Saint Joseph's University

St. Joe's, founded by the Jesuits in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College, is the seventh oldest Jesuit university in the United States and is named after the legal father of Jesus, Saint Joseph.[10]

Statue of Joseph, a 1st-century Jewish man of Nazareth who, according to the canonical Gospels, was married to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was the legal father of Jesus[11] and who is venerated as Saint Joseph in the Catholic Church

On June 1, 2022, Saint Joseph's University acquired University of the Sciences (aka USciences and fka Philadelphia College of Pharmacy), adding professional programs in health and science, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, pharmacy and physician assistant (as USciences had offered more than 30 degree and certification programs across a wide range of pharmaceutical and healthcare-related disciplines.[12]). Hence, St. Joe's can now trace its history to February 1821, when 68 apothecaries aka pharmacists met in Philadelphia's Carpenters' Hall to establish improved scientific standards and to develop programs to train more competent apprentices and students. They formalized their new association through a constitution, which declared their intent to establish a school of pharmacy to enhance their vocation and to "guard the drug market from the introduction of spurious, adulterated, deteriorated or otherwise mischievous articles, which are too frequently forced into it".[13] Classes began nearly immediately, making it the first institution of higher learning in the United States dedicated to the field of pharmacy.[14]

In 1825, the college began publishing the first academic journal in the United States dedicated to pharmacy. The apothecaries formalized their new association through a constitution, which declared their intent to establish a school of pharmacy to enhance their vocation and to "guard the drug market from the introduction of spurious, adulterated, deteriorated or otherwise mischievous articles, which are too frequently forced into it".[15]

Since Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (last known as University of Sciences in Philadelphia or USciences) was chartered in 1822, SJU, the successor to Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and USciences, is now the first institution of higher learning in the United States dedicated to the field of pharmacy.[16]

St. Joe's college started on September 15, 1851,[17] when 36 students began classes in a building adjacent to Old St. Joseph's Church Roman Catholic church on Willings Alley, between South 3rd and South 4th Streets and Walnut and Spruce Streets in Philadelphia.[18]

St. Joe's moved in 1866 from Willings Alley to a full block on Girard Avenue between 17th and 18th Streets in Philadelphia (now the location of Saint Joseph's Preparatory School).[19]

St. Joe's moved to its present City Avenue Hawk Hill campus in November 1927 after St. Joe's raised over million dollars enabling the (i) purchase of twenty-three acres and (ii) construction of its modern collegiate Gothic architectural main academic building.[20]

The Seal of Saint Joseph's College, now University, at the Burns Library at Boston College

The Seal of Saint Joseph's University signifies its history and values. Other Jesuit educational institutions share three of these symbols. The wolves over a kettle pot show the generosity of the Loyola family towards the poor. Tradition claims that the Loyolas provided so much food for their soldiers that even the wolves had enough to eat. IHS are the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, and the historic monogram of the Society of Jesus. The stripes signify the 7 sons of the House of Loyola, who died defending their home. The lily is the distinguishing symbol of the university, honoring Saint Joseph, the school's patron saint. The seal is the graphical representation of Saint Joseph's and its Jesuit identity.

On March 10, 2023, Saint Joseph's University's board of trustees elected Cheryl A. McConnell its 29th – and first female – president in the university's 172-year history, effective immediately. McConnell is a 35-year veteran of Jesuit higher education, having most recently served as Saint Joseph's interim president since last June, and as provost and chief academic officer for three years prior.[21]

The university has an undergraduate honors program, housed in Claver House.[24]

The main campus is located on the Philadelphia side of City Avenue between Cardinal and Overbrook Avenues and 52nd Street, and is the original location of the university when it moved to City Avenue in 1927. Saint Joseph's most recognizable building is Barbelin Hall, opened in 1927. The hall is known for its Gothic architecture, particularly the gargoyles that mark what is called the Barbelin Quadrangle (or Barbelin Courtyard) 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. Barbelin Hall 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.[27]

View SouthWest across athletic fields and at Barbelin Hall on Hawk Hill of Saint Joseph's University.

Main campus contains the majority of academic buildings, first-year residence halls, and campus houses. Barbelin (College of Arts & Sciences), Mandeville (Haub School of Business), Bellarmine, Post, and Science Center comprise the main academic halls. Campus houses are a prominent feature of main campus serving as departmental offices for fine arts (Boland Hall), communication studies (Bronstein Hall), and the president and provost (Regis Hall), as well as several housing options for first-year students and upperclassmen. Green spaces on campus include St. Mary's, Claver House, and Wolfington lawns located on the Main Campus, in addition to two quadrangles, College Hall Quad and Barbelin Quad.

The Post Academic Center is the university's main library, the result of a renovation of the original Francis A. Drexel Library and an expansion project called the Post Learning Commons, from 2011 to 2013. Drexel Library and Post Learning Commons are connected via a glass atrium and bridge through the heart of campus. Post Academic Center houses approximately 355,000 volumes, 1,450 print journals, 15,000 full-text electronic journals, 2,800 e-books, 866,000 microforms, and 4,975 audio-visual materials. Unique to the Post Academic Center is the Campbell Collection in Food Marketing.[28]

Campion Student Center is the hub for student activities, student life administrative offices, and dining facilities. The building was renovated in 2008 and now includes the main dining hall; a food court featuring Grille Works, Subway, and Hawk Wrap; and the C-Store. The student center also features the Doyle Banquet Halls, Forum Theater, and President's Lounge used for larger gatherings and lectures on campus. Located just off Campion Student Center is Simpson Hall, which houses the Student Media Center and The Perch, a 24-hour student lounge.

In September 2012, the university purchased the adjacent Cardinal's Residence on 54th and Cardinal Avenue from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.[29] Beginning with the fall 2014 semester, the Cardinal's Residence was renamed 5800 City Ave. It serves as a welcome center for prospective families and has offices for all enrollment management operations.

On August 8, 2008, Saint Joseph's completed the acquisition of the adjacent Episcopal Academy after purchasing the property in 2005. The new 38-acre area (150,000 m²) was named the Maguire Campus for the lead donor, Saint Joseph's alumnus James Maguire. The Maguire Campus is located directly across from the Main Campus on the Lower Merion side of City Avenue. The Maguire Campus features three main academic buildings: Merion Hall, Connelly Hall, and Toland Hall. Merion Hall is the largest of the three, and includes the University Gallery.

The Cardinal John Foley Center, a multi-use space, hosts lectures, concerts, and social gatherings, in addition to large-scale admission events. The Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support, established in 2009, was made possible with donations totaling over $8 million, and is located in Connelly Hall. Duperreault, Quinn, and Windrim Halls are campus houses serving as administrative space for University Advancement.

Athletic facilities include the Michael A. O'Pake, Esq. '61 Recreation Center, Ellen Ryan Field (field hockey), John Smithson Field (baseball), Curran Lawn, and a softball field.

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 Overbrook Campus is located about a mile from and Main Campus, near Overbrook Train Station. Here also Saint Joseph's University owns buildings on both sides of City Avenue. Currently the campus holds six dorms, reserved exclusively for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. These dorms are Ashwood Apartments, Wynnewood Hall, Merion Gardens Apartments, Pennbrook Apartments, Morris Quad Townhouses, and Moore Hall. The campus also holds the Alumni House.[26]

Although it is located about a mile from the main campus, Saint Joseph's University runs shuttles every 30 minutes (and 15 minutes during peak hours) to accommodate students.

Approximately 80% of students at Saint Joseph's live on campus. Housing options include residence halls, apartments, townhouses, and campus houses.

First-year students can choose from traditional residence halls (McShain Hall and Villiger Hall), suite-style residence halls (Sourin Residence Center and LaFarge Residence Center), or campus houses (Tara and Quirk Halls). Villiger Hall, the university's newest residence, opened in August 2012. All first-year housing options are located on the main campus. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors can choose to live in several campus houses or apartments. Additionally, by Fall 2022, the university is set to open a new residence hall specifically for students on the Autism spectrum.[21]

During a presentation to the faculty in April 2013, President Kevin Gillespie, S.J., announced that, partially thanks to the popular Magis campaign, the university was beginning to expand, as it has a freshman class of 1,300 students enrolled for the fall of 2013. By 2017, it hoped to enroll 6,000 undergraduate students.[30]

The university is heading into the final leg of its strategic plan, Plan 2020: Gateway to the Future, focused on increased academic distinction, facility enhancements, and endowment growth. The university has raised over $12.1 million and created 40 new scholarships under President Gillespie's Magis Scholarship Initiative.[31] In 2023, St. Joseph's announced the acquisition of the University of the Sciences.[32]

Larger campus enhancement projects include a new dining hall and black box theatre on Maguire Campus, and an expansion of Mandeville Hall currently on hold due to funding concerns.[33]

Additional projects include an acquisition of the Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation, which is adjacent to the university's campus in Lower Merion Township. The proposed acquisition is currently pending in the Montgomery County Orphans' Court, and would be a significant addition to the university. Should this be accepted, the university would offer a horticulture minor program, as well as provide a fine arts gallery, including murals by famed artist Henri Matisse. This expansion has been largely possible due to a historical $50m gift made in 2017 by alumnus James Maguire ('58).

In March 2022, the university's planned merger with the University of the Sciences was approved by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.[34] The merger took effect on June 1, 2022, and university president Mark Reed told Axios he was not ruling out future mergers and acquisitions.[35]

Saint Joseph's 8,860 students come from all over the United States, with most from the Northeast, including Pennsylvania.[36] Of these students 4,670 are traditional undergraduates, while the university's graduate and professional student population is numbered at 3,580.[36]

The student body is 51.5% female and 48.5% male.[36] The retention rate for Saint Joseph's is high, with about 88.3% of students returning for their sophomore year.[36] 74% of students graduate within four years,[36] due in part to the student-faculty ratio, which is 14:1. 39.7% of classes have fewer than 20 students.[36]

The overall acceptance rate is 58.3%, with early action acceptance at 68.4%.[36] The average freshman retention rate is 88.3%.[36]

Of the Class of 2013, 94% were either employed, pursuing graduate studies, or involved in full-time volunteer programs within six months of graduation.[41] The average starting salary was $48,400 for the Class of 2013, while the average graduate student from the Class of 2013 received $13,600 in scholarships.[41]

Beginning with the Class of 2014 high school graduates, Saint Joseph's University is test optional. This means that it does not require applicants to submit SAT or ACT test scores, although applicants may choose to submit these scores. The university's program is a four-year test program that was scheduled to be reassessed in 2017.[42]

In the summer of 2014, John Haller, associate provost for enrollment management at Saint Joseph's, discussed the progress of the SAT optional program. For the class of 2018, applications increased by 8 percent to 8,500. About 18 percent of those applicants chose not to submit test scores. Of the incoming fall 2014 freshman class of 1,350, one in five was admitted without having submitted test scores. Haller also noted that the average GPA for the class was identical to the previous year's class.[43]

Saint Joe's has 100 student organizations.[6] It has 20 NCAA Division 1 Athletic programs, 30 clubs and intramural sports, and fitness programs. It competes in the Philadelphia City 6 Extramural Classics.[44] The women's ice hockey team is a club sport at Saint Joe's, but is recognized by the Delaware Valley College Hockey Conference (DVCHC) as a Division III sport.[45] Organizations include national fraternities and sororities; a radio station; two newspapers, The Hawk and the HawkEye; the Student Union Board; the Student Senate; and the Student Concert Committee.[44] The Villiger Debating Society is the university's debating society.

Saint Joseph's University publishes the official alumni SJU Magazine three times a year. Standalone magazines are published once a year for the Haub School of Business (Haub School Review) and College of Arts and Sciences (Intellect). The Hawk, the university's student newspaper, is published weekly during the fall and spring semester. Students that take a class called news reporting is the writers in the hawk and also the members of the club are writers. The Hawk is fully run by students with help from the professors. This is a club and class that prepares you for journalism and editorial skills in the future. 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 (from the organization's website) or pick one up from select locations around campus.[46] The Drexel Library has a newsletter called Library Lines.[47] The Saint Joseph's University Press prints books and articles written by faculty and other authors.[48]

Radio 1851 is Saint Joseph's University's student-run radio station and plays a variety of genres, including indie rock, rap/hip-hop, country, and electric dance music. The station began in 1922 as WSJR,[49] the first college radio station to broadcast on AM, and moved to FM in the 80s.

Saint Joseph's University recognizes eight social Greek organizations and two co-educational, professional Greek organizations. Approximately 21% of undergraduates are affiliated with a social fraternity or sorority.[50] No Greek housing is provided by the university.

No sorority has ever been closed or otherwise dormant.

One of the most famous mascots in college sports, the Saint Joseph's Hawk has been flapping its wings for over 50 years. Jim Brennan originated the idea for a hawk as mascot during the 1954–1955 season. Brennan, a former Marine and SJU cheerleader, at first wanted to secure an actual hawk, but later switched to the costume idea. The student government raised the $120 needed to buy the initial costume, which Brennan donned for three years. He made his debut as the Hawk on January 4, 1956, at a 69–56 win over La Salle University at the Palestra.[51]

The Hawk is best known for staying in constant motion by flapping its wings throughout every basketball game, and for representing the Saint Joseph's motto, "The Hawk Will Never Die". It is also recognized by its "flying" in figure eights around the court during timeouts.[51]

While Saint Joseph's fields 20 NCAA sports, the university's most popular sport is men's basketball. Saint Joseph's has a rich basketball tradition. Most home games are played at Hagan Arena on the school's campus, while some games are played at the Palestra on the University of Pennsylvania campus.

Saint Joseph's major rival is Villanova University. The rivalry is known as the Holy War, although starting in 2013 both schools requested that the media refrain from using the term.[52] The school also maintains intense rivalries with the other Philadelphia universities.

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."[53]

Saint Joseph's Hawk mascot (caught in mid-flap as Hawk never stops the flapping of its wings during the entire game) at Princeton University's Jadwin gymnasium in 2018

Barbelin Hall & Finnesey Field

Hagen Arena basketball court

• John Smithson Field: Named after alum and former interim president John Smithson, the Hawks on-campus baseball field opened in 2012 on Maguire Campus. It features a synthetic surface with a dirt pitching mound and an AstroTurf 3D GameDay Grass surface. Bleacher seating capacity is 400 with much more space for standing room only.
• SJU Softball Field: The softball team opened their on-campus field in 2012. It features a turf outfield and bleacher seating for 400 spectators.
• 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, plus an endowment fund to support ongoing operational costs.
• Sweeney Field: Laid out in a natural bowl in the center of Saint Joseph's campus, Sweeney Field (formerly known as Finnesey Field) is the home field of Hawk soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey teams. 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 Sweeney 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.

Hagan Arena

• Michael J. Hagan Arena: The on-campus home of the Hawks basketball teams was originally named Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse 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' home court 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 held 3,200 fans but the arena has a capacity of 4,200. Martin Luther King Jr., spoke at the Fieldhouse in the 1960s.[54]
• Ellen Ryan Field: The Field Hockey team returned to campus after a multi-year hiatus with the addition of Ellen Ryan Field on the Maguire Campus in 2011. Ryan Field has a synthetic AstroTurf12 pitch and is situated adjacent to City Avenue.

The university also has a 240 by 120 four-court multi-purpose area for basketball, tennis, and volleyball, an indoor four-lane 200-yard (180 m) 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; this has been renamed to the O'Pake Athletic Center.