On August 24, 2007 Misericordia achieved university status. It was called College Misericordia prior to August 24, 2007.
The Religious Sisters of Mercy were of the order of Mercy founded in Dublin in 1831. The Sisters vowed to be of service to the impoverished, sick and uneducated. The Sisters of Mercy came to the Wyoming Valley area of Pennsylvania in 1875, continuing their mission of praying, teaching and caring for the sick. The sisters established a school for children and a night school for adults in the coal mining region.
On August 15, 1924, the Sisters of Mercy established Luzerne County’s first four-year institution of higher learning, Misericordia, on nearly 100 acres 0.40 km2 of land in Dallas, Pennsylvania, purchased by the Sisters for this purpose in 1914.
More than 2,500 people witnessed the dedication of Misericordia whose name means heart of mercy. That September, 37 students began their studies.
Misericordia continues to be as a university, a broad-based liberal arts and pre-professional studies institution offering education to those of all faiths. The university has been co-educational since the 1970s and offers graduate programs. Today, Misericordia University is located on the original grounds, but has expanded to 120 acres 0.49 km2, situated in a suburban setting eight miles 13 km from downtown Wilkes-Barre.
Prior to August 24, 2007, Misericordia operated as College Misericordia. The process to determine whether or not to become a university began in August 2005 with the introduction of the concept to faculty, staff and students.
A University Status Task Force was formed with representatives from alumni, current students, the Board of Trustees, and the faculty and staff to provide a recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The task force recommended to the Board of Trustees on June 9, 2006 that the college make application to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education to pursue university status.
The PDE Visitation Team conducted a site visit at Misericordia in January 2007 and submitted a written response in March 2007 to our application.
Final approval was received on August 15, 2007 and institution began operations as Misericordia University on August 24, 2007.
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