The University of Providence is a private, Catholic university, incorporated under the laws of the State of Montana. The University has been empowered to grant diplomas and confer academic honors and collegiate degrees since 1932. The University is sponsored by the Sisters of Providence and operates within the jurisdiction of the Catholic bishop of Great Falls-Billings.
The University of Providence was founded in 1932 by the Most Reverend Edwin V. O’Hara, Catholic Bishop of Great Falls, in collaboration with the Sisters of Charity of Providence and the Ursuline Sisters. Named Great Falls Junior College for Women, the two-year college was originally located in the Ursuline Academy on Central Avenue. The faculty consisted of several sisters, a few priests, and one lay woman. A year later, Great Falls Normal School was established by Sister Lucia Sullivan, S.P., and combined with the Junior College to address the need for prospective teachers in the area.
Compassion for the poor, the sick and the vulnerable brought the first Sisters of Providence to the West in 1856. With courage, Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart and four other sisters made the treacherous journey from Montreal to the untamed Washington Territory. Thanks to their caring, more than 30 hospitals, schools and homes for orphans, the elderly and the sick were founded to ease the harsh frontier life in what would become Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and southern British Columbia. These pioneer sisters traveled by horse-back, steamer, stagecoach, and rail to wherever God’s people had a need. The sisters used their simple tools to build and went door to door, begging for funds to support the orphans and works of charity. Today, the seeds they planted have grown and flourished along the coast from Alaska to southern California, as well as in El Salvador, and inland to Idaho and Montana.
In its first year, 14 women enrolled. In 1935, the registration for both the Junior College and the Normal School totaled 105 women. In 1937, the first male student enrolled, and the year following there were 19 men in attendance. There were really two schools, each operating under a different Catholic religious community. The union of the two schools was one of convenience and legality. In 1942, Great Falls Junior College for Women was discontinued because of declining enrollment. Great Falls Normal College was renamed the Great Falls College of Education. By the early 1950s it became the College of Great Falls under the direction of the Sisters of Providence. Classes were held in the old Columbus Hospital. In September of 1995, the College was renamed the University of Great Falls.
In 1944, land was purchased south of the city by the Sisters of Providence and in the 1950s plans were made to move the College of Great Falls to the new campus. The new campus opened in 1960. At that time there were eleven buildings. Faculty offices were in the north end of the Classroom Building. Administration offices were in the Library. Emilie Hall was a women’s residence hall. A ballroom was located on the lower floor of the Student Center, where the Office of Admissions and Records and Financial Aid Office are today.
In 1992 Providence Services was established by the sisters as the parent corporation, under lay leadership, for the sisters’ ministries in eastern Washington, Idaho and Montana (St. Ignatius Province), paralleling Providence Health System, the parent corporation for western Washington, Oregon, California, and Alaska (Sacred Heart Province).
On January 1, 2000, the two Provinces of the sisters united to form Mother Joseph Province and on January 1, 2006, the parent corporations, Providence Health System and Providence Services, merged to form Providence Health and Services which serves as the parent ministry for the University of Great Falls, the former name of University of Providence.
On July 6, 2016, Providence Health & Services and St. Joseph Health merged to create Providence St. Joseph Health, a not-for-profit health and social services system that will serve as the parent organization for more than 106,000 employees across seven states. In July 2017, the University was renamed University of Providence.
In developing the M.Sc. in Wound Healing degree program, University of Providence continues along the path of recent expansions into graduate-level education to prepare “professionals to be servant-leaders in their disciplines and communities, linking research with practice and knowledge with ethical decision-making.” An overview of the University’s history confirms that this new masters-level program will be an appropriate extension of its long-standing institutional mission.
The University of Providence was founded through the collaborative efforts of the Sisters of Providence, the Ursuline Sisters, the Catholic Bishop of Great Falls and the civic community all of whom recognized societal need for higher education. Its educational mission, sponsored by Providence Ministries, continues to be the shared endeavor of dedicated people.
The University cooperates with both private and public institutions to attain goals consistent with its educational purpose and values.
The University continually and responsibly evaluates its operation and programs. It develops professional and career programs and continuing education courses designed in view of society’s present and future needs. It also offers traditional academic degrees.
The University offers students a foundation for actively implementing Gospel values and the teaching of Jesus within the Catholic tradition; it serves students of all beliefs who wish to take advantage of its programs.
The faculty and staff of the University join with students in a cooperative and enthusiastic search for truth, so that students may develop:
As a Catholic university, we belong to a community of faith, the Roman Catholic Church, committed to live and to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God in the world. Belonging to the community of faith means, first-of-all, that the University shares in the sacramental unity of the community and bears witness to it in ways appropriate to a community of scholars and co-learners. It means that the University carries out the evangelical mandate to serve the community of faith and the larger community. It means that the University, by its very nature as a Catholic liberal education institution, shares in the mission given by Jesus to his disciples to teach the Good News of the Kingdom of God and of Jesus Christ to all people.
As a Catholic university, we mean to meet the challenges and prospects of the modern world with integrity and with devotion to Truth through our educational and research services. Each discipline in the University is committed to applying the best resources, research, and methods to the free, open, honest pursuit of truth.
As a Catholic university, we are committed to participate in the prayer and reflection of the local and the universal Church. The University shares and celebrates the Sacramental, Eucharistic life of the community, provides opportunities for prayer and meditation, and offers appropriate pastoral services to all members of the University community.
As a Catholic university, we attend with special zeal both in action and in teaching to issues of human dignity, social and economic justice, and peace. Motivated by the spirit of the Sisters of Providence, we are committed to advocate for and to serve all who are in need.
As a Catholic university, we affirm the goodness of all creation and the necessity of grace to the pursuit of genuine happiness. We live and teach the moral and ethical commitment of the Gospel. All our members are committed to respect the dignity and integrity of every member. By conviction and commitment, we pursue the ecumenical unity of the followers of Jesus and of all humanity.
As an expression of the teaching mission of Jesus Christ, the mission of the University of Providence is to provide students with the opportunity to obtain a liberal education for living and for making a living.
Academic Excellence is the primary pursuit for all students, faculty, and staff. Without exception, we uphold the highest academic standards across all programs.
Students undergo a distinctive and transformative experience that prepares them to pursue their lifetime calling and make the world a better place.
Driven by our mission, we will provide world-class liberal arts and health professions programs while focusing on operational efficiency to deliver on our vision for sustainable growth.
The University of Providence is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the United States Department of Education. Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality evaluated through a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation. Accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.