Mount Mercy University

Mount Mercy University

Mount Mercy University was founded in 1928 by the Sisters of Mercy and operates a private Catholic campus in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. President Todd A. Olson oversees the institution's finances and its supporting foundation as it progresses toward a full merger with St. Ambrose University by mid-2026, a combination backed by the Archdiocese of Dubuque. The endowment's asset pool, approximately $36M (Altss estimate), is woven directly into the university's physical and operational fabric. The portfolio spans a main campus at 1330 Elmhurst Drive NE, the CRST International Graduate Center at 1599 Wenig Road NE, and residential assets including the Lower Campus Apartments and the historic Sacred Heart Convent on campus grounds. The university maintains its permanent art collection and the Our Mother of Sorrows Grotto as held cultural assets. Donor relationships have shaped the institution's capacity directly, with CRST International as the namesake of the graduate center and donor Cammie Greif, TaxACT co-founder, serving as a board member. The university is a member of the Conference for Mercy Higher Education, holds NAIA athletic affiliation, and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. The pending merger with St. Ambrose University, parent organization as of June 2025, represents a structural consolidation that will reshape governance and pooled resources for the combined entity. Mount Mercy's investment posture differs from a typical endowment by functioning as a direct property owner-operator rather than through separated external management structures. The university effectively self-administers its real estate holdings as part of the campus operation, blurring the line between institutional investment portfolio and operating assets in a way that is uncommon among peer higher-education endowments of its size.