Saint Francis University

History

Saint Francis was established in 1847 by six Franciscan teaching Brothers from Mountbellew, Ireland. They had been given land in Loretto by Michael O'Connor, the first Bishop of Pittsburgh, to establish a school. Saint Francis Academy opened on September 2, 1850. Originally an academy, Saint Francis became popularly known as Saint Francis College as early as 1860, although that designation was not formally adopted by law until 1911. The university was one of the first Catholic universities in the United States and the first Franciscan college in the nation. Although it originally only admitted males, it became one of the first Catholic Universities to become co-educational. amending its charter in 1948. Loretto is the site of the first English-language Roman Catholic settlement established west of the Allegheny Front, in what is now the United States, by Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin in 1799.

In 2000, Saint Francis College was approved to become a university by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and was formally renamed "Saint Francis University" on January 1, 2001.

Academics

Saint Francis University enrolls approximately 1,658 undergraduate students (of whom 1,392 are traditional students and 266 are continuing education students) and 527 graduate students. The university offers 25 undergraduate majors and 7 graduate fields of study (including Physical Therapy, in which the university awards a doctorate) to its students. The university maintains an average graduation rate of 70.3%.

Campus

The main building for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, which also has a number of smaller facilities across the local region, is located on campus. Also on the campus are The DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness, Center for Watershed Research & Service, and The Institute for Contemporary Franciscan Life.

Immergrün Golf Course is a semi-private, nine-hole, regulation-length 3,234-yard, par-36 course on rye grass located on the campus of Saint Francis University at 105 Saint Elizabeth Street. Immergrün has not been altered since Donald Ross built it for the steel magnate Charles M. Schwab in 1917.

| File:Jfkcenter.JPG|The John F. Kennedy Center | File:DeGol Field.jpg|DeGol Field | File:Female dorms at Saint Francis University.jpg|North Campus | File:MtAssisiGardens.jpg|Mt. Assisi Gardens, which are located on the former Schwab Estate.

Athletics

Main article: Saint Francis Red Flash

Saint Francis's NCAA Division I program includes 22 varsity teams, with 9 sports for men and 13 for women. The school is a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC).

On March 25, 2025, Saint Francis announced that it would move to NCAA Division III beginning with the 2026–27 athletic year.

Notable alumni

DO NOT add anyone to this list who is not already the subject of a Wikipedia article! If you do add an appropriate entry to this list, put it in correct alphabetical order by surname! Thanks!--

• Jeff Bower – professional basketball manager and college basketball coach.
• Captain Paul Boyton (1848–1924) - author, inventor, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
• James Casorio (Master's Degree in 1995) – Representative Pennsylvania House of Representatives 1997–2010.
• Dominic Joseph Mike Ryba (1903–1971) – professional baseball player.
• Calvin Fowler (1940–2013) – professional and Olympic basketball player.
• Mike Iuzzolino – professional basketball player and coach.
• Lorenzo Jerome - professional football player.
• Nick Kolarac – professional soccer player.
• Rob Krimmel – college basketball coach.
• John Michael Kudrick – Eastern Catholic prelate and the current bishop of Parma for the Byzantines.
• Scott Layden – professional basketball manager and team owner.
• George Magulick - professional football player.
• Brennan Manning (christened Richard Francis Xavier Manning) (1934–2013) – Christian author (e. g., The Ragamuffin Gospel), friar, priest and speaker.
• John A. Nagy – author on espionage and mutinies of the American Revolution.
• John Naioti (1921–1990) – professional football player.
• Steve Oroho – Republican Party politician, who has served since January 2008 in the New Jersey Senate, where he represents the 24th Legislative District.
• Tadeusz Piotrowski – author and sociologist.
• Kevin Porter – professional basketball player.
• Charles M. Schwab (1862–1939) – industrialist and member of the American Metal Market Steel Hall of Fame.
• Brian Sell – Distance runner and member of USA 2008 Olympic men's marathon team.
• Maurice Stokes (1933–1970) – professional basketball player; the NBA Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award is named in his honor.
• Thomas Joseph Tobin – Retired bishop of Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island.
• Norm Van Lier (1947–2009) – "Stormin' Norman," professional basketball player.
• Jason M. Walsh - District Attorney of Washington County, Pennsylvania.
• Justin Walsh - Court of Common Pleas Judge in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

References

References

1. (February 12, 2025). "U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student". National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).
2. . ["Institutional Research & Effectiveness"](https://www.francis.edu/Institutional-Research-and-Effectiveness/).
3. "Flash Facts, Rankings, and More – Saint Francis University".
4. . ["2019-20 SFU student body fast facts"](https://www.francis.edu/News/2019/09/2019-20-SFU-student-body-fast-facts/).
5. [http://www.francis.edu/UniversityHistory.htm History of Saint Francis University] {{webarchive. link. (2007-07-12)
6. link. (August 15, 2009)
7. "Center for Watershed Research & Service".
8. (2015-06-30). "Institute for Contemporary Franciscan Life".
9. (2012-01-06). "immergrungolfclub.com". immergrungolfclub.com.
10. (2025-03-25). "First Four's St. Francis moving to D-III in 2026".
11. (10 April 2013). "Marist hires Jeff Bower as new basketball coach".
12. Farrell, Perry A.. "Pistons GM Jeff Bower honored in sports Hall of Fame in Pennsylvania".
13. Tobin Center Staff. (2010-05-01). "Boyton (Captain Paul) Collection". St. Francis University Tobin Center Archives Collections.
14. (2008-06-04). "The Pennsylvania House of Representatives".
15. "Mike Ryba Statistics and History". Baseball-Reference.com.
16. "Amateur Athletic Union Basketball". Apbr.org.
17. "Mike Iuzzolino (2001) - Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame".
18. Staff Reports. (2019-01-08). "Former St. Francis (Pa.) standout Lorenzo Jerome signs with Calgary of CFL". Trib Total Media.
19. "Saint Francis U Alum Nick Kolarac Signs With Philadelphia Fury".
20. "Rob Krimmel - Head Coach - Staff Directory".
21. "NBA.com Scott Layden".
22. Beal, Barry. (2014-05-16). "Saint Francis Has a History with the NFL".
23. (2013-07-21). "Thaddeus Piotrowski {{!}} University of New Hampshire at Manchester".
24. "Kevin Porter (2003) - Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame".
25. "Charles M. Schwab – Steel & Mining Magnate – Legends of America".
26. "Athlete bio: Brian Sell". [[USA Track & Field]].
27. "Maurice Stokes (1996) - Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame".
28. "Norm Van Lier (1999) - Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame".