Misericordia University, the school on the hill that so many of us call home. Almost 100 years of history has filled this beautiful hilltop in Dallas Pa. Some things have not changed: the sense of community, the amazing education and positivity. But other things have. Misericordia has grown since the day it opened its doors in 1924. Did you know we had a bowling team? A debate team? Did you hear about the protest right here on campus? What about the May Day?

What began as women’s college on a small 100-acre plot of land on the hill has grown into the co-ed university that it is today.  Mercy Hall has stood for nearly a century. The first class that walked through the heavy wooden front door was a small group of only 37 young women, wide eyed and ready to learn. The  college brought opportunity to women in desperate need of higher education. This year, 436 young men and women walked onto campus ready to receive the same timeless opportunity. The campus has expanded to 123 acres.

Almost everyone who steps onto  campus feels the sense of love and belonging that fills the mountaintop school due to its small and close-knit community.  Alumni never forget it. Even once their years at Misericordia have passed, they can look back on the memories: traveling through the arch for orientation, the first day of class, the last day. We all walked onto this campus, scared about the next chapter of our lives, and we all leave changed in more ways than those officially designated on our diplomas.

The history of our school seems to have set the tone of its future. It was originally named College Misericordia, which means heart of mercy. The foundresses, the Sisters of Mercy, were themselves formed in Ireland by a Catholic woman, Catherine McAuley, who set about serving the discarded women of her day. We have followed her kind ways ever since.

From the moment our freshman class steps foot onto campus they are  taught the importance of the charisms:  justice, service, mercy and hospitality.  I hope this column helps us  to discover – or rediscover – the values of this special place by taking a look at the people and events that shaped it, and continue to shape us all.