Notre Dame College: Commitment to Knowledge and Adaptation

In 1922, Notre Dame College was first established in South Euclid, Ohio as a Catholic-oriented college for women. Notre Dame’s campus is located just outside Cleveland, Ohio, representing the only small liberal arts college in the Cleveland area.  The institution was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame, a group of Catholic nuns who had fled Coesfeld, Germany during Bismarck’s Kulturkampf (Culture War) of the 1870s.  Many of these women traveled to Cleveland at the invitation of the town Bishop in order to provide instruction to the German-speaking population of his diocese.

In 1878, the Sisters founded Notre Dame Academy, primarily focusing on the secondary education of young parishioners.  In 1920, the Academy began to accept only female students.  Among heightened calls from the families of these students for continuing education under the Sisters of Notre Dame, Notre Dame College was established in 1922.  Notre Dame College continued to serve only female students over the next seventy-nine years until it became a coeducational institution in 2001.

Originally, the College was known as a traditional four-year, residential-based institution.  However, during the 1978 academic year, Notre Dame began to offer classes through its Weekend College program (WECO).  Citizens from the surrounding community were able to work toward earning a college-level degree through weekend classes and studying at home.  As the technological capabilities of the institution increased, students were soon able to earn their degrees through online distance education programs.

In order to further provide its students with flexibility, Notre Dame introduced additional courses through its Teacher Education Evening Licensure Program (TEEL).  Students who already hold a bachelor’s or advanced degree can now obtain their credentials to teach in the State of Ohio in either primary or secondary education through the College.

Notre Dame currently offers 29 majors, plus nine interdisciplinary programs and self-designed majors.  In addition, the College also supplies an extraordinary array of courses in the fields of education, business, and science. Notre Dame College represents an excellent option for higher education through its continuing desire to adapt to the needs of its students and its commitment to reaching the higher echelons of scholarship.

At Notre Dame, the college experience is about more than just earning your degree. Notre Dame College wants to see each of its students grow as individuals and gain a stronger sense of self-identity through the time they spend at the college. Therefore, we invite you to check out all of our course offerings, extracurricular activities, support services, and area attractions with the simple click of a button. The time for making the next step in your education is now and Notre Dame College is here to guide the way.