Sister Marie Majella Berg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Mae Katherine Berg (1916-07-07)July 7, 1916 Brooklyn, New York |
| Died | April 5, 2004(2004-04-05) (aged 87) Tarrytown, New York |
| Occupations | nun, educator and administrator |
Sister Marie Majella Berg (1916–2004) was an AmericanCatholic nun in the order of theReligious of the Sacred Heart of Mary. She served as president ofMarymount University from 1960 through 1993.
Berg was born Mae Katherine Berg on July 7, 1916, in Brooklyn, New York.[1][2] In 1934, when she was 18, she entered the Catholic orderReligious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.[1] She studied atMarymount College, Tarrytown, earning a bachelor's degree in Latin. She went on to earn her master's degree in classics fromFordham University.[3]
Berg's educational career began in 1936 at theMarymount School of New York where she taught though 1948. She went on to teach atMarymount Manhattan College also serving as registrar. From 1958 through 1960 she was the registrar of Marymount College, Tarrytown.[4] In 1960 Berg was appointed the third president of Marymount College of Virginia now Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.[5] At the time, Marymount was a two-year women's college During her tenure Marymount expanded its curriculum to offer bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. Marymount became coeducational in 1986.[1] Berg retired in 1993, serving as president for 33 years.[5] She then became president emerita of the university.[1]
In 1990 Berg was named "Washingtonian of the Year" byWashingtonian magazine. In 1993 she received thePro Ecclesia et Pontifice medal fromPope John Paul II.[2]
Berg died on April 5, 2004, at the Marymount Convent in Tarrytown, New York.[4] At the time of her death Marie Majella Berg was the longest serving woman college president in the United States.[2]
In 2006 Berg was honored by theVirginia Women in History, sponsored by theLibrary of Virginia and Virginia Foundation for Women.[2]