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Loretto
Heritage: Educators/Schools
(1891
- 2006)
The
original work of Loretto was education. From the
beginning at Hardin's Creek in Marion County, Kentucky,
Loretto schools spread to 16 states and on to China,
Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and Africa. The sisters staffed
parochial and diocesan schools and established their own
academies. The tradition of education continues today
with schools in Denver, El Paso, and St. Louis sponsored
by the community and another in Kansas City, founded by a
co-member following the close of Loretto Academy.
Loretto members are involved at these schools as
administrators, teachers, staff members, and trustees.
Many
members promote Loretto values in other educational
settings such as public schools, universities, literacy
programs, and tutoring centers. These educators are
committed to providing an excellent academic education
and helping students deepen their values, develop
attitudes of life-long learning, and foster concern
for the welfare of other persons.
The
Sisters of Loretto also founded two colleges, initially
for women students only, at a time when higher education
for women was not generally available, this was
considered progressive. These were Webster College in St. Louis, founded in 1916, and Loretto
Heights College in Denver founded in 1891. Loretto ideas
continue to underlie Webster University which today
includes 83 campuses in the U.S. and six in Europe,
Asia, and Bermuda. In 1987, Loretto Heights College
campus was strategically closed then the Teikyo
Group purchased the campus and in 1989 officially established Teikyo
Loretto Heights University (TLHU), which has no
religion affiliation and is a non-profit private
university. The Teikyo Group consists of dozens of institutions and
campuses in Japan, the United States, The United
Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany, etc., educating
more than 50,000 students annually with leading-edge
technology. The Group
also has affiliations with world-renowned
institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge, Moscow State, and
Harvard (Teikyo-Harvard
Program).
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