Carlow University was founded in 1929 by the Sisters of Mercy, a community of women who believed deeply in the power of education to transform lives. Their mission was rooted in the values that shaped the sisters’ work in Ireland, America, and all over the world. Mercy, Hospitality, Service, Discovery, and Sacredness of Creation are more than guiding principles; they are living traditions that have been carried forward through generations of Carlow students, faculty, and alumni.
These values remind us that a Carlow education isn’t just about individual achievement. It’s also about helping to create a more just and merciful world. They create a connection with our history while calling us to respond with compassion to the needs of the here-and-now.
Mercy
Mercy is the heart of Carlow. It is the value from which all the others grow; the lens through which we learn to see the world. For the Sisters of Mercy, who stepped into the grit and struggle of industrial Pittsburgh nearly two centuries ago, Mercy meant meeting people where they were and responding with courage. It still does.
At Carlow today, Mercy shows itself in the way we encourage students to use their knowledge for the good of others; whether that means caring for patients, shaping policy, or creating art that moves people. It shows itself in our community partnerships, like the Purple Door food pantry, which meets practical needs with dignity and respect. Mercy asks us not to turn away from hardship, but to lean in with empathy, and then take the next step into action.
Hospitality
Hospitality is the welcome that makes a stranger feel at home. It is the willingness to see each person’s humanity, not just their talents or achievements. The Sisters of Mercy create spaces of refuge, and that spirit lives on at Carlow.
Students often describe a feeling of relief when they first arrive: the sense that they don’t have to fit into someone else’s mold to belong here. You can see it in a professor who notices when a student is struggling and steps in to help. You see it in the way peer groups form around shared experiences.
On a broader scale, Hospitality shapes the inclusive character of the University. It is why we celebrate diversity of background and belief, and why we insist that every member of our community has something vital to contribute.
Service
At Carlow, Service is a way of life. It is the natural extension of Mercy and Hospitality, moving us outward into the needs of the wider world.
Service can look like a group of students rolling up their sleeves to clean and paint at a local nonprofit on Mercy Service Day, or a graduate who chooses a career path that prioritizes community over personal gain. What matters is the willingness to give of ourselves.
This value stays with Carlow alumni long after they leave campus. Many describe how their time here reshaped their understanding of success, linking it to responsibility and the call to make a difference. In that sense, Service is not just something we do. It is who we become.
Discovery
Discovery at Carlow is not limited to the library or the lab. It is the spark of curiosity that drives us to ask questions, the creativity that leads to innovation, and the courage to venture into unknown territory.
On campus, this value takes many forms. It can be a nursing student researching community health literacy, an English major finding their voice through creative writing, or a student athlete learning leadership through teamwork. Discovery also lives in the unexpected moments: the late-night conversation that shifts your worldview, or the realization that your talents can be used in ways you never imagined.
For some, Discovery is the recognition of a calling. For others, it is the gradual unfolding of gifts they didn’t know they had. Whatever form it takes, it reminds us that education is about transformation, not just information.
Sacredness of Creation
The Sacredness of Creation is the value that stretches our vision beyond ourselves. It reminds us that life, in all its forms, is interconnected and holy. The Sisters of Mercy taught that creation is a gift entrusted to our care, and Carlow embraces that teaching in ways large and small.
Walking across campus, the presence of green space and gardens are daily reminders of this commitment. But the Sacredness of Creation is not confined to campus beauty. It influences how we approach sustainability, and it also shapes the culture of respect within the University itself. To honor the Sacredness of Creation is to honor the human person—to treat classmates, colleagues, and neighbors with respect. In that sense, it bridges the natural world and the human community, reminding us that both are worthy of protection.
Living the Values Today
Taken together, these values are not a checklist but a way of being. Mercy teaches us to respond with compassion, Hospitality invites us into authentic community, Service moves us outward, Discovery keeps us searching, and the Sacredness of Creation grounds us in respect for life itself.
They are the inheritance of the Sisters of Mercy and the compass that guides Carlow forward. In a fractured world, they remain steady, reminding us that our work is not only to educate, but to heal, to welcome, to serve, and to wonder. For our students, alumni, faculty, and partners, the values are gifts we have received, and responsibilities we are called to carry.