The University
Immaculata University consists of three colleges – the College of Undergraduate Studies, the College of Nursing and Health Professions, and the College of Graduate Studies and Research. This publication conveys information about the policies, procedures, and programs for all undergraduate programming in the university. A separate catalog is available for graduate programming.
Location
Immaculata’s 373-acre campus overlooks Chester Valley and is located on the Main Line about 20 miles west of Philadelphia. The student body is composed of approximately 2,500 full- and part-time students across three colleges, who seek, within the framework of a private, Catholic institution, education and preparation for positions of leadership and responsibility. Sharing in co-curricular and social activities, the student quickly becomes part of the academic community, which is characterized by a spirit of friendliness and warm, personal relations among the students and between the students and the faculty.
Faculty
Approximately 95 sisters and lay people make up the full-time faculty. An additional part-time faculty serves the College of Undergraduate Studies, the College of Nursing and Health Professions, and the College of Graduate Studies and Research. Members of the faculty function as academic advisors offering personal assistance and guidance to students. Thus, student advisement at the University is not simply a token gesture but a meaningful relationship between student and faculty member.
Campus and Buildings
From its main building complex around Villa Maria Hall, the campus of Immaculata has expanded over its 100 years to include 16 principal buildings and facilities for outdoor sports and recreation. Today the University’s physical plant represents a multi-million dollar investment. The general style of campus architecture, a modern adaptation of Italian Renaissance, follows that of the original building, Villa Maria (1914), which houses administrative offices and various student facilities, including undergraduate advising, registrar and business offices, and music practice hall.
Adjoining the main building are two additional buildings. Nazareth Hall (1914), on the east side of Villa Maria, contains the departments of Fashion Merchandising and Nutrition and Dietetics, Graduate Psychology, chapel, and dining facilities. On the west side, Lourdes Hall (1927), includes student residence areas, Campus Ministry, Security, and the Great Hall.
Other residence halls are Marian Hall (1955), DeChantal Hall (1967), and the first two buildings in the university’s West Campus apartment-style housing (2014). DeChantal Hall terrace also houses the Student Life offices. Gillet Hall (1955) is the residence of the IHM Sisters. East of Lourdes Hall is the Lettiere Admission and Financial Aid Center (2012).
The academic complex includes Good Counsel Hall (1955), which contains classrooms, seminar centers, a language laboratory, music listening rooms, the Office of Technology Services, and the Immaculata University campus store. Loyola Hall (1963) is primarily a science and arts building with laboratories, amphitheaters, computer center, curriculum library, cyber and business labs, as well as Natural Sciences, Education and the office of the College of Graduate Studies and Research. The Center for Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, with state-of-the-art simulation labs, is located on the terrace level in Loyola Hall. The Faculty Center (1962) contains private faculty offices, general conference rooms, lounge, service facilities for the faculty, and the Music Therapy Clinic (2021). Across from Loyola Hall stands the performing arts and physical education center, Alumnae Hall (1970), housing the theater, gymnasiums, pool, and athletic training facility. Completing the quadrangle of academic buildings is the Parsons Science Pavilion (fall 2022), which provides state of the art science labs for anyone taking lab science courses.
The west campus is also home to several athletic facilities, such as the Draper Walsh Stadium, softball field, baseball field, tennis courts, and the Mighty Macs Training Facility. Near these spaces, the IHM Student Center (2019), next to the campus’s apartment-style housing, provides a state-of-the-art hub for IU students to congregate, dine, relax, and socialize.
Gabriele Library (1993), a freestanding 52,500 square foot building, offers the latest advances in information technology and electronic access as well as the Career and Professional Development Center, Writing Center, the Disabilities Services office, Immaculatté (campus coffee shop), the online learning office, the Duffy’s Cut exhibit, and the teaching and learning center (CASTLE).
Mission and Ministry
The Office of Mission and Ministry seeks both to sustain the Catholic heritage of the University as supported by the IHM charism and to cultivate an ecumenical spirit in which the varied gifts of Immaculata’s religiously diverse community can be nurtured and celebrated. The office of the Vice President of Mission and Ministry is located in Villa Maria Hall.
Campus Ministry at Immaculata University seeks to stimulate growth in faith, formation of Christian conscience, leadership and personal development, formation of human community, and an understanding of issues of peace and justice. Through participation in Campus Ministry activities, students are invited to explore their relationship to God, to each other, and to the global community. Activities include opportunities for prayer and worship, including Sunday and weekday liturgies, opportunities for reflection and discussion through retreats and other programs, and opportunities for a variety of service projects that meet human needs. Campus Ministry is located on the terrace level of Lourdes Hall.
History
The tradition of friendliness, creative hope, and vitality derives from a spirit fostered at Immaculata by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who established and conduct the University. The congregation, founded in Monroe, Michigan, has been engaged in the work of Catholic education for almost 180 years.