A Church-Related College for the 21st Century

Maryville College proudly claims its Presbyterian heritage; from the time the Rev. Isaac Anderson founded the college in 1819 to train ministers for the frontier of the United States until today, when we enjoy a rich variety of students. While holding strongly to its Presbyterian connection, the College honors and welcomes students from all backgrounds and religious traditions. The practice of faith and learning at Maryville College connects scholarship, worship, and community, by giving each student a place to explore, a place to grow and a place to commit. The whole community is invited to participate in Campus Ministry programming, including the Weekly Chapel service on Tuesdays at 1:15pm in the Center for Campus Ministry (CCM).

Faith and Learning Statement

Maryville College, related by voluntary covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), seeks to provide a quality liberal arts education that encourages the search for truth in all areas of life. The Presbyterian tradition, with its historical emphasis on educating both clergy and laity, provides the theological framework for such an institution of higher education. Reformed theology places all reality in relationship to God and thus finds all subject matters worthy of study, while acknowledging, in an attitude of humility, that all human answers are at best provisional. The church “Reformed and always reforming” encourages the sort of ongoing openness to revisiting the questions and revising the answers that a true liberal arts education invites.

As a church-related liberal arts college, Maryville strives to provide a quality education by creating an environment that:

Fosters a welcoming and diverse community of belonging for all;
Provides students with the tools to critically engage spiritual, philosophical, and ethical issues;
Embraces rigorous exploration of differing points of view both inside and outside the classroom;
Challenges all persons to work for justice, strive for peace, and care for creation; and
Offers opportunities for worship and engagement in a community of scholarship, respect, and integrity.

Maryville College does not presume that all members of the community will share the institution’s Presbyterian or Christian convictions; instead, we recognize that the life of the College is enriched by each person present in our midst. As the College’s Statement of Purpose says, we “must listen attentively and humbly to all human voices so that [we] may hear the call of God no matter how God may speak.” The goal of a Maryville education is the search for truth, wherever it may be found, and the ability to grapple with life’s ultimate questions of faith, meaning, and value.

Reflecting our commitment to prepare students for lives of citizenship, service, and leadership, Maryville College provides a nurturing environment that equips students with resources to help them build a mature and credible faith for an increasingly complex world.

Adopted 2003; Revised 2024