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The University of Saint Joseph is a private Roman Catholic university in West Hartford, Connecticut. It was founded in 1932 as a women's college by the Sisters of Mercy of Connecticut and began admitting men to its undergraduate programs in 2018.[3] The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.[4] There are 857 undergraduate and 959 graduate students (fall 2024).
 | |
Former name | Saint Joseph College (1932–2012) |
|---|---|
| Type | Private university |
| Established | 1932[1] |
| Accreditation | NECHE |
Religious affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Endowment | $34.8 million (2019)[2] |
| President | Rhona Free |
Academic staff | 127 |
| Students | 1,816 (fall 2024) |
| Location | , U.S. 41°46′52″N 72°43′50″W / 41.78111°N 72.73056°W |
| Campus | Suburban, 84 acres (34 ha) |
| Colors | |
| Nickname | Blue Jays |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division III – GNAC |
| Mascot | Joey the Blue Jay |
| Website | www |
USJ has more than 30 bachelor's degree programs and more than 30 graduate programs including master's programs and two doctoral programs (Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Pharmacy).
History
editWhen it was founded in 1932, USJ was the first college for women in the Hartford area.
Psychology Professor Pamela Trotman Reid became the first African-American president of the university when she was appointed in 2008;[5] she retired in 2015.[6][7]
In November 2016, the University of Saint Joseph began its comprehensive research and review of becoming a coeducational institution. Based on this review, the university began admitting male students to all full-time undergraduate programs in the fall of 2018.[8]
Notable alumni include:
- Barbara Favola, Virginia State Senator
- Catherine Gentile, Author
- Jahana Hayes, United States Representative
- Marilynn Malerba, Treasurer of the United States and 18th Chief of the Mohegan Tribe
- Evelyn Mantilla, Former United States Representative
- Maura Melley, Former Connecticut Secretary of State
- Antonina Uccello, Former Mayor of Hartford
Facilities
edit
The University of Saint Joseph has maintained a distinctive Georgian brick architecture in most of its 19 buildings, including six residence halls, a library, student life building, administration and classroom buildings, and an arts center with a theater and art gallery, among others.
Two laboratory schools—the School for Young Children (1936), a nationally-accredited preschool; and the Gengras Center School (1965), a special education program for elementary, middle, and high school students— serve to train University of Saint Joseph students.
The O'Connell Athletic Center features a newly renovated fitness center, indoor track, six-lane pool, two gymnasiums, a varsity weight room, and newly renovated locker rooms. The OC's outdoor complex includes six pristine tennis courts, a turf soccer/lacrosse/field hockey field, turf softball field, and grass practice field.
The buildings are arranged around two tree-lined quadrangles on an 84-acre (340,000 m2) campus designed by the Olmsted Brothers. Approximately 73 percent of first-year students live on campus and USJ offers university sponsored off-campus housing at the Millennium in downtown Hartford.[9]
USJ’s on-campus Art Museum houses a distinguished collection of more than 2,800 works of fine art.
Athletics
editAs an NCAA Division III institution, the University of Saint Joseph houses 16 varsity teams, intramurals, and numerous recreation and wellness programs. The University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).
The University of Saint Joseph Athletic Department has been fully established as an NCAA Division III athletic program since the fall of 1993. The Blue Jays have won GNAC championships in women's volleyball, women's basketball, women's tennis, softball, men's basketball, men's soccer, and men's lacrosse. The University of Saint Joseph also offers varsity programs in women's soccer, men's cross country, women's cross country, women's lacrosse, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, field hockey, and baseball.
In September 2018, the university made headlines by signing Jim Calhoun, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, as head coach of the newly formed men's basketball team.[10]
References
edit- ^ "History, Mission, & Core Values of University of Saint Joseph | USJ West Hartford, CT".
- ^ As of June 30, 2019. "U.S. and Canadian 2019 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2019 Endowment Market Value, and Percentage Change in Market Value from FY18 to FY19 (Revised)". National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "About Us". usj.edu.
- ^ Connecticut Institutions – NECHE, New England Commission of Higher Education, retrieved May 26, 2021
- ^ "Pamela Trotman Reid to Retire as University of Saint Joseph President at Conclusion of Academic Year". 3 October 2014.
- ^ "APA Profile". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ "Retirement Announcement". University of Saint Joseph. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ University of Saint Joseph (June 14, 2017). "University of Saint Joseph Opens Full-Time Undergraduate Programs to Men". Archived from the original on 2017-06-17. Retrieved June 15, 2017.
- ^ "Suburban CT university expanding housing into city downtown. 'We want to be a part of the growth.'". Hartford Courant. 2024-07-30. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ "Jim Calhoun Officially Named Head Men's Basketball Coach". Saint Joseph CT. 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2018-10-18.