Immaculata University

Immaculata University is a private, co-educational, Roman Catholic university founded by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and located in Malvern, Pennsylvania. The university is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church through the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The university is composed of 1,427 traditional undergraduate and adult undergraduate students, and more than 1,000 graduate and doctoral students. The university is located on more than 300 acres.

History
Immaculata was founded as Villa Maria College, a women's college in 1920. It was the first Catholic college for women in the Philadelphia area. The name was changed to Immaculata College in 1929.

Founded by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Immaculata is part of the greater IHM community, which includes the neighboring House of Studies and an academy for girls (now split into two campuses, Lower School and High School). The University became co-educational in the fall of 2005.

The current location of Immaculata University is a tract of land in Chester County, Pennsylvania, near the "Main Line" in Malvern, purchased by the sisters in 1906. The original 198 acre plot has grown to 373 acre since that time.

In June 2002, Immaculata College received confirmation of university status from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Effective August 2002, the college is now known as Immaculata University.

Barbara Lettiere assumed the office as the tenth president of Immaculata University on July 1, 2017, and is the first lay president of Immaculata.

Student life
The Immaculata Leadership Institute is a program which develops religious leadership.

A number of clubs and activities in which Immaculata students have the opportunity to participate include:


 * Campus Ministry- students engage in volunteer and fundraising work to help those less fortunate.
 * English/Communications Club- Students engage in various activities and events to improve their personal understanding and the understanding of the general student body in regards to the fields of Communications and English.
 * IU Gamers' Guild- Students interested in video games, anime, fantasy, and sci-fi get together for various events and to engage in various activities.

Media
The Immaculatan is the student newspaper published with funds from the College of Undergraduate Studies.

Athletics
The university sports teams are known as the Mighty Macs, their colors are blue and white. Immaculata is part of the Colonial States Athletic Conference through the 2017–18 school year, after which the school will become a charter member of the new Atlantic East Conference. Immaculata sponsors nineteen athletic teams, nine men's teams and ten women's teams. Immaculata Men's Basketball Team won the CSAC Championship in 2008. Immaculata women won the first three national championships (1972–74) under the banner of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), which was founded in 1971 and governed women's intercollegiate sports until the AIAW was supplanted by the NCAA in 1982. The school fields a number of sports teams.

Varsity Teams: 21 (10 men's, 11 women's) • Volleyball
 * Men's Teams:

• Baseball

• Basketball

• Cross Country

• Golf

• Lacrosse

• Soccer

• Swimming

• Tennis

• Track & Field (Indoor and Outdoor)

• Volleyball • Basketball
 * Women's Teams:

• Cross Country

• Field Hockey

• Golf

• Lacrosse

• Soccer

• Softball

• Swimming

• Tennis

• Track & Field (Indoor and Outdoor)

• Volleyball Conference: Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) through 2017–18; Atlantic East Conference thereafter

Affiliation: NCAA Division III

Nickname: Mighty Macs

Colors: Blue and White

Draper Walsh Stadium (Sprint turf surface) for field hockey, lacrosse, and soccer – 1,000 capacity
 * Home Fields

IU Softball Field (grass)

IU Baseball Stadium (grass) – 600 capacity

There is a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) which encourages athletics.

Women's basketball
The women's basketball team played in six straight AIAW basketball tournament final fours from 1972-1977, five straight finals from 1972-1976. They won three consecutive national championships from 1972 to 1974. The team was featured for its 1970s accomplishments on a SportsCenter special on March 23, 2008.

On January 26, 1975, Immaculata played in the first nationally televised women's intercollegiate basketball game. Facing Maryland at Cole Field House, Immaculata won 80-48 in a game noted more for its turnovers (70) than scoring (56 field goals, 16 free throws).

On February 22, 1975 they played in the first women's college basketball game ever played in Madison Square Garden. Immaculata won 65-61. On January 4, 2015, Immaculata and Queens College played in the Maggie Dixon Classic as a commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the first game played between women's college basketball teams in Madison Square Garden.

The story of the basketball team was adapted into a movie, The Mighty Macs, which was released in 2011.

The head coach of the women's team from 1972-1977, Cathy Rush, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. The 1972–1974 teams were announced on April 7, 2014 as part of the 2014 induction class of the Naismith Hall, and were formally inducted as a team on August 8.

Campus
The following buildings are located on campus:

Alumnae Hall was named in honor of Immaculata University alumnae. This building contains a gymnasium, weight rooms, and a theater.

The Mary A. Bruder Center focuses on Campus Health Services (Nurses and Visiting Doctor), Counseling Services and Career Development Offices.

The DeChantal and Marian Halls are a residential complex containing 154 residential rooms with kitchenettes on most floors, student and study lounges, and laundry facilities, as well as a chapel.

The Faculty Center contains faculty and administrative offices of the College of Undergraduate Studies.

The three-storied Gabriele Library is the newest building on campus. It contains computers and study rooms. The library also contains a coffee shop on the first level, which is called the ImmacuLatte.

Gillet Hall contains the faculty residences, mainly occupied by the IHM Sisters. The building is named after Father Louis Gillet.

The Good Counsel Hall was the university's first main classroom building. It contains a bookstore, Humanities Department, and Music Listening Rooms.

Lourdes Hall, attached to Villa Maria Hall, serves as a residential hall with 60 residential rooms and also contains Great Hall for large events and functions.

Loyola Hall is the university's second main classroom building and contains Administrative Offices—College of Graduate Studies, Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, Amphitheaters, Art, Education, Mathematics, Psychology, Science Departments, Computer Centers, Curriculum Library, Laboratories, Writing and Math Centers, POD Snack Shop. Nazareth Hall includes the cafeteria. Classrooms are also located in this building. A chapel is located in this area. Ballinger & Perrot designed this building. In the year 2000, air conditioning, heating, and sprinkler systems were installed.

Villa Maria acts as the principal building of the Immaculata University campus. The building was built by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Villa Maria Hall was placed between Harrisburg and Philadelphia in order to have a convenient location. In the year 2000, Villa Maria had renovations done. Air conditioning, heating, and sprinkler systems were added to the building. Immaculata events such as Carol Night, Ring Ceremony, Pinning Ceremony, Homecoming, and others are held in this building. The third floor contains a residence hall, while offices are located on the first and second floor. Villa Maria hall is a beautiful building.

The Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences was $2.5 million investment. This building offers high-tech facilities for IU nursing students. This building was opening in January 2005. The Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences is located in Loyola Hall. There is a food store, named The Pod in the Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences that offers food. One of the classrooms in the center includes a health assessment instruction room. Faculty offices are located in the center.

The Admissions & Financial Aid Building Plans for the new Admissions and Financial Aid building began with a groundbreaking ceremony in late April 2011. Construction was completed in January 2012.

Immaculata University has a box post office with a ZIP code of 19345.

Alumni

 * Megan Brennan c. 1984, first female United States Postmaster General
 * Theresa Grentz 1974, athlete and coach
 * Marianne Stanley 1976, athlete and 1984-1985 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship coach