Niagara University
From Free net encyclopedia
Niagara University is a Roman Catholic University located in the Town of Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. Originally founded in 1856 as Our Lady of Angels Seminary, it is now known by its current name, although it is still run by the Vincentian priests. All of its 25 presidents, including its current president, Father Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., have been priests in the Vincentian Order.
The college has 3,200 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Approximately half of the students are residents, while the other half commutes from the surrounding area. The college is known as a liberal arts school, but offers programs in other disciplines as well.
College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences is the base of the university's curriculum and basis as a liberal arts college. Many of the college's academic programs are housed in CAS, including history, political science, social work, and biology. All Niagara students take several classes within the College of Arts and Sciences, as many required classes are housed in this unit.
College of Education
Niagara has a commitment to training teachers for K-12 schools. Education students major in the College of Education, but take a specialty from the College of Arts and Sciences. The two colleges work together on teacher training. Niagara Education students conduct their student teaching in area schools, many of which are in low income urban and rural districts.
College of Business
With a focus on business administration and commerce, the College of Business is a major part of the university. Gaining in national accreditation, the college annually conducts tax return processing as a community service for area residents.
On January 23, 2006, the University announced a gift of $5 million from College of Business alumnus Gerald Bisgrove, Class of 1968. It was the largest single gift to the university in its history. $4.5 million of this gift will be appropriated to expand the College of Business facilities, the groundbreaking of which will be in May 2006. The new facility will be called Bisgrove Hall. The remainder of the gift will be allocated to College of Business academic programming.
College of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Niagara's newest college, it is an offshoot of previous tourism programs at NU. The college focuses on tourism, hotel, restaurant and recreation management. Many students hold internships in nearby hotels and there is a popular study abroad program.
College of Nursing
The NU College of Nursing existed for a number of years and was closed early into the 21st century, with the last class graduating in 2003. Nursing alumni protested the decision and remain active in nursing alumni activities.
Graduate Education
Niagara has a growing graduate education program. Currently, master's degrees are offered in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Education.
Continuing & Community Education
Within the past 5 years, an emphasis on Community Education and regional development resulted in a substantial increase in adult education programming. Currently, over 1000 students register annually for non-credit, online and certificate programs. 3 brochures are produced each semester and distributed within Niagara County, however access to the web site at www.niagara.edu/cce is increasing with information and online programming.
ROTC
The Reserve Officers Training Corps of the Army has a unit at Niagara. Students sign up for full or partial scholarships in exchange for service as Army officers. ROTC students participate in regular university classes and majors, and take military science classes during their college careers. Every Thursday, ROTC students participate in military lab exercises and it is common to see ROTC students wearing uniforms that day. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, ROTC students wake up early to participate in physical training. Niagara ROTC has been ranked as the best Army ROTC program in the nation.
Campus Ministry
Niagara has an active Campus Ministry program. The program sponsors a weekly Sunday Mass at 10 PM geared towards students, along with weekly 11 AM and 4:30 PM Masses on Sundays, which are popular with community residents. Campus Ministry sponsors a variety of retreats and educational programs for students to develop their spiritual side.
Community Service
The Niagara University Community Action Program and Learn & Serve Niagara are the lead offices for the community service program at Niagara University. Students take part in a variety of community service programs and give back to the community. Many classes require service learning as a part of the curriculum. There are also local chapters of the American Red Cross and American Heart Association, which are always looking for volunteers. The local fire department is the Upper Mountain Volunteer Fire Company, which is also always looking for volunteers.
Campus Activities
The Campus Activities office sponsors hundreds of opportunities to get involved in campus endeavors, including trips and student government. There is usually at least one event planned per night, and most events are either free or low cost.
Index
The Niagara Index is the school's newspaper. It was originally called the Niagara Tribute, with the first issue being published on January 1, 1870, making it the third oldest college newspaper in the United States. The following year, the Tribute was retitled as Index Niagarensis, Latin for its current title, which was adopted on December 15, 1874. The Index's founder and original editor was Fr. John W. Hickey, C.M.
Athletics
The Niagara University Athletics department sponsors several Division 1 sports for both men and women, competing in the College Hockey America conference in men's and women's ice hockey, and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in all other sports. Among the more popular are the basketball team (the men's team were MAAC Champions in 2005) and the hockey team. Athletics also sponsors several intramural sports and activities, including broomball and street hockey. Athletics is also responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the Kiernan Center, the campus athletic facility.
Famous alumni
- Calvin Murphy, NBA All-Star, and former announcer for the Houston Rockets.
- Hubie Brown, former NBA coach and analyst.
- Frank Layden, former coach and President of the Utah Jazz.
- Larry Costello, former NBA player and coach of the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Becky & Jessie O'Donohue, twin sisters, both participated in a special "Twins" edition of the TV show Fear Factor. Becky later was a semi-finalist on American Idol (Season 5).
External links
- Niagara University webpage
- {http://www.niagara.edu/cce Niagara University Continuing & Community Education]
- History of the Niagara Index
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