St. John's University (New York)

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Motto:	Educatio Christiana Animae Perfectio (Christian Education Perfects the Soul)
Established:	1870
Type:	Private school
Endowment:	$363.8 million (2008)[1]
President:	Rev. Donald J. Harrington
Faculty:	1,456
Undergraduates:	14,983
Postgraduates:	5,086
Location:	Queens, New York, USA
Campus:	Urban, 105 acres (42 ha) Queens campus
Athletics:	17 Big East, Division I, NCAA teams
Nickname:	Red Storm
Website:	www.stjohns.edu

St. John's University (STJ) is a private, Roman Catholic, coeducational university located in New York City, United States. Founded by the Vincentian Fathers in 1870, the school was originally located in the borough of Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.^[2] In 1960, the school was relocated to its current location in the borough of Queens. St. John's also has campuses in Staten Island, Manhattan, Rome, Italy. and a graduate center in Oakdale, New York.^[3] A campus in Paris, France is set to open in the Spring of 2009.^[4]

St. John's is organized into six undergraduate schools and seven graduate schools. As of 2008, the university has a total of 14,983 undergraduate students and 5,086 graduate students.^[5] It is best known for its programs in the liberal arts, business, pharmacy, and law.^{[citation needed]}

The university has seen much growth on its campuses in order to attract students from outside the New York area. In 1999, the first dormitory was completed on the Queens campus. As of 2008, the campus now contains seven dorms and a townhouse complex.^[5]

[edit] History

St. John's University was founded in 1870, by the Vincentian Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church in response to an invitation by the first Bishop of Brooklyn, John Loughlin, to provide the poor youth of the city with an intellectual and moral education.

St. John's Vincentian values stem from the ideals and works of St Vincent de Paul (1581-1660), who is the Patron Saint of Christian Charity. Following the Vincentian tradition, the university seeks to provide an education that encourages greater involvement in social justice, charity and service.^[6]

St. John's moved to its current 100-acre (0.40 km²) location in Jamaica, Queens during the 1960s.

The St. John's University strike of 1966-1967 was a protest by faculty at the university which began on January 4, 1966, and ended in June 1967. [1] The strike began after 31 faculty members were dismissed in the fall of 1965 without due process, dismissals which some felt were a violation of the professors' academic freedom. The tension of that year was noted in Time Magazine stating,"Academically, it has never ranked high among Catholic schools; in troubles, it outdoes them all."[2] The strike ended without any reinstatements, but led to the widespread unionization of public college faculty in the New York City area. In 1970 arbitrators ruled that the university had not acted improperly.

St. Augustine Hall located at St. John's University's Queens campus

In 1999, St. John's purchased the La Salle Center in Oakdale, NY. The 175-acre (0.71 km²) campus served as a military academy since 1926.^[7] Before this, the land was owned by Frederick Bourne, President of Singer Sewing Machine Company, who constructed his estate on the grounds. His mansion still remains and is used for party receptions.^[8]

St. John's merged with the The College of Insurance in 2001. The merger gave St. John's a five story building located in lower Manhattan which is used by the Peter J. Tobin College of Business and the colleges School of Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science.^[9] After the 9/11 attacks to the World Trade Center, the Manhattan campus was used by emergency workers.^[10]

In 2007, St. John's, along with several other universities, settled with New York State attorney general Andrew Cuomo for $80,000.00 among allegations of receiving kickbacks from student loan corporations.[3][4]

St. John's opened its new Rome campus in October 2008. Located in the Prati section of Rome, the 75,000 sq ft (7,000 m²). building can house up to 200 students.^[8]

[edit] Organization and administration

St. John's University is a non-profit organization controlled by privately-appointed Board of Trustees. The Rev. Donald J. Harrington is the 15th president of the university.^[11] The university is organized into six colleges and schools: St. John's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the School of Education, Peter J. Tobin College of Business, the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, the College of Professional Studies, and the School of Law.

[edit] Centers and institutes

St. John's University houses several centers, committees, and institutes. Some of the most notable are listed below, but reflect only a portion of the programs operating out of the university.

• The Center for Community Services seeks to provide community health and human services to members of the community surrounding St. John's University who could not otherwise afford it. This facility houses the Center for Psychological Services, Speech and Hearing Center, and Reading and Writing Education Center. Previously located on St. John’s campus, these centers now are easily accessible to the entire community with a new location on Union Turnpike.
• The Vincentian Center for Church and Society at St. John's University Center has deep roots in the Catholic Church, and supports the community at large with a number of service and educational programs. It is the site of many academic and cultural events, and the home of the Vincentian Chair of Social Justice, the Institute on Poverty Studies, and the Religion and Science Dialogue. The Center also conducts and disseminates research on topics related to poverty and social justice, and acts as a clearinghouse for gathering, developing and exchanging Vincentian-related information.^[12]
• Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) was established in 1994. Its policy is grounded in the University's Vincentian mission and a commitment to global education, as put forward by St. John's President Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M. St. John's is aware of the increasing importance of the U.S. economy on Latin American and Caribbean trading sectors through NAFTA and other agreements, and promotes an increase in education in that field through the various research and courses associated with the Center.^[13]
• The Italian Cultural Center was established at St. John's in 1992. The center conducts various educational and cultural activities that increase the awareness of Italian-Americans of their heritage, and strives to foster a greater appreciation of the significant contributions of Italians to American culture. In addition, the center seeks to preserve, communicate and celebrate Italian and Italian-American culture, values, and heritage, while supporting the mission of the University.
• The Center for Professional Education offers, workshops, certificate programs and professional designation examination preparation courses, as well as consulting services to industry, governments and regulators worldwide. For more than 30 years, the Center has served the educational needs of more than 10,000 professionals in the insurance, risk management and financial services industries.^[14]

Sun Yat Sen Hall

• Institute for Biotechnology gives students an understanding of the scientific theory and advanced laboratory research techniques vital to success in pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries through graduate level course work leading to a masters degree. The Institute draws upon such disciplines as microbiology, biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology to aid in the advancement of pharmaceutical biotechnology. This interdisciplinary program is a joint effort of the College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions and St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.^[15]
• M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery began with its first season in September, 1994. The gallery is dedicated to the exhibition of all forms of contemporary art, and it brings to the Queens campus works of art created by well known and emerging artists of regional, national and international backgrounds. The gallery is housed in Sun Yat Sen Hall.^[16]
• The Institute for Asian Studies, founded in 1959, is housed in Sun Yat-Sen Hall. The main goal for all programs at the Institute of Asian Studies is to foster, facilitate and enhance a global, multicultural, multiethnic and multilingual education. Sun Yat-Sen Hall, where the Institute for Asian Studies is housed, reflects East Asian architecture and is home to the Dr. M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery (University Gallery).^[17]

[edit] Academics

St. John's is a large, four-year, primarily nonresidential doctoral/research university.^[18] The full-time, four-year undergraduate program is balanced between the arts and sciences and professional fields.^[18] The university is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and has 13 specialized accreditations.^[11]

The annual tuition rate is currently $26,200 per academic year for undergraduates, $30,200 for pharmacy majors (Pharm.D), and $38,400 for law school students.^[11] In 2007, St. John's awarded $338 million in financial assistance through scholarships, loans, grants and work-study programs, including $138 million from university-funded grants.^[19][20] Around 95% of freshman students received grants directly from the university in 2007.^[21] The average undergraduate loan debt for 2006 graduates was $21,633, an amount lower than the national average for graduates of private institutions.^[22][23][24]

[edit] Student body

St. John's enrolled 11,763 full-time and 3,035 part-time undergraduate students, 1251 full-time and 201 part-time professional students, and 813 full-time and 3023 part-time graduate students in 2007.^[25] The undergraduate program had a four-year graduation rate of 39%, 61% six-year graduation rate, and 79% freshmen retention rate.^[25][22] The university granted 62 associate degrees, 2,228 bachelor degrees, 1,022 master degrees, 84 doctoral degrees, and 521 professional degrees in 2007.^[25]

27,754 students applied for admission to the freshman class, 15,410 were admitted (55%), and 3,154 enrolled (20%).^[25] The inter-quartile range for admitted students' SAT scores were 960-1180, the average high school GPA was 3.20, and 44% graduated in the top quarter of their high school class.^[25] Undergraduates hail from 45 states and territorial holdings and 91 countries, graduate students from 37 states and holdings and 64 countries.^[27]

[edit] Faculty

The university employs 659 full-time and 820 part-time faculty members.^[25] 60% of faculty members have a doctorate or other terminal degree, 33% have a non-terminal master's degree, and the remainder (8%) have a bachelor's degree only.^[25] The student to faculty ratio is 17:1 and 60% of class sections have 10-29 students in them.^[25]

[edit] Rankings

In the 2009 U.S. News and World Report ranking of "National Universities", St. John's undergraduate program was ranked in the third tier.^[28] The School of Law was ranked 88th,^[29] School of Education was ranked 58th,^[30] the Tobin School of Business was unranked.^[31]

In 2009 edition of the Best 368 Colleges published by The Princeton Review, St. John's was named a "Best Northeastern College" and ranked 17th for "diverse student population" and 8th for "least accessible professors" .^[32]

[edit] Student life

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SJU provides shuttle bus service for students to access satellite houses, other campuses in New York City, subway and commuter rail, and certain destinations in Manhattan.^[33]

Students at St. John's are also encouraged to participate in service activities through St. John's Bread & Life, Campus Ministries, or several other service organizations in New York as part of their collective education.^{[citation needed]} The university also provides funding to the Student Government Incorporated (SGI) to be disseminated among several academic, professional, and recreational student organizations, and hosts many notable guest speakers throughout the academic year.^{[citation needed]}

Students are only an hour away from Manhattan taking the F train, conveniently located a few blocks away from campus. Many students hang out at Traditions, a local bar, specifically on Wednesday and Friday nights.^{[citation needed]} There are Fraternities and Sororities, but not a traditional Greek Row, instead brothers and sisters opt to get houses off campus. National Panhellenic Conference sororities on campus include Delta Phi Epsilon, Gamma Phi Beta, Phi Sigma Sigma, and Theta Phi Alpha. National fraternities include Alpha Phi Delta, Kappa Sigma, Phi Delta Chi, Phi Kappa Tau, Pi Kappa Phi, Pi Lambda Phi, Sigma Alpha Mu, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Nationally recognized cultural fraternities and sororities include Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Sigma Gamma Rho, Zeta Phi Beta, Lambda Pi Chi, Lambda Pi Upsilon, Lambda Theta Alpha, Sigma Phi Alpha, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Phi Iota Alpha, Iota Nu Delta, Lambda Phi Epsilon, Kappa Phi Lambda, and Pi Delta Psi. Local organizations on campus include Gamma Chi, Lambda Phi, Sigma Sigma Rho, Kappa Phi Beta, and Sigma Chi Beta.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] The Torch

Torch Logo

The Torch is the official student-run newspaper of St. John's University. Founded in 1922, the paper has shifted in and out of the control of the University, but has been financially independent from the University since 1980.^{[citation needed]}In 1988, The Torch was inducted into the Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame after being awarded a number of awards from various collegiate newspaper organizations.

[edit] Bread & Life Program

The Bread & Life Program was established in 1982, and recently returned as an extension of St. John’s University in 2006.^[34] The program is located in Brooklyn, NY at the original location of St. John’s University and provides a soup kitchen, food pantry, mobile meals, counseling services, medical support, a legal clinic, and advocates for the poor. It is one of the largest social service organizations serving the needs of the homeless and underprivileged in New York City.^[35] The organization served more than 120,000 meals to the hungry, 140,000 through its food pantry and another 90,000 plus meals through its Mobile Soup Kitchen in 2007. The program is operated in large part by student volunteers from St. John’s University, as well as other volunteers in the city.^[36][37]

St. John’s completed a new 22,000 sq ft (2,000 m²) facility in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn in June 2008. The new facility can serve over 200,000 hot meals and 150,000 food pantry meals each year. Those in need have access to everything they had in the old location, plus a library, computers and educational classes.^[38]

[edit] Campuses

St. John's University Locations:

Jamaica, Queens - The main campus of St. John's University is located in the neighborhood of Jamaica in the county of Queens of New York City. This 105-acre (0.42 km²) campus houses several academic buildings, 8 residence halls, athletic facilities, the St. Augustine Library, and provides easy access to Manhattan via the subway system. The Queens campus features stone buildings and student residence halls. Facilities include laboratory and classroom buildings, the main collections of its 1.7 million-volume library; and athletic facilities for students and St. John's Division I athletic teams.

Branch campuses

• Staten Island - Today the Staten Island Campus has expanded to include 16.5 acres (67,000 m²) serving over 2,000 students who are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The 16.5-acre (67,000 m²) campus features lawns, apartment-style student residences, and architectural styles that range from red-brick colonial to the modern. The campus is located in the residential Grymes Hill section of Staten Island.
• Manhattan - St. John’s officially opened its Manhattan Campus in June 2001, after its merger with The College of Insurance (TCI). Through the merger, TCI became the School of Risk Management and operates as a unit of the Peter J. Tobin College of Business. This ten-story, prize-winning "vertical campus" features an five-story entrance atrium, 16 conference and seminar rooms, dormitories, 24 high-tech classrooms, and a variety of computer labs.^[39]. It currently serves 250 students. [5]
• Oakdale - The center in Oakdale is home to several graduate programs in education, psychology, crimial justice, and library science. The location is located on a 175-acre (0.71 km²) spread, overlooking the south shore of Long Island, and is the former summer mansion home of Frederick Bourne, President of Singer Sewing Machine Company. Its is the only St. John's campus not to offer on-campus housing.
• Rome, Italy- The St. John's University (Italy) location in Rome, Italy is primarily dedicated to graduate programs in business and government, with particular emphasis on the international issues of law, relations, diplomacy, and business. In 2007, St. John's signed a contract to lease new space and expand its presence in Rome. The new facility, which is within walking distance of Vatican City, will include more than 200 beds, 12 classrooms, a multi-use conference room, and student lounge. The building should be complete by Spring 2009.^[4]
• Paris, France - In 2008, St. John's announced the formation of full-time programs, along with semester abroad programs, at a new campus location in Paris, France.^[40] The new campus is located within the Vincentian Motherhouse in Paris, and the facility is expected to be fully operational by Spring 2009.^[4]

[edit] Campus renovations

In 2008, St. John's University broke ground for the new University Center/Academic Building, one of the largest and most comprehensive construction projects in St. John’s recent history. Located between Sullivan Hall and the Taffner Field House on the site that currently serves as stadium seating for lacrosse and track and field events, the 110,000 square feet (10,000 m²) complex has been designed to significantly enhance student life on campus. The building, which will rise dramatically over the upper campus, will contain 14 technologically sophisticated, state-of-the-art classrooms with approximately 800 seats. In addition, it will include a café, lounge, recreation and entertainment spaces, student organization offices and conference and meeting rooms devoted exclusively to student use.^[41]

In 2005, St. John's constructed Taffner Field house, and dramatically renovated Carnesecca Hall and the University Center. Renovations to Carnesecca Hall included a 6,400 sq ft (590 m²). Health Center, for use by Student Life and athletics, including weight training equipment, aerobic and dance studios, and a student lounge. The University Center renovations consisted of reconfigured office and meeting space for Student Life and academic clubs, and the addition of audio/visual rooms for all varsity athletic teams. Taffner Athletic Field House was $23 million initiative. The two-story, 38,000 sq ft (3,500 m²). structure adjacent to Carnesecca Hall includes four basketball courts, academic classrooms,

The 2004-2005 academic years saw $35 million in capital projects, including the completion of St. Thomas More church, the DaSilva academic building, Carnesecca Hall Fitness Center, and Belson Stadium. In 2005 the science labs and student life facilities were the target of an additional $60 million in capital enhancements.

In regards to its expansion plans, the university has had a amicable relationship with the surrounding community in the past.^[42] In 2007, however, it was discovered that the university was planning to lease a building under construction by a separate company for an off-campus dormitory.^[43] Residents argue that such a plan goes against the school's pledge of being a "good neighbor" towards the community.^[43] The university, however, contends that it did not break the pledge for it was only leasing the structure not building it.^[44] Nevertheless, opponents, including state Senator Frank Padavan, argue that such an explanation is "disingenuous".^[43]

[edit] Athletics

St. John's 17 NCAA Division I teams compete in the Big East Conference, with the exception of the fencing and lacrosse teams, which compete in the ECAC. The athletic program fields sixteen intercollegiate teams: basketball, soccer, baseball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and fencing for men and basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, tennis, track and field, cross country, golf, and fencing for women. In 2002, the university eliminated five men's athletic teams and one women's team in order to comply with Title IX rules prohibiting activities that receive federal assistance from discriminating on the basis of gender.^[45] Until 1994, the St. John's mascot was the Redmen, which referenced the red uniforms worn by the university in competition. However, the name was interpreted as a Native American reference in the 1960s, and was changed to the Red Storm after mounting pressure on colleges and universities to adopt names more sensitive to Native American culture.^[46][47] The Redmen name still remains popular among fans, however, as does the pejorative "Johnnies".

St. John's is the 5th most successful program in college basketball history (1673 wins), and has the 7th best winning percentage (.680) in the NCAA.^{[citation needed]} St. John's boasts the 7th-most NCAA tournament appearances (27), two Wooden National Player of the Year Award Winners, 11 consensus All-Americans, 6 members of the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and has sent 59 players to the NBA. However, of the top 5 teams, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, and St. John's, St. John's is the only team not to win an NCAA championship for basketball, and currently holds the NCCA Division I record for most NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship appearances without a championship.^{[citation needed]} The Red Storm play most of their home games at Madison Square Garden,"The World's Most Famous Arena", while their early non-conference games are held at Carnesecca Arena on the St. John's campus in Queens.^[48] St. John's University holds the second best winning percentage for a New York City school in the NCAA basketball tournament (second to City College of New York - which won two NCAA Div 1 Championships^[49]) St. John's has the most NIT appearances with 27, the most championship wins with 6, although they were stripped of one due to an NCAA infraction.^[50] St. John's also holds a Helms Athletic Foundation Championship. In 2008, St. John's celebrated its 100th year of college basketball.

St. John's soccer has appeared in 15 consecutive NCAA tournaments, advancing to the Sweet 16 in each of the last ten seasons, and the Final Four on 3 occasions. They have captured 11 Big East Championships, including the 2006 season title, and in 1996, St. John's won the NCAA National Championship. Their home games are hosted at Belson Stadium, a state of the art 2,300 seat stadium on the university campus.^[48] In 2006, the men's soccer team became the first American soccer team to be invited to play in Vietnam. The team played against several Vietnam Football Federation squads as well as participating in community service.^[51]

The St. John's Red Storm have been to the College World Series six times, recorded 26 NCAA appearances, 6 Big East Championships and have sent 70 players on to professional baseball careers. Most recently, St. John's won the Big East Regular Season Title two of the last three years (2005/2007). The 3,500 seat "Ballpark at St. John's" was renamed "Jack Kaiser Stadium" in 2007 after the Hall of Fame Coach and former St. John's Athletic Director. The stadium is one of the largest college baseball stadiums in the northeast, and is a featured venue on the EA Sports MVP NCAA Baseball video game.^[48] The stadium was conceived out of a deal between the university and the Guiliani administration. The administration wanted to find a location for a single-A team that would be affiliated with the New York Mets. Expressing concern about quality of life issues and the spending of public money for a private religious institution, surrounding neighborhood civic groups and local politicians protested the plan. In order to placate their concerns, however, the Mets offered to open it up to the communities for local high school games and youth programs.^[52] This stadium was built despite large protests by community residents as well as State Senator Frank Padavan [6] (while also using city financing) [7]

The St. John's fencing program has also attained national prominence. In 2001, St. John's won the NCAA Fencing Championship. The team has ranked in the top five each of the last 10 years, and finished 2nd in the NCAA during 1995, 2000, 2002, and 2007 seasons. In addition to team accolades, St. John's has won eleven NCAA Individual National Championship titles.^[48]

• In 2000, St. John's was criticized by the NCAA for misrepresenting facts in an NCAA investigation.[8].
• In 2003, it was revealed that Abe Keita, a basketball player, was given a $300 monthly allowance and free school books to be on the team which violated NCAA standards. Expecting NCAA penalties, the university announced a self-imposed two-year ban on postseason play. [9]
• The 1990 St. John's lacrosse team rape case involved several members of the St. John's University Lacrosse team who were acquitted of gang rape charges of an African American female.^[53][54] One student pleaded guilty to second degree sexual abuse.^[55] Another member pleaded guilty to sexual assault and a third to two counts of sexual misconduct and unlawful imprisonment.^[56]

[edit] Notable alumni

St. John's has over 150,000 alumni, 86% of whom reside in the Greater New York Metropolitan Area.^[19]

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Hueppe, Frederick E., "The Radiant Light: a history of St. John's College presented in the Vincentian," 1955, (St. John's University Archives).
• Morris, Barbara L., "To Define A Catholic University: the 1965 Crisis at St. John's" (Ed. D. thesis, Columbia University Teachers College, 1977)

[edit] External links

• St. John's University
• Official Red Storm Athletics site
• The Torch, official student newspaper