Barry University

University History

Barry University began as a result of by Patrick Barry's (Bishop of St. Augustine, FL) and Mother M. Gerald Barry's (Prioress General of the Dominican Sisters of Adrian) dream of establishing an institution of higher education, one in which students, through the Adrian Sister's mission of being "the change" one "wishes to see", would become catalysts for positive change. Mother M. Gerald Barry's (Prioress General of the Dominican Sisters of Adrian) and her brothers Bishop Patrick Barry and Monsignor William Barry came up with the idea and the University was named after both of them.

Initially, Barry was a women's Catholic college. The construction of what was then the Barry College for Women began in 1940, in what had previously been "a tract of tropical vegetation". The empty lot was soon transformed into the main campus, in Miami Shores, FL.

Since Barry's inception, the faculty and administration at Barry have worked diligently in fostering high "quality educational programs" as well as caring environment aimed at helping students reach their full academic and spiritual potential. Barry College became Barry University on November 13, 1981.

Barry University has had five Adrian Dominican Sisters serve as president since its inception:

Mother M. Gerald Barry 1940-1961

Mother M. Genevieve Weber 1962-1963

Sister M. Dorothy Browne 1963- 1974

Sister M. Trinita Flood 1974-1981

Sister Jeanne O'Laughlin 1981 to 2004

Sister Linda Bevilacqua OP, PhD, 2004-present

The main campus for the sisters is located in Adrian Michigan, several miles from Lake Erie. The Weber retreat center is also located in the Adrian Sisters campus. This center is known worldwide as a spiritual retreat with special theology and personal development programs.