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Message from the President
Over a century ago, Trinity College was founded by the Sisters of
Notre Dame de Namur as the nation's first Catholic liberal arts college
for women. The Sisters of Notre Dame had a vision of an institution for
women that would be both national in scope and built upon a challenging
liberal arts curriculum that assumed that women are the intellectual
equals of men. Today, the work and beliefs of the community of the
Sisters of Notre Dame live on as Trinity continues to educate women of
all ages and to offer graduate degrees to both women and
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addition to supporting 1,500 students in degree programs,
Trinity educates more than 5,000 other students each year in
non-degree programs ranging from professional development
workshops for teachers and school administrators, to Upward
Bound classes for high school students, to Elderhostel programs
for retired persons. Beginning with the first graduating class
of 1904, the mission of Trinity continues to be realized in the
lives of her students, individuals whose accomplishments range
from the halls of Congress to board rooms, classrooms and
courtrooms, laboratories and artists' studios, town hall
meetings and family dinner tables.
As the global community moves into the 21st century, the
significance of educating a new generation of transformative
leaders and engaged citizens equipped with the intellectual
perspective and ecumenical knowledge of liberal learning is as
important as any other time in history. The ability to think
critically, to write and speak clearly, to make ethical
judgments, to know the context of history and literature, to
understand the fundamental economic and political forces
affecting the psychology of whole peoples, these are the
quantities essential to effective leadership in our
ever-changing global environment. These are the hallmarks of a
Trinity education. Liberal learning and continued professional
development at Trinity is enriched and enlarged by the resources
of the nation's capital, from internships in Congressional
offices or scientific laboratories, to research at the Library
of Congress, to participation in classes at any of the major
area universities through the Consortium of Universities.
Trinity's commitment to liberal learning derives its ultimate
meaning from the core identity of Trinity as a Catholic college.
Beyond spiritual growth realized through theological studies and
liturgies, the Trinity community also lives its faith through
active service to people in need in Washington and around the
country. Trinity's commitment to faith and liberal learning is
also realized in the Honor System that governs all aspects of
academic and co-curricular life on campus.
After more than one hundred years since its founding, the
work of the Sisters of Notre Dame continues to thrive as Trinity
College remains an institution centered on women and enriched by
the Catholic tradition, a place where new generations of
students can gain the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed
in their own lives and give back to their communities.
- Patricia A. McGuire '74 |
