Saint Joseph's College (Indiana)

Saint Joseph's College

Motto	Religio Moralitas Scientia
Motto in English	Reverence, Morality, Knowledge
Type	Private, liberal arts college
Active	1889–2017
Affiliation	Roman Catholic Church (Missionaries of the Precious Blood)
President	Fr. Barry Fischer
Academic staff	Green
Students	0
Location	Rensselaer, IN, United States 40°55′11″N 87°09′21″W / 40.919611°N 87.155955°W / 40.919611; -87.155955Coordinates: 40°55′11″N 87°09′21″W / 40.919611°N 87.155955°W / 40.919611; -87.155955
Campus	180 acres (72.8 ha) rural
Colors	Purple and Cardinal
Athletics	18 NCAA Division II teams
Nickname	Pumas
Website	Official Website

Saint Joseph's College (SJC; colloquially, Saint Joe) was a coeducational, private, Catholic liberal arts college located in Rensselaer, Indiana, United States which closed in 2017. At the time of its closure approximately 1,100 students were enrolled.

St. Joseph's was ranked as a "Best Midwestern College" by The Princeton Review^[1] and U.S. News. On Feb. 3, 2017, the school announced it has temporarily suspended operations at the end of the 2016–17 academic year.^[2]

History

The Chapel is one of the oldest buildings on campus, and is where regular religious events are held.

The College was founded in 1889 by Father Joseph A. Stephan, a missionary from Germany as a secondary school to educate Native Americans. In 1962, President Eisenhower dedicated the Halleck Center (named after Republican representative Charles Halleck).^[3]

From 1944 to 1974, the Chicago Bears held their training camp at Saint Joseph's College.^[4] The 1971 film Brian's Song—about Brian Piccolo, a Chicago Bears running back who died from carcinoma in the 1970s—was filmed on campus.^[5] And a charity game for Joy Piccolo, the Bears vs college all-stars, was played on July 23, 1971. During training camp one year, Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus was reportedly seen out on a tractor in the cornfield adjacent to the campus. The College football all-star game was played at the College's football stadium, Alumni Stadium, for many years.

The main academic building burned to the ground on February 3, 1973.^[6] At the time, many thought the fire would close the school, but the school recovered.

After much discussion, on February 3, 2017 the school announced its closure at the end of the 2016-2017 academic year,^[2] as the school needed $100 million to continue operating:^[2] $27 million in debt, $35 million in infrastructure improvements, and $38 million to "re-engineer" the college.^[7] Outgoing president Robert Pastoor noted hopes of reopening, although his resignation was to take effect in May 2017.^[8]

Aerial view of the campus.

Campus

The campus has several distinctive features. The Romanesque-style Chapel and the reflecting pond in front of the Chapel are the most recognized features of campus. Drexel Hall was one of the first buildings on campus, and is distinctive for its unique atrium. Drexel has been renovated and restored to its historical appearance. The campus also includes a private recreational lake which is an old stone quarry.

Organization and administration

The school was accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE),^[9] the National League for Nursing (NLN), the Board of Commissioners of the International Assembly of Collegiate Business Education (IACBE),^[10] the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (HLC),^[11] and the State of Indiana Professional Standards Board for the Training of Elementary Teachers.

The Core building, one of the academic buildings on campus.

Academic profile

Saint Joseph's College was known for its Core Program under which students learned the basics of history, political science, natural science, literature and philosophy in integrated "core classes". This departs from the cafeteria-style approach to general education used by most colleges and universities in which students take discrete lower division classes in these subjects.

Saint Joseph's College had a student-faculty ratio of 14:1.^[12] 69% of full-time faculty at Saint Joseph's had their doctorates or terminal degree. SJC offers 75 major, minor, and pre-professional programs, along with the nationally acclaimed Core Curriculum, which provides a solid liberal arts education and a distinct career advantage.

Historically, 97% of graduating seniors were employed or in graduate school within a year of graduation.

Student life

Like most other Indiana colleges, SJC holds an annual "Little 500" race. Unlike the bed or bicycle races held elsewhere, Saint Joseph's College stages a go-kart race in the same manner as Purdue University's Grand Prix, albeit on a much smaller scale. The event remains popular and brings alumni back to the school every year.^[13]

Athletics

Official athletics logo.

Saint Joseph's College competed in NCAA Division II athletics and was a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). The school mascot was the Puma. It is the only post-secondary institution in the United States with the Puma as its mascot, although several have mountain lions, which is a different name for the same species.

In 1956, the Saint Joseph's football team won a share of the NAIA Football National Championship, playing Montana State to a 0–0 tie in the Aluminum Bowl at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.^[14] The football team has been dominant in their conference in recent years, winning the Great Lakes Football Conference championship in 2005, 2006, and 2009.

The school's baseball team was runner-up to the NCAA Division II Baseball Championship in 1996.^[15] The same year, the women's soccer team was the runner-up in the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship. The school's women's tennis team jas captured six GLVC conference titles since 1985 and completed three undefeated seasons.

In 2010, the men's basketball team led by head coach Richard Davis put together a string of three wins in the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament to reach the Elite Eight for the second time in school history.

Notable people

• Major League Baseball player Gil Hodges played college football and baseball at Saint Joseph's College, and later went on to play for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Mets. The Mets traded him to the Washington Senators, he retired and became the Senators manager. Following 5 seasons in Washington (1963–67), he returned to New York and led the Mets to their first World Series title in 1969. The baseball field is named in his honor.^[16]
• Philip F. Deaver, writer and poet, graduated from St. Joseph's College in 1968. He went on to win O. Henry and Flannery O'Connor awards for short fiction, and to publish poetry and fiction in dozens of literary journals.
• Former Canadian Member of Parliament and Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada Gilbert Parent.
• Former Chicago Alderman Edward Vrdolyak
• National Football League player John McGarry.
• Current Ohio State University women's basketball coach Kevin McGuff
• Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of McDonald's Peter Bensen.^[17]
• Mark S. Doss, Grammy Award-winning African-American bass-baritone, specializing in opera, concert and recital.
• John Morikis, President and Chief Operating Officer of the Sherwin-Williams Company ^[18]
• J. Patrick Lewis, American poet and prose writer noted for his children's poems and other light verse.^[19]
• Charles Vietzen, Award winning Chicago High School principal. Principal of Hubbard High School from 1984 to 1998.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint Joseph's College (Indiana).

• Official website
• Saint Joseph's College Archives