History of Carlow University in Pittsburgh

The Sisters of Mercy were founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland by Catherine McAuley, a woman who sought, through her service to the poor, the sick and the uneducated, to reveal the mercy of God in our world. Catherine’s particular concern for women manifested itself in her efforts to help women to recognize their inherent dignity, to become self-directing and self-sustaining. Education was at the heart of this effort as was a desire to meet needs not being addressed by others.
Thus, when the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Pittsburgh in 1843, their first ministries arose from the needs presented by this burgeoning city – education and health care. Saint Mary’s Academy and the Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh (now UPMC Mercy) were established within two years of their arrival.
In the late 1920’s, another need presented itself – the lack of baccalaureate level education for the Catholic women of the city. After consultation with the bishop and the heads of the already existing institutions of higher learning, the Sisters of Mercy founded Mount Mercy College (now Carlow University) on September 24, 1929.
These Mercy traditions of a particular focus on the concerns of women and of response to unmet needs have become hallmarks of the University.
Carlow University is now sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas through the Conference for Mercy Higher Education. (CMHE) This Conference, comprised of 16 Mercy sponsored colleges and universities was created for “the preservation and development of the core Catholic identity and mission of Mercy higher education in accord with the spirit, mission and heritage of the Sisters of Mercy”.



History of Carlow University


A Timeline

•1843—On December 21, the Sisters of Mercy from Carlow, Ireland, arrived in Pittsburgh.

•1894—The Sisters of Mercy purchased a 13-acre site in Oakland as the location of a new motherhouse and Our Lady of Mercy Academy for K-12 students.

•1929—On September 24, the Sisters of Mercy opened Mount Mercy College.

•1933—The first Commencement ceremony for Mount Mercy College was conducted, and the college’s seal and motto—Ad Superna, non Superba (“To the Eternal, not the Perishable”)—was established.

•1936—Aquinas Hall was built to house the library and administrative offices.

•1941—Trinity Hall opened as the science center for the college.

•Following World War II, men were admitted to the school under the G.I. Bill. One of these men was the late Pete Flaherty, former mayor of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County Commissioner.

•1948—Antonian Hall opened with office, classroom, and theater space.

•1961—The Frances Warde Hall dormitory was opened. Prior to this, students lived in houses or halls on Darragh Street, Terrace Street, and on Fifth Avenue.

•1968—Grace Library opened. Also in 1968, the college offered the first Black Studies course.

•1969—Mount Mercy College’s name was changed to Carlow College.

•1970—Curran Hall was renovated to house the nursing school.

•1975—Carlow’s mission statement was drafted.

•1978—The Women’s Studies program and a weekend college were established.

•1983—The Carlow Hill College (also known as the Hill Education Center) opened in the Hill House Association. In 1994, it moved to its own office space on Bedford Avenue, and, ten years later in 2004, it moved onto the Carlow campus.

•1989—Carlow began offering an accelerated learning program for working adults.

•1999—The A. J. Palumbo Hall of Science and Technology opened.

•2004— Carlow College officially became Carlow University.

•2005—Carlow appointed its first lay president, Dr. Mary Hines.

•2006—The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics named Carlow a "Champion of Character" school for the fourth consecutive year.

•2007—Carlow received approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to offer its first doctoral program, the PsyD in Counseling Psychology.

•2007—Carlow received approval to offer an MBA program.

•2007—A revision of the Carlow mission statement was approved by the Board of Trustees.

•2008—Carlow’s Adult Degree Center celebrated its 30th anniversary.

•2008—Carlow University announced its new Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program.

•2008—Carlow University was selected for the U.S. President's Community Service Honor Roll.

•2009—Carlow University became a sponsor of the Yellow Ribbon Program.

•2009—Carlow Laureates awards program was created and its first recipients were honored.

•2009— Margaret McLaughlin, PhD, was appointed provost.

•2009—Carlow University was again selected for the U.S. President's Community Service Honor Roll.

•2009—The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics was named Carlow a "Champion of Character" school.

•2009—Carlow Unviersity began the observance of its 80th Anniversary year.

•2010—The Mercy Center for Service was created.

•2010—The 2nd annual Carlow Laureate Awards were presented.

•2010—A celebration of Carlow University's 80th Anniversary continued.

•2010—The 2010 Women of Spirit® Award recipients were honored.

•2010—The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics named Carlow a "Champion of Character" school.

•2010—Carlow University awarded its first doctoral degrees to 10 Doctorate in Nursing Practice students.

•2011—Carlow University announced its online Master of Science in Fraud and Forensics degree program — one of the few such programs in the world.

•2011—Carlow University was selected for the U.S. President's Community Service Honor Roll.

•2011—The University received the largest alumna/trustee gift in its history to endow the "Michele R. Atkins Endowed Chair for Ethics Across the Curriculum."

Carlow University Aquires Former St. Agnes School

 Carlow University has purchased the building and grounds of the former St. Agnes School, located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Robinson Street in Oakland, from the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The sale was finalized on December 20, 2011 for 1.25 million dollars.




"Carlow University's enrollment and programs have grown significantly in recent years, and this expansion led to our prior purchase of St. Agnes Church and Rectory on Fifth Avenue. The acquisition of St. Agnes School fulfills our strategic vision for the institution by providing additional contiguous space to serve our learners," said Dr. Mary Hines, president of Carlow University. "While we have not yet decided on the specific purpose for which we will use St. Agnes School, the space creates opportunities for the placement of academic programs on our Oakland campus, thus strengthening Carlow's presence in Oakland."



St. Agnes School, which housed a Diocesan Extra Mile Foundation elementary school until June 1, 2011, sits on a half-acre site adjacent to Carlow University's campus. This year, St. Agnes School merged with St. Benedict the Moor elementary school in the Hill District. Students from both schools were moved to the former Vann Elementary School building, which is now called St. Benedict the Moor School.



"The purchase of St. Agnes School is a strategic move in keeping with the goals of our institutional master plan," said Tyler Kelsch, Carlow's vice president for finance and operations

The Amazing History of the American Sunflower

 Sunflower Fields near Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia.

After a jaunt to Trader Joes today, and also after picking up someting called "Sunflower Butter" and discovering that it is even more delicious than peanutbutter, I decided to investigate this seemingly innocuous plant.

The story of sunflower (Helianthus Annuus ) is indeed amazing. The wild sunflower is native to North America but commercialization of the plant took place in Russia. It was only recently that the sunflower plant returned to North America to become a cultivated crop. But it was the American Indian who first domesticated the plant into a single headed plant with a variety of seed colors including black, white, red, and black/white striped.

American Indian Uses Sunflower was a common crop among American Indian tribes throughout North America. Evidence suggests that the plant was cultivated by Indians in present-day Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Some archaeologists suggest that sunflower may have been domesticated before corn. Sunflower was used in many ways throughout the various Indian tribes. Seed was ground or pounded into flour for cakes, mush or bread. Some tribes mixed the meal with other vegetables such as beans, squash, and corn. The seed was also cracked and eaten for a snack. There are references of squeezing the oil from the seed and using the oil in making bread. Non-food uses include purple dye for textiles, body painting and other decorations. Parts of the plant were used medicinally ranging from snakebite to other body ointments. The oil of the seed was used on the skin and hair. The dried stalk was used as a building material. The plant and the seeds were widely used in ceremonies.

European Developments This exotic North American plant was taken to Europe by Spanish explorers some time around 1500. The plant became widespread throughout present-day Western Europe mainly as an ornamental, but some medicinal uses were developed. By 1716, an English patent was granted for squeezing oil from sunflower seed. Sunflower became very popular as a cultivated plant in the 18th century. Most of the credit is given to Peter the Great. The plant was initially used as an ornamental, but by 1769 literature mentions sunflower cultivated by oil production. By 1830, the manufacture of sunflower oil was done on a commercial scale. The Russian Orthodox Church increased its popularity by forbidding most oil foods from being consumed during Lent. However, sunflower was not on the prohibited list and therefore gained in immediate popularity as a food. By the early 19th century, Russian farmers were growing over 2 million acres of sunflower. During that time, two specific types had been identified: oil-type for oil production and a large variety for direct human consumption. Government research programs were implemented. V. S. Pustovoit developed a very successful breeding program at Krasnodar. Oil contents and yields were increased significantly. Today, the world's most prestigious sunflower scientific award is known as The Pustovoit Award.

Sunflower Back to North America By the late 19th century, Russian sunflower seed found its way into the US. By 1880, seed companies were advertising the 'Mammoth Russian' sunflower seed in catalogues. This particular seed name was still being offered in the US in 1970, nearly 100 years later. A likely source of this seed movement to North America may have been Russian immigrants. The first commercial use of the sunflower crop in the US was silage feed for poultry. In 1926, the Missouri Sunflower Growers' Association participated in what is likely the first processing of sunflower seed into oil. Canada started the first official government sunflower breeding program in 1930. The basic plant breeding material utilized came from Mennonite (immigrants from Russia) gardens. Acreage spread because of oil demand. By 1946, Canadian farmers built a small crushing plant. Acreage spread into Minnesota and North Dakota. In 1964, the Government of Canada licensed the Russian cultivar called Peredovik. This seed produced high yields and high oil content. Acreage increased in the US with commercial interest in the production of sunflower oil. Sunflower was hybridized in the middle seventies providing additional yield and oil enhancement as well as disease resistance.

Back to Europe U.S. acreage escalated in the late 70's to over 5 million because of strong European demand for sunflower oil. This European demand had been stimulated by Russian exports of sunflower oil in the previous decades. During this time, animal fats such as beef tallow for cooking were negatively impacted by cholesterol concerns. However, the Russians could no longer supply the growing demand, and European companies looked to the fledging U.S. industry. Europeans imported sunflower seed that was then crushed in European mills. Western Europe continues to be a large consumer of sunflower oil today, but depends on its own production. U.S. exports to Europe of sunflower oil or seed for crushing is quite small.

Summary The native North American sunflower plant has finally come back home after a very circuitous route. It is the Native Americans and the Russians who completed the early plant genetics and the North Americans who put the finishing touches on it in the form of hybridization. Those early ancestors would quickly recognize their contributions to today's commercial sunflower if they were here. The reference for this summary was taken from: Albert A. Schneiter, ed. Sunflower Technology and Production, (The American Society of Agronomy No. 35, 1997) 1-19.