Side A: The Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs founded Ohio Dominican University on this site on October 5, 1911. It was incorporated that year as the Ladies Literary Institute of St. Mary of the Springs, a “literary college and institution of learning for the general education and training of girls and young women” and authorized to grant college credit. The name was changed to the College of St. Mary of the Springs in 1924 when the founding Sisters expanded the collegiate curriculum to grant the four-year degree of Bachelor of Arts. Following a decision in 1964 to admit men, the name was changed to Ohio Dominican College in 1968. With the addition of graduate degree programs, the name was changed to Ohio Dominican University in 2002. Today, the institution serves traditional and adult students, reflecting the Dominican belief in lifelong learning.
Side B: Two remarkable women helped to lead Ohio Dominican in its first two decades. Mother Vincentia Erskine, Order of Preachers, Mother General of the Congregation of Dominican Sisters, initiated in 1911 the process that enabled the Ladies Literary Institute of St. Mary of the Springs to grant college-level credit for courses. Mother Stephanie Mohun, Order of Preachers, served as the Prioress-President of the Institute from 1911 to 1914 and was elected Mother General of the Dominican Sisters in 1923. Under her leadership, the Institute received authorization to grant the Bachelor of Arts degree and became the College of St. Mary of the Springs in 1924. In the late 1920s, Mother Stephanie also launched the initiative that built Erskine and Sansbury Halls. Both were completed in 1929, just as the college and the nation were beginning to suffer the effects of the Great Depression.
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