students of other colleges in Washington, D.C., including Robert CaseyBob Casey, Jr.Robert Patrick "Bob" Casey, Jr. is the senior U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as Pennsylvania Treasurer, and Pennsylvania Auditor General. He is the son of former Governor Bob Casey, Sr..He is the first Democrat elected to a full term in...
, who studied law at Catholic University of America and later became a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania.
- Notre Dame Chapel, which hosts many of Trinity's traditions, including Academic Convocation, Freshman Medal Ceremony, Cap and Gown Mass, and Baccalaureate Mass. It was built in 1924 and won a national architecture award for ecclesiastical architecture. The Chapel hosted the Pope during his 1979 visit to the United States. It was restored in 1997.
Honor societies
- Phi Beta Kappa, chapter established in 1971
- Alpha Sigma LambdaAlpha Sigma LambdaAlpha Sigma Lambda is a national honor society for non-traditional undergraduate students who achieve and maintain outstanding scholastic standards and leadership characteristics while adroitly handling additional responsibilities of work and family .The founding chapter was established by Dr...
- Beta Kappa Chi
- Lambda Pi EtaLambda Pi EtaLambda Pi Eta is the official communication studies honor society of the National Communication Association . As a member of the Association of College Honor Societies , Lambda Pi Eta has over 400 active chapters at four-year colleges and universities worldwide.Lambda Pi Eta was founded in 1985 at...
- Psi ChiPsi ChiPsi Chi is the International Honor Society in Psychology, founded in 1929 for the purposes of encouraging, stimulating, and maintaining excellence in scholarship, and advancing the science of psychology. With over 1,050 chapters, Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the United States...
- Pi Sigma AlphaPi sigma alphaPi Sigma Alpha , the National Political Science Honor Society, is the only honor society for college and university students of political science in the United States. Its purpose is to recognize and promote high academic achievement in the field of political science...
- Phi Alpha ThetaPhi Alpha ThetaPhi Alpha Theta is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history.The society is a charter member of the Association of College Honor Societies and has over 350,000 members, with about 9,500 new members joining each year through 860 local chapters.-...
Noted alumnae
- Cathie BlackCathie BlackCathleen Prunty "Cathie" Black is a former New York City Schools Chancellor. On April 7, 2011, Black stepped down from her position after 95 days on the job. Her appointment to replace longtime Chancellor Joel Klein was announced on November 9, 2010 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and became effective...
, Publisher (Hearst Magazines) - Kellyanne ConwayKellyanne ConwayKellyanne Conway is a Republican strategist and pollster. She is president and CEO of the polling company, inc./WomanTrend.-Company:...
, Political activist, pollster, television pundit - Claire EaganClaire EaganClaire Eagan is a district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma. She joined the court in 2001 after being nominated by President George W...
, Chief Judge on United States District Court for the Northern District of OklahomaUnited States District Court for the Northern District of OklahomaThe United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma is the Federal district court for a portion of the state of Oklahoma.... - Liana Fiol-Matta de Galib, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- Barbara B. KennellyBarbara B. KennellyBarbara Bailey Kennelly was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut.-Family and Education:...
, Connecticut politician (former long-term U.S. House Representative; unsuccessful gubernatorial candidate) - Maria LeaveyMaria LeaveyMaria Leavey was an independent political strategist. She was born on January 1, 1954 and died December 31, 2006, the day before her 53rd birthday.-Political Work:...
, Political strategist - Jane Dammen McAuliffe, President of Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
- Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiNancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011...
, House Minority LeaderMinority leader of the United States House of RepresentativesThe House Minority Leader is one of the party leaders of the United States House of Representatives. This title is currently held by Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi of California....
, former Speaker of the House - Lisa Polyak and Gitanjali Deane, Lead plaintiffs in the Deane & Polyak v. Conaway case - litigation to obtain marriage equality for same-sex couples in Maryland
- Kathleen SebeliusKathleen SebeliusKathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...
, Secretary of Health and Human Services; former Governor of Kansas - M. Patricia SmithM. Patricia SmithM. Patricia Smith is the of the United States Department of Labor, the department's chief law interpreter-enforcer and third-ranking official. She was nominated by President Barack Obama to be the Solicitor of Labor on April 20, 2009. She was confirmed by the U.S...
, Commissioner of Labor for the State of New York - Maggie WilliamsMaggie WilliamsMargaret "Maggie" Ann Williams is a partner in Griffin Williams, a management-consulting firm. She was the campaign manager for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign. Following Clinton's win in the New Hampshire primary in January 2008, Williams was brought onto the Clinton...
, Campaign Manager to Hillary Clinton
External links
- Trinity Washington University
- Trinity's Nursing Program
- Trinity Graduates Win Re-election: House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi '62 Poised to Become Speaker, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius '70 Wins Second Term— Trinity Washington University, District of Columbia Public School Teacher and Educational Advocate Edna Chapman-Stewart '73
- THEARC - Town Hall Education Arts & Recreation Campus