John Carroll University

Founding

John Carroll University was founded in 1886 by the Society of Jesuits under the title of St Ignatius College as a "college for men". It has been in continuous operation as a degree-granting institution since that time. Founded as the 19th of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States, it is a member of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities.^[5] It was founded 97 years after Georgetown University, the first Catholic Jesuit University in the United States.

In 1923, the college was renamed John Carroll University, after the first archbishop of the Catholic Church in the United States and founder of fellow Jesuit institution Georgetown University. In 1935, it was moved from its original location on the west side of Cleveland to its present site in University Heights, a suburb 10 miles (16 km) east of downtown Cleveland. However, the high school section retained the original name and continues to operate on the original site in Cleveland. The city of University Heights had been renamed from "Idlewood" during the construction of the campus.^[6]

John Carroll University administration building tower.

During World War II, John Carroll was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.^[7]

Expansion

In September 1968, the university made the transition from full-time male enrollment to a fully coeducational institution, admitting women to the College of Arts and Sciences for the first time.

In recent years, the university has undergone extensive reconstruction and expansion. In 2003, the university opened the $66 million, 265,000 ft² (25,000 m²) Dolan Center for Science and Technology, named after alumnus Charles Dolan, founder of Cablevision and HBO, and his wife Helen Dolan. The couple met while attending John Carroll. In 2011, the university completed the removal of the Bohannon Science building and celebrated the Hamlin Quad enhancement project.

Jesuit tradition

The Jesuits who founded St. Ignatius College were exiles from Germany, forced out by Bismarck's Kulturkampf. They brought with them the traditional structure of the Jesuit college as an extension of the apostolate of the religious community to prepare the student morally as well as intellectually. The principal instrument of this education was the classical course of seven years, in which the first three years were devoted to learning languages as necessary tools. The student was then considered prepared for university work. The next four years were devoted to the study of classical literature and Latin and Greek prose and poetry, and to developing the ability to express one's self in these languages, as well as in the vernacular, orally and in writing. The final year was devoted to philosophy. There were also electives in the sciences, history, and geography, as well as other subjects. If the student completed only six years, a certificate was given. Completion of the year of philosophy made the student eligible for the baccalaureate degree, which the college was empowered to grant when it was chartered in 1890. The first two degrees were awarded in 1895.^[5]

John Carroll’s core value and mission emphasizes social justice and service to the community and the broader world. The university also follows Jesuit traditions by focusing on educating the “whole” student, or the intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and physical development of each student. Although its curriculum and community are shaped by its Jesuit and Catholic nature, it welcomes faculty, staff, and students of all faiths and of no faith.^[8]

The university announced in December, 2017 that its board of directors had named the school’s first non-Jesuit president, Michael D. Johnson, PhD. Johnson, a provost at Babson College in Wellesley Massachusetts, will begin his tenure on 1 July 2018.^[9]

Core curriculum

The university requires a rigorous liberal arts core for all undergraduate students. Among the requirements are public speaking, English composition, two philosophy courses, two religious studies courses, a social justice course, a global course, and a foreign language requirement.^[10]

The Core Curriculum in the Liberal Arts of John Carroll is informed by the principles that issue from the university's mission as a Jesuit liberal arts institution of higher learning. Accordingly, the Core emphasizes the development of whole human persons who are educated in the humanizing arts and sciences; skilled in expression and in scholarly investigation; and aware of the interrelationship of all knowledge and the interdependence of all peoples. Moreover, it promotes the integration of faith and reason by imparting a deeper knowledge of and respect for the students' own cultural and religious traditions as well as those of others. Finally, it highlights the development of intellect, character, and leadership, and the responsible social actions which flow from them.^[11]

As a means to achieve these and other goals significant to the university's mission, the Core has a distributive structure as well as distinctive emphases. The Core thus allows selectivity while also stipulating certain academic experiences which are important for all students.

College of Arts and Sciences

John Carroll University's College of Arts and Sciences offers its students 31 majors and 28 minors. Some of the most popular majors are communications, education, political science, biology, and psychology.

Boler College of Business

On May 15, 2018, The Boler Family Foundation made a challenge gift of $10 million, kicking off the Inspired Lives Campaign, which was bolstered by an additional $5 million in contributions. The University announced the formation of the John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business, which will include two new schools: the School of Accountancy and Information Science, and the School of Leadership and Social Innovation.

The John M. and Mary Jo Boler College of Business offers seven majors, as well as several minors. The majors are Accountancy, Economics, Finance, Supply Chain, Management, Marketing and International Business with Language and Culture.

Graduate programs

A partial list of graduate programs that are offered include: accountancy, biology, business (MBA), clinical mental health counseling, education, educational administration, school counseling, school psychology, English, humanities, integrated science, mathematics, nonprofit administration, and theology & religious studies.^[2]

International programs

John Carroll has several international programs in which eligible upperclassman are able to participate. The university operates several of their own programs and cooperates with other Jesuit universities in operating other programs. John Carroll University's Exchange Programs include the International Student Exchange Program, and programs at Kansai Gaidai University, Nanzan University and Sophia University, all in Japan as well as the Dortmund University of Technology, Germany and University of Hull, England.^[12]

John Carroll University's sponsored programs are either administered by John Carroll University or by another Jesuit University. In certain cases, John Carroll University faculty accompany and remain abroad with the students the entire semester. These programs include the Belfast Institute in Peace Building and Conflict Transformation,^[13] the Boler School of Business Semester in London,^[14] Italian Studies at Vatican City, the London Liberal Arts Semester, the Jesuit Beijing Center, as well as Casa de la Solidaridad in El Salvador.

All international programs, including those for international students who study at John Carroll, are managed by the university's Center for Global Education.^[15]

Scholarships

The university has four merit scholarships including the Presidential Honors Award, the Presidential Leadership Award, the Arrupe Scholars Award, and the Magis Scholarship.^[16] Department scholarships are offered by individual departments and include the Castellano Scholarship, usually awarded yearly to one or two freshman applicants who will major in the classical languages (Latin and Greek). This award covers full tuition for four years.^[17]

Rankings and awards

• Selected as the 6th best university in the Midwest in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report's ranking of all regional universities in their guide to "America's Best Colleges,".^[18] This was the 29th consecutive year that John Carroll had ranked in the top 10 on this list.
• The John M. and Mary Jo Boler School of Business is ranked No. 1 in the nation in Bloomberg Businessweek’s 2016 “Best Undergraduate Business Schools” Employer Survey for the graduates best prepared for work in their fields. The Boler School is ranked #30 overall in the country.^[19]
• Ranked No. 7 on as a “Best Value” school within its category in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report annual guide.^[20]
• Ranked No. 3 on “Best Undergraduate Teaching" within its category in the 2016 U.S. News & World Report annual guide.^[21]
• Chosen as one of Forbes Best Value Schools of 2016.^[22]
• Selected as a Presidential Award Finalist for the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service learning, and civic engagement. This year, John Carroll is one of only 14 colleges and universities nationwide to receive recognition as a finalist. This is the sixth consecutive year that the university has been named to the honor role.^[23]

Student organizations

There are over 100 student-led organizations at John Carroll, many of which have the underlying goal of providing service to the community – be it the community of the local Cleveland area or the global community at large.

Center for Service & Social Action

The Center for Service & Social Action facilitates activities related to social justice as course components, and as voluntary one-time or semester-long experiences.^[27]

Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion

The Center for Student Diversity & Inclusion sponsors campus speakers and entertainment as well as providing training related to issues of diversity.

Arrupe

Named for Pedro Arrupe, the Arrupe Scholars Program recognizes John Carroll students for their significant commitment to two interrelated values of John Carroll's mission: intellectual inquiry that demands critical thinking, and engaging in social justice and community service that leads to social action.

Housing

John Carroll is a primarily residential campus, with over 60% of all students living on campus in one of eight residence halls; 90% of freshmen and sophomores live on campus.^[28] In addition, the university owns various apartment buildings and townhouses nearby campus that become additional options for juniors and seniors in their final two years at the university.

Residence halls

There are eight residence halls on John Carroll's campus. During a student's first year, they are placed in one of three freshman residence halls:

• Pacelli Hall, named after Eugenio Pacelli (Pope Pius XII), is a co-ed residence hall and has a capacity of 216.^[29]
• Sutowski Hall has a capacity of 171 students. Depending on the gender proportions of each freshman class, the hall assignments vary. For the 2011–2012 Academic Year, Sutowski Hall houses male and female residents.^[30]
• Campion Hall is the newest residence hall. It was built in 1990 as "Gnu Hall" but was dedicated to St. Edmund Campion and the defunct Campion Jesuit High School in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin on November 13, 1993. It houses 306 upperclassmen and has standard dormitory style rooms. Each of the residents of Campion Hall has access to a full kitchen and dining area. Campion Hall is home to the honors floor with approximately 50 first year students. It is home to three locked sorority suites: Kappa Alpha Theta, Chi Omega, and Gamma Phi Beta.^[31]
• Dolan Hall was completed in 1955 and is dedicated to Thomas F. Dolan. From 1994 to 2006, Dolan Hall was an all female dormitory but in 2007 it was changed to a co-ed, "Super-Single" style dorm with 214 students living in individual rooms.^[32]

The other four residence halls house upperclassmen. All are coed but rooms are separated by gender in different wings of each hall.

• Murphy Hall houses 408 students. Murphy Hall is co-ed, with both male and female residents sharing the same building although not the same wings of the building. Murphy Hall rooms are designed in a Suite-style layout. Residents of Murphy Hall shares a room with one other person, and share a common living area with the adjacent room.^[33]
• Hamlin Hall was built in 1988 and is dedicated to Richard M. Hamlin, a John Carroll University alumnus. 294 students reside within its walls, in standard dormitory style rooms. Hamlin Hall is also furnished with a complete kitchen, available for use by any of its residents. Two sororites, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Delta, and two fraternities, Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Phi Epsilon, have locked floors in Hamlin Hall.^[34]
• Millor Hall was finished in 1981. Given its location toward the south end of campus, this building was temporarily "South Hall" but was later changed as a dedication to Rev. William J. Millor in October of that year. 242 students reside in Millor Hall which is home to the Delta Tau Delta fraternity floor.^[35]
• Bernet Hall was the first dormitory erected on campus in 1935. It was built at the recommendation of a major supporter of the university and its namesake, John J. Bernet, who called for a place to house those "boys from Greater Cleveland who will be forced to go home every night." It was remodeled from its original design and is now the home of 100 upperclassmen, each of whom has an apartment style dormitory with either 2, 4 or 6 students per apartment. Residency in Bernet Hall is competitive and the only residence hall on John Carroll's campus requiring an application.^[36] John Joseph Bernet was president of the Nickel Plate Road, Erie Railroad, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and Pere Marquette Railroad in the United States. He was known for bringing railroad companies back from bankruptcy to solvency, earning him the nickname "Doctor of Sick Railroads"