In 1997, Mary Pat Seurkamp became the first permanent lay person to be named president of College of Notre Dame of Maryland. During her presidency, the Baltimore City college has seen a steady growth in enrollment and the number of academic programs.
Before coming to College of Notre Dame, Seurkamp served in various administrative roles for 21 years at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y.
Q College of Notre Dame is a traditionally Catholic college. How important is religion to the school?
A This is an environment where students can pursue the development of every aspect of what makes them a person. So there?s intellectual development, there?s social development, and there?s spiritual development.
Students come to us from all faiths. About 50 percent of our students are Catholic.
While it?s very important to us that those students have an opportunity to continue to deepen their faith, it is similarly important to us that students of other faiths have opportunities to deepen whatever faith tradition they have.
Q What was your motivation to start a School of Pharmacy?
A The college has a strong liberal arts foundation, but we also pay careful attention to what?s going on in the marketplace and try to respond to those needs.
We?ve done that in the fields of teacher education and nursing.
Pharmacy is yet another area where there is a serious shortage not only in Maryland but also across the country.
As we looked at the mission of the college, combined with our already strong science program, this just seemed to be a natural fit.
Q Education is one of your most popular programs. Do many students become teachers?
A I think the vast majority of our students who get a teaching certification go on to teach for a time.
But if you look at Maryland education statistics, there is an extremely high turnover.
So within five years, a fair number of those individuals have left the profession.
But there has been monumental growth for us in the area of education at the graduate level.
We also have a program called Operation Teach, in which we bring in young graduates from all across the country who did not get certification as undergraduates but who have a real commitment to working in Catholic schools.
While we all know the problems that exist in our [educational] system, quite frankly, for many individuals that?s part of the attraction ? particularly for individuals who understand the importance of service and of making a real difference.
Q Tuition is close to $23,000. Do a lot of students qualify for financial aid?
A The vast majority of our students receive need-based aid.
The whole issue of access is important to us.
About 15 percent of our students come from families with income levels below the poverty level.
There?s a significant commitment on our part to make it possible for our students to attend the college.
Q Will College of Notre Dame always be a woman?s college?
A Forever.
Q Why?
A The strength of the system of higher education in this country is its diversity.
One size doesn?t fit all, and different environments work for different people.
I believe strongly that the women?s college environment is absolutely essential for any number of women and that they find it to be exactly the right place to accomplish their goals.
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNAE
» (Ret.) Brig. Gen. Elizabeth P. Hoisington, first female brigadier general, U.S. Army
» The Honorable Susan L.M. Aumann, member, House of Delegates, District 42
» Mary Beth Bollinger, pediatrician, named one of Baltimore?s Best Doctors in 1999
» The Honorable Audrey Carrion, first Hispanic woman on Baltimore City Circuit Court
» LaVida Cooper, electrical engineer, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
» The Honorable Irene Murphy Keeley, judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia
» Sister Charmaine Krohe, SSND, president, Mother Seton Academy
» Sister Patricia McCarron, SSND, headmistress, Notre Dame Preparatory School
» Eileen P. O?Neill, senior vice president and general manager, Discovery Health Network
» Patricia Darrow Smith, executive vice president of merchandising, Chicos FAS Inc.
FAST FACTS
» Founded: 1873 by School Sisters of Notre Dame
» Enrollment: 1,646 undergraduate; 1,613 graduate
» Tuition: $22,400
» Room and board: $8,300
» Student-teacher ratio: 11-1
» Most popular undergraduate majors: Nursing, business, education, biology.
» Alumnae: About 8,300 live in Maryland.
