Franciscan University of Steubenville is a Catholic
institution located in Steubenville, Ohio, 37.4 miles
(60.2 km) west of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania.[2]
The school (originally named the "College of Steubenville") was
founded in 1946 by the Franciscan Friars of
the Third Order
Regular.[3]
In 1974, Fr. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R., became President and
began a series of major reforms to restore the school to its
Catholic heritage.[4]
In 1985, the University changed its name from "College of
Steubenville" to "University of Steubenville," and finally to
"Franciscan University of Steubenville."[5]
Academics
The school offers 41 undergraduate majors (seven
pre-professional programs), 34 minors, 6 special minor programs
(not available as majors), and seven graduate degree
programs.[6]
The University maintains a 15:1 student-faculty ratio.[7]
Students need a minimum of 124 credits for graduation. The
number of electives varies with each major program. The University
operates on the American semester system. Three summer sessions also are
available.
Franciscan University of Steubenville participates in the
Advanced Placement
(AP) Program, the College Level Examination
Program (CLEP), and International Baccalaureate (IB)
and gives credit by examination in a number of subjects.
Associate degree programs
Associate degrees are awarded in accounting, business
administration, child development, general studies, and
theology.
Undergraduate programs
Bachelor of Arts degrees are awarded in biology, catechists
(formerly known as religious education), chemistry, classics,
communication arts (multimedia, journalism, and TV/radio), drama,
economics, English (drama, British and American literature, Western
and world literature, and writing), French, German, history,
humanities and Catholic culture, legal studies, music (sacred
music), philosophy, political science, psychology, sociology,
Spanish, and theology.
Bachelor of Science degrees are awarded in accounting,
anthropology, biology, chemistry, international business,
economics, finance, management, marketing, computer information
science, computer science, education (with 14 different licensure
programs), mathematical science, mental health and human services,
nursing, and social work.
Special
programs
The Army ROTC program was approved in 2010 and currently has 13
cadets. Air Force ROTC classes are offered through the University
of Pittsburgh.
The University offers the following pre-professional programs:
dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy,
and veterinary medicine. For undergraduate business majors, a 4+1
program allows for accelerated completion of an MBA.
There is also an honors program in the Great Books of Western Civilization,
offered to highly qualified undergraduate candidates.[8]
The Priestly Discernment Program offers human, academic,
spiritual, pastoral and fraternal formation for men discerning the
priesthood.[9]
Graduate
programs
The University offers Masters of Arts degrees in Counseling,
Philosophy, Theology and Christian Ministry; Master of Business
Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Education; Masters
of Science in Educational Administration, and Nursing. The Master
of Arts in Theology and Christian Ministry is offered both on
campus and through the Distance
Learning Program, with most courses available via audio-taped
lectures.[citation
needed]
In Fall 2011, the University began to offer an on-line MS in
Education through a new on-line educational system. In January
2012, an online MBA in Business Ethics and Law and an online MBA in
Managerial Accounting were made available. The university is
planning to have all MBA-related classes available by the end of
the 2012-2013 academic year.[10][citation
needed]
Austrian
program
Since 1991, up to 180 students per semester study at the
University’s program in Gaming, Austria.
The campus is located in a renovated fourteenth-century Carthusian monastery, known as
the Gaming Charterhouse,[11]
in the foothills of the Austrian Alps.[12]
The old monastery serves as a hotel during summer months.
The Austrian Program features a four-day class schedule, Monday
through Thursday, so students may spend extended time visiting
religious, cultural, and historical sites throughout Europe. The
program sponsors trips throughout Europe.[13]
In 2011 Franciscan University launched a summer mini
program[14]
in Austria. The session lasted from May 21 to June 30,
2011.[15]
Student
life
Students are encouraged to join in faith households, small
groups of students whose members study, recreate, and pray with one
another. Typically, these student groups are attached to a
particular dormitory on campus and are centered around particular
devotions or charismatic gifts. In 2011, there were 43 active
households.[citation
needed]
There is one nationally recognized fraternity, though not
recognized by the school, Alpha Phi Delta.[citation
needed] There is one nationally recognized
sorority active on campus, Theta Phi Alpha. It is a historically
Catholic Fraternity.[16]
The campus is also known for its liturgies, retreats and
spiritual talks. Hundreds of students make a weekly commitment to
Eucharistic adoration, and most Masses
have standing room only, even on weekdays.[17][citation
needed] The Works of Mercy Program places
students shoulder-to-shoulder with the poor and marginalized in
inner city and rural communities. Over summer, winter, and spring
breaks, students volunteer to help others and preach in the United
States and in countries such as Ecuador, Haiti, Jamaica, and
Thailand. Students join the pro-life group, Students for Life,
while others sign up for evangelization and Christian outreach
activities spearheaded by the Student Life Office, households, and
other campus groups.
There is a 28-member student government.[18]
Student-run clubs and academic organizations include Computer
Science Club, Tennis Club, Students for Life, Francis Films,
Philosophy Club, St. Jerome Debate Society, Ut Unim Sint club for
ecumenism, and Biology Club.[19]
Athletics
Varsity
Franciscan University's athletics teams, nicknamed the Barons,
compete in NCAA Division III as a member of the
Allegheny Mountain
Collegiate Conference.[20]
The men's rugby team competes in Division III with the
Allegheny Rugby Union. In July 2011,
Franciscan signed a three-year sponsorship agreement with
Adidas.[21]
The university sponsors 14 sports, six for men and eight for
women:
|
Men's
- Basketball
- Cross Country
- Rugby
- Soccer
- Tennis. The 2012-2013 Men's Tennis team earned
an entry into the NCAA DIII national tournament, becoming the first
Baron team in any sport to qualify for NCAA postseason play. That
team defeated Elizabethtown College in the first round before
falling to #2 ranked Kenyon.
- Track and Field
|
Women's
|
Intramurals
Franciscan University offers a variety of intramural sports
throughout the academic year. Flag football and volleyball are held
during the fall semester, and basketball and ultimate Frisbee in
the spring. A co-ed Sunday futsal
soccer league runs through both semesters, and there are several
one-day tournaments held periodically, such as co-ed softball, sand
volleyball, and 3-on-3 basketball.
The
campus
The academic buildings on campus include Egan Hall, Stafford
Hall, Saints Cosmas and Damian Hall, and
the Saint Joseph Center.
Egan Hall houses: classrooms, a theater, television and radio
studios, special laboratories for the education, and psychology
departments, and computer workstations on each floor.
In the newly remodeled Stafford Hall, a simulated clinic gives
nursing students the opportunity to practice their skills. Stafford
Hall also contains classrooms and offices.
Saints Cosmas and Damian Hall is the
main science building. It houses biology and chemistry
laboratories, classrooms, and the campus' largest lecture hall. It
also serves as additional laboratory space for the Nursing Department, and contains two computer science
labs with advanced software for programming.
Starvaggi Hall is the main administrative building on campus. It
also houses Admissions, Financial Aid, Career Services, and the
Registrar.
The John Paul II Library’s collection includes more than
230,000 books and bound periodicals, and more than 390 current
periodicals. The OPAL Catalog and OhioLINK
Network provide access to many research databases and more than
7 million books and journals.[22]
There are 12 residence buildings on campus: Saint Francis Hall, Trinity
Hall, Marian Hall, Saint Thomas More Hall,
Saint Louis Hall, Saint
Elizabeth Hall, Kolbe Hall,
Clare Hall, Padua Hall,
Saint Bonaventure Hall,
Vianney Hall, and Scotus Hall. Assisi Heights, a small neighborhood
of apartments, is also available for upperclassman and graduate
student housing.
Franciscan University of Steubenville has two soccer fields, a rugby field, a baseball field, and a field designated primarily for
intramural sports. In 2007, the university purchased the golf
course which borders the main campus from the city of Steubenville
for future development. It is currently used by the cross country
team for practice.
Christ the King Chapel is the center of the spiritual life of
the campus. There are three Masses every weekday while classes are
in session, four Masses on Sundays, vespers on Sunday evening,
praise & worship every Tuesday, and confessions held at least
four times per week. Weekday Masses are routinely standing room
only, while Sunday Masses during the school year require extra
chairs to be arranged in the foyer and the Eucharistic chapel.
The Portiuncula chapel, a replica of St.
Francis' original chapel, sits on the edge of the main campus. It
is home to perpetual adoration
(at least two students volunteer to be present and adore the Blessed
Sacrament during every hour of the week throughout the fall and
spring semesters). Outside of this chapel are the Tomb of the
Unborn Child, which contains the remains of seven aborted fetuses,
a Creche, Stations of the Cross, and Marian
Grotto. In 2009 the Vatican designated the Portiuncula as a place
of pilgrimage where the faithful can obtain a plenary indulgence on five certain days through the year
and under certain conditions of prayer and a detachment from
sin.[23]
The J.C. Willams Center is the student center on campus. It
contains a coffee shop and eatery, the campus bookstore, student
mailboxes, several meeting rooms, four lecture halls, and areas for
studying or socializing. It also houses the Tom and Nina Gentile
Gallery, which contains numerous works of art donated to the
University.
The Finnegan Fieldhouse is home to a basketball court, two racquetball courts, a weight room, one room for
aerobic classes, a cardiovascular room, and the campus health and
counseling center, as well as classrooms.
At the far north end of campus is the Steel Cross. This cross,
made of two steel I-beams,
is 35 feet tall and visible from afar.
Reputation
The University is ranked in the top tier in its category
(Masters Colleges in the Midwest) in the 2011 U.S. News & World
Report’s list of America’s Best Colleges.[24]
Young America's Foundation rates Franciscan as one of the top 10
conservative colleges in the nation, and the Cardinal Newman
Society ranks it as one of the 21 top Catholic colleges and
universities in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic
College.
Recent Franciscan University of Steubenville graduates have
gained admission to such post-graduate institutions as Yale Law School, Notre Dame Law School, Boston University School of
Law, UCLA Medical Center,
and the Mendoza College of Business at
Notre Dame.
[25]
Alumni