At Notre Dame of Maryland, men and women navigate historic change at formerly all-women’s university

At last summer’s orientation day at Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore, the school’s senior vice president of enrollment and student services approached the start of a new fall semester with eager optimism and a dose of anxiety.

Before the introduction of NDMU’s first-ever group of incoming male undergraduate students in the school’s 128-year history – an institution that had previously educated only female undergraduates in its traditional program – Scott Briell took a deep breath.

Then, the warm applause by a large group of female students welcoming nearly 50 males to Notre Dame in a traditional, all-gender undergraduate program put Briell at ease.

Briell said when he asked all the male students to stand up, he was so anxious the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

“That (applause) was one of those moments when we were reminded that we have a great place here,” he said. “We still have a respectful, supportive environment and a student body looking for the same things.

“Sure, things are different. But nothing fundamentally has changed,” Briell added. “Our students, male or female, are all looking for a small, private college where they feel comfortable to study and to be taking advantage of everything a small campus has to offer. Things are more vibrant on campus this year.”

NDMU is a small, private Catholic institution, located in North Baltimore on a wooded 60-acre campus and founded in the liberal arts with a mission “to educate leaders who transform the world.”

Men were welcomed at the historically all-women university for the first time 1975 in the school’s Weekend College for adult undergraduate students and they were welcomed into graduate programs beginning in 1984, but the university did not go fully co-ed until this academic year.  

Notre Dame has been named one of the best “Regional Universities North” by U.S. News & World Report. The school features an average student-to-teacher ratio of 7-to-1.

Among the school’s 686 undergraduates reported in its 2023 fall enrollment records, 76 male students accounted for 11 percent of the undergraduate population. NDMU reported a 27 percent increase in overall undergrad enrollment. New student enrollment more than doubled after NDMU announced in September 2022 that it would transition to a co-ed model in 2023.

 One male freshman, Andrew Subida, said Notre Dame was among the last schools to which he applied. Subida, a biology major interested in academic research, has immersed himself in the opportunities available at NDMU.

He is a member of the Morrissy Honors program and a student representative on the school’s Board of Trustees. He intends to graduate from Notre Dame after three years. Subida also co-founded the Asian Student Union on campus.

Asians account for only 32 undergraduate students at NDMU, which lists Black or African-American (219), White (195) and Hispanic/Latino (90) students as the most prevalent known demographic groups in the student body. Subida said he felt accepted immediately.

“I haven’t sensed any ill will or malcontents,” Subida said. “I’ve seen so many good interactions between men and women here.”

“It feels like I’m having a novel experience I wouldn’t get anywhere else, because you are part of starting something that’s going to last for many years,” Subida added. “It’s cool to think of myself looking back at (NDMU) and seeing how its diversity increased and I was one of the trailblazers. Very cool.”

Nisttha Ray, an Asian-American female and sophomore biology major (pre-med track) aiming to become a doctor and healthcare leader, said taking advantage of the growing extracurricular activities at Notre Dame is a key component available for men and women on campus.

Ray is a member of the Student Government Association and is a student engagement coordinator, event organizer and a student representative who advises SAGE Dining Services, the school’s on-site caterer, of complaints and suggestions she solicits from the student body.

“The primary responses this year regarding food issues like food restrictions have been provided by males on campus,” said Ray, who added she picked NDMU two years ago after applying to 14 colleges, including 11 out of state. Shortly after fall classes began as a freshman in 2022, she learned Notre Dame was going the co-ed route in 2023.

“I was confused, shocked at first. For more than a century, this school was dedicated to women’s education,” Ray said. “But when I started thinking it through, I realized that wherever I might (transfer) would be another co-ed institution.”

“Class sizes would still be small here. (Adding male students) will grow the student population. Student diversity and inclusiveness will grow, not disappear. Having boys on this campus won’t be the end of the world. I made the right choice to stay here.”

“We get to be a part of history here,” said Jefferson Da Silva, a freshman from London, England, who was one of 17 freshmen out of 20 players who comprised the first men’s soccer team in school history. The Gators finished 5-8-2 and made it to the postseason.

NDMU offers an NCAA Division III athletic program in 10 competitive sports, including men’s basketball, which recently concluded its inaugural season with a 3-19 record. Next year, the Gators will field their first-ever Division III baseball team.

“Growing up in London, there is a very diverse population. Different races, religions, genders. I think I can say I’ve already met some people at Notre Dame who will be lifelong friends,” said Da Silva, whose girlfriend plays on the Gators’ volleyball team.

“People have been very welcoming from the start. When I first got here, I found out the girls didn’t have a say in the school deciding to go co-ed. We (men) should do what we can to make them more comfortable with the change,” said Jermaine Koger Jr., a freshman majoring in computer information systems and a forward on the Gators’ men’s basketball squad.

Koger said he has bonded greatly with his teammates and his fellow members of the Black Student Union. He also has enjoyed loudly supporting other Notre Dame sports teams and has close friends on the volleyball and women’s basketball teams.

Dr. Kate Bossert, associate professor of English who also serves as the school’s drama coordinator and coordinates the student leadership program, has taught at Notre Dame since 2012. For years, Bossert said the idea of going co-ed had been “a serious question on the table.”

“There were a lot of (high school) students who craved the kind of experience we were providing, but the gender exclusivity was a deal breaker,” Bossert said. “It seems like the right move now. I knew of some students who decided to transfer last year, but mostly for reasons that had nothing to do with us making this change.

“There was a lot of anxiety about how (going coeducational) would change the school,” she added. “I think it has helped us to amplify what we were already doing – offering leadership opportunities and close relationships with teachers, a good liberal arts education at a small college, the chance to start a club.

“We started eight new clubs here last semester, including a dance team and instrumental ensemble. We have had male-female mixes in our two main-stage productions. Most of the men’s basketball team was in a short fiction course I taught. The only difference now is we have a larger population of students. The energy has been tremendous this year.”

Notre Dame of Maryland University history

• Notre Dame of Maryland University was founded in 1873 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame as the Notre Dame of Maryland Collegiate Institute for Young Ladies and Preparatory School for Little Girls.

• In 1895, Notre Dame received state approval to begin four year baccalaureate-level instruction.

• The April 1896 college charter from the State of Maryland granted the right to award degrees up to and including the doctorate.

• On Sept. 9, 2011, the 116th anniversary of the first day of college classes offered on the campus, the institution was renamed Notre Dame of Maryland University.

• The university announced in 2022 that it would become gender-inclusive at all levels beginning in fall 2023. It welcomed nearly 50 male students.

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