The Mount kicked off the fall semester ranking high among Maryland and regional university rankings. According to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Regional Universities rankings for 2022, the Mount ranked 44th out of 171 institutions in the North. Mount also placed third among Maryland’s 12 ranked public and private regional universities. `
Mount St. Mary’s University is unique in many ways as it stresses the importance of its relationships with one another. Dr. Robert Brennan (C’85), the Vice President for University Advancement, emphasized the student-first mentality that the whole Mount community has. He stated that “The two best days are the day you arrive and the day you graduate.” He believes it is remarkable to see the growth that each student exhibits from beginning to end. The faculty and staff invest a lot of time and energy into their students. By doing so, relationships are built and the Mount experience is strengthened.
According to Dr. Levi Esses, the Dean of Students, “Our student population is serious about what they want to do. When you have committed students and committed faculty, that is a recipe for success.” Esses loves that everyone works together to make the Mount community better every day. Brennan echoed the same sentiment when he mentioned that our retention rate is proof that the Mount is doing something right.
Despite COVID-19, the Mount remained open for learning and kept the campus face to face through in-person, hybrid, and online classes. This demonstrates Mount’s number one priority of student success. By remaining open, students were able to experience Mount at its best: in person. The Center for Student Engagement and Success provides resources for students who need help and don’t know where to turn. Similarly, the Mount 101: Summer Bridge Program is offered for first-year students to get a jump start to college. This program helps students make the transition to college easier.
Esses also commented that the Esports & Gaming program, “has really grown since the few years that we have had it. It started in fall last year, during a pandemic and that gives more opportunities for students to get involved.” Getting involved in organizations, clubs and activities is an essential part of the student experience at the Mount. By catering to its students, the Mount improves itself. In fact, “we have more students on campus, so we have to offer more things,” remarked Esses. With over 70 clubs and organizations, finding a student involved in one or more activities is not hard.
Mount’s mission statement has three words that stand out: belong, engage, empower. Esses added that, “We want to make sure that students capture all three of those while they are here.” This emphasizes that rankings might be necessary, but it is not what truly matters. Thus, the University is always looking to grow and improve regardless of its ranking.