Villanova University

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{{Infobox_University |image = Image:Vuseal.gif |name = Villanova University |motto = Veritas, Unitas, Caritas (Truth, Unity, Love) |established = 1842 |type = Private/Roman Catholic |president = Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin (present)

                 Rev. Peter M. Donohue (Sept. 8, 2006)

|city = Villanova
Radnor Twp |state = Pennsylvania |country = USA |undergrad = ~6,300 |postgrad = ~3,200 |staff= 510 |campus = Suburban, 254 acres
(1.028 km²) |mascot = Wildcat |endowment= $206 million (USD) |website= www.villanova.edu |}}

Villanova University is a private, Catholic university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It is located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia on the Pennsylvania Main Line. The campus is adjacent to Lancaster Avenue and Spring Mill Road.

Villanova University was founded in 1842 as Villanova College by Fr Thomas Kyle and Fr Patrick Moriarty of the Augustinian Order. The university traces its origins to old Saint Augustine’s Church in Philadelphia, which the Augustinians founded in 1796, and to its parish school, Saint Augustine’s Academy, established in 1811.

Villanova University is home to an NROTC unit which has commissioned more U.S. Navy admirals and Marine Corps generals than any institution other than the U.S. Naval Academy. In 2004, the commander of both U.S. Naval Forces Atlantic and U.S. Naval Forces Pacific, as well as the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, were Villanova NROTC graduates.

Villanova students participate in numerous charitable organizations as well as service trips both in the U.S. and abroad. The university is also a perennial home to the largest student-run volunteer Special Olympics in the country.

As of mid-2006, the University's president, Fr. Edmund Dobbin, will be stepping down. His replacement, Fr. Peter M. Donohue, is the former head of the Theater Department and a Barrymore Award-winning director. The new president is scheduled to be inaugurated on September 8, 2006.

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Academics

In 2005, Villanova was again chosen as the top university in the North region by U.S. News & World Report magazine (Master's Degree Category). Villanova has topped the rankings in this category for 16 consecutive years. The University offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and professional programs students through its five divisions:

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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (1842)
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College of Commerce and Finance (1922)

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Undergraduate
  • Accounting (B.S.)
  • Business Administration (B.S.)
    • Finance
    • International Business Co-Major
    • Management
    • Management Information Systems (MIS)
    • Marketing
  • Economics (B.S.)
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Graduate
  • Full Time Equivalent M.B.A.
  • Professional M.B.A.
  • Master in Accountancy and Professional Consultancy (M.A.C.)
  • Master of Technology Management (M.T.M.)
  • M.S. in Finance (M.S.F.)
  • Executive M.B.A.
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College of Engineering (1905)

  • Chemical Engineering (B.S., M.S.)
  • Civil Engineering (B.S., M.S.)
  • Computer Engineering (B.S., M.S.)
  • Electrical Engineering (B.S., M.S.)
  • Mechanical Engineering (B.S., M.S.)
  • Transportation Engineering(M.S.)
  • Water Resources & Environmental Engineering (M.S.)
  • Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program (Ph.D.)
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College of Nursing (1953)

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School of Law (1957)


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Athletics

Image:Villanovalogo.jpg The school's current mascot is the Wildcat, although previous school mascots included the "Day Hops" and the "Pelicans". Sports teams participate in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big East Conference, except for football, which plays as part of Division I-AA's Atlantic Ten Conference. The Wildcats are also part of the Philadelphia Big 5, the traditional Philadelphia-area basketball rivalry.

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Men's Basketball

Villanova is a member of the Big East Conference, and is also a member of the informal league of Philadelphia-area schools known as the Big Five, along with Penn, Temple, St. Joseph's and LaSalle. Situated on the Main Line, Villanova is the only one of the five technically outside of the city limits. As of the conclusion of the 2006 college basketball season, however, they remain the last Philadelphia-based sports team to win a major championship of any kind. (Among major league teams, the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers have that dubious distinction. See the Curse of Billy Penn.)

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1985 National Champions

In 1985, under the direction of coach Rollie Massimino, the men's basketball team completed one of the most surprising runs in NCAA tournament history by winning the national championship in the first year of the 64-team field. The eighth-seeded Wildcats beat Dayton, then upset top-seeded Michigan, Maryland and second-seeded North Carolina to win the South regional en route to the Final Four in Lexington, Kentucky. After defeating 2-seed Memphis State in the national semifinals, Villanova met defending champion and ten-point-favorite Georgetown, led by Patrick Ewing, in the title game.

Top-seeded Georgetown had beaten conference rival Villanova twice during the regular season, and had reached the title game with tenacious defense, which gave up less than 40% of their opponents' shots from the field during the tournament. But in perhaps the greatest shooting performance in NCAA history, the Wildcats shot almost 80%, including a second half in which they missed only one shot from the field. The Hoyas hung tough, but were unable to overcome the astounding shooting performance as Villanova won 66-64 to claim the NCAA championship. The Wildcat squad remains the only eight-seed in tournament history to win the championship, and their overall team shooting percentage is an NCAA record. The game is often cited among the greatest upsets in college basketball history. Ed Pinckney was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

The final game was featured on ESPN Classic's The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame... in March 2006. Their reasons why Georgetown can't be blamed for losing the game:

  • 5. The "Cinderella" nature of the NCAA Tournament. It's not a playoff with rounds of best-three-out-of-five or best-four-out-of-seven, it's "one-and-done," a.k.a. "go on or go home." Like many famed one-game upsets (such as in NCAA Finals, Super Bowls or college football bowl games), the saying goes, if the Favorites played the Underdogs ten times, the Favorites would probably win seven or eight times, but in one game, the Underdogs have a chance.
  • 4. Familiarity removed the Wildcats' fear. Due to their conference relationship, the two teams were playing for the ninth time in the last four years.
  • 3. Harold Jensen. His hot shooting boosted the Wildcats' confidence.
  • 2. Coach Massimino. "Daddy Mass" inspired them in ways a coach with a different style and personality might not have.
  • 1. Georgetown didn't choke. Villanova shot 79 percent from the field, 22 of 28 shots, and with that extraordinary effort, known as "the Perfect Game" by some observers, still won by only two points. The Hoyas didn't lose, they got beat. Some have cited the game's being played on April 1, April Fool's Day, as a sign of higher powers at work.
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Recent developments

Under coach Jay Wright, Villanova's men's basketball team reached the 2005 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, losing to #1 seed and eventual champion North Carolina by 1 point on a disputed call.

Led by senior guards Randy Foye and Allan Ray, the Villanova men's basketball team began the 2005-2006 year ranked #4 in the major polls from USA Today and the Associated Press. Having lost only three regular season games, the Wildcats enjoyed a first-seed in the 2006 tournament -- their first. Their wins over Monmouth College, Arizona, and Boston College brought them to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1988. Their 75-62 loss to Florida in Minneapolis ended the team's run for a second NCAA championship in the Regional Final. Along with St. Joe's' trip to the Elite Eight in 2004, this remains the closest any of the Philadelphia Big Five have come to a Final Four berth since the 1985 Villanova title.

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Campus landmarks

  • The Grotto. This beautifully landscaped walkway between Corr Hall, Falvey Library, and Alumni Hall on the west side of Main Campus often hosts outdoor mass and other large gatherings, and is a charter stop on the walking tour of the university. The area boasts dozens of the varied tree species that help the entire campus earn its place as a certified arboretum. It is reportedly where Jim Croce wrote Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown.
  • Mendel Hall. Named for pioneering geneticist and Augustinian monk Gregor Mendel, this 1960 science center holds computer science labs and other science facilities. In 1998, the college commissioned a 7-foot bronze sculpture of Mendel by Philadelphia sculptor James Peniston, and installed it outside the hall's entrance. Mendel Hall consists of two large buildings connected underground and by a second-floor indoor bridge, the latter of which forms the gateway between West and Main Campus.
  • The Oreo. This large black-and-white sculpture by Jay Dugan, officially titled "The Awakening," sits front and center along one of the most-travelled routes on campus. The nickname is appropriate given the sculpture's cookie-like appearance. A popular student meeting place, The Oreo is a frequent home to club events, alumni photographs, and warm-weather people-watching.
  • St. Thomas of Villanova Church. A large and prominent church whose dual spires are Villanova's tallest structure. The church sits atop one of Villanova's two pathways connecting the campus to the main parking lots, and hence is a well-trafficked route for pedestrians as well as a popular meeting place. Catholic masses are held here during the school year Sundays at 6, 8, and 10 p.m.
  • The Arboretum Villanova includes roughly 1,500 trees across campus, including the only known instance of a naturally-growing sequoia east of the Mississippi River.
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Notable alumni

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External links

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