Saint Martin's University is a liberal arts university in Lacey, Washington with ties to the Catholic Church. The university was founded in 1895 by Benedictine monks as a boys＊ boarding school. The first classes at St. Martin＊s were attended by one student Angus McDonald, who travelled 25 miles to classes by canoe. By 1897 29 students were attending high-school and grammar school level classes and the school added college level courses in 1900 to prepare young men to enter the priesthood. In 1938 the school became an accredited four-year baccalaureate-granting institution with first degrees awarded in 1940. The college became coeducational in 1965 and began adding postgraduate programs in the 1980s. The college became Saint Martin's University in 2005.
Today St. Martin＊s is a private, coeducational, Catholic liberal arts University with over 1,500 students engaged in a range of postgraduate and undergraduate courses of study. There are undergraduate degrees available in around 30 areas of study as well as seven graduate programs on offer. Academics are split across four schools: Hal and Inge Marcus School of Engineering, School of Business, College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and Professional Psychology.
The campus shares 380 acres with its founding institution, Saint Martin＊s Abbey. There are wooded areas, lawns and rocky trails as well as the main academic, administrative and residential buildings. The campus also features indoor and outdoor sporting and leisure facilities and recreational areas for students.
