History of Donnelly College
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Donnelly College was a joint venture of Bishop George Donnelly, bishop of Kansas City, Kansas, and Sister Jerome Keeler, a Benedictine Sister of Atchison, Kansas. In 1949, they saw the need to make a Christian education available in the urban core where many Catholic Immigrants had settled. Bishop Donnelly gave the building next door to his residence at 12th and Sandusky for the classrooms and the Benedictine Sisters provided the faculty.
The first year 170 students enrolled for day classes, 45 for evening classes and 35 St. Mary's nurses attended afternoon classes.
As neighborhoods aged and populations trends changed, families with different ethnic and religious backgrounds moved in. The pool of traditional students declined and the college trustees pondered whether to move or stick to the mission of serving the urban community. They chose to remain faithful to the original vision of Sister Jerome and began an endowment campaign to provide scholarship assistance.
The face of Donnelly has undergone many changes through the years. In 1982, Donnelly moved into the old Providence Hospital on 18th and Tauromee. Its faculty now consists mainly of lay men and women with only eight women religious. In 1974, Donnelly began a partnership with Saint Mary College called Two Plus 2 whereby students could earn a bachelor's degree right on the Kansas City, Ks. campus.
In the early 1990s, enrollment increased to almost 1,000 with the accelerated health science program which ended in 1998. Currently the enrollment is about 750, with 32% African American, 31% Hispanic, 20% Anglo American, 11% International, 2% American Indian, and 4% Asian American.
In order to respond to the needs of new immigrants in the area as well as international students, an English as a Second Language program was initiated in 1978. In 1986 Donnelly also began a Basic Education for Lifelong Learning (BELL) program to serve those who had dropped out of high school. In 1988, an Entrepreneur Development Center was launched to help people start their own businesses. In 2001, Donnelly implemented a college extension at Lansing Correctional Facility where inmates can earn an associate's degree. In 2002 we began a Building Bridges to Success program for people who needed their GED.
About 32 percent of Donnelly's students come from households with less than $13,000 annual income. More than 90 percent qualify for some type of financial aid. With the increased endowment fund, more students are able to receive scholarship aid, thereby ensuring the continuation of Donnelly's mission to serve students who might not otherwise be able to go to college.
An Associated Press article in 1997 referred to Donnelly as "Second Chance U," and it does provide an opportunity for success to many that others have given up on. Since 1992, over 90 percent of our graduates have gotten jobs or transferred to four-year colleges. Doctors, attorneys, nurses, teachers, social workers, business owners, engineers and civic leaders are numbered among its alumni.