MBU Timeline

The Augusta Female Seminary is founded by Rufus W. Bailey. Mary Julia Baldwin is among the first pupils.

Mary Julia Baldwin is elected principal of Augusta Female Seminary. She remains principal until her death on July 2, 1897.

The Board of Trustees changes the name of the school to Mary Baldwin Seminary in acknowledgement of the valuable service and unparalleled success of the principal.

Mary Baldwin College is established as a four-year liberal arts institution by the Commonwealth of Virginia.

First Apple Day picnic held at a nearby college-owned orchard. 

The Adult Degree Program enrolls its first students, making Mary Baldwin the first college in Virginia to create a program for people to earn their degrees later in life. 

The Program for the Exceptionally Gifted is inaugurated, funded by a major grant from the Jesse Ball DuPont Foundation.

The master of arts in teaching program is launched.

The inauguration of Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership.

Founding of the Office of African American Affairs, which later became the Office of Inclusive Excellence.

The master of letters and master of fine arts in Shakespeare and Performance are launched in partnership with the American Shakespeare Center and its Blackfriars Playhouse.

The Samuel R. Jr. and Ava Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement opens.

Heifetz International Music Institute relocates to the Mary Baldwin campus.

Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences opens with Mary Baldwin’s first doctoral students.

The institution officially changes its name to Mary Baldwin University to reflect expanded degree offerings.

Men are welcomed to campus as residential students for the first time.

The largest gift in university history announced, from longtime supporter and alumna Bertie Murphy Deming Smith ’46.

Coalition for Racial and Social Justice created in response to current climate in the United States to provide strategic direction in higher education.

The inaugural varsity season begins for men’s basketball, making a total of six new men’s teams added since 2018.

Access MBU created to eliminate 100% of tuition costs for incoming students from Virginia whose families earn less than $60,000 per year.

The College of Health Sciences launches a new doctor of nurse anesthesiology program.

The McCree Center for Life Success opens, providing student-centered services for career design, civic and global engagement, and networking with employers.

MBU’s 90-year partnership with social and environmental justice education nonprofit, Sullivan Foundation, expands to provide four rising sophomores fellowships that continue through their senior year.

Murphy Deming’s doctor of nursing practice programs received full accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

The Fighting Squirrels win the USA South Men’s Basketball Championship in a 72-62 victory at home over Greensboro.

Faculty and staff begin a transformative five-year partnership with the Gardner Institute to elevate student success, foster collaboration, and innovate higher education strategies campus-wide.

Mary Baldwin receives a $1 million gift to update Carpenter Academic Hall through a generous matching grant from the Carpenter Foundation.

MBU’s 10th president, Dr. Jeffrey P. Stein, is inaugurated in a ceremony celebrating the university’s past, present, and future.

MBU adds another resource to its campus of inclusive and supportive spaces: the Lavender Lounge in Wenger Hall, a welcoming hub for LGBTQ+ students and allies.

Elevate MBU, Mary Baldwin’s strategic plan, is approved to guide the university’s priorities through 2030, with a focus on creating innovative pathways for all graduates.

The university launches Mary Baldwin Signature, bringing together academics, advising, experiential learning, skill-building, and career support in a comprehensive undergraduate living and learning experience.