Franciscan University of Steubenville

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Franciscan University of Steubenville


Established:	1946
Type:	Private/Catholic
Endowment:	$32.6 million
President:	Rev. Terence Henry, TOR
Staff:	206
Undergraduates:	2,032
Postgraduates:	440
Location:	Steubenville, Ohio, USA
Mascot:	Barons
Website:	www.franciscan.edu

|tuition= $18,700 |athletics= NCAA Division III

Franciscan University of Steubenville is a Catholic institution located in Steubenville, Ohio, 40 miles west of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.^[1] The school (originally named the "College of Steubenville") was founded in 1946 by the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular.^[2] In 1974, Fr. Michael Scanlan, TOR, became president and began a series of major reforms to restore the school to its Catholic heritage.^[3] In 1985, the University changed its name from "College of Steubenville" to "Franciscan University of Steubenville".^[4]

1 Academics
2 Austrian program
3 Student life
4 The campus
5 Reputation
6 External links
7 References

Academics

The school offers five associate degree majors, thirty-five bachelor degree majors (eight preprofessional programs), and seven graduate degree programs. The University maintains a 15:1 student-faculty ratio.^[5]

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, 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, philosophy, political science, psychology, religious education, sociology, Spanish, and theology.

Bachelor of Science degrees are awarded in accounting, anthropology, biology, business administration (international business, economics, finance, management, and marketing), computer information science, computer science, education (with twenty different licensure programs), mathematical science, mental health and human services, nursing, and social work.

Special programs

The University offers the following pre-professional programs: dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, theology, 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.^[6]

Graduate programs

In addition to its undergraduate programs, the University also offers a Master of Arts in Counseling, Master of Arts in Philosophy, Master of Arts in Theology and Christian Ministry, Master of Business Administration (MBA), Master of Science in Education, Master of Science in Educational Administration, and Master of Science in Nursing. The Master of Arts in Theology and Christian Ministry can be earned through the Distance Learning Program, with most courses available via audiotaped lectures.

Austrian program

Since 1991, up to 150 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 Kartause Maria Thron, in the foothills of the Austrian Alps.^[7]

The Austrian Program features a four-day class schedule, so students may spend extended time visiting religious, cultural, and historical sites throughout Europe. The program also includes a ten-day pilgrimage to Rome and Assisi.^[8]

Student life

Faith households, small groups of students whose members support, recreate, and pray with one another, break through the isolation that frequently permeates dorm life. Up to 600 students join households that foster Christian values through mutual encouragement and development of positive peer support.^[9]

The campus is also known for its vibrant liturgies and strong turnout for retreats and spiritual talks. Hundreds make a weekly commitment to Eucharistic adoration, and most Masses have standing room only, even on weekdays.^[10]

The popular 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, the Franciscan Missions of Peace offer students the chance to help others and share the gospel in the United States and in countries such as Ecuador, Haiti, Jamaica, and Thailand. Many 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. A wide range of student-run academic clubs and a thriving athletic program that offers varsity, sports, intramural sports, recreational sports, and outdoor adventures for every athletic ability round out a Franciscan education.

The University’s Pre-Theologate Program is one of the few of its kind in the nation, offering a community of prayer, support, and study for men discerning the priesthood.^[11]

The campus

The academic buildings on campus include Egan Hall, Saints Cosmas and Damian Hall, and the Saint Joseph Center.

Egan Hall is primarily for non-science classes, with the exception of the Nursing wing. 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 nursing wing, a simulated clinic gives nursing students the opportunity to practice their skills.

Saints Cosmas and Damian Hall is the science building on campus. It houses: High-tech classrooms, many biology and chemistry laboratories, and the campus' largest lecture hall. It also serves as additional laboratory space for the Nursing Department. The hall also contains two computer science labs that have advanced software for programming.

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 countless Web sites and databases and more than 7 million books and journals.^[12]

There are 12 residence buildings on campus: Saint Francis Hall, Trinity Hall, Marian Hall, Saint Thomas More Hall, Saint Louis Hall, Saint Elizabeth Hall, Saint Maximilian Kolbe Hall, Saint Clare Hall, Padua Hall, Saint Bonaventure Hall, Saint Jean Vianney Hall, and Duns Scotus Hall.

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 a golf course (which borders the main campus) from the city of Steubenville. Although plans for the property are still unknown, it is currently used by the cross country team for practice and to host meets.

Christ the King Chapel is the center of the spiritual life of the campus. Typically, there are three masses said everyday, vespers said in the evening, and confession held at least three times per week. Attendance is high at all of these events.

The Portiuncula chapel, on the edge of main campus, 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 is the Tomb of the Unborn Child, Creche, Stations of the Cross, and Marian Grotto.

The J.C. Willams Center is the main recreational building on campus. It contains a cafe, several meeting rooms, four lecture halls (at which guest speakers make their presentations), and many tables, chairs, and couches for studying or socializing.

The Finnegan Fieldhouse is home to a basketball court, two racquetball courts, an extensive weight room, two large rooms for aerobic classes, and the campus health and counseling center.

At the far north end of campus is the "Steel Cross." This large cross made to two steel I-beams is an image closely associated with the university, as it is present in much advertising media and visible from afar.