Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Catholic university in

Belmont, California Belmont is a city in San Mateo County in the U.S. state of California. It is in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the San Francisco Peninsula about halfway between San Francisco and San Jose. It was originally part of Rancho de las Pulgas, f ...

, United States. It is the third oldest college in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and the first college in the state authorized to grant the

baccalaureate degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years (d ...

to women. In 2021, the university began to transition to only operate as a

graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachel ...

. In 2024, the university was in the process of moving to a hybrid online model with its physical campus being sold to

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, but Stanford backed out of purchasing the campus in May of 2025. A few days later, it was announced that the campus had been purchased by the investment arm of the

University of California The University of California (UC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university, research university system in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Oakland, the system is co ...

History

Notre Dame de Namur University was founded by the

Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (Congregationis Sororum a Domina Nostra Namurcensi) is a Catholic Church, Catholic Religious institute (Catholic), institute of religious sisters, founded to teaching order, provide education to the poor. The i ...

as the Academy of Notre Dame in 1851 on 10 acres in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

. The school was chartered in 1868 as the College of Notre Dame, the first college in the state of California authorized to grant the

to women. In 1922, the

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

purchased Ralston Hall, the country estate of William Chapman Ralston, founder of the Bank of California. The college opened its doors in Belmont in 1923. In 1953 the College of Notre Dame became a four-year college with 23 Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur involved in the school. The college introduced evening classes in 1955, and in 1965, started the

teaching credential A certified teacher (also known as registered teacher, licensed teacher, or professional teacher based on jurisdiction) is an educator who has earned credentials from an authoritative source, such as a government's regulatory authority, an educ ...

programs. Originally a women's institution, College of Notre Dame became

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

in 1969; three men graduated as part of the class of 1970. The college expanded its offerings to include master's degrees in 1972 and added evening undergraduate programs in 1987. In 2001, the college established a structure dividing the university into schools and changed its name to Notre Dame de Namur University. In 2009, the university began offering partnerships with local community colleges to provide greater access to higher education, and that same year it became a Hispanic-Serving Institution, meaning at least 25% of its undergraduate population is Hispanic, that same year. The online degree program was established in 2012, and in 2013, the university introduced one of the first PhD programs in art therapy in the nation. The university established a new campus in Tracy, California in 2015, offering evening undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business administration. Launched in 2013, Notre Dame de Namur University was one of the first universities in the United States to offer a Ph.D. in

Art Therapy Art therapy is a distinct discipline that incorporates creative methods of expression through visual art media. Art therapy, as a creative arts therapy profession, originated in the fields of art and psychotherapy and may vary in definition. Art ...

. The Art Therapy Ph.D. is also the first doctoral program offered at the university. In 2016 the faculty, both full-time and adjunct, unionized with SEIU 1021. This was a historic move since tenure-line professors at Catholic universities have had trouble unionizing since the Yeshiva ruling (1980). In December 2017, BINA48 (a Hanson Robotics robot) successfully participated as a guest student in a full semester college course on philosophy and love created and taught by Professor William J. Barry at Notre Dame de Namur University. The robot used an algorithm framework called TQ Theory created by Professor Barry to interact with rapport with students. In March 2020, the university announced major changes as a result of on-going financial issues, declining enrollment, and effects of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. The board of trustees made the decision to prioritize current students completing degrees by the end of the 2020–21 academic year while assisting other students in transfer options due to uncertainty of operations beyond the spring 2021 semester. As part of the plan, Notre Dame suspended new student admissions for summer and fall 2020 sessions. This resulted in mass layoffs and the closure of some of their most successful departments including all their undergraduate programs. The university also disbanded the athletics department at the conclusion of the 2019–20 academic year. In 2021, the university began to transition to only operate as a

. It also established an agreement with

allowing that university to purchase the Notre Dame de Namur University campus. In 2022, Notre Dame de Namur University became the first West Coast university to provide temporary housing for Afghan refugees. In 2022, the university's accreditor, the

WASC Senior College and University Commission The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC ( )) provided accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Northern ...

, formally warned the university that it was not in compliance with the commission's accreditation standards. The warning status was removed in 2024 following a special visit but a "notice of concern" was issued due to the university's ongoing financial challenges. Stanford backed out of purchasing the campus in 2025.

Campus

Notre Dame de Namur University is located in Belmont, California on the San Francisco Bay Area Peninsula and near the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

. The campus is approximately equidistant between the two largest cities in Northern California, being less than 30 miles from downtown

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and downtown San Jose.

Academic buildings

Cuvilly Cuvilly () is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. See also *Communes of the Oise department The following is a list of the 680 Communes of France, communes of the Oise Departments of France, department of France. The commu ...

Hall, named for Sr. Julie Billiart's birthplace, is one of the main instructional buildings and houses the School of Business and Management. St. Mary's Hall is the largest instructional building and includes classrooms; science labs; two computer labs; public safety; and the financial aid, registrar, and business offices. Gavin Hall is the smallest of the three main instructional buildings and houses the Art Therapy program.''Named Buildings.'' Notre Dame de Namur University, 2011. The theater of Notre Dame de Namur University is located below the main campus on Ralston Avenue.

Ralston Hall

The Notre Dame de Namur University campus developed around Ralston Hall Mansion. William Chapman Ralston built Ralston Hall shortly after purchasing the property in 1864. William Ralston was a pivotal figure in the gold and silver bonanzas, which helped Ralston amass wealth. Ralston Hall was built with a steamboat gothic design on the interior, which is rumored to have been influenced by Ralston's love of boating from a young age."Ralston Hall Mansion , A Celebrated History." Ralston Hall Mansion , A Celebrated History. Ralston Hall Mansion, 2013. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. The interior of Ralston Hall is strikingly shaped like the inside of a boat. Ralston Hall was built as an entertainment destination. After William Ralston died, his business partner, William Sharon, came to control the mansion. Sharon was a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

representing

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

from 1875 to 1881. Ralston Hall has been used for a variety of jobs throughout its history; Ralston Hall held one of the largest American weddings when William Sharon's daughter Flora married Sir Thomas Fermor-Hesketh of England. The mansion was a finishing school for young women until 1898."Historic Architecture Campus Project." Historic Colleges. N.p., Jan. 2013. Web. 16 Sept. 2013. Since 1923 Ralston Hall has been affiliated with Notre Dame de Namur University. The mansion housed admissions, administrative and faculty offices, and its first floor rooms, including a

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

modeled after the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, were rented for events. In late 2011, a preliminary assessment of the structural integrity of Ralston Hall suggested that occupants may not be safe in the event of an earthquake. The building was indefinitely unoccupied until funds can be raised to complete a replacement or retrofit of the masonry foundation, in addition to extensive seismic work on the upper floors. The renovation is estimated to cost more than $20 million. It has been announced that the 2025 sale to the University of California System will fund a full renovation of Ralston Hall.

Organization and administration

Notre Dame de Namur University is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

governed by a

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

. University administration consists of a

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

, a provost,

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

s for enrollment management, advancement, and finance and administration, a dean of students, and deans of the three schools. The university is organized into three schools: the School of Business and Management, the School of Education, and the School of Psychology. Each school is led by a dean.

Academics

Notre Dame de Namur University offers master's degrees. It is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

. Although the accreditation is valid, the institution is accredited "with Notice of Concern" by the commission due to ongoing financial challenges.

Sister Dorothy Stang Center

The Sister Dorothy Stang Center for Social Justice and Community Engagement (DSC) was established on the Notre Dame de Namur University campus in honor of the work of Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN, who was murdered in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

due to her efforts to aid the poor farmers and the environment in that country. The center works to increase awareness of

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

and

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

issues, as well as encourage dialogue, community service, engagement, and activism in these areas. Members of the university and the larger community can work with the DSC to create positive social change, and come to a greater understanding of the issues that affect the community.

Athletics

The Notre Dame de Namur University

Argonauts The Argonauts ( ; ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, ''Argo'', named after it ...

were the athletic teams of the university until 2020. The university mascot, the Argonaut, was named for the mythical Argonauts who sailed with Jason in search of the Golden Fleece. The team colors blue, gold and white reflected the colors of the university. At the time of the discontinuation, NDNU had 12 varsity sports. Men's sports included

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, cross country,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

, and

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

; women's sports included basketball, cross country, soccer,

softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

, track & field, and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

. Notre Dame athletics competed in the Division II level of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA), primarily competing in the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC) until after the 1996–97 season when the conference disbanded. NDNU joined the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...

(NAIA) and the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac) from 1996–97 to 2004–05. The university re-joined the NCAA and the D-II ranks in 2005 when the

Pacific West Conference The Pacific West Conference (also known as the PacWest) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. Member institutions are located in California and Hawaii. T ...

(PacWest) voted to admit Notre Dame de Namur University. The university most recently competed at the Division II level as members of the Pacific West, except for men's lacrosse, which had an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

affiliation after leaving the Western Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association at the end of the 2014 spring season (2013–14 school year). In March 2020, the university announced the discontinuation of the athletics programs effective at the conclusion of the Spring 2020 semester. The decision was part of various changes to the university, citing an on-going financial situation and declining enrollment.

Diversity

Notre Dame de Namur University is one of the most diverse private colleges in California, qualifying as both a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI). The university's commitment to diversity is based on the Hallmarks of a Notre Dame de Namur Learning Community, which states, "We embrace the gift of diversity."

Notable alumni

* Maria Cristina Villanova de Arbenz, politician and First Lady of Guatemala * Lailee Bakhtiar, poet, journalist, author, novelist * Eddie Baza Calvo, politician, governor of Guam * Belo Cipriani, writer and LGBT activist * Anton del Rosario, professional soccer player * Simon Enciso, professional athlete in basketball * Susan Heon, Olympic athlete in swimming * Abigail Campbell Kawānanakoa, politician and Princess of Hawaii * Morghan King, Olympic athlete in weightlifting * Matthew Mbu Junior, politician, senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria * Barbara Morgan, NASA astronaut * Tessa Prieto-Valdes, columnist, media personality, socialite * Dorothy Stang, class of 1964; activist, Sister of Notre Dame de Namur * Susie Wind, visual artist * Emily Wu, author and novelist * Wang Yi, Olympic athlete in volleyball

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Notre Dame de Namur University Universities and colleges in San Mateo County, California Universities and colleges established in 1851 Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur colleges and universities California Historical Landmarks School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in San Mateo County, California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Catholic universities and colleges in California Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities Former women's universities and colleges in the United States 1851 establishments in California Women's education in California