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The History of Mount Marty College
Mount Marty College is a Catholic, Benedictine, coeducational institute of higher learning founded in 1936 by the Sisters of Saint Benedict of Yankton, South Dakota. The college is named in memory of Martin Marty, a Benedictine missionary to the Indians who came to Dakota Territory in 1876, became the Territory's first Catholic Bishop, and who invited the Benedictine Sisters to establish a religious community in Yankton.

The college functioned as a junior college for women for 15 years; in 1951 it awarded its first Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. In 1969, the college became coeducational. Associate of Arts degree programs were introduced in 1975 in areas compatible with already existing programs. Graduate study was begun with the first Master of Science degree awarded in 1983 and the first Master of Arts degree awarded in 1999.

In keeping with the Benedictine tradition, the college exists as a community of learners. Primary emphasis is placed on the development of each person as a complete human being with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills, and a composite of moral, spiritual, and social values.

The mission of the college is renewed year by year in the framework of Benedictine tradition, the apostolate of the Catholic Church, the goals of American higher education, and the educational needs of men and women of this region.

Mount Marty College determines its general policies and objectives in the context of its original charter, historical development, educational needs of the region, and the professional goals of the entire college staff. The Benedictine Community of the Sacred Heart Monastery is the sponsoring agent of the college; the Board of Trustees is the final governing board of the institution itself.

Historical Timeline

1905 - Sacred Heart School of Nursing founded at Sacred Heart Hospital
1922 - Mount Marty Academy opened
1935 - Cornerstone of Bede Hall laid
1936 - Mount Marty Junior College began on July 3 with the teaching of physics
1950 - Bishop Marty Chapel consecrated
1951 - Mount Marty College became a four-year baccalaureate degree granting institution
1955 - Whitby Hall and Marian Auditorium opened
1961 - Mount Marty College received North Central Association accreditation
1964 - Sacred Heart School of Nursing closed; nursing students enrolled in Mount Marty College's four-year Baccalaureate nursing program
1966 - Corbey Hall opened
1966 - Mount Marty High School moved to the new building (Old Library Building)
1967 - First meeting of the Board of Trustees for the newly incorporated Mount Marty College
1967 - Roncalli Center completed and opened
1969 - Mount Marty High School closed
1969 - Mount Marty College became co-educational
1971 - Mount Marty College became the first school in the nation to offer a baccalaureate degree in anesthesia
1972 - Branch location opened at Harmony Hill Education Center, Watertown, S.D.
1981 - New Sacred Heart Hospital completed
1983 - Master Degree program started at Mount Marty in anesthesia
1988 - New Mount Marty College Laddie E. Cimple Arena completed
1989 - Mount Marty began offering courses at the Yankton Federal Prison Camp at the site of former Yankton College
1991 - Mount Marty's enrollment goes over 1000 for the first time
1997 - Master's Degree Pastoral Ministries added
2000 - Charter Member Great Plains Athletic Association (GPAC)
2001 - Mount Marty College became a wireless, laptop campus
2003 - Scholastica Learning Center/Cyber Cafe/Library opened on Yankton campus
2005 - Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA) added
2007 - New Athletic Track - Joint venture with Yankton Public Schools
2007 - New Baseball Stadium - Joint venture with Yankton Baseball Association
2008 - New location facility opened in Watertown
2010 - New Anesthesia Program/Sioux Falls location facilities opened
2010 - New Soccer Fields - Joint venture with the National Field Archery Association/Foundation