Marymount University is a private Catholic university with its main campus in Arlington, Virginia. Marymount offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. It has approximately 3,897 students enrolled, representing approximately 45 states and 79 countries. History Marymount was founded in 1950 by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM) as Marymount College, a two-year women's school. It was a member school of the Marymount colleges operated by the sisterhood in New York, California and several other states. The campus was located on the former estate of Admiral Presley Marion Rixey, Naval Surgeon General and personal physician to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William McKinley. Classes and activities were centered around the former Rixey Mansion, renamed as the university's "Main House." Marymount became a four-year college in 1973. It added master's degree programs in 1979, and its first doctoral program, the clinical Doctor of Physical Therapy, in 2005. Its first male students were admitted into the nursing program in 1972, and the college became fully coeducational and changed its name to Marymount University in 1986. The university established the Center for Ethical Concerns in 1993. In October 2010, Marymount celebrated its 60th anniversary with the grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for Caruthers Hall, a academic facility focused on the sciences and health sciences, and Rose Benté Lee Ostapenko Hall, a residence hall providing apartment-style housing for 239 students. The Malek Plaza is a gathering area between the two buildings and features a statue of Sister Majella Berg, RSHM, who was president of Marymount from 1960 to 1993. A sky bridge connects the new buildings to the rest of the campus. In August 2017, Marymount opened the Ballston Center. The LEED Gold Certified multi-use complex comprises a nine-story academic/office tower and The Rixey, a 12-story residential/retail building, each boasting multi-level underground parking. Ballston Center is anchored by a public plaza and the Reinsch Pierce Family Courtyard. During the tenure of current president Irma Becerra, Marymount received designation as the first Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) in Virginia. The university has also restructured its academic programs into three highly-focused colleges to create broader educational and research opportunities, launched several fully-online doctorate programs and opened both the Saints Center for Service and the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. As of June 30, 2017, endowments total $43 million. Academics and accreditation Marymount University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges