Notre Dame of Maryland University, Mount Mary University Partner to Address Teacher Shortage

BALTIMORE, Md. – Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) and Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wis., are partnering to address staffing shortages in education, with a joint agreement to increase the number of students with advanced credentials. The joint agreements between the two institutions will enable master’s students in education at Mount Mary to seamlessly transition into one of two NDMU online Ph.D. in education programs, saving valuable time and money to earn two graduate-level degrees. Additionally, NDMU undergraduates will be able to seamlessly transition into Mount Mary’s Master of Social Work program, with options to transfer credits and earn the degree fully online.

NDMU President, Dr. Marylou Yam and Mount Mary President, Dr. Isabelle Cherney participated in a signing ceremony to cement the joint agreements.

With the new partnership, Mount Mary students can transfer up to 12 credits from the master’s in education programs into either NDMU's online Ph.D. in instructional leadership for changing populations or NDMU's online Ph.D. in higher education leadership. The fully online program offers students the opportunity to earn credentials for high-demand jobs in education administration. The U.S. Bureau of Labor also projects above average growth in jobs for social workers in the next five years, and the partnership affords NDMU students a direct pathway into the profession not previously open to them.

"Notre Dame of Maryland University is proud and excited to partner with Mount Mary University. As it is widely known, there is a national shortage of teachers. Doctoral-level prepared professionals in education are needed to teach those students interested in K-12 and higher education faculty and leadership roles. Social workers are also in high demand," said Dr. Yam. "Notre Dame of Maryland University and Mount Mary University’s education and social work programs are fully accredited by their respective accrediting bodies. Additionally, NDMU is one of the largest providers of certified teachers in Maryland."

“This partnership in mission paves the way for students from both institutions to fill shortages in these essential areas,” said Dr. Isabelle Cherney, who added that she was thrilled to sign the agreement with NDMU.

"Both of our campuses are founded on the spirituality of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and both of our campuses reflect it so beautifully," said Sister Charmaine Krohe, provincial leader of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSNDs) Atlantic Midwest Province, and chair of NDMU's corporate Board of Trustees. "I want to add the congratulations of both [SSND] Provincial Councils to Dr. Marylou Yam and Dr. Isabelle Cherney for establishing this wonderful partnership between Notre Dame of Maryland University and Mount Mary University."

Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.