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Merrimack College

Coordinates: 42°40′01″N 71°07′23″W / 42.667°N 71.123°W / 42.667; -71.123
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Merrimack College
MottoPer Scientiam Ad Sapientiam (Latin)
Motto in English
Through Knowledge to Wisdom
TypePrivate university
Established1947
Religious affiliation
Catholic (Order of Saint Augustine)
Academic affiliations
NAICU
ACCU[1]
Endowment$53.6 million (2020)[2]
PresidentChristopher E. Hopey[3]
Academic staff
220
Administrative staff
330
Students5,505[4] (fall 2022)
Undergraduates4,202 (2020)[5]
Postgraduates1,216 (2020) [5]
Location
North Andover
,
Massachusetts
,
U.S.

42°40′01″N 71°07′23″W / 42.667°N 71.123°W / 42.667; -71.123
CampusSuburban, 220 acres (89 ha)
NewspaperThe Beacon
Colors   Navy blue & gold
NicknameWarriors
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I
MAAC
Hockey East (men's and women's ice hockey)
MascotMack the Warrior
Websitemerrimack.edu

Merrimack College is a private Augustinian university in North Andover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1947 by the Order of St. Augustine with an initial goal to educate World War II veterans. It enrolls approximately 5,700 undergraduate and graduate students from 34 states and 36 countries.[6] The school has an acceptance rate of 75%.[7]

History

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Merrimack College was established in 1947 by the Order of Saint Augustine following an invitation by the Archbishop of Boston, Richard Cushing.[8][9] It is the second Augustinian affiliated college in the United States after Villanova University.[10] Church leaders saw a need to create a liberal arts college largely in a commuter school format for veterans returning from World War II.[11] Archbishop Cushing tabbed the Rev. Vincent McQuade, O.S.A, to lead the college. McQuade was a native of Lawrence, Massachusetts and longtime friend of Cushing. McQuade joined the effort after working on the faculty at Villanova working with veterans transitioning home from the war. McQuade organized the creation process, including land purchases and zoning, securing a charter from the state, establishing curriculum, and managing the college's campus construction. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts granted a charter to The Augustinian College of the Merrimack Valley in March 1947 and the college officially opened in September of the same year.[8]

Presidents

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Merrimack College has had 8 presidents since it was founded in 1947:

  1. Vincent A. McQuade, 1947-1968 (founder)
  2. John R. Aherne, 1968-1976
  3. John A. Coughlan, 1976-1981
  4. John E. Deegan, 1981-1994
  5. Richard J. Santagati, 1994-2008
  6. Joseph D. Calderone, 2008-2008
  7. Ronald O. Champagne, 2008-2010
  8. Christoper E. Hopey, 2010-Present

Academics

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Academic rankings
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[12]33

Merrimack College offers more than 100 undergraduate academic programs and more than 40 graduate programs including accelerated master's degrees.[13]

The College's five schools include the Girard School of Business, the Winston School of Education and Social Policy, the School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Engineering and Computational Sciences, and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.[14]

Campus

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The main campus of Merrimack College is situated on 220 acres (1 km2) of land in North Andover, Massachusetts, a suburb 25 miles north of downtown Boston. The main campus features over 40 buildings, including a 125,000-volume library; several classroom buildings, including the state-of-the-art School of Engineering and Computational Sciences complex; Palmisano Hall; the Sakowich Campus Center; the Rogers Center for the Arts; the Merrimack Athletic Complex; Austin Hall, which houses administrative offices; the Collegiate Church of Christ the Teacher; student apartment buildings and residence halls. Additionally, Merrimack owns several properties outside of the main campus, including the Louis H. Hamel Health Center and Saint Ambrose Friary (located across Elm Street from the bulk of campus). The library is named after McQuade, the college's founder.[15] The college’s academic buildings, as well as the church and Austin Hall, are generally fronted towards Route 114, with the residence halls, athletic facilities and campus center lying further back.

In 2017, the college received a $29.7 million tax-exempt bond from MassDevelopment. Merrimack designated several major projects for the funds, including construction of two academic buildings and three residence halls; renovations to renovate O’Reilly Hall, McQuade Library, and several other campus buildings; and upgrades to athletic facilities.[16]

Student life

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Student body composition as of May 2, 2022
Race and ethnicity[17] Total
White 78% 78
 
Hispanic 8% 8
 
Black 4% 4
 
Asian 2% 2
 
Foreign national 2% 2
 
Other[a] 2% 2
 
Economic diversity
Low-income[b] 16% 16
 
Affluent[c] 84% 84
 

Athletics

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Logo of Merrimack Warriors
Main article: Merrimack Warriors

The athletic teams, except for ice hockey and men's lacrosse, participate in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference of NCAA Division I. They began their four-year transition from Division II to Division I during the 2019–20 season and have been full Division I members since the 2023–24 season.[18]

During the college's transition to Division I, it added varsity programs in women's bowling, men's volleyball, men's golf, and dance, bringing the total number of teams participating in intercollegiate sport to 28 (12 men's teams and 16 women's teams).[19] The men's and women's college ice hockey programs are currently NCAA Division I programs, participating in the Hockey East conference.[20]

Notable alumni

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Notes

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  1. ^ Other consists of multiracial Americans and those who prefer not to say.
  2. ^ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  3. ^ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

References

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  1. ^ "Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU)". The Catholic Universities of America. n.d. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  2. ^ "Financial Statements Merrimack College June 30, 2020 and 2019". Merrimack College. 2020-06-30.
  3. ^ "Merrimack College breaks ground on nursing center". 12 May 2019.
  4. ^ "College Navigator - Merrimack College". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  5. ^ a b "Merrimack College". U.S. News & World Report. 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-06-27.
  6. ^ "About Merrimack College, Massachusetts | Merrimack Schools". www.usnews.com. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  7. ^ "About Merrimack College US News". www.merrimack.edu. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
  8. ^ a b "4266 usa - merrimack". Augnet. n.d. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  9. ^ "Best Northeastern". The Princeton Review. 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  10. ^ "Olde St. Augustine's Church". USHistory.org. n.d.
  11. ^ Douglas, Craig (March 3, 2014). "How Merrimack College got its groove back". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  12. ^ "2024-2025 Best Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  13. ^ "Academics Merrimack | Majors, Minors, Graduate Programs". www.merrimack.edu. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  14. ^ "Schools | Merrimack College". www.merrimack.edu. 2022-10-10. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  15. ^ "History". Merrimack College. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  16. ^ Staff (August 25, 2017). "Merrimack College Expands Facilities With MassDevelopment Bond". Boston Real Estate Times. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  17. ^ "College Scorecard: Merrimack College". United States Department of Education. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  18. ^ Dauster, Rob (September 10, 2018). "Division I men's basketball set to add another member". NBC Sports. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  19. ^ "Merrimack College Athletics - Official Athletics Website". Merrimack College Athletics. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
  20. ^ "Merrimack Warriors - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
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