Home 2012-2013 Undergraduate College Catalog Manhattanville College Mission

Manhattanville College Mission

The mission of Manhattanville College is to educate students to be ethical and socially-responsible leaders in a global community.

We are committed to:

Ensuring the intellectual, ethical and social development of each student within a community of engaged scholars and teachers. Encouraging each student to develop as an independent and creative thinker in pursuing career and personal goals. Providing a diverse, inclusive and nurturing environment which develops in each student a commitment to service and leadership within a global community.

Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Policy

Manhattanville College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, gender, and disability in its programs or activities. This policy applies to access to all activities and programs under the College sponsorship, as well as to application and selection for admission, employment, and all other personal procedures within the College.

Consistent with the requirements of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, and Part 86 of 45 C.F.R., Manhattanville College does not discriminate on the basis of gender in the conduct of its education programs or activities (including employment therein and admission thereto). Inquiries concerning the application of Title IX and Part 86 of 45 C.F.R. may be referred to the Director, Office of Civil Rights (Region II), 26 Federal Plaza, New York, N.Y. 10007.

History and Educational Commitment

Manhattanville’s tradition is based on an educational heritage that fosters the free exchange of ideas between students and teachers within the context of challenging academic programs. Through this exchange the College encourages the development of human values and a view of society as a community requiring each person’s support. A liberal arts education at Manhattanville seeks to cultivate the growth of conscience as well as intellect — the ability both to reach personal moral decisions by the use of reason and understanding and the courage to defend these convictions. The alumni who have become leaders in business and the professions testify to the usefulness of the College’s definition of a liberal arts education.

The College began as the Academy of the Sacred Heart, a school for girls founded on Houston Street in New York City in 1841. It was one of a world-wide network of schools maintained by the religious congregation founded in France in 1800 with the name of Society of the Sacred Heart. Like its sister schools, the Academy accepted pupils ranging in age from the elementary grades through high school. After the 12th grade, two more years were added, the so-called "superior classes," which prepared students for independent work, and allowed a wider choice of subjects. The last two years of undergraduate work were added in 1917, and the institution was chartered by the State of New York as a college for women — with the new name, Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart. Still committed to the values that shaped its founders’ belief in the liberal arts, the College became coeducational in 1971 and independent of the Society of the Sacred Heart after 1971.

Changes in the nature of the institution did not take place without corresponding changes in locale. The success of the school in the 1840's was such that a larger area was needed, and Houston Street was abandoned for the "salubrious air" of Astoria. This place, too, quickly proved too small, and the Lorillard estate north of the present 125th Street on the upper West Side was bought. In 1847 this was a rural area; gentlemen’s estates and small farms were its characteristic features, and the district was known as Manhattanville. Hence the name of the modern College. As the College and the city grew, better conditions for the largely residential student body became necessary. After one hundred and five years another move brought the College to Purchase, New York, just 25 miles north of New York City to the property formerly owned by the Whitelaw Reid family, in 1952.

The long tradition of the school, which preceded the College charter, determined the character the College would have: a firm belief in the liberalizing effect of the liberal arts, a lively sense of tradition, a wide-ranging interest in the most humane manifestations of the human spirit, a continuing effort to enhance the local community and to accept responsibility for this segment of human history. These forces are alive today on the College campus. It is the challenge of students and faculty to keep them active, to translate them into terms which can be effective in the 21st century world.

Letter to Parents

Dear Students, Parents, families and friends,

Welcome to Manhattanville College! Manhattanville, founded in 1841 by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart, but with an over 40-year history as an independent and comprehensive institution focused on both undergraduate and graduate learning, is strongly committed to continuing its tradition of preparing students for service and civic engagement in an increasingly diverse and global community.

Our mission remains a vital source of inspiration to our faculty, staff, and students:

The mission of Manhattanville College is to educate ethically and socially responsible leaders for the global community. Manhattanville is committed to fulfilling that mission by:

Ensuring the intellectual, ethical, and social development of each student within a community of engaged scholars and teachers.
Encouraging each student to apply his or her development as an independent leader and creative thinker, to career and personal goals.
Providing a diverse campus community whose members know, care about, and support each other and actively engage the community beyond.

Manhattanville College today sees the liberal arts as a wellspring from which students draw passion, intellectual depth and breadth, and inspiration. We believe the liberal arts allow students to integrate their career aspirations into a strong and flexible educational program. We provide outstanding career development services, beginning in the freshman year, to help students explore options, develop skills, and find internship, service, and study abroad opportunities. Manhattanville's signature Portfolio System helps every student develop a profile of their growth and achievements that they can present to their peers, their faculty, and to the outside world.

Please explore the Manhattanville College catalog to learn about our academic offerings, as well as our policies. Then learn more by exploring our website, www.mville.edu.