Timeline
| 1842 | The Augusta Female Seminary is founded by Rufus W. Bailey. Mary Julia Baldwin is among the first pupils. |
| 1863 | Mary Julia Baldwin is elected principal of Augusta Female Seminary. She remains principal until her death on July 2, 1897. |
| 1895 | 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. |
| 1923 | Mary Baldwin College is established as a four-year liberal arts institution by the Commonwealth of Virginia. |
| 1940 | First Apple Day picnic held at a nearby college-owned orchard. |
| 1977 | 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. |
| 1985 | The Program for the Exceptionally Gifted is inaugurated, funded by a major grant from the Jesse Ball DuPont Foundation. |
| 1992 | The master of arts in teaching program is launched. |
| 1995 | The inauguration of Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership. |
| 1996 | Founding of the Office of African American Affairs, which later became the Office of Inclusive Excellence. |
| 2001 | 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. |
| 2007 | The Samuel R. Jr. and Ava Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement opens. |
| 2012 | Heifetz International Music Institute relocates to the Mary Baldwin campus. |
| 2014 | Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences opens with Mary Baldwin’s first doctoral students. |
| 2016 | The institution officially changes its name to Mary Baldwin University to reflect expanded degree offerings. |
| 2017 | Men are welcomed to campus as residential students for the first time. |
| 2018 | The largest gift in university history announced, from longtime supporter and alumna Bertie Murphy Deming Smith ’46. |
| 2020 | Coalition for Racial and Social Justice created in response to current climate in the United States to provide strategic direction in higher education. |
| 2021 | The inaugural varsity season begins for men’s basketball, making a total of six new men’s teams added since 2018. |
| 2022 | Access MBU created to eliminate 100% of tuition costs for incoming students from Virginia whose families earn less than $60,000 per year. |
| 2022 | The College of Health Sciences launches a new doctor of nurse anesthesiology program. |
| 2023 | 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. |
| 2023 | The McCree Center for Life Success opens, providing student-centered services for career design, civic and global engagement, and networking with employers. |
| 2023 | Murphy Deming’s doctor of nursing practice programs received full accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). |
| 2024 | The Fighting Squirrels win the USA South Men’s Basketball Championship in a 72-62 victory at home over Greensboro. |
| 2024 | 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. |
| 2024 | Mary Baldwin receives a $1 million gift to update Carpenter Academic Hall through a generous matching grant from the Carpenter Foundation. |
| 2024 | MBU’s 10th president, Dr. Jeffrey P. Stein, is inaugurated in a ceremony celebrating the university’s past, present, and future. |
| 2024 | 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. |
| 2024 | 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. |
| 2025 | 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. |
Presidential Timeline
Celebrating 175 Years of Institutional Leaders.