President's Welcome

A Welcome from Michael A. MacDowell

President of Misericordia University

Thank you for visiting Misericordia University online. You do so at a time of rapid change. Enrollment continues to grow, and the quality of our students has too.

Please take a look at the map on this site to see all of the new facilities on campus. A new 118-bed residence hall provides suite-style housing for Misericordia students. It also contains three state-of-the-art classrooms. The new Metz Field House features a weight room, team rooms, shower facilities, and many other accouterments appropriate for Misericordia’s outstanding varsity and intramural sports programs. We have also just completed a new 38,000-square-foot fitness center in our regionally acclaimed Anderson Sports and Health Center.

Misericordia’s newly renovated Lemmond Theater is attached to Sandy and Marlene Insalaco Hall where an art gallery, classrooms, and music practice and ensemble rooms combine to create a wonderful interdisciplinary arts environment. Additions and renovations to Misericordia’s Banks Student Life Center, coupled with our new Tambur Baseball Field and two artificial turf playing fields, make Misericordia one of the best student-focused institutions in the Mid-Atlantic area.

Of course, today’s students are interested in a variety of majors, and Misericordia has 36 outstanding degree programs from which to choose. The newest among them is a B.S. plus M.S. program in Physician Assistant studies. Misericordia’s science, medical and health science programs continue to impress. Board pass rates among Misericordia’s physical therapy, medical imaging, occupational therapy, and nursing students are exceedingly high. A very innovative undergraduate program in Government, Law, and National Security designed for dedicated and entrepreneurial students who wish to enter the growing field of national security has also been introduced for traditional students and working adults.

If students vote with their feet, then they’re voting for Misericordia. Last year, freshman retention topped 88 percent. The average freshman retention rate nationally is 67 percent.

It is little wonder why so many students stay at Misericordia once enrolled. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) regularly asks students at over 500 schools about their college experience. Here’s what our students say about Misericordia. 

• 89% of our first-year students said they believe MU is committed to their success compared to 80% at other schools.
• 72% of seniors reported working harder than they thought they could to meet an instructor’s standards, 9% higher than the mean of all other schools surveyed.
• Our students report a high level of academic challenge, placing MU in the top 20% of colleges nationally.
• And most important, 89% of our seniors would choose Misericordia University for their undergraduate education if they had to do it over again. 

Over 1,200 adult learner and part-time students also place Misericordia in the top 10 percent in measures of student satisfaction.

Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1924 and still sponsored by this dedicated order of women, Misericordia’s co-educational programs, outstanding academic achievement, revered and dedicated faculty, hard-working staff, coaches, and dedicated alumni body make Misericordia University one of the best places for your college education.

If you use social media, please like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. You'll find a steady stream of information that illustrates our robust and vibrant campus.

Now that you have visited us virtually, please come to campus to meet us in person. I try to meet as many prospective students as possible, and I hope to see you soon.

Click Here to register online for a Campus Visit