Saint Martin’s University started 125 years ago when a group of Catholic Benedictine monks from Saint John’s Abbey in Minnesota came West to found a school. In 1895, the first student traveled 25 miles by canoe, Angus McDonald, from Shelton. Saint Martin’s was started as an all-boys high school and then transitioned to a college in 1938, and later Saint Martin’s University in 2005.
The University’s 125th anniversary will be celebrated with community events over 18 months starting with Saint Martin’s Alumni Homecoming festivities now through May 2021. Saint Martin’s has served as the gathering place for the community by hosting events, athletic games and cultural events for over a century.
“It is a milestone for any organization to reach their 125th anniversary and very important for all to celebrate this achievement,” said Saint Martin’s University President Roy F. Heynderickx, Ph.D. “ We see this 125th year as an opportunity to connect the Saint Martin’s family of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and abbey members with a renewed commitment to excellence. Personally, I find this achievement as an opportunity to re-energize the community around our distinctive mission of serving others.”
The University is now a vibrant campus with approximately 1,300 undergraduate students and 250 graduate students pursuing degrees. Saint Martin’s offers 29 majors and 11 graduate programs on its Lacey campus and its extended campus on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The campus has also continued expanding with the opening of a new $10.7 million science center in spring 2019 and another renovation of a $3.5 million nursing education center set to open fall 2020.
“We are so proud that our Saint Martin’s alumni go on to be engaged business and community leaders in the South Sound region and beyond,” said Genevieve Chan, vice president of marketing and communications.
The University’s mission statement is: “Saint Martin’s University is a Catholic Benedictine institution of higher education that empowers students to pursue a lifetime of learning and accomplishment in all arenas of human endeavor. Saint Martin’s students learn to make a positive difference in their lives and in the lives of others through the interaction of faith, reason, and service. The University honors both the sacredness of the individual and the significance of community in the ongoing journey of becoming.”
Celebrate this milestone anniversary with the Saint Martin’s community by visiting the website at www.stmartin.edu/125 and on the University’s official social media channels. By Nate Peters