Sacred Heart University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sacred Heart University

Image:Sacred Heart University shield.gif
Motto Where Personal Attention Leads to Personal Achievement
Established 1963
Type Private
President Anthony J. Cernera
Faculty 187
Undergraduates 3,200
Postgraduates 1,400
Location Fairfield, Connecticut, USA
Campus Suburban 65 acres
Athletics 32 varsity sports teams
17 women's; 15 men's
Mascot Pioneers
Website www.sacredheart.edu


Sacred Heart University, the second-largest Catholic university in New England, offers more than 50 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs. Its main campus in Fairfield, Connecticut, is complemented by satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. Over 5,600 students are enrolled in its four colleges: Arts & Sciences; Education & Health Professions; University College; and the newly established John F. Welch College of Business, committed to educating students in the leadership tradition and legacy of Jack Welch. U.S. News & World Report and the Princeton Review place SHU among America’s best colleges in the Northeast, and Intel rates it #11 among the nation’s most “unwired” campuses. SHU fields 32 Division I athletic teams, and has an award-winning program of community service.


Contents

[edit] Sacred Heart University at a Glance

• Founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of Bridgeport.

• SHU is the second-largest Catholic university in New England and was the first in America to be led and staffed by lay people.

• U.S. News & World Report's “America's Best Colleges 2006” ranks SHU in the top tier of Master's Universities in the North, while the Princeton Review recognizes SHU as among the “Best in the Northeast” in its annual college rankings. SHU also ranks 11th in the nation on Intel's 2005 “Most Unwired College Campuses.”

• Approximately 5,600 students attend the University: 3,200 full-time undergraduates, 1,000 part-time undergraduates and 1,400 graduate students.

• The top four home states for incoming freshmen are New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

• Nearly 50 percent of incoming freshmen rank in the top 25 percent of their graduating high school class.


[edit] Alumni

• More than 27,000 degrees have been awarded to over 24,000 alumni.

• SHU alumni can be found in nearly every state in the U.S.


[edit] Faculty

• Nearly 80 percent of the University's full-time faculty have the highest degrees in their field.

• Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 12-to-1.


[edit] Academics

• The University is comprised of four distinct colleges: Arts & Sciences; Education & Health Professions; University College; and the newly established John F. Welch College of Business, committed to educating students in the leadership tradition and legacy of Jack Welch.

• The University offers more than 50 degree programs on the associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels.

• SHU's Doctor of Physical Therapy program, launched in September 2004, is the first doctorate in the University's history and the first such curriculum in the state of Connecticut.


[edit] Technology

• All full-time undergraduates receive a laptop computer, which is replaced after two years. Students keep their laptops upon graduation.

• The University is fully wireless—indoors and out – ranking 11th in the nation on Intel's 2005 “Most Unwired College Campuses.”


[edit] Athletics

• Nearly 800 students participate in the University's 32 Division I athletic teams.
• Arman Dixon placed 7th in the 200m at the 2007 NCAA Indoor National Championships, becoming the 1st SHU Div. I Track & Field athlete to earn the title of All-American.

[edit] Financial Aid

• Nearly 90 percent of all full-time undergraduates receive financial aid, representing a University commitment of more than $18 million annually.


[edit] Community Service

• More than 1,200 students and members of the faculty and staff volunteer in excess of 31,000 hours each year, largely within the City of Bridgeport.

• For an unprecedented 12 years in a row, Sacred Heart University earned top honors from the state of Connecticut for its volunteer service efforts.


[edit] Campus Housing

• Seventy percent of full-time undergraduates reside in campus housing.

• The University has ten on-campus residence halls.


[edit] The Campus

• SHU is set on 65 acres in suburban Fairfield, Connecticut, and adjacent Bridgeport. It is 90 minutes from Manhattan and 150 minutes from Boston.

• The University maintains branch operations for working adults in Stamford, Derby and Griswold, Connecticut.


[edit] SHU Abroad

• SHU has the only American-accredited MBA program in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and a residential program in the Irish-speaking community of Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland.

• International experiences are available to SHU students through its varied study-abroad programs located at Trinity College, in Dublin, Ireland; the American University of Rome, in Italy; the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle, Australia; and the University of Granada, in Spain.


[edit] History

Sacred Heart University was founded in 1963 by the Most Reverend Walter W. Curtis, Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport. It was established to provide the community with an affordable, quality education at a local Catholic university. From its outset, the University bore the mark of innovation. Charting a new direction within American Catholicism, the University was to be led and staffed by the laity independent and locally oriented, serving the needs of the diocese and of southwestern Connecticut. Signs of the University's growth and vibrancy are evident. Enrollment has risen from the original class of 173 to more than 5,600 full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate students, and the faculty has increased from 9 to 187 full-time professors, with over 300 adjunct professors.

The University has enhanced the undergraduate student experience in notable ways. In 1990, it accepted for the first time students who wanted the residential experience. It now has 10 residential buildings with 70 percent of the full-time undergraduates residing in university housing.

New degree programs and majors in relevant disciplines are regularly added to the curriculum. The University offers Division I athletics with 32 varsity teams. The $17.5 million William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center is available to all students and to the community at large. Recognizing the importance of technology, Sacred Heart University provides all full-time undergraduate students with a laptop computer. The University campus is a wireless environment.

[edit] Four colleges

The University consists of four colleges: College of Arts & Sciences, John F. Welch College of Business, College of Education and Health Professions, and University College. University College is committed to the adult learner, and its evening, weekend and accelerated courses earn praise for their diversity and relevance to changing lifestyles. An ever-widening outreach to the community balances the University's commitment to academic excellence. The groundbreaking Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Studies (1990-2004) helped educate more than 25,000 men and women for pastoral and catechetical work and other Church ministries. The Center for Spirituality and Lay Ministry provides opportunities for theological updating and spiritual development as well as programs to bridge the gap between the world of work and the world of the spirit. And the Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding (CCJU), which earned the personal endorsement of Pope John Paul II, has become a global leader in fostering interreligious dialogue. Closer to home, more than 1,200 students, faculty and staff members volunteer in excess of 31,000 hours to community service each year.

[edit] Mission

Sacred Heart University is a coeducational, independent, comprehensive institution of higher learning in the Catholic intellectual tradition whose primary objective is to prepare men and women to live in and make their contributions to the human community.

The University aims to assist in the development of people knowledgeable of self, rooted in faith, educated in mind, compassionate in heart, responsive to social and civic obligations, and able to respond to an ever-changing world. It does this by calling forth the intellectual potential of its students, nurturing each one's spiritual and moral growth, and deepening in them a sense of social responsibility. The University is committed to combining education for life with preparation for professional excellence.

Sacred Heart University is Catholic in tradition and spirit. As a Catholic university, it seeks to play its appropriate role in the modern world. It exemplifies in its life the Judeo-Christian values of the God-given freedom and dignity of every human person. Inspired by the ecumenical spirit of the Second Vatican Council, Sacred Heart University welcomes men and women of all religious traditions and beliefs who share its concerns for truth, scholarship, the dignity of the human person, freedom, and the betterment of human society. It values religious diversity as enhancing the University community and creating opportunities for dialogue in the common search for truth. Through its curricular and co-curricular activities and campus ministry programs, the University provides the context in which students have the opportunity to appropriate in a critical fashion their own religious traditions.

Sacred Heart University challenges its students to think critically, analyze carefully, evaluate with a sense of justice and proportion, and convey conclusions in an intelligible and articulate fashion. The University provides the environment in which its students can develop the aesthetic dimension of life by nurturing their abilities to imagine, create and appreciate. It assists students to acquire a rich understanding of their own cultural and family heritages so as to assume their responsibilities as conveyors and creators of culture and family.

As a community of teachers and scholars, Sacred Heart University exists for the pursuit of truth. It joins with other colleges and universities in the task of expanding human knowledge and deepening human understanding. It encourages and supports the scholarly and artistic work of its faculty and students. Further, it has a responsibility to share its resources and its special gifts and talents for the betterment of the human community. All members of the University community are encouraged strongly to participate in the wider community through service to others, especially the poor.

From its founding, the University has been recognized for its caring approach to students. This expresses the University's belief that each student is born with a unique set of qualities and skills. It respects the personal and academic freedom of each of its members while, at the same time, fostering a genuine experience of community. By so doing, it creates the environment in which each person in the University shares in common goals and a common commitment to truth, justice, and concern for others. Catholic Intellectual Tradition The Catholic intellectual tradition is a founding principle of the academic experience at SHU. It is a mindset that animates great thinking, innovative proposals, a supportive community and a strong belief in diversity – including, of course, religious diversity across the campus.

Our landmark centers – from Catholic Thought, Ethics & Culture to Christian-Jewish Understanding to Mission Education & Reflection to Center for Spirituality and Lay Ministry and beyond – provide lively discussion groups, lectures and curricula on modern questions. A true leader in Catholic education today, SHU also spearheads important national conferences and publications on exactly what it means to be a Catholic university in the 21st century – and what it means to students.

[edit] Academics

The University’s focus on unparalleled academic opportunities – rooted in the Catholic intellectual tradition and the principles of engaged learning – creates an absorbing, customized educational experience for each student.

From College of Arts & Sciences students conducting groundbreaking research, to John F. Welch College of Business students creating award-winning campaigns in national competition, to College of Education & Health Professions students making an impact in at-risk communities – SHU promotes an atmosphere of growing and doing.

SHU also offers academic support services, technology, an expanding library, and endless resources to suit every student need – plus the program flexibility to match every student experience from undergraduate and graduate students, to part-time adult students, to online learners.

[edit] Programs of Study

+ 4+1 Accelerated Graduate Degree Program Available

    • Special Advising Available


[edit] Technology

Sacred Heart’s longtime commitment to “anytime, anywhere learning” has made it a technology leader among colleges and universities nationwide. It began with the revolutionary 1995 debut of the Mobile Computing Program – providing every freshman with a state-of-the-art laptop and key software programs. This commitment has been reinforced each year, including the introduction of a campus-wide wireless network in 2002. Further, SHU's InfoTech Department is always on the job – with 12-hour Help Desk and Call Center support, regular technology training courses, “smart classroom” services, free high-speed printing, easy digital equipment loans, and constant attention to storage bandwidth and high-speed connection needs – ensuring students never have to slow down. Centers and Institutes Sacred Heart University's centers and institutes were created to meet the University's mission to contribute knowledge and insight to the issues, history, and policies of a complex world.

These centers and institutes explore issues, conduct research and study, foster understanding, and provide leadership within SHU and outside of the University.

Center for Christian-Jewish Understanding

Center for Spirituality and Lay Ministry

Center for Catholic Thought, Ethics, & Culture

Center for Mission Education and Reflection

Center for Strategic Planning for Not-for-Profit Organizations

Hersher Institute for Applied Ethics

The Polling Institute

[edit] Arts

Experiencing a wide range of artistic expression is key to a well-rounded liberal arts education. At SHU, the emphasis on culture provides students with many opportunities to view, create and interact with the arts – including digital design, music, dance, theatre, poetry, film, digital media arts and more.


The University presents major national and international artists – as well as student/faculty shows – on campus at the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts and the Gallery of Contemporary Art. WSHU, the University’s resident National Public Radio station, broadcasts notable arts and commentary. And the Pioneer Bands and Choral Ensembles offer numerous concerts throughout the year. Students may choose an arts-related major/minor through the College of Arts & Sciences – and/or join one of many creative student organizations – where they can organize talent events, open-mics, art shows, plays and poetry readings – as well as participate in cultural trips to NYC, Boston and New Haven.

[edit] Athletics

At Sacred Heart University, the athletics programs, be they varsity, intramural or recreational, are about more than just competition and winning. These programs are built on a longstanding tradition of helping student-athletes realize their potential, strengthen their character, and empower their minds while developing self-confidence and valuable leadership skills.

Athletic programs are predicated on the philosophy that success in the classroom and positive participation in the greater community go hand-in-hand with success on the athletic field.

SHU student-athletes have the opportunity to compete against some of the most aggressive National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I institutions in the nation to develop these valuable life skills. As a full member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) and as an associate member of the Atlantic Hockey and the Colonial Athletic Associations, University teams take the field, court and ice against top-flight national and regional schools.

The $17.5 million William H. Pitt Health and Recreation Center features a 2,100-seat arena, four basketball courts, a state-of-the-art fitness center (one of several on campus), an aerobics and fencing room, a varsity wrestling room, and much more – including an outstanding Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Center. Students also enjoy a $1.3 million FieldTurf athletic field and eight-lane outdoor running track, six superior Deco II tennis courts, and multiple grass fields and trails around campus.

The Department of Athletics has undergone tremendous growth over the past six years and now fields 32 varsity teams, including 17 women's programs and 15 men's programs, as well as five junior varsity teams. Among New England independent institutions, Sacred Heart University is one of only a handful to offer such a diverse assortment of NCAA athletic programs. Sacred Heart University made a major commitment to its athletics programs, bringing them in line with its top-flight academic and service programs, when it elevated the varsity programs to the NCAA Division I level in September 1999.

Additionally, its proximity to New York and Boston for professional sports outings – and its prime New England location for seasonal recreation from boating to skiing – makes SHU the right place to stay active year-round.

[edit] Campuses

SHU is set on 65 acres in suburban Fairfield, Connecticut, and adjacent Bridgeport. It is 90 minutes from Manhattan and 150 minutes from Boston. The University maintains branch operations for working adults in Stamford, Derby and Griswold, Connecticut. SHU has the only American-accredited MBA program in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and a residential program in the Irish-speaking community of Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. International experiences are available to SHU students through varied study-abroad programs located at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland; the American University of Rome, in Italy; the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle, Australia; and the University of Granada, in Spain.

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] External links

Northeast Conference
Central Connecticut • Fairleigh Dickinson • LIU–Brooklyn • Monmouth • Mount St. Mary's • Quinnipiac • Robert Morris • Sacred Heart • St. Francis(NY) • St. Francis(PA) • Wagner
Atlantic Hockey
Men's Division: Air Force • American International • Army • Bentley • Canisius • UConn • Holy Cross • Mercyhurst • RIT • Sacred Heart
Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association
East Stroudsburg • George Mason • Harvard • Juniata • New Haven • NJIT • NYU • Penn State • Princeton • Queens College • Rutgers–Newark • Sacred Heart • Saint Francis • Springfield • Vassar
This article on a northeastern U.S. institution of higher education is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/a/c/Sacred_Heart_University_6b76.html"