Timeline

1842The Augusta Female Seminary is founded by Rufus W. Bailey. Mary Julia Baldwin is among the first pupils.
1863Mary Julia Baldwin is elected principal of Augusta Female Seminary. She remains principal until her death on July 2, 1897.
1895The 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.
1923Mary Baldwin College is established as a four-year liberal arts institution by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
1940First Apple Day picnic held at a nearby college-owned orchard. 
1977The 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. 
1985The Program for the Exceptionally Gifted is inaugurated, funded by a major grant from the Jesse Ball DuPont Foundation.
1992The master of arts in teaching program is launched.
1995The inauguration of Virginia Women’s Institute for Leadership.
1996Founding of the Office of African American Affairs, which later became the Office of Inclusive Excellence.
2001The 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.
2007The Samuel R. Jr. and Ava Spencer Center for Civic and Global Engagement opens.
2012Heifetz International Music Institute relocates to the Mary Baldwin campus.
2014Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences opens with Mary Baldwin’s first doctoral students.
2016The institution officially changes its name to Mary Baldwin University to reflect expanded degree offerings.
2017Men are welcomed to campus as residential students for the first time.
2018The largest gift in university history announced, from longtime supporter and alumna Bertie Murphy Deming Smith ’46.
2020Coalition for Racial and Social Justice created to coordinate and elevate DEI efforts.
2021The inaugural varsity season begins for men’s basketball, making a total of six new men’s teams added since 2018.
2022Access MBU created to eliminate 100% of tuition costs for incoming students from Virginia whose families earn less than $60,000 per year.
2022The College of Health Sciences launches a new doctor of nurse anesthesiology program.
2023The McCree Center for Life Success opens, providing student-centered services for career design, civic and global engagement, and networking with employers.  

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