St. Mary's University Sesquicentennial

St. Mary's University Sesquicentennial. , Sixteen years after the fall of the Alamo, seven years after Texas gained statehood and nine years before the onset of the American Civil War, Marianist brothers and priests brought Catholic education to San Antonio when, in 1852, they opened St. Mary's Institute in temporary quarters at Military Plaza. From that pioneer effort grew St. Mary's University. , With a permanent site on the bend of the San Antonio River in 1853, the school expanded its programs, progressively added new buildings and became chartered as St. Mary's College by the State of Texas in 1882. Overcrowding in the downtown area demanded expansion and in 1894 the boarders were moved to the new campus in Woodlawn Hills named St. Louis College, which adopted the name St. Mary's College and, finally in 1927, became St. Mary's University. , In 1934 the University took over the San Antonio Law School which had opened in 1927, and added graduate programs in 1936. Women were integrated into all schools when St. Mary's became coeducational in 1963. Today, with 4,100 students-and more than 34,000 alumni-the scenic 135-acre campus is home to five schools: Humanities and Social Sciences; Business and Administration; Science, Engineering and Technology: Graduate; and Law, and offers 44 majors and 70 degree programs. , St. Mary's University, the oldest and largest Catholic institution of higher education in the Southwest, also is home to the only Catholic law school in the region, observing its 75th anniversary in 2002. , The Marianist mission of academic excellence, ethical commitment and service to society continues to thrive at St. Mary's University today.