Mercy College Upgrades To Mercy University

DOBBS FERRY, NY — There’s a new university in Westchester County.

Mercy College announced Tuesday it was changing its name to Mercy University.

The change in status, which was approved by the New York State Board of Regents, reflects the breadth of its programs across a wide variety of disciplines at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

It is a landmark moment in Mercy’s nearly 75 years of existence, according to officials.

The announcement follows the summer arrival of Dr. Susan L. Parish, who is Mercy’s 13th president. It also follows the addition of a School of Nursing alongside five other schools of liberal arts, business, education, health and natural sciences and social and behavioral sciences.

Parish said that becoming a university is the natural evolution for the institution and is firmly rooted in Mercy’s founding principles.

“We celebrate the many ways we have successfully educated thousands of students, who are often the first in their families to attend college,” she said. “Mercy University looks forward to the next 75 years of growth and enrichment, deepening our community ties and finding new ways to push higher education forward to advance student success.”

Mercy University was founded in 1950 by the Sisters of Mercy. It became a four-year institution in 1961 offering baccalaureate programs.

In the 1970s, Mercy became independent, non-sectarian and co-educational, doubling the size of facilities and establishing branch campuses and extensions to meet the needs of the region.

By 1981, Mercy was offering its first graduate program and by the 1990s was offering entire degree programs online. In 2006, it was granted authorization to offer its first doctoral program.

Mercy has more than 8,000 enrolled students, six academic schools and more than 100 undergraduate degree, graduate degree and certificate programs. There more than 73,000 alumni.

Its three campuses are in Dobbs Ferry, Manhattan and the Bronx.

All logos and signage across Mercy campuses will be updated to reflect the new name, according to a spokesperson. Marketing campaigns will appear throughout New York City and Westchester County, including billboards at Times Square, and ads on New York City Transit buses and subways and Metro-North Railroad trains.