University Fact Book

General Information

MISSION

The purpose of Franciscan University is to further the higher education ofmen and women through programs of liberal, professional, andpre-professional studies leading to the conferral of the baccalaureate andmaster degrees in the arts and sciences.

It is the further purpose of the University, publicly identified as aCatholic and a Franciscan institution, to promote the moral, spiritual, andreligious values of its students. The University is guided by the exampleand teaching of St. Francis of Assisi. To accomplish this mission, theUniversity embraces the following general policies:

• Intellectual and Faith Community: The specific vocation of a studentis intellectual development.
• Evangelization: Through academic and co-curricular programs, theUniversity promotes the ongoing and deepening of life in the Lord JesusChrist and in the Church.
• Dynamic Orthodoxy: The University has embraced this concept as apolicy standard for its life, thereby striving to promote and maintain abalanced commitment to truth and life in its faith community.
• Christian Maturity: The University recognizes that its ultimatepurpose is to graduate men and women who are able to take a mature,responsible approach to life.
• Good Stewardship: The University recognizes that its greatestresources are its people and pledges to treat each person with dignity andrespect.

These five general policies are the basis for many specific policies,including:

• Academic: The University is a teaching institution, which valuesresearch primarily for advancing the scholarship of the faculty. TheUniversity requires some specific courses and some balanced selection ofcourses to promote liberal arts education and the importance of theologicalstudies and basic philosophy. The University also promotes responsibleacademic freedom which includes observance of the 1940 AAUP statement.
• Student Life: The University desires all its programs to be guided bythe law of love. Specifically, the University welcomes entertainment andrecreational activities that upbuild the lives of those involved; promotesparticipation in physical health programs and athletic activities; promotespersonal and spiritual development, particularly through faith households;provides, within its means, counseling and other support services asappropriate; supports Christian morality and respect for life; embraces aCatholic worldview; encourages service off campus to the poor as anessential part of a student’s educational experience.

Finally, the University commits itself to this mission believing that it ispromoting a normal, mature, Franciscan, Catholic, Christian way of life forits students. It believes that its norms for both academic andco-curricular development are rooted in long and proven tradition and areas relevant today as they were in times past. The University commits itselfto ongoing prayer so that it may be humble before the face of God andreceptive to those graces and blessings it needs to serve this mission.

HISTORY

Though Franciscan University of Steubenville now enjoys a strong international reputation, its beginnings were as unassuming as its patron saint. Francis of Assisi’s simple life, self-sacrifice, and service to others have inspired many believers throughout the centuries – especially the founders, faculty, and staff of the University, who are guided by his example and teaching.

In 1946, soon after the end of World War II, Steubenville’s first bishop, John King Mussio, invited the Franciscan Friars of the Third Order Regular to establish a college to serve the needs of local students, especially veterans of World War II. After looking over available facilities, the friars purchased the Knights of Pythias Building in downtown Steubenville in June 1946. With no guarantees except that of moral support, the friars invested $350,000 in what would prove to be a great educational venture.

As the College of Steubenville’s enrollment grew, other buildings were purchased or leased, until it became evident that proper expansion required enough land for a permanent campus. In 1953, the friars purchased a 40-acre tract on a site overlooking the city of Steubenville. In 1960, the North Central Association granted formal accreditation to the College.

From the first, the College produced men and women of faith whose moral, spiritual, and intellectual formation enabled them to provide exemplary leadership in their careers, communities, and churches, and as parents, priests, or religious. Four presidents have shaped the University into an internationally recognized, Christ-centered institution: Father Daniel W. Egan, TOR, Father Kevin Keelan, TOR, Father Columba S. Devlin, TOR, and Father Michael Scanlan, TOR. Under the leadership of its current president, Father Terence Henry, TOR, the University continues on the path to success.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, the College nearly failed. Reeling from the social and cultural upheavals that rocked schools nationwide, the College found itself facing a serious identity crisis and declining enrollment. Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, who became president in 1974, helped restore the institution to the Catholic, Franciscan vision of its founders.

The College achieved university status in 1980, changing its name to Franciscan University of Steubenville in 1986. During its 66 years of existence, the University has grown to a 249-acre campus with 25 buildings and a study abroad program site in Gaming, Austria. In 2008, the University purchased Assisi Heights, an apartment complex adjacent to campus, which, in addition to a community building, includes 42 apartment buildings with 124 housing units. Franciscan University now educates nearly 2,500 students each year who come from 50 states and 13 countries. The University also reaches over 41,000 other Catholics through its 23 adult and youth conferences.

Though a relatively young institution, Franciscan University has achieved national recognition from a variety of sources, including The Templeton Guide for Colleges That Encourage Character Development, National Review’s Guide to America’s Top Liberal Arts Schools, The Templeton Foundation’s Honor Rolls for Education in a Free Society, Barron’s Best Buys in College Education, U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s Best Colleges, and The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College.

Franciscan University’s growth from just 258 students in 1946 to nearly 2500 students today is evidence of the faith of its Franciscan friars, the leadership of its presidents, and the determination of its trustees, advisors, faculty, and staff.

ACCREDITATION AND MEMBERSHIPS OF THE UNIVERSITY

• Council on Social Work Education and Accreditation
• Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• National League for Nursing
• Ohio Board of Regents
• Ohio State Board of Nursing Education and Nurse Registration
• Ohio State Department of Education

• Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities
• Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges
• Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Ohio
• Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities
• Council for Christian Colleges and Universities
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation
• Council of Independent Colleges
• Franciscan Federation
• The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
• The National Catholic Education Association
• The National Education Association
• The Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges

Franciscan University, in fulfilling its mission of furthering the highereducation of men and women through programs of liberal, professional andpre-professional studies, awards degrees at three levels: associate,bachelors and masters. In addition, undergraduate (bachelors) majors maychoose from over 30 optional minors.