Here, we are learning. To create a more just and
merciful world.
To be a part of Carlow University is to be a part of a community of leaders, a community that is devoted to positively transforming lives and changing the world for good.
Here, we empower individuals to think clearly and creatively, to actively pursue intellectual endeavors, to discover, challenge or affirm cultural and aesthetic values, and to embrace an ethic of service as they forge forth and change the world for good.
Discover what Happens when Ethics & Mercy combine with Healing & Innovation
Mercy, Empathy, Compassion, Collaboration: that’s the Carlow difference. Here, science and humanities are not at odds, they are partners, one feeds the other. In every one of our healthcare programs, we impart more than technical knowledge, we develop proficiencies in communication, bedside manner, teamwork, empathy & compassion, social justice & ethics.
We understand that you think from your head, perform with your hands, and lead from your heart. And we firmly believe that it’s the training in the habits of the heart that will allow healthcare leaders to act above and beyond their technical responsibilities, advocate for their patients, and actively contribute to creating a just and merciful world.
It is our expectation that our graduates will advocate for healthcare equity for all and serve their communities with empathy and compassion - this is why they are out there making a difference in people’s live every day.
By designing and turning hundreds of ceramic bowls and then donating them to local soup kitchens, Carlow’s “Bowls in the Night” pottery marathon brings student artists together to help people who are hungry in our community. This event not only benefits an incredibly worthy cause, but it is also an opportunity for the students to learn how to use their talents outside of the classroom to serve others.
This is just one example of the way all of Carlow’s fine arts, writing and humanities programs materialize the social justice mission in interesting and interactive ways. We think of art & activism as service, and so we create courses, bring in shows, and build partnerships that are devoted to centering that value—in addition, of course to providing hands-on, experiential learning for our students.
At Carlow we want to empower students and provide scaffolding so that people feel like they belong, like this is a place they can thrive and come into the whole of who they are, on their own terms.
We work to remove barriers to education - both for our students, and the students they teach. We espouse critical thinking, research, contemplation and action as essential to the learning process. Through discovery, we open ourselves to the totality of our human experience.
These are the values we’ve built our Education department on, because we know that now, more than ever, our nation’s schools need skilled and compassionate educators, people with a deeper understanding of how to teach and serve the whole student.
The value of service calls us beyond ourselves to address the needs of others and engage in service to humanity with competence and compassion. We open our hearts to our students, our colleagues and our world as we seek practical ways of addressing needs, unjust structures and dehumanizing situations.
From serving our home community of Pittsburgh to serving the needs of women and children in Uganda through our Center for Global Engagement, we believe in meeting people where they are and finding ways to meaningfully engage, not with sympathy, but with empathy.
Why? Because that’s what it looks like to put mercy in action.
The Sisters of Mercy were founded by Catherine McAuley in Carlow, Ireland, and for nearly 200 years, they have committed themselves to walking boldly into the chaos of others, and staying there until change comes.
In 1843, the Sisters of Mercy arrived in Pittsburgh with a mission: they established numerous schools, an orphanage and Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh prior to founding Carlow University.
Today, what sets Carlow University apart is our all-pervading culture of mercy and intellectual traditions. Set in motion and upheld to this day by the Sisters of Mercy that live on campus, it is an atmosphere of inspiration, animated by respect for the potential of every human.
