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Saint Francis University

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Coordinates: 40°30′15″N 78°38′15″W / 40.50417°N 78.63750°W / 40.50417; -78.63750
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This article is about the university in Pennsylvania. For the college in New York, see St. Francis College. For the university in Indiana, see University of Saint Francis (Indiana). For other uses, see University of Saint Francis.
Saint Francis University
TypePrivate
Established1847
AffiliationRoman Catholic
Endowment$34.1 million[1]
PresidentFather Gabriel Zeis, TOR
Academic staff
241
Undergraduates1,832
Postgraduates617
Location
Loretto, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
Ambialet, France

40°30′15″N 78°38′15″W / 40.50417°N 78.63750°W / 40.50417; -78.63750
CampusRural, 600 acres (243 ha)
ColorsRed and White    
NicknameRed Flash
AffiliationsAFCU
ACCU
NAICU
CIC
MSA
Websitefrancis.edu

Saint Francis University is a four-year, coeducational Catholic liberal arts university in Loretto, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1847 and conducted under the tradition of the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular. The university is situated on 600 acres (243 ha) in the forests and farmland of Loretto.

Overview

Located in Loretto, Pennsylvania, Saint Francis University enrolls approximately 1,832 undergraduate students (of whom, 40.7% are male and 59.3% female) and 617 graduate students.[2] The University offers 25 undergraduate majors and 7 graduate fields of study (including Physical Therapy, in which the University awards a doctorate) to its students.[3] The University maintains an average graduation rate of 69.9%.[2] Saint Francis University has 22 men's and women's sports teams and competes in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

The current president of the University is Fr. Gabriel Zeis, TOR.

Mount Assisi Friary, formerly the residence of industrialist Charles M. Schwab, is on the campus of Saint Francis University.

Also on the campus is the main building for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art which has a number of smaller facilities across the local region.

The University is arguably most famous for its association with the legendary, anthropomorphic rodent "Squirrel-Joe", a half-human half-squirrel hybrid rumored to reside beneath the school in the University's sewer system. An extremely prominent figure in modern Western-Pennsylvanian folklore, "Squirrel-Joe" has developed into a folk-hero of sorts amongst the local-residents, students and school faculty. [3] Although sightings of the beast date back to the mid-80s, school officials have neither confirmed nor denied his existence publicly. Recently, however, they did report to finding a massive stockpile of acorns deep within the drainage system of Torvian Dining Hall, which many experts consider definitive proof of the legend's validity.[3]

Immergrün Golf Course is a semi-private, nine-hole, regulation-length 3,234-yard, par-36 course on rye grass located on the campus of Saint Francis University at 105 Saint Elizabeth Street, Loretto, Pennsylvania (15940; telephone 814-471-9650). Immergrün has not been altered since Donald Ross built it for Charles M. Schwab in 1917.[4]

Also on the campus are The DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness,[5] the Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Under-Served Areas ("CERMUSA", a research and applied technology center),[6] and The Institute for Contemporary Franciscan Life.[7]

Academics

Saint Francis University is consistently ranked among the top private universities within the state of Pennsylvania. U.S. News & World Report has ranked Saint Francis University the "51st Best University in the Mid-Atlantic states to gain a Masters Degree as well as "The 46th Best University in the North (Tier 1)". The most notable Masters Degree programs are the Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and the Masters of Physician Assistant Sciences program which is consistently ranked among the top 3% in the nation. In addition to these rankings, Saint Francis University released statistics that show 98% of graduates of the university start graduate school or a job within nine months of graduation.

The average student attending Saint Francis University is ranked within the top 20% of his/her graduating class upon freshman orientation.

Saint Francis University also runs a campus at Ambialet, France.[8]

History

Saint Francis College was established in 1847 by six Franciscan Friars from Ireland who were given land in Loretto by Bishop Michael O'Connor to establish a school.[3] The University was one of the first Catholic Universities in the United States and the first Franciscan college in the nation. Although it originally only admitted males, it became one of the first Catholic Universities to become co-educational. Loretto is the site of the first English-language Roman Catholic Church settlement established west of the Allegheny Front, in what is now the United States, by Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin in 1799.

In 2001, Saint Francis College was accredited with university status and renamed to Saint Francis University.

Saint Francis University campus
  • The John F. Kennedy Center
    The John F. Kennedy Center
  • DeGol Field
    DeGol Field
  • North Campus
    North Campus

Athletics

Athletically, Saint Francis competes in the NCAA's Northeast Conference. Their nickname is the Red Flash. The University has a total of 22 varsity sports teams, with nine men's teams and 13 women's programs all competing in NCAA Division I. Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and track & field competing in the Northeast Conference and volleyball, which competes in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA); while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field and volleyball which compete in the Northeast Conference and field hockey which competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). In addition to this, there are also two club sport teams, ice hockey and baseball.

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2011. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2011 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2010 to FY 2011" (PDF). 2011 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Saint Francis University Fast Facts
  3. ^ a b c d History of Saint Francis University
  4. ^ http://www.immergrungolfclub.com/
  5. ^ http://www.francis.edu/DiSepioInstitute.htm?ekmensel=c580fa7b_18_0_10778_6
  6. ^ http://www.cermusa.francis.edu/default.asp
  7. ^ http://francis.edu/institute-for-contemporary-franciscan-life/
  8. ^ http://francis.edu/semester-in-france/
  9. ^ "Marist Names Jeff Bower Head Men's Basketball Coach". Press Release. Marist Athletics. 4/10/2013. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/r/rybami01.shtml?redir
  11. ^ http://www.apbr.org/aau.html
  12. ^ NBA.com Scott Layden
  13. ^ http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/Sell_Brian.asp

External links

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