Demand for housing at College of Saint Mary forces creative expansion; Sisters of Mercy open Mercy Villa to student housing

College of Saint Mary has a good problem. The number of students who want to live on campus is at a record-high, and occupancy at Lozier Residence Hall is filled to capacity. So, how do you accommodate even more students? The Omaha Sisters of Mercy have offered College of Saint Mary an even better solution; open the doors to their own residential housing for CSM students.

The Sisters have a long history of opening doors.

In October of 1864, seven Sisters of Mercy stepped onto the muddy roads of Omaha to open Mount Saint Mary, at 14th & Castelar Streets. This Provincial House served as the residence and offices of the sisters and novitiates, and the governing body of the Omaha Sisters of Mercy.

When they opened the doors to a teaching and nursing program in the convent, they named it College of Saint Mary to differentiate it from the convent. Although it originally taught only the sisters and novices, in 1923, they opened its doors, and the doors to opportunity, to the lay women of Omaha, and the State of Nebraska.

In 1955, the Sisters of Mercy moved to a new site at 72nd and Mercy Road. Today known as Walsh Hall, the building again housed the sister’s residence and governing offices, as well as the college area. The educational space was named College of Saint Mary. The residential, west wing was known as Maryview.

Now, 152 years later, in response to the growing needs of the young women of CSM, the Sisters of Mercy are opening the doors of their own residence, Mercy Villa, to house some of the University’s upper class students. In honor of the original sisters’ residence, it has been named Maryview.

The move comes on the heels of two years of record-breaking occupancy in CSM’s Lozier Hall. This overflow in occupancy flies in the face of a national trend; declining enrollment at small, private colleges.

The projected residence hall occupancy of 282 for fall 2016 is a 15 percent increase over CSM’s highest housing numbers in 2014, and a 17 percent increase over last fall.

“I’m excited to see such a substantial increase from last fall in our resident students,” says Tara Knudson Carl, Ph.D., vice president for student development. “In residence life, our mission is to provide an environment conducive to student learning and success at the university.

“Equally important,” she adds, “are the friendships they develop, and the campus connections they strengthen that lead to academic success as well as personal and professional growth.”

CSM received the go-ahead in May from the Sisters of Mercy that they would partner with the University to offer student housing in their residence, Mercy Villa, adjacent to campus. Maintenance crews from CSM in July began working to renovate the first floor in time for the beginning of fall 2016.

Interested third and fourth year resident students, with good judicial standing and a minimum 3.0 GPA were given the opportunity to be chosen by lottery.

The newly named Maryview at the Villa includes 11 single rooms, and common space with kitchen facilities, a dining area, and a newly decorated living room with lounge chairs and a big-screen T.V. The resident students also have free laundry facilities, parking, wireless internet, and their own, secure entry.

A focal point of Maryview is the private study room. Once a small chapel, the round room is walled with stained glass, and overlooks the picturesque Mercy Villa courtyard. Two large round tables with chairs can serve as a study or meeting area.

“I think it’s a great place for us to study,” say Cheyenne Jensen, a CSM senior who will live at Maryview. “It’s a really beautiful space.” Fellow resident and CSM senior year student Andrea Saavedra-Garcia, agrees.

“As upper class students, we’re getting deep into our major studies,” says Saavedra-Garcia. “Having such a serene and quiet space to study, right in our residential hall, 24 hours a day, will really help us succeed.”