Marymount Announces Name Change

Marymount is changing its name from Marymount College, Palos Verdes, California to Marymount California University (MCU). This new name reflects the recent transformation of our 45-year-old institution of higher education to a future multisite institution with undergraduate and graduate programs. “The consideration of a name change came as a natural part of a college-wide inquiry in 2012 that included reviews of academic programs, mission, governance and marketing,” shared MCU President Michael Brophy.

Founded in 1968 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM) as a two-year coeducational college, Marymount has undergone a transformation in the past five years, including: 

• the investment of more than $15 million in facilities development, construction and improvement since 2008; 
• the founding of a comprehensive service learning program in 2009; 
• the addition of four-year degree programs in 2010; 
• the addition of an urban campus in Los Angeles (San Pedro) in 2011; 
• admission into the NAIA Cal Pac Athletic Conference in 2012; 
• the anticipated addition of graduate degrees in 2013; and 
• the opening of a Northern California campus (Lake County) in 2013. 

Led by leadership since 1975, Marymount remains inspired by the RSHM to “serve others so all may have life.” Marymount reaffirms that mission in 2013:

Marymount College is a Catholic institution that welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds into a quality, values-based education. We foster a student-centered approach to learning that promotes the development of the whole person. Inspired by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, we challenge our students to pursue lives of leadership and service.

Long regarded as an exemplary institution offering a transformative educational experience, Marymount has remained focused on its students during its own transformation. Marymount’s enrollment has doubled in the past three years, and it is envisioned that the University will continue to grow and diversify its enrollments through 2020. Marymount’s five central goals in supporting growth are as follows:

• In the tradition of Catholic higher education, affirm and support a mission of access, personal growth, lifelong learning, service, justice and universal connection.
• Continually enhance the support of student learning and success.
• Develop and implement viable, relevant new degree programs in a multiyear rollout.
• Take fuller advantage of Marymount’s location in California and on the Pacific Rim.
• Integrate sustainability into Marymount’s facilities, workforce, operations, curriculum, and student experience.

“Marymount” remains the core name, preserving the formative and personal experience offered to students for more than four decades. “California” allows the University to embrace its multiple communities along the Pacific Rim. With new sites and the potential of graduate programs, “University” best describes the current and future Marymount. Marymount Board of Trustees Chair Burt Arnold ’84 shares, “Marymount California University—a new name for a school that so many have trusted for so long.”

For the latest updates, visit www.marymountpv.edu.