Saint Joseph's University

Saint Joseph's University (SJU or St. Joe's) is a private Jesuit university in Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. The university was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851 as Saint Joseph's College. Saint Joseph's is the seventh oldest Jesuit university in the United States and the sixth largest university in Philadelphia. It is named after Saint Joseph. It merged in 2022 with the University of the Sciences (formerly known as Philadelphia College of Pharmacy). In 2023, Saint Joseph's University announced it would acquire Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences. This will expand Saint Joseph's University by adding a campus in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and expanding the size of the student body especially with students studying nursing and health.

Saint Joseph's University has nearly 9,000 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students in over 134 undergraduate programs, 77 graduate programs, and 9 adult learner programs. It has 14 centers and institutes, including the Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support and the Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Center for Business Ethics.

Saint Joseph's athletics teams, the Hawks, are an NCAA Division I program that competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference and the Philadelphia Big 5. The official colors of the university are crimson and gray. The school mascot is The Hawk, which never stops flapping its wings while in costume.

Jesuit and Catholic identity
The university's Jesuit community live in one of two locations on the Hawk Hill campus. The Loyola Center, located on City Line Avenue, is connected to Manresa Hall, the infirmary for Jesuits. The Loyola Center exclusively houses retired members of the Jesuit Community. The second location, Arrupe Hall, serves as housing for active Jesuits at Saint Joseph's University, and features a large dining hall and chapel.

The university extensively uses its Jesuit identity in its branding. It began the Magis ("greater") campaign in 2013 to highlight commitment to living "For the greater glory of God" (Ad maiorem Dei gloriam), the motto of the Society of Jesus.

SJU also promotes the Jesuit principle of cura personalis or "care for the whole person." Undergraduates must complete a general education program that focuses heavily on traditional liberal arts disciplines.

On September 27, 2015, Pope Francis, a Jesuit, made a stop at the university during his two-day visit to Philadelphia.

Beginning of Collegiate Jesuit Education in Philadelphia
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.

Origin of North America's First College of Pharmacy
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. ). 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". Classes began nearly immediately, making it the first institution of higher learning in the United States dedicated to the field of pharmacy.

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".

Campus locations of Philadelphia's first Jesuit college
St. Joe's college started on September 15, 1851, 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.

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).

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.

Seal
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.

Presidents
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.

Academics
The university has four schools and colleges that offer 211 academic programs and 9 degree-completion and post-baccalaureate certificate programs.

Of tenure-track faculty, 100% hold the highest possible degrees in their fields. As of 2022, the six-year undergraduate graduation rate was 83% and the first-year student retention rate was 89%. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classified Saint Joseph's among "Master's Colleges and Universities (larger programs)".

The university also has 14 centers and institutes, which include the Academy of Food Marketing, The Barnes Arboretum at Saint Joseph's University, Center for Addiction and Recovery Education, Center for Professional Development, Faith-Justice Institute, Institute for Environmental Stewardship, Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations, Institute of Clinical Bioethics, Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support, Maguire Academy of Insurance and Risk Management, Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Center for Business Ethics, Philadelphia Regional Institute for STEM Educators and Substance Use Disorders Institute.

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

Campus


Saint Joseph's University's main campus, often referred to as Hawk Hill, is located on City Avenue, which splits the university between the western edge of Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township. Portions of the property are in the Lower Merion side.

On June 1, 2022, as a result of the merger with University of the Sciences, Saint Joseph's acquired a second major campus. The University City campus covers approximately 24 acres of urban landscape in the section of West Philadelphia known as University City, which also encompasses the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.

The university's official mailing address is in Philadelphia. A bridge that spans City Avenue connects the two sides of the main campus. Its 125 acre are concentrated from Cardinal Avenue to 52nd Street and Overbrook Avenue to City Avenue. The university also owns several buildings that are not on the main campus. With the acquisition of the Maguire Campus, one half of the 125 acre are located on the Lower Merion side of City Avenue. In all, there are 99 buildings on the university's campus.

St. Joe's is within 15 mi of La Salle University, Harcum College, Rosemont College, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Temple University, Swarthmore College, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Philadelphia University, Eastern University, Cabrini College, and Villanova University. SEPTA regional rail train stations on each side of campus provide students with easy access to Center City.

Main campus
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 constructed [The Pentagon]] and the Jefferson Memorial.



The Hawk Hill campus features Barbelin Hall (College of Arts & Sciences), Mandeville Hall (Haub School of Business), Bellarmine Hall, Post Hall, and the Science Center as the main academic halls. 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. Barbelin Hall is also home to the university's Office of Public Safety & Security on the Hawk Hill campus.

The Post Learning Commons 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. The Post Learning Commons 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 Learning Commons is the Campbell Collection in Food Marketing.

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

Campion Student Center is the hub for student activities, student life administrative offices, and dining facilities. The student center within Campion 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 2023, the dining facilities were renovated, with the new dining facility being named "The Kettle". The Kettle utilizes the concept of ghost kitchens and mobile ordering, and offers dining options such as Auntie Anne's, Jamba Juice, Food Lab, and Hawk Wrap. Two retail spaces were also added to The Kettle, Moe's Southwestern Grill and Bento Sushi. The Kettle also offers a separate large dining area with buffet-style food.

James J. Maguire '58 Campus
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.

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. There are over 600 different species of trees on the Maguire Campus.

Overbrook 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 two dorms, reserved exclusively for sophomores. These dorms are the Ashwood Apartments and the Merion Gardens Apartments. The campus also holds the Alumni House.

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.

University City Campus
The University City Campus is bordered on one side by Clark Park and on another by The Woodlands, an historic cemetery that now serves as a large urban park with walking and bicycle trails. The campus comprises 24 buildings, including academic halls, laboratories, mixed-use and dedicated residence halls, as well as open spaces and athletic venues.

The university's second library, the J.W. England Library, was acquired in the University of the Sciences merger. The England Library contains specialized information regarding pharmacy, pharmacognosy, pharmaceutics and foreign drug compendia. Other areas of specialization include toxicology, pharmacology and physical therapy. In total, the library houses more than 470,000 volumes, with an annual circulation of approximately 5,680. The library is also a member of the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM), which is administered under the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). Among its collection are the holdings of the Leopold Helfand Rare Book and Archives Room, which include seventeenth and eighteenth-century botanicals, books once belonging to Benjamin Franklin and Sir Isaac Newton, as well as the theses of Dr. Eli Lilly, Sir Henry S. Wellcome and Silas M. Burroughs, written in their own hand.

The University City Campus is located four miles away from the Hawk Hill campus, with Saint Joseph's University offering an intercampus shuttle service which runs from morning to night on weekdays throughout the day.

Housing
First-year students on Hawk Hill can choose from traditional residence halls (McShain Hall and Villiger Hall) or suite-style residence halls (Sourin Residence Center and LaFarge Residence Center). Villiger Hall, the university's newest residence, opened in August 2012. Sophomores can choose to live in several campus houses or apartments. On the University City Campus, students may choose to live in the Living & Learning Commons.

Saint Joseph's University also offers specialized housing options for students: a supported residence hall for students with autism spectrum disorder, a recovery residence for students in addiction recovery, gender-inclusive housing, and residential learning communities.

Current developments and plans
In 2018, Saint Joseph's University announced that it had entered into an educational collaboration with The Barnes Foundation. The Arboretum of the Barnes Foundation, located next to the Hawk Hill Campus, would have facilities and operations handled by Saint Joseph's University, while the Barnes Foundation would continue to oversee historic buildings and the Arboretum. In May 2023, the university opened the Maguire Art Museum within the Arboretum after renovating many aspects of the building. The museum collaboration has been attributed by the university 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. On June 1, 2022, the merger took effect, and the University of the Sciences merged with Saint Joseph's University, joining it.

Additionally, in May 2022, the university announced SOAR: The Campaign for Saint Joseph's University. The largest fundraising campaign in the university's history, the campaign seeks to raise $300 million in order to improve the campus experience, affirm their commitment to financial aid, and to continue to improve and develop academic programs and research initiatives. Nearly a year later, the university announced that over half of the money sought by the campaign, $152 million, had been raised. As part of the campus plan, construction began on a new residence hall in Fall 2023, which the university named after Sister Thea Bowman. Additional on-campus construction and developments are listed on the university's Campus Master Plan.

In January 2023, Saint Joseph's University announced a planned merger with Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences in January 2024. With this merger, the university announced that it would be launching an undergraduate nursing program on Hawk Hill in 2024. The merger marks the third campus location for Saint Joseph's University. The university will add nearly 2,000 additional students from the PA College community to the Saint Joseph's community.

Demographics
Saint Joseph's 7,861 students come from all over the United States, with most from the Northeast, including Pennsylvania. Of these students 5,071 are traditional undergraduates, while the university's graduate and professional student population is numbered at 2,790.

The student body is 55% female and 45% male. The retention rate for Saint Joseph's is high, with about 86% of students returning for their sophomore year. 76% of students graduate within four years, due in part to the student-faculty ratio, which is 10:1.

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

Of the Class of 2013, 94% were either employed, pursuing graduate studies, or involved in full-time volunteer programs within six months of graduation. 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.

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.

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.

Organizations
Saint Joe's has 100 student organizations. It has 20 NCAA Division I athletic programs, 30 clubs and intramural sports, and fitness programs. It competes in the Philadelphia City 6 Extramural Classics. 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. 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. The Villiger Debating Society is the university's debating society.

Publications and media
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. It is fully run by students, with help from professors. The paper is written by students in the club and class called News Reporting.

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.

The Drexel Library puts out a newsletter called Library Lines.

The Saint Joseph's University Press prints books and articles written by faculty and other authors.

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

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

Social sororities
No sorority has ever been closed or otherwise dormant.

Athletics
Saint Joseph's University is the home of the Hawks, its athletics program. The school colors are crimson and gray. SJU fields teams in 20 varsity sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Hawks are part of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Since the Atlantic 10 does not support men's lacrosse, the Hawks play in the Northeast Conference for that sport only.

Along with the Atlantic 10, Saint Joseph's is a member of the Philadelphia Big 5, which intensifies local rivalries within Philadelphia city schools. Its effect on Saint Joseph's causes intense games with Temple University, Villanova University, the University of Pennsylvania, and inter-conference rival LaSalle University.

Saint Joseph's is also a member of the City 6. Similar to the Big 5, the City 6 comprises the entire Philadelphia Big 5 plus Drexel University, which did not participate in Division I athletics until 1973. In addition to official team rivalries, the local colleges also compete in various extramural sporting events to crown a City 6 Champion.

The Hawk mascot
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.

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.

Men's basketball
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. 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."

Athletic facilities



 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * Athletic/Recreation Center (ARC): Located on the University City Campus, the ARC serves as the main athletic facility for students at the UCity campus. Featuring 78,000 square feet of space, the facility includes an indoor track, basketball court, gym equipment, and multiple rooms in which events are able to be hosted.

The university also has a four-court multi-purpose area for basketball, tennis, and volleyball, an indoor four-lane 200 yd jogging track, an esports lab on the Hawk Hill campus, four racquetball courts, locker rooms and saunas, and nine outdoor tennis courts.

Alumni
there are over 95,000 living alumni of Saint Joseph's University.