University of Scranton
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{{Infobox_University |name = University of Scranton |image = Image:Scrantonseal.jpg |motto = Religio Mores Cultura |established = 1888 |type = Private |president = Scott R. Pilarz, S.J. |city = Scranton |state = Pennsylvania |country = USA |undergrad = 4,045 |postgrad = 762 |staff = 259 |campus = Urban, 58 acres |mascot = Royal Wolf |endowment= $98,198,056 |website= www.scranton.edu }}
University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Jesuit university. Located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it was founded in 1888 as Saint Thomas Aquinas College by the Bishop William G. O'Hara and by 1938, achieved university status. This same year, Saint Thomas College adopted the name University of Scranton, and in 1942, the university came under the administration of the Society of Jesus. Today, the University of Scranton is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
University of Scranton is composed of five colleges: The College of Arts and Sciences, the largest, Dexter Hanley College for adult and part-time students, The Graduate School, Arthur J. Kania School of Management and the J.A. Panuska, S.J., College of Professional Studies.
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The Campus Buildings and Facilities
The University of Scranton is situated on a 58 acre (235 km²) urban campus in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania. Since 1984, the university has built some 25 new buildings and renovated over 24 others.
- The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Memorial Library features a 24-hour study area and wireless and wired Internet access throughout the entire building.
- St. Thomas Hall houses many major administration offices as well as many departments of the College of Arts and Sciences, including communication, physics and history. St. Thomas Hall also has a small chapel that is the site of daily mass.
- Nearby Loyola Hall of Science includes state-of-the-art science laboratories.
- The John J. Long, S.J., Center and adjoining William J. Byron, S.J., Recreation Complex house the Department of Exercise Science as well as intercollegiate and intramural basketball, wrestling, handball, tennis, racquetball, volleyball and swimming facilities.
- The lighted Fitzpatrick Field offer a turf playing surface for soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey.
- The university has 13 traditional residences, housing mostly for freshmen. Francis E. Redington Hall and John R. Gavigan Hall provide housing for upperclassmen students. The university owns over 20 additional houses and apartment buildings in the areas surrounding the campus, offering over 30 housing options for students, including Mulberry Plaza and Madison Square, two townhouse-style complexes featuring air conditioning, full kitchens, living areas and bedrooms.
- Despite the presence of on campus housing, the majority of the University of Scranton's juniors and seniors reside in off campus apartments and houses. The majority of these students live in the neighborhood immediately surrounding the University between Madison and Taylor Avenues and between Linden Street and Vine Street. Other streets in this neighborhood include Monroe Avenue, Quincy Avenue, Clay Avenue, N Webster Ave., McKenna Court, Hitchcock Court, Costello Court, Mahon Court and Kellum Court. It is considered to be a section of a Scranton neighborhood known as the Hill Section. Mulberry Street runs directly through this off campus neighborhood and also forms the border for the University of Scranton's campus and the off campus houses. Increasingly older homes in the student section of the Hill Section are being purchased by the University and torn down to make way for new parking lots or converted to university run houses. Street lights were added by the University of Scranton on several streets in this neighborhood in 2002 to make it safer at night for its on and off campus student population.
- The Houlihan-McLean Center boasts a magnificently-restored concert hall.
- The McDade Center for Literary and Performing Arts includes the theatre and English departments, as well as a 300-seat theater with a modified thrust stage and "black box" studio theatre.
- The Gunster Memorial Student Center includes several of the university's student services offices as well as two food court-style cafeterias. The third floor Pocono Northeast Room offers a salad bar, traditional home-style meals, grilled and cold sandwiches and foreign meals. The second floor food court, renovated in 2004, includes a Quizno's sub and stations dedicated to Mexican food and grilled items as well as a small store.
- The University announced plans in early 2006 to construct a new $30 million Campus Center to replace the Gunster Center, which is slated to be demolished for green space upon the new building's completion in fall 2007. The announcement has spurred much debate in the University's student newspaper, the Aquinas. Proponents of the plan have maintained that Gunster is an outdated building that can no longer meet the needs of an expanded University, while opponents have claimed that the University did not make enough of an effort to communicate with students to find out what was truly needed in a new center. Some have also questioned the wisdom of razing a building only three years after renovating it.
- McGurrin Hall houses classrooms, laboratories and offices for the counseling and human services, health administration. human resources and nursing departments.
- Leahy Hall includes an auditorium, single-style student residence rooms and physical therapy department.
- Brennan Hall, built in 2000, boasts 71,000 square feet (7,000 m²) of space of classroom and office space. Included is a 148-seat auditorium and the McShane executive conference center, named in honor of former University President and current President of Fordham University, Joseph McShane, S.J.
- Hyland Hall includes the university bookstore and art gallery, as well as general-use classrooms.
- O'Hara Hall includes offices for Graduate School and Dexter Hanley College as well as other university administration offices including the annual fund, public relations and alumni relations.
- The Estate, the former home of the William Scranton family, includes the president's dining room and offices for the university's public initiative departments. The university's catering department is also housed here.
- Alumni Memorial Hall, formerly the university library, houses the psychology department as well as offices for the school's technology administration and computer maintenance center.
- Campion Hall provides housing for the Jesuit community. Many of the priests teach or hold administrative positions at the university or nearby Scranton Preparatory School, a high school.
- The university also owns a conference and retreat center at Chapman Lake.
- The site originally had one old retreat house (rumored by university students to have been converted from an old bordello!). The old house featured several bedrooms upstairs, each with bunkbeds, used by students on retreats. There was also a small chapel on the second floor. There was a main room with a fireplace, a kitchen, and dining area featuring some very large, comfortable old couches downstairs.
- In 1999 a second retreat and conference center was completed at Chapman Lake. It was designed by Fr. Thomas "Bat" Masterson, S.J. The new building featured a large dining room, a meeting room nicknamed the Lake Room and five or six "small group rooms" to be used on some of the university's popular retreat programs. There are several floors of shared bedrooms upstairs with private bathrooms.
- A groundbreaking ceremony for an addition to the 1999 building was held in the fall of 2005. The addition includes bedrooms, meeting rooms and a chapel. It is expected to be completed by the fall of 2006.
- Retreats offered at Chapman Lake are usually offered and run by staff and students from the University of Scranton's Office of Campus Ministries. They are very popular with the student body and are usually held several times a year, with around 40 students participating at a time. The Freshman Retreat and the Search Retreats are among the most popular and are held multiple times each semester. The Senior Retreat is usually held once a year during the Spring Semester for graduating seniors.
Areas of Academic Study
The university's largest majors are biology, communication, business and physical therapy. Students in the university's premedical program frequently find internships at any of the three hospitals located in Scranton. The university also has an SJLA (Special Jesuit Liberal Arts) Program in which select students complete courses in moral philosophy, ethics, theology, and rhetoric in addition to their normal courseload.
National Recognition
- The university has been honored with over 100 Fulbrights and recognized in several national publications, including U.S. News & World Report, Kaplan's Publishing and Forbes Magazine. In addition's the school's acceptance rates for medical and law schools are well above the national averages.
- U.S. President George W. Bush paid a visit to the university on January 16, 2003 to give a speech on "liability reform" solutions to the major dilemma of medical malpractice, a problem that Bush said was hurting "communities like Scranton, Pennsylvania."
Curriculum
The university offers a comprehensive liberal arts program. Students are required to take the core courses in public speaking, computer literacy and composition. Students are also required to take two theology courses, two philosophy courses, as well as an elective in one of these two areas. Filling out the general education requirements are 6 credits in science courses, 6 credits in writing intensive courses, 6 credits in cultural diversity courses, 3 credits in a math course, 12 credits in humanities courses and 3 credits in physical education.
The Future of The University of Scranton
The University announced plans in early 2006 to construct a new $30 million Campus Center to replace the Gunster Center, which is slated to be demolished for green space upon the new building's completion in fall 2007. The new Campus Center would house the cafeteria, a book store, administrative offices, a 260 seat theater, and a 7,000 sq. foot ballroom, as well as a number of other facilities. The announcement has spurred much debate in the University's student newspaper, the Aquinas. Proponents of the plan have maintained that Gunster is an outdated building that can no longer meet the needs of an expanded University, while opponents have claimed that the University did not make enough of an effort to communicate with students to find out what was truly needed in a new center. Some have also questioned the wisdom of razing a building only three years after renovating it.
More information about the proposed Campus Center can be found at http://matrix.scranton.edu/campuscenter/
Famous University of Scranton Alumni
- Peter Sidari - Two-time Emmy award winner.
- Jason Miller - late film actor; Academy Award nominee and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (That Championship Season), best known for playing Father Damien in The Exorcist.