St. Edward's University in South Austin was established in the late 1800s when Mrs. Mary Doyle bequeathed her 498 acre South Austin farm to the Catholic Church and Father Edward Sorin of the Congregation of the Holy Cross for the formation of an institution of higher learning. Father Sorin was also the founder of Notre Dame University, and had an illustrious and accomplished background.



In 1878, the school's first year, the students were comprised of three school boys who met in buildings which were originally part of Mrs. Doyle's farm. Later, in 1885, the President of the new school, Rev. P.J. Franciscus, improved the school and chartered the academy, as it was then called, and changed the name to St. Edward's College. A faculty was installed by Franciscus, and enrollment was increased, and later the same year, Peter J. Hurth became president of the school.

In 1903, a fire destroyed most of the Main Building, but the building was repaired by fall, and later, a tornado struck the campus, in 1922, and significant damage was sustained during the storm. In 1925, the school received its university charter, and again changed its name, to St. Edward's University, and the faculty was increased again, mostly with priests of the Holy Cross Congregation, and again, the school enrollment grew.

During the 1940s, many students enrolled by using the G.I. Bill after their service in the military, and the number of students again increased dramatically. During the next twenty years, many competent and well-trained presidents managed the school, and as it increased its enrollment even more, the faculty improved and women began attending the school in 1966. Part of the school was referred to as Maryhill College at the time, and accepted female students, and in 1970, the two schools were combined and St. Edward's became a co-educational facility.

In the early 1970s, many new programs were initiated at the school, including an innovative theatre arts program and the "New College", which was an undergraduate program for adults. In 1986, the first female president was named, Dr. Patricia Hayes, and by 1990, the school had reached an enrollment of 3000 students, its highest enrollment ever.

In July of 1999, Dr. George Martin began his tenure as school president, and Martin initiated a ten year master plan to bring St. Edward's into the league of the nation's best, small, private institutions. Martin was the 23rd president of St. Edward's, and is the most recent in a list of notable and luminary previous school leaders.

Today, St. Edward's has an enrollment of over 5,300 students and has won numerous awards for achievements in the field of education, including mention recently in U.S. News and World Report magazine praising the curriculum. The school prides itself on offering a liberal arts education which incorporates critical thinking, service to the community, and ethical practice among its students. St. Edward's is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award baccalaureate and Masters degrees, and the school's Social Work Program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

The school takes pride in endowing its students with the characteristics of the courage to take risks, an international perspective, and a commitment to providing opportunities for students of a variety of racial, ethnic, political, and religious, as well as economic backgrounds. St. Edward's University is an asset to Austin and Travis County, and a beautiful and well-respected university, in the heart of South Austin.