Presidents of Ohio Dominican

Ohio Dominican’s Presidential History

The Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs were founded in Somerset, Ohio, in 1830 and moved to Columbus in 1868. In 1911, the sisters received a charter from the State of Ohio to establish a women’s college. A successful teaching congregation for almost 100 years, the Dominicans wanted to build on the excellence of their academy and provide college classes in an area where there was no Catholic higher education available to their graduates and to the candidates for the order. After a decade of experimenting, the Sisters opened the College of St. Mary of the Springs in 1924 as a Catholic four-year liberal arts college for women. Until the college formally separated from the congregation, the congregation’s prioress, who served three-year terms, also served as the college’s president. In 1968, under Sister Suzanne Urhane’s leadership, the college changed its name to Ohio Dominican College. In 2001, under the leadership of Ohio Dominican's first male and first lay leader, Jack P. Calareso, Ph.D., the college changed its status to a university and became Ohio Dominican University.