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As part of B��Ԫ’s 75th anniversary celebration, Dr. Eric Martone, dean of the School of Education, hosted a historical discussion tracing the university’s remarkable evolution from a single Sisters of Mercy mansion in Tarrytown to a dynamic, multi-campus institution serving diverse communities across New York and beyond.

The event, “Bringing Education to the People: The Story of Mercy’s Campuses and Communities,” explored the university’s enduring mission to expand educational access through innovation, community engagement and forward-thinking leadership.

From a Mansion to a Mission

Dr. Martone began by recounting the university’s origins in Tarrytown, where the Sisters of Mercy purchased the Kingsland estate, formerly owned by Ambrose Kingsland, a 19th-century New York City mayor instrumental in the creation of Central Park. Originally an orphanage, the property became Our Lady of Victory Academy in 1945 and later evolved into Mercy Junior College in 1950 under the leadership of Sister Mary Gratia Maher.

On September 18, 1950, Mercy Junior College held its first classes, a date still recognized as the university’s founding. Two years later, the New York State Board of Regents granted an official charter, and by 1959 Mercy had established itself as a center for teacher training and speech education.

As enrollment and ambition grew, so did the need for space. The Sisters of Mercy, led by Sister Mary Jeanne Ferrier, negotiated with the neighboring Rockefeller family to sell the Tarrytown property for $1.6 million and relocate to Dobbs Ferry—purchasing the former Edwin Gould estate in 1958.

Building Mount Mercy-on-the-Hudson

The new Dobbs Ferry campus, dedicated in 1962 by Cardinal Spellman with Governor Nelson Rockefeller in attendance, became the heart of Mercy’s academic life. Known as Mount Mercy-on-the-Hudson, the complex housed the college, convents and schools on an 85-acre property overlooking the river.

Early years were marked by generosity and vision—Mercy offered full scholarships to its first class—but also financial challenges. In 1969, the college became a non-sectarian institution to qualify for state aid, a move that marked its transformation into an independent and inclusive center for higher education.

Expanding Beyond Dobbs Ferry

In the decades that followed, Mercy embraced an expansion model that brought education directly to communities. During the 1970s energy crisis, when travel was limited, Mercy opened branch campuses to make education more accessible.

Centers in Yorktown Heights, Peekskill, White Plains, and Yonkers soon followed. The Yonkers Center, famously located inside the Cross County Shopping Center, became known as “the shopping center college” and was hailed by the Carter administration as one of the most innovative higher education experiments in the nation.

Mercy also established a bilingual education program in Miami’s Little Havana to serve Cuban refugees seeking U.S. credentials in their professions—an early example of the university’s commitment to immigrant and bilingual education.

Innovation in Higher Education

Mercy’s expansion was not limited to geography. Under President Donald Grunewald, the university became known for its bold use of marketing and technology to reach students from working-class and underrepresented backgrounds.

In the 1970s, Mercy pioneered the use of direct mail marketing, a strategy so effective that it was recognized by President Gerald Ford and the Academy for Educational Development as one of the most innovative in American higher education.

Mercy’s partnership with Long Island University (LIU) also broadened graduate offerings and academic collaboration through the LIU–Westchester Campus, which operated on Mercy’s grounds until 1998.

A Leader in Distance Learning

Well ahead of the digital curve, Mercy began experimenting with distance learning in the 1970s via correspondence courses and transitioned to online instruction in the early 1990s. Today, that legacy continues through Mercy’s robust online degree programs, which serve students across the country and around the world.

The Modern Mercy

Today, B��Ԫ operates three main campuses—Dobbs Ferry, the Bronx, and Manhattan, while remaining true to its founding mission: expanding access to higher education for first-generation and underserved students.

Reflecting on the university’s journey, Dr. Martone emphasized that Mercy’s story is not just one of buildings and expansion, but of purpose and persistence.

“From a small college in a Tarrytown mansion to a university with multiple campuses and a global reach, Mercy has always stayed true to its mission—to bring education to the people,” said Martone. “That commitment to accessibility and innovation is what defines us.”