Saint Joseph's University
(also called SJU or St. Joe's) is
a private, coeducational Roman Catholic university located partially in the Wynnefield
section of Philadelphia
and partially in Lower Merion
Township
and located in the Pennsylvania Main Line, Pennsylvania
, United
States
.
The school was founded in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College by the
Society of Jesus. As of 2007, Saint
Joseph's University is one of 28 member institutions of the
Association
of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Saint Joseph's University
educates over 8,000 students each year in over 50 undergraduate
majors, 10 special-study options, 28 study-abroad programs, 53
graduate study areas, and an
Ed.D. in
Educational Leadership. It has 17 centers and institutes. The
school is one of 142 U.S. colleges with a
Phi Beta Kappa chapter and
AACSB business school accreditation. Saint Joseph's is
one of the oldest
Jesuit,
Catholic universities in the United
States.
Saint Joseph's has grown in physical size and scope since 2000. For
the 2009
U.S. News and World Report rankings,
in the Master's Universities (North) category, Saint Joseph's was
ranked number 8.
History
As far back as 1741, a Jesuit College in Philadelphia had been
proposed and planned by Rev. Joseph Greaton, S.J., the first
resident pastor of Saint Joseph's Church. The suppression of the
Jesuits (1773-1814) and lack of people and money delayed for over a
hundred years the realization of Greaton's plans.
Credit for founding the college is given to
Rev. Felix Barbelin, S.J., who served as
its first president. Barbelin and four other Jesuits formed the
first faculty of Saint Joseph's College.
On the morning of
September 15, 1851, some 30 young men gathered in the courtyard
outside Old St. Joseph's
Church, located in Willing's Alley off Walnut and Fourth Street
in Philadelphia, one block from Independence
Hall
. After attending High Mass and reciting the
Veni Creator in the church, these men were assigned to
their classes in a building adjacent to the church.
| Presidents of St. Joseph's |
| President |
From |
To |
| Rev. Felix Barbelin, S.J. |
1851 |
1856 |
| Rev. James Ryder, S.J. |
1856 |
1857 |
| Rev. James A. Ward, S.J. |
1857 |
1860 |
| Rev. Felix Barbelin, S.J. |
1860 |
1868 |
| Rev. Burchard Villiger, S.J. |
1868 |
1893 |
| Rev. Patrick J. Dooley, S.J. |
1893 |
1896 |
| Rev. William F. Clark, S.J. |
1896 |
1900 |
| Rev. Cornelius Gillespie, S.J. |
1900 |
1907 |
| Rev. Denis T. O'Sullivan, S.J. |
1907 |
1908 |
| Rev. Cornelius Gillespie, S.J. |
1908 |
1909 |
| Rev. Charles W. Lyons, S.J. |
1909 |
1914 |
| Rev. J. Charles Davey, S.J. |
1914 |
1917 |
| Rev. Redmond J. Walsh, S.J. |
1917 |
1920 |
| Rev. Patrick F. O'Gorman, S.J. |
1920 |
1921 |
| Rev. Albert G. Brown, S.J. |
1921 |
1927 |
| Rev. William T. Tallon, S.J. |
1927 |
1933 |
| Rev. Thomas J. Higgins, S.J. |
1933 |
1939 |
| Rev. Thomas J. Love, S.J. |
1939 |
1944 |
| Rev. John L. Long, S.J. |
1944 |
1950 |
| Rev. Edward G. Jacklin, S.J. |
1950 |
1956 |
| Rev. J. Joseph Bluett, S.J. |
1956 |
1962 |
| Rev. William F. Maloney, S.J. |
1962 |
1968 |
| Rev. Terrence Toland, S.J. |
1968 |
1976 |
| Rev. Donald I. MacLean, S.J. |
1976 |
1986 |
| Rev. Nicholas S. Rashford, S.J. |
1986 |
2003 |
| Rev. Timothy R. Lannon, S.J. |
2003 |
Present |
|
Before the end of the first academic year in 1851, the enrollment
rose from fewer than 40 students to 97.
In the following year,
the college received its charter of incorporation from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania
and the enrollment grew to 126 students. The
fledgling college soon outgrew an increasingly noisy and
commercialized location on Willing’s Alley. The college moved in
1856 to a building at Juniper and Filbert Streets, then in a
prosperous residential neighborhood near the future site of City
Hall. In 1889, Saint Joseph’s inaugurated its third site at 17th
and Stiles Streets in
North
Philadelphia, in the heart of Philadelphia’s booming industrial
zone. In 1922, Saint Joseph's opened the first college radio
station on AM radio. In 1927, in recognition of population shifts
toward the western part of the city and into the western suburbs,
the college moved to its current location, 54th and City Avenue, at
the entrance to Philadelphia’s fashionable Main Line. After
World War II, Saint Joseph’s began to
acquire properties across City Avenue on the Main Line itself,
propelling the institution physically as well as culturally into
the suburbs proper.
In fall 1970, the undergraduate day college opened its doors to
women. Saint Joseph's was recognized as a university by the
Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on July
24, 1978. The corporate charter was formally changed to reflect
university status on December 27, 1978.
Recent developments and plans
In 2005,
the University agreed to purchase the Merion campus of neighboring
Episcopal
Academy
. The acquisition adds containing 52
classrooms, eight laboratories, 113 offices, and of playing fields.
Two gymnasiums, a pool, and a new dining hall are also planned for
the new campus. After the announcement alumnus James J. Maguire '58
donated $10 million to help fund the purchase, and Saint Joseph's
officials announced that the tract will be known as the James J.
Maguire '58 Campus. Maguire's gift was later matched by a donation
by Brian Duperreault '69; the two donations are the largest single
alumni gifts in Saint Joseph's history.
The University recently completed a large parking facility on 54th
Street, next to Borgia Hall, named "Hawks' Landing". The facility
provides 471 enclosed parking spaces for students, faculty, staff,
and basketball game attendees, as well as two first-floor
restaurants including Cosi, which is adjacent to Borgia Hall, near
Larry's Steaks. The University Bookstore, which had been located in
the middle of campus in Simpson Hall, was moved to the parking
facility's first floor in the center of the first floor for the
beginning of the Spring 2008 semester.
On October 6, 2007, ground was broken on the Saint Joseph's
University Fieldhouse expansion and renovation. The facility has
been renamed the Michael J. Hagan Arena. Flannigan Hall and Barry
Annex were demolished during fall 2007 to make room for the Ramsay
Center. The project includes a new hall of fame area, basketball
suite, varsity locker rooms and offices as well as a full concourse
with concessions that allows access to the arena from 54th and
Overbrook. The expansion allows for an additional seating of 1,000
more people in the arena.
The university received $7.5 million from the John R. Post family
which will help build state-of-the-art library learning commons,
beginning in 2013.
The rest of the $150 million will go to financial aid and
scholarships, and hiring faculty. All of the money being raised is
part of a fundraising effort called
With Faith and Strength To
Dare: The Campaign For Saint Joseph's University which is a
result of SJU's
Plan 2010: The Path To Preeminence.
The first floor of the Campion Student Center, including the main
dining hall, was completely renovated during summer 2008. Finnesey
Field has also been resurfaced.
A plan was recently proposed that, if accepted by the Board of
Trustees, will lead to the tearing down of Sourin Hall and Tara
Hall, both residence halls. A new residence hall would then be
built in their place and another one would be built on Gest
Lawn.
Speakers

Saint Joseph's shield
Many
famous people including Martin
Luther King, Jr., Chuck D, Desmond Tutu, Michael
Nutter, Chris Matthews, James Cone, Chelsea
Clinton, Caroline Kennedy,
Tim Russert, Jonathan Weiner, Pat
Croce, Tim Wise, Ed Rendell, Dan Marino,
Soledad O'Brien, and Rick Santorum have spoken various locations
around campus, including the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse
.
Demographics
59% of the student population is from out of state. 83% of the
students are white, 5% are black, 2% are Hispanic, 2% are Asian,
and 1% are Native American. The student body is evenly split
between men and women. There is also a nearly even split between
students who study at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Haub
School of Business. Sixty-one percent of traditional full-time
students reside on campus. The university is considered to be
moderately selective during its admissions process and its freshmen
retention rate is 89% while 47% of applicants are admitted which is
fourth among the nation's twenty-eight Jesuit institutions. 38
states and 30 countries are represented by the student body. The
student-faculty ratio is 13:1 and the average class size is around
30 students. The average SAT score out of 1600 for the class of
2012 is 1210. The mean GPA is a 3.5 on the 4.0 scale. The class of
2012 is the largest in the school's history with nearly 1,500
students.
Academics
About 98% of faculty hold the highest possible degrees in their
fields. The 2008 graduation rate was 90% and the freshman retention
rate is 89%. About 51% of undergraduates are enrolled in the
College of Arts and Sciences while 49% are enrolled in the Haub
School of Business.
Peer universities that Saint Joseph's
typically competes with for students include Villanova
University
, University of Delaware
, Penn State University
, Loyola College in Maryland
, and Drexel University
. The
Carnegie
Classification of Institutions of Higher Education has placed
Saint Joseph's under the designation of "Master's Colleges and
Universities (larger programs)".
College of Arts and Sciences
The goal of education in the College of Arts and Sciences is to
"stimulate the mind to think more critically and more
imaginatively; the heart to feel more compassionately; and the
spirit to be more attentive to the intimations of the divine in the
world." The College of Arts and Sciences comprises 16 departments,
offering a wide array of majors as well as many interdisciplinary
minors. These programs include actuarial science, aerospace studies
(
Air Force ROTC), Asian studies,
biology, chemistry, computer science, criminal justice, economics,
education, English, environmental science, European studies, fine
and performing arts, foreign languages and literatures, gender
studies, history, interdisciplinary health services, international
relations, labor studies, Latin American studies, mathematics,
Medieval and Renaissance Studies, philosophy, physics, political
science, psychology, sociology, and theology.
Graduate degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences include
biology, computer science, criminal justice, education,
gerontological services, health administration, health education,
nurse anesthesia, psychology, public safety and environmental
protection, training and organizational development, and writing
studies. Many of the programs offer post-master's certificates in a
variety of areas. The College also offers a doctoral degree in
education.
Erivan K. Haub School of Business
The mission of the Haub School of Business is to "support the
aspirations of students to master the fundamental principles and
practices of business in a diverse, ethical, and globally aware
context. All degree programs stress the development of the
knowledge, skills, abilities, and values that prepare our graduates
to assume leadership roles in organizations of all sizes and
types." The business school is located in Mandeville Hall.
The MBA program offers concentrations in Accounting, Decision and
System Sciences, Finance, Health and Medical Services, Human
Resource Management, International Business, International
Marketing, Management, and Marketing.
An MBA from Saint
Joseph's University is offered at SJU's campus or at Ursinus
College
in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Courses at
both locations are administered and staffed by Saint
Joseph's.
Undergraduate programs include Accounting, Decision and System
Sciences, Finance, Food Marketing, International Business and
Marketing, Management, Marketing, and Pharmaceutical
Marketing.
In addition to the MBA program, HSB offers graduate degrees in
Human Resource Management, Financial Services, International
Marketing, Decision & System Sciences, an Executive MBA,
Executive MS in Food Marketing, Executive MBAs in Food Marketing
and Pharmaceutical Marketing, and a number of China Programs. The
school also offers post-MBA certificate programs.
The
Haub School
of Business
is one of only 15 business schools in the country
to feature a Wall Street Trading Room. The room provides
access to electronic sources of financial and investment data,
analytical tools, and trading simulations. Students in certain
classes must trade stocks to prepare themselves for specific
careers.
The HSB was awarded The
Beta Gamma
Sigma 2006, 2007, and 2008 Silver Chapter Award and has been
ranked in numerous reports and studies done by national companies,
magazines, and websites.
College of Professional and Liberal Studies
The PLS program is Saint Joseph's undergraduate continuing studies
division. As early as 1852, the administration at Saint Joseph's
organized educational opportunities for adults. A regular series of
non-credit courses in several areas was offered beginning in 1942,
and beginning in 1946, the Evening Division, which would eventually
be known as University College, was formally established. In
addition to traditional on-campus programs and majors, University
College offers accelerated degree programs in English and
professional communications, health administration, and leadership.
Adult students wishing to pursue a degree during the day take
advantage of the division's bridge program, and professionals in
certain areas can take part in off-campus programs in professional
communications, criminal justice, food marketing, and purchasing
and acquisitions.
Honors Program
The Honors Program offers an enriched curriculum that broadens
cultural interests, integrates knowledge, sharpens writing skills
and encourages student involvement in the learning process.
Students may enroll in General Honors, which is awarded upon
successful completion of eight Honors courses or Departmental
Honors, which is awarded upon successful completion of a
two-semester honors level research project. Students of an
exceptional caliber may apply for the University Scholar
designation. Those who qualify are freed from four to ten of their
senior year course requirements in order to complete an independent
project of unusual breadth, depth and originality.
Rankings
The University has been ranked 8th among Best Universities-Master’s
(North) in both
U.S.
News and World Report's
"America's Best Colleges 2008" and "2009" editions (out of 173
schools). In addition, the publication ranks the Haub School of
Business' part-time master's program 8th in the North region and
the best in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. HSB is also ranked by
BusinessWeek (57th in the nation for
its undergraduate program) and
The
Princeton Review mentioned as one of "The Best 143 Business
Schools" in 2007 and one of the best 290 in 2008). Saint Joseph's
was also featured on Princeton Review's list of top 222 colleges in
the Northeast. Barron's Profiles of American Colleges rate Saint
Joseph's as "very competitive" among colleges and universities
nationwide. CampusExplorer calls St. Joe's "highly selective". and
one of the best 290 in 2008 The Corporation for National and
Community Service placed Saint Joseph's University on the 2007
President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the
highest honor a school can achieve for its commitment to
service-learning and civic engagement. US News and World report
gives SJU a 80 out of 100 overall. US News and World Report named
Saint Joseph's Haub School of Business among the best graduate
programs in the country in its 2009 edition. The school's graduate
education was also listed among the best.
College Prowler recently gave SJU high marks
in Academics (B+), Local Atmosphere (A-), Athletics (B+), Nightlife
(A-), Safety & Security (B+), and Facilities (B). In 2010,
US News and World Report
ranked the Haub School of Business' part-time MBA program as the
best in Southeastern Pennsylvania and one of the top 25 in the
nation. This is the 5th time in 6 years that the Part-Time MBA
program has received this distinction from U.S. News. In 2008, for
the third year in a row, the Haub School of Business was awarded
the Silver Chapter Award by Beta Gamma Sigma. The Princeton Review
rated SJU an 85 out of 100 academically in its 2009 edition. In
2008,
Forbes ranked Saint Joseph's as the
201st best college in the country. The Haub School of Business and
SJU's Marketing program were both ranked amongst the best in the
country by the 2009 edition of
US News and World Report. The
undergraduate Marketing program was named one of the 24 best in the
nation. In addition, the Haub School of Business was recognized by
Beyond Grey Pinstripes, a biennial survey of business schools, for
being one of the top 100 schools (at number 76)in the world at
integrating ethical issues into graduate business curricula for the
years 2009 to 2010.
Campus
Saint
Joseph's University's campus, often referred to as Hawk Hill, is
located on City Avenue, which splits the
University between the northwestern edge of Philadelphia and
Lower Merion Township
. A bridge which goes over City Avenue,
connects the two sides of the campus. Its are concentrated from
Cardinal Avenue to 52nd Street and Overbrook Avenue to City Avenue,
but also includes individual buildings separate from the main
campus. With the acquisition of
Statue of the Hawk
Maguire Campus, 57 of the are located on the Lower Merion side of
City Avenue.
It is within of La Salle University, Harcum
College, Rosemont College, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic
Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
, Drexel University
, Temple University
, Bryn Mawr College
, Haverford College
, Philadelphia University
and Villanova University
. There are 650 work stations on campus and
all of the dorms are wired for access to the campus-wide network.
Two regional rail train stations on each side of campus provide
students with easy access to Center City. St. Mary's, Gest, Claver,
Neumann, and Wolfington are all lawns located on the Main Campus
while there are two quadrangles, College Hall Quad and Barbelin
Quad. There are two libraries on campus, the Campbell Collection in
Food Marketing & the Francis A. Drexel Library which house
approximately 355,000 volumes, 1,450 print journals, 15,000
full-text electronic journals, 2,800 e-books, 866,000 microforms,
4,975 audio-visual materials. Two shuttles operated by Saint
Joseph's run along City Avenue and stop at Mandeville Hall for
students.
Main Campus
The Main Campus at Saint Joseph's contains the majority of academic
buildings and freshmen dorms at SJU. Barbelin, Mandeville,
Bellarmine, Post Halls, and the Science Center are all located
there. It also includes the Campion Student Center, the Drexel
Library, Chapel of Saint Joseph, Hawks' Landing parking facility,
the bookstore, and
Finnesey Field.
The Main Campus is located on the Philadelphia side of City Avenue
between Cardinal and Overbrook Avenues and 52nd Street.
James J. Maguire '58 Campus
On 8 August 2008, Saint Joseph's completed the acquisition of the
adjacent Episcopal Academy after purchasing the property in 2005.
The new campus which covers was named the Maguire Campus for the
lead donor, a Saint Joseph's alum, James Maguire. Many existing
academic departments such as the English, Education, Sociology, and
Fine and Performing Arts departments will relocate to the Maguire
Campus. The first building to be in use has been named Cynwyd Hall.
The Maguire Campus is located directly across from the Main Campus
on the Lower Merion side of City Avenue.
The athletic department is also taking full advantage of the
acquisition as eight tennis courts, softball, baseball, soccer, and
two multi-purpose fields already reside there. A gym and indoor
pool will also be used for intramurals and recreation.
What was the old Episcopal Academy chapel will become a multi-use
space which will house lectures, concerts, and social gatherings.
There are talks of a small cafeteria and coffee shop being added to
this space as well.
Along with all of the buildings and fields, the Maguire Campus adds
over 300 parking spaces for faculty and students and a number of
acres will be turned into green space. There are over 600 different
species of trees on the Maguire Campus.
The Maguire Campus is also home to the Kinney Center for Autism
Education and Support established in 2009 which was made possible
with donations totaling over $8 million. The Center is located in
Cynwyd Hall.
As of this moment, the University is having zoning issues with the
Lower Merion Township concerning the usage of the Maguire
Campus.
Overbrook Campus
The Overbrook Campus is located about a mile from and on the same
side of City Avenue as the Main Campus. It includes mostly
upper-classmen residence halls Moore Hall, Morris Quad, Ashwood
Hall, and Alumni House. The SJU shuttle that runs along City Avenue
stops at the Overbrook Campus.
Buildings
Saint Joseph's most recognizable building is
Barbelin Hall, opened in 1927 when the
University moved to its current location. The hall is known for its
Gothic architecture,
particularly the gargoyles that mark what is called the Barbelin
Quadrangle and the tall, four-spired bell tower that can be seen
from miles away.
The bell tower that sits atop Barbelin
served as the University's logo for several years and is located
upon Philadelphia's highest geographical location.
Barbelin Tower
Barbelin was built by
John McShain who
would later go on to construct many buildings in
Washington,
D.C.
such as
The Pentagon
and The Jefferson Memorial.
Barbelin, and adjacent Lonergan Hall, are two of eight dedicated
classroom buildings on campus. Other class buildings include John
R. Post Hall, Mandeville Hall, Bellarmine Hall, the Science Center,
Cynwyd Hall, and Boland Hall, the University's fine arts building
which features the University Gallery where paintings and other
works of art are showcased to students and the public. Classes are
also held in Claver Hall, the home of the Honors Program; McShain
Hall, a residence center; and the ELS building for international
students. A number of buildings on the Maguire Campus will be
dedicated to classes especially those for the fine arts. One
building will be solely dedicated to the music department.
Walkway under Barbelin Hall
The University has three dormitory-style residence halls: McShain,
Sourin Hall, and LaFarge Residence Center. Students also live in
several campus houses, including Hogan, Jordan, Quirk, St.
Albert's, St. Mary's, Simpson, Sullivan, and Xavier Halls and the
Morris Quadrangle Townhouses. Apartment-style living is available
on campus at Ashwood, Borgia, Merion Gardens, Rashford, and
Wynnewood. Rashford and Borgia Halls are the newest campus
residences, opened in 2004.
Many of the campuses houses are located on Lapsley Lane, which
features a number of campus offices housed in the former homes of
Lower Merion residents. These include Bronstein Hall, Regis Hall
(Office of the President), and St. Thomas Hall
The Campion Student Center is where students generally go to eat.
It includes the Hawk's Nest, Campion Food Court, Campion C-Store,
Quizno's, Bene Pizza, Ancho Grill, Hawk
Wrap, Grille Works, Freshens Smoothie Co., Così, and Jump Asian.
The Bellarmine Express is also a popular place for a quick snack.
The Student Center also has a Theatre Forum where current movies
are shown frequently and an area called the Hawk Rock where
students can play pool, watch movies, play videogames, or watch
live bands or speakers.
In all, there are 74 buildings on the university's campus.
About 60 percent of students at Saint Joseph's live on campus.
Options for on campus housing include apartments, residence halls,
campus houses, and townhouses.
Athletics

Saint Joseph's athletics logo
Saint Joseph's University is home of
the Hawks, the
University's athletic program. It fields teams in 20 varsity sports
in Division I of the
National Collegiate
Athletic Association. The Hawks are part of the
Atlantic Ten Conference; because the
Atlantic 10 does not support men's
lacrosse, the Hawks play that sport in the
Metro Atlantic Athletic
Conference.
Along with the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph's
is a member of the Philadelphia Big
5, intensifying rivalries with Temple University
and Villanova University
along with another A-10 member LaSalle and of
course the University of Pennsylvania. Saint Joseph's plays
all of its "home" Big 5 games at The Palestra honoring the Big 5
Palestra traditions and encourages the other Big 5 schools to do so
as often as possible. The Saint Joseph's school colors are crimson
and gray. An impressive 89% of student athletes graduate.
Men's Basketball
Men's basketball is the most popular sport at Hawk Hill. The team
has competed in nineteen NCAA Tournaments (1959, 1960, 1961, 1962,
1963, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1997,
2001, 2003, 2004, 2008) and has won seven Atlantic 10 regular
season titles and two A-10 tournament championships and ranks
33
rd all time with a .605 winning percentage. The team
is currently led by coach
Phil
Martelli. The 2003-2004 Saint Joseph's University Hawks were
the last Division I College Basketball team to finish the Regular
Season undefeated. Saint Joseph's ended the regular season with a
27-0 record and secured a #1 national ranking and a #1 seed in the
NCAA tournament. Saint Joseph's University's basketball team was
ranked 43
rd best of all-time by Smith & Street's
magazine in 2005. Twenty-seven players from St. Joe's have been
drafted into the NBA.
The Saint
Joseph's basketball teams play most of their home games at Alumni
Memorial Fieldhouse
on the school's campus, while some games are played
at the Palestra
on the campus of the University
of Pennsylvania
. During the 2008-09 basketball season, the
Hawks will play all but one of their home games at the Palestra.
Their
first home game will be played against Rider University
at the Wachovia Center
in South Philadelphia. Saint Joseph's
University also offers 30 intramural and recreational
programs.
Their
major rival is Villanova University
(the rivalry is known as the Holy War). Fans of
the Hawks often chant "The Hawk Will Never Die!". Since the
school's undefeated regular season, this chant has gained
familiarity with the team's opponents. In 2003,
Sports Illustrated listed that cheer
among
The 100 Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate (Whatever
the Cost), calling it "the most defiant cheer in college
sports." Also included on the list at number 10 was "Visit
Boathouse Row, a cluster of 19th century buildings in Philadelphia
that marks the epicenter of U.S. rowing" where Saint Joseph's has a
boathouse of its own.
SJU's mascot,
The Hawk, has
garnered numerous accolades in its 50-year history. It won a "Best
of Philly" award from Philadelphia Magazine in 2003-04, has been
named the Atlantic 10 Conference's best mascot, and has been
selected as the nation's top mascot by The Sporting News, Sports
Illustrated, Sports Illustrated for Kids, Street & Smith's
Basketball Yearbook, and ESPN College Basketball magazine. The Hawk
continuously flaps its wings during all appearances.
Saint Joseph's is also a member of the
City
6. Similar to the Big 5, the City 6 comprises six local
colleges who compete in various extramural sporting events.
The
schools who compete are Saint Joseph's, Villanova
University
, University of Pennsylvania
, La Salle University
, Drexel University
, and Temple University
. About 75% of SJU men's basketball players
graduate.
Saint Joseph's University hosted first and second round games of
the
2009 NCAA Men's
Division I Basketball Tournament.
The games were played
at the Wachovia
Center
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on March 19 and March 21.
Athletic facilities
- East Norriton Field: Located in East Norriton,
Pa., East Norriton Field has served as Saint Joseph's University
home softball field for the past 11 seasons. Prior to its move to
East Norriton Field, SJU used nearby Belmont Plateau as its primary
home field.
- Elmwood Park: The home of Saint Joseph's
University baseball is Elmwood Park's Latshaw/McCarthy Field in
Norristown, Pa. Originally laid out in 1938, the field was being
rebuilt when the Hawks moved in for the 1990 season. The park's
dimensions measure to the foul poles and to center field.
- Robert Gillin, Jr. Boathouse: Saint Joseph's
University celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2000-01.
In conjunction with that celebration, the SJU Rowing Program, along
with Saint Joseph's Prep, kicked off a capital campaign to finance
the construction of a state-of-the-art boathouse on the Schuylkill
River. The boathouse provides a permanent home for the Hawk rowing
programs. In addition, it provides the University with a
significant presence on Kelly Drive. Named in honor of Robert
Gillin, Jr., groundbreaking for the facility took place in the fall
of 2001. The total cost for the project was approximately $3
million dollars, plus an endowment fund to support ongoing
operational costs.
- Finnesey Field: Laid out in a natural bowl in
the center of Saint Joseph's campus, Finnesey Field has been the home of Hawk
athletic teams since 1929. Originally constructed for football and
opened in 1929 with plans for an eventual 70,000-seat stadium, the
field has undergone numerous changes over the years.
- Tennis Complex at the Maguire Campus: The
tennis team moved to the six refurbished courts on the Maguire
Campus in 2009 with the first SJU Invitational.
- Finnesey Courts: Adjacent to Finnesey Field
stand the Finnesey Courts and home to the Hawk men's and women's
tennis teams from the late 1940s until 2009. Prior to that SJU
primarily played its home matches at the nearby Narberth courts.
When courts were first built on campus, they were located where
Bellarmine Hall now stands. Due to Bellarmine's construction in the
summer of 1960, however, the Finnesey courts were torn down and
rebuilt in their current location. These courts are still used by
students.
- Michael J.
Hagan Arena
: The on-campus home of the Hawks basketball teams,
originally named for the Saint Joseph's graduates who gave their
lives in World War II. The building was officially dedicated
on November 11, 1949 and two weeks later, played host to its first
basketball game, a 62–46 loss to Rhode Island on November 26.
Following that initial setback, SJU would go on to win the next 23
games in the friendly confines of the Fieldhouse. Overall, the
Hawks have compiled an impressive 305–76 record (80.0 winning
percentage) on Hawk Hill. Among the highlights of the Hawks'
homecourt advantage was a 34-game winning streak from the late
1950s to the early 1960s, an 11–0 record in 2000–01 and the
unbeaten 11–0 mark as the Hawks made their perfect season run in
2003–04. All told, SJU has had only two losing records in the
Fieldhouse over 57 seasons. The Fieldhouse currently can hold 3,200
fans but will soon be renovated to add another 1,000 seats.
After the
renovation is complete, it will be renamed Michael
J.
Hagan Arena
. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at the
Fieldhouse in the 1960s.
The university also has a 240 by 120 four-court multi-purpose area
for basketball, tennis, and volleyball, an indoor four-lane jogging
track, an 8-lane 25-meter indoor pool with a 300 seat observation
area, four racquetball courts, locker rooms and saunas, a large
fitness center, and nine outdoor tennis courts. The Maguire Campus
includes another two gyms, a pool, and a weight room.
Student Life
All students receive a HawkCard which can be linked to banking
services and is also used as a swipe card which then gives students
access to residence halls or other areas of campus. Students can
also use their HawkCards to pay for meals or snacks at various
locations around campus. Student life is documented in
The
Hawk, the school newspaper. Intramurals are popular on
campus, especially thanks to the
City 6
extramurals which pit all Philadelphia Division I schools against
one another. The non-traditional motto of the school is
Spirit,
Intellect, Purpose.
Organizations
The school offers many organizations for students to join. They
include five national
fraternities and
four national soroities, a radio station, WSJR, and two newspapers,
The
Hawk and the HawkEye.
The Villiger Debating Society, the school's nationally recognized
speech and debate team which has finished in the top twenty in the
nation for the past ten years, has enjoyed a 150 year legacy of
success.
A number of community service organizations exist such as Up 'Til
Dawn,
Habitat For Humanity,
Hand In Hand, Helping Hawks, Students Against Sweatshops, and
Students For Peace and Justice. Numerous student government
organizations such as Student Union Board, University Student
Senate,
College Democrats, and
College Republicans also
exist.
There are over 100 organizations in all at SJU.
Greek life
Approximately 7% of men and 13% of women are in fraternities and
sororities, respectively.
Fraternities
Sororities
Publications and Media
Saint Joseph's University has two newspapers, the
HawkEye
and
The Hawk. The
HawkEye is a newsletter for
faculty and alumni while
The Hawk
is for students and written by students. Another online only
newsletter is called Hawk Hill Online.
The Crimson and Gray
Literary Magazine showcases the best of student fiction,
poetry, and artwork in an annual publication; students and faculty
may download the magazine for free (available from the
organization's website) or pick one up from select locations around
campus. The university also has a magazine called
SJU
Magazine that is printed every season. The Drexel Library has
its own newsletter called
Library Lines. The
Saint Joseph's University
Press prints books and articles written by faculty and other
authors.. The university's radio station is
WSJR and it is a member of the
Philadelphia College Radio
Collective.
Housing
Approximately 61% of students at Saint Joseph's live on campus.
There are a number of housing options including dorms, apartments,
townhouses, and campus houses which can be found on various
locations around campus.
Traditions
- Hawk Hill: In the early 1920s, when former
University president Albert G. Brown, S.J. decided to move the
college campus from its location just north of the city at
Seventeenth and Stiles to its current site in Overbrook on
Philadelphia's west side, he selected the location in part because
its hilltop perch overlooking downtown Philadelphia provided a
dramatic setting for the construction of the college's main
building, Barbelin Hall. In fact, for
many years Barbelin's signature carillon tower ranked as the
highest point from sea level in the city of Philadelphia. Later,
according to oral tradition, students and faculty frequently saw
real hawks circling the skies above Barbelin, before swooping down
on their prey. The familiar scene eventually led to the coining of
the moniker "Hawk Hill".
- Colors: The college colors of crimson and gray
date back to the 1890s when it is related that a young seminarian
leading a pep rally saw the colors on a book he was holding.
Thinking they looked attractive together, he announced that these
would be the school colors.
- Fight Songs: "Oh When the Hawks Go Flying
In!!" and "Mine Eyes".
- The Hawk Will Never Die: The motto of Saint
Joseph's athletics and the University itself. Chanted at basketball
games, the mascot demonstrates the motto by flapping its wings the
entire game including halftime.
- Free Period: There are no scheduled classes on
Tuesdays and Thursdays between 11:15 and 1:00 which allows student
organizations to meet.
- The Seal: Many students avoid walking on the
university seal in Mandeville Hall until their senior year.
- Saint Joseph statue: Students rub the toes of
this statue in front of Barbelin Hall for good luck.
- University Chapel: Being a Jesuit institution,
the Chapel is an important and popular place for many
students.
- Basketball: A rich and important tradition at
a school in a city known for college hoops.
- Larry's Steaks: Right near the campus on 54th
Street, Larry's Steaks has served SJU students with classic
cheesesteaks for years.
Alma Mater
- Saint Joseph’s hail! In song we praise
- Our mother dear and fair.
- In life’s grim battle, we’ll march on
- With faith and strength to dare.
- For valiant deeds make stout our hearts
- To prove your sons are true.
- Let us rejoice and with one voice
- Pledge loyal love to you.
- Saint Joseph’s hail! Our blood runs
proud
- To hold tradition’s fame,
- For words of gold on history’s scroll
- Shed glory on your name.
- To honor God, to love all men,
- Crusaders for each fray,
- Against the sky our colors fly,
- Deep crimson folds and gray.
Notable alumni
There are over 50,000 living alumni of Saint Joseph's who live in
all 50 states and 59 countries.
Image:Charles dunlap.jpg|Charles J. Dunlap,
Jr.Image:LtGenKadish.jpg|Ronald
T. KadishImage:AVonEchenbach2.jpg|Andrew von EschenbachImage:Jamie Moyer
Phillies.JPG|Jamie MoyerImage:John
Lehman, official photo as Secretary of the Navy, 1982.JPEG|John LehmanImage:AssoJstcJMcK.jpg|Joseph McKenna
References
- Saint Joseph's University: Office of the Dean, CA&S
External links