Barry University is a private, Catholic university that was founded in 1940 by the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Located in Miami Shores, Florida, a suburb north of Downtown Miami, it is one of the largest Catholic universities in the Southeast and is located within the territory of the Archdiocese of Miami.
The University offers more than 100 degree programs, from bachelors to doctorate, in a number of areas, including: business, social work, law, nursing, health sciences, education, and liberal arts programs. Consisting of six schools and two colleges, Barry University has more than 7,000 students, a campus of 54 buildings, a branch campus in Tallahassee, a law school in Orlando, and 50,000 alumni. Student to faculty ratio is 12:1.
History
Beginnings
Barry College was founded as a women's college by a pair of siblings: Rev. Patrick Barry, Bishop of St. Augustine, and his sister Rev. Mother Mary Gerald Barry, OP, then prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. The construction of what was then the Barry College for Women began in 1940, in what had previously been "a tract of tropical vegetation." The empty lot was soon transformed into the main campus, in Miami Shores, FL. The original campus consisted of five buildings. Mother Barry served as president from 1940-1961.
Barry College became Barry University on November 13, 1981. Barry University continues to be sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan. It is an independent 501(c) (3) organization and has an independent Board of Trustees.
Presidents
The university has had six Adrian Dominican Sisters serve as president since its inception: Mother M. Gerald Barry, 1940-61; Mother M. Genevieve Weber, 1962â€"63; Sister M. Dorothy Browne, 1963â€"74; Sister M. Trinita Flood, 1974â€"81; Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin, 1981â€"2004; and Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, PhD, 2004â€"present. The motherhouse of the sisters is in Adrian, Michigan.
Cor Jesu Chapel
The Cor Jesu ("Heart of Jesus") Chapel is intended to be the spiritual and physical heart of the campus. It was financed with the aid of Margaret Brady Farrell, a parishioner of St. Patrick's Church in Miami Beach. Soon after discovering that the construction of the Cor Jesu was postponed due to insufficient funds, Farrel donated all the funds needed for completion the chapel's construction. In her honor, the Division of Business and Finance building was dedicated as "Farrell House." The chapel is topped by an 80-foot (24Â m) tower holding carillon chimes. It seats 500 persons. Traces of Romanesque architecture can be seen in the inside of the chapel which "was built in choir style with wood wainscoting and a canopy over the altar." A stained-glass window of amber color, containing the image of a Celtic cross, is visible from the main entrance of the campus.
Facilities
Barry University's main campus is in Miami Shores, Florida. While the main campus is in Miami Shores, Barry University offers several continuing adult education classes at other locations in Florida. Barry University has a campus in Orlando containing the Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law and a campus in Saint Petersburg that has the second branch of its Physician Assistant Program. Barry University also has a campus on the island of St. Croix, where a third branch of its Physician Assistant Program is located.
There are more than 40 buildings at the Miami Shores campus. These contain technology laboratories and indoor and outdoor sporting facilities.
The Monsignor William Barry Memorial Library contains more than 710,000 items, including 2,600 periodical titles, 5,000 audiovisual items, 150 electronic databases, and an "excellent Catholic American collection." The library also contains a collection of documents pertaining to Operation Pedro Pan.
Expansion
While Barry University is primarily a liberal arts college, the university has expanded its programs of study to include specialized programs in nursing, teacher education, medical technology, and social work.
Barry began graduate programs for men and women in 1954, a continuing education program in 1974, a school of business in 1976, a division of biological and biomedical sciences in 1983, and a school of podiatric medicine in fall 1985.
In 1999, the Barry University School of Law was established in Orlando, Florida. Barry University's law school is named the Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law.
In 2017, the boards of Barry University and St. Thomas University began talks considering the consolidation of the two schools.
Academics
Barry University offers more than 60 traditional undergraduate programs, accelerated bachelor's programs designed specifically for working adults, and more than 50 graduate programs (many of these with evening/weekend classes) in 9 schools. Student to faculty ratio is 14:1.
Schools and colleges
- School of Arts and Sciences
- Andreas School of Business
- Adrian Dominican School of Education (ADSOE)
- Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law (Orlando)
- College of Nursing and Health Sciences
- Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine
- School of Professional and Career Education
- School of Social Work
Branch campus
Ranking
Forbes's 2015 Ranking of America's Best Colleges: ranked Barry University 615th on their list of America's Top Colleges.
Online Psychology Degrees 2016: ranked Barry University as one of the top schools for graduate programs in sport psychology. The Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology program at Barry is ranked No. 20, and is one of only two programs from Florida to be included in the ranking.
Best-Catholic-Colleges.com 2016: ranked Barry University's School of Social Work as No. 3 in its list of Best 25 Catholic Social Work Schools in the country.
TopCounselingSchools.org 2016: ranked among the top value master's degrees in counseling in Florida (Adrian Dominican School of Education).
Value Colleges 2016: ranked Barry University's online Master of Public Administration program among the Top 50 Best Value Online. The program, which is offered through the School of Professional And Career Education, is ranked No. 44. When compared to other private and nonprofit schools, Barry ranks No. 14.
Student activities
Athletics
Barry University became a member of the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) in June 1988 and a member of NCAA Division II since 1984. The Buccaneers have won 16 NCAA Division II national Championships (women's soccer 1989, 1992, 1993; volleyball 1995, 2001, 2004; men's golf 2007, 2013, 2014; men's tennis 2010, 2013, 2015; women's tennis 2011, 2014 and rowing 2015, 2016) and 65 SSC titles. The Bucs have produced 309 All-Americans and 361 Scholar All-Americans.
"The SSC sponsors championships in 14 sports for men and women: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, rowing, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball."
"Sunshine State Conference teams have won NCAA Division II national championships in baseball, men's basketball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, softball, women's volleyball, and men's and women's tennis, rowing and women's lacrosse.
Furthermore, the athletics department at Barry University follows the university's mission in "acknowledges the presence of God through wholesome and clean competition, comradeship among participants, good sportsmanship, and equality of opportunity exclusive of one's sex, race, or religious affiliation. A caring environment is provided by assuring the academic, physical, and emotional well-being of our student-athletes through the leadership provided by a well-qualified teaching/professional staff, academic support services, comprehensive health care and coverage, and safe playing and practice conditions."
Student organizations
Barry University has more than 60 student organizations, fraternities and sororities, honor societies, and a student government.
Student media
The Barry Buccaneer is the student newspaper, ranging from 8 to 16 pages and published at the first of every month starting in September and ending in May. The Buccaneer serves as a laboratory for journalism minors. All work, including writing, editing, advertising and design, is completed by students.
WBRY is Barry University's student-run campus radio station and is broadcast on 1640 AM. Student DJs play "all kinds of music, from hip hop to classic rock, classical music to inner city blues." Other programming includes sports shows, talk shows, and daily news.
Campus Ministry
Barry has a Department of Campus Ministry. The sacraments of the Catholic Church are administered in accordance with the guidelines of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami. Protestant and Catholic campus ministers are employed by the University. Protestant Communion is offered monthly in "Multi-Faith Services".Â
Notable alumni
See also
- Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law
- Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida
- WXEL-TV and WFLV
Footnotes
External links
- Official website
- Official athletics website
