Since our humble inception in the late 1940s, Stevenson University has continually evolved to meet the needs of students, gradually expanding both our physical presence and academic offerings. Here is a sampling of SU’s rich history.
Seven Oaks’ Julie Billiart Hall, as featured in the property’s sale flyer.
Villa Julie College is founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at “Seven Oaks,” an 80-acre estate in Greenspring Valley, formerly the home of the George Carrell Jenkins family. The College opens its doors on October 1, specializing in medical-secretarial training.
Villa Julie’s 1954 accreditation as a Junior College capped several years of planning and preparation.
Official approval as a two-year college is granted by the Maryland State Department of Education. In that same year, a new classroom facility, Founder’s Hall, is opened.
Kitty Lynch, Elaine Lucas, and Mary Ellen Jones work on an accounting issue, 1959.
The College receives Maryland state approval for a child development program and for transfer programs in the arts and sciences as well as teacher education. Shortly thereafter, the College is granted an “A” rating for transferability of credits by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.
Villa Julie becomes an independent institution, separating from the Catholic Church. Control is vested in a newly formed Board of Trustees comprised of business, civic, and professional leaders.
In response to increasing enrollment, the College builds a multi-million dollar complex consisting of an art wing, learning resource center, and student center. Evening and summer sessions are inaugurated this same year.
Villa Julie becomes co-educational, admitting its first full-time male student.
Carol Grabowski of VJC’s paralegal program, interning at a law firm. Word processing technologies were rapidly transforming legal office practice in the 1980s, and VJC students stayed on the leading edge of change.
Villa Julie becomes a four-year college, offering a bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems. Later, a degree in Paralegal Studies is added. The College continues to offer a two-year program leading to associate’s degrees for all available majors.
A solid grounding in science was a prerequisite for many of the careers sought by Villa Julie Students in the late 1980s.
Again, in response to increasing student interest, the College constructs a new three-story laboratory building.
The concept of career education combined with the liberal arts becomes a hallmark of Villa Julie’s philosophy, Pro Discendo, Pro Vivendo: for learning, for living.
The College designs and installs a sophisticated computer network, enabling students and faculty to access software and library resources from any building on campus.